and hypocritically to promise everything, although he intended to perform nothing. But he now dispenses even with the flimsy veil, in which vice so often disguises herself, out of respect for virtue. He no longer condescends to play the hypocrite, but affecting to have misunderstood their original request, he drives them out of his presence with contempt and derision.

There could not have been a more certain proof of the additional hardening of Pharaoh's heart than this. He who has brought himself to contemn the message, will, as a following consequence, ere long, hate the messenger: he who despises the king, will not long honour the ambassador. There cannot be a more alarming proof of a fatal hardness of heart, than a habit of ridiculing or despising God's ministers. In these days, when that false and dangerous proposition, that “ Ridicule is the test of truth," appears again to possess, to a certain extent, a practical influence, it is most important to caution all, but especially the young, against its destructive fallacy to teach them to treat God's word, God's messengers, and whatever be their peculiarities, God's people, with respect; being assured that a contrary line of conduct will tend, almost more than anything else, to close their ears to his offers of mercy, to harden their hearts

against his rebukes, and, in the end, to place a fearful gulf between them, and the presence of

his glory.

EXPOSITION XXVII.

CHAP. X. 12-29.

12. And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the land of Egypt for the locusts, that they may come up upon the land of Egypt, and eat every herb of the land, even all that the hail hath left.

13. And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts.

14. And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and rested in all the coasts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no such locusts as they, neither after them shall be such.

15. For they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.

16. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in

haste; and he said, I have sinned against the Lord your God, and against you.

17. Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and intreat the Lord your God, that he may take away from me this death only.

18. And he went out from Pharaoh, and intreated the Lord.

19. And the Lord turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts, and cast them into the Red Sea; there remained not one locust in all the coasts of Egypt.

20. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, so that he would not let the children of Israel go.

21. And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand toward heaven, that there may be darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt.

22. And Moses stretched forth his hand toward heaven; and there was a thick darkness in all the land of Egypt three days:

23. They saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days: but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings.

24. And Pharaoh called unto Moses, and said, Go ye, serve the Lord; only let your flocks and your herds be stayed: let your little ones also go with you.

25. And Moses said, Thou must give us also sacrifices and burnt offerings, that we may sacrifice unto the Lord our God.

with us;

there shall not

26. Our cattle also shall go an hoof be left behind; for thereof must we take to serve the Lord our God; and we know not with what we must serve the Lord, until we come thither.

27. But the Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart, and he

would not let them go.

28. And Pharaoh said unto him, Get thee from me, take heed to thyself, see my face no more; for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die.

29. And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more.

Of the two additional judgments inflicted upon Pharaoh, of which we have just read, the latter is, perhaps, the most astonishing (though not the most dreadful) of all the ten plagues, under which that rebellious monarch suffered. In proof of this, we may observe, that in the enumeration of these " signs and wonders," made by David in the 105th Psalm, he commences with this plague, although the last but one of those which were inflicted, for he begins by saying, "He sent Moses his servant, and Aaron, whom he had chosen; they showed his signs among them, and wonders in the land of Ham. He sent darkness, and made it dark;" and after thus selecting this, he continues to narrate the remaining nine plagues in the exact order in which they occurred.

There was evidently something so strikingly above nature, in this miracle, that we are not surprised that it brought Pharaoh nearer to an absolute and unconditional surrender, than all

that had preceded it. He now gives full permission for the Israelites to go not only into the land, but into the wilderness; not only they that were men, but their "little ones," also, may go with them; in fact, he appears to be upon the point of conceding everything, when the avarice of the monarch again interferes, and he cannot consent to the loss of the cattle, as well as the slaves; and therefore destroys every concession he has made, by adding, "Only let your flocks and your herds be stayed." Again, how do we trace the similitude between the hardened king, and the sinner bargaining with God! "I will give up everything; I will yield all that God demands," says the terror-smitten conscience; only let this one sin be excepted, only this one criminal indulgence be left behind, and all the rest shall be yielded at God's summons, all that remain shall be given up for Christ. Alas! this worthless reserve; "Only this," which Satan induces him to keep, has utterly destroyed the imperfect sacrifice; he has just kept back enough to cost him his life, and Satan is perfectly satisfied; God may have all the rest. Well has St. James written, "Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."* So was it with Pharaoh; he

* James ii. 10.