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tators are to be followed, who say that the river merely assumed the appearance of blood. The statement is express and distinct; and so many items are given of the resulting consequences of this change, that one cannot suppose that it was not literally turned into blood.

We then read, that "the magicians of Egypt did so with their enchantments." Now here it seems as if they had not power to do these miracles; because if all the water was turned into blood, what water was there left for the magicians to act upon? What could they do that could at all correspond with the stupendous feat that Moses and Aaron had just performed? This last would seem, therefore, to have been an attempt on their part in which they failed; and this might lead one to suppose that their other supposed miracles might have been merely attempts that beguiled and deceived the few that were ready to be deceived, but not really and truly miracles.

How interesting is the contrast to all this that is presented in the Gospels! The Levitical economy dawned in water turned into blood, in judgment, in punishment. The Christian economy beautifully dawned in water turned into wine, and the very first miracle that Jesus wrought was at a marriage feast, as if he would go forth to sympathize with nature's bright things before he went out to weep with them that wept; as if he would enter into life's sunny spots, in order to show that Christianity sweetens and sanctifies them; before he went into life's darker and sadder ones, carrying there those consolations that the world cannot give, and that the world cannot take away.

But before we close our perusal of the miracles done in Egypt, I shall have an opportunity of setting before you the reasons that have been given on both sides the one class of reasons to show that the miracles were real; the other, that they were only attempts by the magicians to imitate the miracles done by Moses and Aaron. The schoolmen say, the magicians did mirum, a marvel; not miraculum, a miracle.

PHARAOH A TYPE.

CHAPTER VIII.

GOD'S DOINGS. NILE FOR SEVEN DAYS

BLOOD. THE PLAGUE OF FROGS. EGYPTIAN OVENS.
SIN AND ITS PENALTIES INSEPARABLE.
PHARAOH'S RELENTING.

OF MAGICIANS.

OF GNATS AND BEETLES.

IS

EFFORTS

SWARM

LESSON.

PHARAOH is a too exact representative of the natural man, in every age and phasis of human life and human experience. He is the representative of one determined to have his own way; and yet a specimen of one who must be either subdued by Almighty grace, or made ultimately to concur in the way and purpose of God. God might, by the exercise of omnipotence, at once have laid him prostrate, and let his people go; but in doing otherwise he had a lesson to teach to all mankind, as well as a benefit and a blessing to secure for his people Israel. No fact in the history of God's dealings with his people is a dead fact; all He does is meant for later ages, to be impressive to our hearts, and to teach us lessons about ourselves, and of our responsibility and lowliness, that no other fact could have so admirably taught.

It appears, that during seven days the river had rolled a current red with blood, and that the whole land of Egypt was in a state of dismay, terror, and alarm, at the awful visitation that had fallen upon it. The reason why it lasted seven days was, no doubt, to let Pharaoh see that it was not an incidental phenomenon, but a clear and designed and direct infliction of God. If it had occurred for an hour,

and disappeared in an hour, it would have been said that it was some coloring of some insect in the water, or that it was some accidental tinge from the clay or soil of the mountains, that it was some carbonate or muriate of iron, or other chemical solution mixed with the waters. But when the effects became so palpable as are here recorded, and these effects lasted so long, there could be no mistaking that this was a judgment from on high.

Well, when Moses went to Pharaoh, and asked him to let the people go, and he refused, then the judgment was inflicted which is threatened in the third verse, namely, the banks of the river brought forth frogs abundantly; and so universal was this infliction, that they went into Pharaoh's house, and into his bedchamber, and upon his bed, and into the house of his servants, and upon his people, and into their ovens and kneading-troughs. One can conceive nothing more horrible, or more offensive, or more completely an infliction upon a great, wealthy, and powerful nation. But it strikes one as a strange thing to speak of frogs going into ovens. As our ovens are, of course, the approach of a frog would be impossible from the intensity of the heat with which the oven is charged, and its height from the ground. But an Egyptian oven was a hole in the earth, in which they put wood for a fire, over which they put an earthen pitcher, and the bread was placed inside that, and baked by the action of the fire in the hole beneath. It seems to us a barbarous mode, but it was the Egyptian one. And you can conceive that when this hole was filled with frogs, the preparation of bread would thereby become utterly impracticable.

We read next, that "the magicians did so with their enchantments." Now there are two solutions of this. It seems in some parts, that the magicians made the attempt to do these things, and could not: for it is asserted in the 18th verse, that "the magicians did so with their enchantments

to bring forth lice, but they could not." But then it seems in other passages, that they unquestionably succeeded in doing so; and it is the opinion of some of the best divines, that they were enabled, by infranatural aid. And perhaps the solution that has been suggested to me is true, that some of these judgments were divine inflictions of what the magicians had been in the habit of doing on a much smaller scale. You are aware that in the Latin, Greek, and Hebrew verb, there is the perfect, and also the imperfect tense. For instance, docuit means that he taught, or did it at once; but docebat means that he was teaching, or was in the habit of doing so. Now here, the words, "The magicians did so" may mean that they were in the habit of doing a miracle, not in quantity, but in effect, apparently as good as this. And since Moses and Aaron had not done any thing much superior to what the magicians had been in the habit of doing, therefore Pharaoh's heart was hardened, such a miracle not being sufficiently conclusive of Divine power.

However, "Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said," evidently pained and grieved at the extent of the last affliction, "Entreat the Lord," recognizing Jehovah, “ that he may take away the frogs from me." Now that is human nature thoroughly. Whenever man is in affliction, his prayer is, "Take it away;" but he never dreams, until he is taught of God, of taking away the sin that brings on the affliction. For instance, in 1849, many prayed, and prayed most justly, "Take away the cholera;" but they did not care to help to take away the provocative of it, the wretched habitations in which the poorer classes dwell. Now, we have no right to pray God to take away an affliction which falls upon us judicially, paternally, or penally, unless we show by our own acts that we are parting with the sin which brings down the judgment upon us. And so, in the time of the recent papal aggression, many prayed, "Take away this offensive intrusion on the throne and

jurisdiction of our country." But what brought that in? No doubt the very greatly tolerated Tractarianism that overspread a section of the Church; and if they who should, had taken away the Puseyism, we never should have had the Popery if you had nipped the bud, you never would have had the full-blown blossom. You must take away the

sin that provokes, and then God will take away the judgment that follows that sin. So, if a man is visited with affliction, he says, "Take away this calamity;" but he does not dream that all outward visitations of Providence have a connection more or less remote with something that is wrong; that they are not the afflictions of God, so much as generated by the faults and sins of the individual himself.

Then we read, that when Pharaoh said, "Entreat the Lord that he take away the frogs, but let my hardness of heart remain; take away the judgment, but let the poor Israelites be ground to the earth in making me rich, and prosperous, and great," Moses said, evidently bearing and forbearing, "Glory over me;" that is, "Very well; I wish you to get all the credit, if there be any at all, in making the suggestion. I want no glory; I desire only to do good. And therefore, glory over me; I give you every advantage. And to show how anxious I am to accommodate my preferences to your comfort, when shall I entreat for thee, and for thy servants, and for thy people? I will go at any hour of the day or night." And Pharaoh said, "To-morrow." You will naturally ask, why to-morrow? The answer is, that the heart of Pharaoh, which after all was but your heart and mine, intensified and magnified, was essentially unbelieving, full of blasphemy and wickedness; and he had the latent persuasion that the frogs were not really an affliction of God; that they were, after all, a natural phenomenon; and he thought he would just wait one day more, and see if the wind that brought them would carry them away; since then he would be able more

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