and prayer. I believe that God caused him to flee from Egypt, and live among the mountains of the wilderness almost by himself, for this very reason, that he might learn to be patient, wise, and gentle. We know that he did learn all this. For we read that “the man Moses was very meek, above all the men which were upon the face of the earth."*

So God fitted him for his work. His mother's side, the schools of Egypt, the desert of Midian, were all places where he learned something. Eighty years went by-forty in Egypt, forty in Midian. Perhaps Moses began to think he was growing old, and could do very little more. But then came the CALL. One day the bush flamed with a light which did not burn, and out of the midst of it came a voice which said, "I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob. Come, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people the children of Israel out of Egypt." +

Moses feared, but he obeyed; and, as we shall see another time, he became that to which the UNSEEN HAND of God had for these eighty years been leading him-the guide and captain of the Hebrews in their journey to the promised land.

*Numb. xii. 3.

Exod. iii. 6, 10.

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The Lamb of God.

EXODUS xii.

God's message to Pharaoh-How received-The first nine plagues-Obstinacy of the king-"I will see thy face no - Approach of the tenth plague Picture of an Israelite family-The sprinkled blood-The supper eaten with girded loins-Coming of the destroyer-A great cry in Egypt-The multitudes on their march-The yearly passover-Meaning for ourselves-Christ the passover-Life a holy festival-"Behold the Lamb of God"-" Worthy is the Lamb that was slain."

LET us now again go back in thought to that land where God's people were slaves. The eighty years of which I spoke in the last chapter have passed away, and Moses is again in Egypt. Since he came, the land has been filled with wonder and terror. For he brought the message of God to the proud and cruel king, "Let my people go!" But Pharaoh would not obey. His first answer to God's command was to make the slavery of the people more bitter, by giving them harder work to do, and by ordering them to be treated worse than before. Then began the mighty works of God, in which he showed how much greater he was than all Egyptian

idols, and how angry with the wicked king and people that had so hardened their hearts.

You can read the history of the plagues of Egypt in this book of Exodus, from the seventh chapter to the eleventh.

First, the broad and beautiful river Nile, which the Egyptians so much loved, and which they worshipped as a god, had its waters turned into blood.

Secondly, there came up from the river a mighty host of frogs, covering the whole land, climbing into the Egyptians' houses, filling their very bedchambers and beds, and ovens, and kneading troughs.

The third plague was the plague of lice, when all the dust of the land seemed to begin to move and change itself into these filthy insects.

Fourthly, there came great swarms of other insects and creeping things,* that overspread the country and corrupted and spoiled everything.

Fifthly, the cattle and other animals were smitten with a terrible disease. The horses, asses, camels, oxen, and sheep, died in great numbers, "but of the cattle of the children of Israel died not one."

*

Chap. viii. 21, 22, 24. The word flies in these verses is in italics, showing that no particular insects are mentioned in the original. Some think that gnats and mosquitoes are intended; others that the 66 swarms were of beetles. These were all common in Egypt, but now an ordinary annoyance was increased into a plague.

The sixth plague was the breaking out of painful boils and sores upon all the Egyptians and upon the animals of the land.

The seventh was the outbursting of a terrible storm of thunder, lightning, and hail, which "smote every herb of the field, and brake every tree of the field." "Only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, was there no hail."

The eighth plague was that of locusts. An east wind brought up from the Red Sea what at first seemed black clouds darkening the air. But they came nearer, nearer; and then the frightened labourers in the field saw that every cloud was an army of locusts, which soon alighted in millions upon the ground, and "did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left."

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

Three

And what of Pharaoh all this while? times,* as the history tells us, he promised to let the people go: but three times again he changed

*

See chap. viii. 8 (after the plague of frogs), viii. 25-28 (after that of "the swarms"), ix. 27, 28 (after the thunder and hail).

his mind, "hardened his heart,"* and resolved to keep them in slavery. Like some children, he was very sorry while the punishment lasted, and very anxious to be forgiven; but when the suffering was over, he was as obstinate and rebellious as ever. After that last solemn plague of darkness he became bitterly angry. "Get thee from me," he said to Moses; "take heed to thyself, for in that day thou seest my face thou shalt die." And Moses said, "Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face no more." Terrible words, if the proud unhappy king had but understood what was coming! But his time was past, and there was nothing for him now but shame, and sorrow, and doom.

For now the TENTH PLAGUE was near, and God's people were about to be set free to begin their journey to the promised land. Let us try to picture some one scene of that "muchto-be-remembered " night.

It is a bright evening in spring, a little family are standing at their cottage door. It is a poor, wretched house, for they are slaves. The father has been working all day for his cruel master ; so has the eldest son, who stands there close by

66

"The LORD hardened Pharaoh's heart" (x. 20, 27); "Pharaoh hardened his heart" (viii. 32). God is often said, especially in the Old Testament, to do what he does not prevent (compare 2 Sam. xxiv. I with 1 Chron. xxi. 1). The sun may be called the cause of snow and ice, as these are formed when its beams are withdrawn: just so God's leaving Pharaoh to himself was the cause of his heart becoming hard.