and said unto them, I have sinned this time: the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked.

Entreat the LORD, (for it is enough,) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail; and I will let you go, and ye shall stay no longer.

And Moses said unto him, As soon as I am gone out of the city, I will spread abroad my hands unto the LORD: and the thunder shall cease, neither shall there be any more hail; that thou mayest know, how that the earth is the LORD's.

But as for thee and thy servants, I know that ye will not fear the LORD GOD. And the flax and the barley was smitten; for the barley was in the ear, and the flax was bolled. But the wheat and the rye were not smit. ten for they were not grown up.

And Moses went out of the city from Pharaoh, and spread abroad his hands unto the LORD: and the thunders and hail ceased, and the rain was not poured upon the earth.

And when Pharaoh saw that the rain, and the hail, and the thunders were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants.

And the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, neither would he let the children of Israel go; as the LORD had spoken by Moses.

ANNOTATIONS AND REFLECTIONS.

Though the Egyptians did not feed upon the flesh of oxen, calves, &c. cattle were of great value to them; some kinds for carrying burdens, others on account of their milk, and some as idols; it must therefore have been a heavy punishment to them to lose these crea

tures.

The text says, all the cattle of Egypt died; meaning

all

all which had the murrain. By cutting them off in this manner, the LORD evidently proved, that " all the beasts of the field are his*.”

It appears very hard, that poor animals should have suffered for the sins of men; but as GOD's tender mercies are over all His works, and the cattle could not have committed any offence against Him, we may be certain that the LORD so ordered the judgment as to inflict less pain on those which died, than they would have endured had their lives been prolonged.

The plague of boils must have been a very afflictive one, for they were of the most painful and rancorous + kind; and it is remarkable, that the magicians seem to have been tormented by them to the greatest degree; and that in consequence of them they yielded the contest, which they had hitherto carried on with Moses and Aaron: by this circumstance the supremacy of the LORD GOD of the Hebrews, over the idols of Egypt, was made manifest.

The storm which the LORD sent upon the Egyptians, was the more dreadful to them, because in Egypt it is a very uncommon thing to see rain, much less hail. The Psalmist has given a very poetic description of this judgment: "He destroyed the vines with hail, and the sycamore trees with frost: He gave up the cattle also to the hail, and the flocks to hot thunder-bolts ‡." And from the account which this section gives of it, we find that GoD employed three elements against Pharaoh, the air in the thunder, the water in the hail, and the fire in the lightning; all jointly demonstrating that the GoD of Israel is the GOD of nature.

We find, from this section, as well as the foregoing ones, that, so far from impelling or inclining Pharaoh to

* Psalm 1. 10. † See Deut. xxviii. 27.

Ps. lxxviii. 47, 48.

do evil, Gop did every thing consistent with Divine justice to reclaim him. He never sent a judgment upon Egypt without first warning Pharaoh of it, and informing him for what end it was designed; and if the LORD withheld his restraining grace, is was only as a friend withholds his advice from one who refuses to be influenced by it; and who, in order to prevent mischief from falling upon the innocent, redoubles his kindness to those whom the other strives to injure. Had Pharaoh drawn nigh to GOD, GOD would have drawn nigh to him *.

The plague of boils was of such a nature, that had not the LORD, who sent it, healed those who were afflicted, it would have proved fatal; but it was his will to prolong the life of Pharaoh, in order to make him a farther instrument of displaying His Divine power.

There was a remarkable discrimination made among the people of Egypt, in respect to the calamities occasioned by the storm of hail, which affected the property of those only who did not regard the word of the Lord. This strongly intimated that God was disposed to shew mercy to them.

Though (as has been observed before) the LORD moderated in Pharaoh and his people that terror with which He generally torments the minds of presumptuous sinners, so as to enable them to endure reiterated judgments, the king was not totally exempt from it. The mighty thunderings awakened, in Pharaoh's mind, a sense of guilt, and extorted a confession from him, that the LORD was righteous, and he and his people wicked; but his fear was very different from that which is described to be the beginning of wisdom t. It was no more than a temporary dread of divine vengeance,

* James iv. 8.

+ Prov. i. 7.

impelling

impelling him, instinctively, to seek relief from Him, who alone could give it. It did not produce humility and godly sorrow. The mercy of GOD, which should have led him to repentance, served but to harden his heart, and make him more obdurate; which is the usual effect of divine mercy upon those, who, by provoking GOD to withdraw the aid of His HOLY SPIRIT, subject themselves to the influence of that malignant Being, whose delight it is to make mankind ungrateful to their Almighty Benefactor.

This section teaches us, that the LORD can wound and can heal*. That an extraordinary mortality among cattle is designed by him as a punishment to men; that the elements of air, fire, and water, are under His direction that the thunder roars, and the lightning flies, at his command; that the most violent storm ceases at his bidding; and that he employs all these for the chastisement and reformation of wicked princes and nations. It also informs us, that it is sometimes the way of the LORD to avert these evils from individuals, when he sends judgments on a king and people in general. Let us therefore acknowledge Him as the God of the whole earth: and ever keep in mind, that His mercy is over them that fear Him.

SECTION LXIV.

THE PLAGUES OF LOCUSTS AND DARKNESS.

From Exodus, Chap. x.

AND the LORD said unto Moses, Go in unto Pharaoh: for I have hardened his heart, and the hearts of his servants; that I might shew these my signs before him: And that thou mayest tell in the ears of thy son, and

* Deut. xxxii. 30..

of thy son's son, what things I have wrought in Egypt, and my signs which I have done amongst them: that ye may know, how that I am the LORD,

And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the LORD GOD of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? Let my people go, that they may serve me. Else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, tomorrow will I bring the locusts into thy coasts.

And they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth; and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field.

And they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of all thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; which neither thy fathers, nor thy fathers' fathers have seen, since the day that they were upon the earth, unto this day. And he turned himself and went out from Pharaoh.

And Pharaoh's servants said unto him, How long shall this man be a snare unto us? let the men go, that they may serve the LORD their God: Knowest thou not yet that Egypt is destroyed?

And Moses and Aaron were brought again unto Pharaoh: and he said unto them, Go, serve the LORD your GoD: but who are they that shall go?

And Moses said, we will go with our young and with our old, with our sons and with our daughters, with our flocks and with our herds will we go: for we must hold a feast unto the Lord.

And he said unto them, Let the LORD be so with you, as I will let you go and your little ones: look to it; for evil is before you.

Not so: go now ye that are men, and serve the LORD;

for