Happy were the Israelites to be rescued from Egypt, and led through the wilderness, by such an one as Moses! But happier still are we to have a far greater Deliverer and Leader, even Jesus, who is "able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by Him!" Under His guidance, and in His hands, our journey will be a safe and prosperous one. And when we are called to pass the last rough wave, He will be with us, and bring us to the promised Canaan above.

Moses was great; but a greater is here. He was mighty; but Christ is all-mighty. Moses received grace to be faithful; Christ can give grace. Moses rescued Israel from their oppressors; Christ delivers us from sin and hell. Above all, Moses is dead; but Christ liveth for ever.

O most precious Saviour and Guide, we commit ourselves to Thee, in humble simple faith. Be thou our Sacrifice, our Intercessor, our Portion for ever.

PHARAOH;

OR, THE GRADUAL HARDENING OF THE

HEART.

A HARDENED heart! What is there so truly hopeless, so utterly beyond the reach of man's power? Iron is hard; but the furnace can soften it, and make it pliable. The rock is hard; but it yields under the workman's hammer. But harder, far harder, is man's heart-especially when it has gradually become hardened under the marked dealings of God with it.

We have a very awful instance of this in the case of Pharaoh, the proud and cruel King of Egypt. He had long been treating with rigour the poor Israelites, who had sought shelter in his dominions.

Year

after year they had been sighing under their hard bondage; but he paid no heed to their sorrows, and turned a deaf ear to their cry.

H

At length the Lord himself interfered, and sent his servants, Moses and Aaron, to demand for His people a release from their oppression. The proud Monarch received these messengers of God with disdain, and The conseat once refused their claim.

quence was that judgment after judgment came upon him in quick succession. Still his heart remained unsubdued; until at length God's forbearance was exhausted, and this rebellious and hardened sinner was swept off in the midst of his sins, and summoned into the presence of his Almighty Judge.

Now, let us trace the progress of evil, step by step, in Pharaoh's career; and show how his heart grew in hardness, and he became riper and riper for hell. I think we shall be able to discover four separate stages in his spiritual history.

First, there was the stage of Careless Unconcern. Moses and Aaron appear before him, armed with God's authority. Hear how they address him, "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel, Let my people go, that

they may hold a feast unto me in the wilderness." With a sneer of contempt he replies, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice, and let Israel go? I know not the Lord."

What cared this unbeliever for Israel, or for Israel's God? He felt, as many feel, that religion was no concern of his it might interest some, but it had no charm for him. He was for the world; and God was not in all his thoughts. He knew not the Lord, and cared not to know Him.

O sinner, is not this the language of your heart? You desire not to know God; and so you close your eyes against His truth, and shut your heart against the whispers of His Spirit.

But this was not all. Pharaoh charged these servants of God with drawing the people away from their proper occupations"Wherefore do ye, Moses and Aaron, let the people from their work?". Ah, many a time has Satan made this charge against true religion-it spoils men for their duty in the world. But how false ! But how false! Who is the

best and most industrious Labourer?

Who

is the most trusty and faithful Servant? Who is the most upright and honest Tradesman? Is it not the sincere Christian?

And now just notice the utter unconcern of this ungodly sinner. The Lord was laying the axe at the root of the tree. The first blow had just been given-the first plague had been sent-but as yet the tree was unmoved. We read that "Pharaoh turned, and went into his house, neither did he set his heart to this also." There was no feeling of remorse, and as yet no sign of fear. Indifference marked his state.

Next came the stage of Alarm and Conviction. As plague after plague fell thick upon him, he saw more and more clearly that the Lord's arm was stronger than his, and he felt that it was a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. Scoffer as he was, there were moments when he was terror-stricken; and then he sent off in a hurry for Moses and Aaron, saying, "Entreat the Lord your God, that he may take away from me this death only."

But more than this-there was a mo