Exodus 12:21-23

“Then Moses summoned all the elders of Israel and said to them, “Go at once and select the animals for your families and slaughter the Passover lamb. Take a bunch of hyssop, dip it into the blood in the basin and put some of the blood on the top and on both sides of the doorframe. Not one of you shall go out the door of his house until morning. When the LORD goes through the land to strike down the Egyptians, he will see the blood on the top and sides of the doorframe and will pass over that doorway, and he will not permit the destroyer to enter your houses and strike you down.”

The office of a minister is to declare to the people what he himself has received from God to deliver to them, 1 Corinthians 15:3. Nothing should be added by him; nothing should be withheld, Acts 20:27. The direction given to Moses, “See that you make all things according to the pattern showed to you in the mount, Hebrews 8:5,” is that to which all the servants of God should be conformed in all their ministrations. In this consists fidelity. “If we add anything to the Word of God, the plagues contained in it shall be added unto us. If we take away from it, our names shall be taken out of the book of life, Revelation 22:18-19.”

It is spoken to the honor of Moses, that “he was faithful in all his house;” and we find invariably, that the messages which he delivered to the people, and the ordinances which he established among them, accorded with the commission which he himself had received from God.

In the words before us, he delivers to them a message of terror and of mercy; he informs them of the judgment about to be inflicted on the Egyptian first-born; and of the means which God in his mercy had appointed for exempting them from the general calamity.

We propose to consider:

I. The means prescribed.

God might have preserved his people without any particular means; as he did when he sent forth an angel to destroy almost the whole Assyrian army. But he intended this deliverance as a type of a far greater deliverance, which he would afterwards effect through the incarnation and death of his own Son; and therefore he appointed certain observances which would lead their minds to that great event.

1. They must kill the paschal lamb.

Though the Passover differed from all other sacrifices, inasmuch as no part of it was burnt upon the altar—yet it is expressly called a sacrifice, Deuteronomy 16:4; and it was ordered to be represented under that character to all succeeding generations, verses 6, 27; and Paul himself speaks of it as prefiguring, in that particular view, the death of Christ, 1 Corinthians 5:7.

Here then it is most instructive to us, as it teaches us that without a sacrifice offered unto God for us—we cannot obtain favor in his sight, or escape the judgments which our sins have merited. We do not presume to say, absolutely, what God might, or might not, have done; because we know nothing of God except as he is pleased to reveal himself to us; but, as far as the revelation he has given us enables us to judge, we are persuaded that a vicarious sacrifice was necessary; and that, without such a sacrifice, God could not have been “just, and at the same time the justifier” of sinful man, Romans 3:25-26.

2. They must sprinkle its blood.

The destroying angel might have been instructed to discern between the Israelites and the Egyptians without any external sign upon the walls; but God ordered that the blood of the lamb should be sprinkled on the lintel, and side-posts of the doors, in order to show us yet further, that the blood of Christ must be sprinkled on our souls.

The blood of the lamb did not save the Israelites by being shed, but by being sprinkled; and, in the same manner, it is not the blood of Christ as shed on Calvary, but as sprinkled on the soul, that saves us from the wrath to come! Hence the Scripture so often speaks of our being “come to the blood of sprinkling, which speaks better things than the blood of Abel, Hebrews 12:24 and 1 Peter 1:2.” We must, as it were, dip the hyssop in the blood, and by faith apply it to our own hearts and consciences, or else we can have no benefit from it, no saving interest in it.

3. They must abide in their houses.

This was appointed, that they might know to what alone they owed their safety—namely, to the blood sprinkled on their houses. If, presuming upon their descent from Abraham, or upon their having killed the Passover, any of them had ventured abroad before the morning—they would, in all probability, have perished, as Lot’s wife did after her departure from Sodom, or as Shimei afterwards did by going outside the walls of Jerusalem, 1 Kings 2:41-46. The injunction given to them, teaches us, that we must “abide in Christ, John 15:4-7. Five times in four verses this truth is repeated;” and that, to venture for one moment from under the shadow of his wings, will involve us in the most imminent danger, if not in utter ruin. We have no protection from the pursuer of blood any longer than we continue within the walls of the city of refuge! Numbers 35:26-28.

Let us now take a view of,

II. The deliverance given.

The deliverance itself was truly astonishing.

Throughout all the land of Egypt, the first-born of every person, from the king on his throne to the captive in the dungeon, was slain by an invisible agent. By whatever means the various families were awakened, whether by any sudden impression on their minds, or by the groans of their first-born smitten by the destroying angel—there was at the same hour throughout all the kingdom a cry of lamentation and of terror; of lamentation for their deceased relatives, and of terror on their own account, lest a similar judgment should be inflicted on them also.

What dreadful consternation must have prevailed, the instant that the extent of this calamity was seen; when every one, going for relief and comfort to his neighbor, saw him also overwhelmed with similar anguish! But though the first-born of men and cattle was destroyed among all the Gentiles, not one, either of men or cattle, suffered among the Israelites. How must the whole Jewish nation be struck with wonder at this astonishing display of God’s mercy towards them!

But a greater deliverance than this was shadowed forth. There is a day coming when God will put a more awful difference between his friends and enemies; when his enemies, without exception, shall be smitten with the second death, and his friends be exalted to eternal glory and felicity! What terror will be seen in that day! What weeping, and wailing, and gnashing of teeth among the objects of his displeasure! And what exultation and triumph among those who shall be the monuments of his distinguishing favor! That deliverance will be indeed wonderful; and eternity will be too short to explore the unsearchable riches of grace and love contained in it.

The manner in which it was effected also deserves particular attention.

There was not one agent only in this transaction, but two; a destroying angel who went forth to execute judgment indiscriminately on one in every house; and God, who attended him, as it were, to intercept his stroke, and ward off the blow wherever the blood was sprinkled on the houses. This is clearly intimated in the text; and it is as clearly referred to by the Prophet Isaiah, who combines this image with that of a bird darting between her offspring and the bird of prey, in order to protect them from their voracious enemy, Isaiah 31:5.

Indeed the very name given to the ordinance which was appointed to commemorate this event, was taken from the circumstance of God’s leaping forward, and thus obliging the angel to pass over every house where the blood appeared.

In reflecting on this, we take comfort from the thought that whoever may threaten the Lord’s people, God himself is their protector; and that, “while he is for them, none can be effectually against them.” If all the angels in Heaven, yes and all the devils in Hell too—were employed to execute vengeance on the earth, we need not fear; since God is omniscient to discern, and almighty to protect, the least of his believing people!

We may learn from hence,

1. The use and excellence of faith.

It was “by faith that Moses kept the Passover, and the sprinkling of blood, lest he who destroyed the first-born should touch them, Hebrews 11:28.” It is by faith also, and by faith alone, that we can obtain a saving interest in the Lord Jesus. In what other way can we present to God his sacrifice? In what other way can we sprinkle our hearts with his atoning blood? In what other way can we “abide in him until the morning” of the resurrection? This is not done by repentance, or love, or any other grace—but by faith alone. Other graces are good, and necessary in their place; but it is faith alone that apprehends Christ, and obtains for us all the benefits of his passion. Let us then “believe in him,” and “live upon him,” and “dwell in him”—as our sure and only deliverer from the wrath to come.

2. The importance of inquiring into our state before God.

The generality go to their rest as securely as the Egyptians did, unawed by the threatenings of Almighty God, and unconscious of the danger to which they were exposed. But how many wake in eternity, and find their error when it is too late! Let me then entreat you to inquire whether you have ever dreaded the stroke of God’s avenging arm? whether you have been made sensible that God has appointed one way, and one way only, for your escape? whether you have regarded “Christ as your Passover that has been sacrificed for you?” whether you have fed upon him, with the bitter herbs of penitence and contrition? Have you dipped the hyssop, as it were, in his blood, and sprinkled your souls with it? And do you feel that it would be at the peril of your souls, if you were to venture for one moment from your place of refuge?

Make these inquiries; and be not satisfied until you are assured on scriptural grounds, that you are out of the reach of the destroying angel! Until then, adopt the prayer of David, “Purge me with hyssop, and I shall be clean; wash me, and I shall be whiter than snow!”

Charles Simeon (1759-1836)

Exodus 12:3-11

“Tell the whole community of Israel that on the tenth day of this month each man is to take a lamb for his family, one for each household. If any household is too small for a whole lamb, they must share one with their nearest neighbor, having taken into account the number of people there are. You are to determine the amount of lamb needed in accordance with what each person will eat. The animals you choose must be year-old males without defect, and you may take them from the sheep or the goats. Take care of them until the fourteenth day of the month, when all the people of the community of Israel must slaughter them at twilight. Then they are to take some of the blood and put it on the sides and tops of the doorframes of the houses where they eat the lambs. That same night they are to eat the meat roasted over the fire, along with bitter herbs, and bread made without yeast. Do not eat the meat raw or cooked in water, but roast it over the fire—head, legs and inner parts. Do not leave any of it till morning; if some is left till morning, you must burn it. This is how you are to eat it: with your cloak tucked into your belt, your sandals on your feet and your staff in your hand. Eat it in haste; it is the LORD’s Passover!”

The mercies promised to the Lord’s people shall be fulfilled to them in due season. Their trials may be long continued, and may increase when the time of their termination is near at hand; but God will not forget his promises, or delay the execution of them beyond the proper time. He had foretold to Abraham that his posterity would be ill-treated in Egypt to a certain period; but that they should then be brought out of it with great substance. The appointed period, foretold four hundred and thirty years before, had arrived, and yet the condition of the Israelites was as distressed as ever; but at its conclusion, “even on the self-same day,” the promised deliverance was granted; and an ordinance was appointed to keep up the remembrance of it to all future generations.

From the words of our text we shall be led to notice,

I. The Passover ordinance itself.

1. The ordinance was commemorative.

The deliverance of Israel from the sword of the destroying angel, and from their bondage in Egypt, was great, Deuteronomy 26:8, and unparalleled from the foundation of the world, Deuteronomy 4:34. And in the commemoration of it, God appointed that in all future ages one of the junior members of each family should ask the reason of the institution, and the head of the family should relate what God had done for their nation in passing over the houses of the Israelites when he slew the Egyptians, and in bringing them out of their cruel bondage, verses 5–27. To this the Apostle refers, when he speaks of the Lord’s Supper as an ordinance appointed for “the showing forth of the Lord’s death, until he comes” again at the end of the world to judgment! 1 Corinthians 11:26.

2. The ordinance was typical.

The minutest particular in this ordinance seems to have been intended to typify the redemption of the world by the death of Christ:

“The lamb” which was to be “under a year old,” denotes Christ, “the Lamb of God,” in a state of perfect purity.

The lamb was to be “a male,” as being the most perfect of its kind, and “without blemish,” in order to represent the perfect manhood of Christ, who was indeed “a lamb without blemish and without spot! 1 Peter 1:19.”

The lamb was to be set apart four days before it was slain; not only to mark God’s eternal designation of Christ to be a sacrifice, but to foreshow that Christ, during the four last days of his life, (from his entrance into Jerusalem to his death,) should be examined at different tribunals, to ascertain whether there was the smallest flaw in his character; so that his bitterest enemies might all be constrained to attest his innocence, and thereby unwittingly to declare, that he was fit to be a sacrifice for the sins of the whole world.

The precise hour of the day wherein Jesus was to die, is thought to have been predicted by the time appointed for the slaying of the paschal lamb, which was soon after three o’clock in the afternoon.

The lamb was ordered to be slain by all the congregation; to show that all ranks and orders of men, both of Jews and Gentiles, should concur in his death.

The lamb’s blood was to be sprinkled on the door-posts and lintels, to show that the blood of Christ must be sprinkled upon our hearts and consciences, if we would not fall a prey to the destroying angel; but it was not to be sprinkled on the threshold, because the blood of Christ is not to be trodden under foot, or counted by any as an unholy thing! Hebrews 10:29.

The lamb’s flesh was to be roasted, (not to be eaten raw or boiled,) that the extremity of our Savior’s sufferings from the fire of God’s wrath might be more fitly depicted.

The lamb was to be eaten by all; because none can ever be saved, unless they eat of Christ’s flesh, and receive him into their hearts by faith.

The lamb was to be eaten whole, and not a bone of it to be broken, John 19:36; probably to intimate, that we must receive Christ in all his offices and in all his benefits; and certainly to foreshow that he should be exempt from the common fate of all who died his death, and be marked out thereby with the most undoubted evidence, as the true Messiah.

None of the lamb was to be left until the morning, lest it should be treated contemptuously by the profane, or become an occasion of idolatry or superstition to mistaken zealots; and to guard us also against similar abuses in the supper of our Lord.

Some other particulars worthy of observation will occur, while we consider,

II. The manner of the Passover celebration.

In this also was the ordinance both commemorative and typical.

The bitter herbs and unleavened bread were intended to keep up a remembrance of the bitter sorrows which they endured, and the bread of affliction which they ate, in Egypt, Deuteronomy 16:4.

Their standing, with their loins girt, and shoes on their feet, and staves in their hands, denoted the haste with which they were driven out of the land, as it were, by the Egyptians themselves.

As types, these things declared in what manner we should feed upon the Lord Jesus Christ. We know that it is possible to strain types and metaphors too far; but in interpreting the import of the paschal sacrifice, though in some smaller matters we may not be able to speak with certainty, the great outlines are drawn by an inspired Apostle; who says, “Christ our Passover Lamb, is sacrificed for us, 1 Corinthians 5:7-8.” Taking this for our guide, we say that we may learn even from the manner in which the Passover was celebrated, how we are to feast upon the Lamb of God that has been slain for us.

1. We are to feast upon the Lamb with humble penitence.

The bitter herbs reminded the Israelites of the misery they had endured; but we must further reflect upon the guilt we have contracted. Their bondage was the effect of force and constraint; ours has been altogether voluntary; and therefore has involved us in the deepest guilt. When we eat of Christ’s flesh, we must recollect that his sufferings were the punishment of our iniquities. We must “look on him whom we have pierced, and mourn; yes, we must mourn for him as one mourns for his only son! Zechariah 12:10.” The more assured we are of our deliverance from wrath through him, the more must we abhor ourselves for all our iniquities, and for all our abominations! Ezekiel 16:63.

2. We are to feast upon the Lamb with true sincerity.

This is expressly declared by the Apostle to have been intended by the unleavened bread, 1 Corinthians 5:7-8. Sin is a leaven, the smallest portion of which will leaven and defile our whole souls. It must therefore be purged out with all possible care and diligence. If we retain knowingly and willfully the smallest measure of sin, we have nothing to expect but an everlasting separation from God and his people. Let us then search and try our own hearts; and beg of God also to “search and try us, to see if there be any wicked way in us, and to lead us in the way everlasting!” We must be “Israelites indeed and without deceit,” if we would enjoy the full benefits of the body and blood of Christ.

3. We are to feast upon the Lamb with active zeal.

We are in a strange land, wherein “we have no continuing city; but we seek one to come, even a city that has foundations, whose builder and maker is God.” We are not to take up our rest in this world, but, as pilgrims, with our loins girt, our shoes on our feet, and our staff in our hand, to be always ready to proceed on our journey to the heavenly Canaan! In this state and habit of mind, we should feed upon Christ from day to day; commemorating the redemption he has wrought out for us, and receiving from him renewed strength for our journey. This weanedness from the world, and readiness to depart out of it at any moment that our Lord shall call us, constitutes the perfection of a Christian’s character, and the summit of his felicity.

APPLICATION.

Whether we be Israelites feeding on the Paschal Lamb, or Egyptians lying on our beds in thoughtless security—let us remember, that the hour is fast approaching, when God will put a difference between the Israelites and the Egyptians. Let the one rejoice in the safety which they enjoy under the blood sprinkled on their hearts; and let the other tremble at their impending danger from the sword of the destroying angel; and let all endeavor to realize the unavailing cries of God’s enemies, and the joyful exultations of his redeemed people. O terrible judgment! O glorious deliverance! May God keep us all from hardening our own hearts, and stir us up to an immediate compliance with the directions given us in the Gospel!

Charles Simeon (1759-1836)

Exodus 11:7

“But among the Israelites not a dog will bark at any man or animal. Then you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.”

A principal intent of God in the various dispensations of his providence is, to make himself known unto the world. By some of his works he makes known his natural perfections of wisdom and power; by others, his moral perfections of goodness and truth. In his dealings with Pharaoh in particular, we are expressly told that he had this end in view, Exodus 10:1-2. The exercise of his sovereignty was in that instance intended to be displayed, Romans 9:17-20; as also in the whole of “the difference which he put between the Israelites and the Egyptians;” but if we consider these two nations as types or representatives of the friends and enemies of God, we shall be rather led to contemplate the equity of all his dispensations towards them. It is in this light that we propose to dwell upon the words before us.

“Then you will know that the LORD makes a distinction between Egypt and Israel.”

I. He did so from the beginning.

Go back to the antediluvian world. How different was his conduct towards the two first men that were born into the world! Genesis 4:3-5. What singular honor did he confer on Enoch! Hebrews 11:5. What distinguished mercy did he grant to Noah! Genesis 6:9-13.

Consult the patriarchal age. How different his regards to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, from any that he showed to those among whom they dwelt!

Look at the history before us. From the latter plagues, the flies, the murrain, the darkness, and the slaughter of the first-born—the Israelites were exempt. The cloud also was dark to one, but light to the other; and the sea was both a passage and a grave.

Search the records of all succeeding ages. It is impossible to read the history of David or Elijah in the Old Testament, or of the Apostles in the New, and not see this written as with a sunbeam! The annals of the whole world conspire to establish this important truth.

II. He does so at this present hour.

If we have been attentive observers of what passes around us, or within our own hearts, we shall not need to be told that God does at this time, no less than in former ages, distinguish his people from others.

He does so in his dispensations. He frequently interposes to screen them from calamities, (Job 5:19-24.) and always to sanctify the calamities he sends, Romans 8:28. His very presence with them in trouble is equivalent to a deliverance from it, Psalm 31:20. (The full import of this verse will, when discovered, richly repay our meditations upon it.)

He does so in his providence, and in the communications of his grace. Whence is it that the Lord’s people are enabled to triumph, as they do, over the world, the flesh, and the devil? Is it not that they are strengthened by Christ, (Philippians 4:13.) and that “his grace is sufficient for them!”

III. He will do so to all eternity.

If we would know the full extent of that difference which he will put between his people and others, we must go up to Heaven, and taste all the glories of it; and go down to Hell, and experience all its miseries! Never until then shall we be adequate judges of this momentous subject.

Questions.

1. Do you believe this truth?

Many think that “God will not do good or evil,” and that he will neither reward nor punish. Whether they be conscious of such infidelity or not, their life too plainly proves its dominion over them. Beware of such atheistical opinions; and seek that, whatever becomes of others, you may be monuments of his love and favor!

2. Do you live under the influence of this truth?

Happy were it for us, if we could always bear in mind this solemn truth!

How importunate would be our prayers,

how ardent would be our praises,

how indefatigable would be our exertions!

Let us contemplate the separation which God will make in the day of judgment, Malachi 3:18; Matthew 25:33; Matthew 25:46; and labor incessantly, that we may be numbered among his most favored saints! Malachi 3:16-17.

Charles Simeon (1759-1836)

Exodus 10:22-23

“So Moses stretched out his hand toward the sky, and total darkness covered all Egypt for three days. No one could see anyone else or leave his place for three days. Yet all the Israelites had light in the places where they lived.”

Of all the plagues which in rapid succession were inflicted upon Egypt, not so much as one fell upon the children of Israel; their cattle, and everything belonging to them, enjoyed the same exemption as themselves. This distinction was well calculated to convince Pharaoh, that Israel’s God was the only true God, and that the idols of the heathen were vanity! Exodus 8:22.

But while we admit that this was the primary end of all the judgments, and of the plague of darkness among the rest, we cannot but think that this particular plague had something in it more than ordinarily instructive; inasmuch as it served to show, that between the Lord’s people and others there is at all times as great a difference, as there then was between Goshen and the rest of Egypt.

We say not, indeed, that this particular application of the subject is anywhere suggested by the inspired writers; but we do say, that it may well be so applied, in a way of accommodation at least, to the elucidation of this most important point.

I will take occasion from it then to show,

I. The difference which God has put between his own people and others.

In their state, and nature, in their relation to God and to each other, in their prospects also, and in their end—the two descriptions of people are widely different from each other.

The one are quickened from the dead, and partakers of a divine nature; united to Christ and to each other in one body and by one spirit; with a heavenly inheritance before them, which they are speedily and forever to possess!

The others are yet “children of the wicked one,” with no other prospect than that of a banishment from the divine presence, and an everlasting participation with the fallen angels in their unhappy lot.

But without entering into this large view of the subject, I will endeavor to show what light the children of Israel are privileged to enjoy in,

1. Things temporal.

In appearance, “all things come alike to all;” or, if there be any particular difference in relation to temporal things, it is rather in favor of the ungodly. But the godly, whether they possess more or less of this world, have an enjoyment of it of which the world at large are destitute, and in their present state incapable. They taste God’s love in everything; and have a more vivid apprehension of the smallest blessings, than an ungodly man has of the greatest. The “blessings” of the ungodly are, in fact, “cursed to them;” “their table is a snare to them;” and even their bodily health and strength are made occasions of more flagrant transgressions against their God. To God’s Israel, on the contrary, their severest afflictions are made sources of good; insomuch that they can “glory in their tribulations, Romans 5:3,” and “take pleasure in their sorest infirmities, 2 Corinthians 12:10.” Whatever trials assault them, they “all work together for their good, Romans 8:28;” yes, “light and momentary as they are, they work out for them a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, 2 Corinthians 4:17.” The very best portion of the wicked is lighter than vanity; while the worst of a godly man’s lot is received by him not only with “patience and long-suffering, but with joy and thankfulness, Colossians 1:11-12.” Though he be the poorest of mankind, he does in effect “inherit the earth;” yes, he “inherits all things!”

2. Things spiritual.

The ungodly man is truly in darkness with respect to everything that is of a spiritual nature. He neither does, nor can, comprehend anything of that kind, for lack of a spiritual discernment. But God’s highly favored people “have light in their dwellings,” whereby they can discern things invisible to mortal eyes.

The evil of sin,

the beauty of holiness,

the glory of Christ,

the blessedness of Heaven,

are open to their view, and are contemplated by them with a zest which can be conceived by those only who actually experience it in their souls. What shall I say of “the light of God’s countenance lifted up upon them,” or of “the love of God shed abroad in their hearts by the Holy Spirit?” What shall I say of the Holy Spirit dwelling in them as “a Spirit of adoption,” “witnessing with their spirits that they are God’s children,” and “sealing them unto the day of redemption,” and being “a pledge of Heaven itself” in their souls? To attempt to describe these things would be only to “darken counsel by words without knowledge.”

If we would in vain attempt to convey to one immured in a dungeon a just conception of the luster and influence of the meridian sun; then much more must we fail, if we would attempt to give to a natural man a just apprehension of “the things of the Spirit;” for neither have we any language whereby adequately to express them, nor have they any faculties whereby duly to apprehend them.

3. Things eternal.

What can an ungodly man see beyond the grave? Truly in relation to the future world he is in darkness, even in “a darkness that may be felt.” If he reflects at all, he can feel nothing but “a certain fearful looking-for of judgment and fiery indignation to consume him,” and have no prospect but that of “the blackness of darkness forever.”

But in reference to eternity, the child of God is seen to the greatest advantage. O, what prospects are open to his view! What crowns, what kingdoms, await him! Truly he stands as on Mount Pisgah, and surveys the Promised Land in all its length and breadth. He joins already with the heavenly hosts in all their songs of praise, and, according to the measure of the grace bestowed upon him, anticipates “the pleasures which are at God’s right hand for evermore.”

But, that I may not tantalize you with joys which you can never taste, let me proceed to show you,

II. How we may secure to ourselves their happy lot.

Can an Egyptian become an Israelite? Yes, he may.

An Israelite is a descendant of Abraham, in the line of Jacob. But how then can this relation be transferred to a foreigner?

After the flesh indeed, an Edomite must remain an Edomite; an Egyptian must continue an Egyptian.

But after the Spirit, the transition may be made by all, of whatever nation, provided only they earnestly desire it.

Through faith in that blessed Savior in whom Abraham believed, we may be brought to a participation of all the blessings which were conferred on him. Hear what the Scripture says, “Know that those who are of faith—the same are the children of Abraham;” the same, too, are “blessed with faithful Abraham;” yes, “the blessing of Abraham comes on them through Jesus Christ;” “if we are Christ’s, then are we Abraham’s seed, and heirs according to the promise, Galatians 3:7; Galatians 3:9; Galatians 3:14; Galatians 3:29.”

Under this character, we shall be exempted from all the Egyptian plagues, and entitled to all the distinctions that ever were conferred on God’s chosen people!

Truly, however gross the darkness which may have covered us in past times, we shall have “light in our dwellings;” yes, we shall be brought out of darkness into God’s marvelous light; and not only “be turned from darkness unto light, but from the power of Satan unto God.”

Say, brethren, whether this does not accord with the experience of some among you? Say, whether the brightest hours of your former life are comparable even with your darkest now? I well know that in this present life there will be clouds that will occasionally intercept the full radiance of the Sun of Righteousness, and induce a transient gloom over your horizon; but I ask with confidence, whether at such a season you would exchange your portion for that of the happiest worldling upon earth? No, you well know, that though your “darkness may continue for a night, joy will come in the morning, Psalm 30:5;” and even in the darkest night some gleams of light are accustomed to shine into your soul, according to that sure promise, “Unto the godly there arises up light in the darkness, Psalm 112:4.”

True it is, that sin will bring darkness upon the soul; and true it is, also, that bodily disease may sometimes operate unfavorably in this respect; but, if we are upright before God, “when we walk in darkness, the Lord will be a light unto us, Micah 7:8;” and, in due season, “our light shall shine in obscurity, and our darkness be as the noonday, Isaiah 58:10.”

ADDRESS.

1. Those who are walking in their own carnal enjoyments.

Truly it is but a candle that you possess, while you are regardless of the radiance of the noonday sun! And what does God say to you? “This shall you have of my hand at last, you shall lie down in sorrow! Isaiah 50:11.”

“Therefore this is what the Sovereign LORD says:

“My servants will eat, but you will go hungry;

my servants will drink, but you will go thirsty;

my servants will rejoice, but you will be put to shame.

My servants will sing out of the joy of their hearts, but you will cry out from anguish of heart and wail in brokenness of spirit! Isaiah 65:13-14.”

2. Those who, though Israelites indeed, are yet walking in somewhat of a gloomy frame.

We have before said, that such seasons may occur; but the direction given you by God himself is that which must be your consolation and support, “Who is among you that fears the Lord, that obeys the voice of his servant, and yet walks in darkness and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and relyy upon his God, Isaiah 50:10.”

There may be reasons for the withdrawment of light from your souls, reasons of which you at present have no conception. Perhaps God has seen that you have not duly improved the former manifestations of his love; or he may see that an uninterrupted continuance of them might give advantage to Satan to puff you up with pride. But, whether you can trace these suspensions of the divine favor to any particular cause or not, learn at all events to justify God in them, and to improve them for the deeper humiliation of your souls; and look forward to that blessed period when you shall “dwell in the light as God is in the light,” and enjoy a day that shall never end! 1 John 1:7; Revelation 21:23; Revelation 22:5.

Charles Simeon (1759-1836)

Exodus 10:3

“So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and said to him, “This is what the LORD, the God of the Hebrews, says: ‘How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me? Let my people go, so that they may worship me.”

It cannot be denied that Pharaoh was a remarkable character, raised up by God himself to be a monument of God’s power and wrath throughout all generations, Exodus 9:16. Yet we mistake if we think that the dispositions which he exercised were peculiar to him; the occasions that called them forth into exercise, were peculiar; but the dispositions themselves were the common fruits of our corrupt nature, visible in all the human race.

The command given to Pharaoh to permit all the Hebrews to go into the wilderness to offer sacrifice to their God, he chose not to comply with; and all the judgments inflicted on him, and the mercies given to him, were ineffectual for the subduing of his rebellious spirit, and for the reducing of him to a willing obedience.

Every one who reads the history of these events stands amazed at the pride and obduracy of his heart. But if we would look inward, and see how we have withstood the commands of God, and how little effect either his judgments or his mercies have produced on us, we would find little occasion to exult over Pharaoh; we would see, that, however circumstances then elicited and rendered more conspicuous the evils of his heart, the very same corruptions which he manifested, are in us also; and that every individual among us has the same need as he of the expostulation in the text, “How long will you refuse to humble yourself before me?”

It is remarkable that this very account of Pharaoh was ordered to be transmitted to the last posterity, in order that the men of all succeeding generations might see in it, both what God’s enemies and what his friends are to expect at His hands.

That we may render this subject the more generally useful, we will,

I. Show wherein true humiliation consists.

A full and abstract investigation of this point would lead us too far; we shall therefore confine ourselves to such particulars as the context more immediately suggests.

1. True humiliation consists in a deep and sincere sorrow for sin, as contrasted with forced acknowledgments.

If confessions extorted by sufferings or by fear were sufficient evidences of humility, then Pharaoh would never have received the reproof in our text; for on the plague of hail being inflicted, he sent for Moses and said, “I have sinned this time. The Lord is righteous; and I and my people are wicked, Exodus 9:27.” But notwithstanding this, in God’s estimation he still, as the text expresses it, “refused to humble himself before God.”

Yet this is the only humiliation which many among ourselves have ever experienced. In a time of sickness perhaps, or under any great and accumulated afflictions—we have been constrained to confess our desert of God’s judgments. We have seen that He has been contending with us; and that yet heavier judgments awaited us, if we did not humble ourselves before him. We have trembled perhaps at the prospect of approaching dissolution, and at the thought of appearing in an unprepared state at the tribunal of our Judge. Hence have arisen some forced acknowledgments of our sinfulness, while yet we neither hated our sins, nor loathed ourselves on account of them; and hence, on our restoration to health, we have returned, like fused metal from the furnace, to our usual hardness and obduracy.

True humiliation is widely different from this. It implies a deep and sincere sorrow for sin, not only on account of the judgments it will bring upon us—but on account of its own intrinsic hatefulness and deformity. It leads us to smite on our bosoms with conscious shame; and fills us with self-loathing and self-abhorrence. It does this not only before we have obtained mercy, but afterwards; yes, and so much the more because God is pacified towards us, Job 42:6 with Ezekiel 16:63.

We readily acknowledge that tears are no certain sign of penitence; and that the sensibility that produces them depends rather on the constitutional habit, than on the convictions of the mind. Yet while we read so much in the Scriptures respecting men sowing in tears, and going on their way weeping, and while we behold the Savior himself weeping over Jerusalem, and pouring out his soul before God with strong crying and tears, we cannot but think that those who have never yet wept for sin, have never felt its bitterness; and there is just occasion for us to weep over all who have not yet wept for themselves. It is scarcely to be conceived that any man has a truly broken and contrite spirit, whose sighs and groans have not often entered into the ears of the omnipresent God, and whose tears have not been often treasured up in his vials.

2. True humiliation consists in an unreserved obedience to God, as contrasted with partial compliances.

Pharaoh, under the pressure of his successive calamities, yielded in part to the commands of God; he resisted altogether at the first; but gradually receded from his determinations, and permitted the Hebrews to offer their sacrifices in Egypt; then to go into the wilderness, provided they did not go very far into it; then he would let the men go; then at last the women and children also; but he would not allow them to take away their cattle; those he was determined to keep, as a pledge of their return. In all this there was nothing but pride and stoutness of heart. He held everything fast, until it was wrested from him by some fresh judgment, and conceded nothing but from absolute compulsion.

Thus it is that many among ourselves part with their sins. They would retain them all, and gladly too, if the indulgence of them would consist with their hope from Heaven. If they part with any, they do it as a mariner who casts his goods overboard to lighten his ship and keep it from sinking; but it is with reluctance that he parts with them; and he wishes for them all again, the very instant he is safe on shore.

From the same motive flows his performance of certain duties; he engages not in them from any delight that he has in them, but from a self-righteous desire of purchasing Heaven by these sacrifices. But in all this there is nothing of true humiliation, nothing of real piety.

The true Christian, when his heart is right with God, desires to fulfill all the commandments of his God, “not one of them is grievous unto him;” he would not wish to be allowed to violate any one of them; but desires to “stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.” He would not retain a right eye or a right hand, that should be an occasion of offence to his God and Savior. As it is his prayer that “God’s will may be done by him on earth as it is in Heaven,” so is it his daily endeavor to carry it into effect; and, could he but have the desire of his soul, he would be as “pure as Christ himself is pure,” and as “perfect as his Father who is in Heaven is perfect.”

This union of deep sorrow for the past, and of unreserved obedience for the future, is marked by God himself as constituting that state of mind which alone will prove effectual for our acceptance with him.

Having explained the nature of true humiliation, we proceed to:

II. Expostulate with those in whom true humiliation is not yet wrought.

There is but too much reason for this expostulation wherever we look. Their need of humiliation before God, none, I apprehend, will venture to deny.

Let us only look back and see how we have acted towards God, as our Creator, our Governor, our Benefactor.

Let us mark our past conduct also towards the Lord Jesus Christ, who assumed our nature, and died upon the cross to save us.

Let us yet further call to mind all the resistance which we have given to the motions of the Holy Spirit within us; and we shall find ground enough for our humiliation before God.

Yet who has humbled himself aright?

Who has sought the Lord from day to day “with strong crying and tears?”

Who has given up himself wholly and unreservedly to God, determining through grace to have no other will but his?

Does not conscience testify against us in relation to these matters, and warn us that there is yet much, very much lacking, to perfect our humiliation before God?

We beg permission then, in the name of the Most High God, to expostulate with all whose consciences now testify against them.

“How long will you refuse to humble yourselves before God?”

Have you ever fixed a time in your minds?

Do you fix your hope upon living to old age? What certainty have you of living to old age?

Do you fix your hope upon having a long time of sickness and of death? How do you know that you shall have space then given for repentance, or that the Spirit of God, whom you now resist, shall be imparted to you for the producing of true repentance? How do you know, that if you do then repent, your repentance will proceed any further, or be more effectual for your salvation than Pharaoh’s was?

Consider, I beg you, the guilt, the folly, and the danger of delaying your humiliation before God. Will you make the very forbearance of God which should lead you to repentance, the ground and occasion of protracting your rebellion against him? Do you think that God will not overcome at the last? Will you set briers and thorns in battle against the devouring fire? Did you ever hear of one who hardened himself against God and prospered? Will not sin harden you in proportion as it is indulged? “Will the Spirit strive with you forever?” Have you not reason to fear, that, if you continue impenitent under your present circumstances, God will give you up to judicial hardness, and a reprobate mind?

Beloved brethren, I entreat you to fix some time when you will cast down the weapons of your rebellion, and humble yourselves in truth before God.

Two encouragements I would set before you:

1. It is never too late.

At “the eleventh hour” those who give themselves up to Him shall be received. Let not the aged, or the sick, say, ‘There is no hope.’ Let not the vilest of the human race indulge despair. A Manasseh holds forth to every child of man the richest encouragement; and an assurance that of those who come to Christ in penitence and faith, “not one shall ever be cast out! 2 Chronicles 33:12-13.”

2. It is never too soon.

It was not the men only, but the children also, yes, even “the little ones,” whom God required to go forth into the wilderness to offer sacrifice to him. In the New Testament our blessed Lord says, “Let the little children to come unto me, and forbid them not; for of such is the kingdom of Heaven.” O that young people did but know the blessedness of serving God! Who ever yet regretted that he had begun to repent too soon? Who ever yet made it a matter of sorrow that he “had served the Lord from his youth?” “Remember then, my brethren, your Creator in the days of your youth.” Let not Satan have the best of your time; and the mere dregs be reserved for God. But “today, while it is called today,” begin that life, which is the truest source of happiness in this world, and the most certain pledge of glory in the world to come!

2 Corinthians 2:7 Now instead, you ought to forgive and comfort him, so that he will not be overwhelmed by excessive sorrow.

Charles Simeon (1759-1836)

Exodus 9:19-21

“Give an order now to bring your livestock and everything you have in the field to a place of shelter, because the hail will fall on every man and animal that has not been brought in and is still out in the field, and they will die.'” Those officials of Pharaoh who feared the word of the LORD hurried to bring their slaves and their livestock inside. But those who ignored the Word of the LORD left their slaves and livestock in the field.”

The Word of God in every age has met with a very different reception from different people; from the antediluvian scoffers to the present moment, the generality have deemed it unworthy of their attention, while a few have regarded it with reverence and godly fear. Never had any declaration a better title to belief than that to which the text alludes.

Moses had already, in the space of a few days, foretold many judgments, which were instantly inflicted or removed according to his predictions; and since they had not been effectual to subdue the stubborn heart of Pharaoh, he announced the determination of God to send another judgment on the land of Egypt, even a storm of hail and lightning, which would destroy every man and animal that should be exposed to its fury. There were many however who despised the threatening, and disdained to send their servants and cattle to a place of shelter; but others, who had profited by past experience, used with eagerness the precaution suggested to them.

From this circumstance we are led to show,

I. How a regard for God’s Word will influence men here.

In all temporal concerns men are affected by any report in proportion to its credibility and importance.

If they hear of any great good that is placed within their reach, they feel a desire after it springing up in their minds; if there is some considerable probability of their attaining it, their hopes are excited, and their endeavors multiplied in order to secure it. If the possession of it appears near and certain, they already congratulate themselves on the expected acquisition, though not without a mixture of anxious suspense.

On the other hand, do they hear of any great evil that may come upon them? They begin to be disquieted as it approaches nearer and nearer? They think how they may avoid it, and use every precaution that prudence can suggest. Does it appear imminent and almost unavoidable? Their fears and anxieties are proportionably increased. Nor are these effects peculiar to any times, places, or people; they will be found on examination to be invariable and universal.

Thus it must also of necessity be with respect to men’s spiritual concerns, in proportion of what God has spoken concerning them is believed and felt.

Suppose a person to be thoroughly persuaded that, “unless he repents, he must eternally perish;” that, “unless he is born again of the Spirit, he cannot enter into the kingdom of Heaven;” and that, “he who has the Son has life, and he who has not the Son of God has not life.” What effect must such momentous truths produce upon his mind? Must he not of necessity begin to inquire into the meaning of these expressions, and feel a solicitude to have these questions satisfactorily determined: ‘Am I a real penitent? Am I born again? Have I truly received the Son of God?’

If he doubts the truth of these things, or thinks they may be taken in a lower importance—he will of course be less concerned to attain the experience of them. Or, if other things appear to him of superior importance—he will attend to those things in preference. But let him have that faith which gives a present subsistence to things future, and a demonstrable reality to things invisible, Hebrews 11:1, and it will be impossible for him to trifle with such solemn declarations.

It is true, he may sin against the convictions of conscience; but if he continues so to do, it is evident that his convictions are not proportioned in any degree to the importance of eternal things, and that he cherishes a secret hope of escaping by some means or other the judgments denounced against him.

Let him but feel the worth of his soul in a degree proportioned to its value; let him estimate that as men estimate the worth of their natural life—and he could no more resist habitually the convictions of his mind, than he could sit composed while his house and family were ready to be destroyed by fire; he would surely resemble those Egyptians who sought shelter for their servants and cattle; he would “flee from the wrath to come, and lay hold on eternal life!”

Such a practical attention will be given to the Word of God by all who truly believe it, because they know:

II. How it will affect their state hereafter.

The distinction put between the believing and unbelieving Egyptians related merely to this present life; but the Scriptures authorize us to declare that an eternal distinction will be made between believers and unbelievers in the day of judgment. Yes assuredly,

1. Those who have sought the appointed refuge shall be eternally saved.

Christ is that hiding-place to which all are enjoined to flee; every other covert will be found “a refuge of lies, which the hail shall sweep away! Isaiah 28:17.” But Christ is a sure refuge, “to which whoever runs shall be safe.” Whatever we may have been, and whatever we may have done in past times—we have nothing to suffer from the wrath of God, provided we are found in Christ.” “Believing in him, we are justified from all things,” and shall unite forever with:

the murderous Manasseh,

the adulterous David,

the filthy Magdalen,

the persecuting Saul,

in singing “Salvation to God and the Lamb!”

We must not however be understood to say, that an attention to the faith of the Gospel will save us, while we neglect its practical injunctions; far from it. But this we do say, that the vilest of sinners may find “acceptance in the Beloved;” and that “all who put their trust in him may be quiet from the fear of evil.” The declaration of God himself is, “There is no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.”

2. Those, on the contrary, who have despised the offers of mercy, must eternally perish.

“Whatever men sow, that shall they also reap;” and though God’s vengeance may be long delayed, it shall surely come at last! What if we see no signs of it now? There was no appearance of a deluge when Noah warned the old world. Nor were the fire and brimstone visible, when Lot entreated his sons-in-law to escape with him from Sodom. Yet were the predictions relative to these events exactly fulfilled; he who built the ark, and he who fled from the city devoted to destruction, were preserved; while they who took not warning, were destroyed.

So also shall it be in the last day, “the unbelief of men shall not make faith in God of no effect.” “Their covenant with death shall be disannulled, and their agreement with Hell made void; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, they shall be beaten down by it, Isaiah 28:18.” Nor shall the excuses which they now urge with so much confidence, avail them.

It is probable that many of the Egyptians might expose themselves to danger in consequence of urgent business, or from what they judged a necessary obedience to the commands of their masters; but they perished notwithstanding. So shall that word be verified in spite of all excuses, “Whoever despises the word shall be destroyed; but he who fears the commandment, shall be rewarded, Proverbs 13:13.”

Address,

1. Those who disregard the Word of the Lord.

There are, alas! too many who “stumble at the word, being disobedient.” Their language is, “As for the word that you have spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto you! Jeremiah 44:16.” If they do not avowedly reject the word, they show by their conduct, that they consider:

its doctrines as fanatical,

its precepts as harsh,

its promises as illusory,

and its threatenings as vain.

But, while “they thus practically reject the word of the Lord, there is no wisdom in them? Jeremiah 8:9.” Doubtless if they who were in the midst of the storm saw any of their neighbors housed, they would cast a wishful look at them; and will not their lot be envied in the last day, who shall have taken refuge in Christ, and found protection from the wrath of God?

Let then the remembrance of what took place in Egypt, operate powerfully on our hearts.

Let us “search the Scriptures, and make them our meditation day and night.”

Let us take them “as a light to our feet and a lantern to our paths.”

Let us “treasure them up in our hearts,” and labor to follow the directions they give us.

Let us “receive the word with meekness,” “not as the word of men, but as it is in truth, the Word of God.”

Let us beg of God that it may be “living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword, piercing to our inmost souls, and discovering to us the very thoughts and intents of our hearts.”

Let God’s blessed word regulate our hearts and lives; then will God look upon us with favorable acceptance, Isaiah 65:2, and acknowledge us as “his in the day that he shall make up his jewels! Malachi 3:17.”

2. Those who fear the Word of the Lord.

There are some among us, we trust, who having once, like good Josiah, wept on account of the denunciations of God’s wrath; now, like holy Job, “esteem God’s Word more than their necessary food.”

There is not a threatening in it which they dare to despise.

There is not a promise which they do not desire to enjoy.

There is not a precept which they do not labor to obey.

They desire nothing so much as to be “cast into the mold of the Gospel,” and to be “sanctified by means of it in body, soul, and spirit.” To all of this character I say, Blessed are you; for if “you tremble at the word” of God, you have no reason to tremble at anything else! You may look at death with delight, and at Hell itself without terror—since you are screened under the shadow of your Redeemer’s wings! Envy not then the liberty, and the thoughtlessness of sinners; neither let their revilings deter you from your purpose. The time is quickly coming when your God will appear to their shame, and to your joy! Isaiah 65:5. Then the wisdom of your conduct will be seen in its true colors; and you shall understand the full import of that question, “Does not my word do good to him who walks uprightly? Micah 2:7.”

Charles Simeon (1759-1836)

Exodus 9:16

“I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth!”

It is justly said in reference to evidence, that it is strong in proportion as it arises out of incidental points, which had no necessary connection with the fact to be established. The same I may say in relation to the doctrines of our holy religion, especially those doctrines which are most controverted, and most stand in need of evidence for their support. Of this kind is the doctrine of election; which, being extremely opposed to the pride of human nature, meets with strong opposition from the carnal mind.

I am far from saying that that doctrine is not extremely objectionable, if viewed as its adversaries, and not a few of its advocates also, are accustomed to state it. But, if viewed in its true light, and as the Scriptures themselves state it—I conceive that it cannot reasonably be doubted.

In the passage before us, there was no particular intention to establish that doctrine. Moses had labored in vain to induce Pharaoh to let the people of Israel go to worship Jehovah in the wilderness. He had, as God’s appointed instrument, inflicted many plagues on the land of Egypt, and removed them again by his intercessions. Yet neither by the judgments nor the mercies, had he prevailed on Pharaoh, who still continued to harden his heart against God. He now assumed a bolder tone; and declared, that not only should the Egyptians be smitten with pestilence, but that Pharaoh himself also “should be cut off from the earth,” for his obstinate resistance to God’s express commands. And then he delivers to him, from God himself, this solemn declaration, “I have raised you up for this very purpose, that I might show you my power and that my name might be proclaimed in all the earth!”

It is my intention:

I. To explain God’s solemn declaration.

God here asserts, that he had raised up Pharaoh for a special purpose, with which his own glory was intimately connected. He had determined to bring forth his people from Egypt, in such a way as should display most remarkably his own power, and should bring glory to his name throughout all the earth. Some, by the expression “raised up,” understand restoring him to health from the disorder inflicted on him in common with his people and the magicians. But it does not appear that Pharaoh had been visited with that disorder; and the threatening in the verse before our text, “I will smite you,” rather seems to show, that he had not yet been smitten in his own person. But, whether we understand the words as relating to his elevation to the throne, or to a restoration to health—the main object of the declaration will be the same; namely, that God, knowing what would assuredly be the result of a further trial of his obedience, had determined so to try him, in order that by the outcome of the contest,, God’s glory might be displayed throughout all the earth.

The substance of the declaration, then, may be considered as expressing the following truths:

1. That God allots to every man his station in life.

Nothing can be more clear, than that the time and place of every man’s entrance into life is fixed by God. That we are born in this age and country, has in no respect depended on ourselves; we might as well, if God had so ordained, been born of Heathen or Mohammedan parents, or never have been permitted to see the gospel truths, and perished in our mother’s womb! We might have been brought into the world from parents either of the highest or lowest rank, and been doomed to occupy a place in society widely different from that which we at present fill. All this was true of Pharaoh, and it is equally true of every man. “Our times are in God’s hands! Psalm 31:15,” and “he determines the bounds of our habitation! Acts 17:26.”

2. That he foreknows how every man will act in the situation to which he is called.

He infallibly foresaw how Pharaoh would act in resisting all the means that would be used to bring him to a compliance with the divine command. Nor is there anything hidden from his all-seeing eye! If there were, it would be impossible for him to foretell, as he has done by his Prophets, the minutest circumstances that would occur, and at the distance of many hundreds of years. The prophecies relating to the death of our blessed Lord specify what should be said, as well as done, by people who were least of all aware that they were fulfilling any prediction, and who would rather, if it had been possible, have prevented its accomplishment. We may be sure, therefore, that that testimony respecting him is true, “Known unto him are all things, from the beginning of the world! Acts 15:18.”

3. That, while he leaves to every man the free exercise of his will, God overrules the actions of all for the accomplishment of his own eternal purposes!

God, as we have observed, had decreed to magnify himself in his mode of bringing forth his people from Egypt. But, in order to this, it was necessary that his will should be opposed, and that occasion should be given for the executing of his judgments upon the oppressors of his people. He knew what Pharaoh would do under such circumstances; and he both preserved him in life, and elevated him to the throne, that he might have an opportunity of manifesting what was in his heart, and be able to carry into effect the dictates of his own depravity.

In all that he did, he was perfectly a free agent; for though it is said, that “God hardened Pharaoh’s heart,” he did so, not by infusing any evil principle into him, but by giving him up to the impulse of his own inveterate corruptions. God foresaw how those corruptions would operate, and that they would lead to the accomplishment of his own eternal purpose; and he needed only to leave Pharaoh to the dictates of his own mind, to secure the final execution of all that he himself had ordained.

God had determined everything respecting the crucifixion of our blessed Lord; but he needed not to inspire the Jewish rulers with envy, or the Roman governor with timidity, or Judas with covetousness, or the populace with cruelty. It was sufficient to give them up respectively to the dominion of their own lusts; and they all infallibly concurred to “do what his hand and his counsel had determined before to be done, Acts 4:28.”

It is precisely in the same way that we are to account for all that is done, whether it be good or evil; except that, in the effecting of what is good, God puts the desire to effect it into the heart of the agent, while in the perpetration of evil he merely gives up the person to the influence of his own lusts. In either case, the agent is perfectly free, and follows the bent of his own heart; only, in the one case, the heart is renewed, and in the other it is left under the power of its own depravity.

Josiah and Cyrus both fulfilled the counsels of Heaven; the one by burning men’s bones on the altar which Jeroboam had raised, and the other by liberating the Jews from Babylon. Both these events were foretold hundreds of years before they came to pass; and the very names of the agents were declared hundreds of years before any people of their name were known in the world.

Sennacherib also fulfilled the will of Heaven, in punishing God’s offending people, “Howbeit he meant not so, neither did his heart think so; it was in his heart only to aggrandize himself at the expense of other nations, Isaiah 10:7.”

But God, by all, accomplished “the counsel of his own will, Ephesians 1:11;” and in all things “shall his counsel stand, and he will do all his will, Isaiah 46:10.”

4. That by all, whatever their conduct be, he will eventually be glorified.

That God will be glorified in the obedience of the righteous, is a truth which needs not to be confirmed. Whatever they do, it is “to the praise of the glory of his grace;” and at the last day the Lord Jesus will come “to be glorified in his saints, and to be admired in all those who believe.”

But will he be glorified in the ungodly also? Yes. He declared that he would “get himself honor upon Pharaoh and all his hosts, Exodus 14:17;” and this he did by overwhelming them in the sea. Just so will he do in the destruction of the wicked, at the last day. He will then make known the inflexibility of his justice, and “the power of his wrath;” and the whole universe shall be constrained to say, “Even so, Lord God Almighty, true and righteous are your judgments Revelation! 16:6-7; Revelation 19:2.”

Having thus explained the declaration in my text, I proceed:

II. To apply God’s solemn declaration.

All Scripture is said to be “profitable for doctrine, for reproof, for correction, and for instruction in righteousness,” or, in other words, for the establishment of sound doctrine, and for the enforcing of a holy practice. For these two ends I will endeavor to improve the subject before us.

1. For the establishment of sound doctrine.

The doctrine which I hinted at, in the commencement of this discourse, is strongly insisted on by the Apostle Paul; and the words of my text are adduced by him in confirmation of his statement. He is showing that God, in the exercise of his mercy to the Jewish nation, had acted altogether in a way of grace, according to his own sovereign will and pleasure; that he had entailed his blessings on Isaac and his seed, instead of imparting them to Ishmael and his posterity. In like manner, God had again limited his blessings to Jacob, the younger son of Isaac, and withheld them from Esau, the elder son.

This had God done “in order that his purpose according to election might stand, not of works, but of him that called.” Then, knowing that the proud heart of man would rise against this doctrine, and accuse it as “imputing unrighteousness to God,” he further confirms his statement by express declarations of God to Moses. “He says to Moses, I will have mercy on whom I will have mercy; and I will have compassion on whom I will have compassion!” From thence he draws this conclusion, “So, then, it is not of him that wills, nor of him that runs, but of God that shows mercy!”

To this declaration he adds another of a similar tendency, addressed to Pharaoh, even the very words of my text, “For this same purpose have I raised you up, that I might show my power in you, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth;” from which words he draws again this remarkable conclusion, “Therefore has God mercy on whom he will have mercy; and whom he will, he hardens! Romans 9:7-18.”

Now here the doctrine of election is stated in the strongest and most unequivocal terms. But let not anyone imagine that the doctrine of reprobation is therefore true. God has not said in my text, “I have brought you into the world on purpose to damn you, and to get glory to myself in your everlasting destruction.” No, there is no such assertion as that in all the Holy Scriptures. There is, in the Epistle of Peter, an expression which in sound has that aspect; but, when properly explained, it has no such meaning. It is said by him, “These stumble at the word, being disobedient; whereunto also they were appointed, 1 Peter 2:8.” But to what were they appointed? to disobedience? No; but to make that word, which they would not obey, an occasion of falling.

God has ordained, that “they who will do his will, shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God, John 7:17;” but that those who will not do his will, shall stumble at his word, and find the Lord Jesus Christ, as revealed in it, “a rock of offence; yes, a trap and a snare also, Isaiah 8:14-15, compared with the fore-cited passage from Peter.”

This will throw the true light upon our text; God did not bring Pharaoh into the world on purpose to destroy him; but, foreseeing the inveterate pride and obstinacy of his heart, he raised him to the throne, where he would have an opportunity of displaying with effect those malignant dispositions, and would thereby give occasion for God to glorify himself, in an extraordinary display of his justice and his power, in the punishment of sin.

Here, then, we see the electing grace of God. God chose Moses, who had been in rank and authority the second person in the kingdom of Egypt, to be the deliverer of his people. Moses, when called to the work, declined it again and again; and might well have been left to reap the bitter fruit of his folly. But God, by his Spirit, overcame his reluctance, and upheld him in the performance of his duty. To Pharaoh he gave not this grace, but left him to the power of his own lusts. In making this distinction, God did no injury to Pharaoh. Neither Pharaoh nor Moses had any claim upon God. If, when Moses declined the honor which was offered him, God had transferred that honor to Pharaoh, and given up Moses to the evil of his own heart, he would have done no injury to Moses; Moses would have brought the punishment upon himself, by his own wickedness. God had a right to bestow his grace on whoever he pleased; and consequently, in leaving Pharaoh to harden his own heart and to perish m his sins, while he showed mercy to Moses, and made him an honored instrument of good to the Jewish nation—God did no injury to Pharaoh or to anyone else.

In the exercise of mercy, God acted as an Almighty Sovereign. In the exercise of judgment, he acted as a righteous Judge, in perfect consistency with justice and with equity. We see at all events the fact, that “God did, after much long-suffering, make known on one his wrath, as on a vessel of wrath prepared for destruction;” and that toward another “he made known the riches of his glory, as on a vessel of mercy which he himself had prepared unto glory, Romans 9:22-23.” The exercise of his mercy was gratuitous and without desert; but the exercise of his displeasure was merited and judicial.

Now what is there here to be offended with? The fact is undeniable; and, if God was at liberty to exercise his sovereignty in such a way then, he is at liberty to do it still; and if he may justly do it in any case, as that of Ishmael and Isaac, or of Esau and Jacob, or of Pharaoh and Moses, he may with equal justice do it in every case.

Let us, then, not ignorantly and proudly deny to him a right, which all of us claim for ourselves, even that of dispensing our favors to whom we will. If no one has a claim on God, then no one has a right to complain if a favor which he despises is withheld from him. On the other hand, the person on whom that special favor is conferred, must to all eternity adore the sovereign grace that has dispensed it to him.

2. For the enforcement of a holy practice.

All of us, whether high or low, rich or poor, are in the station, which God, in his infinite wisdom and goodness, has allotted to us. The rich therefore have no reason to boast; nor have the poor any reason to repine. The different members of our own body have not all the same office; but God has “placed each member in the body, as it has pleased him;” and for purposes which each is destined to accomplish.

One great duty is common to us all; namely, that of discharging to the utmost of our power, our respective offices; and of bringing to God that measure of glory of which he has made us capable. God is, in reality, as much glorified in the submission of the poor, as in the activity of the rich. The eye and the foot, equally subserve the interests of the body, while discharging their respective functions; and equally display the goodness of our Creator, in so administering to our needs.

Let us then simply inquire, what that service is which we are most fitted by capacity and situation to perform; and let us address ourselves to it with all diligence.

If placed, like Pharaoh, in a post of great dignity and power, then let us improve our influence for God, and account it our honor and happiness to advance his glory.

If called, like Moses, to labor for the deliverance of God’s people from their spiritual bondage, then let us execute our office with fidelity, and never rest until we have “finished the work which God has given us to do. Thus shall we acceptably fulfill the ends of our creation; and God will be glorified in us, both in time and in eternity.

Charles Simeon (1759-1836)

Exodus 7:3

“I will harden Pharaoh’s heart!”

As there are in the works of creation many things which exceed the narrow limits of human understanding, so are there many things incomprehensible to us both in the works of providence and of grace. It is not however necessary that, because we cannot fully comprehend these mysteries, we should never fix our attention at all upon them; as far as they are revealed, the consideration of them is highly proper; only, where we are so liable to err, our steps must be proportionably cautious, and our inquiries be conducted with the greater humility.

In particular, the deepest reverence befits us, while we contemplate the subject before us. We ought not, on the one hand, to indulge a proud and captious spirit that shall banish the subject altogether; nor, on the other hand, to make our assertions upon it with a bold, unhallowed confidence. Desirous of avoiding either extreme, we shall endeavor to explain and vindicate the conduct of God, as it is stated in the text.

I. We shall endeavor to explain the conduct of God.

We are not to imagine that God infused any evil principle into the heart of Pharaoh; this God never did, nor ever will do, to any of his creatures, James 1:13. What he did, may be comprehended in three particulars.

1. He left Pharaoh to the influence of his own corruptions.

Pharaoh was a proud and haughty monarch; and while he exercised a most arbitrary and oppressive power over his subjects, he disdained to respect the authority of Jehovah, who was “King of kings, and Lord of lords.”

God, if he had seen fit, might have prevented him from manifesting these corruptions. He might have struck him dead upon the spot; or intimidated him by a dream or vision; or have converted him, as he did the persecuting Saul, in the midst of all his malignant projects; but he left him to himself, precisely as he does other men when they commit iniquity; and allowed him to manifest all the evil dispositions of his heart.

This is no other conduct than what God has pursued from the beginning. When men have obstinately “rebelled against the light,” he has “given them up to follow their own hearts’ lusts, Romans 1:24; Romans 1:26; Romans 1:28; Psalm 81:11-12; 2 Thessalonians 2:10-12.” We have reason to expect that he will deal thus with us, if we continue to resist his will, Genesis 6:3; Leviticus 26:27-28; Proverbs 1:24-30.

2. He allowed such events to concur as should give scope for the exercise of those corruptions.

He raised Pharaoh to the throne of Egypt, and thereby invested him with power to oppress, Romans 9:17. By multiplying the Jews, he made their services of great importance to the Egyptian empire. The labors of six hundred thousand slaves could not easily be dispensed with; and therefore the temptation to retain them in bondage was exceedingly great. Besides, the request made of going to serve their God in the wilderness must appear to him frivolous and absurd; for, why should they not be content to serve him in the land? Moreover, the success of his magicians in imitating the miracles of Moses, would seem to justify the idea that Moses was no more than a magician, only perhaps of a more intelligent order than those employed by him. The frequent and speedy removal of the judgments that were inflicted on him, would yet further tend to harden him, by making him think light of those judgments. Thus the unreasonableness of his opposition would be hidden from him; and he would persist in his rebellion without compunction or fear.

3. He gave Satan permission to exert his influence over him.

Satan is a powerful being; and, when the restraints which God has imposed upon him are withdrawn, can do great things. He cannot indeed force any man to sin against his will; but he can bring him into such circumstances, as shall have a strong tendency to ensnare his soul. We know from the history of Job, how great things he can effect for the distressing of a most eminent saint; much more therefore may we suppose him to prevail over one who is his blind and willing vassal, 2 Corinthians 4:4; 2 Timothy 2:26.

We do not indeed know, from any express declarations, that Satan interfered in this work of hardening Pharaoh; but, when we recollect how he instigated David to number the people; how he prevailed on Peter to deny, and Judas to betray, his Lord; how he filled the hearts of Ananias and Sapphira that they might lie unto God; and finally, how expressly we are told that he works in all the children of disobedience;” we can have no doubt respecting his agency in the heart of Pharaoh.

Thus, as far as respects:

a withholding of that grace which might have softened Pharaoh’s heart,

and a giving him an opportunity to show his malignant dispositions,

and a permitting of Satan to exert his influence

—God hardened Pharaoh’s heart.

But as being a perfectly free agent, Pharaoh hardened his own heart; and this is repeatedly affirmed in the subsequent parts of this history.

When once we have learned what was the true nature of God’s agency, and how far it was concerned in the hardening of Pharaoh’s heart,

II. We shall endeavor to vindicate the conduct of God.

We must never forget that “God’s ways and thoughts are infinitely above ours;” and that, whether we approve of them or not, “he will never give account of them to us;” yet, constituted as we are, we feel a satisfaction in being able to discern their suitableness to the divine character. Of the dispensation then which we are considering, we may say,

1. The conduct of God was righteous, as it respected the individual himself.

It was perfectly righteous that Pharaoh should be left to himself. What injury would God have done, if he had acted towards the whole human race precisely as he did towards the fallen angels? What reason can be assigned why man, who had imitated their wickedness, should not be a partaker of their punishment? If then none had any claim upon God for the exercise of his grace, how much less could Pharaoh have a title to it, after having so proudly defied God, and so obstinately withstood his most express commands? If there was anything unjust in abandoning Pharaoh to the corrupt affections of his heart, all other sinners in the universe have reason to make the same complaint, that God is unrighteous in his dealings with them. In that case, God could not, consistently with his own justice, permit sin at all; he must impose an irresistible restraint on all, and cease to deal with us as people in a state of probation.

Again, it was righteous in God to suffer such a concurrence of circumstances as should give scope for the exercise of his corruptions. God is no more bound to destroy man’s free agency by his providence, than he is by his grace. Was it unrighteous in him to let Cain have an opportunity of executing his murderous project against his brother Abel? Has he been unjust, as often as he has permitted others to accomplish their wicked purposes? Doubtless he has interposed, by his providence, to prevent the execution of many evils that have been conceived in our minds, Hosea 2:6; but he is not bound to do so for anyone; nor could he do it universally, without changing the nature of his government, and the whole course of the world.

Moreover, it was righteous to give Satan liberty to exert his influence over Pharaoh. Pharaoh chose to believe the agents of Satan, rather than the servants of the Most High God; and to obey their counsels rather than his. Why then should God continue to restrain Satan, when Pharaoh desired nothing so much as to yield to his temptations? When Ahab sent for all his lying prophets to counsel him and to foster his delusions, God permitted “Satan to be a lying spirit in the mouth of all those prophets,” that they might all concur in the same fatal advice 1 Kings 22:21-23. Was this unjust? Was it not agreeable to Ahab’s own wish; and was not the contrary counsel of the Lord’s prophet rejected by him with disdain? Pharaoh wished to be deceived; and God permitted it to be according to his own heart’s desire.

On the whole then, if men are to be left to their own free agency, instead of being dealt with as mere machines; and if God have ordered the general course of his providence agreeably to this rule, resisting the proud while he gives grace to the humble; then he was fully justified in allowing this impious monarch to harden his already proud and obdurate heart! Compare Deuteronomy 2:30 and Joshua 11:20.

2. The conduct of God was merciful, as it respected the universe at large.

We form erroneous conceptions of the divine government, because we view it on too contracted a scale. God, in his dealings with mankind, consults, not the benefit of an individual merely, but the good of the whole. Now this conduct towards Pharaoh was calculated exceedingly to promote the welfare of all succeeding generations. It has given us lessons of instruction that are of the greatest value:

It has shown us the extreme depravity of the human heart. Who could have conceived that a man, warned as Pharaoh was by so many tremendous plagues, should continue, to the last, to set himself against the God of Heaven and earth? But in him we see what men will do when their pride, their passions, and their interests have gained an ascendant over them. They will defy God to his face; and, if softened for a moment by the severity of his judgments, they will soon, like metal from the furnace, return to their usual hardness.

It has shown us our need of divine grace. As widely as men differ from each other in their constitutional frame both of body and mind, they all agree in this, that “they have a carnal mind, which is enmity against God; and which neither is, nor can be, subject to his law, Romans 8:7.” We may all see in Pharaoh a striking portrait of ourselves! If we are enabled to mortify the evils of our heart, while others continue in bondage to their lusts, then we must say, “By the grace of God I am what I am!” If we have no more grace than Pharaoh in our hearts, we shall have no more holiness in our lives!

It has shown us the danger of fighting against God, Isaiah 45:9. “Fools make a mock at sin,” and “laugh at the threatened judgments” of God. But let anyone see in Pharaoh the danger of being given over to a reprobate mind; let any one see in what our hardness of heart may issue; and he will tremble lest God should say respecting him, “He is joined to idols—let him alone!”

It has shown us the obligations we lie under to God for the patience he has already exercised towards us. When we read the history of Pharaoh, we realize how blessed we are that we have not been left, like him, to be a warning to others. No tongue can utter the thanks that are due to him on this account. If we know anything of our own hearts, we shall be ready to think ourselves the greatest monuments of mercy that ever were rescued from eternal perdition!

Now these lessons are invaluable; and everyone who reads the history of this doleful monarch, must see them written in it as with the pen of a diamond!

ADDRESS.

We are told to “remember Lot’s wife;” and it will be well also to “remember Pharaoh.” Let none of us trifle with our convictions, or follow carnal policy in preference to the commands of God; Let the messages of God be received with reverence, and obeyed with cheerfulness. Let us be afraid of hardening our own hearts, lest God should give us over to final obduracy, Job 9:4. If God withdraw from us, then Satan will quickly come, 1 Samuel 16:14. If we are left to Satan’s agency, better were it for us that we had never been born! Seek of God the influences of the Holy Spirit, who will “take away the heart of stone, and give you a heart of flesh.”

Charles Simeon (1759-1836)

Exodus 6:9

“Moses reported this to the Israelites, but they did not listen to him because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.”

“As face answers to face in a looking-glass, so does the heart of man to man.” We are apt, indeed, to imagine that the Jews were a people of more than ordinary depravity; but it is found that mankind almost universally act precisely as they did, under similar circumstances. We have here a remarkable instance of despondency. The Hebrews had been long groaning under a most cruel oppression; and God had sent his servant, Moses, to deliver them from it. But the effect of his interposition hitherto had been only to augment their troubles. Of this they had bitterly complained, as indeed had Moses himself also; and now, for their comfort, God sent them by Moses a most consolatory message, assuring them that, however gloomy their prospects might appear to be, a most perfect deliverance was at hand. But they, we are told, “did not listen to Moses because of their discouragement and cruel bondage.”

Let us consider,

I. Their conduct on this occasion.

The testimony of Moses was in every respect worthy of receiving.

He had wrought before the people the miracles which God had commissioned him to work, in confirmation of his divine mission, Exodus 4:30; and hitherto, if he had not yet succeeded in his embassy, he had executed his office with fidelity and courage. It might be supposed, indeed, that if Moses himself had fainted under the discouragement which they had experienced, much more might they. But, on the other hand, if God had renewed his commission to Moses, and expressly authorized him to assure them of a speedy and certain deliverance, so that his mind was left without any doubt of ultimate success—they might well receive his testimony, and rest upon it with composure.

Nor could anything be conceived more suited to their necessities.

They were under the most “cruel bondage.” But Moses declared, that God had entered into covenant with their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to deliver them; that he had confirmed this covenant with an oath; that, from compassion to them, he was about to fulfill the engagements he had entered into; that he not only would deliver them from their sore bondage, but would, by the judgments which he would inflict on Pharaoh, make him more anxious to rid himself of them than ever he had been to detain them; and would constrain him, in fact, to “drive them out from his land.”

He further declared, that God would bring them safely into Canaan, wherein their forefathers had sojourned as pilgrims and strangers, and give it to them for their inheritance; and would “take them to him as his peculiar people, and be unto them a God,” yes, and “their God.”

In reporting to them these “great and precious promises,” he was careful particularly to make known to them the grounds on which they might be received with the most implicit trust; for that God had repeatedly pledged his power and veracity for the performance of them. Thrice had God renewed that solemn declaration, “I am Jehovah”—the eternal, self-existent, and immutable Jehovah; and, times almost without number, he had undertaken to execute, with his own irresistible arm, the whole that he had promised, “I will bring you out. I will deliver you. I will redeem you. I will bring you into the land. I will give it you. I will take you to me for a people. I will be your God!”

Yet the people would not receive, or even “listen to,” his words.

Their minds were so wholly occupied with their present troubles, that they could think of nothing else; they were altogether overwhelmed with “anguish of spirit;” and so utterly did they despair of relief, that they desired to be left to live and die under their present servitude, rather than run the risk of augmenting their afflictions by any further application to Pharaoh in their behalf, Genesis 14:11-12.

Without dwelling any longer on their conduct, I beg permission to call your attention to,

II. The instruction to be derived from it.

We may notice from hence,

1. The weakness of the human mind.

It has been justly said, that “oppression destroys a wise man’s reason, Ecclesiastes 7:7.” The common experience of all is, that “hope deferred makes the heart sick, Proverbs 13:12.” In my text, we see both the one and the other strongly exemplified. And, in truth, where afflictions are great and of long continuance, the mind of every man is apt to faint; nor can anything but divine grace adequately sustain it. Even David, when hunted by Saul as a partridge upon the mountains, forgot for a season the power and fidelity of his Protector, and in a fit of despondency exclaimed, “I shall one day perish by the hand of Saul.”

Just so, under various circumstances, the Church of old complained, “My way is hidden from the LORD; my cause is disregarded by my God!” “The Lord has forsaken me, and my God has forgotten me.” Sometimes her despair has been so entire, that she has even made the justice of it a ground of appeal both to God and man, “Shall the prey be taken from the mighty, or the lawful captive delivered?”

But this experience, in whoever it is found, is decidedly contrary to the mind and will of God. We are never to limit the power of God, or to doubt his veracity. We are not to suppose, that, because we see not how deliverance can come, God is at any loss for means whereby to effect it. It is well to “have the sentence of death in ourselves, that we may not trust in ourselves, but in God who raises the dead,” and has promised: “The LORD will judge his people and have compassion on his servants when he sees their strength is gone and no one is left,

Deuteronomy 32:36.”

2. The proper office of faith.

Faith is to look above all created things, to God; and to realize, under every dispensation, the presence of him that is invisible. It is to lay hold on God’s Word, and to rest upon it, and to expect its accomplishment, in defiance of men or devils. It is to hope, even “against hope.” Its legitimate exercise may be seen in Abraham, when he was commanded to offer up his son, “I have no fear but that God will fulfill his promise in Isaac; even though I should reduce him to ashes upon an altar, God can raise him up again, yes, and will raise him up again, rather than allow one jot or tittle of his word to fail.” “Being strong in faith, and giving glory to God,” he both formed, and acted upon, this assured expectation; and in proportion to the strength of our faith will be our confidence in God, even under the most discouraging circumstances. We shall say, “Though the fig tree does not bud and there are no grapes on the vines, though the olive crop fails and the fields produce no food, though there are no sheep in the pen and no cattle in the stalls, yet I will rejoice in the LORD, I will be joyful in God my Savior. The Sovereign LORD is my strength; he makes my feet like the feet of a deer, he enables me to go on the heights! Habakkuk 3:17-18.”

Had Israel on this occasion been able to confide in God, how sweetly composed had their minds been in the midst of all their troubles! Let us learn to exercise this grace of faith, and under the darkest dispensations to say, “Though he slay me—yet I will trust in him.”

3. The excellency of the Gospel dispensation.

What Moses said to Israel, we are authorized and commissioned to declare to you. You are under a bondage far more cruel than that which Israel experienced; but in the name of Almighty God we come to you, and proclaim:

that he has entered into covenant with his Son for your redemption;

that he has confirmed that covenant with an oath;

that he will bring you out from the power of sin and Satan;

that he will conduct you in safely to the heavenly Canaan.

For the fulfillment of all this he pledges to you his word, saying, in relation to every part of the work, ‘I, the immutable Jehovah, will do it for you; I will work; and who shall hinder?’ Only believe in him; believe that “what he has promised he is able also to perform.”

You have seen what he did for Israel, notwithstanding their unbelief. What then shall he not do for you, if you will truly believe in Christ as your appointed Savior? He will not only bring you forth out of the land of your captivity, but will preserve you throughout the whole of this dreary wilderness, and introduce you finally to the full possession of your glorious inheritance. Yes, brethren, these things we declare unto you in the name of Almighty God; and if, with Caleb and Joshua, you will “follow the Lord fully,” like them you shall have your portion assuredly in the realms of bliss!

Charles Simeon (1759-1836)

Exodus 5:17-18

Pharaoh said, “Lazy, that’s what you are—lazy! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’ Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks.”

Man prides himself upon his reason. But only let him be under the influence of passion or self-interest, and nothing can be found more unreasonable:

his eyes are blinded,

his heart is hardened,

his conscience is seared

—and his actions are nearer to those of a maniac, than of a rational being. Nor is his madness ever carried to a greater extent, than when religion is concerned. Look at the persecutors of God’s people, from Cain to this present moment—what have they been, but agents of the devil, fighting against God, and murdering their fellow-creatures with insatiable cruelty?

A just specimen of their conduct we have in the history before us. Moses and Aaron were sent of God, to require that the Hebrew nation, who were then in Egypt, should go and offer sacrifices to him in the wilderness; where they might serve him without any fear of offending, or of being interrupted by the people among whom they dwelt. Pharaoh not only refused his permission, but proudly defied Jehovah, and ordered immediately that such burdens should be laid upon the people as it was impossible for them to bear. On their complaining to him of the oppression which they suffered, and of the unmerited punishment that was inflicted on them—he relaxed nothing of his unrighteous decree, but exulted in their miseries, and dismissed them with invectives, “Lazy, that’s what you are—lazy! That is why you keep saying, ‘Let us go and sacrifice to the LORD.’ Now get to work. You will not be given any straw, yet you must produce your full quota of bricks.”

In discoursing on these words, it will be profitable to us to consider,

I. What is that sacrifice which God requires at our hands.

We, as well as the Hebrews, are called to sacrifice unto our God.

But is it our flocks and our herds that he requires? No! Psalm 50:8-15; Psalm 51:16. This is the message which he has sent us, “My son, give me your heart Proverbs 23:26.” The sacrifice that he demands, is,

1. A humble heart.

Every man must, at his peril, present this to God. And every one that presents it to him, shall certainly he accepted, Psalm 51:17.

2. A believing heart.

“Without faith it is impossible to please God, Hebrews 11:6.” It is faith that renders every other offering pleasing and acceptable to him, Hebrews 11:4. This he considers as a sacrifice. It was not sufficient, that penitents under the law confessed their sins, or that they brought their sin-offering to be presented by the priest; they must lay their hands upon the head of their offering, and thereby profess their faith in that atonement which in due time was to be made for the sins of the whole world, Philippians 2:17.

The lamb that was offered every morning and evening, was to have a meat-offering of fine flour mingled with oil, and a drink-offering of wine poured upon it; and all was to be consumed together; Exodus 29:40. Paul, referring to this, calls their faith the sacrifice; and says, that he should rejoice in offering (in pouring out as a libation) his own blood, to be presented to God together with it. In like manner we also must not only “acknowledge our iniquity,” but must by faith transfer it to the sacred head of Jesus, who atoned for it on the cross, and through whom alone we can ever find acceptance with God, John 1:29.

3. A thankful heart.

This is a tribute most justly due to Him, who has loaded us with so many benefits, but, above all, has redeemed us by the blood of his only-begotten Son. The command given us is, “Rejoice evermore!” “Rejoice in the Lord always, and again I say, rejoice!” This is a sacrifice peculiarly pleasing to God, Hebrews 13:15; Psalm 107:22; Psalm 116:17; and “the very stones will cry out against us,” if we should refuse to offer it, Luke 19:40.

4. An obedient heart.

This is the crown of all. It is the end of all. For this we repent; for this we believe; for this we give thanks to God; all without this were only a solemn mockery. It is in order to this that God has given to us so many mercies, Romans 12:1. We may be well assured that every act of obedience, however small, if only it proceeds from a humble, believing, and thankful heart, shall be accepted by him, Hebrews 13:16.

As reasonable as such a sacrifice is, we are shocked to see,

II. In what light it is regarded by an ungodly world.

Did Pharaoh contemptuously resist the divine mandate; did he treat the request of the Hebrews as a pretext for lazyness; and did he make it an occasion for the most cruel oppression? Here we may see a true picture of the world at this day; it is precisely thus that religion is now opposed:

1. With contempt.

Pharaoh regarded the proposal of Moses as unworthy of notice. He saw no necessity for either himself or others to obey the commands of God; nor did he believe that any evil consequences would ensue from disobedience. He calls the threats with which God’s command was enforced, “vain words.” And how are the requisitions, which are now made to us in Jehovah’s name, attended to among us? Is not this the universal cry: ‘There is no need of so much religion; we shall do very well without it; we have nothing to fear, though we live in the neglect of it?’ Yes; all our exhortations to serve God with your whole hearts are, by many, considered in no better view than as weak, though well-intentioned, effusions of a heated imagination.

2. With calumny.

Men who choose not to obey the calls of God will always revile those who do. They will impute their zeal to hypocrisy, or pride, or vanity. They will presume to judge the motives of pious people, with as much confidence as if they could see the heart. Pharaoh had certainly no reason to ascribe to idleness the request that had been made to him; yet with a malignant triumph he professes to have seen through their motives, which he was determined to counteract.

Just so, at this time, the enemies of true religion will represent the professors of it as heretical and seditious, and the ministers of it as people that “turn the world upside down.”

3. With oppression.

It is good for us that all the ungodly do no possess the power of Pharaoh; and that the law has affixed bounds to the tyranny of man. Were it not so, we should still see that the natural enmity of man against his God is as fierce as ever. Civilization has altered our habits, but made no change at all in our hearts. Husbands, parents, masters, in numberless instances, obstruct the progress of religion in the hearts of those over whom they have influence; either requiring services that shall interfere with their religious duties, or laying snares to divert their attention from them. And when complaint is made by their injured dependents, they will show no regard to their consciences, but will exult in tyrannizing over them with their imperious mandate.

ADDRESS.

1. To the opposers of true religion.

Many who in themselves are serious and devout, are as bitter enemies to spiritual religion as the most abandoned profligate can be. When the Jews wanted to expel Paul and Barnabas from Antioch, they could find no better, or more willing, agents than “devout and honorable women, Acts 13:50.” But it were better for any one to have a millstone about his neck, and to be cast into the sea, than to be found among the opposers of vital godliness! Matthew 18:6. “Their Redeemer is mighty;” and he will avenge their cause. Instead therefore of setting yourselves against them, and calumniating them—inquire what is the reason that you yourselves are not pious. May not your own words be retorted upon you, “You are lazy, you are lazy; therefore you say, Let us not sacrifice unto the Lord?” Yes; it is no calumny to affirm this, “Go therefore now, and work.” Go; and instead of obstructing the sacrifices of others, present to God the sacrifice that he demands of you.

2. Those who meet with persecution for righteousness’ sake.

“All who will live godly in Christ Jesus are taught to expect persecution.” Therefore think it not strange that you are called to suffer; but rather “rejoice that you are counted worthy to suffer for Christ’s sake.”

Are you discouraged, because the relief you have sought for is withheld, and your troubles seem to increase? It was thus that God dealt with the Hebrews in the instance before us; and he frequently deals thus with his people, in order that he may be the more glorified in their ultimate deliverance. If therefore the shadows of the night are still lengthened, you need not despair; for “at evening-time it shall be light;” and in the hour of your deepest distress God will surely interpose for your support and relief, Deuteronomy 32:36.

Take care however that the enemies of religion have no cause to find fault with you for neglecting the duties of your station. It isa great stumbling-block in their way, when you give them occasion to adopt the language of the text. See to it then, that you be active and diligent in every work to which God, in his providence, has called you. The direction given you by God himself combines worldly activity with spiritual fervor, and represents each of them, in its place, as truly acceptable to him, “Be not slothful in business, but fervent in spirit, serving the Lord, Romans 12:11.”

Charles Simeon (1759-1836)