way, and promised to let the people go. Again-the plague ceased; and though Moses said, "Let not Pharaoh deal deceitfully any more," again he hardened his heart, and refused to let them go.

The flies of Egypt are much more troublesome than ours; one sort is as large as a bee, and is such a terrible torment to cattle, that they will forsake their pasture, and go to some place where they can roll themselves in sand to get rid of them.

When the flies were gone, "a very grievous murrain " came upon all the Egyptian beasts, that is, a deadly sickness, which killed every one of them. We can have some small idea of what this was by the trouble that the cattle plague here brought upon us. But though the animals belonging to the Israelites were all spared, while those of Egypt all died, still Pharaoh would not let the people go. Next blains (that is, boils) broke forth upon man and beast. Then "the Lord sent thunder and hail, and the fire ran along upon the ground, very grievous, such as there had been none like it in all the land of Egypt; only in the land of Goshen, where the children of Israel were, there was no hail." Once more Pharaoh owned he had sinned, saying, "I and my people are wicked. Entreat the Lord that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail, and I will let you go."

Moses promised to entreat the Lord that the thunder should cease, but said he knew that Pharaoh would not yet fear the Lord. And truly when he saw the storm was over, "he sinned yet more, and would not let the people go."

The next woe that befell him was a plague of locusts, an insect of the grasshopper species. It is now considered one of the scourges of Eastern countries. Clouds of these creatures darken the air, and eat every green leaf; the trees and plants so stripped of their leaves, give the appearance of winter suddenly coming in the midst of summer. Such a plague, only worse than any before or since, was sent upon Egypt. "Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron in haste, and he said, I have sinned against the Lord your God, now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my sin only this once, and entreat the Lord your God, that He may take away from me this death only." "And the Lord turned a mighty strong west wind, which took away the locusts and cast them into the Red Sea." And as before Pharaoh would not let them go.

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Then Moses was told to stretch out his hand towards heaven, that there might be "darkness over the land of Egypt, even darkness which may be felt," which lasted three days, during which 'they saw not one another, neither rose any from his place for three days, but all the children of Israel had light in their dwellings." It seems impossible that such a succession of wonders should only make Pharaoh say, "Get thee from me; take heed to thyself, see my face no more, for in that day thou seest my face, thou shalt die. And Moses said, Thou hast spoken well. I will see thy face again no more."

But there was to be one plague more-the death of the first-born in every family, "from the first

in the dungeon, And there was to

born of Pharaoh that sat on his throne unto the first-born of the captive that was and all the first-born of cattle." be a great cry through all the land of Egypt, such as there was none like it. "But against any of the children of Israel shall not a dog move its tongue, that ye may know that the Lord doth put a difference between the Egyptians and Israel." At length Pharaoh's own servants rose against him, when they found the first-born of every family dead in the morning, and they insisted on the release of the Israelites. So at last they went, "at the end of four hundred and thirty years, even the self-same day it came to pass, that all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of Egypt;" and the recollection of it is kept to this very day amongst the Jews at the feast of the Passover, so named because the doors of the Israelites being marked with the blood of a lamb slain for the purpose, the destroying angel "passed over" their houses when he destroyed the first-born of the Egyptians.

You will remember, that in the New Testament we read in St. Luke, that our Lord Jesus Christ observed this feast, and said to His disciples, "With desire I have desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer;" and it was at that time that He instituted the Sacrament of the Lord's Supper. We are told also in the first Epistle to the Corinthians, that "Christ our passover is sacrificed for us, therefore let us keep the feast, not with old leaven, neither with the leaven of malice and wickedness, but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth."

D

THE RED SEA.

THOROUGHLY frightened, Pharaoh let the people go; but thoroughly deceitful, no sooner were they off than he went after them with "six hundred chosen chariots, and all the chariots of Egypt." War chariots in those times were made with two wheels, and iron scythes, such as we use for mowing, were often fixed on either side, to cut down the enemy. But he was too late this time. Moses had led his followers to the wilderness by the Red Sea, carrying with them the bones of Joseph, as he had ordered.

When the chariots of Pharaoh were seen driving furiously towards them, it did indeed seem as if they must be destroyed. The Red Sea was before them; a mighty army behind them. And they

turned against Moses, saying, "Hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness? Let us alone, for it had been better for us to serve the Egyptians, than that we should die in the wilderness.

And Moses said to them, Fear ye not, stand still and see the salvation of the Lord which He will show to you to-day, for the Egyptians whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see them again no more for ever. The Lord shall fight for you, and ye shall hold your peace."

And then once more he was ordered to stretch out his rod (" the rod of God") over the sea, to divide it, "and the children of Israel went into the midst of the sea upon the dry ground, and the waters were a wall unto them, on their right hand

and on their left. And the Egyptians pursued, and went in after them to the midst of the sea, even all Pharaoh's horses, his chariots, and his horsemen. And the Lord said unto Moses, Stretch out thine hand over the sea, that the waters may come again upon the Egyptians, upon their chariots, and their horsemen; and the waters returned, and covered all the host of Pharaoh, there remained not so much as one of them, but the children of Israel walked upon dry land in the midst of the sea, and the waters were a wall unto them on their right hand and on their left. Thus the Lord saved Israel that day out of the hand of the Egyptians, and Israel saw the Egyptians dead upon the sea-shore."

THE ISRAELITES.

WELL might Moses and the children of Israel" sing a song unto the Lord" when they found themselves safe on the other side of the sea, and all their enemies lying dead in the waters. "I will sing unto the Lord," they sang, "for He hath triumphed gloriously, the horse and his rider hath He thrown into the sea. The Lord is a man of war, the Lord is His name. Pharaoh's chariots and his host hath He cast into the sea, his chosen captains also are drowned in the Red Sea. The depths have covered them, they sank into the bottom as a stone. Who is like unto Thee, O Lord, among the gods, who is like Thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders? The Lord shall reign for ever and ever."