SERMON XXII.

Sixth Sunday in Lent.

EXODUS ix. 12.

And the Lord hardened the heart of Pharaoh, and he hearkened not unto them; as the Lord had spoken unto Moses.

"THE

THE Lord hardened Pharaoh's heart;" these words may require to be explained. It may seem to some that Pharaoh was doomed unto his downfal by the Lord our God; that he was one marked and fated for destruction, and that God hindered his obedience, and kept him back from any place of grace, by hardening his heart of His own divine will; so that Pharaoh was brought into punishment because first he was hardened to sin by the Lord God. Now this is far from being a right view of the case, and it would be to contradict Gospel teaching; therefore explanation may be necessary; and the more so, as we are now come to the Sunday immediately before Good Friday, the day on which we commemorate the sacrifice of Himself which our Lord and Maker Jesus Christ then offered up before the Godhead, that

justice migin be appeased by a sufficient atonement, and that in Him al mankind migint be saved. I vil therefore enter or fue consideration of this text, which the Church has ordered us to hear to-day, with ¤ wish to shew to you that it contains nothing whatever which should lead us to believe that Pharaor's destruction arose out of anything but his own sins.

Now, no doubt, vier any one with little learning, and without much leisure for thought-which is the case of most men-vier such a man reads the Binit, ever though he reads with prayer and a sincere heart, portions wil meet his eye which may seen difficult for him understand. This is not wonderful, because it is the case with every other book which treats on important matters; and it is rendered less wonderful when we remember that the Bible is a translation, and a translation out of works written in difficut languages. Moreover, these words were writer some three thousand years ago and more, and the latest books translated are now more than seventeen hundred years old. So that two things have happened viich render such translations more hard to be understood: the fashions and habits of the people, which are mentioned, are the habits of foreign and distant nations; and in mary cases those nations are wiped out, their fashions are either changed or lost together: and therefore such sentences as may relate to these points are only to be understood aright by those who have searched out their meaning thoroughly,

and are well acquainted with ancient histories, and with the modes of living, acting, and thinking which prevailed among nations now long since passed away.

These remarks apply to any hard passages in the Bible which may relate to men living in distant lands and very many ages ago. But there are other considerations which apply with greater truth to any passages which may relate to the Lord God. We can only know the nature of the Lord as far as He has revealed Himself to us, and this the Lord has not seen fit to do perfectly. Indeed, we are taught that we shall not be able to have a right knowledge of the Lord till we arrive at another state of being, when " we shall see Him as He is "." It is probable that we are not able to comprehend the nature of the Lord in this our present state, even if it was told unto us; or perhaps that knowledge, while "it is too great for man to attain unto," may also be more than the soul can bear if it was laid open before us; at any rate we know that it has seemed good to the Lord always in some sort to keep Himself veiled from the eye of man. But this would not be the case if it was good for man to see into the nature of God.

When Moses asked the Lord what was His name, the Lord did not even tell him so much as that; the Lord merely declared Himself eternal

a 1 John iii. 2.

b Psalm cxxxix. 6.

Y

justice might be appeased by a sufficient atonement, and that in Him all mankind might be saved. I will therefore enter on the consideration of this text, which the Church has ordered us to hear to-day, with a wish to shew to you that it contains nothing whatever which should lead us to believe that Pharaoh's destruction arose out of anything but his own sins.

Now, no doubt, when any one with little learning, and without much leisure for thought,—which is the case of most men,-when such a man reads the Bible, even though he reads with prayer and a sincere heart, portions will meet his eye which may seem difficult for him to understand. This is not wonderful, because it is the case with every other book which treats on important matters; and it is rendered less wonderful when we remember that the Bible is a translation, and a translation out of works written in difficult languages. Moreover, these words were written some three thousand years ago and more, and the latest books translated are now more than seventeen hundred years old. So that two things have happened which render such translations more hard to be understood: the fashions and habits of the people, which are mentioned, are the habits of foreign and distant nations; and in many cases those nations are wiped out, their fashions are either changed or lost altogether: and therefore such sentences as may relate to these points are only to be understood aright by those who have searched out their meaning thoroughly,

and are well acquainted with ancient histories, and with the modes of living, acting, and thinking which prevailed among nations now long since passed away.

These remarks apply to any hard passages in the Bible which may relate to men living in distant lands and very many ages ago. But there are other considerations which apply with greater truth to any passages which may relate to the Lord God. We can only know the nature of the Lord as far as He has revealed Himself to us, and this the Lord has not seen fit to do perfectly. Indeed, we are taught that we shall not be able to have a right knowledge of the Lord till we arrive at another state of being, when "we shall see Him as He is a." It is probable that we are not able to comprehend the nature of the Lord in this our present state, even if it was told unto us; or perhaps that knowledge, while "it is too great for man to attain unto," may also be more than the soul can bear if it was laid open before us; at any rate we know that it has seemed good to the Lord always in some sort to keep Himself veiled from the eye of man. But this would not be the case if it was good for man to see into the nature of God.

When Moses asked the Lord what was His name, the Lord did not even tell him so much as that; the Lord merely declared Himself eternal

a 1 John iii. 2.

b Psalm cxxxix. 6.

Y