R

vants.

OND when Pharaoh saw that the rain, and the hail,

and the thunders, were ceased, he sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his serNeither would he let the children of Israel go; as the Lord had spoken by Moses. And Moses and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and said unto him, Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may serve me: else, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to-morrow will I bring the locusts into thy coast: and they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to see the earth and they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped, which remaineth unto you from the hail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field. And they shall fill thy houses, and the houses of all thy servants, and the houses of all the Egyptians; which

:

THE ISRAELITES BORROW GOLD.

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neither thy fathers, nor thy fathers' fathers have seen. And Moses stretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day, and all that night; and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locusts. And they covered the face of the whole earth, so that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the hail had left: and there remained not any green thing through all the land of Egypt.'—Ex. x.

To

O the plague of locusts succeeded that of thick darkness in the land of Egypt, which brought another

false promise from Pharaoh that the Israelites should go if they left their flocks behind: but Moses said, "Our cattle also shall go with us; there shall not an hoof be left behind.' To this Pharaoh replied by driving Moses from

his presence, declaring that in the day he re-entered before him again he should die. Moses departed, saying, 'Thou hast spoken well, I will see thy face again no more.' Preparatory to the last plague, which was to liberate the Israelites from Egypt, the Lord said unto Moses, 'Speak now in the ears of the people, and let every man borrow of his neighbour, and every woman of her neighbour, jewels of silver, and jewels of gold.' This was to fulfil a promise given, that the Israelites when they departed should not go away empty, but should spoil the Egyptians, thus obtaining the payment due for their whole labour in the brick-fields. See the twelfth chapter of Exodus.

R

ND now was threatened the last and most awful visi

tation of almighty vengeance on the devoted land

of Egypt. The death of the first-born was fully announced to Pharaoh beforehand, who might have learned

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by this time to credit any message from Moses and Aaron, and to arrest the judgment by timely obedience: it is, however, recorded of him, that he would not let the children of Israel go out of his land. Prior to this exhibition of wrath, God commanded Moses to institute the feast of the passover, which was to be an annual commemoration of the protection and liberation of the children of Israel, when the first-born of Egypt were slain. So many individuals as composed a household were to take a lamb of the first year. With the blood they were to strike the door-posts of all their houses.

And the blood shall be

to you for a token upon the houses where ye are: and when I see the blood, I will PASS OVER you, and the plague shall not be upon you to destroy you, when I smite the land of Egypt. And ye shall take a bunch of hyssop, and dip it in the blood that is in the bason, and strike the lintel and the two side-posts; and none of you shall go out of the door of his house until the morning. And they shall eat the flesh in that night, roast with fire, and unleavened bread.'-Ex. xii.

THIS

in the words of Scripture :- And it came to pass,

that at midnight the Lord smote all the first-born

in the land of Egypt, from the first-born of Pharaoh that sat on his throne, unto the first-born of the captive that was in the dungeon; and all the first-born of cattle. And Pharaoh rose up in the night, he, and all his servants, and all the Egyptians; and there was a great cry in Egypt: for there was not a house where there was not one dead. And he called for Moses and Aaron by night, and said, Rise up, and get you forth from among my people, both ye and the children of Israel; and go, serve the Lord, as ye have said. Also take your flocks and your herds, as ye have said, and be gone and bless me also. And the Egyptians were urgent upon the people, that they might send them out of the land in haste; for they said, We be all dead men.'-Ex. xii.