said, "Is not this great Babylon that I have built for the house of my kingdom, and the might of my power, and for the honour of my majesty?" and when in the haughtiness of his heart he said to Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, And who is that God that shall deliver you out of my hand?"

Men feed their pride from different sources, when they vaunt themselves against God and their fellow-men. There is the pride of wealth-there is the pride of position-there is the pride of physical strength-there is the pride of intellect. In whatever form it may appear it always tends to despise God and His people. God and man will only obtain their rights upon earth when the promise shall be fulfilled-"The lofty looks of man shall be humbled, and the haughtiness of man shall be bowed down, and the Lord alone shall be exalted in that day."

3. Ignorance of the adaptation of religion to the wants of the soul is another reason for this misconstruction. Nothing of time really suits the soul. The things of time are physical, the soul is spiritual; things of time are perishable, the soul is immortal. What can chase away darkness but light? What can melt the ice, but heat? What can put life and vigour in nature, but the rays of the sun? An army of a hundred thousand men cannot dissipate darkness from a single apartment: the weight of a heavy object may crush, but it will not melt the ice. All the cultivation of soil that man can bring to bear will never cause a single grain to grow. The means are not adapted to the end. Force may keep man in the dust; coercion and oppression may crush the mind; cultivation by training the intellect may prepare the soil; but it is the Spirit of God's grace alone can enlighten, can melt, and fructify the soul. This fact is hidden from the men of the world: therefore they say, "It is vain to serve God." "Let them not regard vain words," was the language of Pharaoh respecting the Israelites. "Let them not regard vain words," is the language of many oppressors respecting those under control. The soul

with them is of the last, and not of the first importance: religion, in their estimation, is a thing easily to be dispensed with, as of no value for the benefit of man.

Finally. Another reason is, the utter forgetfulness of those men of their personal responsibility to God.

Man, every man is formed for eternity. If so, he has a rational soul; and if he be rational, he is accountable for his actions. Scripture tells us that "we must all appear before the judgment seat of Christ, that every one may receive the things done in the body, according to that he hath done, whether it be good or bad." Conscience also comes to the aid of Scripture, and tells us that our actions contract serious consequences. But the oppressor seems to be unconscious of all this; he lives like "the beast that perisheth," and looks forward to death with the hope only of annihilation. How can a man who defies God through life, think of standing before Him as his supreme Judge in death? How can a man who despises and oppresses his fellow-man in time expect to live upon an equality with him throughout eternity? The thought of this responsibility alone ought to be sufficient to restrain the evil passions of the mind, and the cruel actions of life. How will the oppressor meet the oppressed? How will the despiser of God and religion meet his implacable enemy at the dread tribunal of the last day?

In conclusion. Let us all consider that religion involves a sacrifice, and that it is the duty of all to "do sacrifice to the Lord." Let not the impediments of life deter us from offering this sacrifice in obedience to the command of God. And let all who place impediments in the way of religion remember in time, "that for all these things God will bring (them) to judgment." "It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God," if that God be an enemy.

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The Sunday next before Easter.

MORNING SERVICE.-First Lesson: Exodus ix.

Verse 16.-" And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth."

THE dispensations of God's providence produce certain influences on the minds of all persons. Those influences vary according to the dispositions of the interested parties. The same dispensations do not act alike on every mind. Why is this? Does the difference exist in the dispensation itself, or in the subject on whom it acts? We cannot say that there is any intentional or practical difference in the Divine dispensation; it invariably bears in its bosom a genial influence, and would convey the blessing of happiness to all, if all were to receive it in a proper way. But all do not receive the dispensation properly. Whilst the sun's rays melt the wax, they harden the clay. The reason of this is not that the rays operate differently on those materials, but that the materials themselves are differently constituted, and receive the influence of the rays according to their respective natures. It is just so in respect to man. Our Saviour, I think, beautifully illustrates this in the parable of the sower. The seed was in all cases the same, but produced different results according to the nature of the soil into which it fell. Whilst that which fell on the wayside was picked up by the birds; that on the stony ground merely flourished for a time, because it had not depth of earth; and that among thorns was choked; that only which fell on good ground brought forth fruit.

Again, God's dispensations are varied according to the manner in which they are treated. The first step is always

in mercy. Justice never strikes until the voice of mercy has been rejected and despised. We find this to be the case in respect to the antediluvians-in respect to the Sodomitesin respect to the Egyptians-in respect to the Ninevites—in respect to the Jews, especially in our Saviour's time, when He so earnestly admonished them, invited them, and warned them, as we learn from the whole tenor of His ministry upon earth. Then, when mercy is rejected, the dispensation takes the form of judgment, first mildly, then more severely; first relatively, then personally in proportion to the treatment which it receives. We trace the footsteps of those graduated dispensations in the case of Pharaoh and the Egyptians. In reading the account of what is generally called the ten plagues of Egypt, we find that they began by affecting the luxuries, then the comforts, then the property, and then the lives of the Egyptians. There was no luxury so agreeable to them as drinking the waters of the Nile. God caused those waters to be turned into blood, so that it is said, "the Egyptians shall loathe to drink of the water of the river.”

We cannot now enter into the history of the respective plagues, but in the verses preceding our text Moses is instructed to say unto Pharaoh: "Thus saith the Lord God of the Hebrews, Let my people go, that they may serve me. For I will at this time send all my plagues upon thine heart, and upon thy servants, and upon thy people; that thou mayest know that there is none like me in all the earth. For now I will stretch out my hand, that I may smite thee and thy people with pestilence; and thou shalt be cut off from the earth.” 'Inasmuch as my milder judgments' (might God have said) 'have not produced the desired effect of softening thee, and making thee obey my commands; I will inflict those that will be more severe; plagues that will affect thine heart, or thine own person, as well as thy servants and people, so that by them thou shalt in thine obstinacy be cut off from the earth.' "And in very deed for this cause have I raised thee up, for to show in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth."

Our text needs a few words by way of explanation, as it has often been misinterpreted to mean that God had given existence to Pharaoh, and had raised him to the throne of Egypt; and then hardened his heart for the sole purpose of making him the object of His vindictive justice. Now it is perfectly inconsistent with the clemency and goodness of God's character to believe that He has ever raised up a creature merely with the object of making him as a target to shoot at. No, God raises man up in mercy; it is man that brings himself down in judgment. It was thus in mercy He had raised up Pharaoh by preserving him from the personal effects of the six preceding plagues, and allowing him to harden his own heart as the result of the withdrawal of those plagues the one after the other, for we find that whilst the plagues existed Pharaoh relented, and declared his resolution to obey God; but the moment the judgment was removed he hardened his heart, and would not let the people go. Is not this invariably the case with unregenerated fallen nature? When we are afflicted, we feel crushed, and form resolutions of amendment; but as soon as the storm is passed -when the judgment is removed, our good resolutions are forgotten, and we return to our natural hardness.

What was written aforetime, was written for our learning. There is a lesson to be learned from this case of Pharaoh, which may be practically applied to ourselves, and which we would do well to consider.

Let me, therefore, direct your attention to three important truths. First, That God raises man up in mercy; Secondly, That if God's mercy be rejected, He will visit man in judgment; and, Thirdly, The object which God is determined to effect by both His mercy and judgment.

I. That God raises man up in mercy.

This is not only proved by the instances before us, but also by all the records of God's dealings with man, both in providence and grace.

1. In mercy He has raised man up into existence. We

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