"

away.' Moses also represented Christ in his character of mediator: "He said that He would destroy them, had not Moses His chosen stood before Him in the breach, to turn away His wrath, lest He should destroy them"," "There is one mediator between GOD and man, the man Christ Jesus." Moses was twice in the mount, forty days and forty nights; and, during the whole of each of these periods, he neither ate bread nor drank water. Christ also "fasted forty days and forty nights." Moses, then, was a representative of the great Mediator and Redeemer, Christ.

Thus did the bondage of Egypt represent the spiritual bondage of sin. The Israelites, who were delivered from that bondage, represented mankind, who are delivered from the bondage of sin by Christ. Moses, through whose agency the deliverance of the Israelites was effected, represented Christ the Redeemer and Deliverer of mankind. The land of Canaan, toward which the Israelites journeyed, represented that heavenly country toward which Christ conducts mankind. The journey of the Israelites toward Canaan represented the pilgrimage of mankind through this world toward the heavenly Canaan.

* 1 Peter, i. 4.

Exod.

y Psalm cvi. 23. xxxii. 11, 32; xxxiii. 12, 13. Numb. xiv. 13-19. Deut. ix. 18-20, 26-29; x. 10.

z 1 Tim. ii. 5.
a Deut. ix. 9.

b Deut. ix. 18.

C Matt. iv. 2.

The Israelites, when in bondage in Egypt, represented mankind in the bondage of sin, in the fear of death, under the Adamite covenant. Egypt, then, was a figure of the habitation of sin.

The waters of Egypt were smitten, and they became blood, and all the fish that were in them died. How different are the spiritual waters, the living waters which flow from Christ; for these yield "everlasting life;" every thing liveth whithersoever these waters comes.

All the borders of Egypt were smitten with frogs, and "the land stank "." The land was rendered impure by frogs, which are the emblems of uncleanness1.

The dust of all the land of Egypt became licek; and there came a grievous swarm flies into all the land, so that the land was corrupted by reason of the swarm'. The land was rendered corrupt by "creeping things," which were "unclean"," and abominable". Thus the land was, in an actual sense, what the region of sin is in a spiritual sense; 66 an unclean land with the filthiness of the people of the lands with their abominations, which have filled it from one end to another with their uncleanness";" "they

have defiled my land, they have filled mine inheritance with the carcasses of their detestable and abominable things P*."

Next in order was the plague of boils and blains, which came upon man and beast. In a spiritual sense, it is said of the corrupt state of the evil doers, "From the sole of the foot even unto the head there is no soundness in it; but wounds and bruises and putrefying sores'; " before me continually is grief and wounds'; "the Lord shall smite thee in the knees and in

P Jere. xvi. 18.

* A murrain was sent upon the cattle of Egypt'; the Lord said unto Moses, "The Lord shall sever between the cattle of Israel and the cattle of Egypt"." It is said in Ezekiel, "As for you, O my flock, saith the Lord GOD, beheld, I judge between cattle and cattle, between the rams and the hegoats3:" this passage in Ezekiel refers to the coming of the shepherd David, which is Christ, and it relates to that separation of the sheep from the goats, of which our Saviour also speaks 4; it relates to the separation of the "sheep" of " the Israel of GOD" from the "goats" of the spiritual Egypt. The murrain sent upon the cattle of Egypt afforded, then, a figure of the destruction of the enemies of Christ. "Like as

I pleaded with your fathers in the wilderness of the land of Egypt, so will I plead with you," " and I will purge out from among you the rebels5."

Exod. ix. 3-7.

2 Exod. ix. 4.

3 Ezek. xxxiv. 17.

9 Exod. ix. 10.

4 Matt. xxv. 32.

5 Ezek. xx. 36, 38.

⚫ Jere. vi. 7.

the legs, with a sore botch that cannot be healed, from the sole of thy foot unto the top of thy head t." "I will restore health unto thee, and heal thee of thy wounds"."

Then came thunder and hail and fire, upon all the land of Egypt, which smote throughout that land all that was in the field, both man and beast, and every herb, and brake every tree". So it is said, in a spiritual sense, "I will kindle a fire in thee, and it shall devour every green tree in thee, and every dry tree. The flaming fire shall not be quenched *." "My fury shall be poured out upon this place, upon man and upon beast, and upon the trees of the field, and upon the fruit of the ground, and it shall burn, and shall not be quenched "." "The vine is dried up, and the fig-tree languisheth; all the trees of the field are withered; because joy is withered away from the sons of men; the fire hath devoured the pasture of the wilderness, and the flame hath burnt all the trees of the field." "The temple of GOD was opened in heaven; and there was seen in His temple the ark of His testament; and there were lightnings, and voices, and thunderings, and an earthquake, and great haila; "and there were voices and thun

t Deut. xxviii. 35.
"Jere. xxx. 17.

Exod. ix. 24, 25.
Ezek. xx. 47.

Jere. vii. 20.

z Joel, i. 12, 19.

a Rev. xi. 19.

ders and lightnings: and there fell upon men, hail out of heaven; and men blasphemed GOD because of the plague of the hail; for the plague thereof was exceeding great.'

Locusts were then sent, which devoured all the fruit of the trees, and the herb, and every green thing in the land of Egypt"; "He gave their increase unto the caterpillar, and their labour unto the locusts." So it is said in a spiritual sense, "I will restore to you the years that the locust hath eaten, the canker-worm, and the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm, my great army which I sent among you ";" your spoil shall be gathered like the gathering of the caterpillar, as the running to and fro of locusts shall he run upon them.", "And there came out of the smoke locusts, upon the earth, and unto them was given power, as the scorpions of the earth have power §."

t

66

"There

Egypt ","

The plague of darkness was sent. was thick darkness in all the land of even darkness which might be felt. So it is said in a spiritual sense, "If one look unto the land, behold darkness and sorrow, and the light is darkened in the heavens thereof;" "darkness

Rev. xvi. 18, 21.

c Exod. x. 14.

d Psalm lxxviii. 46; cv. 34.

e

Joel, ii, 25.

Rev. ix. 3.

h Exod. x. 22.

Exod. x. 21.

* Isaiah, v. 30; viii. 22.

3