e Job xxi. 14, 15.
07. J pharaoh's impiety. :>.',":
our tongues shall we prevail : our lips are our own : who is Lord over usf?" The Prophet Jeremiah gives exactly the same character of those in his age: all classes of the com- munity said to his very face, in answer to the messages he delivered to them from the Lord, " As for the word that thou hast spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto thee : but we will certainly do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own mouth, or cometh into our own hearts g." Now from these testimonies it is evident that I am not putting an undue construction on the words of Pharaoh, or pressing them too far, when I represent them as character- izing the spirit of the present day. It is clear that men do at this day " reject the word of the Lord," and " cast it behind them," and, in effect, say as he did, " Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice?" It is obvious, too, that they do this in the midst of all the judgments and mercies with winch God is pleased to visit them. There may be in many an occasional relenting, or purpose to amend : but all endeavour to lower the commands of God to the standard that is agreeable to their own minds ; nor do any, except those who have been savingly converted to God, through Christ, ever surrender up themselves to God, or yield an unreserved obedience to his commands.]
And in what must your disobedience issue ?
[Ask of persons in their career of sin, and they will tell you that they have nothing to fear. The confidence of Pha- raoh and all his host exactly represents their state. Behold that whole army: onward they go, in prosecution of their bloody purpose : but little do they think how soon they will rue their folly, and how irretrievable will their ruin be in the space of a few moments. See them pressing forward : how little do they apprehend the fate that awaits them ! So be- hold the various classes of ungodly men : how little do they dream of the destruction to winch they are hastening ! Wait but a few short moments, and they will all sink into everlasting perdition. But will not then- confidence deliver them ? No : the greater their confidence, the more certain is their ruin. But surely we may hope that their numbers will be some protection ? No : of the whole Egyptian army, not one soul escaped : nor, if the unconverted world were a million times more numerous than they are, should one single soul escape the wrath of God. They are willingly and determinately treasuring up wrath to themselves against the day of wrath : and at the appointed season it shall come upon them to the uttermost. Then they will know who that Lord is, whom
f Ps. xii. 4. g Jer. xliv. 16, 17. with xxiii. 17-