The Pulpit Commentary — Exodus — Volume 1 — Section 249

and gloomy spirits of evil, whom God has reserved in everlasting chains under darkness for final judgment (Jude 6), So Scripture speaks of man as divided into those who are "of ,the night and of darkness," and those who a.re " children of light and of the d<>,v" (1 lhcss. v. 6), . 'l_ '1'1rn; CHILDREN OF DARKNESS, THOSE WHO I.OVF. DARKNF.SS RATHER THAN LIGHT, HAVE DARKNESS ASSIGNED TO THEM, 1. lipiritual darknes.~. "Because they do not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gives them over to a reprobate mind" (Rom. i. 2ii). Their "foolish heart is darkened" (ib. ver. 21). They grow continually more blind and more ignorant, more incapable of seeing and understanding the things of the Spirit, since these are "spiritually discerned." Their senses not being "exercised by reason of use to discern both good and evil," they lose the power of discernment, and "put bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter." "'l'he light that is within them "--i. e., the conscience -having "become darkness, how great is that darkness"! 2. Mental darkness. They "grope as the blind in darkness" (Deut. xxviii. 29). They have no clue to the real nature of the universe of which they are a part, or of the world in which they live. They are mentally sightless, unable to perceive the force of arguments and evidences which would convince any one whose mental vision God had not judicially blinded. They sometimes in these days call themselves" Agnostics," implying thereby that they know nothing, see nothing, have no convictions. Not unfrequently they allow them- selves to be imposed upon by the most gross illusions, giving that faith to the ravings of Spiritualists which they refuse to the Word of God. Or they accept as certain truth the unverified speculations and hypotheses of so-called scientific men, and consider Revelation to be overruled and set aside by the guesses of a few physiologists. 3. Ultimately, as it would seem, they receive as their portion, physical darkness. "Cast ye the unprofitable servant into outer darkness" (Matt. xxv. 30). "The children of the kingdom shall be cast into outer darkness" (ib. viii. 12). "Woe unto them! for they have gone in the way of Cain..... to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever" (Jude 13). !I. 'i.'HE CHILDREN OF LIGHT, THOSE WHO LOVE LIGHT, HAVE LIGHT FOB THEIR PORTIO~. "Awake, thou that sleepest, and arise from the dead, and Christ shall give thee light." Christ gives his followers, 1. Spiritual light. "The commandment is a lamp, the law is light" (Prov. vi. 23). " By doing the will of God., men come to know of the doctrine, whether it is of God" (John vii. 17). Their spiritual discernment is continually increased. Whatever the amount of spiritual darkness around them-in the midst of the clouds of Deism, Pantheism, Agnosticism, scientific materialism, and Atheism, they "have light in their dwellings." Theirs is the true enlightenment. The Lord their God enlightens their darkness (Ps. xviii. 28) ; opens the eyes of their understanding (Eph. i. 18) ; fills them with knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiritual under- standing (Uol. i. 9). 2. Mental light. The true Christian" has a right judgment in all things." God gives to those who are his " the spirit of a sound mind" (2 Tim. i. 7). Not that Christians are always clever-they may be slow, dull, devoid of all quickness or mental brightness. But they will be soberminded, not easily misled ; they will see through sophisms, even if they cannot expose them ; they will not be imposed upon by charlatans or soi-disant " philosophers." They will " try the spirits" that seek to lead them astray, and not very often be deceived by them. 3. A final reward of heavenly, ineffable, soul-satisfying light. After the resurrection of the dead., " they that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament" (Dan. xii. 3). They shall dwell where there is light, and " no darkness at all." " The nations of them which are saved shall walk in the light" of that city which shall have" no need of the sun, neither of the moon to shine in it ; for the glory of God will lighten it, and the Lamb is the light thereof" (Rev. xxi. 23, 24). "There shall be no night there; and they need no candle, neither light of the sun, for the Lord God giveth them light, and they shall reign for ever and ever" (ib. xxii. 5). Vera. 24-26.-0ompromise tl1e favourite resort of the worldly-minded, the abomi- natioo of the spiritually-minded. Pharaoh had tried compromise more than once a.nJ. failed (eh. viii. 2~-28; x. 8-11) i but h~ must needs try it_ again. T~ marks the tenacity with which the worldly-mmded clmg to what they thmk t?e height of policy, hut what is, in reality, a weak and unworthy subterfuge. l'haraoh did not wish to grant  THE BOOK OF EXODUS. [ OH. X, 2~ --29,