them. Task-mafters are appointed over them; a double tale of bricks is demanded, no ftraw is allowed, and the old men are beaten, because they cannot perform impoffibilities. This embitters their fouls, infomuch that they rebel against Mofes and Aaron. And they met Mofes and Aaron, who flood in their way as they came forth from Pharaoh ; and they faid unto them, The Lord look upon you, and judge: because you have made our favour to be abborred in the eyes of Pharaob, and in the eyes of his fervants, to put a fword in their hands to lay us. Exod. v.

20, 21.

The fiery trial at the Red Sea, and the following one, of going three days in the wilderness without water, and that of the want of food till the manna fell; the judgments that befell the rebellious, which at times endangered the lives of the whole multitude, and the terible majefty of God at the giving of the law, which was fuch as none before ever heard and faw, and yet lived; are all called temptations. Hath God ever affayed to go and take bim a nation, from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by figns, and by wonders and by war, and by a mighty band, and by a stretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did before your eyes? Deut. iv. 34.

Moreover, these temptations fell upon Pharaoh and upon all the Egyptians; for Mofes was confronted by the magicians. Every time Pharaoh and his fervants hearkened to Mofes, and fubmitted

themselves,

th

h

t

themselves, there was refpite; and every time they hearkened to the magicians, and rebelled, then the

judgments came on. to destroy all that were beaft, all the Egyptians their cattle and fervants home, and saved them; but those who abode by the magicians, and feared not God, left them in the field, and they all perished.

When God fent hail and fire

in the field, both man and that feared the Lord took

Evil angels alfo were fent among them; these, by the magicians, influenced and pushed on Pharaoh and his people, till Egypt was destroyed, the firstborn flain, and Pharaoh and all his host drowned in the Red Sea. All these were temptations upon the Egyptians; they rebelled against God, and God gave them up to believe lies, that they might juftly be damned, for fhutting their eyes against all the difplays of his almighty power, and for rebelling against the word and counfel of the Moft High. All these are called temptations. Ye bave feen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt, unto Pharaoh, and unto all his fervants, and unto all bis land. The great temptations which thine eyes have feen, the figns and thofe great miracles. Deut. xxix. 23.

The subject now in hand was fimilar to this. The first command is given to God's own profeffing people, which is, that the king of Babylon (fays) God) is my fervant; and every Ifraelite that falls away to the Chaldeans fhall live, and have his life for a prey, and they fhall go forth into captivity for their good, and God promifed he would be a little

fanctuary

fanctuary to them. The next command is to all. nations; and this command was to be fent to all foreign princes by their fervants, the ambaffadors that came to the court at Jerufalem. Thus faith the Lord to me, Make thee bonds and yokes, and put them upon thy neck, and fend them to the king of Edom, and to the king of Moab, and to the king of the Ammonites, and to the king of Tyrus, aud to the king of Zidon, by the band of the messengers which come to Jerusalem, unto Zedekiah king of Judah. And command them to fay to their mafters, Thus faith the Lord of bofts, the God of Ifrael, thus fhall ye fay to your masters, I have made the earth, the man and beast that are upon the ground, by my great power, and by my out-ftretched arm, and I have given it to whom it seemed meet unte me. And now I have given all these lands into the band of Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, my fervant ; and the beaft of the field have I given him alfo to ferve bim. And all nations shall serve him, and his son, and bis fon's fon, until the very time of his land come; and then many nations and great kingdoms shall serve themfelves of bim. And it fhall come to pass, that the nation and kingdom that will not ferve the fame Nebuchadnezzar the king of Babylon, and that will not put their neck under the yake of the king of Babylon, that nation will I punish faith the Lord, with the fword, and with famine, and with the peftilence, until I have consumed them by his band. Jer. xxvii. 2-8.

This is the command of God by his fervant Jeremiah, whom he had ordained a prophet to the na

tions; and fuch times of trouble are God's temptations, trials, and touchstones, by which he puts men to the teft; and that which makes it fo is, the devil ftirring up rebellious finners to counteract and to try to refift the will of God, and lead men to rebel against it. This was the cafe in Egypt; Mofes and Aaron are fent to declare the will of God, and Satan fent Jannes and Jambres to oppose them: and though the magicians and their folly were manifefted, and they were obliged to acknowledge the finger of God; and although they could not ftand before Mofes, for the plague of the boil was upon the magicians, yet they pushed Pharaoh on, till I (faith God) made the nations to shake at the found of his fall, when I cast bim down to bell. Ezek. xxxi. 16.

In Jerufalem's trial the devil acted the fame part. Jeremiah declares the will of God to the children of Judah, that they should ferve the king of Babylon feventy years; many falfe prophets rife up against him, and Hananiah at the head of them; and the priests, and the prophets, and all the people, took him, faying, Thou shalt furely die. Why hast thou prophefied in the name of the Lord, faying, This houfe fhall be like Shiloh, and this city shall be defolate without inhabitants? And all the people were gathered together against Jeremiah in the house of the Lord. Ch. xxxvi. Whatever God faid by his prophet, these falfe prophets contradicted. Jeremiah prophefied that the sword of the king of Babylon and the famine fhall come; the falfe prophets declared, Ye

Shall

fball not fee ford, neither fhall ye have famine; but I will give you affured peace in this place: but, says God, by fword and famine fhall those prophets be confumed. Jeremiah affures them of a seventy years captivity; Hananiah, after fome of them went forth, promifes their fafe return within two years and thefe prophets led the people to trust in a lie; and by fuch falfe prophets they were encouraged to endure the terrible fiege, and to defend themselves to the last extremity and though they had feen the threatened def ruction of Hananiah, yet they went on; and all this time they fought against God himself, till by fword, famine, and peftilence, they and their falfe prophets all perished together.

Thofe who at firft obeyed the voice of the Lord and fell away to the Chaldeans, and were gone to Babylon, met with the promised bleffing of God's being with them there; and found that Ezekiel was raifed up of God to teach and inftruct them in Babylon: yet the devil had not done with them, for he raised up fome of his own tools to withstand that prophet, and thefe had seduced not a few. For thus faith the Lord of bafts, the God of Ifrael, Let not your propbets and your diviners that be in the midft of you, deceive you, neither bearken to your dreams which ye caufe to be dreamed. For they prophesy falfely unto you in my name; I have not sent them, faith the Lord. For thus faith the Lord, That after feventy years be accomplished in Labylon, I will vifit you, and perform my good word towards you, in caufing you to return to this

place.