spoken by God to Moses, is not the Word of God, and that we do not know His will, and may accordingly do that which is right in our own eyes. But of men so hardened as to allow themselves to talk thus, it is painful to be forced even to speak; and they are only noticed here as helping us to understand another bad effect which has followed from their abuse of these words. I mean the distress which blasphemous and infidel speeches create in many minds in which they may yet fail to awaken anything like doubt. A humble Christian, who loves his Bible, cannot hear such things without pain. He is deeply and heartily sorry for the sad condition of those who say them. He is full of painful fear for those in whose hearing they are said, lest they should be corrupted by such evil communications. And there are times at which, over and above these two sources of pain, he is made uneasy and uncomfortable in his own mind, by such objections against particular things which are found in Holy Scripture. He may not be always able, when he hears such remarks in conversation, or meets with them in books, to call to mind at the moment other parts of God's Word, which, if rightly applied, would at least satisfy his own mind, even though they failed to convince the gainsayers. His own faith may be weaker at

one time than another; weaker, perhaps because he has not walked circumspectly, because he has been tempted to neglect prayer or other means of God's grace. And being for the time weak in faith, he may be staggered at finding that he cannot answer objections,-forgetting that the occurrence of such difficulties is only one part of that trial of his faith which is meant to work patience.

There is yet another reason why it may be well for us to consider such passages of Scripture when they are brought before us in the regular course of the Church Service. It is well to be reminded of the sinfulness and danger of lightly and thoughtlessly bringing Scripture language into our common talk, of using words and sentences out of the Bible to express the business or feelings of our every-day life. Few verses perhaps have suffered in this way more than that which has just been read to you as the text. It is not at all uncommon to hear the expression, of spoiling the Egyptians, applied to worldly business in various ways. If men have been able to gain some advantage over those who differ from them in politics, for instance, or those whose business in life interferes with theirs, they will not scruple to talk of having spoiled the Egyptians. Nay, they will do more than this:-they

will justify themselves in overreaching their neighbour,—in going beyond and defrauding their brother, if the opportunity offers, (although Christ's holy Apostle has expressly forbidden all such practices,) by alleging that after all they have done no more than spoiled the Egyptians. Of course this perverse use of Scripture facts, in justifying what is known and felt at the very time to be fraud and dishonesty, is a far more serious offence than the irreverent and unthinking application of Scripture words.

On all these accounts then,-the infidel abuse of this place of Scripture,-the pain which such abuse gives to Christians,-and the oversights of which Christians themselves are at times guilty, it may be well, with God's help, to give to these words our earnest consideration.

And first of all, let us bear in mind, that even if we were able to give no account at all of the difficulty, we should yet be quite sure that what the Israelites did in obedience to God's instructions on this particular occasion, could be in no sense any warrant or excuse for our allowing ourselves in any kind of dishonesty. Thou shalt not steal is God's plain command for all ages and all countries.

The perverse use of the passage before us would have been in a great measure if not en

tirely prevented, if those who translated our English Bible had put the word ask instead of the word borrow. This same word in the Hebrew is found, perhaps, as many as a hundred and fifty times between the book of Genesis and the Prophet Malachi; and only three times out of all, (besides the one before us, in which God directs what is to be done, and the passage in the eleventh chapter, where His direction is recorded to have been fulfilled,) i. e. four times altogether, has the word borrow been used for it. "Every woman shall ask of her neighbour," was what God commanded-ask, i. e. to receive as a gift, not borrow what was bound to be repaid.

God bade the Israelites ask, and God moved the Egyptians to give. In Egypt and other countries of the East, where those of whom we read in the Bible lived, and fashions do not change as they do among ourselves, it is now, as it always has been, much more a settled practice to make presents than it is among us. It is not usual so much as to go to see a great man without some sort of present. And you may remember how when Jacob was sending his sons into Egypt, though the famine was sore in the land, he nevertheless directed them to take of the best fruits of the land in their vessels, and carry down the man a present, a little balm and a little honey,

spices and myrrh, nuts and almonds:a-how again, when Saul, despairing to find his father's asses, was counselled by his servant to ask the prophet Samuel's advice, he thought it altogether impossible, because they had been away from home so long that the bread was spent in their vessels, and there was not a present to bring to the man of God. Whereupon the servant, faithful and zealous as he was, said, Behold, I have here at hand the fourth part of a shekel of silver, that will I give to the man of God." So, once more, when the queen of Sheba had come to see Solomon in all his glory, we find that, when she was taking leave, and going back to her own country, she not only received presents from the king, such as he thought right to give, but that she asked for many things in addition. King Solomon gave unto the queen of Sheba all her desire, whatsoever she asked, besides that which Solomon gave her of his royal bounty.

c

But, in the case of the Israelites asking and obtaining presents from the Egyptians, we have much more than one other instance of this practice so common in the East, so unlike any usage which prevails among ourselves. God had expressly declared that thus it should be.

a Gen. xliii. 11.

b 1 Sam. ix. 7, 8.

c 1 Kings x. 13.