talks to the Ephesians about their having been 'quickened' by the Spirit, he tells them at the same time what they had previously been, and what they, but for the grace of God, would even now have been,-'dead in trespasses and sins, wherein in time past ye walked according to the course of this world, according to the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that now worketh in the children of disobedience: among whom also we all had our conversation in times past in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind; and were by nature the children of wrath, even as others. . . . Wherefore remember, that ye being in time past Gentiles in the flesh, that at that time ye were without Christ, being aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, and strangers from the covenants of promise, having no hope, and without God in the world.' (Eph. ii. 2, 3, 11, 12.) When speaking to the Corinthian Christians about the extreme wickedness of many, he takes occasion to remind them that they themselves by nature were no better and such were some of you.' (1 Cor. vi. 11.) And in another place, when alluding to spiritual gifts, he says, 'Ye know that ye were

Gentiles.' (1 Cor. xii. 2.) These are not solitary instances in fact, as God, through Moses and others, frequently reminded the Israelites of the house of bondage,' so does He, by His Apostles, often tell us to think of that state from which, if we are verily Christians, we have by grace been delivered.

Let us then, following the exhortation of Moses, take a retrospect of the past, and endeavour to trace our own moral history in that of the Israelites. Taking the point immediately before us, we may learn that Egypt, as the 'house of bondage,' represents a state of sin. And the resemblance is striking in many respects: a few of which particularly claim our notice.

I. The Israelites in Egypt were under the power of the king of Egypt. He had them within his dominions, and under his rule. And as that rule was absolute, he could do with them whatever he chose. We find him so abusing his power as to reduce them to the most abject slavery, and oppress them with the most cruel bondage.

Just so it is with sinners; with all sinners; just so it was with us before we stood before the Cross of Him who came to save us from our sins.

We were by nature the children of wrath even as others, under the power and dominion of sin. We had no power of ourselves to help ourselves; sin, like a proud autocrat, reigned in our hearts, shackled our souls with the chains of iniquity forged in hell, bound us in the fetters of a complete subjugation, and so encompassed us in the net of evil, that no liberty of action was accorded us, no free will allowed us; we were 'led captive by Satan at his will,' and were 'in bondage under the elements of the world.' Can we not remember the time when it was so with us? how helpless we were under the power of our sins; how powerless in every temptation; how completely sin reigned in our members, dragging us down and trampling us in the mire of ungodliness when we could not make the feeblest effort to rise above that abject slavery! Possibly it may be thus with us even now. If so, it would be a mercy if we could be made to feel it, to smart under the debasement, and be made to call aloud for deliverance unto Him who sees the oppression of His people, and who will, when they cry, come down to deliver them.

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II. The Israelites were made to labour for the Egyptians. They did set over them taskmasters to afflict them with their burdens,' and the Egyptians made the children of Israel to serve with rigour.'

Thus it is with those who are in bondage to sin; they serve sin; they labour in doing the works of sin. It is truly astonishing to see how an ungodly man toils in doing works of wickedness; how he rises early, and late takes rest, that he may devise mischief; how he will press on to iniquity, wearing away his strength, destroying his health, and inducing prostration and decay of body and soul. The demands of his hard taskmaster are never exhausted, and he labours on in perpetual and unremitted servitude. Take, for example, the case of the covetous man, the man whom sin his master has set to accumulate riches: what thought, care, and anxiety, are demanded of him in the pursuit of wealth; what months of vanity and wearisome nights are appointed to him; what calculation and forethought, what parsimony and prudence, what bodily exertion and perseverance, are required of him; what an expenditure of time

and strength is exacted of him! And all in the service of sin: for he is neither pleasing God, nor doing good to his neighbour, nor profiting himself, but simply yielding his members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin. Or, take the case of a man over whom sin has set revenge as a taskmaster. How he cons over and contrives the means by which he may compass his purpose; how many bitter and painful thoughts he entertains; what burdens of envy, hatred, and malice he has to bear; what assiduity is needed to carry out his designs, and what exertions and sacrifices he has to make that he may obey the dictates of his taskmaster and serve sin, with no reward but remorse and a guilty conscience! Oh, that those who serve the kindest of all masters, our Heavenly Father, would work His works with half the diligence with which the servants of sin follow the impulses of wickedness! How little do we consider the fact, that while a state of sin is bondage, God's service is perfect freedom!

III. The Israelites, when in the 'house of bondage,' were evil intreated. Their lives were made bitter with hard bondage: their children were taken