final overthrow. And he foresaw, that nothing short of hardening his heart would fit him for that fatal event. For, the powers and faculties, which he had given him; the exalted dignity, which he had conferred upon him; and all the peculiar circumstances, under which he had placed him; would have mutually conspired to fit him for heaven, if his heart had been tender and benevolent. It is often thought and said, that nothing more was necessary on God's part, in order to fit Pharaoh for destruction, than barely to leave him to himself. But God knew, that no external means and motives would be sufficient of themselves, to form his moral character. He determined, therefore, to operate on his heart itself, and cause him to put forth certain evil exercises, in the view of certain external motives. When Moses called upon him to let the people go; God stood by him, and moved him to refuse. When Moses interceded for him and procured him respite; God stood by him, and moved him to exult in his obstinacy. When the people departed from his kingdom; God stood by him, and moved him to pursue after them, with increased malice and revenge. And what God did on such particular occasions, he did at all times. He continually hardened his heart, and governed all the exercises of his mind, from the day of his birth to the day of his death. This was absolutely necessary, to prepare him for his final state. All other methods, without this, would have failed of fitting him for destruction.

It is now time to make it appear, if possible,

III. That God is to be justified in his treatment of Pharaoh.

We must proceed upon the supposition, that God did treat him in the manner, which has been repre sented; and especially, that he did, among other things,

actually harden his heart. For, if this be not supposed, there is no occasion to say a single word, to justify the divine conduct, nor so much as to inquire, why it is to be justified. But supposing this to have been sufficiently proved, it may be observed,

1. That better judges, than we can pretend to be, have approved of God's treatment of Pharaoh. We find his own testimony in favor of God and against himself. In the verse before the text, God told him, that he would cut him off from the earth. And in the text, he told him that in very deed he had raised him up for this purpose. But we read afterwards in the twenty seventh verse of the context, "Pharaoh sent, and called for Moses and Aaron, and said unto them, I have sinned this time: The LORD IS RIGHTEOUS, and I and my people are wicked." This Pharaoh said, after God had raised him up; after he had taken off restraints from his mind; after he had sent severe judgments upon him; after he had hardened his heart; and after he had told him, that he had raised him up to destroy him. By this time, Pharaoh was nearly ripened for ruin, and properly prepared to judge, whether God had injured him, or whether he had injured God. And he freely acknowledges, that he was wicked, and had injured God, and that God was righteous, and had never injured him. This testimony has every mark of truth and sincerity. And who shall presume to impeach the divine conduct towards Pharaoh, after he himself has publicly and solemnly justified it?

Moses and Aaron were well acquainted with the whole series of God's conduct towards Pharaoh, in the most critical and important stage of his life. God told them his ultimate design with respect to the king of Egypt. They also carried his messages to Pharaoh, and brought back his answers to God. They were

personally knowing to the mercies and judgments, which God employed to bring Pharaoh to submission and repentance; and also to the language and conduct of Pharaoh, under the divine warnings, admonitions, and corrections. They stood spectators of the last miracle of justice, by which God fulfilled his threatening to Pharaoh, and cut him off from the earth. And they were so fully persuaded of the benevolence as well as rectitude of the divine conduct, that they most cordially joined with near three millions of people in praising God for the destruction of Pharaoh and his hosts in the merciless waves. "Then sang Moses and the children of Israel this song unto the Lord, saying, I will sing unto the Lord: for he hath triumphed gloriously; the horse and his rider hath he thrown into the sea. Thy right-hand, O Lord, is become glorious in power: thy right-hand, O Lord, hath dashed in pieces the enemy. And in the greatness of thine excellency thou hast overthrown them that rose up against thee: thou sentest forth thy wrath, which consumed them as stubble. Who is like unto thee, O Lord, among the gods; Who is like thee, glorious in holiness, fearful in praises, doing wonders!" After such a solemn, public, and joyful approbation of God's treatment of Pharaoh, it must be presumption in us to call the justice, or the goodness of God in question.

But still better judges, than the leaders, elders, and tribes of Israel, have approved and applauded the divine conduct towards the hardened and incorrigible king of Egypt; I mean the saints and angels in heaven. They have sung, and will continue to sing, the song of Moses, at the overthrow of Pharaoh. The Apostle John tells us, that he saw not only the seven angels who had the seven last plagues, but also them that had gotten the victory over the beast standing on the sea

of glass, having the harps of God, and singing the song of Moses the servant of God, saying, "Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God Almighty, just and true are thy ways, thou king of saints!" There is not a single instance of God's conduct since the creation of the world, which has been more universally and constantly applauded by the best judges of moral beauty and rectitude, than his raising up and destroying the cruel and incorrigible king of Egypt. We must believe, therefore, that the Judge of all the earth did right, in forming and destroying that vessel of wrath.

2. The sovereignty and justice of God allowed him to treat Pharaoh in the manner which has just been described. The Deity had a sovereign right to bring Pharaoh into existence; to give him the powers and faculties of a moral agent; to place him at the head of a kingdom; and to operate upon his heart in the samè manner, in which he operated upon the hearts of other men. And when Pharaoh, under such circumstances, became extremely haughty, cruel, malevolent, and obstinate; he had a right, in point of justice, to cut him off from the earth, and send him to endless perdition. In forming Pharaoh, God displayed neither justice, or injustice, but only sovereignty. As the potter is a sovereign in forming his vessels; so God is a sovereign in forming moral agents; and after he has formed moral agents, he has a right to treat them according to their moral characters. If their moral characters are perfectly holy, God has a right to make them completely and forever happy: but if their moral characters are perfectly sinful, God has a right to make them completely and forever miserable. God formed Pharaoh a moral agent, and, as a moral agent, he was totally wicked, and deserved to be cast off forever. God, therefore, acted according to strict justice, in dooming him to

eternal destruction. Divine sovereignty was displayed in the formation, and divine justice in the destruction, of Pharaoh; and for the display of these perfections toward that son of perdition, God deserves the appro bation and praise of all his intelligent creatures.

I have now finished what I proposed to say concerning God's treatment of Pharaoh. If what has been said be true, it will establish some points of serious importance upon a firmer foundation, than that of mere metaphysical arguments.

1. It appears from the divine conduct towards Pha raoh, that the doctrine of reprobation is true in fact, Pharaoh was a reprobate. God determined from eternity to make him finally miserable. This determination he eventually carried into effect. He brought him into being; formed him a rational and accountable creature; tried him with mercies and judgments; hardened his heart under both; caused. him to fill up the measure of his iniquity; and finally cut him off by an act of his justice. This is all that has ever been understood by reprobation, as the counterpart of the doctrine of election. And all this God did with respect to Pharaoh, who, therefore, has every mark of a reprobate. But if God did actually reprobate Pharaoh, we may justly conclude, that he reprobated all others, whom he did not choose to eternal life. This inference the Apostle Paul draws from the fate of Pharaoh, in the ninth of Romans. "For the Scripture saith unto Pharaoh, Even for this. same purpose have I raised thee up, that I might shew my power in thee, and that my name might be declared throughout all the earth. Therefore hath he mercy on whom he will have mercy, and whom he will he hardeneth. Thou wilt say unto me, why doth he yet find fault? For who hath resisted his will?