THE BURNING BUSH.

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have seen their affliction, wherewith they are oppressed by the Egyptians. But come, and I will send thee to Pharao, that thou mayst bring forth My people, the children of Israel, out of Egypt."

Moses said, "Who am I, that I should go to Pharao ?" God answered, "I will be with thee."

EXPLANATION OF THE TYPE OF THE BURNING BUSH.-The bush which was on fire without being consumed, in which God was present, and from which He L

Moses said to God, "Lo, I shall go to the children of Israel, and say to them, 'The God of your fathers hath sent me to you.' If they should say to me, 'What is His name?" what shall I say to them?" God said to Moses, "I AM WHO AM." He said, "Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel: 'HE WHO IS, hath sent me to you. And God said again to Moses, "Thus shalt thou say to the children of Israel: The Lord God of your fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath sent me to you.' This is my name for ever, and this is my memorial unto all generations." Moses answered and said,

They will not believe me nor hear my voice, but they will say, "The Lord hath not appeared to thee."" Then He said to him, "What is that thou holdest in thy hand ?" He answered, "A rod." And the Lord said, "Cast it down upon the ground." Moses cast it down, and it was turned into a serpent, so that Moses fled from it. And the Lord said, "Put out thy hand and take it by the tail." He put forth his hand and took hold of it, and it was turned into a rod again : "That they may believe, saith He, that the God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob, hath appeared to thee." Moses pleaded that he was slow of speech, and unfit to go upon such a mission. And God said to him, "Who made man's mouth, or who made the dumb and the deaf, the

spoke to Moses, is a figure of the Immaculate Virgin Mother of God, whose purity shines bright as the fire, which Moses saw, and in whom God was present, as in the bush. Thus, in the Vespers of the feast of the Circumcision, the Church says: "The bush which Moses saw unconsumed, we confess to be thy glorious virginity."

THE SIGNS ARE SHEWN.

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seeing and the blind? did not I?—Go, therefore, and I will be in thy mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt speak." Moses however entreated, and God appointed his brother Aaron to be his spokesman. Moses went

immediately to Egypt, and was met on the way by his brother Aaron. They called together all the ancients of Israel, and Aaron spoke to them all the words which the Lord had said to Moses, and he wrought the signs before the people. Suffering as they were, from such

severe tyranny and oppression, we may imagine their wonder and astonishment, on first seeing the sign of their deliverer's mission; nevertheless, when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that He had looked upon their affliction, falling down they adored.

desert.

§ 6. Moses and Aaron appear before Pharao.

The ancients of the people were thus assured that the God of their forefathers, Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, had sent Moses and Aaron to deliver them. Moses and Aaron now appeared before Pharao, and said to him, "Thus saith the Lord God of Israel: 'Let My people go, that they may sacrifice to Me in the Pharao answered, "Who is the Lord, that I should hear his voice, and let Israel go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Israel go. Why do you Moses and Aaron draw the people off from their works? get you gone to your burdens." And Pharao from this time commanded his task-masters to give the people no more straw for their brick-making, and still to exact the same number of bricks as before, saying, "They are idle, and therefore they say 'Let us go and sacrifice.' When the officers of the children of Israel saw, that instead of being delivered, they were only worse off than before, they came to Moses and Aaron and bitterly reproached them, saying, "The Lord see and judge, for you have made us to be hated by Pharao and his servants, and you have given him a sword to kill us. us."

THE MAGICIANS OF EGYPT.

7. The plagues are brought upon the land of Egypt.

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Moses endeavoured to comfort the people with promises and assurances of their deliverance being at hand, but they would not hearken to him for anguish of spirit and oppression; Moses and Aaron therefore had recourse to God to learn how they were to act, and God commanded them to appear again before Pharao, saying, "I will harden his heart, and he will not hear you, and I will bring out My people, the children of Israel, with very great judgments, so that the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, who have stretched out My hand upon Egypt, to bring forth the children of Israel from the midst of them."

Moses was eighty years old when he appeared with Aaron the second time before Pharao; and Aaron, as God had commanded, took his rod, which was changed into a serpent before Pharao and his servants. Pharao however called his wise men and magicians who cast down their rods, and when Pharao saw, that they were turned into serpents by virtue of their Egyptian enchantments, his heart was hardened.

It was now time that the threatened judgments should be brought upon Egypt, as God had promised. In the presence of the king and his court, Moses struck the water of the river, and it was turned into blood, so that the fish died in it, and no man could drink of it still Pharao's heart was hardened.

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Moses now stretched forth his rod over the streams, the rivers, and the pools of Egypt, and there came up an innumerable multitude of frogs, which covered the