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However, Pharaoh not regarding their words, Mofes and Aaron met him the next morning, as he was going down to the river, and told him, that his obftinacy would only bring more and worfe plagues upon him, the next of which would be fuch mixed fwarms of flies, as would Fifth midarken the air; that GOD, however, would put a dif-racle, of ference between his people and the Egyptians, and that farms of there should none be found in all the land of Goshen, tho' flies. the rest of the kingdom fwarmed with them; adding, that the next day fhould bring this new plague upon him. cordingly, by the next morning the air was filled with thofe infects, whofe bite was fo venomous and painful, that the mischief which they did to Egypt became into→ lerable 8, and forced the king to fend for Mofes and Aaron, and to tell them, that he would give them leave to facrifice to their GoD, provided it was done within his dominions. To this they answered, they could not comply with his command, without imminent danger of their

¤ Vid, Pfal. Ixxviii. 45.

without having recourfe to the
common folution, that this was
a creation of a new kind of
vermin, which therefore could
not be imitated by the devil,
for which we have no warrant
from the text, which exprefly
calls them lice, it will be fuffi-
cient to fay, that herein Mofes
fhewed his fuperior power in
tying their hands from work-
ing a miracle in all refpects as
eafy as any they had done till
then. For this was more than
fufficient to extort this confef-
fion from them, that he acted
by a fuperior power, and that
the finger of GOD was in it
-(15).

"

And accordingly we find, that Pharaoh was fo fully convinced of the truth of it, that we do not read of his making any farther use of them and this will lead us to another

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juft inference; which is, that that monarch had no other" view in employing them, than to affure himself, whether Mofes's miracles were really fuch, and done by a divine affistance, or only fuch jugglers tricks as his Egyptian magicians used to amufe the vulgar with; and not, as fome have imagined, to try whether the God of the Hebrews, by whofe power Mofes acted, was a stronger Deity than that of the Egyptians, by which the magicians ftrove to imitate him; not but in either cafe there was fufficient proof of the fuperiority of the former, to make the king defift from any further trial of that of the latter; though his a verfenefs to part with the Ifraelites, he could not but plainly, fee, would only expofe him to feverer plagues.

(15) Exod. vii. rg. Vid. Lefley's eafy method with the deifts.

lives, feeing they fhould be obliged to facrifice fuch creatures as the Egyptians worshiped, who would therefore be ready to ftone them, as guilty of the most horrid and abominable facrilege. They therefore infifted upon going three days journey out of the land, that they might fafely perform their GoD's command. This anfwer, which gave him just reason to fufpect that they had a mind to go away for good, put him to a terrible nonplus; but at length he confented that they should go, provided it was at no great diftance from Egypt, and they promised him faithfully to return again in a little time. Mofes affured him, that he would immediately go out, and intreat the LORD' for him, and defired him to keep his word; but no fooner had his prayer obtained a reprieve, and delivered the kingdom from thofe venomous infects, than the king drew on another plague by his obftinacy and breach of promise h THIS next judgment fell, according to Mofes's word, cattle of on all the cattle of the Egyptians, the greatest part of the Egypwhich died by the next day, whilft that of the Ifraelites tians killed remained unhurt. But this not touching the king near by murrain enough, the next that followed was more effectually felt Seventh by him. It was a violent and painful boyl which broke miracle, out upon man and beaft. Pharaoh, according to cuftom, boyls upon had recourfe to his magicians, who, being themselves men and fmitten with the boyls, dared not appear before Mofes, beafts. and Pharaoh continuing ftill obftinate, it was not long

Sixth mi

racle, the

before Mofes was fent to threaten him with a more terrible one, in which the voice of the GoD of Ifrael fhould be Eighthmi-heard in thunder, and his vengeance felt in fuch dreadful racle,bail- ftorms of hail, as had not been known fince the foundaforms and tion of Egypt. He gave him but one day to confider of thunders. it, affuring him, that the next day would prove a dismal

one to the Egyptians, unless he confented to difmifs the Ifraelites before that time, between whom and the Egy ptians GOD would put fuch a difference, that the land of Goshen fhould be intirely free from the terrible punifhment with which Egypt would be half undone. Mofes accordingly lifted up his rod towards heaven on the next morning whereupon the thunders, lightnings and hail, followed one another fo thick, that Egypt was half deftroyed by them. The hail that then fell was of fuch prodigious bignefs, that it killed man and beaft, broke all the trees, and deftroyed all the barley and flax it chanced. to fall upon. The wheat only and the rye efcaped, be

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cause they were not fufficiently grown; for the barleyharveft in Egypt begins about the middle or latter end of March; whereas that of the wheat and rye doth not begin till fix or feven weeks after. As for the land of Gofben, it was found, upon inquiry, to have been as free from this, as it had been from all the former plagues.

THESE thunders, lightnings, and especially the hail, which were the more extraordinary, because it feldom or never rains in that part of Egypt, fo frighted the proud king, that he fent immediately for Mofes and Aaron, and I expreffed himself in fuch terms to them, as might have paffed for fure tokens of a real converfion; and only begged to be delivered from the noife of thofe dreadful thunders; after which he promised not to detain them one moment longer. Mofes, though he gave no credit to this promife, did yet engage to obtain a speedy ceffation of them, which he accordingly did, and gave the Egyptians an opportunity to examine the mischief that had The great been done by the hail, which they found to be much mischief greater than they had imagined. This infpired many of done by it. them with a real fear of the GOD of Ifrael; but Pharach and his council no fooner perceived that the storm was over, but they returned to their old way i. Whereupon Mofes was fent to threaten them with a worfe judgment; viz. with fuch an infinite number of locufts as fhould cover the face of the earth, and eat up what the hail had left undeftroyed. There were fome about the king then, who took the liberty to reprefent to him the unconceivable damage which his kingdom had already received; that Egypt was already destroyed, and that it was high time the Hebrews were fent away to ferve their GOD. Pharaoh was now perfuaded to let them go, but having fent for Mofes and Aaron back, to inquire who of them were to go, and who to ftay, he was fo highly provoked at their infifting upon taking with them their wives, children, cattle, and all that they had, that he could not forbear upbraiding them with their ill intentions, which, though concealed with fo much art, and cloaked with the fpecious, pretence of religion, did yet but too plainly fhew, that they had no mind ever to return into Egypt again. He warned them of the danger they ran themselves into, and advised them to content themselves with taking only the men with them, and leaving their wives and children behind; and having threatened them feverely, caufed them to be thruft from his presence.

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Ninth mi- MOSES was no fooner got out, than he lifted up his racle, of rod over the land of Egypt. This was quickly followed locufts. by an east wind, which blew all the night, and brought fuch a numerous fwarm of locufts by the next morning, as had never been feen before; and thefe, fpreading themfelves all over the land, did in a little time eat up every blade of grafs, and every thing that had efcaped the ftorm of hail. Pharaoh did not fail to fend for Mofes, to own his fault, and beg for one reprieve more; but, having obtained it by means of a weft wind, which blew all the locufts into the fea, he continued as inflexible as ever. Tenth mi- Egypt was prefently after fmitten with fuch horrid darkracle, of nefs, that Mofes chooses to exprefs it by a darkness that great dark may be felt. During the three days it lafted, the Egy nefs during ptians did neither fee one another, nor dare to ftir out of three days. their place, whilft the land of Goshen enjoyed its ufual day-light. The horror of this obfcurity, which could not be removed by the common methods then used to fupply the abfence of the fun, caufed fuch dreadful apprehenfions in the king and all his fubjects, and was fo heightened by the difmal outcries of men, women, and children, that their confternation may be much eafier imagined than expreffed. As foon therefore as the light was reftored to them, Mofes and Aaron were immediately fent for, and the king, according to custom, told them, that he was willing to grant their request, and that they might go with their wives and children, but infifted that their flocks fhould be left behind. Mofes therefore, after many proper expoftulations, obferving Pharaoh's unwillingness to confent, told him in exprefs terms, that they would take all their cattle with them, and that not a fingle hoof fhould remain in Egypt. We need not wonder, if fo proud a king as Pharaoh, could not hear fo bold a demand without the higheft refentment. He caufed him to be thruft from his prefence with the utmost indignation, threatening him, that if he dared to come before him any more, it fhould certainly coft him his life. Such impotent threatenings had nothing in them that could frighten a man like Mofes; only it is fuppofed, that it was at this laft interview, that he fignified to the king the finishing stroke of the divine vengeance upon all the firft-born of men and cattle throughout Egypt, which fhould caufe fuch a confternation among all his fubjects, that they fhould come with bended knees to the Ifraelites, and beg of them, in the moft fubmiffive terms, to depart

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out of their country; whilft GOD would ftill fhew fuch regard to the latter, that they should enjoy their ufual calmnefs and tranquillity, not a dog daring to open his mouth against any of them. Mofes had no fooner finished this laft prediction, than he retired to his people into the land of Goshen, where the Ifraelites celebrated the paff-The paßover that very night m, according to GOD's command ; over celeand it was in this night alfo, that Mofes bid them bor-brated. row what jewels, fine raiment, and other precious things they could from their Egyptian neighbours, affuring them from GOD, that they fhould find them very ready to accommodate them with the beft things they had " (H).

n

How

1 Exod. xi 8, & feg. Vid. USHER annal. fub A. M. 2513. m Id. ibid. VILLET. & al,

(H) Before we enter into the inftitution of the paffover, which was attended with the laft and moft dreadful plague, the death of all the firit-born, it will not be amifs to inquire, how long a time Mofes took in bringing all the plagues upon Egypt, especially because fome chronologists have spun it out to ten (20), and others to twelve months (21); whereas it is most likely, that they happened all within the space of one month; which is the term in which the great archbifhop Uber has included them all, from Mofes's own account, as follows (22).

About the 18th day of the fixth month, which, in the year following, and after, was reckoned the twelfth month, was fent the plague of the waters turned into blood, which ended feven days after (23). About the twenty-fifth day

(20) Boorh. op. Fillet... M.2513. Genebrard, & al. in loc. (23) Exod. vii. ze. -(26) Ib. v. 24. 29.

n Exod. xi. & xii. p. toto

came on the fecond plague of
the frogs, which was removed
the day following (24); and,
about the twenty-feventh day,
came on the third plague of
lice (25).

About the 28th day Mofes
threatened them with a fourth
plague of flies, and other ver-
min, which came on the twen-
ty-ninth day, and were all
taken away on the 30th
(26).

About the ift or 2d day of the next month, which was afterwards made the first month of the year, Mofes brought the murrain upon the cattle (27). About the 3d day the fixth plague brake out upon man and beaft, and upon the magicians (28).

About the 4th day Mafes foretold them a feventh plague, which he brought upon them on the 5th; which was of thunder, rain, and grievous

(21) Jude: fere omnes.
(22) Annal. ibid. Vid.

(24) b. viii. 1o.
(27) Exod. ix. 3, 5, 6.

Vid. Uher and fubd. etiam Perver. & Villet.

(25) lb. v. 17. (28) Ib. v. 8,

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