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generally attending the Breach of it; and the happy Effects of a due Obfervance thereof. The first memorable Example we meet in Hiftory, of an heinous and hardened Offender against this Law, is of Pharaoh, King of Egypt; who was alfo as remarkably and heavily punished, together with his whole Kingdom.

This impious and merciless Prince, having long harr. ffed and oppreffed the unhappy Ifraelites, al Manner of Ways, even to the forcing them to become the Murderers of their own Children, the Almighty, who had feen their Mifery, and heard their Cry, deputes his Servant Mofes, firft to affemble them, and promife them Deliverance in his Name; and then to go to him, and demand their Enlargement. Accordingly Mofes, accompanied by his Brother Aaron, repairs to Pharach, with this awful, but to him highly disagreeable Meffage; Thus faith the LORD GOD of Ifrael, Let my People go, that they may hold a Feaft to me in the Wilderness. But what Anfwer does this haughty, wicked, and blafphemous Prince return, to the Injunction of the Almighty? Who is the LoD, that I could obey his Voice, to let Ifrael go? I knows not the LORD, neither will I let Ifrael go. Poor, hardened, impious, and blafphemous Wretch ! Too foon waft thou made to know, at thy Coft, who the LORD GOD of Ifrael was, against whom thou thus exaltedit thy felf!

Not content with this imperious Denial, he accufes Mofes and Aaron of hindering the People from their Labour; taxes them with Idlenefs, for defiring to go to facrifice to the LORD; and in order to increase their Hardships and Mifery, commands his Task-Masters, no longer to furnish them with the ufual Allowance of Straw, and, nevertheless, to require of them the fame Number of Bricks as they ufed to make when Straw was found them. As this

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was next to an Impoffibility, it was no Wonder the People were not able to perform it; notwithstand. ing which, they were feverely beaten for what was not their Fault; wherefore it was very natural to lay all the Fault upon Mofes and Aaron, and to reproach them sharply with having increafed their Mifery, inftead of obtaining any Eafe for them.

In Effct, according to any Human Judgment, their Cafe was very hard; and GoD put their Faith and Obedience to a fevere Trial, in ordering them to go again, and make the fame Demand, when they had found, that, inftead of prevailing for their Deliverance, they had only increafed the Mifery of their Countrymen: But the Ways of God are unsearchable, and his Commands to be obeyed, not difputed. Accordingly Mofes, at the Order of the Almighty, having again addreffed himself to the Children of Ifrail, and repeated the Promife of Deliverance, in the LOR D's Name,though they through Anguish of Spirit, and cruel Bondage, hearkened not unto him, he was again commanded to go to Pharaoh, and reiterate his Demand.

Now the Faith, even of Mofes himself, was but weak at this Time; as well as it was, when the LORD first spoke unto him out of the Burning Bush; and when, notwithstanding two Miracles wrought to reaffure him, he would have declined the Office of delivering his Brethren; which fhews bow frail, and full of Unbelief, the best of Men naturally are. Accordingly, he pleads now again with the LORD to be excufed; Behold, fays he, the Children of Ifrael bave not hearkened unto me; how then shall Pharoah bear me, who am of uncircumcised Lips? And he even repeats this Plea a fecond Time; notwithstanding which, the LORD renews his Command, and Mofes is forced to comply; only the Almighty indeed great Condefcenfion to his Weakness, and to en

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courage him the more, tells him, See, I have made thee a GOD to Pharaoh; and Aaron, thy Brother, fhall be thy Prophet. To which he adds, Thou shalt Speak all that I command thee; and Aaron, thy Brether, fhall Speak unto Pharaoh, that he fend the Chil dren of Ifrael out of his Land.

Thus encouraged, the two Brothers venture again to addrefs themselves to Pharaoh, and renew the Demand they had before made, in the LORD'S Name; backing it with the Miracle of changing Aaron's Rod into a Serpent, in his Prefence, but all in vain. It seems, there were then divers Magicians and Sorcerers in Egypt, who could work frange Delufions with their Inchantments; to them, therefore, this haughty and impious Prince applied himfelf on this Occafion; and as they were able, by their diabolical Incantations, either really to imitate this Miracle, or fo to charm and delude the Sight, as to make the Beholders imagine they did fo, Pharaoh, no doubt, concluded, that what Mofes had done was no more than fome fuch diabolical Trick as theirs : Nay, though by the Touch of the Rod of Aaron, the River was turned into Blood, fo that all the Fish therein died, and it became loathsome to drink; and though, by stretching out the fame Wonder-working Rod, over the Rivers, Streams, and Ponds, the whole Land was over run with Frogs, yet because the Magicians were able to imitate the fame, it had little or no Effect upon Pharaoh; who, undoubtedly, did not diftinguish between what was wrought by the Power of God, and what was effected by the IIlufions of the Devil.

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But the Almighty foon made him and his Sorcerers alfo, fenfible of the wide Difference between them accordingly the very next Plague, wherewith he af Alicted the Land, which was by fmiting the Duft of the Earth, and transforming it into Lice, and which they

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they could not counterfeit, compelled them to acknowledge this was indeed the Finger of GoD: Notwithstanding which, this incorrigible Tyrant, perfifted in his amazing Obftinacy, and Difobedience to the Divine Command. Neither did the Plague of Flies, though fo grievous, that no Place was free from them, and the whole Land was corrupted, produce any better Effect; for this wicked Monarch, though he had twice promifed he would let the People go, yet as foon as, at the Intreaty of Mofes, he was delivered from that Scourge, and obtained a little Refpite, he revoked his Promife; blafphemously imagining, without Queftion, he might falfify his Word to GOD, as well as to Man, with Impunity.

In fhort, neither the Murrain, which next afflicted and killed all the Cattle of the Egyptians; nor the grievous Boils and Blains, which tormented all his Subjects; nor yet the Judgment of Hail, accompanied with dreadful Thunderings and Lightenings, infomuch that the Fire ran along upon the Ground, and every one, Man or Beaft, that remained in the Field perished; the very Trees were broken; and all the Flax and Barley was intirely deftroyed: Neither of these heavy Scourges, we fay, nor yet all of them together, could work any Amendment in this abominable Reprobate, nor even in bis Servants; though the Almighty, to convince them they were all fent immediately by him, had foretold, that not one of the Children of Ifrael fhould fuffer by any of them. In effect, no fooner were these Punishments removed, than they were, in a manner, forgotten; and thofe Sinners relapfed, and returned to their former Impenitence; as had been previously declared by Mofes, before he intreated the LORD for the Removal of them.

This brought upon them new Scourges, yet more fevere than the former; with the Denunciation of

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which, however, the Servants of Pharoah were fo much terrified, that they cried out unto him, How long ball this Man be a Snare unto us? Let the Men go, that they may ferve the LORD their GOD: Knoweft thou not yet that Egypt is deftroyed? This Remonftrance feems to have moved Pharaoh a little, though it told him nothing, but what he must neceffarily have known before; accordingly, Mofes and Aaron were brought again to him, and he bid them go and ferve the LORD their God; but the next Moment, as if this was too great a Condefcenfion, and he almoft repented it already, he asks, But who are they that fall go? And upon the Anfwer of Mofes, that all must go, Men, Women, and Children, Flocks, and Herds, he again retracts his Word; and fays, Leg the LORD be fo with you, as I will let you go, and your Little Ones: Look to it, for Evil is before you. fo: Go now ye that are Men, and ferve the LORD, for that you did defire. And not content with this, he orders them to be driven out from his Prefence.

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But feverely did this irreclaimable Tyrant, and his People, fmart for this; for the very next Morning the LORD fent upon them the Plague of Locusts, which devoured and confumed every Herb in the Field, with all the Fruit of the Trees, throughout the Kingdom: This again brought him, for a Moment, to a better Way of Thinking, infomuch that he fends for them in hafte, and vouchfafes to acknowledge, I have finned again ft the LORD your GOD,. and against you. Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my Sin, only this once, and intreat the LORD) your God, that he may take away from me this Death only.

Would any one imagine, after this humble Con-. feffion, and feeming Repentance, he would dare again, to go back from his Word? And yet, after the Removal of this Scourge, even thus far, did this Monfter

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