and which immediately awaited them. Behold them then all, now advanced to the middle of the Sea, when, as a Preliminary, and Forerunner, to that dreadful Punishment, for which they were now referved, the Almighty LORD of Heaven and Earth looks through the Pillar of the Cloud and Fire upon them, takes off their Chariot Wheels, and fpreads Terror and Confufion throughout their Army; infomuch that, in Agony of Spirit, they cry out, but, alas too late, Let us fly from the Face of Ifrael, for the LORD fighteth for them, against the Egyptians.

Poor miferable Wretches! Were they then to learn this? What were all the heavy Judgments, he had inflicted upon them in their own Country, at the fame Time, that the Ifraelites were exempt from them, but fo many Inftances of his fighting against them? Well, but now at laft they are grown wife, and cry, Let us fly from the Face of Ifrael. Ay; but the Question is, which Way? The Waters on each Side, like a Wall of Adamant, render it impracticable, to move either to the right or left; there is therefore no other Course, but to turn back; this, indeed, they refolve upon; but, dreadful Thought! they are in the very midft of the Sea, and before they can again gain the Shore, the Waves may return to their Fluidity, and overwhelm them in an Inftant!

Alas! wretched Sinners against your own Souls! This is but too truly to be apprehended! For, be. hold the Ifraelites, whom you had doomed to Slavery, or Deftruction, being now arrived fafe at Land, the dreadful Rod is again ftretched out over the Sea; the Waves resume their ufual Activity, and an Abyss of Waters haftens on apace, on all Sides, to overwhelm every guilty Offender! Good Hea. vens! what Tongue can exprefs, or what Imagination conceive, the Horrors, which, in the mean while,

poffeffed

poffeffed each trembling Egyptian at this terrible Sight! No Way remaining to efcape, unless they could take the Wings of Eagles; nor even then, whilft the GoD of Ifrael fought against them; they were all swallowed up then to a Man, bythe mercilefs Waters; and will continue, throughout all Ages, a memorable and fearful Example, of the dreadful Confequences of breaking the First Commandment. Such was the End of that impious and atheiftical Prince, who durft haughtily ask Mofes, Who is the LORD, that I should obey his Voice, to let Ifrael go? I know not the Lord, neither will I let Ifrael go.

We have dwelt thus long upon this Story, though otherwife fufficiently known, becaufe it is the most remarkable in all Hiftory, either facred or prophane; and, we truft, we have fet feveral Particu. lars in a much stronger Light than they appear in the fhort Narrative of Mofes, for the Benefit of fuch Readers as are not able of themselves, to make proper Remarks upon each Fact that occurs; and confequently, to fee the full Extent and Enormity of Pha. raoh's Crimes, which confifted not only in cruel Oppreffion, but in downright Rebellion and Blafphemy, and Defiance of his Creator; and for which, therefore, fevere as the Judgments were which befel him, they were no more than both he, and his People who were Partakers in his Guilt, moft juftly deferved.

The next Example we fhall cite of the Blackne's and dreadful Effects of violating this Command, fhall be that of Sennacherib, King of Affyria. This Prince, the greatest in his Time, having invaded the Kingdom of Judah, then under the Govern ment of the pious and religious Monarch Hezekiah, and having taken the reft of the frong Towns, propofed likewife to have reduced Jerufalem, and made

an

an intire Conqueft of the Nation. This, probably, he might eafily have done, had the Jews then been under an idolatrous Prince, and given to the fame Sin themselves; for whenever they fell from the Worship of the true GOD, they were fure to be defeated by their Enemies, and reduced by them; but whenever they turned again to the LORD, he became their Defender and Keeper, from all who would have deftroyed them.

Happily, therefore, for them at this Time, and unfortunately for Sennacherib, they were now returned fincerely to the LORD their GOD; and Hezekiah, their religious Sovereign, having a juft Confidence in him, prepared in earneft for a refolute Defence. The haughty Affyrian, being informed hereof, fent divers of his Captains, with a great Ar my, against Jerufalem; one of whom, called Rab. hakeh, vomited out many Blafphemies against the living God, in his Master's Name; exhorting the Fews not to trust in him, but to yield themselves to Sennacherib, and become his Tributaries. Not content with this, the King of Affyria likewife fent a Letter to Hezekiah, wherein he reproached the Almighty, and declared, he should not be able to des liver Jerufalem out of his Hands.

To all thefe Blafphemies the pious Hezekiah made no other Anfwer, than redoubling his Cries and Prayers to his God, in whom he placed his only Hope; and by laying all the Affyrian's inju rious Speeches, together with his impious Letter, before him in his Temple. Accordingly, he foon reaped the happy Fruits of this his prudent Conduct, and religious Confidence, in the LORD of Heaven and Earth; receiving foon an Answer of Peace from him, with an Adurance, that Sennacherib fhould be fo far from reducing Jerufalem, that he fhould not be able fo much as to shoot oneArrow against it, or

appear

appear with one Shield before it; but fhould be turned back the fame Way he came, and should fall by the Sword in his own Country.

Accordingly, all this foon came to pafs, as the due Reward of that impious Prince's Blafphemy against the Almighty, and his open and manifeft Breach of the First Commandment, in exalting himfelf above GoD, and declaring he should not deliver Jerufalem out of his Hands. For, firft, News was brought him, that the King of Ethiopia had denounced War against him, and was marching to attack him; Secondly, that very Night, the Lord fent the deftroying Angel into his Camp, who flew one Hundred and Eighty-five Thoufand of his Men, which obliged him to return with Shame and Confufion of Face to Nineveh; and, Thirdly, as he was there worshipping in the Temple of his falfe God, Nifroch, he was there perfidiously and cruelly flain, in the very Act of Idolatry, by his two unnatural Sons, Adramelech and Sharezer.

Now, what was very remarkable in this Inftance, is, that this Tyrant might read the Enormity of his Sin, in his Punishment; he had rebelled against, and fet at defiance his Heavenly Father, and GoD permits Satan to ftir up his wicked Sons to rebel against, defy, and murder him; he was fo far from having none other than the true God,that he would not fo much as allow him to be a GOD, but exalted him felf above him; and the LORD immediately fhews himself to be an avenging Go D, and his Matter, by cutting off almoft his whole Army in one Night, rendering abortive all his haughty Defigns, and forcing him to return with Shame into his own Country; then, after this fevere Judgment which might have convinced him he was the only TRUE GOD, instead of humbling himself under his mighty Hand, acknowledging his Offence, and imploring his Pardon,

he

he immediately has recourse to worshipping his own falfe God, and is flain in the very Act; that is, in the very Violation of the First Command.

The next Example we shall cite, upon this Head, which is likewife very remarkable, is that of that mighty Monarch Nebuchadnezzar. This haughty and impious Prince, having over-run Egypt, reduced Tyre, fubdued the Kingdoms of Ifrael and Judab, destroyed Jerufalem, and conquered all before him, being puffed up with his Greatnefs, took it into his Head, to command a his Subjects, of whatever Religion, Nation, and Language, to worship a golden Image, which he caused to be erected in a large Plain, in the Province of Babylon; and the Penalty of Disobedience, to this Command, was no lefs than being caft into a burning fiery Furnace.

Now, this very Command was the groffest Dif obedience that poffibly could be; and a downright fetting afide of the first divine Mandate; but, asif this was not Infult enough, when Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, three captive Jews, who had been brought away from Jerufalem, peremptorily refused to obey this impious Law as being directly contradictory to the First Commandment, he ordered them, without any Pity, to be thrown into the beforementioned Furnace; having firft infolently asked them, Who is that GOD, that shall deliver you out of my Hands? And though the LIVING GOD, whom they ferved, foon fhewed him he was able to work their Deliverance, by preferving them unhurt in the Midst of the Flames, yet was his Guilt and Offence not a Jot the lefs.

However, the LORD, in his infinite Mercy, did not think fit to take immediate Vengeance on him; but allowed him fome Refpite, in order to fee if he would amend; nay, fo very gracious was God to