tory. The exode of the Israelites, after the tenth and last plague, was about the vernal equinox, or beginning of April, on the fifteenth day of the first month, Abib, Exod. xii. 6; but by the seventh plague of hail, the barley was smitten, but not the wheat and rye of later growth. For according to the report of modern travellers, Egmont, Hayman, and Hasselquist, the barley harvest in Egypt is reaped in March, and the wheat in April; and Le Brun found the whole to be over at Cairo upon the nineteenth of April. This agrees with the account of Moses, that "the barley was in the ear," though not yet fit for reaping; but the "wheat and the rye were not grown up," ix. 31, 32. This judgment, therefore, must have happened about a month before the exode, or in the beginning of March, before the barley harvest, so early as to leave room for the three succeeding plagues; and if we count backwards two months, by the same analogy, for the six first plagues, it will bring the first about the beginning of January, or commencement of the winter season; at which time the river Nile was lowest, and its waters clearest *: as evidently indicated by

THE FIRST PLAGUE.

The Nile was the principal divinity of the Egyptians.-According to Heliodorus, " they paid divine honours to this river, and revered it as the first of their gods. They declared him to be the rival of heaven, since he watered the country without the aid of clouds and rain," Ethiop. B. IX. And the priests told Herodotus, that one of the kings of Egypt, Pheron, the son of Sesostris, was struck blind by the river-god, for an act of impiety: "That at a time when the inundation had risen to the extraordinary height of more than eighteen cubits, a violent storm of wind having arisen, which greatly agitated the waters, the king, with a foolish temerity, took a javelin in his hand, and flung it into the midst of the foaming billows, for which he was immediately seized with a pain in his eyes, which made him blind for ten years," B. II. § 111. This proves how excessive was their superstitious adoration of their river. His principal festival was at the summer solstice, when the inundation commenced; at which season, in the dog-days, by a cruel idolatrous rite, they sacrificed red-haired persons, principally foreigners, to

* See the account of the annual inundation of the Nile, Vol. I. p. 33.

Typhon, or the power that presided over tempests, at Busiris *, Heliopolis, &c. by burning them alive, and scattering their ashes in the air, for the good of the people; as we learn from Plutarch, Isis et Osir. Vol. I. p. 380. Hence Bryant infers the probability, that these victims were chosen from among the Israelites, during their residence in Egypt. Plagues, &c. p. 117.

The judgment then inflicted upon the river, and all the waters of Egypt, in the presence of Pharaoh and of his servants, as foretold, when as soon as Aaron had smitten the waters of the river, they were turned into blood, and continued in that state for seven days, so that all the fish died, and the Egyptians could not drink of the waters of the river, in which they delighted, as the most wholesome of all waters; but were forced to dig wells for pure water to drink; was a significant sign of GoD's displeasure for their senseless idolatry, in worshipping the river, and its fish; and also " a manifest reproof of that bloody edict, whereby the infants were slain," Wisd. xi. 7, and a punishment on themselves; in which also the Israelites shared, who had been infected with their idolatries.

The magicians imitated this miracle also, with their enchantments. And Pharaoh's heart was hardened a second time; "neither did he set his heart to this also," as soon as the river was restored, Exod. vii. 15-25.

SECOND PLAGUE.

In the plague of frogs, their sacred river itself was made an active instrument of their punishment, together with another of their gods. The frog was one of their sacred animals, consecrated to the sun, and considered as an emblem of divine inspiration in its inflations +.

This was a severe chastisement; for the frogs came up from the rivers, and covered the land of Egypt: they penetrated every where, polluting and defiling every thing they touched,

* Quis illaudati nescit Busiridis aras? Virg. Georg. iii. 5.

Cum Thrasius Busirin adit, monstratque piari

Hospitis effuso sanguine, posse JOVEM. Ovid. Art. Am. I. 649.

+ In the symbolical imagery of the Apocalypse, three unclean or demoniacal spirits, doing signs, or proposing miracles, like frogs, are represented as issuing from the mouths of the dragon, the beast, and the false prophet, Rev. xvi. 13. It is singular, that the ancient arms of France were three frogs! Comment on Nostradamus, p. 251. edit. 1672.

their beds, ovens, and kneading-troughs. In this plague also, the Israelites were involved. The magicians imitated this miracle also. Pharaoh, however, began to be humbled; he sent for Moses and Aaron, and said, "Intreat THE LORD, that He may take away the frogs from me, and from my people; and I will let the people go, that they may sacrifice to the Lord."But when the plague was removed, and precisely at the time he had appointed himself" to-morrow;" and Pharaoh saw that there was respite, he hardened his heart, a third time, and broke his promise, viii. 1—15.

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THIRD PLAGUE.

This plague of lice, which was produced without any previous intimation to Pharaoh, was peculiarly offensive to a people so superstitiously nice and cleanly as the Egyptians; and above all, to their priests," who used to shave their whole body every third day, that neither louse, nor any other vermin, might be found upon them, while they were employed in serving their gods," as we learn from Herodotus, B. II. § 37. And Plutarch informs us, that they never wore woollen garments, but linen only, because linen is least apt to produce lice." De Isid. et Osir. Vol. II. p. 352. This plague, therefore, was particularly disgraceful to the magicians themselves, and when they tried to imitate it, but failed, on account of the minuteness of the objects, (not like serpents, water, or frogs, of a sensible bulk that could be handled,) they were forced to confess, that this was no human feat of legerdemain, but rather," the finger of a God," or wrought by the supernatural agency of some demon. they gave not the glory to THE ONLY TRUE GOD; nor" the honour due unto his name," as the GOD OF THE HEBREWS. This we may collect from their continuing to withstand Moses, until the sixth plague of the boil, which they shared in common with the Egyptians; after which we hear no more of them. Thus were the "illusions of art magic put down, and their vaunting in wisdom reproved with disgrace," Wisd. xvii. 7. "Their folly was manifest unto all men," in absurdly and wickedly attempting at first to place the feats of human art on a level with the stupendous operations of divine power, in the two first plagues: and being foiled in the third, by shamefully miscarrying, they exposed themselves to the contempt of their

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admirers. And the Apostle imputes their folly, in "withstanding the truth," to their being men of a "corrupt mind, reprobate, [or undiscerning] concerning the FAITH," or belief in the ONE TRUE LORD OF ALL, 2 Tim. iii. 8.

Philo, the Jew, has a fine observation on the plagues of Egypt: "Some, perhaps, may enquire, why did God punish the country by such minute and contemptible animals [as frogs, lice, flies,] rather than by bears, lions, leopards, or other kinds of savage beasts, which prey on human flesh? or if not by these, [why not] by the Egyptian asp, whose bite is instant death? But let him learn, if he be ignorant, first, that God chose rather to correct than to destroy the inhabitants: for if He desired to annihilate them utterly, he had no need to have made use of animals as his auxiliaries, but of the divinely inflicted evils of famine and pestilence. Next, let him further learn that lesson so necessary for every state of life, namely, that men, when they war, seek the most powerful aid to supply their own weakness; but GOD, the highest and the greatest power, who stands in need of nothing, if at any time He chooses to employ instruments, as it were, to inflict chastisement, chooses not the strongest and greatest, disregarding their strength, but rather the mean and the minute, whom He indues with invincible and irresistito chastise offenders."

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Notwithstanding the declaration of the magicians," the heart of Pharaoh was hardened, a fourth time, and he hearkened not unto them [Moses and Aaron,] as the Lord had said,” viii. 16—

19.

The first three plagues were common to the Egyptians and the Israelites, to convince both that "there was none like THE LORD;" and to wean the latter from their Egyptian idolatrics, and induce them to return to the Lord their God. And when this end was answered, the Israelites were exempted from the ensuing plagues; for the LORD "severed the land of Goshen" from the rest of Egypt; whence the ensuing plagues, confined to the latter, more plainly appeared to have been inflicted by THE GOD OF THE HEBREWS, viii. 20-23. To convince both, more clearly, of " the goodness and severity of GOD," Rom. xi.

Numenius, the Pythagorean philosopher, says that "Jannes and Jambres were inferior to none in magic skill; and for that reason, chosen, by common consent, to oppose Muscus," [or Moses.] Euseb. Præp. Evang. Lib. ix. cap. 8. See also Pliny, Hist. Nat. Lib. xxx. c. 1.

22. "That great plagues remain for the ungodly, but mercy embraceth the righteous on every side," Psalm xxxii. 11.

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FOURTH PLAGUE.

This visitation of flies, of the gad-fly, or hornet, was more intolerable than any of the preceding. By this, his minute, but mighty army," GOD afterwards drove out some of the devoted nations of Canaan, before Joshua; Exod. xxiii. 28, Deut. vii. 20, Josh. xxiv. 12. This insect was worshipped in Palestine and elsewhere, under the title of Baal-zebub," Lord of the Gad fly," 2 Kings i. 1, 2. Egypt, we learn from Herodotus, abounded with prodigious swarms of flies or gnats: but this was in the heat of summer, during the dog-days; whence this fly is called by the Sept. Kvvoμvia, "the dog-fly." But the appointed time of this plague was in the middle of winter; and, accordingly, this plague extorted Pharaoh's partial consent: "Go ye, sacrifice to your GOD, but in the land;" and when Moses and Aaron objected the offence they would give to the Egyptians, who would stone them for sacrificing "the abomination of the Egyptians," viz. animal sacrifices; he reluctantly consented;"only ye shall not go very far away;"-for he was apprehensive of their flight, like his predecessor, who first enslaved the Israelites, Exod. i. 10; and he again desired them to "intreat for him." But he again "dealt deceitfully;" and after the flies were removed so effectually that "not one was left," when Moses "intreated THE LORD, Pharaoh hardened his heart this fifth time also, neither would he let the people go," viii. 24-32.

This confirms the foregoing conjecture, that the Israelites were debarred from the exercise of their religious rites during their slavery. Their minds were enslaved still more than their bodies, by the cruellest of all despotisms, to render them incapable of the enjoyment of rational liberty, as moderated by religion, pure and undefiled.

FIFTH PLAGUE.

This second breach of promise on the part of Pharaoh, drew down a plague of a more deadly description than the preceding.

* Tacitus has remarked the opposition between the customs of the Jews and Egyp‐ tians: "Judæi, cæso ariete, velut in contumeliam Ammonis; bos quoque immolatur, quem Egyptii Apim colunt."