turned back, and tempted God, and limited the holy One of Ifrael. 42. They remembered not his hand, nor the day when he delivered them from the hand of the enemy: 43. How he had wrought his figns in Egypt, and his wonders in the field of Zoan.

The question which the Pfalmift here asks, concerning Ifrael in the wilderness, is elsewhere asked by him, concerning mankind in general: "Who can "tell how oft he offendeth?" Pf. xix. 12. God informs Mofes, who had interceded for the people, and, in the name of the great Mediator, obtained their pardon, that "thofe men which had feen his 'glory, and his miracles which he did in Egypt and "in the wilderness, had tempted him ten times, and "had not hearkened to his voice." Numb. xiv. 22. Forgetfulness of the mercies of redemption is the beginning of fin; and though every one knows how to resent and deteft the crime of ingratitude in another, he yet thinks that his best benefactor will overlook the most flagrant inftances of it in himself.

44. And had turned their rivers into blood: and their floods, that they could not drink. 45. Hefent divers forts of flies, Heb. a mixture, whether of beasts, or infects, noifome and deftructive, among them, which devoured them; and frogs, which destroyed them. 46. He gave alfo their increase unto the caterpillar, and their labour unto the locust. 47. He deftroyed their vines with hail, and their Sycamore trees with frost. 48. He gave up their cattle alfo to the hail, and their flocks to hot thunderbolts, or, flashes of lightning.

The Pfalm goes back to the subject of Ifraelitish ingratitude, mentioned at the beginning, verse 11,

12. in order to introduce an account of the miracles wrought in Egypt, previous to the Exodus. These miracles were intended to evince the fuperiority of Jehovah over the elements and powers of nature, which at that time were objects of worship amongst the Egyptians, but plainly appeared to act at the command of Mofes, in fubordination to their great Creator, the God of the Hebrews. In the heavens, on the earth, and in the waters, fupremacy and independency were demonftrated to belong to him only: fire and air, thunder and lightning, wind, rain, and hail obeyed his word: rivers became blood, and their inhabitants perifhed; infects and animals left their wonted habitations, to destroy vegetables, or torment man: fo that wherever the gods of Egypt were fupposed to refide, and to exert their influences in favour of their votaries, in all places, and all circumstances, victory declared for Jehovah, Hence modern as well as ancient idolaters may learn, not to put their truft in the world, but in him who made, and who can and will destroy it; whose power can render the most infignificant of his creatures inftruments of his vengeance, and, in a moment, arm all the elements against finners; and whofe mercy will employ that power in the final falvation of the church; when, as the author of the book of wisdom expreffeth it, "He shall make the creature his weapon for the re

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venge of his enemies, and the world shall fight for "him against the unwife." Wifd. v. 17, 20. The curious and ftriking reflections which that author makes on the plagues of Egypt, in Chap. xi, xvii, xviii, xix. are well worthy an attentive perufal. It

is alfo to be obferved, that St. John defcribes the judgments of the last days in terms plainly alluding to those poured out upon the Egyptians, "as locufts "and frogs; blood and darknefs," &c. See Rev. ix, and xvi, et al. Under thefe images are reprefented, falfe teachers and erroneous doctrines, carnality and ignorance, and, in a word, whatever contributes to ravage the moral or fpiritual world, to deface the beauty of holiness, and deftroy the fruits of faith. And of all the divine judgments, these are by far the most dreadful, though generally the leaft dreaded.

49. He caft upon them the fierceness of his anger, wrath, and indignation, and trouble, by fending evil angels among them.

מלאכים רעים

Some of the Egyptian plagues having been speci fied in the foregoing verses, others of them are here thrown together, and the whole fcene is affirmed to have been a full difplay of wrath and vengeance, executed upon the oppreffors of the church by "evil angels, agents, or meffengers:" whether by this expreffion, we understand the material inftruments of divine difpleafure; or angels employed as minifters of vengeance; or the actual appearance and ministration of evil fpirits, fuffered to torment the wicked in this world, as they certainly will do, in the next. Tradition feems to have favoured this last opinion, fince the author of the book of Wisdom, above referred to, defcribes the Egyptian darkness as a kind of temporary hell, in which there appeared to the wicked, whofe confciences fuggested to them every thing that was horrible, "a fire "kindled of itself very dreadful; they were scared C 3 " with

"with beafts that paffed by, and hiffing of ferpents; "and they were vexed with moftrous apparitions, "fo that they fainted, and died for fear; while over "them was spread an heavy night, an image of that "darkness which fhould afterwards receive them." Wifd. xvii.

50. He made a way to his anger, he spared not their foul from death, but gave their life over to the peftilence; 51. And fmote all the first born in Egypt; the chief of their strength in the tabernacles of Ham.

The last plague was the death of the first born both of man and beaft; Exod. xii. 29. when God, having removed every obftacle that mercy had thrown in the path of justice, "made a way to his

indignation," which then rushed forth like a fiery ftream. An unlimited commiffion was given to the destroyer, who at midnight paffed through the land, and gave the fatal ftroke in every houfe. "While "all things, O Lord, were in quiet filence, and "that night was in the midft of her fwift course, "thine Almighty WORD leaped down from heaven "out of thy royal throne, as a fierce man of war "into the midst of a land of deftruction, and

brought thine unfeigned commandment as a sharp "fword, and standing up, filled all things with "death and it touched the heaven, but it stood 65 upon the earth." Wifd. xviii. 14. Pharaoh and all his fervants rofe up in the night; there was a great cry throughout all the land of Egypt; and univerfal confternation reigned, inferior only to that which is to extend it's empire over the world, when "the trumpet fhall found, and the dead fhall be

"raised."

"raised." May we be faved, like Ifrael, in that hour, through the blood of the true pafchal Lamb, flain to take away the fins of the world! "When I "fee the blood," fays Jehovah to his people, "I will pass over you."

52. But made his own people to go forth like sheep; and guided them in the wilderness, like a flock; 53. And he led them on fafely, fo that they feared not; but the fea overwhelmed their enemies. 54. And he brought them to the border of his Sanctuary, even to his mountain, which his right hand had purchafed. 55. He caft out the heathen alfo before them; and divided them an inheritance by line: and made the tribes of Ifrael to dwell in their tents.

Having related the punishments inflicted on Egypt, the Pfalmift returns to those mercies experienced by the Ifraelites, when God overthrew their enemies, took them under his protection, fed and conducted them in the wilderness, brought them to the promised land, expelled the heathen, fettled his people, and at length fixed his refidence on mount Sion, which is reprefented as the conquest and acquifition of his own arm; fince the victories of Joshua, &c. were all owing to the divine presence and affistance. The Chriftian church, after her redemption by "the blood of the Lamb," paffed 300 years in a state of minority, as it were, and under perfecution, which, with allufion to what befel Ifrael of old, is called in the Revelation, her flight and abode in the WILDERNESS. Rev. xii. 6. At length, the true "Joshua," or JESUS, "brought" her" into the poffeffion of the Gentiles;" fee Acts