commission might be transferred to another, saying, "O my Lord, send I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send." This was too much. The patience of God in bearing with him before was wonderful. But now, "the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses; and he said, is not Aaron, the Levite, thy brother? I know that he can speak well. And also behold, he cometh forth to meet thee; and when he seeth thee he will be glad in his heart. And thou shalt speak unto him and put words in his mouth; and I will be with thy mouth, and with his mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do. And he shall be thy spokesman unto the people; and he shall be unto thee instead of a mouth; and thou shalt be unto him instead of God. And thou shalt take this rod in thine hand, wherewith thou shalt do signs." It seems probable from what is here said, that Aaron had heard of his brother's place of residence, and was now on his way to visit him, and consult with him respecting the miserable condition of the people of Israel.

SECTION III.

MOSES TAKES LEAVE OF JETHRO CIRCUMCISION-AARON, HIS BROTHER, JOINS HIM, AND RECEIVES A FULL ACCOUNT OF THE MESSAGE OF JEHOVAH-THEY GO TO THE HEBREWS FIRST, AND THEN APPEAR BEFORE PHAROAH, AND EXHIBIT THE MIRACLES WHICH THEY WERE DIRECTED TO PERFORM-PHARAOH'S HEART IS HARDENED AND THE CONDITION OF THE PEOPLE IS MORE WRETCHED-GOD PROMISES DELIVERANCE.

MOSES having received from God this important commission, returned to Jethro his father-in-law, and requested of him permission to visit his brethren in Egypt, and see whether they were yet alive. To which this good man answered, "Go in peace." It was revealed unto Moses, that all those in Egypt who had sought his life were dead; so that he might now return in safety as it related to former transactions. He, therefore, took his wife and his sons, and set off on his journey to Egypt. And as he was commanded, he took with him the wonder-working rod, that he might exhibit to Pharaoh the miracles which he was directed to perform. He was instructed to say to Pharaoh, "Israel is my son, even my first-born; let my son go that he may serve me; and behold if thou refuse to let him go, I will slay thy son, even thy first-born."

Moses, it seems, had neglected the circumcision of his children, on which account he was met and menaced with death, by the angel of the Lord. Zipporah, through whose influence, probably, the neglect had taken place, now performed the ceremony herself; and then pettishly said, "Surely a bloody husband art thou to me."

And when Moses was on his way, the Lord directed Aaron

to go forth and meet him; and he went into the wilderness, and met him at the mount of God, and kissed him. And Moses told Aaron all the words of the Lord, and informed him of the commission which he had received, and the signs which he was authorized to exhibit; and let him know the part which he was appointed to act under this important commission. It is probable, that Moses sent back to her father's house, Zipporah and his sons, either from the inn where they must have remained some time, on account of the circumcision; or, from this mount, after he met with his brother, and learned the miserable condition of the Israelites in Egypt. It is not at all probable that she accompanied him to Egypt, and was thence sent back; and we know she was with her father when Moses brought the people out of Egypt, and during the first part of their journey in the wilderness; for in the xviii. chapter of Exodus, we read, that Jethro brought to Moses while encamped before the mount of God, his wife "after that he had sent her back."

Moses, accompanied by his brother Aaron, having entered Egypt, as he had been directed, gathered together all the elders of the children of Israel, and Aaron, who acted as the spokesman of Moses, repeated before the people, the message which God had sent. And then, in confirmation of their commission, they exhibited the miracles which Moses had been directed to perform. "And the people believed; and when they heard that the Lord had visited the children of Israel, and that he had looked upon their affliction, then they bowed their heads and worshipped."

Moses and Aaron having successfully executed their commission to the elders of Israel, went boldly unto Pharaoh, and demanded, in the name of the Lord, that he would let the people go to hold a feast in the wilderness. The king seems to have been surprised at the communication, and said, "Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice to let Israel go? I know not the Lord, nor will I let Israel go." They informed him that the God of the Hebrews had met with them, and required that the people should go out into the wilderness to sacrifice to him. Pharaoh now became incensed, and charged Moses and Aaron with drawing off the people from their work, and ordered them to get to their burdens. And to prevent them from listening to schemes of this sort, he directed the task-masters and officers of the people, to require of them the usual quantity of brick, but instead of supplying them with straw, as heretofore, to leave them to gather it for themselves. "They be idle, said he, "therefore they cry, saying, Let us go and sacrifice to our God. Let more be laid upon them, and let them not regard vain words." The people were placed in wretched circumstances, the task-masters required the undiminished number of

bricks, and yet furnished them with no straw, and "hasted them, saying, fulfil your works, your daily tasks, as when there was straw." And the officers of the children of Israel, whom the task-masters had placed over them, from among themselves, and who were held responsible for the work of those under them, were now beaten, because the tasks were not finished as before; and they came and cried unto Pharaoh, complaining that they were beaten for not having the work done, when they were not furnished with the requisite straw; declaring that the fault lay not with them, but with his own people. "But he said, ye are idle, ye are idle; therefore ye say, Let us go and do sacrifice to the Lord." The officers of the children of Israel now found that they were in an evil case; and when they met Moses and Aaron, they said, "The Lord look upon you and judge, because ye have made our savour to be abhorred in the eyes of Pharaoh, and in the eyes of his servants, to put a sword in their hands to slay us." This bitter complaint of the Israelites greatly disturbed the mind of Moses. He returned unto the Lord and said, "Wherefore hast thou so evil entreated this people? why is it that thou hast sent me? For since I came to Pharoah to speak in thy name, he hath done evil to this people; neither hast thou delivered thy people at all."

In answer, God assured Moses, that eventually Pharaoh would be constrained to let the people go, and would even drive them out of the land. Then he said, "I am the Lord: and I appeared unto Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, by the name of God Almighty; but, also, by my name Jehovah was I not known to them. And I have established my covenant with them, to give them the land of Canaan, the land of their pilgrimage, wherein they were strangers! And I have also heard the groaning of the children of Israel, whom the Egyptians keep in bondage, and I have remembered my covenant. Wherefore say unto the children of Israel, I am the Lord, I will bring you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians; and I will rid you out of their bondage, and I will redeem you with a stretched-out arm, and with great judgments. And I will take you to me for a people, and I will be to you a God; and ye shall know that I am the Lord your God, which bringeth you out from under the burdens of the Egyptians. And I will bring you into the land, concerning the which I did swear to give it to Abraham, to Isaac, and to Jacob; and I will give it to you for a heritage: I am the Lord." Moses now communicated these gracious promises to the children of Israel, but they hearkened not unto him, "for anguish of spirit and for cruel bondage."

The Lord now commanded Moses to go again unto Pharao and to demand of him to let the people go out of his land: bu

Moses said, "Behold the children of Israel have not hearkened unto me, how then shall Pharaoh hear me, who am of uncircumcised lips?" But the only answer was a repetition of the former command. And he moreover informed him, that Pharaoh's heart would be hardened, so that he would not let the people go; and thus there would be occasion for him to multiply his signs and wonders in the land of Egypt. "And the Egyptians shall know that I am the Lord, when I stretch forth my hand upon Egypt, and bring the children of Israel from among them." And Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded them.

At the time when Moses and Aaron went in to speak to Pharaoh, the former was eighty years of age, and the latter eighty-three.

SECTION IV.

AARON'S ROD BECOMES A SERPENT THE MAGICIANS OF PHARAOH IMITATE THE MIRACLE-MOSES AND AARON TURN THE WATER INTO BLOOD-THIS ALSO IMITATED BY THE MAGICIANS-THE MIRACLE OF THE FROGS-THIS ALSO IMITATED BY THE MAGICIANS-THE DUST CONVERTED INTO LICE-MAGICIANS CONFOUNDed.

THE Lord now directed them when they went into Pharaoh, to cast down the rod and it would become a serpent. They did so accordingly, in the presence of Pharaoh and his servants. The king then called in the wise men, and the sorcerers, and the magicians of Egypt; these also, by the sleight of hand, or by the aid of evil spirits, cast down their rods, and they either really, or in appearance, became serpents: but God's superiority over their diabolical arts was even now manifested; for Aaron's rod swallowed up their rods. But the magicians had been so successful in imitating the miracle of Moses and Aaron, that Pharaoh's heart was hardened, and he refused to let the people go.

Moses and Aaron were next commanded to meet Pharaoh at the brink of the river, and again to demand of him to let the people go; and when, as before, he refused, Aaron took the rod and stretched it out over the waters of Egypt, and they were all turned to blood, and the fish in the river died, and the river stank; and the Egyptians could not drink of the water of the river; and there was blood throughout all the land of Egypt. The magicians imitated this also, by turning water into blood; but it must have been on a very small scale, for all the rivers, streams, and pools were already converted into blood; so that "all the Egyptians digged round about the river for water to drink, for they could not drink of the water of the river."

But Pharaoh remained obstinate, and went into his house, still refusing to comply with the command of the Almighty; and did not lay to heart the wonderful manifestation of divine power; which, in two instances, had taken place before his

eyes.

The next plague inflicted on the Egyptians by the command of God, was the multiplication of frogs throughout the whole land. They were found in frightful abundance, not only in the river and in the fields, but came up into their houses, their bed-chambers, and their beds; and even into their ovens and kneading-troughs. And this miracle was also imitated by the magicians; but manifestly, on a contracted scale, and probably in a secret place, where they could play off their arts of jugglery. The land was already filled with frogs, and there was no difficulty in procuring as many as they would for the purposes of deception. But it seems, these sorcerers had no power to rid the country of the frogs which were spread over it: for Pharaoh makes no application to them for relief from the plague; but says to Moses and Aaron, "Entreat 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." And Moses promised that on the following day, it should be done as he desired, that he might know that there is none like unto the Lord God. "And Moses cried unto the Lord, and the Lord did according to the word of Moses." "But when Pharaoh saw there was respite, he hardened his heart, and hearkened not unto them."

The fourth miracle which Moses, by divine command, wrought for the punishment of the Egyptians, was still more distressing than any of the preceding. The dust of the land was turned by the stretching out of Aaron's rod into lice.

The magicians were entirely confounded by this miracle: for, when they resorted to their enchantments, they could effect nothing like this; and this furnishes a strong argument to prove, that they were mere impostors; for, if they had really power to produce living serpents and frogs, by their diabolical arts, I see not why they could not as easily produce lice. But in this they failed, and said to Pharaoh, "This is the finger of God." There was no room for their delusive arts, in this case; or, they became alarmed at these manifest indications of Almighty power. Some, indeed, suppose that God himself enabled the magicians to perform the first miracles, and then withdrew his aid to show the superiority of Moses and Aaron; but this seems to me to be an unreasonable supposition, and a course of proceeding unworthy of Almighty God. It would be, in the first place, giving the attestation of miracles to an imposture; and, in the next place, it would be a competition for superior