CHAPTER THE SECOND

THE LEGISLATOR.

SECTION I.

MOSES:-Birth and Education-Retirement to the Land of MidianMarriage and Dwelling in that Country-Call to deliver the Hebrews from Bondage-Directed to associate Aaron in the CommissionThey make known the Mission to the People-Appear before Pharaoh-Exhibition of their Miraculous Power-Successive Miracles-Departure of the People from Egypt-Passage of the Red Sea -Song of Triumph.

SOME years after the death of Joseph, a new dynasty was introduced to the throne of Egypt, and the Pharaoh who then reigned "knew not Joseph," nor recognized the benefits which the country had derived from his wise administration. Observing that the Israelites were an entirely distinct people from the Egyptians, and that their yearly increase was beyond all comparison, he became alarmed, lest they should eventually seize upon the supreme power, and especially "lest war should fall out, and they should join with the enemy." He therefore called his counsellors together, to devise some means by which to check the rapid increase of the Hebrews. Various schemes were recommended for this purpose; and the one which was finally adopted, would have proved effectual, had it been perseveringly executed. This was, to drown every Hebrew male child, immediately after its birth, in the river Nile. This law, it seems, was, for some time, strictly observed; but for how long, is not known. At this critical period the birth of Moses, the future deliverer of the Israelites from their bondage, occurred.

Moses was the son of Amram and Jochebed, of the tribe of Levi, and was born 1571 A. C. His parents had two other children, older than himself; Miriam, his sister, and his brother Aaron. Moses, at his birth, was exceedingly fair, and his mother was, therefore, the more anxious to preserve his life, and save him from falling under the cruel edict of the king. With this view, she concealed him in her own house for three months after his birth; but when, at the expiration of that time, she found she could evade the royal spies no longer, she constructed an ark of bulrushes, placed him carefully within it, and then trusted the precious venture to Almighty protection. The event proved that the trust was not in vain. Miriam, his sister, who had been purposely concealed to watch the fate of the infant, soon observed the daughter of Pharaoh and her female attendants approach the stream. The attention of the princess being immediately attracted towards the frail vessel, she caused it to be brought to the bank of the river; and when she beheld the beautiful face of the weeping child, her natural sympathies prevailed over her prejudices, and she resolved, though aware that it was a Hebrew child, to save its life. At the suggestion of Miriam, who had, doubtless, received her lesson from her mother, and had now mingled in the group around the little ark, a Hebrew nurse was called to take charge of the infant; and thus, by the manifest overruling of Providence, Moses, under royal protection, was re-committed to the care of his own natural mother.

How long Moses remained in the house of his parents, is uncertain; but it is evident that, though early removed to the court of the king, and there educated as heir apparent to the crown, his intercourse with his own people was continually kept up. Though in the king's court, and honored as the royal heir, still his sympathies were all

with his oppressed kindred; and on one occasion, wher he saw an Egyptian smiting an Israelite, his indignation became so powerfully excited that he slew the Egyptian on the spot. On the following day, as he was walking out, he observed two of the Hebrews striving together; "and he said to him that did the wrong, 'Wherefore smitest thou thy fellow?' And he said, 'Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Intendest thou to kill me, as thou killedst the Egyptian?" Alarmed thus, to discover that the transaction of the previous day was publicly known, and fearing lest the intelligence should reach the king, and his own life be taken in return, Moses, now in the fortieth year of his age, left the land of Egypt, and took refuge with Jethro, the wise and pious priest or prince of Midian, a district in the southern part of Arabia. After having remained some time as Jethro's guest, Moses entered into arrangement with him to take charge of his flocks; and by his wise and upright conduct he so thoroughly ingratiated himself in his favor, that the prince bestowed his daughter Zipporah upon him in marriage. By this princess, Moses had two sons, the elder of whom he called Gershom, which signifies a stranger here; and the younger, Eliezer, or the Lord is my help.

In the land of Midian, Moses passed forty years in great retirement and seclusion from worldly care; but not in idleness; for during the whole of that period he was the faithful keeper of Jethro's flocks. The time, however, had now arrived for Israel's oppressions to cease; and as Moses was watching his flocks near Mount Horeb, "the angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midst of a bush; and he looked, and behold the bush burned in the fire, and the bush was not consumed. And Moses said, 'I will now turn aside and see this great sight why the bush is not burned.' And when the Lord saw

that ne turned aside to see, God called to him out of the midst of the bush and said, 'Moses, Moses;' and he said, Here am I.' And he said, 'Draw not nigh hither; put off thy shoes from off thy feet, for the place whereon thou standest is holy ground.' Moreover, he said, 'I am the God of thy fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.' And Moses hid his face, for he was afraid to look upon God. And Jehovah said, 'I have surely seen the affliction of my people which are in Egypt, and have heard their cry, by reason of their taskmasters; for I know their sorrows. And I am come down to deliver them out of the hand of the Egyptians, and to bring them up out of that land, unto a good land and a large, unto a land flowing with milk and honey; unto the place of the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Hivites, and the Jebusites. Now, therefore, behold the cry of the children of Israel is come up unto me and I have also seen the oppression wherewith the Egyptians oppress them. Come now, therefore, and I will send thee unto Pharaoh, that thou mayest bring forth my people, the children of Israel, out of the land of Egypt.""

This extraordinary manifestation and commission greatly alarmed Moses; and willing to excuse himself from undertaking so arduous a task, he said to the Lord, "Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring the people of Israel out of Egypt; and what shall I say unto them?' And God, to encourage him, replied, "Say unto them I AM THAT I AM, hath sent thee." But Moses, still reluctant to go, began to use argument with the Almighty, saying, "I am slow of speech, and of a slow tongue." "And the Lord said unto him, 'Who hath made man'a mouth? or who maketh the dumb, or the deaf, or the seeing, or the blind? Have not I, the Lord? Now, there

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fore, go, and I will be with thy mouth, and teach thee what to say Moses' pleadings and reasonings having all thus failed, he now began to supplicate that the commission might be transferred to another, saying, “O my Lord, send, I pray thee, by the hand of him whom thou wilt send."

The patience of God with Moses had hitherto been wonderful; but now, the anger of the Lord was kindled against him; 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 will teach you what you 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."

Thus divinely commissioned, Moses took leave of his father-in-law, Jethro, and went immediately on his way to Egypt; but before he reached that country his brother Aaron met him, and accompanied him thither. Having entered Egypt, they at once gathered the elders of the children of Israel together; and, after having communicated the message which God had sent to them, they, in confirmation of their commission, exhibited the miracles which Moses nad 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 afflictions then they bowed their heads and worshipped."

Moses and Aaron next presented themselves before Pharaoh, taking with then the wonder-working rod, that they might exhibit before the king the miraculous power