The death of Levi happened 23 years after that B. C. of Joseph, (9) and is recorded from his being the (9) progenitor of Kohath, the father of Amram, the 1612. the father of Aaron and Moses; and thus we find that the history of the patriarchal times up to the epoch of the written law, passed only through the hands of six persons, viz. Adam, Methusaleh, Shem, Isaac, Levi, and Amram.

And Joseph died, and all his brethren, and all that generation, after which we hear that a king arose which knew not Joseph. This king, called by some authors Rameses Miamum, cruelly persecuted the Israelites (') whose increase he vainly endeavoured to (1) check by the most rigorous and laborious servitude. 1577. But all Pharaoh's efforts to extirpate them proved

abortive: the God of their fathers preserved them for the fulfilment of his promises to his faithful servants Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to whom he had foreshewn the bondage of their posterity in Egypt, and their deliverance from it by his hand. Gen. xv. 13-21.

1574.

(3)

1573. (1)

Aaron the eldest son of Amram was born (2) the (3) year before the decree was issued for the drowning all the new born male children, (3) and Moses in the third year after it, and while it was still in force, (4) in consequence of which, his mother, after concealing him three months, exposed him in an ark of bul- 1571. rushes upon the Nile, where being found by Pharaoh's daughter, she adopted him, and committed him during infancy to the charge of his own mother, by whom he was probably instructed at a very early age in the principles of the true religion, and he afterwards became "learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and mighty in words and deeds," Acts vii. 20-23. Josephus relates, Antiq. b. ii. c. 10, that he was made leader of the Egyptian armies, and distinguished himself in several battles. At forty years of age, having killed an Egyptian who

was fighting an Israelite, and fearing that Pharaoh might B. C. revenge the deed, he left Egypt and took refuge in (5) Midian, (5) where he was kindly received by Jethro, 1531. priest of that country, whose daughter Zipporah he married, Exod. ii. Here he remained keeping the flock of his father-in-law for 40 years more, when, in the 80th year of his own age, God appeared to him on Mount Horeb in a burning bush, revealed to him his will respecting the Israelites, and notwithstanding his diffidence and reluctance to undertake the commission, appointed him to be the liberator of his people; which Moses having communicated to Jethro, set out for Egypt, and being joined by Aaron, whom God had appointed to be his coadjutor, they jointly entered upon their important mission.Exod. iii. 7.

Then followed the memorable plagues with which Pharaoh and his people were afflicted, and which, according to Dr. Hales, occupied the space of three months.

power,

These tremendous visitations gradually increasing in severity, in proportion to the impious defiance of Pharaoh and his people, afford the strongest proofs of the justice, and mercy of God, and in no instance is he more fully proved to be "no respecter of persons, but that in every nation, he that feareth him and worketh righteousness is accepted with him."

The three first plagues, viz. the water turned into blood, the frogs, and the lice, were inflicted by the instrumentality of the false Gods of the Egyptians, and were suffered to affect the Israelites also, in punishment of their having, in some respects, adopted the idolatrous worship of the country. Previous to the infliction of the fourth plague, Pharaoh was informed that a division would be put between his people and the people of God in the succeeding visitations, Exod. viii. 1-23. But every warning was lost upon Pharaoh; he still continued to harden his heart notwithstanding the severity of the fourth, fifth, and sixth

plagues, the declaration of the magicians that they were produced by "the finger of God," and the merciful suspension of each plague upon his repentance. Before the seventh plague, the people were instructed to provide against suffering from the hail, "Send, therefore, and gather thy cattle, and all that thou hast in the field; every man and beast that shall be found in the field, and shall not be brought home, the hail shall come down upon them, and they shall die. He that feared the word of the LORD, among the servants of Pharaoh, made his servants and his cattle flee into the house; and he that regarded not the word of the LORD, left his servants and his cattle in the field.”— Exod. ix. 1-21.

The severity of the seventh plague, extorted from Pharaoh the confession," I have sinned this time, the LORD is righteous, and I and my people are wicked. Intreat the LORD (for it is enough) that there be no more mighty thunderings and hail, and I will let you go." Exod. ix. 22-28. Yet no sooner was a respite obtained, than he "sinned yet more, and hardened his heart, he and his servants; neither would he let the people go." Ver. 29-35.

"In this instance," observes Dr. Hales, "there is a remarkable suspension of the judicial infatuation. Pharaoh had humbled himself, and acknowledged his own and his people's guilt, and the justice of the divine plague; the Lord therefore forebore this time to harden his heart. But he abused the long sufferance of God and this additional respite; he sinned yet more, because he now sinned wilfully, after he had received information of the truth, he relapsed, and hardened his own heart a seventh time. He became, therefore, a vessel of wrath, fitted for destruction. Heb. x. 26. Rom. ix. 22.

The state of such a relapsed penitent, is awfully described by our LORD: when the impure spirit is gone out of a man [expelled for a time by some divine judgment or visitation in mercy] it walketh through desert places, seek

my

ing rest, but findeth none. Then it saith, I will return to house [the man's heart] from whence I went out, and having come [thither] findeth it vacant, swept and garnished, [disposed and prepared for re-occupation.] Then it goeth, and taketh with it seven other spirits more wicked than itself, and they enter in, and dwell there. So, the last state of that man is worse than the first. Mat. xii. 43. Compare 2. Pet. ii. 22. Hales's Anal. vol. ii. p.

193.

On the eve of the last plague, the Passover was instituted, for a perpetual memorial of the deliverance of the people of God from their temporal bondage, and also as a lively type of that spiritual deliverance from the bondage of sin, which has since been effected by the sacrifice of CHRIST, the true Paschal Lamb, to the faithful. (See Prophecy, 3d Period.) In the same night the Israelites left Egypt, having been in bondage 430 years, reckoning from the visit of Abram to Egypt on account of the famine. "And it came to pass the end of the four hundred and thirty years, [mentioned Gen. xv. 13.] even the self-same day, it came to pass that B. C. all the hosts of the LORD went out from the land of (0) Egypt, (6) and in the fourth generation," for Moses, 1491 under whom they left Egypt, was the son of Amram, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, in whose time they came to sojourn in the country.

TABLE IV.

at

The Israelites, to the number of 600,000 men, besides women and children, leaving Egypt, under the conduct of Moses, and guided by God himself in a pillar of a cloud by day, and of fire by night, took the road to the land of Canaan; and after three days journey, finding themselves pursued by Pharaoh, they murmured against Moses, accusing him as the cause of their destruction; " because there were no graves in Egypt, hast thou taken us away to die in the wilderness ?" But although they were thus un

mindful of the wonders that had been wrought for them, God "saved them for his name's sake, that he might make his mighty power to be known," (Ps. cvi. 8.) At his command the sea was divided, the Israelites passed through on dry land, and Pharaoh following them, was destroyed with his whole army. In commemoration of which, Moses composed a song descriptive of the miraculous deliverance they had experienced, and prophetic of their future establishment in the promised land. (Exod. xv.)

Notwithstanding this special manifestation of divine protection, the people, only three days afterwards, again murmured on account of the bitterness of the waters of Marah, which were made sweet by means of a tree pointed out to Moses by God," and there he proved them [if by such mercy and goodness they might be won to love and obey him] and said, if thou wilt diligently hearken unto the voice of the LORD thy God, and wilt do that which is right in his sight, and wilt give ear to his commandments, and keep all his statutes, I will put none of these diseases upon thee which I have brought upon the Egyptians: for I am the LORD that healeth thee. (Exod. xv. 25-26.) Yet notwithstanding these gracious promises, on the fifteenth day of the second month after their departure from Egypt, the people again murmured for food; upon which quails* are sent for flesh, and manna for bread, (and which continued to be their food for forty years.) Exod. xvi.

Their next murmuring was at mount Horeb, for water, which, at the command of God, was procured for them by Moses striking the rock with his rod, and the place was named Massah and Meribah, " because of the chiding of Israel, and because they tempted the LORD; saying, is the LORD amongst us or not?" (Exod. xvii. 1-7.) Here also, they were attacked by the Amalekites, the descendants of

* Quails were not in this instance sent as a punishment, as upon the second occasion; see Numb. xi. 18-34.