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was their great Prophet and their Lawgiver; Mofes was in the highest Veneration among them; for his Sake, and to preserve the Authority of his Laws, they refused to hearken to any other Teacher; and therefore rejected the Gospel as tending to fubvert the Conftitutions of Mofes. Yet how was this Man received? How was this Deliverer entertained? Was he not evil-intreated? Was he not, before he could work their Deliverance, forced to feek his own by an hasty Flight from them into the Land of Midian? When he appeared in the Spirit of the Lord, to avenge the Wrongs of his People, and fmote the Egyptian who oppreffed the Ifraelite, the very next Day he was reproached by his Brethren for the Murder, as they called it: for he had given them a Provocation which it seems they could not bear; he had fhewed himself unto them as they ftrove, and would have fet them at one again, faying, Sirs, ye are Brethren; why do ye wrong one to another? So far did the private Paffions. and Refentments prevail against the Confiderations of public Safety, that delivering them from the Egyptians was no Merit, because he endeavoured also to deliver them from one another.

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To draw Parallels between the Hiftories in Scripture, and those of our own Times, is fo flippery a Subject, fo liable to be influenced by the Paffions of the Speaker, who can eafily overlook the Circumftances. which fuit not with his View, choose out and adorn those which do; that in fuch Applications of Scripture History, there is very great Danger of miffing the Scripture Doctrine, and publishing our own partial Sentiments, under the Cover of the Book of God, which was given to correct and amend them. I fhall therefore, without trying to fhew you how like we are in all Refpects, or in any, to the People of Ifrael; or how nearly our Enemies resemble the Egyptians; confine myself to fuch Obfervations, and fuch Applications of them, as naturally arife from the Text and our own Circumstances.

First then, we may observe from the Text, that Mofes, though raised by God in a wonderful Manner to be the Deliverer of his People, yet fell under great Discouragements from his Countrymen for whofe Sake he was raised up.

The People of Ifrael, at the Time of the Birth of Mofes, were under so severe a Bon

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dage, that there was no human Prospect of Deliverance: thofe who were of Strength fufficient, were held to fuch conftant and hard Labour, that they had neither Time nor Ability to contrive any Thing for them-felves. Could it be expected that any Genius fhould arise from among the Brickkilns, to restore the Liberty of Ifrael; or that one employed from his Childhood in gathering Straw fhould attempt to set up the promised Kingdom? And that mere Srength and Number might not prevail, the Egyptians had taken care to destroy the Male Children of Ifrael; so that the Prospect for the next Generation was even worse than what the present had. But the Providence of God turned thefe Circumftances to his own wife Ends. Had not the King of Egypt commanded the Male Children to be destroyed, Mofes, it is probable, had been bred as he was born, a Slave, and fent, as foon as he was able, to take his Share of the hard Labour imposed on his Countrymen but by being expofed for Fear of the cruel King's Command, he fell into the Hands of the Princess of Egypt, and had his Education even in the Court of Pharoab, and became learned in all the Wisdom

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of the Egyptians, and was mighty in Words and Deeds. By this Means he was qualified to undertake the great Work which God had prepared for him; and Ifrael, though in the lowest Condition, had one to go before them, who had been brought up in the Dignity of a Prince; and yet though he had lived in the Plenty of Egypt, and flourished in the Court of its great King, he forgot not his diftreffed Countrymen, but he partook in all their Miferies, with an Affection which became him who was one Day to be their Deliverer. One would think that these Circumstances, together with the Prophecies relating to their Deliverance, should have pointed out the Perfon intended by God to bring about their Redemption: Mofes himself thought he should at least have been favoured by his Countrymen in his noble Enterprize for their Service; be fuppofed his Brethren would have understood how that God by his Hand would deliver them: but, as it follows in the Text, they understood This was fo discouraging a Circumftance, that he feems to have laid afide the Thoughts of being able to ferve them; he found, that to accomplish the Deliverance of Ifrael, he must struggle as well against

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the Ifraelite, as the Egyptian, and fubdue the Slaves in order to their Redemption, as well as the Tyrants who oppreffed them. And yet notwithstanding this Blindness of the People, the Murderer, as they called him, was ordained by God to be their Prince and Deliverer; and they were at last happily convinced of their Mistake, by receiving at his Hand the Bleffings promised to their Forefathers.

From whence we may learn, in the fecond Place, what Confidence and Truft we ought to put in God for the Deliverance of his Church and true Religion, notwithstanding the hopeless Profpects which arise from human Affairs.

Had we been to judge by the Rules of human Wisdom and Policy, what Hope was there that Mofes fhould be the Deliverer of that People, in whom he had fo little Intereft, that he was forced to fly from them for his own Safety? But the Counsels of God are not to be defeated either by the Folly or the Madness of the People; and his Purposes shall stand, be those whom he intends to punish never fo furious or outrageous, or those whom he intends to fave never fo weak and blind to their own In

tereft.

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