M O S E S'.’ 
64 
them of the ft raw ufed in making bricks, and by fo doing 
oblige them to fpend their time in gathering ftubble 
inftead of it, but without being allowed the leaft diminu¬ 
tion in the quantity of their daily labour. In the anguiffi 
of their hearts under this addition of mifery, the Hebrews 
attributed it to the interference of Mofes, and bitterly 
reproached him and his brother as the authors of their 
entire ruin. 
The ill fuccefs which had attended his firft application 
to the king of Egypt would have deterred Mofes from 
appearing again before that prince, had not God encou¬ 
raged him by frefli aflurances of his determination to 
bring the Ifraelites out of their bondage with a trium¬ 
phant arm, and invefted him with a miraculous pow'er 
over Pharaoh, (cli. vi.) to be exercifed in fuch difplays of 
divine judgment on that proud monarch and his people, 
as Ihould force him to difmifs them. Thus encouraged, 
Mofes, accompanied by his brother, prefented liimfelf 
again before Pharaoh, and confirmed his former meflage 
by a miracle; which was followed, at different periods, 
by nine others, inflicting the molt dreadful calamities 
upon the Egyptians as puniftiments for their continued 
oppreftion of the Ifraelites. For a particular account of 
thefe extraordinary events, and of the effeCts produced 
by them upon Pharaoh, we mull refer our readers to the 
fame book of Exodus, ch. vii.-x. When, after the tenth 
miracle had been wrought, the king Hill obftinately re¬ 
filled to obey the divine meflage, it is fuppofed that 
Mofes announced to him the approaching finilhing ftroke 
of the divine jultice upon all the firft-born of men and 
cattle throughout Egypt, and retired to his people in the 
land of Goffien. From having been witnefles to the 
dreadful judgments which the Egyptians had felt, they 
were now dilpofed to receive his commands with the 
utmoft refpeCt; and, as Mofes knew that the effeCt of the 
predicted miracle would be an entreaty for their imme¬ 
diate departure, he directed them to borrow of the Egyp¬ 
tians jewels of gold and of filver, rich apparel, and other 
precious things, (ch. xi.) and to make ready for cele¬ 
brating the paflover. This feftival was to be now ob- 
ferved for the firft time, (ch. xii.) and was afterwards to 
be kept annually in commemoration of their great 
deliverance from the tyrannical yoke of the Egyptian 
monarch. 
On the appointed night, this rite w\as duly celebrated 
with the ceremonies which Mofes had directed ; and, 
while the Ifraelites were afterwards waiting in filence, 
knowing what flaughter would take place among the 
Egyptians, at midnight the executioners of the divine 
jultice fmote all the firft-born throughout Egypt with 
inftantaneous death, from the firft-born of Pharaoh, who 
fat on his throne, to the firft-born of the imprifoned cap¬ 
tive, and of all cattle; (ver. 29.) So great was the terror 
which this dreadful mortality created in the hitherto ob- 
ltinate Pharaoh, that, fending for Mofes and Aaron, he 
not only gave his content to the requelt which they had 
repeatedly preferred, but urged and prefled the immediate 
departure of the Ifraelites, with their children, cattle, and 
all that they had; (ver. 31, 32.) The Egyptians, like- 
wile, were impatient to hurry them out of their land, 
fearful that the further detention of that peopje would 
bring on them entire deitrv.Ction; and, to halten them, 
they freely parted with the molt valuable things which 
the Ifraelites wiflted to borrow of them ; (ver. 33-36.) 
No fooner had Mofes returned to Gofhen from the pre¬ 
fence of Pharaoh, than, unwilling to gjve his changeable 
temper time to relax, he made the preconcerted lignals 
for collecting the whole body of the Ifraelites at a place 
of rendezvous called Ramefes, (ver. 37.) whence he began 
his march at their head before break of day. They con- 
filled of about fix hundred thoufand men, befides women 
and children; together with a mixed multitude of ft ran¬ 
gers, who were probably proj'elytes of the gate, or perfons 
who had renounced idolatry, though they were not yet 
^ircumcifed 5 and all their numerous flocks and herds. 
Their firft encampment was at Succoth, where they were 
properly arranged according to their tribes and families, 
and the future order of their march fo regulated, that 
there might be no confufion in the movements of fuch a 
vaft aflemblage. To direCt them in their courfe, God 
was pleafed to appoint a miraculous cloud, or volume of 
fmoke, to precede them by day, and a pillar of fire by 
night, (xiii. 17-22.) under the guidance of which, in two 
marches more, Mofes brought them to Pi-hahiroth on the 
coaft of the Red Sea. 
In the mean time Pharaoh and the infatuated Egyp¬ 
tians repented that they had loft the fervitude of the 
Ifraelites, and fuddenly raifed a formidable army for the 
purpofe of purfuing them, and compelling them to return 
to their former bondage; (ch. xiv.) This force Pharaoh 
lea with fo much expedition, that he overtook them on 
the approach of night at Pi-hahiroth, and pitched his 
camp in fuch a pofition, that they were hemmed in by the 
fea, impaflable mountains, and his own forces. The ap¬ 
pearance of this army raifed the utmoft conlternation and 
defpondency in the pufillanimous Ifraelites, who feemed 
already to have forgotten the wonderful interpofitions of 
Providence in their favour, and ungratefully reproached 
Mofes for leading them out of Egypt to perifti under the 
fwords of the Egyptians in the wiidernefs. After meekly 
liftening to their upbraiding language, Mofes comforted 
them with the aflurance that this would be the laft time 
of their feeing the Egyptians; and he had no fooner dif- 
mifled them, than God commanded him to direCt their 
march towards the fea, promifing that, upon his ftretching 
out his rod over it, the waters would divide and make 
way for the Ifraelites to go through it as on dry land, 
while Pharaoh and his army, venturing to purfue them, 
Ihould perifli in the returning waves. The events having 
correfponded with this promife, Mofes inllituted a feftival 
of feven days’ continuance, in commemoration of the 
fignal deliverance which the Ifraelites had experienced, 
and the total overthrow of Pharaoh and his holt. For 
this occafion he compofed a hymn (ch. xv.) to be fung 
alternately by the men and women, celebrating the great- 
nefs of God’s power difplayed in thefe events, and his 
amazing mercy towards his people, which, for fublimity 
and beauty of compofition, not only rivals but furpafles 
the bell pieces of- the kind that Greece or Rome ever 
produced. The deliverance of the Ifraelites from their 
bondage in Egypt took place in the year 14.91 B.C. 
Mofes now entered upon the arduous talk of conduct¬ 
ing his nation tow'ards the land promifed to their fathers. 
Had it been conliltent with the wifdoni of Providence 
that they Ihould arrive at it by the molt fpeedy courfe, 
a few days’ march might have led them to the borders of 
that country. But they were to be trained by a feries of 
hardlhips and difficulties to encounter the warlike people 
whom they were to fupplant; their ftubborn and ungrate¬ 
ful temper, and their fondnefs for idolatry and fuper- 
ftition, were to be corrected by trials and puniftiments; 
and a peculiar fyftem of legiflation was to be formed and 
eftabliffied among them, intended to preferve them from 
the corruptions of the reft of the world, and to maintain 
the belief in the one living and true God, before they 
were to enter on the promifed inheritance. Mofes, there¬ 
fore, was to follow the guidance of the miraculous cloud 
and pillar in his progrefs with them. For the particulars 
of their movements we mull refer to the Scriptures, and 
content ourfelves with mentioning the principal incidents 
which occurred under the adminiftration of their great 
legiflator. 
From the coaft of the Red Sea, Mofes led the Ifraelites 
into the wiidernefs of Shur,. where their want of water 
"after three days’ travelling, and finding that which they 
difeovered on their arrival at Marah too bitter to drink, 
excited the loudeft complaints againft their conductor; 
(ch.xv. 23.) In this emergency Mofes was directed to 
a tree, which, either by its intrinfic virtue or by a new 
miracle, lweetened the water upon being call into it 3 and 
hs 
