554 
in Egypt, we muft follow his Arabian 
banifament. A bloody hate for the op- 
preffors of his nation, and the knowledge 
acquired among the priefts of Egypt, 
accompanied him tothe defert. His foul 
was full ef ideas and projects, and no- 
thing difturbed its broodings in the un- 
peopled wafte. 
The original documents defcribe him 
as keeping the fheep of the Bedouin 
Arab, Jethro. This deep defcent from his 
lofty views and hopes in Egypt to a 
cattle-herd in Arabia—the future ruler 
of men now the hireling of a nomade—how 
painful to an afpiring mind! 
And muft all that the induftry of youth 
and the experience of age had collected 
perifh in deedlefs inutility? His foul 
cannot bear the thought. He ftrugsles 
againft deftiny. The wildernefs {hall 
not abforb his ,;owers: his fancy ein- 
braces the intereft of the opprefled. A 
parity of fortune draws him ftill clofer to 
his landfmen. In Egypt, he would have 
become a myftagogue or a general: in 
Arabia, the huge idea ripens—‘ I will 
redeem Ifrael.” 
But what poffibility of executing this 
reject? The impediments are beyond 
ae which refift the enterprife, and the 
greateft are thofe to be expected fro:n the 
very nation he afpires toferve. A nation 
without unanimity or confidence, with- 
out courage or public fpirit, its enthu- 
fiafm wholly quenched in the dungeon- 
damps of four centuries of thraldom. A 
nation no lefs unworthy than incapable 
of the benefit he predeftines for it. From 
them what can he expeét? withont them 
what can he effect? He muft begin then 
by rendering them capable of this benefit, 
by reviving that fentiment of the dignity 
et human nature which habits of lub- 
jection had ftifled, by rekindling hope, 
confidence, heroifm, and enthufiafm. 
_ Such fentiments have for their bafis a 
real or imaginary tru(ft in one’s own force : 
and whence fhal! the flaves of Egyptians 
imbibe this? Suppofe his eloquence to 
hurry them forward for a moment, will 
not this artificial infpiration defert them 
at his greateft need? Will they not more 
patiently than ever drop back into their 
habitual fervility ? 
And now the difciple of Egyptian 
prieft and ftate-craft comes to aid the 
Hebrew. He recolleéts the methods, by 
which a {mall number of prietts at Helio- 
polis were accuftomed to move at their 
will millions of rude and favage men, 
‘This inftrument was no other than a 
confidence in fuper-terreltrial protection, 
anda belief in {upernatural powers. In 
On the Legation of Mofes. 
[Sur. 
the vifible world ke could difcover ne 
remedy of the mind equal to the infpi- 
ration of courage into the fervile; he 
fought it in the invifible. He found no- 
thing earthly to which their confidence 
could be attached; he fought fomething 
heavenly. Hopelefs of awaking fufficient 
truft in their own force, he brought toe 
them a God poffefled of all force. Once’ 
confident in him, they are become bold 
and ftrong: and the fire is kindled, at 
which every other requifite virtue may be 
inflamed. If he can pafs for the organ 
of this God, his brethren are become a 
rod in his hands, the companions of his 
guidance, and pliant to his will. But 
what god fhall he announce, and how fe- 
cure their belief? Shall he announce to 
them the true God, the Demiurgos, or 
the Jao, in whom he him(elf believes, the 
keblah of the myfteries ? © 
To an ignorant populace, like that of 
his nation, how could he afcribe even the 
remoteft fymptom of capability fora truth, 
which was the patrimony of very few of 
the fages of Egypt, and the power of com- 
prehending which implies a high degree 
of enlightenment. How could he flatter 
himfelt with the hope, that the dregs of 
Egypt would underftand, what amon 
the tele€t of the country only the be 
could comprehend ? 
But, fuppofe him to have fucceeded in 
imprefling upon the Hebrews the know- 
ledge of the true God ; this God would 
not have been of ufe in their condition ; 
the knowledge of him would rather have 
been detrimental than favourable to the 
fuccefs of their enterprife. ‘The true God 
interefted himfelf no more about the He- 
brews than about any other nation. ‘The 
true God could not fight exclufively for 
them ; for them unhinge the pivots of © 
nature, and revere its orderly movements, 
The true God would leave them to fight 
out their quarrel with the Egyptians, as 
he is wont, without miraculous interfe- 
rence; fucha Gad fuited not the purpote 
of Motes. 
Shall he then announce to them a fabu- 
lous divinity againft which his reafon re- 
bels, and which the myfteries had taught 
him todefpife ? For this his underftanding 
is too informed, his heart too fincere, 
The enthufiafm which infpired him would 
have relaxed beneath fo contemptible and 
hypocritic a tafk ; undelighting in fo ar- 
tificial adeception, he would have fallen 
off in the courage to perfevere. Befides, 
he not only afpires to liberate, but in due 
time to liberalife his people. He builds 
for a lonz pofterity. 
He chofe then truth for his fubftratum. 
Auyw 
