drove them away. What, infult a circle of women in their humane employments! How could fo fweet and courteous a fpirit brook fuch daftardy! He inftantly rofe in their defence, and, in defiance of oppo fition, provided their flocks with water. And this conduct produced another alteration in our hero's circumftances: for, when the father of the damfels understood what the young man had done, he rebuked his daughters that they fo little regarded the rights of hofpitality and gratitude, as not to press upon the kind ftranger an invitation. "And he faid unto them, where "is he? Why is it that ye have left the "man? Call him, that he may eat bread." Mofes came and refreshed himself, and fo endeared himself in that interview, as to dwell there; and, in the end, fuch was the friendship between them, that he became hufband to one of the very daughters whom he had affifted at the well.

It is to be noted here, that in this chapter, which contains the ftory of his younger

years,

years, every hiftoric fact is fet down, which might recommend Mofes to our esteem; and yet that nothing oftentatious, or inconfiftent with his time of life, is admitted, And here ceases the narrative of his youthful transactions, the future parts of his ftory exhibit him in the fublimeft ftation imaginable, enjoying frequent conferences with the God who had refpect unto his integrity, and who inftituted him the meffenger of Providence in the important concerns of Pharoah, and the unfortunate children of Ifrael.

ESSAY XX.

THE MIRACLES.

PASSAGE.

AND MIRIAM THE PROPHETESS, THE SISTER OF AARON,

THE

TOOK A TIMBREL IN HER HAND; AND ALL WOMEN WENT OUT AFTER HER. WITH TIMBRELS, AND WITH DANCES.

AND MIRIAM ANSWERED THEM, SING UNTO THE LORD,
FOR HE
BATH TRIUMPHED GLORIOUSLY! THE HORSE
AND HIS RIDER HATH ME THROWN INTO THE SEA.

HE whole procefs of the circumftan

THE

>

ces attending the miracles exhibited in Egypt are equally amazing, awful, and peculiar; and a perufal of them cannot fail exciting the fincereft piety and veneration for the power, who brought them to fo happy a period.

It is extremely interefting to trace the wonders of the Almighty in thefe memorable and multiplied exertions of his omniG 4

potence.

potence. He begins with milder miracles, and with fome flighter inftances of his univerfal authority; remembering the divine attribute of mercy in the midft of justice, tender even in feverity, and reluctant to punish.

1

Thus, the rod turned into a ferpent, which is the firft teftimony of power, is less alarming than converting the river into blood. And the fame kind of fagacious climax is obfervable in the various vifitations of the Divine difpleasure by peftilence; the plague of frogs was not fo utterly terrible as that of lice, and even that again, yielded in point of horror to the peftilence of flies.

The recitation of three verfes will prove this more plainly. "And the river fhall bring forth frogs abundantly, which fhall

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go up and come into the house, and into thy bedchamber, and upon thy bed, and into "the house of thy fervants, and upon thy "people,