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"people, and into thine ovans, and into "thy kneading-troughs."

Thus every private comfort was destroyed, and it does not feem eafy to encrease the torment, yet we find, this was torment. only in the smallest degree.

"And Aaron ftretched out his hand " with his rod, and fmote the dust of the "earth, and it became lice both in man "and in beast: All the duft of the land became lice throughout all the land of Egypt."

The very nature of this creature is more abhorrent to humanity than the other, and was, by fo much, the more irksome, naufeous, and intolerable; yet even this punishment admitted addition.

"And there came a grievous fwarm of "flies into the houfe of Pharoah, and into "his fervants houses, and into all the land " of

"of Egypt, and the land was corrupted by "reafon of the fwarm of flies."

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In the former inftances, we do not find that either the frogs or lice were in a state of putrefaction, but here they bred corrupted matter, and tainted the whole land. But forer severities even than thefe were neceffary to foften the more than marble heart of this incorrigible Pharoah, and at laft, locufts of ftupendous fize (fuch as were never seen before, and are never to be feen hereafter) ftung him into some sense of obedience. It was not even in the power of dark nefs-fuch dark nefs as might be felt

-what an idea! to fubdue him entirely : And God himself was obliged, as it were, to go forth in the dead of night with the fword of general defolation. This effected the great bufinefs of reformation, and reftored the Ifraelites to long-loft liberty. And now, having laid afide his terrors, he difplayed fuch a train of merciful miracles, as no language but that of the scriptures could give us the faintest idea. With

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great and perfect propriety, indeed, may the children of Ifrael be called a Chofen Nation, and a People of God. What did he not exert in their favour? By day, he went before them, in the pillar of a cloud, to lead them the way; and by night, in a pillar of fire, to give them light. When pursued by the Egyptians, he fought on their fide. And the cloud came between the camp of the Egyptians and the camp of Ifrael, and it was a cloud and darkness to them, but it was light by night to these. Nor was this all.

He caused the fea to go back by a strong east wind all night, and made the sea dry land, and divided the waters, so that this favoured people went in the midst of the fea upon dry ground; and the "very 66 waters were a wall unto them on their "right hand, and on their left."

And yet all thefe miracles could not keep this ungrateful race from difcontent. They murmur for water, and the fluid G 6 which

which was naturally bitter, is inftantly fweetned: They murmur for bread, and a delicacy is directly provided. They murmur a fecond time for water, and behold the foftened rock fupplies them with a copious stream immediately. In fhort, the tranfactions betwixt God and man in reftoring the Ifraelites from captivity to Canaan, are so many admirable evidences of almighty power on the one hand, and of human obftinacy and weakness on the other, that although they have been illuftrated by a thousand divines, it is furely impoffible for any writer to pass them by in filence, even though he fhould hazard the fault of repeating the remarks of his predeceffors.

ESSAY

INSTITUTES of MOSE S.

PASSAGE.

AND IF A MAN CAUSE A BLEMISH IN HIS NEIGHBOUR AS HE HATH DONE, SO SHALL IT BE DONE UNTO HIM.

THE laws of Mofes are, in part, very properly abolished, being, indeed, only inftituted for local occafions, and adapted to the temper of the times. But there are others which, with little or no alteration, are, and deferve to be, of eternal force. In the two verfes directly preceding this paffage, there is a very excellent diftinction made in point of punishments and offences. "He that killeth a

man fhall furely be put to death: and "he that killeth a beaft, fhall furely make "it good." Thus the human perfon is rendered facred, and the animal, which is

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