his assistance in the performance of the first miracle, which was turning the water of the river into blood.

Moses obeys; and, at the appointed time, waits the coming of the king to the river, and throwing himself in the way, accosts him with this message. The infidel prince, obdurate to all the rhetoric of the two heavenly missionaries, persists in his resolution (so little did the first miracle affect him ;) and though Moses and Aaron admonished him of the omnipotence of their God, he would not believe them. Upon which, Aaron receiving the rod from Moses, lifted it up as God had commanded, and striking the water, it was turned into blood; † which immediately stagnating, grew so offensive with its poisonous putrefaction, that the fish were suffocated, and the inhabitants obliged to dig for water in new places to allay their thirst. And notwithstanding this plague continued seven days, yet Pharaoh was still obstinate; and the more,

River. This is the river Nile, which is, on several accounts, the most famous river in the world. It is called in Scripture Nachal Misraim, the River of Egypt: from whence the word Nile is not unnaturally derived Nabal, Naal, Neel, Neil. And Pomponius Mela, l. 5. c. 10. reports, That the fountain of the Nile is called Nachul by the Ethiopians. Now whereas God says to Moses, Exod. vii. 15. "Go to Pharaoh in the morning, when he shall go forth to the water," we may reasonably suppose, as the Persians every morning worshipped the rising sun, so the Egyptians every morning adored the Nile, and that this going forth of the king to the river was a constant act of devotion: and it is not unlikely, that their great deity Osyris was worshipped for Nilus. The fountain of this river was said to be in the mountains called the Mountains of the Moon, and one of the titles of Prester John is, King of Goyome, where the Nile arises: but the ancients maintained that among the peculiarities of the Nile, it concealed its spring, of which Lucan takes notice in his tenth book. Its sources are now, however, ascertained to be in Abyssinia, in lat. 12°, and after a winding course through that country, it enters Egypt, and inundates it annually the space of 600 miles. Its inundations are caused by the great rains between the tropics when the sun is in the northern signs.

+ Blood. Theodoret upon Exodus, says thus of this change of the waters of the Nile: "Being changed into blood they accused the Egyptians of the murder of the infants." And the book of Wisdom xi. 6. makes the same observation: "Instead of a fountain of running water, the enemies were troubled with corrupt blood, which was to rebuke the commandment of the killing of the children."

because Moses being known to have had his education among the Egyptians, the king concluded, that all this was performed by magick. Wherefore, calling for his magicians he put them upon the same trial; who taking some of the water which the Egyptians had digged, by their enchantments they made him believe that they turned it to blood. And though this was but a delusion, yet it convinced Pharaoh that what Moses and Aaron had done, was not the effect of any supernatural power, but a mere trick of art, and thereupon he determined to detain the Israelites.

But Heaven pursues him with repeated miracles; for as soon as the seven days are expired, Moses, at the command of God, accosts him again, and renews his instances for the delivery of the Israelites; threatening upon his refusal to bring upon the land such a prodigious number of frogs, as should visit him and his subjects in their most private recesses. Pharaoh, regardless of his threats, defies him; upon which, Moses gives Aaron order* to take the rod, and stretch forth his hand with it over the river, which in an instant so affected all the waters of Egypt, that, not waiting for the slow productions of nature, the animated streams unburthen themselves upon the land in shoals of frogs; which immediately invade all parts, infesting even the royal palace with their ungrateful croaking. Now again, Pharaoh had recourse to his magicians, who by their mimic power so deluded him, that they led him to suppose they wrought the same miracle; which hardened Pharaoh for a while; but the loathsome plague pursuing him and his people wherever they went, he is forced to apply to Moses and Aaron for relief, offering to capitulate with their God upon terms of permission for them to go and sacrifice to him. Moses demands the time when this shall be put to an issue, and they both agree upon the next day. Accordingly Moses addresses himself to God, and the frogs soon died, which the peo

* Order. It may be observed from Exod. vii. 19. and viii. 5. that Aaron received order from Moses to perform the miracles, who was the director or sovereign, and gave to Aaron the power delegated to him from God.

ple gathered in heaps, so that the land stank of them before they could be disposed of.

The infidel prince, thinking the God of the Hebrews had discharged all his plagues, unfaithfully breaks his word, and refuses to let the Israelites go. This violation so provokes the Almighty, that he resolves to treat the haughty tyrant in a more surprising manner than he had hitherto done; for before, he first denounced his judgments, giving him warning, that he might escape them: but now he will give him no further notice; and therefore commands Moses to direct Aaron to stretch out his rod and strike the dust with it, that it might become lice.* Aaron obeys, and straightway the animated dust turns into swarms of vermin, which the magicians, who had faintly imitated the former plagues, now attempt in vain; they own their art out-done, and acknowledge this to be the inimitable work of a divine hand.

Yet now again, notwithstanding the obstinacy of Pharaoh, who would not in the least hearken to Moses and Aaron, God condescended to give him another summons. "Rise up (says God to Moses) early in the morning, and "meet Pharaoh as he comes to the river: tell him, thus

* Lice. What kind of creature this was, is not certainly known, the versions and commentators differing very much in their opinion of it. The Septuagint translate it here, and in Psal. cv. 31. Knipes, and so Philo and the Vulgate edition retain the word; which seems to come from the word Knizein, which signifies to prick, and they were a kind of Gnat. In this Pliny, Columella, Hesychius and Origen agree. Yet Junius and Tremellius, the French, English and various other translations render it Lice, and lice too might have wings. It seems to us most probable, that it was some new kind of creature called analogically by an old known name, which is Pererin's conjecture, and is approved by Rivett. And this we take to be the reason why the magicians could not counterfeit this miracle, as it was easy for them to do those of the serpent, the blood and the frogs, which were things to be had every where. This, we think may pass for a more probable cause than the fancy of the Hebrews, who say, That the devil's power is bounded to the producing of no creature less than a grain of barley; or than St. Augustine's allegorical reason, and too poetical even for poetry, who affirms that the magicians failed in the third plague, to shew the defect of human philosophy when it comes to the mystery of the Trinity!

"saith the Lord; let my people go that they may serve "me, or I will send swarms of flies* upon thee and thy people, which shall fill their houses, and cover the face "of the earth and that thou mayest know, that this is brought as a judgment upon thee and thy subjects for "oppressing my people, I will on that day separate "the land of Goshen, in which my servants dwell, from "the rest of Egypt, that the flies shall not molest them." Accordingly, upon Pharaoh's not submitting, the next day, clouds of swarming insects fill the air, which in numberless troops descend to the earth, and with their sullen and unusual noise surprise and affright the wretched inhabitants. All attempts prove vain and fruitless to remove this increasing evil; their most private retirements cannot secure them from the poisonous bitings of these revengeful animals, and a succession of painful miseries invade them on all hands. The sword and spear are useless to repel this airy foe, whose penetrating sting is sharper than their point. The magicians with confusion look upon this direful plague, and no more attempt any imitation: a general horror pervades the towns and fields, and all the country echoes with the cries of tortured men and cattle. Pharaoh, unable to support this plague, calls presently for Moses and Aaron, and in a sullen discontented tone bids them go and sacrifice to their God, but not beyond the bounds of Egypt. He was desirous of relief, but unwilling to part with a people, by whose slavery he had reaped so great advantage; and being a stranger and enemy to the true God, he did not conceive that the Israelites could not acceptably sacrifice to their

Flies. So our English translation. St. Jerome says, all sorts of flies. The Septuagint Kunomwhyan, a particular kind of fly, called a Dog-fly, from his biting. Some translate this a mixture of beasts: the French, une meslee de bestes, Junius and Tremellius, Colluviem, and Josephus seems to understand it of several sorts of wild beasts that infested the country; which is not very probable, for the punishments hitherto were rather troublesome than mortal; though this punishment of infinite numbers of small tormentors is so great a one that God calls them bis army, Joel ii. 25. nay his great army, "The locust, the canker-worm, and the caterpillar, and the palmer-worm, my great army, which I sent among you."

God while under the Egyptian bondage. Moses, not willing to provoke, but rather to convince Pharaoh, discreetly answered; "We cannot sacrifice to our God in "this land, for that would be an affront* to the Egyp "tians, and they will be revenged on us. Permit us "therefore to avoid their resentment, by going three days' journey into the wilderness, and sacrifice to our "God as he hath commanded us." "If nothing else will "serve you, (said Pharaoh) but going into the desert, I "will suffer you to go, but not far: and in return for "this concession, intreat your God to remove this "plague." Moses promised to intercede for him, but cautions Pharaoh to be sincere in his grant; and being gone from his presence addressed himself to God to remove the plague of flies. His prayers are heard, and the insects take their flight; but Pharaoh no sooner found himself relieved from this judgment, than he returns to his former obstinacy, and positively forbade the Israelites to stir out of his dominions.

Upon this high provocation, God sent Moses again to Pharaoh with this message: "Thus saith the God of the "Hebrews; let my people go that they may serve me, " or be assured I will visit all thy cattle that are in the field "with a grievous murrain; and to make thee still more "sensible of my omnipotence, I will, by a wonderful "distinction, preserve the cattle of my people, while I "destroy those of the Egyptians." This, by Pharaoh's obstinacy, was fatally verified upon the Egyptian cattle the next day the generous horse loaths his full manger and delicious pasture, and sinks under his rider; the ass and camel can no longer support their burdens, or their own weight; the labouring ox drops down dead before the plough; the harmless sheep expire bleating, and the faithful dogs lie gasping beside them.

Though Pharaoh saw one part of nature extinct before

Affront. That is, if we should sacrifice those creatures which the Egyptians worship for Gods, as the ox and the sheep, they will be affronted to see us fice their gods to our God.

sacri.