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Shem was cotemporary with Methuselah, ninetyeight years and Shem lived, after the flood, five hundred and two years; and was cotemporary with Abram, one hundred and fifty years. Therefore, Abram, by a very direct tradition, was acquainted with the hiflory of Adam and his immediate descendants, and also with the hiftory of the flood, and the difperfion of the fons of Noah and the countries which they refpe&tively poffeffed, &c. And thofe facts might eafily have been preferved in the family of Abram, till the time of Mofes.

CHAPTER XII.

THE BONDAGE AND MIRACULOUS DELIV ERANCE OF THE ISRAELITES.

A. M. from 2410 to 2453

Now

OW there arose up a new king over Egypt, who knew no Jofeph : and he faid unto his people, Behold, the people of the children of Ifrael are more, and mightier than we. Come on, let us deal wifely with them, left they multiply; and it come to pafs, that when there talleth out any war, they join unto our cremties, and fight against us, and fo get them up out of the land.

2....Therefore they did fet over them talk mafters, to affli&t them with their burdens: and they built for Pharaoh treafure cities. And Pharaoh charged all his

* It is an opinion of Volney (and he feems to fupport it with folid reafoning) that thofe flave holders, the ancient Egyptians, were Negroes; and that the world is, in a great meafure, indebted for the invention

people, faying, Every fon that is born (of the Hebrew women) ye fhall caft into the river; and every daughter ye thall fave alive.

3...And there went a man of the house of Levi (namely Amram) and took to wife a daughter of Levi (namely Jochebed.) And the woman bare a fon : and when the faw him that he was a goodly child, the hid him three months. And when fhe could no longer hide him, fhe took for him an ark of bulrufhes, and daubed it with flime, and with pitch, and put the child therein and the laid it in the flags by the river's brink (it being the river Nile) And his fifter (Miriam) stood afar off, to obferve what would be done to him.

4....And the daughter of Pharaoh, (Thermuthis by name) came down to wash herself at the river; and her maidens walked along by the river's fide: and when she faw the ark among the flags, the fent her maid to fetch

And when the had opened it, the faw the child : and, behold, the babe wept. And the had compaffion on him, and faid, This is one of the Hebrew children.

5....Then faid his fifter to Pharaoh's daughter, Shall I go and call to thee a nurse of the Hebrew women, that the may nurse the child for thee? And Pharaoh's daughter faid to her, Go. And the maid went, and called the child's mother. And Pharaoh's daughter

of ufeful arts, to that race of people, the Negroes, who are now fome of the most debafed part of all the human fpecies. Strange as this may feem, there is a parallel inftance. The Georgians and Circaffians, who defcended from the ancient Grecians, a people that were renowned for their inimitable genius and love of liberty, are a very stupid race, and have even been in the habit, for Jeveral centuries paft, of felling their awn children, to the Turks, for flaves.

faid unto her, Take this child away, and nurse it for me; and I will give thee thy wages.

6....And the took the child and nurfed it. And the child grew, and fhe brought him unto Pharaoh's daughter, and he became her fon. And the called his name Moses and she said, Because I drew him out of the water. And Mofes was learned in all the wifdom of the Egyptians; and was mighty in words and in deeds.

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7....And it came to pass, when Mofes was grown, that he went out unto his brethren, and looked on their burdens, and he fpied an Egyptian fmiting an Hebrew, one of his brethren. And he looked this way and that way, and when he faw that there was no man, he flew the Egyptian, and hid him in the fand.*

8....And when Mofes went out on the second day, behold, two men of the Hebrews ftrove together; and he said to him who did the wrong, Wherefore smiteft thou thy fellow? and he said, Who made thee a prince and a judge over us? Intendeft thou to kill me as thou killedit the Egyptian? And Mofes feared, and said, Surely this thing is known. Now, when Pharaoh heard this thing, he fought to flay Mofes.

9....But Mofes fled from the face of Pharaoh, and dwelt in the land of Midian: and he fat down by a well. Now, the priest of Midian had feven daughters: and they came and drew water, and filled the trough, to water their father's flock. And the thepherds came,

The juftification of this deed of Mofes is pleaded, on the principle, that his nation was under the most unmerited and grievous oppreffion; and that the Egyptian whom he flew was in the act of grossly abufing, and, perhaps, might be attempting to murder the oppreffed Hebrew.

and drove them away but Mofes ftood up, and helped them, and watered their flock.

10....And when they came to their father, he said, How is it that ye are come fo foon to day? And they faid, An Egyptian delivered us out of the hand of the fhepherds, and alfo drew water enough for us, and watered the flock. And he faid to his daughters, And where is he? Why is it that ye have left the man ? Call him that he may eat bread. And Mofes was content to dwell with the man: and he gave Mofes Zipporah his daughter.

11....Now Mofes kept the flock of Jethro his fatherin-law, the priest of Midian: and he led the flock to the backfide of the defert, and came to the mountain of God, even to Horeb. And the Angel of the Lord appeared unto him in a flame of fire out of the midft of a bush: and be looked, and, behold, the bush burned with fire, and the bulb was not confumed.

12....And Mofes faid, I will now turn afide and fee this great fight, why the bush is not burned. And God called unto him out of the midst of the bush, and said, Mofes, Mofes ! And he faid, Here am I. And he said, I am the God of thy father, the God of Abraham, the God of Ifaac, and the God of Jacob.-And Mofes hid his face; for he was afraid to look upon God.

13....And the Lord faid, I have furely feen the affliction of my people, which are in Egypt, and bave heard their cry by reason of their tafk-mafters: for I know their forrows. And I am come down to deliver them out of the hands of the Egyptians.

14....Go and gather the elders of Ifrael together, and lay unto them, The God of your fathers appeared unto me, faying, I have furely vifited you, and feen that which is done to you in Egypt and I will bring

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you up out of the affliction of Egypt, unto a land flow. ing with milk and honey.

15....And Moles anfwered, and faid, But, behold, they will not believe me, nor hearken unto my voice: for they will fay, The Lord hath not appeared unto thee. And the Lord said unto him, What is in thine hand? and he faid, A rod. And he faid, caft it on the ground. And he caft it on the ground, and it be. came a ferpent and Mofes fled from before it.

16....And the Lord faid unto Mofes, Put forth thine hand and take it by the tail.-And he put forth his hand and caught it, and it became a rod in his hand : that they may believe that the Lord God of their fathers, the God of Abraham, the God of Ifaac, and the God of Jacob hath appeared unto thee.

17....And Mofes returned to Jethro his father-inlaw, and faid unto him, Let me go, I pray thee, and return unto my brethren, who are in Egypt, and fee whether they be yet alive. And Jethro faid to Moses, Go in peace. And Mofes took the rod of God in his hand. And the Lord faid unto Mofes, When thou returneft into Egypt, fee that thou do all thefe wonders before Pharaoh, which I have put in thine hand.

And

18....And the Lord faid to Aaron (Mofes' elder brother Go into the wilderness to meet Mofes. he went, and met him in the mount of God, and kiffed him. And Mofes told Aaron all the words of the Lord, who had fent him, and all the figns which he had commanded him. And Mofes and Aaron went, and gathered together all the elders of the chiidren of Ifrael.

19....And Aaron fpake all the words which the Lord had spoken unto Mofes, and did the figns in the fight of the people. And the people believed: and when they heard that the Lord had vifited the children of Ifrael,

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