trong arm, amid many signs and wonders, and to magnify himself before all people.

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The instrument by which he resolved to effect this deliverance was Moses, the son of a Hebrew woman, who, to avoid destruction by the Egyptians, was hid by his mother in an ark in the bulrushes. by the river's brink; where he was discovered by Pharaoh's daughter, as she came to bathe and adopted by ner as her own son. In the court of Pharaoh, he was trained ip in all the learning of the Egyptians; and if we may credit osephus, was made a general in their armies, fought many batles, and was considered heir to the crown. But by faith he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing ather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward." He had a holy conidence in the promises of God, and he turned his eye and heart from the crown of Egypt, to the deliverance of his brethren from heir cruel bondage. Failing in some premature efforts to accomplish this, he fled to Midian, to Jethro, a priest, whose daughter he married, and with whom he lived forty years. Here he might have remained until death, had not Almighty God spoken to him out of the burning bush, and assured him of his design to deliver the Israelites by his hand. Obedient to the heavenly command, he left Jethro; and taking with him Aaron his brother, he appeared before Pharaoh, and demanded the release of the children of Israel. That haughty - monarch repulsed him with scorn. Then ensued such a series of judgments, as no nation before or since ever knew. Their river was turned into blood. Frogs, and lice and flies filled all their habitations. Murrain was on all their cattle. Boils covered man and beast. Rain and hail mingled with fire, descended upon their land Devouring locusts rested on all their coasts. A supernatural darkness, that might be felt, overspread the earth. And last and heaviest of all, the first born, "from the first born of Pharaoh that sat upon the throne to the first born of the maid that was behind the mill," became, in one night, cold and silent corpses.

The Egyptians were accustomed to divination. They had their diviners, enchanters, witches, charmers, wizards and necromancers. These were called in to confront Moses; and, as they pretended by their magical arts to perform the same wonders, the heart of Pharaoh was more and more hardened

be." In conformity with this prediction and promise, Judah was never without a ruler and law-giver, until subdued by the Romans, when Shiloh or Christ came; and when Jesus Christ appeared in Judah, then departed ruler and law-giver; and these have never since been known in her borders.

Jacob was born in the year of the world 2168. He was 75 years of age when he fled into Mesopotamia. He came into Egypt in 2298, and died 17 years after, being 147 years of age. When he came into Egypt, the visible church of God consisted of 70 souls.

A single instance of humble piety in that distant age of the world, even in the most retired walks of life, is refreshing to the soul. But we have exhibited to us a lovely youth, who, in the providence of God, was exalted almost to royalty, and became a father to his people; who feared God; resisted the most powerful allurements to sin; kept his garments white amid an adulterous generation, and stands forth an illustrious monument of the power of divine grace. This was Joseph, the eleventh son of Jacob. Moved with envy, his brethren sold him for a slave. But he became the deliverer of his people and temporal saviour of the Egyptian nation. His history is one of the most beautiful, pathetic, interesting and instructive tales which was ever written, and remarkably exhibits the overruling providence of God. His envious brethren sold him; but it was God who carried him into Egypt for the execution of his purposes.

During their long residence in Egypt, the chosen people of God multiplied astonishingly, though oppressed by a most cruel bondage; but having no religious ordinances, Sabbaths, or instruction, they in a great measure lost the true religion, and polluted themselves "with the idols of Egypt."*

Their bondage was a lively picture of the natural state of the true Israel; who were bond servants to sin, and in bondage to the law as a covenant of works.

-The Church was suffered to decline, that the seed of the woman might gain the more illustrious victory over the prince of darkness. The children of Israel, having served a heathen prince more than 200 years, until they had increased to two millions of souls, God determined to bring them out of bondage, in fulfilment of his promise to Abraham, with a high hand, and a

* Ezekiel, xx. 7.

strong arm, amid many signs and wonders, and to magnify himself before all people.

'The instrument by which he resolved to effect this deliverance was Moses, the son of a Hebrew woman, who, to avoid destruction by the Egyptians, was hid by his mother in an ark in the bulrushes by the river's brink; where he was discovered by Pharaoh's daughter, as she came to bathe and adopted by her as her own son. In the court of Pharaoh, he was trained up in all the learning of the Egyptians; and if we may credit Josephus, was made a general in their armies, fought many battles, and was considered heir to the crown. But by faith he refused to be called the son of Pharaoh's daughter; choosing rather to suffer affliction with the people of God, than to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season; esteeming the reproach of Christ greater riches than the treasures of Egypt, for he had respect unto the recompense of the reward." He had a holy confidence in the promises of God, and he turned his eye and heart from the crown of Egypt, to the deliverance of his brethren from their cruel bondage. Failing in some premature efforts to accomplish this, he fled to Midian, to Jethro, a priest, whose daughter he married, and with whom he lived forty years. Here he might have remained until death, had not Almighty God spoken to him out of the burning bush, and assured him of his design to deliver the Israelites by his hand. Obedient to the heavenly command, he left Jethro; and taking with him Aaron his brother, he appeared before Pharaoh, and demanded the release of the children of Israel. That haughty · monarch repulsed him with scorn. Then ensued such a series of judg ments, as no nation before or since ever knew. Their river was turned into blood. Frogs, and lice and flies filled all their habitations. Murrain was on all their cattle. Boils covered man and beast. Rain and hail mingled with fire, descended upon their land Devouring locusts rested on all their coasts. A supernatural darkness, that might be felt, overspread the earth. And last and heaviest of all, the first born, "from the first born of Pharaoh that sat upon the throne to the first born of the maid that was behind the mill," became, in one night, cold and silent corpses.

The Egyptians were accustomed to divination. They had their diviners, enchanters, witches, charmers, wizards and necromancers. These were called in to confront Moses; and, as they pretended by their magical arts to perform the same wonders, the heart of Pharaoh was more and more hardened

gave much heed to omens and prodigies-such as monsters, comets, eclipses, the flight of birds, and entrails of beasts.

The light of philosophy had, in some measure, opened the eyes of men in civilized Europe to the fooleries of idolatry, when Christ appeared; but it was three centuries before Christianity obtained a triumph over the gods of Rome. But little variation has probably been made in those countries which still remain pagan, from their former state. They have, from the days of Nahor, "served other gods,"*. -areold wastes, the desolations of many generations. India has her three hundred million deities. Her images are brass, wood and stone. horrid idol Juggernaut is drawn in a splendid car. Most of the islands of the Pacific have been, until of late, in the same awful bondage. When, O when shall they all cast their gods to the moles and the bats?

Her

"Be

Some would charitably suppose that every idolater is a sincere worshipper of his Creator and benefactor. But Paul assures us that idolatry originated in the depravity of the heart. cause that when they knew God they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imagination, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools; and changed the glory of the incorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man, and to birds, and four-footed beasts and creeping things." And the correctness of his declaration is evinced by the moral character of the whole heathen world. Through every generation, in every clime, it has been vile and abominable beyond what language can express. The picture of it in his day, drawn by Paul in the close of the first chapter of his Epistle to the Romans, is the best ever presented to the world, and is a correct representation of Heathen immorality in every period of time. "And even as they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind to do those things which are not convenient; being filled with all unrigh teousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, despiteful, haters of God, proud, boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents, without understanding, covenant-breakers, without natural affection, implacable, unmerci ful;-who, knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them."

* From idol worship the aborigines of America have been remarkably free.

PERIOD II.

FROM THE CALL OF ABRAHAM TO THE BIRTH OF CHRIST ; EMBRACING 1921 YEARS.

CHAPTER I.

Call of Abraham. Institution of Circumcision, and establishment of the Jewish Church. Destruction of the cities of the plain. State of religion in the world.

ABRAHAM was born in the 2008th year of the world; 352 years after the flood, and 1996 years before Christ. He was the son of Terah; and the tenth, in a direct line, from Noah. His ancestors lived in Ur of the Chaldees: whence his father came into Mesopotamia, expelled, if we may credit a traditionary account recorded in the book of Judith, by the idolaters, for his worship of the true God. Even they, however, were seduced into the heaven-provoking abomination, and bowed down, to some extent, to idols. "Your father," said God, by Joshua, "dwelt on the other side of the flood (the Euphrates) in old time; even Terah, the father of Abraham and the father of Nahor; and they served other gods." Besides Abraham, Terah had two sons, Nahor and Haran, and one daughter, Sarai, who became Abraham's wife. Though she was his sister she was of a different mother. Haran was the father of Lot and died in Ur.

As the nations were becoming corrupt with amazing rapidity, and true religion was in danger of being extinct in the world, God selected this family to be the depository of truth. He appeared to Abraham in the 75th year of his age, directed him to leave his country and his kindred, and go to a land he would show him, and promised that he would bless him and give him a numerous posterity, and that in him all the families of the earth should be blessed. This was the third time that the covenant of grace had been revealed by God to his Church. It