xxxii. 10. he interceded for the people in the following truly noble manner. And Mofes befought the Lord his God, and faid unto the Lord, Why does thy wrath wax hot against thy people, whom thou haft brought forth out of the land of Egypt, with great power and with a mighty hand? Wherefore fhould the Egyptians Speak, and fay, For mifchief did he bring them out to play them in the mountains, and to confume them from the face of the earth? Turn from thy fierce anger, and repent of this evil against thy people. Remember Abraham, Ifaac, and Ifrael thy fervants, to whom thou fwareft by thine own felf, and faidft unto them, I will multiply your feed as the ftars of heaven; and all this land that I have spoken of will I give unto your feed, and they fhall inherit it for ever. Thus ended this remarkable tranfaction, difgraceful, indeed, to the Ifraelites, but highly favourable to the evidence of the divine miflion of Mofes, and the truth of their religion.

If there had been any fecret in the miracles of Mofes, it must have been known to Aaron, who was always employed as

the

the inftrument of them, by waving his rod, as the fignal when they were to take place; and this fecret would probably have been difcovered when he and their fifter Miriam complained of the fuperiority which he affumed over them, though he was the younger brother, and had married a stranger; which in their opinion degraded him. Numb. xii. 1. And Miriam and Aaron Spake against Mofes, because of the Ethiopian woman whom he had married. And they faid, Hath the Lord indeed Spoken only by Mofes, and bath he not Spoken also by us? This discontent, however, implied no doubt of the divine interpofition in favour of the nation, but only a diffatisfaction at the preeminence of Mofes, as the chief inftrument of it. However, notwithstanding the difadvantage of Mofes in the respects above mentioned, and his own unambitious nature, the conteft was foon decided in his favour by the interpofition of God himself, and both Aaron and all the people were fatisfied.

At the report of the fpies who were fent to explore the land of Canaan, all the

peo

ple

ple were disheartened, and ready to go back to Egypt. But Mofes, fo far from doing any thing to footh and pacify them, affured them that, on account of this diftruft of the power and promife of God, they would be detained forty years in the wilderness, and that not one of them who had murmured would be permitted to fee the promifed land. This reproach instigated them to make a rash attempt to enter the country, but when that proved unfuccessful, as Mofes had foretold, they were far from executing their purpofe of returning into Egypt; and being fully fatisfied with refpect to the divine power that accompanied Mofes, and which had conducted them hitherto, they fubmitted to this hard fentence, obeyed his orders as before, and continued to live a wandering life in the wilderness the whole of the forty years, without making any more attempts, either to return to Egypt, or to invade Canaan prematurely. What greater proof can be required of this refractory people being convinced that God was with Mofes, and that by him he conducted them?

The

The rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, by far the most formidable that Mofes ever encountered, implied no diffatisfaction with refpect to their being guided by the hand of God, but only with the pre-eminence of Mofes and Aaron. For we read, Num. xvi. 3. And they gathered themselves together against Mofes and against Aaron, and faid unto them, Ye take too much upon you, feeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them. Wherefore then lift ye yourselves up above the congregation of the Lord? This rebellion, however, was foon terminated in the most awful manner, the earth opening and swallowing up thefe complainers with every thing belonging to them, as was previously announced by Mofes, and we hear no more complaints of the kind. The measure may appear harsh, but it was neceffary that the authority of Mofes should be thoroughly established.

It is not neceffary for me to vindicate the conduct of God with refpect to the Ifraelites, or to the world at large, though I shall hereafter make fome observations on

this fubject; my principal object in this Difcourfe being to illuftrate the proof of his actual interpofition. And certainly there cannot be any clearer evidence of it than the opening of the earth at the word of a man.

But we may be fatisfied that whatever the author of Nature does, it will appear to be ultimately right, however it may appear to us at prefent. It is in the hand of the fame Being who conducted the Ifraelites that we ourselves, and all our concerns, neceffarily are. It is, therefore, our business to accommodate ourselves to his will, and acquiefce in his proceedings, unless we think that we can better our condition by complaining.

Among other internal evidences of the fidelity and truth of the Mofaic hiftory, is the excellent character, which, from an attention to the narrative only, we cannot help forming of Mofes. upon him, Num. xii. 3.

Mofes was very meek above

That encomium

Now the man all the men that

were on the face of the earth, was evidently the remark of fome other perfon, after

wards