Jacob, having thus pronounced his prophetical blessing to each of his sons, solemnly charged them to deposit his remains in the tomb of his ancestors, and laid. himself again on his bed, where he expired, in the hundred and forty-seventh year of his age.

At this affecting moment, Joseph threw himself upon the corpse of his beloved parent, and expressed all the sorrow which might be naturally supposed to result from the loss of such a friend, and the warmth of his own filial affection. At length, having given full vent to his grief, he ordered the body to be embalmed, and. desired some of Pharaoh's officers to acquaint their royal master with his father's last request, whilst he him-self made suitable preparations for the funeral, and the Egyptians devoted seventy days to respectful lamentation. Pharaoh readily granted his favorite's request concerning the sepulture of his parent, and ordered all. the officers of his household, and the chief grandees of the kingdom, to accompany the funeral pomp. Accordingly the cavalcade consisted of a great number of chariots, and a prodigious multitude of horsemen, who, having crossed the Jordan, halted for seven days at the threshing floor of Atad, and performed some fu-. neral ceremonies, which induced the inhabitants of Canaan to call the place Abel-Mizraim, or "the Mourning of the Egyptians." Then, resuming their march,, they proceeded to the cave of Machpelah, where the body of the venerable patriarch was interred with due solemnity.

Notwithstanding the affection which Joseph had, on all occasions, shown toward his brethren, they were yet so ignorant of his magnanimous disposition, that, on their return from Israel's interment, they began to dread

the effects of his resentment, and even sent an humble message to acquaint him that his father had earnestly desired he would pardon all past injuries, and still grant them his protection. Joseph was affected, even to tears, at this circumstance; and, sending for his petitioners, effectually dispersed their fears by the warmth of his fraternal embraces, and the readiness with which he promised them his future friendship and support. "Fear ye not," said the pious ruler of Egypt, "I will nourish both you and your little ones."

B. C. 1635.

Nothing more is recorded of Israel's family till the time of Joseph's death, when he sent for his brethren, and told them, in the same prophetic spirit which had illuminated his aged father, that God would assuredly perform his gracious promises, by bringing their posterity out of Egypt, and giving them the land of Canaan for an inheritance. He, therefore, earnestly requested that they would not bury him in Goshen, but lay his body in a coffin, and deposit it in some secure place, whence they might take it, on the accomplishment of his predictions, to the Land of Promise. Having taken an oath of his brethren for the fulfilment of this wish, Joseph resigned his spirit into the hands of his Maker, in the hundred and tenth year of his age, having continued for the space of eighty years in possession of those honors which the Egyptian monarch justly conferred upon his extraordinary merit and wisdom.

Subsequent to this melancholy occurrence, the descendants of Israel increased prodigiously both in strength and numbers: but as they were now deprived of their most powerful friend, and the throne was filled by a new prince, who was either ignorant or

forgetful of the services which Joseph had rendered to the Egyptian crown and nation, they soon excited the jealousy of the natives; who began to fear that they would eventually cover the whole face of the kingdom, and, therefore, resolved to weaken them by taxes, la bours, and every species of tyrannical oppression.

This cruel project was immediately put in execution; but as it appeared, after several years, that neither the hardships icted by law, nor the cruelties exercised by the Egy task-masters, produced the desired effect, the chief Hebrew midwives were summoned to court, and strictly enjoined to destroy every new-born male, and let the females take their chance. But these women, who feared God, and abhorred the very idea of such unnatural barbarity, neglected their orders, and saved all the children without discrimi nation. Hereupon a diabolical edict was promulgated, commanding that every male child of the Hebrews that was born should be cast into the Nile, and that none but the females should be permitted to live. By this decree the unfortunate Israelites were reduced to the sad necessity of drowning their own children, or of seeing them drowned by their merciless oppressors; but whilst their hearts were rent with anguish at their hopeless situation, and the Egyptians were triumphing in their calamities, God was bringing about the accomplishment of his immutable promise; and an infant was born, to humble the pride of Egypt, and to lead his groaning countrymen, in triumph, from the house of bondage.

67

CHAP. IV.

From the Birth of Moses, to the Conquest of Canaan by the Israelites.

1571.

B. C. SOME time after the promulgation of Pharaoh's inhuman edict, Amram the son of Kohath, and Jochebed the daughter of Levi were blest with a son, of such exquisite beauty that they felt a more than ordinary reluctance to obey the royal mandate, and accordingly ventured to conceal him for the space of three months; but, at length, their dread of a discovery, which would inevitably have been attended with fatal consequences, compelled them to expose him like the rest. Accordingly they enclosed him in a small ark of bulrushes, and committed him to the mercy of the waters, leaving his sister Miriam, at a convenient distance to observe the event.

The reeds and flags with which the Nile abounded soon arrested the progress of the ark; and Pharaoh's daughter, who was approaching the river with an intent to bathe, immediately sent some of her retinue to fetch it. Her surprise at the sight of so lovely a child bathed in its own tears, and thus exposed to destruction, was soon succeeded by the softer emotions of compassion. She justly supposed it to be the child of some unfortunate Hebrew, who groaned beneath her father's oppression, and her pity suggested the idea of saving such a beau, teous innocent from the common ruin. Accordingly, she resolved to have it educated as her own son, and young

Miriam, who now approached the princess, was sent to procure a Hebrew nurse; in consequence of which, Jochebed received her infant once more to her arms, with a strict charge to use him as tenderly as if he were her own. As the princess did not know the child's name, she called him Moses, in token of having drawn him out of the water, and dismissed the nurse with a promise of ample remuneration for her care. Jochebed, accordingly, hastened home, to adore her Creator for this unexpected providence, and to impart her felicity to her beloved husband.

In process of time, Moses was taken to the princess, who adopted him as her son, and appointed proper tutors to instruct him in all the branches of learning for which Egypt was renowned. But his parents had given him such excellent counsel respecting the true worship of the Almighty that he made no other use of the princely education which Pharaoh's daughter bestowed upon him, than to confirm himself in his detestation of the Egyptian idols and superstitions. Hence he preferred the reproachful name of an Israelite to all the honors of the court, and took every opportunity of visiting and relieving, to the best of his ability, his unfortunate countrymen.

B. C.

Having observed, one day, an Egyptian using 1531. a Hebrew with great barbarity he was so violently exasperated that, seeing no person near, he rushed upon the oppressor, killed him, and buried his body in the sand: he was not, however, so secure as he imagined; for on his attempting, soon afterward, to compose a quarrel between two Hebrews, whose cruel bondage could not hinder them from injuring each other, the most passionate of the two asked him whether ha