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النشر الإلكتروني

Amram and Jochebed, two pious Israelites of the tribe of Levi, had two children, Miriam and Aaron, before this bloody edict was proclaimed, at which period Jochebed was in daily expectation of being delivered of another child.

That expectation, which usually sweetens pain and suffering at these seasons, must now have been converted into fear and terror, lest the fruit of the womb should prove a male, and be consigned, as soon as it saw the light, to a watery grave, or to the devouring jaws of the crocodile.

Josephus informs us that Amram was comforted. in a vision, with an assurance that the child which his wife then bore should not only escape the malice of the tyrant, but prove, at last, the deliverer of the Israelites. The story is not unlikely, and St. Paul asserts that "Moses, when he was born, was hidden by his parents three months through faith," Hebrews xi. 23, which seems to imply that they had been favoured with some promise concerning him.

All the Jewish writers mention the beauty of this child in strong terms; and even Moses himself alludes to the circumstance: "And the woman conceived and bare a son; and when she saw that he was a goodly child, she hid him three months."

That Jochebed should be anxious to preserve her lovely babe from destruction, was perfectly natural; but it can hardly be supposed that the faith which prompted her to use her endeavours for this affectionate purpose, was grounded on a mere admiration of his beauty. The expression, therefore, must imply something superior to mere elegance of form, even something that indicated his being born for a great and mighty work.

Faith has its prospects, and nothing but a view of this nature could have influenced the minds of these good people to hide their darling child at the risk of their own lives. At length it became impossible to conceal the secret any longer, and Jochebed was driven to the sad necessity of exposing her beloved

infant to the most dreadful dangers. Still faith loses not its influence upon her mind. Though she must comply with the shocking requisition of Pharaoh, she adopts means whereby her child may escape the vengeance of the persecutor.

She knew that the God of Israel could save even from the mighty waters, and deliver the helpless from the devouring jaws of monsters. With great pains and considerable ingenuity she contrived a little basket of bulrushes, which she daubed both inside and out with slime and pitch. Alas! what a feeble bulwark was this against the numerous dangers to which the child must be exposed; and what chance could there be of his finding some kind hand to deliver him in a country, the inhabitants of which were set by inclination, as well as by the example and orders of their sovereign, against the Hebrew race?

But Jochebed acted by faith; and therefore she not only did the best she could to preserve her child, but she stationed her daughter Miriam near the brink of the river to watch the issue.

That gracious Being who put it into the heart of this excellent woman to provide an ark for the saving of her child, guided the steps of Pharaoh's daughter to the banks of the river with her maidens. The princess soon perceived the little vessel among the flags, and being struck with the singularity of its appearance, she caused it to be brought to her; but what were her emotions when, on opening it, she discovered an infant of remarkable beauty! The little foundling, as if conscious of his misery, and aware of the rank of the person that beheld him, "wept."

Sympathy and compassion stand not long in deliberation; this noble-minded lady no sooner viewed the helpless condition of the child, than she regarded him as thrown in her way for protection, and she formed the resolution of rearing him as her own

son.

Miriam, without seeming to have any particular

concern in this interesting scene, seized an oppor tunity of mingling with the attendants, and of recommending a Hebrew woman to nurse the child. Her offer being accepted, she instantly ran home with a joyful heart, and brought her mother, who received her child from the princess with a charge to "nurse it for me," and a promise of wages.

Jochebed had now no occasion to seek for secret places where she might lay her babe, to keep it from the prying eye of merciless inquisitors. Her fears and tears, her anxieties and agonies, were all changed into gratitude and joy; so gracious is the Almighty unto his faithful servants, and so bountiful is he unto all them that diligently seek him!

When the child was of a proper age, his pious moner, who had been careful to fix in his mind the principles of true religion, took him to court, where the princess affectionately received him, and gave him a name commemorative of his deliverance. "And she called him Moses, because," said she, "I drew him out of the water."

Under the protection of his illustrious patroness, be enjoyed the highest distinctions, and obtained a royal education, which advantage he did not fail to improve; for St. Stephen asserts, that "Moses was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians." Acts vii. 22.

The accomplishments of Moses as a scholar, and Lis achievements as a soldier, while he was regarded as a prince, are celebrated by ancient authors of great credit; but we must pass over these things, and confine our narrative within the limits of the sacred history. The space of time between his being brought to court, and his renunciation of royal dignity, is briefly noticed; so modest was Moses with respect to his personal history as to mention no circumstance concerning himself, but what had a manifest connection with the history of his nation.

Thus much we know, that at the age of forty he gave up all the prospects to which he was entitled as

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