VII. THE FAMILY OF MOSES. THE lustre of the public life of Moses has thrown into the shade the more private and domestic portions of his history. Besides, this has little connection with the great design of the Sacred Record, and is therefore briefly passed over. But the qualities exhibited in the administration of the great lawgiver also illustrate the character of the exemplary founder of a family. His disregard of self, and absolute devotion to the will of God—the kindly and generous affections which appear in many of his actions, his influence over others, and capacity to rule and guide them-his firmness and judgment, blended with a meekness that precluded motives of interest or ambition-all qualified him to fill with honour and usefulness a sphere more limited, as well as he filled the elevated place of lawgiver to the chosen people. It may not be profitless, therefore, to dwell on the outline given of his personal history. The accession of a new monarch in Egypt, by whom the eminent services of Joseph were forgotten, brought into rigorous bondage the race of strangers, who, at first guests in the land, had increased and multiplied so as to become formidable to its governors. The policy adopted to diminish their numbers and crush their spirit -that of forcing them to labour in building cities, and in all manner of hard service, oppressing them with taskmasters, who exacted toil beyond their strength-having failed in its object, the bloody edict was issued for the destruction of all their male children, and the execution of the decree was committed to the king's servants. Amidst the terrors of this law, which none dared resist, the wife of Amram, a descendant of Levi, bore a son, whose existence she concealed three months from the executioners of the barbarous edict. When she could hide him no longer, she committed her cherished child to the mercy of God, in faith, as we are informed, leaving the event in the hands of a wisdom greater than her own. In his ark of bulrushes, laid among the flags on the river's brink, the child was found and adopted by a princess, who, at the suggestion of his sister Miriam, employed the mother to nurse the infant. Some of the ancient classic fables in which the idea of immutable destiny is prominent—a destiny against which the short-sighted will of mortals struggles in vain, bringing about the accomplishment by efforts to avert what is impending-might have been suggested by this simple but picturesque history. Rabbinical tradition represents the Egyptian king mysteriously warned of one among the Hebrews, who was to bring his power to the dust, and achieve deliverance and greatness for his own people. Although nothing in the Scripture narrative sanctions such a belief, the vague dread cherished by the tyrant of the growing strength of the nation held in slavery and rendered hostile by oppression-is particularly mentioned. In the hope and expectation of soon cutting short the race, he takes into his household the very person appointed for the work of deliverance, and causes him to be trained in all the wisdom of the Egyptians. It appears that some consciousness of his own high destiny was in the mind of Moses from his youth. His rank, favour at court, and the brilliant prospects open to ambition,, were deliberately renounced by him when he had reached the age of manhood. He observed the sunken and servile condition of the seed of Abraham; his heart went forth to those poor toiling slaves, and he determined to cast his lot among them. He chose "to suffer affliction with the people of God," rather than live the favourite of a monarch, the heir of honours and wealth and power, among the proud and idolatrous. His generous choice made, and probably the impulse of his divine |