The pious parents of whom he was born;-the time and peculiar circumstances of his birth ;-his having an elder sister and brother, who appear in so striking a manner at subsequent stages of his history; his concealment for three months, till his growth should the better enable him to be separated a little while from his mother, and endure the exposure on the banks of the Nile, and become a more winning object to interest the sympathies of any one who might discover him;-the skill, the faith, and the resolution of the parent which enabled her to plan this mode of exposure, and to carry it into execution;-the coming down of the daughter of Pharaoh, at the propitious and critical juncture, to notice and take up the infant ;-the attractions of his loveliness and tears to awaken her sympathies in his behalf;-the watchings of Miriam and her timely inquiry;-the assent of the princess; the intrusting of the child to his own. mother, to be restored to his native source of nourishment, and to be cherished by her who, of all human beings, would take the best care of him, and lay the foundation of his constitutional vigor of body and energy of mind;-his being nurtured by his parents in the true religion,-the faith of Abraham, of Isaac, and of Jacob; his being the early subject of their prayers;-the tender associations of attachment which he formed under the domestic roof, never to be forgotten or broken, with his be

loved Miriam and Aaron, the latter of whom especially, was afterwards associated with him in so many important affairs;-his being adopted by the daughter of Pharaoh, and, under her patronage, enjoying means of improvement, and of influence, which he could have acquired in no other situation;-all these minute and essential links in the wonderful chain of Providence that led Moses on to the peculiar station for which God had designed him, teach us the infinite wisdom and power of that Providence. Every link in that chain must be com. plete and in its place, to insure the intended result. Who but the Almighty can thus arrange and control all events, so as to carry his purposes into exact accomplishment, at the time, and in the way, that he sees best!

My dear young friend, your life, and breath, and all that belongs to, or interests you, are equally under the control, and at the disposal, of this Almighty Being. He will do with you as seemeth best in his sight. Do you acquiesce in this truth, and rejoice in it?

You know his will in one important respect. He is not willing that you should perish in your sins. He desires your salvation, and will aid you in procuring it by his Word, his Providence, and his Spirit, if you will but strive to work out your own salvation with fear and trembling.

CHAPTER IV.

Moses leaves the Court of Pharaoh. He puts an Egyptian to death.

At the court of Pharaoh, Moses not only became learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and acquired a vast amount of that experience which he afterwards so much needed, but, as the Scriptures inform us, was mighty in words und in deeds.

From this it would appear, that his power and influence were great; and that by public actions, of the particulars of which we are ignorant, he had signalized himself-in view of the whole nation. He was enjoying still the favor of the princess, and the protection of the king; while his countrymen, the Israelites, were continuing to groan under the oppression of their task-masters.

What strong inducements were thus presented to the mind of Moses, had he been an ambitious and worldly man, to remain in the midst of the luxury and splendor which surrounded him, and to aspire to still higher degrees of rank and power. The pride and selfishness of the human heart, would have prompted to such a course. Thousands

have fallen victims to these dazzling temptations. But he, who was to be the deliverer of his nation, had a principle within him that could withstand and overcome such allurements. It was faith in the character and promises of God; and we shall soon see the effects which it had the power to produce.

Moses was now forty years of age. He had consented to continue thus long at the court of the king, in order to qualify himself for some post of duty in aid of his afflicted countrymen, as Providence might open the way. He was acquiring an influence which, at some favorable opportunity, he might use with success in their behalf. He was watching the progress of events, with constant supplications for the divine guidance, that he might be wisely directed in such a momentous concern. And it is highly probable, that he had already endeavored, by the use of the means which were within his reach, to induce Pharaoh to relieve the Israelites from, their unjust and cruel bondage. But all such efforts proved unavailing; and the time had come when Moses felt it to be his duty to take a new and different course.

He was aware that as soon as he should begin, in any open and decided manner, to assert the rights of his countrymen, and to connect himself with them by avowing his interests and theirs to be the same, he would not only lose the favor of the

king, but probably incur his settled and deadly hatred. He had too much regard, however, to his duty, and too much confidence in God, to shrink before any dangers of this kind. He saw that the crisis had come. He must lay aside the splendors of his rank, and the exercise of his worldly power. He must forego the satisfaction he enjoyed in associating with the intelligent and learned, and exploring with them the wonders of nature and of art. The charms of literature and science; the refinements and luxuries of a court; the society of the accomplished and renowned; the brightening prospects of higher honors and influence-must all be abandoned. The tie that bound him to his longtried and faithful patroness, the daughter of the king, must be broken. For, under such circumstances, she would be constrained to disown him, and he must cease to be regarded as the son of her adoption. He must take up his lot with his oppressed kinsfolks and people, and be treated as one of them in their low and degraded condition.

For all this, and for any other sufferings which he might be obliged to endure, he had made up his mind. His purpose was fixed and irrevocable. Paul, in his Epistle to the Hebrews, furnishes us with the solution of what men of the world would regard as conduct so strange and unaccountable. It was confidence in God, while acting under a deep