hail, and fire: and they could not but have been severely felt. As this calamity came upon them towards the time of barley harveft, we may form a judgment of the month, when it happened. We are told by modern travellers that corn in Egypt is fit for mowing or reaping in March, and April: that is, the barley comes to maturity firft, and is cut down in the former month; and the wheat in the latter. When Le When Le Bruyn was

2

in that country he obferved the whole to be over at Cairo upon the 19th of April. This agrees with the account given by the facred writer, who says, that the barley was in the ear; though, as is intimated, not quite fit to be mowed: but the wheat and the rie were not grown up. Exod. c. 9. v. 32. This judgment therefore must have happened about the beginning of March, before the precife time of harveft: fo early as to leave room for the three fuc

Egmont and Hayman, vol. 2. p. 223.

Wheat ripens in March, and harvest over in April. Haffelquist, p. 453.

• Levant, p. 134. b.

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ceeding

eeeding plagues to take place. These were over by the 15th of Abib, which answers to the first of April ; at which time the Ifraelites went forth from the land of Egypt. The history by these means is wonderfully authenticated: and the divine purpose in each operation more plainly discovered.

THE

THE THIRD PART.

LOCUSTS, DARKNESS,

And DEATH OF THE FIRST BORN.

The Eighth Plague.

LOCUSTS.

Exod. C. x. V. 3. And Mofes and Aaron came in unto Pharaoh, and faid unto him, Thus

faith the Lord God of the Hebrews. How long wilt thou refuse to humble thyself before me? let my people go, that they may ferve

me.

V. 4. Elfe, if thou refuse to let my people go, behold, to-morrow will I bring the locufts into thy coafts:

V. 5. And they shall cover the face of the earth, that one cannot be able to fee the earth: and they shall eat the refidue of that, which efcaped, which remaineth unto you from

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from the bail, and shall eat every tree which groweth for you out of the field-&c. &c.

V. 13. And Mofes ftretched forth his rod over the land of Egypt, and the Lord brought an east wind upon the land all that day and all that night: and when it was morning, the east wind brought the locufts.

V. 14. And the locusts went up over all the land of Egypt, and refted in all the coafts of Egypt: very grievous were they; before them there were no fuch locufts as they, neither after them shall be fuch.

V. 15. For they covered the face of the whole earth, fo that the land was darkened; and they did eat every herb of the land, and all the fruit of the trees which the bail had left: and there remained not any green thing in the trees, or in the herbs of the field, through all the land of Egypt.

V. 16. Then Pharaoh called for Mofes and Aaron in hafte; and he faid, I have finned against the Lord your God, and against you,

V. 17. Now therefore forgive, I pray thee, my fin only this once, and intreat the Lord your God, &c. &c.

V. 19. And the Lord turned a mighty

Strong

ftrong weft wind, which took away the locusts, and caft them into the Red fea, &c.

Το

In this inftance, as well as in others, which preceded, the time of the approaching calamity was precifely foretold by God's fervants, which plainly pointed out the hand, from whence the judgment proceeded. some however it may appear strange, that after fuch a difplay of terror, Exod. c. 9. v. 23. 24. God fhould introduce the locuft or grafshopper, feemingly a poor inftrument of divine vengeance: whose effects after such a general devaftation could not have been very material, however they may be represented. But the cafe was far otherwife. A fwarm of locufts is a very fearful evil, though not outwardly accompanied with any alarming appearance and the confequences of their introduction were very fatal to the Egyptians.

We may perceive, that it was not the purpose of God to complete every punishment at once: but to carry on thefe judgments in a feries, and by degrees to cut off all hopes, and every refource, upon which the Egyptians depended. By the hail and thunder K 4

and