to our hands. Let us look into the Hiftory as carefully as may be. Ægypt was certainly the Spring and Foun tain of Idolatry, the very Sink of all impure Abomina tions both in Worship and in Practice; you cannot read of it in Sacred or Profane Hiftories, but you will find this Character made good. The King of it, to all his other Wickednefs, added the most violent and cruel Oppreffion of the Hebrews, who were his born Subjects and certainly, nothing can more provoke a merciful and juft God to Anger, than to fee a Prince, who is appointed by him to do Juftice, and fhew P Mer

Mercy to all his People, and to make them happy under a wife and righteous Adminiftration; to fee him exercise his Power in plaguing them, and making them moft miferable, by most exorbitant Exactions, and a moft rigorous and unjust Oppreffion of their Liberties. This was the Cafe of Egypt and its King, with refpect to Ifrael, as you may fee Exod. i. 13, 14.16. For thefe Reasons, God did juftly refolve both to punish Ægypt, iii. 7, 8, 9. and refolve moreover to make his Punishment remarkable, and his Judgments most notorious, that all the neighbouring World might fee, and dread the Ex

ample.

ample. He was now also about to execute his Promise made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, to give their Seed the Land of Canaan, to establish them a People, and fet up his Name amongst them.

To

make them the more remarkable in the fight of all the Nations round, he refolv'd to bring them out of bondage, with an high hand and ftretched-out arm, that every one might fee the fingular Favour he bore to them. And to this end he intended to work great Miracles, which he forefaw Pharaoh would harden himself against, but which would make the Deliverance F 2

more

more confpicuous, in the Eyes of all the World.

A. I must then allow, you think, that when a Nation has, by its crying Sins and Wickedness, made it felf fit for God's Judgments, he may, with Juftice, execute them upon it, in fuch a manner as fhall tend most to his Glory, the Difcouragement of Sin, and the fhewing forth his Hatred of it, even by giving them more Opportunities of offending against him, and oppofing his Will, altho' he know they will make that ufe of his Judgments and Inflictions. B. You muft; and I hope you see there is no Iniquity in fuch a Proceeding, fup

pofing thefe Judgments are juftly due, and a Punishment but equall to their Offences, Now all thefe Miracles that were wrought in Egypt, produced those Judgments that were to punish its Offences; and tho' God certainly knew that they would have no effect on Pharaoh, but harden him the more to a Refufal of complying with his Will, yet were they but juft Expreffions of his Anger, and a just Punish. ment of their Wickedness, Confider thefe Plagues by themselves, and you will find them due to the Sins of E gypt, confider them as wrought miraculously, and then they were to let the King and Peo

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ple