V. 2. Now the way which God made choice of to convince Pharaoh was by multiplying figns and wonders in the land of Egypt, that the Egyptians might know that he was the Lord, when he ftretched forth his hand upon Egypt, Exod. vii. 3, 5.

Here the question plainly was between God under the character of the God of the Hebrews, and the god of the Egyptians, which of them was fupreme: and this point could only be determined by a fuperiority of power fhewn in miracles. And, if we attend to the nature of the miracles wrought by Mofes, they will appear to be fuch as plainly pointed out the hand of the almighty Creator. The author of the book of Wisdom tells us, that the Egyptians, being deceived by the foolish devices of their wickedness, worShipped ferpents void of reafon, Wifd. xi. 15. And the most ancient account we have of that people from profane history confirms the observation. And therefore the firft miracle performed by Mofes was a direct conqueft over the deities of Pharaoh : for, when his rod was changed into a ferpent, and devoured all the ferpents produced by the magicians, what could Pharaoh reasonably conclude, but that the God, in whose name Moses spoke, was God of gods, and Lord of lords? And, when the magicians were compelled to acknowledge the divine power of Mofes, and openly to declare to Pharaoh that the finger of God was in it, one would imagine that this triumph over the deities and magicians of Egypt fhould have furnished a complete answer to that demand of Pharaoh, Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice? But he continued obftinate.

But the purpose of God in fending Mofes to fhew his wonders in the land of Egypt was intended not only for the deliverance of the Hebrews, but to make his name known over all the nations of the earth for, as Egypt was at that time a great and flourishing kingdom, and was notoriously the feat of fuperftition and idolatry, from whence the infection spread to all the nations round about, it was of all others the propereft fcene for God to exert his power and authority for the conviction of all people. And for this reafon God had connived at the wickedness and idolatry of Egypt, and fuffered the kingdom to grow very great, that their punishment might be the more exemplary: In very deed for this caufe have I raised thee up, for to fhew in thee my power; and that my name may be declared throughout all the earth, Exod. ix. 16.

The miracles wrought in Egypt were such as all the world had a concern in: for they were fo near akin to the works of the creation, that by a juft comparison they might be known to come from the fame hand for who but the Author of nature could ftir up things animate and inanimate to punish offenders? When God flew all the first-born in Egypt in one night, and preferved the people of Ifrael in fafety; when he led the people of Ifrael through the Red fea by commanding the waters to open them a paffage, and drowned Pharaoh and all his hoft by bringing the waters back upon them; did not God by these figns plainly speak to them, and fay, See now that I, even I, am he, and there is no god with me: I kill, and I make alive; I wound, and I heal>

neither is there any that can deliver out of my hand? Deut. xxxii. 39.

This ufe of miracles appears throughout the hiftory of the Jews. Thus, in the conteft between Elijah and the priests of Baal, the Prophet laid before the people this choice: If the Lord be God, follow him; but if Baal, then follow him, 1 Kings xviii. The people were filent: the difpute was referred to be determined by figns and wonders: and, when the people faw the hand of God made manifeft, they fell on their faces, and faid, The Lord, he is the God! the Lord, he is the God! ver. 39.

The cafe of the deftruction of the army of the Affyrians in the reign of Hezekiah, when an hundred and fourfcore and five thousand men were deftroyed in one night by the angel of God, feems to carry with it a severity hard to be accounted for. The king of Affyria with his great hoft laid fiege to Jerusalem; and so had other princes done without falling under fo great calamity: but the case of Sennacherib had this peculiar in it, that he sent a defiance to God, and boafted himself of many victories obtained against him. Hear the meffage he fent to Hezekiah: Thus faith the great king, the king of Affyria, What confidence is this wherein thou trufteft? Hearken not unto Hezekiah: for thus faith the king of Affyria, Hath any of the gods of the nations delivered at all his land out of the hand of the king of Affyria? Who are they, among all the gods of the countries, that have delivered their country out of my hand, that the Lord fhould deliver Jerufalem out of my hand? 2 Kings xviii. You fee here the king of Affyria acting the same part with the king of Egypt; and, if his

power was broken all at once, he suffered but in the same way that the king of Egypt did; and this judgment was brought upon him with the same view, to make him an example, and to vindicate and affert the supremacy of God in the eyes of all the nations.

This appears to be the first and original use of miracles, and they are an immediate and direct proof of what they are brought to affert, the fupremacy of God. For, when the fingle queftion is, who is the mightiest, muft it not be decided in his favour who vifibly exerts the greatest acts of power? In this cafe no difficulty can arise from the suppofition that other beings as well as God are able to work miracles. The miracles performed by the magicians in Egypt were fo far from leffening the authority of the works done by Mofes, that they added to it for the greater the powers were which God humbled and fubdued, the greater evidence did he give of his own fuperiority. So that, whether you suppose that evil fpirits have natural powers to do fuch and the like works, or are fometimes employed and permitted by God, for the punishment of men, to deceive them by fuch appearances, in both cases they are equally fubject to the power of God.

With respect to the people of the Jews, miracles had a double use: for by their long continuance in Egypt they became infected with the errors and fuperftitions of the country, and served their idols. So that they wanted a proof that the God of their fathers was indeed the fupreme Being, as much as the Egyptians themfelves. Thus the Prophet Ezekiel fays in the name of God, In the day when I chofe

Ifrael, and lifted up, mine hand unto the feed of the, houfe of Jacob, and made myself known unto them in the land of Egypt, when I lifted up mine hand unto them, faying, I am the Lord your God;-then faid I unto them, Caft ye away every man the abominations of his eyes, and defile not yourselves with the idols of Egypt: I am the Lord your God. But they rebelled againft me ;-they did not caft away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forfake the idols of Egypt, Ezek. xx. 5, &c. Which account given by the Prophet fhews plainly their corrupt ftate in Egypt; which was not eafily worn off, as appears from their frequent acts of difobedience in their paffage through the wilderness, and their great propenfity to fall back into idolatry: fo that God was frequently provoked to deftroy them; and, had they been chosen for their own fake, they would have been destroyed: but, God having made choice of them to be his own peculiar people, and intending to manifeft himself to the heathen world by the protection of that people, he faved them for his own name's fake: which is the account the Prophet Ezekiel gives, fpeaking in the name of God, I faid, I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish my anger against them in the midst of the land of Egypt. But I wrought for my name's fake, that it should not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, in whofe fight I made myself known unto them, in bringing them forth out of the land of Egypt, ver. 8, 9.

But there was another ufe of miracles peculiar to the Jews, in which the Egyptians had no concern: for Mofes was fent not only to be their deliverer, but alfo to be their lawgiver. With the Egyptians