C

tainly bring them out of the Babylonian captivity; and the cardinal's conjecture cannot be at all supported by it. Africanus says, that, these pastors who over-ran Egypt were Phoenicians; but hints, that some other writers thought them to be Arabians. These two opinions are not so widely different as they seem to be; for Africanus hints that his Phoenicians came out of the eastern parts, (εκ των προς ανατολην μερων) and the ancients did not accurately distinguish, but often called the whole land of Canaan with the countries adjacent, by the name of Phoenicia. It is indeed true that the Arabians are situate rather southward than eastward, and I do not think that these pastors came out of that country. The most probable conjecture that I can make about them is, that they were the Horites whom the children of Esau drove out of their own land. These Horites were a people who lived by pasturage; and were expelled their country much about this time. Their passage into Egypt was almost directly from the East, and they had great reason to fortify the eastern parts of Egypt; very probably apprehending that the enemy who had dispossessed them of their own country, might take occasion to follow them thither. It may seem unaccountable, that a number of unsettled people should be able to seize upon and overturn the government of a large, a wise, and well-established kingdom. But this will not appear so surprising, if we consider the state of kingdoms in these ages: Thucydides' observation

concerning the ancient states of Greece might be applied to all the kingdoms of the world in the early ages. Kings had not so firm and secure a possession of their thrones, nor yet the people of the countries they inhabited, as we are apt to think from a judgment formed from the present state of the world. As there was but little traffic stirring in these times, so distant kingdoms had little or no acquaintance with one another; nor did they know of designs formed against themselves until they came to feel them. When the Israelites went out of Egypt, and were come into the Wilderness, they exercised and formed their discipline and government for forty years together; and though they were exceedingly numerous, yet no great notice was taken of them, by any of the nations which lay near them, until they were ready to attack them. Where could such a body of people get together now in the world, and not have an alliance of all the neighbouring kingdoms ready to require an account of their designs? But in these carly days

Mollia securæ peragebant otia gentes. OVID.

Kings apprehended no foreign attacks, until the armies, which came to conquer them, were at their doors; and so their kingdoms were more easily overran by them. Egypt was a very flourishing kingdom, but not famous for war. We do not read of any exercise this way, or any trial of their arms from the

Thucydid. lib. 1.

days of their first king to this time; so that these Horites (if they were indeed the Horites) might easily conquer them, and gain themselves a settlement in their kingdom; as the Arcadians did in Thrace; the Pelasgi and afterwards the Trojans did in Italy; nay, and in much later days the Franconians issued out of their own country in this manner in armed multitudes, and conquered France, and set up there that government, to which that kingdom is now stject, The time when these pastors thus over-ran Egypt, may be pretty well determined in the following manner. 1. It was before Moses was born; for the new king of Egypt had taken several measures to oppress the Israelites before the time of Moses' birth," and Moses was born A. M. 2433. 2. It was after Levi's death, for Joseph died and all his brethren before this new king arose, that knew not Joseph ;" and Levi lived to be one hundred and thirty-seven years old, and so being born about A. M. 2253, he died A. M.2390.3, It was some years after Levi's death, for not only Joseph and his brethren were dead, but all that generation. Benjamin was born twenty years after Levi, and therefore we may suppose that he, or at least some of that generation, lived so long after Levi's death, i. e. to A.M. 2410, so that it was after that year and before the year of Moses' birth 2433, perhaps about the year 2420. Now this account will place it much about

f Davila's History of the Civil Wars of France, book i. & Exod. i. h Ver. 6. i Chap. vi. 16. k Levi was Jacob's third son. Jacob married A.M. 2250. Levi might be born about three years after Jacob married.

the same time that the Horites were expelled Seir by the children of Esau; for they were expelled by Esaus' grandchildren of the families of his younger sons Reuel and Aliphaz, and these pastors came to Egypt in the time of Jacob(s grand-children by his younger sons, their fathers being all dead. If we determine the pastors coming into Egypt about the year 2420 above-mentioned, and in the fifth year of the reign of Concharis; we may count backwards one hundred and thirty-three years, in Sir John Marsham's list of the kings of Tanis; for so many years passed between Joseph's advancement and A. M. 2420, and so determine who the king was, and in what year of his reign he advanced Joseph. Now, according to this account Joseph was advanced by Thusimares the twentieth king of Tanis, and in the thir teenth year of Thusimares' reign, as I have before supposed.

The pastors and their king took particular care to keep the Israelites low. He made them his slaves, employed them in building store-houses and walls for Abaris, which was afterwards called Pelusium, or according to Moses, Pithom, and for Raamses," and in making brick, and in other laborious services; and considering that they increased exceedingly in num. bers, he ordered the midwives to kill every male child who should be born of any of them." The midwives did not execute his orders, therefore he thought of

I Marsham Can. Chron. p.105. Josephus cont. Appion. lib. 1. Eusebius Præp. Evang. lib. 10. c. 12. " Ver. 16.

in Exod. i. 11.

another way to destroy them, and charged all his people to have every male child, who was born to the Israelites, thrown into the river.

There is a difficulty in the account, which Moses gives in this place of the midwives: It came to pass, because the midwives feared GOD, that he made them houses, Can we suppose that God raised houses for the midwives miraculously? or could the Israelites, oppressed in slavery, shew so great gratitude as to build them any? or if they could, dare they venture to requite them so publicly, for refusing to act as the king ordered them?, If I may take a liberty of guessing, I should think that Moses did not mean in this place, that houses were built for the midwives; but for the Israelites. It will be queried who was the builder? Why should GoD upon the case here before us build the Israelites' houses? I answer; it was not GOD built the houses here spoken of, but Pharaoh. The case was this: Pharaoh had charged the midwives to kill the male children that were born of the Hebrew women: the midwives feared GoD, and omitted to do as the king had commanded, pretending in excuse for their omission, that the Hebrew women were generally delivered before they could get to them. Pharaoh hereupon resolving to prevent their increase, gave a charge to his people to have all the male children of the Hebrews thrown into the river; but this command could not be strictly executed, whilst the Israelites lived up and down in the fields in tents, which was their ancient and customary way

• Exod. i. 22.

? Ibid. i. 21

9 Ver. 19.