tion fo great, that the devil himself could not find out one much greater, when he fet upon the Son of God, to tempt him to fall down and worship him.

And when we confider for what inconfiderable things fome men fell their religion and their confciences, we fhall think it no finall temptation which Mofes here refifted. Si violandum eft jus, regnandi causâ violandum eft: "If a man would do any unjust thing, and violate "his religion and confcience, he would not do it for "less than a kingdom;" and it would be a very hard bargain even upon those terms.

2. Confider not only what he refused, but what he chofe in the place of it; a ftate of great affliction and suffering. Had he refused a kingdom, and chofen the quiet condition of a fubject of middle rank, beneath envy, and above contempt, his felf-denial had not been fo great: nay, perhaps he had made a wife choice, in the account of the wifelt men, in preferring a plentiful and quiet retirement, before the cares of a crown, and the burden of publick government.

But it is very rare to find a man that would chufe rather to be oppreffed and perfecuted, than to be a prince, and to have the sweet power to ufe others as he pleased.

3. Confider how fair a profpect he had of enjoying this kingdom, if he could but have come up to the terms of it. He did not reject it, because he defpaired of attaining it: for he had all the right that a good title could give him, being adopted heir to it; and yet he refused it.

To which I may add, that his breeding was fuch as might eafily kindle ambitious thoughts in him. He was brought up in Pharaoh's court, and was the darling and favourite of it; exceeding beautiful, as Jofephus tells us, and learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians: than which no two qualities are more apt to puff up and fwell a man with big thoughts of himself.

They that are bred in a low condition, never think of a kingdom; men not being apt to afpire to things which are remote, and at a great distance from them.

But nothing is more rare in perfons of great and generous minds, than fuch a self-denial as this.

4. Let it be confidered, in the last place, that this was a deliberate choice; not any rafh and fudden determinati

on made by him when he was of incompetent age to make a true judgment of things. And this the Apostle. takes notice of in the text, as a very memorable circumftance, that when he was come to years, he refused to be called the fon of Pharaoh's daughter. And St. Stephen tells us, that he was full forty years old when he made this choice, Acts vii. 23. When he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to vifit his brethren the children of Ifrael. When he was of ripeft judgment, and in the height of his profperity and reputation, he made this choice: for it is faid in the verfe before, that Mofes was learned in all the wisdom of the Egyptians, and mighty in word and deed; that is, he was in great reputation for his wisdom and valour.

This feems to refer to other paffages of his life, which are not recorded in the fcripture-history, but related at large by Jofephus, out of hiftorians extant in his time. For he tells us, that when the Ethiopians had invaded Egypt, and almost over-run it, Pharaoh was directed by the oracle at Memphis, to make Moses his General; who, by his extraordinary conduct and courage, overthrew the Ethiopians, and drave them out of Egypt.

This Mofes did not think fit to relate of himfelf: but St. Stephen feems to allude to it, when he fays, that he was mighty in word and deed. And then it follows, And when he was full forty years old, it came into his heart to vifit his brethren the children of Ifrael; that is, when he was at full maturity of judgment, and in the height of his profperity and reputation, he quitted the court of Egypt, and went to vifit his afflicted brethren, and chofe rather to take part with them in their fufferings, than to accept thofe great offers that were made to him.

There is likewife another paffage in Jofephus concerning Mofes, which feems to be a forerunner of the contempt which he fhewed afterwards of the crown of Egypt: That when Mofes was about three years old, Thermufis, the daughter of Pharaoh, brought the child to him, who took him in his arms, and put his diadem upon his head; but Mofes took it off, and caft it to the ground, and trampled it under his feet. This was but a childish act; and they who faw it, would easily believe, that, for all his childish contempt of it then, if it were

put

put upon his head in good earnest, when he came to be a man, he would hold it on faster, and use it with more refpect.

And it is not improbable, but that the Apostle might have fome regard to this, when he fays, that Mofes when he came to years; intimating, that he did not only trample upon the diadem of Pharaoh, when he was a child; but when he was come to years, and was capable of judging better of those things, he refused to be called the fon of Pharaoh's daughter.

But, before I proceed any farther, I cannot but take notice of an objection, which may seem to reflect greatly upon the integrity of Mofes. Can we think him fo very confcientious a man, who perfuaded the people of Ifrael, and pretended God's direction in the cafe, to cheat the Egyptians of their jewels, under a fraudulent pretence of borrowing them? There is fome difficulty in the thing, as at first fight it appears: and yet I doubt not, with your favourable attention, and free from prejudice, to vindicate Mofes clearly in this matter.

And I fhall not infift upon that which is commonly and truly faid in this cafe, that God, who is the fupreme lord of all things, may transfer the rights of men from one to another: because the objection doth not lie against God's right to take away from any man what he hath given him; but against the fraudulent manner of doing it, which feems unworthy of God to command or

encourage.

Now, this matter, I think, is capable of another and much clearer anfwer; which, in fhort, is this, and grounded upon the hiftory, as we find it related, Exod. xii. The providence of God did, it feems, defign by this way, to make fome reparation to the Ifraelites, for the tyrannical usage which they had received from the Egyptians; and that first (as the text exprefsly tells us) in giving them favour with the Egyptians; who, in truth, for their own ends, and to get rid of fuch troublesome guests, were difpofed to lend them any thing they had.

Thus far all is right; here is nothing but fair borrowing and lending: and if the Ifraelites acquired a right to those things afterwards, there was then no obligation to reftitution.

Let

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Let us fee then how the providence of God brought this about; namely, by permitting the Egyptians afterwards, without cause, and after leave given them to depart, to purfue them, with a defign to have deftroyed them by which hoftility and perfidiousness, they plainly forfeited their right to what they had only lent before. For this hoftile attempt, which would have warranted the Ifraelites to have fpoiled them of their jewels, if they had been in the poffeffion of the Egyptians, did certainly warrant them to keep them when they had them: and by this means they became rightful poffeffors of what they had only by loan before; and could not have detained without fraud and injuftice, if this hoftility of the Egyptians had not given them a new title and clear right to them.

III. But I proceed to the third thing I propofed; which was, to vindicate the prudence and reasonableness of this choice. And, in fpeaking to this, I fhall abstract from the particular cafe of Mofes, and fhew in general, that it is a prudent and reasonable thing, to prefer even an afflicted state of piety and virtue, before the greateft pleafures and profperity of a finful courfe. And this will appear, if we confider thefe two things.

1. The fufferings of good men upon account of religion, together with the reward of them.

2. The temporary enjoyment of fin, with the mifchiefs and inconveniences confequent upon them.

1. The fufferings of good men upon the account of religion, together with the reward of them. This Mofes had in his eye, when he made this choice: for therefore he chofe to fuffer affliction with the people of God, rather than to enjoy the pleasures of fin, which are but for a feafon; because he had refpect to the recompence of reward. And though he had but a very imperfect discovery, in comparison, of the future ftate; yet, it seems, he had fo much affurance of the goodness of God, as firmly to believe, that he fhould be no lofer at the laft, by any thing that he fuffered for God and religion.

Indeed, if there were no life after this, and we had no expectation beyond this world, the wifeft thing we could do, would be to enjoy as much of the prefent contentment of this world, as we could make ourselves ma

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fters of. But if we be defigned for immortality, and fhall be unspeakably happy or intolerably miferable in another world, according as we have demeaned ourfelves in this life; then certainly it is reasonable, that we should take the greatest care of the longest duration, and be content to dispense with some present inconveniences for an eternal felicity; and be willing to labour and take pains for a little while, that we may be happy for ever. And this is accounted prudence in the account of the wifest men, to part with a little at present, for a far greater future advantage.

But the difproportion betwixt time and eternity is fo vaft, that, did we but firmly believe, that we fhall live for ever, nothing in this world could reasonably be thought too good to part withal, or too grievous to fuffer, for the obtaining of a bleffed immortality. And upon this belief and perfuafion of a mighty reward, beyond all their prefent fufferings, and that they should be infinite gainers at the laft, the primitive Chriftians were kept from finking under their prefent fufferings, and fortified against all that the malice and cruelty of the world could do unto them. And if we would confider all things together, and mind the invifible things of another world, as well as the things which are feen, we should eafily discern, that he who fuffers for God and religion, does not renounce his happiness, but put it out to intereft, upon terms of greatest advantage, and does wifely confider his own best and most lafting interest. This is the first.

2. This will yet more evidently appear, if we confider the temporary enjoyments of fin, together with the mischiefs and inconveniences attending and confequent upon them; that as to the nature of them, they are mixed and imperfect; as to the duration of them, they are short, and but for a feafon; and as to the final iffue and confequence of them, that they end in mifery and forrow.

If, As to the nature of them, all the pleasures and enjoyments of fin are mixed and imperfect. A wicked man may make a fhew of mirth and pleafure; but even in laughter his heart is forrowful, and the end of that mirth is heaviness. There can be no true and fincere pleafure in any finful and vitious courfe, though it be attended with

all