Serm. 1H. rather than a Kingdom. his Self -denial had not been fo great ; nay, perhaps he had made a wife Choice, in the account ofthe wifeft Men, in preferring a plentiful and quiet Retirement, before the Cares of a Crown, and the Burden of públick Government. But it is very rare to find a Man that would chufe rather to be opprefl and per- fecuted, than to be a Prince, and to have the fweet Power to ufe others as he pleafed. 3. Confider how fair a Profped he had of enjoying this Kingdom, if he could but have come up to the Terms of it. He did not reject it, bécaufe he defpaired ofattaining it : for lie had all the Right that a good Title could give him, being adopted Heir to it ; andyet he refufed it. To which I may add, That his Breeding was fuch as might eafily kindle añ bi- tious Thoughts in him. He was brought up in Pharaoh's Court, and was the Dar- ling and Favourite of it ; exceeding beautiful (as Jofephus tells us) and learned all the Wifdom ofthe Egyptians; than which, no two Qualitiesare more apt to puff up and fwell a Man with big Thoughts of himfelf. 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 diffance from theta. Butnothing is more rare in Perfons of great and generous Minds, than fuch Self-denial as this. 4. Let it be confidered, in the laft place, that this was a deliberate Choice, not any rafh and fudden Determination made by him when he was ofincompetent Age to make a true Judgment of Things. And this the Apoftle takes notice ofin the Text, as a verymemorable Circuniftance, that when he was cone toyears, he re- fufed to be called the Son ofPharaoh's Daughter. And St. Stephen tells us that he was full forty years old when he made this Choice, Atls 7. 23. When he was fìtllförtyyears old, it came into his heart to vift his brethren, thé children ofIf- rael. 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 Moles was learned in all the wifiloin of the Egyptians, and mighty in word and deed that is, he was in great Reputation for his Wifdom and Valour. This feems to refer to other Pa!fages of his Life, which are not recorded in the Scripture-Hiftory, but related at large by 7ofephus, out of Hiftorians extant in his time. For he tells, that when the Ethiopians had invaded Egypt, and al- moft over-run it, Pharaoh was directed by the Oracle at Memphis, to make Mofes his General, who, by his extraordinary Conduct and Courage, overthrew the Ethiopians, and draye them out of Egypt. This Mofes did not think fit to relate of himfelf; but St. Stephen feems to al- lude to it, when he fays, that he was nighty in word and deed : And then it follows; and when he was fullfortyyears old, it came into his heart to vifit his brethren, the children of Ifrael ; that is, when he was at full Maturity of Judg- ment, and in the height of his Profperity and Reputation, he quitted the Court of Egypt, and went to vifit his afliided Brethren, and chofe rather to take part with them in their Sufferings, than to accept thofe great Offers that were made to him. 'There is likewife another Paffage in yofephus concerningMofes, which feems to- be a Fore-runner of the Contempt which he chewed afterward of the Crown of Egypt ; That when Mofes was about three Years old, Thermüfis, 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 call it to the Ground, and trampled it under his Feet. This was but a childifh Ad, and they who faw it would eafily believe, that, for all his childifh Contempt of it then, if it were put upon his Head in good earneft, when he came to be a Man, he would hold it on falter, and ufe it with more Refped. And it is not improbable, but that the Apoftle might have tonic regard tö this when he fays, that Mofes when he carne 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 ofjudging better of thofe Things, he re- fufed to be called the Son ofPharaoh's Daughter. But
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