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  THE
  CHILD'S BOOK
  ABOUT
  MOSES.

  [Illustration]

  CONCORD, N.H.
  RUFUS MERRILL AND CO.
  1843.




The Alphabet.


  A  B  C  D  E  F  G

  H  I  J  K  L  M  N

  O  P  Q  R  S  T  U

     V  W  X  Y  Z


  a  b  c  d  e  f  g

  h  i  j  k  l  m  n

  o  p  q  r  s  t  u

     v  w  x  y  z




MOSES.


Moses was born in the year of the world 2433. His parents lived in
Egypt. Before his birth, Pharaoh, king of Egypt, being fearful of
their increase, had given orders to have every male infant of the
Hebrews murdered. The father and mother of Moses were Hebrews, and,
like other parents, they loved their child too much to have him
injured. Besides, they thought they saw something very promising in
his appearance, as if he would make a great and good man, if he were
rightly trained: they therefore kept him hid three months.

When they could hide him no longer, his mother, Jochebed, made an ark
or chest of bulrushes, and having pitched it that it might be water
proof, she put Moses into it, and laid it near the banks of the river
Nile, and prayed to God for the safety of her child.

He had not lain long in this condition, when Pharaoh's daughter, coming
to wash, observed the ark, and directed one of her maids to fetch it;
and opening it, she found the child. She was struck with the beauty of
the babe, and was affected at its weeping; for the poor child cried,
being separated from its mother: supposing it to be one of the Hebrews'
children, the princess resolved to bring it up as a child of her own.

[Illustration]

Miriam, the sister of Moses, then about ten or twelve years of age,
who waited near by, asked Pharaoh's daughter if she might not find a
nurse for her, and being allowed to do it, she called Jochebed, the
child's mother. Thus her prayer was answered, and she had the care of
the child besides.

He was named _Moses_, which signifies being taken out of the water. He
was educated in all the learning of the Egyptians, and was treated in
all respects as if he were the son of the princess.

After he became of age, while walking forth one day, he observed with
indignation the oppression of his brethren; and seeing an Egyptian
smiting a Hebrew, he became so excited, that he interfered, and killed
the Egyptian. Fearful of the consequences of this rash act, he fled
into the land of Midian, where he became a shepherd.

As Moses led his flocks one day near to the north or west side of Mount
Sinai, the Lord appeared to him in a bush, burning but not consumed.
Moses was astonished at the sight, and went near to see the miracle.

[Illustration]

And the Lord spoke to him out of the bush, and told him to put off his
shoes before he came any nearer, as the spot was sacred on account of
the presence of God. We should never go into the presence of God, or
engage in his worship, without being solemn and attentive.

God then declared himself to Moses to be the God of Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob, and told him that, on account of the promise he had made,
and in view of what his oppressed people suffered from the cruel
Egyptians, he now intended to deliver them, and bring them into
Canaan, and would make Moses the instrument of this.

The Hebrews, at the command of God, and under the direction of Moses,
left Egypt at last in great haste, and took their journey to the
south-east. Pharaoh and his people were soon sorry that they had
consented to let them go, and followed with a great army to bring
them back, and nearly overtook them on the west side of the Red Sea.

[Illustration]

The Hebrews were now afraid of the Egyptians, and not believing in God
as they should have done, they exclaimed against Moses for bringing
them out of Egypt. Moses prayed to the Lord for deliverance. That part
of the Red Sea where they now were, was not many miles broad. God told
Moses to stretch his rod over it. He did so, and God caused the waters
to be separated, so that a passage was made for the Hebrews through
the sea, and they arrived safe upon the other side.

[Illustration]

Pharaoh and the Egyptians, being resolved to overtake the Hebrews, if
possible, and carry them back to Egypt, pursued after them into the
passage which the Lord had made for the Hebrews in the sea. But God
knew how to preserve his people from these wicked and cruel Egyptians.
He caused them to meet with difficulties in the passage, and made the
way dark unto them. And when the Hebrews were all over, and the
Egyptians in the channel, God directed Moses to stretch his rod
towards the sea; and being moved by a strong wind which the Lord sent,
the waters of the sea suddenly returned to their former place, and
drowned the whole of them.

[Illustration]

In order to direct them on their way through the wilderness, God caused
a pillar of a cloud, or a cloud in the form of a pillar or column,
extending upwards toward heaven, to hover over the camp or tents of the
Hebrews. In the day-time it appeared as mist, and protected them from
the scorching sun. In the night, it seemed a pillar of fire, and gave
them light. When they encamped, it hovered above them over the
tabernacle; when they marched, it went before them. Forty years it
attended them, until they had arrived at the promised land.

[Illustration]

On the east side of the sea, Moses and the men, and Miriam and the
women of the Hebrews, sung a song of praise to God for their
miraculous deliverance.--We ought to thank God when he delivers us
from evil, and be afraid to sin against him as the Egyptians did.

[Illustration]

At Kadesh, the Hebrews murmured because there was no water for them
and their cattle. And Moses and Aaron his brother looked unto the
Lord to know what they should do. And he directed Moses unto a rock
which was there, to smite it with his rod, and it should give forth
water. And Moses did so, and water came out, and the people drank
thereof, and their cattle also.

The tabernacle, which was built for the worship of God in the
wilderness, was finished, and Moses, at the command of God,
consecrated Aaron and his sons to the office of priests, and dedicated
the tabernacle with all its vessels. It was the business of the
priests to take the oversight of the tabernacle and all the furniture;
they slew, burnt, and poured out the blood of the sacrifices; they put
the shew-bread on the golden table; they offered the incense; they
blew the silver trumpets; they supplied with oil, and lighted and
snuffed the sacred lamps, and took down and set up the tabernacle.

[Illustration]

Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, and other chiefs of the congregation,
envying the authority of Moses and Aaron, formed a party against them.
They haughtily upbraided Moses and Aaron as taking too much upon them.
Moses replied that they were too arrogant to find fault with what God
had ordered, and that the next day the Lord would show whom he
allowed to officiate in the high priesthood. He advised Korah with his
associates to appear with their censers full of incense to stand the
trial. They did so, and put sacred fire into their censers. God
ordered Moses and Aaron to separate themselves from them, that he
might destroy them instantly. They did so; and the Lord caused the
earth to open and swallow up alive Korah, Dathan, Abiram, and all
their families. Thus were these wicked men, and those who adhered to
them, destroyed for their arrogance and impiety.

[Illustration]

In the eleventh month of the fortieth year after the coming out of
Egypt, Moses made a long discourse to the people, exhorting them to be
faithful in the service of God, and warning them of the judgments
which would be sent upon them if they departed from him.

At the beginning of the twelfth month, Moses ascended Mount Nebo,
where he obtained a view of the land of Canaan. And there Moses the
servant of the Lord died; and the children of Israel wept for Moses in
the plain of Moab thirty days.--May we be good and faithful like this
great man. Then not only our friends, but God will love us, and when
we die, he will take us home to glory.




  NEW AND AMUSING
  TOYS,
  Published by RUFUS MERRILL & CO.
  CONCORD, N. H.


Series No. 2, or two cent Toys, containing 12 Nos. as follows, viz.

    No. 1, History of Beasts.

        2, Description of Various Nations.

        3, History of Animals.

        4, The Child's Book about Moses.

        5, My little Song Book.

        6, Nursery Rhymes.

        7, History of Birds.

        8, The Child's Book about Birds.

        9, The Sailor Boy.

       10, The Child's Book about Whales.

       11, History of the Bible.

       12, Life of Joseph.

R. M. & Co. also publish =Webster's First Book, or the Elementary
Primer=, being an Introduction to the Spelling Book. By Noah Webster.
Price 6 cents single.

They have also in press a Series of No. 1, or one cent Toys, containing
12 Nos. of amusing and instructive matter for the young Child; also a
series of No. 4, or six cent Toys, on the Natural History of Birds,
Beasts, Reptiles, and Plants, and the Character of different Nations. To
be illustrated with engravings, and executed in beautiful style.




Transcriber's Note


  * Punctuation errors have been corrected.

  * Text enclosed between equal signs was in bold face in the
  original (=bold=).





End of Project Gutenberg's The Child's Book About Moses, by Anonymous