The Child's Book About Moses   By: Anonymous

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

The Alphabet.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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