Alexandria daily gazette, commercial & political. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1808-1812, 1809-07-04

only forty days and forty nights, yet the
people, in that short period, forgot the
strong hand & the stretched out arm, which
had thus far protected them, and even be-
gan to vent their contumelious reproaches
on the memory Of their political father
They gathered themselves together unto
Aaron, and besought him to make them a
Cod Z" for as for Noses" said they, /" the
man. who brought us up out of the land Of
Egypt, we wot not what is become of him."
The simple fact is Moses. was stern, IN
flexible patriot. He knew none of the
g twistings and turningso OF the supple
courtier,"' or if he knew, yet he disdained
to use them.
Aaron, however, though to him and his
seed, God had ordained the priesthood,
does not seem SO exempt as Moses, from
those weaknesses which are the common lot
of men. He certainly could not suppose
that the Almighty hadtaken Moses to him
self and abandoned his chosen people. Tho
at this distance of time, we cannot with &C
curacy determine the particular motives OF
his conduct, yet the conduct Of men, in our
own times, will authorize the conclusion,
that he enyied the authority and influence
of Moses; and that by hattering and cajol-
ing the people, indulging and pampering
their worst appelites, and weakening their
common bond of union, he hoped to sup
plant Moses in their affections, and possess
himself of those honors which he saw he
could not otherwise obtain. This conclu-
, sion is also strengthened by the context;
for we there see that Aaron had secured to
. himself the first place ii this new-fangled
order of things. We read that I" AQron
built an altar before the image-and Aaron
made proclamation" sc. It. is certain that
he was weak enough to yield to the fashion
of the day. He assssisted in making
golden calf. " And they said, These be thy
Gods, 0 Irael, which brought thee up out
of the land of Egypt"
But the children Of Israel, foolish and
blind as they were, did no more than thou
sands have done in all ages before and after
them.
When God had left man in state OF bliss
vereignty than. an Introduction OF the fruit
of the tree of knowledge the man, intoxi-
Gated with the felicity of his condition, fell
sacrifice to the crafty insinuations and fiat
teries of the arch tempter.
Without doubt the tower of Babel was
built at the nstigation, and under the dlfec-
ton of some willy and ambitious demagogue
,,,ho ;,,ar,-l rtIc 1eopIe stark mad
with his new scheme and, while their eyes
were dazzled, FIX his yoke upon them fore
yer.
Men Of this descriptions. exist in every
community on earth. And though the te
nor of some great name may, for time,
awe them into apparent neutrality and sub
mission, yet" their worm dieth not" None
but the "grisly monarch" puts final stop
to their dark Vaccinations.
In the Lifetime of Gideon, the servant Of
God, we hear of no civil connexions. His
name was great, his government effective,
his life pure Good naep followed his ex-
ample from principle ; even bad men were
loud in bis praise, while living, and, proba-
biz, shed crocodile tears over his grave, be-
cause it was fashionable, and would insure
them popularity. Bat after this venerable
patTlOt WAS Gea(I, tIle CHfQfeH OF lSTde4
turned again, and went whoring after Bas-
lin, and made Baal-berith their God" They
were corrupted by the three score and ten
pieces of silver of Abimelech, and the soft
words kind squeezes by the hand, and fiat
teries of his vain followers. They made
him king over them. But as the text Gle.
gantly expresses it, " fire came out OF the
bramble, and consumed the cedars of Lee
bannon."
SPINTEXT.
From the Federal Republican.