for seven days together who would then come to walk by the side of the River Nilus and to tell him That seeing he had refused to obey the Voice of the Lord he would bring a grievous Plague upon Him and his People They had shed the bloud of the Israelites Children and drowned them in that River Therefore God had commanded him to give order to Aaron with his Rod to smite the waters of the River and he accordingly stretched forth his Hand over the Rivers Streams and Ponds probably over some of them in the Name of the rest and striking those Waters they were immediately turned into bloud Yea by the influence of God's Almighty Power upon that percussion all their other Streams and Rivers Ponds and Pools yea Cisterns of water whether of Wood or Stone were turned into bloud for seven days together By which Plague the Fish that were in the River died whereby the Egyptians were deprived of that which was their chief Food (a) The Egyptians abstained from the flesh of many Beasts of Superstition especially such as the Hebrews used in Sacrifice as may be gathered from Numb 11.5 We remember the Fish that we did eat in Egypt freely and Isa 19.8 God threatens this as a great Judgment to Egypt The Fishers shall mourn and all that cast Angles into the Brooks shall lament and they that spread Nets upon the Waters shall languish So that this was a sore Plague on the Egyptians who fed much on Fish and traded much with them and maintained themselves by them And one great evil followed this also for hereupon the River stank so horribly that they could not drink of the waters of it which used to be their ordinary Beverage see Jer. 2.18 but were fain to dig Pits near the River that they might have some water to drink But all this did not work upon Pharaoh's obdurate heart For his Magicians and Sorcerers getting some water either from the Sea or out of the new-digged-Wells or from the houses of the Israelites dwelling here and there intermixed with them did by their Enchantments and the Devil's help get some blood whereby they tinctured the waters or else unperceiveably removed the water and substituted bloud in the place thereof Which when Pharaoh saw done by them he went away to his own house and heeded not nor laid to heart the foregoing Plague inflicted on him by Moses Exod. Ch. 7. from 14. to the end 2. God Commands Moses and Aaron to go to Pharaoh again Second Plague Frogs and to require him to let his People go and to tell Him That if he refused to do it He would smite all his Borders with Frogs They accordingly resolutely pursue their Commission and evidence their Courage and Fidelity in God's Cause notwithstanding the ill success they had had before But Pharaoh would not give ear to them Hereupon Aaron stretched forth his Rod (b) The Rod is called sometimes the Rod of Moses sometimes of Aaron sometimes of God to shew that it was the Instrument they all used in working these prodigious things over the Rivers (c) Non singulos adiit fluvios sed virga eminus eos intenta designavit extendit eam versus Nilum intentione versus omnes aqas Aegypti over the Streams and over the Ponds and the Frogs came up in great abundance upon the Land namely not only those that were in the Rivers before but an innumerable number of new ones were produced and they crawled into Pharaoh's house and into his Bed-Chamber (d) How easily can God cast contempt upon Princes and how favourable is he to men who by his ordinary Providence makes such Creatures loth to come where man hath to do which are so lothsome to him yea upon his Bed and into the Houses of his Courtiers and the rest of his people yea into their Ovens and Kneading-Troughs so that they were grievously annoyed with them Pharaoh calls for his Magicians to see if they could imitate this Miracle and they by stretching forth their Rods over the River did by the Power of the Devil (e) The Devil it seems much delights in their monstrous shape For we find in the Scripture three unclean Spirits like Frogs coming out of the mouth of the Dragon bring forth some true Frogs by unperceptible Conveyance to the place where the Contest was which possibly at this present was not covered with Frogs by Moses's Working though it is like they were but very few in comparison of those Moses and Aaron had produced And when they had brought them they could not remove them again Pharaoh and his people being thus grievously distressed with this Plague he began to stoop a little and to acknowledge God whom before he would not know and therefore desires Moses and Aaron to intreat the Lord to remove these Frogs and he would let the people go that they may Sacrifice unto the Lord their God Moses knowing that he was constituted as a God to Pharaoh Ch. 7. vers 1. to bring Judgments upon him and romove them at God's appointment and having in him the Faith of Miracles and being directed by the Spirit of God He told Pharaoh He would do him the honour (f) Honorem tibi sume ut des mihi tempus in quo orem pro te to let him appoint the time when he should pray to the Lord for him and by his power deliver him from this Plague And says he if my prayer take no effect then do thou glory over me and say I am no better than one of thy Magicians but if I do deliver thee then own and obey the great God of Heaven whose Servant I am Pharaoh desires the Frogs may be removed by the next Morning Moses Replies Be it according to thy word that thou mayst know that there is none like unto the Lord our God Moses then cried unto the Lord to remove this Plague from Pharaoh and the Lord heard him and immediately the Frogs died that were in the Houses Villages and Fields only some remained in the River and they gathered the dead Frogs together and cast them upon heaps so that the Land stank by reason of them But when this Plague was removed and Pharaoh saw there was some respite he hardened his heart and hearkened not to Moses and Aaron as the Lord had foretold Exod. Ch. 8. from vers 1. to 16. Third Plague Lice 3. Pharaoh having thus mocked God promising and not performing the Lord to manifest his Indignation against him Commands Moses now to strike him with a new Judgment without giving him any warning as at other times he had done Aaron therefore is commanded forthwith to stretch out his Rod and to strike the dust of the Land that it may become Lice through all the Land of Egypt Which Aaron accordingly doing abundance of Lice came on Men and Beasts the dust in very part of the Land that is a great deal of it turning into that
their Labours that they should no more give the people Straw to make Brick withall as heretofore they had done but they should gather and provide Straw for themselves and yet notwithstanding they should exact the same tale and number of Bricks of them which they made before and not abate them any thing of it For says he They are idle and therefore they Cry Let us go Sacrifice to the Lord our God I Command you therefore to impose more work upon them that they may have enough to do and may not be at leisure to regard lying words such as this Moses and Aaron tell them who flamm them with stories of their being sent from God The Task-Masters and Officers acquaint the people with this strict and severe Injunction of the King Whereupon a considerable part of them were forced to scatter themselves through all the Land of Egypt to provide Straw and Straw failing they were fain to gather Stubble instead of it And the Task-Masters pressed them on notwithstanding to finish every day as much work as when they had Straw allowed them And when there happened any failure in the Work the Israelitish Officers or Overseers that were set over their Brethren were beaten for it Whereupon these Officers addressed themselves to Pharaoh and humbly Remonstrated That the Egyptian Task-Masters that used to furnish the Israelites with Straw now did not do it and yet they required of them to make the same number of Bricks daily as before which was in a manner impossible for them to do And when they did it not they their Overseers were beaten for it though the fault was not in them but in the Egyptian Task-Masters Pharaoh answered them roughly and tyrannically You are idle You are idle therefore you say Let us go and do Sacrifice to the Lord. Get you gone and see that you finish the Task that is every day required of you and yet you shall have no Straw furnished to you The Officers of the Children of Israel seeing themselves in this very ill condition and having no hope of remedy they go to Moses and Aaron who possibly came out to meet them to see what answer they had from the King and like ignorant passionate men who mistake Occasions for Causes they charge the Injuries of their Enemies upon their best Friends and in an angry and discontented Mood say to Moses and Aaron The Lord look upon you that is the Lord take notice and consider what you have brought upon us and judge you for it You have made us to stink and to be abhorred of Pharaoh and his Servants and have put a Sword into their hands to slay us You have by this your Address to Pharaoh stirred up Him and His Courtiers to tyrannize more over us than they did before Moses being greatly grieved at this their Complaint betook himself to some retired place where by prayer and deep sighs he might present his own and the peoples distress unto the Lord and he said Ah Lord why hast thou thus dealt with thy people against whom Pharaoh's Rage is not at all mitigated but much increased since I mediated for them Why hast thou sent me on such a Message as this which hath not been a means to deliver thy people but much more to afflict them The Lord answered Thou shalt quickly see what I will do unto Pharaoh My Hand shall be so strong and heavy upon him that he shall not only be content to dismiss you as Exod. 3.20 but shall be ready with all his Power to drive you out rather than hold you any longer See Exod. 12.31.33 And the Lord to encourage Moses the more in his Work repeateth his Name to him and the Covenant which he had made with the Fathers He says to him I am theLord I appeared unto Abraham Isaac and Jacob by the Name of Elshaddai God Almighty that is such a God as is All-sufficient and able to perform all my Promises Gen. 17.1 but by my Name Jehovah (q) This cannot be meant of the letters and syllables of that name as if the Patriarchs had never heard of that Name For God called himself Jehovah long before and by that Name confirmed his Promises as appears Gen. 2.4 7 8 9. 15.7 28.12 Gen. 22.14 Ch. 26.24 Ch. 27.20 and that which it importeth (r) Jehovah signifies God's eternal Being in himself his giving being to other things and the performance of his Promises and in regard of this he says He was not known to their Fathers by this Name They being sustain'd by Faith in God's Almighty Power rested upon the Promise not enjoying the thing promised But now to their Children the Promise should be performed and so they should have full knowledge and experience of the efficacy of that Name Jehovah But withall we must know that this is only spoken comparatively as the glorious ministration of the Law is said to have had no glory in respect of the excellent glory of the Gospel 2 Cor. 3.10 So the Fathers are said not to have known God by his Name Jehovah in comparison of what their Posterity knew have not I been made know to them that is so fully as I intend now to be made known to their Posterity to whom I shall really fulfil and give a Being to my Promises by my wonderful Deliverance of them out of Egypt and bringing them at length into the Land of Promise For I made a firm Covenant with those my Servants Abraham Isaac and Jacob and confirmed it by an Oath to give that Land of Canaan wherein they were but Strangers and Sojourners to them and their Posterity for an Inheritance And I have heard the groaning of the Children of Israel whom the Egyptians keep in bondage and I have remembered my Covenant Therefore go to them and tell them I am the Lord and I will deliver them from that cruel Servitude under which they groan and will with an out-stretched arm and inflicting terrible Judgments on the Egyptians bring them forth And I will take them to my self for my peculiar people and will be to them a God and they shall assuredly know that 't is I the Lord and none else who did all these great things for them Moses as God had commanded him went to the Children of Israel with this Message but thorow the anguish of their Spirits and the extremity of their Sufferings they regarded not what he said nor were disposed to believe any thing that he spake concerning their Deliverance So greatly prejudicial are the immoderate passions of men not only to God's truth but to their own welfare Then God commands Moses to go and speak to Pharaoh again and to require him to let the people go out of his Land Moses answered That the Children of Israel would not hearken to him how then should he think that Pharaoh would hear him or mind or regard his words and especially seeing he was a man of uncircumcised lips (s) Because
Hittites and Perizzites Canaanites Hivites and Jebusites and should bring them into the possession of their Land But when they came to enjoy that good Land they must be especially careful not to bow down to their Idols nor Worship them nor to imitate the Idolatry of that Heathenish people (e) Lev. 18.3.25 but contrariwise with detestation to overthrow and break down their Images Lev. 7. And if they were careful to worship the Lord their God and Him only then He would bless their bread and their water and their food to them so that it should nourish them and would give them health and keep evil Diseases from them and would make them very fruitful and preserve their Women and Cattel from miscarrying and abortive Births and would prolong their life so that they should fill up the number of their days which by the course of Nature they might live And He would strike their Enemies with such terrour and fear that they should turn their backs upon them and fly when they came to Encounter them And he would send Hornets (f) De his agitur Deut. 7.20 ubi Vespa eos in angulos pellit ibique latentes sodicat quod de terrore animi dici non potest Non dubito veros snisse Crabrones hanc plagam similem ei Aegyptiacae Exod. 8.21 Impletum hoc quamvis scriptum non meminit quo loco aut tempore factum Numerantur hic tantum tres gentes quia hae solum videntur hoc incommodum sensisse Rivet Masius before them to expel the Canaanites out of the Land viz. Great Venemous Flies * See Josh 24.12 that should sting them to death So that those of their Enemies that should endeavour to hide themselves from them and think thereby to escape should be destroyed by these Hornets see Deut. 7.20 But He tells them He would not drive out these Heathenish Nations all in one year lest the Land should grow to a Wilderness if it should be all at once dispeopled and the wild Beasts in the solitary places would increase which would be a great annoyance to them But he would drive out the Heathen Nations by degrees till Israel were increased and become enow to fill the Land And that they might know how large a Possession he designed for them he tells them the bounds of it should be these The East bound should be the Red-Sea not that that Sea should bound all the East side of it but because the East side of the Land of Canaan should reach to some part of the Red-Sea The West bound should be the Sea of the Philistins or the great Ocean the Mediterranean-Sea The South border should be the Desert towards Egypt which was the Wilderness of Shur or Paran The North bound should be the River Euphrates (g) But of this larger extent of land the Israelites by reason of their sins were not possessed except for a short time under David and Solomon See 2 Sam. 8.10 1 Kings 4.21 2 Chron. 9.26 which extendeth towards the North. Lastly He chargeth them to make no Covenant with these Heathenish Nations nor to yield to Worship their Idols nor to permit them to dwell in the Land lest if they lived among them they might infect them with their Idolatry which would be a great Snare to them and a cause of their fall and ruine Exod. 23. from vers 20. to the end SECT XIX GOd having Himself given to the Children of Israel his Moral Law which is expresly call'd a Covenant Deut. 4.13 and Moses having received these other Commandments and Ordinances from the Lord and having written them in a Book He proposed them unto the People and they readily consented to them saying All the words that the Lord hath said we will do Hereupon the next Morning he rose early and built an Altar see Exod. 20.24 25. at the foot of the Mount to represent God and He set up twelve Pillars according to the twelve (h) V. 4. Duodecem adnumerato Levi. Neque enim ante Numb 1.10 in Tribus distincta binas erat Josephi prosapia Anonym Tribes to represent the People Then he appointed twelve young (i) Young men do not always signifie men young in years but men fit for Service or Ministry to the Elders These were some of the First-born and were chief Assistants to the Father of the Family in offering Sacrifice and when their Fathers were dead succeeded in their Office men of the First-born whom the Lord had consecrated to Himself as Ministers of holy things before the Levetes who came in the place of the First-born Numb 3.41 were set apart for the Priestly Function to offer Burnt-Offerings and Peace-Offerings of Oxen Calves and Goats Heb. 9.19 unto the Lord which they did accordingly Then he took half the bloud of these Sacrifices and put it into Basons and the other half he sprinkled on the Altar and so also on the Book which it seems was laid on the Altar making use of a Sprinkler (k) See more of this in the Apostolical History page 382. 383. Because it was an usual thing in all their legal Expiations to use Hyssop and Wooll to sprinkle with The Apostle received this from the usual custom of the legal Rites as being himself trained and brought up under the Law To this custom of using Hyssop the Psalmist alludeth Psal 51.7 Purge me with Hyssop and I shall be clean c. made of Scarlet wooll and a bunch of Hyssop Heb. 9.19 the legal sprinklings being usually so performed Levit. 14.6 7. though Moses here mentions not all these particulars and there was Water also as it seems intermingled with the bloud because otherwise the bloud growing cold would have been thick and so unfit to be sprinkled By all which was signified and sealed God's Favour and Grace to the People if they would be obedient Then reading again to them the Book of the Covenant that is the Book containing those Laws before mentioned which they had covenanted to observe and they promising a second time Obedience thereunto He took the other half of the bloud and sprinkled it on the People that is either on the twelve Pillars representing the twelve Tribes or on the Elders as representing the rest or on all the people promiscuously that in circuitu stood about him saying Behold the bloud of the Covenant which the Lord hath made with you concerning all these words and things contained in this Book As if he should have said This bloud is a sign of the Covenant between God and You and a Seal to confirm it and a Ceremony whereby it is established The sprinkling of this bloud upon you may also signifie that the transgression of the Covenant cannot be purged but by the bloud of the Messiah Exod. 24. from 3. to 9. SECT XX. THe Lord having commanded Moses after he had delivered these Ordinances to the people to come up again into the Mount and to bring Aaron
of the Lord concerning the matter and by Gods own Sentence he was adjudged to be stoned (t) Prudens est Cajetani observatio severius semper Deum animadvertisse in primos legum snarum transgressores by the Congregation without the Camp which was done accordingly from 32. to 37. 7ly A Law is given injoyning them to make Fringes with blue Ribbands or Laces on the borders of their Garments that by looking on them they might remember all the Commandments of the Lord and do them These Fringes were to mind them that they ought to be content with what was commanded injoyned and limited by the Law of God and must not run out into any superstitious Inventions Additions or Devices of their own in his Worship Which Inventions being delightful to their eyes and hearts He knew they were very prone to go a whoring after them and therefore more strictly forbids And another reason why He injoyned these Fringes was that they might be distinguished in their habit from strangers and those that were Aliens from the Common-wealth of Israel and might remember that they were a people federally holy and peculiarly devoted to God Numb 15. whole Chapter SECT LXIII COrah Dathan and Abiram and On with 250 others of prime note and authority among the Israelites rise up now against Moses and Aaron envying Moses the Government and Aaron the Priesthood Corah it seems was the Ringleader and first Mover of this Sedition which is therefore called the gain-saying of Corah Jude v. 11. 23. He was a Levite and Cosin-German to Moses and Aaron For Amram the Father of Moses and Aaron and Izhar the Father of this Corah were Brothers the Sons of Kohath Exod. 6.18 The Jewish Writers say That this Corah had long since taken offence that Elizaphan was by Moses preferred to be Prince of the Families of the Kohathites see Numb 3.30 whereas Elizaphan was descended of the youngest Brother Vzziel and He was of Izhar who was elder than he which grudge though it lay buried for a time in his breast yet now it brake forth and nothing less than the Priesthood will content him and his Abettors As for Dathan Abiram and On they were all descended from Reuben and therefore possibly under the pretence of Reuben's Birthright they were the more easily drawn to oppose Moses as supposing that the Government belonged to them and not to him These Conspirators now come to Moses and Aaron and in an high and proud manner tell them They took too much upon them seeing all the Congregation were holy and therefore might approach to God and offer their own Sacrifices themselves as well as they and they saw no reason that the Priesthood should be tied to Aron's Posterity only Then the Reubenites under pretense of Reuben's Birthright seeking as 't is probable to wrest the Supream Magistracy from Moses to themselves they also Charge both Moses and Aaron for taking too much upon them and ask them Wherefore they lifted themselves above the Congregation Moses at this carriage of theirs was exceedingly troubled and withdrawing himself as it seems into privacy He fell down on his face before the Lord in prayer seeking direction from Him what he should do on this important occasion and there it was revealed to him what he should say unto Corah and his Accomplices Moses accordingly coming out to them tells them That on the morrow God would decide this Controversie and shew who were His and who were the Men that He had separated to the Priests Office and would allow to come near and to minister unto him He bids them therefore to come to morrow with their Censers and to put fire in them and Incense upon them and come with them before the Lord seeing they thought themselves so fit for the Priesthood and then they should soon see who it was that God had chosen to be a Priest (u) V. 7. Erit sanctus i. e. segregatus ad sacerdotium unto him by accepting his Incense and they should know to their Cost that not He and Aaron but that they the Sons of Levi had taken too much upon them in aspiring to the Priesthood What says he seems it a small thing to you Ye Children of Levi that God hath separated you from the rest of the people of Israel to bring you near to Himself to do the Service of the Tabernacle as Assistants to the Priests to stand before the Congregation to minister for them that is to do in their name and stead what they themselves were otherwise bound to have done in the Service of God What! is all this so small a thing in your eyes that it will not content you but you must have the Priesthood also And what is Aaron I pray you and what hath he done or what hath he assum'd to himself that the Lord hath not freely given him Therefore if you murmur against him you murmur against God himself See Exod. 16.7 8. After this first attempt of theirs was over it seems Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram possibly thinking to deal with them privately and to perswade them to desist from this wicked undertaking But they do not only refuse to come but return him a bitter and scornful answer They scoff at his promise of bringing them into a Land flowing with Milk and Honey and giving them Fields and Vineyards They tell him He had indeed brought them out of such a Land as did really flow with Milk and Honey which was Egypt and had brought them into a dry and barren Wilderness and here He had made himself a Prince and a Ruler over them And did he now think to put out their eyes and the eyes of those that joyned with them in this Complaint that they should not see and perceive the wrongs and injuries he had done them Moses at this was very wroth and prayed unto the Lord saying I pray thee O Lord accept not the Incense which these wicked Conspirators shall offer before thee to morrow but declare by thy refusing of it that thou disallowest this their rebellion As for me thou knowest I have not usurped Authority over them neither have I abused my Authority in the least by doing them any manner of wrong I have not taken the vilest Beast no not so much as an Asse from any of them neither can they justly Charge me with any injury I have done them On the next morning Corah having gathered together not only his 250 Accomplices but the people in general to be Spectators of the business in hand perswading them 't is like that God would own their Cause and give Judgment on their side and these 250 having as it should seem got such Consers as they could provide since the time Moses had appointed this way for the deciding of this Controversie they came with them to the door of the Priests Court whither the people used to bring their Sacrifices 'T is true the appointed place for the Priests to
people that were therein and killed them and Samson himself with them So the dead which he slew at his death were more than those he slew in his life His Bretheren and all the house of his Father hearing of his death came down and took his dead body and brought it up and buried it in his Fathers burying place between Zorak and Eshtaol the Philistines by the over-ruling Providence of God not opposing it whose pride and power by this fatal blow given to their Princes and so many of their people was much abated and pulled down so that they thought this was no fit time to provoke the Israelites by denying them such a thing Judg. Ch. 16. whole Chapter SECT CLI First Book of Samuel WE are now come to the first Book of Samuel which contains an History of eighty years forty in the time of Eli in the four first Chapters and forty in the times of Samuel and Saul in the rest of the Book so that the History of these three persons together with some part of the History of David is the chief matter of this Book The two Books of Samuel are thought to be written by Samuel Nathan and Gad one after another 1 Chron. 29.29 yet some passages in these Books may seem to intimate that they were written in latter times as 1 Sam. 5.5 and Ch. 30.25 2 Sam. 6.8 These two Books of Samuel are stiled by the Septuagint and several others the first and second Book of the Kings the first containing all the History of King Saul and part of the History of King David both whom Samuel anointed by Gods appointment and the second the History of King Ishbosheth shortly and of King David at large After Samsons death Eli the High-Priest in whom the High-Priesthood was translated from the stock of Eleazar the Eldest Eli 13 Judg. to the posterity of Ithamar the younger Son of Aaron executed the Office of a Judg in Civil causes and judged Israel forty years He was extraordinarily both High-Priest (a) How he came to be High-Priest we cannot say that Eli was of the posterity of Ithamar Aaron's second Son appears from hence Abiathar who was deposed from being High-Priest by Solomon was of the posterity of Eli 1 King 2.27 and of Abimelech who was the Son of Abiathar it is expresly said 1 Chron. 24.3 that he was of the Sons of Ithamar How the High-Priesthood came to be transferred from the posterity of Eleazar to Eli who was of the house of Ithamar cannot be cleared by any place of Scripture we may conjecture that it so fell out because the High-Priests of Eleazars family had some way or other highly provoked God by their evil courses in the days of the former Judges This was the Series of the High-Priests as appears 1 Chron. 6.4 Aaron Eleazar Phineas Abishua Bukki Uzzi from Uzzi the High-Priesthood was translated to Eli to whom succeeded Achitob to him Achias to him Ahimelech to him Abiathar who was deposed from the Priesthood by Solomon 1 King 2.27 that he might perform the word of the Lord that he spake concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh 1 Sam. 2.31.35 and Judg a good and famous man though faulty in being too indulgent to his Children as we shall see afterwards In his time and under his Government Samuel was born whose History we come now to describe His Father was Elkanah a Levite of the family of the Kohathites of the posterity of of Korah 1 Chron. 6.22 23. who dwelt in Ramathaim-Zophim in Mount Ephraim He had two wives probably Hannah was his first wife and she being barren he afterwards took Peninnah who was fruitful Though the Lord allowed not Polygamy yet he was pleased to tolerate it for a time and possibly the Jews did conceive that Gods promise to Abraham of multiplying his seed as the stars of the heaven did imply a dispensation for them to have more wives than one The Tabernacle was now at Shiloh and there had continued since the seventh year of Joshua Ch. 18.1 thither went Elkanah yearly that is at those three solemn Feasts wherein all the males were bound to appear before the Lord Deut. 16.16 He might possibly go at other times as a Levite to do service in his course but he failed not to go up at those great Solemnities and it seems several of his family used to go up with him yea the women also such was their devotion though not bound thereunto by the Law At those great Feasts he gave to Peninnah and all her Sons and Daughters portions of the Peace-offerings which he offered to the Lord according to the ancient manner of Feasts of which see Gen. 43.34 but unto Hannah who was his best beloved he gave a larger and better portion and possibly of the choicest and best of the Sacrifices Peninnah was angry at this and thereupon quarrelled with and provoked Hannah and upbraided her for her barrenness as an effect of the Lords displeasure against her and as Elkanah did thus continually express his great love to Hannah when he went yearly with his family to the House of God so Peninnah persisted from time to time to vex her with her provocations and possibly upbraided her with her fruitless seeking to God so earnestly at those times for a child this greatly troubled Hannah in so much that she mourned and wept and did not care to eat as others did especially not with any joy and chearfulness as they were bound to do at those solemn Feasts Elkanah perceiving it asked her why she so grieved and wept and so mourned in a time when she ought to have rejoiced 'T is true says he the Lord hath not afforded thee Children but am not I who love thee so dearly better to thee than ten Sons (b) In concorde matrimonio plus boni est quam in ipsa faecunditate Gr. But when Elkanah and his family had eaten and drunk together with whom Hannah sate she being in bitterness of soul went out and prayed unto the Lord and wept sore and she said O Lord of Hosts if thou wilt please to look on the affliction of thy hand-maid and wilt give unto me a man-child I will give him unto thee all the days of his life (c) As to the power of her Vow we must understand that she only vowed to do what in her lay that it might be thus if the Child had no defect either in body or mind and was willing when he came to the years of discretion to take upon him the Vow and provided that her Husband consented thereunto without which the Womans Vow was of no force Numb 30.8 Indeed it is evident in the sequel of Samuels story that he did not always continue in the Tabernacle see Ch. 7.16 but went from year to year in Circuit and judged Israel And hence it seems probable that after he became Judg in Israel he was by special dispensation from God freed from this Vow of
it may be had in higher honour and esteem than any other building in the world And therefore though I may not build it my self yet I will provide materials for the building of it And so he did in great abundance before his death 1 Chron. Ch. 22. from v. 1 to 6. SECT CCVI. IN the next place by the advice of Gad the Seer and Nathan the Prophet see 2 Chron. 29.25 and calling the Princes and Governours of the people to be present to observe the order he set up he appoints the several Officers for the service of the Temple and ranks them into their several Orders and Divisions 1. He distributes all the Priests that were the Sons of Aaron into two parts viz. all the Priests descended either from Eleazar or Ithamar Aarons two Sons All that were of the Sons of Eleazar over whom Zadock was the chief into one and all that were the Sons of Ithamar over whom Ahimelech was chief under Abiathar the High-Priest into the other And there were more Heads of Families found among the Sons of Eleazar than among the Sons of Ithamar Then he divides all these Priests into twenty four courses in each of which there was one to be the chief or Head of the rest And therefore he appoints sixteen of these courses among the Sons of Eleazar and but eight among the Sons of Ithamar Then he orders lots to be cast amongst these divisions promiscuously not preferring those of the one lineage before those of the other to determine which of these courses should first serve and which should be second and so in order each company being to serve a week and then to go out as also to shew which of these that were Heads of Families in each company should be the chief of that company (a) 1 Chron. 24. v. 19. under Aaron their Father that is under the High-Priest who is here called Aaron because he held the same place that Aaron formerly did And so the first company was chosen by lot and the lot fell upon Jehojarib to be Head of that Course which was from thence call'd the Course of Jehojarib and so after the same manner in the rest 2ly He numbers the Levites from thirty years old and upwards and their number arose to 38000. This numbring was not like the numbring of the people 2 Sam. 24.2 out of pride and curiosity but out of piety and prudence and that by a Divine command that knowing the number of the persons he might better distribute them into several Orders These Levites he thus distributes 1. Twenty and four thousand he appoints to attend upon the Priests in the service of the Temple viz. to prepare the Sacrifices and oyl for the lamps and other things belonging to their office These were divided into twenty four Courses as were the Priests David also gave order before his death v. 27. that in each Family of the Levites all of twenty years old and upward should be taken into the service of the Temple because they were not any longer to carry the Tabernacle and vessels thereof and therefore such strength of body was not now necessary as was formerly required and the service of the Temple would now one way or other imploy them all see 1 Chron. 23.24 David therefore guided by the Spirit of God saw cause now to admit them into the Temple at that age and possibly at first they were only as Novices and Learners admitted to behold the service of God that they might be the better acquainted with it and after twenty five years they were to assist the Elder Levites in their particular services and after thirty to bear offices themselves These Levites also were to take care of the measures viz. that the fine flowre and wine and oyl for the Meat-offerings should be given to the Priests according to the just weight and measure appointed by the Law For to some Sacrifices there was a greater measure of these required and to some less See Numb 15.4 5 6. and Levit. 23.13 And some think they had the overseeing of all publick measures and kept the patterns or standards of them in the Temple whence the just shekel was call'd the shekel of the Sanctuary These Levites being cast into twenty four Courses or Divisions there were lots cast who should be the first Course coming in and going out with the first Course of the Priests and so who should be the second c. 2. Six thousand he appoints for Officers and Judges these were to be dispersed into several places of the land to judg of causes that were brought before them according to the Judicial Laws of Moses which the Levites were best skilled in They were also to take care of the outward business See 1 Chron. 26.29 viz. of those things which were to be done abroad out of the Temple as to give judgments in doubtful matters to train up younger Levites in the knowledg of the Law to look to the gathering and receiving such monies as were to be gathered of the people for the service of the Temple and some of them had their charge on the West-side of Jordan and some on the East and more on that side than the other because they being divided from their brethren by the river there was the more care requisite to retain them in their obedience to the Law and to prevent any back-sliding or remisness in the Worship of God or departure from his Law 3. Four hundred were to be Porters (a) So many were at this time set apart by David for this imployment but at their return from the Captivity of Babylon there were of these only found two hundred and twelve 1 Chronic. 9.22 to open and shut the Gates of the Temple at seasonable times and to watch at the Gates thereof to keep out all unclean persons and things These were also divided into twenty four Courses to attend in their turns weekly according to their courses and the order of their courses was determined to them by lot and by lot also were the Heads of their courses or companies appointed And some of these had also the custody of the Sacred Treasures viz. of the holy vessels and vestments and the dedicate things see 1 Chron. 26.27 28. Obed-Edom was one of these Porters 1 Chron. 15.18 and God exceedingly blessed him because he received the Ark into his house 1 Chron. 13.14 not only with a numerous off-spring but with great prosperity in all other respects and hence it was that eight of his Sons besides his Grand-children by Shemaiah were Heads of the twenty four Courses of the Porters And they were mighty men of valour their work being not only to keep unclean persons from entring the Temple but to prevent all confusion and disorder at the resorting of the people on their solemn Festivals to the Temple and to be a Guard unto the holy place upon all other occasions and therefore it was requisite they should be men of might