upon him for it as Aaron here did but as for Miriam she neither Confest her Sin nor shew'd any Sorrow for it but stubb rnly persisted in it For notwithstanding God Arraigned her himself and sate himself as â—udge in Moses's Cause and ask'd her why she was not affraid to speak against his Servant Moses she made no Reply by an humble Plea for Mercy but stood as a sullen Mute and so God recorded her and left her to Judgment and departs from her in great Fury Num. 12. 9. 2. The second Infectious Disease is the Pestilence which prevails mightily by Infection killing Thousands in a short time So doth the Plague of Spiritual Delusions Infect and Destroy many Thousands of Souls in a very few Days And that these Mens Principles in my Text had the same Effect it was too apparent in their Punishment and one may read their Sin in their Punishment And that there was a Spiritual Plague fore broken and running upon these Mens Spirits It is evident by the Injunction which God laid upon the rest of the People to depart from them and not to come near them nor touch any thing of theirs least their Sin should Infect them and they perish with them in their Sins And so Infectioâ—s was it to many Thousands in Israel that it brake forth upon them on the Morrow and in a Congregated Assembly Murmured against Moses and told him he had Killed the People of the Lord. How nearly doth Heresie in the Soul resemble the Pestilence in the Body for as fast as that lothsom Disease cleaves to the Body so fast doth Heresie stick in the Soul and Heart of a Man For as it is a very difficult thing and almost Impossible for a Phisttian to heal the Plague of Pestilence in the Body So it is a very hard and difficult thing for the best Majestrate or the best Minister in the World to reclaim any Man or Woman from the Error of their way that have forsaken the Publick Service of God the High-way of Salvation and betook themselves to the By-paths of a Pestilential Conventicle one Year Hence it is that the Apostle St. Paul Exhorts Titus to Reject A Man that is an Heretick after the first and second Admonition And subjoyns this Reason Knowing that he that is such is subverted and Sinneth being Condemned of himself Titus 3. 10 11. Now you may happily ask what an Heretick is I Answer A Heretick is one that obstinately Defends and Maintains an Opinion contrary to the Faith Practice and Profession of the truely Antient Catholick and Apostolick Church But ye may happily say why doth the Apostle Exhort Titus to be so quick and brief in Admonishing such an one and upon a second Contempt imediately to reject him I Answer Answer Because they have refused the way of Truth and chosen and prâ—fer'd an Erronious Opinion be ore it and obstinately reâ—use to return again This assâ—ion iâ— verified by the Testimony of the Prophet Jeremâ— Chap. 6. ver 16. Thus saith the Lord Stand ye in the ways and see and ask for the old Paths where is the good way and walk therein and ye shall find Rest for your Souls This was the first Admonition the Prophet gave them aâ—ter their Revolt unto which they obstinately answered We will not walk therein The second word of Admonition is in ver 17 Also I set Watchmen over you saying Hearken to the sound of the Trumpet Unto which they made this stubbora Answer We will not Hearken Upon this their refusal after their second Admonition to return to the antient ways of God the Prophet proceeds in the name of the Lord to give Judgment upon them in ver 18. 19. Therefore hear ye Nations and know O Congrâ—gation what is among them Hear O Earth behold I wâ—ll bring Evil upon this People even the Fruit of their Thoughts because they have not hearkned unto my Words nor to my Law but rejected it Twice did those Men in my Text return a stubborn Anâ—wer to Moses that they would not return to their former Conformity but deâ—perately resolved to stick close to their former Remonstrance for when Moses sent for Dathan and Abiram the Sons of Eliab to come to him doubtless to perswade and advise with them to forbear the further Prosecution of their wicked Designs and to consider the manifold mischiefs that would unavoidably follow such wicked enterprizes as they were now begining to prosecute then they returned this resolute Answer We will not come up and aggravated it with this Expostulation Is it a small thing that thou hast brought us up out of a Land thâ—t floweth with Milk and Honey to kill us in the Wilderness except thou make thy self altogether a Prince over us ver 13. and then in ver 14. They follow their blow with a Moreover thou hast not brought us into a Land that floweth with Milk and Honey or given us Inheritance of Fields and Vineyards Wilt thou put out the Eyes of these Men We will not come up Upon this second Repulse of theirs to Moses's Admonition he utterly Rejects them and now will have no more to do with them but turns his Prayer directly against them And in the Indignation of his Spirit said unto the Lord Respect not thou their Offering And what the Effect of such a Prayer was like to be may be easily read in the Judgment that followed for the Earth opened her Mouth and swallowed them up with all that appertain'd to them and I wish with all my Heart that these Mens Principles had sunck into the Ground with them and never appear'd again upon the face of Earth but vae mihi 3. A third Infectious Disease in the Body of Man is the Cancer a sore fretting Disease very small in the beginning dangerous in growth and pernitious in the end Such is all Scismatical and false Doctrine in the beginning scarcely discern'd but by degrees it eats so far into the Soul that it destroys both Faith and Practice We have this confirm'd by the Apostle St. Paul in an Epistle of his to the chief Pastor of the Church of Ephesâ—s 2. Tim. 2. Cap. 16. 17. 18. ver But shun prophane Bablings for they will increase unto more Ungodliness And their Word will eat as doth a Canker of whom is Hymeneus and Philetus Who concerning the truth have erred saying That the Resurrection is past already and overthrow the Faith of some O Lord for thy Mercy sake save and deliver thy Church and People in the Kingdoms of England and Ireland and the Religion Established by Law therein from the fly insinuating creeping Soul-infectious Diseases of Sediton Privy Conspiracy and Rebellion false Doctrine Heresie and Scisme and work in us such a Reformation in all our Lives that our Conversations before God and Man may be such as may beautifie and adorn our most Holy Faith and demonstrate to the World that we are living Members of Christ's Body I have now finished my third
reciprocally it is a thing most reasonable that they which receive it should always enjoy it since God himself had given them both the Assurance and Confirmation God therefore will once more Determine who amongst you shall be chosen to Offer Sacrifice unto him and to take charge of those things which appertain to Piety for it is a most Absurd Matter that Chore should have Power to desire a Dignity and that God should be deprived of that Authority to dispose the same as best liked him Cease therefore to Mutiny amongst your selves and to be troubled upon these Occasions and let every one of you that desire the Priest-Hood to Morrow bring each of you his Censer with Perfume and Fire from his House But thou O Chore give place unto God and expect his Election neither Arrogate to thy Self a greater Authority than God hath but come thou also amongst the rest of thy Competitors in this Honour to hear his Judgment neither see I cause why Aaron should not be there also present to be Judged with thee in that hitherto he hath Virtuously and Uprightly behaved himself in that Office and is likewise of the same Tribe and Race that thou art off Ye shall likewise offer Incense in the Presence of all the People and when the Perfume shall be past let him whose Sacrifice shall be most Acceptable in Gods sight be declared and published for the High-Priest so shall I be acquit of that Slander which is so wrongfully urged against me whereby I am charged upon my own particular Grace and Favour to have bestowed the Office of the Priest-Hood on my Brother After that Moses had spoken in this manner the People gave over Murmuring and forbear suspecting Moses allowing in themselves all that which had been spoken as being profitable for the Common-Wealth so that hereupon they dismissed the Assembly The next Day the People reassembled themselves together to assist the Sacrifice and to hear the Strife decided amongst the Competitors neither was this Assembly without Tumult for the whole Multitude were in suspence in expectation of the Event and some of them were desirous that Moses might be Convicted of Deceit But such as were of the wiser sort amongst them desired an end of the Sedition for they feared least the Common-Wealth should be utterly ruinated if the Tumult should proceed any further the Multitude likewise being desirous of Novelties and prone to speak evil of their Magistrates were diversâ—y disposed upon every Occurrent Moses also sent his Servants to Dathan and Abiram to Summonsthem to Appear according to the Covenant and Accord to attend the Issue of the Sacrifice but their Answer was that they would not Obey him nor that they would any longer permit that Moses by his subtil and sinister Devices should signorize over the People Which when Moses understood he took divers of the Elders amongst the People with him and being no ways moved with the Contumacy of Dathan be came unto him being willingly Attended by those who were drawn to Accompany him Now when Dathan and his Friends understood that Moses with the Nobles came unto them both they their Wives and Children Assembled themselves before the Tabernacle expecting that which might ensue They likewise came Guarded with their Servants who were Armed to Oppose themselves against Moses if so be he should offer them any Violence But no sooner drew he near unto them but that lifting up his Hands towards Heaven he Cryed out with a loud Voice in the hearing of the whole Multitude and Prayed after this manner O God! said he thou Lord over all that which either Heaven Earth or Sea containeth thou art a sufficient Witness with me of all my Actions for that I have managed all things by thy Will And thou art he who hast given me Power to Execute my purposes Thou that always in Commiseration of the Hebrews hast been my perpetual Help and Assistance Hear this my Prayer for nothing that is either done or thought can be hidden from thee for which Cause I hope thou wilt not Disdain to Testifie and Justifie the Truth and manifest the Ingratitude of these Men. Thou dost exactly know the Antiquity of my Race now also Testifie the Truth for me in those things which these Men altho' they know the contrary are not ashamed to impute unto me at such time as I led a Peaceable Life And that by thy Council I forsook the Possession of my Goods and the Fruition of my Peace to Engage my self in these Miseries which I have suffered for these Men. And first of all for their Liberty and now likewise for their Safety I have readily undertaken grievious Travels now therefore since I am grown into Suspition amongst these Men who by my Care and Providence have escaped so many Mischiefs and Miseries Thou that appearedst unto me in that Fire on the Mountain of Sinai and Vouchsafest to speak unto me and to Confirm me by the sight of Miracles that in thy Name sentst me a Messenger into Egypt and hast given me Means to escape their Servitude And hast made Pharaoh's power and Armies inferior to my Fortunes that when we were ignorant of our Ways thou gavest a Passage through the Sea in whose Bottom and Womb the Egyptians were Drowned that gavest us Arms when we were unweaponed that madest the bitter Waters Savory and fit to be drank of and in our scarcity of Water forced Drink for us out of the Bowels of the hard Rock when we found no Meat on the Land thou did send it us from the Sea Moreover as a thing never hard of before afforded us Meat from Heaven and hast Established our State with Laws and Customs Be thou O Lord my Judge in all things and my Impartial Witness that I have neither bin Corrupted by any Bribe of any Particular Hebrew to favour Injustice nor that I bave suffered a Poor Man in his just Cause to loose his Right against a Rich Adversary And now having Administred the Common-Wealth will all Sincerity I am called in Question for a Crime whereof I am altogether Guiltless as if I had bestowed the Priest-Hood on my Brother for private Affection and not for thy Command sake Make it known that all things are disposed of by thy Providence and that nothing is brought to Effect by Casualty but by thy special Ordinance and to Express that thou hast care of the Hebrews Testify the same by thy just Punishment Inflicted on Dathan and Abiram who Accuse thee to be Insencible and boast that thou art Circumvented by my Subtilies But thou shalt make thy Revenge more notorious against the unbridled Detracters of thy Glory if they Perish after no common Manner least any Man should suspect that they suffer nothing Inhumane But let the Earth which they unworthily tread on open it self and swallow them up both with their Faculties and Families By this means both thy Power will manifestly appear unto all Men and thou shalt leave an Example
Hath the Lord indeed only spoken by Moses hath he not spoken also by us Here was Envy and Emulation at the Government intrusted by God in the Hands of Moses Disobedience would undoubtedly have followed the Leprosi of Original Sin dâ—d cleave so fast to their Loyns that altho' they were Saints upon Earth yet they were nâ—t quite free from stumbling upon the Threshould oâ— Original Corruption true Children oâ— Disobediâ—nt Parents Adam and Eve our first Parents would set up for themselves and be as Gods Miriam and Aaron will Rule and Govern as well as Moses Hath the Lord indeed say they spoken onely by Moses Hath he not spoken also by us No wonder Moses was not angry with his Brother and Sister for aspiring to share with him in a piece of Earthly Government when he knew that his own first Parents aspired to an Heavenly Throne by endeavouring to be as Gods Nay Aaron in another sinful Act of his outdid his Progenitors for they presumed to be but as Gods to know Good and Evil but Aaron presumed to make a God nay to make many Gods Make us Gods saith sinful Israel that may go before us Bring your Ear rings saith Aaron and I 'le make you some Original Sin like a Snow ball gathers by rolling from place to place The same Serpent that perswaded our first Parents to conceit themselves Gods hath prevailed with Aaron not to conceit himself to be one but take upon him the Employment of making a God and so to be greater than God For as he that makes a King is said to be greater then a King so he that makes a God may conceit himself greater than the God he hath made Oâ— the horrible Contagion and Infection of Original Sin which like a foul Leprosie hath spread it self into the whole Masse of Mankind And as thus the Leprosie of Original Sin had spread it self into the several Faculties of Miriams and Aarons Soul so the Lord Plagâ—ed Miriam with a soul Leprosie in several parts of her Body a Punishment suitable to her Sin If it should here be askt why Aaron guilty of the same Sin with his Sister Miriam was not Plagued with the same Punishment of Leprosie as she was according to the rule of Justice the same Sin the same Punishment I answer it is true the Lord might in Justice have smitten Aaron with the Plague of Leprosie as he did Miriam but he did not he spared Aaron and Punished Miriam and that for several good and weighty Reasons as I humbly conceive 1. That the Church and all the World may know that he hath two Hands as well as two Eyes the one to lay on the stroak of Justice and the other to extend Grace and Mercy that he is Mercy as well as Justice and Judgment as well as Mercy 2. That the Sons of Men may know that God is a free Agent and may do with his own what he pleaseth that he can have Mercy upon whom he will have Mercy and Punish others for the Iniquity of their Transgressions and leave them to the hardness of their own Hearts 3. The Sin was greater in Miriam then in Aaron Aaron might have a seeming colour for what he said having formerly been Moses's Speaker for God to Pharaoh but for Miriam to assume the Privilege of a Speaker was neither proper to her Sex nor ever an Office in the Church for a Woman to Execute I permit not a Woman saith St. Paul to Speak in the Church 4. Aarons Office might excuse him and speak something for him being by a special Decree and Ordinance of God Anointed with Holy Oyl High Priest to offer Sacrifice for the Sins of all Israel and no Leper was to Officiate in that calling nor stand at Gods Altar so that the Purity of his Office freed him from that foul and lothsom Punishment of the Plague of Leprosie God's Altar was nor a fit place for a Deformed Person to stand at to offer Sacrifices therefore for the Glory of his Name and the Holiness of his Altar he exempted the Sacrificer from the Punishment of so loathsom a Disease altho ' he went not Scot-free for for this and other failings he was debarr'd both of the sight and enterance into the Land of Canaan the Land of Promise 5. It might probable be that Aaron was not Principal but Accessary to this Sin for Miriam is first named in the Text Numb 12. And Miriam and Aaron spake against Moses because of the Aethiopian Woman whom he had Married If she had not been Principal in the Sin it s very likely she had not been named first in the Inditement And it is very likely that the Quarrel began betwixt the two Sisters In-law Ziporah and Miriam about what I know not but be it what it will Miriam hath engaged her Brother Aaron in the Quarrel and both of them knew that Moses was so Just and so good a Man that if the matter on Ziporah's part were not a Breach of God's Sacred Law he was bound by the Sacred Tye of Marriage to Vindicate her against them both they resolve therefore to bring him in for a Party and make him Faulty for fuch a Choice and so begin a Quarrel with him who it may be knew nothing of their Discontents Dr. Hall late Bishop of Norwich that English Seneca that Painful Pious Prelate in his Contemplations on the Holy Story hath an excellent Passage upon this Place Lib. 6 Pag. 196. in Oct. Miriam and Aaron are in Mutiny against Moses Who is so Holy that Sins not What Sin is so unnatural that the best can avoid without God's preventing Grace Who can but grieve to see Aaron at the end of so many Sins Of late I saw him Carving the Molten Image and Consecrating an Altar to a False God now I see him seconding an uukind Mutiny against his Brother both find him Accessary neither Principal in the first Sin of Mankind the Servent who was Principal in it found no Mercy nor Grace Whereas Adam and his Wife who were but Accessarieâ— had upon their Repentance the offer of both and therefore 6. A fixth Râ—son â—hy Aaron escaped the Punishment inflicte upon Miriam was because oâ— his speedy Repentance for no sooner did he perceive the Leprosie upon Miriams Face he knew there was but one way to escape that or a greater punishment viz. a Conâ—ssion 〈◊〉 in and a speedy Repentance And therefore having offended his Brother Moses he first asketh him Forgiveness saying Alas my Lord lay not this Sin upon us wherein we have done Foolishly and wherein we have Sinned The universal Ant dote against all Gods Judgments is Unfeignâ—d and speedy Repentance Had Miriam Repented at the Word of the Lord to her as Aaron did at the Hand of the Lord upon hâ—r 't is very likly that she had eâ—caped the Leprosie as well as he for that God who is rich in Mercy to one is rich in Mercy to all that Unfeignedly call