LXXVIII 30 31. while the meat was yet in their Mouths the wrath of God came upon them and slew d 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. even the healthiest and lustiest Men of all their Nation Ps. LXXVIII 30 31. It seems the disease that they died of rotted out the palates of their Mouths for it was said that what they eat should come out of their Nostrils e Num. XI 20. Num. XI 20. But this happen'd only to them that had murmured from whom the place where they died was called Kibroth Hattaava the Graves where they f v. 34. buried them that lusted 91. After this the People being come to Kadesh Barnea in the Of twelve Spies sent to Canaan ten misrepresent it Confines of Canaan Moses told them how near they were to it and bade them now g Deut. I. 19 20 and 21. IX 23. Go up and possess it Deut. I. 19 20 21. He told them plainly God would have them do it and he would stand by them so that they need fear nothing But they durst not trust the wisdom of God They came up to Moses and proposed to him the sending of spies to search out the Land and bring word what way they should go c. Moses saw no ill in this and therefore he consulted God about it God gave him leave to send one of every Tribe to h Num. XIII 1 2. view the Land Num. XIII 1 2. So Moses sent twelve chosen men of the chief of them with Instructions proper for that occasion i v. 17 20. v. 17 20. They went and viewed the Countrey and returned after k v. 25. forty days with their mouths full of the l v. 26 27. Deut. I. 25. praises of it bringing with them some Tasts of the delicate Fruits of it particularly m See Bp. Patrick on verse 23. Grapes of an extraordinary bigness But withal they brought such a frightful n v. 28 29. Account of the strength of their Towns and of the Giants and Giantlike men that lived there that it struck the People with such terror that they would scarce hear Ioshua and Caleb telling them the Truth of these matters Especially when the other Ten in Opposition to these two not only o v. 31. persisted in what they had said of the Towns and of the People but contradicted themselves in what they had said before of the Goodness of the Land For whereas before they had said it was p v. 27. 32. a Land that flowed with Milk and Honey now they said it was a Land that eat up the Inhabitants thereof Num. XIII 32. 92. This put the People into a Rage insomuch that q Num. XIV 1. Num. This put all the People in a Sedition XIV 1. all the Congregation lifted up their voice and cried that night And the next day r v. 2. v. 2. all the Children of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron and the whole Congregation said to them would God that we had died in the land of Egypt or would God we had died in this wilderness Nay more they plainly said it is s Deut. I. 27. because the Lord hated us that he brought us forth out of the land of Egypt hither for the Amorites to destroy us They were now for a Num. XIV 3. returning back into Egypt which was in effect the undoing of all that God had done for them And to shew they were in earnest they said b v. 4. let us make a Captain to bring us thither The hearing of this so struck Moses and Aaron that they c v. 5. fell on their faces before all the Congregation And for Ioshua and Caleb who would have appeased this Rage by informing them better d v. 10. all the congregation bade stone them with stones Which probably had been done but that at that instant the Glory of the Lord appear'd at the Tabernacle before all the children of Israel 93. This was a universal Rebellion of the whole Israelitish Nation It was a brutish perversness That vast number of them of twenty years old and upward which were e Num. I. 1 3. number'd within six months before was not lessen'd since but by the death of those persons that were cut off for having to do in the two last Mutinies And after the first of these two there were f Num. Xâ—… 21. six hundred thousand of them living of whom those that lusted for flesh being dead of the plague g Num. XIV 36 37. all the rest were engaged in this Rebellion except only Ioshua and Caleb and perhaps some few others that were of less consideration It seems to be a wonderful thing how they could so utterly forget what they had seen within two years last past in Egypt and at the Red Sea and in the wilderness being so many unquestionable Proofs of God's infinite Power and of his Providence over them And later yet what they had both seen and heard at God's giving them the Law on h Ex. XX. 19. Mount Sinai with such Astonishing Evidences of it as made them beg they might hear and see no more such things lest they should dye It is yet more wonderful how they that when they thought themselves dying with i Ex. XVI 8. hunger one time and another time with k XVII 6. thirst in the wilderness being told before hand by Moses both times that they should have Bread come down to them from Heaven and that they should have Water out of the Rock they both saw these things come to pass and had both their Bread and their Water continued to them ever since by perpetual Miracles Most of all it is to be Admired how they could every day and even at this present see over the Tabernacle a l Num. X. 11 34. Pillar of Cloud by day and Fire by night which they knew was a Token of God's Presence with them and of his Care over them and yet as if all this were nothing should throw off all regard to God and his Ministers and give up themselves entirely to follow their own vain Fancies and Lusts and what other ill designing men should put into their heads That this was their case is most evident in all their History They were much like Beasts that have Sense and Memory enough but have no manner of Consideration They think of nothing more than the Present nor even that when they have been Used to it This People were now come to that pass that they minded the Pillar no more than Brutes do the Sun which they see every day But as Beasts are â—…artled with a sudden Fire because they know not what may come of it so this People started at the sudden appearance of that Glory in and over a Num. XIV 10. the Tabernacle That was it that put a stop to their Rage against Ioshua and Caleb They were now in fear of
and one for Levi besides with Aaron's Name written upon it to be laid up in the Tabernacle before the Ark of God and to ly there only for one night God told Moses what would be the issue of it and accordingly he found it so the next morning Behold the Rod of Aaron was budded and had brought forth Blossoms and those came to be Almonds all in that one night Moses brought out all those Rods that the Children of Israel might see them Of the Princes of the twelve Tribes every one acknowledged his own Rod. Then God caused Moses to bring back Aaron's Rod and to lay it before the Ark to remain there for a Token against those Rebels and quite to take away their Murmuring for the future 103. Now the whole Nation of Israel had seen these miraculous The People obstinate to the last proofs of God's insisting on his choice of Aaron to be Priest as well as his asserting the Authority of Moses They had also seen those dreadful Judgements of God Earthquake and Fire from Heaven and Plagues that he sent all in one day to cut off those Rebels that attempted to set up themselves against these his Ministers What disposition that People were in after this God has been pleased to let us know by giving us the Passionate words into which they broke out on this occasion He tells us f Num. XVII the Children of Israel spake unto Moses saying behold we dye we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near to the Tabernacle of the Lord shall dye Shall we be consumed with dying * After Moseâ—… and Aaron had brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt their first Complaint against them was this that whereas they had put the people in hope of bringing them into g Ex. XIII 5. a Land flowing with milk and honey Ex. XIII 5. They found fault that they had brought them into a a Ex. XIV 11. wilderness Ex. XIV 11. where first their b XV. 24. water was bâ—…r XV. 24. and where there was c XVI 3. nothing to eat XVI 3. and at last there was d XVII 3. no water XVII 3. God was so Gracious as notwithstanding all this to supply fall these defects and to forgive their Sin of murmuring so that not one of them died for it And after that he was pleased to renew to them that Promise of bringing them into e Num. XXXIII 3. Lev. XX. 24. a Land flowing with milk and honey Num. XXXIII 3. But when he had just brought them to that Land and the Spies whom they had sent to look into the nature of it had told them it was f Num. XIII 32. a Land that eat up the Inhabitants thereof which was quite contrary to what Moses had promised them then they broke out into a Tumuk worse than any of the former For this in the first place God g XIV 37. cut off those Spies that had given them that false information Then for their so often repeated Sin of murmuring against God he declared that they all should h vers 32. dye in the wilderness and that within the space of i 33. forty years This terrible Sentence daunted them for a while But soon after in the time of Korâ—…h's Rebellion Dathâ—… and Abiram k XVI 13 14. revived this very thing Num. XVI 13 14. In their charge against Moses they told him Thou hast brought us up to kill us in the wilderness thou hast not brought us into a Land that flows with milk and honey Wilt thou put out the eyes of these men Wilt thou make them believe this is a Land flowing with milk and honey when they see it is a Wilderness This was a downright Rebellion against God for which as those Ten Spies l XIV 37. died of the plague so these two Daâ—…han and Abiranâ—… and all that belonged to them were m XVI 32. swallowed up at once by the Ground opening under them But it seems the Sin these Men died for was no other than what all the People had in their hearts There seems to be an acknowledgement of it in these words when reflecting upon this Judgement on Dathan and Abâ—…ram they could not forbear telling Moses n XVII 1â—… XVII 12. behold we dye we perish we all perish that is to say if all that are of this opinion must dye then there is no help for it we must all dye and perish They were as good as their words They boldly said this again and again when they saw many others to join with them in it And o XX. 2 3. XXI 5. this was the cause of their dying in the next judgements of God that came upon them in the Wilderness Num. XX. 2 3. and XXI 5. But that which was freshest in their minds and which most stuck with them was this that Moses had advanced his Brother Aaron and his Sons to the Priesthood which always belonged to the first born in former times This was in their opinion such an engrossing of Honour and Riches into one Family as ought not to be endured That this was the People's sense of the matter it appeared by their so generally joyning with Korah and his Company in opposition to Aaron's Priesthood Koráh had with him p Num. XVI 2. vers 18. 250 men of the chief of their Nation who all took Censers in their hands to officiate as Priests in burning Incense at the Door of the Tabernacle The People saw them all struck dead with q v. 35. Fire from Heaven After which as Moses said by God's Command r v. 37 38 39. their Censers were taken up and wrought into Plates for the covering of the Altar and that expressly for this reason that it should be s v. 40. a Memorial to all others that were not of the â—…ons of Aaron that t Num. XVI 40. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. not a man of them should come near to offer incense before the Lord that he be not as Korah and his Company Num. XVI 40. All this the People must have known or else it could not hare been a warning to them They might also know what Moses now said as from God concerning u Num. XVII 10 11. Aaron's Rod being now laid up before the Ark for a second Memorial He had said that it was to mind the People not to meddle with any office of the Priesthood x vers 10. that they dye not It was as most think upon the hearing of this that the y v. 12. Children of Israel spoke to Moses those passionate words we dye we perish we all perish that is in effect we hear of nothing but dying But those words especially went to their hearts that Moses had z XVI 40. XVII 13. said on occasion of the Plates being made of those Censers for a Memorial c. They repeat them here in effect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
with the other a Ier. L. 2. Ierem. L. 2. But this belongs to another Prophecy which ought to be consider'd by it self 27. It is that long Prophecy against Babylon Ierem. L. and LI. and those of Ieremiah L. and LI. which the Prophet received in King Zedekiah's time and sent it to the Jews that were there at that time in Captivity Many of them were of the best of that Nation who had been carried thither together with Daniel and those three others of the Royal Family in King Iehoiakim's time or who went afterwards as the Prophet Ezekiel did and many others together with King Ieconiah God was so pleased to send them away from â—…salem before he would pour out his judgements on that wicked City and Nation But the mean while being Captives at Babylon many of them were in a very disconsolate Condition Therefore God was pleased to let them know for their Comfort that their stâ—…y there should be of no long Continuance when the Will of God was fulfilled on Ierusalem by the hands of Nebuchadnezzar and his people it should not be long ere the like or greater judgements should be executed on Babylon and the Land of Chaldea Jerem. L. 1. c. After which God would soon give his people a Deliverance out of their present Captivity and would bring them back into their own Land b Ier. L. 4 8 v. 19 20. LI. 5 10. Ierem. L. 4 8 and 19 20 LI. 5 10. It is plain from c Ezra III. 12 13. Ezra III. 12. 13. that many of the Jews to whom this prophecy was given lived to see the fulfilling of it to a tittle save only the utter Desolation of that City and Country which was then foretold and has been long since fulfilled as Travellers see it at this Day 28. But they saw then in Daniel's time first the Assembly of great These they saw now fulfilled Nations come up against Babylon d Ier. L. 9. Ierm L. 9. It was e L. 41. LI. 48. foretold they should come out of the North L. 41 and LI. 48. The Medes did so and those other Nations mentioned ee LI. 27. Ierem. LI 27. whose Kings being subject to the Median King are therefore f LI. 11 28. called Kings of the Medes Ierem. LI. 11. 28. That the Median should come himself it is not said but that there g v. 27. should be 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 a chief Captain or General over them v. 27 attended with Troops of horse bristled like Caterpillars that is Archers as we h see n. 13. have explained it These Troops now appeared to be Persians and their Prince Cyrus who came in the head of them i Ier. L. 42. LI. 27. had the Command of all this Army Ierem. L. 42. LI. 27. The Jews now saw what a Spoil all these Troops made in Chaldea as was k L. 10. foretold Ierem. L. 10. how they l v. 21 23 24 28. wasted and utterly destroyed all the Countrey v. 21. up to Babylon it self v. 23 24 28. and also m v. 29. encamped against that City round about v. 29. Now they saw the Sword upon the Chaldeans and on the people of Babylon on them of all ranks and conditions as was n v. 35 36 37. foretold v. 35. 36. 37. At last they came to see o v. 38. the waters gone from about Babylon v. 38. a LI. 36. her Sea dried up LI. 36. which was perhaps the great pool of Queen Nitocris 29. This last thing is placed next before the Destruction of that Especially in the taking of Babylon great City For as b see 〈◊〉 15. we have shewn from the ancient Historians the River Euphrates being let out and the c Herodot I. 191. Chanel of it made fordable so that the water thereof came not up above the middle of the thigh which was all brought to pass in one Evening then the Persians went down into the Chanel and waded through it making their way with fire and sword into the City So that as d Herod ibid. Herodotus saies both ends of it were taken before they in the middle of the City knew any thing of it But it was from the End â—…t which they first enter'd that the news came to the Court The â—…ophet foretold it would be so in e Ier. LI. 31. these words Ierem. LI. 31. one post shall run to meet another and one messenger to meet another to shew the King of Babylon that his City is taken at one end It seems he was asleep and was waken'd with the news For as f Xenoph. Cyrop VII 5. Xenophon saies when a party of them that best knew the Place being detached by Cyrus for that purpose had broken into the Royal Palace there g they found him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 lb. they found the King got up on his Legs and having drawn his Sword to defend himself But as Xenophon further saies they soon dispatched him and those that were with him or as the Prophet words it they laid him to sleep again and that h Ier. LI. 39 57. for ever Jerem. LI. 39 57. 30. In this last Instance they saw how true it was which the and the End of that Empire in Nebucadnâ—…zzar's Son 's Son Prophet Ieremy had elsewhere foretold that the Babylonian Empire was to last no longer than the Reigns of Nebucadnezzar and his Son and his Son's Son i Ier. XXVII 7. Jerem XXVII 7. This Prophecy of Ieremiah's was written in the first year of King Nebucadnezzar k v. 1. XXVII 1. The Jews now living when Daniel writ this had seen that Empire after Nebucadnezzar's death l Ios. Anâ—… X. 1â—… continued in his Son Evil-Merodach and in Belshazzar who was his Son's Son m Dan. V 11 28. Dan V. 11 28. they saw how God had made an end of that Empire They saw many other things happen which they could not but observe to be exactly the same that had been foretold in those Prophecies which they found recorded in their Scriptures 31. But above all the rest when they saw that City of Babylon all this done by a Persian taken by one that came out of Persia a Country that lay East from Babylon and especially when they heard that his name was Cyrus they could not but remember what was written of such a one in their Scriptures above a hundred years before this Cyrus was born It was n Esai XLI 2. foretold by the Prophet Esaia XLI 2. That God would raise up a Righteous man from the East and again in a Prophecy against Babylon o XLVI 1. Esaia XLVI 1. that he would call a bird of Prey a fighting Prince p v. 10. from the East v. 10. that God would give the Nations before him and make him rule over Kings that they should q XLI 2. be dust
Daniel now did the same he sought the Lord by prayer with a Dan. IX 1 2 3. Fasting and Sackcloth and Ashes out of a holy fear lest his people by their Sins should obstruct their approaching Deliverance 44. In the next place as to Daniel's Prayer here are several things Of DANIEL'S PRAYER to be observed in it As namely First The Time This as we shall shew in it's proper b Tract IV. place was at one of the Hours of Prayer and particularly at the Ninth Hour which was the time of the c Dan. IX 21. Evening Sacrifice Secondly The Ceremonies that he used in his Devotions of these here is nothing expressed but only this which Daniel saies of himself v. 3. d Dan. IX 3. I set my face unto the Lord God meaning thereby towards the Ruins of the Temple of God at Ierusalem as he shews e Dan. VI. 10. v. Grotium in â—…oc elsewhere Dan. VI. 10. Thirdly The Substance of his Prayer This he f IX 20. divides in two parts the Confession of his Sins and his People's and his Supplication to God IX 20. Before all he begins with an g vers 4. Address to God the same that was afterwards used by h Neh. I. 5. Nehemiah in his Prayer on a like occasion His Confession of Sins we shall i Tract V. shew he also begins with a k Dan. IX 5. set Form composed by King l Ps. CVI. 6. David and prescribed by his Son m 〈◊〉 Kin. VIII 47. Solomon to the used by God's People when they should be in Captivity as 〈◊〉 were now in Daniel's time 45. But for these Circumstantial things the use of set forms of Circumstantial things are only toucht at Prayer the Houâ—… of Prayer that Daniel observed and the Ceremony abovâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 they do all deserve a longer consideration than we caâ—… 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 them in this place so our enlarging upon them here is not â—…ry for the understanding of this Prophecy And therefore a farther discourse upon these is reserved for some of the n Tract IV. V. Tracts that are to follow in the end of this work As to our present business it will be sufficient to observe those things in Daniel's Prayer to which the Angel plainly refers in any part of his Answer but especially in the words of this Prophecy 46. In the first place whosoever reads Daniel's Prayer and well In the Main it shews us his excellent Spirit considers it cannot but admire his excellent temper of Spirit made up wholely of Humility and Self-denial and of ardent Zeal for God's Glory and the good of his Church There is a wonderfull mixture oâ—… 〈◊〉 these together that shines forth throughout his whole Prayer for which as it was intimated o see 〈◊〉 1 2 3. before the Angel that brought him this Prophecy told him in his Preface to it that he was GREATLY Bâ—…LOVED OF GOD. 47. First to speak of his Humility Throughout the first part of his Humility 〈◊〉 Prayer which is chiefly a Confession of Sin he every were joins his own Sins with those of his People as if He had been one of the Number of them that had drawn down those heavy Judgements of God upon themselves and their Nation of whom a great part were destroyed and the rest were now as he was in Captivity in a forreign Land But he does more than this he calls that whole part of his Prayer a Dan. IX 4. MY CONFESSION v. 4. And so at last all the matters of his Confession he summs up in these words I was confessing MY SIN and the Sin of my people Israel He speaks as if he had been the Chief Sinner of Israel He b Ezek. XIV 14 20. see Dissert I. whom * See Usser Ann. 594. before Christ and remember this Prayer was Iâ—…o Dâ—…ll that is in the year before Christ 537 near threescore years after that Prophecy above fifty years before all they that were then in Captivity with him at Babylon looked upon as so great a Saint that they hoped to be delivered on the account of his Holiness 48. In the second part of his Prayer which he calls his Supplication his Self Denial to God first as to the Matters he had to ask in it this holy man was so intent on the concernments of his People that he quite left out himself as if he were not worth thinking of It may indeed seem as if he had not any thing to ask for himself being then as great as the greatest King in the World could make him in his worldly condition But besides he could have no concernment himself in that which he was chiefly to ask for his People His great suit for them was that God would put an end to their Captivity that they might return to their own Land But that was above c Ezra VII 9. four months Journey too much for a Man of his Age being then above d See Dissert I. Ninety years old Yet now at this age being first Minister of State in that great Empire he underwent perhaps a greater toil for his People's sake than that Journey would have been And he continued in it e Dan. VI. 28. even till King Cyrus's time It was four years at least till the third year of Cyrus after which God was pleased to give him his dismission f Dan. XII 12 13. Dan. XII 12 13. His Zeal for God's Glory will appear in the Arguments that he uses in his Prayer which we shall presently come to consider 49. But first something more must be said of the Persons and his Concern for God's People especially for the City of Ierusalem things that he prayed for He asked only in general for his People that God would bring them back into the Land of their Fathers But there he seems to have thought of nothing but the City of Ierusalem It is that which he insists upon more than any thing else in his Prayer It appears by his mentioning this five or six times at least whereas he does not mention the Temple more than once though that was surely the most valuable thing in that City Both these Daniel g Dissert I. had seen in their Glory in the end of King Iosiah's Reign though he was very young at that time But Ierusalem he could never forget nor no Captive at Babylon could that had read those passionate words in h Ps CXXXVII 5 6. King David's beloved City Ps. CXXXVII 50. The Royal Psalmist himself could not but have a vehement affection i See Ps. CXXII for that City on many accounts It was that which he having taken it from the Iebusites first made the Royal Seat of his Kingdom afterwards having brought the Ark of God thither he made it the Mother-Church of all Israel and to perpetuate that Privilege to it he would have built a Temple there for
only murmured against Moses but they outright chid with him and were almost ready to stone him e Ex. XVII 1 4. Ex. XVII 1. 4. Nay they went farther in their Rebellion f v. 7. They tempted the Lord saying is the Lord among us or not God shewed them he was by g v. 5. bidding Moses take the Elders of Israel with him and in their sight smite the Rock with the Rod in his hand whereupon there came out such a stream of water as supply'd all their present needs And not only so but it follow'd them wherever they went in the wilderness till the fourtieth year after this Then upon their coming back to the Red Sea where this stream of water ran out they were at a loss for water again and thereupon they broke out into a second h Num. XX. 2. Massa and Mereba worse than the former Num. XX. 2 c. 74. But all the Instances that we have given hitherto except this God still bore with them and took care of them last were within 40 Days after their coming out of Egypt And it is remarkable that during all this time notwithstanding all their great provocations God made them no other return but in deliverances and blessings Of this kind there was one more than we have yet mentioned viz. the Victory that God gave them over the i Ex. XVII 8 c. Aâ—…alekites These their unnatural Brethren looking upon them as no other than heartless slaves that had never seen fighting and had no other Arms but what the Sea threw up together with the dead Bodies of the Egyptians fell upon them k Deut. XXV 18. faint and weary as they were with their Journey and smote all the hindmost of them not doubting to have taken the rest with all the riches of which they had l Ex. XII 36. spoiled the Egyptians Ex. XII 36. But Moses orderd Ioshua to draw out all the men of Israel that were likeliest to fight and to lead them against the Enemy He did so and God shewed them to whom they owed their Success by ordering that to attend the motions of Moses's hands * It is hand in the singular Number in the Hebrew text but hands in the Samaritan and LXX in his prayer m Ex. XVII 11. When he held them up Israel prevailed when he let them down Amalek prevailed But Moses seeing that and finding his hands to grow weary a vers 12. got help to keep them up till the Evening and so obtain'd a complete Victory for Israel 75. With this farther Instance of God's good Providence over He brought them to M. Horeb. them they came to Mount Horeb in the wilderness of Sinai It is that which Moses calls the Mount of God for it was there he had the vision of God in a b Ex. III. 1. 2. flame of fire in a bush And there first God gave him the charge over his People and a promise withal c Ex. III. 12. that when he had brought them forth out of Egypt they should serve God on that very mountain Ex. III. 12. As soon as they were come thither d XIX 3 4 5. Moses went up forth with to God who called to him out of the Mount saying thus shalt thou say to the Children of Israel ye have seen what I did to the Egyptians and how I bare e XIX 3 6. you on Eagles wings and brought you to my self Now therefore if you will obey my voice indeed and keep my Covenant then you shall be a peculiar treasure to me above all People c. Upon his bringing them this Message from God f v. 8. they all answered together v. 8. all that the Lord has spoken we will do Hereupon by God's Command g v. 10 11. v. 10 11. to make the more Impression on their souls they sanctified themselves by washing their Bodies for three days together with the Baptism of Repentance * So the Jews understand it as the learned Selden sheweth q Selden de Syned 1. 3. p. 24 c. at large in his Book dé Synedriis The whole manner of it is described in that command of God for r Lev. VIII 7. Sanctifying of the Levites Lev. VIII 7. They joyn'd strict Abstinence with it h Ex. XIX 14. Ex. XIX 14. And so being ready against the third day then being brought by Moses to the bottom of Mount Sinai there they saw and heard from the Top of it all those Glorious and dreadful sights and noises i v. 18. and XX. 18. of thunder and lightning and clouds and the voice of a Trumpet exceeding loud the Mountain smoking like a Furnace above and the earth quaking under them so that all the People being stricken with Terror removed and stood afar off It seems they did this even while God was speaking to them For as it presently follows l v. 19. they said unto Moses speak thou with us and we will hear but let not God speak with us lest we die These were surely such Evidences of an Almighty power that all they that were present at that time if they had any sense in them could not but as God told Moses they should on this Conviction m Ex. XIX 9. believe him for ever Ex. XIX 9. 76. What it was that God spoke to them we see n Ex. XX. 1 17. Ex. XX. He gave them the Law at M. Sinai 1. 17. Where first by way of Preface he minded them that he had performed his part of the Covenant in these words o vers 〈◊〉 I am JEHOVAH thy God which have brought thee out of the Land of Egypt c. Then to let them know what he expected on their part he spoke to them those p Ex. XXXIV 28. Deut. X. 13. Ten words as God calls them which we call the Decalogue being the ten Precepts of the Moral Law The first of them was in these words a Ex. XX. 3. Thou shalt have no other God before me * 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 being in the singular Number shews that it should be render'd thou shalt have no other God And by those words 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 before me it was intimated to them that if they had any other God they could not hide it so but that the great JEHOVAH must see it The second is in these words b vers 4. thou shalt not make to thee any graven Image or the likeness of any thing that is in Heaven or Earth c. thou shalt not bow down thy self to them nor worship them for I the Lord thy God am a Iealous God c. intimating that however he might bear with the Idolatry of other Nations yet he could not endure it in his own People no more than a Husband can Adultery in his own wife which if he knows he will surely punish if he be able 77. God knew what need there
was of using such threatnings to a Warning them especially against Idolatry People that were so inclined to Idolatry And therefore the more to secure them against that when he had gone through all the rest of his Ten words as it were in one breath he return'd to this against Idolatry for so we see it again vers 22 23. c v. 22 23. The Lord said unto Moses thus shalt thou say to the Children of Israel you have seen that I have talked with you from Heaven from thence d Deut. IV. 13 15. you only heard a Voice but you saw no similitude therefore take heed and do not make with me Gods of Silver nor Gods of Gold This plainly shews what the especial danger was against which God thought fit to provide for the safety of his People in Religious matters 78. After this God gave them a Body of e Ex. XXI XXII XXIII Political Judicial He gave them the Judicial Law Laws chiefly for the keeping of that vast number of People together and the Governing of them in Civil Society Then Moses having f Ex. XXIV 3 4. written all these in a Book as well the Ten words before-mention'd as also the Iudgements now deliver'd did by God's Command call all the People together and read the Book in their hearing Which having done he g v. 7. bound them to the observation of these Laws by h v. 8. an especial Covenant made by Sacrifice for that purpose And to make the stronger impression on their minds he first sprinkled i Ex. XXIV 6. half the blood of the Sacrifice on the Altar of God and then having taken a solemn promise from them in these words k v. 7. all that the Lord hath said we will do and be obedient then he sprinkled the other half of the blood on the People saying to them l v. 8. Behold the Blood of the Covenant which the Lord has made with you concerning all these words viz. all the words of the Law and also of the Judgements beforementioned 79. When this Business was over then Moses by God's Command Moses gets up into the Mount went up to him into the Mount there to receive m Deut. IX 11. the Tables of the Covenant from God himself They were two Tables of Stone on which there were written n Ex. XXIV 12. the Law and the Commandment as Moses calls them Ex. XXIV that is to say o Deut. IX 10. the words which the Lord spake to them out of the midst of the fire on Mount Sinai Deut. IX The Tables were no bigger than Moses could carry in his hands Ex. XXXII 19. and yet they were cut out of the Rock by the Almighty hand of God which also writ all that was contained in them to give them the more Authority with his People 80. There Moses continued in the Mount a Ex. XXIV 18. fourty daies and Stays there forty daies fourty nights neither eating nor drinking but wholely taken up with Attention to God who delivered to him those Instructions and Laws concerning the b Ex. XXV XXXI making of the Ark and the Tabernacle and all the furniture of it together with all the Utensils for his Instituted worship and also concerning the Priest's Vestments and their Consecration c. They were matters in which there was c Ezek. XX 25. no Intrinsec Goodness at all Ezek. XX. 25. And therefore these things were d Ier. VII 22. not commanded by God to his People at their first coming up our of Egypt Ier. VII 22. but were superadded afterwards to fill the Eyes and the Ears of a Sensual People that seemed to be scarce capable of any thing of Spiritual Religion having their minds wholely taken up with the remembrance of those Pompous and Noisy rites they had seen among the Idolatrous Nations 81. They shew'd now a great Instance of this upon occasion of The People set up a Golden Calf Moses's being so long absent from them while he was with God in Mount Sinai fourty daies e Ex. XXXII 1. For when the People saw that Moses delaied to come down out of the Mount in all that time they came in a Body to Aaron whom he had left in charge over them and said to him up make us Gods to go before us for as for this Moses the Man that brought us up out of the Land of Egypt we know not what is become of him It was strange indeed that they that within three months before had seen all those plagues of Egypt and their wonderful deliverance from thence and had been ever since conducted by the Pillar of Cloud and of Fire and did neither eat nor drink any thing but what came to them immediately from God by perpetual Miracles should notwithstanding all this so f Ps. CVI. 21. forget God their Saviour as to say it was that Man Moses that brought us up out of the Land of Egypt It was yet more strange that when by their g Ex. XXXII 22. importunity and threats they had gotten Aaron to make them a Molten Calf the likeness of an Ox that eateth Grass Ps. CVI. 20. they would cry up that as they did saying h vers 4 8. * This is thy God .... So it is in Neh. IX 18. this is thy God O Israel which brought thee up out of the Land of Egypt But this was strangest of all that Aaron who had seen the Glory of God should so quite forget that as to build an Altar to this Image of a beast and make Proclamation before it as if the great God had come down to dwell in it saying i v. 5. tomorrow is a Feast to JEHOVAH But however they had brought him to do this the People were pleased it was done And as if it were a God indeed k v. 6. on the morrow the People rose up early and offer'd Sacrifices of all sorts as well burnt offerings to this new made God as peace offerings to feast themselves with After which a Ib. 7. they rose up to play b vers 17 18 19. singing dancing and shouting as they had seen it done by the Egyptians at the Feasts of their Idols 82. On that very Morning Moses being to come down from the Moses intercedes for them Mount God c v. 7. hasten'd him away to see what they were doing in the Camp And it may be observed that as they had called Moses d v. 1. the Man that brought us up out of Egyt so God speaking to Moses called them e v. 7. thy People which thou hast brought up out of Egypt Ex. XXXII 7. As the People gave the Honour of that great work from God to Moses so in effect God bids him take the People together with it Their making an Image of the Lord Iehovah their God was so great a breach of their Covenant with him after so
strict a charge he had given them to the contrary that now he might well have rid his hands of them and f v. 10. Deut. IX 26. consumed them all at once v. 10 Deut. IX 26. And it would not have been inconsistent at all with his Oath to Abraham Isaac and Iacob of what he would do for their seed in bringing them to the land of Canaan for that might have been perform'd to Moses and his seed which was theirs and so here God offer'd it to Moses saying g Ex. XXXII 10. Deut. IX 14. I will make of thee a Nation mightier and greater than they Moses could not hear of this h v. 11. He besought the Lord his God that the People of Israel might be his People still as ill as they deserved That Title But his concernment was chiefly for the honour of God lest his destroying them might give occasion to the Egyptians to blaspheme charging God with Inconstancy as if he knew not his own mind in bringing them out of Egypt or with Weakness and not being able to Carry them farther or that it was out of Hatred to them that he brought them out of Egypt to do them i Deut. IX 28. a Mischief to consume them there in the Wilderness Upon Moses's most earnest Intercession God was pleased to try them farther laying it upon Moses for the present to correct what he saw amiss in the People and for Aaron whom God would have destroy'd he k Deut. IX 20. Pardon'd him on his Brother's prayer 83. It was so horrible a sight to Moses when he came to the Camp He breaks the Tables l Deut. IX 15. wiih the two Tables in his hand which were m Ex. XXXII 16. the work of God and so was the writing on the Tables that in a violent Passion he n v. 19. threw them out of his hands and broke them beneath the Mount to make the People sensible what they had done in breaking their Covenant with God Then with a Just Indignation he o vers 20. threw down the Calf from it's Basis and melted it and ground it to powder which he p Deut IX 21. threw into the Brook that followed them out of the Mount Deut. IX 21. and so q Ex XXXII 7. mingled it with the water they were to drink Ex. XXXII 20. 84. But for Example's sake he took another course with those bigotted Idolaters that were now in the midst of their Jollity He cried out a Ex. XXXII 26. who is on the Lord's Side let him come to me All those that came in upon that call were of the Sons of Levi whom he commanded to take Arms and fall upon them and kill every one of them that came in their way They did as he bade them and so by their hands b ver 2â—… there fell of the People that day about three thousand men v. 28. This Act of the Levites not only expiated the Crime of their Father in killing the Shechemites But also instead of c Gen. XLIX 7. Iacob's curse it entitled them to that Blessing of their being called to the Ministery of God to which this was their d Deut. XXXIII 9 10. first Consecration Deut. XXXIII 9 10. 85. But after all God did not think fit that this being a National God requires their Publick Repentance Sin should be pardon'd without a National Repentance Moses seem'd to fear he could not bring them to that in such measure as might reconcile them to God for such a breach of their Covenant with him Therefore he begg'd that rather than this Sin should not be forgiven them e Ex. XXXII 32. he himself might bear the punishment of it in this life instead of his People But God was not for being reconciled to them presently without giving them such Marks of his displeasure as would make them wiser for the future At first he had proposed instead of conducting them himself as hitherto he had done to turn them over henceforward to a created f vers 34. and Ex. XXXIII 2. Angel Ex. XXXII 34. and XXXIII 2. most probably to Michael their Prince as Daniel calls him Dan. XII 2. In the next place he declared that although hitherto he had not punished them for any of their Sins but on the contrary he had by his Mercy and Justice as it were hired them to their Duty now he would treat them in another manner for the future and as oft as they fell into Sin g Ex. XXXII 34. he would punish them for it and that the rather to bring this particular sin afresh into their memory Lastly to affect them the more with a Sense of the Provocation they had given him h Ex. XXXIII 7. God caused Moses to remove his Tbernacle that stood in the midst of the Camp over which God's Pillar used to appear and to place it at a distance from the Camp that the whole Nation might see the great change of God's Countenance toward them The mean while God commanded them to i vers 5. lay aside all their Ornaments as a punishment for their abuse of them in parting with their Golden Ear rings of which Aaron made them a Golden Calf At the hearing of this they not only k vers 6. stripped themselves of all their Ornaments but l vers 4. put themselves in Mourning Ex. XXXIII 4. 86. This set Moses again to his Prayers with great Vehemence and forgives them on Moseâ—…'s prayer to beg of God that he would afford his Presence again to his People And at last he did obtain it God promised m vers 14. my Presence shall go with thee v. 14. and afterwards having n vers 16 17. repeated it v. 16 17. that he would go with them so as that all People should know that they were restored to his favour By this it appears that the Tabernacle was return'd to the Camp together with the Pillar over it which was the visible token of his Presence And then God a Ex. XXXIV 10. renew'd his Covenant with them promising now again that he would bring them into the Land of Canaan But withal he obliged them afresh to take heed of Idolatry b v. 14. in these words v. 14. Thou shalt worship no other God for the Lord whose name is Iealous is a jealous God 87. This and some other Precepts Moses received when by God's Moses a second 40 days in the Mount Command he was a second time with him in the Mount c Ex. XXXIV 28. Deut. IX 18 25. X. 10. for forty days and forty nights fasting for the sins of his People Now Moses himself d Deut. X. 1. by God's command had hewed two other Tables out of the rock instead of those he had broken And in these God himself e v. 2 4. had written the words of the Covenant even the Ten words or Decalogue as he
land they had despised they must now go wandring the rest of their days in the wilderness For this they e v. 45. wept before the Lord. They would have got him to take off that sentence but that could not be only this God was pleased to change in it whereas he had ordered them to begin their Journey to morrow into the wilderness and so on f Num. XIV 45. to the Red Sea Num. XIV 45. Now in compassion to their wounded men he gave them leave to lie still g Deut. l. 46. many daies till they were so well cured as to be able to go with the rest 98. After this they took their Iourney into the wilderness as God They wâ—…nder 38 yeâ—…rs in the wilderness had commanded them Their way was now directly from Canaan toward the h Deut. II. 1. Red Sea But it was not the same way that they came hither For now they were to i v. 4. compass the land of Edom Deut. II. 1 4. first from North to South till they came to the Red Sea and then from South to North still compassing k v. 8. Idumaea till they came to the wilderness of Moab Deut. II. 8. There they were to pass the brook l v. 13. Zered v. 13. And so they did thirty eight years after their coming from m v. 14. 1â—… Kadesh-Barnea In which time all those that came out of Egypt at the age of twenty years old and upward were n v. 16. consumed and dead from among the people It was a long and tedious Journey as God ordered it for them For it was at his Commandment that they journied and at his Commandment they pitched their Camp His pleasure was fignified to them by the Pillar of Cloud by day and of Fire by night When the Pillar was taken up from the Tabernacle then after that they journied and wheresoever that rested there they pitched their Camp The way of it is largely and clearly a Num. IX 15 23. described Num. IX 15 23. And whereas from Kadesh Barnea to the Red Sea it was not above b Bp. Patrick on Nâ—…m XXXIII 19. â—…en days Journey the shortest way they made it a Journey of 37 years in all which time they had no more than 17 Resting places So that if in every one of those places they had rested an equal space of time every time they had rested it would have been more than two years No doubt in some places they rested a less time and in some much longer Then from Ezion Geber at the Red Sea they went somewhat quicker to the Brook Zered which was in the Confines of Moab They went it in one year during which they had no more but eight Resting places But now they had been full thirty and eight years in coming from Kadesh Barnea to the Brook Zered which as we are told by one c Geo. Synceâ—…us in Chronogr p. 142. 〈◊〉 Paris that travel'd it himself is no more than five days Iourney Thus it pleased God to give those Rebel's time to dye in the wilderness as every one of them did within those thirty eight years in all which time a New Generation was growing up which Ioshua and Caleb were to bring into the promised Land and there to shew them how that good Land was belied by their ungrateful and rebellious Fathers 99 Of what they did in those first thirty seven years or what Of their three last Rebellions happen'd to them in all that time we have very little Information in History only Moses gives us an account of three of their Rebellions in that time which shewed how far they were from being reclaim'd by all their warnings and punishments 100. The first of these Rebellions was that which Korah and his 〈◊〉 that of Korah Complices raised against Moses and Aaron It was as the d Ios. Ant. IV. 1. Iewish Historian tells us such a Sedition as never was known among the Greek or Barbarous Nations The chief mover in it was Korah a Levite whose father Izhar was Brother to Amram the father of Moses and Aaron He was himself a chief man among those of his Tribe but he was not contented with that He was for the Chief Priesthood if he could get it But there was no other way to come at that but by breaking through the divine Institution of the three Orders of the Ministry It was by God's immediate e Ex. XXIX Command that Moses had f Lev. IX consecrated Aaron and his Sons to be Priests which Act of his God had confirmed by sending Fire from heaven on their Sacrifice in the sight of all the People of Israel g Lev. IX 24. Lev. IX 24. He had also given them the Levites to assist them h Num. III. 9. VIII 19. Num. III. 9. VIII 19. in all the inferior parts of their ministry But this was it which Korah could not endure He was for the Priesthood himself and so were others of his Tribe Num. XVI 10. Which since God had taken from them they would have it of the People's Gift The People of Israel could not forget that before this Divine Institution the Priesthood had gone by Primogeniture It was i instead of all the First born of Israel that God took the Levites into Num. III. 12 〈◊〉 his Service Num. III. 12 41. For this reason it seems that Korah applied himself to Dathan and Abiram the Sons of Reuben who was the first-born Son of Israel together with them there were a Nuâ—… XVI 〈◊〉 3. two hundred and fifty Princes of the Assembly famous in the Congregation that rose against Moses and Aaron It appears that all these took the Priesthood upon them as well as Korah himself For b v. 1â—… they took every man his Censer and put fire in them no doubt from the Altar of God and laid incense thereon to offer it before the Lord. He that was not a Priest and did this was to be put to death Num. III. 10 38. * King Uzzialâ—… attempting to burn incense to God though he was not put to death he was chastised with the utmost severity for it n Câ—…ron XXVI 16 21. The Leprosy rose up in his Foreâ—… at that Instant and they that saw it thrust hâ—… out of the Temple yea himself also hasted to go out and he dwelâ—… ever after in a separate house being a Leper unto the day of his death and Iotham his Son took upon him the Government of Israel 2 Chron XXVI 16 21. This they could not but know But they would venture it thinking perhaps that the Laws which Moses delivered from God concerning the Priesthood were not God's but his Own made in favour of and Combination with his Brother Aaron If they had not thought so they would not have dared to break out into such Language as they c Nuâ—… XVI 〈◊〉 gave Moses and Aaron v. 3. When they
IX 26. there it seems they lost the Brook that Moses fetcht out of the Rock at Massa and Meriba Ex. XVII This Brook had followed them hitherto but it could not ascend as they did to their next station which was at c Num. XX. 1. and XXXIII 36. Kadesh in the * There it was that Miriam the Sister of Moses dyed by which we know the just Time of their being there For at Mount Hor which was their very next stage there her Brother Aaron dyed which was in a Num. XXXIII 38. the fortieth year of the Peoples coming out of Egypt and on the first day of the fifth month of that year But Miriam's death is remember'd by the Iews on the Tenth day of the first month by which account she dyed not quite four months before him b Ios. Ant. IV. 4. p. 109. G. Iosephus saith she was buried there on a Mountain which they call Sein So it seems it was remember'd in his time wilderness of Zin Num. XX. 1. Hereupon there was a second d Num. XXVIII 14. and Deut. XXXII 51. Massa and Meriba so called on the following occasion There being no water for the Congregation they gather'd themselves together against Moses and Aaron and the People dd Num. XX. 2. v. 3. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 chid with Moses and said would to God we had dyed with our Brethren c. wherefore have you made us to come out of Egypt to bring us into this evil place Here is none of all those good things we were to have in the promised Land e v. 5. neither is there any water to drink This want of water was a Temptation that they had not Faith to withstand And yet even now at this present they could not but see by the Pillar of Chud that the same God which brought them up out of Egypt was still with them And they knew what he could do in this very case by having ee Ex. XVII 6. seen what he did in the like which they could not forget having lived upon the effects of it ever since But besides they had seen many other wonderful proofs of an Almighty Providence over them by which they had been deliver'd out of Egypt brought through the Red Sea and preserv'd and fed for so many years since in the wilderness But all these great works of God they threw back to him with Contempt wishing they had never been They wished that f Num. XX. 3. they had dyed with that Rebellious Crew that perished in the gain saying of Korah This was such a g 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 v. 13. quarelling with God as he calls it v. 13. that Moses the meekest Man on the Earth could not bear it It provoked him to that degree that he could not speak to them with Patience Insomuch that when God commanded him to take his Rod and go and speak to the Rock before their Eyes and told him that that being done it should give forth its water abundantly He called the People together to see this work of God and as they stood there h v. 10. together before the Rock v. 10. He said unto them Hear now you Rebels must we fetch you water out of this Rock i v. 11. And Moses lift up his hand and with his Rod he sinote the Rock twice and the water came out abundantly In his Anger it seems he did so far forget himself as to do things like one that believed not what God had said to him He struck the Rock twice when God had told him only a Num. XX. 8. speaking to it would suffice Aaron was as it seems in the same fault with Moses for which the dignity of their Persons being consider'd God thought fit to lay Exemplary Punishments on both of them and so he declared that b v. 12. neither of them should enter into Canaan As for Aaron God shorten'd his Journey then presently for he dyed at the next station which was at c v. 28. Mount Hor as has been already shewn and Moses dyed at d Deut. XXXIV 5. Mount Nebo within six months after 108. The next Journey of the People of Israel was through a Third Murmuring at Tsalmona tedious and troublesome e Num. XXI 4. way in which they had nothing to live upon but what came by daily and continual Miracles And whereas they ought to have been thankful for this they were so far from it that they spoke as well against God himself as against Moses They joined them both together in this bitter Expostulation ee v. 5. wherefore have You brought us up out of Egypt to dye in the wilderness Num. XXI 5. This was their Third Rebellion and the last that we read of in the History of this Generation For the punishment of this Sin f v. 6. punisht with fiery Serpents God sent fiery Serpents among them v. 6. It was a most venemous sort of Creature with which that Wilderness did abound And they bit the People so as that a Multitude of them dyed of it The rest came to Moses to intercede for them g v. 7. They said we have sinned for we have spoken against the Lord and against thee pray unto the Lord that he take away the Serpents from us They could not have asked a thing which Moses was readier to do He prayed and God order'd him to h v. 8. set up the Image of such a Serpent made of Brass on the top of a very high Pole that every one that was bitten might look up to it and live It is more than once that our blessed Lord minds us of this as a Type of his being i Ioh. III. 14. XII 32. lifted up on the Cross that they that are bitten with Sin may look up to Him and be saved 109. This last Rebellion was at Tsalmona * This place was so called from Tselem which signifieth an Image in memory of this Brazen Serpent It seems the People took this away with them and had it in so great esteem that in process of time they came to worship it as an Idol for which it was r 2 Kin. XVIII 4 broken in pieces by King Hezekiah 2 Kings XVIII 4. which was the thirty At Zered was an end of this murmuring Generation fift station of God's People in the k Num. XXXIII 41. wilderness Num. XXXIII 41. In four stations more they came to the place called l v. 45. Dibon-Gad in the Valley of Zered There as Moses tells us being m Deut. II. 13. come over the Brook of that name there were now none remaining of that Generation of men that were twenty years old or upward when they came up out of Egypt It was now n v. 14. thirty eight years since they came from Kadesh Barnea and full forty years since God took them first to be his People in Egypt All which time of o
Ps. XCV 10. forty years he was grieved with that Generation It was a continual Massa and Meriba as the Psalmist p v. 8. calls it Ps. XCV 8. for which q v. 11. God swore in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest v. 11. 110. Now they that were under that Sentence being all dead and The new raâ—… under no Temptation to Murmuring gone there remain'd none of any considerable Age but only Moses himself together with Ioshua and Caleb for whom there was a particular Exception Besides these three there was not a man left of that a Num. XIV 30. Nation that was full sixty years old And of them that were now grown up the far greater part knew of nothing to murmur at living as well at this time as ever they did since they remember'd Especially after they had conquered Sihon and Og the two warlike Kings of the Amorites who had been all their time a Terror to the neighbouring Nations Og affected to make himself so for being descended from the old Giants and having a body of their size he would have it seen what he was by his b Deut. III. 11. Gigantick Accoutrements But Sihon made himself so by his wars with all the Nations about him whom having subdued he not only took the Spoils of their Countries but what part of their Countries he pleased to add to his Dominions Thus he took c Iosh. XIII 25. half their Land from the Ammonites and made them glad to live quietly with the rest From the d Num. XXI 26. Moabites he took all the plains of Moab together with the City of Heshbon which he made the Seat of his Kingdom As for the e Losh XIII 25. Midianites he had them so much at his will that they let him chuse whom he would of their Nation to be Kings over them 111. These Amorites we now speak of were the chief part of one Especially having Conquered the Amorites of the seven Canaanitish Nations whom having now f Gen. XV. 16. filled up the measure of their iniquities God had justly determined to destroy And he chose his own People Israel to execute that Judgment upon them It was by his Command that they killed g Deut. II. 34. III. 6. men women and children in both these Kingdoms which when the rest of the Canaanites heard of it put them in such a Horror as made it impossible for God's people to mingle with any of those Idolatrous Nations But they that made that slaughter were well paid for their pains They h II. 35. III 7. got all the Riches to themselves that those Amorites had been gathering for so many Ages besides what they had so lately taken from those other Nations All this the People of Israel had done in little more than two Months after their passing over Zered And then they came to encamp in those i Num. XXII 1. Plains of Moab which they had newly won from King Sihon There they were in full k v. 2. sight of the land of Canaan having nothing between them and it but the river Iordan So that now they were so far from having any Occasion to Murmur that they had the highest reason to thank God for those wonderfull Successes he had given them and to trust in him for much greater things that he had promised to their Forefathers and particularly his Promise to bring them into possession of that good Land which they saw now before them 112. This made it necessary for the Devil to find out some other Therefore new the Devil was for tempting them to Whoredom and Idolatry way for the tempting of that people into a National Sin Of all other Sins if the Devil were to chuse he could find none more for his Turn than the Sin of Idolatry that Sin in God's people being an Absolute breach of their Covenant with him For the drawing of Them into this horrible Sin the Devil could think of no likelier way than by bringing a 1 Kin. XI 1. strange women to keep Company with them such as would be sure to b v. 4 5. turn away their hearts after other Gods This was no hard Matter for him to do they being generally young men and living in the midst of so many Idolatrous Nations But that which made it easy was this that all those Nations at this time had such dreadfull Apprehensions of the danger they were in from the people of Israel that though they lived friendly among them yet they passionately wish'd their Destruction and would be at any price to bring them to it 113. Those of Moab and Ammon had no Reason for any such fear All the Neighbouring Nations wished their Destruction God having warned his people c Deut II 9 19. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 not to do any Act of Hostility to them But that was more than they knew They judged by what they saw before their Eyes They saw a d Num. XXII 3 4 11. Numerous people come into their Country They had seen how King Sihon whom these Nations had found so much stronger than themselves was as nothing in the hands of this people They had quite destroy'd him and his Kingdom in very few weeks The Midianites d whose d d Iosh. XIII 25. Kings had been King Sihon's Vassals on that very account had more reason to be afraid than either of the other Nations They had therefore sent some of their e Num. XXII 4 5. principal men to advise with Balak King of Moab what was to be done for securing themselves against that potent numerous people The only way they could think of was by engaging a Divine power on their side such a power as should be superior to that by which Israel was said to have done all those wonderfull things f Ios. II 9 c. 114. But for the obtaining of this they must find out one that They hired the Prophet Balaam to assist had such a power at his Call They pitched upon one that was generally believed to have this that was * Balaam was a a Num. XXIII 7. Syrian of b XXII 5. Pethor which was near the river Euphrates in c Deut. XXIII 4. Of BALAAM Mesopotamia Tera the Father of Abraham dyed in that Country After which his Son Abraham being called by God went from thence into Canaan but his Son Nahor continued there Both Isaac and Iacob married into Nahor's Family and the latter of them lived twenty years in that Country The knowledge of the true God did not wear out there presently though it was much defaced with Idolatry Even Balaam d Num. XXIV 4 16. called him sometimes by the Name of Elshaddai as the Patriarchs usually did but oftener by the name of dd Num. XXII 8 1â—… 19. XXIII 3. 8. 12 15. 16. XXIV 6 13. Iehovah and once e Num. XXII 18. Iehova my God
him to it soon afterwards He came full of it to the people of Midian There he certainly knew that any Advice would be welcome that would rid them of the Nation that they feared and he knew that as they were best able so they would not spare to pay him well for this advice which he brought them For both these Reasons he must impart it first to the five Kings of Midian and then he must take the general Consent of the Men without which he could not have brought the Women into this Matter For the women they were to be more than passive in it They had many things to do They were first to take a pretty long journey into the Land of Moab There they were to engage the Moabitish women as many as they could to joyn with them and they were to go together and Act according to their Instructions They were to hold a Feast to Baal Peor an Idol so called from the High-place of a Num XXIII 28. Mount Peor where it was to be worshiped That Mountain belonged to Moab formerly till it was taken from them by King Sihon But by Conquest over him it was now in the people of Israel's hands And the place being near to their Camp it could not be doubted but that a Multitude of them would come to see what all these women were doing There as Balaam had instructed the b XXXI 16. Midianitish women they were first by bb XXV 18. their Wiles to draw in those young men of Israel for so they generally were c v. 1. to commit Whoredom with them The women of those Idolatrous Nations did not think it any shame to do this d See le Cleâ—… on Ex. XXXIV 15. especially when it was for the getting of Mony to offer to their Idols But the Midianitish women might be perswaded to do the same thing on a higher Consideration Balaam might tell them it was an Act of holy Zeal in them to do it for the gaining of a whole Nation of Aliens to their Religion He was wicked enough to tell them so and they did as if they believed it It was to e Num XXV 18. their Wiles particularly that God imputed all the Sin and Destruction of so many of his People And yet the Camp of Israel being so near the Moabites Country that their Women were better known to the Israelites than the other therefore they were the Daughters of Moab with whom a v. 1. the People begun to commit Whoredome and they were the Women of that Nation that b v. 2. invited the People to the Sacrifices of their Gods It is very likely that they also came in greater Numbers than the other Women that lived so much further from Peor 117. The Feasts that those Idolaters held in honour of their Gods The Moabitish Women tempted them to Fornication and Idolatry were always kept with Music and Dancing by which they were whetted and prepared for the following Impurities that were to the Devils their Gods the most acceptable part of their Worship A great Number of the young men of c v. 2. Israel were tempted to comply with them in all this after which they would scarce stick at any thing else that could be desired of them And so upon these Womens Invitation those wretches did not onely eat with them at their Idolatrous Feasts but they also bowed downe to their Gods and so d v. 3. joined themselves to Baal Peor 118. This was such a manifold Breach of Gods Expresse e Ex. XXXIV 15. Command God sent a Plague for this to his People that f Num. XXV 〈◊〉 his Anger was kindled against Israel for it and it presently appear'd in a Plague that came downe upon them in the midst of their Jollity It fell upon g Deut. IV. 〈◊〉 no other but them that were guilty of this complicated Sin But that neither the Sin nor the Judgment might spread any further h v. 4. God called upon Moses to put a Stop to it by doing Justice on the Transgressors It seems that hitherto Moses had no Information of those horrible doings all this being done at Mount Peor which was some miles distant from the Camp or if he knew any thing of it this wickedness being a thing quite new to him it struck him into such an Astonishment that at first he knew not what to do in it But for that he was to take his direction from God and God was pleased to give him that before he asked it The Lord said unto Moses i v. 4. take all the Chief Men of the Transgressors and hang them up before the Lord. This was necessary for the satisfying of his Justice and thereby for the turning away of his fierce Anger from Israel And therefore he was to do this as Publickly as he could that all others might see and fear This Order was certainly put in Execution by those whom Moses Authorized for that Purpose And to do it the more Effectually he order'd the k v. 5. Iudges of Israel every one in his District to put to death all that they could find had joined themselves to Baal-Peor 119. The mean while all the rest of the People that had a sense Phineas zeal put a Stop to it of their duty were l v. 6. weeping for their Brethrens horrible breach of it and imploring the Mercy of God before the m Ex. XXIII 9. 10. door of his Tabernacle That being on the n Num. III. 38. East-side of the Tabernacle was the place where Moses and Aaron and his Sons were to keep the Charge of the Sanctuary and to attend there upon all such Occasions There was a Num. XXV 6. Moses now present and probably Aaron and his Sons though the Text mentions no more of them but b v. 7. Phineas They were weeping there together with all the Congregation when one of their young Men being surely blinded with lust brought a Midianitish Woman along with him and led her to his Tent in all their sight Phineas in a holy Indignation at this rose up from all his weeping Company and taking a Javelin in his hand he followed the Man into his c El. Hakkubba to the Alcove Le Clerc bedroom where finding them in the Act of filthiness together d v. 8. he thrust both of them through both the Man of Israel and the Woman through her belly He did this by Moses's command as e De vità Mosâ—…s 1. Philo saith No doubt he knew of the Command which God had given to Moses and likely had heard him charge others himself among the rest to put it in Execution That his chief Motive in it was Zeal for Gods sake he had a f v. 10 11. Testimony from God himself It was surely an Ardent Zeal for God that moved him to do so bold a thing as this was to kill a young Prince among
the People of Israel and together with him the Daughter of a King of the Midianites who would surely make it a National Quarrel This was such a thing as God would not let vs be ignorant of and therefore he plainly tells us that the Name of the Man was g v. 14. Zimri the Son of Salu a Prince of the cheif family among thr Simeonites and that the Woman was h v. 15. Cozbi the Daughter of Zur who as he tells us i XXXI 8. elsewhere was one of the five Kings of Midian Such an Heroic Action as this was being done in pure Zeal for Gods Cause was so highly acceptable to him that thereupon he stopt his hand and would not suffer the Plague to proceed any farther And not onely so but as well for a Reward to Phineas at present as for a Memorial of it in future times God gave him the promise of continuing the Priesthood to him and his seed after him for ever 120. By this one Act of his it came to pass that this Judgment of The Plague held but one day God was no more than k 〈◊〉 Cor. X. 9. one days work It was l Num. XXV 18. the Day of the Plague as Moses calls it But in that short space of time there dyed m v. 9. of the Plague no fewer than 24000. Moses elsewhere has told us that those were n Deut. IV. 3. all the Men that followed Baal-Peor And that none dyed after this day till the Date of the Book o Deut. I. 3. of Deuteronomy which was but one Month before his death This is certain from what he told them in the next words p v. 4. You that did cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day 121. No doubt they that saw this terrible Judgment of God Moses's last numbring of the People though they knew how just it was upon them that perished in it yet could not but be in some kind of fear for themselves none of them being secure but that living as they did among those Idolatrous Nations with whom God would not let them be in hostility they might by conversing with them be ensnared into some Sin or other for which they might perish in like manner God was pleased therefore to let them know that the danger they were in on that account was not long to continue There was onely the a Num. XXVI 3. River Iordan between them and the Land which God had promised to their Fathers Their next Remove would bring them thither And when they had taken possession of that Land which God could give them as easily as he had given them all on this side Iordan they were then b 53 ... 55. to divide it for an Inheritance among themselves To let them see it was the Care of Gods Providence that it should be equally shared he was pleased to order c v. 1. Moses and Eleazar the High Priest to make a second Numbring of the People like that which Moses and Aaron had d Num. l. 1. formerly made in the Wilderness of Sinai It could not but comfort them to see that after the dying away of more than e v. 46. 600000 men that had been then Numbred many of them no doubt dying Natural deaths but all the rest save f Num. XXVI 65. onely Ioshua and Caleb having been swept away by those Judgments of God that had fallen upon them within these last 38. Years yet now they were but g v. 51. 1120. men fewer than they were at that former Numbring which small Number of men might very likely have been lost by their own Miscarriages in the h XXI 31 35. Conquering of those two Kingdoms 122. All this while as well they as their Fathers before them They had now all Extraordinary means had continually before their Eyes those i v. 71 86 93. evident proofs of Gods presence among them in the Pillar of fire all night and of cloud all day either moving before them or resting over the Tabernacle They had the k Deut. VIII 3. Manna which their Bread was made of immediately from Heaven They had their l v. 15. Water first out of one Rock and then out of another still following them all the while they were in the Wilderness None of them had his Raiment waxen old nor his m v 4. and XXIX 1. Shoes grown uneasy to his feet in all these 40. Years God was pleased to let them know that his design in all this was as well to n v. 2 3 16. humble them seeing they had nothing they could call their own as also to teach them to live in an entire Dependance on his Providence 123. There was certainly Need of such Extraordinary ways to With little of the Ordinary instruct them and to mind them of their duties there being then so little of the Ordinary means which God gave to his People in after times They had not the Sacrament of o Iosh. V. 5. Circumcision since their coming up out of Egypt They had no p v. 10 12. Passeover since the second Year after that They had no written Rule to walk by but onely that of the q Ex. XX. Ten Commandments r XXXIV 27. written in Tables of stone and they had also those National Judgments which are all conteined in s Ex. XXI XXII XXIII three Chapters of Exodus Whatsoever Teaching they had more it could be no other than what they had from the mouth of Moses for he writ nothing till the last l Deut. XXXI 9 25. year of his life 124. And yet perhaps no people in the world ever needed teaching Their great Degeneracy more than they did For though they were Abraham's Seed by Sarah his wife and that according to the a Gen. XVII 19. promise of God which was their great Privilege yet even that did not free them from Original Corruption that came to them from much nearer Parents than Abraham and Sarah The immediate Fathers of the Twelve Tribes of Israel were the Twelve Sons of Iacob by whose names they were called But for these Patriarchs how any of them lived or what they did we have no Account in any other Book but that of Genesis and even there we have nothing told us particularly but of the four Eldest Sons and of Ioseph And though this last appears to us wholely without Spot yet of those four others the most that we know is of their Crimes We cannot read of the Incests of b Gen. XXXV 22. Reuben and c XXXVIII 18. Iudah the Faithbreach and Cruelty of d XXXIV 27. Simeon and Levi without sad reflections on the Ignorance of those times For the rest of Iacob's Sons God has not been pleased to let us know any thing of them save only this that when those two Bloudy men were for e XXXVII
18. killing their innocent Brother though the other nine could not come up to that height of wickedness with them yet they f v. 27. all but g v. 29. Reuben agreed to that which was but little short of the other They all joined in h v. 26. taking Money for their Brother Ioseph whom they sold into perpetual Slavery and that in an Idolatrous Nation Such were the Fathers of this people of Israel And surely the Mingling with Idolatrous Nations Canaanites and Egyptians Mothers were not like to mend the Breed We read of no other wives that either they or their Fathers ever had but what were either Canaanites or Egyptians and whatsoever corrupt Inclinations they derived whether from their Mothers or their Fathers they were not like to be cured of them by their Education For besides that Parents generally give their Children no other Education than what is most agreeable to their own Inclinations there was this worse than ordinary in their Case that the Nations among whom they lived were of the very worst of Mankind They could scarce see any other Examples among them than of things which they ought most to avoid There could be nothing more contrary to the Religion that God had taught his chosen people than the Sin of i See n. 76 77. Idolatry and especially such as that was which generally obtain'd among the Egyptians They worship'd those Brute beasts which God had appointed his people to k Ex. VIII 26. Sacrifice to him Only he had dispensed with their offering him any Sacrifice of that kind in Egypt where the people would certainly have stoned them for it How apt they were to have done that it abundantly appear'd by the extreme hard Usage that they gave that poor people without any provocation And yet they could not be Ignorant that their Fathers owed their Lives to Ioseph whom they knew to be one of this Nation But that was so utterly l Ex. I. 8. forgotten that they treated not onely his Nation but even his Posterity among the rest with the utmost cruelty and Inhumanity First they took all the people for Slaves and oppressed them to that degree that a Ex. I. 14. they made their lives bitter to them with drudgery One while they were for b v. 16. 22. killing all the Male Children of that Nation And though that perhaps did not last yet their c II. 23. Slavery did till it came to be quite intolerable It may seem strange that even that could not restrain them from following the Egyptians in the very worst of their Sins But such a See n. 64. witchcraft there is in evil Example that the people of Israel followed them even in that which God had most especially forbidden them And they did this not only while they lived in Egypt where it might have been done out of fear or in Compliance with the Egyptians but they continued to do it afterward when they were perfect freemen They shewed an astonishing instance of it in their making and worshipping of the d Ex. XXXII Golden Calf 126. But the sin which the people of Israel were chiefly charged But their peculiar sin was their Murmuring and tempting God with in these times was their aptness as often as any thing displeased them to Murmur and to run into Rebellion against God and his Servant Moses This they could not learn of the Egyptians for there was no such thing in that Nation They were generally most dutiful The Egyptians gave them no such Example to their Kings and to their Gods of all the Nations we read of in History Moses gives us very great Instances of it in the History of Ioseph who being brought a Slave into Egypt became a Saviour to that Nation as has been just now above-mentioned That holy man having it revealed to him from God that there e Gen. XLI 1 40. should be Seven years of great Plenty in that Land and after them f v. 30 31. Seven years of Famine such as should be very grievous and having thereupon advised King Pharaoh what to do for the saving of his People was thereupon made by him his chief Minister with power to Order every thing as he advised The first thing he did was in those years of plenty to go g v. 46. throughout all the land of Egypt having made Storehouses there in every City there to lay up all the Corn he could buy out of the Country about it Having done this every one of these years and so h v. 48. Engrossed all the spare Corn of Egypt into those Granaries He was then provided for the seven years of Famine in which as the people came to want bread so he continually supplyed them by selling it at his own price By this means he got i XLVII 14. all the money of Egypt into the Kings Treasury in two or three of the first years Afterwards in the following years he made them sell him k v. 17. their Cattle and a year or two after l v. 20. their Land all but what belong'd to m v. 22. the Priests who by the King's command had their Corn freely given them All the rest of n v. 20. the Land of Egypt came by this means to be Pharaoh's And so did the People too and they were very well satisfied with it They o v. 25. said to Joseph thou hast saved our Lives let us find grace in the sight of my Lord and we will be Pharaoh's Servants They were so to that degree that he removed them at his pleasure a Gen. XLVII 21. from one end of Egypt to the other and charged the Lands that he gave them with a Rent to the King which was a fifth part of the full value And this as Moses tells us b v. 26. Ioseph made to be a Law over all the Land of Egypt unto this day * It was the manner of the Kings of the Nations that they had a Tenth part of the profits of all the peoples land as we see in l 2 Sam. VIII 15 17. Samuel's time And it was â—…o in m Aristot. Oeconom II. Aristotle's time But this was but half as much as the Kings of Egypt had by Ioseph's Law They liked Ioseph never the worse but rather the better for this They accounted him the best friend they had as it appeared by their attending him to his Funeral There c Gen. L. 7. went with him all the Servants of Pharaoh and the Elders of his house and all the Elders of the land of Egypt They attended his Corps for many a day's journey out of Egypt into the land of Canaan And though it was by the King's Command that they did this yet their own Affections went with it as appear'd by their d v. 10. Mourning for Ioseph with a great and very sore Lamentation All the people of Canaan took such