said to them you take too much upon you they could not mean less than Moses did when he returned the d v. y. same words to Korah and his Brethren It was as much as to say you take that which God has not given you Vers. 7. God had surely given it to Aaron as he shewed by e 〈◊〉 IX ult sending Fire from Heaven on his Sacrifice Therefore this which they were now doing was directly in opposition to God So Moses f Nâ—… XVI 〈◊〉 tells Korah v. 11. both thou and all thy Company are gather'd together against the Lord and what is Aaron that you murmure against Him That Miracle was wrought in the sight of all Israel And they could not have forgotten it since being wrought but five months before their coming to Kadesh Barnea But it seems they ascribed it to some other cause and not to God's approbation of Aâ—…ron Therefore now there was no convincing them of their Error any otherwise than by putting the matter to God Moses offers them this that they all should g v. 5 6 7. take Censers and put Fire on them and offer Incense before the Tabernacle and Aaron should do the same and then they should see whom God would chuse Moses at the same time h v. 11. sent for those Sons of Reuben But they seemed to have a mind to the civil Government and â—…refore they Refused to obey him They said i v. 11. we will not come up It is plain in the following words that they charged him with making himself k v. 13. a Prince over them v. 13. and with breach of Trust and deluding the People with Promises of things of which now their l v. 14. senses shewed them the contrary v. 14. They ended as they begun we will not come up So they m v. 24. stay'd still in their Tabernacles v. 24. which were near to Korah's the Cohathites being encamped next to the Reubenites Perhaps on account of this Conspiracy they might have one Tabernacle in common There to shew they did not fear what Moses could do to them they had brought their wives and all their Children together to stand or fall with them in the event of this matter Korah the mean while seems to have been every where He was surely very busy to bring up all the Numbers he could that he might head them against Moses and Aaron That he was a great Demagogue a Ios. Aut. IV. 2. Iosephus saith and he shewed it throughout this whole Action In his speech at the beginning to Moses and Aaron he tells them all the Congregation are holy every one of them and the Lord is among them in his Tabernacle wherefore then lift you up your selves above the Congregation of the Lord b Num. XVI 3. v. 3. with these and such like flatteries of the People he had charmed them to that degree that now he had c vers 19. gather'd all the Congregation together against Moses and Aaron at the door of the Tabernacle There it was now to be tried who it was that God had chosen or would chuse 101. But while the 250 were preparing to offer their incense God's Judgements on Him and his Complices Moses went where Dathan and Abiram were together and called off the People d vers 26. that they might not perish with those Men. He declared that here would be the Trial whether God had spoke by him or no. e v. 28 29 30. If these Men dye the Common Death of all Men then the Lord has not sent me but if the Earth open her Mouth and swallow them up with all that is theirs then it will appear that these Men have provoked the Lord. No sooner had he made an end of speaking those words but f 31 3â—… the ground clave under them and swallowed them up and their Families even all that belonged to them The mean while for the 250 Men that were offering Incense and likely Korah was among them g v. 40. see vers 40. against them h v. 35. there came out a fire from the Lord and consumed them in the very Fact It was well for Korah's Sons that they i Num. XXVI II. deserted him in this Action for by that means they saved their Lives and continued his Family of whom came k 1 Chron. VI. 22 29. Samuel the great Saint of the Lord whom David l Ps. XCIX 6. and on the incorrigible People plaâ—… next to Moses and Aaron Ps. XCIX 6. 101. It was wonderful to see the People's stupidity under all this They that just now had been Eye witnesses of those dreadful Judgements of God employing both Heaven and Earth for the destruction of those Rebels yet as if all this had happen'd in their favour they still called them m Num. XVI 41. the People of the Lord. This they did after time for Deliberation for it was on the morrow after their death that all the Congregation of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron charging them with the Murder of these Men. They told them plainly you have killed the People of the Lord as if it had not been God's Work but theirs perhaps by Art Magick in which they might think that Moses and Aaron outdid the Magicians of Egypt The People were so enraged at this time that they broke out into an open Insurrection n v. 42. The Congregation was gather'd against Moses and against Aaron It was high time for God to put a stop to this as he did by his Glory appearing in the Tabernacle God declared his meaning by it to Moses that he would a v. 49. consume them as in a moment But to prevent this both Moses and Aaron fell upon their faces and prayed At their Prayer God forbore destroying those Rebels but he sent the Plague among them that presently b v. 49. consumed 14700 persons beside them that died in the Earthquake and by Fire from Heaven 102. It was very visible by this great Example that Miraculous God appoints two Memorials to be kept Judgements were not sufficient to quell the Rebellious Spirits of this People but that there must be some permanent Tokens besides to continue with them and to mind them from time to time what they or their Forefathers had suffer'd or seen Therefore God was pleased to c Num. XVI 37 40. order the taking up of the Censers of Korah and his 250 Men and the working of them into broad plates for the covering of the Altar to be a Memorial to the Children of Israel that none that d v. 40. was not of the seed of Aaron should come near to offer Incense before the Lord that he be not as Korah c. And to give them a further Memorial of this he caused e XVII 1 c. twelve Rods or Staves one for each of the twelve Tribes of Israel with the Tribe's name written upon it
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 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
by a Sacrifice wherein they made God a Party by pouring the blood on his Altar first and then eating the flesh together with one another God was pleased so far to comply with the weakness of mankind that to affect their Senses the more he took this way of covenanting with his People And withal to let them know for whose sake and on what account it was that he did this he appointed them such a Sacrifice as should be the most perfect Type of the Messias's redeeming Mankind from a Bondage infinitely worse than that of Egypt and that by the shedding of his blood as of a Lamb without blemish and without spot b 1 Pet. I. 18 19. 1 Peter I. 18 19. 70. That the Messias's way of Redeeming his People was to be by the chief Type of the Messias dying for their sins will be c DEMONSTR II. 1. demonstrated to the Jews out of d Esai LII LIII Esaiah's Prophecy as it is clear in the Text and as it was understood by their ancientest writers That the Time of his redeeming his People was to be on the Evening of the Passover will e Ib. Dâ—…M II. 2. there also be proved so as that it cannot be denyed to be their most Ancient Tradition That Iesus of Nazareth did dye on the Cross in the Evening of the Passover is plainly f Ib. DEM II. 3. told them several times in their Talmud That the suffering of our Lord Iesus Christ was plainly foreshadowed by this Type of the Paschal Lamb will be shewed in the latter part of our Summary of the Gospel Where also it will be Demonstrated First that our Saviour's Death was in the very year of our Lord 33. which was exactly according to the Angel's Prophecy of the Time of the Messias being to be cut off g Dan. IX 26. v. 26. and that in that year A. D. 33. the Iew 's day of killing their Passover was not on the Maunday Thursday as some will have it but on the next day being Good-Friday as we call it So that our Saviour's dying on the Cross was precisely at the time that was prefixed for the killing of the Paschal Lamb h Ex. XII 6. Ex. XII 6. viz. on the fourteenth day of the first Month between the time of the Evening Sacrifice and the Sun-setting that is as it is there worded between the two Evenings But at present we have only this to observe that here by this Federal right of the Passover the whole Nation of Israel did enter into Covenant with God a XII 47. Ex. XII 47. And though there were other Nations that had circumcision as namely the Edomites the Ishmaelites c. yet even of them without being of the Iewish Religion none was to be admitted to the Passover b 〈◊〉 V. 43. Ex. XII 43. No stranger was to eat thereof but only such as sojourning with them had all their Males circumcised and so became Proselytes of Righteousness that is came over entirely to be of their Religion 71. No sooner was the Covenant made between God and his People God deliveâ—… his People out of Egypt but he immediately performed the first act of his part of it by bringing them out of the Egyptian bondage 72. And now he immediately took them under his Protection of He brought them through the Red Sea which they were assured by that visible sign of a Pillar of Cloud by day and of Fire by night that went before them as often as they marched and when they rested stood just over them c Eâ—… XIII 21. Ex. XIII 21. Besides having now these visible proofs of God's presence with them and of his Providence over them continually before their Eyes they could not so soon forget how within two days before he had on their account killed d Ex. XI 5. Xâ—… 29. all the First-born of Egypt both man and beast and Pharaoh's among the rest which surely ought to have made them trust in God against all the Power of Pharaoh and his Host. But no sooner these appear'd to be now in pursuit of them and the Red Sea was in sight just before them but thoâ—…gh at first they cried out unto the Lord they forgot him presently and were in d d Ex. XIV 10. open Mutiny against his Servant Moses e vers 11 1â—… Ex. XIV 10 11 12. They would not stir a foot till they saw f v. 19 â—…0 the Pillar come behind them and appear between them and their Enemies Then also upon Moses stretching out his hand they saw the Sea divided before them so that going into the midst of it g v. 21. on the dry ground they saw the waters a wall to them on the right hand and on the left At last when they were quite passed through the next morning they saw all the Host of Pharaoh that followed them drowned in the Sea there remained not so much as one of them h XIV 2â—… v. 28. and then seeing all this they believed the Lord and his Servant Moses i v. 31. v. 31. 73. This one would have thought should have never gone out They were murmuring on all Occasionâ—… of their heads but there appear'd little remembrance of it three days after For then only upon finding no water where they passed but what had a bitterness in it they presently murmured against Moses k XV. 24. Ex. XV. 24. Much more some weeks after when their Victuals were spent then the whole Congregation murmured against Moses and Aaron saying would to God we had died by the fleshpots in Egypt when we did eat bread to the full for you have brought us forth to kill us with hunger in this wilderness i Ex. XVI 2 3. Ex. XVI 2 3. He truly told them your murmurings are not against us but against the Lord k v. 8 9. vers 8. and he has heard them v. 9. This God immediately shewed by the shining forth of his Glory in the Pillar of Cloud then just over them And forthwith he told them by Moses a Ex. XVI v. 12. this Evening you shall eat flesh and in the morning you shall be filled with bread Accordingly it happen'd b v. 13. That Evening the Quails came up and cover'd the Camp and in the Morning the dew lay round about the Host v. 13. That dew was Manna of which they made their bread all those 40 years that they were in the wilderness It fell c v. 21. every morning but on the Sabbath day for which there was a constant provision by their gathering a double quantity on every sixth day whereupon they received their first precept of observing d v. 26 28. the Sabbath After this one would think there should be no place left for any farther unbelief But they fell into it again upon the want of water in that place where they encamped in the wilderness For this they not
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
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
themselves lest this Fire might break out upon them as that at Tabera did so lately even the other day 94. For that fright they were in there was more Cause than they for which the ten Spies dyed presently the People must all dye in 40 years knew of For now at this very time God said unto Moses how long shall this People provoke me c. b v. 11. I will smite this People with pestilence c v. 12. And I will make of thee a greater Nation and mightier than they God did accordingly smite those ten Spies that had stir'd up the People to this Sin d v. 37. They dyed of the Plague before the Lord. That the People might not dye in like manner e v. 13 〈◊〉 19. Moses vehemently prayed using the like Arguments as he had done f see n. 82. before at the time of the Golden Calf And he had the same success For now again g Ex. XXXII 14. the Lord repented of the evil that he thought to do unto his People He said unto Moses h Num. XIV 20. I have pardon'd according to thy word But withal God i Num. XXXII 10. Deut. I. 34. sware he would make an Example of them such as should be famous to all Nations His words were these all those Men which have seen my Glory and my Miracles which I did in Egypt and in the Wilderness and have k Num. XIV 22 23. tempted me now these Ten times and have not hearken'd to my voice surely they shall not see the Land of which I sware unto their Fathers That their Tempting of God first in Egypt and then in the wilderness was Ten times in all neither more nor fewer will appear in the following Account out of Moses's books * That the Men here spoken of were all those that came out of Egypt at the age of Ten times they had tempted God 20 years and upward except Ioshua and Calâ—…b this appears by what follows afterward v. 29 30. And of these men it was that God said l Num. XIV 22. they have seen my Miracles in Egypt and in the wilderness and have tempted me now these Ten times These Times are therefore to be understood of what happen'd in Egypt as well as what happen'd in the wilderness And it was plainly in Egypt that God first shewed them his Miracles There first he gave Moses the power to work those three Miracles that are m Ex. IV. 1 9. mention'd Ex. IV. 1 9. for the proving of his Mission to the people of Israel Accordingly Moses did shew those Signs in the sight of the People and thereupon they believed n v. 30 31. v. 30 31. But when upon his delivering his message to Pharaoh soon after they saw no other Effect of it but that by this means Pharaoh was provoked to use them worse and to make their burthens heavier to them Thereupon it was that the Officers of the Children of Israel fell upon Moses and Aaron with those bitter words o Ex. V. 20 21. Ex. V. 20 21. This was their first murmuring I. against Moses and therein they first tempted God that had given him the power of working those Miracles before them II. Upon Moses complaint of this to God he sent Moses to them a second time p Ex. VI. 2 8. Ex. VI. 2 8. But when he was about to deliver his Message they had not Patience to hear him q v. 9 12. v. 9 12. they bid him let us alone to serve the Egyptians for it is better for us to do so than to dye in the wilderness This was their second murmuring against Moses there in the Land of Egypt III. Afterwards when he had brought them out of Egypt and they were come to the very edge of the Red Sea there seeing Pharaoh and his host in pursuit of them they murmured against Moses a third time r Ex. XIV 11 12. Ex. XIV 11 12. minding him of the hard words they had given him that second Time IV. After this when they were passed through the Red Sea and come into the wilderness there finding the water to be bitter at the place which from thence was called a Ex. XV. 23. i v. 24. Mara Ex. XV. 23. There a fourth Time the People murmured against Moses b v. 24. V. After that when their Victuals were spent then they murmured a fifth time even the whole Congregation of the Children of Israel wishing they had died in the land of Egypt rather than come to be starved in this wilderness c Ex. XVI 2 3. Ex. XVI 2 3. Thereupon God sent them Manna from Heaven d v. 15. v. 15. c. VI. After that when they came to want Water thereupon they murmured the e Ex. XVII 2 7. sixth time which was at the place called Massa and Meriba in the wilderness of Sin Hitherto the Long Suffering of God had shewed it self wonderfully in passing by all their provocations so that not one Man died for any of them VII The seventh was when Moses had been receiving God's Commands on Mount Sinai for forty days upon which long Absence of his who had never been from them one day before the People said f Ex. XXXIII 1. c. as for this Moses we know not what is become of him let us make a God to go before us c. Thereupon they made the Golden Calf which being the Sin of Idolatry God who had spared them hitherto now began to punish them for this But it was only by cutting off the most notorious Transgressors and putting a Penance on the rest VIII Their eighth murmuring was at Tabera for which many of them were consumed by the fire of the Lord that burns among them g Num. XI 1. Num. XI 1. IX The ninth was at Kibroth Hattaavah where they that lusted for flesh had their fill of it for a whole month h Num. XI 4. Num. XI 4. But they died with it in their mouths i v. 33. v. 33. X. Therefore this murmuring against Moses and this tempting of God upon the occasion of the Spies ill Report was certainly k Num. XIV 1 c the Tenth including those two in Egypt And it was the Act of those Men that had seen l v. 22. 23. God's Miracles in Egypt as well as in the wilderness for he saith of those very men they have Tempted me now these Ten times Moses seems to have thought of the same when speaking of this very matter of their Rebellion at Kadesh Barnea he told them that this was no new thing for saith he m Deut. XI 24. you have been Rebellious against the Lord from the day that I knew you Deut. XI 24. It plainly appears that they were so by the Account that He gives us of their Murmuring against him and therein their Tempting of God first in Egypt and afterward in the Wilderness till
they had made up the Ten times above mentioned 95. This perverse and stiff-necked People having fallen into so many Now he Sentenced them to dye in the wilderness Rebellions against God within the space of two years from the time wherein he had first made himself known to them by his Servant Moses and this last breaking out being so much more violent than any of the former it a Num. XIV 11 12. did provoke God to have utterly consumed them Num. XIV 11 12. And probably at that b v. 10. appearance of his Glory they expected no other But upon the Prayer of Moses he was pleased to pardon this Sin and to continue them not only as a Nation but as his peculiar People He did this according to his usual way of joyning c â—…s CI 1. Mercy and Iudgement together d Ex. XXXIV 7. keeping mercy for thousands and yet by no means clearing the Guilty He shewed this last at present by cutting off first those ten persons that had been the Ring leaders in this Rebellion e Num. XIV 37. They died there by the plague before the Lord. For the rest he forbore them f Dan. VII 12. for a season and time as Daniel words it that is some for a shorter time and some for a longer But he passed one terrible sentence on them g Num. XIV 28. all and bound it with an Oath to assure them how it would be that as they had wished that they had died in the Wilderness a v. 2. v. 2. even so it should come to pass Their Carcases should fall in the wilderness b h v. 32. v. 32. And so they died every Man of them but Ioshua and Caleb 96. * This Sentence was given in or about the sixth Month of the year 1490. before Christ and the time of their passing over a Deut II. 14. Zered when all that Generation was dead except Ioshua and Caleb this was about the sixth month of the year before Christ 1452. so that the Execution was compleat just 38 years after that Sentence see Uss. Annal. All the rest of them died in the wilderness within 38 years all within forty years from that present But for their Children that came out of Egypt with them and had nothing to do in this Sin c Num. XIV 31. Num. XIV 31. God bid Moses tell these Rebels They your Children shall know the Land that their Fathers despised For they shall go thither and I will give it them and they shall possess it d Deut. I. 39. Deut. I. 39. But he told them withal that their Children e Num. XIV 33. should wander in the wilderness forty years according to the f v. 34. number of the days that those Spies were searching the Land God would have it so to be for a perpetual Remembrance of their Sin and his Judgement on them for it And agreeably to what was said before God told them withall †It was in the year 1491 before Christ b Ex. XII 23. in the first Month and on the tenth day of that Month that by God's Command the People of Israel chose out their Lambs for the first Passover in Egypt Ex. XII 23. Which Passover they eat on c the fifteenth day of the first Month and that very night was their coming out of Egypt d Num. XXXIII 3. Num. XXXIII 3. But it was in the year before Christ 1451 on the tenth day of the first Month that the Children of Israel first passed over Iordan into the Land of Canaan e Ios. IV. 19. Iosh. IV. 19. and there at Gilgal they eat their first Passover on the fifteenth day of the first month f V. 10. 11. Josh. V. 10 11. So that between their choosing of the Paschal Lambs in order to their going out of Egypt and their passing over Iordan to enter into the Land of Canaan there was a space of just forty years And there was neither more nor less than forty years between their first Passover in Egypt and their first in the Land of Canaan For this also see Uss. Annal. within those forty years your Carcases shall be wasted in the Wilderness g v. 33. Num. XIV 33. So it came to pass for within these forty years were all the 38 years before mentioned 97. When the People saw these Ten spies all dead of the Plague They would go up and fight though forbidden then they knew this was a Judgement from God who might justly deal with them in like manner Therefore then they confessed they had sinned against the Lord h Num. XIV 40. Num. XIV 40. And then to make amends they were for running on headlong into the Land of Canaan But this was contrary to an express Command that God had given to Moses immediately upon their refusal before mentioned On the very day that they refused to go into Canaan he bade Moses say to them i Num. XIV 25. Deut. I 40. to morrow turn you and get you into the wilderness in the way to the Red Sea Now on the Contrary though they confessed they had k v. 41. sinned against the Lord in disobeying him they tell Moses in the same breath we will go up and fight against the Amorites They added indeed they would do it in obedience to God as being that which the Lord our God has commanded us But to take away that excuse God bade Moses say to them again a Num. XIV 24. Deut. l. 42. Go not up neither fight for I am not among you But they b vers 43. would not hear but Rebelled and went up presumptuously into the mountain of the Amorites There they found things as they had reason to expect God not being with them That Warlike people being alarm'd by the Spies having been so lately among them * The coming of those Spies was not only known to the Canaanites but was remember'd by them forty years after o Num. XXI 〈◊〉 Num. XXI They knew that the God of the Israelites had given them that Land p Iâ—…sh II. 9. Iosh. II. 9. had called in the help of their Neighbours c Num. XIV 4â—… 45. the Canaanites and Amalekites And these were all drawn together to defend their Country against that vast Multitude of people that were coming to eat them up A poor weak Multitude they were at this time not having God with them They found themselves so when they came up to the Enemy They were now in their own sight what the Spies had told them as Grashoppers in comparison All their fighting men were d Num XIV 45. Deut. I. 44. beaten and chased and destroyed all the Countrey over As many of them as got back to the Camp were now throughly sensible of their Sins And no doubt they remember'd the sentence that God had laid on them for it that instead of going into the Good
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
〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every one that shall come near the Tabernacle of the Lord shall dye God heard this and thereupon for a farther provision against their falling into this Sin he made a fresh Declaration of his mind almost in the same words in which the People had repeated the former They had said 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every one that comes near shall dye God repeated it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 every one that comes near shall be put to death For the Reason of this enough XVIII 7. has been said in the Context of this Discourse 104. The direful Complaints of the heavy Judgements of God as appeared by their bitter complaints that they had seen inflicted on others and expected the like on themselves do plainly shew that they had no Abhorrence of the Sins by which those their Brethren that died and perish'd had provoked the Righteous God to send these Judgements upon them So far they were from that that in the mind they were in they seem to have thought of no other but that they should a Num. XVII 12. all perish in like manner though they knew that could not be unless they themselves were guilty of the same Sins They did not know but they might all murmur against Moses and do all the rest that Dathan and Aoiram had done 105. But it seems they took a more particular notice of the Sin especially on Kâ—…rah's death of Korah and his Fellows and of the Judgement of God inflicted on them God had appointed b Num. XVI 38. the Censers of those Sinners against their own Souls to be worked into a Covering for the Altar that it might be a Memorial to all that were not of the Seed of Aaron that not c See Num. XVI 40. in the bottom of page 47. oâ—…e Man of them should come near to offer Incense that is to officiate as a Priest that they might not suffer as Korah and his Company had done Moses d Num. XVII 10 11. warned them again of the same at the setting up of that Second Memorial of Aaron's Rod which warning of his seems to have been the immediate occasion of those passionate words Thereupon the Text saith a vers 12. the Children of Israel spake unto Moses saying behold we dye we perish we all perish then adding that which stuck most in their thoughts namely the b XVI 40. words that he spake at the setting up of the former Memorial Num. XVI 40. There it was declared as they here repeated the words c XVII 13. See it here in the bottom Every one that comes near the Tabernacle of the Lord to offer Incense shall dye How then say they have we done dying Is the Danger over No certainly unless we give up our Right of doing the same that Korah did which it seems they would not promise for themselves In short here is nothing else in all their speech but Tokens of the utmost impenitence They neither ask Pardon of God nor of either of his Ministers they did not so much as desire that Moses would Pray for them nor did they make the least confession of any Sin that either they or those Rebels were guilty of The last mention they made of them in all this History was d XVI 41. Num. XVI 41 where they charged Moses and Aaron with killing them They told them plainly you have killed the People of the Lord. For this God justly called them a Num. XVII 10. Rebels ch XVII 10. and provided the second Memorial quite to take away their murmurings that they dye not But they were still for b vers 22 13. dying and perishing rather than they would promise to Amend and give over those Rebellions by which they that did dye and perish had brought those Judgements on themselves 106. By what has been said it abundantly appears that as yet God gives a New Law against intruding into the Priesthood the Murmurings were not quite taken away nor were like to be as long as this Generation was living God was therefore so much the more concerned to take care that they might not destroy themselves by their Rebellions before the Time was run out that he had set them to wander in the Wilderness And since for the preventing of this no sort of Miracles would do for all had been tried and cast away on this stiff-necked People therefore God was pleased to resort to the Ordinary means by enacting Judicial Laws with strict Penalties and making it the business of Persons concern'd to see them put in Execution It was Aaron himself that was chiefly concern'd in all matters of publick worship He was the High Priest that was appointed of God to be Judge in all causes touching Religion and c Deut. XVII 11. 12. from the Sentence of the Law which he should deliver there was to be no Appeal Deut. XVII 11 12. Therefore now to put an end to those disputes about the Priesthood God was pleased to deliver to Aaron a Judicial Law concerning Holy places and things Num. XVIII 1 7. By which in the first place d Num. XVIII 1 7. God laid upon Him and his Sons the whole charge of those places and things that belonged to the Priesthood viz. of the Sanctuary and the Vessels thereof and also of the Priest's Court wherein was the Altar of Sacrifice But for the People's Court and all the Offices in the outer Verge of the Tabernacle God laid the charge of all these on the other Levites that were not of the Sons of Aaron And as well to oblige them both Priests and Levites to look to their respective charges as to deter others from breaking in upon them he ordain'd that if any one who was not of the Tribe of Levi should intrude into any place of their Ministry or should meddle with any of the Vessels belonging to it he should be put to death and so should the Levites that suffer'd him to do it And for those places and vessels that were within the charge of the Priests the Sons of Aaron if any stranger should presume to come near them he must be e vers 7. put to death v. 7. nay though he were a Levite as Korah was he must dye for it and the Priests that suffer'd it must also dye with him f v. 3. Their second Massa and Meriba v. 3. 107. They were by this Ordinance of God kept under a lasting Aw which they could not be by Temporary Miracles So that now from this time forward we read no more of any one 's intruding into the office of Priesthood in Moses's time or his Successors Nor do we read of the People's Murmuring on any other account till 37 years after their departure from Kadesh Barnea Then the Children of Israel being come down to a Num. XXXIII 35. Ezion Geber Num. XXXIII 35. which was by the Red Sea b 1 Kings IX 26. n. 73. 1 Kings
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
And that he might be sure of in this case to Curse the people of God But here again God interposed and let him k v. 19 20. know He had given his word to bless Israel and it was not for man to reverse it Balaam made his own Reflections upon this and plainly l v. 23. told Balak here was nothing to be done He saw plainly that m v. 21. God had not beheld iniquity in Iacob nor perverseness in Israel It is plain he had not hitherto in this new Race of people Therefore it was in vain for Balaam to think of reaching them with Enchantments c. as he might other Nations But yet after all this upon the great Importunity of Balak he attempted once more to curse Israel in another view of their Camp But when he n XXIV 1. saw it pleased the Lord to bless Israel there also then he went on no farther to seek for Enchantments but looking intently upon Israel he received an Inspiration from God When this came upon him o v. 5. first he broke out in praises of Israel Then oo v. 8. he fell to magnify the things that God had done for them and what he had yet to do Then turning to Israel he concluded all with these words p v. 9. blessed is he that blesseth thee and cursed is he that curseth thee This was more than Balak had patience to hear Who therefore interrupted him and in plain Terms bade him a v. 11. Fly thou to thy place To which Balaam answered b v. 14. behold I go to my people but first I will advertise thee what this people shall do to thy people in the latter days And thereupon he gave him that most noble c v. 15 25 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Prophecy concerning the Messias and the Fates of divers Nations even in the Messiah's time which Moses has recorded in his History 116. After this we are d v. 25 told that Balaam rose up and went He therefore took the Devil's way and returned to his place If we are to understand by these words that he went back into his own Country then it is certain that he made little stay there for we e Num. XXXI 8. find that he was kill'd in Midian within one or two months after this His business there was f v. 16. to put the * The Midianites lived at this time in several Tracts of Arabia Petraea particularly Of the MIDIANITES they that are here spoken of lived in those parts which lay Eastward of the Countries of Moab and Ammon having onely a ledge of Mountains between them and Arabia Felix and only the Desert between them and Mesopotamia By this Situation of their Country they had a great advantage for Merchandize And they diligently applied themselves to it as it appears from a Gen. XXXVII 28. Ancient times They trafficked not onely b v. 25. near home but also in far distant Countries This sort of business requiring the use of Beasts for Carriage and especially of Camels which Nature seems to have made on purpose for those dry Countries they provided themselves with these most particularly We find in the next Ages after this they c Iud. VI. 6. had Camels without number cc VII 12. as the sand by the Sea side for multitude By their Merchandize they got very great Riches which Iosephus d Ios. Ant. IV. 7. saith they made appear by their living so delicately and splendidly It appear'd against their Will afterward by the abundance of e Num. XXXI 16. Plate and Jewels that were found among their Spoils These Riches at present enabled them to be at that charge that Moab having only Corn and Cattel could not so well bear They could reward Balaam according to his own Heart's desire as well for his Advice for the Destruction of Israel as for the Journeys that he made on that Occasion They could set forth their Women more to advantage for the carrying on of that accursed design to cause Israel to fall into that sin in the f Ib. matter of Peor We find on that account a daughter of one of their five Kings was g XXV 8 15. kill'd in the fact of Whoredome with a Prince of the Simeonites No doubt there were many more of the Midianites women and probably of their King's daughters engaged in it as well as she For they not onely joyned with the Moabites women but led them into this design We see it is wholely imputed to the Midianites that all was carried on by their cunning h Num. XXV 18. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 intrigues It was indeed hh XXXI 16. through the Counsel of Balaam But that was chiefly if not only owing to the Midianites as it is shewn in this Digression That the Midianites were the chief Authors of it appears by God's distinguishing them from the others in their punishment For God expressly commanded Moses saying i XXV 17. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 use Hostility against the Midianites for they have acted Hostilely against you And again after Moses had settled things among his own People God gave him a second Command for the execution of the former He said to him k XXXI 2. Avenge the Children of Israel of the Midianites afterwards shalt thou be gathered to thy People It was as Moses l ver 3. called it the Avenging of the Lord against Midian It was so especially against their Women for that m v. 16. these had caused the Children of Israel through the Counsel of Balaam to commit trespass against the Lord in the matter of Peor The Israelites in execution of this Sentence first slew the five Kings of the Midianites and all other Males both old and young Of the Females at first they took all for slaves together with the spoils of the slain But afterwards by Moses Command they killed all those Women that had known Man by lying with him for the Reason above-mentioned And so they made an utter Desolation of that Rich and Populous Countrey This dealing of his with the Midianites was very different from that which he used toward the Moabites and Ammonites who did onely follow the Midianites into this Sin For though even for that they were not to pass without punishment yet God did not therefore destroy them as he did the other But he set a Mark upon them and all their Posterity He made it a standing Law to his People that n v. 9 10 11. no Soul of either of those Nations should be admitted into the Congregation of the Lord 'till the tenth Generation Deut. XXIII 3. Midianites into the only sure way for the destroying of Israel that was by tempting them into sin against God the way g n. 112. before-mentioned It seems at his hasty parting from Balak this was not yet come into his head But the Devil from whom it certainly came help'd
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