power I striking fear into their hearts and were dismayed and confounded nay they were as the grass of the field and as the grass on the house-tops which soon withereth away and as the corn that is blasted before it be grown up And as for thee I know thine abode and where thou dwellest and what thou dost meditate against me at home and abroad when thou goest out and when thou comest in I know all thy counsels and actions both publick and private I know thy rage against me and how thou reproachest my power and threatnest me as if I were an Idol See Isa 36.20 And because thy rage against me and thy tumult is come into my ears that is because I have heard thy outragious and ruffling words I will put my hook into thy nose and my bridle into thy lips and will turn thee back by the way by which thou camest that is thou shalt go as thou camest without effecting what thou designest against Jerusalem Thus the Prophet delivered to Hezekiah the mind of God concerning the King of Assyria Then he tells the King and the people that this shall be a sign to them by which they may assuredly know that they are loved of God with a Fatherly love viz. that though they had been hindred from sowing and planting this year by reason of the Assyrians invading their land and though they could not sow nor plant the next year because it was the Sabbatical year yet they should have plenty of corn notwithstanding that should grow and spring of it self without any tillage from the scattered seeds that fell on the earth the former years And herein says he the Providence of God will eminently appear for you that the ground shall yield of it self sufficient food for three years together for though in the third year ye may sow and reap and plant vineyards and eat the fruit thereof yet ye cannot reap what ye shall sow in that year until the end of it therefore it will be no less than miraculous that two years together so much corn shall grow of it self as shall serve you for three years The Prophet further encourages them and bids them not fear because their Nation was reduc'd to a small number nor think that therefore they should not be able long to subsist for he tells them that that small remnant of them which shall escape the sword of the Assyrians shall be like a thriving flourishing tree that shoots its roots downwards and its branches upward on which it bringeth forth much fruit So they shall be well setled in their Nation and shall be fruitful in it He further tells them that that remnant which is now shut up in Jerusalem and mount Zion shall go out of it when the siege is raised into all parts of the land of Judah and shall inhabit it and replenish it shall sow the ground and reap the fruit thereof For the zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this that is the zeal he hath for his own glory and the love he bears to his people and the indignâ—tion he hath against â—is enemies will move him to do it And further says he let the King and all his faithful people encourage themselves for thus saith the Lord Sennacherib shall not come into this City nor force the Gates of it nor shoot an arrow at those that stand upon the wall neither shall he assault it with men armed with shields nor cast a bank or trench * This is to be understood of Sennacherib himself and the Army that he personally commanded for though he did not closely besioge Jerusalem himself nor make a Trench about it yet it seems part of his Army did as we may gather from Isaiah 29.3 against it but he shall go back the way that he came for I will defend this City and save it for mine own sake and for my servant Davids sake because of the promise I made to him that I would establish the Throne of his Kingdom †2 Chron 7.18 2 King 19. from 8 to 35. 2 Chron. 32. from 10 to 21. Isa 37. from 8 to 36. Hezekiah about this time viz. in the fourteenth year of his reign when the Assyrian Army lay about Jerusalem fell extreme sick and his sickness seemed such as threatned to put an end to his life The Prophet Isaiah coming to him from the Lord bad him set his house in order for he should die This sentence though very sad in it self yet seemed not absolute but conditional and so Hezekiah understood it and accordingly turning his face to the wall as he lay in his bed he earnestly prayed to the Lord to spare his life saying Remember now O Lord how I have walked before thee in truth and with a perfect heart and have done that which was good in thy sight He mentions not his good deeds as if he thought them meritorious but only that he might incline the Lord the rather to shew him mercy for the Lord is more ready to shew mercy to those that walk according to his laws and commandments than to those that disobey them And Hezekiah wept sore He had many reasons to desire to be spared at this time For first if he should now die he should leave Judah and Jerusalem under the pressure of Sennacherib and should not see the delivery of it 2ly He had no Son as yet to succeed him in the Throne and it could not but be a matter of great sorrow and grief to him to think that the promise made to David and Solomon 1 King 8.25 should not appertain to him He knew also that the Mâ—ssiah was to spring from the seed of David and he being lineally descended from David if he lived to have issue he might hope that the Messiah might spring from him from which hope he should be cut off if he died at this time 3ly He had reason to think that they who were so ready to ascribe the calamities of his time unto him because he had broken down the Idolatrous Altars and Images and made a reformation would be more ready to ascribe them to him if he now died and would say though unjustly that for this cause God had cut him off in displeasure And therefore for this reason he pleads his integrity and that what he had done in the reformation of Religion he had done it with an upright heart knowing it to be well-pleasing unto God And accordingly he found that the Lord was well pleased with it for before the Prophet was gone out of the middle Court of the Kings house he was sent back again to the King with this comfortable message Thus saith the Lord the God of David thy Father intimating to him thereby that he was mindful of his promise made to David 1 King 2.4 I have seen thy tears and am moved to compassion by them and I will spare thy life and add unto thy days fifteen years and on the third day from hence
before them the Lords great goodness to them and the several gracious manifestations of his favour towards them as he conducted them along from Egypt to Canaan First He came and appeared to them from Sinai where he gave them his Law 2ly He further manifested Himself to them from Mount Seir when He commanded the brasen Serpent to be set up by which those among them were cured that were mortally bitten with fiery Serpents and thereby He gave them a notable Type of the promised Messiah 3ly He shined forth from Mount Paran that is repeated and explained the Law to them by the Ministry of Moses in the Wilderness of Paran who exhorted them to yield Obedience to it And when the Lord gave them his Law at Sinai He tells them He came attended with Royal Majesty with an infinite number of glorious Angels who are here called Saints because of their purity and holiness see Acts 7.53 From his right hand went a fiery Law for them that is He spake it to them out of the midst of the fire Deut. 5.22 And yet that giving them his Law was a singular effect of his special love to them He thereby testified his great kindness to them and so he did also in His protecting of them from their Enemies and therefore we may truly say All Israels Saints are under thy Care and Protection O Lord. They sat at thy feet they attended upon thee at the foot of Mount Sinai as Scholars at the feet of their Master and all that are true Israelites will receive instruction from thy words And such Israelites will readily declare That God gave them his Law by the ministry of Moses even the Inheritance of the Congregation of Jacob that is which is as dear to them as an Inheritance is to any man They will declare That He gave it them as a rare and precious Treasure and not for their use only but for the use and instruction also of their Posterity after them And they do acknowledge that Moses was King in Jeshurun that is chief King and Magistrate in Israel by Gods own appointment when the Heads of the people and the Tribes were gathered together to receive the Law at Mount Sinai And they acknowledging Him to be a person so extraordinarily favoured guided and assisted by God could not but receive what he delivered unto them as spoken by God himself from vers 1. to 6. He comes now to bless the Tribes particularly He begins with Reuben Let Reuben live and not die and let not his men be few Jacob had prophesied of this Tribe that they should lose the Dignity of the Birth-right and should never come to any eminency among the Tribes either for number of people or any other excellency and that because of Reuben's Incest with his Fathers Concubine see Gen. 49.4 Now therefore for the comfort of this Tribe Moses pronounces this blessing upon them Let Reuben live that is though Reuben by his Incest brough that Curse upon him pronounced by his Father yea though by the sin of the Reubenites in adhering to Corah they deserved that God should utterly destroy them yet says he the Name and Tribe of Reuben shall still continue among the people of God and though for his sin he lost the glory of excelling the other Tribes in number of men which as the first-born he might otherwise have expected however he shall continue a numerous Tribe 2ly He comes next to Judah because the honour of the Birth-right was partly given from Reuben to Judah and in his Tribe the Regal Power was afterwards setled Hear Lord says he the voice of Judah * Audi Domine preces Jehudae scil cum egressus fuerit ad bellum reduc eum scil a bello incolumem ad fratres suos Oleaster that is the Prayers that this Tribe shall make to thee particularly that the promised Messiah may according to thy Promise come of their stock and that they may have Victory over their Enemies and grant them O Lord sufficient strength to stand in the day of battel thou being their Helper and when thou shalt suffer this Tribe with that of Benjamin to be carried by the Babylonians into Captivity bring them back again in thy due time to their people that is to the poor that were left in Judea to husband the Land Jer. 39.10 40.7 52.16 3ly He blesses Levi Let thy Vrim and thy Thummim be with thy holy one that is let the High Priesthood to which appertained the Breast-plate in which was the Vrim and Thummim Exod. 28.30 be continued in Aaron's Posterity and let them be furnished with those Gifts and Graces with that Knowledge and Piety which is requisite for their high Calling and signified by Vrim and Thummim Whom thou didst prove at Massah and with whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah that is whose Faith thou didst try at Meribah-Kadesh see Numb 20. and sharply reprove both Moses and Him for their Infidelity Who said to his Father and his Mother I have not seen him This may have reference either to the Law forbidding the High Priest to defile himself by mourning for the dead see Levit. 21.11 Neither shall he go into any dead body nor defile himself for his Father or Mother Or else to that notable fact of the Levites Exod. 32. who were so impartial in Gods Cause as not to spare any though nearly related to them who they found had worshipped the golden Calf For they observed thy Word and kept the Covenant which they made with thee Exod. 24.8 Let them therefore teach Jacob that is the Posterity of Jacob thy Judgments or Statutes and Israel thy Laws Let them put Incense before and whole Burnt-Offerings upon thy Altar Bless Lord their substance and accept the work of their hands that is bless them in their outward Estate and accept in good part the Work and Service they do for thee and thy people Smite thorow the loins of those that rise up against them and hate them that is break the Power of those that oppose them in the faithful discharge of their Duty and Office see Jer. 15.10 4ly He comes to Benjamin of whom he saith The beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him that is as Benjamin was his Fathers darling when Joseph was supposed to be dead so he is much beloved of the Lord and therefore shall dwell safely by him that is near his Temple which was built in his portion and the Lord shall cover him all the day long that is protect and defend him and he shall dwell between his shoulders that is God will chuse for Himself an Habitation in the chief City of this Tribe For though the South part of Jerusalem where was Mount Sion * God is said to dwell in Mount Sion and thence some conceive his Temple was situate upon it but where it is so said the word Sion must not be taken strictly for the hill Sion but
18. SECT LIX MOses being now confirmed partly by Miracles partly by the promise of Divine assistance and having his Brother Aaron given him for his Partner he undertook the Work Returning therefore to his Father-in-law Jethro and concealing as 't is probable from him the glorious Vision he had seen and the honourable Employment he was called unto lest Jethro should by proposing Difficulties and perils in the undertaking discourage him He in a respectful manner desires him to permit him to go into Egypt to visit his Brethren and see how they did Jethro readily consents to it and bids him go in peace Notwithstanding Moses it seems after he had obtained leave of Jethro made not such hast as he ought to have done Therefore God appears to him a second time in Midian and quickens him to the Journey assuring him that all those in Egypt that sought his life were dead Then Moses took his Wife and his two Sons Gershom and Eliezer Exod. 18.3 4. and setting them upon Asses intended to carry them with him into Egypt and he took his Rod with which God appointed him to work Miracles in his hand and the Lord appointed him when he came into Egypt to do all those Wonders and Miracles before Pharaoh which he should put into his hand that is give him Power to do But the Lord tells him That he will harden Pharaoh's heart that is he will withdraw and withhold his Grace from him as by withholding Light he causeth Darkness and would permit Satan to excite and spur on his corrupt Nature so that notwitstanding the many things that should be offer'd to him for his Conviction he should more and more harden his own heart against God and should refuse to let the People go However he commands him to speak thus unto Pharaoh Thus saith the Lord The People or Posterity of Israel are my First-born being chosen of my free Grace first out of all Nations to be my peculiar People and are as dear to me as the First-born are to their Parents Therefore let them go that they may serve me If thou refuse to let them go behold I will slay thy Son even thy First-born and not thine only but the First-born of all the Egyptians thy Subjects also and so accordingly it afterwards came to pass Ch. 4. from vers 18. to 24. SECT LX. AS Moses was now upon his Journey towards Egypt with his Wife and Children the Lord as it seems visibly appeared to him and either by a Sword drawn in his hand or by inflicting some sudden violent Sickness upon him put him in great danger of his life and revealed to him the Cause thereof to be because he had neglected to Circumcise his youngest Son see Gen. 17.14 there being a great Incongruity in it that He should take on him the Government of God's Circumcised People who had neglected to impose this Badge of the Covenant on his own Son 'T is like the reason why Moses neglected to Circumcise this his younger Son was because his Wife had been so highly displeased at his Circumcising of the elder But however it was Zipporah seeing the danger her Husband was now in by reason of this neglect and that he was at this time through sickness so disabled that he himself could not do it she took a sharp Knife possibly made of Flint and Circumcised him her self and then cast the Foreskin newly cut off at her Husbands feet saying in a discontented humour Surely thou art a bloody Husband to me For for thy sake and for the sake of thy Religion I am forced thus to shed the blood of my Son This being done the Lord let Moses go and released him from his Sickness And 't is like upon this occasion and trouble Zipporah with her Children was sent back from thence to her Fathers house again as appears Exod. 18.2 3. Ch. 4. from vers 24. to 27. SECT LXI MOses being now freed from all Incumbrance went on his Journey towards Mount Horeb where his Brother Aaron being before warned of God to come thither met him and at their meeting kissed and embraced him Then Moses acquainted him with all these wonderful Passages and with all that the Lord had said unto him and what Miracles he had impowered him and commanded him to work and what Service he had employed him about and how Aaron was appointed to joyn with him therein This done they went on and when they came into Egypt they called together the Elders of the Children of Israel and Aaron spake to them what Moses had directed him to say from God and Moses wrought as was appointed him those three Miracles before mentioned Sect. 57. for the confirming their Faith See Ch. 4. from vers 2. to the 10. The people of Israel when they heard and saw these things they greatly rejoyced and believed that God had now in mercy visited them and had looked down with Pitty and compassion on their Afflictions and they bowed their heads and worshipp'd God with great Reverence Humility and Thankfulness Ch. 4. from 27. to the end SECT LXII SHortly after this Moses and Aaron make their first Address to Pharaoh several of the Elders of Israel accompanying them therein See Exod. ch 3.18 They Represent to Him that the God of their Fathers had appeared unto them and commanded them to offer a Sacrifice and to celebrate a Religious Feast (p) Part of the Sacrifices were to serve for a Feast and both for the honour of God This Feast they should have celebrated to the Lord but they performed it to an Idol the work of their own hands Exod. 32.6 19. to him in the Wilderness Therefore they humbly beseech him that they may have liberty to go three days Journey in the Desart namely to the Mount Horeb to perform this which the Lord required of them lest if they should neglect to obey Him therein he should punish them with the Pestilence or Sword or some such dreadful Judgment for their Disobedience Pharaoh like a proud and imperious Prince answers Who is the Lord that I should obey his Voice to let Israel go I know not the Lord neither will I let Israel go Then looking upon Moses and Aaron with Indignation He asks them What they had to do to seduce the People and take them off from their work And then looking upon the People with anger Get you to your Burdens says he and see that you perform your daily Task or I will take a course with you I understand very well that you are a great and numerous People indeed too many and these two men Moses and Aaron design to get ease and rest for you from your Burdens that so you may increase more and possibly may then think of rebelling against me But I shall take Care to prevent that And accordingly that very day he charged the Task-Masters that were Egyptians and the Officers under them which were Israelites appointed to take the Over-sight of their Brethren in
Hand O Lord is become Glorious in Power Thy right Hand hath broken and destroyed the Enemy and by thy glorious and excellent Power thou hast overthrown the Egyptians who in rising up against thy people did rise up against thee Thou didst send forth thy Wrath which consumed them utterly and speedily even as stubble is consumed by the fire With the blast of thy Nostrils the Waters were gathered together that is by a mighty Wind raised by thine Almighty Power accompanied with a great Noise (p) To this the Prophet seems to have reference Hab. 3. 10. the Sea was divided and the Waters were heaped up on either side and stood like congealed or compacted Walls in the heart of the Sea The Enemy said I will pursue overtake and divide the Spoil my lust shall be satisfied upon them I will draw my Sword my Hand shall destroy them But thou O Lord didst soon confound their vain Imaginations For thou didst blow with a mighty Wind and immediately the Waters came together again and the Sea covered them they sank as lead in the deep Waters Who is like unto thee O Lord among the Gods who among all the false Gods of the Heathen or the mightiest men on the Earth is in any degree worthy to be compared to Thee who art glorious in holiness fearful in praises that is to be praised with a great measure of filial fear and awfulness doing Wonders Thou stretchedst out thy Hand and the Earth swallowed them that is those of them whose bodies were cast up by the Waves upon the shore were thrown into Pits by us and there buried Thou in thy great Mercy hast brought forth thy people whom thou hast redeemed out of the Land of Egypt and hast thus far led them by thine Almighty Power and Strength towards the Land of Canaan where thou hast determined to set up thy holy Temple thy resting Place Psal 132.14 The Place which thou hast chosen where thy holy Worship shall be set up and established and where thou hast promised to dwell that is to afford thy special Presence See 1 Kings 9. vers 3. The Second Part of this Song is Prophetical beginning at v. 14. The people shall hear and be afraid sorrow shall take hold on the Inhabitants of Palestina That is the report of this dreadful overthrow of Pharaoh shall so amaze and astonish the Inhabitants of Palestina the Dukes of Edom and the mighty men of Moab (q) See this Prophesie fulfilled Numb 22.3 Josh 2.9 5.1 and the Inhabitants of Canaan that their very hearts shall faint and melt with fear as wax does before the fire insomuch that they shall be as still as a stone and Israel shall pass over Jordan into Canaan without opposition Thou wilt bring them in and plant them in the Mountain of thine Inheritance that is in Canaan a mountanous Country Deut. 11.11 and particularly thou wilt bring them to Mount Moriah which thou hast chosen as thine Inheritance and where by thy own Hands and Power thou intendest to establish thy Sanctuary and where thou hast promised to dwell and to afford thy gracious Presence The Lord will Reign for ever and ever in spight of all his Enemies Miriam (r) She was the Sister of Moses also but her reference to Aaron was best known by reason of Moses's absence She is said to be the wife of Hur by the Hebrews the Sister of Aaron who had the Spirit of Prophesie Numb 12.2 and was one of the three Principal Guides which God gave his people Mich. 6.4 took a Timbrel in her hand and the Women followed her playing on their Timbrels also according to the Custom in publick Rejoycings Judg. 11.34 and they expressed their exultation and rapture of Mind by lively motions and tripudiations of their Bodies and when the Men had sang a Verse of this Song then She with the Women sung it over again at least they repeated the first Verse of it Sing to the Lord for he hath triumphed gloriously the Horse and his Rider hath he thrown into the Sea And possibly they added For his Mercy endureth for ever as 't is Psal 136. 2 Chron. 5.13 With this Song of Moses for Victory over the Egyptian-Pharaoh the Holy Ghost compares the Song of them that shall be Victorious over the Spiritual Pharaoh viz. the Beast and Antichrist Rev. 15. from 1. to 5. Exod. 15. from 1. to 22. SECT VI. THe Israelites being now come on the other side of the Red-Sea they marched three whole days thorow the Wilderness of Shur (s) Called also the Wilderness of Etham Numb 33.8 one might be the general name of the whole Wilderness and the other of some part of it It seems the Wilderness on both sides of the Red-Sea was called the Wilderness of Etham but found no water all the way As for Food 't is probable they were sustained with that unleavened Bread and other provisions they had brought with them out of Egypt At last they came to Marah their fifth Encamping where they found water indeed but it was so bitter they could not drink it hereupon they murmur against Moses asking him in a discontented mood What they should drink Moses upon this Cries unto the Lord who shewed him a Tree which when he had cast into the waters the waters were made sweet But the changing of the nature and tast of the waters was to be attributed to the Power of God and not to any vertue in that Tree After God had thus tried them and proved them not only by their want of water but by his present favourable dealing with them in not punishing them for their murmuring as he might justly have done He then admonishes them by Moses to take heed of this sin of murmuring against Him or distrusting of Him and to carry themselves more obediently towards Him for the future And so he made this a Statute and an Ordinance That if they would do that which was right in his sight and would obey his Commandments and keep all his Statutes he would bring none of those Diseases and Plagues upon them which he had brought on the Egyptians For He was their Healer (t) V. 26. Medicus quia ex omnibus periculis malis tam animarum quam corporum quae morbis morti saepe comparantur homines sibi confisos liberat Psal 103. v. 3. Glasius and could heal not only their Bodies but their Souls also by forgiving their sins and sanctifying their natures Exod. 15. from 22. to 27. SECT VII FRom Marah they removed to Elim their sixth Station famous for twelve Wells of water and 70 Palm-Trees And here it seems they stayed many days because the Place was so pleasant and convenient by reason of the waters and the shade Exod. 15. vers 27. SECT VIII FRom Elim they turned back again to the Red-Sea which was their seventh Station as appears from Numb 33.10 the Lord so ordering it as 't is probable that
Providence see Mat. 6.11 However some of them were so Disobedient that they reserved some of it till next morning and it bred Worms and stank which Disobedience of theirs much provoked Moses to be angry with them 2. They were to gather it in the morning betimes For when the Sun waxed hot it melted 3. On the sixth day they were to gather twice as much as on other days namely two Omers for one person which order when the people observed the Elders and Rulers came and told Moses thereof doubting whether they did well therein seeing an Omer and no more was their fixed allowance for one day Hereupon Moses tells them That the next day was an holy Sabbath to the Lord and on that day (c) From whence some infer the antiquity and morality of the Sabbath this happening before the giving the Law on Mount Sinai no Mannah should fall and therefore on the sixth day they had a double allowance and on that day they were to bake or seeth of their Mannah what they thought fit to eat thereof that day and to reserve the remainder for the Sabbath-day and though reserved to that day it should not stink or breed Worms as one other days if kept it would do Yet some of the people were so unbelieving and disobedient that they went out on the Sabbath-day to seek Mannah but found none for which God was angry with them and charged them not to go out on the Sabbath-day any more to seek it but to observe that day unto him which the people accordingly did On this kind of bread they lived afterwards by the space of forty years * Comederant Man 40 annis tanquam cibum ordinarium cui non erat vetitum carnes vel cibos alios adjungere si quos vel venatu vel emptione a vicinis gentibus consequebantur ut apparet ex Deut. 2.6 Janson even till they came to the borders of the Land of Canaan And a Pot containing the quantity of an Omer was afterwards by Gods Command fill'd therewith and reserved by the Ark of Testimony (d) Or Ark of the Testimony because in it were the Tables of Gods Law which testified his Will to his people See Heb. 9.4 See Apostolical History pag. 380. viz. which testified Gods Presence among them to be kept as a Memorial of Gods goodness in thus miraculously feeding of them Exod. 16. whole Chapter SECT X. THeir ninth Remove was to Dophka their Tenth to Alush Numb 33.12 13 14. and their Eleventh to Rephidim a place in the Wilderness near Mount Horeb. Here they wanted water again and this want drove a great many of them into an high discontent and murmuring insomuch as they said Is the Lord among us or not vers 7. Thus they tempted the Lord as the Psalmist says Psal 78.41 and limited the holy One of Israel Then they fell a chiding with Moses saying Give us water that we may drink wherefore hast thou brought us out of Egypt to kill us and our Children and our Cattel with thirst Moses asked them Why they chid with him was it in his power to help them why did they tempt the Lord by their distrust and murmuring And from this distrustful murmuring of the People the place was afterwards called Massa and Meriba signifying Temptation and Chiding Then Moses cried unto the Lord saying What shall I do to this people they are almost ready to stone me God Commands him to take some of the Elders of the people with him and to take his Rod in his hand with which he commanded Aaron to strike the River Nile Ch. 7.20 and to go to Mount Horeb where he would appear to him in the Cloudy Pillar and there to smite the Rock with his Rod and it should give forth water Moses and the Elders accordingly going to Horeb He there in their sight struck the Rock and immediately the waters gushed forth * The Apostle says 1 Cor. 10.4 The Rock followed them and that Rock was Christ see Psal 78.15 16 20. And the Streams issuing thence trailed after them thorow the Wilderness see Psal 105.41 Deut. 9.21 The Cloudy Pillar it seems conducting them in such by-ways in such Levels and Vallies in that Mountainous Country that the water might conveniently be derived after them Exod. 17. from 1. to 8. SECT XI THe Amalekites descended from Timnah Concubine to Eliphaz Esau's eldest Son Gen 36.12 whose Country lay hereabout having an inveterate malice against Jacob and his Posterity fell now upon the Rear of the Israelites they being much spent and tired with their long march and slew some of the feeblest (e) That is of such as were feeble thorow travel not sickness see Psal 105.37 and hindermost of them Deut. 25.17 18 19. Moses hereupon sends Joshua with a chosen Party to fight with them in the Valley and betakes himself to the top of Mount Horeb where with the Rod of God in his hand as a Signal to strengthen the faith of the people in God's Power and Help He lifts up his hands towards Heaven earnestly praying unto the Lord and imploring his Aid and Assistance against their Enemies And whilst Moses's hands were help up Israel prevailed but when they flag'd and fell down Amalek prevailed He therefore being weary with standing so long as well as with lifting up his hands they put a stone under him to sit on and Aaron and Hur (f) See James 5.17 Quare precum comites adhibendi qui nos labantes fulciant supported his hands whereby they were steady to the going down of the Sun and so they obtained a great Victory over the Amalekites And God commanded Moses to write (g) See Exod. 34.27 this for a Memorial in a Book that is in the Chronicles and Annals of time that the wickedness of Amalek in assaulting the people of God may be remembred and to Inculcate it in the ears of Joshua who was to succeed him that He and all his Successors who shall be Generals to the Israelites at any time hereafter may put this his Command in Execution when He shall give them occasion to do it For says God I have determined utterly to put out the remembrance of Amalek from under Heaven (h) Deut. 25.19 See this Command executed by Saul 1 Sam. 15.3 c. that is I have determined that their Honour and Greatness shall be so broken and brought down that they shall not be remembred or made mention of as a flourishing State or Kingdom any more And Moses in thankfulness to God for this great Victory built an Altar in that place and call'd it Jehovah-Nissi as a Memorial to Posterity that there Jehovah had as with a Banner displayed gone forth and fought against the Enemies of his people And because Amalek had lifted up his hand against the Throne of the Lord (i) V. 16. Quia manus Amalec fuit contra solium Domini Sic Jun. Tremel Piscator reddunt hunc
versum in fighting against his peculiar people whose King and Soveraign he had undertaken to be therefore the Lord would have his people maintain a truceless War with Amalek from Generation to Generation Exod. 17. from vers 8. to the end SECT XII THis Story of Jethro contain'd in the next Chapter viz. the 18th seems not to lie in its proper place but ought to come in between the 10th and 11th verses of Numb 10. For in Exod. 18. vers 12. 'T is said Jethro took Burnt-Offerings and Sacrifices for God whereas the Law for Burnt-Offerings and Sacrifices was not yet given And vers 13. 16. 'tis said Moses sat to judge the people and to make them know the Statutes of God and his Laws whereas the Statutes and Laws of God were not yet given to Moses And further the chusing of Judges and Elders which was upon Jethro's Counsel was not till after their departing from Sinai Deut. 1 7 8 9 See Lightfoot pag. 95. c. whereas 't is here set as before their coming thither Therefore we shall reserve this History till we come to the 10th of Numbers SECT XIII FRom Rephidim which was over against Horeb in the third month after their coming forth out of Egypt they removed to the Desart over against Sinai (k) It seems these were either two Mountains near together or else two tops of the same Mountain one called Horeb the other Sinai which was their Twelfth Encamping where they continued for the space of almost an whole Year The Cloudy Pillar now resting on the top of the Mountain God out of it calls Moses to come up to Him and Commands him to set before the people what great things He had done for them and how he had born them on Eagles wings and carried them as an Eagle doth her young ones on her back viz. speedily and safely out of Egypt and had now brought them unto Himself that is to this place of his Presence and convenient for them to serve him in If therefore they would carefully observe the Covenant which he now intended to make with them they should be his peculiar Treasure his Segullah (l) Deut. 7.6 7 8. Psal 135.4 above all people For all the Earth is His and he can chuse what Nation he pleases to be his peculiar People to serve him and they should be to Him a Kingdom of Priests that is among them he would Reign and set up his Kingdom 1 Sam. 8.7 and they should not be a profane State such as other Kingdoms were but a Kingdom of Priests to Worship Him according to his own Will and to offer the Sacrifices to Him which He should appoint and they should be separated from all other Nations unto Him and his Service Moses comes down and acquaints the people herewith and they readily and with one accord answered That All that the Lord had spoken they would do Moses returned their Answer unto the Lord who tells him He would now speak to him speedily out of a thick Cloud upon the Mount and the people should hear Him speak to him that they might never after doubt or disbelieve that God had sent him to them Then he Commands Moses to go down and to sanctifie and prepare the people two days for their reverend receiving his Law on the day after and that he should give them Orders and Directions how they should behave themselves at that time Moses accordingly commands the people to sanctifie themselves to wash their Cloaths and to forbear the company of their Wives vers 15. till the time appointed signifying how careful they should be to keep their Minds from being distracted with carnal affections and to cleanse themselves from all filthiness both of Flesh and Spirit especially when they were to present themselves so solemnly before the Lord. Then he sets bounds and limits round about the bottom of Mount Sinai shewing them how near they should approach to the Mount and no further declaring that whatever Man or Beast passed those bounds and touched the Mountain should be stoned or shot to death This was commanded to strike their hearts with the greater Reverence of God and to bridle their Curiosity from searching into Gods Secrets and to teach them to be content with the bounds that he had set them On the third day in the morning after Moses had given them this Charge concerning sanctifying and preparing themselves which as some think was the (m) Sic Jansenius Masius autem quarto die mensis sixth day of the month and fifty days after the Passover on which the Feast of Pentecost was afterwards kept by the ministry of Angels the Trumpet sounded exceeding loud and the people trembling advanced under the Conduct of Moses towards (n) V. 13. Tunc ascendent in montem i. e. adversus montem alioquin repugnaret v. 12. the Mountain so far as their limits and bounds extended Then the Air being fill'd with dreadful Thunderings and Lightnings and the Mountain quaking and trembling and smoaking like a Furnace Psal 68.8 and the Trumpet sounding lowder and lowder the Lord (o) V. 20. Descendit Dominus sâ—u Angelus Dominum repraesentans descendit ex loco aeris celsiore in ipsum montis verticem descended on the Mount that is He there manifested his Glory in a flame of Fire The fight was so exceeding terrible that Moses said I exceedingly fear and tremble Heb. 12.21 The Lord hereupon answered him by a Voice and so in a less terrible manner than by Thunder yet so loud that the people might hear him speaking to him see vers 9. By that Voice the Lord commanded Moses to come up to Him to the top of the Mount And Moses did so The Lord Commands him to go again to the people and to Charge them that they did not break thorow the bounds set them to see and gaze as Moses himself was ready once to do Exod. 3.3 till He was stayed of God lest many of them should thereupon perish see Sam. 6.19 and to Charge the Priests more particularly who used to come near to minister before the Lord that is the First-horn the young men of the Children of Israel whom God had hallowed to himself and who before the separating of the Tribe of Levi for the Priesthood used to administer that Office in their several Families Numb 8.16 Exod. 13.2 Lev. 3.12 and Exod. 24.5 that they especially take care to sanctifie themselves and to be devoutly and holily prepared for this great appearance of God and to keep themselves from being defiled with Sin by touching the Mount presuming too far by reason of their Priviledge lest the Lord break forth in wrath upon them Moses humbly Answers O Lord the people by reason of thy former Prohibition dare not come up to the Mount For thou saidst Set bounds to the Mount and Hallow it that is let the people know that they are to account this Mountain holy by reason of the manifestation of
and no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him So that all malice spight envy hatred rancor immoderate anger and animosity are here also forbidden VII Commandment Thou shalt not commit Adultery THis Commandment injoyns Chastity of Mind Heart and Body and the preservation of it in our selves and others Whosoever shall attempt the Affection or Chastity of another mans wife highly sinneth against God commits a great trespass against his Neighbour and defiles himself with the foulest turpitude He violates an Institution to which God hath affixed especial marks of respect and sanctity He wounds his Neighbour's Honour and ruines Him in that wherein the great content of his mind and comfort of his life is wound up He offendeth against the welfare of Families breeding horrible Confusions and Dissentions in them Adultery therefore is a lothsome Vnrighteousness most odious to God and a fire that consumeth unto destruction Further this Commandment forbids all sorts of unlawful and irregular satisfactions to lustful Appetite and all kinds of Impurity and Lasciviousness not in act only but in thought in desire (f) Our Saviour extends this Commandment to forbid all unlawful lustings or desires or Inclinations of the heart Mat. 5.28 I say unto you that whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her hath committed Adultery with her in his heart in speech or in gesture and what ever tends to foment the fleshly Concupiscence which we ought to endeavour by all good means to quench and suppress VIII Commandment Thou shalt not Steal THis Commandment injoyns that every man should quietly enjoy those supports and conveniencies of his life which in any honest way he hath right unto or is possessed of And it prohibits all Invasion or Vsurpation by any means what ever either by open Violence or by clandestine Fraud of our Neighbour's Goods or Rights Many sorts of Vnrighteousness are reducible to this Commandment as fraudulent Dealing false Weights and Measures over-reaching in Contracts unfaithfulness in matters of Trust Exaction Oppression Extortion and not making Restitution of ill-gotten Goods when there is ability The Positive Duties to be understood are Diligence and Industry in our Callings whereby with God's blessing we may support our selves and prevent the importunate Temptations of Want and Need and may be able to relieve others that are in want and may be well content with our own estates trusting in God and relying on his Providence to take care of us IX Commandment Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy Neighbour BEaring false Testimony against our Neigbour especially in matters Capital and wherein his life is concern'd is here prohibited And not only that but also defaming him or unjustly detracting from him and breeding in the minds of others an ill opinion of him We are therefore here forbidden to wrong our Neighbour in his Credit and good Name as well as in his Estate We are forbidden to hurt him either in word or deed Charity obligeth us to think the best of our Neighbour to be candid in our Opinions and Discourses concerning Him to forbear all rash and harsh Censures of Him and to abhor affixing any faults upon Him of which He is not guilty To walk Vprightly and to work Righteousness and speak the truth from our hearts are the good man's Character Psal 15. v. 2. X. Commandment Thou shalt not covet thy Neighbours House nor his Wife nor his Man-Servant nor his Maid-Servant nor his Ox nor his Asse nor any thing that is thy Neigbours THis Law is very Comprehensive prescribing universal Justice towards our Neighbour and that not only in outward deeds and dealing but in inward thought and desire prohibiting us unlawfully or irregularly to desire any thing that is his to his detriment We are to be so far from depriving our Neighbour of any good thing belonging to him that we are not so much as irregularly to wish or desire it We are not only to abstain from injurious Actions but to repress in our selves all covetous and injurious Inclinations And the Positive Duty here implied is That we should have a delight and complacency in our Neigbour's good not envying him any of his Enjoyments being in our minds well content with the portion God is pleased to vouchsafe to us and intirely trusting in Him that he will supply us with what is needful and fitting for us without the damage of our Neighbour Thus we see that God's Law is as St. Paul observes Spiritual not only restraining exteriour Acts but regulating our inmost Thoughts quelling all inordinate Appetites and Affections of Heart within us And all these Precepts both of the first and second Table are reduced to these two Heads of loving God with all our Hearts Souls and Spirits and loving our Neighbour as our selves SECT XV. THus was this Law promulgated and proclaimed At the dreadful manner whereof of the people were so greatly terrified that they removed and stood afar off from the Mount Then the Heads of the â—ribes and Elders came to Moses and said Behold the Lord our God hath shewed us his Glory and his Greatness and we have heard his Voice out of the midst of the Fire and have seen this day that God doth talk with Man and yet he remaineth alive This is matter of great wonder to us But yet we are afraid that if we should hear the Voice of the Lord our God again speaking to us in such a dreadful manner the very terrour of it would kill us We are afraid we should be consumed by that great and dreadful Fire out of which we heard the Lord speaking to us For what man is there that ever heard God speaking out of the midst of the Fire as we have done and yet lived Since therefore the Lord hath hitherto been so gracious and propitious to us we humbly intreat him to regard our Infirmity which makes uncapable of enduring his terrible Presence Go thou therefore near unto him and hear all that the Lord our God shall say and speak thou (g) This is still the work of the Law to scare men and drive them to seek for a Mediator between God and them And by this Interposition of Moses was figured the necessity of the great Mediator between God and Man Gal. 3.19 Who was also promised on this occasion Deut. 18.15 16. unto us all that the Lord our God shall speak unto thee and we will hear it and do it But let not the Lord speak to us any more immediately by Himself lest the terrour of his Presence kill us Moses encourages them and tells them They should not be so much dismayed and affrighted For God had spoken to them with so much terrour to prove them that is to try whether this terrour would produce in them a holy fear and reverence of his Majesty which is the true spring of Obedience that so they might be afraid to sin against Him Then the people standing aloof off Moses drew near to the thick Darkness on
the top of the Mount where God manifested his glorious Presence and the Lord said unto him I have heard the words of this people which they have spoken unto thee viz. That thou should be a Mediator between Me and them and therein a Type of the promised Messias and they have done well in what they desired And O that there were such an heart (h) Humanitùs optanda non speranda designat in them that they would fear me always and keep my Commandments that it might go well with them and with their Children from Generation to Generation Then commanding that the people should return into their Tents He tells Moses He will speak unto him all the rest of his Commandments Statutes and Judgments and he shall impart them unto the people So that God spake no more than these Ten Commandments immediately by Himself unto the Children of Israel and in an audible Voice Deut. 5.22 the rest He spake unto them by Moses Exod. 20. from vers 18. to 22. Deut. 5. from vers 22. to 32. SECT XVI GOd further Commands Moses to tell the Children of Israel That they had heard Him speak to them out of Heaven that is from on high in the Air but they saw no Image nor Similitude of Him Therefore they should take heed of corrupting themselves in making any Similitude (i) See Deut. 4.15 or Figure of Him or any Image or Idol of Gold or Silver to represent Him or to be worshipped with Him 2ly For such Altars as they should be appointed to make as they were upon the way whereon to Sacrifice their Burnt-Offerings (k) Gen. 8.20 and Peace-Offerings (l) Lev. 3.1 their Oxen and Sheep or upon any extraordinary occasion before they should come to the place which He should chuse to settle his Worship there they must make them either of Earth (m) Such as Samuel and Elias made Afterwards the Altar of the Tabernacle was made of of Shitimwood to be overlaid with Brass Exod. 27.1 and for the Temple of Brass 2 Chron. 4.1 or of rough unpolished Stone for if they lifted a tool upon them to polish them they polluted (n) Curiosity in God's Service against his Command is not an Ornament but a Defilement vers 25. Non ex politis lapidibus cujus nulla ratio dari potest a natura rei desumpta sed tantum ex ordinatione Dei contra quam si quis eat etiam in levissimis per se indifferentibus ea profana fiunt Rivet them by transgressing the Commandment of God and so instead of making them holy they profaned them And the reason of this Injunction seeming to be that the meanness of the matter might shew that God did not intend those Altars should be places of his constant Worship but only for the present time And that the people should not have any superstitious conceit in time to come of the places where these Altars had been raised which might divert their hearts from the only Altar upon which he delighted to be ordinarily served Deut. 12.5 which was a Figure of the Cross of Christ And that they might not think strange at the meanness of these Altars He promises that in all places indifferently where he shall appoint them to build an Altar and where He shall cause his Name to be remembred and called upon He will accept of their Sacrifices and Service and hear them and bless them even in one place as well as in another Lastly He Commands that these Altars should not be so made that the Priests must go up by wide and far distant Stairs (o) V. 26. Ascensus non erit intercisus per gradus longe distantes ut cogeris magnos facere passus ne nudentur verenda tua usus enim foemoralium nondum introductus erat Lyra. and Steps or by Ladders unto them (p) This Institution was in part changed and revoked afterwards For Solomon's Altar was 10 Cubits high 2 Chron. 4.1 and the Priests went up by some steps and stairs to it and accordingly were ordered to wear linnen Breeches Exod. 28 42 43. And the Altar which Moses made for the Tabernacle was three Cubits high Exod. 27.1 But this was for the perpetual use of the Tabernacle and not for a time only and suddenly to be dissolved again as these occasional Altars were lest their nakedness should be discovered thereby which might impair the Honour of those Sacred Rites and would symbolize and agree too much with the lewd and shameful behaviour which the Idolatrous Heathenish Priests used in their Sacrifices Exod. 20. from 22. to the end SECT XVII NOw the Lord gives unto Moses the Judicial or Political Laws the civil Constitutions Ordinances and Statutes contained in the three next Chapters according to which the Magistrates and Judges were to Govern the people The chief Heads of which are as follow 1. Concerning buying Men-Servants A man might not buy an Israelite but either first when he willingly sold himself through extreme Poverty see Deut. 15.12 Exod. Ch. 21. Levit. 25.39 or when he was sold against his Will by the Magistrate for Theft which he was not able to make satisfaction for Or 3ly For Debt which he was not able to pay In such a Case they and their Children might be sold as Servants for satisfaction of the Debt see 2 Kings 4.1 Math. 18.25 Now if it should so happen that an Israelite became a Servant upon any of these accounts here is a Law given concerning the time of his Service namely that he should serve him that had bought him only six years and that in the seventh he should be set free for nothing except the Year of Jubilee fell within the compass of these years and in that Case he should be set free at that time Lev. 25.40.41 Now the reason why the Lord would not have the Israelites serve any longer is expressed Levit. 25.55 namely because they were his Servants and so the Lord would teach the Jews to put a difference between his people and others that were not his people Furthermore the Lord Orders That if the Servant came into Servitude unmarried he shall so go out if he were married his Wife if she were an Israelite shall go out free with him (q) See Deut. 15.12 for only Hâ—athens might be kept in Bondage Lev. 25.44 46. but with an Hebâ—ew-woman they could not do thus as ap-appears v. 7. But if his Master have given him a Wife in the time of his Service viz. an Heathen Bond-woman and she have born him Sons and Daughters in this case the man was to be set free alone and his Wife and Children were to continue Servants to his Master For the Children born of the Bondwoman are Bondmen and Bondwomen also as the example of Ishmael whom Abraham begat of Hagar sheweth Gen. 21.9 10. Yet no man by this Law was forced to leave his Wife for by continuing in his former Service he might
with Nadab and Abihu his two eldest Sons and the 70 Elders (l) They had when they were in Egypt certain Elders in every Tribe which were the principal men among them And it seems God appointed that these 70 should come up with Aaron and his Sons into the Mount And these were chosen now as Witnesses that they might by the sight of Gods presence be confirmed in the Covenant lately made with them and might confirm the rest therein And afterwards at Kibroth Hattavab 70 were chosen for helpers to Moses in his Government And 't is thought God appointed 70 rather than any other number as a Memorial of the 70 Souls that went down into Egypt and consequently of God's great blessing in bringing them within a few years to so great a multitude along with him They accordingly came up into the Mount that is a little way up and there as they were commanded worshipped at a distance and afar off from the top of the Mount And they saw some illustrious Signs of God's glorious presence (m) Not that the Lord shewed Himself in any humane shape Deut. 4.15 For never man saw God nor can see him 1 Tim. 6.16 Forma ipsius Dei nulla describitur sed basis in qua stabat Calvin and at the lower part of that brightness there was a clear shining blew pavement as it were of Saphir and like to the Skie when it is clear And though these Nobles and Elders saw the Glory of God in these extraordinary signs of his Presence yet it pleased the Lord that they received no hurt thereby but returning again unto the people did there feast together with them on their Peace-Offerings * Burnt-Offerings were wholely consumed but of the Peace-Offerings part was reserved that they did afterwards feast upon rejoycing in the goodness of God to them and the honour he had done them But Moses with his Servant and designed Successor Joshua (n) Joshua was not before mentioned vers 1. perhaps because he was Moses's Minister and constant attendant therefore it was not necessary he should be expressed by name abide there still having advanced to to the higher part of the Mount but yet not so high as the Cloud Moses before he ascended gave order to the Elders to tarry there below and to expect his and Joshua's return and that Aaron and Hur in his absence should determine the Affairs of the people Moses waited six days (o) Ut animum sex diebus ab omni cogitatione sorde terrenâ serenaret praepararet ad colloquium Dei Jans more on the top of the Mountain which the Cloud now covered and the signs of God's glorious Presence appeared upon it that his mind in that time might be prepared for Converse with the great God and on the Seventh day God called him up into the Cloud and the sight of the Glory of the Lord on the top of the Mount was like devouring Fire in the eyes of the Children of Israel And there God spake with Him and he continued there forty days (p) The like number of days Elias fasted 1 Kings 19.8 and our Saviour when he was to enter upon the Ministry of the Gospel Matth. 4.2 God could have dispatched Moses sooner but this stay was to give the greater Authority to his Law Some think that the six days that Moses waited are to be reckon'd into the 40. Sic Usserius alii and forty nights without eating or drinking any thing Deut. 9.9 And so his Condition was a shadow of the life of the glorified Saints in Heaven During which time he was employed in beholding the Glory of God's Presence and in receiving Instructions from him about all things that concerned his people and in viewing the Pattern of the Tabernacle and all things belonging thereunto which was shewn him in the Mount Joshua as it seems stayed all this while upon the Mount though below the Cloud waiting for Moses and sustaining himself as 't is probable with the Manna that fell from Heaven and the water of the Brook mentioned Deut. 9.21 that descended out of the Mount For there Moses found him when he came down from God neither did he know what the Israelites had done in the Camp as appears from Exod. 32.17 Exod. 24. vers 1 2. and from 9. to the end SECT XXI MOses during this His long abode in the Mount received from the Lord those Commands and Instructions mentioned in 25 26 27 27 28 29 30 and 31 Chapters of Exodus The Particulars whereof are these following First Touching the framing of a Tabernacle that is a moveable and portable Temple after the model and pattern that was shewed him in the Mount for the solemn Worship and Service of God in which He would dwell among them and manifest his gracious Presence and there He would meet with them and declare His Mind unto them vers 22. In order to which 1st He Commands that the people should make a voluntary and free-will-Offering unto Him of Gold Silver Brass and of Blue Purple Scarlet fine Linnen Goats Hair Rams Skins dyed red and Badgers Skins also of Shittim wood (q) Isa 41.19 'T is called the Shittah-Tree It being a precious wood the Israelites might bring it with them out of Egypt as appears from Exod. 35.24 Some think they had it from Abel-Shittim Numb 33.49 Shittim wood was very durable very portable and light of Carriage and very precious used in most of the utensils of the Tabernacle and Oil for the Lights and Spices for the anointing Oil and for sweet Incense also of Onyx Stones and other precious Stones to be set in the Ephod and Breast-plate of the High-Preist Ch. 25. from 1. to the 10. 2ly He gives Directions concerning framing the Ark (r) The Ark was a sign of Gods Presence among them as He was their Lord and Law-giver ordaining and requiring Obedience to these his Commandments and threatning death to the Transgressors The Ark is the first and chiefest of all the Holy things and for it principally was the Tabernacle made Exod. 26.33 40.18 21. and it sanctified the Tent or House wherein it rested as Solomon said The Places are holy where into the Ark of the Lord hath come 2 Chron. 8.11 Imitati hoc Gentiles Deorum mysteria in capsulis portantes Et levis occultis conscia cista Sacris Tibul. or Sacred Chest wherein only the Testimony (s) Exod. 31.18 38.21 called the Tables of the Covenant Deut. 9.9 And so the Ark called the Ark of the Covenant Numb 10.33 and the Book of the Law is called the Testimony 2 Kings 11.12 and so the Gospel the Testimony of God 1 Cor. 2.1 that is the Ten Commandments written upon Tables of Stone which were a Testimony of the Covenant between God and them and testified what God required of them was to be kept This was to be made of Shittim wood two Cubits * A Cubit among the Hebrews is
nights were now expired and God had made an end of Communing with Moses on the Mount He gave him two Tables of Stone made by his own Hand and wherein He had written with his own Finger the Ten Commandments Commanding him to get him down quickly telling him what the people had done in his absence Thy (h) God seems to disown them now as His people people says He which thou broughtest out of the Land of Egypt have corrupted themselves They have turned aside quickly after their entring into Covenant with Me and promising to keep all my Precepts They have quickly turned out of the way which I commanded them and have made them a molten Calf and have worshipped it and sacrificed unto it Thou seest that this is a very wicked and stiff-necked people therefore interpose not for them nor hinder Me by thy Intercession that I may in mine anger Consume them and I will make of Thee a great Nation yea a greater and mightier than they Deut. 9.14 Moses was wonderfully surpriz'd and astonish'd at the hearing of this and humbly adoring the Lord his God he said Lord why doth thy Wrath wax hot against thy people which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty Hand Wherefore should the Egyptitians say For mischief did He bring them forth to slay them in the Mountains O Lord turn I pray thee from thy fierce Wrath and let not the Evil and Punishment which this people have deserved fall upon them Remember thy Covenant and Promises made to Abraham Isaac and Jacob to whom thou swarest by thine own self to multiply their Seed as the Stars and to give them the Land of Canaan for an Inheritance Thus Moses stood before the Lord in the Breach to turn away his Wrath Psal 106.23 So that the Lord was intreated not to destroy them at this time as he had threatned Then Moses descending out of the Cloud with the Two Tables in his hand and coming to that part of the Mount where Joshua as it seems had waited all this while for him vers 17. Joshua hearing the Noise and Shout of the people and not knowing what it meant He said to Moses Surely there is a noise of War in the Camp But Moses told him It was no such noise but rather of singing and merriment When they came to the Camp and Moses saw the Calf and the people piping and dancing and sporting about it after the manner of the Heathen His anger waxed hot and in an holy Indignation not unadvisedly but by the motion of Gods Spirit see Deut. 9.16 17. He cast the Tables out of his Hands and broke them before their eyes as a sign that the Covenant between God and them was broken by this their hainous Idolatry Then He took the Idol and melted it and made it brittle and fit to be broken or ground to powder and He cast the dust thereof into the water whereof they drank daily and made them drink thereof for the greater detestation that they might understand the variety of such Gods that could be thus swallowed by them as also to intimate to them that they deserved to drink of the Cup of Gods Wrath for so a great Provocation Then He sharply expostulates with Aaron about this horrid Miscarriage What did this people says He do to thee that thou hast brought so great a Sin upon them Aaron humbly deprecates his Anger and excuseth Himself as well as he could upon the mischievous disposition of the people and by a poor slender and imperfect Narration seeks to extenuate his Fact speaking of the Calf as if it had been produced rather by accident than by any design of his I cast the Gold says he into the fire and there came out this Calf Moses seeing that the people had now deprived themselves of Gods protection and were as so many naked and unarmed and dispirited men exposed to be devoured by their Enemies to which Aaron by consenting to their wicked desire had much contributed He stood in the Gate of the Camp and said Who is on the Lords side Let him come unto me summoning thereby all that had not consented to this wicked Fact to take Gods part against the Offendors and to do in this Case what he should require of them Whereupon the Sons of Levi who had kept themselves innocent from this Fact as it seems most of them had though not all as appears from Deut. 33.9 came unto Moses who according to Gods appointment Commands them to take their Swords in their hands and to go throughout the Camp and slay all the Ring-leaders and principal Offenders in this Rebellion and Transgression that they should meet with not sparing for favour or affection either Brother Companion or Neighbour or any other that were nearest or dearest to them And 't is probable God so ordered it by his Providence that none but the guilty came in their way And Moses told them that hereby they should so Consecrate themselves to the Lord and offer a Sacrifice so well pleasing to him that he would immediately set them apart as his peculiar portion to be his Ministers in the sacred Service of the Tabernacle The Children of Levi did as Moses commanded them and there fell that day of the people by their hand about three thousand Moses though he had already so far prevailed with the Lord that he would not presently destroy all the people as He had threatned vers 14. yet considering that the Lords Anger might still be great against them and that he might still proceed further in punishing of them He tells them That on the morrow he resolved to go up again to the Lord and further to intercede for them and to endeavour to atone him that He might not proceed in wrath against them And accordingly going up again into the Mount and humbly prostrating himself before the Lord he acknowledges the greatness and hainousness of their sin and earnestly intreats the Lord freely to forgive them out of his own abundant Mercy which if He would please to do they should always retain a deep sense of that transcendent favour But if he would not forgive them freely Moses out of the exuberance and greatness of his love to that people desires the Lord that he would accept of his life as an atonement for them (i) Dele me de libro vitae v. 32. and blot him out of the Book of the living that is cut him off by his own Hand and so take his life as a Satisfaction for their Sin And in this Moses shewed himself a Figure of our blessed Saviour who laid down his life for his Sheep Joh. 10.15 and redeemed us from the Curse of the Law being made a Curse for us Gal. 3.13 But the Lord was not pleased to accept this his Offer but told him That they that had sinned against him should suffer themselves for their sin yet He would spare them at this time but when He began to
punish them for other Provocations He would reckon with them for this Sin also which accordingly He did in after-times see vers 35. But though He spared them for the present yet He declares That He himself will not go with them as before He had promised but bids Moses go before them and lead them and He would send a Created Angel to go before them and to be their Conductor and to lead them to Canaan a Land flowing with Milk and Honey but He himself would no longer Conduct them lest speaking of Himself after the manner of men who are most provoked when they are affronted to their face He should consume them for their Rebellions and Disobedience in the way Moses descending from the Mount acquaints the people with these sad tydings further telling them That if they did not repent of their great wickedness God would come among them and Consume them in a moment therefore He commanded them to put off their Ornaments and to mourn before Him and according as their Repentance should be true or false He would either spare or punish them When the people heard these things they mourned exceedingly and stript themselves of their Ornaments and gorgeous Apparrel and put themselves into a habit more suitable to true Penitents Moses now removes his Tent or Tabernacle which He had formerly erected as it seems both for the Worship of God and for matters of Civil Judgment afar off from the Camp signifying thereby Gods departure from them as a polluted people And those that desired Counsel of the Lord by him went forth to this new erected Tent of the Congregation And when Moses went out of the Camp to the Tent the Cloudy Pillar descended from the Mount to the door of the Tent and out of it the Lord spake to Moses face to face as a man speaketh to his friend that is present to present by an articulate and audible Voice so as He never spake to any Prophet Deut. 5.4 34.10 Numb 12.8 All which the people beholding from their Tent-doors bowed themselves and worshipped And when at any time Moses returned into the Camp Joshua stayed behind in the Tabernacle or Tent possibly as his Deputy to judge the People in his absence Moses now humbly bemoans before the Lord that He had imposed that hard Province upon him to lead that people but had not let him know whom He would send with him and yet he had declared he knew him by Name that is had chosen him above many others and out of many for his Service and had taken special notice of him and had a peculiar regard to him He therefore humbly desires of the Lord that if He had found Grace in his sight He himself would please to shew him his way in which He would have him lead the people and that He himself would be their Guide as before he had been and not turn them over to a created Angel that so he may know by experience that He is good to them that seek him and be assured that he had found Grace in his sight and that He did still remember that this Nation was his people The Lord was pleased upon this prayer of Moses and the peoples Repentance to recall his former (k) Paenitentia commutat Comminationes Dei in promissiones Cajetan Sentence passed vers 3. and now promises that his Presence shall go with them and He would bring them into the Land of Promise where they should have rest from their Enemies Moses thankfully embracing Gods Promise shews that nothing else but his gracious Presence could have contented or satisfied him For says He if thy Presence go not along with us I pray thee carry us not up hence As if he should have said We had as good never stir a foot further as to go without thy gracious Presence and favour accompanying of us though we were sure to come to Canaan at the last For how else says he shall it be known that we are thy peculiar people and separated from other Nations but by thy gracious Presence accompanying of us Moses having found the Lord ready to grant his Desires proceeds further to make one Request more to Him namely That He would please to shew him his Glory Possibly this holy man conceiving that God when he spake to him had put on some Corporeal and visible shape full of great Majesty and Glory though overshadowed as it were with a Cloud so that He could not discern it He humbly desired to see the lightsome brightness of His Majesty the Cloud being removed and a glimpse of that blessed Vision of Him which is reserved for another life The Lord answers him That he will reveal his Goodness to him so far as is profitable for him to know and will Proclaim his great Name and glorious Attributes before Him declaring When He passeth by that He is the Lord Jehovah who will have mercy upon whom He will have mercy and is free in communicating his Grace and Mercy where He pleaseth without wrong to any But to see his Face that is his pure Essence and being in his Spiritual Majesty and Glory He tell him cannot be granted him but to his hurt seeing no man in that manner can see the Face of God and live Man's weakness being such that he is not able to behold the brightness of such an Apparition till this Mortal has put on Immortality Therefore the Lord tells him That He will put him in the cleft of the Rock that was near and cover him with his Hand that he may not be swallowed up when he passed by in such Brightness and Glory as was never shown to mortal Creature and He should through this Cleft have a glimpse of His Back Parts that is a transitory Vision and imperfect sight of his Glory such as he was now capable of as we are said to see or know men but imperfectly when we see only their back parts and not their faces For if He should manifest his Glory to him to the full it would be too much for defiled Infirmity and Mortality to subsist under A man that would see God face to face must put off his mortality and die before he can see Him in his Glory Exod. 31. vers 18. Exod. 32. whole Chapter Exod. 33. whole Chapter SECT XXIV THe Lord now Commands Moses to frame and prepare two new Tables of Stone like to the former wherein he would write his Law anew And it seems from Deut. 10.1 that he gave him in charge at the same time to make an Ark or Chest of Shittim-wood to keep these Tables in till that more curious and glorious Ark of the Tabernacle should be made Moses having done as God commanded him went up with the new Tables next morning into the Mount no man going up with him neither was any man to be seen in all the Mount Then the Lord descended in the Cloud and in some sensible signs of his Presence passed before
Moses and proclaimed before him now hid in the hollow Cleft of the Rock The Lord The Lord merciful and gracious long-suffering and abundant in Goodness and Truth keeping Mercy for thousands forgiving Iniquity Transgression and Sin upon mans hearty repentance and that will by no means clear the Guilty visiting the Iniquity of the Fathers upon the Children and upon the Childrens Children unto the third and fourth Generation if they continue in their Fathers transgressions Moses hearing these things instantly bowed his head towards the Earth and worshipped Exod. 34. from 1. to 9. SECT XXV MOses now staying again 40 days and 40 nights in the Mount without Meat or Drink vers 28. He humbly and earnestly besought the Lord with many pressing arguments see Deut. 9.18 19. and from 25. to the end to pardon the people and to own them still for his Inheritance * See Ps 33.12 Zach. 2.12 and to go along with them and to manifest his gracious Presence among them for they were He ackowledges a stiff-necked people and had need both of his Mercy and Conduct The Lord being now appeased renews his Covenant with them upon certain Conditions and promises that his Presence with them should work more powerfully then ever and shew it self in more stupendious Miracles then ever it had done before and that He would do terrible things by them his Almighty Power and Providence accompanying of them and would give them possession of the Land of Canaan and would drive out the Inhabitants thereof before them The Conditions he requires of them to perform were these 1. Not to make a League or Covenant with the Inhabitants of the Land * See Chap. 23.32 whom He had determined to destroy for their sins nor to make Marriages with them lest it should ensnare them and draw them to be Partakers in their Idolatries and so in their Punishments but should destroy their Altars Images and Groves and should not eat of their Sacrifices and should especially be careful not to make to themselves any molten Gods such as the golden Calf was For the Lord was a jealous God and would not endure that any false God should share with Him in the Worship that was peculiar to himself 2 That they should observe the Feast of unleavened Bread * See Ch. 23.15 the Feast of Weeks or Pentecost and the Feast of Booths or Tabernacles At which three Feasts All their Males should appear before him with an Offering to be given to the Priest which He would account as given to Himself and He would take care that none should desire their Land in their absence 3 That the first-born Males both of Men and Beasts should be consecrated unto Him see Ch. 22.29 30. but the firstlings of an Ass should be redeemed with a Lamb see Exod. 13.13 4 That they should carefully observe the weekly Sabbath * See Ch. 23.12 and not violate it either in Seed-time or Harvest 5 That they should not offer the blood (l) Certe removebis fermentatum cum immolas Pascha Vatab. of the Paschal Lamb with Leaven and that nothing thereof should be left till the morning 6 That the first of their Frist-fruits should be brought to the House of the Lord. 7. That they should not seeth a Kid in its Mothers milk Which Laws were all enjoyned Ch. 23. and were now repeated These were the Laws that Moses was to write down in a Book and to injoyn the people to observe Then the Lord wrote the Ten Commandments on the Tables Moses had brought up and gave them unto him who brought them and the other Laws which himself had written unto the people and having seen Gods Glory in so great a measure and degree there was a dazeling brightness imprinted by God on his face while he talked with him so that the skin of his Face (m) The glory of Moses face signified the glory of the Law which he brought 2 Cor. 3.7 8. His Ministration was Death and Condemnation because the Law giveth the knowledge of Sin but no pardon for it shone which he himself was not sensible of * Sic Humilitas propriam jubet ignorare excellentiam by the reflective rays and beams (n) 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 signifies to shine from whence 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 an Horn is derived which gave occasion to the Papists to paint Mose's face with two Horns like an Ox. The Vulgar Latine says Mose's Face was horned of the divine Splendor which might assure the Israelites he had been with God who taught and instructed him and that thereupon they might the more reverence him might fear breaking this Law again Aaron and the people were not able to bear the splendor of his Face but being afraid fled from him as if he had been some Angel But Moses called them back and put a Vail on his Face (o) Ut ipsum Mosaicae facici splendorem Israelitae non viderunt ob impositum velamen sic Carnales Judaei spiritualem Mosis splendorem hoc est Scriptorum ejus summum finem atque scopum qui est Jesus Christus non intelligebant ob sponte attractam mentis Caecitatem quae instar Velaminis est inter corda eorum verum legis intellectum quasi obducti neque hoc tolli potest nisi per praedicationem Evangelij per veram conversionem ad Dominum c. Vide 2 Cor. 13.14 15 16. whilst he spake with them and then delivered to them all that the Lord had given him in Charge But Moses when he went to the Lord for the people took the Vail off And 't is like that this brightness on his Face continued not all his life after but only during the time of his going to and fro between God and the people Exod. 34. from 9. to the end SECT XXVI MOses now injoyns them again a strict Observation of the weekly Sabbath and that they should not kindle a fire (p) But 't is probable to kindle a fire to warm themselves by in the extream cold of Winter or when any other exigencies of necessity or mercy required it was allowed them thereon to dress meat or to do any work by though for the framing of the Tabernacle threatning death to them that disobey Then He injoyns the people to bring their free-will Offerings towards the framing of the Tabernacle which was now forthwith to be gone in hand with according to the Directions given him by God Ch. 25. The people very readily agree hereunto And to the end that this good Work might the more effectually be promoted all the Males were numbred from twenty years old and upwards who were found to be 603550 who every one according to the Law prescribed Exod. 30.12 13. contributing half a Shekel the total Sum of the Poll-money amounted to an hundred Talents (q) A Talent among the Jews amounted to 3000 Shekels or 50 l. sterling every pound containing 60 Shekels See Bishop Usher's
Annals and 1775 Shekels of Silver See Exod. 38.25 26. And besides this Poll-money the people both men and women brought in their free-will Offerings very chearfully and presented what was agreeable to their Condition viz. The Princes and Rulers brought precious Stones for the Ephod and Breast-plate Those that were rich offered Gold and Silver the middle sort fine Linnen and Brass and Spices and the meanest Goats Hair and Badgers Skins And all of them contributed these things as willingly now after their Repentance for the Service of the Tabernacle as before they had contributed for the making the golden Calf So that the voluntary Offerings amounted to the Sum of 29 Talents and 730 Shekels of Gold and to 70 Talents and 2400 Shekels of Brass Exod. 38.24 29. And the most skilful and most ingenious of the Women spun Blue and Purple and Scarlet and fine Linnen and Goats hair for this Sacred use In so much that for materials requisite for the framing of the Tabernacle there came in more than enough so that the people were forbidden to bring in any more Ch. 36.5 6 7. Exod. 35. from 1. to 30. SECT XXVII NOw that all things appertaining to the Tabernacle might be exactly framed according to the Pattern given to Moses in the Mount the Lord was pleased as was said before to call and appoint Bezaleel and Aholiab to be the chief Artificers for the performance of all things belonging thereunto filling them with extraordinary Wisdom and Understanding for that great undertaking so that they knew how to devise all curious Works and to work in Gold Silver and Brass to cut Stones to carve Wood to engrave to embroider So that being skilful in all Handicrafts to Work and Headcrafts to Contrive and that by divine Inspiration they were able to teach and instruct others that were ingenious how to work and assist in this great business And accordingly the Artificers now fall to work and in the last six months of this year they finished all things belonging to the Tabernacle viz. the Curtains with the Cherubims the Curtains of Goats hair the Covers of Rams skins and Badgers skins the boards with their Sockets and the bars the Vail and the Ark of the Covenant and the Mercy-Seat with the Cherubims the Table of Shew-bread with its Furniture the Candlestick with its Lamps and Vessels the Altars of Incense the Anointing Oil the sweet Incense the Altar of Burnt-Offering the Laver of Brass the Hangings for the Court the Cloaths of Service or Coverings to wrap up the holy things in and the Priests Garments and holy Vestments This is the sum or particular of the holy things belonging to the Tabernacle which were Inventoried as it were by Ithamar at the Commandment of Moses and so delivered into the Custody of the Levites that nothing might be lost All these were finished in the Desert at Mount Sinai and brought unto Moses who upon viewing of them approved them all as made according to Gods appointment And he blessed the people for their forwardness in this Work and the Artificers for their care and exactness in the Workmanship of every particular and as Gods Minister pronounced a blessing on them for it from the Lord. Exod. 35. from 30. to the end Exod. 36. whole Chapter Exod. 37. whole Chapter Ezod 38. whole Chapter Exod. 39. whole Chapter SECT XXVIII ON the first day of the first month of the second Year after their coming out of Egypt the Lord commanded Moses to set up the Tabernacle and to put all things in order belonging thereunto and to anoint the Tabernacle and all the Vessels and Furniture thereof with Oil and so Consecrate them to his Service Also he commanded him to wash Aaron and his Sons and to apparrel them and to anoint and Consecrate them for their Ministry so that the Children and Successors of the ordinary Priests should not need to be anointed but should execute their Office by vertue of this first Vnction of their Fathers Only the High Priests were to be anointed in their following Generations See Levit. 4.3 All which things Moses set himself immediately to perform and the Tabernacle being set up He for the present executed the Priests Office see Exod. 29.10 11. and Psal 99.6 and offered Burnt-Offerings and Peace-Offerings and burnt Incense Then the Cloud the Testimony of Gods Presence covered the Tent of the Congregation and as it were took possession of it see Exod. 25.8 and the Glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle And it seems the manner of the Clouds abode and the Lords appearing in Glory at this time was extraordinary insomuch that Moses could not for the present through the dazeling brightness thereof enter into the Tabernacle But usually and ordinarily it was not so else the holy ministration in that place could not have been performed And whilst the Cloud stayed upon the Tabernacle the people were not to stir but when it removed they were to remove also and to go that way in which it guided them Exod. 40. whole Chapter Numb 9. from 15. to the end SECT XXIX FRom the Mercy-Seat out of the Tabernacle God now at several times uttered his Will and gave to Moses those Commandments and Ordinances concerning the the Levitical Sacrifices and Offerings and the Rites appertaining to them contained in the seven first Chapters of Leviticus (r) Leviticus so denominated because it sets down the Laws Sacrifices and Services of the Levitical Priesthood and the whole form of the Levitical Worship appointed by God to Israel and given in one months space viz. the first month of the second year after their departure out of Egypt whilst they stayed at Mount Sinai These Laws were delivered by God to Moses out of the Tabernacle when it was newly reared up Compare Exod. 40.17 with Numb 1.1 And this is the first Oracle given from the Mercy-Seat 1. Laws are given to him concerning the Holocaust or Burnt-Offering with the form or manner of offering it called in the Hebrew 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 that is Ascention because it was all to ascend up in flames and the matter of it was to be either Bullocks Sheep or Goats out of their Herd or Flock and a Male without blemish and to be wholly burnt on the Altar excepting the Skin which the Priest was to have Levit. 7.8 excepting only in the Case mentioned Levit. 4.11 and the inwards and guts which were to be cast away That only of the flesh which is usually eaten by men being to be offered on Gods Altar which is called his Table Mal. 1.2 Or else the matter of this Sacrifice might be Turtle Doves or young Pigeons which seems to be appointed in mercy to the poorer sort who could not offer one of the other kind This was the chief of all their Sacrifices and was offered to make atonement for all Sins in general whereas for special Sins there were special Sacrifices and Sin-Offerings appointed Levit. 1. whole Chapter 2ly Laws concerning
long attendance and so will go to their several Tents and Dwellings in peace having their minds quieted Moses consulting with the people about this Proposal they liked it very well see Deut. 1.13 14. and so he immediately put it in practice substituting such Governors under himself so that every Tribune appointed to Judge over a thousand Families had under him ten Centurions or Judges that were over an hundred Families a piece and every Centurion had under him two Rulers that were over fifty Families a piece and every Ruler over fifty had under him five Rulers which were set over ten (e) Parallel to this was the original Institution of our English Tything-men a word still in use in the West-Country being an Officer to oversee ten men with their Families This Tythingman is the same Officer which in other places is call'd the Petty Constable Families a piece And so it is like the inferour Officers gave account of those under their Care to their immediate Superiors Deut. 1. from 9. to 19. Exod. 18. whole Chapter SECT LII ON the 20th day of the second month of the second year after their coming out of Egypt the Cloudy-Pillar arising from off the Tabernacle and going in the forefront of their Camp the Israelites removed from Sinai where they had staid in that their 12th station a whole year (f) They came into the Wilderness of Sinai in the beginning of the third month of the first year see Deut. 1.6 7 8. and Sect. 13. of Ch. 4th within 13 days see Exod. 19.1 towards the Wilderness of Paran (g) In this Wilderness they journied a long time and in several places of it pitched their Tents They marched in such order and array as God had appointed by the direction of Moses Their Camp was divided into four Squadrons every Squadron consisting of three Tribes In the Van marched the Tribe of Judah with its associate Tribes Issachar and Zebulon under their respective Commanders of Thousands and Hundreds with a Standard having the figure of a Lion Immediately after them marched the Gershonites and Merarites who had the charge of the outward Tabernacle They marched formost of all the Levites that so they might be ready when the Army stayed to set up the Tabernacle against the Ark and the other holy things came that were carried by the Kohathites The Tribe of Reuben led the second Squadron in like manner with its associate Tribes Simeon and Gad with a Standard bearing the figure of a man as the Jewish Writers tell us Next to this Standard and so in the middle of the Camp marched the Kohathites bearing the Ark and the most holy Vtensils of the Tabernacle on their shoulders The Tribe of Ephraim led the third Squadron with their associate Tribes Manasseh and Benjamin with a Standard bearing the figure of an Ox. The Tribe of Dan with their associate Tribes Asher and Naphtali made up the fourth Squadron and brought up the Rear with a Standard bearing the figure of an Eagle The Army being thus set in Order and ready to march Moses desires Jethro * Called also Hobab see Sect. 56. of Ch. 3. his Father-in-law to go along with them telling him They would do him good and no hurt for God had promised to be gracious unto them and to own them for his people But Jethro refused to go telling him He would return to his own Country Moses presses him again to go with them telling him He might be in stead of Eyes to them in that howling Wilderness thorow which they were to march that is his prudent Counsel of which they had newly had experience might very much advantage them especially in things not particularly directed by God And if he would please to go along with them what goodness and bounty the Lord should shew to them he should share in and partake of But it seems he refused to go along with them being desirous to return to his own Countrey see Exod. 18.27 However either He or some of his Family returned afterwards unto the Israelites For his Posterity in after-times dwelt among the Israelites in the Land of Canaan as we may see Judg. 1.16 and Judg. 4.11 17. and 1 Sam. 15.6 Numb Ch. 10. from 11. to 33. SECT LIII MOses and the Children of Israel now depart from the Mount of the Lord viz. from Sinai and Horeb where He had appear'd so Eminently to them and given them his Law and the Ark (h) Profecta est in conspectu eorum i. e. arca in mediis castris a sacerdotibus gestata versabatur in oculis omnium Malvenda Pro uno reputantur arca columna cum arca semper sub Columna procederet Bochart went before them or in their sight and the Cloudy-Pillar over that for three days together when they marched to find out a fit place for them to pitch their Tents in And when the Cloud was lifted up and the four Squadrons with the Ark set forward and marched Moses said Arise O Lord and let thine Enemies be scattered and let them that hate thee flee before thee And when the Ark rested according to the direction of the Cloud he said Return (i) Revertere respondet 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 surge Nam qui surgit quasi abiturus surgit Certo Nubes cum se attolleret abire videbatur Dr. O Lord unto the many thousands of Israel that is Return I pray thee and remain among thy people for in thy presence their chief joy and safety consist see Exod. 33.14 15 16. Numb 10. from the 33. to the end SECT LIV. THe people being now wearied with their three days march it seems some that were in the rear of the Camp began to murmur that they were forced to so long and tedious marches whereupon the anger of the Lord was kindled against them and He either poured down fire upon them from Heaven or caused it to break forth upon them from the Earth and it consumed many of them see Psal 78.21 The Israelites not knowing what to do run to Moses having a great opinion of his holiness and especial interest in the favour of God and intreat him to intercede with the Lord for them which he accordingly does and so the fire ceased The place where this Judgment was executed was hereupon called Taberah signifying a burning because the fire of the Lord here brake out upon them and consumed many among them Numb Ch. 11. from 1. to 4. SECT LV. THe people not having now any other Food but Manna to eat the mixt multitude among them of which see Exod. 12.38 not being sufficiently warned by the former Judgment began to loath it and to murmur that they had nothing else to eat And the Israelites it seems soon joyned with them in this their Complaint and murmuring saying in a discontented humor Who shall give us flesh to eat as if they had said we had plenty of Flesh in Egypt and great variety of Fowl We
their eleventh station at Rephidim by Mount Sinai struck the Rock in Horeb as God commanded Him and water came forth And he named the place Massah or Meribah But here at this their 33th station 38 years after with Aaron's budded Rod having his spirit provoked by these rebellious people He smites the Rock twice without any such Command or Commission from God to smite it at all And he and Aaron likewise as it seems speak unadvisedly with their lips * See Psal 106.33 uttering words of passion and distrust possibly to this purpose Hear now ye Rebels must we fetch you water out of this Rock Never imagine that God will work such a Miracle for such a rebellious Crew as ye are However the Rock gave forth water abundantly God was very angry with Moses and Aaron that they had thus distrusted him and had not sanctified * V. 12. Ut sanctificaretis me alloquendo Petram Et miraculum cum fiducia praedicendo Ita mortem His interminatur ut populus intelligeret sibi non parciturum Deum qui viris tantis non pepercerit Porro haec Feri allegoria uti non Moses Hebraeos sed Joshua perduxit in Palestinam ita non Lex in caelum nos verum Christus evehit Demum hinc palam est quo spiritu haec Moses scripserit qui vitia net celet sua nec suorum Vide Cap. 12.1 Anonym in loc Publice peccarunt ideoque severius cum iis egit Deus quam alibi cum Moses infidelitatem proderet Numb 11.22 23. quia tum primum peccavit him inwardly in their hearts by trusting in Him 1 Pet. 3.15 nor glorified him outwardly by ascribing to him the glory of his truth and power before the Children of Israel and therefore He tells them They shall not bring that people into Canaan see Deut. 3.25 26. And as the former place at Rephidim was called Massah and Meribah viz. a place of Strife and Contention because the people there strove with the Lord that is contended with Moses his Servant which he accounts as contending with Himself so shall this also be called And thus the Lord was sanctified in them or among them that is among the Israelites by giving them water and thereby manifesting his Almighty Power Faithfulness and his Goodness and Compassion towards them notwithstanding their great Provocations Numb 20. from 1. to 14. SECT LXIX MOses now by Gods direction sends Messengers to the King of Edom to desire Him that He would please to permit them who were His own flesh and blood as being descended from Jacob Brother to Esau to pass thorow his Country that being the nearest and most convenient way into Canaan And they amiably desire this because God had charged them that they should not meddle with the Sons of Esau or their possession Deut. 2.4 5. He tells him He cannot but have heard of their sore and long Troubles and Oppressions which they suffered in Egypt and how upon their crying unto the Lord he sent his Angel viz. his own eternal Son the Angel or Mediator of the Covenant of Grace see Exod. 3.2 and Mal. 3.1 who conducted them in the way by a Cloud and Pillar of fire He tells him They would not turn aside into their Fields or Vineyards to do them any damage and would drink only of their Rivers that were common and not meddle with their Wells digged for their private use which were very precious in those hot and dry Countries without paying for it But the King of Edom would not consent to it so they were forc'd to fetch a compass thorow the Wilderness which lay about the Land of Edom. Notwithstanding as they went along their Coasts in the out-skirts of their Country the Edomites afforded them Victuals for their money Deut. 2.29 though they did not come forth to meet them with bread and water as men use to do who wish success and prosperity to those to whom they bring it see Deut. 23.3 4. Numb 20. from vers 14. to 22. SECT LXX FRom Kadesh the Camp removes to mount Hor. * A hill in Mosera Deut. 10.6 or whos 's other top was called Moscra From this Mount Hor the people that were driven out of this Country by Esau were called Horims Deut. 2.12 and Esau is called the Horite Gen. 36.20 Here God tells Moses That Aaron should be gathered unto his people that is his godly fore-Fathers that died before him see Gen. 25.8 Heb. 12.23 He commands him to bring Aaron and Eleazar his Son up to the top of Mount Hor. And they accordingly went up in the sight of all the Congregation Here Aaron being attired in all his glorious Vestments Moses strips him of them and puts them upon Eleazar his Son to shew that God had appointed him to succeed in his Fathers Office and that the High Priests eldest Son (k) Eleazar's Sons did succeed him to the time of the Judges Then the High Priesthood was translated to the Posterity of Ithamar the other Son of Aaron for Eli was of the stock of Ithamar or the next Heir of their Family unless rendred uncapable by some blemish was still to succed in that Office Thus on the first day of the fifth month in the fortieth year after their coming out of Egypt Aaron being an 123 years old (l) See Numb 33.38 died seven months and seven days before Moses and was there buried and the whole Congregation mourned for him 30 days * So long they mourned for Moses Deut. 34.8 Numb 20. from vers 22. to the end SECT LXXI AT this time King Arad the Canaanite whose Country lay in the South of Canaan understanding by the Spies he had sent forth to observe the course of the Israelites V. 1. By the way of the Spies it might be a way so called and well known by that name at that time that they were turned back again from the Red-Sea and marched directly upon the South of Canaan not knowing of Moses's purpose to compass the Land of Edom he immediately marched forth with his Army as far as Mount Hor in the edge of the Desart where the Israelites now lay and there fought with them and took some of them Prisoners The Israelites intending to renew the battel and again once more to encounter Arad and his Army they call'd upon the Lord for help and vowed unto Him that if he would please to deliver these Enemies into their hands they would utterly destroy and burn their Cities and that nothing of their Goods should be reserved for their own private use The Lord was pleased to hear their prayer so that in the second battel they vanquish'd and overcame them But how could the Israelites being so far off in the Wilderness destroy their Cities lying in Canaan Numb 33.40 into which they came not till after Moses's death It seems the performance of this Vow was long after made viz. when they were come unto the Land For the King of
God who had graciously spared their lives and thus wonderfully assisted them in gaining this great Victory and that they might make an atonement for their Souls having sinfully spared the Women alive for which Moses reproved them vers 14.17 they out of these their particular Spoils offer a voluntary Oblation to the Lord. And Moses and Eleazar took the Gold and the Jewels of them which they offered amounting to 16 thousand 700 and 50 Shekels * Understand golden Shekels whereof the common contained an 160 barley-grains or a quarter of an once the holy one as much again viz. 320. grains or half an ounce one once of Gold was valued at ten times that quantity in Silver see Dutch Annot. on Gen. 24.22 and brought them into the Lords Tabernacle where they were kept as a Memorial of Gods favour to them in giving them this great Victory Numb Ch. 31. whole Chapter SECT LXXXII GOd Commands Moses and Eleazar now to number the people There had been two numbrings of them before The first was when they were sessed for a Contribution to the building of the Tabernacle compare Exod. 30 11 12. with Exod. 28.26 The second was on the first day of the second month of the second year after their departure out of Egypt at Mount Sinai and now they being in the Plains of Moab near Jordan over against Jerico in the 40th year of their wandring in the Wilderness they are commanded to be numbred again from twenty years old and upward And possibly the Lord injoyned it now to make way for the more equal dividing of the Land which they were presently to go about according as they found the Tribes more or less in number see Exod. 26.52 34. as also to manifest Gods Power and Goodness in so wonderfully increasing them and preserving so many of them though he had destroyed the old Stock as he had threatned for their great Rebellions against him As Moses therefore received Gods Flock by tale when he came out of Egypt so he must now before he dies deliver them up by tale again Upon the numbring 't was found First That the Tribe of Reuben was decreased since the last numbring see Numb 1.21 two thousand seven hundred and seventy which some ascribe to the Conspiracy wherein Dathan and Abiram two Princes of this Tribe joyned with Corah which brought so great a Plague upon them and yet many of the Sons of Corah escaped possibly because they consented not to their Fathers Rebellion or at least soon repented of it upon the warning given by Moses Numb 16.5 2ly The Tribe of Simeon was more decreased than any of the rest Moses reliquis benedicens hujus Tribus mentionem omittit Deut. 33. For when they went out of Egypt they were fifty nine thousand and three hundred Numb 1.22 now but two and twenty thousand and two hundred The impudence and punishment of Zimri * See Ch. 25.14 who being a Prince of this Tribe was probably abetted by many of his Brethren is conceived to be one cause of the diminution of this Tribe many of them possibly perishing in the last Plague †Videtur plaga ista maxime saviisse in Tribum Simeon ex qua erat Zimri Nam ex Cap. 26. v. 14. Constat nullam Tribum fuisse ita diminutam numero virorum post primam numerationem atque Simeonis Desiderati enim sunt in secunda numeratione 37 millia ex illa sola Tribu Castrametabatur enim ad meridiem i. e. versus terram Moabitarum Midian Jansen 3ly The Tribe of Gad was fewer by five thousand and one hundred and fifty Thus all the Tribes under Ruben's Standard were greatly diminished 4ly The Tribe of Judah was increased one thousand nine hundred notwithstanding two of his five Sons Gen. 38. viz. Er and Onan who might have been Heads of Families died Childless in Canaan 5ly The Families of Issachar were increased nine thousand and nine hundred 6ly The Families of Zebulun were increased three thousand and one hundred so the Tribes under Judah's Standard were all increased And thus Judah prevailed above all his Brethren Gen. 49.8 his Camp being increased fourteen thousand and nine hundred 7ly The Families of Manasseh were increased twenty thousand and five hundred men of War None of the other Tribes had half so much increase 8ly The Families of the Sons of Ephraim were diminished eight thousand 9ly The Families of the Sons of Benjamin were increased ten thousand and two hundred Thus though Ephraim's own Tribe was diminished yet the other two Tribes joyned with him were augmented twenty two thousand and seven hundred 10ly The Tribe of Dan was increased seventeen hundred Though there was but one Family in this Tribe viz. Shusham's yet none of all the Tribes save Judah have the like multitude viz. sixty four thousand and four hundred 11ly The Tribe of Asher was increased eleven thousand and nine hundred 12ly The Tribe of Naphtali was fewer than before by eight thousand But though this particular Tribe under Dan's Standard was diminished yet his whole Camp was increased five thousand and six hundred men of War So that upon the whole though Judah's Ephraim's and Dan's Camps were all more in number now then when they marched from Sinai yet by reason of the great decrease of Reuben's Camp which was forty five thousand and twenty fewer than before the total here is less than the total there by eighteen hundred and twenty God Commands Moses that unto these Tribes the Land should be divided by lot which would prevent dissention and teach them to acknowledge God for their chief Lord by whose immediate Providence they were disposed of to those dwellings The Levites were numbred by themselves because they were to have no share in the Land They were found to be reckoning them from one month old and upwards twenty three thousand and so were increased a thousand Thus as God had threatned of all those that were numbred at their coming forth out of Egypt from twenty years old and upward there was not a man left at this time when they were numbred again but only Caleb and Joshua Yet we must observe the Levites as 't is probable were not included in this threatning for of them there were left Moses and Eleazar and Ithamar and perhaps many more Numb 26. whole Chapter SECT LXXXIII THe Daughters of Zelophehad of the Tribe of Manasseh their Father being dead without Sons come now to Moses and Eleazar desiring that that share or portion of Land might be assigned to them which should have been their Fathers had he then been living They plead That their Father was one of those whom the Lord carried out of Egypt to go and take possession of the Land of Canaan And though he died in the Wilderness yet he was not taken away by any special Judgment for having his hand in any Insurrection or Rebellion against the Lord such as was that of Korah but he died in his own
I am to incourage him for he shall cause Israel to inherit it Moreover the Lord said Your little Ones which ye said would be a Prey to the Amorites and which had then no knowledge between Good and Evil they shall go in thither and possess it But as for you the Lord said Turn you back again into the Wilderness into the way that leadeth towards the Red-Sea ye shall not go forward directly towards Canaan see Sect. 60. Then ye said We have sinned against the Lord we will go up and fight as the Lord hath commanded us And when ye had girded every man his Sword upon his thigh ye were ready to go up to the Hill to fight with your Enemies But the Lord forbad you to go up saying He would not be among you with his blessing and gracious assistance if ye did yet you would not hearken but went up presumptuously unto the Hill and the Amorites which dwelt in the Mountain came out against you and chased you as Bees * See Psal 118.12 use to do who being angred come out in great swarms against them that disturbe them and the Amorites killing many of you pursued the rest unto Hormah And when you repented and wept the Lord would not hearken to you And ye abode in the Wilderness of Kadesh many days as the number of the days you abode there doth sufficiently manifest For ye were made to wander near 38 years after this in the Wilderness from vers 19. to the end Chap. II 4. He then relates their march from Kadesh-Barnea and their compassing Mount Seir * Mons Seir i. e. Idumaea Idumaea dicitur mons quia Regio est Montosa many days and how they were forbidden to meddle with the Edomites Moabites or Ammonites He goes on with his Speech After this says he we turned into the Wilderness of Kadesh where after we had wandred a long time almost 38 years going forward and backward in that mountainous Country of Seir we returned by Gods Command Northward towards Canaan to pass between the Coasts of Edom on the one hand and of Moab and Ammon on the other and so we came to Sihon the Amorites Land And God commanded us seeing we were to pass by the borders and out-skirts of the Land of the Edomites and they would be afraid of us that we should not meddle with them †Though afterwards when their Posterity had filled up the measure of their sins they might be expelled out of their Possession see 1 Chron. 18.13 And this present Charge seems limited to those Edomites that lived about Mount Seir. For the Amalekites were the Children of Esau Gen. 36.12 and those God commanded them to destroy Exod. 17.14 for He would not give us any part of their Land no not so much as a foot-breadth He declared He had given Mount Seir to Esau for a Possession Joshua 24.4 Gen. 36.8 and at this time he would secure their Possession to them that we should not invade it But he said to us Ye shall buy meat of them for money that ye may eat * Hereby it is evident that the Israelites did not eat only Manna in the Wilderness but other meat also when it could be gotten and ye shall buy water of them for money that ye may drink For the Lord hath blessed thee in all the works of thy hands and prospered thee so that thou art able to pay for what thou hast occasion for The Lords eye hath been upon thee to take care of thee in all thy travels thorow this Wilderness and these forty years He hath been with thee and supplied thee thou hast lacked nothing therefore thou needest not seek to supply thy self in an unlawful way And says He when we had passed by as God had commanded us from our Brethren the Children of Esau who were unkind to us Numb 20.14 18. we turned and passed thorow the Wilderness of Moab then the Lord charged us we should not distress the Moabites nor contend with them in battel for He would not give us their Land having given the City Ar †Ar was a chief and Royal City of the Moabites and so it is here put for the whole County and the Country belonging to it to the Children of Lot for a Possession And he had driven out of it the Emims that tall and mighty people and of a Gigantick stature like the Anakims whom the Ammonites call Zamzummims vers 20. that is presumptuous wicked ones who dwelt there in time past and had given it to them and therefore it was not to be taken from them by the Israelites And the like He had done for the Children of Esau driving out the Horims by them out of Mount Seir that they might dwell in their Land And as the Edomites had done to the Horims so saith He hath Israel done to Sihon and Og whose Lands they have already taken as part of their possession which the Lord hath given them And thus the Caphtorims that is the Philistins see Gen. 10.14 destroyed the Auites the former Inhabitants of their Country vers 23. By all which you may understand that as God hath cast out great and warlike People out of several Countries and Places and given their Lands to others so He can and will do for you if ye will trust in him and obey him And further says He when we came to the Brook Zered see Numb 21.12 I exhorted you to go over and we passed over And the time we spent since we came from Kadesh-Barnea and in our marches from thence to the River Zered is 38 years In which time all that Generation of men that were fit for War who were numbred by Gods appointment Numb 1.3 from twenty years old and upward have been destroyed for their Murmurings and Disobedience as God had sworn Further says he when we came to the River Arnon I incouraged you to pass over telling you That God had given into your hands Sihon King of the Amorites and his Land therefore you should fight with him and gain it from him And to encourage you the more hereunto I told you That God would from that day forward put the fear and dread of you upon all the Nations that are under the whole Heaven unto whom the Report of what He hath done for you shall come And says he you know that before we made War upon Sihon I sent Messengers with words of peace to him see Deut. 20.10 desiring him that we might pass quietly thorow his Land promising that we would go directly along the High-way and not turn out of the Rode into the Fields or Vineyards to the right hand or to the left and that we would pay for the meat and water we had of him and his people and that we would ask nothing more of him but that we might pass thorow his Country on our feet and herein we desired no more of him than the Children of Esau and the Moabites
have in part experienced already in your having conquered Sihon and Og Kings of the Amorites and gained their Countries Which Conquests may be an earnest to you of further Victories over your Enemies Know you therefore this day and consider it well in your hearts that the Lord He is God both in Heaven above and in Earth beneath and there is none besides him Therefore diligently keep his Statutes and Commandments which I command you this day that it may go well with you and your Children after you and that you may live long and happily in the Land which the Lord God giveth you from vers 1. to 41. 9. He comes now to set before them the Law of God viz. the ten Commandments Chap. V and the Testimonies that is the particular Articles or Points of the Covenant which God made with them at Horeb whereby he testified his mind to them and the particulars in which he required Obedience from them He shews how they were terrified at the dreadful manner wherein the Law was delivered and desired Him to mediate between God and them Then calling all the Elders and Chief of the people of Israel together He said Hear O Israel the Statutes and Judgments which I speak in your ears this day that you may learn them and keep and do them The Lord our God made a Covenant with us in Horeb. He made not this Covenant with our Fathers in Egypt nor with the Patriarchs Abraham Isaac and Jacob for though he made the same Covenant with them for substance and they were obliged to believe in the Messias and to keep the Law so far as it was revealed to them yet this Covenant was not revealed to them with all its Circumstances and particular Laws nor in that form and manner wherein it was revealed to us on Mount Horeb with whom God entred into Covenant as with a Body Politick and a People whom he had separated from all other Nations unto his own Worship and Service You (g) Plurimi eorum qui tempore Legislationis in Horeb fuerunt infra 20 annos poterant eorum meminisse quae ibi gesta dicta fuerunt may remember says he how God when he gave you the Ten Commandments talked with you face to face (h) V. 4. Facie ad faciem loquutus est nobis i. e. praesens praesentibus fine ullo internuncio that is immediately by himself and not by an Internuncio or Messenger But after God had spoken to you the Ten Commandments out of the fire I was fain to stand as a Mediator between the Lord and you for you were afraid to hear the Voice of the Lord immediately any more Now the Ten Commandments the Lord spake to you in Horeb you may find recorded in the 20th Chapter of Exodus (i) Some words are here added by Moses in this fifth Chapter of Deuteronomy to those uttered by God on Mount Sinai Exod. 20. as an explanation of them In the fourth Commandment as it was there delivered by the Lord the Worlds Creation and Gods resting on the seventh day was mentioned as a main ground of it Exod. 20.11 But here Moses omits that and presseth their deliverance out of Egypt as a chief reason of Gods injoyning them to sanctifie this day Deut. 5.15 because by their redemption out of Egypt they were bound to Consecrate themselves wholly to Gods Service as his peculiar people whereof the holy employment of the Sabbath might be a notable memorial and sign and secondly because of that particular charge of suffering their Servants to rest on the Sabbath-day their former Bondage in Egypt being a strong inducement to move them to it ut requiescat servus tuus c. Exod. 20.17 God forbids the coveting of our Neighbours house and then next the coveting of his wife Here the coveting of our Neighbours wife is first forbidden and then afterwards the coveting of his house c so that they that would divide this last Commandment into two as the Papists do cannot justly say which is the ninth Commandment and which is the tenth because one branch of it is first in Exodus and another is first in Deuteronomy and we cannot reasonably think that Moses would pervert the order of the ten Commandments Paul makes but one Commandment of both branches Rom. 7.7 These are the Precepts God spake immediately by himself to you and he added no more moral Precepts and He wrote them in two Tables of stone and delivered them unto me And after this dreadful delivery of the Law the Elders of your Tribes came to me and said Behold the Lord our God hath caused us to see his Glory and Greatness and we have heard his Voice out of the fire and we have seen that God doth talk with man and yet he remaineth alive But you intimated that your present safety was a matter of great wonder to you and though you had escaped that danger for the present yet you were not willing to be exposed to the like danger again For the very terrour of it you apprehended would kill you if God should speak to you again immediately by himself and you said What man is there that ever heard God speaking out of the fire as we have done and yet lived Therefore you desired me to receive from the Lord all that He should command you and to deliver it unto you and you would hear it and do it And the Lord approved of your motion and further said O that (k) Humanitas optanda non speranda designat there were such an heart in them that they would fear me and keep all my Commandments always that it might be well with them and with their Children for ever Therefore God commanded you to betake your selves unto your Tents again and commanded me to stand before him and to receive from him all the Commandments Statutes and Judgments which I should teach you and which you should observe in the Land which He intended to give you that you may walk in them and that it may be well with you and that you may prolong your days and that you may increase mightily as the Lord God of your Fathers promised you should do in that good Land that floweth with Milk and Honey Chap. VI 10. Moses now enters upon the explanation of the first Commandment Hear O Israel the Lord thy God is one Lord one Eternal Almighty and divine Essence one in substance though three in persons and alone to be adored and worshipped And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart with all thy Soul and with all thy might And these words which I command thee this day shall be in thy heart and so imprinted in thy mind and memory that upon all occasions thou mayst know what thou art to do And thou shalt teach them diligently unto thy Children and shalt talk of them when thou fittest in thine house and when thou walkest by the way and when thou liest
it is this day And it shall be that if thou do forget the Lord thy God and walk after other Gods and serve them and worship them I testifie against you this day that you shall surely perish because ye would not be obedient to the Voice of the Lord your God 13. He admonishes them to walk humbly with God laying aside all conceits of Chap. IX their own worth and righteousness To this end they should remember their many rebellions against God Hear O Israel says He thou art now shortly to pass over this Jordan to go in and possess the Lands of Nations greater and mightier than thy self whose Cities are great and fenced up to Heaven Ch. 1.28 and the people great and tall the Children of the Anakims of whom thou hast heard it spoken by way of Proverb Who can stand before the Children of Anak understand this therefore thou must not expect to Conquer these great and potent Nations by thy own strength or power but the Lord thy God will go over before thee as a consuming fire to destroy them before thy face and thou shalt drive out quickly and destroy those people whom thou shalt fight with immediately upon thy entrance into Canaan though all the Inhabitants of the Land shall not be quickly destroyed but by little and little see Deut. 7.22 And when thou hast by the miraculous power and assistance of God thus cast them out take heed of saying in thy heart for my Righteousness the Lord hath brought me in to possess this good Land For know that not for thy righteousness or the uprightness of thy heart the Lord will do this but to punish the wickedness of the Inhabitants of the Land and that he may perform his Word which he sware unto thy Fathers Abraham Isaac and Jacob. Remember thou art a stiff-necked people and didst highly provoke the Lord thy God in the Wilderness yea from the day you came out of Egypt even unto this place ye have in many things been rebellious against the Lord. Remember how in Horeb ye provoked the Lord your God so that he was ready to have destroyed you when I was gone up into the Mount to receive the Tables of Stone even the Tables of the Covenant which the Lord made with you I abode there 40 days and 40 nights and did neither eat bread nor drink water And the Lord delivered to me two Tables of Stone on which were written with his own Finger the ten Commandments word for word as he spake them from the Mount out of the midst of the fire on the day when ye assembled at the foot of the Mount to hear the Law from his mouth At the end of 40 days and 40 nights God gave me these two Tables and said unto me Arise get thee down quickly from hence for thy people which thou hast brought forth out of Egypt have corrupted themselves they are quickly turned aside out of the way which I commanded them They have made unto themselves a molten Image Further the Lord said unto me I have seen this people that they are a stiff-necked people Let me alone that I may destroy them and blot out their name from under Heaven Intercede no more for them and I will make of thee a Nation mightier and greater than they Then I prayed unto the Lord for you that ye might not be destroyed Exod. 32.11 14. And I came down from the Mount with two Tables in my hands and the Mount burned with fire the terrour of which sight one would think might have kept you from Idolatry but I beheld and lo you had made you a molten Calf and I took the two Tables and cast them out of my hands and brake them before your eyes And I took your Sin that is the Calf wherein you had so hainously sinned Idolatrously worshipping it instead of the true God and burnt it with fire and stamped it and ground it very small even until it was as small as dust and I cast the dust thereof into the Brook that descended out of the Mount and made the people to drink thereof to make them loath and detest so great an abomination And I went up into the Mountain a second time and fasted 40 days and 40 nights more by reason of this great sin of the people and I fell down before the Lord as at first and interceeded for them being much afraid of the great anger which the Lord had conceived against them And I prayed unto the Lord and said O Lord God destroy not thy people and thine Inheritance which thou hast redeemed by thy great Power and brought forth out of Egypt with a mighty hand Remember thy Servants Abraham Isaac and Jacob look not unto the stubbornness of this people nor unto their wickedness nor to their sin Lest the Land whence thou broughtest us out say because the Lord was not able to bring them into the Land which he promised them and because he hated them he hath brought them out to slay them in the Wilderness Remember O Lord they are thy people and thine Inheritance which thou broughtest out of Egypt by thy mighty Power and by thy stretched-out Arm. The Lord was pleased to hearken unto me at that time also And the Lord was very angry with Aaron who made the Calf for them and was ready to have destroyed him but I interceded for him also and prevailed But though I insist chiefly on this sin at Horeb because it was a most transcendent and grievous Transgression yet alas many other Rebellions of yours I might reckon up as particularly at Taberah Numb 11.1 3. at Massah Exod. 17.7 at Kibroth-Hattaavah Numb 11.34 likewise at Kadesh-Barnea when the Lord commanded you to go and take possession of the Land that He had given you you would first send Spies to search the Land and ten of them discouraged you from entring into it Whereupon you rebelled against the Lord your God and believed him not nor hearkned to his Voice see Numb Ch. 13. Ch. 14. You have been a rebellious people all along since I had the Charge and Government of you Chap. X 14. Having mentioned their many Rebellions he comes now to shew them Gods great Kindness to them notwithstanding and especially in renewing the two Tables of the Law In leading them on towards Canaan in continuing the Priesthood in separating the Tribe of Levi and in hearkening unto his Prayer not to destroy them He further tells them How upon his earnest intercession for them the Lord was pleased to be reconciled to them and this he proves to them by several instances As 1. That the Lord gave him charge to hew out two new Tables of Stone (p) Herein they differed from the first Tables which were the work of God Exod. 32.16 and to come up with them into the Mount and He would write on them the words of the first Tables which he had broken and He commanded him also to make an Ark or
Chest of Shittim-wood to keep those Tables in viz. the Ark of the Testimony which he took care to have made by Bezaleel and there he placed them and there he tells them they were at that day Further he shews them That the Children of Israel having gone many Journeys forward and backward in the Wilderness as the Lord commanded them at last they went from Beeroth (q) Contentus hoc loco Moses recitatione historiarum seu rerum neque superstitiosè circumstantias locorum tractavit Non fuit illi propositum mansiones recensere sed beneficia Dei in certis mansionibus praestita celebrare Gerar. of the Children of Jaakan to Mosera (r) Abulensis duo distincta loca conjectat Mosera Moseroth Illum locum quendam in monte Hor hunc mansionem Israelitarum vide Numb 33.30 quae solutio videtur probabilis which was a part of the same Mountain with Hor though it had different names and there Aaron died and was buried and this might humble them for the sin of the golden Calf whereby God was so displeas'd with Aaron that he would not permit him to go into Canaan Yet that God permitted Eleazar his Son to succeed him in the Office of the High Priest was a proof of his being reconciled to them upon Moses's prayer Moreover he shews how they removed from Gudgodah and God brought them to Jotbath a Land of waters which was a great mercy to them in their travels through the Wilderness and another proof of his grace and favour to them and that he had regard to their Infirmity that they might not have occasion to murmur against Him for want of water as formerly they had done Then returning to the history of things done at Mount Sinai He instances in the separating the Tribe of Levi wherein not only the Levites but the Priests also are comprehended to bear the Ark of the Covenant of the Lord to stand before the Lord to minister unto him in divine Offices and to bless the people in his Name as a special sign of Gods having received them into Favour again upon his prayer and intercession And because the Tribe of Levi are thus to be imployed He shews they are to have no part of the Spoils taken in War no Inheritance in the Land of Canaan which was to be divided among the other Tribes see Numb 18.20 26.53 57. 35.2 Deut. 18.1 but the Lord himself would be their Inheritance maintaining them by the First-fruits Tythes Vows and Oblations made unto Himself These Gifts the Lord hath given him they are his Inheritance see Numb 18.8 9 c. Deut. 12.19 And Moses further shews them That God did manifest he had received them into Favour again in that He said unto him Arise take thy journey before the people that they may go in and possess the Land which I sware unto their Fathers to give them whereby the Lord intimated that he was willing they should presently have entred into the Land had not they by their murmuring excluded themselves for many years after Ch. 10. from 1. to vers 12. 15. He now presses them with many pathetical Arguments sincerely to love and obey the Lord. And now O Israel says he what does the Lord require of thee but to fear the Lord thy God to walk in all his ways to love him and serve him with all thine heart and with all thy Soul to keep his Commandments and Statutes which I command thee this day for thy good Behold the visible Heaven and the Empiraean or third Heaven the Heaven of Heavens is the Lords thy God and the Earth with all that therein is He is Lord of all and he needeth not any of his Creatures And he set his love on thy Fathers and chose their Seed after them out of his free Grace above all other Nations to be his peculiar people Circumcise therefore the fore-skin of your hearts that is put away from your heart all that opposeth his holy Will and be no more stiff-necked and disobedient to his Will For the Lord your God is Lord of Lords a great and mighty and terrible God who regardeth not persons meerly for their outward Condition nor taketh Reward that is will not pervert Judgment by condemning the Innocent or acquitting the Wicked for Gifts or Rewards as unrighteous Judges use to do He doth execute righteous Judgment to all that are oppressed Psal 103.6 particularly to the Fatherless and Widow and loveth the Stranger and giveth him Food and Baiment Ye shall therefore in imitation of Him love Strangers for ye your selves were sometime Strangers in the Land of Egypt Thou shalt fear the Lord thy God and serve him and cleave to him and swear by his Name Ch. 16.13 He is thy praise that is He it is whom thou oughtest to praise continually and in whom thou art to glory And this shall be thy chief glory and praise among other Nations that this great and mighty Jehovah is thy God and that thou art his people He is the God that hath done for thee these great and wonderful things so terrible to thine Enemies which thine eyes have seen Remember thy Fathers that went down into Egypt were but threescore and ten * See Notes on Gen. 46.27 persons and now the Lord hath made thee as the Stars of Heaven for multitude 16. He addresses his Speech to the ancienter sort who being under twenty years Chap. XI old when they came out of Egypt and of capacity then to observe had seen how miraculously God delivered them out of that house of Bondage and whose Eyes had seen all the great things the Lord had done for them in the Wilderness And to you says He of the ancienter sort I now direct my Speech To you I speak and not to your Children who have not known nor seen all that the Lord did for his people nor the Miracles and wonderful things which He did in Egypt by his mighty Hand and out-stretched Arm and how he destroyed Pharaoh and his Host in the Red-Sea so that you injoy the benefit of that destruction that fell upon the Egyptians even to this day their Power being thereby so sweakened that they have not been able since to attempt any thing against you You also have seen what He hath done for you in the Wilderness till you came even to this place You have seen also what he did to Dathan and Abiram the Sons of Eliab the Son of Reuben how the Earth opened her mouth and swallowed them up and their Housholds and their Tents and all the substance that was in their possession in the midst of Israel These glorious Acts that God did in the Wilderness you have seen and therefore have great reason to be obedient to his Commandments that ye may be strengthened both in body and spirit to go into the good Land that floweth with Milk and Honey and may fight against your Enemies and subdue them and may possess
the Statutes and Judgments which the Lord had given them and that with all their Hearts and Souls Which if they really consented to do then they should consider that that day they did in effect renew their Covenant with the Lord and avouch Him to be their God promising to hearken unto his Voice and to obey Him And the Lord did avouch them to be his peculiar people separate from all others and devoted to walk in his Statutes thorow his Grace working in their Hearts and would make them high above all Nations in praise in name and in honour and an holy people unto Himself from vers 16. to the end 20. Having now again assembled the Elders and people of Israel together He Chap. XXVII commands them that after their entrance into Canaan at their first opportunity they should build a Monument of great stones plaistring them with mortar on Mount Ebal and to write the Law of God thereon viz. the ten Commandments very plainly that it might be a Monument * Joshua 8.30 We find this Monument was erected after their taking of Ai. to put them in mind of keeping Gods Law Together with this Monument they were to build an Altar (u) To teach them that Righteousness and Salvation is not to be attained by the works of the Law but to be sought by Christ of whom this Altar was a Type of whole stones and not to lift up any iron Tool upon it see Exod. 20.24 25. and thereon to offer Burnt-Offerings and Peace-Offerings and to eat there and to rejoyce before the Lord their God And because they had at this time renewed their Covenant with God Moses together with the Priests and Levites advise them to take heed unto themselves and to obey the Voice of the Lord their God and to observe his Commandments and Statutes from vers 1. to 11. 21. Moses now injoyns the people that when they had set up this Monument of stones on Mount Ebal and written the Law plainly upon it and had built the Altar before mentioned and had offered Sacrifices thereon as God had commanded them they should then afterwards give their consent to the Blessings * See Deut. 11.29 and Curses that should be pronounced by the Priests upon those that should keep and upon those that should break Gods Laws and the manner injoyned for the doing thereof was this viz. six of the Tribes were to stand upon Mount Gerizim to wit Simeon and Levi Judah and Issachar and Joseph and Benjamin where by the Tribe of Joseph are meant the two Tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh who are here joyn'd together as one because Levi is reckoned as one of the twelve and all these were the Posterity of Leah and Rachel and then the other six Tribes were to stand on Mount Ebal to wit Gad and Asher Dan and Napthali who were the Sons of their Hand-Maids and with them the Tribe of Reuben who for his sin lost his Birth-Right and Zebulun the youngest of Leahs Sons And the Tribes being thus divided the Priests * V. 14. Pronunciabunt Levitae i. e. aliqui sacerdotum qui erant Levitae Caeteri enim erant in monte Gerizim ad benedicendum see Joshua Ch. 8. v. 32 33 34. were to come with them into the little Valley that was between these two Mountains and there first they pronounced the Blessings turning their faces as 't is like towards Mount Gerizim and then all the Tribes that stood on that Mountain answered Amen and then turning their faces towards Mount Ebal they pronounced the twelve Curses here mentioned and then all the Tribes that stood on Mount Ebal answered Amen Moses omits the Blessings possibly because they might be easily enough gathered from the contrary Curses which are here expressed First Cursed be the man that maketh any graven or molten Image though he keep it never so secret for it is an abomination to the Lord. 2ly Cursed be He that setteth light by his Father or Mother see Exod. 21.17 3ly Cursed be He that removeth his Neighbours Land-mark 4ly Cursed be He that maketh the Blind to wander out of the way and much more those that mislead the people into pernicious Errours or give them knowingly pernicious Counsels 5ly Cursed be He that perverteth the judgment of the Stranger Fatherless and Widow 6ly Cursed be He that lieth with his Fathers wife †V. 20. Quia retexit oram Patris sui i. e. oram vestimenti Patris sui Per vestimentum Patris intelligitur vestimentum quod est in potestate Patris ut possit illud retegere Piscator 7ly Cursed be He that lieth with any manner of Beast 8ly Cursed be He that lieth with his Sister the Daughter of his Father or the Daughter of his Mother that is his half-Sister see Levit 1.8 9. 9ly Cursed be He that lieth with his Mother-in-law that is his Wives Mother 10ly Cursed be He that smiteth his Neighbour secretly either by secret practices procuring his blood to be shed or smiting him secretly with his Tongue 11ly Cursed be He that taketh a Reward to slay an innocent person see Ezek. 22.12 12ly Cursed be He that confirmeth not all the words of this Law to do them To every one of these the people were to say Amen And so subscribe to the justice of Gods Law as it were wishing that the Curses might fall on them if they should in any of these things transgress Gods Commandment from vers 11. to the end Chap. XXVIII Upon observing Gods Commandments He shews them that many blessings would follow and overtake them from vers 1. to 13. particularly these 1. God would set them on high above all Nations both in respect of temporal and spiritual blessings and they shall be the head and not the tail vers 13. that is shall be highly esteem'd above other Nations and not scorned and despised as a base and contemptible people 2. They shall be blessed in the City and in the Field that is whither they dwell in the City or the Country and manage business belonging either to a Citizen or a Farmer 3. They shall be blessed in the fruit of their Bodies their Children in the fruits of their Grounds and the fruits of their Cattel so that they shall abound in all these vers 11.4 They shall be blessed in their Basket wherein they put the fruits of their ground it shall not be empty and in their store they shall have plenty of Provisions they shall be blessed in their Barns and Store-houses vers 8. and God will command his blessing on all that they set their hands unto 5. They shall be blessed when they come in and when they go out see vers 19. that is at home and abroad and in all their employments and businesses publick and private 6. They shall be blessed with Victory over their Enemies who shall flee before them many ways 7. The Lord will establish them for an holy people unto Himself that is will
by a Synecdoche for the whole City of Jerusalem and therewith for the Temple founded on Mount Moriah called the City of God in a more especial manner was in the Tribe of Judah yet the Northern part with Mount Moriah where the Temple stood was in the Tribe of Benjamin and being set upon that Hill it was conspicuously eminent as the Head placed above and between the shoulders and in that sense God may be said to dwell between his shoulders 5ly He comes now to Joseph whose two Sons Ephraim and Manasseh were Heads of two Tribes of whom he saith Blessed of the Lord be his Land and let it be blessed with the most excellent things of Heaven that is with Rains and Dews that fall from Heaven and let it be blessed with the deep that coucheth beneath that is with springs arising from the deep let it be blessed with precious Fruits brought forth by the heat and influence of the Sun and the kindly moistures of the Night and the influence of the Moon Let it be blessed with the chief things of the ancient Mountains and with the precious things of the lasting Hills that is with the choicest Trees and Fruits and Herbs that grow on Hills such as are Vines Olives Cedars Pines Cypress and other useful Trees and with Mines of Gold and Silver and other metals which are usually found in Hills †See Gen. 49.26 and Mountains And let the Posterity of Joseph be blessed not only with the good things of the Earth and with plenty of them but with the good-will of Him that dwelt in the Bush In the Bush God appeared to Moses as the God of Abraham Isaac and Jacob and the good-will of God thus manifested viz. as a God in Covenant with them was that which alone could make them truly happy see Psal 106.4 Let this blessing says he come on the head of Joseph that is on his Posterity whose Father was separated from his Brethren and advanced by the Lord to an high and singular degree of Honour above them His glory shall be like the firstling of his Bullock that is of a fair young Bullock in his best strength and his horns like the horns of Vnicorns that is his Power shall be great and irresistible wherewith he shall Conquer far remote Nations Now these horns of his he shews are the ten thousands of Ephraim and the thousands of Manasseh 6ly He comes to Zebulun of whom he says Rejoyce Zebulun in thy going out and Issachar in thy Tents Here he blesses two Tribes together Of Zebulun he Prophesies That they shall be happy in their going forth to Trade and in their merchandising by Ships agreeable to what Jacob prophesied of them Gen. 49.13 Zebulun shall dwell at the harbour of the Sea he shall be for an Haven of Ships And of Issachar he Prophesies That they should be happy in their Tents that is in their quiet life at home and in their Husbandry and Tillage and breeding and feeding of Cattel Both their ways of living should yield them matter of rejoycing in the goodness and bounty of God to them Issachar shoul be happy in their Husbandry Zebulun in following their Merchandise They should suck of the abundance of the Seas that is of the Riches and Wealth brought over the Seas and of the Treasures hid in the sand that is brought from such Cities as were seated upon the Sea-shore in sandy-ground They shall call the people unto the Mountain there they shall offer Sacrifices of Righteousness herein he Prophesies of their religious thankfulness to God for his great blessings to them They should duly go to Mount Sion to worship the Lord and should invite their Brethren and possibly strangers of other Nations to go along with them though they were seated by the Sea-side in the outmost parts of the Land and so far off from the Temple of Jerusalem yet at times appointed they should readily go up to the House of God and there offer the Sacrifices and Thank-Offerings which were justly due to God and agreeable to what his Law prescribed 7ly He comes to Gad of whom he says Blessed be He that inlargeth Gad namely the Lord who hath bestowed upon Gad a large and spacious Country and though it lay upon the Frontiers and therefore was liable to frequent Incursions of Enemies yet they should have heart and courage to defend themselves Therefore he Prophesies of Gad That he shall dwell as a Lion that is bold and undaunted and as a Lion teareth sometimes the Arm sometimes the Crown of the Head that is sometimes in one place sometimes in another so this Tribe should divers ways spoil their Enemies He provided the first part for himself that is the first part of the conquered Land which was the Country of Sihon and this Tribe may be said to have provided for themselves because they desired it of Moses for their Inheritance and this part of the Country of Canaan being without Jordan was that alone which God permitted Moses the Law-giver to come into and allowed him to give unto them for their Inheritance and being thus provided they went with the Heads of the people armed * Moses here speaks of a thing to come as if it had been already done foreseeing by the Spirit of Prophesie that it would be so before their Brethren and executed the justice of the Lord and his judgments upon the accursed Canaanites 8ly He comes to Dan of whom he says Dan is a Lions whelp he shall leap from Bashan Bashan was a place where were many Lions though not in Dan's possession but Manasseh's see Deut. 3.13 The Danites are therefore here compared to Lions rushing suddenly out of the Forrests and Dens of Bashan who seize upon those that pass by ere they were aware Thus the Danites should leap unexpectedly out of their Forts and fastnesses and secret places where they lay in ambush and should seize upon their Enemies when they least expected them see Gen. 49.17 Josh 19.47 Judg. 18.27 29. 9ly He comes to Naphtali of whom he says O Naphtali satisfied with favour and full with the blessing of the Lord wherein he Prophesies of the fruitfulness of the Soil wherein this Tribe should have their portion Therefore Jacob compares them to a Hind let loose that hath a large walk and so in choice Pastures finds plenty of feeding Gen. 49.21 He therefore here breaks out into an admiration of the great plenty and abundance of blessings which their Inheritance should yield them but intimates that their blessings should not consist so much in their having such plenty and fulness of outward blessings as in their being fully satisfied and contented therewith and that the thing which should yield such satisfaction to their Souls was not so much the blessings themselves as the singular love and favour of God whereof to them these Blessings were Pledges He further adds Possess thou the West and the South intimating to them thereby that their lot
should fall to them South-West in reference to Dan's Inheritance which was in the North. And their Inheritance reaching to the Sea of Tiberias this might also imply that besides the other rich Commodities of the Land they should enjoy the advantage of Merchandizing also Lastly He comes to Asher saying Let Asher be blessed with Children that is with many and good Children who for their amiable disposition should be exceedingly beloved of all about them and let him dip his foot in Oil that is let his Country exceedingly abound with Oil * Ita abundabit oleo ut eo pedem lavare possit Vide Gen. 49.20 Job 29.6 Jansen and other good things And under his shoes shall be Iron and Brass that is his portion should be full of Mines of Iron and Brass and other metals and as his days so should his strength be that is all his days his strength should continue Moses having thus blessed the several Tribes particularly He now in the close of his Speech sets forth the happiness of all the people and all the Tribes in general and that for the special Interest they have in God who hath all the Creatures at his Command for their help There is none says he like unto the God of Jeshurun who rideth upon the Heavens for thy help and in his Excellency on the Sky intimating that as a man turns and winds his Horse which way he pleaseth so doth the Lord rule the Heavens and all the Host of them making them serviceable to the good of his people For from thence he sendeth help unto them against their Enemies smiting and destroying them with terrible Tempests with Hail Lightning and Thunder see Psal 18. from vers 7. to 20. The eternal God is thy Refuge and underneath thee are the everlasting Arms of his Omnipotency to support thee and he shall thrust out the Enemy from before thee and shall give thee Commission and Power to destroy them Israel shall dwell alone in safety that is shall cast out the Cannanites and have the Land to themselves not living now as formerly in Egypt only as Sojourners and mixt with other Nations but they shall live as a Nation and people of themselves and in a Land of their own under their own Laws and Government and shall dwell in safety not fearing other people The fountain * Fountain is here used for a River or Stream issuing out of a Fountain Psal 104.10 Waters often signifie people Rev. 17.15 see Psal 68.26 of Jacob that is the people which flowed out of Jacob as out of a Well or Fountain viz. the Posterity of Jacob shall dwell upon a Land of Corn and Wine and the Heavens that are spread over their Land shall drop down dew and make it exceeding fruitful He concludes all with this Acclamation Happy art thou O Israel who is like unto thee O people saved by the Lord who is the Shield of thy help and not only a Shield or Buckler to defend thee but the Sword of thy Excellency to fight for thee against thy Enemies 'T is He that maketh thee famous and renowned above others for Marshal Exploits and thine Enemies who prophesied of their Victories over thee and how they should overcome thee by the help of their Idol-gods shall be found Liars unto thee for thou shalt tread upon their High Places that is triumphantly prevail over their fenced Cities whose Walls and Towers are raised very high SECT XCIII MOses now having spoken all that he intended to speak to the Children of Israel Ch. XXXIV and having pronounced his last blessing upon them This last Chapter of of Deuteronomy was written after Moses's death but whither by Joshua or Eleazar or what other holy man is uncertain So the conclusion of the Book of Jeremy was written after his death see Jer. 51.64 and as 't is like taken his solemn leave of them went up from the Plains of Moab to Mount Nebo the highest top whereof called Pisgah lay over against Jericho Joshua and Eleazar as some * Mos◠morituro adfuisse Joshuam Eleazaram traedit Josephus Antiq. lib. 4. Cumque post mutuos Complexus Eleazaro Joshuae ultimum vale diceret interloquendum repentina nube circundatus 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 ex oculis illorum in quandam vallem est ablatus think accompanying him And as a weary Labourer at night goes to his Chamber to take his rest so this holy man after all his great and wearisome Labours in the Governing this people at the Commandment of God went up to Mount Nebo there to die and so to rest from his Labours But before he died the Lord was pleased to give him a sight of the promised Land And first He shewed him all the Land of Gilead unto Dan. Gilead was on the outside of Jordan Dan †Formerly call'd Leshem Josh 19.47 or Laish Judg. 18.27 was a City in the furthest part of the Land within Jordan Northward Then He shewed him the portion of Naphtali which was near unto it Then the Land of Ephraim and Manasseh which was in the midst of Canaan Then the Land of Judah which was the Southern part of the Country and then the Plain and Valley of Jericho which was on the East-Coast and the Midland-Sea called the Outmost-Sea which was the Western-Coast This view therefore that Moses had of the whole Land was by the miraculous power of God strengthening his sight so wonderfully for by the ordinary power of Nature it was not possible that from one place he should have beheld so large a Country therefore vers 4. 't is said God caused him to see it with his eyes and told him This was the Land which he sware to Abraham Isaac and Jacob to give it unto their Seed Moses having had a full prospect of this earthly Canaan there died and his Soul went to the heavenly being an 120 years old his eyes not being dim nor his radical moisture abated Of this time he had spent near a full third part in his Government of this people departing this life in the last month of the Year called Adar and the seventh day * For Aaron dying in the 40th year 5th month first day of it Numb 33.38 and that compar'd with the months mourning for Moses Deut. 34.8 and three days preparation to pass over Jordan Ch. 3.2 and their coming out of Jordan on the first month tenth day Josh 4.19 do shew that Moses died in the twelfth month and seventh day of it and so seven months and seven days after Aaron of it Moses's Soul being gone to Heaven Jehovah or Michael the Son of God Jude v. 9. translated his body out of the place where he died into a Valley of the Land of Moab †That Land was so called because it did formerly belong to the Moabites and was lately taken from them by Sihon King of the Amorites as we shewed on Numb 21.26 and was now possessed by the
Misrephothmaim a place near Zidon and to the Valley of Mizpeh near Mount Hermon and they smote them till they left none of them remaining in the Field And Joshua did unto them as the Lord commanded him both as to houghing their Horses and burning their Chariots (n) In future times the Israelites made use of Horse and Chariots in War and that without sin but God would not allow it at this time that the less provided they were for the Conquest of these Nations the more his Power might appear in the subduing of them and the less cause would they have to glory in themselves Then Joshua turned back with his Army and took Hazor the Head of all those Kingdoms and slew the King thereof and the Inhabitants thereof and burned the City (o) Concerning the rebuilding of this City and another Jabins reigning in it and mightily oppressing Israel see Judg. 4.2 And the rest of the Cities of those Kings that combined against him Joshua took them and utterly destroyed them as Moses the Servant of the Lord had commanded Numb 33.52 53. Deut. 7.2 20.16 17. But as for those Cities that yielded themselves or were not beaten down and ruined by the violence of War in the taking of them the Israelites burned not but reserved for their own use So Joshua in the compass of about six years took all the places of Canaan before-mentioned and the Hills and all the South-Country and the Land of Goshen situate in the mountainous parts of Judah famous for the Land about it and the Valley and the Plain and the Mountain of Israel and the Valley of the same that is the Mountain where old Jacob once lived and so called from Him and the Valley thereunto belonging He took all the Land from the Mountain Halak that goeth up to Seir which is the Frontier of Edom unto Baal-Gad in the Valley of Lebanon which lieth under the Hill Hermon Joshua Ch. 11. from 1. to 21. SECT CVII JOshua having now so far subdued the Land that none of the Inhabitants durst any more take up Arms against them though there were some Places that the Canaanites had still in their possession as is shew'n Ch. 13. yet they durst not stir against the Israelites So that now the Land had rest from open Wars therefore in the Twelfth Chapter there is presented briefly as in a Table or Map the several Countries and Kings vanquished by Moses Joshua and the Israelites that so beholding them all together Gods goodness and faithfulness to his people might the more eminently appear In that Chapter 't is said That Moses took two Kings on the East-side of Jordan viz. Sihon and Og and disposed of their Countries to the Reubenites Gadites and half the Tribe of Manasseh and that Joshua took 31 Kings on the West-side Of these some were not mentioned in the Victories before related which sheweth that not every particular but only the general Heads of things were touched before Now whereas here are mentioned 31 Kings subdued by Joshua many of which reigned over divers Towns besides their chief Cities this may shew us the wonderful fertility and fruitfulness of this Soil that in so small a compass of Land which was but an 160 miles in length from Dan to Beersheba and only 60 in breadth from Joppa to Jordan there should such a vast multitude of people so plentifully be provided for Josh Ch. 12. whole Chapter SECT CVIII JOshua having so far conquered the Land as we have shewed and being now well in years God calls him to divide the Land by lot among the nine Tribes and an half for he had promised he should do it Ch. 1.6 And therefore he commands him to go about it now and not to defer it till they were possessed of all as possibly Joshua thought he must have done He commands him to divide those parts that were not subdued nor should be in his life time as if they were already conquered He tells him He had not promised him that he should Conquer the whole Land which he had given to his people but only that he should bring them into it Deut. 31.23 and divide it for an Inheritance among them He tells him how much of the Land remained yet unconquered which notwithstanding he intended should be divided among them and they should have it in their Charter and it should be given them in the division and this might be a spur to them to endeavour the gaining of it and to drive out the old Inhabitants Now the Land yet unconquered He tells him was this first the Land of the Philistins that lay a long the Coasts of the Midland-Sea from Sihor which divides Palestine from Egypt and the Land of Geshuri in Syria and bordering on the Northern part of Canaan This Land of the Philistines He shews him belongs to Canaan and consequently to the Israelites though as yet they have not taken it For the Philistines called Caphtorim because they came from Caphtor Amos 9.7 entred upon this part of Canaan drave out the old Inhabitants and dwelt in it themselves Deut. 2.23 and now this Land was under five Lords of the Philistins yet unsubdued There were also the Avites who being expelled out of their Land by the Philistins did yet it seems continue in some portion of their Land adjoyning to the Philistins All this Land lying along the Sea-Coasts from the South unto Mearah or the Cave which is by the Sidonians and Aphek a Town not far from Sidon and so to the Borders of the Amorites for there were Amorites on both sides of Jordan And the Land of the Giblites a people that inhabited Gebal Psal 83.7 a Promontory near Sidon and all Lebanon towards the East was not conquered and so easterly as far as Hamath where even in David's time there was a Canaanitish King 2 Sam. 8.9 All these God promises to drive out before the Children of Israel provided they continued faithful in keeping Covenant with Him But they failing herein never came to possess the Lands of all those Nations though in David's and Solomon's time they brought them to be Tributary to them However God injoyns Joshua to divide that Land before spoken of though not yet conquered among the nine Tribes and the half Tribe of Manasseh on the West-side of Jordan for the Reubenites and Gadites with the other half Tribe of Manasseh had already received their Inheritance on the other side which Moses had given them And having mentioned their Inheritance he first describes the whole Land without Jordan from Arnon to Lebanon and then shews what each of them severally had The border of the Geshurites and Maachathites are here mentioned as a part of the Land without Jordan belonging to the two Tribes and half planted there because given to them by Moses with the rest but they did not drive them out For these Geshurites and Maachathites dwelling in the out-skirts of their Country and they having Land enough
let on God's part but they might enter into their Inheritances and those persons whom he had appointed to divide their Inheritances to them by lot were ready to do their duty therein He therefore requires them to choose out from among them three men of every Tribe that the matter might be carried on impartially and he would send them to go through the Land and to take a Survey not only of the parts of the Country already subdued but of those that remained yet in the Enemies hands that they might describe the largeness of every Region and Province and set down how many Cities and Villages were in each of them That so having as it were a Map of the Land that remained to be divided before them they might justly divide it into seven parts and so give proportionable Shares and Inheritances to every Tribe according as they were in number fewer or more He tells them That the Tribe of Judah and the Sons of Joseph Ephraim and Manasseh should continue seated the one in the South the other in the North according as their lots fell to them at Gilgal but yet he seems to intimate that if their Shares were found to be too large then some other Tribes might have a share with them as it afterwards happened for the Tribe of Simeon had their portion assigned to them out of that which was at first the lot of Judah Ch. 19.9 When these Surveyors had gone through the Land and divided it into seven parts for the Levites were to have no part among them the Priesthood of the Lord being their Inheritance and the other Tribes had had their lots before then He orders that the Description of it should be brought to him and he would cast lots for them before the Lord at the door of the Tabernacle The men thus appointed went out accordingly being secure and confident of Gods Protection and dividing themselves as 't is probable and going under pretence possibly of Negotiation or Traffick they spent seven months in this Survey as Josephus tells us Antiq. lib. 5. and so made a Description of it in a Volume or Map with all the Cities and Towns belonging to each Province and divided it into seven parts and so presented it to Joshua and the Elders at Shiloh Then Joshua cast lots for them according to the divisions of their Tribes And the first lot came up for the Children of Benjamin whose lot fell between the Children of Judah and Joseph and the bounds of their lot with the Cities belonging thereunto are described Ch. 18. from vers 11. to the end Thus Benjamin had the honour to have the first lot among the seven Tribes and was by providence seated the very next to his Brethren Ephraim and Manasseh and had also part of the Royal City of Jerusalem within his Borders whereby was fulfilled what Moses prophesied of this Tribe Deut. 33.12 And of Benjamin he said the beloved of the Lord shall dwell in safety by him and the Lord shall cover him all the day long and he shall dwell between his Shoulders The next lot came forth for Simeon and their Inheritance was within the lot of the Tribe of Judah It seems they that were sent to search the Land not yet divided that they might part it into seven lots for the seven Tribes remaining found that the portion which Joshua and Eleazar and the other Commissioners for dividing the Land had formerly assigned to Judah was too large considering what was left for the other Tribes and therefore they agreed unanimously that a whole portion for one of the Tribes which had not yet their Inheritance assigned to them should be taken out of that which was formerly given to Judah and some Cities also they took from Judah to be as part of another lot see Josh 19 40 41. And thus by the Providence of God there being one Tribe to be provided for within the portion of the Children of Judah the lot fell upon this Tribe of Simeon that was fewest in number of all the Tribes see Numb 26.14 And by this Tribes being intermingled with Judah and not having a portion by themselves apart that Prophesie of Jacob was fulfilled Gen. 49. I will divide them in Jacob and scatter them in Israel The bounds of this Tribes portion are not described only the chief Cities and Towns are named that were in their lot and that because their Inheritance was within that of Judah The third lot came up for the Children of Zebulun Their Borders are described Ch. 19. from vers 10. to 17. The fourth lot came out to Issachar Their Borders are described from vers 17 to 24. The fifth lot for the Tribe of Asher Their Borders are described from vers 24. to 32. The sixth lot came out for the Children of Naphtali Their Borders are described from vers 32. to vers 40. The seventh lot came out for the Children of Dan. Hence it appears that this Book was not written by Joshua except we shall say that some particulars in it were afâ—erwards inserted by some other holy men Their Borders are described from vers 40. to 47. Their lot fell to them in the Southern parts close by Judah's portion and they being not able to drive out the Philistines out of their Land in after-times viz. after Joshua's death they were streightned and so went out and took Laish a City in the North parts * Judg. 20.1 in Naphtali's lot see Judg. 18. though then in the Zidonians possession and transplanted a Colony thither calling it Dan from Dan their Ancestor Son of Jacob. Ch. 18. from 2. to the end Ch. 19. from 1. to 49. SECT CXVI WHen they had made an end of dividing the Land among all the Tribes and the distribution thereof was fully finished then the Children of Israel gave Joshua an Inheritance in Timnah-serah in Mount Ephraim And herein was the modesty of this great General remarkable that he was content to stay till all the other Tribes had their portion ere he made any motion for that which by special Prerogative was to be conferred on him according to the Word of the Lord spoken to Moses not only concerning Caleb but also Joshua Ch. 14.9 2ly He was content to receive what the Lord had promised him as by way of Gift from the people 3ly Whereas he might have chosen the fairest and goodliest City in all their Tribes He chose his Seat in a mountainous Country and it seems a City that was ruinated so that he was fain to build it ere he could dwell in it Josh Ch. 19. from vers 49. to the end SECT CXVII THe Levites now come to Joshua and Eleazar and the rest of the Commissioners for dividing the Land to receive from them the Cities which God appointed to be set apart for their dwellings And they accordingly set apart forty eight Cities for them as God had commanded Numb 35.7 The Commissioners 't is like chose these Cities out of each
that they should forsake the Lord to follow them though it were left to their own choice He intimates to them that except they chose the Lord for their God and served Him out of judgment and their own choice V. 15. Eligite Tenta vita dictum ut Ruth 1.15 Joh. 6.67 and willingly and freely without any constraint God would not regard their outward compliance Well says he whatever you shall determine for your selves and your own practise I do declare to you That this is my firm Resolution That as for me and my house we will serve the Lord. The Elders of the people hearing these things said God forbid that ever we should forsake the Lord that brought us and our Fathers out of Egypt and has done such great things in our sight and has hitherto preserved us and driven out the Amorites and Canaanites for us God forbid that ever we should be so wicked as to forsake Him and serve Idols No the Lord is our God and Him we are resolved to serve Joshua advises them them to consider well what they said He tells them They cannot serve the Lord if they retained Idols in their Houses or in their Hearts and mingled false Worship with the true For God says he is an holy and jealous God and will no more admit of mixture of true and false Worship than a jealous Husband will of a Corrival in his love or that his Wife should divide her self between him and a stranger I tell you plainly God will not forgive your Transgressions nor your Sins if you continue in them and if you turn from Him and serve other gods He will turn from doing you good and will severely punish and chastise you The people answered Nay but we are firmly resolved to serve the Lord and Him only Then Joshua said You are â—itnesses against your selves this day if you do otherwise For ye have freely chosen the Lord to be your God and have faithfully promised to serve Him They said We do acknowledge it and if we do otherwise we are Witnesses against our selves and our own Consciences will convince and condemn us Well says he if ye be willing to renew your Covenant with God this day then let me in the first place strictly charge you if there be any Idols secretly kept and worshipped among you that they be put away presently and let them have no place in yours hearts and affections but incline your hearts faithfully to serve the Lord God of Israel The people answered The Lord God will we serve and his Voice alone will we obey Then Joshua as God's Servant and Minister caused the people to renew their Covenant with God and probably it was done in a very solemn manner being accompanied with Sacrifices and the usual Rites of that sacred Service and He established and confirmed it as a standing and perpetual Law for them and their Posterity that they should constantly continue in the Service of the Lord God alone as became his peculiar people and utterly renounce all Idols and all Idolatry whatsoever And Joshua either wrote himself or caused some of the Priests to write in the Book of the Law which was written by Moses and put on the side of the Ark these Promises of the people and the whole carriage of this business and how solemnly they renewed their Covenant with God that the people knowing there was such a Record kept of this matter and the circumstances thereof in God's Tabernacle might be the more careful to keep their Covenant Then Joshua took a great stone and set it up there under an Oak that was by the Sanctuary of the Lord as a Memorial of this Covenant now thus solemnly renewed between God and this people Some think this was the very Oak under which Jacob had many years since buried all the Idolatrous trash which he found among those of his Family Gen. 35.4 and that Joshua did purposely for that cause set up this Stone under that Oak * Hic Abrahamo Deuâ— apparuisse creditur Gen. 12.6 7. In future times this place where this Stone was set up was from hence called the Oak of the Pillar Judg. 9.6 And Joshua said This stone shall be a witness unto you for it hath heard (t) Hyperbolica Contestatio vide Deut. 4.26 all the words of the Lord that is of the Covenant between the Lord and you and it shall serve as a Witness to convince you of your Sin if you do not keep your Covenant seeing all men in future Ages will take notice that it was purposely erected to be a Monument and Memorial thereof and this stone when you see it shall represent to your Minds and Consciences the Covenant which ye have now made as if it could both hear and speak so that if in after-times you deny your God and fall into Idolatry this very stone will witness against you See a like expression to this Jer. 2.12 These things being done they now solemnly interred the bones of Joseph which they had brought with them out of Egypt (u) See Sect. 48. of Chap. 3. in that parcel of ground here at Shechem that Jacob * Whereas 't is said Acts 7.15 16. that the Fathers were laid in the Sepulchre that Abraham bought c. the meaning is which one of the Posterity of Abraham viz. Jacob bought of the Sons of Hamor See Apost Hist on the place bought of the Sons of Hamor see Gen. 33.19 and which He upon his death-bed gave to Joseph as a special Legacy Gen. 48.22 and was now within the lot of the Sons of Joseph And it seems from Acts 7.15 16. That the bodies of all the rest of the Patriarchs the Sons of Jacob were brought up also out of Egypt and here likewise buried When these things were done Joshua dismist the people to their own Inheritances Shortly after this the great Joshua dies aged an 110 about ten years as is conceived after the Conquest of the Land He had approved himself a faithful Servant of God all his days living in his Fear and dying in his Favour and was buried in his own Inheritance in Timnath-serah (x) Timnath-serah vox imaginem solis denotat quae Joshua Sepulchro erat imposita ob celebris illius solstitii Memoriam Josh 10.13 in Mount Ephraim Some say the Israelites placed upon his Monument the Figure of the Sun as a Memorial of the great Miracles of the Suns standing still at his prayer And Israel served the Lord all the days of Joshua * Non autem multo diuitius ut patet ex Jud. 2.8 9 10. Hinc patet quantum sit in unius hominis probitate positum qui in republica dominatur Masius and of the Elders that out-lived Joshua who had known all the Works of the Lord which he had done for them Not long after Eleazar the High Priest died also and they buried him in an Hill in Mount Ephraim which by special and extraordinary Gift
was given to Phineas his Son with whom 't is probable his Father lived For though the Priests had their Cities by lot in other Tribes namely Judah Simeon and Benjamin see Ch. 21.4 yet that the High Priest might be near to Joshua the Governour who dwelt in Mount Ephraim and that he might enquire of the Lord for him upon any special occasion and that he might be near to the Tabernacle which at this time was in Shiloh 't is like Eleazar (y) Donarunt forsan hunc locum honorarium Eleazaro ut Joshuae contiguus habitaret qui tamen est a Filio cognominatus in posterum Anonym in loc here lived and was now here buried Josh Ch. 24. whole Chapter SECT CXXII WE are now come to the Book of Judges The Book of Iudges which comprehends an History of the Common-wealth of Israel from the death of Joshua to the days of Eli containing the space of 299 years during which time they lived under the Government of certain Judges whom God successively and extraordinarily raised up and endowed with a Spirit of Wisdom and Courage to Rule over them as His Deputies and Vicegerents There are twelve of these mentioned in this Book viz. 1. Othniel whose Government from the death of Joshua is reckoned to be 40 years 2. Ehud 80 3. Deborath 40 4. Gideon 40 5. Abimelech 3 6. Thola 23 7. Jair 22 8. Jephtha 6 9. Ibzan 7 10. Elon 10 11. Abdon 8 12. Sampson 20 299 Within which space of time we are to comprehend the Six Oppressions of the Israelites mentioned in this Book and not to reckon them apart but as included within the years of the Judges and the Rest of the Land viz. Under Cushan 8 years Eglon 18 Jabin 20 Midian 7 Ammonites 18 Philistines 20 To the twelve Judges before-mentioned Eli and Samuel succeeded whose Acts are not here set down but in the First Book of Samuel Now there being 480 to be reckoned from the coming of the Israelites out of Egypt to the building of Solomon's Temple 1 Kings 6.1 we may compute them thus 40 years spent in the Wilderness 17 in Joshua's Government 299 in the times of the twelve Judges 40 in Eli's time 40 in Samuel and Saul's 40 in David's 4 in Solomon's in the Fourth Year of whose Reign the Foundation of the Temple was laid 480 As to the Pen-man of this Book of Judges 't is very uncertain who it was But it seems to be gathered by some Prophet of God out of the Publick Records and Registers that were kept of their Affairs Some think Samuel was the Compiler of it SECT CXXIII JOshua being now dead and having a little before his death encouraged the people to expel the Canaanites that remained out of the Land though they had no man at present chosen of God and set over them to Command them in chief as Moses and Joshua did and finding that it was fit for them to go on with the War they assembled together as it seems at Shiloh to consult about this matter And because the success of their first Attempts would be of great consequence either to encourage or dishearten their Enemies they thought fit that Phineas the High Priest should enquire of the Lord for them by Vrim and Thummim which of their Tribes should first begin and set upon the Canaanites that still remained among them and the Lord appointed that the Tribe of Judah the Royal Tribe and the strongest and most populous of them all should begin the War and first clear his portion of the Enemy Caleb the Son of Jephunneh is chosen General for the Tribe and the Simeonites who had their lot within theirs being invited to joyn with them they readily agreed to it the Tribe of Judah promising to assist them afterwards in clearing their lot In this Expedition they took the City of Bezek * Bezek a City in the Tribe of Judah not far from Jerusalem and after they had taken it in the pursuit when the King thereof with many of his people fled to save his life they killed ten thousand men They also took their King Adonibezek and cut off his Thumbs and his great Toes having as it seems when they took the City found some of those poor Captive Kings that had been thus inhumanely used by him or else had heard of the Tyranny he had exercised upon them in that kind and therefore thought fit according to the Law of Retaliation Exod. 21.24 to serve him after the same manner Adonibezek could not but acknowledge the justice of God upon him herein For says He threescore and ten Kings (z) Reguli diversarum urbium Ante Ninum teste Justino quisque Rex terminis civitatis suae contentus erat Petty Kings of particular Cities not that he had so many at once under this base slavery but in the whole course of his life some after others 't is like he did it in a base sporting cruelty or else thereby to unfit them for War unde homines viles defides Italis Gallis Poltroni vocantur id est pollice trunci having their Thumbs and great Toes cut off gathered their meat under my Table as I have done to them so God hath requited me Then the men of Judah carried this great Tyrant and shewed him before Jerusalem to strike the greater terrour into the Jebusites and there they killed him and then sacked and burnt that City viz. that part of it which was in their Tribe For though the former King of it had been slain in the Field Josh 10. yet was not the City taken nor it nor any other City fired in Joshua's time but only Jericho Ai and Hazor and therefore the eighth verse should be read And the Children of Judah warred against Jerusalem and took it and smote it c. not as if it had been taken before Judges 1. from 1. to 9. * For these Verses from v. 9. to 16. see Sect. 108. because the Author of this History was here to relate the memorable Exploits that were done by the men of Judah therefore together with those noble Acts which they did after the death of Joshua He repeats also those which were done by them whilst Joshua lived under the command of Caleb both against Hebron and Debir that He might set forth the glory of this Tribe more fully SECT CXXIV JEthro's Family call'd Kenites that had come up with Joshua and Israel into the Land of Canaan and dwelt in their Tents which was ever their way of living about Jericho the City of Palm-Trees among the people of the Tribe of Judah and Judah having now cleared his portion in so good a measure that they began to spread into new Plantations These Kenites went along with them and setled themselves with them in the South upon the Coasts of the Amalekites and so in Saul's time were mingled among them see 1 Sam. 15.6 These Kenites were the root of the Rechabites of whom more is
due time to perform what God commanded them in driving out the Canaanites out of the Land Now the Canaanites that were left in the Land and not cast out were these viz. five Lords of the Philistines viz. the Lords of Ashdod Gaza Askelon Gath and Ekron and the Canaanites Sidonians and Hivites that dwelt about Libanus and from Mount Baal-hermon on the East of Libanus to the entring in of Hamath a City in the North of Canaan afterwards call'd Antiochia The Children of Israel dwelling thus among the Canaanites grew extreamly corrupt so that they served their gods and the Idols which they set up and worshipped in Groves and made interchangeable Marriages with them Upon which great Provocations the Lord gave them up into the hands of Chushan-rishathaim King of Mesopotamia 'T is like he first brake in upon the Tribes that lay on the other side of Jordan and then incroached upon those within Jordan by degrees And this was their first Servitude (g) First Servitude under Cushan eight years Othniel first Judge which continued eight years Then returning unto the Lord and crying unto Him for Mercy and Forgiveness He was pleased to raise up for them a Saviour and Deliverer namely Othniel the Son of Kenaz Caleb's Nephew and Son in law see Ch. 1.13 so that to the great Honour of the Children of Judah the first Judge after Joshua was of their Tribe Thus that Prophesie was made good Gen. 49.8 Judah thou art He whom thy Brethren shall praise thy Hand shall be in the Neck of thine Enemies thy Fathers Children shall bow down before thee Othniel being thus raised up by God to this high Office The Spirit of the Lord came upon him that is he was furnished with those Gifts and Graces that were requisite to make him a wise and valiant General in War and a prudent Governour in Peace and the Lord gave Cushan into his hands so that he prevailed against him and delivered the Israelites out of their Bondage under Him And so the Land had rest forty years Not as if there were forty years of Peace in the Land uninterrupted from this time but the Land had Rest till forty years were expired from the first Rest wherein it was setled by Joshua before his death And then Othniel died Judg. 2. from 11. to the end Ch. 3. from 1. to 12. SECT CXXXIV AFter the death of Othniel the Israelites again did evil in the sight of the Lord and He stirred up Eglon King of Moab and gave him Courage and Resolution to go against Israel and he joyning with the Ammonites and Amalekites overthrew them and took Jericho that is possessed himself of the Lands and Territories thereabout where the City of Jericho once stood and possibly built some great Fortress there that he might have the Command of the Fords of Jordan that being the passage over to his own Country Second Oppression under Eglon eighteen years Ehud second Judge And this second Oppression continued eighteen years The Israelites then crying unto the Lord for help he raised up for them Ehud Son of Gera of the Tribe of Benjamin which was but a little before almost wholly destroyed a man left-handed By Him the Children of Israel sent a Present to Eglon which Opportunity he readily embraced having a design to kill Him And being stirred up as 't is probable by the Spirit of God to do it He accordingly provided himself of a Dagger fit for the purpose Then going with the Present to Eglon and humbly presenting it to Him He with those that brought it take their leave and depart When they were come as far back as the Quarries by Gilgal He himself returns again to the King who was in his Summer-Parlour and addressing himself to him tells him He had a secret Message to him The King bids him forbear delivering his Message till his Servants and Attendants were gone out of the Room They being gone Ehud tells him He had a Message from God to him Eglon hearing this rose up as if he would give some respect to such a Messuage Ehud then drawing out his Dagger thrust it into his Belly and gave him such a deadly blow that he left him who had so long oppressed the people of God wallowing in his own blood and dung Then shutting the door after him and locking it having as 't is probable a Spring-lock he quietly and with a composed Countenance passed away The Servants finding the door shut and locked they concluded that the King covered his feet in his Summer-Chamber that is that He had laid himself down to sleep because when they did so they used to cast some covering over their feet as it is said of Ruth when she went to lie down by Boaz as he lay sleeping at the end of his heap of Corn Ruth 3.7 That she uncovered his feet and laid her self down So when Saul went into the Cave where David and his men were 1 Sam. 24.3 't is said Saul went in to cover his feet that is to lie down and sleep there for a while else how could David cut off the Skirt of his Garment and not be perceived if he had not been asleep The Servants having staid a great while and finding the King did not open the door they began to be ashamed they had stayed so long and not looked after their Master sooner fearing that some evil had befallen him Then taking a Key it being usual in Kings Houses for the Servants to have Keys to their Masters doors and opening the door they found their Lord dead Ehud thus escaping He came to Mount Ephraim and there blew a Trumpet and gathering the Children of Israel together He tells them what he had done and that the Lord had delivered the Moabites into their hands Then bidding them follow him he went down with them and took the Fords of Jordan that neither the Moabites now in Canaan might escape to their own Country nor those in the Land of Moab pass over Jordan to aid their Brethren in Canaan Then he fell with his Forces upon the Moabites and the Israelites slew ten thousand of them at that time even lusty and stout men So Moab was subdued that day under the hand of Israel and the Land had rest fourscore years to wit after the former rest and Deliverance procured to them by Othniel In the time of those 80 years the Philistines making some Inroads into the Lands of the Israelites Shamgar the Son of Anath who seems to be some Country-man or Farmer of Note did on a suddain raise the Country thereabouts and they (h) Some think that this Victory of Shamgar's was miraculous and that he himself slew 600 as Sampson slew a 1000 of them with the Jaw-bone of an Asse Ch. 15.15 16. with their Ox-goads set upon the Philistines and slew 600 of them So that He was a Deliverer though not a Judge Judg. Ch. 3. from 12. to the end SECT CXXXV The Book of Ruth
people that were therein and killed them and Samson himself with them So the dead which he slew at his death were more than those he slew in his life His Bretheren and all the house of his Father hearing of his death came down and took his dead body and brought it up and buried it in his Fathers burying place between Zorak and Eshtaol the Philistines by the over-ruling Providence of God not opposing it whose pride and power by this fatal blow given to their Princes and so many of their people was much abated and pulled down so that they thought this was no fit time to provoke the Israelites by denying them such a thing Judg. Ch. 16. whole Chapter SECT CLI First Book of Samuel WE are now come to the first Book of Samuel which contains an History of eighty years forty in the time of Eli in the four first Chapters and forty in the times of Samuel and Saul in the rest of the Book so that the History of these three persons together with some part of the History of David is the chief matter of this Book The two Books of Samuel are thought to be written by Samuel Nathan and Gad one after another 1 Chron. 29.29 yet some passages in these Books may seem to intimate that they were written in latter times as 1 Sam. 5.5 and Ch. 30.25 2 Sam. 6.8 These two Books of Samuel are stiled by the Septuagint and several others the first and second Book of the Kings the first containing all the History of King Saul and part of the History of King David both whom Samuel anointed by Gods appointment and the second the History of King Ishbosheth shortly and of King David at large After Samsons death Eli the High-Priest in whom the High-Priesthood was translated from the stock of Eleazar the Eldest Eli 13 Judg. to the posterity of Ithamar the younger Son of Aaron executed the Office of a Judg in Civil causes and judged Israel forty years He was extraordinarily both High-Priest (a) How he came to be High-Priest we cannot say that Eli was of the posterity of Ithamar Aaron's second Son appears from hence Abiathar who was deposed from being High-Priest by Solomon was of the posterity of Eli 1 King 2.27 and of Abimelech who was the Son of Abiathar it is expresly said 1 Chron. 24.3 that he was of the Sons of Ithamar How the High-Priesthood came to be transferred from the posterity of Eleazar to Eli who was of the house of Ithamar cannot be cleared by any place of Scripture we may conjecture that it so fell out because the High-Priests of Eleazars family had some way or other highly provoked God by their evil courses in the days of the former Judges This was the Series of the High-Priests as appears 1 Chron. 6.4 Aaron Eleazar Phineas Abishua Bukki Uzzi from Uzzi the High-Priesthood was translated to Eli to whom succeeded Achitob to him Achias to him Ahimelech to him Abiathar who was deposed from the Priesthood by Solomon 1 King 2.27 that he might perform the word of the Lord that he spake concerning the house of Eli in Shiloh 1 Sam. 2.31.35 and Judg a good and famous man though faulty in being too indulgent to his Children as we shall see afterwards In his time and under his Government Samuel was born whose History we come now to describe His Father was Elkanah a Levite of the family of the Kohathites of the posterity of of Korah 1 Chron. 6.22 23. who dwelt in Ramathaim-Zophim in Mount Ephraim He had two wives probably Hannah was his first wife and she being barren he afterwards took Peninnah who was fruitful Though the Lord allowed not Polygamy yet he was pleased to tolerate it for a time and possibly the Jews did conceive that Gods promise to Abraham of multiplying his seed as the stars of the heaven did imply a dispensation for them to have more wives than one The Tabernacle was now at Shiloh and there had continued since the seventh year of Joshua Ch. 18.1 thither went Elkanah yearly that is at those three solemn Feasts wherein all the males were bound to appear before the Lord Deut. 16.16 He might possibly go at other times as a Levite to do service in his course but he failed not to go up at those great Solemnities and it seems several of his family used to go up with him yea the women also such was their devotion though not bound thereunto by the Law At those great Feasts he gave to Peninnah and all her Sons and Daughters portions of the Peace-offerings which he offered to the Lord according to the ancient manner of Feasts of which see Gen. 43.34 but unto Hannah who was his best beloved he gave a larger and better portion and possibly of the choicest and best of the Sacrifices Peninnah was angry at this and thereupon quarrelled with and provoked Hannah and upbraided her for her barrenness as an effect of the Lords displeasure against her and as Elkanah did thus continually express his great love to Hannah when he went yearly with his family to the House of God so Peninnah persisted from time to time to vex her with her provocations and possibly upbraided her with her fruitless seeking to God so earnestly at those times for a child this greatly troubled Hannah in so much that she mourned and wept and did not care to eat as others did especially not with any joy and chearfulness as they were bound to do at those solemn Feasts Elkanah perceiving it asked her why she so grieved and wept and so mourned in a time when she ought to have rejoiced 'T is true says he the Lord hath not afforded thee Children but am not I who love thee so dearly better to thee than ten Sons (b) In concorde matrimonio plus boni est quam in ipsa faecunditate Gr. But when Elkanah and his family had eaten and drunk together with whom Hannah sate she being in bitterness of soul went out and prayed unto the Lord and wept sore and she said O Lord of Hosts if thou wilt please to look on the affliction of thy hand-maid and wilt give unto me a man-child I will give him unto thee all the days of his life (c) As to the power of her Vow we must understand that she only vowed to do what in her lay that it might be thus if the Child had no defect either in body or mind and was willing when he came to the years of discretion to take upon him the Vow and provided that her Husband consented thereunto without which the Womans Vow was of no force Numb 30.8 Indeed it is evident in the sequel of Samuels story that he did not always continue in the Tabernacle see Ch. 7.16 but went from year to year in Circuit and judged Israel And hence it seems probable that after he became Judg in Israel he was by special dispensation from God freed from this Vow of
fifty thousand the greatest number that came out of any one Tribe men expert in war and arm'd with all Military instruments and who could keep rank and order and were not of a divided or double heart but men of great singleness and sincerity Of Naphtali a thousand Captains and with them thirty seven thousand armed with Shield and Spear Of the Danites twenty eight thousand and six hundred expert Soldiers Of Asher forty thousand Of the Reubenites Gadites and half Tribe of Manasseh an hundred and twenty thousand furnisht with all manner of weapons and military instruments All these which are reckoned to be in all three hundred twenty two thousand two hundred twenty two being men of war who knew how to keep rank and observe Military order and discipline are said to have come with an upright heart to Hebron to make David King over all Israel and those that came not up with them yet joined in heart and affection with them therein And there they stayed with David eating and drinking and feasting three days together their brethren of Hebron making what preparations for them they could and others that were nigh unto them sending in provisions yea as far as from Issachar (a) V. 40. Usque ab Issachar c. sic Jun. Tremel Zebulon and Naphtali they brought bread and other provisions some on Asses and Camels and Mules and some drawn by Oxen and meat and meal cakes of figs and bunches of raisins wine and oyl they brought also oxen and sheep in great abundance to make the Feast for there was then great joy in Israel 2 Sam. Ch. 5. from v. 1. to 6. 1 Chron. Ch. 11. from v. 1 to 4. 1 Chron. Ch. 12. from v. 23 to the end SECT CLXXXIV DAvid having now so many of his subjects together and most of them armed he resolved to make some good use of them to the taking of Jerusalem which stood in the confines of Judah and Benjamin the men of Judah had taken that part of it which belonged unto them see Judg. 1.8 but the Children of Benjamin could not drive out the Jebusites out of their part see Judg. 1.21 no not when they had the help of their brethren the men of Judah see Josh 15.63 and therefore we read that afterwards it was a City of strangers when the Levite with his Concubine went that way Judg. 19. and so it continued to this time It was a place it seems of very great strength because the Jebusites had held it ever since Joshua had entred the land and it was even in the heart of the Country David having therefore so vast a number of his subjects that were men of war about him who on this solemn occasion had come up to him to Hebron he thought fit to take this opportunity to lead them forth against Jerusalem viz. that part of it that was held by the Jebusites resolving that the wresting of that place out of their hands should be his first enterprize after his being anointed King over all Israel and intending when he had taken it to make it the chief seat of his Kingdom Accordingly he led his Army up thither but when he had laid siege thereto the Jebusites that were within presuming upon the strength of the place in a flouting manner told him That except he could take from them their Tutelar gods that is their Idols and Images in which they put their trust though he and his people counted them and in contempt called them blind and lame gods he must not expect to come in thither And so confident they were of the power and protection of their Idols that they thought David and all Israel could never take their Fort or Castle David hereupon to encourage his Captains in the enterprize promised them that whoever with his Soldiers did first scale the walls and get into the Gutter and kill the Jebusites and destroy the lame and blind Idols they so much trusted in which his soul hated he should be chief Captain and General of his forces Joab possibly that he might recover the Kings favour whom he had highly offended by killing Abner did hereupon first scale the walls and so was made Lord General of the Kings forces see 1 Chron. 11.6 And David did the rather promise this reward to him that should take the Fort because the Jebusites had said in scorn the blind and the lame as you call them being here we need not fear that you shall ever come into this house * Some think it was used as a Proverb The blind and the lame being here he shall not come into this house that is Take heed lest your confidence prove like that of the Jebusites seeing oftentimes as it was with them that which begins in confidence ends in shame Others think that the people of Israel did thus insult over the Jebusites after they had taken the Fort Your blind and lame Idols that should have kept us out are never like to enter into this Fort again For no blind or lame or dumb Idols shall ever be tolerated in this place David having thus taken the Fort he built it round about from Millo inward that is he did at his own cost and charges build and reedifie the inside of the City from Millo and left the care of building the out-walls to Joab 1 Chron. 11.8 Millo was a deep and broad ditch that separated Mount Sion from the lower City which Solomon afterwards filled up 1 King 9.15 24. And so David dwelt in this City and it was called the City of David no less than Bethlem where he was born and he grew great and the Lord of Hosts by his especial favour was with him and blessed him And as an effect thereof at this time Hiram (b) See the like concerning Solomon 1 King 5.1 2. King of Tyre a stranger sent Ambassadours to him to congratulate his settlement in the Kingdom and upon David's request he sent him Cedar-trees and Carpenters and Masons to build him a Palace And David perceived by his own experience and the inward perswasion of Gods Spirit that it was the immediate hand of God that had establisht him King over all Israel and that God had exalted him to the Kingdom and made his Kingdom famous for the good of his Church and people And David took to him more Concubines and Wives out of Jerusalem after he was come from Hebron and this it seems he did that thereby he might multiply his friends and allies for the strengthening of him in his Kingdom But herein he shewed much humane frailty * Habuit David 8 uxores decem concubinas sed neque ex tot uxoribus libido adulterandi extincta est and weakness in making use of that as a means to establish him in his Kingdom which God had expresly forbidden to the Kings of Israel viz. the multiplying of wives See Deut. 17.7 2 Sam. Ch. 5. from 6 to 17. 1 Chron. 11. from 4 to 10.
to spie whether he could see any likelihood of it At last the servant discern'd a little cloud arising out of the Sea as big as a mans hand upon this Elijah presently sends to Ahab to make hast home lest he should be stopped by the rain that was now coming And immediately the heaven was black with clouds and wind and there fell a great rain Ahab getting into his Chariot went to Jezreel a City of Issachar where was one of his houses and Elijah being extraordinarily moved and enabled by God girded up his long garment and ran †V. 46. Currebat ante Ahab ut officium honorarium Regi suo praestaret Is qui caelum clauserat tanquam unus e servis currit ante Regem Neque enim viri sancti hanc externam rerum pompam assis faciunt before his Chariot to shew him how ready he would be to honour and serve him if he would proceed on to remove Idolatry out of the land and perfect that work which was so happily begun by the slaughter of Baals Prophets 1 King 18. Ahab coming to Jezebel tells her the event of that contest between Elijah and the Prophets of Baal and the unavoidable execution of the Baalites that followed thereupon and to excuse himself to his imperious wife he represents their Execution as Elijah's act not his she falling into a great rage and passion like a rash and unadvised woman sent one to Elijah to tell him that she desired the gods might do so to her and more also if she did not make his life like one of theirs by to morrow about that time And hereby she gave him as it were fair warning to be gone Elijah hereupon flies for his life to Beersheba God suffering him to be overborn with fear of Jezebel now who e're while feared not Ahab and all his Baalites that he might see his own weakness and not be exalted in mind by reason of those great miracles that had been wrought by him so he now fled into another Kingdom viz. that of Judah where good Jehoshaphat reigned yea to the uttermost Southern part of it and from thence withdrew himself into the Wilderness as fearing lest Ahab or Jezebel should send some thither to dispatch him And therefore when he went from Beersheba he left his servant there because he would not expose him to the wants of the Wilderness and going a days journey in the Wilderness and sitting under a juniper tree he even wished for death and said it is enough O Lord I have lived long enough take away I pray thee my life I know I must die at one time or other for I am not better than my Fathers that have all died before me and seeing my life is so full of troubles and miseries I desire if it be thy holy will to end my days presently Then laying himself down to sleep under the tree as he slept behold an Angel touched him and said Arise and eat And he looked and behold there was a cake baking on the coals at his head and a cruse of water by him So he did eat and drink and laid him down to sleep again The Angel awoke him a second time and bad him arise and eat again for the journey that he was to take was too great for him except he were well refreshed beforehand by that provision which God by his holy Angels had now sent him Accordingly he did eat and drink again and in the strength of that food he travelled forty days and forty nights (a) Christ Moses and Elijah who all appeared together at Christs Transfiguration did each of them fast in their several times forty days and forty nights without any sustenance without any other sustenance even to Horeb (b) Non recta via progrediebatur alioqui tantum 4 aut 5 dieram iter erat sed fugientium more vias invias inopinatas sectatus est interdum substitit quievit latuit Et forte a principio non ei erat propositum ad Horeb proficisci sed per 40 dies per desertum vagatiis eo pervenit At Deus illum huc perduxit ut ibi institueret where the Lord formerly appeared unto Moses in a burning bush Being come thither and lodging in a cave the Lord asks him what he did there he answers I have been very zealous for the honour of the Lord God of hosts For the children of Israel have forsaken thy Covenant thrown down the Altars that have been erected to thee and have preferred Baal before thee and have slain thy Prophets and I even I only am left this he speaks according to his own apprehension * See Rom. 11.2 3. and they seek my life to take it away The Lord bad him go forth and stand upon mount Horeb where he would manifest his presence to him And behold the Lord immediately passed by in some visible manifestation of his glory 1. There was a great strong wind that rent the mountains and brake the rocks in pieces 2. An earthquake 3. After that a fire but the Lord was in none of these to wit did not in these speak to Elijah nor make known his mind to him These were the dreadful foregoing signs of Gods majesty and power to prepare Elijah with the more awe and reverence to hearken to what he should say to him and to strengthen his faith in Gods power who had all creatures at his command Then there came a still and small voice It seems Elijah stood all this while in the mouth of the Cave but kept himself somewhat inward till knowing that in that still voice the Lord would speak to him then he went to the very entrance of the Cave casting his mantle about his face out of an awful fear of Gods Majesty as Moses did Exod. 3.6 The Lord asks him by this still voice the same question he did before viz. what he did there and Elijah gave the same answer he had done before The Lord to comfort and support his spirit intimates to him that he took notice of and was sufficiently displeased with the Idolatry of the Israelites and intended to punish them severely for it And in order thereunto he bids him go to the Wilderness of Damascus and there anoint Hazael to be King over Syria and to anoint Jehu the Son of Nimshi to be King over Israel that is to anoint them himself or take order they should be anointed by others at the appointed times and to anoint Elisha to be a Prophet in his room to succeed him in the Prophetick office And the Lord tells him that he that escapes the sword of Hazael shall Jehu slay For though the greatest destruction wrought by Hazael was towards the end of Jehu's reign 2 King 10.32 and after it 2 King 13.3 yet he began to destroy Israel before Jehu's time 2 King 8.28 and many of those who escaped Hazael's hands Jehu slew as Jehoram and others 2 King 9.24 And him that
first three good years in his two next evil years and in his other years following them they are written by Shemaiah the Prophet and Iddo the Seer in their Book of Genealogies or Pedegrees or Histories of Kings and other great persons who were famous among the Israelites in those times Thus Rehoboam having reigned seventeen years and for the most part wickedly Abijah his Son reigned in his stead 1 King 12. from 1 to 25. 1 King 14. from 21 to the end 2 Chron. 10. whole Chapter 2 Chron. 11. wh Ch. 2 Chron. 12. wh Ch. The second King of Judah Abijah called also Abijam ABijah began to reign in the 18th year of Jeroboam and that was the first year of his reign the 19th of Jeroboam was the second year of his reign and the twentieth was his third and though in that year he died and Asa his Son succeeded him yet having reigned two years compleat and some part of the third year he is said to have reigned three years His mothers name was Maachah the daughter of Abishalom * 2 Chron. 13.2 she is called Michaiah the daughter of Uriel of Gibeah Some think she was the daughter of Tamar the only daughter of Absalom whose husband this Uriel of Gibeah was and so she was the daughter of Uriel and withal the daughter that is the Grandchild of Absalom And this seems the more probable because the mother of Absalom was call'd Maachah 2 Sam. 3.3 and he walked in all the sins of his Father For though Rehoboam and his Princes humbled themselves before the Lord upon the Preaching of Shemaiah when the King of Egypt made such a dangerous incursion into their land 2 Chron. 12.6 yet when that danger was over he soon returned to his former evil ways and this his Son likewise trod in his steps and his heart was not upright with the Lord as was the heart of David Nevertheless the Lord for his promise made to David 2 Sam. 7.16 did give him a lamp in Jerusalem that is continued his posterity to sit one after another upon his Throne and to reign in Kingly splendor and established Jerusalem in its former Political and Ecclesiastical state and preserved therein the true Religion because David did that which was right in the eyes of the Lord and turned not from any thing he commanded him all the days of his life save only in the matter of Vriah that is he did not fall into any heinous and enormous crimes whereby his profession was notoriously blemished all the days of his life save only in the matter of Vriah and the sins appendant thereunto There had been during the life of Rehoboam many bickerings between the two Kingdoms but now in the first year of Abijah's reign Jeroboam raised a vast army intending to fall upon Abijah in the infancy of his reign Abijah accordingly prepares as strong an Army as he could to resist him and defend his Kingdom The two Armies met in the field Abijah's army consisted of four hundred thousand valiant men which was a very great Army but Jeroboam's consisted of as many more viz. eight hundred thousand Both the Armies being drawn forth and set in battel-array the one against the other Abijah by his Herolds or messengers desired a Parley before the fight began or at least liberty to say somewhat to Jeroboam and his chief Commanders which being granted he betook himself to mount Zemaraim which is part of mount Ephraim as the fittest place from whence he might be heard and there spake to Jeroboam and his Commanders after this manner Hear me thou Jeroboam and all Israel Ought you not to know that the Lord gave the Kingdom over all Israel to David and his Sons for ever by a Covenant of Salt * As that which is salted does not use to perish or corrupt See Numb 18.19 that is by a lasting and never-failing Covenant †Hoc ex parte falsum erat Non enim Deus promisit se totam Israelem conservaturum in familia Davidis si ipsa descisseret Osiand by a perpetual Covenant not to be abrogated or annull'd yet Jeroboam the Son of Nebat the servant of Solomon is risen up and hath rebelled against his Lord and there are gathered to him a company of vain men children of Belial who by mutual agreement combined and strengthened themselves against Rehoboam when he first entred upon the Government being then unexperienced in matters of State (a) Yet Rehoboam was 41 years of age when he began to reign 1 King 14.21 and much more in warlike affairs having been bred up delicately in the peaceful reign of Solomon and being tender-hearted and soon daunted and wanting stoutness of spirit he could not withstand them and so like rebellious subjects they fell off from him And this is now your case But do you think to go on in this course and to withstand the Kingdom of the Lord in the hands of the Sons of David and with all your might and power to oppose it Indeed you are a great multitude and I perceive you have brought into your Camp the Golden Calves which Jeroboam hath made for you for Gods But do you think that these are able to help you you have cast off the Priests of the Lord the Sons of Aaron and the Levites and have made to your selves Priests after the manner of other Nations that have no stock or family among them to which the Priesthood is tyed and you in like manner choose whom you will to be Priests Whosoever cometh to consecrate himself for a Priest and bringeth a young bullock as was enjoined under the Law Exod. 29.1 and seven rams whereas the Law required but two at the most (b) Hypocrites can observe some rites prescribed by God but in external rites they often exceed Gods prescriptions See Numb 23. Exod. 29.15 19. he may be a Priest of your Idols that are no Gods But as for us the Lord is our God (a) This must be understood by their outward profession for Abijah's heart was not upright before the Lord 1 K. 15.3 and we have not forsaken him For the true Religion is openly professed among us and the true worship of the true God is incorruptibly maintained in the Temple And the Priests which minister unto the Lord for us are the Sons of Aaron and the Levites wait upon their business and do the services which in special belong to them And they burn unto the Lord every morning and evening burnt-offerings and sweet incense they also set the shew-bread upon the Golden Table (b) There were in the Temple ten Tables of Shew-bread and ten Golden Candlesticks by a Synecdoche the singular number may be here us'd for the Plural and they cause the lamps in the Golden Candlesticks to burn every evening For we observe those Ordinances the Lord hath given us in charge but you have forsaken him And behold God himself is with us for our Captain
Lord is with you while ye be with him and that while you walk in his ways he will not fail to bless you If ye seek him he will be found of you but if ye forsake him he will forsake you You may see a clear instance of this in the Kingdom of Israel who for above thirty years last past namely since their revolt under Jeroboam have lived without the publick pure worship of God not having his Priests to instruct them nor regarding his Law to direct them but if they would repent and return to God undoubtedly he would be ready to receive them into his favour again For in former times viz. the times of the Judges when the Israelites were in great trouble and under sore oppressions so that there was no peace to him that went out or came in but great vexations were upon all the inhabitants of those Countries and Nation was destroyed of Nation and City of City God vexing them with sore adversity yet even then when they did seek to the Lord and turn'd unto him he had mercy upon them and did afford them help and deliverance And so if the ten Tribes that have thus forsaken the Lord would turn to him he would surely have mercy upon them But whatever they do let me advise thee O King and thy subjects to go on courageously with the work of reformation begun by you and assure your selves that God will still be with you to bless you whilst you are for him When Asa heard these words together with the Prophesie of Oded the Father of this Azariah which it seems he declared unto him at this time and added it to his own exhortation Asa took courage and made a more diligent search throughout all his Kingdom and put away the remaining Idols that were found among them and that not only out of the land of Judah and Benjamin but out of the Cities which either his Father Abijam or he himself had taken about Mount Ephraim See 2 Chron. 13.19 17.2 And he renewed and repaired the Altar of the Lord that Solomon had built in the Priests Court which now by continual use was something decayed and he summoned all Judah and Benjamin and such of the ten Tribes as were within his Dominions for they fell to him out of Israel in abundance when they saw that the Lord so eminently blessed him and on the third month in the fifteenth year of his reign which was the 35th * For Rehoboam reigned 17 years Abijah 3 Asa 15 at this present since the Kingdom of Judah and Israel were divided 2 Chron. 15.19 he and his people offered unto the Lord of the spoils they had gotten seven hundred oxen and seven thousand sheep and entred into a Covenant to seek the Lord God of their Fathers with all their heart and all their soul and that whosoever should worship any false Gods either publickly or privately should be put to death according to the Law Deut. 17.2 c. And they sware unto the Lord with a loud voice and with shouting and with Trumpets and Cornets sounding And all Judah rejoiced at the Oath for they had sworn with all their heart and sought the Lord with their whole soul and he was found of them and heard their prayers and granted their desires accepted what they did and prospered their endeavours and he gave them rest round about There had been no war betwixt Israel and Judah in Asa's time till the 15th year of his reign * 2 Chron. 15.19 for There was no more war read there had been no war viz. betwixt Israel and Judah till the 15th year of Asa Bellum enim non fuerat usque ad annum trigessimum quintum regni Asae Tremel But now about the sixteenth year of Asa and 36th since the division of the Kingdoms Baasha King of Israel perceiving how potent Asa began to be and how fast the Israelites revolted to him and how they had all entred into a Covenant to serve the Lord he began to arm against them in the fourteenth year of his reign and from this time there was war between Baasha and Asa all their days 1 King 15.16 And Baasha having gotten Ramah which was one of the Cities of Benjamin from the King of Judah fearing the greatness of Asa and the revolt of the Israelites to him he resolved to fortifie it and put a Garrison into it that he might keep his own people from flying to him Asa to divert him from building and fortifying of Ramah takes out the silver and gold that were in the Treasures of the Temple and the Kings house and sent them to Benhadad King of Syria to hire him to break his League with Baasha King of Israel He represents to him that there was a League between Benhadad and him as there had been between their Fathers he desir'd him therefore to break the League he had with the King of Israel and to invade his Country that he might depart from him for he was come down to his very borders Doubtless for Asa to be so much afraid of the Israelites and to rob the Temple and therewith to hire an Infidel to break his Covenant with them and to make war upon them and that soon after God had given him so great a victory over that vast host of the Ethiopians Lubims Arabians and Philistines and had manifested so great a readiness to help him was a great sin Benhadad accordingly having received this present not regarding his faith or league made with the Israelites forthwith invaded and took many of their Cities Baasha upon this left off fortifying Ramah and went against Benhadad to defend his own Country †And afterwards when he had secured his own land he went and dwelt at Tirzah In the mean time Asa by Proclamation gathered together all that were able in Judah to go up to Ramah to demolish it and the men of Judah and Benjamin went up thither and fetched away the timber and stones that Baasha had provided to build and fortifie it with and Asa built therewith Geba and Mizpah * See Jer. 41.9 where we read of a pit that Asa had in Mizpah that continued unto the Captivity two Cities in the Tribe of Benjamin Hanani the Seer father of the Prophet Jehu 1 King 16. came hereupon to Asa and said to him Thou hast done ill to distrust the Lord and to relye on the King of Syria to deliver thee from Baasha For hadst thou suffered Benhadad to continue firm to his league with Baasha they both would have invaded thy land and thou shouldst have overcome them both as thou didst the great Army of the Ethiopians whereas now by making an agreement with Benhadad thou hast cut off that advantage from thy self and so his host is escaped out of thy hands Thou maist remember how God gave thee victory over that vast Army of the Ethiopians because thou didst relye on him For the eyes of the Lord
Idolatrous Ahab and curs'd Jezabel But O how often and how easily does interest of State and worldly policy make Religion truckle under it And the Kingdom felt the sad effects of this match not long after About the 17th year of his reign and the 22th of Ahab making his Son Jehoram Viceroy in his absence with a great train and as it seems accompanied with some troops of Souldiers he went down to Samaria to visit Ahab None of his Predecessors had ever done so before and for Jehoshaphat a worshipper of the true God to go down to such an Idolater as Ahab was may seem very strange But being come to Samaria Ahab entertained him and his followers very magnificently and killed sheep and oxen in abundance to feast them But had not the Lord been more merciful to Jehoshaphat than he was wise for himself he had paid dear for his entertainment for when he was there Ahab perswaded him to go up with him to fight against the Syrians and to take in Ramoth-Gilead where Jehoshaphat was in great danger and Ahab was killed as we may see more particularly in the life of Ahab When Jehoshaphat returned home the Prophet Jehu the Son of Hanani who reproved Asa 1 Chron. 16.7 met him and said to him Shouldst thou help the ungodly and love them that hate the Lord was it for thee to join thy self in such a strict league of friendship with such an Idolatrous wretch such an enemy to God and all goodness as Ahab was Therefore is wrath * Jehoshaphat soon felt the effects of this denunciation in that invasion of the Moabites and Ammonites which followed after 1 Chro. 20.1 and in the dissention that began at present among his own sons which was the seed of that horrible slaughter which his Eldest Son afterwards made of them 1 Chron. 21.4 coming upon thee from the Lord that is God is highly displeased with thee and hath determined to pour out his displeasure upon thee Nevertheless there are good things found in thee in that thou hast taken away the groves out of the land and hast prepared thine heart to seek the Lord therefore the Lord will deal gently with thee and even in judgment remember mercy Jehoshaphat being awakened with this reproof of the Prophet he went out and visited his Kingdom from Beersheba the South border to Mount Ephraim the North border thereof and reduced those who he understood had revolted from the Lord unto Idolatry false worship or wickedness of life and reformed what he found out of order among them He also set up Judges in all the fenced Cities of Judah and said to them Take heed what you do ye judg not for man that is meerly in the name and by the authority of man but for the Lord to whom ye must give account and who is with you in the judgment seeing all ye do and is ready to protect you if you judg uprightly and to punish you if you deal unjustly Wherefore let the fear of the Lord be upon you be afraid to do any thing that may offend him Take heed to your office and execute it justly and as you ought to do For there is no iniquity with the Lord our God neither will he favour it therefore let there be none in you God is no respecter of persons nor will be swayed with outward considerations nor will be bribed to do any thing that is unjust and therefore see that you imitate him therein Jehoshaphat had also an especial care over his great City Jerusalem to keep it in good order And therefore when he and those that attended him returned thither he there set up the high Court or Council call'd the Sanhedrin consisting of Levites Priests and the Elders of the people to which all appeals were to be made from inferiour Courts and to which all causes of difficulty were to be referred So that they were for the judgment of the Lord that is to judge in matters Ecclesiastical concerning which God had determined in his word what should be done and for controversies that is to judge in matters meerly civil And he charged them saying Thus shall ye do in the fear of the Lord faithfully and with an upright heart whatever cause shall come before you of your brethren between blood and blood that is between blood shed willingly and unwillingly and casually or between Law and commandment statute and judgment that is when each party shall pretend they have the Law on their side and so one shall alledge one Law and another another ye shall rightly interpret the Law to them and warn them that they trespass not against the Lord by wresting the Law to what it never intended If you do otherwise wrath from the Lord will come upon you and your brethren But if you rightly warn and direct the people ye shall not trespass therein either against God or your brethren And behold Amariah the chief Priest is over you in all matters of the Lord that is in all matters Ecclesiastical that concern Religion and the worship of God and Zebadiah the Son of Ishmael a chief ruler of the house of Judah is over you for all the Kings matters that is for all matters of State or controversies or pleas that concern the Crown and the Levites shall be Officers for you and ready to attend you and to carry your orders and directions unto others and to see them executed Lastly let me exhort you to do courageously and assure your selves the Lord shall be with the good and such as are careful and conscientious in the doing of their duties to assist and protect them and to bless their persons and endeavours About the 18th year of his reign there being no King in Edom 1 King 22.47 but only a Deputy set over them by the King of Judah Jehoshaphat took that advantage to build for himself a Fleet at Ezion-Geber which was in Edoms Territories to go to Tarshish and Ophir to fetch Gold Ahaziah the wicked Son of Ahab desired to go sharer with him in that Fleet and that his servants might go along with Jehoshaphats servants 1 King 22.49 At first Jehoshaphat refused it but afterwards as it seems upon Ahaziahs importunity consented to it See 2 Chron. 20.35 36. Thereupon the Prophet Eleazar came to him and reproved him for it and foretold him that his ships should be broken which accordingly so came to pass in the very Port of Ezion-Geber 2 Chron. 20. from v. 25 to the end Sometime after the Moabites and with them probably some of the Syrians and especially of the Edomites that dwelt on mount Seir. See v. 10. gathered together to invade Judea Possibly Jehoshaphat's late aiding Ahab in his wars against Syria gave occasion to this invasion Immediately Jehoshaphat was inform'd that a very formidable and great multitude was coming against him from the other side of the Dead Sea out of Syria * Syria must be here taken in a general and large
for us Isaiah bids them return this answer to Hezekiah Thus saith the Lord Be not afraid of the words which thou hast heard wherewith the servants of the King of Assyria have blasphemed behold I will send a blast upon him which shall blow him out of this land as the dust or chaff is blown before the wind and he shall hear a rumour of the destruction of a vast number of his Souldiers and Commanders in one night and shall return to Nineveh his chief City and there I will cause him to fall by the sword 2 King 18. from v. 13. to the end 2 King 19. from v. 1 to 8. Isai 36. whole Chapter Isai 37. from v. 1 to 8. Rabshakeh finding that he could neither threaten nor flatter the inhabitants of Jerusalem into a surrender leaving his Army before the City he went presently to Sennacherib whom he found risen from before Lachish and besieging Libna to inform him of the state of things at Jerusalem as also perhaps to confer with him about opposing Tirhakah King of Ethiopia who as he understood was now coming with his Army against them Sennacherib therefore that he might use all possible means to terrifie Hezekiah into a speedy surrender that so he might the better attend the motion of Tirhakah's Army he sends other messengers to him who brought a threatning message by word of mouth and spake to him after the same rate that Rabshakeh had done before they did not indeed mention the persidiousness of Egypt nor the weakness of Hezekiab's Army as Rabshakeh had done but understanding that Hezekiah relyed wholly on God therefore they endeavour to affright him from that confidence by telling him with what ill success other Nations had relyed on their gods instancing in Gozan and Haran Rezeph and the people of Eden all as 't is like regions of Mesopotamia and several other people and therefore they would have perswaded him that he had little reason to trust and relye on his God They also brought with them a blasphemous and threatning Letter from the King of Assyria which Hezekiah having received and read he went up to the Temple and there spread it before the Lord and poured forth unto him a most fervent prayer with many tears humbly and earnestly begging his help in this his great extremity He humbly intreats the Lord to take notice of and to revenge the horrible blasphemies of that daring wretch the King of Assyria against his great and glorious Majesty His prayer was after this manner O Lord of hosts God of Israel who dwellest between the Cherubims on the Mercy-seat and thence art wont to manifest thy gracious presence and thy power to thy poor people Thou art God even thou alone and all the Kingdoms of the earth are thine Thou hast made heaven and earth and all things therein are subject unto thee Incline thine ear O Lord and hear the blasphemous words of Sennacherib's Letter which I here present before thee and open thine eyes and see the blasphemies he hath written therein Hear I pray thee and take notice of all these blasphemous railings wherewith he hath blasphemed and reproached thee the living God Of a truth O Lord the Kings of Assyria have laid wast the Nations they warred against and have cast their gods into the fire for they were no gods but the works of mens hands wood and stone and therefore 't is no wonder they destroyed them But thou art the ever living and true God a God of infinite power and might Therefore we pray thee save us save us out of the hands of the King of Assyria that all the Kingdoms of the earth may know that thou art God and thou only Hezekiah having ended his prayer Isaiah sent unto him this message Thus saith the Lord God of Israel whereas thou hast prayed unto me against Sennacherib King of Assyria this is the word which I have spoken concerning him The virgin-daughter of Sion * The inhabitants of any City or Country are call'd the virgin-daughter of it because delicately and tenderly brought up by their mother as a virgin-daughter and because Jerusalem was fair beautiful and comely as a virgin useâ—h to be in regard of the Temple and other excellencies thereof shall (a) Isaiah Ch. 37.22 Hath despised thee Enallage temporis a praeterperfect Tense for a future despise and laugh thee to scorn O King of Assyria and shake her head at thee to wit when she shall see thine Army destroyed And consider O thou blasphemous wretch who it is whom thou hast reproached and blasphemed and against whom thou hast lifted up thine eyes so high and carried thy self so proudly is it not against the holy one of Israel By Rabshakeh and his companions thy servants thou hast reproached the Lord and hast said By the multitude of my Chariots am I come up to the heigth of the mountains as if thou shouldest have said the strongest places of the Kingdom have I subdued and passed through as a conquerour even those that seemed most inaccessible and am come to the sides of * From the famous Forrest of Lebanon Jerusalem is here call'd Lebanon by a Metaphor Lebanon that is to their chief City and strength the City of Jerusalem where the King his Nobles and Princes dwell are like tall cedars and firr-trees in Lebanon and will cut down the tall-cedars and the choice firr-trees thereof that is I will destroy the Nobles and Princes of Jerusalem and will enter into the lodgings of his border that is will possess my self of his frontier-Towns and will enter into the forrest of his Carmel or by an hypallage into the Carmel of his forrest that is his most excellent and pleasant hill viz. mount Sion on which the most pleasant objects in Jerusalem were seated Thou further sayest I have digged and drunk strange waters and with the soles of my feet have I dried up all the rivers of besieged places that is when I have come to places destitute of water even there have I digged up new fountains where none were before and where Cities have been invironed with great and deep waters no sooner have I set my foot there to besiege them but with the multitude of my Souldiers I have dried them up †Hereby an intimation is given that he laughed to scorn Hezekiah's policy in cutting off the waters about Jerusalem and in Thrasonical manner seems to boast that there was nothing he could not do by his own strength nor any places he could not subdue by his own power But though thou boastest so much of thy power in subduing Cities and Countries hast thou not heard that I the Lord of Heaven and Earth long ago contriv'd and determin'd what thou shouldst do viz. that thou shouldst lay wast defenced Cities and turn them into ruinous heaps see Isa 10.5 c. And accordingly I have now brought it to pass And thence it was that the inhabitants of those places were of so small
Nations that God had cast out before the children of Israel And moreover Manasseh shed much innocent blood viz. of the Prophets that condemned his wicked courses and of others that opposed his evil ways insomuch that he filled Jerusalem with such kind of slaughters And among others whom he put to death he caused the Prophet Isaiah to be sawn asunder with a wooden saw as the Babylonish Talmud Justin Martyr Jerome and others report who suppose so much may be gathered from Heb. 11.37 They were stoned they were sawn asunder were tempted were slain with the sword Manasseh being guilty of such high and great abominations God sent his Prophets * Thus merciful was God to send his Prophets both to Judah and Israel even in the worst of times to draw them from their impieties to him to declare that because he had done these abominable things which the Lord abhorred and had exceeded the very Amorites and worst of the heathens in their impieties whom God cast out of the land of Canaan for their sins and had made Judah to sin with his Idols therefore he would bring such evil upon Judah and Jerusalem that whosoever heard of it both his ears should tingle with the affrighting news thereof He would stretch over Jerusalem the line †That is the line of confusion as 't is Isa 34.11 whereby he would meet out what was to be pulled down And the plummet of the house of Ahab that is a line with a plummet at the end of it The Prophets in their similitudes have more respect to the things signified by their similitudes than to the things from which they take them and so it is here of Samaria and the plummet of the house of Ahab that is would deal with Jerusalem as he dealt with Samaria and with the house of Manasseh as he had dealt with the house of Ahab And he would wipe Jerusalem as a man wipeth a dish wiping it and turning it upside down that is would utterly overthrow the state of Jerusalem turning it upside down and would clear that City of all her wealth and of all her inhabitants and would forsake the remnant of his inheritance that is the two Tribes of Judah and Benjamin which only remained of the children of Israel in whom he did formerly delight as a man doth in his inheritance and would deliver them into the hands of their enemies and they should become a prey and spoil to them and all this because they had done that which was evil in his sight and had one generation after another provoked him to anger even ever since he first brought them out of Egypt 2 King 21. from 1 to 17. 2 Chron. 33. from 1 to 11. 2 King 24.3 4. The King of Assyria now sending fresh Colonies into the land of Israel and with them possibly some forces to settle them there it seems some of his chief Commanders with a party of Souldiers made a sudden inrode into the land of Judea with an intent to surprize Manasseh and they came so suddenly upon him that he was forced to fly and hide himself in some wood or thicket to save himself but thither they pursued him and took him and bound him with fetters and carried him prisoner to Babylon (a) So that it seems the King of Babylon was now King of Assyria When he was in this affliction he besought the Lord his God and humbled himself greatly (b) What the word of the Prophets could not do the rod of God did before him and prayed (c) There is a prayer of his set down in the Apocrypha but 't is doubtful whither it be his or no. earnestly unto him and the Lord was intreated of him and heard his supplication and brought him again to Jerusalem into his Kingdom whereby he was convinced that the Lord was the only true God For the Lord by his all-powerful providence so moved the heart of the King of Babylon that he was content to set him free upon condition that he would oppose the King of Egypt which may be the reason why Josiah some years after would needs fight against Pharoah Necho 2 Chron. 35.20 'T is probable that Manasseh's captivity lasted not long because 't is said 2 King 21.1 That he reigned fifty five years in Jerusalem and there is no mention there made of this his captivity After his return he took away the strange gods and the Idol out of the house of the Lord which himself had before set up and all the altars he had built in mount Moriah and in Jerusalem and cast them out of the City This is a good evidence of the truth of any mans repentance when he puts away those evils that formerly he had done with detestation Furthermore Manasseh repaired the Altar of the Lord and sacrificed thereon peace-offerings and thank-offerings and commanded Judah to serve the Lord. As by his example and command he had before caused them to sin so now by both he labours to reform them Yet the people did still sacrifice in the high places but to the Lord only They were brought to embrace the true Religion though they had still a mixture of will-worship with it Manasseh also fortified Jerusalem and other places and put Captains of war into all the fenced Cities of Judah So that he who was before a monster for all manner of evil and wickedness proved now a very commendable Prince so great and happy a change does true conversion make in men 2 Chron. 33. from 11 to 20. The Prophet Habakkuk The Prophesie of HABAKKUK seems about this time to have Prophesied for he speaks of the coming of the Chaldeans against Judah yet not so plainly of the captivity of the Jews in Babylon as Jeremy did Therefore 't is supposed he might be somewhat before him His Prophesie is called the burden * There are four Prophesies in the Volume of the lesser Prophets whose Prophesies are in whole or part called burdens viz. Nahum Habakkuk Malachi and Zachary which Habakkuk the Prophet did see that is his Prophesie was a burdensome Prophesie first to the Jews and then to the Chaldeans His Prophesie is set forth Dialogue-wise between the Prophet and God himself wherein the Prophet first as jealous of Gods honour complains of the extream wickedness of the Jews Ch. 1. from 1 to 5. 2ly We have Gods answer to this complaint wherein he declares that he will punish them by the Chaldeans whom he describes by their bitterness hastiness tyrannicalness and power to bear down all before them as the East-wind and by their pride and haughtiness upon their success robbing God of the glory due to him and ascribing it to their Idols from v. 5 to 12. 3ly We have the Prophets replication to Gods answer wherein he expresses his hope that the Jews should not perish by those threatned calamities grounding his hope on Gods Covenant power and providence and he hoped the Lord ordained the Chaldeans
resort so that in his reformation he spared neither the high places of great or small And the Priests of these high places he permitted not to offer sacrifice at the Altar in the Temple yet he permitted them to eat of the unleavened bread that is of the shew-bread and such provisions * Species hic Synecdochice ponitur pro genere q.d. participes erant omnium illorum quibus alii sacerdotes vesci poterant Tirinus as were allotted for the maintenance of the Priests Also he defiled Tophet an high place in the valley of the Son of Hinnon near Jerusalem Josh 15.8 by casting dead mens bones into it that none might hereafter sacrifice his Son to Molech in that place as they had us'd to do Moreover he took away the horses that had been nourished and kept to carry men with speed from the Gate of the house of the Lord †Equitabant ab ingressa Templi ad cameram Nathan-Melech vel ad suburbia Munster to the chamber or house of Nathan-Melech the Chamberlain which was in the suburbs of the City of David where they might see the Sun rise and so might worship it at its first appearing which was an Idolatrous practice of the Persians and it seems the Israelites had learned it from them And he burnt the Chariots wherein the worshippers of the Sun were carried by the help of those horses to see the Sun rise or perhaps the Idolatrous Israelites might set a glorious image of the Sun in one of those Chariots which at sometimes was drawn up and down by those horses for all sorts of people to see and adore And therefore he is said to have burnt the Chariots but to have taken away the horses Furthermore the Altars that were on the flat roof of an upper Chamber of Ahaz which possibly he made to sacrifice thereon to the Sun Moon and Stars see Jer. 19.13 Zeph. 1.4 5. And the Altars which Manasseh had made in the two Courts of the Lords house did he break to pieces For though Manasseh after his repentance did cast out of the City all the Idolatrous Altars that he had made see 2 Chron. 33.15 yet possibly Amon his Son might restore them to their places again and so they might have continued until now but Josiah now tumbleth them down breaks them to pieces and beats them to powder and casts the dust of them into the brook Kidron And the high places which were near Jerusalem on the right hand of the mount of corruption viz. Mount Olivet so called because it was so full of Idols in the days of Solomon * See 1 King 11.7 wherewith the people corrupted themselves Deut. 32.5 he defiled as he had done other high places before 'T is like those high places were defac'd by Asa or Jehoshaphat or Hezekiah but Amon might put them to those Idolatrous uses for which they were before erected and thereupon Josiah took occasion utterly to demolish them that they might never again be used for any such purpose Thus we see how zealously this good King endeavoured a thorough reformation by breaking in pieces Idolatrous Images and cutting down Idolatrous Groves and defiling those those places with dead mens bones that they might never be used for those purposes again 2 King 22. from 3 to the end Chap. 23. from 1 to the 15. 2 Chron. 34. from 8 to the end Josiah now proceeds further in his reformation even to the Cities of the Ten Tribes which he had any power over and first he went to Bethel where coming to the high-place which Jeroboam the first had there made and seeing many sepulchres in the mount of the Idolatrous Priests that had been there buried He undoubtedly by a special instinct from God caused their bones to be taken up and burnt them on that Altar and thereby polluted it according to the word of the Lord which the man of God spake 1 King 13.2 Who cried against that Altar in the word of the Lord and said O Altar Altar thus saith the Lord Behold a child shall be born unto the house of David Josiah by name and upon thee shall he offer the Priests of the high places that burn incense upon thee and mens bones shall be burnt upon thee Then looking about he saw an inscription upon a monument and inquiring what it signified the men of the City told him it was the sepulchre of the man of God who came from Judah and foretold that Josiah should do these things And the old Prophet that seduced him buried him in that sepulchre and gave order that he himself should be there buried also and that there should be an inscription made declaring that there the man of God was buried that when the time came that the things which he had prophesied should be fulfilled his sepulchre might hereby be known from the rest and so neither the bones of the man of God nor his own bones might be disturbed Josiah being satisfied by the inscription whose sepulchre it was he gave order that the bones of those two Prophets should not be disturbed and so the old Prophets desire was fulfilled see 1 King 13.31 32. Then he brake down the high place and the Altar and stampt it small to powder and burnt the Grove where the high place was Then he proceeded to the Cities of Manasseh Ephraim and Simeon even unto Naphtali and caused the Altars and graven Images to be broken down with mattocks and did unto them as he had done at Bethel And such Idolatrous Priests as he met with who sacrificed to false gods and opposed him in this reformation he slew upon their Altars and therein fulfilled what was long since prophesied 1 King 13.1 2. And Josiah took away all the abominations out of the Countries that belonged to the children of Israel over which he had power and caused all of them as much as he could to serve the Lord their God and all his days they departed not from following the Lord God of their Fathers 2 Chron. 34.33 Whereby it appears that though the Ten Tribes were carried away captive into Assyria yet there were some both of the Priests and people that either were left behind or return'd * Abeuntibus Assyriis multi profugi exules qui antea fuga alio alio dilapsi sunt ad suas sedes redierunt cum suis sacerdotibus ibi que ut ante idola sua coluerunt again into the land of Samaria It appears also that the greatest part of the Kingdom of Samaria was at this time under the power of Josiah which possibly the King of Babylon who set Manasseh at liberty might give him with his liberty on condition that he should defend his Territories against the Egyptians who began in those times with great power and success to oppose the Babylonians 2 King 23. from 15 to 21. 2 Chron. 34. from 4 to 8. In the same 18th year of his reign on the 14th day of the
Son Shallum having his name changed into Iehoahaz perhaps because of the ill fate of Shallum the Son of Iabesh King of Israel who reigned but one month and was murdered by Menahem 2 King 15.13 was anointed King by the people though he was the youngest of Iosiah's Sons either because he was best affected to the King of Babylon or most warlike and valiant and so most likely to defend them against Necho King of Egypt He was twenty three years old when he began to reign and reigned only three months He quickly fell to do that which was evil in the sight of the Lord and presently set up the Idolatry that his Father Iosiah had suppressed It seems he also grievously oppressed the people and therefore he is compared to a young lion which devoureth men Ezek. 19.2 3 4. The Prophet Ieremy is sent by the Lord to the new Kings Palace earnestly to exhort him and his Courtiers and all the people to repentance and amendment of their lives foretelling them that Shallum or Iehoahaz should be carried away captive into Egypt and bidding the people not to weep for him that is departed meaning Iosiah but for him that is to depart meaning Iehoahaz because he shall return no more to see his native soil Ier. 22. from 1 to 13. Pharoah Necho returning with victory from Charchemish where he vanquished the Babylonians was desirous to revenge the opposition he had received from Iosiah who sought to stop him in his passage through his Country and therefore making use of the dissention that was between Iehoahaz and Eliakim his Elder Brother and getting Iehoahaz or Shallum into his power he presently deposed him as if the Kingdom of Iudea had been at his diposal and set up his Eldest Brother Eliakim changing his name into Iehoiakim and then imposing upon the land a Tribute of an hundred talents of silver and one talent of gold he put Shallum or Iehoahaz into fetters at Riblah and carried him away with him prisoner into Egypt where he ended his life 2 King 23. from 30 to 36. 2 Chron. 36. from 1 to 5. The 18th that reigned in Judah JEHOIAKIM JEHOIAKIM was twenty five years old when he began to reign and reigned eleven years in Ierusalem He did that which was evil in the sight of the Lord being an Idolater and a cruel oppresser of the people and possibly the more out of revenge because they had preferred his younger brother before him his oppressions are notably set forth Ier. 22. from 13 to 20. and Ezek. 19. from 5 to 10. But herein he manifested the greatness of his impiety that when the Prophets denounced the judgments of God against him and his people for their evil ways he would not endure it but persecuted them for it as we shall shew afterwards He pays the King of Egypt the hundred talents of silver and one talent of gold which he had imposed upon him but he taxed the land for it and exacted it of the people 2 King 23.35 36 37. 2 Chron. 36. v. 5. In the beginning of his reign Ieremy was commanded by God to stand in the Court of the Temple and there to exhort the people assembled together out of all the Cities of Iudah to repentance it being then the Feast of Tabernacles Thus saith the Lord stand in the Court of the Lords house and speak unto all the Cities of Iudah which come to worship in the Lords house all the words that I command thee to speak unto them diminish not a word If so be they will hearken and turn every man from his evil way that I may repent me of the evil which I purpose to do unto them because of the evil of their doings and thou shalt say unto them Thus saith the Lord if ye will not hearken to me to walk in my Law which I have set before you to hearken to the words of my servants the Prophets whom I sent unto you rising up early and sending them * That is continually and carefully sending them a Metaphor taken from careful housholders who with the soonest seek to redress mischiefs causing their servants for that end to rise betimes then will I make this house like Shiloh and will make this City a curse to all the Nations of the earth So the Priests and the Prophets and all the people heard Ieremiah speaking these words in the house of the Lord. And it came to pass when Ieremiah had made an end of speaking all that the Lord had commanded him to speak unto the people the Priests and the Prophets and the people took him saying thou shalt surely die Why hast thou prophesied in the name of the Lord saying This house shall be like Shiloh and this City shall be desolate without an inhabitant And all the people were gathered against Jeremiah in the house of the Lord. When the Princes of Judah heard these things they came up from the Kings house unto the house of the Lord and sat down in the entry of the new gate of the Lords house to understand what the matter was Then spake the Priests and the Prophets unto the Princes and to all the people saying This man is worthy to die for he hath prophesied against this City and ye have heard it with your ears Then spake Jeremiah unto the Princes and to all the people saying The Lord sent me to prophesie against this house and against this City all the words that ye have heard Therefore now amend your ways and your doings and obey the voice of the Lord your God and the Lord will repent him of the evil he hath pronounced against you As for me behold I am in your hands do with me as seemeth good and meet unto you But know ye for certain that if ye put me to death ye shall surely bring innocent blood upon your selves and upon this City and upon the inhabitants thereof for of a truth the Lord hath sent me unto you to speak all these words in your ears Then said the Princes and the people unto the Priests and Prophets This man is not worthy to die for he hath spoken to us in the name of the Lord our God Then rose up certain of the Elders of the land and spake to all the assembly of the people saying Micah the Morasthite prophesied in the days of Hezekiah King of Judah and spake to all the people of Judah saying Thus saith the Lord of hosts Zion shall be plowed like a field and Jerusalem shall become heaps and the mountain of the house as the high places of the forrest Did Hezekiah King of Judah and all Judah put him at all to death did he not fear the Lord and besought the Lord and the Lord repented him of the evil which he had pronounced against them Therefore if we should proceed with that rigour you would have us against Jeremy we might procure great evil against our own souls Vriah also about the same time Prophesied against
my glorious Presence here and therefore they must not presume to come to up to it However the Lord chargeth him instantly to go down to them and to urge the same again upon them after which He himself should come up again and should bring Aaron (p) Aaron quoque advocari debibat ut sacerdotium ejus quoque divinitâ—s institutum Constaret Jans with him Exod. 19. whole Chapter SECT XIV THe Lord now with an audible Voice and with great Majesty and Terrour Proclaimed and Promulgated his Moral Law (q) Which nevertheless disanull'd not the promise of Grace made to Abraham 430 years before Gal. 3.17 or Ten Commandments containing the prime Dictates of Natural Reason the chief Rules of Piety towards God Equity towards our Neighbour and Sobriety Chastity and Temperance in the government our Selves (r) This Law is expresly call'd a Covenant with that people He declared unto you his Covenant says the Text which he commanded you to perform even Ten Commandments Deut. 4.13 and accordingly was reposed in the Ark hence as it seems named the Ark of the Covenant Deut. 10.2 He wrote upon the Tables the words of the Covenant the Ten Commandments Exod. 34.28 The end and design of these Precepts was to ground them in the true notions of Piety and Religion and to dispose them to the practice of universal Righteousness Our Saviour did not derogate from this Law but declared his intention only to expound it or to ampliate and extend it There is no Commandment herein howsoever accoding to its immediate sense seeming peculiar to that people which according to good analogy or parity of reason doth not concern us also And therefore 't is said Nehem. 9.13 Thou camest down upon Mount Sinai and gavest them right Judgments and true Laws good Statutes and Commandments And the Apostle Rom. 7.12 says The Law is holy the Commandment holy just and good We shall therefore set down these Laws particularly and give a short Paraphrase of them God spake all these words saying that is God Himself declared his own Mind and Will by a loud Voice distinctly audible and intelligible miraculously formed by himself Deut. 5.24 Behold say the people the Lord our God hath shewed us his Glory and his Greatness and we have heard his Voice out of the midst of the Fire we have seen this day that God doth talk with man and yet he liveth I am the Lord or I am Jehovah thy God which brought thee out of the Land of Egypt out of the House of Bondage I am Jehovah who indeed am what this my Name importeth the only true and real God Eternal Independent Indefectible in Essence I am that Jehovah to whose words upon all accounts thou owest Submission Attention and Obedience I am Thy God having chosen thee to be a peculiar people to my Self above all people that are upon the face of the Earth and who in pursuance of my singular Favour towards thee and of my Covenant made with thee have brought thee out of the Land of Egypt out of the House of Bondage I then being Jehovah the only true God and thy God by Covenant and particular Engagement do now propound my Will unto thee and upon all accounts of Reason Justice and Gratitude do require thy regard and observance of the Precepts I now intend to give thee I. Commandment Thou shalt have no other Gods before me THis Precept as most of the rest is Negative and Prohibitive but supposeth and implyeth some thing Affirmative and Positive as the rest may also be conceived to do It implies this Affirmative Precept Thou shalt have me for thy God and shalt Serve Worship and Love Me with all thy Heart Soul Mind and Might and shalt trust in Me as a Being endued with Attributes and Perfections superlatively excellent and thou shalt not own nor acknowledge any other for God besides Me. Take heed therefore of imitating them who acknowledge not nor Worship any God at all and such are Athiests or acknowledge and adore many Gods and such are Polytheists Take heed also of framing in your Minds any untrue Idea of Me disagreeable to my most excellent Being and infinite Perfections Take heed also of inordinately loving or relying upon any Creature and so making that your God II. Commandment Thou shalt not make unto thee any graven Image c. THe First Commandment determined the right and true Object of our Worship The Second directs and limits the manner of expressing and exercising it and forbids the manner practised by Heathens of Worshipping their false Gods by Images and Corporeal Shapes and Representations (s) To worship an Idol instead of God is Idolatry forbidden in the First Commandment When the true God is worshipped in or by an Image 't is Idolatry forbidden by the Second Inward Idolatry is opposed to the First Commandment and Outward to the Second We ought not to think says the Apostle Acts 17.29 that the Godhead is like unto Gold or Silver or Stone graven by art or man's device Most reasonable therefore is this Prohibition of making any resemblance of what kind soever by Picture Sculpture or Tusion to represent God or for Religious use (t) The civil use of Images is not forbidden but Images made and used for Divine Worship Neither are those Images only forbidden which are the Images of false Gods but of the true also Papists by worshipping Saints and Angels offend against the first Commandment By making Images of the Father Son and Holy Ghost and worshipping these Images or worshipping God by these Images they offend against the Second As for the Cherubim made by Solomon and the brasen Serpent by Moses they were made by God's special Command but not to be worshipped The Cherubim seem intended as an Emblem to represent the natures and services of the holy Angels and not any likeness of God they being full of zeal and always upon the Wing as it were and ready to obey God's Will The brasen Serpent was made not to be worshipped but as a Type of Christ and now Christ is come all Types are to vanish and to bow down or Prostrate our selves before it For there being but one true Object of our Worship the Eternal Invisible God whose glorious Excellencies infinitely transcend our Comprehension and consequently of whom we cannot devise any resemblance not infinitely beneath him unlike to him and unworthy of him It must needs be therefore a great prophaneness to pretend the representing Him by any Image Moses Deut. 4.15 reports to the people of the Jews the ground of this Prohibition Take good heed to your selves says he for ye saw no manner of similitude on the day that the Lord spake to you in Horeb out of the midst of the Fire lest you corrupt your selves and make you a graven Image No shape representing God did then appear at his uttering of these Laws to prevent their framing any resemblance of Him and practising this sort