him not when he came amongst them SECT. XXVIII The Covenant made with Israel They not sworne by it to the ten Commandements Exod. 24. VVHen Israel cannot indure to heare the ten Commandements given it was ready to conclude that they could much lesse keepe them Therefore God giveth Moses privately fifty seven precepts besides namely Ceremoniall and Judiciall to all which the people are the next morning after the giving of the ten Commandements sworne and entered into Covenant and these made them a Ceremoniall and singular people About which these things are observable 1. That they entred into Covenant to a written Law Chap. 24. 4. And Moses wrote all the words of the Lord c. Against tradions 2. That here was a booke written forty dayes before the writing of the two tables Against them that hold that the first letters that were seene in the world were the writing of God in those Tables And we have seene before also two pieces of writing before this of Moses viz. the 88. and 89. Psalmes And of equall antiquity with them or not much lesse was the penning of the booke of Iob most probably written by Elibu one of the Speakers in it as may be conjectured from Chap. 32. 15 16 17. and some other probabilitie 3. That this first Covenant was made with water and blood and figurative language For the twelve pillars that represented the people are called the people Exod. 24. 4. 8. As the words in the second Covenant this my body are to bee understood in such another sense 4. That the ten Commandements were not written in the book of that Covenant but onely those 57. precepts mentioned before For 1. The Lord giveth the other precepts because the people could not receive the ten for could they have received and observed those as they ought they must never have had any parcell of a Law more as if Adam had kept the Morall Law he had never needed to have heard of the promise and so if we could but receive the same Law as we should we had never needed the Gospell Now it is most unlike that since God gave them those other commands because they could not receive the ten that hee would mingle the ten and them together in the Covenant 2. It is not imaginable that God would ever cause a people to sweare to the performance of a Law which they could not indure so much as to heare 3. The ten Commandements needed not to be read by Moses to the people seeing they had all heard them from the mouth of the Lord but the day before 4. Had they beene written and laid up in this booke what necessitie had there beene of their writing and laying up in the Tables of stone 5. Had Moses read the ten Commandements in the beginning of his booke why should he repeate some of them againe at the latter end as Exod. 23. 12. Let such ruminate upon this which hold and maintaine that the Sabbath as it standeth in the fourth Commandement is only the Jewish Sabbath and consequently Ceremouiall And let those good men that have stood for the day of the Lord against the other consider whether they have not lost ground in granting that the fourth Commandement instituted the Jewish Sabbath For First The Jewes were not sworne to the Decalogue at all and so not the Sabbath as it standeth there but onely to the fifty seven precepts written in Moses his booke and to the Sabbath as it was there Exod. 23. 12. Secondly The end of the Ceremoniall Sabbath of the Jewes was in remembrance of their delivery out of Aegypt Deut. 5. 15. but the morall Sabbath of the two Tables is in commemoration of Gods resting from the workes of the Creation Exod. 20. 10. 11. SECT. XXIX The punishment of Israel for the golden Calse Exod. 32. ISRAEL cannot be so long without Moses as Moses can be without meate The fire still burneth on the top of mount Sinai out of which they had so lately received the Law and yet so suddainely doe they breake the greatest Commandement of that Law to extremity of Aegyptian Jewels they make an Aegyptian Idol because thinking Moses had beene lost they intended to returne for Aegypt Grievous was the sinne for which they must looke for grievous punishment which lighted upon them in divers kinds First the Cloud of Glory their divine conductor departeth from the campe which was now become prophane and uncleane Secondly the Tables Moses breaketh before their face as shewing them most unworthy of the Covenant Thirdly The building of the Tabernacle the evidence that God would dwell among them is adjourned and put off for now they had made themselves unworthy Fourthly for this sinne God gave them up to worship all the host of heaven Act. 7. 42. Fifthly Moses bruiseth the Calâ—e to Powder and straweth it upon the waters and maketh the People drinke Here spirituall fornication commeth under the same tryall that carnall did Num. 5. 24. These that were guilty of this Idolatry the water thus drâ—nke made their belly to swell and to give a visible signe and token of their guilt then setteth Moses the Levites to slay every one whose bellies they found thus swelled which thing they did with that zeale and sincerity that they spared neither Father nor Brother of their owne if they found him guilty In this slaughter there fell about three thousand these were ring-leaders and chiefe agents in this abomination and therefore made thus exemplary in their punishment upon the rest of the People the Lord sent a Plague vers. 35. Aâ—ron had first felt the smart in this destruction had his action in this businesse beene as voluntary as was theirs but what hee did hee did in feare of his life SECT. XXX That Moses fasted three Fasts of forty dayes apeece IT is a doubt of no small import Why seeing it pleased God to appoint the Feast of expiation the solemne Feast of Humiliation in that moneth of the yeare in which sinne entred into the World why he also did not appoint it upon the same day in which sinne entred viz. the sixth day of the moneth but on the tenth The reason of this is to be found out by observing Moses his Fasts in the mount and the conclusion of the last of them That he fasted thrice forty dayes is not so frequently observed as it easily may be concluded from his owne words The first Fast in Exod. 24. 18. And Moses was in the mountaine forty dayes and forty nights At the end of these dayes they made the golden Calfe The second Fast Exod. 32. 30 31. It came to passe on the morrow that Moses said unto the People Ye have sinned a great sinâ—e and now I will goe up into the mount c. and Moses returned unto the Lord c. which he explaineth Deut. 9. 18. I fell downâ— before the Lord as at the first forty dayes and forty nights c. The third Fast when he goeth
women for they are lively c. These words of theirs proceeded from the same faith from whence had proceeded their work of charity the childrens preservation And so farre are they from being a lye that they are so glorious a confession of their faith in God that we finde not many that have gone beyond it And the things they spake of so farre from false that they were most admirably and miraculously true and really done They saw in very deede the immediate hand and helpe of God plainely and really shewed to the Hebrew women in their labour and that whereas other women naturally in that case are weake fainting and long in paine these were strong lively and soone delivered For as the strength of the promise shewed it selfe in the Males of Israel in that the more they were pressed under servitude afflicted the more were they able for generation vers. 2. Act. 7. 17. So did the strength of the promise shew it selfe upon the women in that they were delivered of their children with a supernaturall and extraordinary ease and quicknesse Therefore the Midwives boldly stand out to Pharaoh to the venture of a Martyrdome and plainely tell him that since they were not in travell as other women but lively and strong and had soone done it could bee nothing but the immediate hand of God with them which hand they are resolved they will not oppose for all his command lest they should be found to fight against God For this confession so resolutely and gloriously made before Pharaoh and for their fact answerable God made them houses because they feared him vers. 21. that is married them into the Congregation of Israel and built up Israelitish Families by them SECT. IV. Moses his birth supernaturall Exod. 2. 2. MOSES was borne when his mother by the course of nature was past child-bearing For if Levi begat Jochebed at an hundred yeeres old which is hardly to be conceived as Gen. 17. 17. yet is Jochebed within two of fourescore when she bare Moses But it was more then probable that she was borne long before Levi was an hundred unlesse we will have Levi to be above halfe a hundred yeares childlesse betwlxt the birth of Merari and Jochebed And thus the birth of Moses was one degree more miraculous then the miraculous and supernaturall birth of the other children of the Hebrew Women and so was his brother Aarons not much lesse wondrous Shee then having a goodly childe at so great an age saw the speciall hand of God in it and therefore labours his preservation against Pharaohs decree for by Faith she knew he would be preserved for some speciall instrument of Gods glory but the manner of his preservation she knew not yet SECT. V. Our Saviours allegation of Exod. 3. 6. in Luk. 20. 37. cleared MOSES in Midian under the retirednesse of a Pastorall life giveth himselfe unto contemplation of divine things in one of those raptures God himselfe appeareth visibly to him in deed and that in a flaming fire now he is about to performe the promise as he appreared to Abraham when he made it and it came to passe when the Sunne went downe and it was darke behold a smoaking furnace and a burning Lampe that passed betweene those peeces In the same day the Lord made a Covenant with Abraham Gen. 15. 17 18. The words which Christ here useth to Moses in the bush he urgeth againe to the Jewes whereby to evince the Resurrection Luk. 20. 37. And that the dead are raised even Moses shewed at the bush when he calleth the Lord the God of Abraham the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob for he is not a God of the dead but of the living which words indeed doe inferre the resurrection as they lie in themselves but farre more clearely if they be laid to and compared with the Jewes owne doctrine and position Rabbi Simeon Ben Joâ—hai saith the holy blessed God nameth not his name on the righteous in their life but after their death as it is said to the Saints that are in the earth Psal. 16. 3. When are they Saints when they are laid in the earth For all the dayes that they live the holy blessed God joyneth not his name to them And why because the holy blessed God trusteth them not that evill affections will not make them to erre but when they be dead the holy blessed God nameth his name upon them But behold we find that he nameth his name on Isaack the righteous whilst he liveth for so he saith to Iacob I am the Lord God of Abraham thy father and the God of Isaac Rabbi Barachiah and our Doctors our Doctors say He saw his dust as it was gathered upon the Altar and Rabbi Barachiah saith since he was blind of his eyes he is reputed as dead because he was shut up in the midst of the house Rabbi Tanch in Gen. 28. Rabbi Menahem in Exod. 3. SECT. VI The power of Miracles Habbak 3. 2. Acts 19. 2. explained THe gift of Prophecie or Foretelling things to come had beene in the Church since the fall of Adam and now are Miracles added because of unbeliefe For observe that when Moses saith Behold they will not beleeve the Lord immediatly answer What is that in thine hand This double facultie being given here to Moses the first Prophet of the Church of Israel it also descended to a succession of Prophets in that Congregation from time to time But with this excellent gift it was also given Moses himselfe to know and so likewise them that did succeed that they had this double power not from themselves but from another Moses his stammering tongue taught himselfe and them so much for Prophecie and his leprous hand taught so much for Miracles This succession of Prophets began from Samuel and ended in the death of Christ Acts 3. 24. Not that there were not Prophets betwixt Moses and Samuel but because they were not expressed by name as also because vision in that space of time was exceeding rare 1 Sam. 3. 1. Now from the beginning of the rule of Samuel to the beginning of the captivitie in Babel were foure hundred and ninetie yeares and from the end of that captivitie to the end of Christs life upon earth were foure hundred and ninetie yeares more The seventie yeares of captivitie betweene which were the seventh part of either of these two Numbers that lay on either side are called by Habbakkuk The middest of yeares namely from the beginning of Prophecie in Samuel to the sealing of Prophecy in the death of Christ Revive thy worke in the midst of the yeares in the midst of the yeares make knowne Then was it justly to be feared that the spirit of Prophecy would quite have ceased from Israel when they were captived among the Heathen This made the Prophet to pray so earnestly that God would preserve alive or revive his worke of Miracles in the middest of yeares and in those
13. was the Passeover Supper and that Judas stayed not the Sacrament of the Lords Supper for that our Saviour having dipped a sop into the bitter or sowre sawce which they used to the Paschall Lambe and given it to him Satan with it entring into him he packed him away with What thou doest doe quickly An opinion mistaken in the ground-worke that it builds upon and consequently in the structure built upon it For that that was no passeover at all the Evangelist maketh it most plaine in ver. 1. when he saith it was before the Feast of the Passeover and Matthen in Chap. 26. 2. telleth it was two dayes before and indeed two miles from Jerusalem namely in Betbany The serious Harmonizing of the foure Evangelists together at this place will make this most cleare Secondly if then it were not the Passeover Supper there can be no Paschall Lambe looked for at it nor no Haroseth or sawce of bitter herbes to eate it with but the meate that they were then eating and the sawce in which our Saviour dipped the sop was ordinary meate and ordinary sawce Thirdly Judas when he was packed away with his Quod facis fac cito went not from Jerusalem to Gâ—thsemani where Christ was apprehended by him on the Passeover night but he went from Beâ—hany to Jerusalem to bargaine with the chiefe Priâ—st for his betraying which when he had done he returned to Beâ—hany againe SECT. XX Borrowing Aegyptian Jewels Exod. 12. 35 36. IT may be equally questionable whether Israel shewed lesse honesty in borrowing what they meant not to restore or Aegypt lesse wisedome in lending what they knew would not be restored For the first it is easily answered that they had the expresse warrant of God who cannot command unrighteousnesse and whom to obey in all things is piety The second is as easily resolved thus that Idolaters in the worship of their Idols used to decke themselves with Jewels and Eare-rings and fine things thereby to make them as they thought the more acceptable to their fine decked deity So doe the Aegyptians now conceive of Israel that seeing they desired these their fine knacks being now going to sacrifice they intended to sacrifice to the Aegyptian gods as they had done heretofore and they thought sure there can be no danger of departing the Land because they still adhere to our Religion For Moses had but still spoken of going but three dayes journey into the Wildernesse to worship SECT. XXI Rameses and Succoth ver. 37. THe most famous of the Deities of Aegypt was their Goddesse Isis mentioned in all Heathen Authours of her doth the last syllable in Raam-ses and Rame-ses seeme to sound as being Townes that bare the name of this Goddesse and importing the Towne or Temple or some such thing of Isis. For that which the Aegyptians called Ses or Sis other languages in pronouncing would augment with a vowell before for so was it ordinary Aegypt at home was called Cophti but forainers did call it Esophti and so it came to be Egypti So the Sea that lay among the Gentiles of Greece was in Hebrew Mare Goiim the Sea of the Gentiles but other Nations would put E before and so it came to be called EGoiim or EGaeum The Syrian and Arabicke Testaments and the writing of Jewish Authors are full of examples of this nature Succoth is held to have beene so called because Israel here lodged and pitched their tents in their March out of Aegypt but they marched too much in suspition of Pharaohs pursuit to settle a Campe and to pitch tents so neere him But it rather seemeth to have taken denomination from the cloud of glory comming upon them in this place which was as a covering to them Psal. 105. 39. This their Divine conducter stayed with them till Moses death save that it was taken up for a while because of the golden calfe at Moses death it departed from them for when they are to march through Jordan the Arke is to lead the way which while the cloud was with them it never did but went in the body and very heate of the Army As the cloud departed at the death of Moses the first Prophet so is it restored and seene apparently at the sealing of the great Prophet Luk. 9. 30. SECT. XXII The decree at Marab Exod. 15 25. SHam Sam lo hhok umishpat There he set a decree and a judgement for them God is beginning now to compose and platforme the people into a setled policy which while they were under the feare and danger of Pbaraoh could not be done And here he passeth a decree and judgement upon them what they must looke for in the wildernesse according to their dealing with him If they will diligently hearken to his words c. he will heale and keepe them free from diseases as he healed those brackish waters and of bitter had made them sweet but if otherwise they must expect accordingly Those that have obscured this place by questioning whether this Ordinance at Marah were for the Sabbath or for the red Cow or for the tryall of the suspected Wife or for the dimensum of their diet in the Wildernesse have made obscurity where there is none at all and have supposed this to have beene an Ordinance whereafter Israel was to walke whereas it was rather a decree whereafter God would deale with them according to their walking And answerably seeme the latter words Vesham Nissahu to beare this sense for there he had tryed them The word Hhok is taken in a signification agreeable to this Psal. 2. 7. I declare it for a decree that since the Lord hath said unto me Thou art my Sonne c. That therefore ye Kings and Potentates c. submit to the obedience of him or else his anger will shortly kindle c. SECT. XXIII That this story of Jethro is misplaced and why THat this story is misplaced is plaine by these things First Jethro Moses father in Law tooke a burnt offering and sacrifices for God ver. 12. Secondly Now on the morrow Moses sate to judge the people vers. 13. and made them know the Statutes of God and his Lawes vers. 16. But as the story lyeth here there was no Tabernacle nor Altar for Sacrifice yet built Neither as yet did Moses know the Statutes and Lawes of God himselfe for as yet they are not come to Sinai Thirdly Moses himselfe telleth that the choosing of Judges and Elders which was done upon Jethroes Counsell was not till their departing from Sinai The Lord your God spake unto us in Horeb saying You have dwelt long enough in this mountaine c. And I spake unto you at that time sâ—ying I am not able to beare you my selfe alone c. Deut. 1. from vers. 7. to 19. So that this story should lye at the 10 of Numbers and come in betwixt the tenth and eleventh verses of that chapter and the story to be conceived thus When Moses had received all the
Lawes which God would give him at Sinai from Exod. 20. to the Law of the silver Trumpets which was the last Num. 10. then came Jetbro and brought Moses wife and children and seeing him toyling in judgement he adviseth him to chuse Judges to ease him which being done ere long the cloud removed and they must flit from Sinai ver. 11. When they are ranked to march Moses desireth Hobab or Jethro his Father in Law to goe along with him which he denyeth but returneth to his owne Country Num. 10. 29 30. 31 32. compared with the last verse of this Chapter Thus lyeth the order of the story Now the reason why it is misplaced is this In the last verse of the preceding Chapter there is a perpetuall curse decreed against Amalek The Lord hath sworne that the Lord will have warre with Amalek from generation to generation Now the Midianites and Amalekites lived so promiscuously together that they were as one people and the Kenites or the family of Jethro dwelt in the midst of them 1 Sam. 15. 6. Therefore that it might be observed that Jethro fell not under that curse of Amalek Moses bringeth him in comming to the Campe of Israel and to God as soone as ever the curse is uttered that every eye might presently observe that Jethro was exempted from it Object But Moses and Israel by this account lay almost a twelve moneth at Sinai before his wife and children came at him and can this be thought that they should be so unnaturall one to another Answer This was Moses his doing not of unnaturalnesse but piety to restraine their comming till his great taske of receiving and giving the Law and building the Tabernacle was over Letters and Viâ—its passed betwixt them there is no doubt and they kept at distance thus by consent for a season That letters passed may be collected from vers 6. 7. And Jethro Moses Father in law said unto Moses I Jethro thy Vather in law come to thee And Moses went out to meete his Father in law Jethro said not thus to Moses his face I am come to thee For then why or how upon this tidings could Moses goe forth to meete him when they spake face to face already Nor could this speech be delivered by a messenger for it had beene an improper and senselesse speech of a messenger to say I Jethro come to thee but this Jethro himselfe telleth Moses by letter before he commeth at him whereupon Moses goeth forth to meete him SECT. XXIIII Israels march from Rephidim to Sinai Saint Paul explained 1 Cor. 10. 4. Quest HOw can it be said that they departed from Rephidim and came to Sinai whereas Rephidim and Sinai were all one For every one knoweth that the mountaine whereon the Law was given is called Horeb and Sinai indifferently as Exod. 19. 18. compared with Malach. 4. 4. Now when they were at Rephidim chap. 17. 1. they were at Horeb vers. 2. So that to goe from Rephidim to Sinai is to goe from Horeb to Horeb. Answ. The hill on which the Law was given had indeed two names and as Bellonius saith two tops the one side of it was called Horeb from the rocky drought of it being utterly devoid of water The other side was called Sinai from the bushes and brambles that grew upon it in one of which Moses saw the Lord in a flame of fire if so be it tooke not the name from Sini the sonne of Canaan Gen. 10. Now when Israel lay at Rephidim they lay upon Horeb side and there out of the droughty rocke Moses mâ—raculously bringeth forth water Their march from Rephidim is at the skirts of the hill from Horeb to Sinai side of the mountaine And in the same sense is Paul to be understood 1 Cor. 10. 4. They dranke of the Rocke that followed them Not that the Rocke stirred and went along with them but that the water which miraculously gushed out of the one side of the hill Horeb ran along with them as they marched at the foot of the hill till they came to the other side of the hill Sinai And so is Moses himselfe to be understood I cast the dust of the golden Calfe into the brooke that descended out of the Mount Deut. 9. 21. Not that the brooke gushed out of the mount on that side on which the Calfe was erected but on the other and at the skirt of the hill came running to that SECT. XXV The Station and Posture of Israel before Sinai Exod. 19. ON the first day of the moneth Sivan which was towards the middle of our May in the yeare of the world 2513. they come from Rephidim to Sinai and pitch in their maine body more especially on the South and South East side of the Mount See Deut. 33. 2. and compare the situation of Sâ—ir in the point of the Compasse In three parts or squadrons did their Campe sit downe before it 1. Next to the hill pitched the Elders or 70. heads of the chiefe families which had gone into Aegypt these are called the house of Jacob Vers. 3. as Gen. 46. 27. 2. Next behind them pitched the people in their maine body consisting of so many hundred thousands these are called the children of Israel Vers. 3. And this distinction is observed Vers. 7. 8. And Moses called the Elders c. And all the people answered 3. On the outside of all lay the mixed multitude or the Aegyptians that had joyned to them and came out with them On the second day of the moneth and of their arrivall there Moses goeth up into the mountaine being called up by the Lord Vers. 3. and when he commeth downe telleth the people the words of the Lord Vers. 5. If yee will heare my voyce indeed and keepe my Covenant yee shall be my peculiar people To which the people even before they know what the Commandements of the Lord would be do promise to obey and hearken not by rash undertaking to performe they knew not what as some have beene bold to taxe them nor yet presuming upon their owne abilitie to keepe the Law as others have concluded upon them but having been trained up from their infancy and instructed in the doctrine of Faith they piously conclude when God commeth to give them a Law and to make a covenant with them that God would not crosse himselfe in the Doctrine of salvation but that the Law that hee would now give them should be a Law conducing and leading to Faith still a Schoolemaster to Christ and not an extinguisher of the doctrine of salvation by him On the third day of the moneth Moses goeth up into the mountaine againe Vers. 9. and is charged to sanctifie the people which accordingly is done on that day and on the fourth and fifth and on the sixth day in the morning the ten Commandements are given SECT. XXVI The Iewes Tenet concerning the Law Talm. in Maccoth Rab. Abhuhahh Ner. 1. THe whole Law say they was given