taken prisoners in this battel for hereby he taught them at first how unable they were in themselves to conquer those nations that so they might learn to trust in God and not in themselves If one king thus prevailed over them how should they be able to destroy all the inhabitans of the land combining themselves together if the Lord should not assist them Vers 2. And Israel vowed a vow unto the Lord c. That is the Israelites intending to renew the battel and again once more to set upon Arad and his army called upon God for help and vowed to devote unto him their enemies and all their cities that is utterly to destroy them If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand then I will utterly destroy their cities for when things were thus devoted the persons were killed the cities burnt and the goods confiscate to the Lord so that nothing was reserved for their own private use as is noted upon Levit. 27. 28. and this was a vow agreeable to Gods law Exod. 23. 32. Thou shalt make no covenant with them nor with their gods Vers 3. And the Lord hearkened to the voice of Israel and delivered up the Canaanites That is this army of Arad whom in a second battel after this vow they vanquished and destroyed And they utterly destroyed them and their cities and he called the name of that place Hormah But how could they being so farre off in the wildernesse destroy their cities lying within Canaan surely had Moses at this time entred Canaan in the pursuit of Arad he would not have fallen back again into the deserts It seemeth therefore that the accomplishment of this vow was performed long after to wit by the men of Judah and Simeon when they were come into the land of Canaan as is expressed Judg. 1. 17. And Judah went with Simeon his brother and they slew the Canaanites that inhabited Zephath and utterly destroyed it and the name of the citie was called Hormah so that this clause was here inserted either by Mosesprophetically or by some other holy man afterwards Vers 4. And they journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the red sea c. That is they went from Hor Eastward a way that led to the red sea which lay North and South the common rode from Gilead and Moab to Eziongaber c. and so crossing that way they passed on to Zalmonah and so turning then Northward to Punon as is expressed Numb 33. 41 42. and here it seems it was that the Israelites were punished with fiery serpents And the soul of the people was much discouragâ—d because of the way That is because they were led a great way about through a desert full of wants and difficulties and that the rather because now they began to think puffed up with their late victory that it had been easie for them to have forced a passage the nearest way Vers 5. And the people spake against God and against Moses c. And so tempted Christ 1. Cor. 10. 9. Neither let us tempt Christ as some of them also tempted and were destroyed of serpents Vers 6. And the Lord sent fiery serâ—ents among the people c. So called because their venemous biting did cause a grievous burning in the bodies of the Israelites It may seem that they were a kind of serpents with wings that so flying amongst them did here and there seise upon them and bite them such as the prophet speaks of Esa 14. 29. Out of the serpents root shall come forth a cockatrice and his fruit shall be a fiery flying serpent The word in the originall is Seraphin that is Burners the very same name whereby the Angels are called Esa 6. 2. because of their burning zeal for Gods glory The wildernesse through which the Israelites now went did abound with many sorts of these serpents and therefore it is called that great and terrible wildernesse wherein were fiery serpents and scorpions Deut. 8. 15. onely God had hitherto kept them from hurting his people till now for their sinne he gave them power to bite and kill them and indeed the punishment was just according to their sinne for now God gave them just cause to complain of thirst and with the venemous biting of fiery serpents he punished their virulent tongues to whom that might well be applyed which the Psalmist speaks Psal 140. 3. They have sharpened their tongues as a serpent adders poison is under their lips Vers 8. Make thee a fiery serpent and set it upon a pole c. This was the way which the Lord prescribed for the curing of the Israelites that were bitten with fiery serpents namely that Moses should make a fiery serpent that is a figure or representation of those fiery serpents wherewith they were stung and that of brasse as we may see in the following verse the better to represent their fiery quality because brasse is of a fiery colour and therefore it is said of the Cherubims that Ezekiel saw in a vision Ezek. 1. 7. that they sparkled like the colour of burnished brasse and then set it upon a pole to the end that it might be seen from every quarter of the camp so that every man that was stung with the fiery serpents might look upon this brasen serpent and thereby might be healed Now this way of cure the Lord prescribed for two reasons first because this being no naturall way of cure did the better discover that it was of Gods mercy and secondly that it might be a type of Christ and our redemption by him John 3. 14 15. As Moses lifted up the serpent in the wildernesse even so must the sonne of man be lifted up That whosoever believeth in him should not perish but have eternall life For first as the Israelites were bitten with fiery serpents and that biting was mortall and deadly so was all mankind in our parents mortally stung and bitten by Satan that old serpent Rev. 12. 9. so that their whole nature is envenomed with sinne as a deadly poison and as it were set on fire of hell as S. James speaks of the tongue in particular James â— 6 8. and that so that without some way of recovery they must needs perish everlastingly By one man sinne entred into the world and death by sinne Rom. 5. 12. and the sting of death is sinne saith the same Apostle 1. Cor. 15. 56. Secondly as the brazen serpent which Moses made for the cure of the Israelites had the outward form of those fiery serpents yet had not the poyson of those serpents in it so Christ came in the likenesse of sinnefull flesh Rom. 8. 3. and yet was without sinne Thirdly as the brazen serpent was lifted upon a pole that when any man was stung with the fiery serpents he might lift up his eyes and look upon it so Christ was lifted upon the crosse to the end he might save death-stung sinners or rather so was Christ lifted up and held forth
yet therefore in their fathers house but others understand it of the husbands of other daughters of his that were already married into the city which seems best to agree with the text But if so then we must farther consider though his sonnes in law are here onely mentioned as the heads of the families yet their wives if living were also spoken to And hence it may seem was Lots lingring that he should leave his children to be destroyed and the Angels command vers 15. Take thy two daughters that are here intimating that he might not wait for the other that were not there Vers 17. And it came to passe c. that he said c. To wit one of the Angels to whom Lot therefore afterward directs his speech in the singular number because it was he that had given him the charge of flying to the mountain Look not behind thee This was enjoyned Lot 1. thereby to expresse how detestable the inhabitants of Sodom were a people hated of God and unworthy of the commiseration of good men for whom it was not fit he should take the least thought or care 2. To teach him hereby that he was so to be affected with Gods meâ—cy in delivering him from that wicked cursed place and the judgement that was now to fall upon them that he was not to mind nor regard his house cattel or whatever other riches he was to leave behind or in the least degree to repent of his coming away and accordingly is the very same phrase used Luke 9. 62. No man having put his hand to the plow and looking back is fit for the kingdome of God 3. To intimate with what speed they were to haste away not to hinder their flight so much as by looking back upon the city Vers 19. And I cannot escape to the mountain c. Because the mountain was so farre off he fears lest ere he could get thither the destruction should be poured forth and he should be overtaken in it and therefore desires that Zoar might be the place of refuge for him which was nearer at hand Vers 21. And he said unto him See I have accepted thee concerning this thing The Angel not without Gods direction undoubtedly yields to the weaknesse of his faith and grants his request but as God doth usually grant his servants those requests which he doth not approve of that they may by their own experience see their folly and that it is still better for them to follow his direction for thus it was with Lot who afterwards vers 30. feared to dwell in Zoar and then therefore found that he had done best it at first he had followed the angels counsel in flying to the mountain Vers 22. Therefore the name of the city was called Zoar. Which signifies little before it was called Bela chap. 14. 2. And the king of Bela which is Zoar. Vers 23. The sunne was risen upon the eartâ— c. This I conceive is thus expressed 1. To shew how narrowly Lot escaped the destruction that fell upon the Sodomites It was break of day when the Angels hastened him and his to get them out of Sodom vers 15. And when the morning arose then the Angels hastened Lot saying Arise c. and by that time the sunne was risen the judgement threatned fell upon Sodom whereby no doubt Lot was brought to see and acknowledge both his own folly in lingring so long and the goodnesse of God in forcing him away and not suffering him to stay there any longer and 2. to make it the more manifest that this judgement was extraordinary and supernaturall and how suddenly the inhabitants of these wicked cities were overwhelmed with the storm of Gods fiery indignation without any warning given them when doubtlesse they had not the least fear of any such mischief that was coming upon them The sunne rose as fairly that day as upon other dayes and yet presently a showr of fire and brimstone fell upon them and consumed them all Vers 24. Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah c. Sodom and Gomorrah are here mentioned as the chief but withall Admah and Zeboiim were also destroyed Deut. 29. 23. Like the overthrow of Sodom and Gomorrah Admah and Zeboiim which the Lord overthrew in his anger c. Now from the Lord is here added in the end of this clause Then the Lord rained upon Sodom and upon Gomorrah brimstone and fire from the Lord the more emphatically to expresse that it was not by any ordinary course of nature but by the immediate almighty power of God And doubtlesse it was the supernaturall and miraculous work of the Lord and not from any naturall cause that such showers not of water as when the old world was drowned but of fire and brimstone should fall from heaven upon these cities who did therein fit the punishment to the sinnes of those that were destroyed thereby They burned vvith vild and unnaturall lusts and therefore against the ordinary course of nature fire falls down from heaven and devours them and their stinking abominable filthinesse is punished with the stench of brimstone mingled vvith fire yea this fire and brimstone vvas but a forerunner of their everlasting punishment in that lake which burneth with fire and brimstone for evermore Rev. 21. 8. for so the Apostle S. Jude saith that Sodom and Gomorrah suffered the vengeance of eternall fire Jude 7. Vers 26. But his wife looked back from behind him c. That is Lot going before and his wife follovving behind him she looked back from behind him tovvards Sodom to vvit as doubting vvhether any such judgement vvould fall upon Sodom as vvas threatned or lingring in her desires after those friends that vvealth and estate vvhich they had left behind them and thus she did rebell against the expresse commandment of the Lord given before to Lot vers 17. and in him unto all that vvere with him and that vvhen God had afforded her such an extraordinary mercy to fetch her avvay by his angels from Sodom vvhen it vvas to be destroyed and so vvas turned into a Pillar or statue of salt not such salt as vve ordinarily use vvhich being vvet vvill melt and turn into vvater for it vvas to stand as a monument of her infidelity and disobedience but a kind of rockie minerall salt vvhich vvill endure all vveathers and not vvaste avvay Vers 29. God remembred Abraham and sent Lot out of the midst of the overthrow That is God remembred his promise vvhereby he had ingaged himself to Abraham not onely to blesse him in his own person but those also for his sake that were dear unto him chap. 12. 2. And thou shalt be a blessing I will blesse them that blesse thee and he remembred the requests vvhich Abraham had made to him for Sodom and that in the behalf of those fevv righteous ones that might be in that citie pressing him particularly vvith this that the righteous might not be destroyed
very grievous hail such as hath not been in Egypt since the foundation thereof That is since it became a land inhabited for so this is explained vers 24 there waâ— hail c. such as there was none like it in all the land of Egypt since it became a Nation And hereby also it is manifest that there was sometimes rain and hail too in Egypt though very rarely and not so ordinarily as in other lands Vers 19. Send therefore now and gather thy cattle c. This he saith chiefly to set forth the terrour of this plague if you provide not saith Moses all will be lost and withall it aggravates the sinne of the Egyptians that having had experience of Gods displeasure yet would not be forewarned that would not be wonne by judgements nor mercie Vers 23. The Lord sent thunder and hail and the fire ran along upon the ground c. The description here given us of this strom of hail is to shew that iâ— came not by the ordinary course of nature but was a supernaturall and extraordinary work of God as appeared 1. in that it fell upon all the land of Egypt vers 25. whereas storms of hail seldome extend so farre 2. that it came at the very houre almost prefixed beforehand by Moses vers 18 3. that onely in the land of Goshen where the Israelites dwelt there was no hail vers 26. 4. that the hail that fell was of such a bignesse and that in Egypt where there seldome was any hail at all that it did not onely destroy their corn and herbs but also brake their trees and killed both man and beast that were in the storm vers 25. and so also the Psalmist saith Psal 78. 47 48. He destroyed their vines with hail and their sicamore trees with great hailstones He gave up their cattle also to the hail and their flocks to hot thunderbolts and so again Psal 105. 32. 33. and 5. that notwithstanding there was not lightning but fire mingled with the hail even fire that ran along upon the ground yet were not the hailstones melted with the heat of the fire nor the flaming fire quenched with the hail Vers 27. I have sinned this time That is now I cannot but acknowledge my sinne he intended not doubtlesse to intimate that he was formerly innocent and had been punished unjustly though now indeed at this time he had sinned against God but his purpose was to make known that now he did plainly see and therefore did willingly at this time acknowledge it that he had sinned against God and therefore that God was righteous and he and his people wicked Vers 29. As soon as I am gone out of the citie I will spread abroad my hands unto the Lord. This time was set by Moses that as soon as he was gone c. he would spread abroad his hands to wit in prayer unto the Lord either with respect to that privacy of retiring by himself which he intended when he undertook to perform this duty or else to testifie his own confidence in God that was not afraid to go out into the open field notwithstanding this fearfull storm of hail which God had sent upon the land Vers 30. I know that ye will not yet fear the Lord God That is though ye have seen and felt so much of Gods power and wrath and now seem to yield and to begge for mercie yet I am sure that as yet ye will not truly repent and fear the Lord. This Moses might well say he knew because of their carriage of themselves at present in that they sought not after the way of worship of the true God but onely cryed out to have the plague stayed But besides God had told Moses that Pharaoh should harden his heart untill he were destroyed and this he tells Pharaoh before he prayed for him that so Pharaoh might not boast when the plague was gone that he had deceived Moses and to let him know that he saw cause sufficient why he should at this time make tryall of him yet once more by praying that this plague might be removed as he desired though he knew beforehand that he would be never a whit the better for it Vers 31. And the flax and the barley were smitten It seems that in Egypt they sowed their barley at the same time with their wheat which we do not and there the barley would be by farre the forwardest CHAP. X. Vers 5. ANd they shall eat the residue of that which is escaped which remaineth unto you from the hail c. Hereby it appeareth that it was some good time after the plague of hail ere these locusts were sent to wit when the wheat and the rie might be destroyed which when the hail fell were not yet grown up chap. 9. 32. and the like we must hold concerning the other plagues Vers 6. Which neither thy fathers nor thy fathers fathers have seen c. The meaning of this is not that they had never before seen locusts in Egypt for all Histories witnesse that Egypt is often troubled with locusts but that they had never seen such multitudes of them nor any that did so much mischief as these should do Vers 7. How long shall this man be a snare unto us This word Snare usually signifieth the means of destruction See chap. 23. 33. They shall not dwell in thy land lest they make thee sinne against me for if thou serve their gods it will surely be a snare unto thee Josh 23. 13. They shall be snares and traps unto you and scourges in your sides and thorns in your eyes untill you perish c. and so the word is taken here Vers 10. Let the Lord be so with you as I will let you go c. This is spoken scoffingly expressing his firm resolution that they should not all go as they desired and that by way of scorn and derision Let the Lord be so with you as I will let you go as if he should have said May your great God you boast of be with you and prosper you if I consent to this which you desire of me you have a high opinion of your mighty God and what great things he will do for you if I let you go upon those terms that you propound let it be thought that your God was with you and that he delivered you Look to it for evil is before you That is ready to fall upon you Some expound this to have been spoken by way of reproof as understanding by evil the evil purpose of the Israelites evil is before you that is though you pretend onely a desire to go a little way to offer sacrifice yet you have a wicked fraudulent intention herâ—in even to carrie away this whole people from being under my government but doubtlesse it is rather spoken by way of threatning and by evil is meant the evil he would do to them if they would not accept the favour now proffered them but persevere
2. And unleavened bread and cakes c. This meat-offering of bread and cakes was to be unleavened to signifie the sincerity and incorruption of Christ of whom all sacrifices were types and who is indeed the true bread of life John 6. 55. and secondly of all the sacrifices evangelicall which through him Christians do offer unto God and likewise the oyl wherewith they were mingled signified the pretious anointing of Gods spirit both in Christ and the faithfull 1. John 2. 27. But the anointing which ye have received of him abideth in you â—nd ye need not that any man teach you but as the same anointing teachâ—th you all things and is truth and is no lie c. Vers 2. Of wheaten floure shalt thou make them The best of the principle grain signifying the purity of Christ and all Evangelicall sacrifices Vers 4. And Aaron and his sonnes shalt thou bring and shalt wash them with water To wit out of the sanctified laver Exod. 30. 18. And this signified the holinesse that was required in these legall priests that were to be types of Christ Vers 7. Then thou shalt take the anointing oyl and poure it upon his head Here Moses is expressely commanded to poure the anointing oyl for the making whereof there is afterwards direction given Chap. 30. 23. c. upon the head of Aaron but in the two following verses where there is order given for the consecration of his sonnes there is no mention made of anointing them whence many Expositours conclude that onely the high priest Aaron was anointed with this oyl and not his sonnes yet because it is said Exod. 30. 30. Thou shalt anoint Aaron and his sons and Chap. 40. 14 15. Thou shalt bring his sons and clothâ— them with coats and thou shalt anoint them as thou didst anoint their father that they may minister unto me in the priests office it is more then probable that at their first consecration both Aaron and his sonnes vvere anointed Indeed in succeeding times it is evident that onely the high priests vvere anointed and therefore Levit. 21. 10. he is distinguished from the inferiour priests hereby He that is the high priest among his brethren upon whose head the anointing oyl was poured But at this present consecration of the priests doubtlesse both Aaron and his sonnes vvere anointed And though vve cannot say that they vvere anointed by the pouring out of the oyl upon their heads as Aaron vvas yet it is hard on the other side to restrain their anointing to the sprinkling of the holy oyl upon them and their garments vvhereof mention is made Levit. 8. 30. And Moses took the anointing oyl and the bloâ—d which was upon the Altar and sprinkled it upon Aarons and upon his sonnes garments with him c. Vers 10. And thou shalt cause a bullock to be brought c. Which vvas to be a sinne-offering for the priest vers 14. But the flesh of the bullock and his skin and his dung thou shalt burn with fire without the camp it is a sinne-offering And Aaron and his sonnes shall put their hands upon the head of the bullock In vvhich rite by the hand of faith they disburthened themselves of their sinnes and laid them upon the head of the sacrifice that is upon Christ Isa 53. 6. God hath laid upon him the iniquity of us all Vers 11. And thou shalt kill the bullock before the Lord c. Thus till Aaron and his sonnes were fully consecrated for the service of the priesthood Moses himself did by extraordinary warrant from god do the work of the priest in offering these sacrifices whence is that of the Psalmist Psal 99. 6. Moses and Aaron among his priests Vers 12. And thou shalt take of the bloud and put it upon the horns of the altar c. That is the brasen altar of the burnt-offerings which stood in the court yard This first sinne-offering differed from others that were offered for the sinnes of the priests In others the bloud was carried into the tabernacle and put upon the horns of the golden altar of incense Levit. 4. 7. And the priest shall put some of the bloud upon the horns of the altar of sweet incense c. here it was not so First because this was also to sanctifie the altar it self that it might be fit afterwards to sanctifie the sacrifices of the people whereby also was implyed the worthlesnesse of these things in themselves if they be not looked upon with reference to Christ Secondly because Aaron and his sonnes being not yet full priests it was done as was usuall at the sinne-offerings of the common ruler and private person See Levit. 4. 25 30. As for the doing of this with the finger this was used in all sinne-offerings Levit. 4. and onely in them teaching us the efficacy of Christs bloud for the purging away of sinne when it is so particularly presented unto God and applyed by his Spirit Heb. 9. 12 13 14. Neither by the bloud of goats and calves but by his own bloud he entred once into the holy place having obtained eternall redemption for us For if the bloud of bulls and of goats and the ashes of an heifer sprinkling the unclean sanctifieth to the purifying of the flesh How much more shall the bloud of Christ who through the eternall Spirit offered himself without spot to God purge our conscience from dead works to serve the living God And indeed the finger of God Luk 11. 20. is expounded to be the Spirit of God Matth. 12. 28. And poure all the bloud beside the bottome of the altar It is likely that it was poured out at the bottome of the altar on the inside and so it might be much consumed with the continuall heat of the fire and this signified the full price that should be paid for our redemption Vers 13. And thou shalt take of the fat that covereth the inwards c. By the â—at may be meant the grossenesse of our nature in all the faculties and powers of the soul the understanding in the heart the angry motion in the liver the concupiscence in the kidneyes or reins which being all corrupted are therefore to be purged by the fire of the Spirit and so to be offered unto God But the plainer reason of this ceremony I conceive to be that the people might be taught highly to esteem the worship of God by this direction of giving him the best of the sacrifices Vers 14. But the flesh of the bullock and his skinne and his dung thou shalt burn without the camp c. Thus it was done whereever bullocks were offered for a sinne-offering Levit. 4. and when the bloud was carried into the tabernacle Levit 6. 30. No sinne-offering whereof any of the bloud is brought into the tabernacle of the congregation to reconcile withall in the holy place shall be eaten it shall be burnt in the fire It was to imply how detestable the sinne was which was as it
There was a meat-offering that was alwayes to be joyned with their burnt-offerings for which direction is given elsewhere but here direction is given onely for voluntary meat-offerings and therefore it is said When any will offer a meat-offering c. neither is there any set quantity here appointed but it is left free to the offerer to bring what he pleased whereas for the meat-offering that was brought together with their burnt-offerings of the herd or of the flock there is an expresse law how much there should be of it to wit a tenth deal of flower mingled with the fourth part of an hin of oyl Numb 15. 4. Now these voluntary meat-offerings were for the same end that the burnt-offerings were both to make atonement for them and also to testiâ—ie their consecrating of themselves to God but withall particularly they were by way of acknowledgement that all their provision they had of his bounty So then the meat-offering signified First Christ his oblation of himself of which the Apostle speaks Ephes 5. 2. Christ hath loved us and given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour and again Heb. 10. 8 9 10. When he said Sacrifice and offering and burnt-offerings and offering for sinne thou wouldst not neither hadst pleasure therein which are offered by the law Then said he Loe I come to do thy will O God! He taketh away the first that he may establish the second By the which will we are sanctified through the offering of the body of Jesus Christ once for all Secondly Christians wonne to God by the Gospell and then consecrated to his service Esay 66. 20. They shall bring all your brethren for an offering to the Lord out of all nations to my holy mountain Jerusalem saith the Lord as the children of Israel bring an offering in a clean vessel into the house of the Lord. Thirdly all our Evangelicall sacrifices of prayer and praysing God with other services done to the Lord and to his saints for his sake Mal. 1. 11. In every place incense shall be offered unto my name and a pure offering And last of all more particularly their acknowledgement of Gods bounty in all the food they injoyed and therefore it was that in all these meat-offerings they are appointed to bring fine slowre without any mixture of branne to signifie the purity of all Evangelicall sacrifices He shall poure oyl upon it and put frankincense thereon The oyl poured upon the flowre figured the graces and comfort of the holy Ghost whereby we serve God with a willing mind and a chearfull spirit Ye have an unction from the holy one saith the Apostle speaking of this oyl of Gods spirit 1. John 2. 20. and the sweetnesse both of the oyl and frankincense signified how sweet and acceptable their services were unto God in and through the mediation of Christ who hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour Ephes 5. 2. whence it was that the Prophet told the Jews that their incense was in vain when God regarded not their sacrifices Jer. 6. 20. To what purpose cometh there to me â—ncense from Sheba and sweet calamus from a farre countrey your burnt-offerings are not acceptable nor your sacrifices sweet unto me Vers 2. And the priest shall burn the memoriall of it upon the altar That is the handfâ—ll which he had taken out of the meat-offering which should in stead of all put God in mind which is spoken of God after the manner of men of all this offering which the offerer had given to the Lord and of the covenant which he had made to accept it and withall be a memoriall to the offerer that he acknowledged all the store he had to be from God and therefore to be consecrated wholly to his service and that God would take in good part the offering he had now brought him Vers 3. And the remnant of the meat-offering shall be Aarons and his sonnes To eat the same in the Sanctuary Levit. 6. 16. And the remainer thereof shall Aaron and his sonnes eat with unleavened bread shall it be eaten in the holy place in the court of the tabernacle c. It is a thing most holy of the offerings of the Lord made by fire And therefore onely to be eaten by the priests that offer it Of other offerings others might eat but of the most holy things whereof part was burnt on the altar onely the priests Vers 4. And if thou bring an oblation of a meat-offering baken in the oven These were prepared and baked within the Sanctuary as it seems by Ezekiel 46. 20. This is the place where the priests shall boil the trespasse-offering and the sinne-offering where they shall bake the meat-offering and 1. Chron. 23. 28 29. Their office was to wait on the sons of Aaron c. both for the shew-bread and for the fine flowre for meat-offerings and for the unleavened cakes and for that which is baked in the pan and for that which is fried It shall be an unleavened cake of fine flowre mingled with oyl or unleavened wafers anointed with oyl See the notes upon Exod. 29. 2. and upon the 11. verse of this chapter Vers 11. No meat-offering which ye shall bring unto the Lord shall be made with leaven This must be understood onely of these voluntary oblations part whereof was to be burnt upon the altar for with some eucharisticall or thank-offerings they might bring leavened cakes Levit. 7. 13. as also in the first-fruits Levit. 23. 17. but these were not burnt upon the altar And where leaven was not to be used in the oblation the part remaining the priests might not eat with leaven Levit. 6. 16. because part of the offering was burnt upon the altar Now leaven was thus generally forbidden First to put them still in mind of their deliverance out of Egypt a type of their redemption by Christ Secondly to teach them to worship God as he had appointed and to know that all humane devices therein are an abomination to God Thirdly to shew the perfect purity of Christ in whom there was not the least leaven of sinne and the sincerity that must be in our evangelicall sacrifices for leaven signifieth sinne of all sorts in doctrine and manners distastfull to God and infectious to men Luke 12. 1. Beware ye of the leaven of the Pharisees which is hypocrisie 1. Cor. 5. 8. Let us keep the feast not with old leaven neither with t he leaven of malice and wickednesse but with the unleavened bread of sincerity and truth For ye shall burn no leaven nor any hony in any offering of the Lord made by fire Not onely leaven but hony also is forbidden First because it hath a kind of leavening nature Secondly the more fully to exclude all humane devices in Gods worship the sweetnesse of hony might be a pretence of mixing it with their sacrifices when neither