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
Circumcision was with the Jews a Badge of God's people Therefore those that were not Circumcised were counted profane and their Uncircumcision was counted a grievous blemish Hence it was that in a Figurative Speech they counted those things that had any natural or moral blemish uncircumcised as a Heart or Mind or Tongue uncircumcised Hinc homines viles ad aliquam rem inepti incircumcisi ea parte vocantur and had an imperfection in his speech and utterance and was very unfit to be sent to Pharaoh on such a Message as that was However God bids Him and Aaron go again to the Children of Israel and to encourage them with expectation of Deliverance and to go to Pharaoh to require him in his Name to let them go Moses and Aaron being thus to be imployed as Instruments in the Hand of God of this great Deliverance their Stock and Lineage is here set down to shew that they were both descended of Levi and this might possibly be so ordered by the Spirit of God as an Antidote against the fabulous Reports of Heathen Writers such as Justin and Tacitus who tell false Stories of the Original both of Moses and of the people of the Jews Which things though they happened not till many years after yet were now fore-seen by the Spirit of God who assistâ—â— Moses in penning this History And Moses being to set down his own and Aarons Descent from Levi for orders sake he begins with the Stock of Reuben and Simeon Levi's elder Brothers And possibly in this place he mentions only those three and not the Heads of the other Tribes that it might appear that they were not rejected of God notwithstanding Jacob's severe Commination Gen. 49.3 5. As also to shew that though Reuben and Simeon were elder then Levi yet God had freely chosen out of the Tribe of Levi Moses to be the first Captain of his people and his Brother Aaron the first High Priest to whom his Posterity should succeed in that Office And these are that very Moses and Aaron whom the Lord commanded to bring forth the Children of Israel out of Egypt who were increased now to many thousands so that they might be called the Hosts of the Lord Exod. 12.37 41. Ch. 5. whole Chapter Ch. 6. from vers 1. to 28. SECT LXIII MOses being now 80 (t) The reason why Moses's age is here set down seems to be to shew how long God in his wise Providence had suffered the Egyptians to oppress the Israelites with such cruel bondage even before the birth of Moses till he came to be 80 years of age And the reverence and respect due to the venerable age He and Aaron were of rendred them the more fit to undertake such a service and Aaron 83 years of Age they are commanded by the Lord to go again to Pharaoh to require him to dismiss the people Moses would have excused himself again because he was not Eloquent but the Lord tells him Behold I have made thee a God (u) Quia adversus Pharaonem divinam quandam potestatem exercuit dum ab eo timetur dum oratur dum punit dum medetur dum verbo animalia quasi creat destruit coelum denique ac terram commovet ut explicat Hilarius lib. 7. de Trin. to Pharaoh that is one to whom the Word of God shall come and by whom it shall be made known to Aaron and by him to Pharaoh For Aaron shall be thy Interpreter and Spokes-man But I know that Pharaoh will not hearken unto you but will harden his heart against all that you shall say However be not discouraged thereat for I will multiply my Signs and Wonders in the Land of Egypt and will bring forth my Hosts that is my people the Children of Israel by inflicting great Plagues and Judgments on the Egyptians and they shall know that I am the Lord by the Judgments that I will execute upon them and by which I will at last deliver my people Moses and Aaron did as the Lord commanded them and went again unto Pharaoh requiring him in the Name of the Lord to let the Children of Israel go out of his Land Pharaoh asks them How he shall know that they were sent of God What Miracle could they work to induce him to believe it Moses hereupon gave Aaron his Rod and bad him cast it upon the ground and said It should become a Serpent and Aaron did so before Pharaoh and his Servants and accordingly it became a Serpent (x) It seems the change wrought before Pharaoh was not into an ordinary Serpent called Nehash but into some greater Creature here called a Dragon Tavin Then Pharaoh called for his Magicians and Sorcerers wherewith the Land of Egypt abounded and whereof the chief at that time were Jannes and Jambres 2 Tim. 3.8 and they did the like in outward shew and appearance but not in reality the Devil by whose Power they did work casting a mist before the peoples eyes whereby they thought they saw that which indeed was not I say these Magicians cast down their Rods and they seemed to be turned also into Serpents (y) Dici potest veros dracones sive Serpentes aliunde adductos ope Damonis virgarum loco fuisse substitutos ita fallendo oculos ut nemo praestigias istas animadverteret or Dragons Some aerial Representations possibly of them being there made by the art of the Devil or possibly the Devil might bring thither some true Serpents unperceiveably from other places and might remove the Rods from the peoples eyes But the Dragon or Serpent into which Aarons Rod was turned swallowed (z) Notandum praestigias Magorum non obfuisse Mosi sed magis profuisse Semper enim aliquid adsuit quo divina signa praecellerent Nam Serpens Moysis devoravit eorum Serpentes Aquam illi in sanguinem mutare potuerunt non rursum sanguinem in aquam ranas afferre non tollere Nempe ut per eas plagae augeri possent non minui Post devorationem Virga Aaronis in statum pristinum reversa est up theirs God hereby shewing that the Power whereby Moses and Aaron had wrought their Miracle was infinitely above that of Satan whereby the Magicians had endeavoured to equal the Work which Moses had done Yet notwithstanding this Miracle Pharaoh's heart was still hardened so that he would not let the people go as God had foretold Exod. 6. vers 28 29 30. Exod. 7. from 1. to 14. SECT LXIV PHaraoh continuing still obstinate God sends Moses and Aaron again to him and by their Ministry inflicts ten Plagues successively upon the Eyptians from which the Israelites as 't is probable were wholly exempted See Exod. 8.22 9.26 10.23 All which are reckoned Psal 78. 105. which Plagues were all sent within one month in this Order 1. God Commands Moses and Aaron to go and meet Pharaoh the next Morning First Plague Their waters turned into Bloud
make with Man assuring to him the continuance of his Life and Happiness upon condition he performed perfect Obedience to the Will of his Creator as the other Tree namely that of Knowledge of Good and Evil should signifie and assure unto him death and damnation in case of his disobedience Gen. 2.8 And out of the ground made the Lord God to grow every Tree that is pleasant to the sight and good for food The Tree of Life also in the midst of the Garden and the Tree of Knowledge of Good and Evil. The Garden being in the lower part of the Country of Eden a River ran down out of it to water it and from thence was parted into four Capital Streams or Rivers The name of the first was Phasis h See D. More 's Triplex Cabala or Phasi-Tygris which compasses the whole Land of the Chaldeans where there is excellent Gold and Bdellium and the Onyx-stone The name of the second is Gihon which encompasses the Arabian Ethiopia The name of the third is Tygris that is it which goeth toward the East of Assyria And the fourth is Euphrates On the fourth day Fourth Day the Sun Moon and Stars were created to make a difference between Day and Night and to garnish the World They were made also for Signs of Weather for the causing variety and different temperature of Seasons for setting Periods to Days Months and Years and also to exert their Influence Vertue and Efficacy on things below Psal 104.19 He appointeth the Moon for Seasons the Sun knoweth his going down that is where and when he is to go down in all the Seasons of the Year The Sun is the greatest of all the heavenly Lights and the Moon is the least except Venus and Mercury of all the Planets and is made lightsom by the Suns shining upon it and so by reflexion shines upon the Earth Moses therefore here speaks of the Sun and Moon as they appear to the Eye of Man to which the Moon seemeth the greatest Light next to the Sun because 't is nearest to the Earth of all the Planets Gen. 1. from 14. to 20. Fifth Day On the fifth day Fish and flying Fowl were created and God blessed them and commanded them to be fruitful and multiply The Fowl were created out of the Waters and out of the Ground also Gen. 2.19 Out of the Ground the Lord God formed every Beast of the Field and every Fowl of the Air. For though the Waters did at first bring them forth yet there was in those Waters of which they were made a mixture of Earth and in that regard it might be said that they were also formed out of the Ground Sixth Day On the sixth day God commanded the Earth to bring forth all sorts of Creeping things and Four-footed Beasts And last of all he made Man the Master-piece and Chief of all his Creatures here below His Body he made of the Dust of the Ground working it to such a Temper that it was fit Matter whereof to make the Body of Man And by his Almighty Power he created and infused into that yet liveless Body a living reasonable Soul which being instantly united to it in a wonderful manner his Body was quickned and enlivened which soon appear'd by the Breath in his Nostrils so Adam became a living Soul that is by a Synechdoche of the Part for the Whole a living Man and his name was called Adam because he was made of red Earth Thus we see his Soul was not as his Body made of the Earth but created by the Insuffiation of God and had its immediate Original from the Father of Spirits Heb. 12.9 Numb 16.22 Eccl. 12.7 And to this purpose Elihu speaks Job 33.4 The Spirit of God hath made me and the Breath of the Almighty hath given me life I have made the Earth and created Man upon it saith the Lord Isa 45.12 Moreover this is farther to be remembred concerning the Creation of Man That God created him after his own Image which consisted principally in the divine knowledge * Col. 3.10 Ephes 4.24 Gen. 1.26 of his Mind and in the natural sanctity of his Will and in the Dominion he gave him over the Creatures here below And in making of Mankind he made not only the Males after his own Image but the Females also Adam presently after he was created had all living Creatures by the Power of God brought before him as to a Lord appointed over them and he gave them Names either agreeable to their Natures or such whereby they might be fitly distinguish'd one from the other But though God had placed Adam in so delightful a Paradise yet he saw that his Happiness would be imperfect except he had a fit Companion Therefore to the high commendation of Matrimony the Lord said It is not good for Man to be alone I will make him an help meet for him And accordingly casting him into a deep sleep and taking one of his Ribs out of his Side whilst he slept he fashion'd it into a Woman and gave her to him for a Wife Whereupon Adam said This is Bone of my Bone and Flesh of my Flesh Then God establishing a Law of Marriage between Man and Woman Matth. 19.4 5. He that made them at first made them Male and Female therefore shall a Man leave Father and Mother and cleave to his Wife and they twain shall be one Flesh He blessed them and said unto them Increase and multiply and replenish the Earth and subdue it Gen. 1.28 that is Keep it in a State of subjection to you For he had given them Dominion over all living Creatures here below and for them he had provided a large proportion of Sustenance and Food i That Food they were to live upon at first But after the Fall Beasts and Birds of Prey and Fishes devoured one another to live upon namely the Fruits of the Earth But to Man and Woman as 't is probable he allowed liberty to eat Flesh For though Gen. 1.29 only Herbs and Fruits are mentioned as given them for Food and Living things are not mentioned as given for Meat as after the Flood they were Gen. 9.3 Every moving thing that liveth shall be meat for you even as the green herb have I given you all things yet we may also take notice that neither Corn nor Bread nor other things are named which no doubt were in use before the Flood And Abel being a Keeper of Sheep surely he did not keep them that their Bodies might only rot above or under ground And Mans Body being in a decaying condition since the Fall stood in more need of nourishing Meats than while he abode in Innocency Neither were the Herbs or Fruits of that vertue for his nourishment after the Curse as before Neither is it likely that Man should be barr'd so needful a nourishment as Flesh or Fish for so long a time as till after the Flood because they were
set a mark upon him possibly some strange trembling of his head or some frightful ghasty look which would make him a horrible Spectacle of Divine Vengeance to terrifie others from so detestable a Crime And whosoever should slay him thus marked and do unto him as he had done to his Brother more then a single Vengeance should be taken of him Gen. 4.15 (q) Seven-fold that is manifold according to the usual expression of the Scripture See Psal 12.6 79.12 Job 5.19 Prov. 26.25 The Lord having and probably in a visible Apparition thus sentenced Cain as soon as he was got out of the place where God manifested his presence He fled as a banished man from his Native Soil and the Land where his Father dwelt to a Land East of Eden which afterwards from his wandring there was call'd the Land of Nod. Sometime after his Wife bare him a Son whom he named Enoch and in process of time He and his Posterity (r) If Abraham's Posterity in less then 400 years amounted to six hundred thousand persons how many might Cain's Posterity be ere he built this City beginning to build a City in that Country He called it by his Sons Name Unto this Enoch was born Irad unto Irad Mehujael unto Mehujael Methusael and unto Mâ—thusael Lamech This Lamech being a Branch of that wicked root of Cain bringeth into the World the Abomination of Polygamy or having more Wives at once than one For He took to himself Ada and Zillah By the former he had Jabal who first invented at least among Cain's Posterity the use of Tents and taught the right ordering of the Flock and Jubal who invented Musical Instruments such as the Harp and Organ By the latter viz. Zillah He had Tubal-Cain (s) Ex quo Gentibus Dei Vulcani nomen who wrought in Brass and Iron and Naamah who they say (t) Hartman found out the way of ordering Wooll and of Carding and Weaving This Lamech presuming possibly upon the strength of his Family and priding himself in the Arts invented by his Sons especially by Tubal-Cain who was an Artificer in Brass and Iron and possibly made Swords and such Instruments of War He thought himself able to resist and oppose any that should offend Him Therefore in a boasting vanting fashion he speaks thus to his wives who seemed afraid of him lest his fierce and boisterous humour should expose him to danger Fear ye not my Wives concerning me For if any man should attempt to set upon me I would slay that man by my wounding him and though a young man I would dispatch him by my hurting him * Vide Frid. in loc pag. 36. And if Cain a Fratricid shall be avenged seven-fold surely Lamech that kills a man in his own defence shall be avenged seventy times seven-fold Gen. 4. from 1. to 25. SECT V. AFter the death of Abel Adam begat Seth in his own likeness and after his own Image (u) Yet God was still the Father and Creator of the Spirits of all Flesh Heb. 12.9 Numb 16.22 that is such as he himself now was namely sinful and not such as he was created Seth was born in the 130th Year of Adam In the Race of Seth the account of Years is carried on from the Creation to the Flood And among these as it seems principally the true worship of God was maintained which by the Race of Cain was very miserably corrupted To Seth at the age of an 105 Years a Son was born whom he called Enoch that is sorrowful intimating thereby the woful and lamentable condition the World was in at that time by reason of the corruption and wickedness that was found in the Progeny of Cain However Seth and his Off-spring did then more openly and solemnly set up and establish the Worship of God than formerly it had been Whence it came to pass that they that persisted in that way of Worship were known by the Name of the Children of God * Deut. 14.1 and they who forsook God and his sincere Worship were called the Children of Men Gen. 6.2 Gen. 4.25 26. SECT VI. ENoch being ninty years old begat Cainan Cainan when he was 70 begat Mahalaleel Mahalaleel at 65 years old had Jared born to Him Jared at 162 years old had Enoch born to him Enoch at 65 years old had Methusalah born to him Methusalah at 187 had Lamech born to him Now Adam the Father of Mankind died when he had lived nine hundred and thirty years Seth the Son of Adam died when he had lived 912 years Noah the tenth from Adam was born when his Father Lamech had lived 182. And his Father prophesied of him that he would be a man of eminent Piety and such a Son as would much comfort his Parents notwithstanding all the miseries labours troubles and sorrows which Sin had brought upon Mankind and notwithstanding the many Evils they met with in that wicked and uncomfortable time Enos the third from Adam died when he had lived 905 years Mahalaleel the fifth from Adam died when he had lived 895 years Jared the sixth from Adam died when he had lived 962 years As for Enoch the seventh from Adam He was a very holy person one that walked with God and followed not the wickedness of that Age but with great courage set himself against it and being a Prophet as we read Jude v. 14 15. He plainly told them of and set before them the day of Judgment Behold the Lord cometh with ten thousand of his Saints to execute judgment upon all and to convince all that are ungodly of all their ungodly deeds which they have ungodlily committed and of all their hard speeches which ungodly sinners have spoken against him I say this holy Person God was pleased to translate immediately into Heaven (x) Per Enochi migrationem beatam patet nimium eos falli qui in hujus mundi caeno spem universam defigunt ut aeternitatis cognitione ex animis omnino deleta And besides this instance before the Law we have a like example of the translation of Elias after the giving of the Law c. 2 Kings 2.11 not suffering him to die as other men ordinarily do when he had lived as many years as there are days in our Year viz. 365. Thus it pleased God to shew to that Age that there was a future Coelestial State of Bliss and Happiness that good men both in Soul and Body shall enjoy hereafter Gen. 5. whole Chapter SECT VII IN the 480th Year of the life of Noah the Lord seeing that the generality of the World had corrupted their ways and that the Professors of his true Worship namely the Posterity of Seth without any regard to their Profession had scandalously and promiscuously (y) Gods Law afterwards forbad such Marriages with such as were out of the Church Deut. 7.3 4. Exod. 34.16 2 Cor. 6.14 married with the Daughters of the profane Race of Cain who
of my Providence mercifully visited them and have observed what hath been done unto them in Egypt and that I do intend assuredly to deliver them out of the House of Bondage and will bring them into Canaan a Land abounding with all things serving both for Necessity and Delight And the Elders of the People shall hearken unto thee and shall go along with thee to Pharaoh (g) The deniall of this will make Pharaoh the more inexcusable and the Justice of God more manifest upon him and you shall say unto him The Lord God of the Hebrews hath appeared to us and commanded us to offer to Him a Sacrifice and to celebrate to Him a Feast thereon and hath commanded Us to come to thee and to request of Thee so much liberty that we may go three days Journey (h) Viz. To Horeb v. 12. which was but a three days Journey from Egypt had they gone the direct way But because of troubles and fears they were led about Exod. 13.17 18. So that they came not thither till the third month Exod. 19.1 into the Wilderness to perform this Sacrifice (i) In Egypt they could not do it without danger from the Egyptians to whom their Sacrifices were such an abomination that to offer them before their eyes might provoke them to stone them Exod. 8.26 to the Lord our God The Lord further adds I know Pharaoh will be so obstinate that he will not let you go no not by a mighty Hand that is no not though divers great and heavy Plagues be inflicted on him For I will stretch out my Hand upon Egypt and will smite them with all those great and smarting Plagues which I intend to bring upon them and I know that not till after the last and tenth Plague viz. the slaying of their First-born will he let you go And I will before I bring you out of Egypt give you favour in the eyes of the Egyptians and they shall be willing to lend (k) Annon dolo malo usi sunt qui haec petebant cum aliud in animo haberent Non est mendacium sed silentium integrae veritatis Non dixerunt se hoc tantum facturos partem consilii aperit Deus Tyranno partem celat quia est liberrimus Deut. 2.30 1 Sam. 16.1 you any thing you shall desire of them viz. Jewels of Silver and of Gold and fine Raiment and you shall put them upon your Sons and upon your Daughters and so you shall come forth with great Substance as I have promised Gen. 15.14 (l) This was no Theft or Sin God having commanded it who is Lord Paramount of all and likewise intended hereby to recompence his People for the Injuries they had received from the Egyptians and that by these Spoils they might be furnished with precious Materials for the Tabernacle and shall spoil the Egyptians Moses Replies That he feared his Country-men the Hebrews would be very difficult at first to believe him or that God had indeed appeared to him and humbly desires to know what he should do in that case The Lord to incourage him against his fears furnishes him with Power to work Miracles which might be an Evidence of the Divine Presence with him and a Seal to the Israelites that he came with Commission from God and that God had sent him Accordingly first he bids him throw down his Rod or Staff which he had in his hand upon the ground and suddenly it became a Serpent (m) To change one Creature into another not in appearance only but really requires a Divine Power so that Moses was ready to fly from it out of fear But God Commands him to take it by the tail which he accordingly did and it became immediately a Rod again Then God commanded him to put his hand into his Bosom which when he plucked it out again it was become as white and leprous as Snow Then God commanded him to put it into his Bosom again and when he drew it out this second time behold it was as whole and sound as his other hand Then the Lord tells him That if the Children of Israel were not wrought upon nor did incline to believe him for the first Sign possibly they would for the second But if it should so happen that they should not be brought to believe him for either of these when he came into Egypt he should take of the water of the River Nilus and pour it upon the ground and it should presently become blood upon the dry Land which should be a further Demonstration to them that God had sent him Moses being still fearful Replied Ah Lord I am not Eloquent (n) Indeed Stephen said of him Acts 7.22 That he was mighty in words that is He was an excellent Speaker as to the substance of what he spake yet some defect he had as to his utterance Some think he had a stammering Tongue which made him say Ch. 6.12 How shall Pharaoh hear me who am of uncircumcised lips I am not a man of a free and ready Speech as those should be who are employed to speak to Princes I am slow of speech I was so formerly neither do I find the matter much mended with me since thou didst vouchsafe to speak to me and Call me to this great Service The Lord answered Who hath given to man the faculty of Speech or who deprives him of that faculty and so of Hearing or Seeing Do not I the Lord give these Abilities and take them away at my pleasure Now therefore Go I will be with thy mouth and will teach thee what thou shalt say But Moses being still under great fears and deeply apprehensive of his own unfitness for so difficult a Service He cried out Ah Lord I pray thee send by the Ministry of such an one whom thou wilt find fitter for this great Service than I am whoever he be and send not by me who am so unfit and so unable Then the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses for this his distrustful Despondency (o) Modeste renuentem passus est Mosen Deus non obstinatius reluctantem and He said Is not Aaron the Levite thy Brother I know that he is a good Spokes-man and he shall be joyned in Commission with thee and I will by an inward motion of my Spirit cause him to come forth to meet thee and he will be heartily glad to see thy face again and thou shalt instruct him concerning this your common Commission and I will teach you both what you shall do He shall speak to the people as from thee and thou shalt give Direction and Counsel to him as from Me revealing my Mind and Will unto him and acquainting him what he shall say to Pharaoh Ch. 7. 1. And thou shalt take this Rod of thine in thy hand and with it thou shalt do Signs and Wonders before Pharaoh and the Egyptians Ch. 3. whole Chapter Ch. 4. from vers 1. to vers
be a prey to their Sword And therefore like persons almost distracted they said one to another Come let us chose to our selves a Captain and under him let us march back again into Egypt see Nehem. 9.17 But they did not consider the difficulties they must needs meet with had they proceeded in such a resolution They could not reasonably expect to be fed with Manna from Heaven in their return being in Rebellion against God nor to have the Red-Sea divided for them again And if they should though very unlikely ever get back into Egypt what scorn and cruel Bondage must they there expect If the Egyptians oppress'd them before how much more hardly and severely would they deal with them now remembring the death of their First-born and the drowning of Pharaoh and his Army in the Red-Sea But men in passion usually lose all consideration Moses and Aaron seeing them in such a rage and mutiny fell down on their faces before them intreating them to desist from such a desperate purpose Moses earnestly perswaded them not to dread the Canaanites for God would go before them and fight for them Deut. 1.29 30 31. and Caleb and Joshua rent their Clothes testifying that their hearts were rent with Grief and Indignation at those blasphemous Speeches the people had uttered against God They tell them the Land they went to search was an exceeding good Land and if the Lord delighted in them He would bring them into it Therefore they should take heed lest by their Rebellion they provoked him to deprive them of it As for the people of the Land they tell them They need not be afraid of them for they were but as bread for them that is their Sword should easily eat and devour them for their defence was departed from them that is God who had hitherto preserved them from being destroyed because their Iniquity was not then full Gen. 15.16 had now upon their great Provocations withdrawn his defence from them and would certainly give them up to destruction And alas say they what are strong Cities or high Walls to defend a people whom God hath forsaken These Discourses of Caleb and Joshua though very rational nothing pacified the inraged multitude but instead thereof like mad men they cried out Stone them stone them see Exod. 17.4 The Lord seeing what danger his faithful Servants and Witnesses were in suddenly caused the Cloud the usual sign when He meant to speak to Moses concerning the people to descend upon the Tabernacle and possibly in a more glorious manner then ordinary thereby to astonish the people and to stop them in their furious attempt And the Lord said unto Moses How long will this people provoke me and how long will it be ere they believe me notwithstanding all the signs and wonders I have shewed among them I am even ready to smite them with the Pestilence and quite disinherit them and deprive them of this good Land I promised to their Fathers and in their stead to make of thee a greater Nation than they Moses humbly intercedes for them and makes use of several Arguments to prevail with the Lord for them First He says Lord if thou shouldest destroy all this people as if they were but one man the Egyptians will hear of it and will take occasion thereupon to reproach thy Name They will say because thou couldst not bring them into the Land which thou swarest to give them therefore thou hast slain them in the Wilderness though they know thou broughtest them by thine Almighty Power out from among them however they will talk insultingly thereof to the Nations who have heard the fame of thee and know that thou art among this people and hast manifested thy presence frequently and apparently among them and that thy Cloud standeth over them and that thou goest before them in the day-time in a Pillar of a Cloud and in a pillar of fire by night 2ly He humbly desires of the Lord that the greatness of his Power and Mercy may be manifested in pardoning this people who by so many and great sins had so highly provoked him according to what he himself had spoken Exod. 34.6 saying The Lord is long-suffering and of great mercy forgiving Iniquity and Transgression and by no means clearing the Guilty visiting the Iniquity of the Fathers upon the Children unto the third and fourth Generation By which words whilst Moses sues for mercy to many of them he seems to intimate an assent to the justice of God If He please to execute it upon some principal Offendors among them which if cut off there would be more safety for the rest Only he desires he would in the midst of Judgment remember Mercy and would manifest as great a willingness and readiness to pardon them now as He had done from Egypt until that time The Lord was pleased to give a gracious Answer to Moses's prayer and accordingly said to him I have pardoned them according to thy word I will not destroy them all as one man at this present I will not cut off the whole Nation as at first I threatned He further tells Moses That He intended to get unto his Name great Glory by the miraculous things that he would do for his people in carrying them into the Land of Canaan and yet withall He would magnifie his Justice and Severity in cutting off those who having seen the Miracles He did for them in Egypt and in the Wilderness had yet tempted Him ten times * 1. At the Red-Sea Exod. 14.11 2. At Marah Exod. 15.23 3. In the Wilderness of Sin Exod. 16.2 4. When they kept Manna till it stank Exod. 16.20 5. When they went out to gather Manna on the Sabbath day Exod. 16.27 6. At Rephidim for want of water Exod. 17.2 7. When they made the golden Calf Exod. 32.1 8. At Taborah Numb 11.1 9. At Kebroth-Hattaavah longing for Quails Numb 11.4 10. At this time after the return of the Spies and therefore they should not enter into the Land but all of them that were twenty years old and upward should die in the Wilderness excepting only Joshua and Caleb who were acted by a better spirit and had followed him fully and done what he required of them see Numb 32.12 These two should enter into the Land and their Seed should possess it but as for the rest of the Murmurers and Mutineers their Carkasses should fall in the Wilderness and their Children that they said would be a prey to the Amorites these He would bring in and they should know and enjoy the good Land which their Fathers had so reproachfully rejected Yet he tells them Their Children should wander in that Wilderness forty years that is till they have made up the years of their wandering in the Wilderness from their coming out of Egypt full forty years and he tells them that during this time These Children should bear their Fathers Whoredoms that is their Fathers Vnfaithfulness Disloyalty and Disobedience
burn Incense was within the Tabernacle at the Altar of Incense but this was an extraordinary occasion and a means enjoyned for the discovery of the Lords will whither these men or only Aaron and his Sons as formerly should enter into the Tabernacle to execute the Priests Office Corah having assembled his Confederates and the generality of the people before the Tabernacle and not finding Dathan and Abiram there as it should seem went to their Tents to talk with them see Ch. 26.10 and probably from them He went to his own Tent before Moses and the Elders came to the Tabernacle as presently they did In the mean time the 250 Conspirators on the one side taking fire from the Altar and putting it into their Censers and laying Incense thereon and Aaron near to whom Moses stood doing the like on the other God now signifies his approach and the actual manifestation of his Presence by the descending of the Cloud which used to hover over the Tabernacle to the door (x) See vers 42. of this Chap. and Ch. 12.5 thereof And the Lord spake to Moses and Aaron saying Separate your selves from among this Congreation that I may consume these Conspirators and all that joyn with them in a moment Then Moses and Aaron fell upon their faces before the Lord and said O God the God of the Spirits of all Flesh who formest the spirit of man within him Zach. 12.1 and seest and knowest the spirits and hearts of all men and art able to discern between those that sin obstinately and those that are only seduced by others and drawn hither only to see what would be done Shall one man sin viz. Corah the chief Incendiary and wilt thou be wroth with the whole Congregation Upon this intercession the Lord was pleased to spare the people that would depart from these Rebells And then imparting to Moses what He intended to do commands him to warn the Congregation to get away from the Tents of Corah Dathan and Abiram Moses accordingly rose up many of the Elders of Israel accompanying him to denounce the Judgment of God against these Conspirators and he warns the Congregation to depart from the Tents of these wicked men and to get far from them and to touch nothing of theirs as judging all that they have execrable and accursed lest they perish (y) V. 26. Lest you be consumed in all their sins that is lest you be destroyed in the Judgment that will fall upon them for all their sins the cause is here put for the effect in the Judgment which was ready to fall upon them for their great Sins and Provocations The people accordingly did so and fled from the Tents of these men but Dathan and Abiram impudently came out and stood in the doors of their Tents with their Wives and Children as if they intended to out-face Moses and scorned the Judgment he threatned against them Moses then sayed Hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me and hath appointed me to take upon my self the Government of this people and hath conferred the Priesthood on Aaron and his Sons and that I have not done these things on my own head If these men die the common and ordinary death of other men then the Lord hath not sent me But if the Lord by his Almighty Power do work a new and hitherto-unheard of Miracle so that the Earth open her mouth and swallow them up quick then you must needs acknowledge that I am innocent and that these men have highly provoked the Lord. Moses having made an end of speaking the Earth immediately opened her mouth and swallowed up * An undoubted evidence of Gods concurrence with the ministry of Moses and withall an undoubted assurance of the divine truth of Moses's Writings these Rebels and all that appertained to them that were there present And the same it seems happened and probably at the same time to Corah and his Family as appeareth Numb 26.10 only some of his Children who as 't is like joyned not in their Fathers sin or if they did soon repented of it and gave over and departed from their Fathers Tent at Moses's warning were spared And of their Race came such as either composed some of the Psalms or at least were famous Singers in the Temple and Samuel also the great Prophet and Judge in Israel was of that Race see 1 Chron. 6.33 to 38. Thus perished the Ringleaders of this Rebellion All the Israelites that were near them fled at the Cry of them fearing lest the Earth should swallow up them also And as a further addition to the dreadfulness of this Judgment there came fire out from the Lord and consumed their 250 Confederates who had offered Incense and usurped the Priests Office They are punished with fire as by fire they had offended see Levit. 10.2 Moses now by Gods Command appointeth Eleazar the Son of Aaron to gather up the Censers from among the ashes of the dead bodies of these men that were burnt and consumed and to scatter the fire that was in them without the Court of the Tabernacle as shewing that God rejected it and their Service and abhorred their Sacrifice And he tells him That the Censers of these Sinners against their own Souls were now hallowed (z) Sanctificata dicuntur quia ex deputatione Dei servire deinceps debebant divina gloriae illustrandae having been presented before the Lord by his Commandment and he orders him to make broad Plates of them for a covering of the Altar (a) A parte anteriori altaris ponebantur ut a populo conspici possint of Burnt-Offerings which was covered with Plates of Brass before see Exod. 27.2 And the less need there was of them the fitter they were to be a sign of Gods Judgment against presumptuous Conspirators and of his vindicating and clearing the innocency of his faithful Servants and to be a Memorial to the Children of Israel that all Israelites and Levites excepting Aaron's Sons are to be reckoned as Strangers in respect of the Priests Office and may not aspire to it lest they perish as Corah and his Confederates did However the very next morning after those dismal Judgments had been executed all the Congregation of the people that were inclined to this Faction whose lives Moses had saved the day before by praying to the Lord for them murmured against Him and Aaron and peremptorily told them That they had killed the Lords people Moses and Aaron being thus injuriously charged looked up to God as having no other Refuge or Shelter to fly unto and immediately behold the Cloud descended upon the Tabernacle as a sign of the approach and actual manifestation of the glorious Presence of God and that he intended to speak something unto them Moses and Aaron presenting themselves before the Lord the Lord bad them get them up presently from among this rebellious Company that he might consume them in a moment But they fell
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
for their present use out of an act of base sloth suffered them to roost among them and did not endeavour to drive them out Moses in the division of that Land without Jordan gave no part to the Tribe of Levi that is no Regions or Parts of the Country as he did to the other Tribes upon which they might live by Tillage and Husbandry but only some Cities to dwell in and the Suburbs belonging to them with some circuit of Ground for the feeding of their Cattel because God himself was to be their Portion and the Sacrifices and other Oblations due unto God were to be for their Maintenance Now the bounds of the Lands given to each Tribe beyond Jordan by Moses are particularly set down to prevent all strife and division among them for the future Joshua 13. whole Chapter SECT CIX JOshua now with Eleazar the High Spirit and the Elders of the Tribes who were expresly chosen and named by the Lord for this purpose Numb 34.17 c. at Gilgal set upon this great Work of dividing the Land on this side Jordan among the nine Tribes and an half And accordingly first they cast the Land into so many several Portions or Provinces as were the number of the Tribes that were to inhabit it yet so as the certain bounds of each Portion or Province were not certainly limited and appointed till they knew which Tribes the Lord would by the designation of the lot settle in each of them and then they were to inlarge or lessen the Portion according as the number of the Tribe that was there to be setled was greater or less so that the lots were only to determine in what part of the Country each Tribe should be planted and afterwards the quantity of the Land which each Tribe was to enjoy was to be set out by Joshua Eleazar and the Heads of the Tribes as was appointed Numb 26.55 56. What manner of Lottery they used in this business is no where expressed The common Opinion of the Hebrew Writers is That there were two Pots or Vrnes set before the Tabernacle the one having the Names of the Tribes in it that were to have their portion of Land assigned to them the other had just so many lots in each of which such and such a part of the Land was described and that some man appointed to that Service probably Eleazar the High Priest drew out first out of one Pot one of the Tribes then out of the other Pot one of the lots there and so that Tribe had their portion assigned them in that part of the Land described and set forth in that lot and accordingly they did by the rest And though this way and method be not any where particularly expressed in this Book yet the phrase that is often used in the following Chapters that such a lot came out and such a lot came up may seem covertly to imply it see Ch. 19.1 10 17. And herein the Hand of God in ordering the lots was the more wonderful and the Prophesies of Jacob and Moses concerning the several Inheritances of the Tribes were more evidenced to be of God Joshua therefore and the Elders now setting upon this Work the first lot came out for the Tribe of Judah and his lot fell out in the richest and best part of the Kingdom whereby the purpose of God in exalting this Tribe above the rest was made very apparent The largeness of Judah's lot and the bounds of it and the Cities thereof are set forth Chap. 15. The next two lots that were drawn were for Ephraim and Manasseh the Sons of Joseph immediately one after the other upon whom God transferred a part of Reuben's Birth-right as is expressed 1 Chron. 5.1 2. The Writer of this Book first shews joyntly where the Inheritance of those two Tribes lay and then afterwards shews severally what each of them had for their portion Chap. 16. at vers 5. He begins the Discription of Ephraim's lot which came out before the other For though he was younger than Manasseh yet he was prefer'd before him by Jacob's appointment Gen. 48 19. and besides the Cities that stood within his own lot he had many Cities allotted him within the portion of Manasseh vers 9. The lot that fell to Manasseh is described Ch. 17. and 't is said to be for Machir the only Son of Manasseh whence the whole Tribe beareth the Name of Machir Judg. 5.14 and because Machir that is the Machirites his Posterity were a Warlike people they had Gilead and Bashan allotted to them that is half of it which they did win by dispossessing the Enemy of it see Numb 32.39 40. Therefore half of the Posterity of Machir being setled on the East-side of Jordan the other half were according to Gods appointment to have their portion and lot on the West-side And there fell ten portions to Manasseh that is their Land was divided into six parts according to the number of the Sons of Gilead mentioned vers 2. And Hepher's part who was one of them was divided into five parts or portions and given to his Son Zelophehad's five Daughters and so they were ten portions in all see Numb 26.33 The Cities and Country of Ephraim and Manasseh were much intermixed one with the other These two Tribes complained to Joshua that the quantity of Land assign'd to them for their portion was not sufficient for them They alledged that it was no more than might have been well assigned to one Tribe Why hast thou say they given us but one lot and one portion to inherit seeing we are a great people But Joshua and the rest of the Commissioners had not given them too little circuit of Land to inhabit but indeed part of it was over-grown with Woods and a great part of it was yet in the possession of the Canaanites who had the advantage of Iron-Chariots to fight with Also in their portion there were the Perizzites a wild and savage people much given to Spoil and Prey and the Rephaims or Giants with whom they were not very willing to encounter These things considered these two Tribes thought they had reason to alledge That they had no more given them than would well serve for one populous Tribe Joshua retorts the strength of their argument upon themselves If says he ye be so great a people as you alledge then you are the more able to drive out the Canaanites out of those places allotted to you for your portion and the greater will be your shame if you let them alone and yet complain of the narrowness of your lot If you are so great a people get you up to the Wood-Country and cut down the Woods and make the ground fit for Tillage and build Houses and Cities upon it and drive out and destroy the Canaanites that lurk there and so you may have Land enough to dwell in and need not complain that your portion is too straight for you The Children of Joseph reply
and to carry it to his mouth but Jonathan not being with his Father in the Camp when he thus adjured the people and so knowing nothing of it and being through hunger and weariness ready to faint he put forth the end of his Javelin or Spear that he carried in his hand and dipt it in the wild honey that lay before him and did eat of it whereby his spirits were much revived and refreshed and his eyes that were dim before with fasting and faintness and emptiness and want of spirits were now enlightened and grew clear again One of the Souldiers seeing him thus eat told * V. 28. In the Hebrew phrase a man is said to answer when his speech relateth to a thing before done as well as to a thing before spoken See Numb 11.28 him of the charge that his Father had given the people which till then they had observed but now were grown so weary and faint that they could not any longer pursue the enemy Jonathan hearing this said My Father hath caused a great inconvenience to the whole land of Israel this day by imposing upon you this severe charge seeing hereby he hindreth you from obtaining a full and compleat victory For if I my self by tasting a little honey am so much refreshed that I am enabled to go on chearfully as your Leader in the pursuit how much more if all the Souldiers had been permitted to eat freely of the enemies spoils as they happened to light upon them would they have been enabled thereby to have pursued and slaughtered more of their enemies However the Israelites smote the Philistines that day from Michmash to Aijalon in the Tribe of Dan not far from their own Country But night being come and the time of the prohibition expir'd being with long fasting extream hungry they greedily flew upon the spoil and cattel of the enemy and slew them on the ground and dressed them and eat them not staying till they could be throughly cleansed of the blood which was contrary to the Law Deut. 12.16 And thus though they strictly observed the Kings command for fear of present death yet they observed not Gods command though the violation of it brought them under the penalty of a greater punishment Some acquainted Saul herewith telling him that the people sinned against the Lord in eating the flesh before the blood was well drain'd out of it Saul severely chargeth their sin upon them but without any acknowledgment of his own which was the cause of theirs Ye have sinned this day says he in thus eating the blood Roll me a great stone that thereon in my sight the people may kill their Beasts and that I my self may see the blood fully drained out of the Cattel which they kill Then Saul began †V. 35. Aedificavit Saul Altare i. e. Caepit aedificare cum caepisset extruere altare domino dixit Saul descendamus ad Philisteos c. videtur hoc innuere Saulem opus tantum-modo incaepisse postea negligenter destitisse quomodo antea fecit quando Deum consuleret to build an Altar to the Lord that he might offer thereon Gratulatory Sacrifices for that glorious victory which God had newly given them but it seems he did not finish it Saul and the people having now refreshed themselves he exhorts them vigorously to prosecute the Philistines Let us go says he after the Philistines by night and spoil them unto the morning light and let us not leave a man of them The people seemed very willing to it but the High-Priest said before we undertake such a weighty business let us first ask counsel of God by Vrim and Thummim and crave his direction in it Saul agreed hereunto and was willing to ask counsel of God by the High-Priest but the Lord answered him not (a) Silentium Dei eo spectabat ut innocentia Jonathae praepostera Saulis inhumanitas nimia durities in lucem protraheretur that day which shewed that he was highly displeased see Ch. 28.6 but not with Jonathan for eating a little honey but with Saul for the rash charge which he in his arrogance and tyranny had imposed upon the people having no warrant from God to do it It is evident that the Lords refusing to answer Saul tended to his that it might be discovered that Jonathan had indeed offended against the command of his Father though ignorantly but that Saul had by that rash unadvised charge and curse hindred the prosecution of the victory caused Israel to sin and now brought his own Son under the danger of being accursed and put to death Saul concluding that God was angry because when he enquired of him by the Priest he would not answer him he therefore presently commanded all the heads of the Tribes and Families to draw near unto him that by casting lots it might be discovered who it was that had thus offended God among them for though himself had greatly sinned in that rash and unadvised Oath he had made and the curse he had imposed upon the people yet he concludes that the violation of his command must needs be the great offence which caused the Lord to be silent and therefore for the finding out this he would have them cast lots and solemnly protests who ever was found guilty yea though it were Jonathan his Son he should not be spared but not a man among them would accuse Jonathan Then he said to the people Be ye on the one side and I and Jonathan will be on the other and he prayed unto the Lord to give forth a perfect lot that is a lot which might clear the innocent and fall upon the guilty The lot being cast Saul and Jonathan were taken then the lot was cast between Saul and Jonathan and Jonathan was taken Jonathan was truly innocent and faultless but not in Saul's sense and therefore why is he taken by the lot that was innocent Many reasons are rendred for it 1. To punish Saul's rash Oath who thereby brought his dearest Son into extream danger See the case of Jephtha Judg. 11.30 31 35. 2ly To discover Saul's hypocrisie who seemed very scrupulous and conscientious in keeping a rash and wicked Oath yet made not conscience of killing his innocent Son 3ly To justifie Jonathan and that he might be declar'd innocent Jonathan being taken Saul asks him what he had done Jonathan tells him he had tasted a little honey with the end of his rod or javelin and he saw he must die for it though he was wholly ignorant of the Kings severe prohibition Saul replies God do so to me and more also if I spare thee a stranâ—e zeal this was in Saul and an evidence that the Spirit of God had left him he will not now in pursuance of his rash Oath spare a brave â—â—riant and most worthy Son and yet a little while after contrary to Gods express coâ—trâ—â—â—â—d spareth the wicked King Agag Ch. 15.8 The people hearing this his raâ—â—
excellent prayer are these six things to be observed 1. A description of God v. 6. 2. An enumeration of his mercies from v. 7 to 16. 3ly A confession of sins from 16 to 27. 4ly A declaration of Gods just judgments for them from v. 27 to 32. 5ly A supplication for mercy from 32 to 38. 6ly A solemn binding themselves to God by Covenant that they would carefully observe all his commandments v. 38. He begins his prayer thus Thou even thou art Lord alone thou hast made heaven the heaven of heavens with all their host the earth and all things that are therein the sea and all that is therein and thou preservest them all and the host of heaven worshippeth thee Thou art the Lord God who didst choose Abraham and broughtest him forth out of Vr of the Chaldees and gavest him the name of Abraham And foundest his heart faithful before thee and madest a Covenant with him to give the land of the Canaanites to his seed and hast performed thy words for thou art righteous And didst see the affliction of our Fathers in Egypt and heardst their cry by the Red-sea and shewedst signs and wonders upon Pharoah and on all his servants and on all the people of his land For thou knewest that they dealt proudly against them so didst thou get thee a great name and glory which we celebrate to this day And thou didst divide the sea before them so that they went through the midst thereof on the dry land and their persecutors thou threwest into the deeps as a stone into the mighty waters Moreover thou leadest them in the day by a cloudy pillar and in the night by a pillar of fire to give them light in the way wherein they should go Thou camest down also upon Mount Sinai and spakest with them from heaven and gavest them right judgments and true laws good statutes and commandments And madest known unto them thy holy Sabbath (a) The Sabbath was instituted at the beginning of the world but being much neglected God renewed the command for the observance of it and commandest them excellent precepts statutes and laws by the hand of Moses thy servant And gavest them bread from heaven for their hunger and broughtest forth water for them out of the rock for their thirst and promisedst them that they should go in to possess the land which thou hadst sworn to give them But they (b) That is the Israelites that came out of Egypt and our Ancestors since and our fathers dealt proudly and hardened their necks and hearkened not to thy commandments and refused to obey neither were mindful of thy wonders that thou didst among them but hardened their necks and in their rebellion appointed a Captain to return to their bondage but thou art a God ready to pardon gracious and merciful slow to anger and of great kindness and forsookest them not Yea when they had made them a molten calf and said This is thy god that brought thee up out of Egypt and had wrought great provocations yet thou in thy manifold mercies forsookst them not in the wilderness the pillar of the cloud departed not from them by day to lead them in the way neither the pillar of fire by night to shew them light and the way wherein they should go Thou gavest also thy good Spirit (c) viz. To their Governours to Moses and the 70 Elders Numb 11.17 by whom they were accordingly instructed and directed in the right way to instruct them and with-heldest not thy manna from their mouth and gavest them water for their thirst Yea forty years didst thou sustain them in the wilderness so that they lacked nothing their clothes waxed not old and their feet swelled not Moreover thou gavest them Kingdoms and Nations and didst divide them into corners (d) That is didst plant them in the several parts and corners of the land of Canaan some within Iordan and some without so they possessed the land of Sihon and the land of the King of Heshbon (e) Which was then in the possesssion of Sihon who had formerly taken it from the Moabites Numb 21.26 and the land of Og King of Bashan Their children also multipliedst thou as the stars of heaven and broughtest them into the land concerning which thou hadst promised to their fathers that they should go in to possess it So their children wene in and possessed it and thou subduest before them the inhabitants of the land viz. the Canaanites and gavest them into their hands with their Kings and the people of the land that they might do with them as they would And they took strong Cities and a fat land and possessed houses full of all goods wells digged vineyards and oliveyards and fruit trees in abundance so they did eat and were filled and became fat and delighted themselves in thy great goodness and the plenty thou hadst given them Nevertheless they were disobedient and rebelled against thee and cast thy law behind their backs and slew thy Prophets see 1 King 49.10 which testified (f) And protested that God would not suffer their sins to go unpunished against them to turn them to thee and they wrought great provocations therefore thou deliveredst them into the hand of their enemies who vexed them and in the time of their trouble when they cried unto thee thou heardest them from heaven and according to thy manifold mercies thou gavest them Saviours (g) Temporal deliverers such as the Judges were Judg. 3.9 2 King 13.5 who saved them out of the hand of their adversaries But after they had rest they did evil again before thee therefore leftest thou them in the hand of their enemies so that they had the dominion over them yet when they returned and cried unto thee thou heardest them from heaven and many times didst thou deliver them according to thy mercies And thou testifiedst against them by thy Prophets that thou mightest bring them again unto thy Law yet they dealt proudly and hearkened not unto thy commandments but sinned against thy judgments (h) That is thy righteous ordinances and commandments which if a man do he shall live in them (i) See pag. 158. on Levit. 18.5 and withdrew the shoulder (k) That is were stubborn and refused to submit to Gods Government a Metaphor taken from Cattel that struggle and will not take the yoke upon them See Zach. 7.11 and hardened their neck and would not hear Yet many years didst thou forbear them and testifiedst against them by thy Spirit in thy Prophets yet would they not give ear therefore gavest thou them into the hand of the people of the lands where the Heathen reigned Nevertheless for thy great mercies sake thou didst not utterly consume them nor forsake them for thou art a gracious and merciful God Now therâ—fore O our God the great the mighty and the terrible God who keepest covenant and mercy let not all the trouble seem little before
on their faces and interceeded with the Lord for them God by his Spirit informs Moses That he had sent a Plague among them and directs him what course to take for the stopping of it Hereupon he calls to Aaron to take his Censer and to put fire into it from off the Altar and to put Incense thereon and to run quickly and make atonement for the people and to stand between the living and the dead (b) Incense was only to be offered upon the Altar of Incense in the Tabernacle but this was done upon an extraordinary occasion and by an extraordinary warrant of divine Inspiration for he tells him Wrath was gone out from the Lord the Plague was begun And Aaron did as Moses commanded him yet the Plague ran so swiftly among the people like fire in a field of Corn that before Aaron could interpose himself to make atonement wherein he was a Figure of Christs Intercession there fell fourteen thousand and seven hundred of those rebellious Murmurers see 1 Cor. 10.10 and then the Plague was stayed and Aaron returned to Moses to the door of the Tabernacle to acquaint him how he had sped and to return thanks unto the Lord who had so graciously accepted the work of his hands Numb 16. whole Chapter SECT LXIV THat none might for the future presume to usurp the Office of the Priesthood or aspire to it besides Aaron and his Sons God was pleased to enjoyn Moses to take of each Prince of the twelve Tribes a Rod or Staff such as they did usually carry in their hands which were it seems according to the Custom of those times made of Almond-Tree and to write every Princes Name on his Rod and to write Aaron's Name upon the Rod of the Tribe of Levi. He tells him That the mans Rod whom he did choose to serve him in the Priesthood should blossom and the rest remain dry And God orders Moses to lay all the Rods up in the Tabernacle in the most holy place before the Ark of the Testimony where the Lord did use by glorious signs to testifie his Presence and make known his Will unto them see Exod. 25.22 For upon such extraordinary occasions we need not doubt but Moses used to go into the most holy place Accordingly next morning Moses went in thither and he found that the Rod of Aaron had shot forth branches and some of them had buds on them and some blossoms and others yielded Almonds but all the rest of the Rods remaining dry as they were before Then Moses brought out all the Rods and shewed them to the Children of Israel and the Princes took every man his Rod and found them dry sticks as before but Aaron's Rod flourished and had brought forth Buds Blossoms and Fruit by which Miracle they were convinced that God had chosen Aaron and his Sons to be the only Priests that should serve Him at the Altar And hereupon God orders Moses to lay up Aaron's Rod again in the most holy place before the Ark to be kept there * See Apostol Hist on Heb. 9.6 as a Testimony against any such Children of Rebellion as should ever after presume to usurp the Office of the Priesthood And by this means also he might prevent the murmurings and complainings of the people which if they went on in they would thereby bring certain destruction upon their own heads The people hearing these things and being exceedingly terrified with this threatning and the remembrance of those late dreadful Judgments that had carried away so many among them they cry out unto Moses Alas we die we perish we all perish that is we see we are in continual danger of being swept away with terrible Judgments And as men terrified are wont to conceive their danger to be greater than indeed it is they now apprehend that it would be exceeding dangerous for them to come near the Tabernacle or to be present at any Worship or Service there performed and seem to fear that God would not withdraw his Indignation from them until he had destroyed and consumed them all Ch. 17. whole Chapter SECT LXV THe people being under such a fear and consternation the Lord hereupon takes order for the guard of the Sanctuary and injoyns that every one should remain within the Verge and Limits of his duty and so they should be safe and he tells Aaron That He and the Priests and Levites shall bear the iniquity of the Sanctuary that is if any pollution (c) Thus the Lord shews himself reconciled and makes the Priests watch a ground of appeasing both the fear and envy of the people came to it by the people they should answer for it and bear the punishment thereof if they did not take care to prevent it and the Priests should bear the punishment of all Iniquity committed about their Priests Office if they did carry themselves amiss in it or suffer a stranger or Levite to meddle therein He tells them he had joined * Here is an allusion to Levies name which signifies joyned the Levites to them to minister to them in the outward Services of killing and slaying the Sacrifices c. but they themselves only should serve at the Altar and within the holy place before the Ark of the Testimony and the Levites shall observe the Precepts and Charge which he hath given them concerning their Ministry and concerning the sacred things of the Tabernacle which are committed to their Care that so every one keeping his station and doing his duty there may be no wrath any more upon the Children of Israel only they shall not meddle with the Service of the Sanctuary and Altar lest they die And if the Priests did not endeavour to prevent any such Errour or Miscarriage in their Brethren the Levites they should also incur the like danger Thus he appoints the Levites to minister to the Priests and orders that he that is not of the Tribe of Levi shall not be admitted to serve and minister unto them For God having taken the Levites instead of the first-born of the Children of Israel to himself he had given them unto Aaron and his Sons for his own Service and the Service of the Tabernacle Therefore he and his Sons should exercise their Priests Office in all things that concern the Altar of Burnt-Offerings and in all things which are to be done within the outward Veil whereby the holy place is divided from the Court the High Priest in the most holy place and inferiour Priests within the Sanctuary or holy place And God tells Aaron and his Sons That 't is his free Gift and favour to them that he had made choice of them before others for the Priestly Office and that He had ordained That whoever is not of Aaron's Line and goeth about to meddle with the Priestly Office shall be put to death from vers 1. to 8. The Lord having thus set down the Office and Work of the Priests and Levites he