and one for Levi besides with Aaron's Name written upon it to be laid up in the Tabernacle before the Ark of God and to ly there only for one night God told Moses what would be the issue of it and accordingly he found it so the next morning Behold the Rod of Aaron was budded and had brought forth Blossoms and those came to be Almonds all in that one night Moses brought out all those Rods that the Children of Israel might see them Of the Princes of the twelve Tribes every one acknowledged his own Rod. Then God caused Moses to bring back Aaron's Rod and to lay it before the Ark to remain there for a Token against those Rebels and quite to take away their Murmuring for the future 103. Now the whole Nation of Israel had seen these miraculous The People obstinate to the last proofs of God's insisting on his choice of Aaron to be Priest as well as his asserting the Authority of Moses They had also seen those dreadful Judgements of God Earthquake and Fire from Heaven and Plagues that he sent all in one day to cut off those Rebels that attempted to set up themselves against these his Ministers What disposition that People were in after this God has been pleased to let us know by giving us the Passionate words into which they broke out on this occasion He tells us f Num. XVII the Children of Israel spake unto Moses saying behold we dye we perish we all perish Whosoever cometh any thing near to the Tabernacle of the Lord shall dye Shall we be consumed with dying * After Moseâ—… and Aaron had brought the Children of Israel out of Egypt their first Complaint against them was this that whereas they had put the people in hope of bringing them into g Ex. XIII 5. a Land flowing with milk and honey Ex. XIII 5. They found fault that they had brought them into a a Ex. XIV 11. wilderness Ex. XIV 11. where first their b XV. 24. water was bâ—…r XV. 24. and where there was c XVI 3. nothing to eat XVI 3. and at last there was d XVII 3. no water XVII 3. God was so Gracious as notwithstanding all this to supply fall these defects and to forgive their Sin of murmuring so that not one of them died for it And after that he was pleased to renew to them that Promise of bringing them into e Num. XXXIII 3. Lev. XX. 24. a Land flowing with milk and honey Num. XXXIII 3. But when he had just brought them to that Land and the Spies whom they had sent to look into the nature of it had told them it was f Num. XIII 32. a Land that eat up the Inhabitants thereof which was quite contrary to what Moses had promised them then they broke out into a Tumuk worse than any of the former For this in the first place God g XIV 37. cut off those Spies that had given them that false information Then for their so often repeated Sin of murmuring against God he declared that they all should h vers 32. dye in the wilderness and that within the space of i 33. forty years This terrible Sentence daunted them for a while But soon after in the time of Korâ—…h's Rebellion Dathâ—… and Abiram k XVI 13 14. revived this very thing Num. XVI 13 14. In their charge against Moses they told him Thou hast brought us up to kill us in the wilderness thou hast not brought us into a Land that flows with milk and honey Wilt thou put out the eyes of these men Wilt thou make them believe this is a Land flowing with milk and honey when they see it is a Wilderness This was a downright Rebellion against God for which as those Ten Spies l XIV 37. died of the plague so these two Daâ—…han and Abiranâ—… and all that belonged to them were m XVI 32. swallowed up at once by the Ground opening under them But it seems the Sin these Men died for was no other than what all the People had in their hearts There seems to be an acknowledgement of it in these words when reflecting upon this Judgement on Dathan and Abâ—…ram they could not forbear telling Moses n XVII 1â—… XVII 12. behold we dye we perish we all perish that is to say if all that are of this opinion must dye then there is no help for it we must all dye and perish They were as good as their words They boldly said this again and again when they saw many others to join with them in it And o XX. 2 3. XXI 5. this was the cause of their dying in the next judgements of God that came upon them in the Wilderness Num. XX. 2 3. and XXI 5. But that which was freshest in their minds and which most stuck with them was this that Moses had advanced his Brother Aaron and his Sons to the Priesthood which always belonged to the first born in former times This was in their opinion such an engrossing of Honour and Riches into one Family as ought not to be endured That this was the People's sense of the matter it appeared by their so generally joyning with Korah and his Company in opposition to Aaron's Priesthood Koráh had with him p Num. XVI 2. vers 18. 250 men of the chief of their Nation who all took Censers in their hands to officiate as Priests in burning Incense at the Door of the Tabernacle The People saw them all struck dead with q v. 35. Fire from Heaven After which as Moses said by God's Command r v. 37 38 39. their Censers were taken up and wrought into Plates for the covering of the Altar and that expressly for this reason that it should be s v. 40. a Memorial to all others that were not of the â—…ons of Aaron that t Num. XVI 40. 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 c. not a man of them should come near to offer incense before the Lord that he be not as Korah and his Company Num. XVI 40. All this the People must have known or else it could not hare been a warning to them They might also know what Moses now said as from God concerning u Num. XVII 10 11. Aaron's Rod being now laid up before the Ark for a second Memorial He had said that it was to mind the People not to meddle with any office of the Priesthood x vers 10. that they dye not It was as most think upon the hearing of this that the y v. 12. Children of Israel spoke to Moses those passionate words we dye we perish we all perish that is in effect we hear of nothing but dying But those words especially went to their hearts that Moses had z XVI 40. XVII 13. said on occasion of the Plates being made of those Censers for a Memorial c. They repeat them here in effect 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
land they had despised they must now go wandring the rest of their days in the wilderness For this they e v. 45. wept before the Lord. They would have got him to take off that sentence but that could not be only this God was pleased to change in it whereas he had ordered them to begin their Journey to morrow into the wilderness and so on f Num. XIV 45. to the Red Sea Num. XIV 45. Now in compassion to their wounded men he gave them leave to lie still g Deut. l. 46. many daies till they were so well cured as to be able to go with the rest 98. After this they took their Iourney into the wilderness as God They wâ—…nder 38 yeâ—…rs in the wilderness had commanded them Their way was now directly from Canaan toward the h Deut. II. 1. Red Sea But it was not the same way that they came hither For now they were to i v. 4. compass the land of Edom Deut. II. 1 4. first from North to South till they came to the Red Sea and then from South to North still compassing k v. 8. Idumaea till they came to the wilderness of Moab Deut. II. 8. There they were to pass the brook l v. 13. Zered v. 13. And so they did thirty eight years after their coming from m v. 14. 1â—… Kadesh-Barnea In which time all those that came out of Egypt at the age of twenty years old and upward were n v. 16. consumed and dead from among the people It was a long and tedious Journey as God ordered it for them For it was at his Commandment that they journied and at his Commandment they pitched their Camp His pleasure was fignified to them by the Pillar of Cloud by day and of Fire by night When the Pillar was taken up from the Tabernacle then after that they journied and wheresoever that rested there they pitched their Camp The way of it is largely and clearly a Num. IX 15 23. described Num. IX 15 23. And whereas from Kadesh Barnea to the Red Sea it was not above b Bp. Patrick on Nâ—…m XXXIII 19. â—…en days Journey the shortest way they made it a Journey of 37 years in all which time they had no more than 17 Resting places So that if in every one of those places they had rested an equal space of time every time they had rested it would have been more than two years No doubt in some places they rested a less time and in some much longer Then from Ezion Geber at the Red Sea they went somewhat quicker to the Brook Zered which was in the Confines of Moab They went it in one year during which they had no more but eight Resting places But now they had been full thirty and eight years in coming from Kadesh Barnea to the Brook Zered which as we are told by one c Geo. Synceâ—…us in Chronogr p. 142. 〈◊〉 Paris that travel'd it himself is no more than five days Iourney Thus it pleased God to give those Rebel's time to dye in the wilderness as every one of them did within those thirty eight years in all which time a New Generation was growing up which Ioshua and Caleb were to bring into the promised Land and there to shew them how that good Land was belied by their ungrateful and rebellious Fathers 99 Of what they did in those first thirty seven years or what Of their three last Rebellions happen'd to them in all that time we have very little Information in History only Moses gives us an account of three of their Rebellions in that time which shewed how far they were from being reclaim'd by all their warnings and punishments 100. The first of these Rebellions was that which Korah and his 〈◊〉 that of Korah Complices raised against Moses and Aaron It was as the d Ios. Ant. IV. 1. Iewish Historian tells us such a Sedition as never was known among the Greek or Barbarous Nations The chief mover in it was Korah a Levite whose father Izhar was Brother to Amram the father of Moses and Aaron He was himself a chief man among those of his Tribe but he was not contented with that He was for the Chief Priesthood if he could get it But there was no other way to come at that but by breaking through the divine Institution of the three Orders of the Ministry It was by God's immediate e Ex. XXIX Command that Moses had f Lev. IX consecrated Aaron and his Sons to be Priests which Act of his God had confirmed by sending Fire from heaven on their Sacrifice in the sight of all the People of Israel g Lev. IX 24. Lev. IX 24. He had also given them the Levites to assist them h Num. III. 9. VIII 19. Num. III. 9. VIII 19. in all the inferior parts of their ministry But this was it which Korah could not endure He was for the Priesthood himself and so were others of his Tribe Num. XVI 10. Which since God had taken from them they would have it of the People's Gift The People of Israel could not forget that before this Divine Institution the Priesthood had gone by Primogeniture It was i instead of all the First born of Israel that God took the Levites into Num. III. 12 〈◊〉 his Service Num. III. 12 41. For this reason it seems that Korah applied himself to Dathan and Abiram the Sons of Reuben who was the first-born Son of Israel together with them there were a Nuâ—… XVI 〈◊〉 3. two hundred and fifty Princes of the Assembly famous in the Congregation that rose against Moses and Aaron It appears that all these took the Priesthood upon them as well as Korah himself For b v. 1â—… they took every man his Censer and put fire in them no doubt from the Altar of God and laid incense thereon to offer it before the Lord. He that was not a Priest and did this was to be put to death Num. III. 10 38. * King Uzzialâ—… attempting to burn incense to God though he was not put to death he was chastised with the utmost severity for it n Câ—…ron XXVI 16 21. The Leprosy rose up in his Foreâ—… at that Instant and they that saw it thrust hâ—… out of the Temple yea himself also hasted to go out and he dwelâ—… ever after in a separate house being a Leper unto the day of his death and Iotham his Son took upon him the Government of Israel 2 Chron XXVI 16 21. This they could not but know But they would venture it thinking perhaps that the Laws which Moses delivered from God concerning the Priesthood were not God's but his Own made in favour of and Combination with his Brother Aaron If they had not thought so they would not have dared to break out into such Language as they c Nuâ—… XVI 〈◊〉 gave Moses and Aaron v. 3. When they
said to them you take too much upon you they could not mean less than Moses did when he returned the d v. y. same words to Korah and his Brethren It was as much as to say you take that which God has not given you Vers. 7. God had surely given it to Aaron as he shewed by e 〈◊〉 IX ult sending Fire from Heaven on his Sacrifice Therefore this which they were now doing was directly in opposition to God So Moses f Nâ—… XVI 〈◊〉 tells Korah v. 11. both thou and all thy Company are gather'd together against the Lord and what is Aaron that you murmure against Him That Miracle was wrought in the sight of all Israel And they could not have forgotten it since being wrought but five months before their coming to Kadesh Barnea But it seems they ascribed it to some other cause and not to God's approbation of Aâ—…ron Therefore now there was no convincing them of their Error any otherwise than by putting the matter to God Moses offers them this that they all should g v. 5 6 7. take Censers and put Fire on them and offer Incense before the Tabernacle and Aaron should do the same and then they should see whom God would chuse Moses at the same time h v. 11. sent for those Sons of Reuben But they seemed to have a mind to the civil Government and â—…refore they Refused to obey him They said i v. 11. we will not come up It is plain in the following words that they charged him with making himself k v. 13. a Prince over them v. 13. and with breach of Trust and deluding the People with Promises of things of which now their l v. 14. senses shewed them the contrary v. 14. They ended as they begun we will not come up So they m v. 24. stay'd still in their Tabernacles v. 24. which were near to Korah's the Cohathites being encamped next to the Reubenites Perhaps on account of this Conspiracy they might have one Tabernacle in common There to shew they did not fear what Moses could do to them they had brought their wives and all their Children together to stand or fall with them in the event of this matter Korah the mean while seems to have been every where He was surely very busy to bring up all the Numbers he could that he might head them against Moses and Aaron That he was a great Demagogue a Ios. Aut. IV. 2. Iosephus saith and he shewed it throughout this whole Action In his speech at the beginning to Moses and Aaron he tells them all the Congregation are holy every one of them and the Lord is among them in his Tabernacle wherefore then lift you up your selves above the Congregation of the Lord b Num. XVI 3. v. 3. with these and such like flatteries of the People he had charmed them to that degree that now he had c vers 19. gather'd all the Congregation together against Moses and Aaron at the door of the Tabernacle There it was now to be tried who it was that God had chosen or would chuse 101. But while the 250 were preparing to offer their incense God's Judgements on Him and his Complices Moses went where Dathan and Abiram were together and called off the People d vers 26. that they might not perish with those Men. He declared that here would be the Trial whether God had spoke by him or no. e v. 28 29 30. If these Men dye the Common Death of all Men then the Lord has not sent me but if the Earth open her Mouth and swallow them up with all that is theirs then it will appear that these Men have provoked the Lord. No sooner had he made an end of speaking those words but f 31 3â—… the ground clave under them and swallowed them up and their Families even all that belonged to them The mean while for the 250 Men that were offering Incense and likely Korah was among them g v. 40. see vers 40. against them h v. 35. there came out a fire from the Lord and consumed them in the very Fact It was well for Korah's Sons that they i Num. XXVI II. deserted him in this Action for by that means they saved their Lives and continued his Family of whom came k 1 Chron. VI. 22 29. Samuel the great Saint of the Lord whom David l Ps. XCIX 6. and on the incorrigible People plaâ—… next to Moses and Aaron Ps. XCIX 6. 101. It was wonderful to see the People's stupidity under all this They that just now had been Eye witnesses of those dreadful Judgements of God employing both Heaven and Earth for the destruction of those Rebels yet as if all this had happen'd in their favour they still called them m Num. XVI 41. the People of the Lord. This they did after time for Deliberation for it was on the morrow after their death that all the Congregation of Israel murmured against Moses and Aaron charging them with the Murder of these Men. They told them plainly you have killed the People of the Lord as if it had not been God's Work but theirs perhaps by Art Magick in which they might think that Moses and Aaron outdid the Magicians of Egypt The People were so enraged at this time that they broke out into an open Insurrection n v. 42. The Congregation was gather'd against Moses and against Aaron It was high time for God to put a stop to this as he did by his Glory appearing in the Tabernacle God declared his meaning by it to Moses that he would a v. 49. consume them as in a moment But to prevent this both Moses and Aaron fell upon their faces and prayed At their Prayer God forbore destroying those Rebels but he sent the Plague among them that presently b v. 49. consumed 14700 persons beside them that died in the Earthquake and by Fire from Heaven 102. It was very visible by this great Example that Miraculous God appoints two Memorials to be kept Judgements were not sufficient to quell the Rebellious Spirits of this People but that there must be some permanent Tokens besides to continue with them and to mind them from time to time what they or their Forefathers had suffer'd or seen Therefore God was pleased to c Num. XVI 37 40. order the taking up of the Censers of Korah and his 250 Men and the working of them into broad plates for the covering of the Altar to be a Memorial to the Children of Israel that none that d v. 40. was not of the seed of Aaron should come near to offer Incense before the Lord that he be not as Korah c. And to give them a further Memorial of this he caused e XVII 1 c. twelve Rods or Staves one for each of the twelve Tribes of Israel with the Tribe's name written upon it
Vers. 23. But yet they could not hurt him Vers. 30. because his HOUR was not yet come So another time Ioh. VIII 20. when they would fain have layd hold on him the same reason is given why they could not because his HOUR was not yet come it could not be till the Passeover The latter time here mention'd was on the 23th of Tisri when our Saviour was teaching in the Treasury In the end of that day upon his saying those words before ABRAHAM was I am they took up Stones to cast at him But not to work Miracles needlessly he escaped from them in the throng and that probably by the help of his Disciples for they were then about him or near him Ioh. IX 2. He had no sooner escaped that storm but another was raised against him upon his working a Miracle on the Sabbath day It was his giving Sight to one that was born blind Ioh. IX 14. for which since they could not reach our Saviour they layd hold on the poor man and cast him out of the Synagogue Vers 34. The mean while our blessed Saviour in his return from Ierusalem met with his LXX Disciples who brought him an account of what they had done in their Ministry The first place he came to was Martha's house Luk. X. 38. She was a widow as Grotius thinks Her House was at Bethany Ioh. XI 1. about fifteen furlongs from Ierusalem Vers. 18. From thence he went on through the Cities and Villages Luk. XIII 22. which were prepared for him by his LXX Disciples No doubt it was by their means that wheresoever he came he found the People so ready to hear him As we reade Luk. XI 29. that in one place they were gathered thick together for that purpose So in another it is sayd there were 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Luk. XII 1. innumerable multitudes insomuch that they trode upon one another But every where the Scribes and Pharisees got in among them Luk. XI 53 54. who were still laying wait for him seeking to catch something out of his Mouth that they might accuse him No doubt they were these that were still cavilling at his Miracles seeking Signs from heaven Luk. XI 15 16. But it appears they put the people on the same Vers. 29. and so again Luk. XII 56. where he gives them the same answer as he had done before to the Pharisees Matt. XVI 3. Our Saviour thus going on through the Cities and Villages where the LXX had been was now again making his journey to Ierusalem Luk. XIII 22. This was no doubt to the Feast of DEDICATION which was yearly held on the 25th of Cisleu above two months after the Feast of Tabernacles In his way to that Feast we find him at Peraea in Herod's Dominions Luk. XIII 31. There Herod kept his Court at Machaerus as we learn from Iosephus Ant. XVIII 7. and elswhere But he could not like to have the blessed Iesus so near him for His being there could not but mind the people of his forerunner Iohn Baptist whose death was very grievous to them It seems most likely that Herod for that reason sent the Pharisees to try if they could affright him out of those coasts It appears that our Saviour knew they came from Herod for to Him he sends them with this Answer go tell that Fox c. I cannot dye out of Ierusalem And thereupon he pronounced the Fate of that City that it should be layd desolate and should be left so till the time foretold Psal. CXVIII 25 26. even the Time when the JEWISH Nation shall turn to him saying blessed be he that cometh in the Name of the Lord. All this our Saviour repeated again Matt. XXIII 37 c. when the Hosanna-time at his coming up to Ierusalem was past and therefore it is not necessary that these words should refer to that particular Occasion That being indeed a fulfilling of that Prophecy Zech. IX 9. of Christ's coming to Ierusalem riding on an Asse in such manner as is therein described with all those Shews of public joy among the common People which were but a low Type of the universal joy that shall be hereafter at their Restauation Our Saviour's coming up now from Peraea to Jerusalem was to the Feast of DEDICATION before mentioned It was now that he had that dispute with the Iews Ioh. X. 24. upon which they were for stoning him more than once Vers. 31 39. but both times he escaped out of their hands And after the Feast he went again into Peraea Vers. 40. About this time on the 25th of December began the 36th year of his Age. 33 36 19 Our blessed Lord being returned from the Feast of DEDICATION made his abode in Peraea with his Disciples for some time Iohn X. 40. and there on the account of what they had heard Iohn Baptist say of him as well as what they saw of the Miracles that he wrought many believed on him Vers. 41 42. From thence at the desire of Mary and Martha he came into Iudaea again to help their Brother Lazarus who was sick unto death Ioh. XI 7 8. At his coming thither he found Lazarus dead and buryed some days before There in the presence of many witnesses our Saviour restored him to life which put his Enemies out of all patience The chief Priests and Pharisees from that day forth were in consultation together how to put him to death Now it was not safe for our Saviour to stay there nor to go to any place that they were acquainted with for they had given a Commandment that if any man knew where he was he should shew it that they might take him Vers. 57. Our Saviour therefore retired into the Country near to the Wilderness It was that which reaches from Iericho to Bethel Iosh. XVI 1. and which is called the Wilderness of Bethaven XVIII 12. There his retirement was in a City called Ephraim which seems to have been that where Absolom had his Sheep-shearing to which he invited David and his Sons II Sam. XIII 23. In St. Ierom's time there was a very great Village called Ephrea about 20 miles North of Ierusalem This long Wildernesse as Ioshua there shews was in the confines between Benjamin and Ephraim or between the Countries of Iudaea and Samaria as they were called in our Saviour's time Our blessed Saviour could not be safer than there in any place at that distance from Ierusalem and he could not well be further off being soon to return to Ierusalem for the Passeover was nigh at hand Ioh. XI 54 55. So near that they that sought his life were enquiring whether he would not come up that year Vers. 56. They were afraid he would stay away from this Passeover as he had done from the two last beforegoing But when our Saviour saw his time to come up to the Feast then out of his retirement he passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee Luk. XVII 11. that is as the learned