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 〈◊〉 〈◊〉
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
was of using such threatnings to a Warning them especially against Idolatry People that were so inclined to Idolatry And therefore the more to secure them against that when he had gone through all the rest of his Ten words as it were in one breath he return'd to this against Idolatry for so we see it again vers 22 23. c v. 22 23. The Lord said unto Moses thus shalt thou say to the Children of Israel you have seen that I have talked with you from Heaven from thence d Deut. IV. 13 15. you only heard a Voice but you saw no similitude therefore take heed and do not make with me Gods of Silver nor Gods of Gold This plainly shews what the especial danger was against which God thought fit to provide for the safety of his People in Religious matters 78. After this God gave them a Body of e Ex. XXI XXII XXIII Political Judicial He gave them the Judicial Law Laws chiefly for the keeping of that vast number of People together and the Governing of them in Civil Society Then Moses having f Ex. XXIV 3 4. written all these in a Book as well the Ten words before-mention'd as also the Iudgements now deliver'd did by God's Command call all the People together and read the Book in their hearing Which having done he g v. 7. bound them to the observation of these Laws by h v. 8. an especial Covenant made by Sacrifice for that purpose And to make the stronger impression on their minds he first sprinkled i Ex. XXIV 6. half the blood of the Sacrifice on the Altar of God and then having taken a solemn promise from them in these words k v. 7. all that the Lord hath said we will do and be obedient then he sprinkled the other half of the blood on the People saying to them l v. 8. Behold the Blood of the Covenant which the Lord has made with you concerning all these words viz. all the words of the Law and also of the Judgements beforementioned 79. When this Business was over then Moses by God's Command Moses gets up into the Mount went up to him into the Mount there to receive m Deut. IX 11. the Tables of the Covenant from God himself They were two Tables of Stone on which there were written n Ex. XXIV 12. the Law and the Commandment as Moses calls them Ex. XXIV that is to say o Deut. IX 10. the words which the Lord spake to them out of the midst of the fire on Mount Sinai Deut. IX The Tables were no bigger than Moses could carry in his hands Ex. XXXII 19. and yet they were cut out of the Rock by the Almighty hand of God which also writ all that was contained in them to give them the more Authority with his People 80. There Moses continued in the Mount a Ex. XXIV 18. fourty daies and Stays there forty daies fourty nights neither eating nor drinking but wholely taken up with Attention to God who delivered to him those Instructions and Laws concerning the b Ex. XXV XXXI making of the Ark and the Tabernacle and all the furniture of it together with all the Utensils for his Instituted worship and also concerning the Priest's Vestments and their Consecration c. They were matters in which there was c Ezek. XX 25. no Intrinsec Goodness at all Ezek. XX. 25. And therefore these things were d Ier. VII 22. not commanded by God to his People at their first coming up our of Egypt Ier. VII 22. but were superadded afterwards to fill the Eyes and the Ears of a Sensual People that seemed to be scarce capable of any thing of Spiritual Religion having their minds wholely taken up with the remembrance of those Pompous and Noisy rites they had seen among the Idolatrous Nations 81. They shew'd now a great Instance of this upon occasion of The People set up a Golden Calf Moses's being so long absent from them while he was with God in Mount Sinai fourty daies e Ex. XXXII 1. For when the People saw that Moses delaied to come down out of the Mount in all that time they came in a Body to Aaron whom he had left in charge over them and said to him up make us Gods to go before us for as for this Moses the Man that brought us up out of the Land of Egypt we know not what is become of him It was strange indeed that they that within three months before had seen all those plagues of Egypt and their wonderful deliverance from thence and had been ever since conducted by the Pillar of Cloud and of Fire and did neither eat nor drink any thing but what came to them immediately from God by perpetual Miracles should notwithstanding all this so f Ps. CVI. 21. forget God their Saviour as to say it was that Man Moses that brought us up out of the Land of Egypt It was yet more strange that when by their g Ex. XXXII 22. importunity and threats they had gotten Aaron to make them a Molten Calf the likeness of an Ox that eateth Grass Ps. CVI. 20. they would cry up that as they did saying h vers 4 8. * This is thy God .... So it is in Neh. IX 18. this is thy God O Israel which brought thee up out of the Land of Egypt But this was strangest of all that Aaron who had seen the Glory of God should so quite forget that as to build an Altar to this Image of a beast and make Proclamation before it as if the great God had come down to dwell in it saying i v. 5. tomorrow is a Feast to JEHOVAH But however they had brought him to do this the People were pleased it was done And as if it were a God indeed k v. 6. on the morrow the People rose up early and offer'd Sacrifices of all sorts as well burnt offerings to this new made God as peace offerings to feast themselves with After which a Ib. 7. they rose up to play b vers 17 18 19. singing dancing and shouting as they had seen it done by the Egyptians at the Feasts of their Idols 82. On that very Morning Moses being to come down from the Moses intercedes for them Mount God c v. 7. hasten'd him away to see what they were doing in the Camp And it may be observed that as they had called Moses d v. 1. the Man that brought us up out of Egyt so God speaking to Moses called them e v. 7. thy People which thou hast brought up out of Egypt Ex. XXXII 7. As the People gave the Honour of that great work from God to Moses so in effect God bids him take the People together with it Their making an Image of the Lord Iehovah their God was so great a breach of their Covenant with him after so
him to it soon afterwards He came full of it to the people of Midian There he certainly knew that any Advice would be welcome that would rid them of the Nation that they feared and he knew that as they were best able so they would not spare to pay him well for this advice which he brought them For both these Reasons he must impart it first to the five Kings of Midian and then he must take the general Consent of the Men without which he could not have brought the Women into this Matter For the women they were to be more than passive in it They had many things to do They were first to take a pretty long journey into the Land of Moab There they were to engage the Moabitish women as many as they could to joyn with them and they were to go together and Act according to their Instructions They were to hold a Feast to Baal Peor an Idol so called from the High-place of a Num XXIII 28. Mount Peor where it was to be worshiped That Mountain belonged to Moab formerly till it was taken from them by King Sihon But by Conquest over him it was now in the people of Israel's hands And the place being near to their Camp it could not be doubted but that a Multitude of them would come to see what all these women were doing There as Balaam had instructed the b XXXI 16. Midianitish women they were first by bb XXV 18. their Wiles to draw in those young men of Israel for so they generally were c v. 1. to commit Whoredom with them The women of those Idolatrous Nations did not think it any shame to do this d See le Cleâ—… on Ex. XXXIV 15. especially when it was for the getting of Mony to offer to their Idols But the Midianitish women might be perswaded to do the same thing on a higher Consideration Balaam might tell them it was an Act of holy Zeal in them to do it for the gaining of a whole Nation of Aliens to their Religion He was wicked enough to tell them so and they did as if they believed it It was to e Num XXV 18. their Wiles particularly that God imputed all the Sin and Destruction of so many of his People And yet the Camp of Israel being so near the Moabites Country that their Women were better known to the Israelites than the other therefore they were the Daughters of Moab with whom a v. 1. the People begun to commit Whoredome and they were the Women of that Nation that b v. 2. invited the People to the Sacrifices of their Gods It is very likely that they also came in greater Numbers than the other Women that lived so much further from Peor 117. The Feasts that those Idolaters held in honour of their Gods The Moabitish Women tempted them to Fornication and Idolatry were always kept with Music and Dancing by which they were whetted and prepared for the following Impurities that were to the Devils their Gods the most acceptable part of their Worship A great Number of the young men of c v. 2. Israel were tempted to comply with them in all this after which they would scarce stick at any thing else that could be desired of them And so upon these Womens Invitation those wretches did not onely eat with them at their Idolatrous Feasts but they also bowed downe to their Gods and so d v. 3. joined themselves to Baal Peor 118. This was such a manifold Breach of Gods Expresse e Ex. XXXIV 15. Command God sent a Plague for this to his People that f Num. XXV 〈◊〉 his Anger was kindled against Israel for it and it presently appear'd in a Plague that came downe upon them in the midst of their Jollity It fell upon g Deut. IV. 〈◊〉 no other but them that were guilty of this complicated Sin But that neither the Sin nor the Judgment might spread any further h v. 4. God called upon Moses to put a Stop to it by doing Justice on the Transgressors It seems that hitherto Moses had no Information of those horrible doings all this being done at Mount Peor which was some miles distant from the Camp or if he knew any thing of it this wickedness being a thing quite new to him it struck him into such an Astonishment that at first he knew not what to do in it But for that he was to take his direction from God and God was pleased to give him that before he asked it The Lord said unto Moses i v. 4. take all the Chief Men of the Transgressors and hang them up before the Lord. This was necessary for the satisfying of his Justice and thereby for the turning away of his fierce Anger from Israel And therefore he was to do this as Publickly as he could that all others might see and fear This Order was certainly put in Execution by those whom Moses Authorized for that Purpose And to do it the more Effectually he order'd the k v. 5. Iudges of Israel every one in his District to put to death all that they could find had joined themselves to Baal-Peor 119. The mean while all the rest of the People that had a sense Phineas zeal put a Stop to it of their duty were l v. 6. weeping for their Brethrens horrible breach of it and imploring the Mercy of God before the m Ex. XXIII 9. 10. door of his Tabernacle That being on the n Num. III. 38. East-side of the Tabernacle was the place where Moses and Aaron and his Sons were to keep the Charge of the Sanctuary and to attend there upon all such Occasions There was a Num. XXV 6. Moses now present and probably Aaron and his Sons though the Text mentions no more of them but b v. 7. Phineas They were weeping there together with all the Congregation when one of their young Men being surely blinded with lust brought a Midianitish Woman along with him and led her to his Tent in all their sight Phineas in a holy Indignation at this rose up from all his weeping Company and taking a Javelin in his hand he followed the Man into his c El. Hakkubba to the Alcove Le Clerc bedroom where finding them in the Act of filthiness together d v. 8. he thrust both of them through both the Man of Israel and the Woman through her belly He did this by Moses's command as e De vità Mosâ—…s 1. Philo saith No doubt he knew of the Command which God had given to Moses and likely had heard him charge others himself among the rest to put it in Execution That his chief Motive in it was Zeal for Gods sake he had a f v. 10 11. Testimony from God himself It was surely an Ardent Zeal for God that moved him to do so bold a thing as this was to kill a young Prince among
the People of Israel and together with him the Daughter of a King of the Midianites who would surely make it a National Quarrel This was such a thing as God would not let vs be ignorant of and therefore he plainly tells us that the Name of the Man was g v. 14. Zimri the Son of Salu a Prince of the cheif family among thr Simeonites and that the Woman was h v. 15. Cozbi the Daughter of Zur who as he tells us i XXXI 8. elsewhere was one of the five Kings of Midian Such an Heroic Action as this was being done in pure Zeal for Gods Cause was so highly acceptable to him that thereupon he stopt his hand and would not suffer the Plague to proceed any farther And not onely so but as well for a Reward to Phineas at present as for a Memorial of it in future times God gave him the promise of continuing the Priesthood to him and his seed after him for ever 120. By this one Act of his it came to pass that this Judgment of The Plague held but one day God was no more than k 〈◊〉 Cor. X. 9. one days work It was l Num. XXV 18. the Day of the Plague as Moses calls it But in that short space of time there dyed m v. 9. of the Plague no fewer than 24000. Moses elsewhere has told us that those were n Deut. IV. 3. all the Men that followed Baal-Peor And that none dyed after this day till the Date of the Book o Deut. I. 3. of Deuteronomy which was but one Month before his death This is certain from what he told them in the next words p v. 4. You that did cleave unto the Lord your God are alive every one of you this day 121. No doubt they that saw this terrible Judgment of God Moses's last numbring of the People though they knew how just it was upon them that perished in it yet could not but be in some kind of fear for themselves none of them being secure but that living as they did among those Idolatrous Nations with whom God would not let them be in hostility they might by conversing with them be ensnared into some Sin or other for which they might perish in like manner God was pleased therefore to let them know that the danger they were in on that account was not long to continue There was onely the a Num. XXVI 3. River Iordan between them and the Land which God had promised to their Fathers Their next Remove would bring them thither And when they had taken possession of that Land which God could give them as easily as he had given them all on this side Iordan they were then b 53 ... 55. to divide it for an Inheritance among themselves To let them see it was the Care of Gods Providence that it should be equally shared he was pleased to order c v. 1. Moses and Eleazar the High Priest to make a second Numbring of the People like that which Moses and Aaron had d Num. l. 1. formerly made in the Wilderness of Sinai It could not but comfort them to see that after the dying away of more than e v. 46. 600000 men that had been then Numbred many of them no doubt dying Natural deaths but all the rest save f Num. XXVI 65. onely Ioshua and Caleb having been swept away by those Judgments of God that had fallen upon them within these last 38. Years yet now they were but g v. 51. 1120. men fewer than they were at that former Numbring which small Number of men might very likely have been lost by their own Miscarriages in the h XXI 31 35. Conquering of those two Kingdoms 122. All this while as well they as their Fathers before them They had now all Extraordinary means had continually before their Eyes those i v. 71 86 93. evident proofs of Gods presence among them in the Pillar of fire all night and of cloud all day either moving before them or resting over the Tabernacle They had the k Deut. VIII 3. Manna which their Bread was made of immediately from Heaven They had their l v. 15. Water first out of one Rock and then out of another still following them all the while they were in the Wilderness None of them had his Raiment waxen old nor his m v 4. and XXIX 1. Shoes grown uneasy to his feet in all these 40. Years God was pleased to let them know that his design in all this was as well to n v. 2 3 16. humble them seeing they had nothing they could call their own as also to teach them to live in an entire Dependance on his Providence 123. There was certainly Need of such Extraordinary ways to With little of the Ordinary instruct them and to mind them of their duties there being then so little of the Ordinary means which God gave to his People in after times They had not the Sacrament of o Iosh. V. 5. Circumcision since their coming up out of Egypt They had no p v. 10 12. Passeover since the second Year after that They had no written Rule to walk by but onely that of the q Ex. XX. Ten Commandments r XXXIV 27. written in Tables of stone and they had also those National Judgments which are all conteined in s Ex. XXI XXII XXIII three Chapters of Exodus Whatsoever Teaching they had more it could be no other than what they had from the mouth of Moses for he writ nothing till the last l Deut. XXXI 9 25. year of his life 124. And yet perhaps no people in the world ever needed teaching Their great Degeneracy more than they did For though they were Abraham's Seed by Sarah his wife and that according to the a Gen. XVII 19. promise of God which was their great Privilege yet even that did not free them from Original Corruption that came to them from much nearer Parents than Abraham and Sarah The immediate Fathers of the Twelve Tribes of Israel were the Twelve Sons of Iacob by whose names they were called But for these Patriarchs how any of them lived or what they did we have no Account in any other Book but that of Genesis and even there we have nothing told us particularly but of the four Eldest Sons and of Ioseph And though this last appears to us wholely without Spot yet of those four others the most that we know is of their Crimes We cannot read of the Incests of b Gen. XXXV 22. Reuben and c XXXVIII 18. Iudah the Faithbreach and Cruelty of d XXXIV 27. Simeon and Levi without sad reflections on the Ignorance of those times For the rest of Iacob's Sons God has not been pleased to let us know any thing of them save only this that when those two Bloudy men were for e XXXVII
notice of it that they call'd the place ever since e v. 11. Abel Mizraim the mourning of the Egyptians 127. Would the people of Israel that liv'd in the first 40 years It was wholely of themselves beforementioned have paid such Duty and Affection to Moses if he had come among them as Ioseph did among the Egyptians One that was quite a stranger in their Country and was sold thither for a Slave if he had been advanced to the Power that Ioseph had and had made that use of it that Ioseph did would the Israelites have taken it as the Egyptians did Would they not have told Moses as soon as they had seen what he drove at that he came to make them all like himself Slaves to Pharaoh them and their children And how long would they have endured it surely not a year to an end For we see in the first month or two after this Peoples coming out of Egypt how often they mutinied against Moses One while because their Water was f Ex. XV. 23 24. bitter they murmured only for the unpleasantness of it How much more when they came to g XVI 1. want Bread in another place In a third when they had h XVII 1. no water at all then they outright i v. 2. child with Moses They were almost k v. 4. ready to have stoned him And yet in every one of these Times they saw their wants were supplyed as it were with a hand reach'd out to them from Heaven And that still upon Moses's Prayer It was he only under God to whom they owed all the Thanks that were due for their deliverance out of the Egyptian bondage for the Supply of all their wants in the Wilderness for all their Preservation hitherto They could not but see it was He that stood always between God and them as oft as his wrath was breaking forth to consume them And yet that which chiefly occasioned it was that God could not shew himself unconcern'd at their ill usage of his Servant Moses It was doubtless from God that he had that Testimony of his being a Num. XII 4. the meekest man upon Earth And he shewed it in bearing all that ill usage from them whom he had obliged more than ever any meer man did or could oblige that or any other Nation 128. Therefore no Nation could more justly deserve that character God called them a Stiffnecked People which God was pleased to give to this People at first and which stuck by them ever after It was given them first on occasion of their throwing that unworthy b See n 88. Contempt upon Moses and that which followed upon it their Sin of Calf worship God told Moses of it and thereupon added these words c Ex. XXXII 9 10. I have seen this People and behold it is * The meaning of this word stiffnecked when it is spoken of Beasts or of Men with Resemblance to them is doubtless that they are hard to be brought to the Yoke But it seems to be used in speaking of Men commonly without that Resemblance For in the Hebrew Phrase you to hear is usually put for to obey And of them that will not be brought to Obey it is very often said they will not hear nor do any thing towards it They will not encline their ear They will not turn towards him that speaks to them This is the common meaning of the word that they are Stiffnecked And so the Prophet Ieremy seems to have understood it Ier. VII 25. where charging the Iews of his Ier. VII 25. age with the Obstinacy derived to them from their Fathers even from the time of their coming forth of the Land of Egypt to this day he tells them what God said of them v. 26. I have sent to them all my Servants the Prophets c. but they hearkned v. 26. not to me nor enclined their ear but stiffenâ—… their neck So the words are in i 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Ier. XVII 22 23. the Hebrew In like manner Ieremy himself having admonished them to keep the Sabbath Ier. XVII 22 23. when he could not bring them to it saith They obeyed not nor enclined their ear but made their neck stiff that they might not hear nor receive Instruction Whosoever would see more Examples of this kind may find them in 1 Kin. XVII 14. 2. Chren XXXVI 13. Neh. VII 16 17. 19. Ier. XIX 5. a stiffnecked People Now therefore let me alone that I may consume them And yet then upon Moses's Intercession d v. 14. God repented of the evil which he thought to do to his People He revoked his sentence for the punishing of them but did not alter his Judgment of the merit of their Sin As to that it was fit they should know it And therefore he bade Moses tell it them plainly more than once First upon Gods withdrawing that token of his Presence in the Pillar of Cloud and of Fire and not suffering it now to come within the Camp of Israel as it had done hitherto He gave them this reason for it e XXXIII 3. thou art a stiffnecked People if I come among thee I shall consume thee Again to make them more Sensible of the Condition into which they had brought themselves God bade Moses f v. 5. say unto the Children of Israel you are a stiffnecked People put off thy Ornaments from thee thy Holyday Clothes for in such they had dressed themselves to keep a Feast to their Calf according to g Ex. XXXII 5. Aarons Proclamation They obey'd Moses in this h XXXIII 46. They strip't themselves of all their fine Attire and now they mourn'd for Gods leaving them This encourag'd Moses to pray for them again He ask'd now a farther favour from God that he would not onely a XXXIV 9. pardon their Sin but own them to be his Inheritance which would appear by the Return of the Pillar to be over the Camp as it was formerly He begs it of God in these words I pray thee go among us FOR it is a stiffnecked People 129. * Among the Iews Aben Ezra and Sal. Iarchi and among the Christians Grotius and others of the highest Note of Commentators have been of Opinion that 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 should be rendred as 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Although For so as Noldius sheweth it Vid. Noldii Concord partic p. 399. doth signify in some other places of Scripture But others are of Opinion that the rendring of it so in this place would make the Text less intelligible than it is in our English Translation And ours followeth the Septuagint and the Vulgar Latin and the words are thus interpreted by R. Bechai and likewise R. Bechai fol. 113 114. by Calvin in locum Some very Learned Men have thought it strange that Moses Moses makes it an Argument in his Prayer in his prayer to God should bring