MOSES and AARON: A SERMON Preached before the KING At Saxham in the County of Suffolk, April 17. 1670.  
By GEORGE SIGNIOR Fellow of Trinity College in Cambridge.  
Printed by His Majesty's special Command.   printer's or publisher's device 
CAMBRIDGE: Printed by John Hayes, Printer to the University, 1670.   
Exodus 4.16. 
And he shall be thy Spokesman to the people: and he shall he, even he shall be to thee instead of a Mouth; and thou shalt be to him instead of God.  
UPon the first view of the Text and Context we find Moses the servant of the Lord, and Aaron the man of God joined together in one and the same Commission; both set over a Captived people, to deliver them unto a more glorious liberty; and both sent unto an oppressing hardhearted Tyrant to demand a speedy restitution from slavery, and to require satisfaction for injuries done unto the Son of God: ver. 22. Israel is my Son, even my Firstborn; he is now also to be called, the Redeemed of the Lord; Let my Son go that he may serve me; and if thou refuse to let him go, behold, I will slay thy Son, even thy Firstborn.  
Moses, the meekest man in all the earth, does mistrust his own ability, who is sufficient for these things? It is indeed the good will of him who dwells in the Bush to send unto, and to work a deliverance for his people; But who am I, that I should go in unto Pharaoh, or bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt? I am a man of slow speech, and of a slow tongue; Surely Moses does not consider the great sight before him, the Bush burning, and not consumed; a lively representation to him in the very figure of it, that the more the people were afflicted, the more they did multiply and grow; notwithstanding the Egyptians made their lives bitter to them with hard bondage in Mortar and in Brick; all their service wherein they made them to serve was with rigour; yet cap. 1.20. the people multiplied, and waxed very mighty, and the Egyptians were grieved because of the children of Israel. And, doth Moses know, and see all this? the green tree before him encompassed with flames, and still alive? the people labouring as it were in the fire, in the furnace of affliction, growing out of weakness, and so from strength to strength under the weights of all their pressures! and yet is he diffident and distrustful, because of some personal infirmities, as if that God could not make his strength perfect in weakness? Moses had best be careful lest his humility and meekness degenerate into pusillanimity and fear, and so the Lord be provoked unto anger; for, God will send by the hand of him, whom he will send, and that is, by the hand of Moses; yea, though, he be a man of a slow speech, and of a stammering tongue, even hence has God ordained, and perfected his praise, that he may still the enemy and avenger: what though his lips are not touched with a coal from, yet one that waits at the Altar shall be his Mouth? Is not Aaron the Levite, thy Brother? I know that he can speak well, v. 14. and cap seven. 1. I have made thee a God to Pharaoh; and Aaron thy brother shall be thy Prophet: So long as you two keep together, lo I am with you Both, and that, to supply all manner of defects in either of you; my word is a sure word of promise, if so be that you two are as one; ye put yourselves out of my protection, if in the least you sever; but whilst Union is promoted, neither of you shall fail; and as a most certain indication, that you are like to stand and fall together, lo this is my everlasting ordinance betwixt you Both; v. praeced. Thou shalt put words into his mouth, which shall no longer be his Mouth, but thine; who hath made it so? have not I the Lord? And, lest his message should be despised; his person hated, because of the truth which he is to speak; Lo, thou art to defend him, to be on his side to withstand Pharaoh; see thou to that, have not I said it? nay, I have set thee so, Thou art unto them both instead of God: Thou art as God, to Aaron, to protect him; thou art as God to Pharaoh, to execute wrath and vengeance upon him; and therefore upon this double account shall Aaron be thy spokesman to the people; his office is again renewed upon, and confirmed unto him; he shall be, even he shall be unto Thee instead of a Mouth; because that thou, on all accounts and upon every occasion shalt be to him instead of God.  
The words, as you hear, having this relation to the Context, are in themselves, an account given us of the two standing Ordinances of Magistracy and Ministry; a King, as Supreme, and an High Priest both constituted by God himself to live, to love and to rule together; and this institution confirmed and settled by way of supply to something that was wanting, an amends made for a personal insufficiency; whilst Moses out of a principle of self-denial would not ambire Magistratum, be too hasty in taking upon him 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 the burden of this honour, since he was conscious to himself of his own inability, ver. 10. O Lord my God, I am not eloquent, neither heretofore, nor since thou hast spoken to thy servant: This humility, and modesty in Moses at the first was commendable; but, honour follows those who eat it, especially where so exemplary a meekness goes before it; God therefore renews his command, with a promise of affistance in the work drawn from his own omnipotence, ver. 11. who hath made man's Mouth? have not I the Lord? now therefore go, and I will be with thy Mouth, and teach thee what thou shalt say Yet, this would not do; the meekness of Moses, hath betrayed him to diffidence and distrust; fain would he be rid of the employment, fearful he is that he shall not go through with it, but sink under the weight of it, ver. 13. O my Lord, send I pray thee by the hand of him whom thou wilt send: In which words, whether Moses requested, that his brother Aaron might be joined as a fit companion with him; or, whether he had an eye to the promised Messiah;— Him whom thou wilt send,— Christ in the fullness of time to be sent to work a great Redemption, of which this present Deliverance was to be but a Type; and therefore, none like Him, to accomplish Type and Anti-type at once; I say whether it were one, or other, is not much to our purpose, further than the just naming of it to inquire: This we are sure of, that Moses' unbelief was reprovable, his sin of distrust aggravated, because he could not take heart from God's express Promise; Notwithstanding the wonderful sight which he saw, the gracious words which he heard, still he was faithless and not believing; hence, ver. 14. the anger of the Lord was kindled against Moses: However, to make way for an all sufficient supply, both the Humility of Moses, and his Diffidence was not unfitly urged; his Humility which God encourageth, with a gracious Promise of a ready help from himself; his Diffidence, which God convinceth against all Objections, by promising an assistance most effectual, even from his own experience of it, ver. 14. Is not Aaron the Levite, thy Brother? I know, and so dost thou, that he can speak well; He will be glad to meet thee; and, thou must rejoice to go with him; This is the supplement of all defects from you two, one with another; and here is the Completion of your Commission, My assistance to you both. So that the verse before the Text is a supply to both from God, which denotes to us the Divine Ordinance and Institution; and that 1st. Verbal, Thou shalt speak unto him, and put words in his Mouth; and I will be with thy Mouth, and with his mouth; 2dly Real, I will Teach you what you shall do. The Text is the mutual supply, as consequential upon the Divine Institution, that one must make for the other; This being the scope, and sum of the whole Paragraph;— That, Government both Civil and Ecclesiastical, was at first instituted and established by God himself, over such a People, whom he would take and choose to himself for his own inheritance; and these two instituted not only at one Time; but, both in an Union, in a mutual relation and dependence one upon the other: whether the Phrase in the Text, as spoken by God himself, He shall be; and, Thou shalt be,— be by way of precept; than it denotes the necessity of this mutual Union; Or, whether it be by way of Promise, referring to the foregoing verse, than it denotes the Utility, and advantage of this Relation; since there is no assurance of God's Blessing, on which side soever the Division or Separation be made.  
'Tis pity to divide the Text, when the words speak nothing but Union; I shall endeavour to keep myself close to the scope of them, whilst I confine my Discourse unto these Three Particulars;  
1st. Here is the Promulgation of two great Authorities, and that made to those who are subjects unto Both: the Promulgation is to be made by the High Priest; who, while he speaks for his Prince unto the People, doth at the same time declare his own appointment to be of a Divine Right: He shall be thy Spokesman unto the People; He shall be, even He shall be to thee instead of a Mouth.  
2dly. Here is the due Execution, firm Establishment and sure Administration of both these Authorities; whilst the Prince doth defend the Priest; he doth so stand by himself; the Throne is thus established to him in Righteousness, the Kingdom is confirmed in the hands of Moses, whilst he is unto Aaron instead of God.  
3dly. Here is a Promise of success to Both; an assurance that God will not be wanting, where this Union is continued; and that taken from the Phrase, or manner of expression in the Text, relating to the last words of the foregoing verse, spoken by God himself by way of Promise, He shall be; and, Thou shalt be; and then, I will be with thy Mouth, and with his Mouth, and will teach you what ye shall do: This is the sum of the Text, and the Design of what further I have to say from it;  Of which that I may so speak, and you so Hear, that we may all of us profit, Let us pray, 
* Can. Eccl. Angl. 55.  etc. 
1st. The Promulgation of two great Authorities, and that made to those who are subjects unto Both; the Promulgation is from the High Priest, who while he speaks for his Prince unto the People, doth at the same time declare his own appointment to be of a Divine Right: He shall be thy Spokesman unto the People; He shall be, even He shall be to thee instead of a Mouth.  

He shall be thy Spokesman;  
Et loquetur ipse pro Te cum populo;  Targ. Onk.— He shall speak for thee to the people; that so they may be taught to obey not for wrath, but for conscience sake: & accidet ut sit ipse Tibi in interpretem, Targ. Jonath. and he shall speak from thee to whomsoever thou thyself shalt go, or send him; He is to be no other than a voice crying, whether it be in Egypt, or in a wilderness, to prepare thy way before thee, and to make thy paths straight; quicquid Moses mandâsset tanquam intellectus concipiens; hoc Aaron loquetur, tanquam os exsequens, Tostat. Abul. in loc. Whatsoever Moses, who reigned as King in Jeshurun did dictate out of the abundance of his heart, whose wisdom was as the wisdom of an Angel of God, to know all things to be done; that Aaron the High Priest was to declare and publish, and to speak it 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 as the Oracles of God. Thus the Priest's lips are to preserve and to proclaim knowledge; the people are to seek the laws of God, and of the King at his Mouth; that is, so far the laws of Both, as their salvation may be concerned in the cheerfulness of their obedience; and to tell them, that if they do in the least resist they shall receive unto themselves damnation; For, as the Priest is the messenger of the Lord of Hosts; so, not unfitly is he also the messenger of the Lords Anointed.  
And this may not improperly be the reason of the present Institution in the Text; if the Prophet be the Mouth of God; well may he be so unto his Prince, who is instead of God, Jer. 15.19. Thou shalt be as my Mouth; (says God unto his Prophet) even as the Mouth of God: The Law of God is dumb, it is as a dead letter without a lively voice to publish it; how shall they believe, except they hear? and how shall they hear without a Preacher? The Law of Man is dumb too; Promulgatio est de essentiâ legis; Promulgation is of the very essence of a law in order to its being observed; and great security there is unto the subject, that the laws of God and Man do not thwart and contradict each other, when the Trumpet is blowed in Zion, and the voice is from the Sanctuary that bespeaks Obedience unto Both: It is not then absurd, that the Keeper of the King's Conscience should be His Confessor; he to tell, when commanded, unto the people what are the thoughts of his heart; the Practice is as ancient, as the present Institution in the Text; and perhaps as an intimation, how fit it is that it should be still continued in those polities that are called Christian, the office is again confirmed upon Aaron, by this Repetition of it, He shall be; even, He shall be to Thee instead of a Mouth.  
From all which I might raise and prosecute this Observation;  
That the Ministerial Function is the most proper, certain, effectual and perpetual Mouth of the Commonwealth; and that from the Chief Magistrate to the People; and therefore is by no means to be excluded Senates: Aaron is to be the Mouth of Moses, in every thing in which Moses ought to be his God, and that is, reciprocally, and Universally upon all accounts, and at all aventures. They are the words of him who was both a King and a Preacher, Eccles 12.9. The Preacher must be wise to teach the people Knowledge; how can he find out acceptable words, such words as may be as goods, or Nails fastened in a sure place, unless he be permitted to converse with those that are the Masters of Assemblies, and so may he speak such words, as are given from one Shepherd? But, I need not magnify the Priest's Office in this particular; the happy temperament of the Constitution under which we live is an abundant demonstration to us, that the laws by which we are governed were instituted in the fear of God, and consequently the Obligation is greater upon the subject to obey them, since the Authority that confirms them is both Spiritual and Temporal.  
I pass by this double honour (possibly some think it too much for those that labour in the Word and Doctrine) and I follow that which is the great design of the Text, the Union that is here fixed, and everlastingly to be promoted; and therefore, the Word is singular, Regis & sacerdotis unum est Os; there is but one Mouth assigned both to King and Priest; the one is to think, the other to speak the same thing, Moses and Aaron to go hand in hand together: Hence it is observable, that they were Both of the Tribe of Levi, ver. 14. is not Aaron the Levite thy Brother? The Levite, and thy Brother; and his Mouth to be thy Mouth; to speak the words which Thou shalt put into it; Why then should there be any difference betwixt Moses and Aaron, since they are Brethren? They are Both of the same Tribe, which the Lord had chosen out of all the Tribes of Israel to come and Minister before him; the One was to deliver, the Other to teach and instruct, Both together to establish and confirm in a perpetual and never ceasing Oeconomy what are the judgements and the statutes of God and Man.  
And, all this not to Jacob and Israel only; but, to Pharaoh and the Egyptians also:  
1. Aaron is the Mouth of Moses to the People; that is, to Israel; to tell them that they are the Visited and Beloved of the Lord; to proclaim to them the Royal Law of liberty out of the house of bondage from their slavery; to wish them to follow the directions of their Law giver Moses, who will rule them according to the integrity of his heart, and guide them with the skilfulness of his hand: with the skilfulness of his hand; with great and wonderful Dexterity, will he extricate them out of all their miseries, remove their shoulders from the burdens, and their hands from making the pots.  
2. And so Aaron to be the Mouth of Moses to Pharaoh and his servants; to denounce and execute as many Plagues on him and his people as are the Tribes of Israel, (if you reckon the plagues and signs together from first to last) a Plague for each Tribe; because of the hard and cruel bondage wherein he made each of them to serve; neither would he permit them to departed in peace from amongst them, that they might worship the Lord their God.  
And here by the way we may take notice, how necessary is this Union betwixt King and Priest; how comfortable is their mutual assistance then especially, when there is danger of a common enemy both to Church and State; when there are a Generation of Men like Pharaoh, who will not permit the people to be at quiet, only because Moses and Aaron would have them to serve the Lord; how should Moses at such a time stand at the door of the Tabernacle with the Rod of God in his hand for the defence of Aaron? and, how should Aaron lift up his voice in the behalf of Moses, hold up his hands, lest that Amalech prevail? in a word, The Commandment is to go forth from Both, to restore and to build the Temple; the One must stand like stout Nehemiah with his sword in his hand, that so the work be not hindered; the Other, not unlike holy Ezra, a Prophet of the Lord, with the sword or the keys of the Kingdom in his Mouth, that so it may be perfected in Righteousness; great is the care which Both together must take for, many are the kindnesses which Both together must do unto the House of God, and the Offices thereof.  
O then! may Aaron's Bells never ring backward! if ever, let it be to call the people as One man, to the quenching of a common flame; let it be to stand between the living and the dead, when a plague is begun, that it may be stayed; pro Te loquetur, He shall speak for Thee to the people; surely than he is not so to speak, as to inveigh against him, to aggravate his failings, to exasperate and calumniate his Person before the people; he may lift up his Voice like a Trumpet, but it must not be the Trumpet of sedition, the Alarm of War sounding to battle from the Pulpit; let him cry aloud, yea and he may not spare to tell Judah and Israel of their sins, but it is not fitting to say to a Prince that he is wicked; Such language as this does least of all become the Mouth of Aaron; Much more unseemly is it for him to say before the People, (be they Israel, it will increase their murmur, be they Egyptians, it will add to their hardheartedness) that Moses is ungodly. God doth hear the blasphemy of those who do in the least, though it be but in a thought, slander the footsteps of his Anointed: Aaron himself was too sad an instance of this, when he murmured against Moses, saying, Num. 12.2. hath the Lord indeed spoken only by Moses? hath he not also spoken by us? Yes, he hath spoken by you Both; and yet the Leprosy upon Miriam's forehead, may be an intimation unto Aaron that he do cover his Mouth, and shut his lips, such language as this hath defiled them, Unclean, unclean. But the meekness of Moses was soon entreated, and the God of mercy did accept of his intercession, so that immediately there was a healing of this breach, and Aaron is still continued to be the Mouth of Moses to the People.  
To the people: if to Moses, surely much more to them; and the People are to attend to him with reverence upon this triple account, because that he is the Mouth of God, of the King, and also of the People; Heb. 5.1. Every High Priest is Ordained for men, (that is) is set over men in things pertaining to God; the manner of expression in the Original is the same with the Septuagint in my Text, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. Every High Priest is set over men, as concerning those things which are to God-ward, that is, (the interpretation may fairly be admitted without any great stress upon the words) set over the ordinary sort of men to tell them with Authority and with Power what is their duty either to God or his Vicegerent, to the Lord of Lords, or to those who are instead of God; and they who do resist or despise either One or the Other, do not despise or resist the Man in either of them, but the God that is in them Both. And this brings me to the  
Second thing I observed from the Text, which is the due Execution, firm Establishment and sure Administration of both these Authorities together, and that no otherwise then by a Divine Dispensation; Whilst the Prince doth defend the Priests of the most High God, he doth so stand by himself; the Throne is thus established to him in Righteousness, the Kingdom confirmed in the hands of Moses, whilst he is unto Aaron, and to his sons instead of God.  
Instead of God;— in his quae ad Deum, Vulg. That is, in the letter of the Text, in those things which pertain to God; Tu eris illi in Principem quaerentem Doctrinam à facie Domini, Targ. Jonath. Thou shalt be a Prince to him, a Prophet as well as he, yea and something more than a Prophet, he shall seek the Word, which he is to speak, from Thee; and that, as it were from the face of God, Numb. xii. 6, 9 If there be a Prophet among you, I the Lord will make myself known to him in a Vision, or I will speak to him in a dream: but my servant Moses is not so; this is the difference betwixt him and Aaron; with him will I speak Mouth to Mouth, even apparently, not in dark speeches, and the Similitude of the Lord, (that is of God-man to come in the flesh, this Similitude of the Lord, as praelusory to the reality of his Incarnation) shall he behold. So that, what was Jethroes counsel betwixt Moses and the People, seems here to be God's institution betwixt him and Aaron, cap. xviii. 19 Moses was to be to Aaron to God-ward, to bring the causes unto, and to receive the Law from God; and Aaron being to be his Orator or his Herald was to make Proclamation of the Divine Law unto the People, and upon all occasions to consult the Face of Moses, the Face which did shine because of the Divine Glory on it, and was therefore to be consulted as an oracle: This Paraphrase, though it may be true in the Letter of the Text; yet to take in the scope of the whole Paragraph, which is, a Union fixed by God himself betwixt these two, we must as to this expression further improve our search:  
Instead of God:— that is, to defend him, that so he may speak boldly for thee, as he ought to speak; that his Mouth, which is no longer his, but Thine, may be opened for Thee in confidence. We find in this book of Exodus, that Princes, and the chief Ministers of justice amongst men are first called Gods, cap. xxi. 6. the servant that had a mind to continue with his Master for ever, was to come unto the Judges; that is, unto the God's 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 in the Original, and before them was the perpetual service to be ratified; and again, cap. xxii. 8. The thief was to be brought to the Judges, that is to the Gods (the same word in the Original) to see whether he had put his hands to his neighbour's goods: and v. 28. such Magistrates are secured from all manner of slander that may be cast upon them by malice or evil speaking, Thou shalt not revile the Gods, nor speak evil of the Ruler of thy People.  
They are called Gods upon several accounts; I briefly instance but in two; the Ubiquity of their Presence, the Omniscience of their Knowledge.  
1. The Ubiquity of their Presence, they are every where; their influence is unlimited: the fancy is not new (ancienter than a modern Poet, and I hope may now be better applied) that Kings and Princes do in this resemble the Deity, being like a Circle whose centre is every where, and whose circumference is not where. God and the King can do no harm, the reason is, that Diffusive influence that is from Both directing, managing, swaying and conveying all the good, and all the happiness that is felt or enjoyed by the lower world, or the inferior sort of mankind; all which is purely the product of Providence from the One, and Government from the Other; and if the Sun shining upon a Dunghill doth exhale vapours that are offensive, it is not because there are spots in the Sun in Heaven, but there is corruption in the Dunghill upon earth.  
2. The Omniscience of their Knowledge; they do as it were know every thing, Prov. xuj. 10. A Divine sentence is in the lips of the King, His Mouth erreth not in judgement. Who could have thought, that the way to find out the bowels of a Mother, was to make the Child a sacrifice, till King Solomon, as the first effort of his Princely Spirit, tried the experiment? but, says the Text, 1 Kin. three 28. The wisdom of God was in the King to do judgement: And this kind of Omniscience is a gift bestowed upon Judges and other Ministers of Justice when they execute the laws of God and the King upon Capital offenders, the indictment against whom is, that they have not the fear of God before their eyes, our Law taking special notice of the malice of the heart, and proving that by some Overt-act; whilst many times the Judge upon the Bench, to the admiration of the standers by, through a little, very little glimpse of a most improbable circumstance doth unravel a whole mystery of iniquity, so that on a sudden the Prisoner stands self-condemned at the Bar; he might spare both Judge and Jury the trouble of bringing in, and pronouncing their Verdict, since the sentence of Death is to be read in his countenance, and his face gathers blackness; what can all this be, but an immediate assistance, a special illumination from God himself in the moment of judgement? Psal. lxxxii. 1. God standeth in the Congregation of the Mighty, he judgeth among the Gods; v. 6. I have said, ye are Gods.  
Grotius, upon these and the like expressions in Scripture tells us, that wherever the name of God is given unto men, significat judiciariam potestatem, & jus vitae & necis, it implies a judiciary power, and that no less, then of life and death: Our blessed Saviour's Comment upon the compellation (which certainly is the best) runs thus, Saint John x. 35. he called them Gods, 
D. Ham.  unto whom the Word of God came: it is observed by a learned Paraphrast of our own, that the coming of the Word of the Lord; signifies, Gods appointing a Man to some particular Office, and giving him power and ability for the performance of that Office to which he is appointed; and so it is constantly used in the writings of the Prophets, who do most of them begin their Prophecies with this solemn form of Words, The Word of the Lord came unto me saying, which is no more, then as it were, the Opening of their Commission, the Reading of their Patent, the first showing and vouching of that Authority by which they act: all which is an intimation unto us, that the Supreme Magistrate, and other subordinate Rulers and Governors sent by Him for the punishment of wickedness and vice, and the praise of those that do well, have 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 something of Divinity stamped both on their Persons and their Office, and consequently that Both are Sacred.  
This account you have of the Compellation, as it may be applicable either to King, Priest, or any Ministerial Dispensour of Public Justice: whence by the way, it is again observable, That the Priest had all along from the beginning his share in the Civil Government; if the Word of God came to Moses, in that he was instead of God; yet it was to be spoken or published from the Mouth of Aaron: and therefore S. Paul, when he had spoken less warily to the High Priest, begs pardon, with an acknowledgement of his fault as a transgression of that inhibition beforecited, Num. xxii. 28. Thou shalt not revile the Gods: I witted not brethren that he was the High Priest, for it is written, Thou shalt not speak evil of the Ruler of thy People; Act. xxiii. 5.  
So then; if they Both act by one and the same Commission; he of the two that hath the Preeminence, (for a Supremacy and Subordination must be admitted, else there could be no Government,) does no more than vindicate to himself his own Royal Prerogative; whilst he secures, as firm and inviolable to the other, his Priestly privileges and immunities: and in this sense most properly, and to best purpose is Moses to be unto Aaron instead of God.  
Instead of God;— yea, and that in as many respects, as Aaron was to be to him instead of a Mouth, the Relation being all along mutual and reciprocal.  
Instead of God to Aaron;— whether it be before the Israelites or the Egyptians.  
1. Before the Israelites;— yea, though they be the two hundred and fifty Princes of the Assembly, Num. xuj. 1. Men of renown, famous in the Congregation, gathered together in a grand conspiracy to invade the Priesthood; Moses must then speak as from God himself, and declare who it is that is holy amongst them, whom the Lord hath chosen to come nigh unto himself: v. 11. What is Aaron, that ye murmur against him?  
2. Before the Egyptians,— Pharaoh, his servants, and his People: cap. seven. 1. I have set thee as a God to Pharaoh, and Aaron thy brother shall be thy Prophet:— Thou shalt speak what I command, as from me to Aaron; and He shall speak what Thou shalt suggest, as from me to Pharaoh; and thus, Thou shalt be as God to them Both; Mine Oracle to the One, to reveal all my mind; my Rod and Scourge upon the Other to execute all my wrath; though he will not as a man of wisdom should, hear the Rod, and him that hath appointed it; yet thou shalt multiply my signs and wonders in the land of Egypt; Jannes and Jambres, though they may withstand, shall not altogether prevail; when they see the dust from under them, to crawl up in Vermin on them, they shall lay their hands upon their Mouths, and abhor themselves in that Dust, acknowledge this to be the Finger of God; and throughout all, they shall confess, that the Rod in the hand of Moses was guided by the Arm of the Almighty.  
Thus God hath fenced, against a common enemy, both King and Priest in a mutual dependence; the One with Power sufficient, that he may uphold; the Other with a sure defence that he may be sustained; and the interests of Both these are so interwoven together, that wherever the Breach is made, the injury is alike damage to Both. It is the same God, who hath given commandment concerning Princes, that they should not be touched by the hands of violence, Touch not mine Anointed; as they are Anointed, they are Mine, they are as myself; who hath likewise in the very next words given it in charge, whether it be to Prince or People, to Magistrate or Peasant concerning those who have a more immediate attendance upon him, Do my Prophets no harm.  
As therefore Aaron's Divine Mouth must be opened for, not against Moses, he must not traduce, speak evil of him before the People; So, Moses' Godlike Power must be exercised, and exerted for, not against Aaron, he must not suffer him to be exposed to the scorn and reproach of a froward, and an untoward generation.  
In order to which Defence, that their persons may be Venerable whose office is so sacred, the maintenance of whom in honour is so great a security unto Majesty, to be sure Moses will be careful that Aaron and his sons have an inheritance allotted to them in the Promised Land; and that, not apart or distinct by themselves, but as a Blessing to whole Israel, dispersed amidst and throughout all their Tribes: This was Moses' last Benediction upon the House of Levi not long before his death, Deut. xxxiii. 11. Bless, Lord, his substance, and accept the work of his hands; smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and that hate him, that they rise not again. It is not to be imagined, that Moses will take less care of Aaron, and the Levites, than did Pharaoh of his Egyptian Priests, who in the days of famine had enough, their portion of meat assigned to them from Pharaoh's Table; insomuch that when all the land of Egypt was bought into the Crown, Gen. xlvii. 22. Only the lands of the Priests were not sold. In this sense also is Moses to be to Aaron in the stead of God, to secure unto him the Lord's inheritance, since dreadful are like to be the effects of Sacrilege upon that Nation or People, amongst whom it is an iniquity, though endeavoured to be established by a Law; May the King, and his Throne be guiltless, the Kingdom established unto him in Righteousness, for He only is as God, who doth preserve in the hollow of his hand the Church's portion from the violence of such, who pant after nothing, but the Dust of the Earth, upon the Head of the Poor.  
One inference more.  
The words of the Text are spoken Universally, and at large, without the least limitation and restriction; which may be an intimation to us, That this labour of love here required from one to the other must be reciprocal, the Union preserved inviolable, whatsoever personal provocations may unhappily intervene on either side. We do humbly crave pardon, whilst we do suppose that which we need not fear, since we are assured that Moses was the most true hearted man in all the earth, faithful in all the House of God; yet, should he refuse to be a God to Aaron, withhold his protection from him; so put a veil over his face, that he should not in the least behold his countenance; and then throw it off again, only to terrify him with his frowns; for all this, the Obligation doth not cease on Aaron's side, he must still be the Mouth of Moses to the People Again, should Aaron shut his own Mouth, not speak for Moses, when the sons of Belial are against him; more out of policy then good honesty, keep silence at such a time, because it is an evil time; for all this, Moses must still be unto Aaron instead of God;— instead of God, that is, as Supreme, and far above him, he may visit upon, and punish him for his personal miscarriage; nevertheless at the same time he is obliged to maintain and defend as sacred the whole Order. Doth Aaron make a calf in the absence of Moses? hearken to the voice of an unruly people in their despite of Moses? As for this Moses, we wots not what is become of him; (though they knew him to be in the Mount with God;) and in the mean time, does Aaron make the people naked to their shame? upon this, Moses was not so well advised when he broke the two Tables, of both which he should have been the Keeper; and it was some aggravation of his Passion, in that he broke them at no other place but the Mount of God; notwithstanding this sore Provocation, he must be ready to defend Aaron against the Sedition of Corah, and the Rebellion of the Congregation of Abiram.  
We do not read that Moses did ever personally offend Aaron, we have heard sufficiently both of his meekness and faithfulness; but alas! Aaron once and again unhappily miscarried, both in the business of the Golden Calf, and in the matter of Miriam; and, notwithstanding both these, the sin being justly reproved, and in some sort punished, the Union in my Text was preserved: Aaron, though the Saint of God, did not in one or two instances, as he should (Oh that he had been careful!) rule his tongue; yet Moses must be cautious that he do not shut his Mouth; he is still the Ordinance of God, and therefore not to be infringed, the Order is to be secured setting aside all personal offences; the error was no sooner acknowledged, then forgiven and passed by, and all, that God's Institution between Both might be observed inviolable; Aaron is still to Moses instead of a Mouth before the People; and Moses in this, like unto God that had appointed him, Merciful and Gracious, not easily provoked, nor long angry; he is yet to Aaron instead of God: Si non errâssent, fecissent minus; upon a miscarriage humbly acknowledged, & the penalty obediently submitted to on the one hand; and the same as frankly pardoned, as generously remitted on the other, the Obligation is hence the stronger between Both; even thus much good, out of what might have been so great an evil; a firmer reconciliation, a surer establishment from a little shaking; whilst all animosities being laid aside, the Unum necessarium, that One thing necessary, Union is preserved, because in that Union is involved and wrapped up the security and safety of Both. And so I pass to the  
Third, and last observable in the Text, the utmost bounds of your Patience; which is, A Promise of Success and Prosperity unto Both; an assurance that God will not be wanting, where this Union is continued; and that taken from the manner of expressing the Phrase in the Text, as it relates to the last words of the foregoing ver. the words are spoken by God himself as a Precept, and a Promise;— the Precept, He shall be; and, Thou shalt be;— the Promise, I will be with thy Mouth, and with his Mouth, and will teach you Both what you shall do: Blessed of the Lord is that People; yea, Happy is the Nation which is in such a Case; where Aaron is Spokesman for Moses, no other than his Mouth; and Moses is to Aaron instead of God.  
Aaron's Mouth;— that implies all manner of Gifts and Graces by which he is of God duly furnished, and rightly qualified for his Office: Moses being as God; that denotes the Highness of his Calling, the excellency of his Majesty, and the Certainty of his Defence; he being thus the Signet upon the Arm, set there to be a Protection to the Stars that are in the right hand of God, and through the tender mercy of the Most Highest they shall none of them be removed, cap. seven. 1. (to which I cannot too often recur, it being the Parallel to my Text) the Promise which is here made, is there endowed; the Office which is here designed, is there conferred; The Lord said unto Moses, See, I have made thee to be as God;— and Aaron thy Brother shall be thy Prophet; Nothing is in the Text promised, or there performed; or, (if it be more agreeable to the scope in both places,) nothing is commanded or required either in one, or in the other, but reciprocally, and with a mutual respect; that so the supplement of all defects in either Government, might be one of another in love and good will; and the Compliment of all from God himself, the merciful Maker and Appointer of them Both, might be a Blessing of Peace, Plenty and Prosperity; I will teach you, and so be with you in whatsoever ye shall do. The word in the Septuagint, ver. 12, 15. is very Emphatical, 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉. I will go along with you in every thing that you shall speak, I will tread an even pace with you in every thing you shall do; 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 〈◊〉 Symach. I will be a Light, and so a sure Direction to you, that you do not in the least miscarry. This is the sum of the whole; That the Priest's mouth shall be opened in Righteousness, because his words are given forth from the King; The Mouth is but One and the same unto Both, because so is the Ordinance of God; thereupon, this is the Blessing of Heaven for Both, that the Word shall not return in vain, until it accomplish the Work, for which it was sent; God will prosper the words of his Mouth to the One, the Work of his Hands to the Other, he will establish the Work and the Word to them Both in Righteousness.  
The Mouth: that may imply Eloquence, as we may gather from the want of it, v. 18. Lord, I am not Eloquent: Being as God; that signifies Power and Dominion;— Te illi Praeficiam ut sis Princeps, & Judex, & Magistratus ejus, Fagius: I have set thee above him as his Prince, whom he must honour before all the people; as his Judge, and an upright Magistrate, for whom thou must do justice, be sure to do him right in the sight of that People, whose honour he is to bespeak for Thee: Now, what is Eloquence, without Authority to back it? it is not a Word with Power! What is all Power and Dominion, without a Voice to proclaim the Majesty as most excellent? it is at the best but a Dumb show! Both these being upheld together as the Ordinance of God, no question that God will secure a Blessing unto that which is his own appointment: He will be with the Priest, because his Mouth is no other than the Mouth of God; He will be with the Prince, because he hath made him to be as himself, instead of God; but still, his Presence with Both is the result of Union, because the God of Israel, which is to be in subjection unto Both, hath declared himself, that he is but One God: how can Moses be the Fear and the Dread of Pharaoh, unless he be the Love, the Choice and the Desire of Aaron? How can Aaron be (as he proved afterwards, cap. x. 7.) a Snare unto Pharaoh and his servants, at the opening of whose Mouth Egypt was to be destroyed, unless he hang upon the lips, the words which he speaks be a faithful and distinct Echo to the voice of Moses? without Aaron's Mouth, the meekness of Moses will be soon despised; and without the Arm of Moses stretched out in defence, the Voice of Aaron will be but beating of, or speaking to the air; Unless that Aaron be the Mouth of Moses, what though his face shine? the people will but the sooner turn away from him; cum Jove Caesar; God and the King as to Government have alike prerogatives; Thunder from above bespeaks the Deity as terrible; Thus the Highest doth give forth his Voice;— Boanerges, a son of Thunder here below declares earthly Majesty to be also dreadful! But unless Moses put words into the mouth of Aaron, stands by him, and stands up to him while he speaks, stretches out his Rod, whilst he lifts up his Voice; the Mouth of Aaron without this, will be Vox & praeterea nihil; a Voice indeed, but nothing else, the noise no sooner heard, but no where to be found: Whose Mouth is fittest to preserve knowledge, and to proclaim Obedience, but his who is the Messenger of God, and of the King; of the Lord of hosts, and of him who like unto God himself is mighty in the battle? and whose Arm should be made bare in strength, but theirs who are the Anointed of the Lord; Anointed in a great measure for this very thing, that they should be a Guard and a Protection to all Gods Holy Ones, since they are themselves not unfitly called Gods, being all of them children of the Most Highest?  
Shall I with all humility and due Reverence, speak the words of truth and soberness? it is in the Cause of God, of the King, and also of his Priests!  
As the happiness is great to that People where this Union is most religiously observed, no other then as the result of the Divine Institution; so, sad is the misery, deplorable is the calamity both to King, Priest, and People upon the breach of it! I need go no farther for an instance than the story that is before us.  
Would Moses and Aaron bring the people from Egypt through a wilderness into Canaan? This must be their March, Regular and solemn, Num. two. 3. compared with Num. iii. 38. Judah, the Princely Tribe must set up his Standard Eastward; Moses and Aaron, Prince and Priest must keep the charge of the Sanctuary Eastward; (and hence not improbably the ancient Ceremony of worshipping with their faces thither-ward;) Judah sets up his Standard for the Laity: Moses and Aaron theirs for the Clergy; and yet the latter to go along with Judah the Prince, who was to protect them, when settled in the Land of Promise; and upon the whole, whosoever he was, the stranger that came nigh to either of them, was to be put to death: This was their March unto that Rest which God had prepared for them: And yet notwithstanding their Station and Procession thus fixed by the Almighty, do Moses & Aaron speak unadvisedly with their lips, either one to another, one of another, or one against another at the waters of Massah and Meribah, places that bore their names from those strive and contentions? the anger of the Lord is immediately kindled against them all; and it was so enraged, that it was by no means to be appeased; Moses and Aaron must only see that Land of Promise into which they are never like to come; it shall be their punishment to behold, what they never shall enjoy; in the view of, but their foot shall not tread upon the goodly Mountain, nor Lebanon; and then as for the People, their Carcases must fall in the wilderness, this is a froward Generation, it shall not enter into the Rest of God  
When once there be Divisions, many are the thoughts, many are the search of heart! I would not be mistaken as an evil-speaker, or a fore-boder of evil tidings, while I do thus mournfully, and with all lowly submission crave leave to make out the Parallel.  
Doth the Civil Magistrate either needlessly contend with, or wilfully draw back the secular Arm from the Defence of the Ministry? and does he think thus to still the murmur of the people? as the raging of the Sea, so is their madness casting forth nothing but mire and dirt, foaming out their own shame; and is there no way to lay the storm, but by mixing the waters with blood? hath the Pilot no means to secure the Ship, but by throwing the Prophet into the waters, especially such a Prophet, as doth not fly from, but is steadfastly bend on his Course, to deliver and execute the Mesfage of his Master that sent him?— Again, is the Spiritual Mouth, either silent in the behalf of, or clamorous and obstreperous against? doth it either not speak at all, as it should in the defence? or is it froward, malapert and peevish against the secular Arm? do they, who should consult the stars of Heaven for direction in the voyage, either withhold their advice from, or unreasonably quarrel with him that sits Steersman at the Helm? This may be the dreadful consequence of such ill will between Both, in Portu Naufragium! certain ruin, and destruction to the Ship, and all that are in it; yea, and that in the Ken of the desired Haven; as an aggravation to their Misery, in the very sight of Land; Virtutem videant, intabescántque relictâ! This is the sore calamity upon such sad animosities and dissatisfactions on either hand; a strange kind of infatuation upon all manner of counsels and designs, be they never so just and honourable! they may see what is good, and yet it doth escape them; a price put into their hand, and it falls away from them, for want of a pious heart united to each other in Love and Duty, and to God the maker of Both, in Fear and Reverence mutually to be exercised in the using of it!  
And here, by the way, let it be seriously considered, that the first Rejection of Saul from being King over Israel was because he invaded the Priesthood; (let our new Leviathan suggest what he pleases, that the Civil Magistrate may reserve the exercise of the Ministerial Function to himself) yea, though there might be some reasonable excuse for it; as, his enemies growing, and coming on upon him; and, he was not willing to engage them, till he had made his supplication before the Lord, 1 Sam. xiii. 11, 15. But, God had commanded the contrary, he was not of himself to make a Virtue of that Necessity without an express permission; therefore says Samuel, Thou hast done foolishly; and thy Kingdom shall not continue: whereupon, God chose to himself a Man after his own heart, one who (to avoid such future presumption) should be a Prophet as well as a Prince; and therefore the eating of the Shewbread upon an extreme necessity, was not in him so notorious a violation of Sacred, and Ecclesiastical Order.  
This was that David, who called for his Sword, which hung behind the Ephod, 1 Sam. xxi. 9 Give it me, says he, for, there is none like that; he goes forth with the Prayers, and the Blessing of the Priests to battle, 1 Sam. xxiii. 9 [still I would urge a Testimony from Scripture, though it may be sadly observed, a new way of spinning out discourses, without any the least regard had to the Law and the Prophets:] Bring me hither the Ephod, says David; that Ephod from behind which he took his Sword, and so it was consecrated for the Lord's battles; thus doth he inquire of the Lord upon every enterprise, and that in no other way, then according to the Divine Institution, with a linen Ephod: The answer from God to him was, either a speedy return of Peace and safety; or else, a sure caution certainly to prevent and escape the Danger: Upon this doth Doeg, that wicked Edomite, put forth his hand to fall upon the Priests of the Lord? kills them, only to take possession of their inheritance? and is Abiathar escaped unto David with the Ephod in his hand? there was a strange Providence in the escape, and a wonderful security unto Both in that flight: 1 Sam. xxii. 23. Abide with me, says the King unto the Priest, and fear not; for he that seeketh my Life, seeketh thy Life; but with me thou shalt be in safeguard:— Both these for a while may be hunted after upon the Mountains by the sons of violence; and yet they, travailing together in, yea and persecuted through a wilderness, shall even there find a Sanctuary at the Mount of God; and in God's due time, which is the best for Both, these Two keeping still close together; the Consecrated Sword in the hand of the One, the linen Ephod upon the breast of the Other; the Kingdom shall be established in the hand of the One; the Priesthood shall be confirmed to the house of the Other; these are the sure mercies of David, and of the Son of David, to them Both:— But let not David in his prosperity forget the House of Abiathar, which was afflicted with him in all his affliction; nor let Abiathar in his eminency and prelacy be unmindful of the servants of David; so oversee them, as to overlook them who were formerly a security to him when he fled from the face of Tyranny and Oppression; let Both together live in that mutual Dependence in which God hath set them, carrying on the same design so advantageous to Both; keeping as sacred this Union, which I must still reinforce to be the Divine Institution, lest the last error prove worse than the first; and again, some rebellious Sheba do blow the Trumpet, (God in his mercy prevent such doleful Alarms, that they never more be heard amongst us!) To your Tents O Israel; we have no part in David, nor inheritance in the son of Jess; Now see to thine own house David: And would David look well to his own house, it must be by having a due regard unto, and a tender care of the House of God: Thus Psal. cxxxii. 1. God remembers David and all his trouble; in that, this was his Oath unto the Lord; this was his Vow unto the mighty God of Jacob; that he would not come within the Tabernacle of his house, nor climb up unto his Bed; until he found out a Place for the Lord; and, (with this most pathetic repetition of the words of his vow) an Habitation for the mighty God of Jacob.  
The instance in the Text is the conclusion of the whole matter. v. 27. Aaron met Moses in the Mount of God, and kissed him: Oh happy interview! Moses and Aaron mutually embracing! locus honestat; the very Place bespeaks both Love and Honour; it was at the Mount of God; and then the Ceremony denotes both Veneration and endearment; Osculum dignitatis; he kissed him as a Token of subjection to him, thus acknowledging his Majesty and Supremacy; deosculatus est ex amore; he rejoiced in his heart when he saw him, and because he loved him, he gave the seal of his affections with his lips; an intimation at this first greeting, that his Mouth joined unto those lips; quasi coalescebant in Unum Os, was now become but One Mouth, with which he was resolved to proclaim Liberty to the Captives; and after that, enjoin obedience to those ransomed one's; This was Aaron's promise unto Moses, and that because of the Divine appointment, (the Brethren being doubly dear to each other both in the flesh and in the Lord,) that, he would be Moses' Spokesman unto the People; he would be, even he would be unto him instead of a Mouth.— Moses embraceth Aaron in the Arms of Love and of Protection; the Rod in his hand is a Sceptre of favour held out, as a token of good will and kind acceptance to him; This is the Rod which shall be stretched out, working wonders in the defence of the Priesthood: Moses, embracing him in his Arms, assures him from his very heart to the heart of his Brother, that they Two thus clasping together coalescebant in Unum Hominem, became now but One Man; this being the Promise of Moses that he would never be unmindful of the Word of the Lord, as an everlasting Command upon him, That he should be unto Aaron instead of God.  
Appl. Let it be known this day that there is a God in Israel; that this God is to be worshipped; and that in the Administration of this worship, the Priesthood is to be secured from Contempt, to be had in honour for the works sake about which it doth converse: I dare not in the least venture to give directions here; he must not presume who is the meanest and unworthiest of all the sons of Aaron, who hath not been Eloquent neither heretofore, nor since the Word of the Lord came unto him; but humbly beg we may, and hearty in all Duty and Submission invoke we must the Assistance of the Secular Arm, lest both our Message, and our Persons be altogether despised! Did I say, our Message, or our Persons? alas! we can easily venture both these through a bad, or through a good report, and be unconcerned; But, sad it is to behold, that amongst those that are baptised Christians, Atheism and Profaneness should so strangely overspread itself; yea and that notwithstanding so many popular Discourses every where made about the reasonableness of Religion: hence it is that the offerings of the Lord have been abhorred amongst us; whilst irreligion, and a licentious Libertinism doth exalt itself above all that is called God, or Good in the midst of us! what means else the bleating of the Oxen, of the beasts of Bashan in our ears? the continued murmur and gainsayings of Core? strange fire every where offered up, whilst the Lamp burning bright in the Sanctuary is neglected! and all this mischief from some of the sons of Levi, pretended one's at least, fomented by the dissensions of false Brethren, men that cannot be contented with their present station, but they lead aside the simple and the ignorant into Houses. Oh! may our new Laws (for which we bless God, and have more and more cause to honour and obey Authority;) may these be executed; and may our old Ones not quite antiquated, be seasonably reinforced; and shall I humbly make one request, laying that, and myself at the feet of Majesty, in the behalf of the place from whence I came, and for which I now serve; Let not us the little children of the Prophets, in the very Schools of the Prophets, be exposed to the obstinate perverseness of ignorance and sedition. Aaron's Mouth is opened for Moses to the people, to declare his Authority as from God to be Sacred and Inviolable; that he is not subject to Man, nor the sons of Men for any of his actions; but to his own Master he must stand or fall, even to God alone who hath appointed him; it is yet open for Moses at the Mercy-seat, before the holy Altar, that he may be filled with Grace, Wisdom and Understanding in the execution of Justice and the maintenance of Truth: And what may Aaron humbly expect in return from Moses? nay, what does the Lord God require of him, but that Moses should be as God, to secure unto God his Oblation, the Morning and the Evening Sacrifice never to cease? And is not all this for the Lord's sake? for the Lord who hath preserved the Rod of Moses in strength and honour; who hath confirmed his Blessing upon Aaron, in that his Rod also hath budded, and bloomed Blossoms, and brought forth Almonds, the fruits of Joy and Peace: God hath, as we do every day thankfully Commemorate it, made the Horn of David, though once cut down, to flourish and sprout forth again; he hath ordained a Lamp and a Light for his Anointed, a Lamp from out of the Sanctuary to guide him in the ways of Peace and Truth, that so he dash not his foot against any stone of stumbling which Schism and Rebellion may lay in his way; he hath restored Majesty, the Excellency of Majesty to his Prince; He hath renewed Beauty, the Beauties of Holiness to his Priests; and we hope and pray, that he hath given, and will continue security, the Certainty of Defence unto Both: Oh that the people therefore would in the fear of God, Honour the King, and reverence his Priests! that so there may be a further lengthening of our tranquillity, neither shall our iniquity, our froward peevish iniquity be our utter ruin: in vain shall we pretend Loyalty to Moses the servant of the Lord, if we vex Aaron the saint of God: What? shall we quarrel at those who bring, and at that Administration which doth dispense the Gospel of everlasting Peace? How can we thus expect to be at peace amongst ourselves? May then the Throne be established in Righteousness, even upon the Mount of God; and may the Mount of God be guarded by the glorious and sure Defence of Angels, because of the Throne of him who is as God which is upon it; thus as upon a Rock, the Rock of Ages, shall Church and Kingdom be built; * nec Portae Gehennae nec Genevae, (as once by a happy mistake out of the vulgar that Text was read) neither the Gates of Hell, nor the Dark close designs of Schism and Sedition shall ever be able to prevail against them.  
— * In Gebennico lacu,  
(Mendum Typographi est) in Gehennico lacu;  
Námque à Gehennâ quid Gebenna dissidet?  
Pia Hilaria Angel. Gaz.  
impres. Lond. pag. 68  
I conclude all, with those Pathetical Petitions which our holy Church hath put into our Mouths; (for better I cannot use) and God accept them from the bottom of all our hearts.  
O Lord Save the King; And mercifully hear us when we call upon thee.  
Due thy Ministers, whether of Justice in the State or Holiness in the Church, with Righteousness;  
And so shalt thou make thy chosen people joyful. Da pacem in diebus nostris; Give Peace in our time O Lord;  
For, whether it be against open violence and force offered from abroad, or against secret Treachery and privy Conspiracy fomented at home; whether against professed Enemies, or merely pretending Friends, the worst of Enemies, there is no other that fighteth for us, but only Thou O God.  
To this only wise God who is alone able to make us understand our own happiness, by keeping us in the strict and solemn observance of Uniformity, at Unity amongst ourselves; that so to Prince, Priests and People there may be but One heart and One mind in the Fear of him, in Love and Duty to one another; To the Author of our Peace, and of every good and perfect gift amongst us; To Father, Son and Holy Ghost, Three Persons, and One God, be ascribed of us, of all Angels, and all men, The Kingdom, the Power and the Glory; Dominion and Adoration, world without end, Amen.  
FINIS.