\ LIBRAEY OF THE Theological Seminary, PRINCETON, N. J. Case, DJyjsjoj>,JO^ J. I T).( •- Shelf, Section _.y. . £?.. . 1 . I . : .. . Book, Nt, V.l .L* =& //,'%(*? SHORT and PLAIN EXPOSITION O F Cfre jSlu Ceftament WITH DEVOTIONAL AND PRACTICAL REFLECTIONS, FOR THE USE of FAMILIES. BYTHE/ LATE Reverend JOB ORTON, S.T.P, PUBLISHED FROM THE AUTHOR'S MANUSCRIPTS, By ROBERT GENTLEMAN. THE SECOND EDITION. VOLUME II. SHREWSBURY: PRINTED AND SOLD BY J., AND VV. EDDOWE3. SOLD ALSO BY T.LONGMAN, PATERNOSTER ROW; C. DILLY, IN THE POULTRY; AND J. JOHNSON, ST. PAUL'S CHURCH YARD, LONDON. MDCCXCI. CONTENTS, NUMBERS. DEUTERONOMY. JOSHUA. J U D,G E So RUTH. . ADVERTISEMENT. THE following Difcourfe was delivered by Mr. Or ton at the clofe of his Expofition of the his- torical part of the Old Teftament. Several of his friends whom the Editor has confulted, think it fhould be printed with the Expofition, and .that it will be a very ufeful and acceptable addition to the work:— but as the third volume will probably be larger than this, he has ventured to give it to the publick in this place, hoping the remaining part of the hiftorical books may be read with more advan- tage in families, after a ferious and attentive perufal of it. Kidderminfler, R. G. Jan. i, 1789, DISCOURSE ON THE USEFULNESS OF THE HISTORICAL PART OF THE OLD TESTAMENT. The Ufefulnefs of the hiftorical Part of the Old Teftament. Romans xv. 4. Whatfoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning, that we thro' patience and comfort of the fcriptures might have hope* HAVING proceeded thus far in the work of ex- pounding to you the hiftorical part of the Old Teftament, I think it may be peculiarly feafonable and heceftary, to lay before you a few thoughts on the Ufefulnefs of that hiftory. To introduce what I have to fay upon this fubject, I have chofen an important and ufeful remark of St. Paul. Having ' exhorted the chriftians to whom he wrote, to bear with one another's infirmities, to confult each other's edification, and al- ways to facrifice their own inclination and humour, and oftentimes their own fecular intereft, to the good of others-, he enforces the exhortation, by obferving, that even Chrifi pleafed not himfelf but fubmitted to many inftances of great felf denial for the good of mankind : and this he illuftrates by a quotation from Pfalm lxix. 9. where it is faid, The reproaches of them that reproached thee, are fallen upon me. That is, c I have fo great a zeal for thine honour, that I have been much affected and difturbed with the reproaches that have been caft upon thee, and the difhonours that have been offered to thy name, worihip, and laws.' It might be objected to this quotation, that it referred imme- diately to David, and was his language. In anfwer to this, the apoftle Jays down as a general and important rule in the text, that whatfoever things were written aforetime, were written for our learning-, that we may b 4 naturally viii The Ufefulnefs of the hiftorical naturally and juftly accommodate what was faid to good men under a former difpenfation to our own circum- ftances, or the circumftances of the chriftian church, where there is a juft and natural refemblance •, and that thofe things were recorded for our benefit, that we might cultivate the tempers which are there approved, and de- rive many ufeful lerTons for the conduct of our lives : and particularly, that we through patience, which the examples of faints in the Old Teftament ftrongly re- commend, and that confolation, which arifes from a view of their fupports and deliverances, might have hope in God, and particularly the hope of eternal life. — 1 mail confider the words only in this view, as a general afTertion of the Ufefulnefs of the Old Teftament, and particularly of the hiftorical part of it ; which, as the apoftle obferves in another place, was written for our admonition. And it will appear very ufeful, and worthy of our careful perufal and diligent ftudy, if we confider, that it is a faithful and agreeable record of antient events — that it tends to explain and illuftrate many other parts of the holy fcriptures — and that it conveys to us many important and profitable inftructions. I will confider each of thefe diftinctly -, and then add fome Reflections upon the fubject, chiefly of a practi- cal tendency. I. The hiftorical part of the Old Teftament contains a faithful and entertaining record of antient events. Hiftory in general has always been allowed to be very ufeful, and capable of being improved to many excellent purpofes. We may difcover many ufeful truths, and learn many important branches of duty, by the reafonings of our own minds, and the contem- plation of thofe objects with which we are furrounded. But for the knowledge of paft events we are beholden to the report and record of others ; the proper ufe of which is, to promote our improvement in goodnefs, and fit us for fervices to mankind. It is to teach us by ex- ample, and to prepare us for making wife remarks, and manifefting a becoming conduct -, and, by knowing the things Part of the Old Teftament. ix things that have been, to be better judges of the things that are. Some who have taken great pains to fink the cre- dit of the facred hiftory, have acknowledged, that hiftory is philofophy, teaching us, by example, how to conduct ourfelves in all the ftations of private and pub- lick life. Nay, they have carried the matter fo far as to fay, that it is of all means the moft proper to train us up to publick and private virtue. But if this fhould not be allowed, (as I think it cannot) yet every one that is able to read, and reflect on what he reads, is able to make a good life of hiftory. It affords a kind of map of the country thro* which we are paf- fengers \ and by it we may learn in many instances to guide ourfelves, and choofe the direct road to happinefs. The hiftory of antient times, and of the rirft ages of the world, is peculiarly agreeable. We have a na- tural curiofity to know the ftate and circumftances of the earlier! ages, the origin of mankind, the eftablifhment of kingdoms and nations, and the revolutions and changes of thofe which have been the moft remarkable and extenfive. This knowledge of antiquity is very ufefui •, and learned men are glad to make up the defects of hiftory by antient medals, monuments, Sec. Now the hiftories of the Did Teftament are very valuable, as they are the moft antient hiftories. There are no heathen writers of greater antiquity, than one or two who were contemporaries with Ezra and Nehemiah, the laft of the Old Teftament hiftorians •, and they could not write, with any great degree of certainty, of events much before their own time. The hiftories we are now confidering have this further and peculiar advantage, that they are all true in themfeives, and have, in the main, been faithfully handed down to us. They were chiefly written by perfons who were concerned in many of the tranfactions which they relate. 1 his was parti- cularly the cafe of Mofes, the firft and the oldeft of them : and tho' he lived feveral centuries after the crea- tion of the world, yet, confidering the long lives of men in x The Ufefulnefs of the hljlorical in thofe days, a traditionary account might be eafily handed down to him, and with much greater certainty than it can be at prefent. The learned tell us, that the heathen divided their time, before their hiftories began, into two periods. One they called the dark age, of which they knew nothing •, and the other, the fabulous age, of which their traditionary accounts were very un- certain and fabulous. But of this whole period we • have an authentick account in the fcriptures, delivered '*by wife and judicious men : yea, by men divinely in- fpired, and therefore fecure from any important and dangerous miftake. I mall onfy add, that thefe hiftories have great internal evidence of truth. The fimplicity of their ftile and manner — the honefty of the writers, in not giving favourable accounts of their own nation, or particular families, or of the chief heroes whofe actions they relate — their very particular account of their own imprudences, and faults, and the tranfgremons and calamities of their countrymen — all fpeak the inte- grity of their hearts. The manner in which the hiftory is written, is agreeable. The narrations are plain, and yet beautiful — the ftile grave and manly — the ftories are told in a clear and concife manner — it has all the ad- vantages of common hiftory ; and fome peculiar to itfelf ;■ particularly, the fublime idea it gives us of the great God, and conftant expreftions of reverence for his name, and regard for his providence. Thefe at once prevent our thinking it to be a fraud, and render it extremely agreeable and ufeful to wife and ferious minds. Its antiquity, its truth, and the manner in which it is written, all render this hiftory worthy of our perufal and ftudy, and very fervieeable •, indeed other hiftories have no glory, in comparifon with the excellent glory of this. II. They explain and illuftrate many other parts of the holy fcriptures. We jfhall have occafion hereafter to obferve the con- fiftency of their feveral parts, and that they all center in one grand, leading defign : confequently the feveral parts of the facred volume muft illuftrate, and be illuftrated Part of the Old ? eft anient. xi iiluftrated by, one another. In this view the hiftoric.il part is ufeful. There are frequent references in the Pfalms and Prophets and the New Teftament, to the original ftate of mankind •, to the fall -, the deluge •, the call of Abraham, with whom the covenant of grace re- fpecling the jewifh church was made-, to the whole hiftory of the Ifraelites, and the circumftances of many of their kings, efpecially David. — Thefe references could not be underftood without the hiftory of thefe things. The book of Pfalms is of admirable ufe to enkindle and aflift our devotions-, but the beauty of many of thefe would be loft, in a great meafure', if v/e had not the hiftories of Mofes, David, and the ftate of the Ifraelites, which fome of the latter Pfalms plainly refer to. It throws light and beauty upon many of thofe compofures, to know upon what occafion, and in what circumftances, they were written. The hiftory of the authors illus- trates their own tempers -, we enter into their fenti- ments with peculiar pleafure, know how, as it were, to feel with them, and can better accommodate them to our own circumftances, as we better difcern the refem- blance between their's and our own. Again ; thefe hiftories throw great light upon the prophecies of the Old Teftament. The account we have of the ftate of the Ifraelites under their kings, and amidft their captivities and depreftions, illuftrates the prophecies of Mofes concerning them. The hif- tory of the kings of Ifrael, and of good men under the reigns of their feveral princes -, the attacks of the neighbouring nations, and the calamities they fuffered by them, is a key to explain the prophecies of Ifaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and feveral of the minor pro- phets. And, had we as particular an account of the neighbouring nations, it would illuftrate thofe prophe- cies concerning them which the jewifh prophets de- livered, and which, for want of a further acquaintance with the hiftory of thefe nations, are, and muft be, very obfcure. We have had occafion to refer to many- prophecies, in the courfe of our expofition, which have been accomplished -, and when we confider the prophe- cies xii The Ufefulnefs of the hifiorkal cies themfelves, it will, I hope, further appear, of* what fervice the hiftories are to explain them. Further °, thefe hiftories are ferviceable to illuftrate the whole New Teftament, Many of the Old Tefta- ment heroes were figures of Jefus Chrift •, the facrifices and other rituals under the law were types of him, and of the inftitutions and blefiings of the gofpel. The moil material fails in the Old Teftament hiftory are referred to, and argued upon, in the New. What was faid to encourage the faith and patience of God's an- tient people, is accommodated to the circumftances of chriftians. And our encouragement rifes, in proportion to the degree in which we underftand the hiftories, and confider the cafes of thofe antient faints, to whom favourable and merciful difpenfations were made. To this the apoftle feems particularly to refer, where he fays, Thefe things were written, that we thro* patience and comfort of the fcriptures might have hope, III. They convey to us many important and pro- fitable inftruclions : their great defign and tendency is to make us wife and good. And here let it be obferved, that thefe hiftories give us clear and ftriking ideas of God's government of the world — they furnifh us with many examples of piety and goodnefs — they fet before us the danger, to which the beft of men are liable, of being overcome by temptation — they reprefent to us the great evil of fin, and God's difpleafure againft it — they fhow the infufftciency of any prayers or profefiions, without a fuitable life — they manifeft God's favourable regards to his fervants, notwithftanding the imperfection of their characters — and they fhow us that there is one confident, honourable and ufeful fcheme of divine government carried on thro' his feveral difpenfations. l. They give us clear and ftriking ideas of God's government of the world; both of his natural and moral government : his natural government, or his providence; and his moral government, that is, his treatment of his rational creatures, according to their character and conduct. They Part of the Old Tejlatnent. xiii They give us clear ideas of the providence of God: that his kingdom ruleth over all This is a truth, which the reafonings of our own minds, upon an obfervation of the frame of nature, its prefervation and revolutions, would fuggeft-, but it is particularly reprefented in the facred hiftoiy. It is fuppofed thro' the whole of it, and in many places delivered in exprefs and ftriking terms. It is almoft irnpofTible to open the bible without reading this at the ftrft glance •, and it is often de- fcribed with great plain nefs, and great fublimky, both to convince the moft illiterate, and to ftrike the moil* carelefs. The facred hiftorians were full of this thoug-ht, and they introduce it in a very natural and a very inftruclive manner. They afcribe all their mercies and afflictions, and thofe of their nation, whofe hiftory they record, to the hand of God. They acknowledge, that he Itfteth up, and he putteth down •, that to him belong- eth mercy and judgment. Whatever extraordinary atchievements they defcribe, they impute them to the fpirit and power of God. The devotions of its heroes are perhaps as valuable a part of the hiftory as any other. They feek their help from God, own their de- pendence on him, and give him the glory of all their deliverances and fucceffes. They afcribe it to him, that other nations were overcome by them, or were their conquerors: and reprefent the greateft and moft power- ful princes, as only inftruments in his hands, and em- ployed to execute his wife and righteous purpofes. And there is not one of the facred hiftorians, except the writer of the book of Either, who does not take frequent occafion to fuggeft this thought to every reader, that God r eigne t h among the kingdoms of men, and that he ordereth all things according to the counfel of his will. It has been obierved, that -other hiftories are written to give us high and magnificent ideas of princes and conquerors, the pomp of courts, the fplendor of conquefts, the bravery and fuccefs of armies -, but thefe direct: our thoughts to the fupreme and univerfal King, whofe fcourge tyrannical princes are, to a wicked peo- ple. Here we fee, as in the works of nature, " all things . full xiv 'The Ufefulnefs of the hifiorical full of God." A ftrong preemption that thefe writings corr e to us urider his influence and fuggeftions, and are inftances of their great ufefulnefs. Further? vye have the cleared ideas of the moral government of God, or that which refpects the conduct of his rational creatures. He does not interpofe in the affairs of this world merely to mow his power, but alfo to difpiay his holinefs and juftice, his hatred of fin, and his regard to righteoufnefs. The calamities brought upon our firft parents -r- upon the old world — ? upon the Cannanites — upon the Ifraelites as a nation, and upon many of their princes — all difpiay the divine rectitude, and mow, that the righteous Lord loveth righ- teoufnefs, but the wicked, and him that loveth violence, his foul hateth. And tho' we cannot argue from God's deal- ings with the jews, how he will deal .with other na- tions, (as there was fomething peculiar in their con- ftitution and government) yet their hiftory inculcates this general and important truth, that righteoufnefs ex- alteth a nation, and fin is the reproach, and will be the ruin, of any -people. For the apoftle tells us, i Cor, x. if, that all thefe things happened to them for enfamples to us* 2. They furniih us with many examples of eminent piety and goodnefs, The ufefulnefs of virtuous examples is univerfally allowed •, and where fhall we find any equal to thofe in the bible ? Many of the Old Teftament faints were very eminent: perhaps, confldering their advantages, as emi- nent examples of true religion as any in the New. The fimplicity, as well as mortnefs of the fcripture hiftories, does not allow the infpired penmen to take up time iii drawing characters and writing encomiums, fuch as are to be found in common hiftories. This is left to the reader, who cannot but obferve in them the evident tra- ces of unaffected piety, deep humility, generous benevo- lence, ftrict temperance, undaunted fortitude, meek re- rlgnation, and the like. And one would think that every reader muft feel an inclination to celebrate and imitate what is fo lovely and laudable. To ftir up fuch in- clinations, a hint is fufficient, and perhaps may be more effectual Part of the Old Teftament. xv effectual than a laboured panegyric or defcription. I would only obferve, that there are good examples for the young and the old, for perfons of both fexes, for ftatefmen and foldiers, for divines, tradefmetv and mechanics ; and thefe examples come recommended by the fanction of God himfelf. There are, particularly, fome mining characters, which he has marked out with efpecial approbation ; and they were recorded to pro- mote our emulation. There is an abftract of the principal characters in thefe hiftories, in the eleventh chapter of the Hebrews •, and illustrated with this view, that we may be followers of them who thro* faith and patience inherit the promifes. 3. They fet before us the danger in which the bed of men are, of being overcome by temptation. The moft perfect of human characters are not ex- empt from what may be a grievance and reproach to them : the moft celebrated faints under the Old Tef- tament have difplayed fome things in them, which can- not be commended or vindicated. lnftances may be found in the lives of Noah, Lot, Abraham, David, Solomon, and fome of the prophets. And tho' fome writers have very indecently expofed their frailties, and difguifed their virtues, in order to weaken the credit of revelation, yet we cannot vindicate them, and even the facred hiftories themfelves condemn them. Our bufinefs is candidly to think that they were but men; men of like paftions, and fubject to the fame infir- mities, with the reft of the fpecies. Their faults are recorded for our warning-, and the warning is impor- tant and ufeful They caution us not to be high-minded, but fear, whatever advances we may have made in religion. And let me add, it is a debt of juitice to good characters in antient times, as well as at prefent, not haftily to receive an opinion to their difadvantage ; but to conftder the circumftances of the action, of time and place, to judge candidly, and to pronounce with caution. Had many writers done this, inftead of afferting confidently, or insinuating with a fneer, it would have prevented them from cenfuring many great and xvi *The Ufefulnefs of the hiftorical and good men, whofe virtues would have commanded their approbation and appkufe. 4. 1 hey reprefent to us the great evil of fin, and God's high difpleafure againft it. Sin is fo evil and bitter, that every thing which tends to make us fenfible of its malignity and mif- chief, muft be of great advantage. The facred hif- tories anfwer this end ; for they reprefent the moft remarkable calamities which have befallen mankind in thofe ages, as the effe&s of fin \ and plain, avowed tokens of the divine difpleafure againft it. In this view the hiftory of the fall, the destruction of the old world, and the many afflictions of the lfraelites, are remarkable. Thefe were awful memorials of God's hatred of that which is evil. The destruction of Sodom and of the Canaanites, for their horrid and unnatural vices, fpeak loudly, that they are the abominable things which God's righteous foul hateth. Calamities on par- ticular perfons fpeak the fame language. The death of Korah and his company, of Nadab and Abihu, the destruction of the rebellious and murmuring lf- raelites, the calamities which befel David and his houfe, for his fin, and feveral fuch events, teftify the righteoumefs of God, and how he refents the iniquities of men. The great ends of punifhment, are the re- formation of the offenders, and the admonition of others. The admonition was defigned, not only for thofe who were Spectators of thofe calamities, or fhared in the effects and confequences of them, but for all to whom the report of them might extend. For the nature of God is the fame ; the nature and evil confequences of fin are the fame-, and, amidft numerous fnares and temptations, we need a caution. Thus, after St. Paul had reckoned up the chief fins and plagues of the lfraelites, their unreafonable defires-, their idolatry; their impurities •, their murmurings and tempting of provi- dence •, he fays, Now all thefe things happened unto them for enfamples, to the intent that we mould avoid the like crimes : and they are written for our admonition, upon whom Part of the Old Teftament. xvii . whom the ends of the world are come. And then he adds this important caution, Wherefore let him that thinketh he ftandeth, take heed left he falL N. B. If this Difcourfe be found too long to be read at once, it may be divided here. 5. The hiftories of the Old Teftament fhow the infufficiency of any profeftion and privileges to obtain the favour of God, without a fuitable life. The fcriptures fuggeft to us this obfervation, which frequent experience confirms, that men are very prone to depend upon a profeflion of religion, and their ex- ternal privileges, as belonging to the church and king- dom of God, as if that alone would fecure the divine favour. This is a fatal error, and we are cautioned againft it by the precepts and by the hiftories of the bible -, and the vanity of fuch a dependence appears from particular facts, as well as the general hiftory of the jewifh people. Mofes was honoured with particular intimacy with God ; yet, becaufe he fpoke unadvifedly with his lips, and did not fan&ify God in one particular inftance, he died fhort of the promifed land. The calamities of David and his family, for his great fin in the matter of Uriah ; the adversaries which God itirred up againft Solomon; and the violent death of the difobe- dient prophet, all fhow, that no privileges will prevent God from animadverting on fin, and that he fees the fins of his people with peculiar difpleafure. But this appears more at large in the hiftory of the Ifraelites. Tho' they were in a peculiar fenfe the people of God, who had his oracles among them, and to whom be- longed the glory, the adoption, the covenants, and the like, yet, for their difobedience and rebellion, God punifhed them feverely. .And their plea of having Abraham for their father; of being called by God's name-, and having him in an extraordinary manner refident among them-, their cry of 'The temple of the Lord, The temple of the Lord, did not avail. God brought enemies upon them, who plundered and ae- Vol. II. c ftroyed xviii The Ufefulnefs of the hiftorical ftroyed many of them, and at length carried them all out of their own land. They were punifhed with greater feverity than other nations, becaufe they had better opportunities of knowing God and their duty, and ftronger motives to pracYife it, from their near relation to God, and the diftinguifhed blefTings they had received from him. Tou only have I known, that is, you have I chiefly favoured, of all the families of the earth, there- fore will I punifh you for your iniquities with peculiar feverity. Now thefe inftances ftrongly fuggeft to us that ex- ternal privileges and advantages are to be confidered as helps and motives to inward holinefs \ as great blefTings, if properly improved ; but as aggravating our wickednefs, if we abufe them ♦, which we do in the moft fhameful manner, if we take encouragement from them to neglect the great duties of religion. 6. They manifeft God's favourable regard to the upright, notwithftanding the imperfections of their characters. The follies and faults of good men could not be paffed by, without obfervation, reproof, and punifh- ment. But, tho' they were difpleafing to God, and his perfections required him to animadvert upon them ; yet, having a fincere principle of religion within, and their 'lives being in the main holy and good, he did not caft them off. When they were brought to re- pentance, he forgave their fins, and reftored them to his favour: and this, tho* their tranfgreflions had been heinous, and attended with fome aggravating circum- ftances : as in the cafe of David in particular. And he fpeaks of thofe perfons, while they were living, and after they were dead, in terms of high approbation and efteem. Thus Abraham, notwithftanding his in- firmities, was ftiled the friend of God — Mofes the fervant, Aaron the faint, of the Lord — and David the man after God's own heart. Thefe things were recorded, that we thro* patience and comfort of the fcriptures might have hope-, that our repentance, even for very aggra- vated tranfgreflions and offences, will be accepted of God *, that he is plenteous in mercy, and ready to forgive. Part of the Old Teftammt, xix forgive. This truth is taught with more plainnefs and certainty in the New Teftament, and more effectually guarded againft being abufed, But that can be no reafon why we mould not trace out the agreeable, tho' more obfcure intimations of it in the Old. To which I would add, that inftances of the divine forgivenefs and acceptance of upright men, notwithftanding the imperfections of their characters, are more encouraging, efpecially to minds difpofed to doubt and fear, than the ftrongeft general declarations. Befides, it is of advantage to compare both thefe together, to obferve the connection and harmony of the divine difpenfations, for the pardon of penitents, and the acceptance of his faithful fervants. This leads me to add, 7. They fhow that there is one uniform, confident fcheme of providence, which runs thro' every difpen- fation. They give us the cleared: apprehenfions of the harmony of the divine attributes and difpenfations. The grand fcheme of the law and the gofpel was, to bring many fons to glory \ to make men holy and happy. Tho* the bible contains the hirtory of many ages and difpenfa- tions, yet, there is an evident connection of its parts, a common tendency to the fame great end. One event and one difpenfation make way for another. They all point to that of the MefTiah, in which they are perfected. And this thought will help us to ac- count for the obfcurity of fome of the former difpen- fations •, the grand fcheme being to be gradually in- troduced, and opened upon the world, as they were able to bear it ; jufl as the twilight gradually opens and brightens, till the fun fhines forth in all its glory, and makes a clear, uncloudy day. In this view, thefe hiftories give us a noble and fublime idea of the bleffed God, as not being weakly partial to a fingle family and nation, as the narrow minded Jews thought; but favouring them with particular bleffings and dis- coveries for the Take of the whole world : making them the repofitory of true religion, for the benefit of the neighbouring nations-, and, for the fame end, c 2 feat- XX $he Ufefulnejs of the hiflorical {tattering them, and their facred records, thro' the mofl considerable nations of the earth. But we Shall have an imperfect notion of the jewifh. religion if we con- fider it as complete in itfelf: it is plainly nothing more than an introduction to one more perfect. Chrift was typified in their law, prefigured in their history, foretold by their prophets ; and all were intended to lead their faith to him, and to confirm cur's in him. The facred histories point out to us the deflgn of God's feveral diipenfations •, fhow them in their con- nection and dependence •, and lead our thoughts to the grand end and defign of all, to eftabliih truth and righteoufnefs in the earth, and to promote the fpiritual and everlaftmg happinefs of mankind. Thefe are the great ufes of the Old Teftamen* hiiicries, Tney con- tain a faichful and entertaining record of antient events — they explain ana iliuftrate many other parts of the holy fcriptures — they convey to us many im- portant and profitable inftructions : — more particularly, they give us clear and Striking ideas of God's govern- ment of the world — they furniih us with numy ex- amples of eminent piety and goodnefs — they fet before us tiic danger the beft of men are in, of being overcome by temptation — they reprefent to us the great evil of fin, and God's high diSpleafure againft it- — they Show the inefficiency of any profeSTion and privileges to ob- tain the favour of God, without a fuitable life — they manifest God's favourable regard to the upright, not- withftanding the imperfections of their character and, they {how, that there is one uniform, confident fcheme of providence which runs thro' every difpen- fation. It is impoSTible for me, in this difcourfe, to do full juftice to Such an important and extenfive Sub- ject. But the hints I have given will afford copious matter of enlargement, to thofe who will ferioufly apply their thoughts to them. I proceed, therefore, to make fome Reflections on the Subject. APPLI- Part of the Old Teftament. xxi APPLICATION. I. How unjuftly are thefe hiftories cenfurecTancI abufed. This is, and has been the cafe. The grande vents of them have been burlefqued, and the mod (riming cha- racters reviled and ridiculed, by fome men of learning; arrJ wW-icuiarly by a celebrated writer, in a treatife on til i ;-,;udv and ufe of Hiftory, , He has mode many unjuft and contemptuous reflections on Revelation in general \ particularly the hiftories of the Old Teftament: urged in luch terms as, if regarded, would have a ten- der, cy to brir*g -iem into neglect and difufe. And as he is remarkable for wit, and the beauties of language, his cenmres may be of dangerous confequence to per- forms of weak underftandings, or bad difpofitions. He reprefents the chief ufe of hiftory, to be for ftatefmen and ^ovfrrnors, "But, furely, it is ufeful to direct per- foLS in private life ; to excite and regulate pious, generous, and kind a flections. This he allows v/hen he is fpeaking of other hiftories, and it is ftrange he mould deny it to thefe. He objects, that the Jews were a luperftitious, lying people. But if this were allowed, there are exceptions to national characters ; and to cha ge every wJter with fuch a difpohtion, (for which i can fee no foundation) is certainly unjuft and wrong* Befides, if trHr hiftorians were liars, they would certainly have been more favourable to their own nation, at leaft to their own family, and moft of all to their own character, which yet they are not. I have largely mown what advantage thefe hiftories are of-, there is therefore no room for that contempt which has been thrown upon them, tho' if mould be allowed (which is urged as a coniiderable objection againft them) that they do not contain a juft and re- gular hiftory of the Jewiih ftate, or what may fafely be depended upon in fettling the hiftory and chronology of the neighbouring nations, tho' fome of the moft: learned men of this and the laft age have thought otherwife. But fhould this be allowed, it is ftrange it fliould xxii The Ufefulnefs of the hifiorkal fhould be made a reflection on any book, that it does not contain what it never pretended to contain ! It may be as juft a reflection upon the bible, that it does not teach men mathematics, or trade. Thefe hiftories were written, not to make men chronologers, but to make them wife and good. I think St. Paul knew what they were written for, better than Lord Bolingbroke, and he tells us it was for our learning and admonition, that we might hate fin, love holi- nefs, and have hope. If thefe hiftories are fo abfurd and unprofitable as fome would reprefent them, pro- vidence has acted ftrangely in conveying them down to us fo fafely and fo perfect as they are, when fo many other antient hiftories are loft, which they think would have been of much more 4ufe to the world. But I hope, and believe, you will ever entertain a different opinion of them : and look upon thofe as contemptible writers, as having very bad hearts, and very mifchievous defigns, who would weaken their authority, and expofe to contempt, what holy men of old wrote by the in- fpiration of the blefTed God. 2. Let us be thankful to God, who hath given us thefe ufeful hiftories. Reafon, as well as revelation, teach us that every good gift rs from above. And it is evident that thofe are the beft and choiceft gifts which tend to make men holy and happy. God is the author of thofe improve- ments of understanding, and thofe good difpofitions of heart, which incline men to fpeak and write for the advancement of knowledge and holinefs. The arts of writing and printing are from him-, by which the knowledge of divine things is preferved and difTufed. It is owing to his over-ruling providence, that thefe facred books have been conveyed down to us fo entire and perfect -, and the fuperftition of the Jews, in -num- bering even the verfes and letters of the Old Tefta- mtnt, made ferviceable to fecure thofe valuable trea- fures •, and to his goodnefs we owe it, that they are not locked up in an unknown language, as among the papifts. That they are fo ufeful, that important ih- ft ruction Part of the Old Tejlament. xxiii ftru&ion is conveyed in fo pleafant a manner, is another call for thankfulnefs. When, therefore, your hearts are affected with what you read or hear -, when you feel an inclination to imitate the moft eminent faints, and to cherifh the influences of thofe excellent principles by which they were animated •, when your faith in God is confirmed, and your hope enlivened by the united teftimony and experience of holy men : let your hearts afcend in praife to God, who hath given you his word, to be a light ' to your feet, and a lamp to your path, and put it into your hearts to make a proper ufe of it. There is none who teacheth like him. 3. Thefe hiftories are worthy our daily perufal and diligent ftudy. The reading of them is with great propriety often made a part of our publick fervices. It is doing a becoming honour to the word of God, neceffary for the inftru&ion of the ignorant, and ufeful to fix the chief events more ftrongly upon the memory of thofe who already know them. Explaining and illustrating them is particularly ferviceable for fuch purpofes. But I would, recommend them to your daily and careful perfual, and to your attentive ftudy. One would think that they mould be frequently read, if it were only for entertainment*, for they are certainly the moft enter- taining hiftories in the world. And if a perfon who had read and ftudied the moll noted common hiftories, and had never {tQn the bible, was accidentally to meet with it, 1 am perfuaded the perufal of it would throw him into a tranfport of joy and furprize, and he would give it the preference to all that he had ever feen. It is our duty to fearch the fcriptures, and to be defirous that the word of God may dwell in us richly, in all wifdom-, that is, that we may under- ftand its meaning, enter into its fpirit, propriety and defign ; and treafure up in our memory the moft im- portant fads, and the moft extraordinary characters there recorded. It is furely a fhame for a chriftian to be unacquainted with it-, that he mould be able to gi^e a circum- xxiv The Ufefulnefs of the hiftorical a circumftantial account of the reign of Charles, or William, and yet know nothing of the reigns of David and Solomon, tho' they were fo eminent for princely qualities and diftinguimed piety ! But es- pecially what an infamy is it to one who calls himfelf a chriftian, that he mould be well acquainted with idle, mifchievous romances, and know little of his bible! Why muft fuch trafh, as the world is now peftered with, be thought no way improper to be the fubject of conversation, and yet it mall be reckoned unpoiite to difcourfe on the characters and atchievements of holy men of old ? Or filence feal up every tongue in a company, after one of a fuperior tafte has mentioned fome fcripture ftory, and attempted to introduce a converfation upon it ? Romances are only the apes and mimicks of hiftory ; and it is a pity they mould be fo eagerly perufed, and fo fondly talked of, while true hiftory is neglected, and the oracles of God little regarded. May you, my friends, endeavour to furnifh your minds with ufeful knowledge; and efpecially with that, which is to be found with peculiar advantages in the word of God, and let that be your delight and your counfellor : for it is better than thoufands of gold and Jilver ; fweeter than honey and the honey- comb. 4. It is an important part of good education, to teach children the fcripture hiftories. Wherewith? fays David, (Pfalm cxix. 9.) fhall a young man cleanfe his way? He anfwers, by taking heed thereto according to thy word. Now the hif- tories, as well as the precepts of fcripture, are ufeful to anfwer this end: not only for the reafons mention- ed above, but particularly, becaufe there are fo many mining examples of early piety, wifdom, and ufefulnefs; as joleph, Samuel, David, Solomon, Jofiah, Obadiah, Daniel, and others. It is of importance that children be directed to read thefe hiftories; yea, that they be taught the moft important and ftriking facts, and in- formed of the moft amiable characters, even before they are capable of reading them. Children are naturally Part of the Old Teftament. xxv naturally fond of hiftory, especially that which contains wonderful and uncommon fcenes. They can underftand thefe, before they can enter into reafonings and argu- ments. Hiftories and examples ftrongly imprefs their minds; they eafily remember them, talk of them with pleafure ; and examples may draw when precepts fail. Let me recommend to you who are parents, that you teach thefe things , diligently to your children ; that you talk of them in your houfes, and by the way, when you lie down, and when you rife up\ for fuch is the ap- pointment of God. He eftabli/hed a tefiimony in Jacob, and appointed a law in Ifrael, that parents mould make known to their children the wonderful works of God, that the generations to come might know them, Pfalm Ixxviii. 6. And do you, my young friends, read them your- felves, endeavour to remember them, and defire your parents to repeat them often to you, that you may remember them. I cannot but upon this occafion re- commend, both to parents and children, Dr. Watts's Short View of Scripture Hiftory, where the whole of it is {qZ in an eafy light, explained in a fhort compafs, and a particular account is given of the Jewifh hiftory, from their return from the captivity, to the time of Chrift. A book, which mould be in every family, and which the moft intelligent may find great advantage in often reviewing. Let me recommend it particularly to the ftudy of thofe who are young; concerning whom I can fcarce offer a better wifh than that, like Timothy, they may from, their childhood know the holy fcriptures, which are able to make them wife to falvation. 5. Let it be the care of all to improve thefe hif* tories to practical purpofes. All fcripture, fays St. Paul, that is, the fcriptures of the Old Teftament, (for to them he' chiefly refers) is given by infpiration of God, and is profitable for doclrine, for reproof, for correction, and for inftruclion in righteouf- nefs. It is not enough to read it for entertainment, or merely to furnifh the mind with matter of fpeculation and curious enquiry. A man may be a great critick, and yet a very bad character. He may be well verfed Vol. II. A '™> xxvi The Ufefulnefs, &c* in the hiftory and chronology of the bible, and yet be a ftranger to real religion. Be it your care, my friends, when you read, or hear any portion of thefe facred writings, to confider what practical leflbns they teach; and to attend to your own concern in them. I have endeavoured to direct and aflift you in drawing prac- tical reflections from them •, and I hope you have at- tended to them, for your own inftruction and admonition. 1 hink often of the bright examples of piety and goodnefs they contain, that you may go, and do likewife. You will find in thefe hiftories very ftrong and com- manding motives to the practice of your duty, and many folemn warnings and cautions againft fin. They will, in the language of the text, promote your patience and comfort, under all the troubles and forrows of life; will furnifh you with a lively hope of divine fupport and confolation, and of that eternal glory and happinefs, which he hath prepared for them who love him; of which the faints under the Old Teftament are already partaking. May God arM you to make this ufe of the Old Teftament hiftories, and all the ' advantages you have for underftanding and improving by them ; that by thefe, and other helps, human and divine, you may go from knowledge to knowledge, and from Jlrength, to Jlrength, till you appear before God in Sion^ and fhare in the work and happinefs of Abraham, Ifaac, and Jacob, David and Samuel, and all the pro- phets, in the kingdom of God. Amen. The. The Fourth Book of M O S E S, called, NUMBERS. INTRODUCTION. eT*H IS Book contains the hiftory of the Israelites' abode and travels in the wildernefs, for almofi thirty nine years to- gether, till all thofe were dead that came out of Egypt, except Moses, Joshua, and Caleb, and till they were ready to pafs over Jordan into the land of Canaan. Several memorable pajfages are related in it ; as, their being numbered not long after they came out of Egypt, and again, a little before they pafjed over Jordan, from which it is caked N ambers ; their encampment about the tabernacle ; the eftablifhment of the tribe of Levi in the priefihood, upon occafion of Korafrs rebellion ; their fever al murmur ings and f editions, and their pun fhments for them -, how they were flung with fiery fer pent s, and cured by the brazen one ; Balaam's curfe turned to a blejfmg -, their conqueft of that part of the land on this fide Jordan, and rules for the divifion of the land-, God's fpeech to Moses concerning his death, and his fuccefjir Joshua ; and cities of refuge appointed. All which are intermixed with the. addition and explanation of fundry laws* civil and military, but chiefly ceremonial. CHAPTER I. T 'he men of war numbered, and the Levites exempted. AND the Lord fpake unto Mofes in the wilder* nefs of Sinai, in the tabernacle of the congre- gation, from the mercy feat, on the fir ft [day] of the fecond month, in the fecond year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, faying, Take ye the fum of all the congregation of the children of Ifrael, after their families, by the houfe of their fathers, with the number of [their] names, every male by their A 2 polls> 4 N U M B E R S. I. polls, in order to pay the half fliekel, (Exod. xxxviii. 26.a) 3 From twenty years old and upward, all that are able to go forth to war in Ifrael : thou and Aaron fhall number them by their armies. 4 And with you there mail be a man of every tribe ; 5 every one head of the houfe of his fathers. And thefe [are] the names of the men that fhall ftand with you : of die [tribe of] Reuben •, Elizur the fon of Shedeur. 6 7 Of Simeon ; Shelumiel the fon of Zurifhaddai. Of 8 Judah •, Nahfhon the fon of Amminadab. Of IrTachar ; 9 Nethaneel the fon of Zuar. Of Zebulun •, Eliab the 10 fon of Helon. Of the children of Jofeph: of Ephraim, Elifhama the fon of Ammihud ; of Manafleh ; Gamaliel 1 1 the fon of Pedahzur. Of Benjamin •, Abidan the fon 12 of Gideoni. Of Dan ; Ahiezer the fon of Ammifhaddai. 13 14 Of Airier-, Pagiel the fon of Ocran. Of Gad \ 15 Eliafaph the fon of Deuel. Of Naphtali ; Ahira the 16 fon of Enan. Thefe [were] the renowned of the con- gregation, princes of the tribes of their fathers, heads of thoufands in Ifrael, that is> of companies confijling of a thoufand men each. 17 And Mofes and Aaron took thefe men, which are 18 exprefTed by [their] names : And they affembled all the congregation together on the firft [day] of the fecond month, and they declared their pedigrees after their fa- milies, by the houfe of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and up- 19 ward, by their polls. As the Lord commanded Mofes, fo he numbered them in the wildernefs of Sinai. 20 And the children of Reuben, Ifrael's eldeft fon, by their generations, after their families, by the houfe of their fathers, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and 21 upward, all that were able to go forth to war: Thofe that a This people were numbered thrice by Mofes. 1. Soon after their coming out of Egypt, Exod. xxx. 11, &c. and xxxviii. 25, 26. 2. When they were to be fet in order for their en- camping about the fancluary, Num. i. ii. iii. and iv. 3. In the fortieth year, when all this generation being dead, their fons were numbered to receive their inheritance in the land of pre- mife. N U M B E R S. I. 5 that were numbered of them, [even] of the tribe of Reuben, [were] forty and fix thoufand and five hun- dred. 22 Of the children of Simeon, by their generations, after their families, by the houfe of their fathers, thofe that were numbered of them, according to the number of the names, by their polls, every male from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to 23 war •, Thofe that were numbered of them, [even] of the tribe of Simeon, [were] fifty and nine thoufand and three hundred. 24 Of the children of Gad, by their generations, after their families, by the houfe of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and 25 upward, all that were able to go forth to war •, Thofe that were numbered of them, [even] of the tribe of Gad, [werej forty and five thoufand fix hundred and fifty. 26 Of the children of Judah, by their generations, after their families, by the houfe of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth 27 to war -, Thofe that were numbered of them, [even] of the tribe of Judah, [were] threefcore and four- teen thoufand and fix hundred ; far more than in any other tribe, whereby Jacob's prophecy was accompuflied* Gen, xlix. 8. 28 Of the children of IfTachar, by their generations, after their families, by the houfe of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and 29 upward, all that were able to go forth to war ; Thofe that were numbered of them, [even] of the tribe of IfTachar, [were] fifty and four thoufand and four hun- dred. 30 Of the children of Zebulun, by their generations, after their families, by the houfe of their fathers ac- cording to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 31 Thofe that were numbered of them, [even] of the A 3 - tribe 6 NUMBERS.!.' tribe of Zebulun, [were] fifty and feven thoufand and four hundred. 32 Cf the children of Jofeph, [namely,] of the children of bphrairn, by their generations, after their families, by the houfe of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all 33 that were able to go forth to war ; 1 hofe that were numbered of them, [even] of the tribe of Ephraim, [were] forty thoufand and five hundred. 34 Of the children of ManafTeh, by their generations, after their families, by the houfe of their fathers, ac- cording to the number of the names., from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to 35 war; Thofe that were numbered of them, [even] of the tribe cf Mahafleb, [were] thirty and two thoufand and two hundred. 36 Of the children of Benjamin, by their generations, after their families, by the houfe of their fathers, ac- cording to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, ail that were able to go forth to 37 war; Thofe that were numbered of them, [even] of the tribe of Benjamin, [were] thirty and five thoufand and four hundred. 38 Of the children of Dam by their generations, after their families, by the houfe of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war; 39 Thofe that were numbered of them, [even] of the tribe of Dan, [were] threefcore and two thoufand and feven hundred. 40 Cf the children of Afher, by their generations, after their families, by the houfe of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and 41 upward, all that were able to go forth to war: Thofe that were numbered of them, [even] of the tribe of Afher, [were] forty arid one thoufand and five hundred. 42 Of the children of Naphtali, throughout their ge- nerations, after their families, by the houfe of their fathers, according to the number of the names, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth N U M B E R S. : I. 7 43 forth to war; Thofe that were numbered, of them [even] of the tribe of Naphtali, [were] fifty and three thoufand and four hundred. 44 Thefe [are] thofe that were numbered, which Mofes and Aaron numbered, and the princes of Ifne!, [being] twelve men : each one was for the houfe of his fathers. 45 So were all thofe that were numbered of the children of Ifrael, by the houfe of their fathers, from twenty years old and upward, all that were able to go forth to war 46 in Ifrael-, Even all they that were numbered, were fix hundred thoufand and three thoufand and five hundred and fifty. 47 But the Levites, after the tribe of their fathers, were not numbered among them, becaufe they were not to be employed in military affairs, which was the occqfion of this mufiering, (v. 3.) but only about the fervice of the taber- 48 nacle, (v. 50.) For the Lord hath fpoken unto Mofes, 49 faying, Only thou fhalt not number the tribe of Levi, neither take the fum of them among the children of 50 Ifrael : But thou fhalt appoint the Levites over the tabernacle of teftimony, and over all the vefTels thereof, and over all things that [belong] to it: they fhall bear the tabernacle, and all the vefTels thereof, and they fhall minifter unto it, and fhall encamp round about the 51 tabernacle. And when the tabernacle fetteth forward, the Levites fhall take it down : and when the tabernacle is to be pitched, the Levites fhall fet it up : and the ftranger that cometh nigh to perform any of the offices mentioned v. 50. fhall be put to death, (2 Sam. vi. 7.) 52 And the children of Ifrael {"hall pitch their tents, every man by his own camp, and every man by his own 5$ ftandard, throughout their hofts. But the Levites fhall pitch round about the tabernacle of teftimony, that there be no wrath upon the congregation of the children of Ifrael : and the Levites fhall keep the charge 54 of the tabernacle of teftimony. And the children of Ifrael did according to all that the Lord commanded Mofes, fo did they. A 4 CHAP. 8 N U M B E R S. II. CHAP. II. The order of the tribes in their tents. m 1 A ND the Lord fpake unto Mofes and unto Aaron, 2 ./Jl faying, Every man of the children of ifrael fhall pitch by his own ftandard, with the enfign of their father's houfe ; every regiment had a ftandard for the three tribes that belonged to it, and every tribe had a particular enfign for it f elf. befides the ftandard for the quarter: far off about the tabernacle of the congregation mall they pitch ; probably about two thoufand cubits, or an englifh mile, which is a f abb at h dafs journey, Jefhua iii. 4. 3 And on the eaft fide toward the rifing of the fun mail they of the ftandard of the camp of Juiah pitch through- out their armies : and Nahfhon the fon of Amminadah 4 [mall be] captain of the children of Judah. And his hoft, and thofe that were numbered of them, [were] three- 5 fcore and fourteen thoufand and fix hundred. And thofe that do pitch next unto him [mall be] the tribe of Iffachar : and Nethaneel the fon of Zuar [fhall be] 6 captain of the children of Iffachar. And his hoft, and thofe that were numbered thereof, [were] fifty and four 7 thoufand and four hundred. [Then] the tribe of Ze- bulun: and Eliab the Son of Helon [mail be] captain 8 of the children of Zebulun. And his hoft, and thofe that were numbered thereof, [were] fifty and {even 9 thoufand and four hundred. All that were numbered in the camp of Judah [were] an hundred thoufand and fourfcore thoufand and fix thoufand and four hundred, throughout their armies. Thefe fhall firft fet forth. 10 On thefouth fide [mail be] the ftandard of the camp of Reuben according to their armies : and the captain of the children of Reuben [mall be] Elizur the fon of 11 Shedeur. And his hoft, and thofe that were numbered thereof, [were] forty and fix thoufand and five hundred. 12 And^ thofe which pitch by him [mail be] the tribe . of Simeon : and the captain of the children of Simeon 13 [fhall be] Shelumiel the fon of Zurifhaddai. And his hoft, and thofe that were numbered of them, [ were] NUMBERS. II. 9 [were] fifty and nine thoufand and three hundred. 14 Then the tribe of Gad: and the captain of the fons -15 of Gad [(hall be] Eliafaph the fon of Reuel. And his hoft, and thofe that were numbered of them, [were] forty and five thoufand and fix hundred and fifty. 16 All that were numbered in the camp of Reuben, [were] an hundred thoufand and fifty and one thoufand aid four hundred and fifty, throughout their armies, And they fhall fet forth in the fecond rank. 17 Then the tabernacle of the congregation fhall fet for- ward with the camp of the Levites in the mkift of the camp : as they encamp, fb (hall they fet forward, every man in his place by their ftandards, 18 On the weft fide [fhall be] the ftandard of the camp of Ephraim according to their armies : and the captain N of the fons of Ephraim [fhall be] Eliihama the fon of 19 Ammiiiud Afid his hoft, and thofe that were num- bered of them, [were] forty thoufand and five hundred. 20 And by him [fhall be] the tribe of ManafTeh : and the captain of the children of ManafTeh [fhall be] Gamaliel 21 the fon of Pedahzur. And his hoft, and thofe thatwer* numbered of them, [were] thirty and two thoufand 22 and two hundred. Then the tribe of Benjamin: and tliQ captain of the fons of Benjamin [fhall be] Abidan 23 the fon of Gideoni. And his hoft, and thofe that were numbered of them, [were] thirty and Rv^ thoufind and 24 four hundred. All that were numbered of the camp of Ephraim [were] an hundred thoufand and eight thou- fand and an hundred, throughout their armies. And they ihall go forward in the third rank. 25 The ftandard of the camp of Dan [fhall be] on the north fide by their armies : and the captain of the children of Dan [fhall be] Ahiezer the fon of Ammi- 26 fnaddai. And his hoft, and thofe that were numbered of them, [were] threefcore and two thoufand and feven 27 hundred. And thofe that encamp by him [fhall be] the tribe of Afher : and the captain of the children of 28 Afher [fhall be] Pagiel the fon of Ocran. And his hoft, and thofe that were numbered of them, [were] 29 forty and one thoufand and five hundred. Then the tribe io NUMBERS. III. tribe of Naphtali : and the captain of the children of 30 Naphtali [fhall be] Ahira the fon of Enan. And his heft, and thofe that were numbered of them, [were] 31 fifty and three thoufand and four hundred. All they that were numbered in the camp of Dan [were] an hun- dred thoufand and fifty and (tv^n thoufand and fix hundred. They fhall go hindmoft with their flandards. 32 Thefe [are] thofe which were numbered of the child- ren of Ifrael by the houfe of their fathers : all thofe that were numbered of the camps throughout their hofts [were] fix hundred thoufand and three thoufand and 33 five hundred and fifty. But the Levites were not num- bered among the children of Ifrael •, as the Lord com- 34 manded Mofes. And the children of Ifrael did ac- cording to all that the Lord commanded Mofes : fo they pitched by their flandards, and fo they fet for- ward, every one after their families, according to the houfe of their fathers. CHAP. III. The Levites* fervice, and the firft born freed. 1 rTpsHESE alfo [are] the generations of Aaron and J. Mofes, their genealogy, and the things that befell them, in the day [that] the Lord fpake with Mofes in 2 mount Sinai. And thefe [are] the names of the fons of Aaron-, Nadab the firft born, and Abihu, Eleazar, 3 and Ithamar. Thefe [are] the names of the fqns of Aaron, the priefts which were anointed, whom he con- 4 fecrated to minifter in the prieft's office. And Nadab and Abihu died before the Lord, when they offered ftrange fire before the Lord, in the wildernefs of Sinai, and they had no children : and Eleazar and Ithamar miniftered in the prieft's office, in the fight of Aaron their father, while he lived. 56 And the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Bring the tribe of Levi near, and prefent them before Aaron the prieft, that they may minifter unto him, ajjijl him in the NUMBERS. III. „ 7 the holy miniflrations. And they (hall keep his charge, and the charge of the whole congregation before the tabernacle of the congregation, to do the fervice of the 8 tabernac'e. And they mall keep all the inftruments of the tabernacle of the congregation, and the charge of the children of Ifrael, to do the fervice of the taber- nacle; they ft, all watch the tabernacle^ guard the treafures, . 9 and ajjift in all the bufinefs relating to it. And thou malt give the Levites unto Aaron and to his fons : they [are] wholly given unto him out of the children of If- JO raei, to help Mm in the WGrk of the /ancillary. And thou fhalt appoint ; aron and his fons, and they mall wait en their p: left's office, they them/elves in their own perfons (Ezek, xliv. 8.) and not turn oxer the work of the fanc- tuary to the Levites : and the ftranger, any one that is not of Aaron's feea, that cometh nigh to execute any part of the prieft's office, mail be put to death. II 2 And the Lord fpakeunto Mofes, faying, And I, behold, I have taken the Levites from among the child- ren of Ifrael inftead of aU the firfh born that openeth the matrix among the children of Ifrael : therefore the 13 Levites (hail be mine-, Becaufe all the firft born [are] mine; [for] on the day that 1 fmote all the firft born in the land of Egypt 1 hallowed unto me all the firft born in Ifrael, both man and beaft ; mine they fhall be : I [am] the Lord. 14 And the Lord fpake unto Mofes in the wildernefs 15 of Sinai, faying, Number the children of Levi after the houfe of their fathers, by their families : every male from a month old and upward (halt thou number them, becaufe the redemption of the firft born was to be from 16 a month old9 (ch, xviii. 15, 16.) And Mofes numbered them according to the word of the Lord, as he was 17 commanded. And thefe were the fons of Levi by their 18 names; Gerfhon, and Kohath, and Merari. And thefe [are] the names of the fons of Gerfhon by their fa- 19 milies ; Libni, and Shimei. And the fons of Kohath by their families ; Amram, and Izehar, Hebron, and 20 Uzziel. And the fons of Merari by their families ; Mahli, 12 NUMBERS. III. Mahli, and Mufhi. Thefe [are] the families of the Levites according to the houfe of their fathers. 21 Cf Gerfhon [was] the family of the Libnites, and the family of the Shimites : thefe [are] the families of 22 the Gcrfhonites. Thofe that were numbered of them, according co the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, [even] thofe that were numbered of 23 them [were] feven thoufand and five hundred. The families of the Gerfhonites mall pitch behind thetaber- 24 nacle weftward. And the chief of the houfe of the fa- ther of the Gerfhonites [mail be] Eliafaph the fon of 25 Lael. And the charge of the fons of Gerfhon in the tabernacle of the congregation [mall be] the tabernacle, and the tent, the covering thereof, and the hanging for 26 the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, And the hangings of the court, and the curtain for the door of the court, which [is] by the tabernacle, and by the altar round about, and the cords of it for all the fervice thereof. 27 And of Kohath [was] the family of the Amramites, and the family of the Izeharites, and the family of the Hebronites, and the family of the Uzzielites : thefe 28 [are] the families of the Kohathites. In the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, [were] eight thoufand and fix hundred, keeping the charge of 29 the fanctuary. The families of the fons of Kohath fhall 30 pitch on the fide of the tabernacle fouthward. And the chief of the houfe of the father of the families of the Kohathites [mall be] Elizaphan the fon of Uzziel. 31 And their charge [mall be] the ark, and the table, and the candleftick, and the altars, and the veffels of the fancluary wherewith they minifter, and the hanging, and all the fervice thereof, that is, the veffels which belong 32 to the fervice. And Eleazar the fon of Aaron the prieft [fhall be] chief over the chief of the Levites, [and have] the overfight of them that keep the charge of the fancluary •, hefliall be next to the high prieft9 called the fecond prieft, 2 Kings xxv. 18. who fupplied the place of the high prieft upon any fpecial cccafion, and had fuperiority over all the reft of the priefts and Levites^ 1 Chron. ix. 20. 33 of NUMBERS. III. I3 ^ Of Merari [was] the family of the Mahlites, and the family of the Mufhites : thefe [are] the families of 34 Merari. And thofe thatvvere numbered of them, ac- cording to the number of all the males, from a month old and upward, [were] fix thoufand and two hundred. $$ And the chief of the houfe of the father of the families of Merari [was] Zuriel the fon of Abihail : [thefe] Hi all %6 pitch on the fide of the tabernacle northward. And [under] the cuftody and charge of the fons of Merari [fhall be] the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof and the pillars thereof, and the fockets there- of, and all the vefTels thereof, and all that ferveth 37 thereto, And the pillars of the court round about, and their fockets, and their pins, and their cords. 38 But thofe that encamp before the tabernacle toward the eaft, [even] before the tabernacle of the congrega- tion eaftward, [mail be] Mofes, and Aaron and his fons, keeping the charge of the fancluary for the charge of the children of Ifrael ; and the ft ranger that cometh nigh fhall be put to death. 39 All that were numbered of the Levites, which Mofes and Aaron numbered at the commandment of the Lord, throughout their families, all the males from a month old and upward, [were] twenty and two thou- fand.5 40 And the Lord faid unto Mofes, Number all the firft born of the males of the children of Ifrael from a month old and upward, and take the number of their names. 41 And thou fhalt take the Levites for me, (I [am] z[\q Lord) inftead of all the firft born among the children of Ifrael; and the cattle of the Levites inftead of all the flrftlings among the cattle of the children of Ifrael, 42 And Mofes numbered, as the Lord commanded him, 43 all the firft born among the children of Ifrael. And all the firft born males by the number of names, from a month b The particulars here make up twenty two thoufand three hundred; but out of them muft be deducted Aaron and the priefts, and the firft born of the Levites, which were the Lord's in a peculiar manner (Exod. xiii. 2.) and fo could not be given to him again inftead of the other firft born. Lev, xxvii. 26. r4 N U M B E R S. IV. month old and upward, of thofe that were numbered of them, were twenty and two thoufand two hundred and threefcore and thirteen. 44 45 And the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Take the Levites inftead of all the firft born among the children of Ifrael, and the cattle of the Levites inftead of their cattle \ and the Levites fhall be mine : I [am] 46 the Lord. And for thofe that are to be redeemed of the two hundred and threefcore and thirteen of the rirn: born of the children of Ifrael, which are more than the 47 Levites •, thou fhalt even take five fhekels apiece by the poll, after the ihekel of the fanduary fhalt thou 48 take fthem:] (the fhekel [is] twenty gerahs:) And thou fhalt give the money, wherewith the odd number of them is to be redeemed, unto Aaron and to his 49 fons. And Mofes took the redemption money of them that were over and above them that were redeemed by 50 the Levites : Of the firft born of the children of Ifrael took he the money ; a thoufand three hundred and threefcore and five [fhekels,] after the fhekel of the fanctuary, which makes one hundred and fifty Jive pounds y 51 thirteen /hillings and eleven pence 0/ our money. And Mofes gave the money of them that were redeemed unto Aa- ron and to his fons, according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord commanded Mofes, CHAP. IV. ^he Levites* /ervice and office. 1 A N D the Lord fpake unto Mofes and unto Aa* 2 J[jl ron, faying, Take the fum of the fons of Kohath from among the fons of Levi, after their families, by 3 the houfe of their fathers, From thirty years old and upward even until fifty years old, all that enter into the holt, or /ervice, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation.0 4 This c They began to be probationers at twenty five years old, (ch% viii. 24.) but were not admitted to their full miniflration till NUMBERS, IV. 15 4 This [fhall be] the fervice of the fons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation, [about] the mod 5 holy things : And when the camp ietteth forward, Aaron fhall come, and his fons, and they fhall take down the covering vail that hung before the moft holy place ^ 6 and cover the ark of teftimony with it:d And mall put thereon the covering of badgers' fkins, and fhall fpread over [it] a cloth wholly of blue, and fhall put 7 in the ftaves thereof. And upon the table of fhew bread they fhall fpread a cloth of blue, and put thereon the dimes, and the fpoons, and the bowls, and covers to cover withal : and the continual bread fhall be thereon : 8 And they fhall fpread upon them a cloth of fcarlet, and cover the fame with a covering of badgers' fkins, and 9 mail put in the ftaves thereof, And they fhall take a cloth of blue, and cover the candleftick of the light," and his lamps, and his tongs, and his fnuffdifhes, and all the oil veflels thereof, wherewith they minifter unto 10 it: And they fhall put it and all the vefTels thereof within a covering of badgers' fkins, and fhall put [it] 11 upon a bar. And upon the golden altar they fhall fpread a cloth of blue, and cover it with a covering of badgers' fkins, and fhall put to the ftaves thereof: 12 And they fhall take all the inftruments of miniftry, wherewith they minifter in the fanctuary, and put [them] in a cloth of blue, and cover them with a covering of 13 badgers' fkins, and fhall put [them] on a bar : And they fhall take away the afhes from the altar, and fpread ,14 a purple cloth thereon : And they mall put upon it all the vefTels thereof, wherewith they minifter about it, [even] the cenfers, the flefh hooks, and the fhovels, and the bafons, all the vefTels of the altar -9 and they fhall till thirty. Which was altered by David, (by direction from - God, 1 Chron. xxviii. 13, 19.) to twenty years old; becaufe then there was no occafion for their carrying the tabernacle, and therefore not fo much bodily flrength required, 1 Chron. xxiii. 24, 26. Yet after their fuperannuation they were ftill to be affiftant as overfeers. See ch. viii. 25, 26. d Upon this occafion the ordinary priefts might go into the holy of holies ; and when they had done all their work there, the Levites might come alfo to carry the ark, «v. 15. i6 N U M B E R S. IV. mall fpread upon it a covering of badgers' fkins, and put to the ftaves of it. 1 5 And when Aaron and his fons have made an end of covering the fanctuary, and all the veffels of the fanc- tuary, as the camp is to fet forward ; after that, the fons of Kohath fhall come to bear [it :] but they mall not touch [any] holy thing, left they die. Thefe [things are] the burden of the fons of Kohath in the tabernacle of the congregation. 1 6 And to the office of Eleazar, the fon of Aaron the prieft, [pertaineth] the oil for the light, and the fweet incenfe, and the daily meat offering, and the anointing oil, to carry them himfelf, [and] the overflght of all the tabernacle, and of all that therein [is,] in the fanctuary, and in the vefTels thereof, to fee that all was done in the way that was commanded. 17 And the Lord fpake unto Mofes and unto Aaron, 18 faying, Cut ye not off the tribe of the families of the Kohathites from among the Levites, that is, fuffer them not to touch the holy things thro* your negletl, whereby they 19 fhould be cut off : But thus do unto them, that they may live, and not die, when they approach unto the moil holy things : Aaron and his -fons mail go in, and ap- point them every one to his fervice and to his burden : 20 But they mall not go in to fee when the holy things are covered, left they die. 21 22 And the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Take alfo the fum of the fons of Gerihon, throughout the 23 houfes of their fathers, by their families-, From thirty years old and upward, until fifty years old fhalt thou number them ; all that enter in to perform the fervice, to do the work in the tabernacle of the congregation. 24 This [is] the fervice of the families of the Gerfhonites, to ferve, to ajjift the prieft s while the tabernacle is ft and; ng, and to help them to take it flown, and fet it up, and for 25 burdens, to cany it whin it is removed. And they ihall bear the curtains of the tabernacle, the eleven curtains of goats9 hair, and the tabernacle of the congregation, his covering, the covering of rams9 fkins dyed red, and the co- vering of the badgers' feins tliat [is] above upon it, and the NUMBER S. IV. i; the hanging for the door of the tabernacle of the congre- 26 gation, And the hangings of the court, and the hang- ing for the door of the gate of the court which [is] by the tabernacle and by the altar round about, and their cords, and all the inftruments of their fervice, and all 27 that is made for them: fo mail they ferve. At the ap- pointment of Aaron and his fons mail be all the fervice of the fons. of the Germonites, in all their burdens, and in all their fervice : and ye mall appoint unto them in 28 charge all their burdens. This [is] the fervice of the families of the fons of Germon in the tabernacle of the congregation : and their charge [mall be] under the hand, under the conduct and direction, of Ithamar the fon of Aaron the priefl. 29 As for the fons of Merari, thou malt number them after their families, by the houfe of their fathers ; 30 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old malt thou number them, every one that entereth into the fervice, to do the work of the 3 f tabernacle of the congregation. And this [is] the charge of their burden, according to all their fervice in the tabernacle of the congregation •, the boards of the tabernacle, and the bars thereof, and the pillars there- 32 of, and fockets thereof, And the pillars of the court round about, and their fockets, and their pins, and their cords, with all their inftruments, and with all their fervice : and by name ye mail reckon the inftru- 2^ ments of the charge of the burden. This [is] the fervice of the families of the fons of Merari, according to all their fervice in the tabernacle of the congregation, under the hand of Ithamar the fon of Aaron the prieft. 34 And Mofes and Aaron and the chief of the congre- gation numbered the fons of the Kohathites, after their 35 families, and after the houfe of their fathers, From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, everv one that entereth into the fervice for the work in 36 the tabernacle of the congregation : And thofe that were numbered of them by their families were two thoufand 37 feven hundred and fifty. Thefe [were] they that were numbered of the families of the Kohathites, all that Vol, II. B might i8 N U M B E R S. IV. might do fervice in the tabernacle of the congregation; which Mofes and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Mofes. 38 And thofe that were numbered of the fons of Ger- fhon, throughout their families, and by the houfe of 39 their fathers, From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the fervice, for the work, in the tabernacle of the congre- 40 gafion, Even thofe that were numbered of them, throughout their families, by the houfe of their fathers, 41 were two thoufand and fix hundred and thirty. Thefe [are] they that were numbered of the families of the fons of Germon, of all that might do fervice in the taber- nacle of the congregation, whom Mofes and Aaron did number according to the commandment of the Lord. 42 And thofe that were numbered of the families of the fons of Merari, throughout their families by the houfe 43 of their fathers, From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that entereth into the fervice, for the work in the tabernacle of the con- 44 gregation, Even thofe that were numbered of them after their families, were three thoufand and two hun- 45 dred. Thefe [be] thofe that were numbered of the families of the fons of Merari, whom Mofes and Aa- ron numbered according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Mofes. 46 All thofe that were numbered of the Levites, whom Mofes and Aaron and the chief of Ifrael numbered, af- ter their families, and after the houfe of their fathers, 47 From thirty years old and upward even unto fifty years old, every one that came to do the fervice of the minif- try, and the fervice of the burden in the tabernacle of 48 the congregation, Even thofe that were numbered of them, were eight thoufand and five hundred and four- 40, fcore. According to the commandment of the Lord they were numbered by the hand of Mofes, every one according to his fervice, and according to his burden : thus they were numbered of him as the Lord com- manded Mofes. CHAP. NUMBERS. V. *9 C H A P. V. Reftitution enjoined; and the trial of jedloufy. i AND the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Com- 2 JLjl mand the children of Ifrael, that they put out of the camp every leper, and every cue that hath an* 3 iffue, and whofoever is defiled by the dead : Both male and female mall ye put out, without the camp fhall ye put them ; that they defile not their camps, in the midft 4 whereof I dwell. And the children of Ifrael did fo, and put them out without the camp : as the Lord fpake unto Mofes, fo did the children of Ifrael. 5 6 And the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Speak unto the children of Ifrael, When a man or woman fhall commit any fin that men commit one againft another * to do a trefpafs againft the Lord, and that perfon be 7 guilty, become fenfible of his guilt \ Then they mall con- fefs their fin which they have done: and he fhall recom- penfe his trefpafs, the wrong he has done to his neighbour ■, either in taking away any thing from him, or denying what was entrufted with him, with the principal thereof, and add unto it the fifth [part] thereof, and give [it] unto 8 [him] againft whom he hath trefpaffed. But if the man have no kinfman to recompenfe the trefpafs unto, let the trefpafs be recompenfed unto the Lord, [even] to the priefts : befides the ram of the atonement, whereby an atonement fhall be made for him. 9 And every offering of all the holy things of the children of Ifrael, which they bring unto the prieft, io fhall be his. And every man's hallowed things fhall be his, fuch as were de-voted to God, yet could not be offered in facrifice, as a houfe, or the like \ whatfoever any man giveth the prieft, it fhall be his. II 1*2. And the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Speak unto the children of Ifrael, and fay unto them, If any man's wife go afide, and commit a trefpafs againft him, 13 And a man lie with her carnally, and it be hid from the eyes of her hufband, and be kept clofe, and fhe be de- filed, and [there be] no witnefs againft her, (for if there B 2 were 20 N U M B E R S. V. • were witnejfes to prove it, then floe was to be put to death-, Lev. xx. 10.) neither fhe be taken [with the manner-,] 14. And the fpirit of jealoufy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and me be defiled : or if the fpirit of jealoufy come upon him, and he be jealous of his wife, and (he be not defiled : 15 Then mall the man bring his wife unto the prieft, that is, the chief of the priefts then in waiting and he mall bring her offering for her, the tenth [part] of an ephah of barley meal : he fhall pour no oil upon it, nor put frankincenfe thereon ; for it [is] an offering of jealoufy, an offering of memorial, bringing iniquity to remem- 1 6 brance. And the prieft mall bring her near, and fet her 17 before the Lord : And the prieft fhall take holy water in an earthen veffel ; and of the duft that is in the floor of the tabernacle the prieft fhall take, and put [it] into the water : 18 And the prieft mall fet the woman before the Lord, and uncover the woman's head, and put the offering of memorial in her hands, which [is] the jealoufy offering: and the prieft fhall have in his hand the bitter water that caufeth the curfe, fo called, in regard of the effecl it had upon her, if fhe were guilty, v. 22. 19 And the prieft fhall charge her by an oath, and fay unto the woman, If no man have lain with thee, and if thou haft not gone afide to uncleannefs [with another] inftead of thy hufband, be thou free from this bitter 20 water that caufeth the curfe: But if thou haft gone afide [to another] inftead of thy hufband, and if thou be de- filed, and fome man have lain with thee befides thine 2 1 hufband : Then the prieft fhall charge the woman with an oath of curfing, and the prieft fhall fay unto the woman, The Lord make thee a curfe and an oath among thy people, when the Lord doth make thy 22 thigh to rot, and thy belly to fwell -, And this water that caufeth the curfe fhall go into thy bowels, to make [thy] belly to fwell, and [thy] thigh to rot : and the woman fhall fay, Amen, amen. 23 And the prieft fhall write thefe curfes in a book, and 24 he fhall blot [them] out with the bitter water : And he fhall N U M B E R S. V. 21 mall caufe the woman to drink the bitter water that caufeth the curfe : and the water that caufeth the curfe fhall enter into her, [and become] bitter, produce bitter 2$ effetls. Then the prieft fhall take the jealoufy offering out of the woman's hand, and fhall wave the offer- 26 ing before the Lord, and offer it upon the altar : And the prieft fhall take an handful of the offering, [even] the memorial thereof, and burn [it] upon the altar, and afterward fhall caufe the woman to drink the water. 27 And when he hath made her to drink the water, then it fhall come to pafs, [that,] if fhe be defiled, and have done trefpafs againft her hufband, that the water that caufeth the curfe fhall enter into her, [and become] bitter, and her belly fhall fwell, and her thigh fhall rot : 28 and the woman fhall be a curfe among her people. And if the woman be not defiled, but be clean ; then fhe fhall be free, not receive any harm by the drink^ and fhall 29 conceive feed. This [is] the law of jealoufies, when a wife goeth afide [to another] inftead of her hufband, 30 and is denied; Or when the fpirit of jealoufy cometh upon him, and he be jealous over his wife, and fhall fet the woman before the Lord, and the prieft fhall exe- 31 cute upon her all this law. Then fhall the man be guiklefs from iniquity, free from any punifhment^ tho' he accufed her wrongfully , if he had any probable grounds of fufpicion^ and this woman fhall bear her iniquity/ B 3 CHAP. * Dr. Doddridge, in his Lectures, ftates an objection, made by Morgan, to this iniiitution of the nvater of jealoufy, as if it were a contrivance to make it fafe for women to commit adultery with the priefts, and none but them. In anfwer to this impious thought (the Dr juitly remarks) it is fufficient to obferve, that nothing can be more unjull than to charge fo ftupid and vil- lainous a contrivance upon fo wife and virtuous a perfon as Mofes appears to have been, who in the fyftem of his laws has nude adultery puniihable with death, no Iefs in a prieft than any other perfon Confidering the confequences attending this trial, in cafe either of innocence or guilt, it would, on fuch a fuppo- iition, be a very ill judged contrivance: befides that, the perfon appointed to prefide on this occafion was to be the chief o! the priejis then in waiting, which would render fuch a confpiracy, as Morgan fuppofes, utterly impracticable. Lectures, p. 169. %i NUMBERS, VI. CHA P. VI. The law of the Nazarites, and the* form ofhlejfing the people. i AND the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Speak 2 jHL unto the children of Ifrael, and fay unto them, "When either man or woman fhall feparate [themfelves] ' to vow a vow of a Nazarite, or make themfelves Nazarites^ that is, to feparate [themfelves] unto the Lord, either for life, as Judges xiii 5. xvi. 17. t Sam. i. 1 1. Luke u 15. or for a lefs and limited fp ace of time, as Aft s xxi. 24. to he 3 holy unto him, v. 8. after a ftri ft er manner than others: He fhall feparate [himfelf] from wine and ftrong drink, and mall drink no vinegar of wine, or vinegar of ftrong drink, neither mall he drink any liquor of grapes, nor 4 eat moift grapes, or dried. All the days of his fepa- ration, or nazaritefhip, fhall he eat nothing that is made of the vine tree, from the kernels even to the hufk. 5 All the days of the vow of his feparation there fhall no razor come upon his head : until the days be fulfilled, in the which he feparateth [himfelf] unto the Lord, he mall be holy, [and] mall let the locks of the hair 6 of his head grow. All the days that he feparateth [himfelf] unto the Lord he mall come at no dead J body. He mall not make himfelf unclean for his father, or for his mother, for his brother, or for his fifter, when they die : becaufe the confecration of his God [is] 8 upon his head. All the days of his feparation he [is] 9 holy unto the Lord. And if any man die very fuddenly by him, and he hath defiled the head of his confecra- tion •, then he fhall fhave his head in the day of his 10 cleaning, on the feventh day mail he fhave it. And on the eighth day he fhall bring two turtles, or two young pigeons, to the prieft, to the door of the tabernacle of 1 1 the congregation : And the prieft fhall offer the one for a fin offering, and the other for a burnt offering, and make an atonement for him, for that he finned by the dead, and fhall hallow his head that fame day, fet 12 apart his hair to God, and fuffer it to grow. And he fhall confecrate unto the Lord the days of his feparation, begin, NUMBERS. VI. 23 begin anew to confecrate the very fame number of days, which before his defiling he had vowed unto God, and fhall bring a lamb of the firft year for a trefpafs offering : but the days that were before (hall be loft, becaufe his feparation was defiled. 13 And this [is] the law of theNazarite, when the days of his feparation are fulfilled : he fhall be brought unto 14 the door of the tabernacle of the congregation : And he fhall offer his offering unto the Lord, one he lamb of the fir ft year without blemifh. for a burnt offering, and one ewe lamb of the firft year without blemifh. for a fin offering, and one ram without blemifh for peace offer- 15 ings, And a bafket of unleavened bread, cakes of fine flour mingled with oil, and wafers of unleavened bread anointed with oil, and their meat offering, and their 16 drink offerings. And the prieft fhall bring [them] be- fore the Lord, and fhall offer his fin offering, and his 17 burnt offering : And he fhall offer the ram [for] a facrifice of peace offerings unto the Lcfeo, with the bafket of unleavened bread : the prieft fhall offer alfo 18 his meat offering, and his drink offering. And the Nazarite fhall fhave the head of his feparation [at] the door of the tabernacle of- the congregation, and fhall take the hair of the head of his feparation, and put [it] in the fire which [is] under the facrifice of the peace 19 offerings. And the prieft fhall take the fodden fhoulder of the ram, and one unleavened cake out of the bafket, and one unleavened wafer, and fhall put [them] upon the hands of the Nazarite, .after [the hair of] his fepara- 20 tion is fhaven : And the prieft fhall wave them [for] a wave offering before the Lord : this [is] holy for the prieft, with the wave breaft and heave fhoulder : and after that the Nazarite may drink wine, return to hisfor- 21 mer way of living again, This [is] the law of the Na- zarite who hath vowed, [and of] his offering unto the Lord for his feparation, befides [that] that his hand mall get : according to the vow which he vowed, fo he muft do after the law of his feparation. 22 23 And the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Speak unto Aaron and unto his fons, faying, On this wife ye B 4 fhall 24 NUMBERS, VII. 24 fhall blefs the children of Ifrael, faying unto them, The 25 Lord blefs thee and keep thee from all evil : The Lord make his face mine upon thee, and be gracious unto 26 thee, manifeft his love and favour to thee: The Lord lift up his countenance upon thee, fhow himfelf well pie a fed with thy perfon and performance, and give thee 27 peace, all profpcrity and happinefs. And they fhall put my name upon the children of Ifrael, call them my people, and 1 will blefs them. CHAP. VIL ^he offerings of the princes, and God's fpeaking to Mofes from the mercy feat. N D it came to pafs on the day that Mofes had fully fet up the tabernacle, and had anointed it, and fanclified it, and all the inftruments thereof, both the altar and all the veffels thereof, and had anointed 2 them, and fanclined them ; That the princes of Ifrael, heads of the houfe of their fathers, who [were] the princes of the tribes, and were over them that were 3 numbered, offered : And they brought their offering before the Lord, fix covered waggons, and twelve oxen •, a waggon for two of the princes, and for each one an ox : and they brought them before the taber- nacle. 4 5 And the Lord fpake unto Mofes faying, Take [it] of them, that they may be to do the fervice of the ta- bernacle of the congregation -, and thou ihalt give them unto the Levites, to every man according to his fervice. 6 And Mofes took the waggons and the oxen, and gave 7 them unto the Levites. Two waggons and four oxen he gave unto the fons of Gerfhon, according to their 8 fervice : And four waggons and eight oxen he gave unto the fons ofMerari, according unto their fervice, under the hand of Ithamar the fon of Aaron the prieft. 9 But unto the fons of Kohath he gave none : becaufe the fervice of the fan&uary belonging unto them [was that] numbers; vii. 25 10 that] they mould bear upon their fhoulders. And the princes offered for dedicating of the altar in the day that it was anointed, even the princes offered their offering before the altar. 11 And the Lord faid unto Mofes, They fhall offer their offering, each prince on his day, for the dedicating of the altar. 12 And he that offered his offering the firft day was Nahfhon the fon of Amminadab, of the tribe of Judah: 13 And his offering [was] one filver charger, the weight thereof [was] an hundred and thirty [fhekels,] one fil- ver bowl of feventy fhekels, after the fhekel of the fanctuary : both of them [were] full of fine flour ming- 14 led with oil for a meat offering : One fpoon of ten 15 [fhekels] of gold, full of incenfe : One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the firft year, for a burnt offering : 16 ij One kid of the goats for a fin offering : And for a facrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the firft year : this [was] the offering of Nahfhon the fon of Amminadab. 18 On the fecond day Nethaneel the fon of Zuar, 19 prince of Iffachar, did offer: He offered [for] his offer- ing one filver charger, the weight whereof [was] an hundred and thirty [fhekels,] one filver bowl of feventy fhekels, after the fhekel of the fancluary ; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering : 20 One fpoon of gold of ten [fhekels,] full of incenfe : 21 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the firft 22 year, for a burnt offering : One kid of the goats for a 23 fin offering : And for a facrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the firft year : this [was] the offering of Nethaneel the fon of Zuar. 24 On the third day Eliab the fon of Helon, prince 25 of the children of Zebulun, [did offer:] His offering [was] one filver charger, the weight whereof [was] an hundred and thirty [fhekels,] one filver bowl of feventy fhekels, after the fhekel of the fancluary •, both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering : 26 One golden fpoon of ten [fhekels,] full of incenfe: 27 One 26 NUMBERS. VII. 27 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the firft 28 year, for a burnt offering : One kid of the goats for a 29 fin offering : And for a facrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the firft year : this [was] the offering of Eliab the fon of Helen. 30 On the fourth day Elizur the fon of Shedeur, prince 31 of the children of Reuben, [did offer:] His offering [was] one filver charger of the weight of an hundred and thirty [fhekels,] one filver bowl of feventy fhekels, after the fhekei of the fanctuary •, both of them full of 32 fine fiour minded with oil for a meat offering : One 3$ golden fpoon of ten [fhekels,] full of incenfe : One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the firft year, for 34 a burnt offering : One kid of the gcats for a fin offer- 35 *ng: -And for a facrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the firft year : this [was] the offering of Elizur the fon of Shedeur. 36 On the fifth day Shelumiel the fon of Zurifhaddai, 37 prince of the children of Simeon, [did offer:] His offering if was] one filver charger, the weight whereof [was] an hundred and thirty [fhekels,] one filver bowl v of feventy fhekels, after the Shekel of the fanctuary ; both cf them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a 38 meat offering : One golden fpoon often [fhekels,] full 39 of incenfe: One young bullock, one ram, one iamb of 40 the firft year, for a burnt offering: One kid of the goats 41 for a fin offering : And for a facrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, {ivt he goats, five lambs of the firft year : this [was] the offering of Shelumiel the fon of Zurifhaddai. 42 On the fixth day Eliafaph the fon of Deuel, prince 43 of the children of Gad, [offered :] His offering [was] one filver charger of the weight of an hundred and thirty [fhekels,] a filver bowl of feventy fhekels, after the fhekei of the fancluary ; both of them full of fine flour 44 mingled with oil for a meatoffering: One golden fpoon 45 of ten [fhekels,] full of incenfe : One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the firft year, for a burnt offering: 46 47 One kid of the goats for a fin offering : And for a facrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five NUMBERS. VII. 27 five he goats, five lambs of the firft ye?r : this [was] the offering of Eliafaph the fon of Deuel. 48 On the feventh day Elifhama the fon of Ammihud, 49 prince of the children of Ephraim [offered:] His offering [was] one filver charger, the weight whereof [was] an hundred and thirty [fhekels,] one filver bowl of feventy fhekels, after the fhekel of the fanctuary, both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil, for a 50 meat offering : One golden fpoon often [fhekels,] full 51 of incenfe : One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of 52 the firft year, for a burnt offering: One kid of the 53 goats for a fin offering: And for a facrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five Jambs of the firft year : this [was] the offering of Eli- fhama the fon of Ammihud. 54. On the eighth day [offered] Gamaliel the fon of Pe- 55 dahzur, prince of the children of Manaffeh : His offer- ing [was] one filver charger of the weight of an hundred and thirty [fhekels,] one filver bowl of feventy fhekels, after the fhekel of the fancluary •, both of them full of 56 fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering •, One §7 golden fpoon of ten [fhekels,] full of incenfe : One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the firft year, for 58 a burnt offering : One kid of the goats for a fin offer- 59 ing : And for a facrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the firft year : this [was] the offering of Gamaliel the fon of Pedah- 7,ur. 60 On the ninth day Abidan the fon of Gideoni, prince 61 of the children of Benjamin [offered :] His offering [was] one filver charger, the weight whereof [was] an hundred and thirty [fhekels,] one filver bowl of feventy fhekels, after the fhekel of the fancluary j both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering : 62 One golden fpoon of ten [fhekels,] full of incenfe : 63 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the firft 64 year, for a burnt offering : One kid of the goats for a 65 tin offering : And for a facrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the firft year : 28 NUMBERS. VII; year : this [was] the offering of Abidan the fon of Gideoni. 66 On the tenth day Ahiezer the fon Ammifhaddai, 6y prince of the children of Dan, [offered :] His offering [was] one filver charger, the weight whereof [was] an hundred and thirty [fhekels,] one filver bowl of feventy fhekels, after the fhekel of the fanctuary ; both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering : 68 One golden fpoon of ten [fhekels,] full of incenfe : 6g Cne young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the firfl 70 year, for a burnt offering : One kid of the goats for a 71 fin offering: And for a facrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the firfl year : this [was] the offering of Ahiezer the fon of Ammifhaddai. 72 On the eleventh day Pagiel the fon ofOcran, prince 73 of the children of Afher, [offered:] His offering [was] one filver charger, the weight whereof [was] an hun- dred and thirty [fhekels,] one filver bowl of feventy fhekels, after the fhekel of the fancluary •, both of them full of fine flour mingled with oil for a meat offering : 74 One golden fpoon of ten [fhekels,] full of incenfe : 75 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the firfl year, 76 for a burnt offering: One kid of the goats for a fin yy offering : And for a facrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, Hvt lambs of the firfl year : this [was] the offering of Pagiel the fon of Ocran. 78 On the twelfth day Ahira the fon of Enan, prince of 79 the children of Naphtali, [offered:] His offering [was] one filver charger, the weight whereof [was] an hun- dred and thirty [fhekels,] one filver bowl of feventy fhekels, after the fhekel of the fancluary •, both of them full of fine fiour mingled with oil for a meat offering : 80 One golden fpoon of ten [fhekels,] full of incenfe : 8 1 One young bullock, one ram, one lamb of the firfl: year, 82 for a burnt offering : One kid of the goats for a fin 83 offering : And for a facrifice of peace offerings, two oxen, five rams, five he goats, five lambs of the firfl year : this [was] the offering of Ahira the fon of Enan. 84 This NUMBER S. VIII. 29 84 This [was] the dedication of the altar, in the day when it was anointed, by the princes of Ifrael : twelve 'chargers of filver, twelve filver bowls, twelve fpoons of 85 gold : Each charger of filver [weighing] an hundred and thirty [fhekels,] each bowl feventy : all the filver vefTels [weighed] tv/o thoufand and four hundred S6 [fnekels,] after the fhekel of the fancluary : The polden fpoons [were] twelve, full of incenfe, [weighing] ten [fhekels] apiece, after the fhekel of the fan&uary : all the gold of the fpoons [was] an hundred and twenty 87 [fhekels.] All the oxen for the burnt offering [were] twelve bullocks, the rams twelve, the lambs of the firfr, year twelve, with their meat offering : and the kids of 88 the goats for a fin offering twelve. And all the oxen for the facrifice of the peace offerings [were] twenty and four bullocks, the rams fixty, the he goats fixty, the lambs of the flrft year fixty. This was the dedication of the altar, after that it was anointed. 89 And when Mofes was gone into the tabernacle of the congregation, to fpeak with him, that is, Gcd,e then he heard the voice of one fpeaking unto him from off the mercy feat that [was] upon the ark of teftimony, from between the two chertibims : and he fpake unto him ♦, that is, Mofes fpake unto the Lord, propounding fuck cafes as he defired fails faction in. CHAP. VIII. How the lamps were to be lighted-, the confecration of the Levites; and the age and time of their fervice. 1 /% N D the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Speak 2 j[^ unto Aaron, and fay unto him, When thou lighter!: the lamps, the feven lamps fhali give light over $ againft the candleftick. And Aaron did fo ; he lighted the lamps thereof over againft the candleftick, as the 4 Lord commanded Mofes. And this work of the candleftick [was of] beaten geld, unto the fhaft thereof, unto *- Hence it was called the Oracle, or Speaking-place, 1 Kivgsiv, 23. So NUMBERS. VIII. unto the flowers thereof, [was] beaten work : accord- ing unto the pattern which the Lord had mowed Mofes, fo he made the candleflick. 5 6 And the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Take the Levites, the refidue of the tribe of Levi, betides the priejls, from among the children of Ifrael and cleanfe 7 them. And thus malt thou do unto them, to cleanfe them : Sprinkle water of purifying upon them, and let them fhave all their flojh, and let them wafh their 8 clothes, and [fo] make themfelves clean. Then let them take a young bullock with his meat offering, [even] fine flour mingled with oil, and another young 9 bullock (halt thou take for a fin offering. And thou fhalt bring the Levites before the tabernacle of the con- gregation, and thou fhalt gather the whole affembyjof io the children of Ifrael together : And thou fhalt bring the Levites before the Lord : and the children of Ifrael 11 mall put their hands upon the Levites: And Aaron mall offer the Levites before the Lord [for] an offer- ing of the children of Ifrael, that they may execute *he 12 fervice of the Lord. And the Levites mail lay their hands upon the heads of the bullocks : and thou fhalt offer, by Aaron and his fins, the one [for] a fin offering, and the other [for] a burnt offering, unto the Lord, to 1 3 make an atonement for the Levites. And thou (halt fet the Levites before Aaron, and before his fons, as a fign that they were given to him and his fins to be employed by them upon all occafions, and offer them [for] an offering 14 unto the Lord. Thus fhalt thou feparate the Levites from among the children of Ifrael : and the Levites 15 mall be mine. And after that mall the Levites go in (not into the tabernacle itfelf, but only into the court of the priejls) to do the fervice of the tabernacle of the congre- gation : and thou fhalt cleanfe them, and offer them 1 6 [for] an offering. For they [are] wholly given unto me from among the children of Ifrael -, inftead of fuch as open every womb, [even inftead of] the firft born of all the children of Ifrael, have I taken 17 them unto me. For all the firft born of the child- ren of Ifrael [are] mine, [both] man and beaft : on the NUMBERS. VIII. 3; the day that I fmote every firft born fn the land of 18 Egypt I fanelified them for myfelf. And I have taken the Levites for all the firft born of the children of 19 IfraeL And I have given the Levites [as] a gift to Aaron and to his fons from among the children of Ifrael, to do the fervice of the children of Ifrael in the tabernacle of the congregation, and to make an atone- ment for the children of Ifrael: that there be no plague among the children of Ifrael, when the children of 20 Ifrael come nigh unto the fanctuary. And Mofes, and Aaron, and all the congregation of the children of Ifrael, did to the Levites according unto all that the Lord commanded Mofes concerning the Levites, fo 21 did the children of Ifrael unto them. And the Levites were purified, and they warned their clothes •, and Aa- ron offered them [as] an offering before the Lord ; and Aaron made an atonement for them to cleanfe 22 them. And after that went the Levites in to do their fervice in the tabernacle of the congregation before Aa« ron, and before his fons : as the Lord had commanded Mofes concerning the Levites, fo did they unto them. 23 24 And the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, This [is it] that [belongeth] unto the Levites : from twenty and five years old and upward they fhall go in to wait upon the fervice of the tabernacle of the congregation : 25 And from the age of fifty years they fhall ceafe waiting upon the fervice [thereof,] and fhall ferve no more : 26 But fhall minifter with their brethren in the tabernacle of the congregation, by way of injlrutHon and advice ', to keep the charge, to overfee and take care that every thing be done regularly ', and fhall do no further laborious fervice. Thus fhalt thou do unto the Levites touching their charge. chap; 32 NUMBERS. IX. C H A P. IX. The paffover enjoined^ and a cloud guideth the Ifraelites. 1 AND the Lord fpake unto Mofes in the wildernefs ±\. °f Sinai, in the firft. month of the fecond year after they were come out of the land of Egypt, faying, 2 Let the children of Ifrael alfo keep the paflbver at his 3 appointed feafon/ In the fourteenth day of this month, at even, ye mail keep it in his appointed feafon : ac- cording to all the rites of it, and according to all the 4 ceremonies thereof, mall ye keep it. And Mofes fpake unto the children of Ifrael that they mould keep the 5 paflbver. And they kept the paflbver on the fourteenth day of the firft month, at even, in the wildernefs of Sinai : according to all that the Lord commanded Mofes, fo did the children of Ifrael. 6 And there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the pafT- over on that day : and they came before Mofes and before 7 Aaron on that day : And thofe men faid unto him, We [are] defiled by the dead body of a man : wherefore are we kept back, that we may not offer an offering of the Lord in his appointed feafon among the children of 8 Ifrael ? And Mofes faid unto them, Stand ftill, and I will hear what the Lord will command concerning you. 9 JO And the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Speak unto the children of Ifrael, faying, If any man of you, or of your pofterity, fhall be unclean by reafon of a dead body, or [be] in a journey afar off, yet he fhall keep ii the paflbver unto the Lord. The fourteenth day of the fecond month at even they fhall keep it, [and] eat it with unleavened bread and bitter [herbs,] in remem* 1 2 brance of their afflicled life in Egypt (Exodus i. 14.) They fhall leave none of it until the morning, nor break any bone f This is a particular command for the keeping of the pafT- over at this time in the wildernefs; for by the firft inititution they feem to be bound to keep it only in the land of Canaan (Exodus xii. 25.) and not in the wildernefs, becaufe they knew not how long they might Hay in a place, or how foon remove. NUMBERS. IX. 33 bone of it : according to all the ordinances of the pafT- 13 over they fhall keep it. But the man that [is] clean, and is not in a journey, and forbeareth to keep the pafT- over, even the fame foul mail be cut off from among his people : becaufe he brought not the offering of the Lord in his appointed feafon, that man fhall bear his 14 fin, and be excommunicated. And if a ftranger fhall fo- journ among you, and will keep the paffover unto the Lord; according to the' ordinance of the paffover, and according to the manner thereof, fo mall he do: ye fhall have one ordinance, both for the ftranger, and for him that was born in the land. 15 And on the day that the tabernacle was reared up the cloud covered the tabernacle, [namely,] the tent of the teftimony : and at even there was upon the tabernacle 16 as it were the appearance of fire, until the morning. So it was alway : the cloud covered it [by day,] and the 17 appearance of fire by night. And when the cloud was taken up from the tabernacle, then after that the child- ren of Ifrael journeyed : and in the place where the cloud abode, there the children of Ifrael pitched their tents. 18 At the commandment of the Lord the children of If- rael journeyed, and at the commandment of the Lord they pitched : as long as the cloud abode upon the taber- 19 nacle they refted in their tents. And when the cloud tar- ried long upon the tabernacle many days, then the child- ren of Ifrael kept the charge of the Lord, and journeyed 20 not. And [fo] it was, when the cloud was a few days upon the tabernacle; -according to the commandment of the Lord they abode in their tents, and according to 21 the commandment of the Lord they journeyed. And [fo] it was, when the cloud abode from even unto the morning, and [that] the cloud was taken up in the morning, then they journeyed : whether [it was] by day or by night that the cloud was taken up, they 22 journeyed. Or [whether it were] two days, or a month, or a year, that the cloud tarried upon the tabernacle, remaining thereon, the children of Ifrael abode in their tents, and journeyed not : but when it was taken up, 23 they journeyed. At the commandment of the Lord Vol. II. C they 34 N U M B E R S. X. they refted in their tents, and at the commandment of the Lord they journeyed : they kept the charge of the Lord, at the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Mofes. CHAP. X. In this chapter we have the lafl order that God gave at mount Sinai i Mofes is direcled to make and ufe the filver trumpets -, Ifrael decamps from Sinai -, Mofes' intreaty with Hobab to accompany them ; and an account of the folemn manner in which they began and ended their journeys. 1 AND the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Make 2 ,/~\ thee two trumpets of filver -,s of a whole piece malt thou make them : that thou may eft ufe them for the calling of the afTembly, and for the journeying of 3 the camps. And when they mail blow with both of them, all the afTembly fhall affemble themfelves to thee, 4 at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. And if they blow [but] with one [trumpet,] then the princes, [which are] heads of the thoufands of Ifrael (Exodus 5 xviii. 21.) mail gather themfelves unto thee. When ye blow an alarm, (not a long and uniform blafl, but a broken, quavering found,) then the camps that lie on the 6 eaft parts fhall go forward. When ye blow an alarm the fecond time, then the camps that lie on the fouth fide fhall take their journey : they fhall blow an alarm for 7 their journeys. But when the congregation is to be gathered together, ye fhall blow, but ye fhall not found 8 an alarm. And the fons of Aaron, the priefts, fhall blow with the trumpets; becaufe, as they were God's minif- tetj cr fervants^ fuch regard was to be 'paid to the found, as if God himfelf had given the fummons'\ and they fhall be to you for an ordinance for ever throughout your genera- 9 tions. And if ye go to war in your land againft the enemy s This metal was very fit for conveying found. They were probably made like ours. Only two were ordered now ; but in Solomon's time there were one hundred and twenty priefts who blew trumpets., 2 Chron, v. 12. N U M B E R S. X. 35 enemy that opprefTeth you, then ye (hall blow an alarm with the trumpets-, and ye (hall 'be remembered before the Lord your God, and ye (hall be faved from your 10 enemies.11 Alfo in the day of your gladnefs, fea'ffs of divine inflitution, and in your folemn days, days of folemn affemblies, and in the beginnings of your months, the new moon, ye (hall blow with the trumpets over your burnt offerings, and over the facrifices of your peace offerings-, that they mav be to you for a memorial be- fore your God, a remembrance to you, of God's promife, and a token that he will accept you:1 I [am] the Lord your God, who can and will fulfil my promife. 1 1 And it came to pafs on the twentieth [day] of the fecond month, in the fecon i year after their coming out of Egypt ■, (ch. ix. i.) and ju(l after their fecond paffwer, which was on the fourteenth day, that the cloud was taken 12 up from off the tabernacle of the teftimony. And the children of Ifrael took their journeys out of the wilder- nefs of Sinai ; and the cloud refted in the wildernefs of 13 Paran. And they firft took their journey according to the commandment of the Lord by the hand of Mofes. 14 In the firft [place] went the ftandard of the camp of the children of Judah according to their armies, with all the regiments and companies belonging to his camp or ftandard : and over his hoft [was] Nahfhon the fon of 15 Amminadab. And over the hoft of the tribe of the children of IfTachar [was] Nethaneel the fon of Zuar. 16 And over the hoft of the tribe of the children of Zebu- 17 lun [was] Eliab the fon of Helon. And the tabernacle was taken down : and the fons of Gerfhon and the fons of Merari fet forward, bearing the tabernacle, having 18 fix waggons for that purpofe, (ch. vii. 5, 7, 8.) And the ftandard of the camp of Reuben fet forward according C 2 to h The Hebrews fay, that here one fpecies of diftrefs was put for others, and that blowing the trumpets was prattifed in times of famine, of locufts, &c. They were certainly ufed on folemn falls. Joel ii. 3. 1 Thus we read 2 Chron, xiii. 12. Abijah encouraged himfelf and pevple againft Jeroboam, faying, God himjelf is with us for our captaitiy and his priejis with founding trumpets ; and when the prieits founded, God appeared for them. 36 N U M B E R S. X. to their armies : and over his hoft [was] Elizur the Ton 19 of Shedeur. And over the hoft of the tribe of the children of Simeon [was] Shelumiel the fon of Zuri- 20 fhaddai. And over the hoft of the tribe of the child- 2 1 ren of Gad [was] Eliafaph the fon of Deuel And the Kohathites fet forward, bearing the fanctuary, the ark and the moft holy furniture thereof ; and [the other,] the Gerjhoyiites and the Merarites, did fet up the tabernacle 22 againft they cirme. And the ftandard of the camp of the children of Ephraim fet forward according to their armies : and over his hoft [was] Elifhama the (on of 23 Ammihud. And over the hoft of the tribe of the children of Manafleh [was] Gamaliel the fon of Pedah- 24. zur. And over the hoft of the tribe of the children of 25 Benjamin [was] Abidon the fon of Gideoni. And the ftandard of the camp of the children of Dan fet for- ward, [which was] the rereward of all the camps throughout their hofts-, or, the gathering of all the camps \ the weak and the unclean coming after them, bringing up the rear under their care: and over his hoft [was] Ahiezer 26 the fon of Ammifhaddai.k And over the hoft of the tribe of the children of Afher [was] Pagiel the fon of 27 Ocran. And over the hoft of the tribe of the children 28 ofNapthali [was] Ahira the fon of Enan. Thus [were] the journeyings of the children of Ifrael according to their armies, when they fet forward, 29 And Mofes faid unto Hobab his brother in law, the fon of Raguel, or Jethro, the Midianite, Mofes' father in law, We are journeying unto the place of which the Lord faid, I will give it you : come thou with us, and we will do thee good, thou Jhalt Jhare with us an inheri- tance in the land of Canaan: for the Lord hath fpoken 30 good concerning Ifrael. And he faid unto him, I will not go •, but I will depart to mine own land, and to my 31 kindred.1 And he faid, Leave us not, I pray thee; forafmuch k This name, and many others in the bible, are compounded of the name of God ; and, this being done in Egypt, was perhaps defigned to expreft their trufl and confidence in God, that he would at length deliver them out of it. 1 Probably he went into his own country at prefent ; but either himfelf or lb me of his pofterity returned to them again, Judges i. 16. iv. 11. I Sam. xv. 6. s N U M B E R S. X. 37 forafmuch as thou knoweft how we are to encamp in the wildernefs, and thou mayeft be to us inftead of eyes, thy knowledge of this wildernefs will be of great fervice to 32 us.m And it (hall be, if thou go with us, yea, it mall be, that what goodnefs the Lord fhall do unto us, the fame will we do unto thee. 2$ And they departed from the mount of the Lord three days' journey : and the ark of the covenant of the Lord went before them in the three days' journey, to 34 fearch out a rerling place for them And the cloud of the Lord [was] upon them by day, to fliadow them from the heat of the fun, (Pjalm cv. 39.) when they went out of the camp. 35 And it came to pafs when the ark fet forward, that Mofes faid, Rife up, Lord, for the help, comfort, and conducl of this people, and let thine enemies be fcattered; %6 and let them that hate thee flee before thee. And when it refted, he faid, Return, O Lord, unto the many thoufands of lfrael, return in mercy ; keep us infafety and peace> from dangers and enemies •, all the thoufands of lfrael are nothing, unlefs thou wilt watch over them with thy ever -wakeful eyes, and guard them with thy almighty hands. REFLECTIONS. I. TOW much were they honoured who blew the X JL filver trumpets •, who called the folemn afTem- bly, and led on the armies of the Lord ! But {till greater honour is done to chriftian minifters, than to the fons of Aaron, It is indeed an honourable office, to be employed as Goo's mouth to call mankind to duty, Let them mag- nify their office •, and thofe may efteem themfelves blefTed, who hear the joyful found, who diligently attend to God's call, and obey his orders and fummons ; that at the laft C 3 great m Tho' God directed them when and where to move, yet it might be ufeful to know where water might be found ; what na- tions dwelt near them; with whom they might traffic ; and what were the temper, character, and productions of the neighbouring countries; he therefore intreats Hobab to continue with them. 38 - N U M B E R S. X. great day they may, without terror and anguifh, hear the great found of the archangel's trumpet, which fhali gather the general aiTembly of the whole world together, to hear their final, unalterable doom ! 2. In the removal of Ifrael from one wildernefs to another, we have a lively emblem of the ftate of man upon earth. The Ifraelites thought, that after three days they mould have got to Canaan ; but lo! they are in the wildernefs of Paran. Perhaps there might be fome pleafing fpots between the two, but they muft not flay there. We pleafe ourfelves with the profpect of flowery fcencs, that every thing will be agreeable ; yet fcarce are we fettled in comfortable habitations, but providence removes us to another wildernefs. Thus it will be, while we have fuch frail bodies, and fuch weak, unliable minds. Let us, therefore, not expect too much in this world, nor look for durable happinefs, till we get to the heavenly Canaan. 3. Plow defrrous mould we be of wife and pious friends, who may be to us infead of eyes in the wildernefs ! Mofes was probably older than Hobab, yet he did not flight his advice. Pie was acquainted in fome meafure with the wil- dernefs, yet was willing to have further direction. Let us not be wife in our own conceit ; but encourage our friends to give us advice, and receive it thankfully. The fcriptures give us general rules; but providence often directs in par- ticulars, by the advice of friends; they can fee more and better than we can, and are not blinded, as we may be, by affection, cr intereft, or partiality to ourfelves. Let young perfons efpeciaily be defirous of the advice and counfel of wife, experienced people; to defpife iuch, fhows that they neither have wifdcm, nor are likely to get it. 4. Let us be thankful that God hath ipcken fo gracioufly concerning Ifrael, and endeavour to impart to others the favours Gcd hath beftowed upon its:* Mofes' offer to Hobab fuggefts tP is thought. We are marching through a wil- dernefs, but, blefied be God ! we have many comforts, and are in the v«ay to Canaan. Goo hath fpcken gracioufly concerning Ins fervantfa and that for a gnat while yet to cane. Oh ! how great is his goodnejs I Let us encourage ethers to come and join us in the way to heaven, to take their lot among NUMBERS. XI. 39 among us. Let us encourage them to tafle and fee that the Lord is gracious. Our treafure will not be lefTened by their fharing it. Our happinefs will be increafed by theirs, efpecially if we are inftruments in making them happy. May a more generous, publick fpirit pofTefs our breafts, and engage us to perfuade all, efpecially our near relations, (as Mofes did Hobab, in the inftance before us) to go with us into the land of everlafting reft. 5. It is the character of a true Ifraelite, to begin and end his journeys and motions with prayer •, and for the fame reafcn, every matter of difficulty and importance. Mofes prayed, and Ifrael joined in the requeft •, Rife up, Lord, &c. It is good to begin every thing with prayer to God •, his is the beft bleffing, the beft fecurity both to body and foul. The thoufands of Ifrael were not fecure without it •, with it, tho' an hoft mould encamp againft us, we need not fear. This mould encourage us to have our eyes and hearts toward God: let that precept and promife dwell on our minds, and influence our conduct-, acknowledge him in all thy ways, and he will direcl thy paths. CHAP. XI. 1—23. We have read much of God's wonderful appearances for Ifrael, and left them proceeding on their journey to Canaan very agreeably ; but in this chapter they have a melancholy inter- ruption -, here, as the Pfalmifl exptefjes it, they finned againft God, provoking the moft High in the defart, by lothing the manna, and murmuring for want of fief h. Let us view this mournful ftory with attention, as it was recorded for our inftruffion. 1 y\ ND [when] the people complained," it difpleafed Jt\. the Lord: and the Lord heard [it;] and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord, fire fent from him in an extraordinary manner, burnt among them, and confumed [them that were] in the uttermoft parts C 4 of n It is hard to fay at what they complained, but probably becaiife they were weary of following the ark three days without inter million. 4o N U M B E R S. XL of the camp •, probably the fin began among them that were 2 weary and faint with travelling, (Deut. xxv 1 8.) And the people cried unto Mofes ; and when Mofes prayed unto 3 the Lord, the fire was quenched And he called the name ot the place Taberah, that is, a burning-, becaufe the fire of the Lord burnt a?r,ong them, that their crime and punifhment might be remembered. 4 And the mixed multitude that [was] among them, who had followed them out of Egypt with carnal views, fi}:-wg themfelves difappointed, difcovered their evit winds, and fell a lulling : and the children of ifrael alfo wept again, and faid, Who mall give us rlefh to eat ? The complaint be- gan among the rabble, and then fpread to the children of Ifrael, and rofe fo high, that they wept like pcrverfe children, who cry becaufe they cannot have their humour, faying. Who Jhall give us fiefti to eat? Thus, as the Pfalmifi fays, P/alm 5 lxxviii. 19. they fpake againft God. And they faid, Vv e re- member the fifh, which we did eat in Egypt freely ■, tne cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick •, they remembered their fifli and onions, hit not their brick kilns, their bitter bondage, end 6 cruel tajk mafters : But now our loul [is] dred away, we langmfli and pine away for want of the ref refitment we had by change of diet •, [there is] nothing at all, befides this 7 manna, [before] our eyes.0 And the munna [was] round as coriander feed, and the colour thereof as the 8 colour of bdellium, a fine pearl colour [And] the peo- ple went about, and gathered [it] with great cafe, and ground [it] in mills, or beat [it] in a mortar, and baked [it] in pans, and made cakes of it, and thus drejjed it various ways as Juited their palate ; and the tafce ot it was as the tafle of frefh oil •, fo that there was no reafen 9 to complain that they were dried away ; And when the dew fell upon the camp in the night, the manna fell upon it.p 10 Then Mofes heard the people weep throughout their families, every man in the door of his tent, that is, openly, 0 To (bow their folly and ingratitude, the nature of the manna is defcribed, v j, P The dew fell firft, as a covering to the ground ; then the manna ftll ; after that another covering of dew ; and hence it is called, hidden manna, Rev, ii. 17. N U M B E R S. XL 4£ epenly, as defiring to publifh their dif content, thereby to ftir up others to difcontent aljo : and the anger of the Lord was kindled greatly •, Mofes alfo was difpleafed at this 1 1 mean and childifh, ungrateful and rebellious condutl. And Mofes faid unto the Lord, Wherefore haft thou afflict- ed thy fervant? and wherefore have I not found favour in thy fight, that thou layell the burden of all this people upon me ? This complaint of Mofes was unreafonable, becaufe he had fo many helps-, the oracle to confult, and the promife of 1 2 Jlrength to fupport him ; but he goes on, Have 1 conceived ail this people ? have I begotten them, that thou fhouldft fay unto me, Carry them in thy bofom, as a nurfing father beareth the fucking child, unto the land 13 which thou fwareft. unto their fathers?*1 Whence mould I have flefh to give unto all this people ? for they weep 14 unto me, faying, Give us flefh, rhat we may eat. I am not able to bear all this people alone, becaufe [it is] too heavy for me •, he could not bear their complaints and mutinies, and forgot where he might have ftrengih ; at length, as fajfion is apt to increafe and grow more un- 15 reafonable, he adds, And if thou deal thus with me, kill me, 1 pray thee, out of hand, if I have found favour in thy fight -, and let me not fee my wretchednefs. This was not like the ufual conducl cf Mofes. 16 And the Lord had companion on the infirmities of his fervant, and faid unto Mofes, Gather unto me feventy men of the elders of Ifrael, whom thou knoweft to be the eldeis of the people, and officers over them ; and bring them unto the tabernacle of the congregation/ j 7 that they may ftand there with thee.s And I will come down and talk with thee there, infome vifible fign of my pre- <3 If God bore with them, furely Mofes might. r This was ordered, that the people might know who were chofen, that it was a divine appointment, and that they received their. authority from God. 3 Once before, upon jethro's advice, certain perfcns were chofen to be judges for Mofes' eafe, (Exod. xviii, 2.5, 26.) but they were only for fmaller matters ; thefe, with Mofes and Aaron at their head, were to be judges in the greater! and moll difficult cafes, both of religious aud civil affairs : and this .probably was the original cf their Sanhedrim, or great council, which continued during the whole jewilh itate. 42 N U M B E R S. XI. prefence% and I will take of the fpirit which [is] upon thee, and will put [it] upon them, will confer upon them the gifts of the fame fpirit of government which I have given "thee, (as 2 Kings ii. 15.) and they (hall bear the burden of the people with thee, that thou bear [it] not thyfelf alone. 'Thus God anfwered the complaints of Mofes. 18 He then adds. And fay thou unto the people, Sanctify yourfelves againft to morrow, and ye fhall eat flefh ; prepare your fives to receive, in a holy manner, the gift that you defend: for ye have wept in the ears of the Lord, in an open, publick manner, faying, Who fhall give us flefh to eat? for [it was] well with us in Egypt: therefore 19 the Lord will give you flefli, and ye fhall eat. Ye fhall not eat one day, nor two days, nor five days, neither ten days, nor twenty days *, this was fair warning 20 to take care that they did not eat too much ; [But] even a whole month, until it come out at your noftrils, by vio- lent ficknefs, &c. and it be loathfome unto you : becaufe that ye have defpifed the Lord, his manna, his deliver' mice, his covenant, and promife, which [is] among you, and who will ohferve ail this, and have wept before him, faying, Why came we forth out of Egypt? 21 .And Nlofes faid, The people among whom I [am,, are] fix hundred thoufand footmen •, and thou haft faid, I will give them flefh, that they may eat a whole month. Surprized how all this people, (near three millions, including women and children) fliould be fed a whole month, he faid, 22 Shall the flocks and the herds be flain for them, to fufhee them ? or fhall all the fifh of the fea be gathered 23 together for them, to fuffice them ? l And the Lord faid unto Mofes, Is the Lord's hand waxed fhort ? haft thou forgotten what I have done in Egypt, at the Red Sea, at the rock, and in the wildernefs ? Only believe, and thou fhalt fee now whether my word fhall come to pafs unto thee or not. REFLECT- 1 We hope this was not the language of diftruft, but furprize. There is fomething very fubJime and awful in God's anfwer. NUMBERS. XL 43 REFLECTIONS. I. [OW dangerous is it to provoke God by mur- X~l muring, efpecially after he hath appeared for us ! Neither murmur ye, as fome of them alfo murmured, and were deftroyed of the deftroyer, fays the apoftle, 1 Cor. x. 1 o. We mould guard againft a fretful, difcontented temper ; and furely nothing can make it appear more odious, or deteflable, than the conduct of Ifrael here. I hey murmured for nothing -, tney ftrangely magnified their enjoyments in Egypt, to make their preient mercies appear lefs. This is the ufual way of rretfui ipirits -, they magnify their own former enjoyments, or thofe of others, that they may now he thought moft miferable. Let us remember that God hears our murmunngs -, and not dare to break out into unfeemiy language. He is efpecially provoked when we do fo, becaufe it is difhonourable to him, and has a bad influerce upon others. If we have any good ground for comprint, we ought to fpread it before the Lord: but he is ifpleafed if we complain without caufe. Let a m.-.n think what comforts he enjoys, what fins he commits, and how far he fails of his duty, and he will fee infinitely more reafon to rejoice and be thankful, than to complain. 2. How mean does it look to be fo eagerly concerned about the things of this life! The lfraelites complain that they had nothing but manna, and they muft have fleffi. This is below the character of an ifratiite, much more that of a chriftian. Having food and raiment, as ifrael had, let us he content \ and not be over anxious what wefhall eat, or what we fhall drink. The gentiles feek after theie things, who are ifrangers to God and his providence, his promiies and covenants ; but chriftians ought not fo to do. When nothing will ferve men but fuch and fuch delights and gra- tifications, it is a fign of the dominion of a worldly, car- nal mind. May we, therefore, learn to have cur converfa- tion without covet oujnefs, and to be content with fuch things as we have, 3. How eafily can God command refrefhment in the greateif. extremity ! The manna was a conftant miracle, and fo 44 N U M B E R S. XL fo was the prodigious quantity of fowls. How excellent is his dominion over the kingdom of nature 1 All creatures are at his difpofal. It is then very unreafonable in us to diftruft his power and care, when we fee the tokens of his providence every day and every hour. Let us guard againft unbelief, for it will make us the moft miferabie of men. We may learn alfo from this extraordinary inftance of di- vine power, to caft all our care upon God, who careth for us ; and when tempted to diftruft him, let us afk ourfelves the queftion which he afked Mofes, Is the Lord's hand waxed fhort ? Are his ftores exhaufted ? Do his mercies fail ? Let us think of the experience we have had of his goodnefs in former inftances, and not affront and difhonour our heavenly Father, by an unbelieving difpofition. CHAP. XI. 24, to the end. The feventy elders are gathered, and quails fent. 24 \ N D Mofes went out of the tabernacle, and told jfj^ the people the words of the Lord, and gather- ed the feventy men of the elders of the people, and fet them round about the tabernacle, appointed them to come 25 before the Lord at the door of the tabernacle. And the Lord came down in a cloud, and ipake unto him, and took of the fpirit that [was] upon him, and gave [it] unto the feventy elders : and it came to pafs, [that] when theipirit refted upon them, they prophefied, and did not ceafe-, that is, thro* all that day they fpoke to the people in afublime and elevated manner ', concerning the great- nejs and glory of God-, the excellency of his laws, and the reafonatlenefs of fubmitting to his government and difpofal in all things \ fo as to fliow that they were under a divine influence ; and theje J eric us remonfirances and admonitions rendered the fin of the people, which immediately followed, the more aggravated. 26 But there remained two [of the] men in the camp, the name of the one [was] Eldad, and the name of the other Medad : and the fpirit refted upon them ; and they [were] NUMBERS. XL 45 [were] of them that were written, nominated and appoint- ed to come, but went not out unto the tabernacle, per- haps being unwilling to take the charge upon them, as Saul was, i Sam. x. 22. and God's providence fo ordered 27 it that they prophefied in the camp.u And there ran a young man, and told Mofes, and faid, Eldad and Me- 28 dad do prophefy in the camp And Jomua the Ton of Nun, the fervant of Mofes, [one] of his young men, anfwered and faid, My lord Mofes, forbid them. This he /pake out of zeal for his mafter (v. 29. fo Luke ix. 49, 50. Mark ix. 38.) becaufe they feemed, by their flaying be- 29 hind, to refufe to have any dependence upon Mofes. And Mofes faid unto him, Envied thou for my fake? daft thou think their conducl refletls upon me, or derogates from my honour? would God that all the Lord's people were prophets, [and] that the Lord would put his fpiritupon 30 them.w And Mofes gat him into the camp, well pleafed and fatisfied, he and the elders of Ifraei, who were thus folemnly admitted and fixed in their office. 31 And there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought quails from the Red fea, and let [them J fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this fide, and as it were a day's journey on the other (ide, round about the camp, and as it were two cubits [high] upon the 32 face of the earth/ And the people flood up all that day, and all [that] night, and all the next day, and they gathered the quails : he that gathered lead, gathered ten homers : y and they fpread them all abroad for them- ? This was an additional proof that whatever there was of the fablime in the difcourfes of the other elders, it was not in cort- iequence of their being before God, and their being elevated with the honour done them, but becaufe his fpirit came upon them; fo that even thefe men, tho' probably hid in their tents, could not forbear breaking out into a fublime difcourfe. w This was a rr.oft noble reply, and expreffes the m?ek dif- pofition of Mofes, and his affectionate regard for all the people. x The Pfalmift fays, It rained Jiejh like dujl, and feat herea fowl, or flying fowl, like /and of the fea, (Pfalm Ixxviii. 26.) Some have fuppofed they were locufts, becaufe of the quantity, and their being common food, capable of being dried by the fun, and kept a long lime ; but it is in the original, Fowl of the .wing, or flying fowl. y Some good commentators think it ihould be rendered heaps, •r large quantities. 46 NUMBERS. XL themfelves round about the camp, to dry* in the fun , or 33 -perhaps to fait. And while the fleih [was] yet between their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled againft the people, and the Lord fmote »the people with a very great plague •, probably the chief murmur ers or ringleaders were feized with fichiefs till they 34 died. And he called the name of that place, Kibroth- hattaavah, that is, the graves of luft, to which their im- moderate dedres brought them: becaufe there they buried the people that lufted. 25 {And] the people journeyed from Kibroth-hattaavah unto Hazeroth •, and abode at Hazeroth. REFLECTIONS. I. T T J E may learn from this part of the chapter, how \\ eafily God can punifh us, even when anfwering our unreafonable defires, by turning them into plagues and miferies. He gave this difcontented people their defire, but fent his wrath with it Pfalm lxxviii. 31. God highly refented this notorious affront •, and took fuch a method of mowing his difpleafure, by which they might read their fin in their punifhment. Let this moderate our defires •, let us be careful that they are reafonable, and not pretend to pre- scribe to God. He may grant our requeft, to our unfpeak- able grief and torment. God is a wife and affectionate father ; and if he denies his children any thing, it is becaufe it is not good for them. Let us then always be difpofed to fay, Father, not as I will, but as thou zvilt. 2. We fee the energy of the fpirit of God in fitting men for whatever they are called to. How remarkably did he pour it out on thefe feventy elders, to fit them for their work ! It was his fpirit, poured out on his fervants in for- mer ages, that furnifhed them with their gifts and graces ♦, and it fhould be our wifh and prayer that it may be poured out upon the minifiers of God-, that his fpirit may clothe them, and furnifh them for the fervices to which they are called •, that when they may be ready to fufpect themfelves, and to decline any important fei vice, they may be animated to it, and ftrengthened for it. The refidue of the fpirit is with God : NUMBERS. XII. 47 God : to him let us look, even the father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, from whom cometh every good and p erf eft gift : He -will give his fpirit to all them that afk it. 3. How amiable is it to conquer the workings of envy, and to endeavour to root it out of the mind Mofes fought not himfelf, nor his own honour, but the glory of God, and the good of his people. When Jofhua would have had him filence the two prophets, who did not come into the tabernacle, he rejected the propofal with difdain. How amiable a fpirit ! The fpirit of the gofpel is a fpirit of meek- nefs and love. Inftead of grieving at the fuperior abilities, and greater acceptance of others, we mould rejoice in them, and blefs God for them •, be glad that Chrift is preached, and fouls faved, tho' by thofe who are not of our party or perfuafion -, yea, by whom our party may be lefTened. In- ftead of having them forbid preaching and labouring for fouls, as hath been frequently done by warm zealots, we mould bid them good fpeed in God's name, and pray that their numbers may be increafed. Remember what the apoftle James faith, eh. iii. 16, 17. Where envying andftrife is, there is confujion and every evil work. But the wifdom that is from above is firfi pure, then peaceable, gentle, and eafy to be in treated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality \ and without hypocrify. C PI A P. XII. Miriam and Aaron* s fedition, and Miriam healed. 1 AND Miriam (fee Exod. xv. 20,) and Aaron fpake ji\ againft Mofes, defpifed his authority and affront- ed him, becaufe of the Ethiopian woman, or Cufliite, whom he had married : for he had married an Ethi- opian woman, that is, Zipporah the daughter of Je thro, who was an Arabian, which part of the country was call- 2 ed Cufh, or Ethiopia* And they faid, hath the Lord indeed a This was a great many years before, and there was no law that could directly affe£t this cafe. Perhaps Miriam and Zipporah had fome private quarrel ; Miriam might think that Zipporah's 48 NUMBERS. XII. indeed fpoken only by Mofes ? hath he not fpoken alfo by us ? why then fliould we not have a /hare in the govern- ment ? at kaft be advifed with in matters of moment ? efpecially confidering that we never were guilty of debafing and mingling the holy feed, as he hath. And tho9 Mofes did not hear all their infolent fpeeches, or animadvert on 3 thofe he did hear, yet the Lord heard [it.] (Now the man Mofes [was] ver^ meek, above all the men which 4 [were] upon the face of the earth.2) And the Lord {pake fuddenly unto Mofes, and unto Aaron, and unto Miriam, to flop the fediiion immediately, as it might have a very bad effect on the -people ; and he J aid, Come out ye three unto the tabernacle of the congregation. And 5 they three came out. And the Lord came down in the pillar of the cloud, and flood [in] the door of the tabernacle, and called Aar®n and Miriam : and they both came forth. 6 And he_faid, Hear now my words-, tW you are prophets, yet know, there is a difference in prophets, nor do I put equal authority and honour upon all of them: if there be a prophet among you, [I] the Lord will make my- {df known unto him in a virion, by caufing the reprefenta- tion of a thing to pafs before his eyes when awake, [and] 7 will fpeak unto him in a dream when afleep. My fer- vant Mofes [is] not (o, not fuch a prophet, to whom I reveal myfelf only by dreams or vifions, but he is one whom I greatly regard, and who [is] faithful in all mine houfe-, he does not acl partially, he is no felf-feeker, as you charge 8 him? but is faithful over all my church and people. With him will I fpeak mouth to mouth, even apparently, mate plainly than with others, and not in dark fpeeches, not in parables, and obfeure figurative cxpreffions -, and the limilitude of the Lord mall he behold, more of God's fimili tilde than any other , without fainting and terror : where- Zipporah's relations, Jethro and Hobab, had been too much, attended to, and that fhe and Aaron mould have been confulted in chuhng the feventy elders. a Some have thought that Jofhua inferted this verfe ; but it is more probable that Mofes wrote it in the fimplicity of his heart, under the direction of the fpirit of God, to mow how ground- lefs the charge was. See Patrick in loc. NUMBERS. XII. 49 wherefore then were ye not afraid to fpeak againft. my fervant Mofes ? 9 And the anger of the Lord was kindled againft them, and he departed ; he withdrew the fign of his prefence, as 10 judging them unworthy of any further difcourfe. And the cloud departed from off the tabernacle, and, behold, Miriam, becaufe Jhe began the quarrel, [became] leprous, [white] as fnow : b and Aaron looked upon Miriam, and behold [me was] leprous. // was his bufinefs, as high prieft, to do it, and he pronounced her unclean j which muft greatly off eel him, who had deferred the fame punifh- 1 1 ment. And Aaron fpake to his younger brother with great humility, and faid unto Mofes, Alas ! my lord, I befeech thee, lay not the fin upon us, wherein we have done 1 2 foolifhly, and wherein we have finned. Let her not be as one dead, of whom the flefri is half confumed when he cometh out of his mother's womb ; like a child dead in the womb \ let her not live in this miferable condition^ con- tinually fhut out of the camp andufelefs to fociety. 13 And Mofes cried unto the Lord, faying, Heal her now, O God, I befeech thee ; thus fhowing how foon 14 he had forgiven the injury. And the Lord faid unto Mofes, If her father had but fpit in her face, fhould lhe not be aihamed to come into his prefence for feven days ? much more when I have exprejjed my anger againft her, and poured Jhame and contempt upon her : let her be ihut out from the camp Cevtn days, and after that let her 15 be received in [again.] And Miriam was (hut out from the camp {even days, to humble her, to give her time for further repentance, and to be a warning to all the people : and the people journeyed not, till Miriam was brought in [again j] which was a fpecial providence, and an honour done to her, becaufe /lie was one of thofe whom God fent « before his people. 16 And afterward the people removed from Hazeroth, and pitched in another part of the wildernefs of Paran, in the way to Canaan. Vol. II. D REFLECT- b This was the worll kind of lepro fy, and was reckoned incurable. SO NUMBERS. XII. REFLECTIONS. I. IT4 ROM this as well as the former chapter, we are Jj taught to be upon our guard againft envy •, and not to be defirous of vain glory, envying others. It is necef- fary to watch againft this, becaufe it is difficult to avoid it, when thofe of our rank or circumftances (as in the cafe before us) are remarkably favoured by providence. Ques- tions of emulation and ftrife, are often great trials to a man's temper. Thefe two prophets very much dishonoured them- felves, by envying (o worthy and meek a man as Mofes. Let us then watch againft fo common and fcandalous a vice. 2. When we are envied or aggrieved by others, let us not feek revenge, but commit our caufe to God ; thus Mofes did. The wifeft and beft of men muft expect envy and affronts from others •, and in proportion to their piety and zeal, will be the ill treatment they fometimes meet with. Let us not be provoked or difcouraged by them, but imitate the meeknefs and gentlenefs of Mofes, and leave it to God to appear for us in what way he pleafes. May wc learn of Chrift to be meek and lowly in hearty and when r£- viled, not to revile again. 3. The conduct of Mofes teaches us, how ready wc mould be to forgive the injuries and affronts we may have received. He difcovered an excellent fpirit •, did not tell his fifter that God would avenge himfelf ; nor did he im- precate judgment upon her-, but delired that the ftroke might be removed. He did not take pleafure in her cala- mity, and fay, 4 It was good enough for her, it will cure her of complaining another time;' but he earneftly prayed for her. Let us remember that chriftianity plainly teaches us, to forgive our enemies, and to pray for them that de- fpitefully ufe us. Too many in the world are not content that God fhould avenge them, they muft avenge themfelves •, but this is very unlike Mofes, and more unlike Chrift. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourfelves. If thine enemy hunger, feed him. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good, 4. It may fometimes be our duty to animadvert upon the NUMBERS. XIII. 5l the faults of chriftian friends, when we have reafon to hope that God has forgiven them. Miriam was healed, but fhe was put out of the camp •, fo it may be neceffary, where the faults of any belonging to a chriftian church are open and fcandalous, that they be put out, for the credit of the church, and as a warning to others, till they repent, and fhow figns of a better mind. 5. If thofe who fpake againft Mofes were fo punifhed, what muft they expect who fpeak. and rebel againft Chriftl Mofes was faithful as a fervant, but Chrift as a fan •, God mam- fefted himfelf much more clearly to Chrift, he was therefore worthy of more glory than Mofes. If they efcaped not who refuftd him that [pake on earth, how fhall we efcape if 'we re- fufe him who fpake from heaven ? His authority is unquestion- able •, there is no plea for any rival ; if we reject him, it is at our peril. Therefore kifs the fon, that is, fubmit your- felves to him, left he be angry, and ye per ij h from the way> when his wrath is kindled but a little. C H A P. XIII. We have here the names, inftruclions, and expedition of the fpies who went to examine the land. 1 AND the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Corn- ji\. ply with the requeft of the people, (fee Deut. i. 22.^ 2 and Send thou men, that they may fearch the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children of Ifrael : of every tribe of their fathers fhall ye fend a man, every one a ruler among them *, becaufe the bufinefs was weighty, they were moft likely to be courageous, and their tefti- 3 mony would be the better credited. And Mofes by the commandment of the Lord, tho9 mingled with difpleafure at their unbelief, (fee Deut. i. 21.) fent them from the wildernefs of Paran : all thofe men [were] heads of the 4 children of Ifrael. And thefe [were] their names : of 5 the tribe of Ruben, Shammua the fon of Zaccur. Of 6 the tribe of Simeon, Shaphat the fon of Hon*. Of the 7 tribe of Judah, Caleb the fon of Jephunneh. Of the D 2 tribe 52 NUMBERS. XIII. 8 tribe cf Iffachar, Igal the fon of Jofeph. Of the tribe 9 of Ephraim, Ofhea the fon of Nun. Of the tribe of io Benjamin, Palti the fon of Raphu. Of the tribe of 1 1 Zebulun, Gaddiel the fon of Sodi. Of the tribe of Jofeph, [namely,] of the tribe of Manafleh, Gaddi 1 2 the fon of Sufi. Of the tribe of Dan, Ammiel the foil 13 ofGemalli. Of the tribe of Airier, Sethur the fon of 14 Michael. Of the tribe of Naphtali, Nahbi the fon of 15 Vephfi. Of the tribe of Gad, Geuel the fon of Machi. 16 Thefe [are] the names of the men which Mofes fent to fpy out the land. And Mofes called Ofhea the fon of ISun, Jehofhua.e 17 And Mofes fent them to fpy out the land of Canaan, and faid unto them, Get you up this [way] fouthward, and go up into the mountain -, the mountainous country 18 that lies toward the north: And fee the land, what it [is •,] and the people that dwelleth therein, whether 19 they [be] ftrong or weak, few or many •, And what the land [is] that they dwell in, whether it [be] good or bad, fruitful and pleaf ant, or not\ and what cities [they be] that they dwell in, whether in tents, as the Arabians and Ifraelites now did, or in ftrong holds, walled towns 20 andfortrejfes-, And what the land [is,] whether it [be] fat or lean, whether there be wood therein, or not. And be ye cf good courage, doubt not but God will pre- ferve you in this dangerous journey •, and bring of the fruifc of the land, afpecimen of its productions. Now the time [was] the time of the firfr. ripe grapes. 21 So they went up and fearched the land, from the dernefs of Zin, fouthwefl, unto Rehob, northweft, as 22 men come to Hamath, northeaft. And they afcended by the fouth, and came unto Hebron, or by Hebron -^ where Ahiman, Sheihai, and Talmai, the children of Anak [were.] c His former name fignified only, may he fave ; this figniiies, he /hall fame ; and part of the name Jehovah is added, to diret ND all the congregation lifted up their voice, and Jf\ cried ; believing thefe fpies, rather than Caleb or than t God-, and the people wept all that night. And all the children of Ifrael murmured firft againft Mofes and againft Aaron, and then againft God: and the whole con- gregation faid unto them, Would God that we had died by any of the plagues in the land of Egypt ; or would God we had died in this wildernefs with our rebellious brethren -9 3 as if death was more terrible now .than it was then. And wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the frvord, that our wives and our children mould be a prey to the Canaanites ? were it not better for us to return into- Egypt ? No fooner was this joolifh 4 qiteftion propofcd* than it was complied with\ And they laid one to another, Let us make a captain, and let us return into Egypt.1 D 4 5 Then * What a mad projeS! Could they find the way without a cloud, and live without manna and water? What! return to Egypt to flavery ? But they knew bo6 what they faicV 56 NUMBERS. XIV. 5 Then Mofes and Aaron fell on their faces before the affembly of the congregation of the children of If- rael, in prayer to God to appeafe them and check their 6 madnefs. And Jofhua the fon of Nun, and Caleb the fon of Jephunneh, [which were] of them that fearched the land, rent their clothes, to fhow their hearty forrow for, and deteftation of. their blafphemoits fpeech and f editions y defign. And they fpake unto all the company of the children of ifrael, renewing their folemnprot eft ations of the goodnefs cf the land, faying, The land which we paffed through to fearch it, [is] an exceeding good land. 8 If the Lord delight in us, and we do not forfeit his favour ', then he will bring us into this land, be our enemies ever fo formidable, and give it us ; a land which floweth with 9 milk and honey. Only rebel not ye againft. the Lord, do not murmur, nor give way to unbelieving fears, neither fear ye the people of the land-, for they, in/lead of eating us up, [are] bread for us : their defence, their Jhadow, that is, their proteclion and courage is departed from them •, and tho' hitherto God hath perferved them from being deftroyed, becaufe their fins were not full, yet he hath with- drawn his help from them, and will certainly give them up to deftruclion; and the Lord [is] with us : fear them not. io But all the congregation raifed an outcry againft them and bade ilone them with {tones. And fo great was their infatuation, that they probably would have done fo, had not the glory of the Lord appeared in the tabernacle of the congregation before all the children of Ifrael, to flop their furious attempt. And Mofes drew near to know the 1 1 will of God-, And the Lord faid unto Mofes, How long will this people provoke me by their unbelief and murmur- ing ? and how long will it be ere they believe me for 12 all the figns which I have mowed among them ? I will finite them with the peftilence, and difinherit them, will deprive them of the land promifed to their fathers, and will make of thee a greater nation and mightier than they. , Thus God was pleafed to try the fidelity of Mofes, his affec- tion to Ifrael, and regard for God's glory. 13 And Mofes immediately pleads in their behalf, and faid unto the Lord, Then the Egyptians mall hear [it] and , boaft N U M B E R E S. XIV. 67 boaft of it, (for thou broughteft up this people in thy 14 might from among them -, ) And they will tell [it] to the inhabitants of this land, the Canaaniies : [for] they have heard that thou Lord [art] among this people, that thou Lord art feen face to face, and [that] thy cloud ftandeth over them, and [that] thou goefl before them, by day time in a pillar of a cloud, and in a pillar of 15 fire by night. Now [if] thou malt kill [all] this peo- ple as one man, then the nations which have heard the 16 fame of thee will fpeak, faying, Becaufe the Lord was not able to bring this people into the land which he fware unto them, could work no more miracles for them, nor effecl what he had promifed, therefore he hath (lain 17 them in the wildernefs. And now, I befeech thee, let the power of my lord be great, appear to be fo, by pardoning their f,n, (v. 19.J according as |thou haft 18 fpoken, faying, The Lord [is] long fuirering, and of great mercy, forgiving iniquity and tranfgrerTion, and by no means clearing [the guilty,] vifiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation-,] thou haft threatened to vifit, but not ta 19 deftroy as one man at once, therefore Pardon, I befeech thee, the iniquity of this people according unto the greatnefs of thy mercy, and as thou hail: forgiven this people many tranfgreffions, from Egypt even until now. A fir ange plea \ even the greatnefs of p aft tranfgreffions, and paft forgiveneffes. 20 And the Lord faid, I have pardoned according to thy word, to thy intercejfion, for the prefent, and as to that 11 univerfal deftrutlion threatened againft them, v. 12 : But [as] truly [as] I live, all the earth mail be filled with the glory of the Lord ; the report of the glorious and righteous alls of God in punifJiing this rebellious people, in the manner 22 following: Becaufe all thofe men which have {qqi\ my glory, my glorious works and appearances in the cloud and in the tabernacle, and my miracles, which I did in Egypt and in the wildernefs, have tempted me, have dared and defied me, now thefe ten times, many times, or literally 23 ten times, and have not hearkened to my voice -, Surely they mail not fee the land which I fware unto their fathers, 5S N U M B E R S. XIV. fathers, neither fhall any of them that provoked rne fee it •, none who are above twenty years old, who came out of Egypt, and ccncurred in this wickednefs, /hall fee Canaan: 24 But my fervant Caleb, and Jofhua alfo, becaufe he had another fpirit with him, different from, and more excellent than that which the reft of the fpies had, (fee Jofhua xiv. 9.) and hath followed me fully, in a full and conftant obe- dience, with a faithful heart, and in the midft of dangers, trials, and extremities, him will I bring into the land 25 whereinto he went*, and his (ctd (hall pofTefs it. (Now the Amalekites, and the Canaanites dwelt in the valley, cr, lay in ambufh there, being alarmed at the approach of the Jfraelites) To morrow turn you, and get you into the wil- dernefs by the way of the Red fea, or the way that leads to the Red fea, and to Egypt-, whither you defiredto return, v. 4.k 16 And the Lord fpake unto Mofes and unto Aaron 27 faying, Hew long [fhall I bear with] this evil congre- gation, which murmur againft me ? I have heard the murmurings of the children of Ifrael, which they mur- 28 nmr againft me. Say unto them, [As truly as] I \Wq, faith the Lord, as ye have fpoken in mine ears, fo will 29 I do to you : Your carcafes fhall fall in this wildernefs •, and all that were numbered of you, according to your whole number, from twenty years old and upward, 30 which have murmured againft me,1 Doubtlefs ye fhall not come into the land, [concerning] which I fware to make you dwell therein, fave Caleb the fon of Jephun- 31 neh, and Jofnua the fon of Nun. But your little ones, which ye faid fhould be a prey, them will I bring in, and 32 they fhall know the land which ye have defpifed. But [as for] you, your carcafes they fhall fall in this wil- 33 dernefs. And your children fnall wander in the wilder- nefs forty years, and bear your whoredoms, the punijh- merit due to your rebellions and breach of covenant, until 34 your carcafes be wafted in the wildernefs. After the number of the days in which ye fearched the land, [even] •* Bp. Patrick is of opinion, that they began to murmur *ga n at this declaration, and on this God repeats his threatening. 1 QbfeVve here, that the Leviies who were not numbered, and the pious Israelites who did not murmur, are excepted. NUMBER S. XIV. 59 [even] forty days, each day for a year, fhall ye bear your iniquities, [even] forty years, and ye fhall know my breach of promiie, know to your cofi what it is to %$ charge me with a breach of promt fe.m I the Lord have faid, I will furely do it unto all this evil congregation, that are gathered together againft. me : in this wilder- nefs they (hall be consumed, and there they fhall die. %6 And the men, which Mofes fent to fearch the land, who returned and made all the congregation to murmur againft him, by bringing up a flander upon the land, 37 Even thofe men that did bring up the evil report upon 38 the land, died by the plague before the Lord.11 But Jofhua the foil of Nun, and Caleb the fon of Jeph m- rieh, [which were] of the men that went to fearch the Lndv lived [ftill ;1 were not hurt by it. 30 And Mofes told thefe fayiiigs unto all the children 40 of Ifrael: and the people mourned greatly.? And they rofe up earl j in zhc morning, and gat them up into the top e rr untairi, faying, Lo, we [be here,] and will go up unto the place which the Lord hath promi- {i:^ : for we have finned. What Mofes had faid, and the dcat'>] of the fpies, had fetch an effetl upon all the people, that they « iter the land immediately, contrary to God's 41 exprefs command. And Mofes faid. Wherefore even now . do ye tranfgrefs the commandment of the Lord? but 42 it fhall not piofper. Go not up, for the Lord [is] not among you -, that ye be not fmitten before your enemies. 43 For the Amalekites, and the Canaanites [are] there be- fore you, and ye mail fall by the fword, (v. 15,) becaufe ye are turned away from the Lord, therefore the Lord 44 will not be with you. But they, as mad now one way\ as they had been be} ore in the other, prefumed to go up unto the hill top : neverthelefs the ark of the covenant of m The LXX render it, tle greatnefs and fury of my indignation , by the awful manner in which I will break in upon you. n The Jews fay, they died by a diforder th.it maae their tongues to fwell and hang out of their mouths; or rather, as the twelve fpies ftoori bef. re the Lord at the tabernacle, fire came out of the cloud and destroyed ten of them. 0 No wonder they mcurned, but it was too late, Pfalm cvi. 25. The Jews keep an yearly fall on this occafion. (So NUMBERS. XIV. of the Lord, and Mofes, departed not out of the camp: but they flighted this, and fared accordingly, 45 Then the Amalekites came down like bees in great fwarms, and with great fury, (fee I) cut, i. 44.) and the Canaanites which dwelt in that hill, and fmote them, and difcomflted them, [even] unto Hormah, that is, deftrac- tion, fo called from this melancholy affair? REFLECTIONS. I. ^ j ^ H E exhortation which Paul gives to the Corin- J| thians, in his firft epiftle, ch. x. 10. Neither murmur ye, as fome of them alfo murmured, and were dejlroyed of the deftroyer, may be properly applied to us-, as we are in great danger of the fame fin. If Ifrael, after all the miracles before related, behaved £o perverfely and wickedly, who can fay he is in no danger of fin, particularly of unbelief, of difrruft, of having ill thoughts of God, and of being difcontented and impatient ? Of all thefe was Ifraei's fm compofed; and they are all too common in the world. Men are apt to complain for they know not what ; raife difficul- ties were there are nonej murmur at this or that condition, when the fault is in their own fpirit and temper. Let us Carefully attend to the advice of the Pfalmift, Harden not your hearts as in the day of provocation in the wildernefs, left God mould fware in his wrath that we fliall not enter into his reft. The apoftle enlarges upon this in the third and fourth chapters of his epiftle to the Hebrews, which will, perhaps, appear to have peculiar beauty and force, after what we have been reading. Since we have Canaan before us, that reft which remaintth for the people of God-, let us therefore fear, left apromife being left us of entering into that reft, any of us come fhort of it through unbelief. Let us not be difcouraged by difficulties, or we mail certainly periih. There is no happinefs for us if we are excluded the heavenly Canaan. It is of great importance therefore that we take heed, p Thus their carcr.fes began to fall in the wildernefs. On this occasion it is thought that Mofes compofed the ninetieth Pfalmj in which he lair.ents the ihortnefs of life, and prays for grace to make a wife improvemcr.t cf their calamitous ita:e. NUMBERS. XV, 6t heed) left there be in any of us an evil heart of unbelief in depart- ing front the living God, We may be ready to blame Ifrael, and to think it impoffible we mould be fo fooliuV, but the apoftle thought there was danger, for he fays, thefe' things were written for our admo?iition \ wherefore let him that thinketh he ftandeth take heed left he fall. 2. Let us be encouraged from the example of Caleb and Jofhua, to follow the Lord fully, to follow him univerfally, without dividing, that is, without having two mailers, two interefts, or two objects of purfuit-, uprightly, without difTembling •, cheerfully, without difputing •, and conftant- ly, without declining. It is a delightful character, and well pleafing both to God and man, to be refolutely good in a degenerate age. May we thus follow him, whatever we bear, or whatever we part with, for the teftimony of a good confeience. It is to be feared, that good men have generally as great odds againft them as the good fpies had 5 that there -are ten wicked to two good. We have need to exercife great caution, left evil examples feduce or terrify us. We have need of great refolution, muft gird up the loins of our mind, break thro' difficulties, and not follow a multitude to do evil. Thofe that are zealous for God in a crooked and perverfe generation, fhall be owned by him with peculiar honour another day •, they mail be diftinguifhed, as thofe two good men were, from the reft ; they fhall be mine, faith the Lord> in that day when I make up my jewels. CHAP. XV. To /how that God intended to bring the children of thefe rebels into Canaan, he enafts more laws for their conduct when they came there. Here is the law of fundry offerings and the ftoning of a fabbath breaker. 1 A N D the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Speak 2 Jla. unto the children of I frael, and fay unto them, When ye be come into the land of your habitations, 3 which I give unto you, And will make an offering by fire unto the Lord, a burnt offering, or a facrifice in performing a vow, or in a free will offering, or in your 62 NUMBERS. XV. your folemn feafts, to make a fweet favour unto the 4 1 ord, of the herd or of the flock: Then fhall he that offe'reth his offering unto the Lord bring a meat offer- ing of a tenth deal of flour mingled with the fourth 5 [part] of anhin of oil. And the fourth [part] of an hin of wine for a drink offering malt thou prepare with the 6 burnt offering or facrifice, for one lamb. Or for a ram, thou malt prepare [for] a meat offering two tenth deals of flour mingled with the third [part] of an hin of oil. 7 And for a drink offering thou malt offer the third [part] of an hin of wine, [for] a fweet favour unto the 8 Lord. And when thou prepared a bullock [for] a burnt offering, or [for] a facrifice in performing a vow, o, or peace offerings unto the Lord: Then fhall he bring with a bullock a meat offering of three tenth deals of 10 flour mingled with half an hin of oil. And thou fhalt bring for a drink offering half an hin of wine, [for] an offering made by fire, of a fweet favour unto the Lord. i i Thus fnall it be done for one bullock, or for one ram, 1 2 or for a lamb, or a kid. According to the number that ye fhall prepare, fo fhall ye do to every one according to their number, that is? for fo many cattle? there fliould be 13 fo many meat and drink offerings.*1 All that are born of the country fhall do thefe things after this manner, in offering an offering made by fire, of a fweet favour unto the Lord. j 4 And if a Granger fojourn with you, or whofoever [be] among you in your generations, and will offer an offering made by fire, of a fweet favour unto the Lord , as ye do, fo he fhall do •, which was defigned to encourage Jlrangers to fettle among them and embrace their religion? and 15 lead the Jews to he kind to them and entertain them. One ordinance [fhall be both] for you of the congregation, and alfo for the ftranger that fojourneth [with you,] an ordinance * The reafon why meat and drink offerings attended their facrifices was, becaufe the facrifices were feafts, and called the food and bread of God. The temple was his palace, the altar his table; and as bread and wine, as well as fle(h, make part of our entertainments, io God required them at his table ; and oil alfo, whicn was ufed initead of butter among themj in other places fait and frankincenfe were rcouired. NUMBERS. XV. 63 ordinance for ever in your generations : as ye [are] fo 16 mall the ftranger be before the Lord, One law and one manner (hall be for you, and for the ftranger that fojourneth with you. 17 18 And the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Speak unto the children of Ifrael, and fay unto them, When 19 ye come into the land whither I bring you, Then it mail be that when ye eat of the bread of the land, ye 20 mail offer up an heave offering unto the Lord. Ye mall offer up a cake of the rirft of your dough [for] an heave offering : as [ye do] the heave offering of the threfhing floor, fo (hall ye heave it, as an acknowledg- ment of its being his property, and to exprefs gratitude for 21 your daily bread. Of the firft of your dough ye mail give unto, the Lord an heave offering in your genera- tions. 22 And if ye, that is, the whole congregation, have erred in any thing relating to my worfaip, thro' ignorance, and have not obferved all thefe commandments which the Lord 23 hath fpoken unto Mofes, [Even] all that the Lord hath commanded you by the hand of Mofes, from the day that the Lord commanded [Mofes,] and hence- £4 forward among your generations ; Then it mall be, if [aught] be committed by ignorance without the know- ledge of the congregation, that all the congregation mail offer one young bullock for a burnt offering, for a fweet favour unto the Lord, with his meat offering, and his drink offering, according to the manner, and 25 one kid of the goats for a fin offering. And the priefr. mail make an atonement for all the congregation of the children of Ifrael, and it mail be forgiven them -, for it [is] ignorance: and they mail bring their offering, a facrihce made by fire unto the Lord, and their fin 26 offering before the Lord, for their ignorance : And it mall be forgiven all the congregation of the children of Ifrael, and the ftranger that fojourneth among them ; 27 feeing all the people [were] in ignorance/ And if any foul r It was according to this law that Hezekiah offered facriikes for the tran fgr efli on s of- his father's reign, and Ezra for the lifts of the captivity. 64 NUMBERS. XV. foul fin through ignorance, then he (hall bring a fhe 1 8 goat of the rlrft year for a fin offering. And the prieft fhall make an atonement for the foul that finneth ig- norantly, when he finneth by ignorance before the Lord to make an atonement for him-, and it mail be forgiven him. 29 Ye fhall have one law for him that finneth through ignorance, [both for] him that is born among the children of Ifrael, and for the ftranger that fojourneth among them. 30 But the foul that doeth [aught] prefumptuoufly, with an high hand, [whether he be] born in the land, or a ftranger, the fame reproacheth the Lord, fets God at defiance, as if he were not worthy to be regarded, or not able to punifh tranfgreffors •, and that foul fnall be cut off from $1 among his people. Becaufe he hath defpifed the word of the Lord, and hath broken his commandment, that foul fhall utterly be cut off; if he did it openly, by the hand of juftice \ if fecretly, by the hand of God-, of which there follows an awful inftance -7 his iniquity [fhall be] upon him. 1 2 And while the children of Ifrael were in the wilder- nefs, they found a man that gathered flicks upon the fabbath day •, he knew it was the fabbath, perhaps had been 33 warned and admonifhed of it, but in vain. And they that found him gathering flicks to burn or fell, brought him unto Mofes and Aaron, and unto all the congregation, that is, the rulers of the congregation, who reprefented and 34 governed the whole. And they put him in ward, becaufe it was not declared what mould be done to him, whether this cafe were within thoje laws, Exodus xxxi. 14. xxxv. 2. cr what death he fliould die, Upon this Mofes went into the 35 tabernacle to enquire-, And the Lord faid unto Mofes, The man fhall be furely put to death: all the congre- gation fhall ftone him with ftones without the camp, becaufe he hath prcfumptuoufly finned, defpifed nry authority, 36 and put contempt upon my law. And all the congregation brought him without the camp, and ftoned him with {tones, and he died ; as the Lord commanded Mofes; all NUMBERS. XV. 65 ell the congregation joined it, to make them cautious and watchful^ and to flww their zeal for their creator and his laws. 37 38 And the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Speak unto the children of Ifrael, and bid them that they make them fringes in the borders of" their garments throughout their generations, and that they put upon the fringe of the borders a riband of blue to faften it 29 on. And it mall be unto you for a fringe, that ye may look upon it, and remember all the commandments of the Lord, and do them*, that as often as ye fee them ye may be reminded of your relation to God, and obligation to keep all his laws ; and that ye feek not after your own heart and your own eyes, any fuperftitious inventions and devices of your own in my worfhip, after which ye ufe to 40 go a whoring, as in the cafe of the golden calf &JV. That ye may remember, and do all my commandments, and be holy unto your God, fepar ate from others, and wholly 41 devoted to me* I [am] the Lord your God, which brought you out of the land of Egypt, to be your God : I [am] the Lord your God. REFLECTIONS. is T E T us learn hence, to make the rules and com- I j mandments of God's word familiar to our minds, that we may not fin thro' ignorance, which is difpleafing to God, and will certainly incur cenfure and punifhment, if that ignorance be our fault. Let his word dwell in us richly, and be as familiar to us as our garments, or any particu- lar ornament is. We have need of frequent hints and mementos of the importance of religion, that we may be guided by God's laws, in things both great and fmalJ. Our delight fhould be in the law of the Lord, and in that law let us meditate day and night. Vol. II. E 2. How s In our Lord's time they made thefe fringes very large, and wrote fcraps of the law upon them, but yet neglected to obey him. We have nothing to do with this law ; if our garments are decent, and according to our rank, it is all God requires of us. 66 NUMBERS. XVI. 2. How earneftly fhould we pray to be kept from pre- fumptuous fins, that is, wilful, deliberate fins : thefe are creat aggravations of guilt. Let us earneftly pray that all thofe inftances in which we have wickedly departed from God, may be forgiven us •, let us guard againft them for time to come •, and walk circumfpeffly, with holy caution ; yiot as fools , but as wife, redeeming the time. It fhould be our daily prayer, Lord, keep back thy fervants from prefumptuous fins. 3, We mould learn to pay great honour to God's fab- baths, and do no unnecefiary work therein. The law of the fabbath is of perpetual obligation, it is of a moral na- ture •, and the obfervance of it is enforced by the example of Chrift and his apoftles. Remember it to keep it holy. Let us avoid unnecefiary labour ourfelves, and not put our domeftics upon any fervice that may conveniently be omitted. We fee that God is jealous for his honour and the obfervance of his fabbaths ; and tho' magiftrates may neglect to put the wife laws of our country into execution againft profaners of his day, yet God will not hold thofe guiltlefs who purfue bufinefs or pleafure therein. May we ever remember this awful ftory, and take warning by it, that we do not fin preiumptuoufly ; if we do, there remaineth no more facrifice for fins, but a fearful looking for of judgment, that fliall devour us. CHAP. XVI. The rebellion of Korah, and his punijhment? I T^T O W Korah the fon of Izhar,u the fon of Kohath, JL^j the fon of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the ions of Eliab, and On, the fon of Peleth, fons of Reuben, c Seneca fays, that ' Egypt was a country, whofe inhabitants were very apt to cenfure and find fault with their governors, were they ever fo innocent and good.' One would think the Ifraelites had learned their difpofition by living among them fo long. We have many inftances of this in the hiftory of Mofes, but none more remarkable than what is contained in this chapter. M Izhar was brother to Amram, the father of Mofes and Aaron, fo that Korah, the leader of this rebellion, was their iirit coufin. NUMBERS. XVT. 67 2 Reuben, took [men :w] And they rofe up before Mofes, with certain of the children of Ifrael, two hundred and fifty princes of the afTembly, famous in the congregation, 3 men of renown:* And they gathered themfelves to- gether againft Mofes and againft Aaron, and faid unto them, [Ye take] too much upon you, feeing all the congregation [are] holy, every one of them, and the Lord [is] among them : wherefore then lift ye up yourfelves above the congregation of the Lord ?y 4 And when Mofes heard [it,] he fell upon his face in prayer to God for direclion, who accordingly ordered 5 what follows : And he fpake unto Korah and unto all his company, faying, Even to morrow (giving them time to bethink themfelves and repent) the Lord will mow who [are] his, and [who is] holy, feparated to theprieft's office ; and will caufe [him] to come near unto him : even [him] whom he hath chofen will he caufe to come near unto him, and declare in fome extraordinary manner that it belongs to him only to minifter before him as priefi. 6 This do •, Take your cenfers, Korah, and all his com- 7 pany ; And put fire therein, and put incenfe in them before the Lord to morrow; acl as priefi s: and it mail be [that] the man whom the Lord doth choofe, or de- clare by fome manifeftfign that he choofes and likes ", he [mail be] holy, owned as priefi : [ye take] too much upon you, ye fons of Levi.* E 2 8 And w The original is fingular, and refers to Korah, he ftirred up all the reft ; fo Jude called it the gain/ay ing of Korah. x The common people of Ifrael only ufed to be engaged in thefe mutinies; but here the great men and wife men joined; which, was more dangerous, and ailonifhing. y They were angry that the priefthood was confined to the family of Aaron ; they thought Mofes had done this of himfdf, out of affection to Aaron, and that it was a fcheme between them to engrofs all power in church and flats to themfelves. Korah thought he had as good a right to it as Aaron, being a Levite of the fame family. The Reubenites, who were delcended from the eldeil branch of Jacob's family, thought they had as good a right to the government as Mofes. All were difpleafed, and they flattered the people by telling them they were all holy, and that the Lord was among them ; therefore they might offer their own facrifices, and govern themfelves without Mofes and Aaron. % Thus Mofes retorts the blame upon themfelves, which thejr had unjuftly laid upon him, ?/. 3. 68 NUMBER S. XVI; 8 And Mofes faid unto Korah, Hear, I pray you, 9 ye Tons of Levi : [Seemeth it but] a fmall thing unto you, that the God of Ifrael hath feparated you from the congregation of Ifrael, to bring you near to himfelf, nearer than the other tribes^ tho* not fo nigh as the priefts, to do the fervice of the tabernacle of the Lord, and to ftand before the congregation to minifter unto 10 them ? And he hath brought thee, Korah, near [to him,] and all thy brethren the fons of Levi with thee : God hath given you this great honour, and will it not 1 1 fatisfy you ? and feek ye the priefthood alfo ? For which caufe [both] thou and all thy company [are] gathered together againft the Lord : and what [is] Aaron that ye murmur againft him ? he hath done nothing herein, but what he had authority for from God. 'Thus he expoftulated with Korah and his company, and would have done fo with the Reubenites alfo, but they would not come. 12 And Mofes fent to call Dathan and Abiram, the fons 13 of Eliab : which faid, We will not come up : [Is it] a fmall thing that thou haft brought us up out of a land that floweth with milk and honey,a to kill us in the wildernefs, except thou make thyfelf altogether a prince 1 4 over us ? Moreover, thou haft not brought us into a land that floweth with milk and honey, or given us in- heritance of fields and vineyards, according to promife : wilt thou put out the eyes of thefe men, blind us with fair promifes, without any performance ? Or, wouldft thou lead us about like blind men, fometimes this way, andfome* times another ? Thou muft think we are blind not to fee thro9 15 fuch impqfture-, we will not come up. And Mofes was very wroth at this impudent meffage, and faid unto the Lord, Refpect not thou their offering, give them fome manifeft token of thy diflike of it: I have not taken one afs from them, neither have I hurt one of them •, / have not done them the leaft injury, but, on the contrary, have done them many good offices. — This was the rebellion, and this the taufe of it -, and it continued^ notwithftanding all that Mofes did to quell it. 16 And a They called Egypt fo, to ridic«le the promife ©f God and Mofes concerning Canaan* NUMBERS. XVI. e9 16 And Mofes faid unto Korah, Be thou and all thy company before the Lord, thou, and they, and Aa- ron, to morrow ; tho9 Aaron has been ufed to burn incenfe in the tabernacle ', fyfhall now ft and before it on a level with the 1 7 reft of the candidates. And take every man his cenfer, and put incenfe in them, and bring ye before the Lord every man his cenfer, two hundred and fifty cenfers ; thou alio, and Aaron, each [of you] his cenfer; if you, think you have as good a right to it as he, come and aft as 1 8 priefts. And they took every man his cenfer, and put fire in them, and laid incenfe thereon, and flood in the door of the tabernacle of the congregation with Mofes 19 and Aaron, as rivals of Aaron the prieft of the Lord. And Korah £r-:Liiered all the congregation againft them unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation : too many . of them weH ready to join him ; they feemed confident offuc- ceft, and perhaps dejigned to fall on Mofes and Aaron, and deftrey them ; and, behold, the glory of the Lord appear- 20 ed unto all the congregation. And the Lord fpake 2i unto Mofes and unto Aaron, faying, Separate your- felves from among this congregation, that I may con- 22 fume them in a moment. And they, that is, Mofes and Aaron, fell upon their faces, to deprecate this wrath9 and laid, O God, the God of the fpirits of all flefh, their creator (Zech> xii. 1. Heb. xii. 9.) pre ferver and governor ; (Job. xii. to.) and therefore canft diftinguifh between the obftinately rebellious and the feduced, to fpare the one, and pumfh the other \ mall one man fin, and wilt thou be wroth with all the congregation ? 23 24 And the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Speak unto the congregation, faying, Get you up from about 25 the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram.b And Mofes rofe up and went unto Dathan and Abiram, to expoftulate with them, and prevent their ruin, becaufe they refufed to come to him, v. 12. and the elders of Ifrael 26 followed him. And he fpake unto the congregation, faying, Depart, I pray you, from the tents of thefe E 3 wicked b Some think this refers to a large tent which they had built, in oppofnion to the tabernacle ; but it more probably means their •wn tents. 7o NUMBERS. XVI. wicked men, and touch nothing of theirs, left ye be 27 confumed in all their fins. So they gat up from the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram on every fide : and Dathan and Abiram came out,' and ftood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their fons, and their little children, /coming the judgment he feemed to threaten •, as if Mofes had never wrought a miracle before^ and as if no Ifraelite had ever been deftroyed for murmuring 28 and rebellion. And Mofes made a proclamation to all the people, putting the matter on a very fair ijjue, and faid, Hereby ye mail know that the Lord hath fent me to do all thefe works, to undertake the government of the people ', and appoint Aaron to the friefthood^ &c. for [I have] not [done them] of mine own mind, nor out of 29 affeclion to my brother. If thefe men die the common riatural death of all men, or if they be vifited after the vifitation of ail men, by common calamities^ fuch as the fword, peftilence, ] "amine \ &c. [then] the Lord hath 30 not fent me. But if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and fwallow them up, with all that [appertain] unto them, and they go down quick into the pit •, then ye fhall underfland that thefe men have provoked the Lord, and that I am his fervant, and was ccmmiffioned to do what I have done. 3 1 And it came to pafs as he had made an end of fpeak- ing all thefe words, that the ground clave afunder that 32 [was] under them : And the earth opened her mouth, and fwallowed them up, and their houfes, and all the men that [appertained] unto Korah, all of his family who were at that time in his tent^ (for fome of his fons efcaped, 33 ch. xxvi. 1 i.c) and all [their] goods. They, and all that [appertained] to them, went down alive into the pit, and the earth clofed upon them : and they perillied 34 from among the congregation. And all Ifrael that [were] round about them fled at the cry of them : for they c Seme of his defcendants were fingers in the temple ; many of the pfalms were fet to mufick by the fons of Korah ; Samuel the great prophet defcended from him, fee 1 Chron. vi 37, 38. Koran himfelf was probably deilroyed with the two hundred and tihy men, at the head of whom he appeared, to do kindnefles for thofe that are froward and ungrateful, and pray for them that defpite- juily ufe and perfecute us. Aaron ftepped in between the people and death with his cenfer, when thoufands were tailing around him. He ventured his life to pray for them , and when Aaron NUMBERS. XVII. 75 Aaron appeared, the plague was flayed. We are taught likewife, how good it is to make interceflion for others ; that God is a God hearing prayer, and that the fervent prayer of a righteous man availeth much. Let us do what we can for our fellow creatures, even thofe that may have evil in- treated us. To conclude ; let us rejoice in Chrift Jefus, who in this, as well as in other refpecls, was abundantly fuperior to Mofes and Aaron. He came to interpofe in our behalf-, to refcue us from the fword of juftice. By pre- fenting his own blood, he made atonement -, and by plead- ing his blood before the throne, he hath obtained redemp- tion and eternal blerlings for us. His interceflion is as incenfe in the mofl holy place above. Let us be thankful for this appointment, and give praife to God for this honourable and endearing method of mowing mercy to a guilty people. Let our fouls magnify the Lord,, and our fpirits rejoice in God our faviour, who gave him f elf for us, to redeem us from the wrath to come, and from all iniquity. CHAP. XVII. 7/ may be thought, that enough had been done in the former chap- ter to convince the people that Aaron was appointed to be God's priefl, and his family to fucceed in that office. But Ifrael was prone to forget the judgments, as well as the mercies of God-, and therejort we have here an account of a furprizing miracle, the buddir,g of Aaron's rod, intended to increafe the conviHion^ and to be a ftanding evidence of this, ND the Lord fpake unto Mofes, in order fully and finally to fatisfy all their fcruples, and take away all pretences and caujes of murmuring, faying, Speak unto the children of Ifrael, and take of every one of them a rod, which they ufed to carry in their hand in token of au- thority, according to the houfe of [their] fathers, of all their princes according to the houfe of their fathers twelve rods : write thou every man's name upon his rod, that is, let it be engraved on the dry rod. And thou ihalt write Aaron's name upon the rod of Levi : for one y6 NUMBERS. XVII. one rod [fhall be] for the head of the houfe of their fathers;"; (ho9 1 have difiinguifhed the tribe of Levi into (wo farts, priefts and Levites, yet, as in the other tribes there is but one rod for a (rib?, jo fhall it be for the tribe of Levi, jl And thou fhalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the congregation before the teftimony, where I will meet with you, and manifeft my mind, in order (o end the dijpute* 5 And it fhall come to pafs, [that] the man's rod, whom I fhall choofe/tfr the prieft hood, mail blofTom : and I will make to ceafe from me the murmurings of the children of Ifrael, whereby they murmur againft you concerning 6 the prieft hood. And Mofes fpake unto the. children of Ifrael, and every one of their princes gave him a rod apiece, for each prince one, according to their fathers* houfes, [even] twelve rods : and the rod of Aaron y [was] among their rods. And Mofes laid up the rods $ before the Lord in the tabernacle of witnefs. And it came to pafs, that on the morrow Mofes went into the tabernacle of witnefs •, and, behold, the rod of Aaron for the houfe of Levi was budded, and brought forth buds, and bloomed blofToms, and yielded almonds.' 9 And Mofes brought out all the rods from before the Lord unto all the children of Ifrael : and they looked, and took every man his rod. 10 And the Lord faid unto Mofes, Bring Aaron's rod again before the teftimony, to be kept for a token againft the rebels •, and thou fnalt quite take away their 1 i murmurings from me, that they die not. And Mofes did [fo:] as the Lord commanded him, fo did he/ 12 And the children of Ifrael fpake unto Mofes, faying, Behold, we die, we perim, we all perifh ; we are ever and anon cu( off by fome judgment or other, fo (hat in a little * This was evidently miraculous, for no branch of an almond tree, had this been the time of their bloflbming, could have produced buds, blofToms, and fruit, all at once. f It is probable the bloflbm and fruit continued frefti from one age to anorher, and To was a (landing memorial of the authority of the Aaronic family. The apoftle, Heb. ix. 4. hints that it was in the ark, according to our tranflation, but probably the words in which, refer to the tabernacle in general; lor when the ark was brought up to Solomon's temple, it is faid the tables of ftone only were in it. NUMBERS. XVIIL 77 13 little while there will be an end of us all. Whofoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord {hall die •, we are cut off for every fmall offence, and upon every flight occafion: Shall we be confumed with dying? Will there he no end of flaying us till we be all deflroyed? Or it might be the language of repentance, arifing from a full ionviclion of the divine appointment, and deprecating the divine vengeance. REFLECTION. TH E only reflection to be made upon this fhort chapter is, that the defign of God, in all the dif- penfations of his providence, whether profperous or afflictive, is to take away Jin. The people had murmured, and had been puniihed. God had, as we read in the lart chapter, wrought miracles of wrath -, but here a miracle of mercy ; both of them defigned to prevent a repetition of their foolifh and dangerous conduct, v. 5 — 10. God was not willing that they mould perim, and therefore gave them frefh warning, which was really an act of very preat kindnefs. It is thus he deals with the church in general, and with particular fouls, to this day. The fruit of every affliction is to take away fin, by purging us from all iniquity. The goodnefs of God is defigned to lead us to repentance; every memorial that he fets before us, is intended to make us cautious and watchful, If we murmur and rebel ac-ainft God, we mail die, fhall die the fecond death. Let us then be infubjetlion to the father of our fpirits, and we fhall live for ever. CHAP. XVIIL This and the following chapter relate to ceremonial obfsrvances, and fever al particulars mentioned before, as the charge of tht priefis and Levites -, the portion of the priefts, and of the Levites. 1 AND the Lord faid unto Aaron, Thou and thy x\. fons and thy father's houfe with thee (hall bear the iniquity of the fanctuary : and thou and thy fons with 73 NUMBERS. XVIIL with thee fhall bear t\\Q iniquity of your prieflhood, the punifhment for any mif carriage about the fancluary, v, 3, 5. 2 And thy brethren alfo of the tribe of Levi, the tribe of thy father, bring thou with thee, that they may be joined unto thee, and minifter unto thee: but thou and thy fons with thee, [fhall minifter] before the taber- nacle of witnefs, more immediately about the affairs of the 3 tabernacle. And they mall keep thy charge, and the charge of all the tabernacle : only they fhall not come nigh the veffels of the fandtuary and the altar, that neither 4 they, nor ye alfo, die. And they fhall be joined unto thee, and keep the charge of the tabernacle of the congregati- on, for all the fervice of the tabernacle : and a flranger 5 fhall not come nigh unto you. And ye fhall keep the charge of the fanctuary, and the charge of the altar: that there be no wrath any more upon the children of Ifrael. 6 And I, behold, I have taken your brethren the Le- vites from among the children of Ifrael : to you [they are] given [as] a gift for the Lord, to do the fervice of the tabernacle of the congregation, to affift you in the 7 fervile, laborious part of God's fervice there. Therefore thou and thy fons with thee fhall keep your prieft's office, for every thing of the altar, and within the vail ; and ye fhall ferve : 1 have given your prieft's office [unto you as] a fervice of gift, and to you alone -, and therefore let no man charge you with arrogance or ufurpation in ap- propriating this to your f elves i or invade your office •, and the ftranger that cometh nigh fhall be put to death. 8 And the Lord fpake unto Aaron, Behold, I alfo have given thee the charge of mine heave offerings of all the hallowed things of the children of Ifrael ; unto thee have i given them by reafon of the anointing, by reafon of the office or fervice to which, by anointing > thou art confecratedy and to thy fons by an ordinance for o ever. This fhall be thine of the moft holy things, [re- fer ved] from the fire: every oblation of theirs, every meat offering of theirs, and every fin offering of theirs, and every trefpafs offering of theirs, which they fhall render unto me, [fhall be J mod holy for thee and for thy NUMBERS. XVIII. 79 10 thy Tons. In the mofr. holy [place] fhalt thou eat it-, 1 1 every male mall eat it: it fhall be holy unto thee. And * this [is] thine •, the heave offering of their gift, with all the wave offerings of the children of lfrael : I have given them unto thee, and to thy fons and to thy daughters with thee, while they remained in their father's houfe, by a ftatute for ever : every one that is clean in thy houfe mail eat of it, all that were bought into, or born in thy houfe \ but no fir anger, nor hired ferv 'ant , Lev, 1 2 xxii. 10, 11. All the ben: of the oil, and all the ben: of the wine, and of the wheat, the firft fruits of them which they fhall offer unto the Lord, them have I 13 given thee. [And] whatfoever is firft ripe in the land, which they fhall bring unto the Lord, fhall be thine; every one that is clean in thine houfe mall eat [of] it. 14 Every thing devoted in lfrael, dedicated to God by vow, or other wife-, if they were fuch things as might be eaten, (Lev, 15 xxvii. 28,) fhall be thine. Every thing that openeth the matrix in all fkfh, which they bring unto the Lord, [whether it be] of men or beafts, fhall be thine: never- thelefs the firft born of man fhalt thou furely redeem, and the firftling of unclean beafts fhalt thou redeem. 16 And thofe that are to be redeemed of men from a month old malt thou redeem, according to thine eflimation, for the money of five fhekels after the fhekel of the 17 fancluary, which [is] twenty gerahs. But the firftling of a cow, or the firftling of a fheep, or the firftling of a goat, thou fhalt not redeem ; they [are] holy : thou fhalt fprinkle their blood upon the altar, and fhalt burn their fat [for] an offering made by fire, for a fweet 18 favour unto the Lord. And the flefh of them fhall be thine, as the wave breaft and as the right moulder are 19 thine. All the heave offerings of the holy things, which the children of lfrael offer unto the Lord, have I given thee, and thy fons and thy daughters with thee, by a ftatute for ever: it [is] a covenant of fait for ever before the Lord unto thee and to thy feed with 20 thee, that is, perpetual and unchangeable. And the Lord fpake unto Aaron, Thou fhalt have no inheritance in their So N U M B E R S. XV1I1, their land, neither fhalt thou have any part among them •, I [am] thy part and thine inheritance among the children of Ifrael. 21 And, behold, I have given the children of Levi all the tenth in Ifrael for an inheritance, for their fervice which they ferve, [even] the fervice of the tabernacle 22 of the congregation. Neither muft the children of Ifrael henceforth come nigh the tabernacle of the con- gregation, left they bear fin, fuffer the punifhment of 23 their fin, and die. But the Levites fhall do the fervice of the tabernacle of the congregation, and they mail bear their iniquity : [it fhall be] a ftatute for ever throughout your generations, that among the children 24. of Ifrael they have no inheritance. But the tithes of the children of Ifrael, which they offer [as] an heave offering unto the Lord, I have given to the Levites to inherit : therefore I have faid unto them, Among the children of Ifrael they fhall have no inheritance. 25 26 And the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Thus fpeak unto the Levites, and fay unto them, When ye take of the children of Ifrael the tithes which I have given you from them for your inheritance, then ye fhall offer up an heave offering of it for the Lord, [even] 27 a tenth [part] of the tithe. And [this] your heave offering fhall be reckoned unto you, as though [it were] the corn of the threfhing floor, and as the fulnefs of the wine prefs, as if it had been the fruit of your own 23 ground. Thus ye alfo, as well as the other Israelites, fhall offer an heave offering unto the Lord of all your tithes, which ye receive of the children of Ifrael \ and ye fhall give thereof the Lord's heave offering to Aaron 29 the prieft. Out of all your gifts ye fhall offer every heave offering of the Lord, of all the beft thereof, 30 [even] the hallowed part thereof out of it. Therefore thou malt fay unto them, When ye have heaved the beft thereof from it, then it fhall be counted unto the Levites as the increafe of the threfhing floor, and as the increafe of the wine prefs, free for you to ufe as 31 other common things. And ye fhall eat it in every place, ye and your houfeholds : for it [is] your reward for your NUMBERS. XIX. Si 32 your fervice in the tabernacle of the congregation. And ye iliall bear no fin, no punifliment, by reafon of it, when ye have heaved from it the beft of it : neither mall ye pollute the holy things of the children of Ifrael, left ye die. CHAP. XIX. The water of feparation> and the ufe of it for the purification of the unclean* 1 \ N D the Lord fpake unto Mofes and unto Aa- 2 jt\, ron, faying, This [is] the ordinance of the law which the Lord hath commanded, faying, Speak unto the children of Ifrael, that they bring thee a red heifer without fpot, wherein [is] no blemim. [and] upon 3 which never came yoke : And ye fhall give her unto Eleazar the prieft, that he may bring her forth without the camp, and [one] mail flay her before his face: 4 And Eleazar the prieft (hall take of her blood with his finger, and fprinkle of her blood directly before the^ 5 tabernacle of the congregation (zvqxi times : And [one] fhall burn the heifer in his fight-, her fkin, and her flefh, and her blood, with her dung, fhall he burn : 6 And the prieft fhall take cedar wood, and hyffop, and fcarlet, and caft [it] into the midft of the burning of 7 the heifer. Then the prieft fhall wafh his clothes, and he fhall bathe his flefh in water, and afterward he fhall come into the camp, and the prieft fhall be unclean un- 8 til the even. And he that burneth her fhall warn his clothes in water, and bathe his flefh in water, and (hall 9 be unclean until the even. And a man [that is] clean fhall gather up the afhes of the heifer, and lay [them] up without the camp in a clean place, and it fhall be kept for the congregation of the children of Ifrael for a water of feparation : it [is] a purification for fin. 10 And he that gathered the afhes of the heifer fhall wafh his clothes, and be unclean until the even : and it (the making and referring thefe afhes for a water of feparation) fhall be unto the children of Ifrael, and unto the Voh. II. F ftranger Si NUMBERS. XIX. ftranger that fojourneth among them, for a ftatute fot* 1 1 ever. He that toucheth the dead body of any man mail 1 2 be unclean feven days. He fhall purify himfelf with it on the third day, and on the feventh day he fhall be clean : but if he purify not himfelf the third day, then 13 the feventh day he mail not be clean. Whofoever toucheth the dead body of any man that is dead, and purifieth not himfelf, defileth the tabernacle of the Lord ; and that foul fhall be cut ofT from Ifrael : be- caufe the water of feparation was not fprinkled upon him, he fhall be unclean ; his uncleannefs [is] yet 14 upon him. This [is] the law, when a man dieth in a tent r all that come into the tent, and all that [is] in 15 the tent, mail be unclean feven days. And every open veffel, which hath no covering bound upon it, [is] un- 16 clean. And whofoever toucheth one that is flain with a fword in the open fields, or a dead body, or a bone of a man, or a grave, fhall be unclean feven days. 17 And for an unclean [perfon] they mall take of the afhes of the burnt heifer of purification for fin, and running 18 water fliall be put thereto in a veffel: And a clean per- fon mail take hyflbp, and dip [it] in the water, and fprinkle [it] upon the tent, and upon all the veffels, and upon the perfons that were there, and upon him that touched a bone, or one (lain* or one dead, or a 19 grave : And the clean [perfon] fhall fprinkle upon the unclean on the third day, and on the feventh day : and on the feventh day he fhali purify himfelf, and wafh his clothes, and bathe himfelf in water, and mail be clean at even. 20 But the man that mall be unclean, and fhall not purify himfelf, that fix:) fhall be cut ofT from among the congregation, becaufe he hath defiled the fan&uary of the Lord : the water of feparation hath not been 21 fprinkled upon him : he [is] unclean. And it fhall be a perpetual ftatute unto them, that he that fprinkleth the water of feparation fhall wafh his clothes y and he that toucheth the water of feparation fhall be unclean 22 until the even. And whatloever the unclean [perfon] toucheth fhall be unclean -, and the foul that toucheth, [it] fnall be unclean until even. NUMBERS- XX. S3 CHAP. XX, i— 13. Next to the hiftory of Jefus Chrift, none is more pleafing or in* ftrutlive than that of Mofes, efpecially as it is related by himfelf His modefty and humility are very remarkable ; pafj* ing over what happened in Pharaohs court ; all his learning and exploits -, he not only avoids claiming the honour of the miracles wrought for Ifrael, and the deliverances brought to them, but, with the greatefi impartiality and integrity, plainly tells us his own faults. We have often read of God's dif- pleafure againft Ifrael, but here againft Mofes, their leader : a very awful and injlrucliveftory. I rry HEN came the children of Ifrael, [even] the 1 whole congregation, into the defart of Zin, in the firft month of the fortieth year after they were come out of Egypt (as appears by v. 28, compared with ch. xxxiii. 38.) and the people abode in Kadefh •, and Miriam theprophe* tefs, thefifter of Mofes, died there, and was buried there. % And there was no water for the congregation •, the water from the rock Horeb (Exodus xvii.) had ceafed, and no wells could be found : and they gathered themfelves together againft Mofes and againft Aaron. 3 And, infiead of condoling with them on the lofs of their Jifter, the people chode with Mofes, and fpake, murmur* ing as their fathers had done, and ufing the fame infolent language, faying, Would God that we had died when our brethren, Korah and his company, died before the Lord! 4 And why have ye brought up the congregation of the Lord into this wildernefs, that we and our cattle mould § die there ? And wherefore have ye made us to come- up out of Egypt, to bring us in unto this evil place ? it [is] no place of feed, or of figs, or of vines, or of pomegranates ; neither [is] there any water to drink. They reprefent Egypt as a good land, and this as an evil 6 place, thd* they were juft on the borders of Canaan. And Mofes and Aaron went from the prefence of the afTem- bly unto the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, to feek the divine direclion, and deprecate his anger, and tjiey fell upon their faces : and the glory of the Lord F 2 appeared 84 NUMBERS. XX. 7 appeared unto them. And the Lord fpake unto 8 Mofes, faying, Take thy rod, with which thou haft done fo many wonders ', and gather thou the afTembly together, thou, and Aaron thy brother, and fpeak ye unto the rock before their eyes, that they may fee it is a real miracle, and he affecled with it -, and it fhall give forth his water, and thou malt bring forth to them water out of the rock: fo thou fhalt give the congregation and their beads drink. Obferve, he was only to fpeak to the 9 rock, not to ftrike it. And Mofes took the rod from be- fore the Lord, as he commanded him •, that is, out of the tabernacle, where it feems it was laid up for a memorial of the miracles that Mofes wrought therewith *, as was alfo Aaron's upon the fame account, ch. xvii. io. io And Mofes and Aaron gathered the congregation together before the rock, and he faid unto them, Hear now, ye rebels,2 muft we fetch you water out of this rock ? Seeming to arrogate this work to themj elves, as if it was done by their own power, and not glorifying God before Ifrael-, therefore ( i Chron. xxvii. 14.) it is called rebellion 1 1 againft God's commands. And Mofes, in the height of his anger, lifted up his hand, and with his rod he fmote the rock twice, inftead of fpeaking to it, as he was commanded : and the water came out abundantly, and the congrega- tion drank, and their beafts [alfo.] 1 2 And the Lord fpake unto Mofes and Aaron, Be- caufe ye believed me not, to fandify me in the eyes of the children of Ifrael •, or rather, as I think it fhould be tranflated, Becaufeye were not faithful to me, to glorify me in the eyes of the children of Ifrael, therefore ye fhall not bring this congregation into the land which I have given them.h Alas 1 whofe heart is not affecled' with this ! We hoped * This was the language of paffionate refentment againft the people, for God did not call them fo, and Mofes ought not to have done it ; but, alas ! this meekeft of men was angry. h Thus God added a tremendous fanction to the law of Mofes? thus he impreffes on all the people, and efpecially upon his minilters and priefts, an awful fenfe of his majeity, and a holy tendernefs of foul before him, that they may not arrogate any thing to themfelves, but glorify God before all the people. By this God might intend to confirm our faith in a future ftate of r«Lribu« N U M B E R S. XX. 85 hoped to have feen Mofes and Aaron lead Ifrael triumphantly into Canaan •, but their fun fets in a cloud, the fentence was faffed*, and punctually fulfilled •, Aaron died at the next t$ remove, and Mofes in a few months after. This [is] the water of Meribah, that is, Jlrife •, becaufe the children of Ifraei ftrove with the Lord, and he was fanctified in them •, in Mofes and Aaron, by punifhing their rebellion, and thereby manifefting the glory of his holinefs. REFLECTIONS. I. T T 7 E have great reafon to adore the divine patience, VV tnat nas Dorne witn us under fo many greater and more aggravated crimes than that of Mofes. This good man difpleafed God, and loft all his moft agreeable profpects as to this world at once. Behold the goodnefs, and at the fame time, the feverity of God! How often have we, in a worfe manner and degree, rebelled againft God, dis- obeyed his orders, trifled in his fervice, and not been fuf- ficiently careful to fanctify him in our hearts ! This the beft may fay -, others of us perhaps have difhonoured our chrif- tian profefTion by wilful fin, yet God hath fpared us. He hath not quite difappointcd our hopes as to this world, tho* he might have done it. He ftill giveth us food ana\raimenty health and peace. He might have deprived us for ever of feeing the heavenly land •, might hzvGfworn in his wrath, ye Jhall not enter into my reft \ and that, after our greateft hopes and expectations. We have reafon to acknowledge, that it is of the hordes mercies we are not confumed ; becaufe his companions fail not. 2. What need have all, even the beft of men, to rule their own fpirits, and to be very cautious and watchful 1 See, in this melancholy inftance, how imperfect the graces of good men are, even thole graces for which they are moft remarkable. Of all fins, we fhould have thought Mofes, who was the meekeft man upon earth, would never have been guilty of paftionate anger ; nor that he would have fpoken F 3 unad- retribution, and intimate to us the imperfection of the Mofaic difpenfation, and lead on our thoughts to Chrift, the great deliverer. 86 NUMBERS. XX. unadvifedly with his lips. That he, who had borne fo long with lfrael's provocations (which, to human conception, were almoft fufficient to have wearied the divine patience) fhould at length act thus, was not to have been imagined. But, what is man! how frail ! how weak ! Who dares fay that he is fecure from danger, when he fees how Mofes and Aaron finned. Let us all keep a guard over our own fpirits, and watch and pray, left we enter into temptation. Let aged perfons in particular, regard this caution. Perhaps frequent infirmities, and having borne long with the perverfenefs and wickednefs of their generation, may incline them to be peevifh and fretful. But let them remember this is very wicked •, it is dimonourable to God, and fetting a bad ex- ample to the rifing age. Titus is commanded by Paul to caution the aged to be found in faith, in charity, and in patience* For orthodoxy or foundnefs in faith will advantage us no- thing, if we are not found in charity and patience. Let us all watch againft a paflionate temper, for it leads men tp offend with their tongue, to fpeak what offends God, and injures man, and what they may aftewards repent of. If we find our fpirits begin to rife, let us Jet a watch before our mouth, and keep the door of our lips, elfe we may fpeak very unadvifedly. The language of this fad ftory is, and Oh that we may attend to it ! Let him that thinketh he ftandeth take, heed left he fall 3. We learn hence, not to depend on the fuccefs of our fchemes of ufefulnefs or comfort, fo far as earth is concerned in them. Perhaps there was nothing Mofes depended on more, than that he fhould lead Ifrael into Canaan, and be happy with them there ; at leaft he hoped to fee them com- fortably fettled. When God faid, that of this generation only Jofhua and Caleb fhould fee Canaan, Mofes and Aaron might juftly think they were not included in the fentence, becaufe they had not defpifed God's reft. Mofes had a cheerful prof- peel: before him, and was greatly pleafed with it -, he had much ado to bear the difappointment, and prayed to God, carneftly and frequently, to remove the fentence. This was a very grievous cafe, and he needed great fupport from God to reconcile him to it •, and God gracioufly told him that he would do better things for him. His days were paft* NUMBERS. XX. 87 paft; his purpofes were broken of. We alfo have our fchemes. In fuch a ftation we think we mould be ufeful ; in fuch or fuch a relation we fhouid find comfort for years to come. Every good man, while he has power to act, will contrive to act for God. But the belt fchemes are uncer- tain ; we cannot promife ourfelves lading happinefs here below ^ for what is our life ? it is even a vapour. The prophets do not live for ever % they fometimes die, like Mofes, when their eye is not dim We may form fchemes and purpofes with regard to God, but he may fay to us, tho9 we are in the moft pleating circumftances, as he did to Mofes and Aaron, Go up> and die. Let this teach us to ceafe from man, to ceafe from ourfelves ; and always to fay, If the Lord willy we will do this or that, 4. Let us rejoice in the fecurity of our views of a better world, whatever difappointments we may meet with in this: this is the anchor of our fouls. We mourn over Mofes* difappointment •, that he only faw the good land, and did not poiTefs it. But Mofes and Aaron have not perifhed. God denied them the lefTer favour, and granted them the greater. They poflefs the reward they had refpect to ; the better Canaan. They fee God in brighter difcoveries than ever Mofes did on the holy mountain. They now rejoice in their difappointment, by which God was glorified, and the church edified. We are, thro' divine goodnefs, heirs with them of the fame promifes •, have clearer difcoveries and better hopes, than Mofes had. Let &s9 therefore* ufe alt diligence to make our calling and eleclion fure, knowing it is God that worketh in us both to will and to do, according to his good pleafure. Let us be ftedfaft 'and immoveable, always abiding and abounding in the work of the Lord, forafmuch as we know that our labour in the Lordfhall not be in vain. Then, whatever fchemes for this world may be difappointed, our grand hope will not be in vain. Fear not •, God will be our fhield. In a word, amidft all the uncertainty of this world, amidft all the darknefs that there fometimes is upon the difpenfa- tions of providence, this is clear and certain, that verily there is a reward for the righteous : verily there is a God that judgeth in the earth. F 4 CHAP. S8 NUMBERS. XX. CHAP. XX. 14, to the end. T7ie Edomites refufe to let Ifrael pafs thro* their country j Aaron dies, 14 y\ ND Mofes, by God's direction, (Deut. it. 1. Sec.) j£JL fent mefTengers from Kadefh unto the king of Edom, Thus faith thy brother Ifrael,1 Thou knoweft all the travail that hath befallen us in this wilder nefs, 15 and How our fathers went down into Egypt, and we have dwelt in Egypt a long time •, and the Egyptians j 6 vexed us, and our fathers: And when we cried unto the Lord, he heard our voice, and fent an angel, (who ap- peared to Mofes in the burning bujh, Exodus iii. 2-; and hath brought us forth out of Egypt ; God had in a moft remarkable manner delivered his people, who were their brethren, and they could not but know it -, upon this there- fore they ground their requefi : anc, behold, we [are] 17 in Kadefh, a city in the uttermoft of thy border: Let us pafs, I pray thee, through thy country : we will not pafs through the fields, or through the vineyards, neither will we drink [of] the water of the wells, which are private property^ without paying for it: we will go by the king's [high] way, we will not turn to the right hand 18 nor to the left, until we have pafled thy borders. And Edom, being afraid of their injuring the country, or taking pcfitf/ion of it, faid unto him, Thou (halt not pafs by me, 19 left I come out agdnft thee with the fword. And the children of ifrael faid unto him, We will go by the high way : %vA if 1 and my cattle drink of thy water, then I will pay for it : 1 will only, without [doing] any thing 20 [elfe,] go through on my feet. And he faid, Thou fhait not go through. And Edom came out againft 21 him with much people, and with a ftrcng hand. Thus Edom icfufed to give Ifrael paiTage through his border : wherefore Ifrael turned away from him.* 22 And 1 Both were defcended from Ifaac ; Efau and Jacob were twins. k Neverthelcfs, we are told in Deuteronomy ii. 28, 29, that they bought food of the Edomites while they continued in Kadeih, and while they patted the borders of their country j and God com- NUMBERS. XX. 89 22 And the children of Ifrael, [even] the whole con- gregation, journeyed from Kadefh, and came unto 23 mount Hor. And the Lord fpake unto Moles and Aaron in mount Hor, by the coaft of the land of Edom, 24 faying. Aaron (hail be gathered unto his people : for he fr }\ r\OL enter into the land which I have given unto th < 11] *er of lirael, becaufe ye rebelled againft my 25 vvord at the water of Meribah. Take Aaron and Elea- 26 zai hi J fon, and bring them up unto mount rior : And ftrip Aaron of his prieftly garments, and put them upon I lea ear his fon : and Aaron (hall be gathered [unto his 27 people,] and mail die there. And Mofes did as the Lord commanded : and they went up into mount Hor, 28 in the fight of all the congregation.1 And Mofes {tripped Aaron of his garments, and put them upon Ekc.zar his fon ; and Aaron died there in the top of the mount, in an honourable and comfort able manner •, in his one hundred ana twenty third year :m and Moles and Eleazar 29 came down from the mount. And when all the con- gregation faw that Aaron was dead, they mourned for Aaron thirty days, [even] all the houfe of Ifrael. REFLECTIONS. I. fTp H E conduct of the Ifraelites toward the Edom- jj[ ites, teaches us to guard againft a love of con- tention and revenge. The Ifraelites' requeft was a reafonable one •, the Edomites' denial was ftifT and unjuflihable : es- pecially conhdering what God had done for the Ifraelites. But God dire&ed them to turn another way. Our brethren may ufe us ill, deny our reafonable requefts, and come out againft commanded the Ifraelites not to hurt them, becaufe they were brethren, and cautions them not to abhor an Edomite. 1 They would, no doubt, be greatly affe&ed at the lofs of their high prieft, feeing him thus cie by the appointment of God : but they were aifo witneffes to Eleazar's being appointed his fuc- eeffor; and it would be fome comfort to Aaron, that his foil fucceeded to bis office, and that the entail of the priefthood wai not cut off from his family. m In Deuteronomy x, 6, it is faid, he was buried in Mofera ; that was the general name of this ftation, and Hor the particular mountain. 9o NUMBERS. XX. jagainfl: us with a ftrong hand j but it will be the wifeft way not to oppofe force to force, if it can be helped. Let us leave off contention, and turn away. The reafon which God gives why they fhould not fall upon the Edomites or abhor them, was, that they were brethren. This argu- ment will hold equally ftrong with us. We are brethren, the defendants of Adam, fons of God, brethren in Chrift, united in dearer, tenderer bonds, than any natural al- liance or relation can form. Let us rather put ourfelves to any inconvenience, as Ifrael did by going about, than lay a foundation for quarrelling, and going to law, and the like ; rather put up with an injury or an infult, than ftudy revenge. If any fhould think this a hard, impracticable kfTon, let them remember, if they do not learn and praclife it, they are not faithful difciples of (Thrift, and fhall have no (hare in the glory of his kingdom. 2, Let the faints of the Lord, like Aaron, be willing to die. There is fomething very awful in his dying on this fide Canaan -, but he had a better world in profpecl, and there- fore went up without reluctance, leaving his robes and ho- nours to his fon. Be our character ever fo excellent, death will ftrip us of our garment. Naked we came into the worlds and naked we muft go out of it. Let us labour, like Aaron, to ferve God with our fpirit. Let us make fure of the hea- venly Canaan, and then we may willingly refign our breath when God pleafes. Let the thought of death prevent our being too fond of our ornaments and honours, even of thofe, which, like thofe of the priefthood, are moft import- ant and defirable. Death will ftrip us of all but our virtues and graces -, but it cannot ftrip us of, nor feparate us from, the love of Chrift, nor deftroy the union which fubfifts be- tween him and the true believer. Let us be willing to die when God pleafes, and leave this world with fatisfaction *, efpecially when we fee, as Aaron did, thofe coming in our room, who will ferve God when we are gone. 3. Let us rejoice in the unchangeable priefthood of Jefus Chrift. The priefts under the /aw, fays the apoftle, were not fuffered to continue by reafon of death \ but Chrift^ becaufe he continueth every hath an unchangeable priefthood. He is con- fecrated for evermore. Heb* vii. 23. Chriftian minifters alfo die; NUMBERS. XXL 9I die ; one generation pajfeth away, and another eometh. But Jefus Chrtft is the fame yefterday, to day, and for ever ; and this is a never failing comfort to the church. May we maintain a believing regard to this eternal high prieft, and rejoice in him as our facrifice and advocate. And iince, as the apoftle obferves, in confequence of this unchangeable priefthood, he is able to fave to the uttermofl, let us cheer- fully come to God by him, feeing tJiat he ever lives to make inter ceffwn for us. CHAP. XXI. In this chapter the Jfraelites, proceeding on their march toward Canaan, are flung by fiery fer pent s, and healed by the brazen ferpent, which Mofes, by God's dircclion, made. They conquer Sihon and Og. 1 AND [when] king Arad the Canaanite, or rather9 XjL the Canaanite king of Arad, (whom Jojhua after* wards dejlroyed, fee Jofnua xu. 14. Judges i. a 6.) which dwelt in the fouth, heard tell that Ifrael came by the way of the fpies, that is, the way the Jpies came thirty eight years before, andfince then called by that name , then he fought againft Ifrael, and took [fome] or them 2 prifoners. And Ifrael vowed a vow unto the Lob d, and faid, If thou wilt indeed deliver this people into my hand, then I will utterly deftroy their cities, defroy the people and beafis, and bum the cities ; referving nothing for our own ufe, but bringing the fpoils to God's treafury. 3 And the Lord hearkened to rhe voice of Ifrael, and delivered up the Canaanites, this army of Arad : and they utterly deftroyed then- ana their pities, they now conquered this army and dejiroyed them ; and afterwards when they conquued their cities, dejiroyed them alfo : and he, Ifrael, called the name of the place Hormah, that is, devotement, or, utter deflruction ; hy name they both jet up a memorial of God's mercy, and their duty to keep the vow which they had ma 4 And thev journeyed from mount Hor by the way of the Red fea, to compafs the land of Edom, becaufe they were 92 NUMBERS. XXI. were denied a paffage thro* the land, (ch. xx. 18, 20.) and the foul of the people was much difcouraged becaufe of the length of the way, and the many wants and troubles they 5 met with therein. And the people fpake againft God, and againft Mofes, Wherefore have ye brought us up out of Egypt to die in the wildernefs ? for [there is] no bread, neither [is there any] water; and our foul loath- ed this light bread; as if it had little fubftance ornourijfc- ment in it, in compart fon of the more J olid diet they had in 6 Egypt: an old complaint, and a fhameftd falfehood: And the Lord fent fiery ferpents among the people, and they bit the people ♦, and much people of Ifrael died.n 7 Therefore the people came to Mofes, and made an humble and particular acknowledgment of their guilt, and laid, We have finned, for we have fpoken againft the Lord, and againft thee \ pray unto the Lord, that he take away the ferpents from us. And Mofes prayed S for the people. And the Lord faid unto Mofes, Make thee a fiery ferpent, like thofe which bite them, and fet it upon a pole, like an enftgn, that it may be feen thro'' all the camp : and it fhall come to pafs, that every one that is bitten, when he locketh upon it, fhall live, tho9 he o be not able to go near it,0 And Mofes made a ferpent of brafs, and put it upon a pole, and it came to pafs, that if a ferpent had bitten any man, when he beheld the ferpent of brafs he lived.p 10 And n St R a bo and other geographers tell us. that this wildernefs abounded with ferpents of a bright fhining colour, which gave an incurable wound. We read alfo of ferpents in the Well Indies, as red as blood, which appear at night like burning coals. Such as thefe God made ufe of to chaltife this murmuring people. 0 Naturalifts obferve, that the fight of the braaen ferpent tended, of itielf, rather to increafe the difeaie, and to fill them with greater anguifh, by difturbing their imaginations. If fo, it was the more proper to convince the Ifraelites that their medicine came from God, who made that, whofe afped was hurtful, to be a means of their cure. Jameson. < p The ferpents were not taken away ; but were left to try their faith, and puni(h their guilt. The Indians have an idol, like a ferpent, placed on a large pole, which they worfhip. Efculapius, the god of health, among the Greeks, and Salus, a great phy- fician, among the Romans, are both pictured with ferpents, as an emblem of their healing po.'.er, perhaps in reference to this itory. NUMBERS. XXI. g3 10 And the children of lfrael fet forward, and pitched in li Oboth. And they journeyed from Oboth, and pitched at Ije-abarim, in the wildernefs which [is] before Moab 12 toward the fun rifing. From thence they removed, and 13 pitched in the valley of Zared. From thence they remov- ed, and pitched on the other fide of Arnon, which [is] in the wildernefs that cometh out of the coafts of the Amo- rites: for Arnon is the border of Moab, between Moab 14 and the Amorites.q Wherefore it is faid in the book of the wars of the Lord, What he did in the Red fea, and 15 in the brooks of Arnon, And at the ftream of the brooks that goeth down to the dwelling of Ar, and j6 lieth upon the border of Moab. And from thence [they went] to Beer : that [is] the well whereof the Lord fpake unto Mofe% Gather the people together, and I will give them water miraculoufly, without their afking for 17 it. Then lfrael fang this fong, a fong of praife for giving them this feafonable fupply , and they faid, Spring up, Q well; continue ft ill to fpring up, and fupply us with water \ and then, calling to others, they faid, Sing ye unto it,, ex- prefs your joy and thankful nefs in a fong which may never be forgotten. Such refponfes were the nfual way offinging praifes 18 among the Jezvs. The princes digged the well, the no- bles of the people digged it, by [the direction of] the lawgiver, with their ftaves -, that is, the heads of the tribes firuck the earth, or ran the ends of their fceptres into the ground, by the diretlion of Mofes, and the water fprang out. And from the wildernefs [they went] to Mattanah : 19 And from Mattanah to Nahaliel : and from Nahaliel to 20 Bamoth : And from Bamoth [in] the valley, that [is] in the country of Moab, to the top of Pifgah-, or rather, the foot of Pifgah, or valley where it began to rife, which looketh toward Jefhimon, or the wildernefs. 21 And lfrael fent-merTengers unto Sihon king of the 22 Amorites, faying, Let me pafs through thy land: we will not turn into the fields, or into the vineyards; we will not drink [of] the waters of the well: [but] we will go along by the king's [high] way, until we be pad thy 1 They were Tq near to Moab as to be fupplied with provisions from their country. 94 NUMBERS. XXI. £3 thy borders. And Sihon would not fufTer Ifrael to pafs through his border : but Sihon gathered all his people together, and went out againft Ifraei into the wilder- nefs : and he came to Jahas, and fought againft Ifrael. 24 And Ifrael fmote him with the edge of the fword, and porTefTed his land from Arnon unto Jabbok, even unto the children of Ammon : for the border of the children of Ammon [was] ftrong, well defended ? therefore Sihon had not encroached on their country '? as he had upon the Moa- 25 bites. And Ifrael took all thefe cities : and Ifrael dwelt in all the cities of the Amorites, in Hefhbon, and in 26" all the villages thereof. For Hefhbon [was] the city of Sihon the king of the Amorites, who had fought againft the former king of Moab, and taken all his 27 land out of his hand, even unto Arnon/ Wherefore they that fpeak in proverbs, in poems or hiftories? fay, Come into Hefhbon ; tho9 formerly you were afraid to dwell in it? yet now ye may come fafely? without fearr, let 28 the city of Sihon be built and prepared : For there is a fire gone out of Hefhbon, a flame from the city of Sihon, the fury of war? it hath confumed Ar of Moab, or? thofe that dwell in a fir ong and fortified 'place? [and] the lords of the high places of Arnon ; the princes? priefts> and idols of the Moabhes? are all defiroyed as far as Arnon. 29 Woe to thee, Moab ! thou art undone, O people of Chemofh, the idol god of trie Moabitesi he hath given his fons that efcaped, and his daughters, into captivity unto Sihon king of the Amorites •? infiead of protecting and defending them? as they expected? he has fuffered them to 30 be led away captive. We have mot at them ? Hefhbon is perifhed even unto Dibon, and we have laid them wafte even unto Nophah, which [reacheth] unto Mede- 3 1 ba, firft the Amorites? and then the lfraelites* Thus Ifrael dwelt r Mcfes from hence to the end of ' but their punifhraent was referved till afterwards, as Balaam prophefied. H6 NUMBER S. XXV. they take away the heart, and make men ftupid and thonghtlefs. Ifrael, who had overcome the united force of the Amalekites and Amorites, and whom Balaam durft not attack openly, are inveigled and ruined by the charms of the daughters of Moab. Bp. Hall obferves on this ftory, that ' it is the common cuftom of Satan, to raife advantage to himfelf from the faired pieces of the work- manfhip of God, ' Luji is conceived, and it bringeth forth fin ; and fin when it is finiflied bringeth forth death, as in the cafe before us. Solomon has obferved from the experience of many, and his own in particular, that ftrange women, women of no principle, of fair faces but foul difpofitions, have cafi down many wounded, yea, many ftrong men have been Jlain by them. The God of purity and holinefs is highly difpleafed with fuch irregular indulgences, as they debafe our rational nature, and difhonour our chriftian profeflion. Fornicators and adulterers God will judge ; they fliall not enter into the king- dom of heaven. Let us, therefore, as pilgrims and fir anger s^ abfiain from flefiily lujls, which war againfi the foul, 2, Zeal for the honour of God, and the fuppreflion of vice, is highly commendable, efpecially in times of great degeneracy. Phinehas was zealous for God, and he con- ferred peculiar honours upon him. The people behaved well in weeping and lamenting their wickednefs, and de- precating the judgments of the Lord; but Phinehas acted a more worthy and excellent part. It is good to lament the wickednefs of others, to grieve when we behold tranf- greflbrs •, but they are mod acceptable to God, who appear and act boldly in his caufe. Chriftian minifters and magif- trates are peculiarly obliged to appear on the Lord's fide. It is good to be zealoufly affetted in a good thing \ and we have reafon to believe, that God will more readily forgive a too fervent zeal for him and his caufe, if fuch can be, than coldnefs and indifference. 3. We fee Solomon's remark verified, that righteoufnefs exalt eth a nation, but fin is the reproach and ruin of any people, Balaam and Balak could not hurt Ifrael, while there was no iniquity or perverfenefs found in them ; but no fooner are their minds and their morals corrupted, than the plague breaks in upon them. Evil communications corrupt good NUMBERS. XXVI. ll? good manners, introduce fhameful vices, and fo a flood gate is opened for all dreadful calamities to enter in. Thofe are the worft enemies a man can have, who draw him to fin ; thofe are the worft enemies to a nation, who tempt others to fin, and labour to make them children of helL It is our duty, as christians, to avoid fin as much as poflible ourfelves, and to do all we can to prevent it in others ; knowing that it will, fooner or later, bring inevitable ruin upon them. CHAP. XXVI. This chapter is principally taken up in numbering the people in the plains of Mo ah -, in which we may obferve the right eoufnefs, fidelity, and goodnefs of God. His right eoufnefs, in fulfill- ing his threat enings ; his fidelity to Caleb and Jo/hua ; and his abundant goodnefs, in fparing Ifrael, and multiplying them fo, that they were almoft as many as at Sinai \ all middle aged, firong men, fit for war, and well injlrutled in the law of God. 1 J\ N D lt came to pafs a^ter the PlaSue> tnat the S\ Lord fpake unto Mofes and unto Eleazar the 2 fon of Aaron the prieft, faying, Take the fum of all the congregation of the children of Ifrael, from twenty years old and upward, throughout their father's houfe, 3 all that are able to go to war in Ifrael. And Mofes and Eleazar the prieft fpake with them in the plains of 4 Moab by Jordan [near] Jericho, faying, [Take the fum of the people,] from twenty years old and upward •, as the Lord commanded Mofes and the children of If- rael, which went forth out of the land of Egypt. 5 Reuben, the eldeft fon of Ifrael : the children of Reuben •, Hanoch, [of whom comethj the family of • the Hanochites: of Pallu, the family of the Palluites: 6 Of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites : of Carmi, 7 the family of the Carmites. Thefe [are] the families of the Reubenites : and they that were numbered of them were forty and three thoufand and feven hundred 8 9 and thirty. And the fons of Pallu -, Eliab. And H 3 the iiS NUMBERS. XXVI, the fons of Eliab ; Nemuel, and Dathan, and Abiram. This [is that] Dathan and Abiram [which were] fa- mous in the congregation, who ftrove againft Mofes and againft Aaron in the company of Korah, when 10 they ftrove againft the Lord : And the earth opened her mouth, and fwallowed them up together with Ko- rah, when that company died, what time the fire de- voured two hundred and fifty men : and they became 11 a fign. Notwithstanding the children of Korah died not. 12 The fons of Simeon after their families : of Nemuel, the family of the Nemuelites : of Jamin, the family of the Jammites : of Jachin, the family of the Jachinites : 13 Of Zerah, the family of the Zaihites: of Shaul, the 14 family of the Shaulites* Thefe [are] the families of the Simeonites, twenty and two thoufand and two hundred. 15 The children of Gad after their families : of Zephon, the family of the Zephonites : of Haggi, the family of the Haggites: of Shuni, the family of the Shunites: 1 6 Of Ozni, the family of the Oznites : of Eri, the family 17 of the Erites : Of Arod, the family of the Arodites : of 18 Areli, the family of the Arelites. Thefe [are] the families of the children of Gad according to thofe that were numbered of them, forty thoufand and five hun- dred. 19 The fons of Judah [were] Er and Onan: and Er and 20 Onan died in the land of Canaan. And the fons of Judah after their families were -, of Shelah, the family of the Shelanites : of Pharez, the family of the Phar- 21 zites: of Zerah, the family of the Zarhites : And the fons of Pharez were ; of Hezron, the family of the Hezronites : of Hamul, the family of the Hamul- 22 ites. Thefe [are] the families of Judah according to thofe that were numbered of them, threefcore and fix- teen thoufand and five hundred. 23 [Of] the fons of IfTachar after their families: [of] Tola, the family of the Tolaites : of Pua, the family of 2 \. the Punites : Of Jafhub, the family of the Jafhubites : of 25 Shimron, the family of the Shimronites. Thefe [are] the families of IfTachar according to thofe that were num.- NUMBERS. XXVI. iig numbered of them, threefcore and four thoufand and three hundred. 26 [Of] the fons of Zebulun after their families: of Sered, the family of the Sardites : of Elon, the family of the Elonites : of Jahleel, the family of the Jahleel- 27 ites. Thefe [are] the families of the Zebulunites ac- cording to thofe that were numbered of them, three- fcore thoufand and five hundred. 28 The fons of Jofeph after their families [were] Ma- 29 naffeh and Ephraim. Of the fons of ManarTeh : of Machir, the family of the Machirites : and Machir be- gat Gilead : of Gilead [come] the family of the Gilead- 30 ites. Thefe [are] the fons of Gilead : [of ] Jeezer, the family of the Jeezerites : of Helek the family of the 31 Helekites: And [of] Afriel, the family of the Afrie- lites : and [of] Shechem, the family of the Shechemites: 32 And [of] Shemida, the family of the Shemidaites: ^l and [of] Hepher, the family of the Hepherites. And Zelophehad the fon of Hepher had no fons, but daugh- ters : and the names of the daughters of Zelophehad [were] Mahlah, and Noah, Hoglah, Milcah, and Tir- 34 zah. Thefe [are] the families of ManarTeh, and thofe that were numbered of them were fifty and two thoufand and {qvqii hundred. $5 Thefe [are] the fons of Ephraim, after their families : of Shuthelah, the family of the Shuthalhites : of Be- char, the family of the Bachrites: of Tahan, the 36 family of the Tahanites. And thefe [are] the fons of 37 Shuthelah: ofEran, the family of the Eranites. Thefe [are] the families of the fons of Ephraim according to thofe that were numbered of them, thirty and two thoufand and five hundred. Thefe [are] the fons of Jofeph afteir their families. 38 The fons of Benjamin afteir their families : of Bela, the family of the Belaites : of Afhbel, the family of the Ambelites : of Ahiram, the family of the Ahira- 39 mites * Of Shupham, the family of the Shuphamites : 40 of Hupham, the family of the Huphamites. And the fons of Bela were Ard and Naaman : [of Ard,] the family of the Ardites : [and] of Naaman, the family of H 4 the 120 NUMBERS. XXVT: 41 the Naamites. Thefe [are] the fons of Benjamin af- ter their families: and they that were numbered of them [were] forty and five thoufand ahd fix hundred. 42 Thefe [are] the fons of Dan after their families : of Shuham, the family of the Shuhamites. Thefe [are] 43 the families of Dan after their families. A'l the fami- lies of the Shuhamites, according to thofe that were numbered of them, [were] threefcore and four thoufand and four hundred. 44 [Of] the children of Afher after their families : of Jimna, the family of the Jimnites : of Jefui, the family of the Jefuites : of Beriah, the family of the Beriites. 45 Of the fons of Beriah: of Heber, the family of the Heberites : of Malchiel, the family of the Mai- 46 chielites. And the name of the daughter of Afher 47 [was] Sarah. Thefe [are] the families of the fons of Afher according to thofe that were numbered of them j [who were] fifty and three thoufand and four hundred. 48 [Of] the fons of Naphtali after their families: of Jahzeel, the family of the Jahzeelites : of Guni, the 49 family of the Gunites : Of Jezer, the family of the Jezerites : of Shillem, the family of the Shillemites, 50 Thefe [are] the families of Naphtali according to their families : and they that were numbered of them [were] forty and five thoufand and four hundred. 51 Thefe [were] the numbered of the children of Ifrael, fix hundred thoufand and a thoufand feven hundred and thirty. 52 53 And the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Unto thefe the land fhall be divided for an inheritance accord- 54 ing to the number of names. To many thou fnaltgive the more inheritance, and to few thou fhalt give the lefs inheritance : to every one fhall his inheritance be given according to thofe that were numbered of him. 55 Notwithstanding the land fhall be divided by lot : ac- cording to the names of the tribes of their fathers they 56 fhall inherit. According to the lot fhall the pofTerTioii thereof be divided between many and few. 57 And thefe [are] they that were numbered of the Le- vites after their families: of Gerfhon, the family of the Ger- NUMBERS. XXVII. 121 Gerfhonites : . of Kohath, the family of the Kohathites : 58 of Merari, the family of the Merarites. Thefe [are] the families of the Levites : the family of the Libnites, the family of the Hebronites, the family of the Mah- lites, the family of the Mumites, the family of the 59 Korathites. And Kohath begat Amram. And' the name of Amram's wife [was] Jochebed, the daughter of Le- vi, whom [her mother] bare to Levi in Egypt : and fhe bare unto Amram Aaron, and Mofes, and Miriam 60 their fitter. And unto Aaron was born Nadab, and 61 Abihu, Eleazar, and Ithamar. And Nadab and Abihu died, when they offered ftrange fire before the Lord. 62 And thofe that were numbered of them were twenty and three thoufand, all males from a month old and upward : for they were not numbered among the children of Ifrael, becaufe there was no inheritance given them among the children of Ifrael. 63 Thefe [are] they that were numbered by Mofes and Eleazar the prieft, who numbered the children of Ifrael 64 in the plains of Moab by Jordan [near] Jericho. But among thefe there was not a man of them whom Mofes and Aaron the prieft numbered, when they numbered 6$ the children of Ifrael in the wildernefs of Sinai. For the Lord had faid of them, They fhallfurely die in the wildernefs. And there was not left a man of them fave Caleb the fon of Jephunneh, and Jolhua the fon of Nun. CHAP. XXVII. The petition of Zelophehad's daughter s, and their fuccefs ; Mofes having notice given him of his deaths prays for a fucceffor ; and Joftiua is appointed, 1 r~w^\ HEN came the daughters of Zelophehad, the fon X of Hepher, the fon of Gilead, the fon of Machir, the fon of Manaffeh, of the families of Manafieh the fon of Jofeph : and thefe [are] the names of his daughters •, Mahlah, Noah, and Hoglah, and Milcah, and Tirzah ; thefe^ 22 NUMBER S. XXVII. thefe, perceiving that the males only were numbered, and that the land was to be divided to them only, put in their claim for 2 afliare in their father's inheritance-, And they ftood before Mofes, and before Eleazar the prieft, and before the princes and all the congregation, [by] the door of the tabernacle of the congregation, which was God* s court of 3 judicature, faying, Our father died in the wildernefs, and he was not in the company of them that gathered themfelves together againft the Lord in the company of Korah $ but died in his own fin, and had no fons, that is, he died a natural death, to which he was liable for fin, as all other nun are ; he had done no thing to cut off the 4 entail, and expofe his children to forfeit their rights. Why mould the name of our father be done away from among his family, be quite extinguifhed in the divifion of the land, becaufe he hath no fon ? Give unto us [therefore] a 5 pofTeflion among the brethren of our father,11 And Mofes brought their caufe before the Lord. 6 7 And the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, The daughters of Zelophehad fpeak right: thou lhalt furely give them a porTeilicn of an inheritance among their father's brethren •, and thou malt caufe the inheritance 8 of their father to pafs unto them.0 And thou lhalt fpeak unto the children of Ifrael, faying, If a man die, and have no fon, then ye fhall caufe his inheritance to 9 pafs unto his daughter, And if he have no daughter, then ye fhall give his inheritance unto his brethren. 10 And if he have no brethren, then ye fhall give his in- 1 1 heritance unto his father's brethren. And if his father have no brethren, then ye (hall give his inheritance un- to his kinfman that is next to him of his family, and he fhall pollefs it : and it fhall be unto the children of If- rael a ftatute of judgment, as the Lord commanded Mofes, according to which, judgment fhall be given in all like cafes for the future? n This was very commendable in thefe young women ; it mowed great faith in God's promife to bring tiiem to Canaan, and great refpecl to their father, in defiring to have his name continued. ° This was done, Jojhua xvii. 4. yet with a caution refps&ing their marriage, ch. x.vxvi. 6. p The laws of our country, refpe&ing inheritances, are exa&ly agreeable to this law or itatute of lirael. NUMBERS. XXVII. 12$ 12 And the Lord faid unto Mofes, Get thee up into this mount Abarim,s and fee the land which I have 13 given unto the children of Ifrael. And when thou haft feen it, thou alfo (halt be gathered unto thy people, as 14 Aaron thy brother was gathered/ For ye rebelled againft my commandment in the defert of Zin, in the ftrife of the congregation, to fanctify me at the water before their eyes : that [is] the water of Meribah in Kadefh, in the wildernefs of Zin/ 15 16 And Mofes fpake unto the Lord, faying, Let the Lord, the God of the fpirits of all flefh, who hath created the fouls of all, and therefore is mofi able to judge whofefpirit is beft qualified for this office, and who can befiow a J (pit it anfwerable to fo great a charge, fet a man over the 17 congregation, Which may go out before them, and which may go in before them, and which may lead them out, and which may bring them in, guide and govern them both at home and abroad, in war and peace, and un* dertake the charge of them upon all occafions •, that the con- gregation of the Lord be not as fheep which have no ihepherd, in an helplefs and miferable condition. 18 And the Lord faid unto Mofes, Take thee Jofhua the fon of Nun, a man in whom [is] the fpirit of wifi- dom, government, zeal, and devotion, and lay thine hand upon him, confer authority, and intreat a blejjing on him ; and fear not but I will befiow upon him a great increafe of 1 9 gifts, anfwerable to the dignity and duty of his office : And fet him before Eleazar the prieft, and before all the congregation, that they may be witneffes of this tranfaclion^ and acknowledge him as their governor *, and that his own heart may be the more impreffed with this folemnity -, and give 1 This was a range of mountains, of confiderable extent, near the rivers Jordan and Arnon. Nebo was one particular mountain, and Pifgah the higheft top of it. * In Deuteronomy we find that Mofes had defired to go over, but God forbade it, and fays, Thou /halt die as Aaron ; probably to recommend to him Aaron's fubmiffion and cheerfulnefs. 5 God by this means reminds him of his fault, and of the reafon why he mull die here. Yet much mercy was mingled ; he gave him a fight of the promifed land, and the hope of things iniinnely better. "Upon which Mofes fubmitsj yet earnelUy prays that God would take care of Ifrael. 124 NUMBERS. XXVII. give him a charge in their fight-, command him to under- take the work \ encourage and animate him to perform it ; direct him to he faithful and diligent, (See the charge in 20 Deut. xxxi. vii.) And thou fhalt put [fome] of thine honour upon him, that all the congregation of the children of Ifrael may be obedient, /how him refpetl as thy partner and fucceffbr, and caufe others to do fo, and im- 2 1 pari to him the enfigns of thy authority. And he fhall (land before Eleazar the prieft, who fhall afk [counfel] for him after the judgment of Urim before the Lord ; at his word, the word of God made known by Urim^ mall they go out, and at his word they mail come in, [both] he, Jofhua himfelf and all the children of Ifrael with him, even all the congregation.1 22 And Mofes did as the Lord commanded him : and he took Jofhua, and fet him before Eleazar the prieft, 23 and before all the congregation : And he laid his hands upon him, and gave him a charge, as the Lord com- manded by the hand of Mofes. u REFLECTIONS. 1. II 7 E learn hence, that to believe God's promifes of V V tne heavenly inheritance, and to feek a fhare in it, is highly commendable. Thefe young women, daugh- ters of Zelophehad, are commended by God for believing and claiming a (hare in the earthly Canaan, and for being unwilling to lofe their part in it. Surely then it is fit that all fhould feek a better country, and be afraid of lofing their inheritance there. Thofe /peak right who pray to poffefs that; and I In this refpeel joihua was much inferior to Mofes ; for Mofes never confuked God this way ; He had no prieil, no Urim ; but went immediately to God. In this refpect there nvas no propket like unto Mofes. As to the way in which the anfwers were given by Urim, (fee note on Exodus xxviii. 30.) probably it was by fome voice from the mercy fea: that the divine orders were given ; but fome of the jewim rabbies wifely fay, ' he is on the jateit fide who owns his ignorance in this point.' II This mowed great integrity and humility in Mofes ; it was not his own fort, nor one ot his tribe, that he exalted. He dif- covered the bigheli regard to God's appointment, and no: to the advancement of his own family. NUMBERS. XXVII. 125 and nothing is fo becoming women who profefs godlinefs. If, as Tome commentators fuppofe, they had in their requeft a reference to heaven, of which Canaan was a type, they were five wife daughters indeed, and fet a commendable example to thofe of their own age and fex, to feek fir ft the kingdom of God and his right eoufncfs, which is promifed in the covenant of grace to all that fincerely feek it. 2. Let us learn of Mofes, this man of God, to exprefs an afFeclionate concern for the welfare of God's Ifrael, his church •, and efpecially when it wants able and faithful paf- tors. Mofes had been ill treated by Ifrael ; their rebellion provoked him to fpeak fo unadvifedly that he loft Canaan ; yet he tenderly loved them, and fought their welfare. He was concerned not to leave them as flieep without ajhepherd. Let us cultivate a tender concern for the church of God. It is very bad with it, when God's people are as fheep expofed to want and danger, without a guide and guard. It engaged the pity of the Redeemer when he faw the mul- titude in fuch a ftate, and it mould excite ours : or even when they have fhepherds, if, as is too often the cafe, they are little better than none. God by his fpirit can qualify men for the work and fervice of his fancluary, bring them to it, and make them fuccefsful in it. Let us view the vacancies in his churches with a companionate eye-, and earneftly pray the great Lord of the harveft, to fend forth faithful labourers into it. 3. When perfons undertake publick fervices for the church, it is decent, proper, and ufeful, that they mould be folemnly fet apart for them, and charged to be faithful in them -, fo Jofhua was, who had great fervices before him for Ifrael. It would be proper in itfelf, if there was no ex- prefs example of it in the New Teflament ; but we have many fuch, where chriftian ministers were recommended to the grace of God, by laying on of the hands of the apoftles and elders of the church. The cufrom of doing it to this day, and giving a folemn charge, is very proper, as it tends to make good impreflions on the minds of minifters and people. It is defirable that fuch a cuftom mould be maintained in the church •, and it mould be our hearty wifh and prayer, that it may be as ferioufly obferved, and be as ufeful, as it is proper and decent. 126 NUMBERS. XXV1I1. CHAP. XXVIIL The obfervance of the Lord's offerings commanded \ and of the continual burnt offering. i ^ ND the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Com- 2 xjl niand the children of Ifrael, and fay unto them. My offering, [and] my bread for my facrifices made by fire, [for] a fweet favour unto me, fhall ye obferve to offer unto me in their due feafon. 3 And thou fhalt fay unto them, This [is] the offer- ing made by fire which ye mall offer unto the Lord ; two lambs of the firft year without fpot day by day, 4 [for] a continual burnt offering. The one lamb fhalt thou offer in the morning, and the other lamb fhalt g thou offer at even *, And a tenth [part] of an ephah of flour for a meat offering, mingled with the fourth 6 [part] of an hin of beaten oil. [It is] a continual burnt offering, which was ordained in mount Sinai for a fweet y favour, a facrifice made by fire unto the Lord. And the drink offering thereof [fhall be] the fourth [part] of an hin for the one lamb : in the holy [place] fhalt thou caufe the ftrong wine to be poured unto the Lord [for] 8 a drink offering. And the other lamb fhalt thou offer at even : as the meat offering of the morning, and as the drink offering thereof, thou fhalt offer [it,] a fa- crifice made by fire, of a fweet favour unto the Lord. o, And on the fabbath day two lambs of the firft year without fpot, and two tenth deals of flour [for] a meat offering, mingled with oil, and the drink offering io thereof: [This is] the burnt offering of every fabbath, befides the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering 1 1 And in the beginnings of your months ye fhall offer a burnt offering unto the Lord •, two young bullocks, and one ram, feven lambs of the firft year without fpot ; 12 And three tenth deals of flour [for] a meat offering, mingled with oil, for one bullock ; and two tenth deals of flour [for] a meat offering, mingled with oil, for 13 one ram* And a feveral tenth deal of flour mingled with NUMBERS. XXVIIL 127 with oil [for] a meat offering unto one lamb -, [for] a burnt offering of a fweet favour, a facrifice made by 14 fire unto the Lord. And their drink offerings mail be half an hin of wine unto a bullock, and the third [part] of an hin unto a ram, and a fourth [part] of an hin un- to a lamb : this [is] the burnt offering of every month 1 .5 throughout the months of the year. And one kid of the goats for a fin offering unto the Lord fhall be offered, befides the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering. 16 And in the fourteenth day of the firft month [is] 17 the paffover of the Lord. And in the fifteenth day of this month [is] the feaft : feven days fhall unleavened 18 bread be eaten. In the firft day [mall bej an holy convocation ; ye fhall do no manner of fervile work 19 [therein:] But ye mail offer a facrifice made by fire [for] a burnt offering unto the Lord j two young bul- locks, and one ram, and feven lambs of the firft year : 20 they fhall be unto you without hlemifh : And their meat offering [fhall be of] flour mingled with oil : three tenth deals fhall ye offer for a bullock, and two tenth 2 1 deals for a ram •, A feveral tenth deal fhalt thou offer 22 for every lamb, throughout the feven lambs : And one goat [for] a fin offering, to make an atonement for 23 you. Ye fhall offer thefe befides the burnt offering in the morning, which [is] for a continual burnt offering. 24 After this manner ye fhall offer daily, throughout the feven days, the meat of the facrifice made by fire, of a fweet favour unto the Lord : it fhall 'be offered befides the continual burnt offering, and his drink offering, 25 And on the feventh day ye fhall have an holy convoca- tion \ ye fhall do no fervile work. 26 Alfo in the day of the firft fruits, when ye bring a new meat offering unto the Lord, after your weeks [be out,] ye fhall have an holy convocation ; ye fhall do no 27 fervile work : But ye fhall offer the burnt offering for a fweet favour unto the Lord, two young bullocks, one 28 ram, feven lambs of the firft year : And their meat offering of flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals 29 unto one bullock, two tenth deals unto one ram. A feveral 128 NUMBERS. XXIX. feveral tenth deal unto one lamb, throughout the {even 30 hmbs ; [And] one kid of the goats to make an atone- 3 1 ment for you. Ye fhall ofrer [them] befides the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering (they fhall be un- to you without blemifh) and their drink offerings. CHAP. XXIX. The offering at the feaft of trumpets % on the day of humiliation \ and on the eight days of the feaft of tabernacles, 1 A N D in the feventh month, on the firft [day] of JL~\. the month, ye fhall have an holy convocation ; ye fhall do no fervile work : it is a day of blowing the 2 trumpets unto you. And ye fhall offer a burnt offering for a fweet favour unto the Lord ; one young bullock, one ram, [and] feven lambs of the firft year without 3 blemifh : And their meat offering [fhall be of] flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals for a bullock, [and] 4 two tenth deals for a ram, And one tenth deal for one 5 lamb, throughout the (even lambs : And one kid of the goats [for] a fin offering, to make an atonement 6 for you : Befides the burnt offering of the month, and his meat offering, and the daily burnt offering, and his meat offering, and their drink offerings, according unto their manner, for a fweet favour, a facrifice made by fire unto the Lord. 7 And ye fhall have on the tenth [day] of this feventh month an holy convocation : and ye fhall afflict your 8 fouls : ye fhall not do any work [therein :] But ye fhall offer a burnt offering unto the Lord [for] a fweet fa- vour-, one young bullock, one ram, [and] feven lambs of the firft year ; they fhall be unto you without blemifh : 9 And their meat offering [fhall be of] flour mingled with oil, three tenth deals to a bullock, [and] two tenth 10 deals to one ram, A feveral tenth deal for one lamb, 1 1 throughout the Cevcn lambs : One kid of the goats [for] a fin offering •, befides the fin offering of atonement, and NUMBERS. XXIX. I2g and the continual burnt offering, and the meat offering of it, and their drink offerings. a I2^"d on th,e ,fifteenth day of the feventh month ye ihal have an holy convocation ; ye (hall do no fervile work, and ye mall keep a feaft unto the Lord feven 13 %U : UAf ^ J"? °ffe.r 3 bumt °fferinS' a ^ifice made by fire, of a fweet favour unto the Lord • thir 1, te/" y°u"g bullocks, two rams, [and] fourteen 'lambs' 14 ot the firft year • they fhall be without blemifh ■ And their meat offering [mall be of] flour mingled with oil three tenth deals unto every bullock of the thirteen bull locks,, two tenth deals to each ram of the two rams 15 And a feveral tenth deal to each lamb of the fourteen !am!f ! And one kid of the goats [for] a fin offering , befides the continual burnt offering, his meat offering ■ and h,s_ drink offering. And on the fecond day [ye ftall offer] twelve young bullocks, two rams, fourteen Jambs of the firft year without fpot : And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks for the rams and for the lambs, [mail be] according to their number, after the manner : And one kid of the goats [for] a fin offering ; befides the continual burnt offering, and the meat offering thereof, and their drink 20 offerings. And on the third day eleven bullocks, two rams, fourteen lambs of the firft year without blemifh • 21 ^nd their meat offering and their drink offerino-s for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, Tfhall -2 be] according to their number, after the manner : And one goat [for] a fin offering; befides the continual burnt oaring, and his meat offering, and his drink 23 offering. And on the fourth day ten bullocks, two rams, [and] fourteen lambs of the firft year without 24 blemifh : Their meat offering, and their drink offer- r'Fii u i bu!locks> for the rams, and for the lambs, Llhafl be] according to their number, after the manner; 25 And one kid of the goats [for] a fin offering; befides the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and 26 his drink offering. And on the fifth day nine bullocks, two rams, [and] fourteen lambs of the firft year with- 27 ?rUt ??t: And their meat offering, and their drink Vol. II. T „nr • 1 offerings 18 '5> 130 NUMBERS. XXIX. offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, [fhall be] according to their number, after the 28 manner : And one goat [for] a fin offering, befides the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and 29 his drink offering. And on the fixth day eight bullocks, two rams, [and] fourteen lambs of the firft year with- 30 out blemifh : And their meat offering ancl their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, [fhall be] according to their number, after the 3 1 manner : And one goat [for] a fin offering •, befides the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his 32 drink offering. And on the feventh day {even bul- locks, two rams, [and] fourteen lambs of the firft year 33 without blemifh : And their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullocks, for the rams, and for the lambs, [fhall be] according to their number, after 34 the manner: And one goat [for] a fin offering; befides the continual burnt offering, his meat offering, and his drink offering. 35 On the eighth day ye fhall have a folemn affembly : 36 ye fhall do no fervile work [therein :] But ye fhall offer a burnt offering, a facrifice made by fire, of a fweet favour unto the Lord : one bullock, one ram, 2J feven lambs of the firft year without blemifh: Their meat offering and their drink offerings for the bullock, for the ram, and for the lambs, [fhall be] according to 38 their number, after the manner: And one goat [for] a fin offering ; befides the continual burnt offering, and his meat offering, and his drink offering. 29 Thefe [things] ye fhall do unto the Lord in your fet feaffs, befides your vows, and your free will offer- ings, for your burnt offerings, and for your meat offerings, and for your drink offerings, and for your 40 peace offerings. And Mofes told the children of Ifrael, according to all that the Lord commanded Mofes. CHAP. NUMBERS. XXX; l3l CHAP. XXX. Of vows. 1 j\ N D Mofes {pake unto the heads of the tribes JT\ concerning the children of Ifrael, faying, This 2 [is] the thing which the Lord hath commanded. If a man vow a row unto the Lord, or fwear an oath to bind his foul with a bond ; he fhall not break his word, he mall do according to all that proceedeth out of his mouth. 3 : If a woman alfo vow a vow unto the Lord, and bind [herfelf] by a bond, [being] in her father's houfe in 4 her youth : And her father hear her vow, and her bond wherewith me hath bound her foul, and her father fhall hold his peace at her : then all her vows mail ftand, and every bond wherewith flie hath bound her foul 5 mail ftand. But if her father difallow her In the day that he heareth ; not any of her vows, or of her bonds wherewith me hath bound her foul, mall ftand : and the Lord mail forgive her, becaufe her father difallow. ed her. 6 And if fhe had at all an hufband when me vowed, or uttered aught out of her lips, wherewith fhe bound 7 her foul; And her hufband heard [it,] and held his peace at her in the day that he heard [it:] then her vows fhall ftand, and her bonds wherewith fhe bound 8 her foul fhall ftand. But if her hufband difallowed her on the day that he heard [it ;] then he fhall make her vow which fhe vowed, and that which fhe uttered with her lips, wherewith fhe bound her foul, of none effedt: 9 and tnt Lord fhall forgive her. But every vow of a * widow, and of her that is divorced, wherewith they have bound their fouls fhall ftand againft her. io And if fhe vowed in her hufband's houfe, or bound 1 1 her foul by a bond with an oath; And her hufband heard [it,] and held his peace at her, [and] difallowed her not: then all her vows fhall ftand, and every bond 12 wherewith fhe bound her foul fhall ftand. But if her hufband hath utterly made them void on the day he I 2 heard 132 NUMBERS. XXXI. heard [them ; then] whatfoever proceeded out of hef lips concerning her vows, or concerning the bond of her foul, fhall not ftand : her hufband hath made them 13 void; and the Lord fhall forgive her. Every vow, and every binding oath to afflict the foul, her hufband may eftablifh it, or her hufband may make it void." 14 But if her hufband altogether hold his peace at her from day to day •, then he eftablifheth all her vows, or all her bonds, which [are] upon her : he confirmeth them, becaufe he held his peace at her in the day that 15 he heard [them.] But if he fhall any ways make them void alter that he hath heard [them-,] then he fhall 16 bear her iniquity. Thefe [are] the ftatutes, which the Lord commanded Mofes between a man and his wife, between the father and his daughter, [being yet] in her youth in her father's houfe. CHAP. XXXI. The Midianites are fpoiled -, Balaam Jlain -, and Mofes is angry with the officers for faving the women alive, 1 A ND the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Avenge 2 ji\ the children of Ifrael of the Midianites : after- 3 ward fhalt thou be gathered unto thy people." And Mofes, to fee who would be mofi ready to execute the divine commijfion, fpake unto the people, faying, Arm fome of yourfelves unto the war, and let them go againfl: 4 the Midianites, and avenge the Lord of Midian. Of every tribe a thoufand, throughout all the tribes of If- 5 rael, fhall ye fend to the war. So there were delivered out of the thoufands of Ifrael, a thoufand of [every] tribe, twelve thoufand armed for war, who offered them- 6 f elves freely. And Mofes fent them to the war, a thou- fand of [every] tribe ; fo many from each, to prevent any jealoufy > u As the Midianites had drawn them into fin, and by that ftiowed themfelves to be their worft enemies, they are commanded to be deflroyed while Mofes lived, that he might fee juftice done to this enemy, and that farther occafion of iin to Ifrael might be removed. NUMBERS. XXXI. i33 jealoufy \ and not any more, to exercife their faith in God, who can fave by few as well as by many ; he fent them and Phinehas the fon of Eleazar the prieft, to the war, with the holy inftruments, and', or even, the trumpets to blow in his hand. 7 And they warred againft the Midianites, as the Lord commanded Mofes ; and they flew all the males, whkh they came up with -, but many efcaped, and vexed 8 Ifrael in the days of Gideon. And they flew the kings of idian, befides the reft of them that were flain; [name- ly,] Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, five kings of Midian, all tributary to Sihon king of the Amorites, as we find in Jofliua xiii. 21. Balaam alio the fon of Beor they flew with the fword •, he either fiaid among the Midianites, or, hearing of the deftruclion of the Ifraelites by the plague, came back to fee, and promote their ruin, and died among the Midianites, but not, as he had formerly wiflied, 9 the death of the righteous. And the children of Ifrael took [ail] the women of Midian captives, and their little ones, and took the fpoil of all their cattle, and all their flocks, 10 and all their goods. And they burnt all their cities wherein they dwelt, and all their goodly caftles, with 1 1 fire.w And they took all the fpoil, and all the prey, 12 [both] of men and of beafts. And they brought the captives, the women and children, and the prey, their cattle and flocks, and the fpoil, their gold and Jilver9 unto Mofes and Eleazar the prieft, and unto the con- gregation of the children of Ifrael, unto the camp at the plains of Moab, which [are] by Jordan [near] Jericho. 13 And Mofes, and Eleazar the prieft, and all the princes of the congregation, went forth to meet them without the camp, to congratulate their viclory, and to put 14 them in mind of cleanfing themfelves. And Mofes was wroth with the officers of the hoft, [with] the captains over thoufands, and captains over hundreds, which 15 came from the battle. And Mofes faid unto them, 16 Have ye faved all the women alive? Behold, thefe I o caufed w The Chaldee fays, their temples, flrong places, where they had gods of gold and filver. 134 NUMBERS. XXXI. caufed the children of Ifrael, through the counfel of Balaam, to commit trefpafs againft the Lord in the matter of Peor, and there was a plague among the 17 congregation of the Lord.* Now therefore kill every male among the little ones, and kill every woman that 18 hath known man by lying with him. But all the women- children, that have not known a man by lying with him, keep alive for yourlelves, to be your fervants, or even wives, if they learn the knowledge of God, and become profelytes •, which wight be the cafe, as they were fo 19 young. And do ye abide without the camp {^ven days: whofcever hath killed any perfon, and whofoever hath touched any flain, purify [both] yourfelves and your captives, on the third day, and on the feventh day/ 20 And purify all [your] raiment, and all that is made of fkins, and all work of goats5 [hair,] and all things made of wood, of the fpoils which you have taken. (See ch. xix. 14, 16, 22. 21 And Eleazar the priefl faid unto the men of war which went to the battle, This [is] the ordinance of the 22 law which the Lord commanded Mofes ; Only the gold, and the fiiver, the brafs, the. iron, the tin, and 23 the lead, Every thing that. may abide the fire, ye fhall make [it] go through the fire, and it fhall be clean : neverthelefs it fhall be purified with the water of fepa- ration; and all that abideth not the fire ye fhall make go through the water-, that is, zvhat would bear the fire, was to pafs thro9 it, and other things thro9 the water. This 24 was common among the heathen aljo. And ye fhall wafh your clothes on the feventh day, and ye fhall be clean, and afterwards ye fhall come into the camp. 25 26 And the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Take the fum of the prey that was taken, [both] of man and^ of beaft, thou and Eleazar the pricft, and the chief fathers * Probably moil of thefe very perfens had been guilty, and, if they had been fpared, might have been acceilary to the fin and ruin of Ifrael. y Tho' the war was juft and lawful, they contracted ceremonial pollution by fhedding blocd, ?nd touching the dead; ;md purifi- cation w^s a practice common among heathen nations, on their return from war. NUMBERS. XXXI. 135 27 fathers of the congregation : And divide the prey into two parts -, between them that took the war upon them, who went out to battle, and between all the congrega- 28 tion.z And levy a tribute unto the Lord of the men of war, which went out to battle : one foul of five hun- dred, [both] of the perfons, and of the beeves, and of 29 the affes, and of the fheep. Take [it] of their half, and give [it] unto Eleazar the prieft, [for] an heave ofFer- 30 ing of the Lord. And of the children of Ifrael's half, thou lhalt take one portion of fifty, of the perfons, of the beeves, of the affes, and of the flocks, of all man- ner of beafts, and give them unto the Levites, which keep the charge of the tabernacle of the Lord, that God might have his /hare ; that is, a fart out of fifty, from the congregation's fliare, for the Levites, and one out of five 31 hundred of the foldiers\ for the priefts And Mofes and Eleazar the prieft did as the Lord commanded Mofes. 32 And the booty [being] the reft of the prey which the men of war had caught, was fix hundred thoufand and 33 feventy thoufand and five thoufand fheep, And three- 34 fcore and twelve thoufand beeves, And threefcore and 35 one thoufand affes, And thirty and two thoufand per- fons in all, of women that had not known man by lying 36 with him. And the half [which was] the portion of them that went out to war, was in number three hun- dred thoufand and feven and thirty thoufand and five 3 J hundred fheep; And the Lord's tribute of the fheep 38 was fix hundred and threefcore and fifteen. And the beeves [were] thirty and fix thoufand, of which the %<) Lord's tribute [was] threefcore and twelve. And the affes were thirty thoufand and five hundred, of which 40 the Lord's tribute [was] threefcore and one. And the perfons [were] fixteen thoufand, of which the Lord's 41 tribute [was] thirty and two perfons. And Mofes gave the tribute [which was] the Lord's heave offering, unto Eleazar the prieft, as the Lord commanded I 4 Mofes. z The congregation were to have a fhare, becaufe the warriors went out in their name, and to make ibme reparation for what they had fuffered by the Midianites. This was done by particular "directions, and'fo all Cornells were prevented. 136 NUMBERS. XXXI. 42 Mofes. And of the children of Ifrael's half, which 43 Mofes divided from the men that warred, (Now the half [that pertained unto] the congregation,' was three hundred thoufand and thirty thoufand [and] feven thou- 44 fand and five hundred fheep, And thirty and fix thou- 45 fand beeves, And thirty thoufand affes and five hundred, 46 47 And fixteen thoufand perfons) Even of the child- ren of Ifrael's half, Mofes took one portion of fifty, [both] of man and of beaft, and gave them unto the Levites, which kept the charge of the tabernacle of the Lord •, as the Lord commanded Mofes. 48 And the officers which [were] over thoufands of the hoft, the captains of thoufands, and captains of hun- 49 dreds, came near unto Mofes : And they faid unto Mofes, Thy fervants have taken the fum of the men of war which [are] under our charge, and there lacketh 50 not one man of us.a We have therefore brought an oblation for the Lord, what every man hath gotten, or found? of jewels of gold, chains, and bracelets, rings, earrings, and tablets, to make an atonement for our fouls before the Lord ; for any inftance of mifconducl, 51 efpecially in f paring the women, '&c. And Mofes and Eleazar the pried took the gold of them, [even] all 52 wrought jewels. And all the gold of the offering that they offered up to the Lord, of the captains of thou- fands, and of the captains of hundreds, was fixteen thou- fand feven hundred and fifty fhekels, more than thirty 53 thoufand pounds. ([For] the men of war had taken fpoil every man for himfelf, befid.es the cattle above mentioned, 54 which were brought to the common fork.) And Mofes and Eleazar the prieft took the gold of the captains of thou- fands, and of hundreds, and brought it into the taber- nacle of the congregation, [for] a memorial for the children of Ifrael before the Lord, of God's goodnefs to them, and their thank fulnefs to him: REFLECT- 3 The reafon they gave here was very remarkable, they had not loft one man. This would- be a great encouragement to them in their wars againil the Canaanites. 1 NUMBERS. XXXI. 137 REFLECTIONS. j. \\ J E learn hence, that it is our duty to avoid all V V occafion of fin, and temptations to it. This is abfolutely necerTary, if we defire to maintain our in- tegrity, and keep ourfelves pure. Thefe abandoned women were dangerous guefts •, and therefore thefe were but ne^ cefiary and wife ordinances which appointed their execution. JVIay we keep at the remoter! diftance from fin, and abfiain from every appearance of evil. We have need to pray, Lord, lead us not into temptation •, and if we fincerely defire this, we muft. keep a confiant watch over ourfelves, and refolutely avoid thofe places and that company, which may tend to ftir up the corruptions of the heart. Let us therefore watch and pray, Mofes was a faithful guardian of Ifrael, was afraid they fhould be led away and enticed by their own lufts, if they had fuch companions as the Midianitifh women. The wifdom and duty of parents, and others who have the care of youth, is to keep them from thofe who would be a fnare to them, and lead them to fin. 2. It is fit, when God gives us fuccefs, that we fhould pay our thankful acknowledgments to him ; not only praife him with our lips, which is very proper, and fpeak well of his name, but honour him with our fubftance. It is a maxim of the New Teflament, and it would be well if it was regard- ed, that every man fhould lay by inftore as God hath profpered him, a fund for charitable ufes j not to be alienated to any other purpofes, but kept as a memorial of God's mercy, and in gratitude for his goodnefs. It is peculiarly proper in us, and pleafing to God, his minifiers, and people, when thefe facrinces are offered freely and generoufiy, and without constraint, for God loveth the cheerful giver -, and when we are ready to dijiribute and willing to communicate, with fuch facrifices he is well pleafed* CHAP. i3S* NUMBER S. XXXII. C H A P. XXXII. We have here the propofal of the Reuber.hcs and Gadiles to fettle on this fide Jordan ; Mofes is difpleafed at it \ they obviate his objeclions, and he grants their reojieft, "r O W the children of Reuben and the children of Gad had a very great multitude of cattle : and when they faw the land of" Jazer, which they hadjuft taken from the Amgritcs, thro'' which the river Arnon ran, and the land of Gilead, a fruit fid mountain that had many cities upon it, Baflian in particular, and was a very rich end pkafant country, that, behold, the place [was] a 2 place for cattle. The children of Gad, and the children of Reuben came and fpake unto Mofes, and to Eleazar the prieil:, and unto the princes of the congregation, 3 faying, Ataroth, and Dibon, and Jazer, and Nimrah, and Hefhbon, and Elealeh, and Shebam, and Nebo, 4 and Beon j [Even] the country which the Lord fmote before the congregation of Ifrael, [is] a land for cattle, 5 and thy fervants have cattle. Wherefore, faid they, if we have found grace in thy fight, let tiiis land be given unto thy fervants for a pofTeilion, [and] bring us not over Jordan. b 6 And Mofes faid unto the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, Shall your brethren go to 7 war, and mail ye fit here ? And wherefore difcourage ye the heart of the children of Ifrael from going over 8 into the land which the Lord hath given them ?' Thus did your fathers, when I fent them from Kadelh-bar- 9 nea to fee the land. For when they went up unto the valley of Efhcol, and faw the land, they difcouraged the heart of the children of Ifrael, that they mould not go into the land which the Lord had given them. io And the Lord's anger was kindled the fame time, and he b This Teems to have been an irregular propofal, which arofe from too great a love of themfclves, from a want of regard to the authority of Jehovah, who had commanded the land to be divided by lot, and mowed a diltruft of the wifdom and power of God. Mofes plainly thought it proceeded from a bad princi- ple, either coyetdufnefsj or the love of eafe, or cowardice. NUMBERS. XXXII. i39 1 1 he fware, faying, Surely none of the men that came up out of Egypt, from twenty years old and upward, fhall fee the land which I fware unto Abraham, unto Ifaac, and unto Jacob •, becaufe they have not wholly followed 1 2 me : Save Caleb the fon of Jephunneh the Kenezite, and Jofhua the fon of Nun : for they have wholly fol- 13 lowed the Lord. And the Lord's anger was kindled againft Ifrael, and he made them wander in the wilder- nefs forty years, until all the generation that had done 14 evil in the light of the Lord was confumed. And, behold, ye are rifen up in your fathers' {lead, an in- creafe of finful men to augment yet the fierce anger of the Lord toward Ifrael. Mofes thought their propofal would dif courage their brethren, and introduce confufion by other requefts of a fimilar nature •, he fets before them the conducl of their fathers in diftrufting God, and its dreadful punifhment \ and charges them with aEling like their fathers, which would again bring down the anger of God upon Ifrael, j 5 For if ye turn away from after him, as your fathers did, he will yet again leave them -in the wildernefs, and ye fhall deftroy all this people, occafion their definition, by drawing them into fin. 16 And they came near unto him, and faid, We will build iheepfolds here for our cattle, and cities for our little ones j will repair tho/e cities which are ruined, that 27 our little ones and cattle may dwell fafely. But we ourfelves, fo many of us as are needful, will go ready armed before the children of Ifrael, until we have brought them unto their place : and our little ones fhall dwell in the fenced cities, becaufe of the inhabitants of the land.c 1 8 We will not return unto our houfes, until the children 19 of ifrael have inherited every man his inheritance : For we will not inherit with them on yonder fide Jordan, or forward •, becaufe our inheritance is fallen to us on this fide Jordan eaftvvard.d 20 And c Accordingly forty thoufand went with them; their whole num- ber of fighting men was above an hundred thoufand. d h does not appear that this was their firft intention, but upon confuhing together they came to this refolution, to go over and fight with their brethren till they had conquered, and to have no (hare of their land, but be content with their own on this fide Jordan. 240 NUMBER S. XXXII. 20 And Mofes faid unto them, If ye will do this thing, if ye will go armed before the Lord to war, that is, 21 before the ark, in your ufual place. And will go all of you, as many as are neceffary for the exped tion, armed over Jordan before the Lord, until he hath driven out 22 his enemies from before him, And the land be fubdued before the Lord : then afterward ye mail return, and be guiltlefs before the Lord, and before Ifrael •, that is% God will approve of it, and fo will Ifrael-, and this land 23 mall be your pofTeflion before the Lord But if ye will not do fo, behold, ye have finned againft the Lord : and be fure your fin will find you out, the punifhment of 24 it will overtake you one way or other. Build ye cities for your little ones, and folds for your fheep ; and do that 25 which hath proceeded out of your mouth. And the children of Gad and the children of Reuben fpake unto Mofes, faying, Thy fervants will do as my lord 26 commandeth. Our little ones, our wives, our flocks, and all our cattle, mail be there in the cities of Gilead. 27 But thy fervants will pafs over every man armed for 28 war, before the Lord to battle, as my lord faith- So concerning them Mofes commanded Eleazar the prieft, and Jofhua the fon of Nun, and the chief fathers of the tribes of the children of Ifrael, that they Jhould 29 have the land if they performed the condition : And Mofes faid unto them, If the children of Gad, and the children of Reuben will pafs with you over Jordan, every man armed to battle before the Lord, and the land fhall be fubdued before you *, then ye fhall give 30 them the land of Gilead for a pofYefTion : But if they will not pafs over with you armed, they fhall have pof- 31 feiTions among you in the land of Canaan. And the children of Gad, and the children of Reuben anfwered, faying, As the Lord hath faid unto thy fervants, fo 32 will we do. We will pafs over armed before the Lord into the land of Canaan, that the pofTeflion of our in- heritance on this fide Jordan [may be] ours. 33 And Mofes gave unto them, [even] to the children of Gad, and to the children of Reuben, and unto half the tribe of Manaffeh the fon of Jofeph, who, it feems, either NUMBER S. XXXII. 141 either by the appointment of Mofes, or by their own requeft^ were joined with them, the kingdom of Sihon king of the Amorites, and the kingdom of Og king of Bafhan, the land with the cities thereof, in the coafts, [even] the cities of the country round about. . 34 And the children of Gad built Dibon, and Ataroth, 35 and Aroer, And Atroth, Shophan, and Jaazer, and 36 Jogbehah, And Beth-nimrah, and Beth haran, fenced 37 cities : and folds for {hezp, And the children of Reu- ben built Heihbon, and Elealeh, and Kirjah-thaim, 38 And Nebo, and Baal-meon, (their names being chano-- / ed) and Shibmah : and gave other names unto the cities which they builded -, that is, they repaired the cities, and changed the names offome that were called after 39 their idols. And the children of Machir the {on of ManarTeh, fome of the remoter defendants of Manaffeh, (for his Jons muft have been dead long before,) went to Gilead, and took it, and difpofTeffed the Amorite which [was] 40 in it. And Mofes gave half of Gilead unto Machir the 41 fon of ManafTeh •, and he dwelt therein. And Jair the fon of ManarTeh went and took the fmall towns thereof, 42 and called them Havoth-Jair, And Nobah went and took Kenath, and the villages thereof, and called it Nobah, after his own name. Thus the matter was fully fettled -, but the Reubenites fuffered for their requeft, being the fit 'ft that were carried captive, 1 Chron. v. 25. REFLECTIONS. 1. TI J E may obferve, that the love of eafe, and a VV fondnefs for the world, makes many fall fhort of the heavenly Canaan, the good land which God. hath pro- mifed, the better country. When men have got fome good things here, they are ready to fit down and forget the world for which they were intended. They do not care to fuffer the mortifications and difficulties of a religious life. They are fo well fatisfied with this world, as not to defire a better ; and take up their abode here, as if all their happinefs con- firmed in worldly enjoyments. This is the ruin of thoufands. Love not the world, then, for the gofpel fays, If any man love the 142 NUMBERS. XXXIII. the world, the love of the Father is not in him-, if any man will come to me let him deny himfelfr, and the language of God's providence is, Arife, and depart, for this is not your reft. Let us attend to it, and direct our views to that world which God hath promifed, and where alone we can be fafe and happy. 2. The judgments of God upon tranfgrefibrs fhould be a warning to us, that we do not fall into the fame iniquity. Mofes warns the people of what their fathers fuffered for rebelling againft God ; and the fame providence now warns us, for thefe things were written for our injlrvMion. God is the fame holy God, equally jealous of his honour, has the fame power to inflict punifhments, and his fierce anger will be augmented if we do not take warning. Let us look to ourfelves that we provoke not God, for it will be to our deftruction. 3. If men fin againft t\\Q Lord, they may be fure that their fin, fooner or later, will find them out : however fecret the commiflion, whatever plaufibleexcufes or pretences they may make for it, God remembers it. He will fet their fins in order before them \ they will feel the horrors of them in their consciences, and the wrath of God abiding on them. Providence may bring them to light, to their fhame and confufion here ; but certainly they will find them out at the great day •, and, when weighed in God's righteous balance, they will be found wanting, Let us learn hence, to confider the evil of fin, and not think of it as a light matter : may we labour to find out our fins, and fincerely repent of them, that they may not rife againft us another day. C H A P. XXXIII. The two and forty journeys of the Israelites-, and the order for deftroying the Canaanites. 1 'TT^ H E S E [are] the journeys of the children of \ Ifrael, which went forth out of the land of Egypt with their armies under the hand of Mofes and Aaron. 2 And Mofes wrote their goings out according to their iournevs, NUMBERS.. XXXIII. i43 journeys, by the commandment of the Loud : and thefe [are] their journeys according to their goings out, 3 And they departed from Ramefes in the firft month, on the fifteenth day of the firft month : on the moicrow after the pafibver the children of Ifrael went out with an hi^h 4 hand in the fight of all the Egyptians. For the Egyp- tians buried all [their] firft born, which the Lord had fmitten among them: upon their gods alio the Lord 5 executed judgments. And the children of Ifrael re- 6 moved from Ramefes, and pitched in Succoth And they departed from Succoth, and pitched in Etham, 7 which [is] in the edge of the wildernefs. And they re- moved from Etham, and turned again unto Pi-hahi- roth, which [is] before Baal zephon : and they pitched 8 before Migdol. And they departed from before Pi-ha- hiroth, and pafTed thrpugh the mid ft of the fea into the wildernefs, and went three days' journey in the wilder- 9 nefs of Etham, and pitched in Marah. And they re- moved from Marah, "and came unto Elim : and In Elim [were] twelve fountains of water, and threefcore and ten io palm trees, and they pitched there. And they removed 1 1 from Elim, and encamped by the Red fea. AAnd they removed from the Reel fea, and encamped in the wil- 12 dernefs of Sin. And they took their journey out of 13 the wildernefs of Sin, and encamped in Dophkah. And they departed from Dophkah, and encamped in Alufh. 14 And they removed from Alufh, and encamped at Re- phidim, where was no water for the people to drink. 15 And they departed from Rephidim, and pitched in the 16 wildernefs of Sinai. And they removed from tl\Q defert 17 of Sinai, and pitched at Kibroth-hattaavah. And they departed from Kibroth-hattaavah, and encamped at 18 Hazeroth. And they departed from Hazeroth, and 19 pitched in Rithmah. And they departed from Rith- 20 mah, and pitched at "Rimmon parez. And they de- parted from Rimmon-parez, and pitched in Libnah. 21 And they removed from Libnah, and pitched at 22 Riftah. And they journeyed from RifTah, and pitch- 23 ed in Kehelathah. And they went from Kehelathah, 24 and pitched in mount Shapher. And they removed from 144 NUMBERS. XXXIII. from mount Shapher, and encamped in HaradahV 25 And they removed from Haradah, and pitched iii 26 Makheloth. And they removed from Makheloth, and 27 encamped at Tahath. And they departed from Tahath, 28 and pitched at TaraL And they removed from Tarah, 29 and pitched in Mithcah. And they went from Mith- 30 cah, and pitched in Hafhmonah. And they departed 3 1 from Hafhmonah, and encamped at Moferoth. And they departed from Moferoth, and pitched in Bene- 32 jaakaii. And they removed from Bene-jaakan, and 33 encamped at Hor-hagidgad. And they went from Hor- 34 hagidgad, and pitched in Jotbathah. And they re- moved from Jotbathah, and encamped at Ebronah; 35 And they departed from Ebronah, and encamped at 36 Ezion-gaber. And they removed from Ezion-gaber, and pitched in the wildernefs of Zin, which [is] Kadefh. 97 And they removed from Kadefh, and pitched in mount Hor, in the edge of the land of Edom. 38 And Aaron the pried went up into mount Hor at the commandment of the Lord, and died there, in the fortieth year after the children of Ifrael were come out of the land of Egypt, in the firft [day] of the fifth 39 month. And Aaron [was] an hundred and twenty and 40 three years old when he died in mount Hor. And king Arad the Canaanite, which dwelt in the fouth in the land of Canaan, heard of the coming of the children of 41 Ifrael. And they departed from mount Hor, and pitch- 42 ed in Zalmonah. And they departed from Zalmonah, 43 and pitched in Punon. And they departed from Punon, 44 and pitched in Oboth. And they departed from Oboth, and pitched in Ije-abarim, in the border of 45 Moab. And they departed from lim, and pitched in 46 Dibon-gad. And they removed from Dibon-gad, and 47 encamped in Almon-diblathaim. And they removed from Almon-diblathaim, and pitched in the mountains 48 of Abarim before Nebo. And they departed from the mountains of Abarim, and pitched in the plains of 49 Moab by Jordan [near] Jericho. And they pitched by Jordan, from Beth-jefnnoth [even] unto Abel- fhittim in the plains of Moab. # 50 And NUMBERS. XXXIV. i45 50 And the Lord fpake unto Mofes in the plains of 51 Moab by Jordan [near] Jericho, faying, Speak unto the children of Ifrael, and fay unto them, When ye 52 are paffed over Jordan into the land of Canaan ; Then ye fhall drive out all the inhabitants of the land from before you, and deftroy all their pi&ures, and deflroy all their molten images, and quite pluck down all their $1 high places : And ye mall difpoffefs [the inhabitants of] the land, and dwell therein : for I have given you the 54 land to poffefs it. And ye mall divide the land by lot for an inheritance among your families : [and] to the more ye fhall give the more inheritance, and to the fewer ye fhall give the lefs inheritance : every man's [inheritance] fhall be in the place where his lot falleth ; according to the tribes of your fathers ye fhall inherit. 55 But if ye will not drive out the inhabitants of the land from before you ; then it fhall come to pafs, that thofe which ye let remain of them [fhall be] pricks in your eyes, and thorns in your fides, and fhall vex you in 56 the land wherein ye dwell. Moreover, it fhall come to pafs [that] I fhall do unto you, as I thought to do unto them. CHAP. XXXIV. The borders of the land, and the names of the men that fhall divide it. 1 A ND the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Com- 2 jf"jL mand the childrenof Ifrael, and fay unto them, When ye come into the land of Canaan; (this [is] the land that fhall fall unto you for an inheritance, [even] 3 the land of Canaan with the coafts thereof:) Then your fouth quarter fhall be from the wildernefs of Zin along by the coafl of Edom, and your fouth border fhall be 4 the outmoft coaft of the fait fea eaftward : And your border fhall turn from the fouth to the afcent of Ak- rabbim, and pafs on to Zin : and the going forth thereof fhall be from the fouth to Kadefh-barnea, and Vol. II. K fhall 146 NUMBERS. XXXIV. fliall go on to Hazar-addar, and pafs on to Azmon : 5 And the border fliall fetch a compafs from Azmon un- to the river of Egypt, and the goings out of it fhall be 6 at the fea. And [as for] the weftern border, ye fliall even have the great fea for a border : this mail be your 7 weft border. And this fhall be your north border; from the great fea, ye fhall point out for you mount 8 Hor. From mount Hor ye fhall point out [your bor- der] unto the entrance of Hamath; and the goings forth 9 of the border fhall be to Zedad : and the border fhall go on to Ziphron, and the goings out of it fhall be at IO Hazar-enan : this mall be your north border. And ye fhall point out your eaft border from Hazar-enan to li Shepham: And the coaft fhall go down from Shep- ham to Riblah, on the eaft fide of Ain •, and the bor- der fhall defcend, and fhall reach unto the fide of the 12 fea of Chinnereth eaftward: And the border fhall go down to Jordan, and the goings out of it fhall be at the fait fea: this fhall be your land with the coafts thereof round about. 1 3 And Mofes commanded the children of Ifrael, fay- ing, This [is] the land which ye fhall inherit by lot, which the Lord commanded to give unto the nine 14 tribes, and to the half tribe: For the tribe of the children of Reuben according to the houfe of their fa- thers, and the tribe of the children of Gad, according to the houfe of their fathers, have received [their inhe- ritance,] and half the tribe of ManafTeh have received 1 5 their inheritance : The two tribes and the half tribe have received their inheritance on this fide Jordan [near] Jericho eaftward, toward the fun rifing. 1 6 17 And the Lord fpake unto Mofes, faying, Thefe [are] the names of the men which fhall divide the land unto you : Eleazar the prieft, and Jofhua the fon of 18 Nun. And ye fhall take one prince of every tribe, to 1 9 divide the land by inheritance. And the names of the men [are] thefe : of the tribe of Judah, Caleb the fon 20 of Jephunneh. And of the tribe of the children of 2 1 Simeon, Shemuel the fon of Ammihud. Of the tribe 22 of Benjamin, Elidad the fon of Chiflon. And the prince NUMBERS. XXXV. H7 prince of the tribe of the children of Dan, Bukki the 21 fon of Jogli. The prince of the children of Jofeph, for the tribe of the children of Manaffeh, Hanliiel the 24 fon of Ephod. And the prince of the tribe of the 25 children of Ephraim, Kemuel the fon of Shiphtan. And the prince of the tribe of the children of Zebulun, Eli- 26 zaphan the fon of Parnach. And the prince of the tribe of the children of IfTachar, Paltiel the fon of Az- 27 zan. And the prince of the tribe of the children or 28 Afher, Ahihud the fon of Shelomi. And the prince of the tribe of the children of Naphtali, Pedahel the 29 fon of Ammihud. Thefe [are they] whom the Lord commanded to divide the inheritance unto the children of Ifrael in the land of Canaan. CHAP. XXXV. Eight and forty cities are given to the Levites, fix of which are to he cities of refuge \ and the laws of murder and manjlaughter. i AND the Lord fpake unto Mofes in the plains of 2 Jljl Moab by( Jordan [near] Jericho, faying, Com- mand the children of Ifrael, that they give unto the Levites of the inheritance of their pofTefTion cities to dwell in:f and ye mall give [alfo] unto the Levites 3 fuburbs for the cities round about them. And the cities fhall they have to dwell in •, and the fuburbs of them mall be for their cattle, and for their goods, and for all their 4 beafts. And the fuburbs of the cities, which ye mall give unto the Levites, [mall reach] from the wall of the city and outward a thoufand cubits round about. 5 And ye mail meafure from without the city on the eahV fide two thoufand cubits, and on the fouth fide two thoufand cubits, and on the weft fide two thoufand K 2 cubits, f Their maintenance had before been fettled by tythes and offerings, here provifion is made for their abode. In the wilder- nefs they pitched their tents about the tabernacle, but now they were to be difperfed. 48 NUMBER S. XXXV. cubits, and on the north fide two thoufand cubits ; and the city [mail be] in themidft: this fhall be to them 6 the fuburbs of the cities.2 And among the cities which ye fhall give unto the Levites [there mall be] fix cities for refuge, which ye fhall appoint for the manflayer, that he may flee thither : and to them ye fhall add forty 7 and two cities. [So] all the cities which ye fhall give to the Levites [fhall be] forty and eight cities : them 8 [mall ye give] with their fuburbs. And the cities which ye fhall give [fhall be] of the pofTeflion of the children of Ifrael : from [them that have] many, ye fhall give many •, but from [them that have] few, ye fhall give few : every one fhall give of his cities unto the Levites according to his inheritance which he inheriteth, in pro- portion to the number of cities belonging to that tribe. It is to be remembered, that the priefts were included among them, and that neither they nor the Levites had any poffeffion of lands beyond the three thoufand cubits, which were little enough for their cattle, horfes, &c. all the reft belonged to the 9 tribe in whofe lot the Levites' city lay. And the Lord io fpake unto (Vlofes, faying, Speak unto the children of If- rael, and fay unto them, When ye be come over Jordan 1 1 into the land of Canaan ', Then ye fhall appoint you cities to be cities of refuge for you •, that the flayer may flee thither, which killeth any perfon at unawares, without malice or dejign. The tabernacle alfo was a fancluary, except in cafes of wilful murder, and then they were to be taken 12 even from the altar. And they fhall be unto you cities for refuge from the avenger-, that the manflayer die not, until he fland before the congregation in judg- 13 ment.h And of thefe cities which ye fhall give, fix cities fhall ye have for refuge. 14 Ye % There are different interpretations of this law. The mod probable is, that they were to meafure from the wall of the city a thoufand cubits every way, which were the fuburbs, properly fo called; and, from the extremity of this, two thoufand cubits more, which was for paiture for their cattle; and thefe fuburbs are called in Lev. xxv. 3 it the field of their fuburbs. h The avenger was the next kinfman, who had a right to de- mand fatisfacuon; and, being greatly enraged, he might unjuftly kill NUMBERS. XXXV. i49 14 Ye fhall give three cities on this fide Jordan, and three cities fhall ye give in the land of Canaan, [which] 15 fhall be cities of refuge. Thefe fix cities fhall be a refuge, [both] for the children of Ifrael, and for the flranger, and for the fojourner among them : that every one that killeth any perfon unawares may fie e thither. 16 And if he fmite him with an inftrument of iron, if he ftrike him in a violent and pajfionate manner, with any inftrument that would probably prove fatal, fo that he die, he [is] a murderer: the murderer fhall furely be put to 17 death. And if he fmite him with throwing a ftone, wherewith he may die, and he die, he [is] a murderer : 18 the murderer fhall furely be put to dcnth. Or [if] he fmite him with an hand weapon of wood, wherewith he may die, and he die, he [is] a murderer : the mur~ 19 derer fhall furely be put to death.1 The revenger of blood himfelf mail flay the murderer : when he meeteth 20 him he fhall flay him.k But if he thruft him of hatred, or hurl at him by laying of wait, that he die % 21 Or in enmity fmite him with his hand, that he die : he that fmote [him] fhall furely be put to death ; [for] he [is] a murderer : the revenger of blood fhall flay the 22 murderer, when he meeteth him. But if he thruft him fuddenly without enmity, or have cad: upon him any *3 thing without laying of wait, Or with any (lone, where- with a man may die, feeing [him] not, and call [it] upon him, that he die, and [was] not his enemy, nei- K 3 ther kill the manflayer; it was therefore a merciful appointment both to the one and the other. It was ordered in Deuteronomy, that the road mould be prepared, and finger polls put up, that he might make the beft of his way thither. He was then to appear before the judges, or elders, appointed in every city for the de- cifion of crminal caufes, who were to examine the matter pub- licly, whether the murder was wilful or cafual. Thib was to be done firft in the city of refuge, and if that trial did not fatisfy the avenger, then it was to be tried again in the city where the fact was committed, or in the next to it, as appears by i>. 25. and fojhua xx. 6. 1 This was a very wife law, de.Ggned to prevent perfons from paflionately ftriking with fuch dangerous weapons. k If the cafe was plain, he might do fo, but, if dubious, it was to be determined by the judges. i5o NUMBER S. XXXV. 24 ther fought his harm: Then the congregation mall judge between the flayer and the revenger of blood ac- 25 cording to thefe judgments : And the congregation fhall deliver the flayer out of the hand of the revenger of blood, and the congregation fhall reftore him to the city of his refuge, whither he was fled : and he fhall abide in it unto the death of the high prieft, which was anointed with the holy oil •, he /hall live there as a banifhed man, to fhow God's difpleafure againjl the Jhedding of blood, tho* it was done unawares ; kit at the high prieft'' *s death, or rather, at the accejjion of a new one, he fhall be fet at liberty, as prifoners are often releafed at the accejjion of a new prince \ 26 But if the flayer fhall at any time come without the border of the city of his refuge, whither he was fled : 27 And the revenger of blood find him without the borders of the city of his refuge, and the revenger of blood kill the flayer; he fhall not be guilty of blood, that is, 28 not liable to punijhment : Becaufe he mould have remain- ed in the city of his refuge until the death of the high prieft : but after the death of the high prieft the flayer 29 fhall return into the land of his pofieffion. So thefe [things] fhall be for a ftatute of judgment unto you throughout your generations in all your dwellings, 30 Whofo kiileth any perfon, the murderer fhall be put to death by the mouth of two witnefTes at leaft : but one witnefs fhall not teftify againft any perfon [to caufe him] to die. 3 1 Moreover ye fhall take no fatisfacYion for the life of a murderer, which [is] guilty of death : but he fhall 32 be furely put to death. And ye fhall take no fatisfac- tion for him that is fled to the city of his refuge, that he mould come again to dwell in the land, until the 33 death of the prieft. So ye fhall not pollute the land wherein ye [are:] for blood it defileth the land : and the land cannot be cleanfed of the blood that is fhed therein, but by the blood of him that fhed it ; all murderers muft be punijhed for the good of their country. 34. Defile not therefore the land which ye fhall inhabit, wherein I dwell : for 1 the Lord dwell among the children of Ifrael in a very extraordinary manner, and every thing of this kind is highly difplcajing to me. NUMBERS. XXXV. i5I REFLECTIONS. I. TI 7E here fee, what was delivered as a curfe turned V V mto a bleffing ; I will divide them in Jacobs and feat- ter them in Ifrael, Gen. xlix. 7. The difperfion of the priefts and Levites among the feveral tribes, was a very wife and gracious appointment. They had their provifion by tythes, that they might have time to ftudy the law, and teach the people \ and by fuch an appointment the people had accefs to them, and might ajk the law at their mouths. It was a great advantage to the Levites to live near together, that they might confult in difficult cafes, and help each other. We have reafon to be thankful for the appointment of chriftian ministers, that they are fpread thro' the country ; and as the Lord has appointed that they who preach the gof- pel fhould live by the go/pel, fo he who is taught in the word9 fhould cheerfully communicate to him that teacheth in all good things. The proportion is not determined now, as it was under the law, but is left to every man's liberality by the law of Chrifl: •, and the more cheerfully it is given, the more acceptable it is to him and his minifters. 2. We may obferve, how very tender God is of the lives of his people. This appointment was defigned to make men cautious of each other's lives, to prevent any artful attempts to murder perfons by pretended accidents, and by that means to have the land polluted with blood, as well as men's confeiences defiled, by thofe who wickedly fhould do it : and fuch are, without repentance, debarred from eternal life. Upon the fame principle we fhould be tender of the health, reputation, and comfort of each other, and cherifh a brotherly love to all ; for the gofpel declares, that he that hateth his brother is a murderer ', and that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him, 3. Let us be thankful for the provifion that is made in the gofpel for our fecurity and happinefs, notwithstanding our many fins. We are expofed to the condemning fentence of God's law-, but there is a refuge provided, even the Lord Jefus Chrifl:, and the everlafting covenant, which he hath publifhed and fealed : there is no condemnation to them K 4 that 152 NUMBERS. XXXVI. that are in Chrifl Jefus. Let us therefore abide in him, and not wander from him-, for thofe, and only thofe, will have ftrong confolation, and infallible fecurity, who, as the apoftle exprefTes it, in allufion to this appointment,^ /or refuge to lay hold on the hope fet before them. CHAP. XXXVI. The inconvenience of the inheritance of daughter s^ is remedied by marrying in their own tribes. 1 \ ND the chief fathers of the families of the child- XJL ren of Gilead, the fon of Machir, the fon of ManarTeh, of the families of the fons of Jofeph, came near, and fpake before Mofes, and before the princes, the chief fathers of the children of Ifrael, who had the care and management of that half tribe committed to them, 2 which had an inheritance in the land of Canaan: And they faid, The Lord commanded my lord to give the land for an inheritance by lot to the children of Ifrael : and my lord was commanded by the Lord to give the in- heritance of Zelophehad our brother unto his daughters, 3 to which we cheerfully confented, And if they be married to any of the fons of the [other] tribes of the children of Ifrael, then mail their inheritance be taken from the inheritance of our fathers, and mail be put to the in- heritance of the tribe whereunto they are received : fo fhall it be taken from the lot of our inheritance*, thai is, the inheritances of this, and other tribes, by like accident- might in time be changed and confounded, contrary to the 4 order before fet by the Lord. And when the jubile of the children of Ifrael fhaJl be, then mill their inheritance be put unto the inheritance of the tribe whereunto they are received : fo fhall their inheritance be taken away from the inheritance of the tribe of our fathers \ even in the jubile year, which zvas intended to prevent fuch confufion, there will be no return of fuch land, and this will occqfion debates and contefis among pofterity. § And Mofes commanded the children of Ifrael accord* in2 NUMBERS. XXXVL *53 ing to the word of the Lord, faying, The tribe of the 6 fons of Jofeph hath faid well.1 This [is] the thing which the Lord doth command concerning the daughters of Zelophehad, faying, Let them marry to whom they think beft, no force fliall be put upon their inclinations % only to the family of the tribe of their father fhall they marry, it muft be one of the fame tribe, and of * their father 's 7 family in that tribe. So fhall not the inheritance of the children of Ifrael remove from tribe to tribe : for every one of the children of Ifrael fhall keep himfelf to the 8 inheritance of the tribe of his fathers. And every daughter, that pofTefTeth an inheritance in any tribe of the children of Ifrael, fhall be wife unto one of the family of the tribe of her father, that the children of Ifrael may enjoy every man the inheritance of his fa- 9 thers.m Neither fhall the inheritance remove from [one] tribe to another tribe-, but every one of the tribes of the children of Ifrael fhall keep himfelf to his own inheritance. io Even as the Lord commanded Mofes, fo did the 1 1 daughters of Zelophehad : for Mahlah, Tirzah, and Hoglah, and Milkah, and Noah, the daughters of Zelophehad, were married unto their fathers brothers* 12 fons : [And] they were married into the families of the fons of ManafTeh the fon of Jofeph, and their inherit- ance remained in the tribe of the family of their father. 13 Thefe [are] the commandments and the judgments, which the Lord commanded by the hand of Mofes unto the children of Ifrael in the plains of Moab by Jordan [near] Jericho. REFLECT- 1 Mofes confulted God upon this occafion, and, by his authority, faid that their plea was juit and reasonable. m This law only extended to heirefTes, for many of their great men and priells married wives of other tribes and countries j and other women, who had brethren to inherit, were free to marry into any other tribe, thp' it feems they generally confined them- felves to their own. If their brethren died after they were married into another tribe, they could not inherit, but the eftate went to the male heir. The defign of this law was, to keep the tribes diftindl, and hereby to fulfil the prophecies of old, particularly of the Meffiah. 154 NUMBERS. XXXVIJ REFLECTION. TH E only obfervation we (hall make on this chapter is, that tho9 inheritances and alliances are not de- termined by the exprefs appointment of God now, yet wifdom is profitable to direffi\ and it becomes us to have a due regard to the leadings of providence in fuch important affairs as thefe. In v. 6. the Lord exprefsly commanded the daughters of Zelophehad to marry whom they thought beft, only confining them to their father's tribe. This naturally fuggefts, how unreafonable it is for parents to put a force upon the inclinations of their children in thofe cafes on which the comfort and happinefs of their lives depend. And tho9 it is of the greateft importance that children fhould pay a due regard to the judgment and opinion of their parents, yet they are not obliged to comply with any propofals of this kind which they may make, if they are contrary to their own judgment and affections ; for parents to ufe any methods of compulfion, is the higher! degree of cruelty imaginable. This chapter fuggefts to us that our eyes fiiould ever be toward the Lord^ for his direction and bleffing in all our fettlements and refolutions. To encourage us herein, let us often meditate on that mod: delightful promife, In all thy ways acknowledge hirn> and he Jhall direcl ihy paths* The The Fifth Book ofMOSES, called, DEUTERONOMY, INTRODUCTION. CJ^HE people that came out of Egypt being all dead, except Caleb and Joshua ; Moses, for the inftruttion of the new generation that were grown up in the wildernefs, and were now ready to enter into Canaan, in this Book rehear fes the chief things that had befallen them, both in a way of mercy and of judgment, for forty years together-, repeats the law again unto them-, whence this book is called Deuteronomy, the fecond Law, or a repetition of the former, with fome further ittuftr a- tions. He confirms the whole with promifes and threatenings • teaches them a prophetical fong concerning what fhould befalthem from that time to the latter end of the world, when they fhould become the people of God again, after their long rejeclion and defolation ; he blejfes the fever al tribes, and views the land of Canaan ; his death •, is buried by God-, and Joshua made his fuccejfor. — All this Book was delivered at different times, in the loft two months of Mofes* life, and many things arc repeated in it again, to imprefs the minds of the people. Thofe parts only of the hiftory, which were not related in the former books, will be illuftrated, and alfo fome inflruclions given to Ifrael, which may be itfeful to us, CHAPTER I. Mofes, at the end cf the fortieth year, briefly rehear fes the ft or y of God9s promife, and his anger for their incredulity and difobedience. HESE [be] the words which Mofes fpake unto all Ifrael on this fide Jordan in the wil- dernefs, in the plain over againft the Red [fea,] between Paran, and Tophel, and Laban, and 2 Hazeroth, and Dizahab. ([There are] eleven days' [journey] 156 DEUTERONOMY. I. [ journey] from Horeb by the way of mount Seir unto 3 Kadefh-barnea.) And it came to pafs in the fortieth year, in the eleventh month, on the firft [day] of the month, [that] Mofes fpake unto the children of Ifrael according unto all that the Lord had given him in com- 4 mandment unto them-, After he had flain Sihon the king of the Amorites, which dwelt in Hefhbon, and Og the king of Baihan, which dwelt at Aftaroth in 5 Edrei : On this fide Jordan, in the land of Moab, began Mofes to declare this law, faying, 6 The Lord our God fpake unto us in Horeb, fay. 7 ing, Ye have dwelt long enough in this mount : Turn you, and take your journey, and go to the mount of the Amorites, and unto all [the places] nigh thereunto, in the plain, in the hills, and in the vale, and in the fouth, and by the fea fide, to the land of the Canaan- ites, and unto Lebanon, unto the great river, the 8 river Euphrates. Behold, I have fet the land before you: go in and poflefs the land which the Lord fware unto your fathers Abraham, lfaac, and Jacob, to give unto them, and to their feed after them. 9 And I fpake unto you at that time, faying, I am IO not able to bear you myfelf alone : The Lord your God hath multiplied you, and, behold, ye [are] this li day as the ftars of heaven for multitude. (The Lord God of your fathers make you a thoufand times fo many more as ye [are,] and blefs you, as he hath pro- 12 mifedyou!) How can I myfelf alone bear your cum- 13 brance, and your burden, and your ftrife ? Take you wife men, and underftanding, and known among your 14 tribes, and I will make them rulers over you. And ye anfwered me, and faid, The thing which thou haft 15 fpoken [is] good [for us] to do. So I took the chief of your tribes, wife men, and known, and made them heads over you, captains over thoufands, and captains over hundreds, and captains over fifties, and captains over tens, and officers among your tribes. 16 And I charged your judges at that time, faying, Hear [the caufes] between your brethren, and judge righteoufly between [every] man and his brother, and the DEUTERONOMY. I. i57 17 the ftranger [that is] with him. Ye mall not refpect perfons in judgment-, [but] ye fhall hear the fmall as well as the great •, ye mail not be afraid of the face of man ; for the judgment [is] God's : and the caufe that is too hard for you, bring [it] unto me, and I will 18 hear it. And I commanded you at that time all the things which ye mould do. 19 And when we departed from Horeb, we went through all that great and terrible wildernefs, which ye faw by the way of the mountain of the Amorites, as the Lord our God commanded us -, and v/e came to Kadefh-bar- 20 nea. And I faid unto you, Ye are come unto the mountain of the Amorites, which the Lord our God 21 doth give unto us. Behold, the Lord thy God hath fet the land before thee : go up [and] pofTefs [it,] as the Lord God of thy fathers hath faid unto thee -, fear 22 not, neither be difcouraged. And ye came near unto me every one of you, and faid, \Ve will fend men before us, and they mail fearch us out the land, and bring us word again by what means we rauft go up, and 23 into what cities we fhall come. And the faying pleafed me well : and I took twelve men of you, one of a tribe : 24 And they turned and went up into the mountain, and came unto the valley of Efhcol, and fearched it out. .25 And they took of the fruit of the land in their hands, and brought [it] down unto us, and brought us word again, and faid, [It is] a good land which the Lord our God doth give us. 26 Notwithstanding ye would not go up, but rebelled againfr. the commandment of the Lord your God: 27 And ye murmured in your tents, and faid, Becaufe the Lord hated us, he hath brought us forth out of the land of Egypt, to deliver us into the hand of the 25 Amorites to deftroy us. Whither fhall we go up ? our brethren have difcouraged our heart, faying, The people [is] greater and taller than we •, the cities [are] great and walled up to heaven •, and moreover we Jiave 29 feen the fons of the Anakims there. Then I faid unto 30 you, Dread not, neither be afraid of them. The Lord your God which goeth before you, he fhall fight for you 158 DEUTERONOMY. I. you, according to all that he did for you in Egypt be- 3 1 fore your eyes \ And in the wildernefs, where thou haft ken how that the Lord thy God bare thee, as a man doth bear his fon, in all the way that ye went, until ye 32 came into this place. Yet in this thing ye did not be- 2% lieve the Lord your God, who went in the way before you, to fearch you out a place to pitch your tents [in,] in fire by night, to fhow you by what way ye fhould go, and in a cloud by day. 34 And the Lord heard the voice of your words, and 35 was wroth, and fware, faying, Surely there mail not one of thefe men of this evil generation fee that good 36 land, which I fware to give unto your fathers, Save Caleb the fon of Jephunneh •, he mail fee it, and to him will I give the land which he hath trodden upon, and to his children, becaufe he hath wholly followed the 37 Lord. Alfo the Lord was angry with me for your 38 fakes, faying, Thou alfo malt not go in thither. [But] Jofhua the Ton of Nun, which ftandeth before thee, he (hall go in thither : encourage him : for he mail caufe 39 Ifrael to inherit it. Moreover your little ones, which ye faid mould be a prey, and your children, which in that day had no knowledge between good and evil, they mail go in thither, and unto them will I give it, 40 and they fhall pofTefs it. But [as for] you, turn you, and take your journey into the wildernefs by the way of the Red fea. 41 Then ye anfwered and faid unto me, We have finned againft the Lord, we will go up and fight, according to all that the Lord our God commanded us. And 42 when ye had girded on every man his weapons of war, ye were ready to go up into the hill. And the Lord faid unto me, Say unto them, Go not up, neither 43 fight -, for I [am] not among you ; left ye be fmitten before your enemies. So I fpake unto you; and ye would not hear, but rebelled againft the commandment 44 of the Lord, and went prefumptuoufly up into the hill. And the Amorites, v/hich dwelt in that mountain, came out againft you, and chafed you, as bees do, and 45 deftroyed you in Seir, [even] unto Hormah. And ye returned DEUTERONOMY. TL 159 returned and wept before the Lord; but the Lord would not hearken to your voice, nor give ear unto 46 you. So ye abode in Kadefh many days, according unto the days that ye abode [there.] C H A P. II. *fhe ftory is continued-, they were not to meddle with the Edom- ites, the Moabiies, nor the Ammonites \ but Sihon the Amorite *was to be fubdued. 1 t'tii "A H E N we turned, and took our journey into the J_ wildernefs by the way of the Red fea, as the Lord fpake unto me: and we compafTed mount Seir 2 many days. And the Lord fpake unto me, faying, 3 Ye have compafTed this mountain long enough : turn 4 you northward. And command thou the people, faying, Ye [are] to pafs through the coaft of your brethren the children of Efau, which dwell in Seir-, and they mall be afraid of you : take ye good heed unto 5 yourfelves therefore : Meddle not with them ; for I will not give you of their land, no, not fo much as a foot breadth •, becaufe I have given mount Seir unto 6 Efau [for] a pofTefTion. Ye mail buy meat of them for money, that ye may eat; and ye mail alfo buy 7 water of them for money, that ye may drink. For the Lord thy God hath blefled thee in all the works of thy hand : he knoweth thy walking through this great wil- dernefs : thefe forty years the Lord thy God [hath 8 been] with thee ; thou haft lacked nothing. And when we pafTed by from our brethren the children of Efau, which dwelt in Seir, through the way of the plain from Elath, and from Ezion-gaber, we turned and pafTed by the way of the wildernefs of Moab. 9 And the Lord faid unto me, Diftrefs not the Moabites, neither contend with them in battle : for I will not give thee of their land [for] a pofTefTion ; be- caufe I have given Ar unto the children of Lot [for] a 10 pofTefTion. The Emims dwelt therein in times paft, a people i6o DEUTERONOMY. II. people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims ; I i Which alfo were accounted giants, as the Anakims ; *2 but the Moabites call them Emims. The Hprims alfo dwelt in Seir beforetime-, but the children of Efau fuc- ceeded them, when they had deftroyed them from be- fore them, and dwelt in their {lead •, as Ifrael did unto the land of his pofTemon, which the Lord gave unto 13 them. Now rife up, [laid I,] and get you over the brook Zered. And we went over the brook Zered. 14 And the fpace in which we came from Kadefh-barnea, until we were come over the brook Zered, [was] thirty and eight years •, until all the generation of the men of war were wafted out from among the hqft, as the Lord 15 fware unto them. For indeed the hand of the Lord was againft them, to deftroy them from among the hoft, until they were coniumed. 16 So it came to pafs, when all the men of war were con- 17 fumed and dead from among the people, That the Lord 18 fpake unto me, faying, Thou art to pafs over through 19 Ar, the coaft of Moab, this day : And [when] thou ccmeft nigh over againft the children of Amnion, dif- trefs them not, nor meddle with them : for I will not give thee of the land of the children of Amnion [any] poiTeftion ; becaufe I have given it unto the children of 20 Lot [for] a pofTefTion. (That alfo was accounted a land of giants •, giants dwelt therein in old time ; and the Am- 21 mcnites call them Zamzummims-, A people great, and many, and tall, as the Anakims ; but the Lord de- ftroyed them before them •, and they fucceeded them, 22 and dwelt in their ftead : as he did to the children of Efau, which dwelt in Seir, when he deftroyed the Horims from before them •, and they fucceeded them, 23 and dwelt in their ftead even unto this day : And the Avims which dwelt in Hazerim, [even] unto Azzah, the Caphtorims, which came forth out of Caphtor, de- ftroyed them, and dwelt in their ftead.) 24 Rife ye up, take your journey, and pafs over the river Anion : behold, i have given into thine hand Sihon the Amorite, king of Heftibon, and his land: begin 25 to poftefs [it,] and contend with him in battle. This day DEUTERONOMY. II. l6l day will I begin to put the dread of thee and the fear of thee upon the nations [that are] under the whole hea- ven, who fhail hear report of thee, and ihall tremble 26 and be in anguifh becaufe of thee. And 1 fent merTen- gers out of the wildernefs of Kedemoth unto Sihon 27 king of Hembon with words of peace, faying, Let me pafs through thy land : I will go along by the high- way, I will neither turn unto the right hand nor to the 28 left. Thou {halt fell me meat for money, that I may eat ; and give me water for money, that I may drink • 29 only I will pafs through on my feet ; (As the'children of Efau which dwell in Seir, and the Moabites which dwelj in Ar, did unto me ;) until I mall pafs over Jor- dan into the land which the Lord our God giveth us. 30 But Sihon king of Hembon would not let us pafs by him ; for the Lord thy God hardened his fpirit, and made his heart obftinate, that he might deliver him in- 3 1 to thy hand, as [appeareth] this day. And the Lord faid unto me, Behold, I have begun to give Sihon and his land before thee : begin to poffefs, that thou mayeft 32 inherit his land. Then Sihon came out againft us, he 33 and all his people, to fight at Jahaz. And the Lord our God delivered him before us ; and we fmote him 34 and his fons, and all his people. And we took all his cities at that time, and utterly deftroyed the men, and the women, and the little ones, of every city, we left 35 none to remain : Only the cattle we took for a prey un- to ourfelves, and the fpbil of the cities which we took. 36 From Aroer, which [is] by the brink of the river of Arnon, and [from] the city that [is] by the river, even unto.Gilead, there was not one city too ftrong for us : 7 the Lord our God delivered all unto us: Only unto the land of the children of Ammdn thou earned not, [nor] unto any place of the river Jabbok, nor unto the cities in the mountains, nor unto whatfoever the Lord our God forbad us. < VoL- H. L CHAP. 2 162 DEUTERONOMY. TIL CHAP. III. The Jlory of the conquefi of Og king of Baflian ; Mofes* 'prayer to enter into the land, and per mi ([ton given him to fee it. 1 ^T^ H E N we turned, and went up the way to Ba- J[ man : and Og the king of Bafhan came out againft us, he and all his people, to battle at Edrei. 2 And the Lord faid unto me, Fear him not : foi; I will deliver him, and all his people, and his land, into thy hand ; and thou fhalt do unto him as thou didft unto Sihon king of the Amorites, which dwelt at Hefhbon. 3 So the Lord our God delivered into our hands Og alfo, the king of Bafhan, and all his people : and we fmote 4 him until none was left to him remaining. And we took all his cities at that time, there was not a city which we took not from them, threefcore cities, all the region of 5 Argob, the kingdom of Og in Bafhan. All thefe cities [were] fenced with high walls, gates, and bars -, befides 6 unwalled towns a great many. And we utterly deftroy- ed them, as we did unto Sihon king of Hefhbon, utterly deftroying the men, women^ and children of every 7 city. But all the cattle, and the fpoil of the cities, we took for a prey to ourfelves. 8 And we took at that time out of the hand of the two kings of the Amorites the land that [was] on this fide Jordan, from the river of Arnon unto mount Hermon ; 9 ([Which] Hermon the Sidonians call Siron •, and the 10 Amorites call it Shenir ;) All the cities of the plain, and all Gilead, and all Bafhan, unto Salchah and Edrei, 1 1 cities of the kingdom of Og in Bafhan. For only Og king of Bafhan remained of the remnant of giants $ behold, his bedftead [was] a bedftead of iron j [is] it not in Rabbath of the children of Ammon ? nine cubits [was] the length thereof, and four cubits the breadth of it, after the cubit of a man. 12 And this land, [which] we pofTefTed at that time, from Aroer, which [is] by the river Arnon, and half mount Gilead, and the cities therof, gave I unto the 13 Reubenites and to the Gadites. And the reft of Gilead DEUTERONOMY. III. xez Gilead, and all Bafhan, [being] the kingdom of Og, gave I unto the half tribe of ManafTeh-, all the region of Argob, with all Bafhan, which was called the land of 14 giants Jair the fon of ManafTeh took all the country of Argob unto the coafts of Gefhuri and Maachathi; and called them after his own name, Bafhan-havoth- 15 jair, unto this day. And 1 gave Gilead unto Machir. 16 And unto the Reubenites and unto the Gadites I gave from Gilead even unto the river Arnon, half the val- ley, and the border even unto the river Jabbok, 17 [which is] the border of the children of Ammon ; The plain alfo, and Jordan, and the coaft [thereof,] from Chinnereth even unto the fea of the plain, [even] the fait fea, under Afhdoth-pifgah eaftward. 1 3 And I commanded you at that time, faying, The LoRr) your God hath given you this land tc pofTefs it : ye fhall pafs over armed before your brethren the 19 children of Ifrael, all [that are] meet for the war. But your wives, and your little ones, and your cattle, ([for] I know that ye have much cattle,) fhall abide in your 20 cities which I have given you ; Until the Lord have given reft unto your brethren, as well as unto you, and [until] they alfo pofYefs the land which the Lord your God hath given them beyond Jordan : and [then] fhall ye return every man unto his pofTefTion, which I have given you. 21 And I commanded Jofhua at that time, faying, Thine eyes have {ttn all that the Lord your God hath done unto thefe two kings : fo fhall the Lord do unto 22 all the kingdoms whither thou pafTeft. Ye fhall not fear them : for the Lord your God he fhall fight for you. 23 And I befought the Lord at that time, faying, 24 O Lord God, thou haft begun to fhow thy fervant thy greatnefs, and thy mighty hand : for what God [is there] in heaven or in earth, that can do according to 25 thy works and according to thy might ? I pray thee, let me go over and fee the good land that [is] beyond 26 Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon. But the Lord was wroth with me for your fakes, and would L 2 not 1 64 DEUTERONOMY. IV. not hear me: and the Lord faid unto me, Let it fuffice thee •, fpeak no more unto me of this matter. 27 Get thee up into the top of Pifgah, and lift up thine eyes weflward, and northward, and fouthward, and eaitward, and behold [it] with thine eyes : for thou 28 (halt not go over this Jordan. But charge Jofhua, and encourage him, and ftrengthen him : for he fhall go over before this people, and he fhall caufe them to in- 29 herit the land which thou fhalt fee. So we abode in the valley over againft Beth-peor. CHAP. IV. Mofes having recited the hiftory of God's favours to the Ifraelites in the wilder nefs, and their fins and punijliments, proceeds in this chapter to exhort them to obedience. O W therefore hearken, O Ifrael, unto the fta- tutes, the ordinances relating to divine worftiip, and unto the judgments, the laws relating to your private behaviour to one another, which I teach you, for to do [them,] that ye may live, and go in and polTefs the land which the Lord God of your fathers giveth you, 2 and not pirifh, as they did, by their rebellions. Ye fhall not add unto the word which I command you, by de~ vifing other dotlrines or ways of worJJiip than what 1 have taught or prefcribed, neither fhall ye diminifh [aught] from it, by rejecting or negletling any thing that I have commanded, tho* it feems never fo fmall \ he then adds a motive, that ye may keep the commandments of the 3 Lord your God which I command you. Your eyes have feen what the Lord did becaufe of Baal-peor : for all the men that followed Baal-peor, the Lord thy God 4 hath deftroyed them from among you. But ye that did cleave unto the Lord your God [are] alive every one of you this day, not one of fo many thoufands have 5 diedfince that time. Behold, I have taught you ftatutes and judgments, even as the Lord my God command- ed me, that ye mould do fo in the land whither ye go to 6 pc fiefs it. Keep therefore and do [them ;] for this [is] DEUTERONOMY. IV. ^5 [is] your wifdom and your understanding in the fight of the nations, which (hall hear all thefe ftatutes, and fay, Surely this great nation [is], a wife and undemand- ing people ; this will be moft for your inter eft and reputa- 7 tion.* For what nation [is there fo] great, who [hath] God [fo] nigh unto them, as the Lord our God [is] in all [things that] we call upon him [for ?] What na- tion hath had fuch Jigns and miracles, a God ready to hear prayer, to defend us from evil, and to beftow bleffiws? No people had more inter ejl in heaven, fuch tokens of the divine 8 pre fence, fuch righteous ftatutes, and regular -ivorfhip. And what nation [is there fo] great, that hath ftatutes and judgments [fo] righteous as all this law, which I fet 9 before you this day. Only take heed to thyfelf, and keep thy foul diligently, left thou forget the things which thine eyes have (qqh, and left they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life : but teach them thy 10 fons, and thy fons' fons ; [Specially] the day, the great and memorable day, that thou ftoodeft before the Lord thy God in Horeb, when the Lord faid unto me, Ga- ther me the people together, and 1 will make them hear my words, that they may learn to fear me all the days that they mall live upon the earth, and [that] 1 1 they may teach their children. And ye came near and flood under the mountain •, and the mountain burned with fire unto the mtdft of heaven, with darknefs, 12 clouds, and thick darknefs. And the Lord fpake unto you out of the midft of the fire : ye heard the voice of the words, but faw no fimilitude \ only [ye heard] a 13 voice. And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, [even] ten command- ments i and he wrote them upon two tables of (tone \ 14. thefe he recommends to their peculiar regard. And the Lord commanded me at that time, to teach you fta- tutes, and judgments, that ye might do them in the land whither ye go over to poffefs it. L 3 15 Take a It was fo in facl ; Mofes was applauded by the heathen na- tions ; the jevvifh laws were adopted by them ; and their oracles pronounced the jews to be the wifeft of men, becaufe they never changed their laws. 166 DEUTERONOMY. IV. 15 Take ye therefore good heed unto yourfelves, beware of idolatry, which you are in moft danger of, from the cor- rupt inclinations you brought out. of Egypt, and the evil cuf- toms of your neighbours, for remember ye faw no manner of fimilitude on the day [that] the Lord, fpake unto you 16 in Horeb out of the midft of the fire; Left ye corrupt [yourfelves,] and make you a graven image, the fimi- litude of any figure, the jikenefs of male or female, 17 The likenefs of any beaft that [is] on the earth, the 18 likenefs of any winged fowl that flieth in the air, The likenefs of any thing that creepeth on the ground, the likenefs of any fifii that [is] in the waters beneath the. 19 earth ; And left thou lift up thine eyes unto heaven, and when thou feeft the fun, and the moon, and the (tars, [even] all the hoft of heaven, fhouldft be driven co. worfhip them, and ferye them, which the Lopd thy God hath divided unto all nations under the ^,ho\Q heaven \ the heathens worfhvpped thefe, therefore the ljrael- 20 ites are fo exprefsly cautioned againft them. But the Lord hath taken you, and brought you forth out of the iron furnace, (a common phrafe to exprefs great mijery) [even] out of Egypt, to be unto him a people of inheritance, as [ye are] this day, and therefore it would be peculiarly, 21 ungrateful. Furthermore the Lord was angry with mp for your fakes, with me^ his mimfler and Jervant, whom he fo highly favoured, becaufe I did. not keep clofe to his direc- tions ; and he fware that 1 fhould not go over Jordan, and that I fhould not go in unto that good land, which the Lord thy God giveth thee [for] an inheritance : 22 But I muft die in this land, I muft not go over Jordan: but ye fhall go over and poffefs that good land •, he grants you the favour which he hath fecn good to deny me, and this 23 lays you under the Jlrongeft obligations. Take heed unto yourfelves, left ye forget the covenant of the Lord your God, which he made with you, and make you a graven image, [or] the likenefs of any [thing,] which the Lord thy God hath forbidden thee ; idolatry is the moft 24 diretl breach of that covenant, arid will b$ your ruin. For the Lord thy God [is] a confuming fire, [even] a jea- lous God \ he cannot endure it> and will terribly punifh it, 25 When DEUTERONOMY. IV. 167 £5 When thou (halt beget children, and children's children, and ye fhall have remained long in the land, and mail corrupt [yourfelves,] and make a graven image, [or] the likenefs of any [thing,] and fhall do evil in the fight of the Lord thy God, to provoke him 26 to anger: I call heaven and earth to witnefs againft you this day, that ye fhall foon utterly perifh from off the land whereunto ye go over Jordan to poflefs it-, ye fhall not prolong [your] days upon it, but mall utterly be 27 deftroyed And the Lord fhall fcatter you among the nations, and ye fhall be left few in number among the 28 heathen, whither the Lord fhall lead you. And there ye fhall ferve gods, the work of men's hands, wood and (rone, which neither fee, nor hear, nor eat, nor fmell ; there your fin /hall become your puni/hment, and ye /hall he forced to wor/hip idols, under fevere penalties. 29 But if from hence thou lhalt feek the Lord thy God, thou (halt find [him,] if thou feek him with all thy 30 heart and with all thy foul. When thou art in tribu- lation, and all thefe things are come upon thee, [even] in the latter days, in future generations, if thou turn to the Lord thy God, and fhalt be obedient unto 3? his voice; (For the Lord thy God [is] a merciful God-,) he will not forfake thee, neither deftroy thee, nor forget the covenant of thy fathers which he fware unto them.b 32 For afk now of the days that are paft, which were before thee, fince the day that God created man upon the earth, and [afk] from the one fide of heaven unto the other, whether there hath been [any fuch thing] as this great thing [is,] or hath been heard like it ? Search the annals of the world, the hiftory of all former ages, and 33 fee, Did [ever] people hear the voice of God fpeaking out of the midfl of the fire, as thou haft heard, and live ? and not he overwhelmed and confumed by fuch a glorious 34 appearance? Or hath God afiayed to go [and] take him a nation from the midft of [another] nation, by temp- tations, by figns and by wonders, and by war, and l 4 by b The jews apply this promife to themfelves in the midfl of their prefent difperfion, and take encouragement from it. i68 DEUTERONOMY. IV. by a mighty hand, and by a ftretched out arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God did for you in Egypt before your eyes ? the wonders he did before Pharaoh, the plagues of Egypt, and their final 25 deftru&ion in the Red fea Unto thee it was fhowed, that thou mighteft know that the Lord he [is] God-, [there is] none elfe befides him •, this was the defign of all, that 36 ye might worjhip and obey Jehovah alone. Out of heaven he made thee to hear his voice, that he might inftruct thee : and upon earth he mowed thee his great fire -, and thou heardeft his words out of the midft of the fire. 37 And becaufe he loved thy fathers, therefore he chofe their kcd after them, and brought thee out in his light with his mighty power out of Egypt •, kept his eye of compaffion and care upon thee, as a father on his dear child \ 38 and he intends to do 'more fiill for thee, To drive out na- tions from before thee, greater and mightier than thou [art,] to bring thee in, to give thee their land [for] an 39 inheritance, as [it is] this day. Know therefore this day, and confider [it] in thine heart, that the Lord he [is] God in heaven above, and upon the earth beneath : 40 [there is] none elfe. Thou (halt keep therefore his ftatutes and his commandments, which I command thee this day, that it may go well with thee, and with thy children after thee, and that thou may eft prolong [thy] days upon the earth, which the Lord thy God giveth thee for ever, if ye be obedient. 41 Then Mcfes fevered three cities on this fide Jordan 42 toward the fun rifing, toward the eaft ; That the flayer might flee thither, which mould kill bis neighbour un- awares, and hated him not in times pari -, and that fleer 43 ing unto one of thefe cities he might live: [Namely,] Bezer in the wildernefs, in the plain country, of the Reubenites ; and Ramoth in Gilead, of the Gadites ; and Golan in Bafhan, of the Manaflites. 44 And this, which follows in the next chapter, [is] the 45 law which Mofes fet before the children of Ifrael : I hefe [are] the teftimonies, and the ftatutes, and the judg- ments, which Mofes fpake unto the children of ifrael, 46 after they came forth out of Egypt, On this fide Jor- dan, DEUTFRONOMY. IV. ,69 dan, in the valley over againft Beth-peor, in the land of Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt at Hefhbon, whom Mofes and the children of Ifrael fmote^ after they 47 were come forth out of Egypt : And they poflelTed his Ian J, and trie land of Og king of Bafhan, two kings of the Amorites ; which [were] on this fide Jordan toward 48 the fun rifing •, From Aroer, which [is] by the bank of the river Anion, even unto mount Sion,c which [is] 49 Hermon, And all the plain on this fide Jordan eaft- ward, even unto the fea of the plain, under the fprings of Pifgah, REFLECTIONS. i. 1T7E are taught from this chapter, that religion is VV the trueh1 wifdom, and what we mould be en- gaged to, by all that God hath done for us and promifed to us All that he hath done for the church, in a way of judgment or mercy, was defigned to promote obedience, ThtiC motives, which were addreiTed to the jews, mould come with greater force to us, as we have clearer difplays of the £lf~exiitence, eternity, greatnefs, and glory of God -> of his goudnefs to the whole creation, and to us in par- ticular. We are diftinguifhed by ftatutes and judgments fuperior to thofe of the jews. Great things may be jurlly expected, therefore, from a people fo remarkably favoured. He hath not dealt fo with other nations •, praijeye the Lord. 1 ne pure and fublime precepts of chriftianity demand our moil cordial regard. The law was given to Mofes in circum- ftauces of terror-, but grace and truth came by Chrifl9 in mild- nefs and mercy. Let us cherim a grateful lenfe of our fupe- rior bleffings, and with the voice of praife and thankfgiving, call on the name of the Lord. Let us wajh our hands in innocency, and Jo compafs his altar ; and thus fhow we are faithful to his covenant. Remember that he is ftill a confuming fire to his enemies, but rich in mercy to all that feek him in fincerity. Thus mall it be well with us in this world, and we mail promote c Not Zion in Jerufalem, where David had his royal feat; this begins with another letter in the Hebrew, and is another place ; the fame as Hermon. i;o DEUTERONOMY. V. promote our eternal interefts •, for godlinefs is profitable to all things , having the promife of the life that now is, and of that which is to come. May we all cultivate a truly religious character, and remember, that the fear of the Lord is thz beginning of wifdom, and a good under ft anding have all they that keep his teftimonies. 2. If we would be religious, we mould ferioufly confider thefe things, and take diligent heed to our f elves. Obferve the cautions in the ninth, fifteenth, twenty third, and thirty ninth veifes; it is neceflary that we diligently attend to the law of God, ftudy it clofeiy, and obferve it exactly, with- out adding to, or diminishing it. Let us eftcem all God's precepts concerning all things to he right. Watchfulnefs and diligence are neceflary, becaufe the commandment is exceeding broad, 'The law is alfo fpiritual ; let us therefore walk circuwfpe&iy, and keep our fouls with all diligence. We have various temptations, inward corruptions, and many bad examples before us. Thefe confiderations, therefore, call for the greater! diligence, that our practice may correfpond with our profeffton. Let us willingly engage in thefe duties ; be thankful that we have precept upon precept -9 and daily pray, that God would write his laws upon our hearts^ and enable us tc keep them even to the en$. CHAP. V. This chapter is a repetition of what we find in Exodus xix. and xx. i AND Mofes called all Ifrael, and faid unto them, jt\. Hear, Q Ifrael, the ftatutes and judgments which I fpeak in your ears this day, that ye may learn' 2 them, and keep, and do them. The Lord our GocJ 3 made a covenant with us in Horeb. The Lord made not this covenant with our fathers, but with us, [even] 4 us, who [are] all of us here alive this day. The Lord talked with you face to face in the mount out of the 5 midft of the fire, (I flood between the Lord and you at that time, to fhow you the word of the Lord : for DEUTERONOMY. V. i?I ye were afraid by reafbn of the fire, and went not up into the mount ♦, ) faying, 6 I [am] the Lord thy God, which brought thee out of the land of Egypt, from the houfe of bondage. 7 8 1 hou fhalt have none other gods before me. Thou malt not make thee [any] graven image, [or] any likenefs [of any thing] that [is] in heaven above, or that [is] in the earth beneath, or that [is] in the waters 9 beneath the earth : Thou malt not bow down thyfelf unto them, nor ferve them: for I the Lord thy God [am] a jealous God, vifiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth [generation] io of them that hare me, And mowing mercy unto thou- fands of them that love me and keep my command- 1 1 ments Then malt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain: tor the Lord will not hold [him] guilt- 12 \e(* that taketh his nam: in vain. Keep the fab bath day to Sanctify it, as the L'>rd thy God hath commanded 13 thee. Six days malt thou labour, and do all thy work: Z4 But the feventh day [is] the fabbath of the Lord thy God : [in itj thou lhalt not do any work, thou, nor thy fon, norfthj daughter, nor thy man fervant, nor thy maid fervunt, noi thine ox, nor tnine afs, nor any of thy cattle, nor thy Granger that [is] within thy gates; that thy man iervant and thy maid fervant may reft as 15 well as thou. And remember that thou waft a fervant in the land of Egypt, and [that] the Lord thy God brought thee out thence through a mighty hand and by a vtretched out arm: therefore the Lord thy God commanded thee to keep the fabbath day. 16 Honour thy father and thy mother, as the Lord thy God hath commanded thee ; that thy days may be prolonged, and that it may go well with thee, in the 17 land which the Lord thy God giveth thee. Thou 18 fhalt not kill Neither malt thou commit adulterv. j 9 20 Neither fhalt thou fteal. Neither fhalt thou bear 21 falfe witnefs againft thy neighbour. Neither fhalt thou defire thy neighbour's wife, neither fhalt thou covet thy neighbour's houfe, his field, or his man fervant, or his 172 DEUTERONOMY. V. his maid fervant, his ox, or his afs, or any [thing] that [is] thy neighbour's. 22 Thefe words the Lord fpake unto ail your afTembly in the mount out of the midft of the fire, of the cloud, and of the thick darknefs, with a great voice : and he added no more. And he wrote them in two tables of ftone, and delivered them unto me, 23 And it came to pafs wThen ye heard the voice out of the mid ft of the darknefs, (for the mountain did burn with fire) that ye came near unto me, [even] all the 24 heads of your tribes, and your elders •, And ye faid, Behold, the Lord our God hath mowed us his glory and his greatnefs, and we have heard his voice out of the midft of the fire : v/e have feen this day that God 25 doth talk with man, and he liveth. Now therefore why mould we die? for this great fire will confume us : if we hear the voice of the Lord our God any more, then we 26 mail die. For who [is there of] all flefh that hath heard the voice of the living God fpeaking out of the midft of 27 the fire, as we [have,] and lived ? Go thou near, and hear all that the Lord our God fhall fay : and fpeak thou unto us all that the Lord our God fhall fpeak unto 28 thee; and we will hear [it,] and do [it.] And the Lord heard the voice of your words, when ye fpake unto me; and the Lord faid unto me, I have heard the voice of the words of this people, which they have fpoken unto thee: they have well faid all that they have 29 fpoken. O that there were fuch an heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always, that it might be well with them, and with their 30 children for ever ! Go fay to them, Get you into your 31 tents again. But as for thee, ftand thou here by me, and I will fpeak unto thee all the commandments, and the ftatutes, and the judgments, which thou fhalt teach them, that they may do [them] in the land which 32 I give them to poflefs it. Ye fhall obferve to do there- fore as the Lord your God hath commanded you : ye fhall not turn afide to the right hand or to the left. 33 Ye mail walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath DEUTERONOMY. VI. i73 hath commanded you, that ye may live, and [that it may be] well with you, and [that] ye may prolong [your] days in the land which ye mall pofTefs. CHAP. VI. Mofes having repeated the ten commandments in the former chap- ter', here explains the fir ft, and exhorts them to obedience. 1 "^T O W thefe [are] the commandments of the moral X^% law* the ftatutes of the ceremonial law, and the judgments of the judicial law ', which the Lord your God commanded to teach you, that ye might do [them] in 2 the land whither ye go to pofTefs it : That thou mighteft fear the Lord thy God, to keep all his ftatutes, and his commandments which I command thee, thou, and thy fon, and thy fon's fon, all the days of thy life-, and that thy days may be prolonged, that thou may eft pro- 3 cure length of days, and all defirable profperity. Hear there- fore, O Ifrael, and obferve to do [it,] that it may be well with thee, and that ye may increafe mightily, as the Lord God of thy fathers hath promifed thee, in the land that floweth with milk and honey. 4 Hear, O Ifrael : the Lord our God [is] one Lord ; one fupreme, felfexiftent, under ived Being, who alone is worthy of ' fupreme adoration and worfhip. Their firm belief 5 of this, would be their beft guard againft idolatry. And thou malt love the Lord thy God with all thine heart; its foundation muft be laid in the underfianding, in believing in God, and knowing what he is ; and with all thy foul, thy will and affeclions muft be influenced by it ; and with all thy might, with the utmoft ability of both ; thus did Jofiah, 6 2 Kings xxiii. 25. And thefe words which I command thee this day, mail be in thine heart ; this is one method to promote the love of God, to treafure up in your hearts thefe 7 important admonitions : And another is, thou malt teach them diligently unto thy children, rub it on their minds over and over again, as we whet a tool •, the Hebrew Signi- fies to whet, or fliarpen \ giving them line upon line, and pre* 174 DEUTERONOMY. VI. precept Upon precept ; efpecially this ghat principle, the unity of God-, and thisfirft precept, to love him with all their hearts •, and thou fhalt talk of them when thou fitteft in thine houfe, and when thou walkeft by the way, and S when thou Heft down, and when thou rifeft up. And thou fhalt bind them for a fign upon thine hand, and 9 they iriall be as frontlets between thine eyes. And thou fhalt write them upon the pofts of thy houfe, and on thy gates : thou fhalt take great pains to keep up the remem- brance of God's power. d 10 And it fhali be, when the Lord thy God fhall have brought thee into the land which he fware unto thy fa- thers, to Abraham, to lfaac, and to Jacob, to give thee I I great and goodly cities, which thou buildedft not, And houfes full of all good [things,] which thou filledft not, and wells digged which thou diggedft not, vineyards and olive trees, which thou plantedft not > when thou malt have eaten and be full ; Mofes fpeaks of thefe things with great ajfurance, as what would certainly come to pafsy 12 and adds, [Then] beware left thou forget the Lord, which brought thee forth out of the land of Egypt, from the houfe of bondage *, let not profperity make thee forget God, but remember Egypt, and the wonderful appearances of God in bringing you from thence. Then follow fome gene- 13 ral precepts of great importance: Thou malt fear the Lord thy God, and ferve him, and fhalt fwear by his name only, when called to take a folemn oath, and not by idols, or 14 any creature? Ye fhall not go after other gods, of the 15 gods of the people which [are] round about you; (For the Lord thy God [is] a jealous God among you) left the anger of the Lord thy God be kindled againft thee, and A The jews took this literally, and wrote texts of fcripture on little fcrolls of parchment, which they wore on their foreheads, on their wrifts, in the fkirts of their garments, and nailed them to their door ports; for this our Lord reproves them, Matt, xxiii. 5. e Our Lord quotes this text in reply to the tempter, Matt. iv. 10. with the addition of the word only. Without this word his reply feems not conclufive. It is probable, therefore, that word was originally in the text; for, without it, the text does not clearly condemn that regard to other deities, which fome of them main- tained in common with Jehovah, and which it was certainly the intention of Mofes, in thefe words, to condemn. Edit. DEUTERONOMY. VI. i;5 1 6 and deftroy thee from off the face of the earth. Ye mail not tempt the Lord your God, by doubting of his wifdom, power, or goodnefs, as ye tempted [him] in Maf- 17 fan. Ye mail diligently keep the commandments of the Lord your God, and his teftimonies, and his fta- 18 tutes, which he hath commanded thee. And thou fhalt do [that which is] right and good in the fight of the Lord, not following your own fancies, or fuper flit ions in- ventions : that it may be well with thee, and that thou mayeft go in and pofTefs the good land which the Lord 19 fware unto thy fathers, To caft out all thine enemies from before thee, to drive out all the Canaanites, as the Lord hath fpoken \ otherwife they will tempt thee to idolatry. 20 [And] when thy fon afketh thee in time to come, faying, What [mean] the teftimonies, and the ftatutes, and the judgments, which the Lord our God hath 21 commanded you ? Then thou fhalt fay unto thy fon, We were Pharaoh's bondmen in Egypt •, and the Lord 22 brought us out of Egypt with a mighty hand : And the Lord mowed figns and wonders, great and fore, upon Egypt, upon Pharaoh, and upon all his houfe- 23 hold, before our eyes : And he brought us out from thence, that he might bring us in, to give us the land 24 which he fware unto our fathers. And the Lord com- manded us to do all thefe ftatutes, to fear the Lord our God, for our good always, that he might preferve 25 us alive, as [it is] at this day. And it (hall be our righteoufnefs, if we obferve to do all thefe command- ments before the Lord our God, as he hath com- manded us ; we JJiall be owned, and pronounced by God to be truly righteous and holy perfons, if we fincerely obey him J REFLECT- f The LXX render it, and the Hebrew may fignify, mercy JJiall be to us if we obfer the Hittites, and and £ :gP S' and tbe Amor''tes, and the Canaanites, and the Penzates, and the Hivites, and the Jebuf.tes VoL- "* m fevei; 178 DEUTERONOMY. VII. feven nations greater and mightier than thou *, here God promifes to bring them into the land7 and then directs them 2 what to do ; And when the Lord thy God mall deliver them before thee ; thou malt fmite them, [and] utterly deftroy them -, thou (halt make no covenant with them, except they forfake their idolatry, embrace the true religion, fubmit, and defire peace, as Jqflma vi. 25. ix. 15. nor fhow mercy unto them, to /pare them, or permit them to 3 dwell with you in the land: Neither malt thou make marriages with them •, thy daughter thou malt not give unto his Ton, nor his daughter malt thou take unto thy Ton, nor with any other heathens, however rich or honoura- ble their family : this was the ruin of the old world, and, 4 if you fall into it, will be your's : For they will turn away thy fon from following me, that they may ferve other gods: fo will the anger of the Lord be kindled againft 5 you, and deftroy thee fuddenly. But thus mall ye deal with them-, ye mail deftroy their altars, and break down their images, and cut down their groves, that are planted about their temples and altars, and burn their graven images with fire ♦, all the relicks of idolatry muft be deftroy ed, and every thing removed that might keep up any remembrance of it. 6 For thou [art] an holy people unto the Lord thy God: the Lord thy God hath chofen thee to be a fpecial people unto himfelf, above all people that [are] 7 upon the face of the earth. The Lord did not fet his love upon ycu, nor choofe you, becaufe ye were more in number than any people, for ye [were] the feweft of 8 all people : But becaufe the Lord loved you, and be- caufe he would keep the oath which he had fworn unto your fathers, hath the Lord brought you out with a mighty hand, and redeemed you out of the houfe of bondmen, from the hand of Pharaoh king of Egypt. Thefe are the reafons why they fhould do fo, namely, their re- lation to God, his free grace inchoqfing them, and Ivs faith- fulnefs to his promifes, tho* there was nothing in them to merit fuch favour. Thefe arguments are enforced by a pro- wife and a threatening. 9 Know therefore that the Lord thy God, he [is] G^d, e DEUTERONOMY. VII *o to a thoufand gene^^J^^^^"**. hate kirn and bfeak his kon^Sm f^i TSj°t «i pumjhment from God, infixed for his S ThL(l f thereon keep the cJL»d£e»£ aid ttefli£? and th^judg.ents, which I comma„d thee thist^to covenant of mem- n* h* v/T Y ra^ers, /&*/ /j, /£* We thfe aid blefsXld ^1^ ' J nd £ 6 frUk °/ thuy WOmb' and i fruit of S creatn/^ ?•' ^ ^ wine' and ^ine oil the in IS" wlWeTwarTun* tkf°ithy ^ "' H Thou (halt bheebfS $£% g^ &*£*£ i fell have no p.ty upon them : . neither /halt thou K M 2 tu • • This command harh b« ttrte ^ ■ as an ad of the greater crueltv ^ ' • I mCS °f ch"^nity membered, , Thft cJ u7- an2 ln^flice; bur it is to be Pt- their forfe ted Uves and tWf"' °fr^ded ^^ **d a ** » their potterity b^the ftoK°Ih "^V WCl1 de^ the™ *"<* tilence, fire and brim tone rained fro ¥**** * by f^ne> ^ appearing to coineZ . °? kven' -r any other calamity "Sckedoefi of K Ce TwT'7 ^ himle* * That and was as fignally accompltfhedy as any in the Old Teftament. 45 MORE- DEUTERONOMY. XXVIII. 241 45 Ik /TO RE OVER all thefe curfes fhall come upon jLVJL th.ee, an(^ Aiau Pur^ue thee, and overtake thee, till thou be deftroyed-, one punifhment fliall follow another , till you are brought to ruin, and are more miferable than any other nation ; and the reafon is, becaufe thou hearkenedft not unto the voice of the Lord thy God to keep his commandments and his ftatutes which he commanded 46 thee : And they fhall be upon thee for a fign and for a wonder, and upon thy feed for ever ; the curfe fhall re- main fixed upon thee, and all fhall take notice of it, as an 47 extraordinary mark of God?s difpleafure. Becaufe thou fer- vedft not the Lord thy God with joyfulnefs, and with gladnefs of heart, for the abundance of all [things;] 48 Therefore fhalt thou ferve thine enemies which the Lord fliall fend againft thee, in hunger, and in third, and in nakednefs, and in want of all [things:] and he fhall put a yoke of iron upon thy neck, until he have deftroyed thee; becaufe ye ferved not God in the way he required, ye fliall ferve your enemies, lofe your liberty, Jink into dreadful Jlavery, and be under a hard yoke, from which 49 ye fhall not be able to free yourfelves* The Lord fhall bring a nation againft thee from far, from the end of the earth, [as fwift] as the eagle flieth •, a nation whofe 50 tongue thou fhalt not underftand -,* A nation of fierce countenance, which fhall not regard the perfon of the old, nor fhow favour to the young ; a ft em, bold, hard- hearted people, inflexibly purfuing their own defigns \ which was the cxafl character of the old Romans : and the? in other wars the conquerors ufually pitied the old and the young, yet 5 1 in the war with the Jews they fpared no one. And he fhall eat the fruit of thy cattle, and the fruit of thy land, until thou be deftroyed : which [alfo] fhall not leave thee [either] corn, wine, or oil, [or] the increafe of thy kine, or flocks of thy fheep, until he have deftroy- Vol. II. Q^ ed a Some of the Jewifh doctors fay, this is a prophecy of their de- duction by the Romans ; and indeed nothing is here mentioned but what was literally applicable to that dreadful event. The foldiers in Titus's army were from France, Spain, Britain, and the ends of the earth ; the eagle was their itandard, and their language was unknown to the Jews, which was not entirely the cafe with the Chaldee language. 242 DEUTERONOMY. XXVIII. ed thee •, the country Jhall be deftroyed by their vaft armies, 52 And he mall befiege thee in all thy gates, until thy high and fenced walls come down wherein thou truft- edft, throughout all thy land: and he mall befiege thee in all thy gates throughout all thy land, which the Lord thy God hath given thee. The Jews fled to their fenced cities, where provifions were laid up, but the walls of moft of them, even of Jerufalem itfelf, were broken 53 down. And thou (halt eat the fruit of thine own body, the flefh of thy fons and of thy daughters, which the Lord thy God hath given thee, iri the fiege, and in the ftrait- nefs wherewith thine enemies mall diftrefs thee; this was £4 actually the cafe when befieged by the Romans: [So that] the man [that is] tender among you, and very delicate, his eye (hall be evil toward his brother, and toward the wife of his bofom, and toward the remnant of his child- 55 ren which he mail leave : So that he will not give to any of them of the flefh of his children whom he mall eat ; he Jhall grudge every morfel that he fees his near eft re- lations eat -, fball be ready tofnatch it from them •, yea, even to eat and devour them •, and not allow them to feed upon his own children, which he is forced to eat -, becaufe he hath nothing left him in the iiege, and in the ftraitnefs, wherewith thine enemies mall diftrefs thee in all thy 56 gates. The tender and delicate woman among you, which would not adventure to fet the fole of her foot upon the ground for delicatenefs and tendernefs, her eye mail be evil .toward the hufband of her bofom, and 5 j toward her fon, and toward her daughter, And toward her young one that cometh out from between her feet, and toward her children which me mail bear : for {he mail eat them for want of all [things] fecretly in the fiege and ftraitnefs, wherewith thine enemy mall dif- 58 trefs thee in thy gates.6 If thou wilt not obferve to do all the words of this law that are written in this book, that b Accordingly, Josephus tells us, that after eating dogs, horfes, cats, &c. they eat their own children privately, and let none fhare with them. He particularly mentions a noble matron, who boiled part of her child during the fiege, but the mob, fmelling the meat, broke in, and to them me offered the reft. DEUTERONOMY. XXVIII. 243 that thou mayeft fear this glorious and fearful name, 59 THE LORD THY GOD-, Then the Lord will make thy plagues wonderful, uncommon, and fur pr if- ing to all the world, and the plagues, of thy feed, [even] great plagues and of long continuance, and fore fick- nelTes, and of long continuance \ accordingly, they and their feed have been plagued in almoft every nation under heaven. 60 Moreover he will bring upon thee all the difeafes of Egypt, which thou waft afraid of ; and they mall cleave 61 unto thee. Alfo every ficknefs, and every plague, which [is] not written in the book of this law, them will the Lord bring upon thee, until thou be deftroy- 62 ed.c And ye fhall be left few in number, whereas ye were as the ftars of heaven for multitude -, becaufe thou 6$ wouldft not obey the voice of the Lord thy God.d And it fhall come to pafs, [that] as the Lord rejoiced over you to do you good, and to multiply you ; fo the Lord will rejoice over you to deftroy you, and to bring you to nought ; and ye fhall be plucked from off the land whither thou goeft to pofTefs it. God takes no pleafure in the death of finners, hut he delights to glorify his juftice, takes pleafure in afferting the honour of his govern- ment, and in fecuring the dejigns of it -, therefore he plucked 64. them off the land* And the Lord fhall fcatter thee among all people, from the one end of the earth even unto the other -, f and there thou malt ferve other gods, Q^2 which c This alfo is a fact, for in almoft every nation they have been tortured and deftroyed in various ways, and expofed to all the ficknefies that hunger, nakednefs, and wandering about, could bring upon them. d This was remarkably the cafe when Jerufalem was taken ; fome fay a million perimed in the city by famine and the fword, and many hundred thoufands in other parts of the kingdom. e Titus carried away ninety thoufand captives; Adrian, foon after, flew five hundred thoufand ; and the fenate joined with him in a decree, that no jew mould ever come within Judea, on pain of death ; this he did out of policy, but he was fulfilling this word cf the Lcrd. f This was the natural effect of the decree above-mentioned. Some were carried to Spain, multitudes fled to Babylon, and the Eaft; they were fcattered over all the earth, but (till continued diftincl: from all other nations ; which is a (landing miracle to this day. 244 DEUTERONOMY. XXVIII. which neither thou nor thy fathers have known, [even] 6$ wood and (tone.5 And among thefe nations (halt thou find no eafe, no fettlement, but be continually removed , from place to place, neither fhall the fole of thy foot have reft: but the Lord mail give thee there a trem- bling heart, and failing of eyes, and forrow of mind, 66 ye (hall always be in dread of fome new mif chief} And thy lite fhall hang in doubt before thee •, and thou (halt fear day and night, and malt have none aflurance of thy 6y life: In the morning thou fhalt fay, Would God it were even ! and at even thou fhalt fay, Would God it were morning ! for the fear of thine heart wherewith thou fhalt fear, and for the fight of thine eyes which thou fhalt fee; on account of dreadful apprehenfions in the 68 night, and lamentable fights by day. And the Lord fhall bring thee into Egypt again, to be Jlaves again there,1 with fhips, by the way whereof I fpake unto thee, Thou fhalt fee it no more again : and there ye fhall be fold unto your enemies for bondmen and bondwomen, and no man fhall buy [you.k] REFLECT- 8 I make no doubt, but that this refers to their being obliged to turn chriftians in popiih countries, and to worfhip their idols; this they were obliged to do in Spain and Portugal. h Hence Juvenal calls them, in contempt, trembling Jews; their eyes failed in looking for relief, and they had forrow of mind oa account of their fufferings. * So it carne to pafs at the deftruction of Jerufalem by Titus, when multitudes of them were carried into Egypt and fold there for Haves. k Titus commanded all under feventeen years of age to be fold, and in fuch numbers, that thirty of them were fold for a fmall piece of money. Adrian fold them in a fair, like horfes, and for the fame price. Such multitudes were often expofed to fale, that there were not perfons enough to buy them; and they were fent into confinement, and that fo ftrift and fevere, till they died by hundreds and thoufands together; and in general they were looked upon in fo contemptible a light, that men would not have them even for Haves ; in fo remarkable a manner have thefe awful denunciations been fulfilled. DEUTERONOMY. XXVIII. 245 REFLECTIONS. I. TI J E fhouid confider the prophecy in this chapter, V V as a glorious confirmation of the truth of the facred writings, and a proof that Mofes was a divinely in- fpired prophet. The words are fulfilled thro' every fucceed- ing age to this day, in all the calamities of the jews. The contempt they fuffer in every nation, the marks of infamy that are put upon them, and the blindnefs of their hearts, are unanfwerable arguments for the truth of chriftianity. Every jew we fee, is a kind of miraculous atteftation that Jefus is the true Meffiah, and that the fcriptures were given by divine infpiration. 2. We find here many important branches of duty pointed out. Let us hearken to God's voice, obferve his commands, his whole law, not turning afide to the right hand or to the left. Let us ferve God with cheerful nefs and gladnefs ; ferve him with all our good things. The more we have, the more cheerfully we mould ferve him ; not with reluctance, but with pieafure and delight. Let us fear that awful name, JEHOVAH, the felf exigent, un- changeable, eternal, and covenant-keeping God j that fo his blefling may continually overtake us. 3. Let us ft and in awe, and fin not \ for the whole chap- ter affures us, that it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, Mr. Henry relates an account of a wicked man, who, upon reading the threatenings in this chapter, was fo enraged, that he tore the leaf out of. his bible. But to what purpofe is it to deface the copy, while the original remains upon record in the divine counfel ? By that it is unalterably determined, that the wages of fin is death, whether we hear, or whether we forbear. When we hear thefe words, juftly may our flefh tremble for fear of God's righteous judg- ments. May we be thankful that the miferies here threat- ened have not fallen to the lot of our own country. May we alfo dread the curfe of God, that follows wicked men wherever they go, that mixes v/ith all their enjoyments, embitters all their comforts, and obfcures all their hopes. What various terrible judgments has God in ftore for the* Q^ 3 wicked ! s46 DEUTERONOMY. XXIX. wicked \ Divers arrows are in his quiver •, but the worft of all is, that aftonifhment, that forrow of mind, a guilty confcience, a trembling heart, which he here declares will reach the finner every where. Alas ! whofe heart can en- dure, whofe hand be^flrong, in that day ? May we be careful then, not to provoke the Lord to anger. Oh that we might this day kifs the Son, left he be angry ! Oh that thefe curfes of the law may now be as a jchoolmafter to lead us to Chrifil that being juftified by him, we may be delivered from the curfes of the law, have peace and fecurity, and maintain his friend- fhip -, for happy is the man that is in fuch a cafe, yea, happy the people whofe God is the Lord. CHAP. XXIX. We have here the renewal of the covenant between God and Jfrael -, the perfons who were to enter into it •, and the terrible conferences of breaking it. I 1 1 A HESE [are] the words of the covenant, which the Lord commanded Mofes to make with the children of Ifrael in the land of Moab, befides the co- venant which he made with them in Horeb. Mofes was juft about to die, arid Ifrael to enter into Cayiaan \ therefore, to fecure their obedience, he enters them into another cove- nant, of the fame nature, but fomething different from the former. The greater part of them were a new generation, and therefore it was fit the covenant fhould be renewed. 2 And Mofes called unto all Ifrael, and faid unto them, Ye have {&en all the wonderful works that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Kgypt unto Pharaoh, 3 and unto all his fervants, and unto all his land, The great temptations which thine eyes have (ten, the trials God had made whether Ifrael would ferve him or not, the 4 figns, and thofe great miracles : Yet the Lord hath not given you an heart to perceive, and eyes to fee, and ears to hear unto this day •, tho* you have feen thofe things, yet ytit have not duly corifidered and improved them. God would have given you grace to do this, but you were not difpofed DEUTERONOMY. XXIX. 247 difpofed to obferve and learn: it is a juft punifhment for 5 your fin. And I have led you forty years in the wilder- nefs : your clothes are not waxen old upon you, and thy fhoe is not waxen old upon thy foot, they are the 6 fame you put on when ye came out of Egypt, Ye have not eaten bread, neither have ye drunk wine or ftrong drink, but have had manna from heaven, and water from the rock, without your own care and labour: that ye might 7 know that 1 [am] the Lord your God. And when ye came unto this pJace, Sihon the king of Hembon, and Og the king of Bafhan, came out againft us unto bat- 8 tie, and we (mote them : And we took their land, and gave it for an inheritance unto the Reubenites, and to the Gadires, and to the half tribe of ManafTeh. In this 9 you fee the power, faithfulnefs, and goodnefs of God ; Keep therefore the words of this covenant, and do them, that ye may profper in all that ye do. 10 Ye ftand this day all of you before the Lord your God, to enter into covenant with him, your captains of your tribes, your elders, and your officers, [with] all li the men of Ifrael, Your little ones,1 your wives, and thy ftranger that [is] in thy camp, from the hewer of thy wood, unto the drawer thy of water -, all that came out of Egypt with thee, (Exodus xii. 38.) and fuchas have * fince joined themfelves to the congregation, (Jofh. ix.2 r, 27.) 12 That thou fhouldft enter into covenant with the Lord thy God, and into his oath, the covenant confirmed with an oath, which the Lord thy God maketh with thee 13 this day : That he may eftablifh thee to day for a peo- ple unto himfelf, and [that] he may be unto thee a God, as he hath faid unto thee, and as he hath fworn unto thy fathers, to Abraham, to Ifaac, and to Jacob ; that he may confirm thy privileges, and abundantly blefs thee. 14 Neither with you only do I make this covenant and J5 this oath*, But with [him] that ftandeth here with us this day before the Lord our God, and alfo with [him] that [is] not here with us this day, with all who are Q^4 neceffarily 1 Thefe were capable of being taken into the covenant, and admitted with their parents ; fa it is under the New Teftament, as well as the Old. 248 DEUTERONOMY. XXIX. ?ieceffarily chfent, with all your p oft erity, and with all who 16 may hereafter join them/elves to you: (For ye know how we have dwelt in the land of Egypt y and how we came through the nations which ye pafTed by, what dif- 17 ficulties we encountered there \ And ye have &en their abominations and their idols, wood and done, filver and gold, which [were] among them -, ye have feen how unable thefe were to help ihenfi and how fome of us have been remarkably punijked for being led away by them , we have need therefore to be cautious^ and bind ourf elves firmly to 18 Jehovah:) Left there fhould be among you man, or woman, or family, or tribe, whofe heart turneth away this day from the Lord our God, to go [and] fervethe gods of thefe nations ; left there fhould be among you a lo, root that beareth gall and wormwood \ m And it come to pafs, when he heareth the words of this curfe, that he biefs himfelf in his heart, faying, I fhall have peace, / fhall be profperous, let me worfhip what god I will, though I walk in the imagination, or ftubbornnefs^ of mine heart, to add drunkennefs to thirft, that is^ one Jin to another? Tet9 whatever he may think or fay, 20 The Lord will not fpare him : but then the anger of the Lord and his jealoufy fhall fmoke againft that man, the higheft degree of anger , the j lift difpleafure of in- cenfed majefty^ fliall break forth with fury and terror againft him, and all the curfes that are written in this book fhall lie upon him, not only fall, but continue upon him •, and the Lord fhall blot out his name from under heaven, 21 neither he nor his children fliall be known arty more. And the Lord fhall feparate him unto evil out of all the tribes of Ifrael, according to all the curfes of the co- venant that are written in this book of the law ,5 if i is but one 'fitch jinner in a tribe ; God will find him out^ feparate m Thefe words have a reference to it is return- ing to God, to his worfhip and fervice ; to obey his com- mands, and that fencer ely and afjeclionately ; and teaching their children to do fo from a principle of reverence and love. 3 And when this is the cafe, it fhall come to pafs, That then the Lord thy God will turn thy captivity, and have . companion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath '4 fcattered thee.q If [any] of thine be driven out unto the outmoft [parts] of heaven, from thence will the Lord thy God gather thee, and from thence will he fetch thee ; tho* now they are more fcattered than they ever were before, into more diftant nations, and wider from each other, yet, if they repe?it, they fliall all be reftoredto their own 5 land: And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers pofTefTed, and thou fhalt pofTefs it; and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above 6 thy fathers/ And the Lord thy God will circumcife thine heart, and the heart of thy feed, to love the Lord •5 This was fulfilled in their return from the Babylonim cap- tivity, and will yet have a farther accomplishment. r After their return from the captivity they were great and numerous, but were often oppreffed by the Perhans and Grecians, and at length dellroyed by the Romans; fo that this prophecy is yet to be fulfilled, when they fhall fee *htir crime in crucifying Chrilt. DEUTERONOMY. XXX. 253 Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with all thy foul, that thou may eft live ; they (hall fir II be convinced, and humbled, and fanElified, and then be brought back and profpered. 'The jews refer this to the days of the MeJJiah. 7 And th.Q Lord thy God will put all thefe curfes upon thine enemies, and on them that hate thee, which per- fecuted thee. Thus God fliall become a defence to them by 8 the ruin of their enemies. And thou malt return and obey the voice of the Lord, and do all his command- ments which I command thee this day ; flialt continue 9 ftedfaft in love and obedience to God. And the Lord thy God will make thee plenteous in every work of thine hand, in the fruit of thy body, and in the fruit of thy cattle, and in the fruit of thy land, for good : for the Lord will again rejoice over thee for good, as he re- joiced over thy fathers ; ye fliall have great profperity, which fliall be for your good, and not a fnare to you : their hearts being changed, they fliould employ it cheerfully and faithfully in God's fervice, as Abraham, Ifaac, and 10 Jacob did, in whofe obedience God delighted : If thou /halt hearken unto the voice of the Lord thy God, to keep his commandments and his ftatutes which are written in this book of the law, [and] if thou turn unto the Lord thy God with all thine heart, and with ail thy foul. This (hows the promife was conditional ; provided they did not re- ceive the grace of God in vain, but kept his commandments and his ftatutes with all their hearts. Now if any fliould object, that they would keep them if they 1 1 knew them, Mofes adds, For this commandment which I command thee this day, it [is] not hidden from thee, neither [is] it far off; it is not too wonderful for thee, not above thy capacity, nor hard to be underftood-, non is it far off, you need not go to other nations to learn it, as fome of the 12 Greek philofophers did to feek for wifdom. It [is] not in heaven, that thou fhouldfl: fay, Who /hall go up for us to heaven, and bring it unto us, that we may hear it, 13 and do it? Neither [is] it beyond the fea, that thou fhouldfl: fay, Who mail go over the fea for us, and 14 bring it unto us, that we may hear it, and do it ? But the word [is] very nigh unto thee, in thy mouth, and in »54 DEUTERONOMY. XXX. in thy heart that thou mayeft do it; it is delivered by Mofes in the plaineft manner •, the priefts and Levites daily teach it ; it is fo familiar, that you have it in your common difcourfe, and can teach it your children -, and all for this end, that thou may eft pratlife what thou know eft, 15 See, I have fet before thee this day life and good, all manner of bleffings, if thou art obedient, and death and 16 evil, all kinds of mifery, if thou doft acl 0 1 her 'wife •, In that I command thee this day to love the Lord thy God, to walk in his ways," and to keep his command- ments and his ftatutes and his judgments, that thou mayeft live and multiply -, and the Lord thy God fhall blefs thee in the land whither thou goeft to pofTefs it. Here he explains the good, and in the next verfe the evil: 17 But if thine heart turn away, fo that thou wilt not hear, but' fhalt be drawn away, and worfhip other 18 gods, and ferve them ; I denounce unto you this day, that ye fhall furely perifh, [and that] ye mail not prolong [your] days upon the land, whither thou pafteft over Jordan to go to pofTefs it. And, to make this 19 matter more folemn, he adds, I call heaven and earth, God, and angels, and men, to record this day againft you, [that] I have fet before you life and death, blefnng and curfing -, he ufes thefe various words to imprefs their minds, and to convince them that both come from God \ therefore choofe life, that both thou and thy feed may live •, be obedient, and thoujlialt be happy. He then f urns up the whole ; 20 That thou mayeft love the Lord thy God, this is the nobleft fpring of religion, [and] that thou mayeft obey his voice, and that thou mayeft cleave unto him ; it will keep thee from idolatry, audfecufe thy obedience and happinefs-9 for he [is] thy life, the author and preferver of it, and the length of thy days : that thou mayeft dwell in the land which the Lord fware unto thy fathers, to Abra- ham, to Ifaac, and to Jacob, to give them and their feed after them. REFLECT- DEUTERONOMY. XXX. 255 REFLECTIONS. *• npHE promifes at the beginning of the chapter JL furnifli great encouragement to pray for the Jews. #• 3 — 5« Tfo Ltfft/ ///y GW will turn thy captivity, and have cl mpaffion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the nations, whither the Lord thy God hath fcaitered thee. And the Lord thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers poffejfed, and he will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers, Aitho' they are now obftinate and wicked, and blafpheme the name and religion of Jefus, yet they fhall be called ; God has not abfolutely caft them off. He exhi- bits them as monuments of his juftice, and as a ftanding miracle in fupport of the gofpel; and in due time the whole world fhall witnefs their reftoration to their own land, and their acknowledgment of the Meffiah. In dependence on this promife, which is confirmed by the New Teftament, let us bear them upon our fpirits before God. So Paul; Brethren, my heart's defire and prayer to God for Ifrael is, that they may be faved. 2. Before the heart can love and obey God's command- ments, it muft be circumcifed; that is, its perverfenefs and obiimacy mult be removed, its corruptions mortified, its tilth taken away, and its luft fubdued. This is God's work. It mould be diligently fought by thofe who are itrangers to the love and fervice of God; and parents fhould eameftly feek it for their children. However hard and ob- ftinate the human heart is, God can foften and fubdue it. Let us pray that he would fhed abroad his love in our hearts and difpofe them more and more to his fervice. j. Let thofe who live in the negledfc of their duty, know and be afiured, that they have no excufe for fo doincr. For this commandment, which I command thee this day, is not hidden \°?ifc9 mltker U kfar °& Vlu Their duty is P^nly iaid before them, and it is eafy to be pradtifed. Say not in thine heart, Who fhall afcend into heaven? or, Who fhall defend into the deep ? The word of the Lord is nigh unto thee, even in thy mouth and in thy heart. Rom. x. 6, 8. The Gofpel of Chrift is much more plain and eafy. You hear it every Lord's day, and of tener : 256 DEUTERONOMY. XXXI. oftener ; it is read and preached among you •, it is in your hands •, you fpeak of it •, therefore great is your guilt, and great will be your mifery, if you do it not. The fervant who knowcth his Lord's will, and doeth it not, will be beaten with many Jlripes. The path of duty is no lefs eafy than it is plain. It is not a burden and grief, as Satan and wicked men would reprefent it -, it is pleafant and delightful here, and leads to everl ailing happinefs hereafter. Let us fee to it, then, that we keep the word of Chrifi, and walk in his ways ; for his yoke is eafy, and his burden is light. 4. Since a bleffing and a curfe are fo plainly fet before us, let us choofe life, that both we and our feed may live, v. 10. The more ferioufly, frequently and folemnly, a law is urged and enforced, the greater the obligation is to obferve it. We naturally feek good, and lhun evil -, love life, and fear death. Hope and fear are our moft governing prin- ciples. God addrefTes himfelf to both of thefe. He pro- mifes the greater!: good, and threatens the greater!: evil : and after all he deals with us as rational creatures, and free agents : propofing to our choice life or death. They who, thro' grace, choofe life, and purfue it accordingly, mail have it. They who choofe and purfue death, muft blame themfelves alone for the confequences. God offers life, but they difregard it. Thus fairly and equitably the law dealt with men, and fo does the gofpel alfo. Therefore, let us choofe life, that we may live. CHAP. XXXI. Mofes here encourages the -people and Jofhua •, he delivers the law unto the priefts, to be read every feventh year to the people ; God giveth a charge to JofJiua •, and a fong for the inflruclion of the people. 1 A ND Mofes, on another occafion, juft before his JL\^ death, when he had called the people together, went 2 and fpake thefe words unto all Ifrael. And he faid un- to them, I [am] an hundred and twenty years old this day •, 1 can no more go out and come in, I can no longer difcharge DEUTERONOMY. XXXI. 257 difcharge the office of a commander and a governor : alfo xho Lord hath faid unto me, Thou malt not go over this Jordan ; I am therefore come to take my final leave of you. 3 The Lord thy God, he will go over before thee; the ark, as the token of his pre fence, will go with you, till ye poffefs the land-, [and] he will deftroy thefe nations from before thee, and thou malt pofTefs them: [and] Jofhua, he mall go over before thee, as the Lord hath 4 faid, and be your commander in my ftead. And the Lord mail do unto them as he did to Sihon and to Og, kings of the Amorites, and unto the land of them, whom he deftroyed •, let your former experience encourage 5 your hope offuccefs. And the Lord mall give them up before your face, that ye may do unto them according unto all the commandments which I have commanded you, to deftroy them and their altars, images, and groves, 6 and root idolatry out of the land. Be ftrong and of a good courage, fear not, nor be afraid of them: for the Lord thy God, he [it is] that doth go with thee; he will not fail thee, noi* for fake thee ; do not diftruft God, as your fathers did ; fear not their numbers, their ftature, nor firength, for God will go with you. The words are here addrejfed to all Ifrael, and afterwards to Jofiiua. 7 And Mofes called unto Jomua, and faid unto him in the fight of all Ifrael, to give them greater reverence for his perfon and authority, and engage them to follow his direc- tions, Be ftrong and of a good courage : for thou mud go with this people unto the land which the Lord hath fworn unto their fathers to give them ; and thou fhalt 8 caufe them to inherit it. And the Lord, he [it is] that doth go before thee ; he will be with thee, he will not fail thee, neither forfake thee : fear not, neither be difmayed. Tho9 JofJiua was a brave man, he needed this encouragement, confidering the difficulties that were before him, and the temper of the people ; and there could be no ftronger motives to be courageous than thefe. 9 And Mofes wrote this law, he put a finifhing hand to the whole law or doElrine contained in thefe five books-, and he delivered it unto the priefts the fons of Levi, Vol. II. R which 258 DEUTERONOMY. XXXI. , which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, and io unto all the elders of Ifrael.5 And Mofes commanded them, faying, At the end of [every] feven years, in the folemnity in the year of releafe, in the feaft of 1 1 tabernacles, 'VXhen all Ifrael is come to appear before the Lord thy God in the place which he fhall choofe, thou fhalt read this law before all Ifrael in their hear- 12 ing, as E'zra read it, Neh. viii. r, &c.x Gather the people together, men, and women, and children, (tko9 theje were not bound to come to the feaft, yet many times they brought them,) and thy ftranger that [is] within thy gates, all the profelytes to the Jewifh religion, that they may hear, and that they may learn, and fear the Lord your God, and obferve to do all the words of this 13 law: And [that] their children, which have not known [any thing,] have not feen God's wonders and miracles % may hear, and learn to fear the Lord your God, as long as ye live in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to pofTefs it. 14 And the Lord faid unto Mofes, Behold thy days approach that thou muft die: call Jofhua and pre- fent yourfelves in the tabernacle of the congregation* that I may give him a charge. And Mofes and Jofhua went, and prefented themfelves in the taber- nacle of the congregation, in that part of the court1 which was before the door of the tabernacle : this was done in the fight of the people, to increafe their reverence for 15 Jofhua, and to give him greater authority. And the Lord appeared in the tabernacle in a pillar of a cloud: and the pillar of the cloud flood over the door of the tabernacle •, the cloud, which was ufually over the taberna* tie, came down and flood at the door, 16 And • He gave the original copy to the priefts, to be kept fafely by them : and probably gave a copy to the elders of Ifrael, or heads of each tribe, for the ufe of that tribe ; and each of theft original copies might be figned by himfelf. * They were to read the original copy, for the greater folem» nity, and that other copies might be corrected by it. Jofhua was to do this during his life, and afterwards, the Jews fay, it was to be done by the fupreme governor, or king. They began to read it the iirit day of the feait, and continued till it was read throughout. DEUTERONOMY. XXXI. 259 16 And the Lord faid unto Mofes, Behold thou fhalt fleep (in the Hebrew, lie down) with thy fathers ; which intimates that he Jhould awake, and rife again ; and this people will rife up and go a whoring after the gods of the ftrangers of the land, whither they go [to be] among, them, the Canaanites that were eftranged from God and his people, and will forfake me and break my covenant 17 which I have made with them. Then my anger (hall be kindled againft them in that day, when ihjy have thus broken their marriage covenant with me ; and I will forfake them, and I will hide my face from them, and they mall be devoured, and many evils and troubles iliall befall them, fo that they will fay in that day, Are not thefe evils come upon us, becaufe our God [is] not among us ? So it was upon every revolt, God withdrew his 18 protection, and delivered them to their enemies. And I will furely hide my face in that day for all the evils which they fhall have wrought, in that they are turned unto 19 other gods. Now therefore write ye this fong for you, (recorded in the next chapter,) and teach it the children of Ifrael : u put it in their mouths, that this fong may be a witnefs for me againft the children of Ifrael ; a witnefs of my kindnefs, in giving them fo many blefjings ; of my patience, in bearing fo long with them ; and of my juftice, in punifhing 20 fuch an ungrateful and perverfe people. For when I fhall have brought them into the land which I fware unto their fathers, that floweth with milk and honey ; and they mall have eaten and filled themfelves, and waxen fat ; then will they turn unto other gods, and ferve them* 21 and provoke me, and break my covenant. And it fhall come to pafs, when many evils and troubles are befallen them, that this fong fhall teftify againft them as a witnefs ♦, for it fhall not be forgotten out of the mouths of their feed; they fhall have fad occafion to re- member it, when they feel the dreadful calamities mentioned in it-, for I know their imagination, their pronenefs ta idolatry, and backfliding, which they go about, even R 2 now, 11 This was the antient way of inHru&ion : antient lawgivers delivered their laws in verfe, and occasioned them to be fung at their feftivals. 26*0 DEUTERONOMY. XXXI. now, before I have brought them into the land which I 22 fware. And Mofes therefore, by divine inspiration , wrote this fong the fame day, and taught it the children of Ifrael. 23 And he, that is, Jehovah, gave Joftiua the fon of Nun a charge, and faid, Be ftrong and of a good courage : for thou (halt bring the children of Ifrael into the land which I fware unto them : and I will be with thee; how badfoever they are, or may be, I will be with thee, and give theefuccefs. 24 And it came to pafs, when Mofes had made an end of writing the words of this law in a book, until they 25 were fmifhed, That Mofes commanded the Levites which bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, fay- 26 ing, Take this book of the law, and put it in the fide of the ark of the covenant of the Lord your God, that it may be there for a witnefs againft thee ; or, by the fide of the ark, with Aaron's rod and the manna; that is, in fome cheft that was Jet by it; for there was nothing in the ark, but the two tables of the law, 1 Kings viii. 9. 'This was the book that was found, 2 Kings xxii. j. 2 Chron, 27 xxxiv. 14. For I know thy rebellion, and thy ftifT neck : behold, while I am yet alive with you this day, ye have been rebellious againft the Lord •, and how much more after my. death? He mentions nothing of their rebellions againft him, thefe were forgiven and forgotten \ 28 but only thofe againft God. Gather unto me all the elders of your tribes, and your officers, that I may fpeak thefe words in their ears, and call heaven and earth to record againft them ; that I may deliver the fong to them, and that they may dftribute it to the fever al tribes and fa- milies ; and that all the world may witnefs how ungrateful and wicked they will be, if they revolt after fo much has been 29 done for them. But he did this with a bleeding heart, For, he adds, I know that after my death ye will be utterly cor- rupt [yourfelves,] and turn afide from the way which I have commanded you ; and evil will befall you in the latter days •, becaufe ye will do evil in the fight of the Lord, to provoke him to anger through the work of your hands. // was a melancholy thing for Mofes to leave them with fuch a prcfpeff, to fee no better effecl of his la- bours; but he had done his duty ; God would remember and reward DEUTERONOMY. XXXI. 26r 30 reward him, and the guilt would be theirs* And Mofes then fpake in the ears of all the congregation of Ifrael the words of this fong, until they were ended. R EFL'ECTIONS, 1. A ir \H E promife of God's prefence and affiftance, is JL fufficient encouragement for us to undertake the harder! work, and to encounter the greater!: difficulties. This encouraged the Ifraelites to march toward Canaan, and this encouraged Joihua to lead them, although the people were perverfe, tho' the fervice was difficult, and tho' coming after a man fo eminent as Mofes. The pro- mife, / will never leave thee, I will never for fake thee, is ap- plied to all chriftians, Heb xiii. 5. Depend therefore on the care and power of God •, let us boldly fay, The Lord is my helper ; and fear no danger in the way of duty. God wili be with us in our fpiritual combats. Let us not reafon with fieffi and blood, nor fay, How mail I overcome un- ruly appetites, or principalites and powers ? If we feek him, he will affirl: us ; and fo we Jhall be more than conquerors. Be ftrong then, and of a good courage -, for greater is he that is with you, than thofe which are againft you, 2. The publick reading of God's law, is a very impor- tant and ufeful fervice : Mofes read it in the fynagogue every fabbath day, efpecially every fabbatical year. So mould the chriftian oracles be read; this was the curlom of the primitive churches, and is proper to be retained to this day. It is doing publick honour to God's word, conveys ufeful inftruclion to children, and to thofe who cannot read, or but very little -, and things are more ftrongly im- preffed on the mind, which are done in a folemn aflembly. How much reafon is there to be thankful that we have a written law ! It reaches to all nations, and even to places where no living preacher ever came. It is good to hear it read in publick ; let us not look upon it as a matter of form, but ferioufly attend to it -, be doers of the word, and not hearers only. 3. All the methods of religious inftrucVion that we have received, will be witnefles againft us if we prove rebellious. Put this fong into their mouths, that it may be a witnefs for me R 3 againft afo DEUTERONOMY. XXXI. - againft the children qf Ifrael. v. 19. This was the charge to Ifrael; the law written, read, or fung, were all witnerTes againft Ifrael's di (obedience, and aggravated their guilt. The reafon holds equally ftrong with regard to ourfelves. We have the word, facraments, and prayer -9 the word read, expounded, or preached •, and prayer in publick or private: all which will be witnerTes againft us, if we continue ignorant, impenitent, and difobedient ; all will be witnerTes for God, that he has not been wanting on his part ; and all will make our condemnation the more intolerable. 4. Let us learn from the whole chapter, that it is the duty of aged and dying faints to do all they can to pro- mote religion. Mofes chargeth Jofhua and Ifrael again and again -, now, when he was going to his fathers. Aged chriftians have but a little time to live, their faculties are impaired, their hands are weakened -, but ftill they may be ferviceable. Let them charge their families and fucceflbrs to ferve God, to be ftrong. Let them recommend religion to them, and encourage them to ferve the Lord -, fet before them good and evil. If your profpects are but melancholy, as Mofes' was concerning Ifrael, ftill do your duty. Exhort, reprove, rebuke-, bear teftimony to the truth and comforts of religion -, that your exhortations may be a witnefs againft thofe of your defendants and relations that forfake God, and be witnerTes for you at his bar, that you were faithful. Thus David, when he was old and greyheaded, fhowed God's Jlrength to that generation, and Iiis power, right eoufnefs^ and goodnefs, to thofe that were to come after him. CHAP. XXXII. 1—25. Mofes* fong, which fet s forth the perfeclions of God ; his fpecial goodnefs to his people-, their ingratitude and apoflacy, and God's difpleafure and vengeance. The Jews call this fong the epitome of the whole pentateuch. It contains a very ufeful and conftant admonition to Ifrael, Thefrft three verfes are the preface to it, I GIVE DEUTERONOMY; XXXII. 263 i •"">( I V E ear, O ye heavens, and I will fpeak; and VJ hear, O earth, the words of my mouth. He calls on the whole creation to attend, and witnefs the truth of what he f aid, and the perverfenefs of Ifrael if they for fo ok 2 God. My doctrine mall drop as the rain, my fpeech fhall diftil as the dew, as the fmall rain upon the ten- der herb, and as the mowers upon the grafs ; or rather, let it do fo ; let it become profitable to mollify and make you 3 fruitful: Becaufe I will publifh the name of the Lord, celebrate his attributes, and publifh his glorious excellency : afcribe ye greatnefs unto our God ; do you alfo own and acknowledge them, and attend with diligence and reverence. 4 [He is] the Rock, a firm, everlafting refuge •, his work [is] perfect, his works of creation and providence : for all his ways [are] judgment : a God of truth, and without iniquity, ju{l and right [is J he ; righteous in whatfoever he doeth -, his dealings with his people have been exaclly jujl 5 and holy, in the higheft degree of perfection. They have corrupted themfelves, their fpot [is] not [the fpot] of his children : [they are] a perverfe and crooked genera- tion ; they are an untoward generation^ that walk contrary to God in all their ways-, they did not behave like God's 6 children. — He then expofiulates with them ; Do ye thus re- quite the Lord, O foolifh people and unwife ? [Is] not he thy father [that] hath bought thee, delivered thee from Egyptian Jlavery ? hath he not made thee, and eftablifhed thee, formed thee into a people, given thee good laws, and often confirmed his grace toward thee? f Remember the days of old, confider the years of many generations : afk thy father, and he will mow thee -, thy eiders, and they will tell thee •, confult antient records, advife with old men who have feen God's wonders in Egypt-, ajk Caleb and Jofhua, and the Levites, and % they will tell thee. When the Moft High divided to the nations their inheritance, when he feparated the fons of Adam, he fet the bounds of the people according to the number of the children of Ifrael ; he thought of them when he divided the earth among the fons of Noah, when he fcattered the nations into various parts of the earth, and gave thofe that were to inhabit Canaan fo large a /liar e, as might be R 4 fully 264 DEUTERONOMY. XXXIL fully fuffi dent for his own numerous people, when they came 9 to poffefs it. For the Lord's portion [is] his people -9 Jacob [is] the lot of his inheritance ♦, they are his fpecial care, his peculiar people, and have diftinguiflied privileges. io He found him in a defert land, and in the wafte howl- ing wildernefs ; he led him about, he inftructed him, he kept him as the apple of his eye*, he found him in a place deftitute of convenience and comfort, amidft the howling of birds and beafts of prey r, he conducled him from place to place, and gave him good laws -, protecled him from danger, in the kindefl manner, as a man takes care of his eye, the tender eft and moft ufeful part -, and this he illuftrates by a 11 moft beautiful image-, As an eagle ftirreth up her neft, fluttereth over her young, fpreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her wings ; as an eagle forces her young ones from the ncft, teaching them how to fly, and carries them on her wings when they are in danger ; 12 [So] the Lord alone did lead him, and [there was] no ftrange god v/ith him •, withfuch tendernefs and care did the Lord deliver them out of Egypt, and carry them to 13 Canaan. He made him ride on the high places of the earth, that he might eat the increafe of the fields, fub- due the mountainous places and ftrong holds of their enemies, and poffefs a land far excelling others for all commodities •, and he made him to fuck honey out of the rock, and oil out of the flinty rock, pleafant, delicious fruits of trees 14 growing upon rocky ground-, Butter of kine, and milk of fheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Baman, and goats, with the fat of kidneys of wheat ; and thou didft drink the pure blood of the grape •, they had abundance of the fineft cattle, the largeft wheat, and richeft wines. 1 5 But Jemurun waxed fat, and kicked •, Ifrael, who had the vifion of God, and a clear revelation, grew proud, and, like a fat beaft kicked, againft the ground -, thou art waxen fat, thou art grown thick, thou art covered [with fat- nefs-,] then he forfook God [which] made him, and lightly euxemed the Rock of his (aivation -, they forfook God who was fo kind to them -, abhorred their creator, contem- ned his laws, grew infotent and rebellious -, and thofe light thoughts DEUTERONOMY. XXXII. 265 16 thoughts of God begat idolatry. They provoked him to jealoufy with ftrange [gods,] with abominations provck- 17 ed they him to anger. They facrificed unto devils, to demons, the folds of departed men, or evil /pints, not to God; to gods whom they knew not, to knew [gods that] came newly up, whom your fathers feared not; or, which were not God ; fitch as the golden calf, Baal, or Mo- lech ; new invented gods, who never gave them any good iS thing. Of the Rock [that] begat thee, thy ftrong and almighty God> thou art unmindful, and haft forgotten God that formed thee, thy maker and benefaffor. 19 And when the Lord faw [it,] he abhorred [them,] becaufe of the provoking of his fons, and of his daughters ; they di/covered the ingratitude and rebellion 20 0/ a wicked child, to a kind, indulgent parent. And he faid, I will hide my face from them, I will fee what their end [mall be:] for they [are] a very froward generation, children in whom [is] no faith ; this was a puni/hment an/werable to their fin : I will /how my difplea- fure\ I will let them fee what a friend they have loft, and what will become of them when I /or fake them, becaufe they are children of no faith, who have broken their covenant 21 fo often that they are not to be trufted. They have moved me to jealoufy with [that which is] not God; they have provoked me to anger with their vanities : and I will move them to jealoufy with [thofe which are] not a people ; I will provoke them to anger with a foolifh nation ; they had provoked God with vain and defpicable deities,, and he would vex them with a de/picable people, that a 2 is, the Canaanites that were le/t among them. For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and mall burn unto the low- eft hell, and mall confume the earth with her increafe, and fet on fire the foundations of the mountains ; vehement and dreadful judgments /hall come upon them, which Jhould ruin all their enjoyments, make utter de/olation of their country, even the firongefi places 0/ the land ; yea, Jeru/alem it/elf, founded on the holy mountains, was de- *3 ftroyed by the fire 0/ God's wrath. I will heap mifchiefs upon them ; I will fpend mine arrows upon them ; one evil /hall be heaped upon another, and all his dreadful arrows 266 DEUTERONOMY. XXXII. arrows Jhould comefwiftly and fuddenly, till the whole quiver was exhaufted ; thefe arrows are then particularly mentioned, 24 [They fhall be] burnt with hunger, and devoured with burning heat, and with bitter deftruclion •, I will alfo fend the teeth of beafts upon them, with the poifon of 25 ferpents of the duft. The fword without, and terror within, mail deftroy both the young man and the vir- gin, the fuckling [alfo] with the man of grey hairs ; the 'famine ', the peftilence, and the fword \ fhould deftroy all without diftinftion. REFLECTIONS. 1. E learn hence, that we mould endeavour to cultivate a due itn{t of the divine attributes. Greatnefs is afcribed to God, v. 3. High and honourable thoughts of him may keep us from fin, and lead us to duty. It is a delightful view that is given of him, v, 4. He 'is the Rock, his work is perfeel ; for all his ways are judg- ment: a God of truth, and without iniquity, juft and right is he. All his works are perfeel, but men's works are imperfect. What are all men compared with this wife, juft, and faith- ful God! May we truft in him, and devote ourfelves to him. 2. To neglect this God is the higheft degree of folly and ingratitude. He bought us •, he purchafed us with the blood of his fon -, he gives us every bleffing. What then does he deferve at our hands ! To fin againft him, and to neglect him, is the bafeft ingratitude, the greater!; folly; becaufe there is none fo good, or fo great, as he is \ he is able both to fave and to deftroy. 3. The hand of God is to be owned in the divifions of nations, and in fixing the abodes of men. This is not the work of chance ; we fee much wifdom at prefent difplayed in it. How very extenfive his views with' refpect to the Canaanites and Ifraelites ! Known to God are all his works from the beginning. This thought mould make us contented with our lot, and comfort our hearts amidft the confufions of the world. All things are ordered by providence, and tend to the good of the church, 4. The DEUTERONOMY. XXXIL 267 4. The fins of God's peculiar people are greatly aggra- vated : The Lord abhorred them, becaufe of the 'provoking of his fons, and of his daughters. The more favours we have received, the more folemn obligations we are under, the more will he be difpleafed if we fin againft him, and the more remarkable will be our punifhment. Therefore ferve the Lord with fear, and rejoice before him with trembling. CHAP, XXXIL 26, to the end. The fong proceeds with threat enings of punifliment for their im- . piety 1 but with intimations of mercy ; Mofes advifes the peo- ple to fet their hearts to all the words of this law, and he is fent up to mount Nebo to fee the promifed land, and die. 16 S A I D, I would fcatter them into corners, I would X make the remembrance of them to ceafe from among men •, God could eafily, and might juftly have done 27 this: Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, left their adverfaries fhould behave themfelves ftrange- ly, [and] left they fhould fay, Our hand [is] high, and the Lord hath not done all this ; left their enemies fhould afcribe all the praife to their idols, and attribute nothing to 28 the Moft High: For they [are] a nation void of counfel, neither [is there any] understanding in them ; they are afoolifh nation, who go on in a courfe that will end in their 29 ruin, O that they were wife, [that] they underftood this, [that J they would confider their latter end ! Mofes feared the worft, yet earneftly wifhes their reformation ; that they would ferioufly confider where their iniquities would lead them. go How mould one chafe a thoufand, and two put ten thoufand to flight, except their Rock had fold them, and the Lord had fhut them up ? He declares they might eajily have efcaped thofe calamities, if God had not been pro- voked to for fake them ; formerly, with a few they deftroyed vaft armies ; but now, a few enemies fhould conquer them ; for the Lord hath fhut them up fo that they could not efcape. 3 1 For their rock [is] not as our Rock, even our enemies themfelves [being] judges -, they fhould often be brought to confefs 268 DEUTERONOMY. XXXII. 32 confefs that their gods 'were not like Jehovah. For their vine [is] of the vine of Sodom, and of the fields of Gomorrah : their grapes [are] grapes of gall, their 33 clufters [are] bitter: Their wine [is] the polfon of dragons, and the cruel venom of afps* Ifrael had been planted and cultivated like a vine, and good fruit was ex* peeled ♦, but inftead of this, their fruits and aclions, like Sodom of old, were hateful to God and deadly to themfelves. Some under/land this of the enemies of Ifrael, and then 34 the next verfe foretels their deftruelion, [Is] not this laid up in ftore with me, [and] fealed up among my trea- fures ? thd* I feem to forget it, yet I have a fixed time to 35 execute my purpofe. To me [belongeth] vengeance, and recompence •, their foot mall flide in [due] time : for the day of their calamity [is] at hand; and the things that fhall come upon them make hafte; thd* they may think themfelves fecure, yet at an hour when they think not 36 I will bring fudden deftruelion upon them. For the Lord fhall judge his people, and repent himfelf for his fer- vants •, here mercy begins to dawn, and the day of deliverance fhall arife •, when he feeth that [their] power is gone, and [there is] none fhut up, or left -, when they have no hope of deliverance, but begin to defpair that no garrifons or fenced cities are left them, when all feem to be quite deftroyed, and 37 none able to do any thing toward their help, And he fhall fay, that is, he will teach his people to fay to the heathen, Where [are] their gods, [their] rock in whom they 38 trufted, Which did eat the fat of their facrifices, [and] drank the wine of their drink offerings ? that is, to whom ye offered the fat of your facrifices^ and on the fumes of which you fuppofe your deities feaft. Let them rife up and help you, [and] be your protection ; they fliould cry to thofe geds, but in vain. From hence they were to learn, 29 that God only could help and deliver them. See now that I, [even] 1, [am] he, and [there is] no god with me : I kill, and I make alive •, I wound, and I heal : neither [is there any] that can deiiver out of my hand. 40 For I lift up my hand to heaven, and fay, I live for ever; as fur e as I live for ever, I will deliver my people, and 41 fully avenge my f elf on all my enemies. If I whet my glit- tering DEUTERONOMY. XXXII. 269 tering fword, and mine hand take hold on judgment ; I will render vengeance to mine enemies, and will re- ward them that hate me. Whetting his glittering or flaming fword imports deliberation, and a fteady -purpofe to make 42 terrible definition. I will make mine arrows drunk with blood, and my fword mall devour rlem: [and that] with the blood of the flain and of the captives, of thoje Jlain in the field, and of thofe, who being wounded only, are taken captives; from the beginning of revenges upon the enemy, from the time that I begin to take vengeance ; or rather, as fame better render it, from the head to theflave of the enemy, from the king to the meanefl of the people. 43 Rejoice, O ye nations, [with] his people: for he will avenge the blood of his fervants, and will render ven- geance to his adverfaries, and will be merciful unto his land, [and] to his people.'7 'The former part of the fong expreffes great enmity between the Jews and the Gentiles •, but here Mofes exults in the profpetl of their becoming one people, 44 And Mofes came and fpake all the words of this fong in the ears of the people, he and Hofhea, or 45 Jofnua, the fon of Nun. And Mofes made an end of 46 (peaking all thefe words to all Ifraei : And he faid un- to them, Set your hearts unto all the words which I teftify among you this day, which ye mall command your children to obferve to do, all' the words of this 47 law. For it [is] not a vain thing for you •, becaufe it [is] your life : and through this thing ye mall prolong [your] days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to po(fefs it. Here Mofes gives them afolemn charge to regard what he had been faying, and to teach them to their children^ as the way to obtain long life here, and eternal life htre- after. Luke x. 28. 48 And » Before this verfe the LXX infert thefe words ; Rejoice, ye heavens, together with him, and let all the angels of God "jjorjhip him. The latter ciaufe is exactly the words which the apoftle quotes in Heb. i. 6. and, if they are in the original, they are a prediction ^e exaltation of Chrift, as what comes after is a pkin prophecy of the calling of the gentiles, and is (o applied by^ fct. Paul. This yet remains to be fulfilled, with many oiner parallel paiTagei in the Revelations. 270 DEUTERONOMY. XXXIL 48 And the Lord fpake unto Mofes that felf fame day*,. he renewed the order given him in chap, xxvii. 12, faying, 49 Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, [unto] mount Nebo, which [is] in the land of Moab, that [is] over- againft Jericho •, and behold the land of Canaan, which 50 1 give unto the children of Ifrael for a porTeflion : And die in the mount whither thou goeft up, and be gather- ed unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in 51 mount Hor, and was gathered unto his people : Becaufe ye trefpafled againft me among the children of Ifrael at the waters of Meribah-kadefh, in the wildernefs of Zin; becaufe ye fanctified me not in the midft of the children 52 of Ifrael. Yet thou fhalt fee the land before [thee-,] but thou fhalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Ifrael. God reminds Mofes of his Jin, that he might fubmit to the appointment more cheerfully \ he tells him of Aaron who was gone before, and was a pattern of patient refignation \ and promifes him a fight of the good land ♦, this was defigned as a favour^ and a token that he was reconciled. REFLECTIONS. •j. TT is much to be wiihed, that all men would conjider J[ their latter end, and reflect upon the confequences of their actions. It is a flgn of wifdom, and the way to increafe it. Efpecially let us look forward to the end of life, and what will await us then. While men baniih the thoughts of futurity, and live like the beafts that perijh, without underftanding and reflection, it is no wonder there is fo much wickednefs in the world. The miferies of man- kind are owing to want of confideration. ham. i. 9. Jeru- falem remembered not her laft end, therefore fhe came down won- derfully : ftie had no comforter. Let us look forward, and confider what lies before us ; that, like prudent men, fore- feeing the evil we may hide ourfelves. 2. Tho' wicked men may at prefent profper, and fiourifh like the green bay tree, yet judgments are kept in ftore for them. Their wickednefs is laid up for them, and it will not be loft or forgotten. Tho' punifhment may be delayed, DEUTERONOMY. XXXIII. 271 delayed, and the fentence may not be fpeedily executed, a day of reckoning will come, when the treafure will be unfealed, and God will execute vengeance on his enemies. This is true of chriftians who apoftatize from the gofpel, or who abufe it. For we know him that hath faid, Vengeance belongeth to me, I will recompenfe, faith the Lord. 'The Lord /hall judge his people, Heb. x. 30. Let us, therefore, be afraid of God's judgments •, for, as the apoftle infers from this yery confideration, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God. 3. The great importance of religion, mould recommend it to the ferious regards of all mankind ; it is not a vain thing, or a light matter, or a thing of indifference, that may be either attended to or neglected •, but our life is at flake. It is the only way to fecure peace and happinefs in the pre- fent life, and to obtain eternal felicity. This is not one of thofe trifles, which if a man purfue he is not the better, or if he neglect he is not the worfe ; it is a matter of infinite moment. Oh that men were fenfible of this-, that they vyould fet their hearts to keep God's commandments ; that they would make religion their chief bufinefs, and fet about it with ferioufnefs, affection, and refolution ! May we then fear God, and keep his commandments, for this is the whole of man. CHAP. XXXIII. In this chapter we have a very fuhlime defcription of the maiefty of God -, the hle/fings of the twelve tribes -, and the excellency of Jfrael ; being the loft words of Mofes, who dies, like his an- ceftors, expreffing his good wifhes for Ifrael, and leaving be- hind him a prophetical ble/fing, which /hould in due time be fulfilled. — The dying words of great and eminent men, often make a deep impre/fion ; thefe were probably left in writing. 1 A N D this [is] the bleffmg wherewith Mofes the jf"\. man of God bleffed the children of Ifrael before his death, which was a prophecy of what fhould befal them 2 hereafter. And he faid, The Lord came from Sinai, and 272 DEUTERONOMY. XXXIII. and rofe up from Seir unto them ; he mined forth from mount Paran,x and he came with ten thoufands of faints : from his right hand [went] a fiery law for them. In this verfe he celebrates the goodnefs of God in giving them 3 the law from Sinai. Yea, he loved the people; all his faints [are] in thy hand : and they fat down at thy feet ; [every one] (hall receive of thy words, 'The giving of the law, tho* attended with terror, was a token of his fpecial love to them. They were in his hand, or under his providence and protection ; and during their abode at Sinai, they fat at his feet to receive his words, like fcholars at their mafier's feet. They are then reminded by whofe hand it was given, and the Jews fay, this was the firfi thing they were to teach 4 their children. Mofes commanded us a law, [even] the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob ; Mofes com- manded us to receive this law, which God hath given, and which was the beft inheritance to them and their children. 5 And he was king in Jefhurun, when the heads of the people [and] the tribes of Ifrael were gathered together y Mofes was, under God, their fupreme ruler a?id governor. —He then proceeds to blefs each particular tribe. 6 Let Reuben live, and not die ; and let [not] his men be few/ 7 And this [is the blefling] of Judah: and he faid, Hear, Lord, the voice of Judah; that is, hear their prayers : it intimates that much of a devotional fpirit fhould remain among them, and that their prayers fhonld be an- swered: and bring him unto his people, that is, after the captivity ; which was accompliflied : let his hands be fufncient for him ; and be thou an help [to him] from his enemies ; that is, avenge him of his enemies, and let his own ftrength be f efficient, without the aid of his brethren. Accordingly ', this was the moft valiant and fuccefful tribe, and continued longeft. Nothing is faid of Simeon, becaufe he w Seir and Paran were ttvo neighbouring hills that were en- lightened with the glory of God, which fhons on Sinai; from hence, amidit an holt of ar.geis, he delivered the law with hi* ri^ht hand to Mofes out of the mid ft of the fire. y The laft not fhould be left out; tho' his men be few, it fhould (till exift as a tribe, tho' not be fo numerous as fomc ethers. DEUTERONOMY. XXXIII. 273 he was included in the lot of judah, Jo/Jiua xix, 1. they went together in their expeditions. 8 And of Levi he faid, [Let] thy Thummim and thy Urim [be] with thy holy one ; let the breaftplate of judg- ment', (which was the Urim and 'Thummim,) let light and upright nefs be with Aaron and his feed ; whom thou didil prove at MafTah, [and With] whom thou didit ftrive at the waters of Meribah, whom thou didft feverely try and 9 awfully reprove ', and /hut out of Canaan ; Who faid unto his father and to his mother, I have not feen him ; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children : for they have obferved thy word, and kept thy covenant ; in the execution of thy judgments con- cerning the golden calf they /how ed no refpecl of perfons, and 10 adhered to God when none elfe did fo; therefore They fhall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Ifrael thy law : they fhall put incenfe before thee, and whole burnt facrifice upon thine altar -, they fhall be continued in this honourable 1 1 employment, fliall teach thy law, and offer facrifices. Blefs, Lord, his fubftance, and accept the work of his hands : fmite through the loins of them that rife againft him, and of them that hate him, that they rife not again ; they will have many enemies, perhaps more, becaufe of their being God's minifiers ; but thou wilt blefs andprofper them. 12 [And] of Benjamin he faid, The beloved of the Lord fhall dwell in fafety by, or before, him ; [and the Lord] fhall cover him all the day long; the tribe of Benjamin, who is beloved of God, as Benjamin was of his father, fhall have his lot near the temple of God, who will pro'tecl him from evil; and he fliall dwell between his moulders-, that is, God's te?nple, wherein he dwelt, /hall be built on mount Moriah, which was in that tribe. 1 3 And of Jofeph he faid, Blefied of the Lord [be] his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath ; his /hall be a fruit- ful country, enriched with dews, andfhowers, and /prings of 14 water; And for the precious fruits [brought forth] by the fun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, or, as in the margin of our bibles, by the moons ; that is, fruits /hall be brought forth fucce/fively in their fever al Vol. II. S months. 274 DEUTERONOMY. XXXIII. 15 months. And for the chief things of the antient moun- tains, and for the precious things of the lading hills ; their hills flmll bring forth vines, and olives, and figs with- 16 out, and within JJiall he full of rich metals. And for the precious things of the earth and fulnefs thereof, and [for] the good will of him that dwelt in the bufh-, the crown of all was the Shekinah, which appeared to Mofes, the good will and favour of God, the fountain of all blejftngs, and who alone can give a relifli to all: let [the bleffing] come upon the head of Jofeph, and upon the top of the head of him that was feparated from his brethren ; let hleffings come in a large, plentiful, confpicuous manner, and crown the head of him that was feparated from his brethren, butfepa- J7 rated to honour and glory in Egypt. His glory [is like] the firftling of his bullock, and his horns [are like] the horns of unicorns : with them he mall pufh the people together to the ends of the earth-, he fliall enjoy kingly authority, have power andftrength topuJJi and deftroy his enemies to the ends of the earth, or the land : and they [are] the ten thou- fands of Ephraim, and they [are] the thoufands of ManafTeh ; tho* the men of Manaffeh are now more than the men of Ephraim, in procefs of time Ephraim fhall exceed Manaffeh, according to Jacob's prophecy, Gen. xlviii. 19. REFLECTIONS. 1. TTI 7 E have great reafon to be thankful that God V V natn giyen us his law. Mofes leads Ifrael to celebrate this, as a token of his fpecial kindnefs. A goodly land was their inheritance, but the divine revelation was the beft poffeflion for them and theirs : we can leave pof- terity nothing better than our bibles. Let us blefs God for them, as Ifrael here did for Mofes ; and maintain a grateful fenfe of the grace of the Lord Jefus Chrift, who came to teach us. The glorious light of the gofpel is the greateft blefling our land can boaft of. We have, in this refpect, all reafon to fay, "The lines are fallen to us in pleafant places, furely we have a goodly heritage. 2. The favour and good will of God, is the beft blefling we can afk for our friends. Mofes prayed for many blef- fings DEUTERONOMY. XXXIII. 275 fings upon Jofeph, but this was the laft and the chief; it is the fource of all bleflings ; it fweetens all others, and fecures the foul from evil. At the bum God renewed his covenant; let us recommend our children, fervants, friends, and acquaintance, to the good will of God, as our covenant God; and inftead of being folicitous for a bleffing out of the corn floor or wine prefs, or from worldly profperity, let us pray, that his good will may be with them for time and eternity. CHAP. XXXIII. 18, to the end. A nntinuation of the blejjing of the twelve tribes, and th$ excellency of Ifrael. 18 A ND of Zebulun he faid, Rejoice, Zebulun, in A tky going out; and, IfTachar, in thy tents. Thcfe two were born of the fame mother, and their pofterity were neighbours. Zebulun fhall have caufe to rejoice in his fuccefs in trade at home and abroad, and Iffachar in his tents, in the country employments of tillage, and feeding J 9 cattle. They fhall call the people unto the mountain ; there they mall offer facrifices of righteoufnefs ; for they fhall fuck [of] the abundance of the feas, and [of J treafures hid in the fand ; tho* they had different employ- ments, yet bothfhould be ferviceable to promote the inter eft of God and religion. Theyfhould have great fuccefs at fea, and great treafures on the land-, and fhould give cheerfully to fupport God's worfhip ; inviting ftrangers to his temple, by their commerce and their exhortations, and offering facrifices of righteoufnefs there. 2o ^ And of Gad he faid, BlefTed [be] he that enlargeth Gad ; bleffed be God, who beftows fo large a portion upon him : he dwelleth as a lion, and teareth the arm with the crown of the head ; he dwells amidft all his enemies fearlefs as a lion, and tears to pieces their arm and their Zi head, their armies and princes. And he provided the firfl part for himfelf, becaufe there, [in] a portion of the lawgiver, [was he] feated; hefirft moved to be fettled on the other Jide Jordan, andMofes, by God's per miffion, allow* S 2 ed 276* DEUTERONOMY. XXXIII. ed him to do fo ; and he came with the heads of the people, he executed the juftice of the Lord, and his judgments with Ifraei •, he came forth to war with the princes and captains, to execute God'' s judgments on the Ca- naanites. Mofes /peaks of this as already done, from an affurance that they would do fo. 22 And of Dan he faid, Dan [is] a lion's whelp : he mail leap from Baftan •, he is ftrong and vahant, and /hall fur- prize his enemies, as a lion leaps on his prey from Bafhan, a place that was noted for them. See Judges xiv. 5. 23 And of Naphtali he faid, O Naphtali, fatisfied with favour, and full with the bleffing of the Lord: pofTefs thou the weft and the fouth, a rich, fruitful country, where Chrifl refided much. 24 And of After he faid, [Let] After [be] blefTed with children •, let him be acceptable to his brethren, and let him dip his foot in oil •, thou/halt have a numerous ijjuc, be of a kind, affable temper, and have a country fo abounding in olives, that thou fhalt wafh thy feet in oil. 25 Thy fhoes [mall be] iron and brafs, or, under thy fiioes fliall be iron and brafs j and as thy days, [fo ftall] thy ftrength [be-,] thy country fh all abound in rich mines of iron and brafs, and thou fhalt grow ftronger and flronger all thy days ; thine age fliall be as thy youth. He then concludes the whole with a general account of their 26 happinefs, as the people of God. [There is] none of the gods like unto the God of Jefturun, [who] rideth up- on the heaven in thy help, and in his excellency on the fky i he appears for the help of his people in thehigheft mag- nificence and glory, in the heavens and on the earth, and 27 with infinite power. . The eternal God [is thy] refuge, and underneath [are] the everlafting arms ; he is the eternal and unchangeable God-, in him they may always find fafety and comfort, and always will do fo, if they commit themf elves to him : and he ftall thruft out the enemy from before thee ; and ftall fay, Deftroy [them*,] he fliall give thee power to thrufi out the Canaanites, and a 28 commijfion to deftroy them. Ifraei then ftall dwell in fafety alone, feparated from other people, without alliance with thenr, or dependence upon them: the fountain of Jacob [ftall DEUTERONOMY. XXXIII. 277 [fhall be] upon a land of corn and wine; alfo his hea- vens fhall drop down dew ; the pqfterity of J a cab, who flowed from him as water from a fountain, /hall dwell in a fruitful country, enriched with the dews andfhowers ofhea- 29 ven. Happy [art] thou, O lfrael : but being unable to exprefs their happinefs, he breaks out into admiration of it ; who [is] like unto thee, O people faved by the Lord, the fhield of thy help, and who [is] the fword of thy excellency ! a fhield to defend thee, a fword to deftroy thine enemies : and thine enemies fhall be found liars unto thee ; and thou (halt tread upon their high places ; they fhall fubmit, and pretend friendfhip throi* fear ; and thou /halt deftroy their idol temples and all their fir ong holds. — Thus ended the J ong, and all that Mofes fpoke or wrote. REFLECTIONS. I. T E T us learn from the various particulars of thefe 1 j bleffings, to acknowledge the agency and wif- dom of God in the different circumftances of ftates and kingdoms-, in their various products, as well as in the dif- ferent tempers of the inhabitants. Some are fettled in a fruitful foil; others have rich mines, which generally are moft barren above ; fome, like Zebulun, are merchants at fea, and are expofed to perils by water, that they may bring abundance from abroad. Others dwell on the land, they live at home, and are engaged in fome honourable and ufeful employment. The different genius and inclinations of men muft be afcribed to God, as well as their purfuits and different occupations. Let us acknowledge God in this, who fixes the bounds of our habitation ; and glorify him with our fubftance, be it of whatever kind it may. Let our merchandize and our hire be holinefs to the Lord. Let us learn from the whole, 2. That bleffed are the people whofe God is the Lord. In what lofty flrains does Mofes defcribe the happinefs of lf- .rael, becaufe they were near God ! God is not.our's in the fame manner as he was their's ; but we enter into the beft of their privileges. He is our father in Chrift Jefus ; he bleffes us with fpiritual bleffings ; he is our fupport and defence. S 3 278 DEUTERONOMY. XXXIV. All the fruitfulnefs and fecurity of our country is owing to him •, that we dwell fafely and peaceably, is all to be afcribed to God. But our fpiritual bleflings render us truly happy, if we know how to improve them. Remember, Ifrael loft their good land, and all their bleflings, by difobedience. Let us, therefore, carefully attend to the apoftle's caution^ Be not high minded, but fear* CHAP. XXXIV. This chapter gives an account of the deaths burial, and age of Mofes, and fever al other particulars. It is uncertain by whom it was written ; fomefay by Jofhua ; but Dan was not called by that name, till after his time. It is more probable that it was added by Samuel, or fome other of the f acred writers. I AND Mofes went up from the plains of Moab, ji\, where Ifrael was encamped, unto the mountain of Nebo, the highefi hill of that ridge of mountains called Abarim, to the top of Pifgah, that [is] overagainft Jericho, to Pifgah, which was the point or fummit of that hill. And the Lord fhowed him all the land of Gilead, unto Dan, by a miraculous power ftrengthening his fight, cr making a clear reprefentation of all thofe parts to his view, % And all Naphtali, to the north, and the land of Ephra- im, and Manafleh, in the middle of the country, and all the land of Judah, that lay fouth- weft, unto the utmoft 3 fea, or the Mediterranean, And the fouth, the wildernefs that lay fouth of Judea, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, the city of palm trees, unto Zoar, called fo^ becaufe of many fragrant trees and fhrubs that grew about it : the whole country was about one hundred and fifty miles long, and near feventy miles over in moft places. God, no doubt t gave him fuch a view and defer iption of the country, as illuftrated and confirmed the prophetick bleffing he had 4- given. And the Lord faid unto him, This [is] the Jand which I fware unto Abraham, unto Ifaac, and unto Jacob, faying, I will give it unto thy feed : I have caufed thee to fee [it] with thine eyes, but thou fhalt not DEUTERONOMY. XXXIV. 279 5 not go over thither. So Mofes the fervant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord, as the Lord had foretold and determined he 6 fiiould, hecaufe of his tranfgrefifion, And he buried him in a valley in the land of Moab, overagainft Beth-peor : but no man knovveth of his fepulchre unto this day. God, by the miniftration of his Son, or his angels, buried him in fome place that Ifrael knew not, to prevent their fuperftition and idolatry in paying any undue regard to his 7 remains, Jude 9. And Mofes [was] an hundred and twenty years old when he died : his eye was not dim, nor his natural force abated ; his imagination and natural powers were as firong as ever, and the fplendour of his 8 countenance continued to the lafl. And the children of Ifrael wept for Mofes in the plains of Moab thirty days, which was the ufual time for all perfons of eminence; fa the days of weeping [andj mourning for Mofes were ended. 9 And Jofhua the fon of Nun was full of the fpirit of wifdom ; for Mofes had laid his hands upon him : and the children of Ifrael hearkened unto him, and did as the Lord commanded Mofes. Mofes had nominated him before his death, and God had qualified him for the fupr erne government of Ifrael, by a fpirit of wifdom, courage, and refolution \ and the people hearkened to him as they had done IO to Mofes. Then follows the charatler of Mofes. And there arofe not a prophet fince in Ifrael like unto Mo- fes, whom the Lord knew face to face, converfing I 1 familiarly with him, without dreams or vifions; In all the figns and the wonders, which the Lord fent him to do in the land of Egypt to Pharaoh, and to all his fer- vants, and to all his land •, that is, there was none like 12 him in miraculous works, And in all that mighty hand, and in all the great terror which Mofes mowed in the light of all Ifrael, doing all his great and terrible works openly, not in a corner. — Thus endeth the Pentateuch, con- taining the hiftory of two thoufand five hundred and fifty two years and a half, (according to the beft chronologers) from the creation of the world, to the death of Mofes. Sa REFLECT. 280 DEUTERONOMY. XXXIV. REFLECTIONS. i. ^^ O O D men, after the example of Mofes, mould \Jf be willing to die when God pleafes.' Mofes was healthy and Vigorous, capable of many feryices ; and Ifrael needed him : tho' he died in his full ftrength, he died cheerfully. Nothing parted upon this occafion between God and Mofes, but, Go tip, and die : as a father commands his obedient children to retire to reft. Good men that haye walked with God here, and by faith have feen the good land before them, the happinefs of heaven, may cheerfully die. God will be with them, receive their immortal fpi- rits, and take care of their fleeping duft, as he did of the body of Mofes. Let us be willing then to quit our moil: pleafing profpects in this world, and forego thofe fervices we might do, that we may depart in peace, and fee God's great falvation. 2. The removal of wife and good men, efpecially of governors and minifters, in the vigour of their days, mould be ferioufly lamented -, Mofes flood in both thefe characters to Ifrael. Confidering how gently and tenderly he had led them -, hovv often he had laved them by his interceflion, and led them like a father, it is no wonder he was bewail- ed, and that by fome, who were perhaps rebellious before. Confidering what a lofs the world and church fuftain by the removal of fuch men, their death fhould be lamented. The greater regard we have for the honour of God, and the in- terefl of religion, the more concerned we fhall be when ufeful and good men are taken away. 3. It is a great comfort, when faithful minifters are re- moved, that others are left to fucceed them. Tho* the prophets do not live for ever, the word of God does ; and there will always be a fucceiTion of faithful men to difpenfe it. Jcfhua, who came in Mofes' mead, had much of his fpirit •, and was happy in having the favour of God, and the affections of the people. It is a great mercy that God raifes up faithful paftors, and that his people are not as fheep without a fhepherd. Let us rejoice in this, and con- tinually DEUTERONOMY. XXXIV. 281 iinually pray that God would fend more faithful labourers into his harveft, 4, Let us learn from the whole hiftory of Mofes, and efpecially from his death, how great our happinefs is in having Chrift for our prince and commander. Mofes was faithful as a fervant, Chrift as a Son. Mofes was familiar with God, but Chrift was more fo-, he was in his bofom, intimately acquainted with him and his will. He did fuperior miracles, figns, and wonders : his character was more perfect ; he introduced a better revelation -, he was without blemifh) and without fpot, Mofes died, and was buried, and faw corruption ; but Chrift did not : God would not fuffer his holy one to fee corruption. He lives again, and lives for ever. He is a prieft for ever after the order of Mel- chifedec. He has no fucceiTor, as Mofes had, for his do- minion mall continue till the confummation of all things. He is for ever fat down at the right hand of the Majefty on high. He will bring all his faithful people to the heavenly Canaan, and complete all the divine purpofes of love and grace to them. Let us rejoice then in Chrift Jefus •, be thankful for this unfpeakable gift \ and confider ourfelves as under the higheft obligations to be obedient to all his requifitions, and wait for his falvation. Amen, The 1 The Book of JOSHUA, INTRODUCTION. CT'H E former Books give an account of the gathering the Ifraelites as a people ', their charters, laws, and infiitutes ; this is properly an hijlory of the Jewifh nation. It is a Book worthy our higheft regard, as it is very antient, and undoubtedly authentick. It is called The Book of Jofhua, becaufe it con- tains an hijlory of his acls, government, conquefts, dividing the land, and fettling the ft ate of Ifrael -, the great eft part of which might he written by himfelf, tho* additions have been made by fome fuiceeding writer. It contains the hijlory of fomewhat more than feventeen years. CHAPTER L In this chapter we have a frefh commijfion and encouragement given to Joftjua, and directions for his own perfonal conduct. He begins to execute his orders, and the people profefs their allegiance and readinefs to comply with them. 1 TW T O W after the death of Mofes the fervant of I^Wj the Lord, when the days of mourning for him JL ^ were ended, during which they had time to reftecl on their conducl to him, it came to pafs, that the Lord fpake out of the fancluary unto Jofhua the fon of Nun, who was Mofes' minifter, and had continually attended upon him for twenty years together, and knew his method of 2 government, faying, Mofes my faithful fervant is dead; now therefore arife, be not caft down or difcouraged, but exert thyfelf with vigour, and go over this Jordan, thou, and all this people, unto the land which I do give to them, am now about to give them pojfeffion of, [even] to the children of Ifrael. 3 Every place that the fole of your foot fhall tread up- on, that have I given unto you, as 1 faid unto Mofes. 4 Now the extent of country which God gave them was From the a J O S H U A. I. 283 the wildernefs fouth, and this Lebanon north, even unto the great river, the river Euphrates, which lay north- eaft, all the land of the Hittites, and unto the great fea, the Mediterranean, in the weft, toward the going down of the fun, (hall be your coaft. They were now in the eaft part ; they never had the poffeffion of all this country, but in the times of David and Solomon it was tributary to them* 5 There fhall not any man be able to ftand before thee all the days of thy life : as I was with Mofes, [fo] I will be with thee : I will not fail thee, nor forfake thee \ tho* thy enemies exceed thee in power and ftrength, they Jhall all fall, and fuccefs and prosperity attend thee thro* all 6 thy life Be ftrong and of a good courage : for unto this people lhalt thou divide for an inheritance the land, which I fware unto their fathers to give them. This is often repeated, for Jofhua had great difcouragements. Jordan was to be croffed, the enemy was before and behind ; they were bold men, united in alliance to oppofe him \ lived in ftrong cities -, his own army was a mutinous, difcontented people, clogged with old perfons, women and children, bag- gage and cattle -, and Mofes was gone ♦, all this funk his j fpirits. But God fays, Only be thou ftrong and very courageous, that thou mayeft obferve to do according to all the law, which Mofes my fervant commanded thee : turn not from it [to] the right hand or [to] the left, on any occqfion, under any pretence whatever, that 8 thou mayeft profper whitherfoever thou goeft. This book of the law fhall not depart out of thy mouth, but thou fhalt fpeak, and judge, and a£l according to it \ and in order to this thou malt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayeft obferve to do according to all [that is] written therein : for then thou fhalt make thy way profperous, and then thou fhalt have good fuccefs, 9 Have not I commanded thee ? I, whom thou art obliged to obey, who have carried thee thro* fo many difficulties, of whofe power and goodnefs thou haft hadfuch large experience ? Be ftrong and of a good courage; be not afraid, neither be thou difmayed : for the Lord thy God [is] with thee whitherfoever thou goeft, who is all fufficient to pre- ferve thee in every danger and difficulty, and to profper thee in *•< 284 J O S H U A. I. in all thy enterprifes. — Upon this Jofhua applied himfelf to the bufinefs, and ordered the people to prepare for their march. io Then Jofhua commanded the officers of the people, 1 1 faying, Pafs through the hoft, and command the peo- ple, faying, Prepare you victuals, provifions necejfary for fuch an expedition, which they might furnijh them/elves with in the land of the Amorites, where they now were: for within three days after the return of the fpies (ch. ii. i. iii. 2.) ye fhall pafs over this Jordan, to go in to poffefs the land, which the Lord your God giveth you 12 to poffefs it. And to the Reubenites, and to the Gad- , ites, and to the half tribe of ManafTeh, (to their elders and princes, who were to communicate it to the reft,) fpake 13 Jofhua, faying, Remember the word which Mofes the fervant of the Lord commanded you, the agreement between him and you, (Num. xxxii. 20,) faying, The Lord your God hath given you reft, and hath given 14 you this land. Your wives, your little ones, and your cattle, fhall remain in the land which Mofes gave you on this fide Jordan •, but ye fhall pafs before your bre- thren armed, be ready to ajfift them upon all occafions, all the mighty men of valour, fo many as are needful, and 15 help them •, until the Lord hath given your brethren reft, as [he hath given] you, and they alfo have pofTefT- ed the land which the Lord your God giveth them : then ye fhall return unto the land of your pofTeffion, and enjoy it, which Mofes the Lord's fervant gave you on this fide Jordan toward the fun riftng. 'To this they cheerfully confented •, and accordingly forty thoufand went with their brethren, and the reft ftaid to guard their own fettlements. 16 And they anfwered Jofhua, not only the two tribes and an half, but all the elders and officers of Ifrael, faying, All that thou commandeft us we will do, and whitherfoever 17 thou fendeft us we will go. According as we hearkened unto Mofes in all things, fo will we hearken unto thee; we acknowledge thee as our chief magiftrate, and promife allegiance and cheerful obedience : only the Lord thy God be with thee, as he was with Mofes •, this is our united 18 wifli and prayer. Whofoever [he be] that doth rebel againft JOSHUA. 'I. 285 againft thy commandment, and will not hearken unto thy words in all that thou commanded him, he fhall be put to death-, we will ft and by thee to maintain thy authority, and bind ourfelves to obey thy orders upon pain of death : only be ftrong and of a good courage, and nothing fhall be wanting on our part to approve ourfelves worthy of fush a leader, REFLECTIONS. 1, ¥ T is a great blefling to a kingdom or church, to X have a fucceffion of ufeful and upright judges and minifters. Jofhua comes in the place of Mofes, much to the fatisfadtion and advantage of the Ifraelites ; efpecially confidering their prefent critical fituation. Thus it is in the courfe of things in the world and church •, one generation of magiftrates and minifters pafTeth away, afid another cometh. The agency of providence is to be feen therein, and the care and goodnefs of God to be acknowledged for it. 2. The prefence of God with us is our great fupport and encouragement, amidft the labours and difficulties of life. We are nien up in our fathers' places, tho' we may not be equal to them in wifdom and zeaU but God is the fame. AH their gifts were derived from him •, to him they owed all their faccefs -, his power and grace are the fame ; and that grace, if we feek it, will be uifficient for us. Let not the riling generation be difcouraged, but humbly wait on God, and adopt the prayer of Solomon ; The Lord our God be with us, as he was with our fathers : let him not leave us^ nor . for Jake us : that he may incline our hearts to walk in all his ways. 3. Let good men learn to caft all their cares upon God, and practife moderation and contentment. The apoftle - teaches us this lefTon, Heb* xiii. 5. and quotes the promife of Jofnua as the ground of it. Let us not be anxioufly folicitous about future events ; to heap up wealth, or to guard againft evil. We have the promife of an ever-faith- ful God totruflto-, i" will never leave you, 1 will never for fake you. And, whatever dangers or enemies are in the way, we may boldly fay, The Lord is my helper. 4. How 286 J O S H U A. I. 4. How important foever the affairs which we have in hand may be, let us never forget God's law, and the obe- dience we owe it. v. 7, 8. Only be thou ftrong and very coura- geous, that thou may eft obferve to do according to all the law which Mofes myfervant commanded thee: turn not from it to the right hand or to the left, that thou may eft pro/per whitherfoever thou goeft, 'This book of the law /hall not depart out of thy mouth ; but thou /halt meditate therein day and night, that thou mayeft cbferve to do according to all that is written therein: for then thou /halt make thy way profperous, and then thou /halt have good fuccefs. The weight of cares which devolved upon Jofhua, required the greater!: attention ; and yet he read, ftudied, and kept the law of God. As no dignity or dominion mould fet a man above fubjection to the divine law ; fo no plea of hurry in bufinefs, however important, will excufe for the neglect of religion and the care of our own fouls. Let us then keep our eye fixed upon God's commandments, and remember how his authority, independence, power, and goodnefs, ftrengthen each of them. This is the way to mfpire us with true courage •, this is the way to have all deferable fuccefs and profperity to attend our endeavours. Difficult things will become eafy ; the harder! work agree- able ; and fuccefs will be fure, if we take God along with us. Let religion be our great bufinefs, for that is the whole of man, 5. It is extremely happy for nations, when there is a* cordial friendfhip and union between governors and fob* jects, and when religion is the bond of that union. How glorious does Ifrael appear with fuch a leader as Jofhua, and with fuch fentiments and refolutions in their hearts ! It is happy when magiftrates exercife their authority im- partially yet gently, refolutely yet mildly ♦, and when they rule in the fear of God. How happy that people who confider their governors as minifters of God, and thus pay obedience to their reafonable and jufl commands ! when their inclination is to provoke one another to zeal and cou- rage ! May this be more and more the character of this nation -, that it may be faid of us, as it was of Ifrael, Happy art thou, O Britain ! who is like unto thee? a nation highly favoured of the Lord ! CHAP, JOSHUA. II. 287 CHAP, II. In this chapter we have an account of Rahab* s receiving and con- cealing the two fpies fent from Shittim -, the covenant between her and them •, and of their return, and report to Joftiua. 1 A N D Jofhua the fon of Nun fent out of Shittim, £\. from tiie P^ains °f Moab, where they were now encamped, two men, to fpy fecretly, faying, Go view the land, even Jericho, which was the near eft city, about feven miles diftant ; learn its ftrength, and how it is beft to attack it-, but let none of the people know, lefi they jhould murmur, and get a falfe report. And they went, and came into an harlot's houfe, named Rahab, and 2 lodged there.* And it was told the king of Jericho, faying, Behold, there came in men hither to night of the children of Ifrael to fearch out the country ; the city was foon alarmed, for they judged from their habit, language, or afpetl, that they were Ifraelites and fpies. 3 And the king of Jericho fent unto Rahab, faying, Bring forth the men that are come to thee, which are entered into thine houfe : for they be come to fearch out 4 all the country, and furprize the city. And the woman had difcovered who thefe perfons were, and their errand^ andfhe took the two men, and hid them, and faid thus, There came men unto me, but I wift not whence they 5 [were :] And it came to pafs [about the time] of fhut« ting of the gate, when it was dark, that the men went out : whither the men went I wot not : purfue after them quickly •, for ye mall overtake them before they get to the river Jordan. This part of her conducl was very blameable \ /he told an abfolute falfehood, and neither God nor man could praife her for this. It might be partly owing to her fears, and partly to her ignorance of the nature of a Rahab lived on the wall of the city, which was convenient for them to make obfervations from; to lie concealed, or to make their efcape, She is called here, and in the New Teftament, an harlot ; but the word properly fignifies, an hojlefs, or innkeeper. So the Chaldee paraphrafe renders it. She might have been an harlot, but was now reclaimed from it ; for her difcourfe with the fpies favours of religion and the fear of God. 288 J O S H U A. II, of truth and religion, which God mercifully pardoned, and 6 accepted her faith. But fhe had brought them up to the roof of the houfe, which was flat, like the leads of our churches, as is now common in the eaft, and hid them with the ftalks of flax, which fhe had laid in order up- 7 on the roof to dry. And the men purfued after them the way to Jordan unto the fords : and as foon as they which purfued after them were gone out, they mut the gate, to guard the city againft furprize, and fecure the fpies if they were not gone out, 8 And before they were laid down, fhe came up unto 9 them upon the roof-, And fhe faid unto the men, I know that the Lord hath given you the land,b and that your terror is fallen upon us, and that all the in- habitants of the land faint becaufe of you ; this was i o what the fpies came to enquire about. For we have heard how the Lord dried up the water of the Red fea for you, when ye came out of Egypt, above forty years ago-, and it is fill talked of what ye did unto the two kings of the Amorites, that [were] on the other fide Jordan, Sihon and Og, whom ye utterly deftroyed ; thefe are 1 1 frefh in our memories. And as foon as we had heard [thefe things,] our hearts did melt, neither did there remain any more courage in any man, becaufe of you •, this Mofes had foretold-, for the Lord your God, he [is] God in heaven above, and in earth beneath, he can 12 do whatfoever he pleafes in. heaven and in earth. Now therefore, I pray you, fwear unto me by the Lord,c fince I have mowed you kindnefs, that ye will alfo (how kindnefs unto my father's houfe, and give me a true token, b Some think that God had made known to the king and people of Jericho, that they mnft quit their land, tho' the cir- cumftancc is net mentioned, and that the people would not take the warning; but Rahab believed it; and that this appears to be the nature of that faith which fhe manifelled, and for which ihe is commended in Heb. xi. 31. and Ja-nes ii. 25. The apof- tle fays, She ptri/hed not nuith thofe that believed not ; or, as in the ffebrtiv, place of pub lick affem- blies, and hear the words of the^LoRD your God, and 10 what he is about to do. And Jofhua faid, Hereby ye mail know that the living God [is] among you, you /hall have fenjible evidence that he is the living God, and not a dead idol, fuch as the heathen worfhip ; and [that] he will without fail drive out from before you the Ca- naanites, and the Hittites, and the Hivites, and the P^erizzites, and the Girgafhites, and the Amorites, and the Jebufites, and thus fulfil the promifes made to AbOjfiham. 1 1 Behold, the ark of the covenant of the Lord of all 12 earth pafleth over before you into Jordan. Now there- fore take you twelve men out of the tribes of lfrael, out of every tribe a man, to be nearer witneffes of the 13 miracle. And it fhall come to pafs, as foon as the foles of the feet of the priefts that bear the ark of the Lord, the Lord of all the earth, who can difpofe of the whole land) and manage the waters and rivers of it as he pleafeth, T 3 (hall 294. J O S H U A. III. mall reft in the waters of Jordan, [that] the waters of Jordan fhall be cut off [from] the waters that come down from above ; and they fhall (land upon an heap, being as it were congealed, as the Redfea was, Exod. xv. 8. andfo kept from overflowing the whole country. 14 And it came to pafs, when the people removed from their tents, to pafs over Jordan, and the priefts bear- 15 ing the ark of the covenant before the people; And as they that bare the ark were come unto Jordan, and the feet of the priefts that bare the ark were dipped in the brim of the water, (for Jordan overfloweth all his banks all the time of harveft, that is, the barley harveft, 16 which was in the fir ft month, about thepaJJover,{) That the waters which came down from above ftood [and] rofe up upon an heap very far from the city Adam, that [is] befide Zaretan : and thofe that came down toward the fea of the plain, [even] the fait fea, failed, [and] were cut off: and the people paiTed over right againft 17 Jericho.6 And the priefts that bare the ark of the covenant of the Lord ftood firm on dry ground in the midft of Jordan, not at all fearing that the mountains of water fliould fall down upon them, and all the Ifraelites pafled over on dry ground, until all the people were pafled clean over ^ordan.h REFLECT. f At this time the river was wider and deeper, owing to the melting of the fnows on mount Lebanon, at the foot of which was the head of Jordan ; by this means the river overflowed its banks, fo that the priefts' feet could eafily touch the waters, which they could not have done had the water been within its channel. Obferve here the goodnefs of God in bringing them into Canaan at a time when it was furnifhed with all neceflary provisions. * Probably keeping about one thoufand yards from the ark, which ftcod in the midft. It is ftrange the inhabitants of Jericho did not attempt to oppofe their paffage ; but this was owing to the fame providence that divided the waters. h In John i. 28. the place is called Batkabara, the houfe of paflage, probably in memory of this event. JOSHUA. III. 295 REFLECTIONS. I. T E T us be willing to follow God wherever he leads I j us ; Ifrael was to follow the ark, tho' they did not know what God would do. We have no ark to guide us; but we have the providence, the word, and the fpirit of God. We mould fubmit to the divine word, tho' called to go thro' untrodden paths, or difficulties untried and un- known before. We have the prefence of God with us, as really as if we had the ark ; and our ftrength will be equal to our day. We need not fear the greateft dangers, for we have God's promife to encourage us : When thou pajfeft thro" the fire and the water, fear not, I am with thee \ be not dtfmayed, I am thy God. 2. Let us learn to fanctify ourfelves whenever God is to manifeft himfelf to us, or we are to appear before him. When God doeth wonders, let us prepare ourfelves to regard them •, when we attend on divine ordinances, behold God's glory in the tabernacle, or fee his wonders in his houfe, and at his table, let us fanctify ourfelves, that is, cleanfe our- felves from all filthinefs of flefh and fpirit. If fanctification was reaAuired of thofe who were only to behold God's wonderful works, how much more is required of thofe who are to adh in his fervice, and attend his worihip. Let us learn to diveft ourfelves of all cares, efpecially of all pollutions ; then we mall behold God's wonderful works with a proper temper, and attend without diffraction. 3. We fee great reafon to adore the power and goodnefs of God in this furprifing miracle. When we read this ftory, we are ready to fay with the Pfalmift, when Jordan was driven back, What aileth thee, O Jordan, that thou waft driven back? But remember, it was at the prefence of the Lord. Pfalm cxiv. 5, 7. Or with Habakkuk, ch. iii. 8. Was the Lord difpleafed againft the rivers ? was thine anger againft the rivers? No-, thou went eft forth for the falvation of thy people. How obfervant are all creatures of God's commands ! One word of his flopped the courfe of Jordan, and turned the water into a rock. How glorious a God do we ferve, whom all the elements obey ! He could have made their path a chryftal T 4 pave- 296 J O S H U A. IV. pavement; but that would not have been fo remarkable, nor fo magnificent. Froft fometimes does that •, but he makes a liquid wall, which was more wonderful. What cannot the Almighty do to fave his people ! In allufion to this, let not fincere chriftians, the true Ifrael of God, be afraid of death •, which, like Jordan, is between them and the heavenly Canaan •, fince God can make them a fafe, eafy, and wonderful pafTage thro' it, and bring them to the land of plenty and happinefs. CHAP. IV. In this chapter we have a further account of the Israelites' mira- culous pajfage over Jordan ; the manner in which they marched thro' it -, the return of the waters when the ark was come out *, and the fet ting up of the Jl ones in Gilgal. 1 A ND it came to pafs, when all the people were J_~\ clean palled over Jordan, that the Lord fpake unto Jofhua, repeated the command given chap. iii. 12. 2 with enlargements, faying, Take you twelve men cut of 3 the people, out of every tribe a man, And command ye them, faying, Take you hence out of the midft of Jordan, out of the place where the priefls' feet flood , fir in, twelve ftones, every man one as large as he can carry, and ye fhall carry them over with you, and leave them in the lodging place where you fhall lodge this night, to tranfmit the memory of this great event to pojler'ity, and 4 to he a fianding proof of the truth of it. Then Jofhua called the twelve men, whom he had prepared of the children of Ifrael, cho fen before for that employment, out 5 of every tribe a man •, And Jofhua faid unto them, Pafs over before the ark of the Lord your God into the midft. of Jordan •, go hack again to the place where the ark fiands (which flood fill in the river till all was done, v. jo.) and take you up every man cf you a flcne up- on his fhoulder, according unto the number of the tribes 6 cf the children of Ifrael : That this may be a fign among you, [that] when your children afk [their fa- thers] in time to come, as douhtlefs they will, when they fee JOSHUA. IV. 297 fee fitch a pilar or heap of large ft ones, in a country where fcarce any large ones are to be found, faying, What 7 [mean] ye by thefe ftones ? Then ye mall anfwer them, That the waters of Jordan were cut off before the ark of the covenant of the Lord •, when it paffed over Jordan, the waters of Jordan were cut off: and thefe ftones fhall be for a memorial and a monument of this great mercy unto the children of Ifrael for ever. 8 And the children of Ifrael did fo as Jofhua command- ed, and took up twelve flones out of the midft of Jor- dan, as the Lord fpake unto Jofhua, according to the number of the tribes of the children of Ifrael, and car- ried them over with them unto the place where they 9 lodged, and laid them down there. And Jofhua fet up other twelve ftones in the midft of Jordan, in the place where the feet of the priefts which bare the ark of the covenant ftocd, where they might fometimes he feen at low water : and they are there unto this day. 10 For the priefts which bare the ark ftood in the midft of Jordan, until every thing was finifhed that the Lord commanded Jofhua to fpeak unto the people, according to all that Mofes commanded Jofhua, that is, to obey God in all his commands ; and the people hafted and paffed over, apprehending great danger while they were in their paffage, by reafon of the mountains of water that ftood on each fide, andfeemed ready to overwhelm 11 them. And it came to pafs, when all the people were clean paffed over, that the ark of the Lord paffed over, and the priefts, in the prefence of the people, whofe faith, patience, and courage were very remarkable, waiting till all the people, and cattle, and baggage, were fafe over. 12 And the children of Reuben, and the children of Gad, and half the tribe of Manaffeh, paffed over armed before the children of Ifrael, as Mofes fpake unto 13 them: About forty thoufand prepared for war paffed over before the Lord unto battle, to the plains of Jericho-, about one third only of their military force : but Jofliua chofefo many, and left the reft to defend their fet tie* 14 ments. On that day the Lord magnified Jofhua in the fight of all Ifrael, as he had done Mofes at the Red fea ; and 298 JOSHUA. IV. and they feared him, as they feared Mofes, all* the days of his life -, they were convinced that he acled by di- vine authority ; confidered him as a favourite of heaven, and reverenced aud fubmitted to his orders, — The pri efts, having feen every thing fafe over, flopped in the midft of Jordan , 15 waiting for further direclions. And the Lord fpake unto 16 Jofhua, faying, Command the priefts that bear the ark of the teftimony, that they come up out of Jor- 17 dan. Jofhua therefore commanded the priefts, fay- 18 ing, Come ye up out of Jordan. And it came to pafs, when the priefts that bare the ark of the cove- nant of the Lord were come up out of the midft of Jordan •, [and] the foles of the priefts' feet were lifted up unto the dry land, that the waters of Jordan {re- turned unto their place, and flowed over all his banks, as [they did] before -, a plain proof that it was not from any natural caufe, but from the pre fence of God-, and to all of this the people were eye witneffes. See v. 1 1 . 19 And the people came up out of Jordan on the tenth [day] of the firft month,1 and encamped in Gilgal, in the eaft border of Jericho -, here they pitched their ft anding camp, and from hence fent out parties as there was occqfeon-, while the reft of the army marched on further to conquer tJie SO country. And thofe twelve ftones, which they took out of Jordan, did Jofhua pitch in Gilgal, in fome confpicuous place, where they might be eafily feen, and where, antient writers tell us, they were feen fever al hundred years after 21 this event. And he fpake unto the children of Ifrael, faying, "When your children mail afk their fathers in time to come, faying, What [mean] thefe ftones ? 22 Then ye mail let your children know, faying, Ifrael 23 came over this Jordan on dry land. For the Lord your God dried up the waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were pafled over, as the Lord your God did to the Red fea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over •, thus reminding them both of this, and their former ft ill greater deliverance at the Red fea \ and * On the fifteenth day of the firft month they were fent out of Egypt ; fo that it was forty years within five days, according to the prediction, till they entered Canaan. JOSHUA. IV. 299 24 and the dejtgn of all was? That all the people of the earth might know the hand of the Lord, that it [is] mighty •, that all nations might be convinced of his being? power? and providence? and your relation to him ? that ye might fear the Lord your God for ever, worfhip andferve him alone? all your lives long? and thro9 all generations. REFLECTIONS. I. f^i O D's works of wonder for his church and people \J ought to be carefully remembered. One would not think the Ifraelites had any need of thefe memorandums to keep up the remembrance of thofe great events ; but God forefaw that they would forget them. Thefe ftones preferved the tradition. It is of importance that we treafure up in our memory God's mighty ads for the defence of his church, by making ufe of fome proper means, fuch as keeping anniverfary days, &c. But let us be careful, that while finging his praifes? we do not forget his works. 2. It is the duty of parents to acquaint their children with the works of God, and tranfmit the remembrance of them to pofterity. Children mould be very defirous to learn, and mould frequently be enquiring, what is the mean- ing of fuch or fuch rites and fervices •, and it would be well if parents would be ready to inform them, whether they en- quire or no. They mould be concerned to inftrucl their child- ren in thofe principles and facts, that may have an evident tendency to engage them to fear the Lord, and continue faithful in his fervice. Let them feafon their hearts with true religion •, and by thefe means be training up a genera- tion of wife and holy men, to be a blefling to the church and world in the next age. The refolution of all chriftian parents mould be, as in Pfalm Ixxviii. 4, 7. We will not hide them from our children? Jhowing to the generation to come 'he praifes of the Lord? and his ftrength? and his wonderful works that he hath done. ' That they may fet their hope in God? and not forget the works of Cod? but keep his commandments. CHAP. 30O J O S H U A. V. CHAP. V. In this chapter we find that the Canaanites, hearing of this won- derful event i are greatly terrified •, circumcifion is renewed •, the fa [[over is kept at Gilgal -9 the manna ceafeth ; and an angel appeareth to Jofhua. ND it came to pafs, when all the kings of the Amcrkes, that is% all which remained, for two of their kings had been already killed, and which [were] on the fide cf Jordan weftward, and all the kings of the Canaanites, which [were] by the lea, near the Mediterranean, heard that the Lord had dried up the waters of Jordan from before the children of lfrael, until we were parTed over, that their heart melted, neither was their fpirit in them any more, becaufe of the children of lfrael. God im- preffcd the fear and dread of them upon their minds •, they loft all their courage, and could think of no mean: of fafety. This was an happy event for the Ifraehtes \ it raifed. their courage i and gave them time for circumcifion and the pajf~ over, 2 Accordingly At that time the Lord faid unto Jofnua, Make thee fharp knives, or knives of flints, and circum- cife again the children of lfrael the fecond time The fir ft time was, when they came out of Egypt to Sinai ; but it had been neglecledfince then ; it was now proper to be re* newed, as it was a feal of the covenant which conveyed the 3 promifed land to them. And Jofhua made him fharp knives, and circurncifed the children of lfrael at the hill of the forefkins, a place which had that name given it 4 from this circumftance. And this [is] the caufe why Jofhua did circumcife : all the people that came out of Egypt, [that were] males, and above twenty years old9 had joined in the rebellion, [even] all the men of war, and they died in the wildernefs by the way, after they 5 came out of Egypt. Now all the people that came out were circumciiecl : but all the people [that were] born in the wildernefs by the way as they came forth out of Egypt, [them] they had not circurncifed, becaufe they 6 were uncertain of their ft ay in any place, For the children of JOSHUA, V. 3ot of lfrael walked forty years in the wildernefs, till all the people [that were] men of war, which came out of Egypt, were confumed, becaufe they obeyed not the voice of the Lor.d : unto whom the Lord fware that he would not fhow them the land, which the Lord fware unto their fathers that he would give us, a land 7 that floweth with milk and honey. And their children, [whom] he raifed up in their ftead, them Jofhua cir- cumcifed : for they were uncircumcifed, becaufe they had not circumcifed them by the way; but it was pe- culiarly proper to be done now, as they were going to eat the pajfover, which no uncircumcifed perfon was allowed to do. 8 And it came to pafs, when they had done circumcifing all the people, that they abode in their places in the camp, till they were whole. This was a further trial of their faith, as it difabled them from war in an enemy \> 9 country. And the Lord faid unto Jofhua, This day have 1 rolled away the reproach of Egypt from off you ; either that for which Egypt reproaches you, or rather, that for which you reproach the Egyptians, and which is alfo a reproach to yourfelves, that ye are not a circumcifed people. "Wherefore the name of the place is called Gilgal, that is, rolling, unto this day.k io And the children of lfrael encamped in Gilgal, and kept the paflover on the fourteenth day of the month at even in the plains of Jericho. Thus calling to remem- brance their deliverance out of Egypt, and receiving, by this ordinance, a token of God? s favour, a confirmation of his pro- 1 1 mifes, and an earneft of their pojfejfing the land. And they did eat of the old corn of the land on the morrow after the paflover, unleavened cakes, and parched [corn] in the felf fame day.1 12 And k Jofhua had certainly a command from God to do this, elfe it would have been a mod ralh and imprudent thing, confider- ing their fituation, and how near Jericho was. 1 They kept the feaft of unleavened bread after the paflbver, according to divine appointment, and eat old corn, which the in- habitants had left in their barns, when they fled to the cities, and probably alfo ripe Handing corn, both in the fame day ; thus coming in harveft time they had plenty. 302 J O S H U A. V. 12 And the manna ceafed on the morrow after they had eaten of the old corn of the land ; neither had the child- ren of Ifrael manna any more, but they did eat of the fruit of the land of Canaan that year. Thus God fliowed them that the manna was a miraculous fupply, by its ceajing when it was no longer necejfary. 13 And it came to pafs, when Jofhua was by Jericho, viewing the country \ and feeing where it was moft proper to attack the city, that he lifted up his eyes and looked, and, behold, there flood a man over againft him with his fword drawn in his hand : whether it was an angel, or Chrifi, the Lord of angels, is not certain -, he appeared as commander of an army, in a military pofture ; and notwith- fianding the terror and majefty of his appearance, Jofhua went unto him, with undaunted courage, and faid unto 14 him, [Art] thou for us, or for our adverfaries? And he faid, Nay, I am no mortal man, as thou thinkeft ; neither Ifraelite nor Canaanite, efpecially not anadverfary, but [as] captain, or prince of the hoft of the Lord am 1 now come, to defend and ajffl them. And Jofhua fell on his face to the earth, and did worfhip, and faid unto him, What faith my Lord unto his fervant ? Showing the moft profound reverence, humbly defiring to receive his orders, 15 and expreffing his readinefs to obey them. And the captain of the Lord's hoft faid unto Jofhua, Loofe thy fhoe from off thy foot •, for the place whereon thou ftandeft [is] holy -, the fame command as was given to Mofes, (fee Exodus iii. 5.) and jhowed that God was with Jofhua as he was with Mofes : and this was defigned to fill Jofhua? s mind with further reverence, and fubmijfion, and to prepare him to receive the inftruElions that were given him in the next chapter, with a becoming temper. And Jofhua did fo. REFLECTIONS. I. TTOW kind and merciful are God's dealings with \fx Ifrael, notwithftanding their many provocations ! He put fear into thejr enemies to make the conqueft eafy, and the fuccefs fure. He renewed a rite that would be a feal of J O S H U A. V. 303 of the promife of Canaan, and a pledge of its pofTeflion ; a fealof the right 'eoufnefs of faith, and of thofe fpiritual blefiings which were promifed to the pious defcendants of Abraham. He renewed the pafTover, which called to remembrance their deliverance from Egypt-, and both thefe were tokens of his continued favour. Thefe actions, in thefe circum- ftances, fo contrary to the rules of human policy, and which might have expofed them to fo much danger from the Canaanites, were confiderable proofs of the divine au- thority of the Mofaical law, and God's interposition for Ifrael ; and were defigned to raife their courage, and ftrengthen their faith. . Yet he did not multiply miracles unneceffarily ; which would have made them lofe their ufe and benefit •, and therefore he removed the manna when corn was to be had. 2. Let us rejoice in the character of the Lord Jefus Chrift, as captain of the Lord's hoft. He is the captain of our falvation, All his faithful followers are the true Ifrael of God ; he is engaged on their fide; and tho* a hoft fhould be encamped againft them, they have no reafon to fear, for he is the commander and leader of his people •, wife, tender, powerful, and faithful. He leads on his charge againft his enemies ; and thro' his gracious affiftance, we fhall be more than conquerors. 3. A due reverence becomes us when we draw' near to God, and receive meftages from him : Loofe thy fhoes from off thy feet, for the place zuhereon thou ftandeft is holy ground. This is applicable to us. Chrift makes no perfonal ap- pearance as the reprefentative of God now •, but minifters are his ambafiadors ; and when we come to join in religious worfhip, and attend God's houfe, let us remember it is holy ground -, and outward expreffions of reverence, when we come to appear before God, are very becoming and neceflary. Lifting up the hands and eyes, and efpecially kneeling, are recommended to us in the New Teftament, by the example of Chrift and his apoftles. And every humble worfhipper will not only engage his heart to approach God, but will fliow all the external marks of reverence in his worfhip; for God 3o4 J O S H U A. VI. God is greatly to be feared in the affembly of his faints, and holt - nefs becomes his houfe ; and he has exprefsly required that we glorify him with body andfpirit, which are his. CHAP. VI. In this chapter we have an account of the 'manner in which the city of Jericho was to be furrounded -, the execution of the divine order , and the fulfilment of the divine promife ; the deliverance of Rahab and her houfe -, and a folemn curfe denounced on the man who fhould attempt to rebuild the city* O W Jericho was ftraitly fhut up becaufe of the children of Ifrael : none went out, and none 2 came in.m And the Lord faid unto Jofhua, by the angel, the captain of his hofi, See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, and the king thereof, [and] the mighty men of valour •, perhaps the befl forces of the Canaanites were colletled to defend it, being a frontier town \ but notwith- fianding this it jhall be taken, and the king and the men of 3 valour be /lain. And this fkall be the method of doing it, ye mall compafs the city, all [ye] men of war, [and] go round about the city once. Thus fhalt thou do fix 4 days, to exercife thy faith, obedience, and patience. And feven priefts mail bear before the ark {even trumpets of rams' horns : and the feventh day ye fhall compafs the city {even times, and the priefts mall blow with the 5 trumpets.0 And it mail come to pafs, that when they make a long [blarl] with the rams' horn, [and] when ye hear the found of the trumpet, all the people fhall fhout with a great fhout •, and the wall of the city mall fall down flat, and the people mail afcend up every 6 man ftraight before him. And Jofhua the fon of Nun called m It was a ftrong city, with high walls, and for this reafon the inhabitants thought themfelves iecure. * Not the filver trumpets, but only rams' horns, which in fome countries are ufed by i'hepherds and fwineherds to this day. God chofe thefe mean inftruments, to put the greater honour upon his ark and pricits, and to try the faith of his people. JOSHUA. VI. 305 called the priefts, who were to carry the ark upon this ex- traordinary occafion, and faid unto them, Take up the ark of the covenant, and let {tvzn pnefts bear feveti trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord. '7 And he faid unto the people, the men of war, Pafs on, and com pafs the city, and let him that is armed, the men of the two tribes a?id a half, (ch. i. 14.) pafs on be- 8 fore the ark of the Lord. And it came to pafs, when Jofhua had fpoken unto the people, that the {even priefts bearing the feven trumpets of rams' horns paused on before the Lord, and blew with the trumpets : and the ark of the covenant of the LonD followed them. 9 And the armed men went before the priefts that blew with the trumpets, and the rereward came after the ark, [the priefts] going on, and blowing with the trumpets, 10 obeying with cheer fidnefs and faith. And Jofhua had commanded the people, faying, Ye mall not fhout, nor make any noife with your voice, neither mail [any] word proceed out of your mouth, until the day I bid you fhout ; then mall ye fhout •, ye /hall march with pro- found ftknee, that ye may have time to contemplate the height of the wall, and the ftrength of the city, and to recollecl former wonders, and divine promifes -, thus preparing your 1 1 minds for the event. So the ark of the Lord compafTed the city, going about [it] once : and they came into 12 the camp, and lodged in the camp. And Jofhua rofe early in the morning, and the priefts took up the 13 ark of the Lord. And feven priefts bearing {qvqti trumpets of rams' horns before the ark of the Lord went on continually, and blew with the trumpets : and the armed men went before them •, but the rereward came after the ark of the Lord, [the priefts] going on, 14 and blowing with the trumpets. And the fecond day they compafTed the city once, and returned into the 15 camp: fo they did fix days. And it came to pais on the feventh day, which was probably their fabbath, that they rofe early about the dawning of the day, and compafTed the city after the fame manner feven times : only on that day they compafTed the city (tven times. 16 And it came to pafs at the feventh time, when the Vol. II. U priefts 3o6 J O S H U A. VI. priefts blew with the trumpets, Jofhua faid unto the people, Shout -, for the Lord hath given you the city. This was done to teftify their faith in God's promife (Heb.xl. 30.) and joyful ajfurance of fuccefs •, to encourage one another in the following affault, and to ftrike fear into their enemies. 17 And the city mall be accurfed, [even] it, and all that [are] therein, to the Lord. This direction was probably given juft before they fhouted, that they might know how to treat the city \ it was to be accurfed, that is, devoted Jo deflrutlion, and confecrated to God, as being the firft fruits of their vitlory in Canaan -, they muft make an example of this city, as a warning to others, to incline them either to make peace, or to quit their towns without compulfion : only Rahab the harlot mail live, me and all that [are] with her in the houfe, becaufe me hid the meflengers that we fent •, this both juftice and gratitude required ; but they were 18 not on any account to touch thefpoil: And ye in any wife keep [yourfelves] from the accurfed thing, left ye make [yourfelves] accurfed, liable to that curfe, when ye take of the accurfed thing, and make the camp of Ifrael a curfe, liable to puniJJiment, and trouble it, by expojing the 19 whole camp to the difpleafure of almighty God, But all the filver, and gold, and vefTels of brafs and iron, [are] confecrated unto the Lord : they ihall come into the ^ 20 treafury of the Lord.0 So the people {Jiouted when [the priefts] blew with the trumpets : and it came to pafs, when the people heard the found of the trumpet, and the people fhouted with a great fhout, that the wall fell down flat, fo that the people went up into the city, every man ftraight before him, and they took the city.p 21 And they utterly deftroyed all that [was] in the city^ both man and woman, young and old, and ox, and iheep, • Or, all the idols fhaH be utterly deftroyed; the reft (hall pafs thro' the fire, as dire&ed in Numb. xxxi. 22, 23, and fo be con- fecrated to God's fervice. ' The Hebrew is, the wall fell under it; the jews fay, funk into the ground, fo that no ftones or rubbifti remained to hin* der their march into the city. Perhaps the whole of it did not fall, but only that part oppofite to the Ifraelites, who immediately marched forward and tcok the city. JOSHUA. VI. 307 ftieep, and afs, with the edge of the fword, according to God's command^ D?ut. xx. 16, [7. Thus the people were puniflied for their own wickednefs, God was honoured, neighbouring cities were terrified, and Ifrael encouraged. £2 But Jofhua had faid unto the two men that fpied out the country, Go into the harlot's houfe, and bnng out thence the woman, and all that me hath, as ye fware unto her. As this houfe flood on the wall of the city, it is 23 plain the whole wall did not fall at once. And the young men that were fpies went in, and brought out Rahab, and her father, and her mother, and her brethren, and all that me had *, and they brought out all her kindred, and left them without the camp of Ifrael, //'// they were well inftrucled in the jewifh religion, and then they were ad- 24 mitted into the congregation. And they burnt the city with fire, and all that [was] therein: only the fft/er, and the gold, and the vefTels of brafs and of iron, they put into £5 the treafury of the houfe of the Lord. And Jofhua faved Rahab the harlot alive, and her father's houfe- hold, who had given credit to what /he had told them, and all that fhe had •, and me dwelleth in Ifrael, [even] unto this day,q becaufe fhe hid the mefTengers which Jofhua fent to fpy out Jericho. 16 And Jofhua adjured [them] at that time, made the elders of Ifrael take a folemn oath, faying, Curfed [be] the man before the Lord, from God's prefence, and by his fent ence, that rifeth up and buildeth this city Jericho: he fhall lay the foundation thereof in his firft born, and in his younger! [fon] fhall he fet up the gates of it ; he /hall lofe all his children in the work \ the firft, at the begin- ning -, others, in the progrefs, by degrees ; and the younged 27 in the clofe of it.T So the Lord was with Jofhua, and his fame was [noifed] throughout all the country. U 2 REFLECT- 3 She was married to Salmon, a prince of the tribe of Judah, one of Chrift's progenitors, fee Matt. i. 5. and was alive when this book was written. ' We are told in 1 Kings xvi. 34. that it was rebuilt in the time of Ahab, by Hiel the Bethelite, who was tempted by its pleafant iituation ; but it is added, he laid the foundation thereof in Abiram his firjl born, and fet up the gates thereof in his youngeji fon 3o3 J O S H U A. VI. I REFLECTIONS. ii T E T us learn to cultivate faith in God's promife % I j By faith the walls of Jericho fell down, Heb. xi. 20* The people believed that God would work this miracle ; therefore they com paffed the city about, and waited patiently feven days, and thus their faith was exercifed and im- proved. This was perfectly rational, becaufe the promife was made by that Being, whofe infinite power was able to effect it. We may and ought to trull God to fulfil his word, tho' things mould feem improbable, for nothing is too hard for him. May we then he ftrong in faith \ that faith, ivhich is the fuhfiance of things hoped for, and the evidence of things not feen. 2. Let us adore that providence, which, by fuch unlike- ly methods, brings about his important defigns. This procefiion had more the appearance of paftime, than a liege. A ftrange fiege ! No trenches or batteries •, and even the armed men were not to ufe their arms. Doubtlefs the inhabitants of Jericho defpifed and laughed at them, bantered them, hifTed at them, and thought themfelves fecure But God intended to try the faith and obedience of his people •, to teach them to expect victory, not from their fword or valour, but from his afliftance and all-fuf- ' ficiency. His counfel fliall Jiand. The accomplimment of his promifes is fure, whatever walls or hindrances lie in the way. Thus God deals with his people now ; he exer- cifes their virtue, by leading them thro' unexpected ways, and delaying the blefilngs they want and hope for. But when the end is anfwered, it will appear every way worthy of God, and conducive to their comfort and happinefs. 3. We fee, that thofe who honour God, he will honour, ^.27. Jofhua did fo, by exact obedience to his commands -9 and God appeared to be with him, gave him favour in the eyes /on Seguh, according to the woord of the Lord, which he /pake by Jojhua the /on of Nun. After this, it became a fchool of the prophets; Samuel and Elijah lived there; and Chrift was there at the houfe of Zaccheus, where he did feveral miracles. * JOSHUA. VII. 309 eyes of the Ifraelites, and fpread his fame thro' all the country. If it be our care to follow God's directions, and obferve his law, we fhall find favour and good understand- ing in the fight of men. CHAP. VII. In this chapter the Ifraelites are defeated at Ai ; Jofhua is deeply concerned on this melancholy occafion, and God inftrucls him what to do -, Achan is taken by lot, and he and all that belonged to him are dejlroyed in the valley of Achor. U T the children of Ifrael, that is, one of them, committed a trefpafs in the accurfed thing, in fome valuable fpoils, which by God^s command were devoted to deftruclwn ; for Achan, the fon of Carmi, the fon of Zabdi, the fon of Zerah, of the tribe of Judah, took of the accurfed thing : and the anger of the Lord was kindled againft the children of Ifrael. This anger mani- fefted itfelf in the next expedition, to make them folicitous to 2 find out the offender, and to be a warning to all others. And Jofhua fent men from Jericho to Ai, a city three miles weft from Jericho, which [is] befide Beth-aven, on the earl: fide of Beth-el, and fpake unto them, faying, Go up and view the country. And the men went up and 3 viewed Ai. And they returned to Jofhua, and faid unto him, Let not all the people go up ; but let about two or three thoufand men go up and fmite Ai ; [and] make not all the people to labour thither ; for they 4 [are but] few. So there went up thither of the people about three thoufand men ; and the townfmen were ani- mated by feeing that fo few came out againft them ; and they, the Ifraelites, difpirited by the immediate hand of God, fled 5 before the men of Ai. And the men ot Ai fmote of them about thirty and fix men : for they chafed them [from] before the gate [even] unto Shebarim, that is, the place of breaches, fo called, becaufe here their army was broken and difcomfited, and fmote them in the going down, from the hill on which Ai flood, toward the plains U 3 of 3io JOSHUA. VII. of Jericho : wherefore the hearts of the people melted and became as water -, the zvhdle'l body of the people was. extremely difmayed at this fign of God's difpleafure. 6 And Jofhua rent his clothes, and fell to the earth upon his face before the ark of the Lord until the eventide, he and the elders of Ifrael, and put dud: up- on their heads, fliowing marks of the deepeft contrition and J repentance* as well as forrow of mind. And Jofhua faid, Alas, O Lord God, wherefore haft thou at all brought this people over Jordan, to deliver us into the hand of the Amorites, to deitroy us ? would to God we had 8 been content, and dwelt on the other fide Jordan ! 3 O Lord, what fhall I fay, when Ifrael turneth then bi . ks before their enemies ! Can I fufpeft thy power* or fidelity ? What can I anjwer to the reproaches of our enemies? or what 9 courfe can I take ? For the Canaanites from the fa coaft* and all the inhabitants of the land mall hear [of it,] and fnall environ us round, and cut off our name -from the earth •, they will utterly defiroy us all* when they hear- that God has forfaken us : but* as if all this was a trifle* he adds* and what wilt thou do unto thy great, .name ? thou wilt lofe the glory of all thy wonders and miracles-* cut* ting off cur name will be no great lofs , but what wilt thou do for thy great name ? Amofi wije and devout remorf ranee* and the befi plea he could make ufe of. 10 And the Lord faid unto Jofhua, Get thee up-, wherefore lie ft thou thus upon thy face ? do not continue grieving and affii cling thy j elf* but uje means for relief. 1 1 Ifrael hath finned, and they have alio tranfgrefied my covenant which I commanded them : for they have taken of the accurfed thing, and have alio ftolen, and difTembled alfo, and they have put [it] even among their own fluff; Ifrael had finned* tramgrefjed the covenant* taken the devoted thing* Jiclen it pi ivately* as if the omnif- cient God could not fee. They diffcmbled* by denying and con- cealing 9 This was the language, not of pafhen and unbelief, but of folicitous concern. He could not comprehend the reaion of thz divine conduct, and wilhes they had rather been content with their former conquefts, than have fufrered fuch a defeat in their attempt to gain more. JOSHUA. VII. 3ic ceding it; land have even converted it to their own ufe9 con- 1 2 jident it would never be called for. Therefore the child- ren of Ifrael could not (land before their enemies, [but] turned [their] backs before their enemies, becaufe they were accurfed : neither will I be with you any more, except ye deftroy the accurfed from among you. 13 Up, fanclify the people, by wa filings ', and fajiings, and prayer, and fay, Sanclify yourfelves againft to morrow, that the guilt may not lie any longer upon you: for thus faith the Lord God of Ifrael, [There is] an accurfed thing in the midft of thee, O Ifrael : thou canft not {land before thine enemies, until ye take away the ac- 14 curfed thing from among you. In the morning therefore ye fhall be brought according to your tribes : and it fhall be, [that] the tribe which the Lord taketh fhall come according to the families [thereof;] and the family which the Lord fhall take fhali come by houfeholds ; and the houfehold which the Lord (hall take fhall 15 come man by man.1 And it fhall be, [that] he that is taken with the accurfed thing fhall be burnt with fire, as the accurfed thing it/elf ought to have been, he and all that he* hath : becaufe he hath tranfgrefTed the covenant of the Lord, and becaufe he hath wrought folly in If- rael, by violating a precept fo lately and fo filemnly given, and after fo remarkable a miracle as the taking of Jericho, 16 So Jcfhua, to fliowhis zeal and concern, rofe up early in the morning, and brought Ifrael by their tribes, brought lots for each tribe-, and the tribe of Judah was iy taken : And he brought the family of Judah ; and he took the family of the Zarhites : and he brought the family of the Zarhites man by man : and Zabdi was 18 taken: And he brought his houfehold man by man; and Achan, the fon of Carmi, the fon of Zabdi, the fon of Zerah, of the tribe of judah, was taken ; and he was immediately taken into cufiody, and brought to Jofaua. U 4 19 And * This procefs gave the offender an opportunity of confeffing his guilt voluntarily ; but his heart was hardened. Perhaps he thought others were guilty as well as himfelf, and that he might potfibly efcape. • £12 J O S H U A. VII. 19 And Jofhua faid unto Achan, with the great eft tender- nefs and affection, My fon, give, I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Ifrael, whofe hand has fo remarkably found thee out, and make confeiTion unto him > and tell me now what thou haft done ; hide Tit] not from me. 20 And Achan anfwered Jofhua, and faid, Indeed I have finned againft the Lord God of Ifrael, and tnus and 21 thus have I done: When I faw among the (noils a goodly Babylonifh garment," and two hundred fhekels of filver, worth about twenty three pounds, and a wedge of gold of fifty fhekels weight, worth- near an hundred pounds, then I coveted them, and took them •, ana, be- hold, they [are] hid in the earth in the midft of my tent, and the filver under it, Achan thought it a great pity that the fine garments fbould be deftroyed, and the gold 22 and filver go to the Lord's houfe. So jolhua lent meifen- gers, and they ran unto the tent ; and, behold, [it was] hid in his tent, and the filver under it \ thus he was 23 convitled by the dif cover y of the goods. And they took them out of the midft of the tent, and brought them unto Jofhua, and unto all the children of Ifrael, and laid them out before the Lord> as a convincing evidence cf the truth of the di [co-very, an acknowledgment of the divine cmnifcience, and the juflice of the execution thai was to be done. 24 And Jofhua and all Ifrael with him, took Achan the fon of Zerah, and the filver, and the garment, and the wedge of gold, and his fons, and his daughters, who perhaps were privy to what he had done, and his oxen, and his afies, and his fheep, (which Jkow's that he did not fleal from want, but merely from coveioufnejs) and his tent, and all that he had: and they brought them unto 25 the valley of Achor. And Jofhua faid, Why halt thou troubled us? the Lord lhall trcubie thee this day; alluaing to his nc.me, which fignifes, trouble. And all Ifrael ftcned him with ftones, and burned them with fire, u It was richly embroidered with gold and filver, 2nd a variety of colours, as the word fignifies. A plain proof, by the way, that there was commerce carried en between the Canaanites and tlje Babylonians. JOSHUA. VII. 313 %6 fire, after they had {toned them with ftones. And they raifed over him a great heap of ftones unto this day, as they ufed to do over thofe that died ignominioujly ', that it might be a monument to v. am others not to commit the like fin. So the Lord turned from the riercenefs of his anger. Wherefore the name of that place was called The valley of Achor, unto this day. P REFLECTION S. I, YY ERE we may learn the evil tendency of fin: what difgrace and ruin it brings upon a nation ! Soc. nes often fuffer for the fins of Individuals. We mould guard agai^ft it in ourfelves, and, as much as in us lieth, prevent it in others, and do nothing to be accefTary to the guilt of others. Stand in awe, and fin not. We learn, 2. That good governors are greatly affected with the calamity and mifery of their people; Jofhua's diftrefs was a fign of great generofity and benevolence, of tendernefs ana companion. He lays to heart the diftreffes of the peo- ple. It is a good example when princes and magiftrates are Zealous for the Lord oj hofis. They mould be concerned for the profperity of the nation-, mould lead the way inpublick humiliations, and every thing that has a tendency to pro- mote reformation and the publick happinefs. It is not Sufficient for them to puniih publick vices, but they muft alfo labour to reform them. 3. The glory of God ought to be our chief concern and main plea. No matter what becomes of us and our name, if thine be glorified, if thy perfections are fetn and adored, and a tribute ol praife and homage be paid to thee. It will grieve every good man that God's name is dishonoured. Our great concern fhould be, that God in all things fhould be glorified. It fhould be the matter of our prayers and endea- vours ; and we may take encouragement from that regard which God has, and ftill fhov. s, for it. 4. We fhould confider the omnifcience of God as a mo- tive to avoid fin. Achan was ready to think that the Lord could not fee ; when fo much gold was faved for the taber- nacle, a little could not be milled. But he was wretchedly miftaken. 3H J O S H U A. VII. mifraken. Thus finners flatter themfelves in their own eyes that God 'will not know ; that their fin will not be difcover- ed -, and therefore promife themfelves fecurity : but this is great folly. They may be fure their fin will find them out. Among the many thoufands of Ifraelites God faw the offen- der, tho' hid in the tent. He diitinguifhes between the precious and the vile. The lot was caft into the lap, and fepa- rated one cut of all the tribes of Ifrael. Let us reverence this omnifcient Being. In him is no darknefs at all. Tremble for fear of him •, labour to be approved of him ; and let our conduct be fuch, as to have no reafon to be afhamed that God or men mould know it. 5. Humble confeffion of fin is giving glory to God. Let us give glory to the Lord God of Ifmel, and make confeffion unto him. It gives glory to his juftice, and to the holinefs of his law, which is broken -, it gives him the glory of his. omnifcience, by which he fees us, and finds us out. In order to this, it is neceflary to be full ancL circumstantial in our confeffions of fin : not only to fay, c I acknowledge I have finned \ but add particularly, thus and thus have I done. Reflect with forrow on the feveral fteps which led us to fin, and own, as Achan here does, ail the aggravating circumftances. It was committed againft precepts, motives, &c. Achan had no hope of efcape, but we have. If we fay we have no fin, we deceive our f elves *, but if we confefs our fin, he is faithful and j lift to forgive us our fin, and to cleanfe us, from all unrig hteoufnefs, 6. The love of money is the root of all evil: Achan's co- vetous mind feduced him. He thought it an eafy way of growing rich, and providing for his family •, but it ruined him and his family too. XII- gotten gain will prove bitter- nefs in the end. It is very ill hufbandry to get rich, if not done by right, honeft, and honourable ways. Let us, there- fore, keep the world at a proper diftance, and moderate our affections to it. The language of this ftory is, Take heedy and beware of covetoufnefs, which is idolatry, 7. The publick execution of notorious offenders, is neceflary to the welfare of fociety. It is neceflary, to deter others from fin, to remove offenders out of the way, who are plagues to focietyj and thereby avert thofe judgments with JOSHUA. VIII. 315 with which they would be other wife vifited. Wicked men are the troublers of Ifrael, and bring guilt and ruin upon it. It is the will of God that iuch mould be troubled , he has ordained magiftrates to be his minifters of terror to evil doers ; and not to tear the [word in vain. All private perfons mould join co difcover and bring to punimment the workers of iniquity. This is the way to have tranquillity lengthened, and calamities removed. According to the beautiful words, of the prophet Hofea9 ch. ii. 15. in which he alludes to this ftory, The valley of Achor, or trouble, is a door of hope. CHAP. VIII. Ifrael having put away the accurfed thing, God returns unto them in mercy. We have here the method to he ufedjor taking the city At; the fuccefs of the fir at ag em , and the folemn read- ing of the law •, and writing it on flows ; according to the words of Mofes, Deut. xxvii. 5. 1 A N D the Lord faid unto Jomua, who had been Ji\ greatly difcouraged and difcompofed by what had happened, Fear not, neither be thou difmayed : take all the people of war with thee, and arife, go up to Ai : fee, I have given into thy hand the king of Ai, and his people, and his city, and his' land : thus God affures him of complete viclory, and then dire els him what to do : 2 And thou {halt do to Ai and her king as thou didft un- to Jeticho and her king-, the city muft be deftroyed, left the Canaanites fliould take poffeffion of it, or the Ifraelites JJioidd confide in fortified places , and to encourage them, he gives them the jpcil: only the fpoil thereof, and the cattle thereof, mail ye take for a prey unto yourfelves: 3 lay thee an am bum for the city behind it. So Jofhua arofe, and all the people of war to go up againft Ai : and Jofhua chofe out thirty thoufand mighty men of valour, and fent them away by night, to lie in ambufh 4 behind the city. And he commanded them, faying, Behold, ye mail lie in wait againft the city, [even] five thoufand of you, behind the city : go not very far from the 2i6 JOSHUA., VIII. 5 the city, but be ye all ready : And I, and all the peo- ple that [are] with me, will approach unto the city : and it mall come to pafs, when they come out againft us, 6 as at the firft, that we will flee before them, (For they will come out after us) till we have drawn them' from the city -, tor they will fay, They flee before us, as at j the firft : therefore we will flee before them. Then ye mail rife up from the ambufh, and kize upon the city : for the Lord your God will deliver it into your hand. 8 And n mall be, when ye have taken the city, [that] ye (hall fet the city on tire : according to the command- ment of the Lord frull ye do. See, i have commanded o you. Jofhua therefore fent them forth, that is, the fioe thoufand: and they went to lie in ambufh, and abode between Beth-el and Ai, on the weft fide of Ai: but Jofhua lodged that night among the people, the jo twenty five thoufand remaining. And Joihua rofe up early in the morning, and numbered the people, to prove that no lives were loft, and went up, he and the elders of Ifrael, before the people to Ai ; the elders went up to be witneffes of the allien, as a council of war, and to affift in 1 1 dividing the fpoiL And all the people, [even the peo- ple] of war that [were] with him, went up, and drew nigh, and came before the city, and pitched on the north fide of Ai : now [there was] a valley between 12 them and Ai. And he took about five thoufand men, and fet them to lie in ambufh between Beth el and Ai, 13 on the weft fide of the city.y And when they had fet the people, [even] all the hoft that [was] on the north of the city, and their liers in wait on the weft of the city, Jofhua, and a fmall company with him, went that night into the midft of the valley. 14 And it came to pafs, when the king of Ai faw [it,] that they hafted and rofe up early, and the men of the city went out againft Ifrael to battle, he and all his people, at a time appointed, before the plain \ but he w Probably there were two ambufties, one to furprife the ene- my in front, and the other to rake the city behind; while the main body might be ilationed behind an hill, where the enemy could not fee them. JOSHUA. VIII. 317 he wift not that [there were] liers in,ambum. againft him behind the city* •, which is very -probable, conjiderihz the city was clofe fliut up to prevent [pies coming in, or Je~ 15 ferters going out. And Jofhui and all Ifr.iel made as if they were beaten before them, and fled by the way of the wildernefs, toward the main body of the army. 16 And all the people that [were] in Ai vvere called to- gether to purfue after them : and they purfued after Jofhua, and were drawn away from the city, fuft)ecl:ng no danger from the weft part , and fo left the city unguarded. 17 And there was not a man left in Ai or Beth -el, that went not out after lfrael •, which /hows that fome from the neighbouring city had joined the garrifon at Ai : and they 18 left the city open, and purfued after lfrael. And the Lord faid unto Jofhua, Stretch out the fpear that [is] in thy hand toward Ai*, for I will "give it into thine hand. And Jofhua ftretched out the fpear that [he had] in his hand toward the city, as a fignal to the Iters 19 in wait. And the ambufh arofe quickly out of their place, and they ran as foon as he had flretched out his hand : and they entered into the city, and took it, and hafted and fet the city on fire, /ome of the outer parts of 20 it. And when the men of Ai looked behind them, they faw, and, behold, the fmoke of the city afcended up to heaven, and they had no power to flee this way or that way : and the people that fled to the wildernefs 21 turned back upon the purfuers. And when Jofhua and all lfrael, the reft of the army that was with him, who feemed to fly away before, faw that the ambufh had taken the city, and that the fmoke of the city afcended, then they turned 22 again, and flew the men of Ai. And the other, theambu/h that had taken the city, iffued out of the city againft them \ fo they were in the midft of lfrael, fome on this fide, and fome on that fide : and they fmote them, fo that 23 they let none of them remain or efcape. And the king of Ai they took alive, and brought him to Jofhua, 24 And it came to pafs, when lfrael had made an end of flaying all the inhabitants of Ai in the field, in the wil- derrnefs wherein they chafed them, and when they were all 3iS JOSHUA. VIII ; all fallen on the edge of the fword, until they were cori- fumed, that all the Ifraelites returned unto Ai, and fmote it, that is, the men unable to bear arms, and women 25 and children, with the edge of the fword. And [fo] it was, [that] all that fell that day, both of men and women, [were] twelve thoufand, [even] all the men of 26 Ai and Beth-el. For Jofhua drew not his hand back, wherewith he ftretched out the fpear, until he had ut- terly deftroyed all the inhabitants of Ai •, but ftill led 27 them on, and continued to fight till all were deftroyed. Only the cattle and the fpoil of that city Ifrael took for a prey unto themfelves, which was diftributed in due pro- portion, according unto the word of the Lord which he 28 commanded Jofhua. And Jofhua burnt Ai, and made it an heap for ever,x [even] a defolation Unto this day. 29 And the king of Ai, who was the greateft offender, ''as a bad governor, and a wicked king, he hanged on a tree until eventide : and as foon as the fun was down, Jofhua commanded that they mould take his carcafe down from the tree, and caft it at the entering of the gate of the city, where he had ufed to Jit in judgment, and had probably been guilty of great injuftice and cruelty, and to raife thereon a great heap of flones, [that remaineth] unto this day. 30 Then, after the taking of Ai, Jofhua built an altar unto 3 1 the Lord God of Ifrael in mount EbaLy As Mofes the fervant of the Lord commanded the children of Ifrael, as it is written in the book of the law of Mofes, an altar of whole ftones, over which no man hath lift up [any] iron *, and they offered thereon burnt offerings unto the Lord, and facrificed peace offerings, in token of their 32 covenant with God. And he wrote there upon the ftones prepared for that purpofe, and perhaps placed over the altar, a copy of the law of Mofes, at leaft the ten commandments, or x For ever, means only a long time; there was no profpect of its being rebuilt when this book was written. But we find in Ne/iem. x\. 31. that it was built again, and both this and Bethel were inhabited by Be?ijamin. Y This was at a confiderable diftance from Ai ; but he took advantage of the terror that was flruck into the Canaanites, to perform this act of religion. JOSHUA. VIII. 3x9 or rather ', the blejjings and curfes contained in the twenty feventh and twenty eighth chapters of D cuter onamy, which he 33 wrote in the prefence of the children of [frael. And ail i Ifrael, and their elders, and officers, and their judges, flood on this fide- the ark and on that fide before the priefts the Levites, which hare the ark of the covenant of the Lord, as well the ftranger, as he that was born among them •, half of them over againft mount Geri- zim, and half of them over againft mount Ebal ; as Mofes the fervant of the Lord had commanded before, 34 that they mould blefs the people of Ifrael. And after- ward he read, or caufed the Levites to read, after the facrifices were over, all the words of the law, the blef- fings and curfings, according to all that is written in 2$ the book of t1*?. law. There was not a word of all that Mofes commanded, which Jofh.ua read not before all the congregation of Ifrael, with the women, and the little ones, and the Grangers that were eonverfant among them •, the members of their families, and the fir angers the profelytes to their religion, were all prefent at this folemn fervice. REFLECTIONS. i. \\ T E fee that God is ready to return to his people W when they put away their (in. When that is removed, he returns gracioufly •, he is difpofed to renew the friendfhip and union ; and then alfo we may expect to receive direction, encouragement, and affiilance from him. This is an encouragement to all to forfake their fins, and to cultivate that godly forrow for Jin, which worketh repentance that never needs to be repented of. The language of his grace under the law and gofpel too, is, Return unto me, and I will return unto thee. 2. We here fee that ftratagems in war are lawful in themfelves. There is indeed fomething peculiar in the cir- cumftances of the jewifh people, having God, the fovereign of the world, for their king •, but he never commanded any- thing to be done that was unlawful in itfelf. Here was no faith violated, or treaties broken •, the breach of which is fcandalous 32o JOSHU A. VIII. fcandalous and abominable The people of Ai acted againft the common rules of human prudence. It does not appear to be unlawful to deceive an enemy by a dubious action ; and the common agreement among men feems to countenance this, where no previous compact renders it un- lawful. But (till there are decrees of honour to be obferv- ed, even toward enemies, that all men, efpecially chriftians, fhould mew, and carefully avoid every degree of perjury, and violation of publick faith. 3. We learn, that amidft the greater!: hurry of bufinefs, and the mod agreeable fcenes of life, the worfhip of God muft not be neglected. Jofhua and the people had great work before them •, their enemies were intimidated, and we may be ready to think they mould have now pufhed for- ward. But they mud: take time to obferve God's laws •, pay their thanks to him for what is pad, and feek further fuccefs. Amidft all the joy which the victory occafioned, God was to be revered, and his blefTings and curfes pronounced, read, and regarded. The more we are hurried with the affairs of this life, the more need we have to call off our thoughts, by renewing our dedication to God, recognizing our folemn covenant, and attending to the words of his law. The more pleafant our circumftances are, and the greater profperity we meet with, the more peculiar reafon have we to acknow- ledge God, left profperity mould prove a fnare. 4. Perfons of every rank, fex, and ftation, mould join in worshipping God, and attending on the inftructions of his law. The elders, officers, and judges of Ifrael, were all to come to hear the words of God's law, and attend on the facri- flces. The poor ftranger aifo, was to join himfelf to the Lord. The women and children were to attend thefe facrinces and religious inftructions. The greateft of men are not to think themfelves above being religious -, not for their own fakes only, but that their example may influence others, and en- gage them to the fervice of God. Heads of families fhould bring their wives and little ones to publick ordinances, and make it their refolution that they and their* s fliall ferve the Lord. Remember, that religion is the concern of every man ; that fearing God, and keeping his commandments, is the way to profperity in both worlds. C H A P. JOSHUA. IX. 3*2i CHAP. IX, We have in this chapter a contrivance of the Gibeonites to gain peace and friendfhip with Ifrael; the difcovery of their fraud; and Jofhua'' s agreement to [pare their lives, upon condition of their being in perpetual bondage. 1 A ND it came to pafs, when all the kings which j[\. [were] on this fide Jordan, in the hills, and in the valleys, and in all the coafts of the great fea, the Mediterranean, over againft Lebanon, the Hittite, and the Amorite, the Canaanite, the Perizzitc, the Hi- 2 vite, and the Jebufite, heard [thereof;] That they gathered themfelves together, and entered into a con- federacy, to fight with Jofhua and with Ifrael, with one accord. But this was not done till after they had heard of what the Gibeonites had done, as we fhall fee in the next chapter. 3 And when the inhabitants of Gibeon2 heard what 4 Jofhua had done unto Jericho and to Ai, They did work wilily, that is, craftily, with a defign to deceive the Ifraelites, and went and made as if they had been am- bafladors fent from feme far country, and took old facks upon their afles, and wine bottles, old, and rent, and 5 bound up where they had leaked ; And old fhoes and clouted upon their feet, that is, patched, as if they had been worn out with long travelling \ and old garments up- on them *, and all the bread of their provifion was dry 6 [and] mouldy. And they went to Jolhua unto the camp at Gilgal, his head quarters, and faid unto him, and to the men of Ifrael, the princes and elders who ufed to meet in council with Jofhua, We be come from a far country: now therefore make ye a league with us, 7 And the men of Ifrael faid unto the Hivites, Perad- venture ye dwell among us, and are of the people with whom we are not to make a covenant or friendfliip ; and Vol. II. W how z Gibeon was a royal city, belonging to the Hivites, «z/. 7. and had other towns under its government. They had little reafon to be afraid, as they had many mighty men among them, See ch. x. 8. 322 J O S H U A. IX. 8 how fhal! we make a league with you ? And they faid unto Jomua, We [are] thy fervants •, not enemies * but friends ', who will fuhmit to any conditions of peace. This awakened his fufpicion, and Jomua faid unto them, Who 9 f arel Ye -? and from whence come ye ? And they faid unto him, From a very far country thy fervants are come,a becaufe of the name of the Lord thy God : for we have heard the fame of him, and all that he did in Egypt, (not mentioning what was done lately ; as if they had not 10 heard of that, becaufe of their remotenefs) And all that he did to the two kings of the Amorites, that [were] beyond Jordan, to Sihon king of Hefhbon, and to Og king of 1 1 Bafhan, which [was j at Afhtaroth. Wherefore our el- ders and all the inhabitants of our country fpake to us, faying, Take victuals with you for the journey, and go to meet them, and fay unto them, We [are] your fer- vants : therefore now make ye a league with us. They would have Jofhua believe that they were ambafjadors, who did not come of their own accord, but were fent by the leading men of their nation. They then go on to defcribe the length 12 of their journey. This our bread we took hot [for J our provifion out of our houfes on the day we came forth to go unto you ; but now, behold, it is dry, and it is 13 mouldy: And thefe bottles of wine, which we filled, [were] new ; and, behold, they be rent : and thefe our garments and our fhoes are become, old by reafon 14 of the very long journey. And the men took of their victuals, to examine whether or not they were fo old and de- cayed -, and rafhly and inconfiderately took their word, and 15 afked not [counfel] at the mouth of the Lord. And Jofhua made peace with them, and made a league with them, to let them live : and the princes of the congre- gation fware unto them. 16 And it came to pafs at the end of three days after they had made a league with them, that they heard that they 3 They avoid coming to particulars, and anfwer only in gene- ral terms; the way of all deceitful men. At length they pre- tended that religion was their motive, and a regard to the God of Ifrael ; they thought this the bed way to fecure Jofhua's fa- vourable opinion. JOSHUA. IX. 323 they [were] their neighbours, and [that] they dwelt ty among them. And the children of Ifrael journeyed, and came unto their cities on the third day* that is, the army in their march came to their country. Now their cities [were] Gibeon, and Chephirah, and Beeroth, 18 and Kirjath-jearim. And the children of Ifrael fmote them not, becaufe the princes of the congregation had fworn unto them by the Lord God of Ifrael. And all the congregation murmured againft the princes, becaufe they were deprived of the fpoil offuch a rich, populous, and 19 royal city. But all the princes faid unto all the congre- gation, We have fworn unto them by the Lord God of Ifrael : now therefore we may not touch them ; it will be violating our oath, a diflwnour to God, and a re- proach to our religion, and will prejudice the Gibeonites 20 againft it. But This will we do to them ; we will even let them live, left wrath be upon us, becaufe of the 21 oath which we fware unto them. And the princes faid unto them, Let them live *, but let them be hewers of wood and drawers of water unto all the congregation ; as the princes had prornifed them^ let them be as jlaves, doing the greateft drudgery in ferving at the altar, which otherwije all the people, in their turns, muft have done. 22 And Jofhua called for them, and he fpake unto them, faying, Wherefore have ye beguiled us, faying, We [are] very far from you •, when ye dwell among us P 23 Now therefore ye [are] curfed, adjudged to a mean, calamitous condition, and there fhall none of you be freed from being bondmen, and hewers of wood and 24 drawers of water for the houfe of my God. And they anfwered Jofhua in a very prudent manner, fo as to excite his pity, and fave their lives, and faid, Becaufe it was cer- tainly told thy fervants, how that the Lord thy God commanded his fervant Mofes to give you all the land, and to deftroy all the inhabitants of the land from before you, therefore we were fore afraid of our lives 25 becaufe of you, and have done this thing. And now, behold, we [are] in thine hand, ready to fubmit to thy appointment : as it feemeth good and right unto thee to 26 do unto us, do. And fo did he unto them, and de- W 2 livered 324 JOSHUA. IX. livered them out of the hand of the children of Ifrael, 27 that they flew them not. And Jofhua made them that day hewers of wood and drawers of water for the con- gregation, and for the altar of the Lord, even unto this day, in the place which he mould choofe. It is probable they left their own cities, (for the Ifraelites after- wards dwelt in them) and that they were diftributed thro9 the tribes, as the Levites were. At length the curfe was turned into a bleffing •, they lived near God's houfe, had the benefit of ordinances, and afterwards were called Nethinimfs, Ezra viii. 2c. becaufe they were devoted to God, and a f acred kind of fervants, as Jofephus calls them. REFLECTIONS. 1. TTirE fee here the obftinacy of iinners, in ufmg y V thofe things as encouragements to fin, which ought to deter them from it. Thefe kings were confederate again ft Ifrael, becaufe they had heard that other kings were not able to ftand fingly ; but all were deftroyed in a mira- culous manner. Their wifeft way would have been to have fought for terms of peace ; but they would venture to op- pofe the people, tho' they could not but know what had been done for them. 1 here is too much of this temper among finners now ; tho* they know it is vain to contend with God-, for when he judges he will overcome ; yet they ftill ven- ture on \ and run on the thick boffes of his buckler, (Job xv. 26.) to their own deftru&ion. A lamentable cafe indeed! 2. Religion is often made ufe of as a pretence, where fecular intereft is the only thing intended. The Gibeonites pretended great regard for God, and dehred to join his peo- ple, to become fervants of him who had fuch power and wrought fuch miracles -, but they only wanted to fave their lives, and fecure their poiieffions. This is too common a cafe. Men talk much of God and religion, to anfwer their temporal ends : but God cannot be deceived, tho' men may : Be defireth truth tit the inward parts -, and the hypocrify of the heart is an abomination unto him. 3. Let us learn to avoid rafh judgment. The Ifraelites haflily made. a league, without confulting the Lord, which might JOSHUA. IX. 325 might eafily have been done : then they had acted wifely and fafely. Let us guard againrt too hafty a temper, efpe- ciaily in iuch folemn affairs as vows and engagements •, re- membering Solomon's advice, Be not rafh with thy mouth, or hafty to utter any tBng before God, in the way of vows or pro- mifes. Confult him; his word, by diligent fearch; his providence, by earned prayer. Bp. Hall, and after him Mr. Henrv, caution us, from this ftory, againft taking up any fentiments rafhly, becaufe they have the appearance of antiquity. Many good men have done this, and been ftrangely obftinate. But errors are never the better for being patched and feemingly old. When perfons judge of men or things rafhly, it is a iign that they have not deliber- ated, not duly weighed the evidence and reafons for them, nor confulted God. Let it teach us in all our ways to ac- knowledge God, and then he will direcl our paths. 4, Let us learn to reverence an oath, and to keep clofe to our folemn engagements. We ought to ftand by our word, and be punctual to our bargain, tho' it mould be to our lofs or detriment. The Ifraelites did fo, tho' their oath was fraudulently obtained. It is monftrous to violate promifes and engagements, when made with all honefty and fairnefs. Had the Ifraelites understood the evafions of the church of Rome, and acted upon their principles, they had had no caufe to mourn ; Eleazer the high pried could have given them a difpenfation to break it -, or have rejected them as heretics, and therefore no faith was to be kept with them. But they had not fo learned the God of Ifrael •, they obferved the oath \ and it was well they did, for God would highly have refented the breach of it; and he afterwards did fo, as we find in 2 Sam. xxi. 1. 'There was a famine in the days of David three years, year after year, for Saul and his bloody houfe, becaufe he flew the Gibeonites. It is an undoubted maxim, that men lofe more by making God their enemy, than they can poflibly gain by any fraudulent or indirect methods. Therefore, let integrity and upright- nefs guide and preferve us -, remembering it is the character of one that mail inhabit God's holy hill, that he walketh up- rightly, fpeaketh the truth in his heart -, and tho9 hefwears to his own hurt, yet he changes not. Pfalm xv. W3 CHAP. 3*6 JOSHUA, X, C H A P. X. We have here an account of a confederacy formed againft Gibeort by the neighbouring kings •, their extraordinary defeat by Jofbua, while the fun and moon flood flill, and finally their execution. 1 TV " " O W it came to pafs, when Adoni-zedec king JL l| of Jerufalem had heard how Jofhua had taken Ai, and had utterly deftroyed it •, as he had done to Jericho and her king, fo he had done to Ai and her king; and how the inhabitants of Gibeon had made 2 peace with Ifrael and were among them -, That they feared greatly, becaufe Gibeon [was] a great city, as one of the royal cities, and becaufe it [was] greater than 3 Ai, and all the men thereof [were] mighty. Wherefore Adoni-zedec king of Jerufalem,b fent unto Hoham king of Hebron, and unto Eiram king of Jarmuths and unto Japhia king of Lachifn, and unto Debir 4 kingofEglon, four neighbouring princes^ faying, Come Up unto me, and help me, that we may finite Gibeon, chafiife the Gibeonites for their treachery in going to Jof/ma, and giving him poffejjion of their fir ong and royal city : for }t hath made peace with Jofhua and with the children of Ifrael, and thus at once adds to his Jlrength7 tempts others to revolt , and gives him full information of the flat e 5 of all the country. ' Therefore the five kings of the A- moritcs, the king of Jerufalem, the king of Hebron,, the king of Jarmuth, the king of Lachifh, the king of Eglon, gathered themfelves together and went up, they and all their hofts, and encamped before Gibeon. and made war againft it. 6 And the men of Gibeon fent unto Jofnua to th< camp to Gilgal, faying, Slack not thy hand from tir fervants, who have put ourfehes under thy protection cojne up to us quickly, and lave us, and help us : for all h Adoni-zedec feems to have been the moft acuve perfon, and the leader and commander of the expedition ; his name Signifies king of rightecujiiefs , the fame as his predecefibr Melchi- 2edec, and he was king of Salem. JOSHUA; X. 32; all the kings of the Amorites that dwell in the moun- 7 tains are gathered together againft us. So Jofhua afcended from Gilgal, he, and all the people of war with him, and all the mighty men of valour ; he refo- lutely undertook their defence^ but firft confuted God. 8 And the Lord faid unto Jofhua, Fear them not : for 1 have delivered them into thine hand •, there fhall not a man of them ftand before thee. A fign that God was pkafedwith their fparing the Gibeonites ; elfe he would 9 not have profpered them infighting for their defence. Jofhua therefore came unto them fuddenly, [and] went up from Gilgal all night. 'The diftance was about twenty miles , and coming upon them unexpectedly*, he threw them all 10 into confufion. And the Lord difcomfited them before Ifrael, and flew them with a great daughter at Gibeon, and chafed them along the way that goeth up to Beth- horon, and fmote them to Azekah, and unto Mak- kedah. And to make this viclory the more remarkable \ God 1 1 wrought two miracles. And it came to pafs, as they fled from before Ifrael, [and] were in the going down to Beth-horon, that the Lord caft down great ftones from heaven upon them unto Azekah, and they died : [they were] more which died with hailftones than [they] whom the children of Ifrael flew with the fword.9 1 2 Then fpake Jofhua to the Lord in the day when the Lord delivered up the Amorites before the children of Ifrael, and he faid in the fight of Ifrael, Sun, fland thou frill upon Gibeon, and thou, Moon, in the val- ley of Ajalon. Jofhua f aw the confufion his enemies were in ; and he thought many would efcape before they could be defrayed, or at leafl that they would reach the fenced cities -> W 4 and c An ingenious author has attempted to prove that thefe were real ftones ; but whether they were fuch, or only great hail- ftones, it was a very extraordinary providence that they ihould do fuch execution, and not hurt one of the Ifraelites, who might be mingled with the enemy, or at leaft very near them ; more efpecially when we confider that ibme fled to the north, and others to the fouth, according to the fituation of the places to which they fled. But that related in 1/. 12. was r\ ftill greater miracle. 328 JOSHU A. X. and he felt a ftrong impulfe upon his mind that God would work an extraordinary miracle in favour of Ifrael ; and there- fore, in the prefence of all the people, and at the head of his army , hefaid, Sun, ft and thou ftill, &c. This was probably 13 uttered about noon. And the fun flood ftill, and the moon flayed, until the people had avenged themfelves upon their enemies/ [Is] not this written in the book of Jamer, or, the upright ?c So the fun ftood ftill in the midft of heaven, and hafled not to go down about a 14 whole day. And there was no day like that before it or after it, in that climate, that the Lord hearkened unto the voice of a man: for the Lord fought for 15 Ifrael, and did all this in anfwer to Jofhua's prayer. And Jofh.ua returned, and all Ifrael with him, unto the camp to Gilgal ; when he had performed all things related to d Some fuppofe that this was no miracle at all, and that it is only a poetical phrafe, to intimate that Jofhua and the people did two days' work in one. Some jewiih writers fay, there was as extraordinary twilight only, occafioned by a re- flection from the hailftones ; or that a luminous meteor was raifed on this occafion. But thefe opinions are not worth a ferious anfwer. The words themfelves evidently declare it to be a real miracle, and that daylight continued, the fun appearing in the midii of heaven, as it did when Jofhua uttered thefe words, fee Hab. iii. in To this there have been two ob- jections made. 1. That the fun Handing ftill, is directly contrary to the trueft fyftem of philofophy. To this it is fufficient to anfwer, that the hiftorian wrote not philofophically, (had he done fo he would not have been underllood till a few centuries ago) but according to common appearances, and vulgar apprehenfions : when the motion of the earth ceaied, the fun and moon would appear to ftand flill. It is objected, 2. Why do we not read of this in heathen writers? To this il is anf/,ered, there is no mention of any hiitory before the Trojan war, which was long after Jofhua's time, But there are antient traces of this among the heathen. Herodotus mentions fuch a tradition among the Egyptians. Some of the pagan fables have an evident alluiion to this. Phaeton's guiding the chariot of the fun, and lengthening the day, and who is fuppoied to have iived about jofhua's time, is a plain allufion to this. Above all, the records of China mention fuch a thing having happened in the reign of one of their emperors, who lived about the time of joihua ; a plain proof it was not a' vapour or meteor, for then it could not have been feen in China. e A chronicle containing the memorable acls of God's people in thefe times. £ee 2 Sam'u 18. J O S H U A. X. 329 to the end of this chapter ^ where this verfe f/ioidd have been inferted, 16 But thefe five kings fled, and hid themfelves in a 17 cave at, or near to, Makkedah. And it was told Jofhua, faying, The five kings are found hid in a cave at Mak- j 8 kedah. And Jofhua faid, Roll great (tones upon the mouth of the cave, and fet men by it for to keep them 19 till the pur /kit is over. And (lay ye not, [but] purfue after your enemies, and fmite the hindmoft of them ; fufFer them not to enter into their cities : for the Lord 20 your God hath delivered them into your hand. And it came to pafs, when Jofhua and the children of Ifra- el had made an end of flaying them with a very great flaughter, till they were confumed, that the reft [which] 21 remained of them entered into fenced cities. And all the people returned to the camp to Jofhua at Makke- dah in peace : none moved his tongue againft any of the children of Ifrael ; fo it was when they came out of Egypt. See on Exodus xi. 17. 22 Then faid Jofhua, Open the mouth of the cave, and bring out thofe five kings unto me out of the cave. 23 And they did fo, and brought forth thofe five kings unto him out of the cave, the king of Jerufalem, the king of Hebron, the king of Jarmuth, the kincr of 24 Lachifh, [and] the king of Eglon. And it came to pafs, when they brought out thofe kings unto Jofhua, that Jofhua called for all the men of Ifrael, and faid unto the captains of the men of war which went with him, Come near, put your feet upon the necks of thefe kings. And they came near, and put their feet upon the necks of them. 'This was not done out of pride and contempt of their dignity, much lefs with a dejign to in- fult them -, but to prove that God had fulfilled his promife in bringing them and their country into fubjeclion to them, and as an encouragement to them and. the people to proceed in 25 attacking the other kings and cities . And Jofhua faid un- to them, Fear not, nor be difmayed, be ftrong and of good courage : for thus fhall the Lord do to all your 26 enemies againft whom ye fight. And afterward Jofhua fmote them, and flew them, and hanged them on five trees : 33o j o s h u a; x: trees : and they were hanging upon the trees until the 27 evening. And it came to pafs at the time of the going down of the fun, [that] Jofhua commanded, and they took them down off the trees, and caft them into the cave wherein they had been hid, and laid great {tones in the cave's mouth, [which remain] until this very day. 28 And that day Jom.ua took Makkedah, and fmote it with the edge of the fword, and the king thereof he utterly deftroyed, them, and all the fouls that [were] therein^, he let none remain : and he did to the king of Makkedah, as he did unto the king of Jericho. 29 Then Jofhua parTed from Makkedah, and all Ifrael with him, unto Libnah, and fought againft Libnah : 30 And the Lord delivered it alfo, and the king thereof, into the hand of Ifrael, and he fmote it with the edge of the fword, and all the fouls that [were] therein ; he let none remain in it; but did unto the king thereof as he did unto the king of Jericho, 3 1 And Jofhua parTed from Libnah, and all Ifrael with him, unto Lachifh, and encamped againft it, and 32 fought againft it : and the Lord delivered Lachifh into the hand of Ifrael, which took it on the fecond day, and fmote it with the edge of the fword, and all the fouls that [were] therein, according to all that he had 33 done to Libnah. Then Horam king of Gezer, came up to help Lachilh ; and Jofhua fmote him and his people, until he had left him none remaining. 34 And from Lachifh Jofhua pafted unto Eglon, and all Ifrael with him -, and they encamped againft it, and $5 fought againft it: And they took it on that day, and fmote it with the edge of the fword, and all the fouls that [were] therein he utterly deftroyed that day, ac- cording to all that he had done to Lachifh. 36 And Jofhua went up from Eglon, and all Ifrael with 2j him, ur to Hebron •, and they fought againft it : And they took it, and fmote it with the edge of the fword, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof, and all the fouls that [were] therein :, he left none remaining, according joshua; x: 331 according to all that he had done to Eglon •, but de- ftroyed it utterly, and all the fouls that [were] therein. 38 And Jofhua returned, and all lfrael with him, to 39 Debir •, and fought againfl: it : And he took it, and the king thereof, and all the cities thereof; and they fmote them with the edge of the fword, and utterly deftroyed all the fouls that [were] therein ; he left none remain- ing : as he had done to Hebron, fo he did to Debir and to the king thereof; as he had done alfo to Libnah, and to her king. 40 So Jofhua fmote all the country of the hills, and of the fouth, and of the vale, and of the fprings, and all their kings : he left none remaining, but utterly de- ftroyed all that breathed, as the Lord God of lfrael 41 commanded. And Jofhua fmote them from Kadefh- barnea even unto Gaza, and all the country of Gofhen, 42 even unto Gibeon. And all thefe kings and their land did Jofhua take at one time, becaufe the Lord God 43 of lfrael fought for lfrael. And Jofhua returned, and all lfrael with him, unto the camp to Gilgal, to their families ', to jhare thefpoil, and return thanks to God in his tabernacle, which was placed there. REFLECTIONS. I. [" E R E is an inftance of the ftrange malignity ftn- X JL ners nave againft thofe who were once their com- panions, but are now joined to the lfrael of God. Satan and his agents ftir up their rage againfl thofe that make peace with God. Angels welcome their converfion with longs, devils with fury, and their old companions with fcorn. Let young converts expect this, and not think it ftrange, nor be difcouraged •, if God be for them, none can be againfl them; none rationally will, none fuccefsfully can. 2. How glorious does God appear in his dealings with his people, and how awful in his judgments upon his ene- mies ! Rather than the Canaanites mould efcape from lfrael, itorms of hailftones overtook and deftroyed them, and did not hurt lfrael. There is no fleeing from God ; he can eafily fhoot out of his treafure hailftones, which lie referves againfl 332 J O S H U A. X. again/l the day of battle and of war^ Job xxxviii. 23. What a fearful thing is it to fall into the hands of the living God ! and how vain is it to attempt efcaping his indignation ! What a wonderful miracle was the flopping of the fan ! God kind- led it up at firft •, and it Is he who directs the motions of the earth, the moon, and the fun. He can flop them wirh- out caufing any confuuon, and fet them all in motion again. All, as the pfaimift fays, are his ferv ants. Let us adore the wifdom of this miracle. Some have ftrangely objected againft it, that it was unworthy of God to work fuch a miracle, to give one inconsiderable nation an advantage over another. But Jkall man be wifer ihan God? He faw it fit •, and there are good reafons which we alfo can fee. Jofn.ua was obliged to fupport his friends and guard his people; it was necefTary to refcue the profelytes. But it was chiefly designed to difplay the being and perfections of God to the whole world *, not only to give them an high idea of Ifrael, as God's people, but high and juft ideas of the God of Ifrael. Almoft 1 11 the heathen, efpecially the Canaanites, wor (hipped the hofts of heaven ; the fun and moon, as the king and queen of heaven. This miracle demonftrated the power of Jehovah, as fuperior to their gods •, and mowed their impotency, when he could make even them contribute to the ruin of their worfhippers. There was nothing extraordinary in Jofhua's fuccefs. Halftones they might think proceeded from natural caufes •, but the other was a plain, evident, and indifputable miracle. It had a tendency to prevent the Ifraelites from falling into this wretched idolatry, and to engage the Canaanites to fubmit, and become fubjecls to Jehovah *, and to induce other nations, who could not but fee and own this miracle, to adore almighty God, who does according to his will among the armies of heaven, and the inhabitants of this lower world. How happy is the church under the divine care, who has all elements and all worlds at his command J. Blejfed is the people whofe God is the Lord ! 3. Let the fuccefs we have experienced in our fpiritual war- fare over fome enemies, make us refolute and courageous. It mould animate us againft our fears, and excite and fup- port our courage, for there is ftill the fame power and grace JOSHUA. XI. 333 grace in God. Let us go forth in an humble dependence on him to fight for us, to bring every enemy into fubjec- tion, and to bruife Satan under our feet •, and we fha 11 at length be more than conquerors over all our memes, thro9 him who loved us. C H A P. XL This chapter gives an account of the conqueft of ike northern parts of Canaan \ Providence kept them quiet for a while, till Ifrael was refrefhed, and fit to begin another campaign. 1 A ND it came to pafs, when Jabin king of Hazor, JL\_ who was the chief %ing of that part of the country, had heard [thofe things,] that he fent to Jobab king of * Madon, and to the king of Shimron, and to the king of 2 Achihaph, And to the kings that [were] on the north of the mountains, and of the plains fouth of Cinneroth, and in the valley, and in the borders of Dor on the 3 weft \ [And to] the Canaanite on the eaft and on the weft, and [to] the Amorite, and the Hittite, and the Perizzite, and the Jebufite in the mountains, and [to] the Hivite under Hermon in the land of Mizpeh, who 4 all united againfi Ifrael, as a common enemy. And they went out, they and all their hofts with them, much people, even as the fand that [is] upon the fea fhore in multitude, with horfes and chariots very many; a pro- digious army, with horfes and chariots, armed with iron weapons, and thought they fhould eafily deftroy the Ifraelites, 5 who only fought on foot. And when all thefe kings were met together, they came and pitched together at the waters of Merom, to fight againft Ifrael, 6 And the Lord faid unto Jofhua, who went to ajk direction from him, Be not afraid becaufe of them :f for to morrow about this time will I deliver them up all flain f We can fcarcely fuppofe that Jofhua was afraid ; but Tome of the people might be difcouraged by their number, and horfes, and chariots ; therefore Jofhua is directed to encourage them in the name of the Lord, and to affure them of fuccefs : and he fixes the time. 334- JOSHU A. XL flam before Ifrael : thou (halt hough their horfes, cut their finews, and thus unfit them for war, and burn their 7 chariots with fire. So Jofhua came, and all the peo» pie of war with him, againft them by the water? of Merom fuddenly ; and they fell upon them before they were aware, or had time to draw up in order of battle, 8 And the Lord delivered them into the hand of Ifrael, who fmote them, and chafed them unto great Zidon, a chief city of Syrophesnicia, which lay on the coaft of the Mediterranean fea, and unto Mifrephoth-maim, or, the . fait pits, (in the Hebrew, burnings of waters) and unto the valley of Mizpeh eaftward ; and they fmote them, 9 until they left them none remaining. And Jofhua did unto them as the Lord bade him, he houghed their horfes, and burnt their chariots with fire. This fhowed his readinefs to obey God's command, and his firm confidence ' in his power andpromifes -, for no doubt it was an aft of great f elf -denial to deftroy the horfes and chariots, which would 10 have been fo ufeful in their further conquefis. And Jofhua at that time turned back, and took Hazor, and fmote the king thereof with the fword, that is, Jabin, the chief of thefe confederate kings, who had efcaped to his own city : for Hazor beforetime was the head of all thofe king- 1 1 doms. And they fmote all the fouls that [were] therein with the edge of the fword, utterly deftroying [them :] there was not any left to breathe : and he burnt Hazor 12 with fire. And all the cities of thofe kings, and all the kings of them, did Jofhua take, and fmote them with the edge of the fword, [and] he utterly deftroyed them, as Mofes the fervant of the Lord commanded. 13 But [as for] the cities that flood Mill in their ftrength, that were not deftroyed in the attack, nor utterly ruined in the taking of them, Ifrael burned none of them, fave Hazor only -, [that] did Jofhua burn, as a warning to the others, and becaufe the king thereof was chiefly concerned in 14 raifing this loft war. And all the fpoil of thefe cities, and the cattle, the children of Ifrael took for a prey unto themfelves -, but every man they fmote with the edge of the fword, until they had deftroyed them, .neither left they any to breathe •, they left none to moleft theniy JOSHUA. XI. 335 them, or to infetl them or their pofterity by their idolatry. 15 As the Lord commanded Mofes his fen/ant, fo did Mofes command Jofhua, and fo did Jofhua ; he left nothing undone of all that the Lord commanded Mofes. 16 So Jofhua took all that land, the hills, and all the fouth country, and all the land of Gofhen, and the valley, and the plain, and the mountain of lfrael, and the valley of the fame -, either the mountainous part of the country ) or, as fome think, Bethel, the mountain where Jacob once lived, and where he was firft called IfraeL 17 [Even] from the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir, even unto Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon under mount Hermon : and all their kings he took, and 18 fmote them, and flew them. Jofhua made war a long 19 time with all thofe kings. g There was not a city that made peace with the children of lfrael, fave the Hivites* the inhabitants of Gibeon : all [other] they took in battle, that is, by affault ; this made the war fo long. They might have had fome terms of peace, but they were ,20 defperately refolved to fight it out to the lafl; For it was of the Lord to harden their hearts, that they mould come againft lfrael in battle, that he might deftroy them utterly, [and] that they might have no favour, but that he might deftroy them, as the Lord commanded Mofes. God gave them up to their own pride and flub- bornnefs, as a punifhment for their idolatry, lewdnefs, and ether abominations* 21 And at that time came Jofhua, and Caleb alfo, (fee chap. xv. 14.) and cut off the Anakims from the mountains; that tall, gigantic people, who had affrighted the fpiesy and who dwelt in the caves or ftrong holds \ thefe were cut off fome at one time, and fome at another-, from He- bron, from Debir, from A nab, and from all the mountains of Judah, and from all the mountains of lfrael : g It was about five years before that country was entirely fub- dued. This was a great exerciie of their faith and patience; it kept them dependent on God, as they Hill wanted his help ; and made them bold, warlike, and refolute, to fecuie their con- quers. S36 JOSHU A." XL Ifrael : Joihua deftroyed them utterly with their cities. 22 There was none of the Anakims left in the land of the children of Ifrael : only in Gaza, in Gath, and in Afh- dod, there remained •, thefe were Philifiine giants, from 23 whence came Goliath. So Jofhua took the whole land, according to all- that the Lord faid unto Mofes •, and Joihua gave it for an inheritance unto Ifrael, according to their divifions by their tribes. And the land refted from war, that is, open wars-, Jofnua fo far fubdued it, that none of the inhabit ants -dared to rife up in arms,fo that he could peaceably make a divifion \ and he affigned to each " tribe their inheritance ; who afterwards divided it among themfehes. REELECTION S. 1. II 7 E may obferve the goodnefs of God in animating y V his people when frefh difficulties arofe. The chariots and horfemen terrified Ifrael -, they had never feen fuch a fight before : they were no match for fuch an hoft. Jofephus mentions twenty thoufand chariots, and fome hun- dred thoufands of men. But when God fays, Be not afraid, that is enough, if there were a thoufand times as many. Such encouragement he gives to the good foldiers of Jefus Chrift, who are fighting for the heavenly Canaan. He afTures them of fuccefs, and encourages them againft their fears. Let us then thank God, and take courage. Let us depend on him, whofe right hand and holy arm is able to baffle the proude{t, the rnoft pow erful and numerous foes. 2. It is a good thing to be able to appeal to God that we have done as he commanded us. A remarkable manner of fpeaking is made ufe of in this chapter-, it is often faid, as God commanded Mofes, This intimates to us our duty. We are to obferve the commands of the divine law ; what Jefus, who had a divine commidion, has enjoined. We are to look narrowly into our lives, and to compare them with the rule. We are not only to do this or the other thing that he commands, but to leave nothing undone; to walk in all his ftatutes and ordinances blamelefs, and to be complete in all the will of God, Then we may review our work with pleafure, JOSHUA. XII. 337 pleafure, and God will accept it thro' Jefus Chrift, and mercifully reward it thro' the riches of his grace. 3. Sometimes God's people meet with the moft formi- dable enemies at laft, in the clofe of their days, when their warfare is juft accomplifhed. The Anakims had fo ter- rified Ifrael before, that they thought they mould never enter and pofTefs Canaan ; and thereby thefe enemies ex- pofed them to forrow and labour for forty years. Thus Satan is fometimes moft bufy, and temptations are moft ftrong ; at the end of life. Death is then to be attacked ; Christians have many fears about it ; fome are all their life time fubjecl to bondage -, but God will give them the victory, and not fuffer them to be tempted above what they are able. Ifrael at length refted from war. Death is the laft enemy to be deftroyed •, and then our warfare will be over. But we are not, till then, to think ourfelves fecure, and paft all danger. Let us refolutely prefs on •, over this laft foe we are fure of victory •, and if we are faithful unto death, we fliall receive a crown of life \ and enter triumphantly into that reft which remains for the people of God* CHAP. XII. tfhis chapter contains only a recapitulation of Ifrael* s victories over the Canaanites, under Mofes and Jofhua. 1 TVT O W thefe [are] the kings of the land, which i/SI the children of Ifrael fmote, and pofTefTed their land on the other fide Jordan toward the riling of the fun, from the river Arnon, unto mount Hermon, and 2 all the plain on the eaft : Sihon king of the Amorites, who dwelt in Hefhbdn, [and] ruled from Aroer, which [is] upon the bank of the river Arnon, and from the middle of the river, and from half Gilead, even unto the river Jabbok, [which is] the border of the children 3 of Ammon •, And from the plain to the fea of Chin- neroth on the eaft, and unto the fea of the plain, [even] the fait fea on the eaft, the way to Beth-jefliimoth ; 4 and from the fouth, under Afhdoth-pifgah ; And the Vol. II. X coaft 33s J O S H U A. XII. coaft of Og king of Bafhan, [which was] of the rem- nant of the giants, that dwelt at Afhtaroth, and at 5 Edrei, And reigned in mount Hermon, and in Sakha, and in all Bafhan, unto the border of the Gemurites, and the Maachathites, and half Gilead, the border of 6 Sihon king of Hefhbon. Them did Mofes the fervant of the Lord and the children of Ifrael fmite : and Mofes the fervant of the Lord gave it [for] a pofTefTion unto the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe of ManafTeh. 7 And thefe [are] the kings of the country which Jofhua and the children of Ifrael fmote on this fide Jordan on the weft, from Baal-gad in the valley of Lebanon, even unto the mount Halak, that goeth up to Seir ; which Jofhua gave unto the tribes of Ifrael 8 [for] a pofidlion according to their divifions ; In the mountains, and in the valleys, and in the plains, and in the fprings, and in the wildernefs, and in the fouth country ; the Hittites, the Amorites, and the Canaan- ites, the Perizzites, the Hivites, and the Jebufites : 9 The king of Jericho, one •, the king of Ai, which [is] io befide Bethel, one-, The king of Jerufalem, one •, the it king of Hebron, one; The king of Jarmuth, one; 12 the king of Lachifh, one; The king of Eglon, one; 13 the king of Gezer, one ; The king of Debir, one ; the 14 king of Geder, one; The king of Hormah, one; the 15 king of Arad, one; The king of Libnah, one; the 16 king of Adullam, one; The king of Makkedah, one; 17 the king of Beth-el, one; The king of Tappuah, one ; 18 the king of Hepher, one; The king of Aphek, one; 19 the king of Lafharon, one ; The king of Madon, one ; 20 the king of Hazor, one ; The king of Shimron-meron, 21 one ; the king of Achfhaph, one ; The king of Taa- 22 nach, one ; the king of Meg id do, one; The king of Kedefh, one ; the king of Jockneam of Carmel, one ; 23 The king of Dor in the coaft of Dor, one ; the king 24 of the nations of Gilgal, one; The king of Tirzah, one : all the kings thirty and one. CHAP. JOSHUA. XIII. 339 CHAP. XII. There is nothing remarkable in this chapter. It contains only an account of the land which remained unconqiiered-, a com- mand to divide the land on this fide Jordan •, and an account of the country which Mofes divided to the two tribes and a half on the other fide J or dan * OW Jofhua was [old] and ftricken in years; and the Lord faid unto him, Thou art old [and] ftricken in years, and there remaineth yet very 2 much land to be pofTefTed. This [is] the land that yet remaineth : all the borders of the Philiflines, and all 3 Gemuri, From Sihor, which [is] before Egypt, even unto the borders of Ekron northward, [which] is counted to the Canaanite : rive lords of the Philiftines; the Gazathites, and the Afhdothites, the Efhkalonites, the Gittites, and the Ekronites •, alfo the Avites : 4 From the fouth, all the land of the Canaanites, and Mearah, that [is] befide the Sidonians, unto Aphek, 5 to the borders of the Amorites : And the land of the GibliteSj and all Lebanon, toward the fun rifing, from. Baal-gad under mount Hermon unto the entering into 6 Hamath. All the inhabitants of the hill country from Lebanon unto Mifrephoth-maim, [and] all the Sido- nians, them will I drive out from before the children of Ifrael : only divide thou it by lot unto the Ifraelites for an 7 inheritance, as I have commanded thee. Now therefore divide this land for an inheritance unto the nine tribes, 8 and the half tribe of ManafTeh, With whom the Reuben- ites, and the Gadites have received their inheritance, which Mofes gave them beyond Jordan eaftward, [even] 9 as Mofes the fervant of the Lord gave them : From Aroer, that [is] upon the bank of the river Arnon, and the city that [is] in the midft of the river, and all 10 the plain of Medeba unto Dibon ; And all the cities of Sihon king of the Amorites, which reigned in Heih- 1 1 bon, unto the border of the children of Ammon : And Gilead, and the border of the Gefhurites, and Maa- chathites, and all mount Hermon, and all Bafhan unto X 2 Salcah: 340 JOSHU A. XIII. 12 Sakah-, All the kingdom of Og in Bafhan, which reigned in Afhtaroth "and in Edrei, who remained of the remnant of the giants: for thefe did Mofes fmite, 13 and call them out. Neverthelefs the children of Ifrael expelled not the Gefhurites, nor the Maachathites: but the Gefhurites and the Maachathites dwell among 14 the Ifraelites unto this day: Only unto the tribe of Levi he gave none inheritance ; the facriflces of the Lord God of Ifrael made by fire [are] their inheritance, as he faid unto them. i^ And Mofes gave unto the tribe of the children of 16 Reuben [inheritance] according to their families. And their coaft was from Aroer, that [is] on the bank of the river Arnon, and the city that [is] in the midft of 17 the river, and all the plain by Medeba-, Heihbon, and all her cities that [are] in the plain •, Dibon, and Ba- 18 moth baal, and Beth-baalmeon, And Jahaza,- and 19 Kedemoth, and Mephath, And Kirjathaim, and Sib- mah, and Zarethfhahar, in the mount of the valley, 20 And Beth-peor, and Amdoth-pifgah, and Beth-jefhi- 21 moth, And all the cities of the plain, and all the king- dom of Sion king of the Amorites, which reigned in Hefhbon, whom Mofes fmote with the princes of Midian, Evi, and Rekem, and Zur, and Hur, and Reba, [which were] dukeS of Sihon, dwelling in the 22 country. Balaam alfo the fon of Beor, the foothfayer, did the children of Ifrael flay with the fword among 23 them that were flain by them. And the border of the children of Reuben was Jordan, and the border [thereof.] This [was] the inheritance of the children of Reuben after their families, the cities and the villages thereof. 24 And Mofes gave [inheritance] unto the tribe of Gad, [even] unto the children of Gad according to 25 their families. And their coaft was Jazer, and all the cities of Gilead, and half the land of the children of 26 Ammon, unto Aroer that [is] before Rabbah-, And from Hefhbon unto Ramath-mizpeh, and Betonim; 27 and from Mahanaim unto the border of Debir •, And in the valley, Beth-aram, and Beth-nimrah, and Suc- coth, and Zaphon, the reft of the kingdom of Siho king JOSHUA. XIV. 341 king of Hefhbon, Jordan and [his] border, [even] unto the edge of the lea of Chinneroth on the other fide *8 Jordan eaftward. This [is] the inheritance of the children of Gad after their families, the cities and their villages. 29 And Moles gave [inheritance] unto the half tribe of ManafTeh: and [this] was [the pofTeffion] of the half tribe ot the children of ManafTeh by their families. 30 And their coaft was from Mahanaim, all Bafhan, all the kingdom of Og king of Bafhan, and all the towns 31 of J air, which [are] in Bafhin, threefcore cities : And half Gilead, and Afhteroth, and Edrei, cities of the kingdom of Og in Bafhan, [were pertaining] unto the children of Machir thefon of ManafTeh, [even] to the one half of the children of Machir by their families. 32 Thefe [are the countries] which Mofes did diflribute for inheritance in the plains of Moab, on the other fide 33 Jordan, by Jericho, eaftward. But unto the tribe of Levi Mofes gave not [any] inheritance : the Lord God of ifrael [was] their inheritance, as he faid unto them. CHAP. XIV. We have in this chapter a general account of the manner in which the land was to he divided between the nine tribes and a half on this fide J or dan \ Caleb's claim of Hebron, and his requeft granted, 1 AND thefe [are the countries] which the children jf"\ of Ifrael inherited in the land of Canaan, which Eleazar the pried, and Jofhua the fon of Nun, and the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of Ifrael, diftributed for inheritance unto them, according to the direclion of Mofes, Numbers xxxiv. 17, i$, and 2 the following verfes. By lot [was] their inheritance, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Mofes,h for the X 3 nine h This was the beft method of doing it, as it was acknowledging God's right to the land, and leaving it to his dilpofal -, it was the 342 JOSHU A. XIV. nine tribes, and [for] the half tribe ♦, tho* Levi was ex- cluded from any/hare in the divifion, yet Jofeph was divided 3 into two. For Mofes had given the inheritance of two tribes and an half tribe on the other ride Jordan : but unto the Levites he gave none inheritance among them. 4 For the children of Jofeph were two tribes, ManafTeh and Ephraim: therefore they gave no part unto che Levites in the land, fave cities to dwell [in,] with their 5 fuburbs for their cattle, and for their fttbftance. As the Lord commanded Mofes, fo the childrt of Ifrael did, and they divided the land. But before they began to, cafi lots, Caleb put in his claim, 6 Then the children of Judah came unto Jolhua in Gilgal, where the tabernacle was, and where the hots were to be cafi with reverence and ferioufnefs, as an appeal to God, the great proprietor of the land : and Caleb the Con of Jephunneh the Kenezite, attended by the princes of Judah, to whofe tribe he belonged, and who wailed upon him with great refpecl, as the oldefi man in all Ifrael, except JofJiua; and he faid unto him, that is, to Jofhua, Thou knoweft the thing that the Lord faid unto Mofes the man of God, concerning me and thee in Kadefh- barnea, 7 / appeal to thee for the truth of it. Forty years old [was] I when Mofes the fervant of the Lord fent me froni Kadem-barnea to efpy out the land •, and [ brought him word again as [it was] in mine heart, what I thought of the land, and of our going to poffefs it, Numb. xiii. 30. 8 Neverthelefs my brethren that went up with me made the heart of the people melt, difcouraged and difpirited 9 them: but I wholly followed the Lord my God. And Mofes fware on that day, faying, Surely the land, thofe parts about Hebron whereon thy teet have trodden, fhall be thine inheritance, and thy children's for ever, becaufe thou hair wholly followed the Lord my God. 10 And now, behold, the Lord hath kept me alive, as he faid, thefe forty and five years, even fince the Lord foake this word unto Mofes, while [the children of ] Ifrael the way to prevent murmuring, and to make them content ; and it wotiJd make it evident that the prophecies of Jacob and Motes* concerning the fituaticn of the feveral tribes, were from God. JOSHUA. XIV. 34g Ifrael wandered in the wildernefs : and now, lo, I [am] this day fourfcore and five years old. He celebrates the goodnefs of God in preferring him, in his e [cape from all the perils of the wildernefs, when the car cafes of his brethren fell there ; and to obviate a natural objection, that he was ii now too old for aclion, he adds, As yet i [am as] ftrone; this day as [I was] in the day that Mofes fent me : as my ftrength [was] then, even To [is] my ftrength now, for war, both to go oat, and to come in •, I am not only Jit for counfel and advice, but for aclion \ fit fill to lead and 12 head an army. Nov/ therefore give me this mountain, whereof the Lord fpake in that day, the mountainous country, where Hebron lay, (fee chap. xi. 21.) and which God promifed to me ; for thou heardeft in that day how the Anakims [were] there, and [that] the cities [Were] great [and] fenced. If fo be the Lord [will be] with me, then I (hail be able to drive them out, as the Lord faid. Vho' the enterprife be very difficult, yet thro* God's ajfiftance (which I promife my f elf) I doubt not but to ejfeclit. 13 And Jofliua bletfed him, and gave unto Caleb the ion of Jephunneh Hebron for an inheritance •, the country towns and villages thereabouts, for the city itfelf was given to the Levites, ch. xxi. 11, 12. Jofhua approved his mo- tion, commended his courage, granted his requefl, and prayed God to fucceed him in his expedition, and give him a comfort- able fettlement there. Hebron had been taken before by Jofhua ; and fome think the Canaanites and Anakims had got pojfejfion of it again, and that Caleb dijlodged them when 14 it was given him. Hebron therefore became the in- heritance of Caleb the fon of Jephunneh the Kenezite unto this day, becaufe that he wholly followed the 15 Lord God of Ifrael. And the name of Hebron before [was] Kirjath-arba; [which Arba was] a great man among the Anakims, he built and fortified it} And after this the land had reft from war •, which gave them time for dividing it. X 4 REFLECT. 1 Here Sarah died, fee Gen. xxiii. 2. The cave of Machpelah, u^here their anceftors were buried, was near this place; which fome think led Caleb here when he came to fpy cur the land. Hebron 344- JOSHUA. XIV. REFLECTIONS. I. T E T 'us acknowledge the hand of God in fixing I j the bounds of our habitation. He choofes our in- heritance for us-, not indeed in a miraculous way, but his providence overrules fuch events, and his hand is to be owned in our fettlement. He determines for us far better than we mould do for ourfelves. Let us therefore refer ourfelves to him, and praife him for a comfortable fettle- ment in life. If the lines are fallen to us in pleafant places, let us blefs God, who is the portion of our inheritance, and who maintaineth our right. 2. It is our wifdom and duty to follow the Lord fully, as that will afford us joy and comfort hereafter. It is our wifdom fteadily to adhere to God and cur duty, and to be. upright before him. It is a delightful character to be refo- lutely good in a degenerate age •, like Caleb, when all the fpies but himfelf and another were of a different mind, and provoked God. Let us be willing to bear or refign any thing, for the teftimony of a good confeience and the favour of God. It is particularly honourable to follow the Lord fully, when others forfake him •, this will afford us pleaiing reflections hereafter ; it will be our joy in the decline of life, that we followed God in our earlieft days •, and he will fignalize us by fpecial tokens of his favour ; They /hall he mine, faith the Lord, in that day when I make up my jewels. Let young perfons remember this, choofe the way of truth, and cleave to God's teftimonies. » 3. Let aged chriftians learn of this good old man, to fee and adore the hand of God in prefer ving their lives, and continuing them in fuch comfortable circum- ftances even to very advanced years. Caleb fpeaks of it with an air of ferioufnefs and gratitude, the Lord hath kept me alive. Our God hath kept us alive, preferved us from dangers, fupplied us with neceffaries and comforts, his vifita- Hebron was a city of refuge, and belonged to the Levites, fee chap. xxi. ii, 12. but Caleb had all the country round about; and it would give him peculiar pleafure to have God's minifters dwell among his poiterity. Here alfo David was anointed, and reigned feven years. JOSHUA. XV. 345 vifitation fupports cur fpirits. Thofe who have lived longefe have peculiar reafon to acknowledge the care of a kind providence*, efpecially if, like Caleb, they have buried almoft all thofe of their own age and ftanding. They fhould be thankful to God for his care and mercy •, and remember they are not to fit down in indolence and inactivity. If God continues their underftanding and capacity for fervice, it mould be improved for his honour, and the benefit of pofterity. It is their duty to ferve God and their genera- tion faithfully all their days ; then they may be allured, as Caleb was, that God will be with them, that he will never leave nor forfake them, and that is fufficient encouragement againft the greater! difficulties. They have his promife to depend upon, 7/2?. xlvi. 4. And even to your old age I am he •, and even to hoar hairs will I carry you : I have made, and I will bear-, even I will carry, and will deliver you. CHAP. XV. from hence to the end of the twenty firft chapter is an account of the divifion of the land-, in which there is nothing very impor- tant or inftrutlive. We have here an account of the borders of the lot of Judah \ Caleb's portion and conquejl \ OthnieFs valour and reward -, the requeft of Achfah ; and the Jebujites not conquered. 1 r^TH HIS] then was the lot of the tribe of the children of Judah by their families; [even] to the border of Edom the wildernefs of Zin fouthward 2 [was] the uttermoft part of the fouth coaft. And their fouth border was from the ihore of the fait fea, from the 3 bay that looketh fouthward : And it went out to the fouth fide to Maaleh-acrabbim, and pafied along to Zin, and afcended up on the fouth fide unto Kadeih- barnea, and pafied along to Hezron, and went up to 4 Adar, and fetched a compafs from Karkaa: [From thence] it pafied toward Azmon, and went out unto the river of Egypt; and the goings out of that coaft were 5 at the fea ; this fhall be your fouth coaft. And the eail 346 JOSHU A. XV. eaft border [was] the fait Tea, [even] unto the end of Jordan. And [their] border in the north quarter [was] from the bay of the lea at the uttermoft part of Jordan : 6 And the border went up to Beth-hogla, and paffed ■ig by the north of Beth-arabah -, and the border rt up to the ftone of Bohan the fon of Reuben: 7 A nd the border went up toward Debir from the valley of Achor, and fo northward, looking toward Gilgal, that [is] before the going up to Adummim, which [is] on the fouth ride of the river : and the border paffed toward the waters of En~fhemefh, and the goings out 8 thereof were at Rn-rogel : And the border went up by the valley of the fon of Hinnom, unto the fouth fide of the Jebufite; the fame [is] Jerufalem : and the border went up to the top or the mountain that [lieth] before the valley of Hinnom weftward, which [is] at the end 9 of the valley of the giants northward : And the border was drawn from the top of the hill unto the fountain of the water of Neph-toah, and went out to the cities of mount Ephron •, and the border was drawn to Baalah, 10 which [is] Kirjath-jearim : And the border compaffed from Baalah weftward unto mount Seir, and paffed along unto the fide of mount Jearim, which [is] Che- falon, on the north fide, and went down to Beth-fhe- 11 mem, and paffed on to Timnah : And the border went out unto the fide of Ekron northward : and the border was drawn to Shicron, and paffed along to mount Baalah, and went out unto Jabneel ; and the goings 12 out of the border were at the fea. And the weft bor- der [was] to the great fea, and the coaft [thereof.] This [is] the coaft of the children of Judah round about according to their families. 13 And unto Caleb the fon of Jephunneh he gave a part among the children of Judah, according to the commandment of the Lord to Jofhua, [even] the city of Arba the father of Anak, which [city is] Hebron. 14 And Caleb drove thence the three fons of Anak, She- fhai, and Ahiman, and Talmai, the children of Anak. 15 And he went up thence to the inhabitants of Debir: and. the name of Debir before [was] Kirjath-fepher. And JOSHUA; XV. 347 16 And Caleb faid, He that fmiteth Kirjath-fepher, and taketh it, to him will I give Achfah my daughter to I j wife. And Othniel the fon of Kenaz, the brother of Caleb, took it : and he gave him Achfah his daughter 18 to wife. And it came to pafs, as me came [unto him,] that fhe moved him to afk of her father a field: and me lighted off [her] afs •, and Caleb faid unto her, What 19 wouldeft thou ? Who anfwered, Give me a blefling ; for thou haft given me a fouth land ; give me alfo fprings of water. And he gave her the upper fprings, and 20 the nether fprings. This [is] the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Judah according to their families. 21 And the utter moft cities of the tribe of the children of Judah toward the coaft of Edom fouthward were 22 Kabzeel, and Eder, and Jagur, And Kinah, and 23 Dimonah, and Adadah, And Kedefh, and Hazor, 24 25 and Ithnan, Ziph, and Telem, and Bealoth, And H.zor, Hadatah, and Kerioth, [and] Hezron, which 26 [is] Hazor, A mam, and Shema, and Moladah, 27 And Hazar-gaddah, and Hefhmon, and Beth-palet, 28 And Hazur-fhual, and Beer-iheba, and Biz-jothjah* 29 30 Baalah, and lim, and Azem, And Eltolad, and 31 Chefil, and Horma, And Ziklag, and Madmannah, 32 and Sanfannah, And Lebaoth, and Shilhim, and Ain, ana Rimmon : all the cities [are] twenty and nine, with 33 their villages: [And] in the valley, Efhtaol, and Zo- 34 reah, and Amnah, And Zanoah, and En-gannim, 25 Tappuah, and Enam, Jarmuth, and Adullam, Socoh, 3,6 and Azekah, And Sharaim, and Adithaim, and Ge- derah, and Gederothaim; fourteen cities with their 37 villages: Zenan, and Hadafliah, and Migdalgad, ^S 39 And Dilean, and Mizpeh, and Joktheel, Lachifh, 40 and Bozkath, and Eglon, And Cabbon, and Lamam, 41 and Kithlifh, And Gederoth, Beth-dagon, and Naa- mah, and Makkedah : fixteen cities Vv'ith their villages: 42 43 Libnah, and Ether, and Afhan, And Jiphtah, 44 and Afhnah, and Nezib, And Keilah, and Achzib, and 45 Marefhah ; nine cities with their villages : Ekron with 46 her towns, and her villages : From Ekron even unto the 548 JOS H U A. XVI. the fea, all that [lay] near Afhdon, with their villages : 47 Afhdod with her towns and her villages, Gaza with her towns and her villages, unto the river of Egypt, 48 and the great fea, and the border [thereof:] And in 49 the mountains, Shamir, and Jattir, and~Socoh, And 50 Dar.nah, and Kirjath-fannah, which [is] Debir, And 51 Anab, and Efhtemoh, and Anim, And Gofhen, and Holon, and Giloh*, eleven cities with their villages: 52 53 Arab, and Dumah, and Efhean, And Janum, and 54 Beth-tappuah, and Aphekah, And Humtah, and Kirjath-arba, which [is] Hebron, and Zior -, nine $$ cities with their villages : Maon, Carmel, and Ziph, 56 and Juttah, And Jezreel, and Jokedam, and Zanoah, 57 Cain, Gibeah, and Timnah; ten cities with their vil- 5% 59 lages '• Halhul, Reth-zur, and Gedor, And Maarath, and Beth-anoth, and Eltekon ; fix cities with their 60 villages : Kirjath-baal, which [is] Kirjath-jearim, and 61 Kabbah; two cities with their villages: In the wilder- 62 nefs, Beth-arabah, Middin, and Secacah, And Nib- fhan, and the city of Salt, and En-gedi-, fix cities with their villages, 63 As for the Jebufites the inhabitants of Jerufalem, the children of Judah could not drive them out : but the Jebufites dwell with the children of Judah at Jerufalem unto this day. CHAP. XVI. Cent axis an account of the general borders of the fons ofjofeph^ the border of the inheritance of Ephraim ; and the Canaanites in Gezer not conquered, 1 AND the lot of the children of Jofeph fell from J^Jl Jordan by Jericho, unto the water of Jericho on the eaft, to the wildernefs that goeth up from Jeri- 2 cho throughout mount Beth- el, And goeth out from Beth- el to Luz, and pafTeth along unto the borders of 3 Archi to Ataroth, and goeth down weilward, to the coaft of Japhleti, unto the coaft of Beth horon the nether.. JOSHUA. XVII. 349 nether, and to Gezer: and the goings out thereof are 4. at the fea. So the children of Jofeph, ManafTeh and Ephraim, took their inheritance. : 5 And the border of the children of Ephraim accord- ing to their families was [thus:] even the border of their inheritance on the eaft fide was Ataroth-addar 6 unto Beth-horon the upper •, And the border went out toward the fea to Micmethah on the north fide; and the border went about eaftward unto Taanath-miloh, 7 and paiTed by it on the eaft to Janoah ; And it went down from Janoah, to Ataroth, and to Naarath, and 8 came to Jericho, and went out at Jordan. The border went from Tappuah wefcward unto the river Kanah; and the goings out thereof were at the fea. This [is] the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Ephraim 9 by their families. And the feparate cities for the child- ren of Ephraim [were] among the inheritance of the children of Manafieh, all the cities with their villages. 10 And they drave not out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer : but the Canaanites dwell among the Ephra- imites unto this day, and ferve under tribute. Ill ■ I IITTWT— ■HHIIII I II1.H ll.l ■llJllliljj.iiiiLJlll.il 1 CHAP. XVII. An account of the lot of Manaffeh •, his coaft \ the Canaanites not driven out from thence -, and the children of Jofeph obtain another lot, •i ^TT^ HERE was alfo a lot for the tribe of ManalTeh ; X for he [was] the firft born of Jofeph •, [to wit,] for Machir the firft born of ManafTeh, the father of Gilead : becaufe he was a man of war, therefore he had 2 Gilead and Bafhan. There was alfo [a lot] for the reft of the children of ManalTeh, by their families ; for the children of Abiezer, and for the children of Helek, and for the children of Afriei, and for the children of Shechem, and for the children of Hepher, and for the children of Shemida: thefe [were] the male children of ManalTeh the fon of Jofeph by their families. 3 But 350 J O S H U A. XVII. 3 But Zelophehad, the Ton of Hepher, the fon of Gilead, the fon of Machir, the fon of ManafTeh, had no Tons, but daughters : and thefe [are] the names of his daugh- ters, Mahlah, and Noah, andvHoglah, Milcha, and 4 Tirzah. And they came near before Eleazar the prieft, and before Jofnua the fon of Nun, and before the princes, faying, the Lord commanded Mofes to give us an inheritance among our brethren. Therefore ac- cording to the commandment of the Lord he gave them an inheritance among the brethren of their father. 5 And there fell ten portions to ManafTeh, befides the land of Gilead and Bafhan, which [were] on the other 6 fide Jordan ; Becaufe the daughters of ManafTeh had an inheritance among his fons : and the reft of Manaf- feh's fons had the land of Gilead. 7 And the coaft of ManafTeh was from Afher to Mich- methah, and [lieth] before Shechem ; and the border went along- on the risjht hand unto the inhabitants of 8 En-tappuah. [Now] ManafTeh had the land of Tap- puah : but Tappuah on the border of ManafTeh [be- 9 longed] to the children of Ephraim : And the coaft defcended unto the river Kanah, fouthward of the river: thefe cities of Ephraim [are] among the cities of ManafTeh : the coaft of ManafTeh alfo [was] on the north fide of the river, and the outgoings of it were 10 at the fea. Southward [it was] Ephraim's, and north- ward [it was] ManafTeh's, and the fea is his border; and they met together in Afher on the north, and in 1 1 IfTachar on the. eaft. And ManafTeh had in IfTachar and in Afher, Beth-fhean and her towns, and Ibleam and her towns, and the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, and the inhabitants of En-dor and her towns, and the inhabitants of Taanach and her towns, and the inhabitans of Megiddo and her towns, [even] three countries. 1 2 Yet the children of ManafTeh could not drive out [the inhabitants of] thofe cities*, but the Canaanites would 13 dwell in that land. Yet it came to pafs, when the children of Ifrael were Waxen ftrong, that they put the Canaanites JOSHUA. XVIII. 351 Canaanites to tribute; but did not utterly drive them out. 14 And the children of Jofeph fpake unto Jofhua, fay- ing, Why haft thou given me [but] one lot and one portion to inherit, feeing I [am] a great people, foraf- 15 much as the Lord hath blefYed me hitherto ? And Jofhua anfwered them, If thou [be] a great people, [then] get thee up to the wood [country,] and cut down for thyfelf there in the land of the Perizzites and of the giants, if mount Ephraim be too narrow for 16 thee. And the children of Jofeph faid, The hill is not enough for us : and all the Canaanites that dwell in the land of the valley have chariots of iron, [both they] who [are] of Beth- mean and her towns, and [they] 17 who [are] of the valley of Jezreel. And Jofhua fpake unto the houfe of Jofeph, [even] to Ephraim and to ManafTeh, faying, Thou [art] a great people, and haft 18 great power : thou fhalt not have one lot [only :] But the mountain fhall be thine-, for it [is] a wood, and thou fhalt cut it down : and the outgoings of it fhall be thine : for thou fhalt drive out the Canaanites, though they have iron chariots, [and] though they [be] ftrong. CHAP. XVIII. T'he Jetting up of the tabernacle at Shiloh; the remainder of the land is defcribed, and divided by lot. 1 AND the whole congregation of the children of XX Ifrael affembled together at Shiloh, and fet up thQ tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was fubdued before them. 2 And there remained among the children of Ifrael fevGn tribes which had not yet received their inheritance. 3 And Jofhua,faid unto the children of Ifrael, How long [are] ye flack to go to pofTefs the land, which the Lord 4 God of your fathers hath given you ? Give out from among you three men for [each] tribe : and I will fend them, 352 JOSHU A. XVIII. them, and they mall rife, and go through the lancf^ and defcribe it according to the inheritance of them •, 5 and they mall come [again] to me. And they mall divide it into (even parts: Judah mail abide in their coaft on the fouth, and the houfe of Jofeph mall abide 6 in their coafts on the north. Ye mall therefore defcribe the land [into] feven parts, and bring [the defcrip- tion] hither to me, that I may cart, lots for you here 7 before the Lord our God. But the Levites have no part among you •, for the priefthood of the Lord [is] their inheritance : and Gad, and Reuben, and half the tribe of ManarTeh, have received their inheritance be- yond Jordan on the eaft, which Mofes the fervant of 8 the Lord gave them. And the men arofe, and went away : and -Jofhua charged them that went to defcribe the land, faying, Go and walk through the land, and de- fcribe it, and come again to me, that I may here caft lots 9 for you before the Lord in Shiloh. And the men went and palled through the land, and defcribed it by cities into feven parts, in a book, and came [again] to Jofhua io to the holt, at Shiloh. And Jofhua caft lots for them in Shiloh before the Lord : and there Jofhua divided the land unto the children of Ifrael according to their divifions. 1 1 And the lot of the tribe of the children of Benjamin came up according to their families : and the coaft. of their lot came forth between the children of Judah and 12 the children of Jofeph. And their border on the north fide was from Jordan •, and the border went up the fide of Jericho on the north fide, and went up through the mountains weftward •, and the goings out thereof were 13 at the wildernefs of Beth-aven. And the border went over from thence toward Luz, to the fide of Luz, which [is] Beth-el, fouthward •, and the border defend- ed to Ataroth-adar, near the hill that [lieth] on the 14 fouth fide of the nether Beth-horon, And the border was drawn [thence,] and compafTed the corner of the fea fouthward, from the hill that [lieth] before Beth- horon fouthward; and the goings out thereof were at Kirjath-baal, which [is] Kirjath-jearim, a city of the children JOSHUA; XIX. 253 15 children of Judah : this [was] the weft quarter. And the fouth quarter [was] from the end of Kirjath-jearim, and the border went out on the weft, and went out to 1 6 the well of waters of Nephtoah : And the border came > down to the end of the mountain that [lieth] before the valley of the fon of Hinnom, [and] which [is] in the valley of the giants on the north, and defend- ed to the valley of Hinnom, to the fide of Jebufi on 17 the fouth, and defcended to En-rogel, And was drawn from the north, and went forth to Enfhemefh, and went forth toward Geliloth, which [is] overagainft the going up of Adummim, and defcended to the ftone of 18 Bohan the fon of Reuben, And patted along toward the fide overagainft Arabah northward, and went down 19 unto Arabah : And the border pafTed along to the fide of Beth-hoglah northward : and the outgoings of the border were at the north bay of the fait fea at the fouth 20 end of Jordan : this [was] the fouth coaft. And Jor- dan was the border of it on the eaft fide. This [was] • the inheritance of the children of Benjamin, by the coafts thereof round about, according to their families. 21 Now the cities of the tribe of the children of Benja- min according to their families were Jericho, and 22 Beth-hoglah, and the valley of Keziz, And Beth-ara- 23 bah, and Zemaraim, and Beth-el, And A vim, and 24 Parah, and Ophrah, And Chephar-haammonai, and Ophni, and Gaba •, twelve cities with their villages : 25 26 Gibeon, and Raman, and Beeroth, And Mizpeh, 27 and Chephirah, and Mozah, And Rekem, and Irpeel, 28 and Taralah, And Zelah, Eleph, and Jebufi, which [is] Jerufalem, Gibeath, [and] Kirjath-, fourteen cities with their villages. This [is] the inheritance of the children of Benjamin according to their families. CHAP. XIX. The lots of Simeon^ Zebulun, IJJachary AJher^ Naphtali, and Dan •, and the children of Jfrael give Jofhua an inheritance. Vol. II. Y 1 AND 35+ J O S H U A. XIX. i AND the fecond lot came forth to Simeon, [even] jLjl f°r tne tribe of the children of Simeon accord- ing to their families : and their inheritance was within 2 the inheritance of the children of Judah. And they had in their inheritance Beer-fheba, Shebah, and Mola- 3 4 dah, And Hazur-fhual, and Balah, and Azem, And 5 Eltolad, and Bethul, and Hormah, And Ziklag, and 6 Beth-marcaboth, and Hazar-fufah, And Beth-lebaoth, 7 and Sharuhen -, thirteen cities and their villages : Ain, Remmon, and Ether, and Aflian -, four cities and 8 their villages : And all the villages that [were] round about thefe cities, to Baalath beer, Ramath of the fouth. This [is] the inheritance of the tribe of the children of 9 Simeon according to their families. Out of the portion of the children of Judah [was] the inheritance of the children of Simeon : for the part of the children of Ju- dah was too much for them : therefore the children of Simeon had their inheritance within the inheritance of them. TO And the third lot came up for the children of Zebu- lun according to their families : and the border of their 1 1 inheritance was unto Sarid : And their border went up toward the fea, and Maralah, and reached to Dabbafh- eth, and reached to the river that [is] before Jokneam ; 12 And turned from Sarid eaftward toward the fun riling, unto the border of Chifloth-tabor, and then goeth out 13 to Daberath, and goeth up to Japhia, And from thence paffeth on along on the eaft to Gittah-hepher, to Ittah-kazin, and goeth out to Remmon-methoar to 14 Neath •, And the border compafTeth it on the north fide to Hanathon : and the outgoings thereof are in the 15 valley of Jiphthah-el: And Kattath, and Nahallal, and Shimron, and ldalah, and Beth-lehem: twelve cities 1 6 with their villages. This [is] the inheritance of the children of Zebulun according to their families, thefe cities with their villages. 17 [And] the fourth lot came out to IfTachar, for the 1 8 children of IfTachar according to their families. And their border was toward Jez-reel, and Chefulloth, and 19 Shunem, And Haphraim, and Shion, and Anaharath, 20 And JOSHUA. XIX. 355 20 21 And Rabbith, and Kifhion, and Abez, And Re- meth, and En-gannirn, and Enhaddah, and Beth-paz- 22 zez-, And the coaft reacheth to Tabor, and Shahazi- mah, and Beth-fhemefh ; and the outgoings of their border were at Jordan : fixteen cities with their vil- 23 lages. This [is] the inheritance of the tribe of the children of IfVachar according to their families, the cities and their villages. 24 And the fifth lot came out for the tribe of the children 25 of Afher according to their families. And their border 26 was Helkah, and Hali, and Beten, and Achfhaph, And Alammelech, and Amad, and Mifheal •, and reacheth 27 to Carmel weftward, and to Shihor-libnath : Andturn- eth toward the fun rifing to Beth-dagon and reacheth to Zebulun, and to the valley of Jiphthah-el toward th* north fide of Beth-emek, and Neiel, and goeth out to 28 Cabul on the left hand, And Hebron, and Rehob, and Hammon, and Kanah, [even] unto great Zidon ; 29 And [then] the coaft turneth to Ramah, and to the ftrong city Tyre *, and the coaft turneth to Hofah ; and the outgoings thereof are at the fea from the coaft to 30 Achzib: Ummah alfo, and Aphek, and Rehob: twenty 3 i and two cities with their villages. This [is] the in- heritance of the tribe of the children of Afher accord- ing to their families, thefe cities with their villages. 32 The fixth lot came out to the children of Naphtali, [even] for the children of Naphtali according to their 3^ families. And their coaft was from Heleph, from Allon to Zaanannim, and Adami, Nekeb, and Jab- neei, unto Lakum •, and the outgoings thereof were at 34 Jordan : and [then] the coaft turneth weftward to Aznoth-tabor, and goeth out from thence to Hukkok, and reacheth to Zebulun on the fouth fide, and reach- eth to Afher on the weft fide, and to Judah upon Jor- 35 dan toward the fun rifing. And the fenced cities [are] Ziddim, Zer, and Hammath, Rakkath, and Chin- 36 nereth, And Adamah, and Ramah, And Hazor, 37 38 And Kedefh, and Edrei, and En- hazor, And Iron, and Migdal-el, Horem, and Beth-anath, and 39 Beth-fhemefh ; nineteen cities with their villages. This Y 2 [is] 356 J O S H U A. XX. [is] the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Naphtali according to their families, the cities and their villages. 40 [And] the feventh lot came out for the tribe of the 4.1 children of Dan according to their families. And the coa{l of their inheritance was Zorah, and Efhtaol, and 42 Ir-fhemefh, And Shaalabbin, and Ajalon, and Jethlah, 43 44 And Elon, and Thimnathah, and Ekron, And 45 Eltekeh, and Gibbethon, and Baalath, And Jehud, 46 and Bene-berak, and Gathrimmon, And Me-jarkon, 47 and Rakkon, with the border before Japho. And the coaft of the children of Dan went out [too little] for them : therefore the children of Dan went up to fight againft Lefhem, and took it, and fmote it with the edge of the fword, and pofTerTed it, and dwelt therein, and called Lemem, Dan, after the name of Dan their 48 father. This [is] the inheritance of the tribe of the children of Dan according to their families, thefe cities with their villages. 49 When they had made an end of dividing the land for inheritance by their coafts, the children of Ifrael gave an inheritance to Jofhua the fon of Nun among them : 50 According to the word of the Lord they gave him the city which he afked, [even] Timnah-ferah in mount Ephraim : and he built the city, and dwelt therein. 51 Thefe are the inheritances, which Eleazar the prieft, and Jofhua the fon of Nun, and the heads of the fa- thers of the tribes of the children of Ifrael, divided for an inheritance by lot in Shiloh before the Lord, at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. So they made an end of dividing the country. CHAP. XX. God commands the Israelites to appoint fix cities of refuge. 1 fjr^HE Lord alfo fpake unto Jofhua, faying, Speak 2 X to tne children of Ifrael, faying, Appoint out for you cities of refuge, whereof I (pake unto you by the JOSHUA. XXL 357 3 the hand of Mofes : That the flayer that killeth [any] perfon unawares [and] unwittingly may flee thither : I and they mail be your refuge from the avenger of blood. 4 And when he that doth flee unto one of thofe cities fhall ftand at the entering of the gate of the city, and mall declare his caufe in the ears of the elders of that city, they mail take him into the city unto them, and 5 give him a place, that he may dwell among them. And if the avenger of blood purfue after him, then they fhall not deliver the flayer up into his hand ; becaufe he fmote his neighbour unwittingly, and hated him not 6 before time. And he fhall dwell in that city, until he ftand before the congregation for judgment, [and] un- til the death of the high prieft that fhall be in thofe days : then fhall the flayer return, and come unto his own city, and unto his own houfe, unto the city from whence he fled. 7 And they appointed Kedefh in Galilee in mount Naphtali, and Shechem in mount Ephraim, and Kir- jath-arba, which [is] Hebron, in the mountain of S Judah. And on the other fide Jordan by Jericho eafl- ward, they afligned Bezer in the wildernefs upon the plain out of the tribe of Reuben, and Ramoth in Gilead out of the tribe of Gad, and Golan in Bafhan 9 out of the tribe of ManafTeh. Thefe were the cities appointed for all the children of Ifrael, and for the ftranger that fojourneth among them, that whofoever killeth [any] perfon at unawares might flee thither, and not die by the hand of the avenger of blood, until he flood before the congregation. CHAP. XXI. Eight and forty cities are given by lot out of the other tribes unto the Levites, and God gives them reft. I t g n HEN, after each tribe had their 'portion affignal J[ them, and before they took poffejfion of it, came near the heads of the fathers of the Levites, unto Elea- Y 3 zar 358 JOSHUA. XXL zar the prieft, and unto Jofhua the fon of Nun, and unto the heads of the fathers of the tribes of the children of 2 Ifrael •, And they fpake unto them at Shiloh in the land of Canaan, faying, The Lord commanded by the hand of Mofes to give us cities to dwell in, with the fuburbs 3 thereof for our cattle. And the children of Ifrael gave unto the Levites out of their inheritance, at the com- mandment of the Lord, thefe cities and their fuburbs, 4 And the lot came out for the families of the Koha- thites : and the children of Aaron the prieft, [which were] of the Levites, had by lot out of the tribe of Judah, and out of the tribe of Simeon, and out of the 5 tribe of Benjamin, thirteen cities. And the reft of the children of Kohath [had] by lot out of the families of the tribe of Ephraim, and out of the tribe of Dan, and 6 out of the half tribe of ManalTeh, ten cities. And the children of Gerfhan [had] by lot out of the families of the tribe of IfTachar, and out of the tribe of Afher, and out of the tribe of Naphtali, and out of the half 7 tribe of ManalTeh in Bafhan, thirteen cities. The children of Merari by their families [had] out of the tribe of Reuben, and out of the tribe of Gad, and out 8 of the tribe of Zebulun, twelve cities. And the child- ren of ifrael gave by lot unto the Levites thefe cities with their fuburbs, as the Lord commanded by the hand of Mofes. 9 And they gave out of the tribe of the children of Judah, and cut of the tribe of the children of Simeon, thefe cities wThich are [here] mentioned by name, 10 Which the children of Aaron, [being] of the families of the Kohathites, [who were] of the children of Levi, had : 11 for their's was the flrft lot. And they gave them the city cf Arba the father of Anak, which [city is] He- bron, in the hill [country] of Judah, with the fuburbs 12 thereof round about it. But the fields of the city, and the villages thereof, gave they to Caleb the fen of 13 Jcphunneh for his pofTeiTion. Thus they gave to the children of Aaron the prieft Hebron with her fuburbs, [to be] a city of refuge for the flayer •, and Libnah 14 with htr fuburbs, And Jattir with her fuburbs, and Efhtemoa JOSHUA. XXI. 359 15 Eflitemoa with her fuburbs, And Holoa with her fub- 16 urbs, and Debir with her fuburbs, And A in with her fuburbs, and Juttah with her fuburbs, [and] Beth-fhe- mefh with her fuburbs •, nine cities out of thofe two tribes. iy And out of the tribe of Benjamin, Gibeon with her 18 fuburbs, Geba with her faburbs, Anathoth with her fuburbs, and Almon with her fuburbs ; four cities. 19 All the cities of the children of Aaron, the priefts, [were] thirteen cities with their fuburbs. 20 And the families of the children of Kohath, the Le- vites which remained of the children of Kohath, even they had the cities of their lot out of the tribe of 21 Ephraim. For they gave them Shechem with her fuburbs in mount Ephraim, [to be] a city of refuge 22 for the flayer; and Gezer with her fuburbs, And Kib- zaim with her fuburbs, and Beth-horon with her 23 fuburbs ; four cities. And out of the tribe of Dan, Eltekeh with her fuburbs, Gibbethon with her fuburbs, 24 Aijalon with her fuburbs, Gath-rimmon with her 25 fuburbs; four cities. And out of the half tribe of ManafTeh, Tanach with her fuburbs, and Gath-rimmon 26 with her fuburbs ; two cities. All the cities [were] ten with their fuburbs for the families of the children of Kohath that remained. 27 And unto the children of Gerfhon, of the families of the Levites, out of the [other] half tribe of Manafleh [they gave] Golan in Bafhan with her fuburbs, [to be] a city of refuge for the flayer ; and Beefhterah with 28 her fuburbs *, two cities. And out of the tribe of Iflachar, Kimon with her fuburbs, Dabareh with her 29 fuburbs, Jarmuth with her fuburbs, En-gannim with 30 her fuburbs *, four cities. And out of the tribe of Afher, Mifhal with her fuburbs, Abdon with her 31 fuburbs, Helkah with her fuburbs, and Rehob with her 32 fuburbs*, four cities. And out of the tribe of Naph- tali, Kedefh in Galilee with her fuburbs, [to be] a city of refuge for the flayer ; and Ham moth-dor with her fuburbs, and Kartan with her fuburbs ; three cities. 33 All the cities of the Gerfhonites according to their families [were] thirteen cities with their fuburbs. Y 4 34 And 360 JOSHUA. XXII. 24 Ard unto the families of the children of Merari, the reft of the Levites, out of the tribe of Zebulun, Jok- neam with her fuburbs, and Kartah with her fuburbs, 35 Dimnah with her fuburbs, Nahalal with her fuburbs ; 36 four cities. And out of the tribe of Reuben, Bezer 37 with her fuburbs, and Jahazah with her fuburbs, Kede- moth with her fuburbs, and Mephaath with her fuburbs ; 38 four cities. And out of the tribe of Gad, Ramoth in Gilead with her fuburbs, [to be] a city of refuge for 39 the flayer ; and Mahanaim with her fuburbs, Hembon with her fuburbs, Jazer with her fuburbs ; four cities in 40 all. So all the cities for the children of Merari by their families, which were remaining of the families of the 41 Levites, were [by] their lot twelve cities. All the cities of the Levites within the pofTeffion of the children of Ifrael [were] forty and eight cities with their fuburbs. 42 Thefe cities were every one with their fuburbs round about them : thus [were] all thefe cities. 43 And the Lord gave unto Ifrael all the land which he fware to give unto their fathers •, and they pofTeffed it, 44 and dwelt therein. And the Lord gave them reft round about, according to all that he fware unto their fathers : and there ftood not a man of all their enemies before them •, the Lord delivered all their enemies into their 45 hand. There failed not aught of any good thing which the Lord had fpoken unto the houfe of Ifrael -, all came to pafs. CHAP. XXII. After the account of dividing the land in the preceding chapters^ we have here the difmijfion of the Reubeniies, the Gadites, and the half tribe of Manaffeh ; an account of the altar they built en their return, which gave offence to their brethren, who expofiulate with them -, they vindicate themf elves, and all Ifrael is Jatisfied in this matter, 1 t a A HEN, when the promt fes of God were fulfilled, X and the land was fubdued and divided, Jomua called the Reubenites, and the Gadites, and the half tribe JOSHUA. XXII. 361 tribe of Manaffeh ; he difbanded them, and fent them 2 home with due encouragement and commendation •, And faid unto them, Ye have kept all that Mofes the fer- vant of the Lord commanded you, and have obeyed 3 my voice in all that I commanded you : Ye have not left your brethren thefe many days unto this day, but have kept the charge of the commandment of the Lord your God : applauding their faithfulnefs and conftancy, their bravery andfteadinefs, their 'obedience to Mofes, and re- gard to God ; and intimating, that they had behaved well in 4 every refpecl. And now the Lord your God hath given reft unto your brethren, as he promifed them : there- fore now return ye, and get you unto your tents, [and] unto the land of your pofTeflion, which Mofes the fer- vant of the Lord gave you on the other fide Jordan; fending them away, but, like a good man, with good ad- 5 vice-, adding, But take diligent heed to do the com- mandment and the law, which Mofes the fervant of the Lord charged you, to love the Lord your God, and to walk in all his ways, and to keep his command- ments, and to cleave unto him, and to ferve him with 6 all your heart and with all your foul. So Joihua bleffed them, prayed God to blefs them, and fent them away ; pro- bably with fome prefents, fome particular tokens of his re- gard, as being of the fame tribe, and defended from Jofeph, their common father : and they went unto their tents. 7 Now to the [one] half of the tribe of Manafieh Mofes had given [pofTeffion] in Bafhan : but unto the [other] half thereof gave Jofhua among their brethren on this fide Jordan weft ward. And when Jofhua fent them 8 away alfo unto their tents, then he blefTed them, And he fpake unto them, faying, Return with much riches unto your tents, and with very much cattle, with filver and with gold, and with brafs, and with iron, and with very much raiment : divide the fpoil of your enemies with your brethren who are left at home^ according to what God appointed, Nu?n. xxxi. 27. in afimiiar cafe, 'This was but a proper token of regard to their brethren, of gratitude to Gcd for fparir.g their own lives, and protecting their families 9 during their abfence. And the children of Reuben and the 36z JOSHUA. XXII. the children of Gad and the half tribe of ManafTeh re- turned and departed from the children of Ifrael out of Shiloh, which [is] in the land of Canaan, to go unto the country of Gilead, to the land of their pofTeflion, whereof they were pofTefTed, according to the word of the Lord by the hand of Mofes. 10 And when they came unto the borders of Jordan, that [are] in the land cf Canaan, on the brink of the river, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of ManafTeh built there an altar by Jordan, a great altar to fee to, that is, high and confpicuous, that might be feen a great way off. 11 And the children of Ifrael heard fay, Behold, the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of ManafTeh have built an altar in their own country, overagainft the land of Canaan, in the borders of Jordan, at the pafTage of the children of Ifrael, where 12 the waters were miraculoufiy divided. And when the other tribes of the children of Ifrael heard [of it,] the whole congregation of the children of Ifrael gather- ed themfelves together at Shiloh, to go up to war againft them, according to the command in Deuteronomy xiii. is* It was natural to infer they would facrifice on this altar, and whether to the true God, or any other, it was equally forbidden. It had an ill appearance ♦, and however prudent their defign was, they fhould firfi have confulted God 13 or Jofhua. And the children of Ifrael fent unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of ManafTeh, into the land of Gilead, 1 4 Phinehas the fon of Eleazar the prieft, And with him ten princes, of each chief houfe a prince throughout all the tribes of Ifrael •, and each one [was] an head of the houfe of their fathers among the thoufands of Ifrael. This was proper and prudent, as they were brethren, had behaved well, and jhown great regard to Ifrael, and the God of Ifrael, They fent to enquire into the matter •, a chief man from each tribe, to fJjcw they were all unanimous *, and Phi- nehas, the fon of the high prieft, who was eminent for piety and zeal, and well knew the law in this cafe, was probably the 1 5 fpokefman. And they came unto the children of Reuben, and JOSHUA. XXII. B62 and to the children of Gad, and to the half tribe of ManafTeh, unto the land of Gilead, and they fpake 16 with them, faying, Thus faith the whole congregation of the Lord, What trefpafs [is] this that ye have committed againft the God of Ifrael, to turn away this day from following the Lord, in that ye have builded you an altar, that ye might rebel this day againft the Lord ? They accufed them of a great trefpafs, and rebel- lion againft God ; committed on the very day when Jo/hua had juft charged them, and they were returning in fafety to their families : this was indeed rather too hafty, before they had enquired for what end the altar was built \ but their fears were alarmed, left Godfhould be angry, as in former 1 7 times -, and therefore they add, [Is] the iniquity of Peor too little for us, the worfhip of Baal peor, (Numb. xxv. 3, 4.) which brought a plague that deftroyed twenty four thoufand? is it not enough that we provoked God to wrath then, but muft we provoke him again now ? from which we are not cleanfed until this day, although there was a plague in the congregation of the Lord, the fcandal of which fill remained ; or rather the infeclion of it and inclination to it ; 18 But that ye muft turn away this day from following the Lord ? and it will be, [feeing] ye rebel to day againft the Lord, that to morrow he will be wroth with the whole congregation of Ifrael -, that is, very foon he will be wroth with you, and with all Ifrael for permitting it: 19 Notwithstanding, if the land of your pofTerTion [be] un- clean for want of a tabernacle and an altar, [then] pafs ye over unto the land of the pofTerTion of the Lord, wherein the Lord's tabernacle dwelleth, and take pofTerTion a- rr.ong us; a very fair and friendly propofal : but rebel not againft the Lord, nor rebel againft us, in building you an altar befides the altar of the Lord our God. This ex- preffes great zeal for God, and great pity and charity to their brethren. They only infift upon it that they do not rebel againft God, and break the common bond by which they were all united to him and one another. To enforce this they add, 20 Did not Achan the fon of Zerah commit a trefpafs in the accurfed thing, and wrath fell on all the congrega- tion of Ifrael ? and that man perifned not alone in his iniquity, 364 JOSHU A. XXII. iniquity, his family pert/hed with him, and part of Ifrael before Ai. Thus, like good magiftrates, they were folicitous to remove publick vice, left it Jhould bring ruin on the nation, 11 Then the children of Reuben and the children of Gad and the half tribe of ManafTeh replied with a great deal of good fenfe, piety, and candour ; and tho* the fpeech of their brethren was ill grounded, they did not warmly refent it, but, with all ferioufnefs and mildnefs, anfwered and 22 faid unto the heads of the thoufands of Ifrael, The Lord God of gods, the Lord God of gods, he know- eth, and Ifrael he fhall know ; if [it be] in rebellion, or if in tranfgreffion againft the Lord, (fave us not this 23 day,) That we have built us an altar to turn from fol- lowing the Lord, or if to offer thereon burnt offering or meat offering, or if to offer peace offerings thereon, let the Lord hi mfelf require [it,] let himpunijh us for it. They appeal to God for this in the mofi folemn manner, men- tion his name with the higheft reverence •, He knows we had no fuch defign, and Ifrael [hall know \ we will make our integrity appear to all our brethren, by our future carriage, that we had no fuch defign as you charge us with* Then they 24 explain the true reafon; And if we have not [rather] done it for fear of [this] thing, with the great eft anxiety left any fuch thing Jhould happen, faying, In time to come your children might fpeak unto our children, faying, What have ye to do with the Lord God of Ifrael? 25 For the Lord hath made Jordan a border between us and you, ye children of Reuben and children of Gad ; ye have no part in the Lord, no right to ferve him, or expett any favour from him : fo fhall your children make our children ceafe from fearing the Lord, from making profejjion of his name, and worfliipping him according 26 to his will. Therefore we faid, Let us now prepare to build us an altar, not for burnt offering, nor for facri- 27 fice: But [that] it [may be] a witnefs between us, and you, and our generations after us, that we might do the fervice of the Lord before him with our burnt offerings, and with our facrifices, and with our peace offerings ; that your children may not fay to our child- . ren in time to come, Ye have no part in the Lord ; let JOSHUA. XXII. 364 let it be a la/ling monument ', to teftify to fucceeding ages that we have a true right in the fame God and his worfliip 28 with you. Therefore (aid we, that it mall be, when they fhould [fo] fay to us or to our generations in time to come, that we may fay [again,] Behold the pattern of the altar of the Lord, which our fathers made, not for burnt offerings, nor for facrifices ; but 29 it [is] a witnefs between us and you. God forbid that we mould rebel againft the Lord, and turn this day from following the Lord, to build an altar for burnt offerings, for meat offerings, or for facrifices, befides the altar of the Lord our God that [is] before his tabernacle. Thus declaring, in the ftrongeft manner, their utter ahhorrence and deteftation of any fuch de/lgn. 30 And when Phinehas the prieft, and the princes of the congregation and heads of the thoufands of Ifrael which [were] with him, heard the words that the child- ren of Reuben and the children of Gad and the children of ManafTeh fpake, it pleafed them. They neither queftion- ed their fincerity, nor blamed their imprudence or rafhnefs, 3 1 but were fully fatisfied with their apology. And Phinehas the fon of Eleazar the prieft faid unto the children of Reuben, and to the children of Gad, and to the child- ren of ManafTeh, This day we perceive that the Lord [is] among us, with his gracious prefence and favour, be- caufe ye have not committed this trefpafs againft the Lord, which would have brought down fome heavy judg- ment upon us •, now ye have delivered the children of Ifrael out of the hand of the Lord, from his wrath, which would have been kindled againft us had you com- 32 mitted the fin we fufpecled. And Phinehas the fon of Eleazar the prieft, and the princes, returned from the children of Reuben, and from the children of Gad, out of the land of Gilead, unto the land of Canaan, to the 33 children of Ifrael, and brought them word again. And the thing pleafed the children of Ifrael, they all rejoiced in this happy event \ and the children of Ifrael blefTed God, that they had found no guilt in their brethren, and were freed from their fears, and from all the calamities of 4 civil war; and did not intend to go up againft them in 366 JOSHUA. XXII. in battle, to deftroy the land wherein the children of Reuben and Gad dwelt. And the children of Reuben and the children of Gad, to denote the intention of the altar, and prevent any future mifconfiruclion, called the altar [Ed,] that is, a witnefs : for it [fhall be] a witnefs between us that the Lord [is] that God which we own for our God, and will worfhip according to his own rule : thus the matter was amicably adjufted, to the fatisfaclion and joy of both fides, REFLECTIONS. I. T Tf 7 E learn, that fidelity to our promife, and fteady VV obedience to God, are worthy of applaufe and commendation. For this Jofhua commends the Reuben- ites and their neighbours. It is much for our honour and advantage to be conftant and faithful in the difcharge of our duty ; he that is fo, is approved of God, and accepted with men. 2. Zeal for God's honour and the purity of his worfhip, become every true Ifraelite. Thus the nine tribes and a half, tho' they had but juft fheathed their fwords and refted from the fatigues of war, determined to draw them again, and attack their brethren and ailbciates, rather than God mould be affronted or his worfhip corrupted. We, chrif- tians, are forbid to draw our fwords againft any of our brethren, who worfhip God in what we apprehend a wrong way ; the weapons of our warfare are not carnal, but fpirituaL Yet it becomes us to take all prudent and chriftian methods to fhow our zeal for God •, but let it be founded in know- ledge, and regulated by all prudence and tendernefs. 3. The prudence of thofe tribes, in examining before they attacked their brethren, is worthy of our imitation. Solomon obferves, in all cafes, with good advice make war, more efpecially againft brethren. Wifdom mould guide our zeal Before we cenfure our brethren, we mould en- quire whether there is a caufe ; give them opportunities to explain themfelves and their conduit. Moft men are too ready to cenfure at random. A little prudence and en- quiry would prevent innumerable miftakes and quarrels. Let JOSHUA. XXII. 367 Let us guard againft rafh cenfures, elfe our zeal for God will lead us from him ; and we may be promoting Satan's caufe, while we think we are doing God good fervice. 4. If we are ever fo feverely cenfured and reproached, let us put on meeknefs, and rule our own fpirits; fo thefe Reubenites did. Had they anfwered with reproaches and pafTion, perhaps it might have occafioned the lofs of thou- fands of lives, and perpetual difference and contention between the tribes of Ifrael. A foft anfwer turneth away 'wrath. They did not bid the other tribes mind their own bufinefs, or give them an impertinent anfwer \ but ex- plained the matter, and with all calmnefs vindicated them- felves ; a good example to us when we are reviled^ not to revile again. 5. It is a very defirable thing to be able to appeal to God and man for the uprightnefs of our intentions and ac- tions, when we are cenfured and condemned. There is fomething prodigioufly affecting in the manner of the Reubenites' addrefs ; it carries all the marks of innocence and purity. It is no uncommon thing for thofe that erect another altar or place of worfhip to Jdc cenfured and condemned, tho' they may keep clofe to God and not depart from him -, they are often charged, by violent bigots, as fchifmaticks and rebels. It is fit we mould give a mild anfwer to fuch unjuft cenfures. The Lord God of gods knows that we have not built or fupported a church, to promote faction or party, to draw men from God and religion, but to lead them to him. We hold communion with all that love the Lord Jefus Chrift in fincerity. And it mould be our concern to let Ifrael know this ; to let them fee, by the purity of our worfhip and the regularity of our lives, and efpecially by chriftian charity to our differing brethren, that our principles are good, and our motives upright. 6. Good men, and efpecially pious parents, are greatly concerned and folicitous that religion may not be loft in their families. For this end the Reubenites built their altar, left their children fhould forget God and lofe re- ligion. Therefore we mould willingly contribute to the fupport of God's houfe •, mould take all precaution that our 368 J O S H U A. XXIII. our children may not ceafe from following the Lord* Every one that knows the benefit of religion, will be more folici- tous about this, than fecuring eftates for them. 7. It is the fureft fign of God's prefence with any peo- ple, when they are kept from fin, v. 24. prefer ved from thofe practices that bring the judgments of God upon them. When any of our brethren are found lefs blameable than we apprehended, when we fee their conftancy and zeal, let us confider it as a token for good, and give God the glory of it. Blefled be God, who keeps us from (inning againft him, who enables us to perfevere in religion, and who, we hope, will make us faithful even unto death. CHAP. XXIII. In this and the following chapter we have Jofhua's farewell ad- drejfes to the people, and what he did to promote and preferve religion among them when he was gone, N D it came to pafs a long time after that the Lord had given reft unto Ifrael from all their enemies round about, that Jofhua waxed old [and] 2 ftricken in age. And Jofhua called for all Ifrael,k that is, for their reprefentatives, [and] for their elders, their great council or fanhedrim, and for their heads, the princes of each tribe, and for their judges, inferior ma- giftrates, and for their officers, who faw to the execu- tion of the law, and faid unto them, I am old [and] ftricken in age-, this may he the lafl time I fhall ever fpeak 3 to you, And therefore I hope you will be peculiarly attentive-, ye have feen all that the Lord your God hath done unto all thefe nations becaufe of you*, for the Lord your God [is] he that hath fought for you ; firjl remind- 4 ing them of what God had done, and then adding, Behold I have divided unto you by lot thefe nations that remain, to be an inheritance for your tribes, from Jordan, with all k It is generally thought the place was Shiloh, where the ark was, and at one of the three great feaih, when all the males affembled there. JOSHUA. XXIII. 369 all the nations that I have cut off, even unto the great fea weftward, the Mediterranean fea. 5 And the Lord your God, he fhall expel them from before you, and drive them from out of your fight ; and ye mail pofTefs their land, as the Lord your God hath promifed unto you •, the* I die, and leave the work unfinifhed, yet God will be with you, and fulfil his promifes, 6 if you do your part. Be ye therefore very courageous to keep and to do all that is written in the book of the law of Mofes, that ye turn not afide therefrom, [to] the right hand or [to] the left -, this is the condition on which God will be with you ; and it will require great courage to expel the Canaanites, to refrain from commerce with them, 7 and to keep all the law \ That ye come not among thefe nations, thefe that remain among you •, neither make mention of the name of their gods, left fuch communica- tions fhould corrupt your hearts-, nor caufe to fwear [by them,] fuffer not your children to fwear by them, and let not ypur judges admit fuch oaths -, neither ferve them, nor bow yourfelves unto them, give them no inward reverence, 8 or outward adoration: (Pfalm xvi. 4..) But cleave unto the Lord your God, with entire affeclion, conftant wor- Jhip, and faithful obedience, as ye have done unto this 9 day, fince ye came into Canaan. For the Lord hath driven, or, then the Lord will drive, out from before you great nations and ftrong : but [as for] you, no man hath been able to (land before you unto this day ; and this is a pledge of what he will further do ; therefore, 10 however formidable your enemies may be, fear not, for One man of you mall chafe a thoufand : for the Lord your God, he [it is] that fighteth for you, as he hath pro- mifed you. But be not fecure andcarelefs, for you will have more temptations to forget God than you had in the wil- demefs, from your profperity, and your wicked neighbours ; 1 1 Take good heed therefore unto yourfelves, that ye love the Lord your God \ your whole happinefs depends upon this care. 1 2 Elfe if ye do in any wife go back from God, defer t his worfliip and fervice, and become friends and cleave unto the remnant of thefe nations, [even] thefe that remain Vol. II. Z among a 370 JOSHUA. XXIIL among you, and mall make marriages with them, and 13 go in unto them, and they to you : Know for a cer- tainty that the Lord your God will withdraw his aj/i/l- ance9 and will no more drive out [any of J thefe nations from before you ; but they fhall be fnares and traps un- to you, and fcourges in your fides, and thorns in your eyes*, they will lead you into Jin, andyoufJiall fuffer for it9 as much as a man who ispunijiied by fcourging, or who has a thorn run thro'' his eye •, until ye perifh from off this good land which the Lord your God hath given you ; which would be peculiarly grievous , after you have come to it thro* Jo many perils ', obtained it by fo many miracles , and are comfortably fettled there , after many expectations and difap- 14 pointments. And, behold, this day I [am] going the way of all the earth, and can bear my folemn teftimony to God's faithfulnefs -, and ye know in all your hearts and in all your fouls, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God fpake con- cerning you ; all are come to pafs unto you, [and] not 15 one thing hath failed thereof. Therefore it mall come to pafs, [that] as all good things are come upon you, which the Lord your God promifed you ; fo fhall the Lord bring upon you all evil things, until he have deftroyed you from off this good land which the Lord your God hath given you ; the accomplifhment of his pro~ tnifes is a pledge or ajfurance of the fulfilment of his threaten- 16 ings. When ye have tranfgrefled the covenant of the Lord your God, which he commanded you, and have gone and ferved other gods, and bowed yourfelves to them •, then fhall the anger of the Lord be kindled againft you, and ye fhall perifh quickly from off the good land which he hath given unto you ; ye /hall be fpeedily and remarkably punifhed. REFLECTIONS. J. TT is the duty of aged and dying chriflians to do X what they can to engage the rifing generation for God. What repeated pains did Jofbua take ! He ufe4 every argument, and put them in mind of his own ex- perience JOSHUA; XXIII. 371 perience of the goodnefs and faithfulnefs of God. Chrift's old difciples mould fpend their laft days in ferving him, in propagating a fenfe of religion among thofe that they leave behind-, they cannot fpend them better. So Paul com- manded Titus, ch. ii„ 3. to exhort and charge aged women to be teachers of good things. It is the duty of chriftian fathers to fpeak of the goodnefs of God •, to let the world know the experience they have had of it, that not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord their Godfpake concerning them. This will encourage the young to hope and truft in God. The word of aged, experienced faints, is likely to make a lafting impreflion. Death is haftening on ; therefore let them do what they can for God while they live ; and remember, with the holy apoftle, as long as they are in this tabernacle toftir up all around them^ well knowing that they muft fhortly put off this tabernacle. 2 Peter i. 13, 14. 2. Religion, or the fervice of God, requires great care and watchfulnefs, in order to be fteady and conftant in it. Joihua plainly intimates this, when he exhorts Ifrael to be courageous, to keep and do all that \was written in the law of Mofes •, to take good heed to themfelves. They had many temptations to neglect it ; they had a ftrange diiinciination to it ; and were ready to hearken to the folicitations of the Canaanites, who were enemies to God and religion. This is onr cafe. Let us then put on refolution. Never does manly courage more become us, than when exerted in the caufe of God and religion. Let us keep our hearts with all diligence \ watch all their fecret workings and defires ; take good heed to our fouls, that they be furnifhed with ufe- ful knowledge, that our good habits be ftrengthened ; and guard againft thofe things that would debafe, enflave, and corrupt them. Keep your J elves then in the love of God> and in patient waiting for Jefus Chrift. 3. Let us urge the experience we have had of God's goodnefs, as a powerful motive to induce others to ferve and fear him. Jofhua calls the Ifraelites to confider how kind and faithful God had been to them, as a motive to cleave to him. If we have any fenfe of decency and gra- titude, it will make us afhamed to affront (o kind a bene- Z 2 factor, 372 J O S H U A. XXIV. factor, to forfake a friend, who has always been fo generous and faithful to us -, efpecially as our dependence on him is conftant and neceflary, we cannot do without him. And his threatenings are as fure as his promifes. The punifh- ment of difobedient children will be dreadful in proportion to the goodnefs of God to them, and the mercy he hath beftowed on them and their parents, and the promifes of eternal happinefs he hath given them on their obedience. Let all the grace of God's promifes, and the terror of his threatenings, join to engage us to cleave to him all our days. Let us hold faft the profejfion of our faith without waverings feeing he is faithful who hath promifed. 4. Let us frequently confider death as the way of all the earth, as the way in which we muft go. This Jofhua takes notice of, to excite his own folicitude about the honour of God and the welfare of his people, and to excite their care and attention. // is appointed to all men once to die ; there is no difcharge in that war ; we are all going to our long home, Jofhua, as great and good a man as he was, mult go this way. Let us ferioufly think of this ; and each fay to ourfelves, c When a few years are come, perhaps a few days, I muft go the way of all the earthy the way whence 1 fhall not return? Let this roufe our inactive fpirits, quicken our languid zeal, and animate our endeavours to do good. We fee our neighbours and acquaintance continually going this way, and we muft foon follow. How fuitable and im- portant is Solomon's advice, Eccles. ix. 10. Whatfoever thy handfindeth to do, do it with thy might •, for there is no work, nor device, nor knowledge, nor wifdom, in the grave, whither thou goefi. CHAP. XXIV. Jofhua had warned Ifrael in the loft chapter, when he thought himf elf near death -, he was now probably a little recruited, and in this chapter makes another attempt to fix them for God and religion, and takes a folemn farewell of them : he begins with an account of the great things God had done for them* 1 AND JOSHUA. XXIV. 373 1 AND Jofhua gathered all the tribes of Ifrael to ^f^ Shechem, whither the ark was probably removed* becaufe it was near to Jofaua's abode* and called for the elders of Ifrael, and for their heads, and for their judges, and for their officers-, and they prefented them- felves before God. Here the covenant was fir ft made with Abraham* and with the people at Ebal and Gerizim* near 2 to which Shechem lay. And Jofhua faid unto all the people, Thus faith the Lord God of Ifrael-, language which Jhows that he /poke under a divine impulfe -, not only as a ruler* but as a prophet -, Your fathers dwelt on the other fide of the flood, in Mesopotamia* beyond Euphrates* in old time, [even] Terah, the father of Abraham, and the father of Nachor : and they ferved other gcds ; fo that they had no reafon to be proud of their anceftors •* all 3 done for them was from the free grace of God. And I took your father Abraham from the other fide of the flood, apprehended him by my grace* andfnatched him out of that idolatrous and wicked place* and took him into acquaintance and covenant with myfelf* and /led him throughout all the land of Canaan, to Shechem, and then to Bethel* and mul- 4 tiplied his {etd* and gave him Ifaac. And I gave unto Ifaac Jacob and Efau : and I gave unto Efau mount Seir, to pofTefs it, that I might leave Canaan entire for Jacob * but Jacob and his children went down into 5 Egyp^ I fent Mofes alfo and Aaron, and I plagued Egypt, according to that which I did among them : 6 and afterward I brought you out. And I brought your fathers out of Egypt : and ye came unto the fea -, and the Egyptians purfued after your fathers with 7 chariots and horfemen unto the Red fea. And when they cried unto the Lord, he put darknefs between you and the Egyptians, and brought the fea upon them, and covered them -, and your eyes have {cen what I have done in Egypt : and ye dwelt in the wildernefs a long feafon ; many of thofe were now living* who-, when under twenty years of age* came out of Egypt * but their fa- 8 thers fell in the wildernefs. And I brought you into the land of the Amorites, which dwelt on the other fide Jordan -, and they fought with you : and I gave them Z 3 into 374 JOSHUA, XXIV, into your hand, that ye might pofTefs their land ; and 9 I deftroyed them from before you. Then Balak the fon of Zippor, king of Moab, arofe and warred againft Ifrael, and fent and called Balaam the fon of Beor to curfe you •, he intended to make war9 and> in order thereto^ 10 would firft have them cur Jed: But I would not hearken unto Balaam -, therefore he bleffed you frill : fo I deli- 1 1 vered you out of his hand. And ye went over Jordan, and came unto Jericho : and the men of Jericho fought againft you, the Amorites, and the Perizzites, and the Canaanites, and the Hittites, and the Girgafhites, the Hivites,v«i the Jebuiites ; and I delivered them into 12 your hanSfeAnd I fent the hornet before you ; which terrified and [flung them before they were attacked by you ; and during the engagement thefe terrible creatures funk their fpirits, and made them an eajy prey to you , which drave them out from before you, [even] the two kings of the Amorires; [but] not with thy fword, nor with thy 13 bow, it was all owing to my power. And I have given you a land for which ye did not labour, and cities which ye built not, and ye dwell in them •, of the vine- yards and oliveyards which ye planted not do ye eat ; you had a good land, and all defirable plenty \ without your own labour. 14 Now therefore fear the Lord, give him the inward reverence and homage of 'your fouls ', and ferve him in fin- cerity and truth ; worfhip no other god, and him only in the appointed way : and put away the gods which your fathers ferved on the other fide of the flood, and in Egypt ; and ferve ye the Lord , baniffi all inclinations to idolatry out of your hearts, andcafi away the idols, if any re- main, which you had in the wilder nefs. As a prophet perhaps he faw fome idols concealed among them, or an inclination turning that way , he therefore enters into a treaty with them* j 5 And if it feem evil unto you to ferve the Lord, choofe you this day whom ye will ferve , whether the gods which your fathers ferved that [were] on the other fide of the flood, or the gods of the Amorites, in whofe land ye dwell \ not as if it were indifferent, but to convince tfam of the folly of a bad choice, and that they might be more free JOSHUA. XXIV. 375 free and willing in their right choice ; but as for me and my houfe, we will ferve the Lord ; tho* all ofyoujhould forfake God, th(?IJhouldftand alone, 1 and my houfe will ferve him, This bold and noble declaration from fuch a venera- ble leader ', in thefe affecling circumftances, fo deeply impreffed their minds, that they would not give him leave to proceed -, \6 And the people, with great ardour ; anfwered and faid, God forbid that we mould forfake the Lord, to ferve other gods ; this would be the greateft madnefs \ we abhor IJ the thought of apoftacy. For the Lord our God, he [it is] that brought us up and our fathers out of the land of Egypt, from the houfe of bondage, and which did thofe great figns in our fight, and preferved us in all the way wherein we went, and among all the people 1 8 through whom we palled: And the Lord drave out from before us all the people, even the Amorites which dwelt in the land : [therefore] will we alfo ferve the Lord ; for he [is] our God : we acknowledge the force of all thefe arguments \ we will follow the example of our leader \ and have fo many inconteftable 'proofs that Jehovah is our IQ God, that we will never forfake him. And Jofhua made a remarkable reply, and faid unto the people, If you re- tain your idols, either in your houfes or hearts, and mingle falfe worfhip with true, ye cannot ferve the Lord*1 ex- apt you are fixed and fully refolved upon it beforehand -, it is not a light matter, an hafiy refolution will not do, you muft count the coft -, neither can ye ferve the Lord if you allow yourfelves in any finful courfe ; and therefore coriftder well what you do, for he [is] an holy God, and will never en- dure a profane people, nor be fatisfed with the bare profeffion of religion without thepraclice ; and he [is] a jealous God, jealous of his honour, and will not admit of any rival -, he will not forgive your tranfgreflions nor your fins ; if you 20 continue in them, he will puni/h you even more than others. If ye forfake the Lord, and ferve ftrange gods, the gods of your fathers, or of the Amorites, then he will turn and do you hurt, and confume you, after that he hath done 2 1 you good. And the people faid unto Jofhua, Nay •, Z 4 but 1 Some would read it, Ceafe not to fewe the Lord: but «ur reading feems the beit, Te cannot ferve the Lord. 376 J O S H U A. XXIV. but we will ferve the Lord ; all that thou haft /aid Jhall not dif courage us, for we are refolved to ferve him only \ nor Jhall we think the worfe of him becaufe he is an holy and a 22 jealous God. And Jofhua faid unto, the people, Ye [are] witneffes againft yourfelves that ye have chofen you the Lord, to ferve him : hejlrikesin with thefe good imprejfwns, and adds, ye need no other witneffes but this word, this covenant, andyour own confeiences. And they faid, [We are] witneffes, and jhall he felf- condemned if 23 we make it not good. Now therefore put away, [faid he,] the ftrange gods which [are] among you, and incline your heart unto the Lord God of lfrael -, fince you have thus refolved and covenanted, be as good as your words. 24 And the people faid unto Jofhua, The Lord our God will we ferve, and his voice will we obey. What a folemn and aff tiling engagement ! Happy for lfrael if they had al- 25 ways continued in the fame mind. So Jofhua made a co- venant with the people that day, and fet them a ftatute and an ordinance in Shechem •, he made it a flanding law for them and their pofterity, that they fhould ferve God only. 26 And Jofhua wrote thefe words in the book of the law of God, in the original copy of the law that was laid up by the ark, to be a witnefs for God, if they for fo ok him, and to lay a greater obligation upon all the people -, and he took a great itone, for a memorial of this Jolemn covenant % and fet it up there under an oak, that [was] by the fanctuary of the Lord, that is, the tabernacle, which was 27 now brought thither, (ch. xviii. 1 .) And Jofhua faid unto all the people, Behold, this (tone fnali be a witnefs un- to us : for it hath heard all the words of the Lord which he fpake unto us ; it fhall bring to your minds what is now done, as well as if it had heard, and could relate it to you again: it fhall therefore be a witnefs unto you, left ye deny your God, forfake his pure worfliip, and fall 2,8 to idolatry. So Jofhua let the people depart, every man unto his inheritance; he difmifjed the affembly, and took his final leave of lfrael. 29 And it came to pafs after thefe things, that Jofhua the fon of Nun, the fervant of the Lord, died, [being] . an hundred and ten years old, feventeen years after he cams JOSHUA. XXIV. 377 jeame into Canaan ; leaving a moft honourable char after, that he had ferved the Lord faithfully, as Mofes his predeceffor 30 had done. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnath-ferah,m which [is] in mount 31 Ephraim, on the north fide of the hill of Gaafh. And Ifrael ferved the Lord all the days of Jofhua, and all the days of the elders that overlived Jofhua, and which had known all the works of the Lord, that he had done for Ifrael. There was no publick idolatry in their days; the elders were men of piety, zeal and refolution-, and fo far all things went well. 32 And the bones of Jofeph, which the children of If- rael brought up out of F.gypt, buried they in Shechem, near two hundred years after he had given commandment con- xerning his bones ', (and it is probable the bones of the other patriarchs were buried here) in a parcel of ground which Jacob bought of the fons of Hamor the father of She- chem, for an hundred pieces, or lambs, of filver: and it became the inheritance of the children of Jofeph. See Acls vii. 16. 33 And Eleazar the fon of Aaron died •, and they buried him in a hill [that pertaineth to] Phinehas his fon, which was given him in mount Ephraim, by an extraor- dinary gift, that he might be near Jofhua and the tabernacle^ where he was to be rejident, thR2 And the houfe of Jofeph, they alfo went up againfl: 23 Beth-el : and the Lord [was] with them. And the houfe of Jofeph fent to defcry Beth-el. (Now the name 24 of the city before [was] Luz ) And the fpies faw a man come forth out of the city, and they faid unto him, Show us, we pray thee, the entrance into the city, where we may moft eafily furprife it, and wc will fliow thee 25 mercy. And when he ftiowed them the entrance into the city, they fmote the city with the edge of the fword ; 26 but they let go the man and all his family. And the man went into the land of the Hittites, that is, the country to which the Hittites fled^ and built a city, and called the name thereof Luz : c which [is] the name thereof unto this day. 27 Neither did ManafTeh, that is, the half tribe which dwell in Canaan, drive out [the inhabitants of] Beth- fhean b This city lay in two tribes; Judah drave them out frt his part, but Benjamin did not, but fuffered the Jebuiites to hold the caftle and for*, tiil David's time. e it is generally thought to be in Arabia, becaufe there, as Jofephus tells us, is a city of that name. 384 J U D G E S. 1. fhean and her towns, nor Taanach and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Dor and her towns, nor the inhabi- tants of Ibleam and her towns, nor the inhabitants of Megiddo and her towns : but the Canaanites would dwell in that land. After the death of Joftiua they grew remifs in driving out the remainder of the Canaanites^ but made peace with them, which was the firft Jlep of their de~ 28 feclion. And it came to pafs, when Ifrael was ftrong, and could eajily have driven them out, that yet* throy cowardice or covetoufnefs^ they put the Canaanites to 29 tribute, and did not utterly drive them out. Neither did Ephraim drive out the Canaanites that dwelt in Gezer-, but the Canaanites dwelt in Gezer among them. 30 Neither did Zebulun drive out the inhabitants of Kit- ron, nor the inhabitants of Nahalol; but the Canaanites 31 dwelt among them and became tributaries. Neither did Airier drive out the inhabitants of Accho, nor the inhabitants of Zidon, nor of Ahlab, nor Achzib, nor 32 of Helbah, nor of Aphik, nor of Rehob : But the Afherites dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land : for they did not drive them out •, and this 3 3 was the fource of all the mi f cries of IfraeL Neither did Naphtali drive out the inhabitants of Beth-fhemefh, nor the inhabitants of Beth-anath ; but he dwelt among the Canaanites, the inhabitants of the land : neverthe- lefs the inhabitants of Beth-fhemeih and of Beth-anath became tributaries unto them. 34 And the Amorites forced the children of Dan into the mountain : for they would not fufTer them to come 15 down to the valley: but the Amorites would dwell in mount Heres in Aijalon, and in Shaalbim : yet the hand of the houfe of Jofeph prevailed, fo that they 36 became tributaries. And the coaft of the Amorites [was] from the going up to Akrabbim, from the rock, and upward.* REFLECT * We cannot be very exaft in the fituation of thefe places. Some cities are laid to be taken feveral times; the Canaanites were driven out, and then probably returned; and thus there were continual llruggles between them and the ifraelites, for want of courage, and faith in the promifes of God. JUDGES. I. 385 REFLECTIONS. I. nROM the hiftory of Adonizebek we learn the 1/ uncertainty of human greatnefs, and how eafily God brings down pride. He had conquered feventy prin- ces ; at length he is conquered himfelf, and treated as he had ufed them. God is righteous \ tyrants and oppreflbrs are an abomination unto him •, and their fhame and ruin are generally more grievous, in proportion to the extent and greatnefs of their tyranny. Confidering the furprifing al- terations in the circumftances of many princes, we have no reafon to envy their condition •, they are fet in flippery places: and the meaneft of their fubjects, who are contented with their lot, are much happier perfons. 2. The cheerfulnefs with which Caleb enlarged his daughter's portion, mames thofe parents who grudge their children a reafonable part of their pofTeffions. When they are dutiful and obedient, every thing reafonable ought to be done to encourage them •, otherwife they will be expofed to many temptations, which parents, for their own fakes, as well as their children's, mould endeavour to prevent. 3. How fad is it to fee perfons lofing that comfort which they might enjoy, thro5 a carelefs and negligent fpirit. This was the cafe with the Ifraelites-, they fuffered the Canaanites to be among them, and by this they loft large tracls of good ground, and found them to be fo many plagues and fcourges to them. God fets blemngs often before us, and is ready to help us, if we will but exert our- felves ; the diligent hand maketh rich. In fpiritual things it is fo : God is ready to aflift us againft our enemies, and make us more than conquerors \ but if we live at our eafe, fink into (loth, and are terrified by every little difficulty, the confequence will be fatal \ bad habits will be confirmed, we fhall lofe what we have at prefent, and, which will be far the worft of all, Jhall fall Jhort of the kingdom of 'heaven. Vol. 11. A a CHAP. 386 , JUDGES. II. CHAP. II. We have here a particular meffage fent to Ifrael by an angel, and the effect it had ; (then follows a general fummary of the whole book) ; their idolatry, their punifhment, and their deliverance. N D an angel of the Lord came up from Gilgal to Bochim,e and faid, I made you to go up out of Egypt, and have brought you unto the land which I {Ware unto your fathers; and I faid, I will never break my covenant with you, if you do not break with me by 2 apoftacy and idolatry. And ye friall make no league with the inhabitants of this land •, ye mail throw down their altars : but ye have not obeyed my voice, ye have broken your promife and the divine precept. He then expoftulates with them, faying, Why have ye done this, and difobey- 3 ed fo exprefs a t command? Wherefore I alfo faid, I will not drive them out from before you •, but they (hall be [as thorns] in your fides, and their gods mail be a 4 fnare unto you. And it came to pafs, when the angel of the Lord fpake thefe words unto all the children of Ifrael, that the people lifted up their voice, and wept, to think how greatly they had offended God, and to what judgments .they were now liable; but there were few true 5 penitents among them, as appears from what follows. And they called the name of that place Bochim, that is, weepers: and they facrificed there unto the Lord, to expiate their p aft fin, to regain his favour, and lay them- f elves under f reft obligations, — As the death of Jofhua and the elders made way for their revolt, thefe circumftances are repeated, v. 6 — io. 6 And when Jofhua had let the people go, the child- ren of jfrael went every man unto his inheritance to 7 poflefs the land. And the people ferved the Lord all the days of Jofhua, and all the days of the elders that out- e Some fay this was a prophet ; but I rather fuppofe it was an angel, fuch as uiually appeared on any great occalion, and luch as we read of afterwards in this book. The people were probably met at one of their great teaits ; the angel appeared to come from Gilgal, to remind them of the covenant they hud renewed there. JUDGES. II. 387 outlived Jofhua, who had ken all the great works of 8 the Lord, that he did for Ifrael. And Jofhua the fon of Nun, the fervant of the Lord, died, • [being] an 9 hundred and ten years old. And they buried him in the border of his inheritance in Timnathheres, in. the mount of Ephraim, on the north fide of the hill Gaafh. 10 And alfo that generation who had feen his wonders in Canaan, at Jordan and Jencho, and the fm (landing ft ill, were gathered together unto their fathers : and there arofe another generation after them, which knew not the Lord, nor yet the works which he had done for Ifrael; who were [polled by their plenty and peace, and had no fuch fenfible experience of the goodnsfs and power of God as their forefathers had, and fo were not wrought upon truly to know 1 1 and fear him. And the children of ifrael did evil in the fight of the Lord, whofe eyes were always upon them, and 12 ferved Baalim. And they forfook the Lord God of their fathers, which brought them out of the land of Egypt, and followed other gods, of the gods of the people that [were] round about them, the idols of the heathen, and bowed themfelves unto them, publickly adored and worfhipped them, and provoked the Lord to 13 anger. And they forfook the Lord, and ferved Baal and Afhtaroth, the fun and moon, and all the gods and gcddeffes of their neighbours. 14. And the anger of the Lord was hot againft Ifrael, and he delivered them into the hands of fpoilers that fpoiled them, carried away their perfons and eff efts, and he fold them into the hands of their enemies round about, fo that they could not any longer ftand before their enemies ; he gave them over, as the feller does the 15 things bought to the hand of the buyer. Whitherfoever they went out, the hand of the Lord was againft them for evil, as the Lord had faid, and as the Lord had fworn unto them : and they were greatly diftrefTed. God oppofed all their undertakings, crojfed all their enter- prises, brought thofe mifchiefs upon them which were threatened by Mofes, and fuffered their enemies to tyrannize over them with great cruelty. A a 2 16 Never- 388 JUDGES. II. 16 Neverthelefs the Lord raifed up judges, which de- livered them out of the hand of thofe thatfpoiled them, fome of whom continued in this office all their lives ; others were raifed up for fome particular fervice, and then became private men again. God fir fi brought them to repentance by 1 7 their afjiitlions, and then raifed up a deliverer. And yet they would not hearken unto their judges, who admonifh- ed them, and probably punifhed them for their idolatry -, but they went a whoring after other gods, and bowed them- felves unto them, broke their covenant engagements, and proved falfe to God : they turned quickly out of the way which their fathers walked in, obeying the command- ments of the Lord; [but] they did not fo ; and, as foon as the admonition or terror was gone, relapfed to their old 18 fins, and were as bad as ever. And when the Lord raifed them up judges, then the Lord was with the judge, and delivered them out of the hand of their enemies all the days of the judge : for it repented the Lord becaufe of their groanings by reafon of them that opprefTed them and vexed them •, when they alter- ed their courfe and became humble, God altered his methods 39 of dealing with them. And it came to pafs, when the judge was dead, [that] they returned, and cor- rupted [themfelves] more than their fathers, in follow- ing other gods to ferve them, and to bow down unto them -, they ceafed not from their own doings, nor from their flubborn way, but perfifted in this wickednefs9 notwithflanding all thai had been done to favour or punifli them, 20 And the anger of the Lord was hot againft Ifrael; and he faid, Becaufe that this people hath tranfgre{fed my covenant which I commanded their fathers, and have not hearkened unto my voice, to the repeated ad- 21 monitions fent them by my prophets, I alfo will not hence- forth drive Gut any from before them of the nations which Jciriua left when he died ; whatever attempts they may make, I will not affifi them, as I have formerly done \ 22 That through them 1 may prove Ifrael, try their faith and obedience, whether they will keep the way of the Lord to walk therein, as their fathers did keep [it,] or JUDGES. II. 389 23 or not. Therefore the Lord left thofe nations, with- out driving them out nattily •, neither delivered he them into the hand of Jomua •, he reflrained J oflma from going on in his conquefts, and left fome of the old inhabitants among them, to fee whether they would be proof againft temptations to idolatry •, otherwife they would be a punifliment and tor- ment to Ifrael, and God would be juftified in all the judg- ments he Jhould bring upon them, REFLECTIONS. I. TX TE learn hence, that there may be forrow for fin, V V and prayer to God, without reformation. The Ifraelites wept, and facrirlced unto the Lord, and prayed over it; but immediately after rebelled, and grew worfe than before. This is commonly feen among us ; perfons are melted under the word, impreiTed with a fenfe of fmy brought to tears of contrition, from the fear of hell or fome general fenfe of having provoked God. They offer many prayers for forgivenefs, and yet return to folly •, grow as bad, or worfe than before. But this is not that godly forrow which worketh repentance unto falvation. Let us, therefore, not think this fufficient. If the heart be truly broken for fin, it will be attended with a reformation of all that has been amifs. Let none deceive themfelves •, he that doeth righteoufnefs is righteous. 2. The folly and prefumption of the Ifraelites in turn- ing to ftrange gods, after all the miracles, warnings, and admonitions they had received, is very affecting. They had fome little fenfe of decency while their judges lived, but no good principles. How ftrange was their ftupidity in for- faking God and following idols ! But fuch is the nature of fin ; it hardens the hearts of men, and then, contrary to the remonftrances of God's word, and the convictions of confcience, they run headlong into ruin. The more we have {qqii and known of God, the more folemnly we have profeffed to obey him, the greater will our fname and guilt be if we forfake him. 3. It is juft in God to make thofe our torment and vexation, whom, by the neglect of our duty, we make our A a 3 friends 39o JUDGES. III. friends and aflbciates. God commanded Ifrael to root out the Canaanites, and to avoid their fociety •, but they would not hear \ therefore God left therh to fcourge and tyrannize over them. Thus, if men, inftead of mortifying their Juris and fubduing their corrupt paffions, will indulge them, allow them to live, and to govern them, God will give them up to their own hearts' lufts, and they will fuffer the dreadful confequences of their own neglect. He confults our eafe and happinefs in all his commands, and we mud not expect either if we neglect his commandments. In like manner, if thofe who have been warned and admonifhed will be the companions of fools, the aflbciates of wicked, worthlefs, idle men, they will certainly fuffer by it -, for they will become thorns in their eyes, wound them very fenfibly and very deeply, and prove a dangerous fnare to their fouls. Enter not therefore into the path of the wicked *, he that walketh with wife menfliall he wife, hut a companion of fools jh all he deftroyed* 4. The pity and kindnefs of God in railing up judges for Ifrael, is very remarkable and affecting Fie railed them up feveral judges, one after another, and did not fuf- fer them to be quite overcome by their enemies. Thofe judges (tho* Ifrael grew weary of their government) were great bleffngs to their nation. Let us acknowledge God's goodnefs to us, a flnful people, in giving us wife and good princes and judges, to whom we owe it that our land is not overrun with idolatry and all manner of wickednefs. Let us all mow, by the fobriety, juftice, and uiefulnefs of our lives, that we fear God as well as honour the king : and that weave fubjecl, not for wrath, or for fear of puniihment, but for ccnfciencefake. c 1: a p. in. In this chapter we have an account of the enemies which God left to prove Ifrael, and the mf chief they ccccfioned -, the deliverance of Ifrael from Chufhan-rifJjathaim by Othniel, the firft judge \ and f rem the Moabites by Ehud \ and the fuccefs of Shamgar againft the Philijlwes. i NOW JUDGES. III. 391 1 Tk T O W thefe [are] the nations which the Lord \ left, to prove Ifrael by them, [even] as many [of lfrael] as had not known all the wars of Canaan ; that were bornfince the wars, and had not fee n God's won- 2 derful works in the conqueft of Canaan, Only that the generations of the children of lfrael might know, to teach them war, at the lead: fuchas before knew nothing thereof -, that they might not be jluggifh and inaclive, hut keep up a martial fpirit, to fecure their conquefls, and drive 3 out the reft of the Canaanites •, [Namely,] five lords of the Philifiines •, e and all the Canaanites, and the Sidonians, and the Hivites that dwelt in mount Leba- non, from mount Baal-hermon unto the entering in of 4 Hamath. And they were to prove ifrael by them, to know whether they would hearken unto the command- ments of the Lob d, which he commanded their fathers by the hand of Mofes ; that their virtue might appear in not imitating that people, 5 And the children of Ifrael dwelt among the Canaan- ites, Hitrites, and Amorites, and Perizzites, and Hi- vites, and Jebufites •, they became familiar with, and 6 friendly to them : And they took their daughters to be their wives, and gave their daughters to their fons, and ferved their gods ; they formed alliances with them9 contrary to the command of Mofes, Exodus xxxiv. 1 6. Deut. vii. 5. and the confequence was, as Mofes foretold, 7 that they ferved their gods: And the children of lfrael did evil in the fight of the Lord, and forgat the Lord their God, and ferved Baalim and the groves. Theyfirft forgot God, then left his wcrfoip, and, at length, ferved the gods of their neighbours in groves confecrated to them, which were a kind of family temples, 8 Therefore the anger of the Lord was hot againfl: Ifrael, and he fold them into the hand of Chuihan- rifhathaim, king of Mefopotamia, a part of Syria which lay between the Tygris and Euphrates, and was Eaban's country : and the children of Ifrael ferved Chum an- rifhathaim eight years, and paid tribute to him, 'they then A a 4 began • Three of thefe lords had been conquered by Joihua, (Joshua xiii. 3.) but had recovered their country thro' the floth oi~ tae Ifraelites 392 JUDGES. III. 9 began to be weary of their yoke : And when the children of Ifrael cried unto the Lord, the Lord raifed up a deliverer to the children of Ifrael, who delivered them, [even] Othniel the fon of Kenaz, Caleb's younger bro- ther, of whom we read in JofJiua xv, 9. fo that it could not be long after Jofhua's death before they corrupted them- 10 f elves. And the Spirit of the Lord came upon him, an impulfe from God, to take upon him the government of the people, and lead them to battle, with extraordinary courage to vindicate their liberty, and eloquence to perfuade the peo- ple to return to God-, and he judged Ifrael, and went out to war : and the Lord delivered Chuman-rifhathaim king of Mefopotamia into his hand -, and his hand pre- X 1 vailed againft Chuman-riihathaim. And the land had reft forty years, or, to the fortieth year ; thai is, forty years after the fir ft reft obtained for them by Jofliua, the greateft part of which time was peaceable. And Othniel the fon of Kenaz died. 12 And the children of Ifrael did evil again in the fight of the Lord, which was greatly aggravated by its being fo foon repeated: and the Lord ftrengthened Eg- lon the king of Moab againft Ifrael, becaufe they had done evil in the fight of the Lord. He who ftirred up judges, ftirred up enemies, for the hearts of all men are in 13 his hand. And he gathered unto him the children of Amnion, and Amalek, his neighbours-, Amalek was Ifrael9 s eld enemy , and they went and fmote Ifrael, and pofTefTed the city of palm trees, a rich, fruitful vale, where Jericho once flood: here they fet a gar r if on to cut off the communication between the Ifraehtes and the two tribes and an half, to keep them in awe, and fecure a retreat over the fords of Jordan. 14 So the children of Ifrael ferved Eglon the king of Moab eighteen years: Jabin epprejfed them but eight years, v. 8. Eglon eighteen -, as their fins lyicreafed, fo did their punifh- 15 mmt. But when the children of Ifrael cried unto the Lord, the Lord raifed them up a deliverer, Ehud the fon ofGera a Benjamite, (that tribe being immediately op- preffed, and Jericho lying in it,) a man left handed : and by him the children of Ifrael fent a prefent unto Eglon the king of Moab; perhaps the ufual tribute, with fame additional JUDGES. III. 393 additional prefent, to conciliate his favour, and gain admit - 1 6 tance. But Ehud made him a dagger which had two edges, like a bayonet, of a cubit length, about half a yard, and he did gird it under his raiment upon his right thigh, that he might not be fuj peeled, and the 17 more eqfily draw it out. And he brought the prefent unto Eglon king of Moab : and Eglon was a very fat man, and therefore lefs able to refift, or to defend himfelf, 1 8 And when he had made an end to offer the prefent, he fent away the people that bare the prefent •, he went part of the way with his company, who were not informed of his 19 dejign. But he himfelf turned again from the quarries, or graven images, that [were] by Gilgal, and faid, I have a fecret errand, fome thing of conference that I muft deliver in private unto thee, O king : who faid, Keep filence. And all that ftood by him went out from him; he would not fuffer him to proceed till the fervants were with- 20 drawn + And Ehud came unto him, and he was fitting in a fummer parlour, which he had for himfelf alone, a cool chamber, where he ufed to retire in the heat of the day for private bufinefs, or to fieep, as is ufual in hot countries. And Ehud laid, I have a meffage from God unto thee; not from 'Jehovah, but God, which was a common name for the heathen deities, as fome apprehend. And he arofe out 2 1 of [his] feat, tofliow his regard to the meffage. And Ehud put forth his left hand, and took the dagger from his 22 right thigh, and thruft. it into his belly :f And the haft alfo went in after the blade, and the fat clofed upon the blade, fo that he could not draw the dagger out of his belly ; and 23 the dirt came out.g Then Ehud went forth through the porch, and fliut the doors of the parlour upon him, and locked them, he walked thro* the antichamber, where the guard ufed to fiand, or the people to receive audience, without f It was furprizing the guards fhould allow an enemy to be alone with the king ; but fuppoung that he was unarmed and lame, they apprehended no danger. & He died inllantly, before he had time to cry out. Ehud might have an extraordinary impulfe upon his mind to do this, and might be allured it was lawful and the will of God, and would fucceed ; but the;e are no inch impulfb now, and it is foliy and madnefs to pretend to them. 394 JUDGE S. III. without any marks of fear , and they fufpetled nothing. 24 When he was gone out, his fervants came ; and when they faw that, behold, the doors of the parlour [were] locked, they faid, Surely he covereth his feet in his fummer chamber, he is lain davn tofleep, at which time 25 efpecially they covered their feet, And they tarried till they were afhamed, could not tell what to fay or think ; fearing either to difturb him, or to he thought to neglecl him ; and they knocked, and, behold, he opened not the doors of the parlour •, therefore they took a key, and opened [them:] and, behold, their lord [was] fallen down 26 dead on the earth. And Ehud efcaped while they tar- ried, and pafTed beyond the quarries, and efcaped unto Seirath, a plain in Ephraim, beyond the borders of Benja- 27 min. And it came to pafs, when he was come, that he blew a trumpet in the mountain of Ephraim, and the children of Ifrael went down with him from the mount, and he before them ; he led Ifrael on to the attack, while 28 the Moabites were in conjufion. And he faid unto them, Follow after me : for the Lord hath delivered your ene- mies the Moabites into your hand. And they went down after him and took the fords of Jordan toward Moab, to prevent any efc aping, and fufTered not a man to pafs 29 over, to bring or carry intelligence. And they flew of Moab at that time about ten thoufand men, all lufty, and all men of valour •, and there efcaped not a man ; all theje were pojled about Jericho, and were the chief of his 30 forces, lufly, valiant men. So Moab was fubdued that day under the hand of Ifrael. And the land had reft fourfcore years, that is, to the end of the eightieth year after Othniel's death, as v. 11. 31 And after him was Shamgar the fonof Anath, which flew of the Philiftines fix hundred men with an ox goad : and he alfo delivered lfrael.h h This might probably be in Ehud's time ; the Philiitines might make an excurfion into- that part of the country where Shamgar lived; perhaps a fpirit of courage and irrength came upon him, as upon Othniel or Samibn, and ftizing his ox goad, v>hich in thoie countries were near eight feet long, with a ipike at cne end to gcad the ox, and a paddle or ipade at the other to clear the plough ; and, failing on them, he ilew fix hundred JUDGES. III. 395 REFLECTIONS. I. Tl[ 7 E fee in this chapter the benefit of afflictions, \ Y and the wifdom and goodnefs of God, in fuf- fering enemies and evils to furround us, in order to pro» mote and ftrengthen our virtue. God proved Ifrael by their enemies •, he brought them to repentance by fufTer- ings ; and then delivered them. Thus God deals with us ; he fends tribulations to awaken us, to prevent our growing fecure and carelefs, (a temper deftructive of every thing great and good,) and to excite our repentance and earneft cries to the Lord. Let us improve our afflictions to this purpofe, elfe God will punifh us worfe. The Ifraelites' firft flavery was eight years, and then eighteen. So God will deal with us. If lighter afflictions do not mend us, he will fend heavier, yet all with a merciful defign. 2. Thofe whom God raifes up for important fervice, he will qualify for and fucceed in it. The fpirit came upon Othniel and Ehud, and gave them fuccefs, however un- likely the means were. It is the fame to God to work by one inftrument as another: thus, the weak things of God con- found the mighty \ and in all thefe inflances he fecures the praile to himfeif. 3. The reverence with which Eglon rofe to receive a meffage from a god, fhames the irreverence of many chriftians. Tho' he was a king, in private, and unwieldy ; tho' he was a proud, tyrannical oppreffor \ yet he rofe to receive a meftage from a God, whom he knew not. It be- comes us to receive merTages from the true God, whom we profefs to know and fear, with the greater!: reverence of mind. The mefTages delivered to us from him are all kind and gracious, not intended to deflroy, but to fave us ; and therefore careleflhefs and difregard are highly unbecoming and provoking to him. 4. God never wants inftruments when he has work to do for his church and people. Shamgar was an honefr. farmer, at hundred men; perhaps his fervants afTifted him; and others might join him, tho' this was the only instrument they had. Thus God can fave by few as well as by many. 396 JUDGE S. IV. at the plough, and had no thought of being employed to be the deliverer of Ifrael, till God called him •, then, with his ox goad he flew fix hundred Philiflines. The fer* vants of God have no reafon to fear in the darker! fcenes, and amidfr. the greateft diftreiTes, for their redeemer is ftrong, the Lord of hqfts is his name : he will fome way or other plead his own caufe, and defeat and deftroy all his enemies ; happy ', therefore, are the people whofe God is the Lord. CHAP. IV. If his chapter gives an account of the oppreffion of Ifrael by Jabin, of their deliverance by Deborah and Barak ', and the death of Sifera, general of the hoft. 1 AND the children of Ifrael again did evil in the 2 ±\. fight of the Lord, when Ehud was dead. And the Lord fold them, delivered them for Jlaves, into the hand of Jabin king of Canaan, that reigned in Hazor, in the northern parts of Canaan, where the people gathered together and put them) c elves under his government : the city had been deftroyed (fie Jofhua xi. i o, a.)1 but it was now rebuilt and fortified. Jabin was a common name for their king, the captain of whofe hofl [was] Sifera, which dwelt in Harofheth of the Gentiles, a place near to Hazor. 3 And the children of Ifrael cried unto the Lord : for he had nine hundred chariots of iron, armed with fey thes -, and twenty years he mightily opprefled the children of Ifrael, laying them under a large tribute to fupport his forces, and flowing great hatred to them becaufe of their former viclories} 4 And Deborah, a prophetefs, the wife of Lapidoth,k fhe judged Ifrael at that time ; being a woman of eminent holinefs, prudence, and acquaintance with the law, fhe de~ 5 ter mined caufes and controverfies. And fhe dwelt under the 5 This was peculiarly grievous to Ifrael, becaufe Haroflieth was in the middle of the tribe of Naphtali ; no wonder then they cried unto the Lord. k Some think this was the name of her country, not of her huf- band, as no name of a man in Hebrew ends in oth. JUDGES. IV. 397 the palm tree of Deborah, between Ramah and Beth-el in mount Ephraim \ fhe fat there to adminifter juftice : and the children of Ifrael came up to her for judgment. 6 And fhe fent and called Barak the fon of Abinoam out of Kedefn-naphtali •, fo called* t° diftinguifh it from another city of that name * Barak had probably diftingvJJhed himfelf by fame exploit * and (he faid unto him, Hath not the Lord God of Ifrael commanded,1 [faying,] Go and draw toward mount Tabor, and take with thee ten thoufand men of the children of Naphtali and of the 7 children of Zebulun ? And I will draw unto thee to the river Kifhon, by myfecret but powerful providence* Sifera the captain of Jabin's army, with his chariots and his multitude-, and I' will deliver him into thine hand-, ihd* thou haft but few* and he has many* yet I ajfure thee offuc- cefs * and his coming to Kifhon* which river ran at the foot 8 of Tabor, fid all be afign to confirm thy faith. And yet it fieemed to waver* for Barak faid unto her, If thou wilt go with me, then I will go : but if thou wilt not go with me, [then] I will not go ; he was unwilling to venture 9 without her pre fence* counfel* and prayers. And fhe faid, I will furely go with thee : notwithstanding the journey that thou taken: mail not be for thine honour •, for the Lord mall fell Sifera into the hand of a woman. And Deborah arofe, and went with Barak to Kedefli : with heroic courage fhe went with him to his city to raife forces, and* by her prefence* roufed and animated his men* 10 And Barak called Zebulun and Naphtali to Kedefh, where he proclaimed God's intention and his own com?niffion -> and he went up to mount Tabor with ten thoufand men at his feet; fome from the other tribes joined him or followed him* but they were all foot foldiers* and a contemptible hand- ful in comparifon with Jabin's chariots and army : and 1 1 Deborah went up with him. Now Heber the Kenite, [which was] of the children of Hobab the father in law of Mofes, had fevered himfelf from the Kenites, and pitched his tent unto the plain of Zaanaim, which [is] by Kedefh. This is mentioned here to make way for the fiory 1 Perhaps in feme vi/ion, or by an angel appearing to her ; fee chap. v. 23. 39» JUDGES. TV. ftory at the clofe of the chapter. They had removed from the wildemefs of Judah, (fee ch. i. 16.) for what reafon does not appear, to the plain near Kedefh, where they dwelt in 12 tents, under the protection of that city. And they (not the Kenites, but fame other perfons) lhowed Sifera that Barak 13 the Ton of Abinoam was gone up to mount Tabor, And Sifera gathered together all his chariots, [even] nine hundred chariots of iron;"1 and all the people that [were] with him, from Harofheth of the Gentiles unto the river of Kim on ; a vaft multitude, with which they thought to fur round, or fhut up and far ve Barak and his men in the mountains : they never thought he would dare to 1 1 come down and attack them in the plain. And Deborah faid unto Barak, Up •, for this [is] the day in which the'LoRD hath delivered Sifera into thine hand: is not the Lord gone out before thee, as general, to fight for thee againft thine enemies ? So Barak went down from mount Tabor, and ten thoufand men after him, firong in faith, and trufting in God-, therefore the apoftle cele- 15 brat es him, Htb. xi. $2. And the Lord difcomfited Sifera, probably with thunder, lightning, hail-ftones, and the like, as appears from the next chapter, and all [his] chariots, and all [his] hoft with the edge of the fword, before Barak -, they were broken and difperfcd, trampled upon by their own horfes, and cut to pieces by their own chariots-, fo that Sifera lighted down off [his] chariot, 16 and fled away on his feet. But Barak purfued after the chariots, and after the hoft unto Harofheth of the Gentiles, to the very gates of their own city; and all the hoft of Sifera f^ll upon the edge of the fword; [and] there was not a man left in the field, to make rcfifiance ; fo complete was the victory, that the Pfalmift, when praying againft the enemies of the church, refers to it, Pfalm Ixxxiii. 9, 10. 17 i iowbeit, Sifera fled away on his feet to the tent of Jael the wire of Heber the Kenite. Heber's was a con- fiderable family, like Abrahams ; the women had tents for them- m Tbefe chariots were armed with fcythes at the axle trees, which would make a prodigious {laughter among the footmen. Such were uled among the antient Britons. JUDGES. IV. 399 ihemfelves -, and Si/era thought no fearch would be made for him there : for [there was] peace between Jabin the king of Hazor and the houfe of Heber the Kenite, a cejjation ofhofiility, becaufe they were a peaceable people, and laid no 1 8 claim to the land, being only foj owners. And Jael went out to meet Sifera, and faid unto him, Turn in, my lord, turn in to me-, fear not; fianding at her tent door, fhe faw him flying and invited him in, and at that time probably had no intention of doing him an injury. And when he had turned in unto her into the tent, me covered him 19 with a mantle, a rug, or blanket, to conceal him. And he faid unto her, Give me, I pray thee, a little water to drink •, for I am thirfty. And me opened a bottle of rnilk with the cream on it, or butter, as appears ch. v. 25. and gave him drink, and covered him-, which fnowed her 20 refpeSf, and increafed his confidence in her. Again he faid unto her, Stand in the door of the tent, and it mail be when any man doth come and enquire of thee, and fay, \ Is there any man here? that thou malt fay, No. She did not proynife this -, and feeing him f aft ajleep, afudden thought darted into her mind, that Jhe had a fair opportunity of avenging Ifrael, of rewarding their kindnefs to her and her anceftors, and deftroying a tyrannical op pre (for -, andflie didfo. 21 Then Jael Heber's wife took a nail of the tent, a ftake or fpike, by which the tent was faftened to the ground, per- haps pointed with iron, and took an hammer in her hand, and went foftly unto him, and fmote the nail into his temples, and faftened it into the ground : for he was faft afleep and weary. So he died. This was an evident breach of the laws of hofpitality, and an atlion not to be imitated by us \ how far Jhe was to be excufedin the fight of God by fome fecret impulfe. on her mind, he is the only judge, 22 And, behold, as Barak purfued Sifera, Jael came out to meet him, and faid unto him, Come, and I will mow thee the man whom thou feekeft. And when he came into her [tent,] behold, Sifera lay dead, and the nail [was] in his temples. 'Thus he faw Deborah's pro- phecy, v. 9. fulfilled j and that Sifera fell by the hand of a 23 woman. So God fubdued on that day Jabin the king of Canaan before the children of Ifrael, who purfued their 4oo JUDGES. IV. 24 their victory. And the hand of the children of Ifrael profpered, and prevailed againft Jabin the king of Canaan, until they had deftroyed Jabin king of Ca- naan and his forces, his people and city, which was the utter ruin of his kingdom : fo that we no more hear of any king of Canaan, nor were they able to opprefs Ifrael any more, REFLECTIONS. I. t'W i H E corruption of Ifrael during the long peace they enjoyed, mould be a caution to us. They had reft fixty years ; bat abufed their peace, forgot God, and grew proud and wanton. Let us fear, left this fhould be our cafe -, and be careful, left our peace and plenty make us thoughtlefs and giddy, and lead us to neglect God and our duty : if it does [o, we muft expect that he will raife us up troubles and enemies -, we fhall forfeit his protection and care, and expofe ourfelves to every evil and danger. Let us pray that when the church has reft it may be edified, 2* How eafily can God difappoint men in thofe very- things in which they place their confidence ! What a figure does Sifera make with nine hundred chariots, and, as Jo- sephus fays, three hundred thousand horfemen ! Undoubt- edly he looked with contempt on the poor Israelites, becaufe they were on foot : but he was glad to fly on foot himfelf, after he had (em the deftruction of his forces. Thus can God, with infinite eaie, difappoint thofe hopes which are formed without him, and contrary to his will ; nay, Who ever trufled in any earthly thing without difappointment ? What a figure on the other hand, does this mighty general make in jael's tent, when nailed to the ground ! the ft out hearted fill into a deep everlafting fleep -, he dies, in this con- temptible manner, by the hand of a woman. What an affecting lefTon of the vanity of human greatnefs, and the uncertainty of human life ! Danger is often near, when leaft expected, and where we imagine the greateft fecurity to be ; let not the ftrong man glory in his ftrength. 3. When we are engaged in work which is pleafing to God, we fhould be courageous and cheerful. Up, fays Deborah, is not J U D G E S. V. 401 not the Lord gone out before thee ? If we have a divine warrant for what we do, we need not be afraid of any enemy nor any danger. Greater is he that is with us, than all thofe who are againft us. Let us adhere to God and our duty, and purfue it with the greateft zeal; and may his promife ani- mate us to refolution and difpatch in all the work we have to do, efpecially in the work of religion •, then may we boldly fay, The Lord is our helper, therefore will we not fear. CHAP. V. i— 18. This chapter contains the fong of Deborah, one of the fineft pieces of poetry any where to be found. It was then ufual to celebrate victories by triumphant fongs, to engage attention, to help the memory, and to convey infirucfion. This opens with beautiful grandeur. i ^Tp HEN fang Deborah and Barak11 the fon of 2 X Abinoam on that day, faying, Praife ye the Lord for the avenging of Ifrael, for punifhing their ene- mies for all the wrong they have done to them, when the people willingly offered themfelves, cheerfully came to- gether to fome grand feftival to celebrate this vitlory, and 3 give God the glory of it. Hear, O ye kings-, give ear, O ye princes, and know that the God of Ifrael is fuperior to your idols, and able to deliver and defend his people', I, [even] I, will fing unto the Lord •, I will fing [praife] to the 4 Lord God of Ifrael. Lord, when thou wenteft out of Seir, when thou marchedft out of the field of Edom, then thou didft great wonders, deflroyedft Sihon and Og\ then the earth trembled, and the heavens dropped, the clouds alfo dropped water; a poetical phrafe to exprefs the great confternation they were in. She then mentions a more antient 5 appearance of God, at Sinai -, when The mountains melted from before the Lord, [even] that Sinai from before the Lord God of Ifrael. The following verfes defcribe the Vol. II. B b melancholy n Deborah the prophetefs compofed the fong, and Barak, as chief commander, ordered it to be fung in the aflembly of the elders, and afterwards to be difperfed among the people. 402 JUDGE S. V. 6 melancholy condition they were in before this time ♦, In the days of Shamgar the fon of Arnath, in the days of Jael, the highways were unoccupied, and the travellers walk- ed through by-ways •, there was no trading or travelling by reafon of Jabirfs forces, who robbed and plundered all they 7 met. [The inhabitants of] the villages ceafed, they ceafed in Ifrael, were obliged to fly to fortified towns, and leave the ground uncultivated, until that I Deborah arofe, that I arofe a mother in Ifrael, a prophetefs, to inftrucl 8 and take care of them with tender affeftion. They chofe new gods ; then [was] war in the gates •, the enemy pur- fued them to the very gates, and put a flop to the courts of j ufi ice, which were held there : was there a fliield or fpear feen among forty thoufand in Ifrael ? They were either difarmed, as i Sam. xiii. 19 — 22, or they were fo dif- 9 pirited as not to ufe them. My heart [is] toward the governors of Ifrael, that offered themfelves willingly among the people ; I feel great eft e em for the chief leaders of Zebulun and Naphtali, who by their example animated others. Blefs ye the Lord, who excited them to do fo. 10 Speak, ye that ride on white afTes, governors and perfons of rank, who rode on beautiful affes, which were large, hand- fome, and valuable creatures : and ye that fit in judgment -9 judges who fit in the gate, and merchants and travellers who walk by the way *, lei the highefi and the loweft of the peo- ple, who all dwell now in fafety, fpeak to the Lord, andfpeak 11 to one another of his wondrous works. [They that are de- livered] from the noife of archers in the places of draw- ing water, fhepherds, who could not water their flocks with* out fkowers of arrows from enemies hid in the rocks or thickets -, there mail they rehearfe the righteous acts of the Lord, [even] the righteous acts [toward the in- habitants] of his villages in Ifrael ; not theatls of Deborah or Barak, but of Jehovah, the author of all : then fhall the people of the Lord go down to the gates, where juflice, equity, and regularity are maintained-, they fhall go out and 12 come invjithout danger.- Awake, awake, Deborah : awake, awake, utter a fong •, /he flirs up her f elf to celebrate this great deliverance with all her powers ; and calls upon Barak, faying, Arife, Barak, and lead thy captivity captive, thou fon JUDGES. V; 403 foil of Abinoam, thou who haft led thofe captive to the houfe of God, (where this viclory was celebrated) who had 13 led Ifrael captive. Then he made him that remaineth, the J mall remains ofopprejfed Ifrael, to have dominion over the nobles among the people, the heathen their adverfaries : the Lord made rrie have dominion over the mighty •, Jhe affifted by her counfel and encouragement, and therefore fhared in the honours and triumphs of the day. She then proceeds to 14 mention the parties concerned. Out of Ephraim [was there] a root of them againft Amalek •, a fmall party of Ephraimites cut off a large party of Amalekites, who were going to ajjift Sifera •, after thee, Benjamin, among thy people, fhallbe celebrated for their numbers, zeal, andrea- dinefs in this bufinefs ; out of Machir came down gover- nors ; that is, out of the half tribe of Manajfeh, Machir being one of his f on s, there came fuch as were magifi rates in their country, and commanders in the army ; and out of Zebulun they that handle the pen of the writer, ftudious perfons, who, tho9 never bred up to military employment, yet 15 now betook themfelves to their arms. And the princes of Iflachar [were] with Deborah ; even IfTachar, and alfo Barak : he was fent on foot into the valley •, their princes and people went with Barak on foot into the valley, to attack the horfes and chariots, and expofed themfelves to great hazards. For the divifions of Reuben, their differences among themfelves, fo that they could not agree to join to- gether and affift their brethren againft the common enemyy [there were] great thoughts of heart, fad trouble of mind among the Israelites, to fee themfelves defer ted by fo great 16 and potent a tribe as Reuben was. Why abodeft thou among the fheepfolds, to hear the bleatings of the flocks ? They were more affecled by the bleatings of the flocks than the groanings and complaints of their brethren \ pretend- ing to take care of their cattle left they fhould be plundered : a poor excufe in fuch a cafe : for the divifions of Reuben [there were] great fearchings of heart, many enquiries what could be the reafon ; great concern to fee their brethren fo divided, and fuch a number more anxious about their beafts 17 than their religion and liberty. Gilead abode beyond Jor- dan, that is, the other half tribe of Manaffeh, and thought B b 2 they 4o4 JUDGES, V. they had no concern in the matter \ and why did Dan re- main in fhips, minding their merchandize, and 'not helping tlieir brethren ? A flier continued on the Tea fhore, and abode in his breaches, cr creeks, more concerned about 1 8 their private affairs than the publick good. Zebulun and Naphtali [were] a people [that] jeoparded their lives unto the death in the high places of the field, that is, in mount Tabor : thefe tribes were moft oppreffed, and mofi aftive aifd unanimous -, they feared neither danger nor re- proach -, and tho* but a few, ventured their lives and their fortunes againft this great army. Nothing isfaid of Judah and Simeon, as they lay too far fouth to come. REFLECTIONS. I. "W J E may learn hence, how reafonable and proper \\ it is to celebrate God's praifes, when he has wrought out deliverance for us. The defign of the whole of this composition is to magnify the God of Ifrael, and to keep 'up the remembrance of his wonderful works. Our hearts mould always be in tune for this, as he is every day doing us good-, and particularly when he hath appeared for us in an extraordinary manner ; we fliould then praife him with our whole heart. Awake up, my glory, fays David. We mould call upon our fouls, and all that is within us, to join in this important, neceflary, and delightful work. Efpecially fhould we praife God for our national peace. The deferip- tion of Ifrael's calamity when under oppreflion, fhould make us thankful that it is not our's, that we have peace in all our borders, that we enjoy our civil and religious liber- ties, and that our enemies have been again and again van- quished by us. On thefe accounts we fhould call on our fouls to blefs the Lord, and not forget any of his benefits. We fhould frequently rehearfe thefe mighty acts of the Lord, and give praife to the God of Ifrael. Former and later de- liverances claim our regard. To thefe we owe it that our merchants and tradefmen purfue their occupations in fafety, that the high road is occupied, that our villages flourifh, and enjoy the fruit of honeft labour without fear ; efpecially that we can go up to the houfe of the Lord, to fee his beauty, and to JUDGES. V.1 405 to enquire in his temple. Let us take care to keep up the memory of God's great goodnefs-, think of former appear- ances, and favours of later date ; and tell the generation to come, that they alfo may know the righteoufnefs of the Lord. 2. Divifions, and indifference to good and publick fer- vices, are very unbecoming true Ifraelites, and grievous to every pious and generous mind. This was the cafe with the Reubenites and the other tribes •, their affections were alienated from their brethren , they had loft their zeal for God, and concern for the publick intereft : a cafe that too commonly occurs. Iniquity abounds, and the love of many waxes cold. The love of eafe, the fear of trouble, too great a regard to the interefts of this world, the care of their eftates, or of their flocks, engage men's attention, and indifpofe them for active fervices in God's caufe and honour. Many do not care what becomes of the church of God, if they can but get money and live at eafe. It is melancholy to fee men, who are bound by the fame ties, and ought to purfue the fame common intereft, fo divided among themfelves, as rather to fuffer the common enemy of religion to triumph, than unite together in a noble de- fence. This is often the cafe in publick affairs ; and alfo in chriftian focieties ; yea, in concerns of fuch importance, as ought to banifh entirely every diftinguifhing name, and animate all to zeal and activity. When thefe cafes happen, they make a generous impreflion on the minds of godly men. Every fincere heart is grieved at the lukewarmnefs and indifference of his fellow- chriftians. Let us guard againft thefe things, cultivate a generous, publick fpirit, be willing to give up our own trifling concerns for the intereft of God's church and people, and join hearts and hands to promote it. CHAP. V. 19, to the end. In which Deborah celebrates the viclory itfelf, and afcribes all the praife to God-, /lie then defcribes the deflruclion of Si/era, and the difappointment of his friends, in a very poetical and B b 3 beautiful 406 J U D G E S V. beautiful manner -, and concludes the chapter as much like a prophetefs as a poet> with a devout wifh and prayer addrefjed to Jehovah. 19 ^ I ^ HE kings came [and] fought, they were more JL ready to ajfifi one another than the tribes of Ifrael were ; then fought the kings of Canaan in Taanach by the waters of Megiddo •, they took no gain of money, they came not out of a mercenary difpofition, hut out of friendfhip to one another and enmity to Cod's people , a vaft army, that filled the country and reached to the waters of 20 Megiddo. They fought from heaven •, the ftars in their courfes fought againft Sifera •, Jehovah was on Ifrael'* fide\ dreadful meteors, fierce fiafhes of lightning, impetuous ftorms of hail and rain, affrighted the enemy's horfesy over- 2 1 threw their chariots, and turned them again/} Sifera. The river of Kifhon fwept them away, that antient river, the river Kifhon, fwelled by the rains, prevented their flight, or fwept many away who were wounded in battle : O my foul, thou haft trodden down ftrength ; probably alluding to the prayer fhe had offered in the time of aclion^ which had the fame effecl as the lifting up of Mofes' hands 22 in the war with Amalek. Then were the horfe hoofs broken by the means of the prancings, tramplings, or plungings among the fiones, the prancings of their mighty ones, their b(fi horfes, who threw their riders and left them a prey to Ifrael9 s fword. In the midfl of this de- fcription of the viclory fhe introduces a folemn execration. 23 Curfe ye Meroz, faid the angel of the Lord, curfe ye bitterly the inhabitants thereof; becaufe they came not to the help of the Lord, to the help of the Lord againft 24 the mighty.0 Blefied above women mall Jael the wife of Heber the Kenite be, blefied fhall fhe be above women in the tent -, Jlie fliall be highly extolled and applauded, and many blejjings wifhed to her by all Ifrael for what fhe did to Sifera p Meroz was probably a large city near the field of battle ; the inhabitants of which would not affift Ifrael in the action or pur- fuit, tho' it was a common caufe, and undertaken by divine com- miliion ; therefore the angel who commanded Deborah to cornmiflion Barak, ordered her to curfe Meroz; which place dwindled and periihed under the curfe of God -, for we do not read of it any more. JUDGES. V. 407 25 Si/era in the tent. He afked water, [and] fhe gave [him] milk -, that he might not fufpecl her defign, fhe brought forth butter in a lordly dim, or bowl, fuitable to his 26 dignity. She put her hand to the nail, and her right hand to the workmen's hammer; and with the hammer fhe fmote Sifera, fhe fmote off his head with his own /wordy when fhe had pierced and ftricken through his 27 temples. At her feet he bowed, he fell, he lay down : at her feet he bowed, he fell : where he bowed, there he fell down dead. An elegant defcription of a man who has received a mortal wound, at the firft ftroke he attempt- ed to rife ; hut, being funned, he bowed, he fell, he lay 28 down: he ftruggled, he fell, he died. The mother of Sifera looked out at a window, and cried through the lattice, jure of his fuccefs and impatient at his delay, Why [is] his chariot [fo] long in coming ? why tarry the wheels of his chariots ? She thought it would be an eafy conqueft, and wondered what could detain him fo long. 29 Her wife ladies anfwered her, and endeavoured to cheer her fpirits-, yea, fhe returned anfwer to herfelf, her hopes 30 got the better of her fears, and fhe faid, Have they not fped ? have they [not] divided the prey ? they havefurely obtained the viftory, and fo cannot come fo foon, but muft have fome time allowed to divide the fpoil -, to every man a damfel [or] two ; to Sifera a prey of divers colours, a prey of divers colours of needle work, of divers colours Qf needle work on both fides, [meet] for the necks of [them that take] the fpoil ? Only ft for great perfons, and by the antient laws refrained to them -, fpoils and prefents fit 3 1 for her and her wife ladies. So let all thine enemies perifh O Lord; fo fuddenly, effeclually, fliamefully, and irre- coverably -, but [let] them that love him [be] as the fun when he goeth forth in his might ; let them increafe in luftre, power, and force, like the fun going forth to its me- ridian fir ength and brightnefs. And the land had reft forty years, that is, from the conqueft ofjabin.9 B b 4 REFLECT- F Thus concludes this charming composition; and, we may add, in the words of an antient commentator, ' ]et Homer and Virgil go now and compare their poetry with this fong of a woman.' 4o8 JUDGE S. V, REFLECTIONS. I. XI J E obferved in the laft chapter the vanity of fel£- VV confidence, in the cafe of Sifera. It may be ufeful here, to reflect on the vanity of trufting to others, or expecting too much from them, as illuftrated in the circum- ftances of his mother. She was confident he would be fuq- cefsful, return home with wealth and honour, and enrich his friends and relations ; but her hope was turned into ihame, and her confidence into difappointment. And fo it may be with us, if we expect too much from man. The race is not to the fwift, nor the battle to the ftrong. It is good to guard againft confidence, even in the wifeft and moft potent of the children of men. But God is a Being in whom we may confide, every way equal to our wifhes and expectations •, and he will never difappoint us. Trufl. ye in the Lord for ever, for in the Lord Jehovah is everlafting firength. Let us ajfo rejoice and truft in Chrift Jefus •, he :s the captain of our falvation. He will come again victorious, to he admired in his faints, to enrich and reward all his faith- ful fervants, Toward his fecond appearance may we direct: our believing thoughts, and fay, Why are his chariots fo long in coming ? Why tarry the wheels of his chariots? 2. The enemies of God havereafon to tremble, and all his friends to rejoice : this was Deborah's conclufion, let it be fo, that is, it fhall be fo. The prayer of a prophet is the prediction of heaven. All the enemies of God's church, however powerful and terrible, mail be deftroyed •, and we may without a revengeful difpofition pray that their fchemes may be difappointed, and their counfels baffled. It is pe- culiarly proper to do this when celebrating former deliver- ances \ let all the enemies of God's church be like thofe, from whofe power and hand God hath often delivered the. Britifh church and nation. But let all his friends rejoice ; for they fJiall be as the fun when he goeth forth in his might. All that love God, that feek him, and ferve his intereft, mail appear great and illuftrious in the fight of the world \ they mail be growing in luftrei their path fhall be like the fhining JUDGES. VI. 409 Jhining light* And after they have ferved God and their generation in this world, they Jhall for everjhine forth as the fun in the kingdom of their father, ; CHAP. VI. fhis chapter contains an account of Ifrael's fourth opprejfion by the Midianites, and of their deliverance by Gideon, the fourth of their judges. • 1 AND the children of Ifrael did evil in the fight of XY. tne Lord ; afiw the death of Deborah and Barak they fell into idolatry, (fee v. 10.) and the Lord delivered 2 them into the hand of Midian feven years.q And the hand of Midian prevailed againft Ifrael : [and] becaufe of the Midianites the children of Ifrael made them the dens which [are] in the mountains, and caves, and ftrong holds, to fecure themf elves and their families, and 3 their cattle from being plundered by them. And [fo] it was, when Ifrael had fown, that the Midianites came up, and the Amalekites, and the children of the eaft, pro- bably Arabians, even they came up againft them, when 4 the harveft was nearly ripe ; And they encamped againft them, and deftroyed the increafe of the earth, till thou come unto Gaza, and left no fuftenance for Ifrael, nei- 5 ther fheep, nor ox, nor afs. For they came up with their cattle and their tents/ and they came as grafT- hoppers, or locufts, for multitude -, [for] both they and their camels were without number : and they entered 6 into the land to deftroy it. And Ifrael was greatly im- poverifhed becaufe of the Midianites and their con- federates, 1 Thefe were a contemptible people, who had no head ; they were almoft entirely deftroyed about two hundred years before, fee Numb. xxxi. Tho' defcended from Abraham, they were great enemies to Ifrael, and full of revenge. r The Arabians efpecially did fo ; they lived in tents, and re- moved from place to place for paflure, till they had ate up the country, and then removed. Thefe came up like locufts for mul- titude, and deftroyed every thing before them. 4io JUDGE S. VI. federates, being obliged to part with their money to buy corn-, and the children of Ifrael cried unto the Lord. 7 And it came to pafs when the children of Ifrael cried 8 unto the Lord becaufe of the Midianites, That the Lord fent a prophet unto the children of Ifrael, proba* bly when met together at fome of their publick feflivals, which faid unto them, Thus faith the Lord God of Ifrael, 1 brought you up from Egypt, and brought 9 you forth out of the houfe of bondage ; And I deliver- ed you out of the hand of the Egyptians who purfued you, and out of the hand of all that opprefTed you, and drave them out from before you, even the Canaan- 10 ites, and gave you their land ; And I faid unto you, I [am] the Lord your God , fear not the gods of the Amorites, in whofe land ye dwell •, do not ferve tkem9 nor thro9 fear be tempted to worfliip them , but ye have not obeyed my voice. He probably faid much more, but this was the fubfiance, and it had a good effetl , the people humbled themfelves, and repented, and God appeared for them. 11 And there came an angel of the Lord, and fat under an oak which [was] in Ophrah, that [pertained] unto Joafh the Abi-ezrite*, he appeared in the form of a weary traveller, f J ting under an oak belonging to Joafh, who was a worfhipper of Baal: and his fon Gideon threfhed wheat by the wine prefs, to hide [it] from the Midian- 12 ites. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto him, and faid unto him, The Lord [is] with thee, thou mighty man of valour. Gideon perhaps was thinking of the oppreffwn of Ifrael, revolving in his mind what could be done to deliver them , and the angel afjured him of God's pre- 1 3 fence and help. And Gideon faid unto him, Oh, my Lord, if the Lord be with us, why then is all this befallen us ? and where [be] all his miracles which our fathers told us of, faying, Did not the Lord bring us up from E- gypt ? but now the Lord hath forfaken us, and de- livered us into the hands of the Midianites; our melan- 14 choly condition flwws that God is not with us. And the Lord looked upon him •, that is, the angel, God's repre- fentative, looked upon him in a powerful, efficacious manner, fi. JUDGES. VI. 411 Jb as to infpire him with courage? and endow him with authority? and faid, Go in this thy might, now beftowed upon thee, and thou (halt fave Ifrael from the hand of the Midianites : have not I fent thee ? have I not given 15 thee commiffion? therefore make no ex cufes nor delays. And he faid unto him, Oh my Lord wherewith fhall I fave Ifrael? behold, my family [is] poor in ManafTeh, and I [am] the lead in my father's houfe-, with great modefty and diffidence declining the commiffion, his family, or tribe, 1 6 being poor? and he having no means to raife forces. And the Lord faid unto him, Surely I will be with thee, and thou malt fmite the Midianites as one man, dejiroy them to a man , as he did, ch. viii. J 7 And he faid unto him, If now I have found grace in thy fight, then mow. me a fign that thou talked with me, by authority from God ? and that I may be affured it is a divine commiffion: a reafunable and proper requeft. j 8 Depart not hence, I pray thee, until I come unto thee, and bring forth my prefent, a meat offering? and fet [it] before thee, as Abraham and Lot did: and the angel condefc ended to his requeft? and he faid, I will tarry 19 until thou come again. And Gideon went in, and made ready a kid, and unleavened cakes of an ephah of flour : the flefh he put in a bafket, and he put the broth in a pot, and brought [it] out unto him under the oak, and prefented [it,] as a token of refpecl? and to accommodate him in his journey \ ftill taking him to be only 20 a prophet. And the angel of God faid unto him, Take the flefh and the unleavened cakes, and lay [them] upon this rock, and pour out the broth. And he did fo*, however ftrange the order might appear? he obeyed, 21 Then the angel of the Lord put forth the end of the ftaff that [was] in his hand, and touched the flefh and the unleavened cakes , and there rofe up fire out of the rock, and confumed the flefh and the unleavened cakes. Then the angel of the Lord departed out of 22 his fight , he afcended in the fmoke thereof. And when Gideon perceived that he [was] an angel of the Lord, Gideon faid, Alas, O Lord God ! for becaufe I have feen an angel of the Lord face to face. Thefe are evidently 4i2 JUDGES. vVL evidently the words of a man quite farprized : fo Jacob and 23 Manoah expreffed them/elves. And the Lord laid unto him, in an audible voice ', Peace [be] unto thee •, fear not : thou malt not die -, 1 am ftill with thee \ fear no 24 harm, but expecl all good, andfuccefs. Then Gideon built an altar there unto the Lord, and called it Jehovah- fhalom, The Lord fend peace : unto this day it [is] yet in Ophrah of the Abi-ezrites. // was not built for facrifice, but as a memorial of this vifion, and of God's fpeaking peace to him and his people -, and it continued till the time this book was written. 25 And it came to pafs the fame night, that the Lord faid unto him, in a dream or vifion, Take thy father's young bullock, even the fecond bullock of feven years old, which was fet apart to be facrificed to Baal in the fecond place, and throw down the altar of Baal that thy father hath built for publick ufe, and cut down the grove 26 that [is] by it, where the image was placed: And build an altar unto the Lord thy God upon the top of this rock, where the angel appeared, in the ordered place, or, in an orderly manner, as Mofes commanded^ and take the fecond bullock, and offer a burnt facrifice with the wood of the grove which thou fhalt cut down ; a very extraordinary command, as Gideon was. no prieft. 27 Then Gideon took ten men of his fervants, faithful men, in whom he could confide, and did as the Lord had faid unto him : and [fo] it was, becaufe he feared his father's houfehold, and the men of the city, that he could not do [it] by day, that he did [it] by night, left a tumult fhould be raifed, and hinder him from doing it \ this was a bold undertaking, and Jhowed great faith and courage, 28 And when the men of the city arofe early in the morning, and came to worfhip, before they went to their work, behold, the altar of Baal was caft down, and the grove was cut down that [was] by it, and the fecond bullock was offered upon the altar [that was] built, the 29 flefh of it was not quite confumed. And they faid one to another, Who hath done this thing ? And when they enquired, and afked, they faid, Gideon the fon of Joafh hath JUDGES. VI. 413 hath done this thing : knowing him to be an enemy to their 30 idolatry, they fufpecled him fir ft. Then the men of the city faid unto Joafh, who was the chief ' magifir 'ate there. Bring out thy (on, that he may die, without any trial: becaufe he hath caft down the altar of Baal, and becaufe he hath cut down the grove that [was] by it. // is probable that Gideon had before this informed his father of his commiffion, which convinced him of his miftake, as 3 1 appears in the next verfe. And Joafh faid unto all that flood againtl him, Will ye plead for Baal ? will ye fave him ? it is none of your bufinefs to inflicl puniJJiments for crimes -, he that will plead for them, let him be put to death whilft [it is yet] morning; he who will plead for fuch a god as this, for worfhipping whom ye now fuffer fuch calamities, deferves to die inftantly : if he [be] a god, let him plead for himfelf, becaufe [one] hath caM: down his altar •, he probably faid a great deal more, but this was the 32 fubftance of it. Therefore on that day he, that is, Joaffi, called him, that is, Gideon, Jerubbaal, or, Baal's adver- fary, faying, Let Baal plead againft him, becaufe he hath thrown down his altar •, let Baal look to himfelf, and do his worft. 33 Then all the Midianites and the Amalekites and the children of the eaft were gathered together, and went over Jordan, and pitched in the valley of Jesreel, as they were ufed to do every year, in order to ravage and 34 eat up the produce of the country. But the Spirit of the Lord came upon Gideon, a fpirit of wifdom, courage, and zeal-, and he blew a trumpet •, and Abi-ezer was 35 gathered after him. And he fent mefTengers through- out all ManafTeh; who alfo was gathered after him; and he fent mefTengers unto Afher, and unto Zebulun, and unto Naphtali ; and they came up to meet them ; God ftirred up their hearts to come to him. 36 And Gideon, who wanted to know whether this was the proper time, and to convince the affembled Ifraelites of his divine commiffwi, faid unto God, If thou wilt fave Ifrael 37 by mine hand, as thou haft faid, Behold, I will put a fleece of wool in the floor ; [and] if the dew be on the .fleece only, and [it be] dry upon all the earth [be- fides,] 414 JUDGES. VL fides, J then fhall I know that thou wilt fave Ifrael by 38 mine hand, as thou haft faid. And it was fo: for he rofe up early on the morrow, and thruft the fleece to- gether, and wringed the dew out of the fleece, a bowl 39 full of water. And Gideon, to convince Ifrael that this was a realfign from God, dejired it might be inverted ; but as this might look like diffidence, he made an humble apology, and faid unto God, Let not thine anger be hot againft me, and I will fpeak but this once : let me prove, I pray thee, but this once with the fleece ; let it now be dry only upon the fleece, and upon all the ground let 40 there be dew. And God did fo that night : for it was dry upon the fleece only, and there was dew on all the ground. REFLECTIONS. 1. /t GENEROUS folicitude for the good of others, is X\ highly becoming a true Ifraelite. Gideon's head and heart were full of concern for opprefled Ifrael, and therefore the angel faluted him. He put himfelf among the reft ; if the Lord be with us. He had no comfort while Ifrael was in forrow ; he was chiefly concerned for the pub- lick intereft, and could take no fatisfaction in any meffage, while Ifrael was opprefled. Let us thus cultivate a concern for the publick good, and efteem the welfare of Jerufalem as our chief joy. 2. Thofe that would promote reformation, muft begin at home. This is God's direction to Gideon ; to take down his family altar ; for others would not regard his remon- ftrances while Joafti's altar flood •, this is a good model for parents, mafters, and minifters. Would they make their children, fervants and people, wife and good, let them be cautious and watchful, and remove every thing that would be a reproach to them. Would we be rid of affliction, and ferviceable to others, let us confider what idolatrous altars and groves are in our hearts and houfes, and down with them •, then we may exhort others with a good grace, and hope for fuccefs. 3. We here fee the great condefcenflon of God to the weaknefs JUDGES. VII. 415 weaknefs of his fervants. The angel, inftead of chiding Gideon for his doubts and fears, looked favourably upon him, gave him another and another fign, comforted his terrified heart, and ftrengthened his weak faith. Thus gracioufly does God deal with his fervants •, he breaks not the bruifed reed, but pities their infirmities, and takes a variety of methods to give the heirs of promife ftrong confolation. But while we have fuch encouragements, let us not tempt the Lord our God, but fay, Lord, we believe, help thou our unbelief. CHAP. VII. Gideon's army is reduced by the divine command', a further intima- tion offuccefs is given to confirm his faith \ and the Midianites are attacked and defeated. 1 fT""^ HEN, next morning after the miracle, Jerubbaal, j§ who [is] Gideon, and all the people that [were] with him, rofe up early, and pitched befide the well of Harod : fo that the hoft of the Midianites were on the north fide of them, by the hill of Moreh, in the valley. 2 And the Lord faid unto Gideon, The people that [are] with thee [are] too many for me to give the Midianites into their hands, left Ifrael vaunt themfelves againft me, faying, Mine own hand hath faved me. 'The Midianites were four times as many as the Ifraelites, who therefore would have had no reafon to glory in themfelves ; had they conquered with all their forces, it would even then have been evidently a miracle \ but God, knowing their prone- nefs to boafi in themfelves, ordered their number to be leffened. 3 Now therefore go to, proclaim in the ears of the peo- ple, according to the law of Mofes, Deut. xx. 8. faying, Whofoever [is] fearful and afraid, let him return and depart early from mount Gilead.5 And there returned of the people twenty and two thoufand ; and there re- 4 mained ten thoufand only, to venture their lives. And the Lord 3 A mountain To called in honour of Gilead their common father, or in token of their alliance with the half tribe on the other fide Jordan, who pofTe/fed Gilead. 416 JUDGES. VII. Lord faid unto Gideon, The people [are] yet [too] many ; bring them down unto the water, and 1 will try them for thee there : and it mall be, [that] of whom I fay unto thee, This mall go with thee, the fame mail go v/ith thee ; and of whomfoever I fay unto thee, This mail not go with thee, the fame mail not go*, that is, I will give thee afign, whereby thou may eft dif cover 5 who they be that are indeed Jit for this fervice. So he ♦brought down the people unto the water : and the Lord faid unto Gideon, Every one that lappeth of the water with his tongue, as a dog lappeth, who takes a little water in his hand, ftps, and haft ens away, him malt thou fet by himfelf, and likewife every one that boweth down upon his knees to drink, which denoted Jloth and 6 delay in this great work. And the number of them that lapped, [putting] their hand to their mouth, were three hundred men : but all the reft of the people bowed 7 down upon their knees to drink water. And the Lord faid unto Gideon, By the three hundred men that lap- ped will I fave you, and deliver the Midianites into thine hand : and let all the [other] people go every man unto his place. Many were called, but few were 8 chofen. So the people took victuals in their hand, and their trumpets : and he fent all [the reft of] Ifrael every man unto his tent, and retained only thofe three hundred men: and the hoft of Midian was beneath him in the valley. a. And it came to pafs the fame night, that the Lord faid unto him, Arife, get thee down unto the hoft; for I have delivered it into thine hand •, of which I will now io give thee another fign. But if thou fear to go down alone, go thou with Phurah thy fervant down to the hoft •, thd* 1 1 one will be enough, as it is a fecret expedition: And thou malt hear what they fay, and afterward fhall thine hands be ftrengthened to go down unto the hoft. Then went he down with Phurah his fervant unto the cutfide 1 2 of the armed men that [were] in the hoft. And the Midianites and the Amalekites and all the children of the eaft lay along in the valley like grafshoppers for mul- titude ; they were near an hundred and forty thoufand, for one JUDGES. VII. 417 one hundred and twenty thoufand were Jlain at one time; and their camels [were] without number, as the fand by '13 the fea fide for multitude. And when Gideon was come, behold, [there was] a man that told a dream unto his fellow, and faid, Behold, I dreamed a dream, and, lo, a cake of barley bread, baked in the afhes in hafte, tumbled into the hoft of Midian, and came unto a tent, the general's tent, and fmote it that it fell, and overturned it, that the tent lay along, Jhattered it fo, j 4 that it could not he raifed again, And his fellow anfwered and faid. This [is] nothing elfe fave the fword of Gideon the fon of Joafh, a mnn of Ifrael: [for] into his hand hath God delivered Midian, and all the hoft: a far fetched interpretation, which Gideon would not have difcovered, had it not been for thi J explanation \ but itfhowed the fear and terror of the Midianites, and ftrengthened.. Gideon's faith : it gave him no offence to be compared to a 1 5 barley cake, when he heard what he was to do. And it was [fo,] when Gideon heard the telling of the dream, and the . interpretation thereof, that he worshipped, bowed down in thankful acknowledgment of the goodnefs of God, and returned into the hoft of Ifrael, and faid, Arife, without fear or delay -, for the Lord hath de- livered into your hand the hoft of Midian. 16 And he divided the three hundred men [into] three companies, to make as great a /how as he could, and to at- tack them in fever al places at once-, and he put a trumpet in every man's hand, {Jofephus fays, rams' horns) with. empty pitchers, and lamps, or torches, within the 1.7 pitchers, to conceal them from the enemy* And he faid unto them, Look on me, and do likewife: and, be- hold, when I come to the outfide of the camp, it mail 18 be [that,] as I do, fo fhall ye do. When I blow with- a trumpet, I and all that [are] with me, then blow ye the trumpets alfo on every fide of all the camp, and fay, [The fword] of the Lord, and of Gideon. God was to be named fir ft, to /how that their dependence was upon him-, and Gideon only mentioned as his inftrument, and becaufe his 19 name was terrible to the enemy. So Gideon, and the hundred men that [were] with him, came unto the out- Vol. II. C c fide 4t8 JUDGES. VII. fide of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch, about midnight \ and they had but newly fet the watch: and they blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers that 20 [were] in their hands, perhaps one againft another. And the three companies blew the trumpets, and brake the pitchers, and held the lamps in their left hands, and the trumpets in their right hands to blow [withal :] and they cried, The fword of the Lord, and of Gideon. 2 1 And they flood every man in his place round about the camp, that is, Gideon's three companies ; breaking their pitchers, waving their torches, blowing their trumpets, and JJiouting ; and all the hoft ran, and cried, and fled, fup- pojing them/elves furrounded with a vaji army, and that even 22 when they were in the camp. And the three hundred blew the trumpets, and the Lord fet every man's fword againft his fellow, even throughout all the hoft, in their confufion and terror they jell upon one another \ and the hoft fled to Beth-fhittah in Zererath, [and] to the bor- 23 der of Abel-meholah, unto Tabbath. And the men of Ifrael had gathered themfelves together out of Naph- tali, and out of Afher, and out of all Manafleh, and lying ready for the event, they purfued after the Midianites. 24 And Gideon fent meffengers throughout all mount Ephraim, faying, Come down againft the Midianites, and take before them the waters unto Ret-bahrah and Jordan. Then all the men of Ephraim gathered themfelves together, and took the waters unto Beth- barah and Jordan. Tho' he and his three hundred men routed their enemies, yet the ajjiftance of others was needful 25 to complete the vitlory. And they took two princes of the Midianites, Oreb and Zeeb; thefe names fignify, the raven and the wolf •, and they flew Oreb upon the rock Oreb, and Zeeb they flew at the wineprefs of Zeeb *, the rock and the wineprefs were called after their names ; and purfued Midian, and brought the heads of Oreb and Zeeb to Gideon on the other fide Jordan, after he had paffed over. REFLECT- JUDGES, VIII. 4i9 REFLECTIONS. I. TX7"E fee how careful God is to hide pride from W man« ^e knows the pride of man's heart, and condiu&s his deliverances infuch a manner, as to mow his own hand. He will not give his glory to another. None mall &y, My own hand hash faved me-, all is of grace, and the defign of all is, that he who glorieth may glory in the Lord. 2. We have here another inftance by what weak inftru- ments God often choofes to bring about his purpofes, and therefore we mull not defpife the day of/mall things. It is all one to him to work by few as by many. So he did in planting the gofpel, as was foretold in allufion to this ftory, Ifa. ix. 4, 5. God often weakens the ftrength of his church even at this day, to mow that he can do without the help of thofe whom men are ready to think moft mighty. And both thefe re- flections are included in what the apoftle fays concerning the chriftian miniftry, 2 Cor. iv. 7. in which, fome think, he alludes to this ftory : We hnve this treafure, this light, in earthen veffels, that the excellency of the power may be of Gody and not of men, 3. Learn from the terrible alarm of the Midianites, the confufion of the laft awful day •, it fhall come fuddenly, as a thief in the night, when men are not aware. What terror and aftonifhment fhall take hold of them, when the archan- gel (hall blow the trumpet, when the heavens fhall pafs away with a great, noife, and the elements melt with fervent heat ; when the Lord fhall defend from heaven with a fhout -, with the voice of the archangel and the trump of God! May we prepare for that time, and give diligence to be found of him in peace \ that when Chrift fhall appear, we may ft and before him with joy r, and not be afraid at his coming. CHAP. V1I1. In this chapter Gideon pacifieth the Ephraimites ; is unkindly treated by the ifnen of Succoth, whom he afterwards punifhed% C c 2 he 410 JUDGES. VIII. he flays the two kings of Midian •, and makes an ephod, which has a very bad ejfetl \ the chapter concludes with an account of his death, and IfraeVs ingratitude both to God and him. 1 A ND the men of Ephraim, who were proud and £\, vain, becaufe of the greatnefs of their tribe, and their having the ark among them, faid unto him, to Gideon, when they brought him the heads of the two kings, (ch. vii. 25.) Whv haft thou ferved us thus, that thou calledft us not when thou wenteft to fight with the Midianites ? And inftead of congratulating him, and returning him thanks, they 2 did chide with him fharply. And he, knowing their pride and highfpirit, gave them afoft and mild anfwer, and faid unto them, What have I done now in comparifbn of you ? you have been aclive in the work, while I and my men only flood by, and faw the Midianites fall upon one another. [Is] not the gleaning of the grapes of Ephraim, yourpurfuit of the flying forces , and taking two of their kings^ better than the vintage of Abi-ezer, of more confequence 3 than the whole work done by me and my houfe ? God hath delivered into your hands the princes of Midian, Oreb and Zeeb : and what was*1 1 able to do in comparifon of you ? Then their anger was abated toward him, when he had faid that. 4 And Gideon came to Jordan, [and] pafTed over, he and the three hundred men that [were] with him, faint, yet purfuing [them •,] not one of them was loft, but they were 5 greatly fatigued by the length of the march. And he faid unto the men of Succoth,8 Give I pray you loaves of bread unto the people that follow me ; for they [be] faint, and I am purfuing after Zebah and Zalmunna, kings of Midian ; an important work, in which all Ifrael 6 JJwuldjoin. And the princes of Succoth faid, [Are] the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we mould give bread unto thine army ? Art thou fure of viclory with thy three hundred men againft fifteen thoufand ? Overlooking the hand of God in this event, they would not expofe themfelves to the refentment of the Midian- ites by affifting Gideon: the anfwer wasinfolent and the taunt bitter. * This was a city in the tribe of Gad and was called Suc- coth, from Jacob's dwelling in booths there when he came from Mefopotaraia. JUDGES. VIII. 42X 7 bitter. And Gideon faid, Therefore, fince yourefufe my rea- finable requeft, and treat me withfuch infolence, I declare that when the Lord hath delivered Zebah and Zalmunna into mine hand, which I am confident he will do, then I will tear your flefh with the thorns of the wildernefs and 8 with briers, And he went up thence to Penuel, (fo call- ed by Jacob, becaufi he there wreftled with an angel,) and fpake unto them likewife : and the men of Penuel anfwered him as the men of Succoth had anfwered [him.] They were probably idolaters, and hated Gideon for 9 his zeal to promote reformation. And he fpake alfo unto the men of Penuel, faying, When I come again in peace, I will break down this tower ; confidence in which made themfo proud andprefumptuous. io Now Zeba and Zalmunna [were] in Karkor, and their hofts with them, about fifteen thoufand [men,] all that were left of all the hofts of the children of the eaft : for there fell an hundred and twenty thoufand men 1 1 that drew fword, were expert and exercifed in war. And Gideon went up by the way of them that dwelt in tents on the eaft of Nobah and Jogbehah, and fmote the hoft : for the hoft was fecure -, he took a compafs, and fell on them when they did not expetl it \ they thought he was tired, and 12 themfelves in no danger. And when Zeba and Zalmunna fled, he purfued after them, and took the two kings of Midian, Zebah and Zalmunna, and difcomhted all the hoft during the night. 13 And Gideon the fon of Joafh returned from battle before the fun [was up,] and came very early in the morn- 14 ing to Succoth, And caught a young man of the men of Succoth, and enquired of him •, and he defcribed unto him the princes of Succoth, and the elders thereof, 15 [even] threefcore and feventeen men. And he came unto the men of Succoth, and faid, Behold Zebah and Zalmunna, ' with whom ye did upbraid me, faying, [Are] the hands of Zebah and Zalmunna now in thine hand, that we mould give bread unto thy men [that are] weary ? He repeats their own words, to /how them the folly of their fpeech, and to reproach them for their ill ufage 16 of him. And he topk the elders of the city, and thorns C c 2 of 422 JUDGES. VIII. of the wildernefs and briers, and with them he taught the men of Succoth. He did not put them to death, but whipped or tore them with thorns *, a neceffary piece of difci- pline, and all little enough to teach and awaken men ivho had loft not enly piety but humaniiy too ; by this he taught the reft of the inhabitants to take warning by their fufjerings not ty to commit the like fault. And he beat down the tower of Penuel, in which they trufted, and flew the men of the city, feme of the chief men who were the moft guilty. 1 8 Then laid he unto Zebah and Zalmunna, What manner of men [were they] whom ye flew at Tabor ? Gideon does not fay when, but he knew the facl, and was defirous to bring them to confeffion. And they aufwered, As thou [art,] fo [were] they ♦, each one refembled the children of a king. This, was defigned as a compliment, and to gain Gideon's favour ; there probably was a family likenefs. 19 And he faid, They [were] my brethren, [even] the fons of my mother : [as] the Lord liveth, if ye had faved them alive, I would not flay you ; if ye had fhown them companion, and not havejlain them in cool blood, when they were watching their flocks, or hid in the caves, (fee ch. vi. 2.) / would have f pared you; but now, as a magiftrate, 20 and their near eft kinfman, IJhall avenge their blood, And he faid unto J ether his nrft born, to teach him to ufe his arms for God and his country, Up, [and] flay them. But the youth drew not his fword : for he feared, becaufe he fcl [was] yet a youth, and they were bold, fierce men. Then Zebah and Zalmunna faid, Rife thou, and fall upon us: for as the man [is, (o is] his {trength* we fhall die more eajily and honourably by thy hand. And Gideon arofe and flew Zebah and Zaimunna, and took away the ornaments that [were] on their camels' necks.* 22 Then the men of lfrael Aid unto Gideon, Rule thou over us, both thou, and thy fon, and thy fon's fon alio, as a king who has fovereign and fupreme power, in which his children fucceed him : for thou haft delivered us from 1 Thefe ornaments were like thofe worn by our officers, called gorgets ; the Hebrew is, ornaments like the moon. The cuitom was derived from the Phoenicians, who worshipped the mcon, and they are uf'ed by the Arabians and Turks. JUDGES. VIII. 423 from the hand of Midi an. "They pretend this was from gratitude to Gideon, but moft probably it was to throw off the divine government, and to have a king like the nations 23 about them. And Gideon faid unto them, I will not rule over you, neither mall my fon rule over you : the Lord (hall rule over you, as he hath done hitherto, in a fpecial peculiar manner. He modeftly refufes this rafh offer, as an attempt to break their theocracy ', and alter God's method of government. 24 And Gideon faid unto them, I would defire a requeft of you, that ye would give me every man the earrings of his prey, ( For they had golden earrings, becaufe they [were] Ifhmaelites.) The Midianites and Ifhmaelites were mixed together \ moft of the eaftern nations wore gold or 25 jewels in their ears or foreheads. And they anfwered, We will willingly give [them. J And they fpread a gar- ment, and did cart therein every man the earrings of 26 his prey. And the weight of the golden earrings that he requefted was a thoufand and i^w^n hundred [fhe- kels] of gold ; befides ornaments, and collars, and purple raiment that [was] on the kings of Midian, and befides the chains that [were] about their camels' necks •, in weight fifty three pounds and two ounces •, in value about three thoujand one hundred and two pounds tenfhillings 27 fterling. And Gideon made an ephod thereof, a gar- ment'; fuch as the high prieft wore, (fee Exodus xxviii, 4.) and put it in his city, [even] in Ophrah: and all Ifrael went thither a whoring after it : which thing became a fnare unto Gideon, and to his houfe ♦, it had a very bad effetl, and occqfioned the Jin of Ifrael, and the ruin of his houfe.'1 28 Thus was Midian fubdued before the children of Ifrael, fo that they lifted up their heads no more. And C c 4 the u Some have thought, that Gideon, being di.fgufted at the me** of Ephraim, intended to have an ephod and a prieft, and to fet up religious worfhip in his own tribe. But it appears to me more likely, from his general character, that he only intended it as a monument of his victory; and that he made an ephod, and not a pillar, becaufe he would afcribe the viclory entirely to God ; and therefore he ufes a facred garment, as triumphing in. the reftorati on of true religion by this vi&ory. 424 JUDGES. VIII. the country was in quietnefs forty years in the days of 29 Gideon-, they had no more difturbance during his life. And Jerubbaal the fon of Joafh went and dwelt in his own 30 houfe. And Gideon had threefcore and ten fons of his 3 1 body begotten : foi* he had many wives. And his con- cubine, or fecondwife, (but whofe children could not inherit) that [was] in Shechem, me alfo bare him a fon, whofe name he called Abimelech. His name is fet down to make 32 way for the ft or y that follows in the next chapter. And Gideon the fon of Joam died in a good old age, and was buried in the fepulchre of Joafh his father, in Oph- rah of the Abi-ezrites. 33 And it came to pafs, as foon as Gideon was dead, that the children of Ifrael turned again, and went a whoring after Baalim, and made Baai-berith their god; that is, Baal, who was worjJiipped at Berith, a city of Phoenicia, near Sodom \ or, as fome think, Berith fignifies a covenant, and becaufe idolaters were ufed to bind themfelves by covenant to his wor/hip, he is here called a god who punifhed 34 covenant-breakers. And the children of Ifrael remem- bered not the Lord their God, who had delivered them out of the hands of all their enemies on every fide; 35 they forgot his mercies, judgments, and deliverances : Nei- ther mowed they kindnefs to the home of Jerubbaal, [namely,] Gideon, according to all the goodnefs which he had fhowed unto Ifrael, in hazarding his life, reftoring their liberty, and eftablifhing true religion among them ; nor any kindnefs to his family, as they ought to have done. REFLECTIONS. I. ¥T is a certain fign of a mean and proud fpirit, for men to be difpleafed becaufe they are not, as they think, fufficientiy honoured and taken notice of. What a wretched figure the Ephraimites made ! They might have offered themfelves willingly ; they mould have fought oc- cafion to attack the enemies of their brethren ; but becaufe y thought they were not treated fuitabiy to their dignity, they chode fharply with their great deliverer. This is a / common cafe; men ftand upon a point of honour when JUDGES. VIII. 425 when .God and their country call for their aid ; and will do nothings or even quarrel with thofe who do moil:, if they have not juft fuch refpect as they think they defer ve. Only by -pride cometh this contention. Our bufinefs is to act well the part which providence allots us, and not complain becauf: we have not an eafler or a better. 2 Here is an additional proof, that afoft anfwer turneth away wrath Gideon never appeared fo great, even when purfuing the Midianites, or when deftroying kings, as now, when he ruled his own fpirit ; treating infolent men with humility, and angry men with meeknefs. Had he returned their ill language, probably as bad confequences wrould have followed as in Jepthah's time-, but by calm language and humility he cooled their refentment, and fent them away fatisfied. He that is flow to anger is better than the mighty ; and no man is fo truly great and honourable, as he who keeps under his paflions, and, by yielding, pacifieth great wrath. 4 Let us learn, by Gideon's example, not to be dif- couraged from purfuing what is good, by any unkind or ill treatment we may meet with. The men of Succoth and Penuel derided and difcouraged him ; but he went on, purfued the Midianites, and completed the victory. Let us go on and ferve God; even if thofe who fnould join and. help us, banter and abufe us. Tho' ready to tire and faint in our fpiritual warfare, (till let us hold on and purfue the victory, and we fhall prevail. Let nothing we meet with difcourage us from chriftian duty •, but rather, let every thing difagreeable whet our zeal and increafe our refolution. 4. Perfons in eminent and confpicuous {rations of life fhould be very watchful of their conduct, left they be ac- ceiTory to the guilt and ruin of others. Gideon made an ephod, moft probably without any ill defign -, but it proved the ruin of his family, and a fnare to Ifrael : they thought it was no harm to wormip it, when fo eminent and holy a man made it. If magistrates and minifters, parents, or heads of families, make one falfe ftep, their example will do mifchief to their inferiors : children and fervants will look upon a doubtful conduct in their fuperiors, as a kind of licenfe to do evil. A perfon may, for reafons that will Satisfy his own confeience, flay away from divine worfhip, often 4*6 JUDGE S. IX. often omit it in his family, or travel on the fabbath ; which may lead his children and fervants to do fo when there is no good reafon to be given, yea to do it often, and grow worfe and worfe. Let all be peculiarly watchful of their conduct, left they do that which may prove a fnare to their families, and thofe that come after them. Once more, 5. Flow deteftable does ingratitude appear, ingratitude to man, and efpecially to God ! How fcandaloufly did Ifrael behave, after all that God, and Gideon as his inftrument, had done for them ! This is too much the cafe of our own nation, both toward God, and thofe who have been in- ftruments of our deliverance: but when men forget God, it is no wonder that they forget their human benefactors and friends. CHAP. IX. v. 1—29. God being determined to punifli the idolatry of Ifrael by the tyranny of one of their own people, in this chapter is Abimeleclfs rife-, reign, and ruin* He had no call from God, nor did Ifrael want a judge -, but he was refolved to be one ifpoffible. 1 AND Abimelech the fon of Jerubbaal, by his con- Jf\_ cubine, went to Shechem unto his mother's bre- thren ; he left his father's houfe, his uncles and other relations, who were perfons of rank, and went to his mother's relations, and communed with them, and with all the family of the 2 houfe of his mother's father, faying, Speak, I pray you in the ears of all the men of Shechem, to the elders and princes, "Whether [is] better for you, either that all the fons of Jerubbaal, [which are] threefcore and ten perfons, reign over you, or that one reign over you ? remember alfo that I [am] your bone and your flefh-, fuggefiing that his brethren defigned to reign, tho* his father declined it ^ that v horrid confujion would attend fuch a number of governors ; that they had better have only one -, that himfelf was of their tribe, and city, and family ; that thus they would have the honour of being allied to the king, and would enjoy the govern- 2 mcnt they dcfired. And his mother's brethren fpake of him JUDGES. IX. 427 him in the ears of all the men of Shechem all thefe words ; and their hearts inclined to follow Abimelech; for they faid, He [is] our brother. The plot took, and they chofe him, without conjulting God or the other tribes, merely becaufe he was their brother, hoping that theirs would be a capital city, and that they fhould have rich preferments. 4 And they gave *'im ^eefcore and ten [pieces,] cr pounds Wiigkt, of filver, out of the houfe of Baal~berith; thin the treajut • of their idol god, were the means offtirring ' up jedithn; h , with Abimelech hired vain and light perfons whic 1 followed him, the (cum of the country, idle, v- . \abond fellows, of ae [per ate fortunes, who were proper 5 inftrum s of h ~ tyranny and cruelty. And he went unto his father's oufe at Cphrah, and flew his brethren the fons of Jeruhbaal, [being] threefcore and ten perfons, upon one ftone ; perhaps under pretence of a plot and rebel- lion againft\ the commonwealth, or to expiate the guilt of Gideon in deftroying the altars of Baal-, notwithstand- ing Yec Jotham the youngeft ion of Jerubbaal was left; 6 for he hid himfelf and efcaped. And all the men of Shechem gathered together, and all the houfe of Millo, the tower -houfe, where the magiftrates fat, and inftead of revenging the murder, in a full houfe or fenate, they went and made Abimelech king, and afterwards pro- claimed him by the plain of the pillar that [was] in She- chem, which Jofhua fet up under the oak, as a token of the covenant between God and them, after reading the curfes and the bleffings i thus the crime was aggravated by being com- mitted in fuch a f acred place. 7 And when they told [it] to Jotham, what the people had done, had forfaken God, and loft all fenfe of juftice and humanity, he went and ftood in the top of mount Geri. zim, and lirted up his voice, and cried, and faid unto them, when they zvere gathered together in a valley below^ onfome fejlival, Hearken unto me, ye men of Shechem, that God may hearken unto you-, calling their attention in a very ferious manner, and addr effing them in a very beauti- ful fable or parable -, an antient way of inftruclion, which engaged the attention, and adminiftered reproof with lefs 8 offence. The trees went forth [on a time] to anoint a king 42$ JUDGE S. IX. king over them; and they faid unto the olive tree, Reign thou over us. To reprefent the unreafonablenefs and wickednefs of making any king : the trees of the Lord which he planted and protected, being weary of God's government , prefumptuofiy attempted to alter it, and propofed it to the olive tree, that is, to Gideon (ch. viii. 22.) to reign over them. 9 But the olive tree faid unto them, Should I leave my fatnefs, wherewith by me they honour God and man,'7 and go to be promoted over the trees ? or, as the margin, go up and down for other trees ? Intimating the duty of a good prince, to exert himfelf and take much pains to ferve his 10 people. And the trees faid to the fig tree, Come thou, 11 [and] -reign over us. But the fig tree faid unto them, Should I forfake my fweetnefs, and my good fruit, and j 2 go to be promoted over the trees? Then faid the trees 13 unto the vine, Come thou, [and] reign over us. And the vine faid unto them, Should I leave my wine, which cheereth God and man, and go to be promoted over the 14 trees ?x Then faid all the trees unto the bramble, Come thou, [and] reign over us. The bramble, or thiftle, was like Abimelech, a worthlefs, troublefome thing, fit only to be burned ; but it accepted the propofal without hefitation, and j 5 began to lock big.- And the bramble faid unto the trees, If in truth ye anoint me king over you, [then] come [and] put your truft in my fhadow ; give up your f elves wholly to my conducl, and rely on my protetlion, and 1 will be jure to fecure you. A fine arbour truly ! more likely to tear and wound, than flielter them. And if not, if you will not fubmit to me, and do as I would have you, let fire come out of the bramble, and devour the cedars of Lebanon, that is, the greateft of thofe who oppofe him •, hereby denoting the pride, folly, and 'cruelty of Abimelech . Then follows the moral 1 w God was honoured by the oil ufed in facrifices, to feed the lamps and anoint the priefts ; and it was ufeful to man in food and iredicine. x Wine was ufed in facrifices: it was part of the provifions of God's houfe and altar, with which he was delighted, and men were cheered. Thus all thefe noble trees, that is, Gideon and his for,s, much better men than Abimelech^ had refufed the dig- nity of which he was fo ambitious. JUDGES. IX. 429. 1 6 moral or application of the fable. Now therefore if ye have done truly and fincerely, in that ye have made Abime- Jech king, and if ye have dealt well with Jerubhaai and his houfe, and have done unto him according to the deferving of his hands-, if ye have done righteous a3s, and 17 behaved gratefully to Gideon and his houfe*, (For my father fought for you, and adventured his life far, and de- livered you out of the hand of Midian, when ye were 18 forely oppreffed, and could not help your f elves : And ye are rifen up againft my father's houfe this day, and have (lain his fons, threefcore and ten perfons, upon one ftone, all except myfelf who efcaped from you, but whofe death you defigned, and have made Abimejech, the fon of his maid fervant, king over the men of Shechem, not over all I/rael, but only over Shechem, thoy he has no good 19 quality, only becaufe he [is] your brother-,) if ye then have dealt truly and fincerely with Jerubhaai and with his houfe this day, [then] rejoice ye in Abiraelech, and let him alfo rejoice in you ; much caufe of rejoicing and mutual fatisfaclion and delight may you have in each other I 20 But if not, let fire come out from Abimelech, and devour the men of Shechem, and the houfe of Millo ♦, and let fire come out from the men of ShecLem, and from the houfe of Millo, and devour Abimelech •, may a fpirit of diffention and revenge prevail-, and you mutually defiroy each other I This is not a preditlion, but an execration, called in 21 v. £7, his curfe. And Jotham ran away, and fled, and went to Beer, in the tribe of Judah, near Jerufalem, and dwelt there, for fear of Abimelech his brother/ 22 When Abimelech had reigned three years over If- rael, over fome part of Ifrael, who had come in afterwards^ but not over Judah, or elfe Jotham would not have been fafe 23 there-, Then God fent an evil fpirit, a fpirit of difl cord and revenge, jealoufy and dijlrufh, between Abi- melech and the men of Shechem; and the men of Shechem / If all Gideon's fons were like this, we cannot help lament- ing the fall of fuch a number of fine men, who might have been publick bleflings ; but fuch a fnare was the ephod to Gideon's houfe. The Greeks claim the honour of being the inventors of fables and parables, but this, and Nathan's, and others, ihow them to be" much more antient. 43° JUDGE S. IX. Shechem dealt treacheroufly with Abimelech ; he flighted 24 them, and they rebelled againfi him-: That the cruelty [done] to the threefcore and ten fbns of Je; rubbaal might come, and their blood be laid upon Abimelech their brother, which flew them •, and upon the men of She- chem, which aided him in the killing of his brethren; all was intended by providence to make their punifhment 25 remarkable. And the men of Shechem fet liers in wait for him in the top of the mountains, and they robbed all that came along that way by them •, there were no open hoftilities, but, on the diffention, he left the city and went to Arumah, (v. 41. ) his country feat, and they lay in wait to feize his per [on as he returned, and plundered all of his party and friends that they met with : arid it was told Abime- 26 lech, their whole was plot difcovered to him. And Gaal the fon of Ebed came with his brethren, his allies and friends *, perhaps, being bold men, they were fent for to en- courage and Jlrengthen the confpiracy, and went over to Shechem : and the men of Shechem put their confidence 27 in him, put themf elves under his proteclion. And they went out into the fields, and gathered their vineyards, which they durfi not do before, becaufe of Abimelech: }s forces, and trode [the grapes,] and made merry, withfongs, and went into the houfe of their god with their firft fruits^ and did eat and drink, that is,feaft on their facrifice, and curfed Abimelech, prayed their god to confound and deftroy 28 him. And Gaal the fon of Ebed, when he and the people were elevated with wine, began to infult Abimelech, and take meafures to make himfelf their king', and he faid, Who [is] Abimelech, and who [is] Shechem, that we mould ferve him ? the fon of a woman of your city, andjhe but a concu- bine and fervant \ why fliould we fubmit to one fo bafely de- fended? [is] not [he] the fon of Jerubbaal ? and Zebul his officer P who defied your gods and threw down your altars ; if ye muft be infubjeclion, reftoreyour old lords, and ferve the men of Hamor the father of Shechem : for why fhould we ferve him ? this up ft art, famous for nothing but pride and cruelty ? Gaal was a gentile, perhaps a defcendant of 29 Hamor, and therefore infifts upon this, adding, And would to God this people were under my hand 1 then would I remove JUDGES. IX. 43I remove Abimelech, / would make him flee his country. And he faid to Abimelech, Increafe thine army, and come out *, he fent him a formal challenge to collect his forces and meet him in the field* REFLECTIONS. I. TTJ7E may obferve, in the inftahce of Abimelech, YY the mifchief which pride and ambition occafion. What monftrous fteps did he take to gain royal dignity 1 Firft he flattered the men of Shechem ; then bribed a num- ber of villains to aflift him •, and at laft embrued his hands in the blood of his brethren. This is the way by which many ambitious men have arrived at government, an4 have for a time fupported themfelves in it. All fin will eafily go down with thofe who are refolved at any rate to rife •, fuch men will break thro' all the ties of natural affec- tion, and of confcience too, to fecure honour and power fo? themfelves. Let us all guard againft an ambitious fpirit. Let not our hearts be haughty, nor our eyes lofty •, for pride goes before Jeftruclion, and a haughty fpirit before a fall. 2. Let us learn to be content with an humble itation, as being the mo ft fecure. Jotham, in his parable, intimates the danger of being great, as the reafon why Gideon and others declined it. A man in power mufc \o(q a great deal of eafe and comfort, fubjecl: himfelf to much toil and labour, and expofe himfelf to the malice and ill will of others. This is fo common a cafe, that it mould make us content with inferior ftations, and bring down all our afpiring thoughts. Give us neither poverty nor riches -, but having food and raiment l, may we be therewith content. 3. See what a vain thing popular applaufe is. The men of Shechem made Abimelech king one day, and almoft the next they were for dethroning and murdering him : they curfed him in the home of their god, from whence they fo lately took money to fupport him. How little is the cla- mour of the multitude to be depended upon, efpecially the fame that is gained by evil arts ! Let us learn to be mor- tified to human applaufe, and acl as p leafing God, whofearches the heart. Men may, and often do, prove like thefe She- chemites, 432 JUDGES. IX. chemites, falfe and perfidious. But whofo is approved of God mall be fafe-, they who are blefTed of him, fhall inherit greater honour than any earthly crown can give, and delight tkemfelves in the abundance of peace. CHAP. IX. 30, to the end. We have here an account of the deftruclion of the men of Shechem by Abimelech, and alfo of his deftruclion by a woman\ with a fione, from the tower ofThebez. 30 \ ND when Zebul the ruler of the city heard the Ji\. words of Gaal the fon of Ebed, his anger was kindled. He waited for an opportunity to reft ore Abimelech-, but finding it in vain to oppcfe a popular tumult, he behaved 31 in a fair way to Gaal; And, being roufed by this infult, he fent mefTengers unto Abimelech privily, faying, Be- hold, Gaal the fon of Ebed and his brethren be come to Shechem ; and, behold, they fortify the city againft thee ; there is nojign that he will venture out, but only pro- 32 vide for his own defence. Now therefore up by night, for fear of difcovery, thou and the people that [is] with thee, 33 and lie in wait in the field : And it mail be, [that] in the morning, as foon as the fun is up, thou malt rife early, and let upon the city : and, behold, [when] lie and the people that [is] with him come out againft thee, then mayeft thou do to them as thou malt find occafion, and as prudence may direcl. 34 And Abimelech rofe up, and all the people that [were] with him, by night, and they laid wait againft She- chem in four companies, the better to furprife and diftracl 35 the Shechemites. And Gaal the fon of Ebed went out and {food in the entering of the gate of the city, to fee that all was fafe, and the guards in their proper fictions-, and Zebul, as governor of the city, accompanied him, to fee that all did their duty : and Abimelech rofe up, and the people that 36 [were] with him, from lying in wait. And when Gaal faw the people, he faid to Zebul, Behold, there come people down from the top of the mountains, from Gerizim JUDGES. IX. 432 Gerizim and Ebal, between which mountains the city lay. And Zebul faid unto him, Thou feed: the fhadow of the mountains as [if they were] men •, the mountains and trees caft a long fkadow, and deceive you. Zebul faid this to detain Gaal, and make him more fecure ; he was an artful 37 man, and concealed his refentment well. And Gaal fpake again and faid, See, there come people down by the middle of the land, and another company come along by the plain of Meonenim •, as they came nearer, Gaal plainly perceived that they were men, who were got to the middle of the mountain, and another party were convng along 38 the plain. Then faid Zebul unto him, Where [isj now thy mouth, wherewith thou faidft, Who [is] Abime- lech, that we fhould ferve him ? [is] not this the peo« pie that thou haft defpifed ? go out, I pray now, and fight with them. Here Zebul throws off the ma]k, upbraids him with his infolent language, and charges him with 39 cowardice : And upon this Gaal went out before the men 40 of Shechem, and fought with Abimelech. And Abime- lech chafed him, and he, being difhtartened by Zebul, and perceiving his own party weaker than he ex peeled, fled be- fore him, and many were overthrown, [and] wounded, [even] unto the entering of the gate, the reft got into the 41 city. And Abimelech dwelt at Arumah ; he abode there with his forces, waiting for fome fit opportunity to furprife Shechem -, and Zebul thruft out Gaal and his brethren, that they mould not dwell in Shechem. Having loft the viclory, he loft his popularity, and was forced to leave the 42 city -, perhaps he was not fuffered to enter it again. And it came to pafs on the morrow, that the people went out into the field about their bufinefs, or upon fome folemn oc- cafion in honour of their idol-, and they told Abimelech. 43 And he took the people who were with him, and divided them into three companies, and laid wait in the field, and looked, and, behold, the people' [were] come forth out of the city •, and he rofe up againft them, and fmote 44 them. And Abimelech, and the company that [was^ with him, rufhed forward, and flood in the entering of: the gate of the city, tofiay thofe who ran to fecure themf elves in the city : and the two [other] companies ran upon all Vol. II. D d [the 434 JUDGES. IX; [the people] that [were] in the fields, and flew them. 45 And Abimelech fought againft the city all that day ; and, being joined by Zebul and his men, he took the city, and flew the people that [was] therein, and beat down the city, and fowed it with fait/ 46 And when all the men of the tower of Shechem heard [that,] they did not think them/elves fafe, and therefore they entered into an hold of the houfe of the god Berith.2 47 And it was told Abimelech, that all the men of the tower of Shechem were gathered together in the temple 48 of their god. And Abimelech gat him up to mount Zalmon, he and all the people that [were] with him ; and Abimelech took an ax in his hand, and cut down a bough from the trees, and took it, and laid [it] on his fhoulder, and faid unto the people that [were] with him, What ye have feen me do, make hafte, [and] do 49 as I [have done.] And all the people likewife cut down every man his bough, and followed Abimelech, and put [them] to the hold, and fet the hold on fire upon them ; fo that all the men of the tower of She- chem died alfo, about a thoufand men and women ; being either burnt to death, or fujfocated by the fmoke. And thus, according to Jotham's declaration, fire came out from Abimelech, and devoured the men of Shechem and the houfe of Millo \ the men of which, that is, the magiftrates and guards, retired to this hold. 50 Then went Abimelech to Thebez, a city near She- chem, which had probably revolted from him, and encamped 51 againft Thebez, and took it ; But there was a ftrong tower within the city, large enough to hold all the inha- bitants, and thither fled all the men and women, and alJL they of the city, fervants and common people, and fliut [it] to them, and gat them up to the top of the tower, t$ y This was the caufe and fign of barrennefs in thofe hot coun- tries. It denoted his defire to have it made a perpetual defola- tion ; but it was rebuilt. Rehoboam was crowned there, and it was called Sychar. x A ftrong fortrefs in the temple of their god, like the capitoi at Rome, or the temple at Jerufalem, which were reckoned im- pregnable places ; or, which they hoped might be fpared as facred places. JUDGES. IX. 435 to throw down ft ones, and prevent his coming near to burn 52 them as he did the Shechemites. And Abimelech came unto the tower, and fought againft it, and went hard unto the door of the tower to burn it with fire *, flufhed with his late vitlory, he was fool- hardy enough to go to the §$ very door, with a firebrand in his hand. And a certain woman caft a piece of a millftone upon Abimelech's 54 head, and all to break his fcull.a Then, finding himfelf mortally wounded, he called haftily unto the young man his armour bearer, and faid unto him, Draw thy fword, and flay me, that men fay not of me, A woman flew him. And his young man thruft him through, and $$ he died.5 And when the men of Ifrael faw that Abi- melech was dead, they departed every man unto his place. 56 Thus God rendered a recompence for the wickednefs of Abimelech which he did unto his father, in flaying his feventy brethren ; it did not come by chance, the hand 57 of God was in it. And all the evil of the men of She- chem did God render upon their heads : and upon them came the curfe of Jotham the fon of Jerubbaal. REFLECTIONS. 1. TI 7 E fee in the inftance before us, the evils of civil V V war- When the Shechemites broke thro' their conftitution, and would have a king, no wonder God fent a fpirit of difcord among them, and made king and people fharers in the calamity. How fad was it in Ifrael, when fuch woeful fcenes as thefe ftained the landj when every fword was againft his fellow, and peace and quietnefs were banifhed ! See what havock ambition and treachery make in a nation. Let us blefs the guardian care of hea- ven that this is not our cafe ; that our king is not fuch an oppreflbr, as to make us wifh to get rid of him-, and that D d 2 the a It was ufual to have large flones in all the caftles to annoy the enemy with. b He had {lain his brethren on a flone, and now a (lone flays him, and lays low that head which had ufurped the crown. He thought it difhonourable to die by the hand of a woman, and was willing to fave his credit ; but in vain, for it was remem- bered by pofterity, fee 2 Sam, x. 21. 436 J U D G E S. X. the men who, like Gaal, infult his title, and abufe his ad- miniftration, are difappointed in their attempts to intro- duce changes and confufion among us# May God continue peace in all our borders ! May he make our king a nurfing father to us! May God fave the king, and blefs the people ! And let him have all the praife of our peace and liberty, and of every national blefTing. 2. We fee that verily there is a God who judgeth in the earth, and who will make inquijition for blood. How awfully, and yet how juftly, did he punifh Abimelech for murdering his brethren ; and the men of Shechem for being acceifary to it. They joined in this horrid defign, and were deftroyed one by another. God will return innocent blood on thofe that meed it •, and there are not more evident proofs of a providence, than the difcovery and punifhment of inhuman murderers. God gives fuch perfons blood to drink, for they are worthy. He delayed the punifhment of Abime- lech three years •, but it came terribly at laft. The triumph- ing of the wicked isfhort, and their time to fall quickly comes. Jotham's curfe, which was not caufelefs, came upon the * heads of thofe bloody and deceitful men. Abimelech died in a mod fhameful manner, with all the marks of a hard, impenitent heart •, and iliowed no concern about his foul ; fo a fool dieth. The whole ftory teaches us, that the Lord is known by the judgments which he execute th, and that the wicked are fnared in the work of their own hands. CHAP. X; We have here an account of Ifrael being peaceable and happy under Tola and J air, two of their judges ; but they revolt^ and are punifhed, they repent, and find mercy. i AND after Abimelech there arofe to defend Ifraei XjL Tola the fon of Puah, the fon of Dodo, a man of IfTachar •, and he dwelt in Shamir in mount Ephraim. 2 And he judged Ifrael twenty and three years, and died, and was buried in Shamir.c 3 And c Thofe are the beft times to live in, of which the hiftorian has lead to fay. Nothing remarkable happened in. Tola's time; all JUDGES. X; 437 3 And after him arofe Jair, a Gileadite, and judged Ifrael twenty and two years. He belonged to the half tribe of ManaJJeh beyond Jordan, was the fir ft judge there, 4 and a perfon of eminence. And he had thirty fons that rode on thirty afs colts, and they had thirty cities, which are called Havoth-jair, or, the villages of Jair, unto this day, which [are] in the land of Gilead. 'Thefe cities they enlarged and fortified-, and rode from place to place 5 as magijlrates, to execute judgment. And Jair died, and was buried in Camon, the place where he dwelt. We read of another fair, Numb, xxxii. 41. 6 And the children of Ifrael did evil again in the fight of the Lord, and ferved Baalim, and Afhtaroth, and the gods of Syria, and the gods of Zidon, and the gods of Moab, and the gods of the children of Ammon, and the gods of the Philiftines, and forfook the Lord, and ferved not him. Strange condutl ! It looked as if their trade had been to import gods from other countries ; they were refolved to go with the multitude -, they liked their wor- fhip -, their dancings and merriment, and impure rites, fuited 7 their wicked tafte. And the anger of the Lord was hot againft Ifrael, and he fold them into the hands of the Philiftines, and into the hands of the children of Am- mon ; he gave them up to the power of two of thofe nations 8 whofe gods they ferved. And that year they vexed and opprefTed the children of Ifrael, crufhed them as between two millftones, as the original is, (the Bhilifiines on the weft, and the Amorites on the eaft) eighteen years, all the children of Ifrael that [were] on the other fide Jordan in the land of the Amorites, which [is] in Gilead. 9 Moreover the children of Ammon pafled over Jordan to fight alfo againft Judah, and againft Benjamin, and againft the houfe of Ephraim •, they began with thofe who lay next their own country, and by degrees paffed over Jor- dan-, fo that Ifrael was fore diftrefTed. IO And the children of Ifrael cried unto the Lord, not by way of complaint, but with great earneftnefs and penitence, D d 3 %ing> all was quiet and peaceable. He preferved their liberty from being invaded, and the purity of their religion, which was their great defence, from being corrupted. 438 JUDGES. X. faying, We have tinned againft thee, both becaufe we 11 have forfalcen our God, and alfo ferved Baalim. And the Lord faid unto the children of Ifrael, (whether by an angel, or prophet, or the high prieft, is uncertain) [Did] not [I deliver you] from the Egyptians, and from the Amorites, from the children of Ammon, and from the 12 Philiftines ? The Zidonians alfo, and the Amalekites, and the Maonites, did opprefs you -,d and ye cried to me, and I delivered you out of their hand : deliverances not mentioned before •, he had flwwn them more favours than 1 3 were recorded. Yet ye have forfaken me, and ferved other gods : wherefore I will deliver you no more, in 14 this remarkable manner, except ye repent. Go and cry unto the gods which ye have chofen •, let them deliver you in the time of your tribulation •, fee what they will do for all the facrifices you have offered, and all the trouble and charge you are at oMut them -, they are the gods you have chofen, let them five you. Avery cutting, butjuft reflexion l$ on their folly, and the impotency of their gods. And the children of Ifrael faid unto the Lord, We have finned: do thou unto us whatfcever feemeth good unto thee ; chafiife us with thine own hand as much as thou wilt, but deliver us not into the hands of thefe cruel men ; deliver us, only, we pray thee, this day, and try us once more. 16 And they put away the ftrange gods from among them, which fhcwed true humiliation at this time •, it was an open proof of repentance, and attended with very happy effecls, for we read no more of their idolatry for a long time after ; and they ferved the Lord \ and his foul was grieved for the mifery of Ifrael, he fliowed them great pity and tendernefs, dealt with them in fuch a way, as men do when they are fo affeElcd. 3 7 Then the children of Ammon were gathered together, and encamped in Gilead. And the children of Ifrael afiembled themfelves together, and encamped in Miz- peh. 'This is introduclory to the flory in the next chapter; the children of Ammon raifed forces in Gilead, which they new called their own-, and Ifrael encamped in Mizpeh, but' after^ d The Maonites were Canaanites who inhabited the wildernefs of Maon, 1 Sam. xxiii. 24.. and 2. Chron. xxvi, 7. J U D G E S. X. 439 afterwards went to their own land to raife more forces. 2 8 And the people [and] princes of Gilead, that is, the princes and elders, held a confutation who fhould be their general and judge, and faid one to another, What man [is he] that will begin to fight againfr. the children of Ammon ? he mail be head over all the inhabitants of Gilead ; hut they found none to undertake it, till they fent to Jephtha, as we read in the next chapter. R EFLECTIONS. 1. {~^\ OD remembers all his kind interpolations for us, \j and the many deliverances he has afforded us. He eminded Ifrael of thefe*, for they were ready to forget it in, tho' fo remarkable. This mould engage us to take n< nee of fuch things, namely, that God fets them down in his book of remembrance, charges them, as it were, to our account -, and if we forget them, great will be our fhame and miiery. May he not expoftulate with us -, ' Did I not deliver thee from the Spaniards, and the French, and the rebels, again and again ?' Let us keep in memory God's wonderful works, and give him the glory of all. 2. Here is a good model for penitents ; that is, perfons affected with a fenfe of fin, and humbled under God's hand. It becomes them to fee the vanity of thofe things which they were fo fond of, and which they trufted in, to the neglect of God •, and their infurriciency to help in times of diftrefs. Many make a god of their belly, many of their riches, many love pleafure more than God. But can thefe de- liver us in times of trouble ? Can thefe foften our bed of ficknefs, or compofe the tumult of our fpirits? Can thefe fave us in a dying hour ? Let this then be our language, What have I to do any more with idols ? Let thofe who are under God's rebukes, not only acknowledge the infufriciency of creatures, but his juftice and right eoujnefs. I will bear the in- dignation of the Lord, becaufe 1 have finned againfl him. God is not unrighteous when he taketh vengeance. When, as a nation, we expect calamities at home or abroad, and are praying for deliverances, let us remember to acknowledge our folly and guilt, and prepare to meet God in the wav D d 4 of 440 JUDGES. XL of his judgments, laying, We have finned, do thou unto us as feemeth good in thy fight. 3. Let us with pleafure and aftoniihment contemplate this wonderful inftance of divine compafiion to a finful and opprefTed people, v. 16. He delight eth not in our afflic- tions ; judgment is his f range work -, he is glad to fee the marks of repentance. He reprefents himfelf as deeply affected when his children rebel, and he fees it necefTary to chaften them -, as parents are, when their children are afflicted, or they are obliged to correct them. What en- couragement is this to turn to him, to put away iniquity, to implore his mercy, and befeech hirn to remove every calamity we labour under. But let us remember, that all his declarations of mercy are made only to thofe who re- pent and put away fin, and return to his fervice. To thofe he will revoke his fentence, and fhow mercy. Come, then, let us return to the Lord, for he hath torn, and he will heal us9 he hath fmitten, and he will bind us. CHAP. XL In which we have Jephtha/Ys vow, an account of his fuccefsful war with the Ammonites •, and the trouble he was brought into on account of his vow. O W Jephthah the Gileadite was a mighty man of valour, a man of ftrevgth and courage, and he [was] the fon of an harlot: and Gilead begat Jephthah. 2 And Gilead's wife bare him fons *, and his wife's fons grew up, and they thruft out Jephthah, and faid unto him, Thou fhalt not inherit in our father's houfe -, for 3 thou [art] the fon of a ftrange woman. Then Jephthah fled from his brethren, and dwelt in the land of Tob, the northern -part of the lot of Manajfeh : and there were gathered vain men to Jephthah, and went out with him ; men of narrow fortunes, who were glad to enlifi under fuch a brave leader ; and they cffifled him in his inroads upon the Ammonites, and other neighbour countries, who were ra- 4 vaging the Canaanites, and lived on the booty they got. And it JUDGES. XL 441 it came to pafs in procefs of time, that the children of Ammon made war againfl: Ifrael •, they had often made inroads upon them, but came then with a much larger force 5 to attack them. And it was fo, that when the children of Ammon made war againfl: Ifrael, the elders of Gilead went to fetch Jephthah out of the land of Tob •, knowing , him to be a brave man, ufed to the fwordf and fit to be a 6 commander. And they faid unto Jephthah, Come, and be our captain, that we may fight with the children of 7 Ammon. And Jephthah faid unto the children of Gi- lead, Did not ye hate me, and, as magiftrates, qffift my brethren to expel me out of my father's houfe : and why are ye come unto me now when ye are in diftrefs ? Can 8 ye expecl that I fliould come and help you? And the elders of Gilead faid unto Jephthah, Therefore we turn again to thee now, that thou mayefl: go with us, and fight againfl: the children of Ammon, and be our head over all the inhabitants of Gilead -, we repent of what we have done, and are come now to make thee amends, by offering thee the poft of honour and authority, by putting ourfelves under thy proteclion, and making thee head over all the tribes 9 on this Jide Jordan. And Jephthah faid unto the elders of Cilt-ad, If ye bring me home again to fight againfl the children of Ammon, and the Lord deliver them before me, fhall I be your head? Will you fulfil thefe engagements, thus reward my fervices, and place me in a io fiation of honour and ufefulnefs among you ? And the elders of Gilead faid unto Jephthah, the Lord be witnefs between us, if we do not fo according to thy words. 11 Then Jephthah went with the elders of Gilead, and the people made him head and captain over them : and Jephthah uttered all his words before the Lord in Mizpeh ; he repeated before the affembly at Mizpeh the agreement between them ; and it was confirmed folemnly on both fides, as in God's pre fence. 12 And Jephthah fent meflengers unto the king of the children of Ammon, as Mofes commanded in fuch cafes, (fee Deut. xx. io, u.) faying, What haft thou to do with me, that thou art come againfl: me to fight in my land ? What jufl caufe haft then to invade my country ? A wife 442 JUDGE S. XL 13 wife and prudent conduct. And the king of the children of Ammon anfwered unto the mefTengers of Jephthah, Becaufe Ifrael took away my land when they came up out of Fgypt, from Arnon even unto Jabbok, and unto Jordan -,e now therefore reftore thofe [lands] again 14 peaceably. And Jephthah fent mefTengers again unto the king of the children of Ammon, pleading not guilty, 15 and denying the charge : And they faid unto him, Thus faith Jephthah, Ifrael took not away the land of Moab, nor the land of the children of Ammon •, they had exprefs orders to the contrary, and found the land in the pofjefjion of 16 another prince and people : But when Ifrael came up from Fgypt, and walked through the wildernefs unto the 17 Red fea, and came to Kadefh •, Then Ifrael fent mef- fengers unto the king of Edom, faying, Let me, I pray thee, pafs through thy land : but the king of Edom would not hearken [thereto.] And in like man- ner they fent unto the king of Moab : but he would not [confent:] and Ifrael abode in Kadefh, remained fome time there in a peaceable manner, and then chofe a tedious, troublefome journey round about, rather than give 18 any offence. Then they went along through the wilder- nefs, and compafTed the land of Edom, and the land of Moab, and came by the eafl fide of the land of Moab, and pitched on the other fide of Arnon, but came not within the border of Moab : for Arnon [was] the bor- 19 der of Moab. And Ifrael fent mefTengers unto Sihon king of the Amorites, the king of Hefhbon \ and Ifrael faid unto him, Let us pafs, we pray thee, through 20 thy land into my place. But Sihon trufted not Ifrael to pafs through his coaft : but Sihon gathered all his peo- ple together, and pitched in Jahaz, and fought againil Ifrael -, he not only refufed their requeft, but made war againfi them ; he was the agrreffor, they only atled on the 21 defence. And the Lord God of Ifrael delivered Sihon and e The Ifrael ites had taken it from Sihon and Og, who it feems had taken it from the Ammonites, JoJJiua xiii. 25. Probably the Moabites were now gathered under this king, for Chemofh is called his god. He tells them they muft not expect peace unlefs they refigned his country. JUDGES. XL 441 and all his people into the hand of Ifrael, and they fmote them : fo Ifrael poffeffed all the land of the Amorites, 22 the inhabitants of that country. And they pofTefled all the coafts of the Amorites, from Arnon even unto Jab- 23 bok, and from the wildernefs even unto Jordan. So now the Lord God of Ifrael hath difpoffeffed the Amorites from before his people Ifrael, and fhouldft thou poffefs it ? God hath given it us, and why Jhould we give it 24 thee? Wilt not thou poffefs that which. Chemofh thy god giveth thee to poffefs, to whofe affiftance thou afcribeft all thy vitturies ? So whomfoever the Lord our God mail drive out from before us, them will we poffefs ; an argument on their own principles, which they could not gain- 25 fay. And now [art] thou any thing better than Balak the fon of Zippor king of Moab ? did he ever ftrive againft Ifrael, or did he ever fight againft them ? your pre- decejpjrs never claimed it, never difputed our title, or took up 26 arms againft us for the reflilution of thofe lands ; While Ifrael dwelt in Hefhbon and her towns, and in Aroer and her towns, and in all the cities that [be] along by the coafts of Arnon, three hundred years ? why there- fore did ye not recover [them] within that time ? Being forced to go three hundred years back for the fhadow of an argument, Jephthah therefore concludes that the king had no 27 right to make war, nor claim the lands. Wherefore 1 have not finned againft thee, but thou doeft me wrong to war againft me : the Lord the Judge be judge this day between the children of Ifrael and the children of Ammon •, we commit our caufe to him, and may he give 28 vi5lory to the injured party ! Howbeit the king of the children of Ammon hearkened not unto the words of Jephthah which he fent him ; he could not confute Jeph- thah?s arguments, but he would try the logic of kings, and trufi to his fword. 29 Then the Spirit of the Lord came upon Jephthah, a fpirit of wifdom and courage, and he paffed over Gilead, and Manaffeh, and paffed over Mizpeh of Gilead, and from Mizpeh of Gilead he paffed over [unto] the child- 30 ren of Ammon, and gathered forces together in the coun- tries thro'' which he paffed. And Jephthah vowed a vow unto 444 JUDGES. XI. unto the Lord/ and faid, If thou malt without fail 31 deliver the children of Ammon into mine hands, Then it fhall be, that whatfoever cometh forth of the doors of my houfe to meet me, when I return in peace from the children of Ammon, fhall furely be the Lord's, confer at ed to his fpecial fervice, and I will offer it up for a burnt offering. 'The margin renders it, Or I will offer it up for a burnt offering. 32 So Jephthah palled over unto the children of Am- mon to fight againft them ; and the Lord delivered 2^ them into his hands : And he fmote them from Aroer, even till thou come to Minnith, [even] twenty cities,' and unto the plain of the vineyards, with a very great flaughter ; he purfued them to their city\ deftroyed great numbers, and effectually fubdued them. Thus the child- ren of Ammon were fubdued before the children of Ifrael. 34 And Jephthah came to Mizpeh unto his houfe, and behold, his daughter, accompanied by her neighbours and companions, came out to meet him with timbrels and with dances, to welcome him and congratulate his vitlory : and me [was his] only child ; befides her he had 35 neither fon nor daughter. And it came to pafs, when he faw her, that he rent his clothes, as was ufual when great calamities happened, and faid, Alas, my daughter ! thou haft brought me very low, and thou art one of them that trouble me; thou art one of my great troubles \ that is, together with his brethren, and the Ammonites-, and the trouble was the greater, as he expetled comfort and fatisfattion in her : for I have opened my mouth unto the Lord, and I cannot go back •, have made a $6 vow that I cannot retratl. And fhe faid unto him, My father, [if] thou haft opened thy mouth unto the Lord, do to me according to that which hath proceeded out of thy mouth ; forafmuch as the Lord hath taken vengeance for thee of thine enemies, [even] of the children of Ammon. An heroic reply ; Jhe proba- bly f It was common for commanders to make fuch vows, of being grateful to God, offering facrifices, building temples, &c, So the Greeks and Romans did. JUDGES. XI. 445 bly did not know what the vow was, but was willing to fubmit to it, fence God had made her father the chief in- 37 ftrument of fuch eminent fervice to Ifrael, And ihe faid unto her father, Let this thing be done for me : let me alone two months, that I may go up and down upon the mountains, and bewail my virginity, I and my 38 fellows. And he faid, Go. And he fent her away [for] two months : and fhe went with her companions, and bewailed her virginity upon the mountains, afolitary 39 flace, fit for lamentation. And it came to pafs at the end of two months, that fhe returned unto her father, who did with her [according] to his vow which he had vowed : and fhe knew no man. And it was a cuftom 40 in Ifrael, or an ordinance of the elders, [That] the daugh- ters of Ifrael went yearly to lament, or, to talk with9 the daughter of Jephthah the Gileadite four days in a year.5 REFLECTIONS. 1. T T 7 E learn hence not to defpife or infult any perfons, V V f°r we know not how foon we may need their help. Jephthah's brethren and friends caft him out, not for any fault * On reading this chapter there arifes a very difficult queftion, and that is, What Jephthah did with his daughter? Now ?here arc two opinions on this fubjecl. One is, that /he was really made a burnt offering ; the other, that /he was confecrated to the fervice §f the tabernacle, employed, herfelf in work relating to it, and ipent her days in religious folitude there. The hiitory is - very ambiguous, and does not pofitively determine either way. (n a?id his rain to defcend, on the evil and the good, on the juft and the unjuft. CHAP. XIII. We are now entering on the hiftory of Sam [on, who was a great fcourge to the enemies of his country \ In this chapter his birth JUDGES. XIII. 453 is fcreto7d by an angel, to his mother •, he appears again to M'lnoah and his wife ; they difcover that he was an angej. \ and in due time Samfton is born, I AND the children of Ifrael did evil again in the jlJl %nt °f *he Lord •, and the Lord delivered them into' the hand of the Philiftines forty years. This was the fixth and longeft oppreffion of Ifrael -, while the Ammonites difireffed them in the eaft, the Philiftines did fo in the weft. 2 And there was a certain man of Zorah, of the family of the Danites,k whofe name [was] Manoah ; 3 and his wife [was] barren, and bare not. And the angel of the Lord appeared unto the woman, and faid unto her, Behold now, thou [art] barren and bt areft not : but thou fhalt conceive, and bear a fon. This add.refs engaged her attention, as it plainly proved that he was a prophet who fpoke to her, becaufe he knew her cir- 4 cn'ftances. Now therefore beware, I pray thee, and drink not wine nor ftrong drink, and eat not any un- clean [thing,] nothing that is forbidden to the Nazarites, (Numb. vi. 2 — 5.) much lefts any thing forbidden to others \ 5 For, lo, thou malt conceive, and bear a fon ; and no razor mall come on his head : for the child (hall be a Nazarke unto God from the womb, that is, fteparated to the fervice of God: and he fhali begin to deliver Ifrael out of the hand of the Philiftines ; this deliverance was not to be completed till David's time. 6 Then the woman came and told her hufband, faying, A man of God came unto me, that is, a holy prophet fent of God, and his countenance [was] like the countenance of an angel of God, very terrible, that is, venerable and full of majefty, which ftruck ftuch an awe into her that /he could not ajk his name, or make any particular enquiry : /he accordingly adds, but I afked him not whence he [was,] 7 neither told he me his name : but he faid unto me, Be- hold, thou fhalt conceive, and bear a fon ♦, and now drink no wine norilrong drink, neither eat any unclean [thing :] for the child mail be a Nazarite to God from E e 3 the k Dan lay next to the Philiftines; it was proper therefore that a deliverer fliould rife from thence. Samfon was the firlt hero ©f that tribe. 454 JUDGES. XIII. the womb to the day of his death, whereas others might be for a certain time only. 8 Then Manoah intreated the Lord, and faid, O my Lord, let the man of God which thou didft fend come again unto us, and teach us what we fhall do unto the child that mail be born. He believed the meffage, and inftead of fending to feek the meffenger% applied to God by prayer* that the man of God might come again and teach him more fully what to do to the child, and how to bring it up, p, And God hearkened to the voice of Manoah •, and the angel of God came again unto the woman as fhe fat in the field : but Manoah her hufband [was] not 10 with her. And the woman made hafte, and ran, and mowed her hufband, and faid unto him, Behold, the man hath appeared unto me that came unto me the [other] day. She thought this was in anfwer to her hufband^ prayer* and therefore concluded that the angel would flay till fhe went 1 1 and fetched him. And Manoah arofe, and went after his wife, and came to the man, and faid unto him, [Art] thou the man that fpakefl: unto the woman ? And he 12 faid, I [am,] And Manoah faid, Now let thy words come to pafs •, the language of faith as well as defer e : How fhall we order the child, and [how] fhall we 13 do unto him ? And the angel of the Lord faid unto Manoah, Of all that I faid unto the woman let 14 her beware. She may not eat of any [thing] that cometh of the vine, neither let her drink wine nor ftrong drink, nor eat any unclean [thing:] all that I commanded her let her obferve •, repeating the particulars, he enjoins that fhe fiiould abfiain from what he forbade, and do what he commanded. 1 5 And Manoah faid unto the angel of the Lord, I pray thee, let us detain thee, until we fhall have made 16 ready a kid for thee. And the angel of the Lord de- clined this offer, and faid unto Manoah, Though thou detain me, I will not eat of thy bread-, and if thou wilt offer a burnt offering, thou muft offer it unto the Lord : ! for Manoah knew not that he [was] an angel of 1 A prophet might authorize l.im, tho' he was not a prieft, to offer a facrifice to God, and to do it there, as well as at the tabernacle. JUDGES. XIII. 455 17 of the Lord. And Manoah faid unto the angel of the Lord, What [is] thy name ? that when thy fayings come to pafs we may do thee honour, have further ac- quaintance with thee, /peak of thee with reverence and gra- 18 titude, and make thee fome prefent. And the angel of the Lord faid unto him, Why afkeft thou thus after my name, feeing it [is] fecret ? or wonderful, as in the mar- gin, fee If a. ix. 6. Hence fome fuppofe it was Chrift who fpoke to him ; he would infirucl him in his duty, but not 19 fatisfy his curiojity. So Manoah took a kid with a meat offering, and offered [it] upon a rock unto the Lord, in the pre fence of the angel: and [the angel] did won- deroufly -, and Manoah and his wife looked on. He probably brought fire out of the rock, as he who appeared to 20 Gideon did. For it came to pafs, when the flame went up toward heaven from off the altar, that the angel of the Lord afcended in the flame of the altar. And Manoah and his wife looked on [it,] and being quite aftonifhed, and filled with reverence aud horror, they fell on 21 their faces to the ground. But the angel of the Lord did no more appear to Manoah and to his wife. Then Manoah knew that he [was] an angel of the Lord, becaufe he was neither confined to the earth, nor hurt by the fire, 22 And Manoah faid unto his wife, We fhall furely die, becaufe we have feen God -, according to a common notion 23 of the jews, that it was death to fee God or an angel. But his wife faid unto him, If the Lord were pleafed to kill us, he would not have received a burnt offering and a meat offering at our hands, neither would he have mowed us thefe [things,] nor would as at this time have told us [fuch things] as thefe. Thus his wife nobly argues him out of his panick, by thefe three confiderations •, he accepted their facrifice, he fJwwed them all thofe things about their fen's birth and education, and the deliverance which he fhould begin •, which would be impojfible if they were to die ; nor would he at this time, when we are fo opprefjed, and have no open vijion in the land, have done fuch a miracle, if he had defigned to deftroy us. 24 And the woman bare a fon, and called his name E e 4 Samfon 456 JUDGES. XIII. Samfon : m and the child grew, and the Lord blefTed 25 him. And the Spirit of the Lord began to move him at times in the camp of Dan between Zorah and Efh- taol. A camp was formed to give fome check to the oppref- fion of the Philiftines •, and when the Ifraelites went oui to exercife, he went with themi and fhowed ftrength and cou~ rage beyond what might be expefled at his age j to intimate . . what he would do for his country in due time, REFLECTIONS. 1. ^T^ H E firft reflection here is, I apprehend, a very X important one to the happinefs of mankind •, but I choofe to deliver it in the words of good Mr. Henry. c Women with child ought confcientioufly to avoid what-' ever they have reafon to think will be any way preju- dicial to the health or good conftitution of the fruit of their body.' Perhaps Samfon's mother was to refrain from wine, not only becaufe he was to be a Nazarite, but becaufe he was defigned to be a man of great ftrength, to which his mother's temperance would greatly contribute. Many of the ill habits of body that children bring into the world with them, are owing to the irregularities of their mothers; and mod of the difeafes of which fo many young children die, arife from a bad mafs of blood communicated to them. This will eafily gain credit among all confiderate perfons, if they will only take a view of the different con- ditions of the children of the poor and rich, of labourers and gentlemen \ and no wonder, when luxury and excefs fo much prevail among perfons of fortune and leifure. But the irregularities I am cautioning tgainft, not only produce bad conftitutions of body in children, but bad tempers, and ill difpofitions of mind. * The firrr duty parents owe to their children, as Dr. Delany obferves, is to convey health and ftrength, a good conftitution of body and mind to them, as far as it is in their power •, by a proper care of their ■ Some think 'this is derived from a root that fignines the fun ; to intimate the good effedt his appearance and interpoiition fhould have on the affairs of Iffael, and his extraordinary endowments of body and mind. JUDGES. XIII. 457 their own health, and a confcientious abftinence from vice and excefs of every kind.' We learn, 2. That thofe who want and humbly feek divine direc- tion, may hope for it. Manoah prayed that God would teach him his duty, and God did fo. It is thus good men own and acknowledge God in all their ways, and he direcls their paths. We mould do this efpecially when we have ex- perienced, as in the cafe before us, his readinefs to favour and help us. There are fecret things with which we have nothing to do •, they are as little to our purpofe as the name of an angel : but in every cafe of importance let our eyes be up to the Lord, and he will fome way or other teach us Ms paths, Pfalmxxv. 8. 3. Parents mould be very folicitous to know how they mould order their children, and what they mould do unto them. The art of education is the moft important and difficult art in the world, and therefore it mould be care- fully ftudied. Many excellent treatifes have been written by Locke, Doddridge, &c. on the fubject. We have the word of God, which is the beft guide : but we need direction in many particulars, where general rules will not anfwer. Therefore let us look up to God, that he would give us wifdom and grace to manage our children aright, train them up in the right way, and make them Nazarites to God, that is, confecrated to his fervice, and, like Sam- fon, deliverers of Ifrael, publick bleffings to the community. This is the bufinefs of both parents, as Manoah's addrefs to the angel intimates •, and as they have a common right to the child, they ought to unite their endeavours to order it aright. And their united endeavours will be little enough to discharge this important truft well. We may obferve, 4. That God's accepting the facrince of Chrift, is a proof that he is reconcileable to guilty creatures. There is a great deal of good [enCc in the argument of Manoah's wife, v. 23. and it is applicable to this cafe. God appointed the facrince of Chrift, and declared his acceptance of it by railing him from the dead •, by fending down his Spirit, and acknowledging and accepting his fon as our mediator and reprefentative : therefore he will not be inexorable •, we /hall not die, but live, and be happy, if we apply to him in the gofpel A5S rJ U D G E S. XIV. gofpel way. He hath fhowed us many glorious things to confirm our faith. She argued from a promife given ; we, in the prefent cafe, from a promife fulfilled. Let this thought engage us to love God, and to devote ourfelvesto his fervice. J befeech you therefore in Chrifi* s ftead, be ye re- conciledto God-, for he hath made him to be Jin, that is, a facrifice for fin, for us, tho* he knew nofmy that we might be made the righteoufnefs of God in him. CHAP. XIV. 'The hi/lory of Samfon is not equal to what might have been ex- petted from him. We have here the foundation of his forrows9 laid in an unfui table marriage ; and the beginning of his exploits againfi the Philiftines. 1 AND Samfon went down to Timnath, and faw a Jf\ woman in Timnath of the daughters of the 2 Philiftines." And he came up, and told his father and his mother, and faid, I have feen a woman in Timnath of the daughters of the Philiftines: now therefore get 3 her for me to wife. Then his father and his mother faid unto him, [Is there] never a woman among the daugh- ters of thy brethren, or among all my people, that thou goeft to take a wife of the uncircumcifed Philiftines ? And Samfon faid unto his father, Get her for me •, for fhe pleafeth me well. He did well to afk his parents* con- fent -, but the thing was ill in itfelf being contrary to the 4 law of God. But his father and his mother knew not that it [was] of the Lord that he fought an occafion againft the Philiftines •, not that God put this into his heart, becaufe it was wrong •, but the meaning is, that God deter- mined to bring good to Ifrael out ofthefe irregular fteps of Samfon : in this marriage Samfon probably fought for an occafion of attacking the Philiftines from fome "private and perfonal affront : for at that time the Philiftines had dominion ■ Timnath was a city in his own tribe ; but the Philiftines poflefled it. See Jofhua xix. 43. JUDGES. XIV. 459 dominion over Ifrael, and therefore it was not fafe for the whole body of the people to -provoke them, 5 Then went Samfon down, and his father and his mother to Timnath, and came to the vineyards of Timnath, probably to gather fome grapes : and, behold, a young lion roared againft him •, a young lion of remark- 6 able force came with open mouth to devour him. And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, a fpirit of extraordinary courage and rtfolution -, and he rent him as he would have rent a kid, and [he had] nothing in his hand : but he told not his father or his mother what he had done, left the Philiftines knowing of it, fhould bejea- 7 bus of him and his great ftrength. And he went down, and talked with the woman •, and me pleafed Samfon well ; they concluded upon the marriage, and the time of it. 8 And after a time, probably a year, which was cuftomary with the jews, he returned to take her, and he turned afide to fee the carcafs of the lion : and, behold, [there was] a fvvarm of bees and honey in the carcafs of the 9 lien : the Seventy fay, in the lion's mouth. And he took thereof in his hands, and went on eating, and came to his father and mother, and .he gave them, and they did eat: but he told not them that he had taken the honey out of the carcafs of the lion. io So his father went down unto the woman: and Sam- fon made there a feaft •, for fo ufed the young men to 1 1 do. And it came to pafs, when they faw him, that they brought thirty companions to be with him, to fhow their refpeel, and for the greater honour ofthefolemnity, called in the New U T it came to pafs within a while after, in the j3 time °f wneat harveft, at the feaft of Pentecoft, about the middle of April, afeafon of great joy in that coun- try, that Samfon vifited his wife with a kid *, and he faid, I will go in to my wife into the chamber ; not knowing that his wife was given to another, he went with a defign to be reconciled to her. But her father would not 2 fuffer him to go in. And her father faid, I verily thought that thou hadft utterly hated her ; therefore I gave her to thy companion ; ufing Samfon exceeding ill in not endeavouring to bring about a reconciliation and waiting for it : to prevent Samfon9 s refentment he adds, [Is] not her younger fifter fairer than fhe ? take her, I pray thee, 3 inftead of her. And Samfon, turning from him with fcorn and indignation, faid concerning them, to thofe whom he met, Now mail I be more blamelefs than the Phi- liftines, though I do them a difpleafure. Probably the people approved the marriage with Samfon* s companion, and 4 were prefent at it. And Samfon went and caught three hundred foxes, with the affiftance of his countrymen and father's houfe,q and took firebrands, or torches made with pitch, and turned tail to tail, and put a firebrand in the midft between two tails, he coupled them to prevent their - .5 running into holes. And when he had fet the brands on fire, he let [them] go into the {landing corn of the Philiftines, fome in one part and fame in another, and burnt up both the fhocks, and alfo the ftanding corn, with * Foxes were numerous in that country, and feveral places were named from the multitude of foxes found there. 464 JUDGES. XV. 6 with the vineyards [and] olives.1" Then the Philiflines faid, Who hath done this ? And they, that is^ fome of them who had heard Sam forts threatening words ^ anfwered, and faid, Samfon, the Ton in law of the Timnite, becaufe he had taken his wife, and given her to his companion. And the Philiflines came up, and burnt her and her father with fire •, burned the houfe and them in it : this was ' God, who directed the beafts to Noah's ark, and the quails to Ifrael's camp, mud have a (lifted Samfon in collecting thofe foxes; and by this means he avoided an open rupture with the Philiflines; he rids his own country of many noxious animals, and feverely fcourges his enemies. Mr. Or. ton obferves, that the Romans ufed every year, in the middle of April, to let loofe in the circus, or the place where the publick exercifes were performed, fome foxes with burning torches at their tails : a cuftom probably derived from the Phoenicians, who lived in the country which was formerly the Philiflines', and that this cuftom was kept up in remembrance of this event, But as many very refpeclable writers have given a different interpretation of this ftory, the Editor begs leave to add the fol- lowing quotation. ' The only difficulty in this chapter, is to ac- count for the ftory of Samfon's foKes, Where could he meet with fuch a vaft number as three hundred? how could he unkennel them and catch them ? where could he put them ? and how feed and preferve them, till he had collected the whole number, and found a fit opportunity for his purpofe ? and then how could he mauage fuch a vaft number of beafts, tie them together, put them in their proper places, and fet firebrands to them ; and all this without being difcovered by the owners of the corn, who might have rifen in a body with all their neighbours, and prevented h.o delign ? Truly 1 cannot account for it, nor do I think he did any fuch thing. The Hebrew word, Schualim, which is ren- dered foxes, differs but one very fmall ftroke at the top of one letter, from the Hebrew word Schoalitn, which fignifies /heaves • This very little miftake might be made in tranlcribing ; and allowing this, all the difficulty vaniihes at once. When Samfon had determined to deftroy their corn, he obferved they had made up all their fheaves into three hundred fhocks ; thefe three nun-' dred (hocks could not be fet on fire one after another without lofs of time, and danger of difcovery : on this account he judged it neceftary to lay two fheaves of corn at length upon the ground, to make a communication between every two mocks; for this purpofe he turnea tail to tail, or the bottom of one fheaf to the top of another. Obferve, it is not faid, he tied tail to tail, but he turned one toward the ether-, and then putting fome com- builible matter between the two fheaves, fuca as hemp, flax, or the JUDGES. XV. 465 was barbarous \ but God was righteous in thus punifhlng their y treachery. And Samfon faid unto them, Though ye have done this, yet will I be avenged pf you, and after that I will ceafe, unlefs fome further provocation be 8 given. And he fmote them hip and thigh with a great flaughter, fome in one place, fome in another, as they came in his way: and he went down and dwelt in the top of the rock Etam > a firong place, where Rehoboam after- wards built a city, 2 Chron. xi. 5, 6. 9 Then the Philiftines went up, and pitched in Judah, 10 and fpread themfelves in Lehi. And the men of Judah faid, Why are ye come up againft us, fince we pay our tribute, and have committed no offence? And they anfwered, To bind Samfon are we come up, to do to him as he hath done to us •, we have no quarrel with you, but with 1 1 Samfon, for the injury he hath done to us. Then three thoufand men of Judah went to the top of the rock Etam, and faid to Samfon, Knoweft thou not that the Philiftines [are] rulers over us, and therefore are not to be attacked and offended by us? what [is] this [that] thou haft done unto us ? thou haft provoked them to come againft us9 and we ftiall fmart for it. And he faid unto them, As they did unto me, fo have I done unto them ; / have only 1 2 requited the wrong I have received. And they faid unto him, "We are come down to bind thee, that we may deliver thee into the hand of the Philiftines.8 And Samfon faid unto them, Swear unto me, that ye will not fall upon me yourfelves -, inftead of upbraiding them 13 with cowardice, he confents on this condition. And they Vol. II. F f fpake the like, which he could eafily carry, he fet fire to it, which, probably aided by a dry feafon, and the wind, fpread diredlly from fheaf to fheaf, and mock to mock ; and running over the neighbouring fields, confumed the Handing corn, the vineyards and olives. All this, an ingenious, active man, as Samfon was, could do in one night, and without difcovery.' Let the reader judge, whether this is not the moll eafy, natural, and plain account of the matter. See Saurin's Diflertations, Vol. IV. Diff. 17. 8 This was ftrange indeed ! They mould rather have made him their captain, have gone out againft the Philiftines, and thrown off the yoke. But they chofe rather to fecure peace by delivering up their brave countryman, than make an attempt to recover thek* liberty. 466 JUDGES. XV. fpake unto him, faying, No ; but we will bind thee faft, and deliver thee into their hand : but furely we will not kill thee. And they bound him with two new cords, and brought him up from the rock •, their tender mercy was cruelty ; they would not kill him them/elves, but deliver him bound to his enemies, that they might kill him. X4 [And] when he came up unto Lehi, the Philiftines fnouted againft h\m, for joy that they had got their enemy into their hands : and the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon him, and the cords that [were] upon his arms became as flax that was burnt with tire, and his bands loofed from off his hands, melted like wax before the fire, 15 And he found a new jawbone of an afs, and put forth his hand, and took it, and flew a thoufand men there- 16 with.1 And Samfon faid, With the jawbone of an afs, heaps, upon heaps, with the jaw of an afs have I 17 (lain a thoufand men.u And it came to pais when he had made an end of fpeaking, that he caft away the jaw- bone out of his hand, and, to perpetuate his viilory and the Philiftines'' difgrace, called that place Ramath-lehi, that is, the lifting up, or, cafting away of the jawbone. 1 8 And he was fore athirft, and called on the Lord, and faid, Thou haft given this great deliverance into the hand of thy fervant : and now fhall I die for thirft, and 19 fall into the hand of the uncircumcifed ?w But God had companion upon him, and clave an hollow place that [was] in the jaw, not in the jaw itfelf, but in Lehi, as in the margin, that is, the place where the aulion was performed, and there came water thereout : and when he had drunk, his fpirit came again, and he revived : wherefore he called 1 It would have been wonderful to have flain fo many with a iword or fpear, but more fo with this poor weapon. No doubt when the Philiftines faw him break his cords fo eafily, and fear- ing the men of Judah would join him, they all fled, and gave him a great advantage againft them. ■ This was his triumphant fong. It is beautiful in the original, as tht word fignifies both an afs and an ape. w Jofephus fays, this dreadful thirft was brought upon him as a punifhment for not acknowledging the hand of God in this affair: / havt Jlaiu a thoufand '; but not a word of God's hand or kelp ia it. JUDGES. XV. 467 called the name thereof En-hakkore, that is, the well of him that called, or cried, which [is] in Lehi unto this day, in the field that is fo called in remembrance of this ex- 20 ploit. And he judged Ifrael in the days of the Philiftines twenty years *, Ifrael fubmitted to him, the country was quiet, and the Philiftines made no inroads upon them, REFLECTIONS. 1. ' f^ ROM the calamity that befel Samibn's wife, we Jj learn, that the fear of the wicked /hall come upon them. She betrayed and abufed her huiband, for fear of being burned ; and now flie is plunged into the flames ihe would have avoided. It is a common cafe in the world. When men thro' unreafonable fears, or from other motives, betray their friends and violate their confciences, what can they expect but fuffering ? The God to whom vengeance belongeth brought this evil upon her •, and it often happens that thofe who deal treacheroufly, are dealt treacheroufly with: fooner or later there will be a recompenfe for both good and evil. 2. In perufing fuch chapters as this, let us notfeek after, or be influenced by, allegorical interpretations. This is hinted at here, becaufe nothing has done greater diflionour to fcripture. Men of warm imaginations pretend to find ftrange myfteries even in a plain narrative, and much more in dark or doubtful paflages. Scarce any chapter in the bible has been more tortured than this; efpecially the ftory of Samfon's foxes. Some have made it a type of Chrift's difciples •, which by the way is no compliment to them. Multitudes have made Samfon a type of Chrift himfelf, becaufe he faid in figurative language, he was come to fet fire on the earth, A celebrated commentator among the ejected minifters makes it a type of heretics, by which he meant the Cavaliers and Arminians in the church; and, in order to be even with him, a high church writer publiihed a virulent book againfl: the diflenters, and called it Foxes and Firebrands. And if the commentators of the prefent day had not more fenfe, they might make it a type of the Corfairs and Algerines. It is a matter of great im- portance to guard againfl: being led into falfe interpretations of the fcriptures, by thofe commentators who deal much in F f z types ±6$ JUDGES. XVI. types and allegories, and make plain hiftory fay, or at leaft fignify, any thing and every thing. It is this which has 'made the word of God fo little underftood, and opened the mouths of the enemies of revelation to banter and blafpheme. 3, This chapter furnifhes us with repeated inftances of the power of God ♦, and mows us, that he can never be at a lofs to ftrenpthen and relieve his fervants. Thefe ftories are not incredible, becaufe they are not impoflible. The hand of the Lord is in them. Under the influence of that fpirit of ftrength and courage which he can impart, one /hall chafe a thoufand, and two put ten thoufand to flighty and that even by a jawbone ; and rather than one who is fighting his battles ("hall perifh for third, he may turn a rock into a fountain of water. In him let us truft for the ftrength we want againft our fpiritual enemies : for thro' him we may hope to do valiantly ; and let us take encouragement to truft in him from thefe antient records of his power and goodnefs, and argue, as Samfon does in v, 8, from paft experience of his care. Let us hope and believe that if we are faithful to him, he who hath delivered, and who doth deliver, will Jlill deliver •, and that he, with whom nothing is impoflible, will make us more than conquerors. CHAP. XVI. Samfon carries away the gates of Gaza •, Delilah* corrupted by the Philijlines, enticeth and overcometh him % the Philijlines put out his eyes', the manner of his death, and of thoufands of the Philijlines who werejlain with him, ''HEN went Samfon to Gaza, which lay in the fouthem part of the country, to obferve what ftate things were in, and faw there an harlot, and went in unto her; he fell in company with a bad woman, and was nearly ruined by her, [And it was told] the Gazites, fay- ing, Samfon is come hither •, perhaps he was difcovered by the woman her f elf. And they compafTed [him] in, and laid wait for him all night in the gate of the city, and were quiet all the night, left he Jhould b$ alarmed, and break JUDGES. XVL 469 break thro* their guards faying, In the morning, when it is 3 day, we mall kill him. And Samfon lay till midnight, and arofe at midnight, and took the doors of the gate of the city, and the two pofts, and went away with them bar and all, and put [them] upon his moulders, and carried them up to the top of an hill that [is] before Hebron, between Gaza and Hebron •, probably hejlewfome of the guard, and the reft, being terrified, ran away, 4 And it came to pafs afterwards, that he loved a woman in the valley of Sorek, a place in the tribe of Judah, but now in poffejjion of the Philiftines, where he was again entangled by a woman, whofe name [was] De- lilah, which fignifies, a confumer or deftroyer-, a proper name 5 for fuch an infamous creature. And the lords of the Philiftines came up unto her, and faid unto her, Entice him, and fee wherein his great ftrength [lieth,] and by what [means] we may prevail agaiirfc him, that we may bind him, to afflict him-, probably he had boafted that thefecret where his great ftrength lay was only known to himfelf; they imagined it was fome fpell or charm \ they fay nothing about killing him, left flie fhould ftartle at the pro* pofal: and we v/ill give thee every one of us eleven hundred [pieces] offilver, more than feven hundred pounds; willing to be at any expenfe to get rid of fuch a powerful 6 enemy. And Delilah faid to Samfon, in the midft of her careffes, and as if greatly concerned about every circumftance that related to a perfon whom fhe fo much loved, Tell me, I pray thee, wherein thy great ftrength [lieth,] and 7 wherewith thou mighteft be bound to afflicl: thee. And Samfon faid unto her, If they bind me with feven green withs that were never dried, then fhall I be weak, and be as another man •, a notorious lie -, but he hoped, thus to 8 put her off' and fatisfy her. Then the lords of the Phi- liftines brought up to her feven green withs which had not been dried, and ihe prevailed with him to let her try 9 the experiment, and bound him with them. Now [there were] men lying in wait abiding with her in the cham- ber, whom fhe intended to call in if he had not broken them, othcrwife fhe was to turn it off in j eft. And fhe faid unto him, The Philiftines [be] upon thee, Samfon. And he F f 3 brake 470 JUDGES. XVI. brake the withs, as a thread of tow is broken when it toucheth the fire. So his ftrength was not known, 10 And Delilah faid unto Samfon, at fome convenient dis- tance of time afterwards, Behold, thou haft mocked me and told me lies : now tell me, I pray thee, wherewith 11 thou mighteft be bound. And he faid unto her, If they bind me faft with new ropes that never were occu- pied, (in the Hebrew ', wherewith work hath not been done,) 12 then mail I be weak, and be as another man. Delilah therefore took new ropes, and bound him therewith, and faid unto him, The Philiftines [be] upon thee, Samfon. And [there were] liers in wait abiding in the chamber. And he brake them from off his arms like a 13 thread. And Delilah faid unto Samfon, Hitherto thou haft mocked me, and told me lies: tell me where- with thou mighteft be bound. And he faid unto her, If thou weaveft the feven locks of my head with the 14 web.x Ana ihe faftened [it] with the pin, to make it jecure, and faid unto him, the Philiftines [be] upon thee Samfon. And he awaked out of his fleep, and went away with the pin of the beam, and with the web, eafily carrying all away by the ftrength of his hair, 15 And lhe faid unto him, How canft thou fay, I love thee, when thine heart [is] not with me ? Thou haft mocked me thefe three times, and haft not told me wherein thy great ftrength [lieth.] She 'perhaps threat- ened to caft him off, becaufe he only pretended to love her^ or elfe he would not have refufed telling her fuch afecret. This was an argument which his fcoiifh fondnefs conld not rejift -y 16 he was vexed to have his affeclicn called in queftion. And it came to pafs, when (he prefled him daily with her words, and urged him, [fo] that his foul was vexed un- 3 7 to death •, That he told her all his heart, and faid unto her, There hath not come a razor upon mine head -9 for I [have been] a Nazarite unto God from my mother's \vomb : if I be fhaven, then my ftrength will go from me, * The Nazarites never cut their hair, but plaited it up in feven locks. Thefe (he was to weave together, and fallen them about a weaver's beam, and at a convenient time when he was aileep, (he did fo. JUDGES. XVI. 471 me, and I mall become weak, and be like any [other] man. He knew that the prefiervation of his hair was the 1 8 condition on which his firength was continued to him. And when Delilah faw by the peculiar ferioufnefs and affetlion with which he /poke to her, that he had told her all his heart, fhe fent and called for the lords of the Philiftines, fay- ing, Come up this once, for he hath mowed me all his heart. Then the lords of the Philiftines came up unto her, and brought money in their hand, according t* 19 their promife in v. 5. And me made him fleep upon her knees, gave him fome ftrong fieeping potion , or made him drink wine, which, as he had never tafied it before, would foon intoxicate him •, and at the fame time break his vow of NazaritefJdp : and me called for a man, and fhe caufed him to fhave off the {tven locks of his head •, and fhe began to afflict him, by binding, thrufting, or fome fuch like means, to try his ftrength, and his ftrength went from 20 him. And fhe faid, The Philiftines [be] upon thee, Samfon. And he awoke out of his fleep, and faid, I will go out as at other times before, and fhake myfelf ; being newly awoke, he did not mifs his hair ; and made no doubt but he could -put forth his firength and defiroy them at once. And he wift not that the Lord was departed from him. 1 1 But the Philiftines took him, and put out his eyes, and brought him down to Gaza, and bound him with fetters of brafs ; and he did grind in the prifon-houfe. tfhey had fo much confidence as to keep their promife with Delilah not to kill him, but only to afflicl him ; they thought thus to gratify their revenge, and get a great deal of work 22 out of him. Howbeit the hair of his head began to grow again after he was fhaven, as it did before-, and it fieems probable that he fipent this time in repentance and prayer, and renewing his vow, and that God was intreated to renew his extraordinary firength. 23 Then the lords of the Philiftines gathered them to- gether for to offer a great facrifice unto Dagon their god,y and to rejoice : for they faid, Our god hath de- F f 4 livered y This idol had the upper part like a man, and the lower like a fifli. It was their Neptune, or god of the lea coaft, on which they dwelt, and to which they believed they owed their wealth. 472 JUDGES. XVI, 24 livered Samfon our enemy into our hand. And when the people faw him, they praifed their god : for they faid, Our god hath delivered into our hands our enemy, and the deftroyer of our country, which flew many of us. He was expofed to publick view, and they fang fongs 25 of triumph on the occafion. And it came to pafs, when their hearts were merry, that they faid, Call for Sam- fon, that he may make us fport, that we may laugh at him^ buffet him, and give him fomething to try his Jlrength upon. And they called for Samfon out of the prifbn- houfe ; and he made them fport : and they fet him between the pillars.2 26 And Samfon faid unto the lad that held him by the hand, Suffer me that I may feel the pillars whereupon 27 the houfe ftandeth, that I may lean upon them. Now the houfe was full of men and women -, and all the lords of the Fhiliftines [were] there; and [there were] upon the roof about three thoufand men and women, that 28 beheld while Samfon made fport. And Samfon called unto the Lord, and faid, O Lord God, remember me, I pray thee, and ftrengthen me I pray thee, only this once, O God, that I may be at once avenged of 29 the FhiMines for my two eyes,a And Samfon took hold of the two middle pillars upon which the houfe flood, and on which it was borne up, of the one with 30 his right hand, and of the other with his left. And Samfon faid, Let me die with the Fhiliftines ; / am uilling to die, fo I can but thereby contribute any thing to the vindication of God's glory, and the deliverance of his people. And z Thefe ftocd in the middle of the houfe or temple of Dagon, where they were all aiTembled ; the lords and nobles were below, and a great number of common people on the top. We read of fome fuch large edifices among the antients, that were cniy fuppcrted by one or two great pillars in the middle, and fmaller ones round them. a As far as he was influenced by a revengeful fpirit, he was undoubtedly wiong. But fcrgiveneis of injuries was not then fo well underllood as it is now under the gcfpel. Belides, they ha^ as the fpies had reprefented-, and they fmote them with the edge of the fword, and took the fp oil, and burnt the city with 28 fire. And [there was] no deliverer, becaufe it [was] far from Zidon, their patrons and protestors, and they had no bufinefs with [any] man, they could fend no in- telligence, nor were any perfons concerned for them ; and it was in the valley that [lieth] by Beth-rehob. And they built a larger and more convenient city, and dwelt therein. 29 And they called the name of the city Dan, after the' name of Dan their father, who was born unto Ifrael : howbeit the name of the city [was] Laim at the nrfV 30 And the children of Dan fet up the graven image • and Jonathan, the fon of Gerfhom the fon of Manafl feh, he and his fons were priefts to the tribe of Dan, to that part of the tribe, until the day of the captivity of the land, that is, till the ark and many Ifraelites were taken captive by the Philifiines at Eli's death, as avpears by the loft verfe compared with Pfalm Ixxviii. ho, 6 u 1 Sam. 31 iv. 10. And they fet them up Micah's graven image" which he made, ail the time that the houfe of God was in Shiloh.* REFLECT- f This was the northern boundary of Canaan. Hence came the expreffion, from Dan even to Beer-Jheba. This place was after- wards called Cat/area Philippi : in this, Mofes' prophecy was ful- filled, Deut. xxxm. 22. Dan is a lion's whelp, fcfr. * Idolatry lurked here all the time of the judges, and was fo famous for the refort of worfhippcrs, that Jeroboam fet ud one of his calves there. This was the firft publick idolatry in Ifrael; and JUDGES. XVIII. 483 REFLECTIONS. I. TT7E learn from thefe idolaters, the reafonablenefs V V °f acknowledging God in all our ways. They were defirous to confult idolatrous images, to know whether it was agreeable to the will of God that they mould pro- ceed in their defign. How proper is It for us to enquire by prayer, what God would have us to do, and to take him with us. If our way is before the Lord, we may go in peace, and depend on fuccefs. 2. We may obferve, that idle, luxurious, carelefs peo- ple, are in a fair way to ruin. This was the cafe of the men of Laifh ♦, they dwelt at eafe, had no bufinefs to mind : thus idlenefs begets vice. There was no magistrate to punifh them, therefore thefe finners grew impudent and bold, fo that it was no wonder they were ruined. This is too juft a defcription of many towns in this kingdom, where men live in idlenefs ; and magiftrates, whofe bufinefs it is to put finners to fhame, by bringing them to punifhment, neglect their duty, and bear the J word in vain. How miferable are fuch places, and how near to ruin ! Every one therefore mould endeavour to promote trade, and encourage di- ligence. All perfons in private ftations mould labour to put vice out of countenance, and to keep up the reputation of virtue and religion •, they mould be more attentive, in proportion to the degree in which magiftrates are negligent; and all mould pray, that God would ftir up thofe who have authority to ufe it for him; to be a terror to evil doers, and a praife to them who do well. 3. Let us learn from the ftory of Micah, to judge what has the chief place in our hearts, what is the fupreme object of our affection, by obferving what we are moil unwilling to part with ; what it is, the lofs of which affects us moft. If we lofe our money, or health, or friends, or reputation, G g 2 and and thus Jacob's prophecy was fulfilled, Dan is a ferpent by tin tvay, Gen. xlix. 17. he mall feduce the reft of the people; in al- lufion to the fall by the old ferpent. And this illuftrates Jacob's words which follow, / have waited for thy falvation, that is, for deliverance by the Mefiiah, who was to turn men from idols t» the living and true God. 4$4 JUDGE S. XIX. and act as if we had loft our all, and fay, What have we more ? it is a fign we make thofe things idols, and fet them up in the place of God. If our happinefs be bound up in any creature comfort whatever, it ufurps the regard we owe to him, and mows that we are real idolaters. An intereft in God is our beft treafure; the lofs of his favour is our greater!: lofs, and an irreparable damage ^ Woe be to us if he depart^ for what have we more ? 4. See how great a matter a little fire kindleth\ what great mifchief one tolerated fin may produce ! Micah fet up an idol to pleafe his own vicious fancy, and a whole city, and probably all about it, were enfnared and corrupted by it, and the corruption continued for many ages. Let us learn to be afraid of the lead fin, for it will continually increafe to more ungodlinefs •, the infection, tho' fmali at firft, will fpread more and more ; the beginning of it is as when one letteth out 'water: Jet us therefore leave it off, before it be meddled with* CHAP. XIX. 'This and the two following chapters give us an acount of the wickednefs of the Benjamites, and their punifhment for it. The ftory in allrefpecls is very melancholy. ND it came to pafs in thofe days, when [there was] no king in Ifrael, that there was a certain Levite fojourning on the fide of mount Ephraim, who took to him a concubine out of Beth-lehem judah; flit was a lawful wife, but had no dowry -, he had no other. 2 And his concubine played the whore againft him, and went away from him unto her father's houfe to Beth- 3 lehem-judah, and was there four whole months.* And her hufband arofe, and went after her, to fpeak friendly unto her, (in the Hebrew , to her hearty) [and] to bring her again, having his fervant with him, and a couple of afTes ; like an honeft, worthy man, he had forgiven her offences* * Our tranflation fays, /he played the whore; the original word properly fignifies, Jhe ivas objiinate and difobedient ; fhe did not iike his company, and went away from him in an ill humour. JUDGES. XIX. 485 offences, and went to fetch her home ; and he was received very gladly by her father: and fhe brought him into her father's houfe : and when the father of the damfel faw 4 him, he rejoiced to meet him. And his father in law, the damfel's father, retained him; and he abode with him three days : fo they did eat and drink, and lodged 5 there. And it came to pafs on the fourth day, when they arofe early in the morning, that he rofe up to de- part : and the damfel's father faid unto his fon in law, Comfort thine heart with a morfel of bread, and after- wards go your way ; he wifhed to detain him longer, that 6 their mutual affeclion might beftrengthened. And they fat down and did eat and drink both of them together ; for the damfel's father had faid unto the man, Be con- tent, 1 pray thee, and tarry all night, and let thine 7 heart be merry. And when the man rofe up to depart, his father in law urged him: therefore he lodged there 8 again. And he arofe early in the morning on the fifth day to depart : and the damfel's father faid, Comfort thine heart, I pray thee. And they tarried until after- noon, till the day declined, and they did eat both of them. 9 And when the man rofe up to depart, he, and his con- cubine, and his fervant, his father in law, the damfel's father, faid unto him, Behold now the day draweth to- ward evening, (in the Hebrew, is weak) I pray you, tarry all night: behold the day groweth to an end, lodge here, that thine heart may be merry; and to morrow get you early on your way, that thou mayefl 10 go home. But the man would not tarry that night but he rofe up and departed, and came overagainft Jebus, which [is] Jerufalem;* and [there were] with him two affes faddled, his concubine alfo [was] with 11 him. [And] when they [were] by Jebus, the day was far fpent ; and the fervant faid unto his mafter, Come, I pray thee, and let us turn in into this city of G g 3 the • The lower part of the city was taken by Judah ; but Xion, or the Fort, was in the hands of the Jebufites till David's time; and they had fuch a command of the city, that the Ifraelires were forced to let them dwell with them, chap, i. 21. But this event might have happened before Judah had pofTenion of it. 4S6 JUDGES. XIX. 12 the Jebufites and lodge in it. And his mafter faid unto him, We will not turn afide hither into the city of a fcranger, that [is] not of the children of Ilrael; we 13 will pafs over to Gibeah. And he faid unto his fer- vant, Come, and let us draw near to one of thefe places to lodge all night, in Gibeah, or in Ramah. 14 And rhey paffed on and went their way •, and the fun went down upon them [when they were] by Gibeah, 15 which [belongeth] to Benjamin. And they turned afide thither to go in [and] ■ to lodge in Gibeah: and when he went in, he fat him down in a ftreet of the city : for [there was] no man that took them into his houfe to lodging. Probably there was no publick inn, and what was worfe, there was no hofpitahty, no common humanity :, except in one poor old Ephraimite. 16 And, behold, there came an old man from his work out of the field at even, which [was] aifo of mount Ephraim-, and he fojourned in Gibeah; but the 17 men of the place [were] Benjamites. And when he had lifted up his eyes, he faw a wayfaring man in the ftreet of the city : and the old man faid, Whither goeft thou ? and whence comerr. thou ? the ufual queftions put to 1 8 travellers. And he faid unto him., We [are] paifing from Beth-lehem-judah, toward the fide or mount Ephraim; from thence [am] I: and I went to Beth- lehem judah, but I [am now] going to the houfe of the Lord, to Shiloh, to give God thanks for family mercies ', and the return of my wife *, and to make atonement for her fault, and then return home; and there [is] no man that 19 receiveth me to houfe. Yet there is both ftraw and provender for our affes ; and there is bread and wine alfo for me, and for thy harAnaiu, and for the young man [which is] with thy fervants : [there is] no want 20 of any thing but a lodging. And the old man faid, Peace [be] with thee-, howfoever [let] all thy wants [lie] upon me ; only lodge not in the ftreet •, thou art 2 1 welcome to my houfe, and the bejl entertainment I have. So he brought him into his houfe, and gave provender unto the affes : and they wafhed their feet, as was al- ways JUDGES. XIX. 487 ways cujlomary in thofe hot countries, and did eat and drink. 22 [Now] as they were making their hearts merry, be- hold, the men of the city, certain fons of Belial, befet the houfe round about, [and] beat at the door, and fpake to the mafter of the houfe, the old man, faying, Bring forth the man that came into thine houfe, that we may know him. But he knew their wicked in- tentions and lewd manner ; probably it was a ufual thing 23 with them. And therefore the man, the mafter of the houfe, went out unto them, and faid unto them, Nay, my brethren, [nay,] I pray you, do not [fo] wickedly; feeing that this man is come into mine houfe, do not this folly, expoftulating with them from the laws of hof- 24 pitality, and the greatnefs of the fin-, and he adds, Behold, [here is] my daughter a maiden, and his concubine ; them I will bring out now, and humble ye them, and do with them what feemeth good unto you : but unto this man do not fo vile a thing. 'This was quite an impro- per and unwarrantable offer ; but probably he was in confufion and terror, and knew not or did not confider what he faid \ 25 like hot in afimilar cafe. But the men would not hearken to him; and, as we find in the next chapter, threatened to kill the Levite if he did not bring out his wife : fo the man took his concubine, and brought her forth unto them ; and they knew her, and abufed her all the night until the morning : and when the day began to fpring, they 26 let her go. Then came the woman in the dawning of the day, and fell down at the door of the man's houfe where her lord [was,] till it was light; thofe wretches 27 had treated her fo ill thatfhe died. And her lord rofe up in the morning, and opened the doors of the houfe, and went out to go his way : and, behold, the woman his concubine was fallen down [at] the door of the houfe, 28 and her hands [were] upon the threfhold, hnd, fuppqfing her to be in a deep fie ep, having come too late to be let in, he faid unto her, Up, and let us be going. But none anfwered. Then the man took her [up] upon an afs, G g 4 and 488 JUDGE S. XIX. and the man rofe up, and gat him unto his place ; he returned home as faft as he could ', without going to Shiloh, 29 And when he was come into his houfe, he took a knife, and laid hold on his concubine, and divided her, [together] with her bones, into twelve pieces, and fent her into all the coaft of Ifrael. There was no king in Ifrael to revenge fuch a crime, hut the heads of the tribes met and confulted together on extraordinary occafions. In order to en- gage their help in this cafe, he fent a fart of the dead body to every tribe, that the mournful fiory and the horrid fpeclacle might incenfe them againfi the authors of this execrable wick- 30 ednefs. And it was fo, that all that faw it faid, There was no fuch deed done nor {ttn from the day that the children of Ifrael came up out of the land of Egypt unto this day : consider of it, take advice, and fpeak [your minds.] It had the defired effecl; they were highly incenfed, and exhorted one another not to pafs over fuch an horrid crime, but to confider how it ought to be punifhed. REFLECTIONS. 1. FT becomes all men, and efpecially God's miniilers, J[ to be frugal of their time. This Levite, tho' well entertained, and upon a joyful occasion, wanted to be at home, and fuffered greatly thro' the foolifh importunity of his father in law. An honefr. man's heart is where is call- ing is ; and no one who has bufinefs to do and underftands the value of time, will trifle on a journey, and flay to oblige his friends, without necefTity. The kindnefs of friends is very often a great injury, by obliging people to travel late, and thereby expofing them to danger, as well as wafting a great deal of time. It is good hearing when Levites are willing to make hafte home to their proper bufinefs •, and thofe friends do them harm who prefs them for frequent and long vifits. 2. ^fyfien we are in the moft agreeable circumftances of life, we know not what evil may be before us, and there- fore mould never be fecure. This Levite was pleafed in having regained the affections of his wife -, fhe was pleafed to return to him •, the father in law was pleafed that the breach JUDGES. XIX. 4?9 breach was made up •, and they were cheerful together in an hofpitable houfe, when this calamity came upon them. If fhe was guilty of adultery, as our tranflation intimates, God was righteous in punifhing her, tho' her hufband had forgiven her. However, the ftory teaches us, that we know not what danger may be before us, nor how foon the end of our mirth may be heavinefs. When we expect moll comfort, God may be writing bitter things againft us. Our creature-comforts and enjoyments are all uncertain ; and therefore we Jhould be as tho* wepojfejfed them not, and prepare for difappointments. 3. What horrible wickednefs were thefe Benjamites guil- ty of! And it is matter of lamentation that fuch creatures mould be found in Ifrael. They were undoubtedly ac- quainted with the fate of Sodom ; nay, not many miles from them was that lake, where the city was buried : and yet fo intolerably wicked were they, that the Levite had better have lodged among the Jebufites; they could not have ufed him worfe. The firft fign of their wickednefs was leaving a ftranger, yea, a Levite, to lodge in the ftreet. If the fear of God had been in any of their houfes, his fer- vants had not been excluded. 'But, as Bp. Hall fays, the worft of pagans were faints to thefe Ifraelites. What availed it to have Shiloh in their neighbourhood, and Sodom in their ftreets ? to have God's law in their hands and upon their fringes, and the devil in their hearts ? Nothing but hell can yield a worfe creature than a depraved Ifraelite.' See what wretched creatures God's profeffing people are, when they are led away by flefhly lufts, and lofe their purity and holinefs. Let it teach us to ftand in the greater!: dread of all the lufts of the flefh, which war againft the foul. Once more, 4. The exhortation of the Ifraelites, on their hearing this melancholy ftory, fuggefts a good hint to us what to do in every difficult cafe. Let us confider of it, revolve the matter in our thoughts, view it in every light with calmnefs, without prejudice and partiality; then, in opposition to raih judgment, take advice, canvas it over with others, take their opinion, and attend to the force of their reafon- .ing, in oppofition to conceit and pofitivenefs ; and then /peak 49o JUDGES. XX. /peak our mind, be refolute and open, in oppofition to cowardice, and act fteadily and boldly, according to our deliberate judgment, efpecially in cafes of virtue and righte- oufnefs. Thus are we likely to act a wife and worthy part-, and in the multitude offuch counfellors there will befafety. CHAP. XX. The Levite in a general affembly declareth his wrong-, their decree -, and the defiruclion of the Benjamites, i ripH E N all the children of Ifrael went out, and the congregation was gathered together, as one man, from Dan even to Beer-lheba, with the land of Gilead, unto the Lord in Mizpeh, the place where the affemblies were held in Joflmd's time : it was in the centre of the country ', 2 near Shiloh, and not far from Gibeah. And the chief of all the people, [even] of all the tribes of Ifrael, the heads of the tribes, (except Benjamin) the captains of thoufands, of hundreds, and tens, prefented themfelves in the afTem- bly of the people of God, four hundred thoufand foot- 3 men that drew fword. (Now the children of Benjamin heard that the children of Ifrael were gone up to Miz- peh •, they had a legal fummons to appear there, but refufed.) Then faid the children of Ifrael, Tell [us,] how was 4 this wickednefs ; and the Levite, the hufband of the woman that was flain, anfwered and faid, 1 rame into Gibeah that [belongeth] to Benjamin, 1 and my con- g cubine, to lodge. And the men of Gibeah rofe againrt me, and befet the houfe round about upon me by night, [and] thought to have flain me: and my concu- 6 bine have they forced that me is dead. And I took my concubine, and cut her in pieces, and fent her through- out all the country of the inheritance of Ifrael: for they have committed lewdnefs and folly in Ifrael. No doubt the Levite's ftory was confirmed by his fervant, and the old 7 man who was his hoft. He adds, Behold, ye [are] all children of ifrael •, give here your advice and counfel -, JUDGES. XX. 49 1 ye are a people in covenant with God, and engaged to abhor and punifh fuch enormities,0 8 And all the people arofe as one man, faying, We will not any [of us] go to his tent neither will we any [of us] turn into his houfe. 7/ is probable from chap. xxi. • I — 5. that they not only came to a refolution, but took an oath, that they would not return home till they had feen o, juflice done, and this wickednefs puniflied. But now this [mall be] the thing which we will do to Gibeah ; [we 10 will go up] by lot againft it •, and we will take ten men of an hundred throughout all the tribes of Ifrael, and an hundred of a thoufand, and a thoufand out of ten thoufand, to fetch viclual for the people, that they may do, when they come to Gibeah of Benjamin, ac- cording to all the folly that they have wrought in Ifrael, Forty thoufand' were to forage for the reft, to prevent their 1 1 making excurfions, or quitting their arms. So all the men of Ifrael were gathered againfl: the city, knit together as one ttiB.fi 12 And the tribes of Ifrael fent men through all the tribe of Benjamin, faying, What wickednefs [is] this that is done among you ? They had heard that the Benjamites were armed, and therefore fent ambajfadors to each city, to Jhow the great nefs of their crime, andpropofe terms of peace \ 13 and they faid, Now therefore deliver [us] the men, the children of Belial, which [are] in Gibeah, that we may- put them to death, and put away evil from Ifrael, keep oth^s from fuch wicked practices, and prevent the judgment of God from falling on them, as it did on Sodom and Gonwr* rah. But the children of Benjamin would not hearken to the voice of their brethren the children of Ifrael : 14 But the children of Benjamin gathered themfelves to- gether out of the cities, unto Gibeah, to go out to battle againfl: the children of Ifrael. One would hope there were feme good men in their tribe ; but they had no in- fluence, and were quite over- ruled by the obftinate and wick- 15 ed multitude. And the children of Benjamin were num- bered c He could not addrefs all the people ; it is therefore probable that a committee was appointed to examine the evidence, and report to the people what they judged proper to be done. 492 JUDGE & XX. bered at that time out of the cities twenty and fix thou- sand men that drew fword, befides the inhabitants of Gibeah, which were numbered feven hundred chofen 16 men. Among all this people [there were] feven hun- dred chofen men left handed ; every one could fling ftones at an hair [breadth,] and not mifs. A proverbial expreffion for great fkilL It is a pity that fetch good markf men Jhould fo mifs their aim, as to efpoufe fo bad a caufe, 17 And the men of Ifrael, befides Benjamin, were num- bered four hundred thoufand men that drew fword : all thefe [were] men of war. 1 8 And the children of Ifrael arofe, and went up to the houfe of God, and afked counfel of God, and faid, Which of us fhall go up firft to the battle againfc the children of Benjamin ? And the Lord faid, Judah [fhall go up] firft. They did not enquire whether they Jhould make war at all, or whether they Jhould be Juccefsful if they did; they prefumed on the juftice of their caufe, and on their own numbers and ftrength, and only afked who Jhould be their commander -, accordingly, Judah is direcled to i9 i° firft an^ had the van. And the children of Ifrael rofe up in the morning, and encamped againfl: Gibeah. 20 And the men of Ifrael went out to battle againfl: Ben- jamin *, and the men of Ifrael put themfelves in array to 21 fight againfl them at Gibeah. And the children of Benjamin came forth out of Gibeah, and deftroyed down to the ground of the Ifraelites that day twenty and two thoufand men. The hand of God was plainly in this, confidering their v aft Juperiority. He perhaps direcled their arrows andftones againft the moft guilty Ifraelites, and hereby prevented the fpread of wickednefs, and punijhed them 22 for their felf confidence, idolatry, and other fins. And the people the men of Ifrael encouraged themfelves, be- caufe their caufe was good and their numbers great, and fet their battle again in array in the place where they put 23 themfelves in array the firft day. (And the children of Ifrael went up and wept before the Lord until even, and afked counfel of the Lord, faying, fhall I go up again to battle againfl: the children of Benjamin my brother ? And the Lord faid, Go up againfl: him.) They JUDGES. XX. 493 They wept not for their fins , but their defeat \ and neither begged God's affifiauce nor enquired after fuccefs : they thought perhaps they had done wrong in warring againft a Mother tribe: and God gave them permiffion to go, tho* he did not pro- 24 mife them fuccefs. And the children of Ifrael came near 25 againft the children of Benjamin the fecond day. And Benjamin went forth againft them out of Gibeah the fecond day, and deftroyed down to the ground of the children of Ifrael again eighteen thoufand men; all thefe drew the fword. 'Thus God cured them of their pride and prefumption, in trufiing to their numbers without praying for fuccefs ; and punifhed them for fuffering idolatry among them9 as in Dan, when they were ordered to root it out. 26 Then all the children of Ifrael, and all the people, went up, and came unto the houfe of God, and wept, in a more ferious and fincere manner than before, and fat there before the Lord, and faded that day until even, and offered burnt offerings, to make atonement for their own fins, and peace offerings before the Lord, to blefs God for fparing fo many of them, and to implore his ajjiftancc 27 for the future. And the children of Ifrael enquired of the Lord, in the tabernacle at Shiloh, near to Gibeah, (for the ark of the covenant of God [was] there in thofe 28 days, And Phinehas, the fon of Eleazar, the fon of Aaron, ftood before it in thofe days,d) faying, Shall I yet again go out to battle againft the children of Ben- jamin my brother, or mall I ceafe ? They now ajk a dif- ferent quefiion, and leave it wholly to God's pleafure ; who gave them an anfwer of peace, and affured them of fuccefs. And the Lord faid, Go up; for to morrow I will deliver them into thine hand, 29 And Ifrael fet liers in wait round about Gibeah ; they neglecled this before, and fmarted for it ; now they put ten 20 thoufand men in ambufh, v. 34. And the children of Ifrael went up againft the children of Benjamin on the third day, and put themfelves in array againft Gibeah, as at other times. This was another part of the army that d This (hows that thefe things happened foon after Jofhua's death, near three hundred and fifty years before Samfon's time, tho' the account comes after his. 494 JUDGE S. XX. that was appointed to ajfault them, and then prefently to re^ 3 1 treat. And the children of Benjamin went out againfl: the people, [and] were drawn away from the city : and they began to fmite of the people, [and] kill, as at other times, in the highways, of which one goeth up to the houfe of God, and the other to Gibeah in the 32 field, about thirty men of Ifrael. And the children of Benjamin faid, They [are] fmitten down before us as at the firft. But the children of Ifrael faid, Let us flee, 33 and draw them from the city unto the highways. And all the men of Ifrael, the main body of the army, rofe up out of their place, and put themfelves in array at Baal- tamar : and the liers in wait of Ifrael came forth out of their places, [even] out of the meadows of Gibeah. 34 And there came againfl Gibeah ten thoufand chofen men out of all Ifrael, which were liers in wait-, and the battle was fore, between the main body of the army and the Benjamites that purfued thofe who fled : but they knew not that evil [was] near them, by reafon of another party 35 fight™* againft the city, v. %J, And the, Lord fmote Benjamin before Ifrael : and the children of Ifrael deftroyed of the Benjamites that day twenty and five thoufand and an hundred men : all thefe drew the fword. This is the general fum ; the particulars are menti- 36 oned, v. 44, 45. So the children of Benjamin faw that they were fmitten : for the men of Ifrael gave, place to the Benjamites, becaufe they trufted unto'the liers in 37 wait which they had fet befide Gibeah. And the liers in wait hailed and rufhed upon Gibeah •, and the liers in wait drew [themfelves] along, or, made a long found with the trumpets, and fmote all the city with the edge 38 of the fword. Now there was an appointed fign between the men of Ifrael and the liers in wait, that they mould make a great flame with fmoke to rife up out of the 39 city. And when the men of Ifrael retired in the battle, Benjamin began to fmite [and] kill of the men of If- rael about thirty perfons : for they faid, Surely they 40 are fmitten down before us, as [in] the firft battle. But when the flame began to rife up out of the city with a pillar of fmoke, the Benjamites looked behind them, and, JUDGES. XX. 495 and, behold, the flame of the city afcended up to hea- 41 ven. And when the men of Ifrael turned again, the men of Benjamin were amazed : for they faw that evil was come upon them. Seeing Gibeah on fire and themfelves hemmed in on every fide, they were quite confounded, and 42 eafily deftroyed. Therefore they turned [their backs] before the men of Ifrael unto the way of the wildernefs, but the battle overtook them, and th^m which [came] out of the cities, that is, the Benjamites which were left in the city, and fled to avoid the flames and the /word, they deftroyed in the midft of them, thefe alfo the Israelites 43 cut off. [Thus] they enclofed the Benjamites round about, [and] chafed them, [and] trode them down with eafe overagainft Gibeah toward the fun rifing. 44. And there fell of Benjamin eighteen thoufand men ; 45 all thefe [were] men or valour. And they turned and fled toward the wildernefs unto the rock of Rimmon, aflrong, inaccejjible city, on the edge of the wildernefs : and they gleaned of them in the highways five thoufand men •, (a metaphor, taken from thofe who glean grapes or corny and leave none behind them-,) and purfued hard after them 46 unto Gidom, and flew two thoufand men of them. So that all which fell that day of Benjamin were twenty and five thoufand men that drew the fword; all thefe [were] 47 men of valour. But fix hundred men turned and fled to the wildernefs unto the rock Rimrnon, and abode in the rock Rimmon four months : thefe, going a nearer way, or being more fwift of foot, arrived fafe ; and con* tinued there four months, till the rage of the Ifraelites was 48 abated. And the men of Ifrael turned again from the purjuit, and fell upon the children of Benjamin, who were in the country round about, and fmote them with the edge of the (word, as well the men of [every] city, as the beafl, and all that came to hand : alfo they fet on fire all the cities that they came to. This was cruel and unjuflifiable conducl-, but, being exafperated by- their own lofs, they were led on to this terrible execution. REFLECT. 496 JUDGES. XX, REFLECTIONS. i. II7HEN a good work is to be done for the caufe V V °f God and righteoufnefs, it fhould be done im- mediately, v 8. Zeal, tho' it be well grounded and properly regulated, is apt to cool. Delays are dangerous, efpecially where a multitude is concerned, who are fickle and eafily turned, and therefore it is prudent to make a vigorous difpatch. 2. We have here a remarkable illuftration of that truth, the battle is not always to the ftrong* The Ifraelites were fo much under an equal providence, that had it not been for their iniquities they would not have been difappointed ; but they were vainly confident in their numbers and ftrength, and the goodnefs of their caufe. They forgot to enquire fo ferioufly and folemnly as they mould have done, whether God would go with them ? There were with them heinous fins againft the Lord, that mould have been put away. " In affairs of lefs moment, let us guard againft confidence and conceit -, and put away our iniquity, if we expect the blerTmg of heaven. 3. We may learn that the triumphing of the wicked is fliort. God furTers them fometimes to be elated with fuccefs, that their ruin may be the more remarkable. The Benjamites thought that the Ifraelites would fall as before, and that the day was their own ; but they were greatly difappointed. Tho* the wicked may lift up themfelves on high, and imagine all is well, and fear no evil, their day (hall come to fall \ and it will be the more dreadful, in proportion to the degree in which they thought themfelves out of dan- ger, and promifed themfelves fafety. 4. We may obferve from the whole ftory, what great mifchief one ad of wickednefs may produce. What a dreadful deftruction is here made among the tribes of Ifrael, by the wickednefs of the men of Gibeah ! When wickednefs is acted, and danger not feared, little do men know what will be in the end thereof; what definition they may bring on themfelves and the community to which they belong. Know then* and fee, that it is an evil and a bitter thing JUDGES. XXI. 49? thing to forfake God and commit iniquity ; and that as right eoufnefs exalt eth a nation \ iojin is a reproach to any peo- pie, and will be the ruin of it. CHAP. XXI. We have feen the deftrutlion of almoft the whole tribe of Ben- jamin -, here we read of a firange method taken to repair the defolation. i TWT O W the men of Ifrael had fworn in Mizpeh, fay- jLN mg> There fhall not any of us give his daughter unto Benjamin to wife; tho' there jhoulfamany of them efcape, yet we will have no dealings nor fociety with them, 2 but look upon them as heathens. And the people came to the houfe of God at Shiloh, and abode there till even before God, and lifted up their voices, and wept fore; mourned over the defeat of their brethren, and celebrated the 3 victory with lamentation injlead of joy ; c And faid, O Lord God of Ifrael, why is this come to pafs in Ifrael, that there mould be to day one tribe lacking in Ifrael ? They expreffed great forrow^ and lamented their exceffive 4 wrath in killing the women and children. And it came to pafs on the morrow, that the people rofe early, and built there an altar, and offered burnt offerings, and peace offerings, to atone for their rafhnefs^ and beg direllionfrom 5 God in this important affair. And the children of Ifrael faid, Who [is there] among all the tribes of Ifrael that came not up with the congregation unto the Lord ? For they had made a great oath concerning him that came not up to the Lord to Mizpeh, faying, He fhall furely be put to death *, they had taken an oath to dejiroy thoje cities who would not join the expedition, or fend fome per fin to the affembly at Mizpeh •, becaufe refufing to do it was openly countenancing this great wickednefs of the Benjamites. 6 And the children of Ifrael repented them for Benjamin their brother, and faid, There is one tribe cut off from 7 Ifrael this day. How fhall we do for wives for them Vol. II. M h that • The Romans allowed of no triumph ia civil war*. 49S JUDGE S. XXI: that remain, feeing we have fworn by the Lord that we will not give them of our daughters to wives ? They continue lamenting the cafe of their brethren^ and it was debated in council how they might keep their oath, and yet furnijh the Benjamites with wives : and one of the council propofed examining the mufier roll. 8 And they faid, What one [is there] of the tribes of lfrael that came not up to Mizpeh to the Lord ? and, behold, there came none to the camp from Jabefh- gilead to the afTembly, a city on the other fide Jordan in the tribe of Manaffeh •, it was an uncommon inftance of zeal, that all the people fhould flay together till this affair was 9 fettled. For the people were numbered, and, behold, [there were] none of the inhabitants of JabehVgilead io there. And the congregation fent thither twelve thou- fand men of the valianteft, and commanded them, fay- ing, Go and fmite the inhabitants of Jabefh-gilead with the edge of the fword, with the women and the child- ren •, ordering them to be Jlain as enemies to the publick. This command was too rafh ; the women and children had not offended ; it would have been fufficient to have obliged them to furnijh the remainder of the Benjamites with wives* ii And this [is] the thing that ye mail do, Ye mail utterly deftroy every male, and every woman that hath lain by £2 man. And they found among the inhabitants of Jabefh-gilead four hundred young virgins, that had known no man by lying with any male: and they brought them unto the camp to Shiloh, which [is] in) 13 the land of Canaan. And the whole congregation fent [fome] to fpeak to the children of Benjamin that [were] in the rock Rimmon, and to call peaceably unto them, and give the publick faith that they fhould be fecured and 14 return in peace. And Benjamin came again at that time -, and they gave them wives which they had faved alive of the women of Jabefh-gilead; this they thought might do, as the oath obliged only thofe who were at the iS affembly : and yet fo they fufficed them not. And the people repented them for Benjamin, becaufe that the Lord had made a breach in the tribes of lfrael •, they lamented JUDGES. XXI. 499 lamented that there was not a fufficient number, and held another confutation what was to be done. 16 Then the elders of the congregation faid, How {hall we do for wives for them that remain, feeing the 1 7 women are deftroyed out of Benjamin ? And they faid, [There muft be] an inheritance for them that be ef- caped of Benjamin, that a tribe be not destroyed out of Ifrael ; they that are efcaped muft have the whole inheritance which belongs to that tribe ; and therefore all of them had need to have wives. 'This Jhowed a generous fpirit amidfi all their wrath *, they would not Jhare the land among them- 1 8 f elves, but refioredit to thofe to whom it fell by lot. How- beit we may not give them wives of our daughters: for the children of Ifrael have fworn, faying, Curfed [be] 19 he that giveth a wife to Benjamin. Then fome of the council propofed another fcheme, which the reft fell in with, and they faid, Behold, [there is] a feaft of the Lord in Shiloh yearly [in a place] which [is] on the north fide of Beth-el, on the eaft fide of the highway that goeth up from Beth-el to Shechem, and on the fouth of Le- 20 bonah/ Therefore they commanded the children of Benjamin, faying, Go and lie in wait in the vineyards, £ I which furround the place where they dance : And fee, and behold, if the daughters of Shiloh come out to dance in dances, then come ye out of the vineyards, and catch you every man his wife of the daughters of Shiloh, and 22 go to the land of Benjamin.5 And it mall be, when their fathers or their brethren come unto us to com- plain, that we will fay unto them, Be favourable unto them for our fakes : becaufe we referved not to each man his wife in the war •, give thofe unhappy perfons no- difturbance, for the Ifraelites have been to blame in taking fuch a fever e revenge -, for ye did not give unto them at H h 2 this f This was the feaft of tabernacle?, which was celebrated with rejoicing ; and at this place the young women who dwelt in Shi- loh, and the cities about, ufed to afTemble 10 dance when the weather permitted them. * This might be eafily done, as there were only* the young women together, the daughters of Shiloh: no men, as is the cuftotn of the prefent day ; nor did the married women fo far forget their gravity and regard to their families, as to go with them. 5oo JUDGE S. XXI. this time, [that] ye fhould be guilty •, ye have not broken your oath ; they took your daughter 'j, and you did not give 23 them away. But* after all, this was a poor evafion* And the children of Benjamin did fo, and took [them] wives, according to their number, of them that danced, whom they caught : h and they went and returned unto their inheritance, and repaired the cities, and dwelt in them. •24 And the children of Ifrael departed thence at that time, every man to his tribe and to his family, and they went 25 out from thence every man to his inheritance. In thofe days [there wras] no king in Ifrael : every man did [that which was] right in his own eyes ; they had an high prieft and elders^ but they had not fuch authority as Mofes and Joftiua \ and we fee the fad conferences both in this and the foregoing chapters. REFLECTIONS. 1. ITT E fee that zeal in a good work may be excef- VV ^ve> and degenerate into rafhnefs and revenge. The difpofition the Ifraelites difcovered to punifh vice, was commendable, but carried too far, and mowed too much of a cruel fpirit. Let us guard our zeal even in a good caufe : that is not good divinity which fwallows up humanity. How much better had thofe Ifraelites acted if they had fhown fome tendernefs and compaflion ! they would not then have had ground for lamentation and remorfe. But rafh vows and actions are generally accompanied with for- row and diftrefs. Strong paflions make work for repen- tance. Let us, therefore, be careful to rule our own fpirits ; look well to the end and confequences of an action before we begin k Thefe were not likely to be happy matches ; but they had this one advantage, that they were all matched to the moll wealthy men in the country, for the whole land of the tribe of Benjamin was divided among thefe fix hundred men ; and if the parents and daughters were like many mothers in the prefent day, they would think themfelves well oft that they were allied to men of fuch large eitates. No doubt the ftep wa> wrong; they fliculd have acknowledged their fin, repented of their oath, and begged direction from God what to do. But men are more ready to ftcp the voice of confcience with fome device of their own, than to acknowledge that they have done wrong. JUDGES. XXI. 501 begin it, left we wifh it undone, when it is too late to remedy Hiq evil confequences. 2. The feveral ftories related in this laft chapter, mould make us thankful for a good government. BJefTed be God, that we have a king in our Ifrael ; that men are not fuffered to do that which is right in their own eyes. Civil government is from God -, and to live under one where our lives and liberties, our children and pofTerTions, are fecure from vio- lence, is a great blefling, and deferves thankfully to be , acknowledged. We in this nation are remarkably dif- tinguifhed in this refpecl, and it becomes us to be thankful to God, who hath fixed the bounds of our habitation : and while we enjoy the blevTings of a good adminiftration, let us adore the providence which has protected and fupported it. While we are careful to render unto Cdcfar the things that are Cafafs^ let us render unto God the things that are God's. Amen. H h 3 Th« The Book of RUTE INTRODUCTION. CfHIS is an Appendix to the Book of Judges ; and takes its title from the per f on whofe Jiory is principally related in it, namely, Ruth, who left her country and relations out of regard to the God of IfraeL It was probably written by Samuel, as it brings the hiftory of Ifrael down to his time, It contains the genealogy of David from Judah, and is in part defignedto prove that Chrijl came out of that tribe, according to Jacob's prophecy. CHAPTER I. In which is an account of Ruth being brought into the land of Canaan, OW it came to pafs in the days when the judges ruled, about the time of Gideon, (Judges vi. 3.) that there was a famine in the land. And a certain man of Beth-lehem-judah went to fojourn in the country of Moab, he, and his wife, and his two 2 fons. And the name of the man [was] Elimelech, and the name of his wife Naomi, and the name of his two fons Mahlon and Chilion, Ephrathites of Beth-lehem- judah.a And they came into the country of Moab, 3 and continued there. And Elimelech Naomi's hufband 4 died •, and fhe was left, and her two fons. And they took them wives of the women of Moab, which it was no t lawful for them to do, unlefs they were profelytes to the jewijli religion: the name of the one [was J Orpah, and the name of the other Ruth : and they dwelled there 5 about ten years. And Mahlon and Chilion died alfo both of them -, and the woman was left of her two fons and her hufband, in a melancholy condition, in a country of * Bethlehem is called Ephratha, on account of its extraordinary fruitfulnefs; it fignifies the houfe of bread; but now famine was there. ruth; i; 5o3 of grangers ; fhe had loft her hufband, her fins, and her 6 eftate, and was left to the wide world. Then fhe arofe with her daughters in law, that fhe might return from the country of Moab : forme had heard in the country of Moab how that the Lord had vifited his people in giving them bread. This fhows Naomi's affection for the land of Ifrael, that flie returned when the famine was ' 7 over. Wherefore fhe went forth out of the place where fhe was, and her two daughters in law with her •, and they went on the way to return unto the land of Judah. 8 And Naomi faid unto her two daughters in law, when they had gone part of the way with her, Go, return each to her mother's houfe ; and fhe gave them her bleffing, fay- ing, The Lord deal kindly with you, as ye have dealt with the dead, and with me ; the Lord be good to you, as you have been good wives to my fins, and good daughters to 9 me. The Lord grant you that ye may find reft, each [of you] in the houfe of her hufband ; Jhe wifhes them happily fettled again, and free from thofe incumbrances and troubles to which widows are expofed. Then fhe kiffed 10 them ; and they lifted up their voice and wept. And they faid unto her, Surely we will return with thee unto thy people. They were grieved to part with her, and re- 1 1 folved to accompany her to Bethlehem. And Naomi faid, Turn again, my daughters : Why will ye go with me ? [are] there yet [any more] fons in my womb, that 1 2 they may be your hufbands ? Turn again, my daugh- ters, go [your way ;] for I am too old to have an huf- band. If I mould fay, I have hope, [if] I mould have an hufband alfo to night, and mould alfo bear 13 fons •, Would ye tarry for them till they were grown ? would ye flay for them from having hufbands ? nay, my daughters •, for it grieveth me much for your fakes that the hand of the Lord is gone out againft me. Thus fhe endeavours to perfuade thtm to return ; floe was never likely to marry and have more fins, who might, ac- cording to the law, marry their brother's wives : and jhe was grieved that fhe was reduced tt fo low a condition that fie was not able to do any thing for Aetr, if they were to go with 14 her. And they lifted up their voice, and wept again -, they H h 4 were §04 RUT H. I. were in great trouble, doubting whether they fhould go with her, or part from her-, and Orpah kitted her mother in law, took her leave, and returned -, but Ruth clave unto 15 her. And fhe faid, Behold, thy fitter in law is gone back unto her people, and unto her gods : return thou after thy fitter in law. Naomi would have her think of and deliberate on the confequences, and not go merely out of re- gard to her, who, being poor, could not help her, and might 16 foondie and leave her. And Ruth faid, Intreat me not to leave thee, [or] to return from following after thee, as Iamjully determined to do it -, for whither thou goeft, I will go ; and where thou lodgeft, I will lodge y, J will ri/k my fortune, and be content in any condition with thee : thy people [fhall be] my people, and thy God my God. A noble and elegant addrefs; which fkows that fhe aft en on the beft principles, refolving to embrace the jewifh religion, I J and take Jehovah for her God. Where thou dieft, w:;l 1 die, and there will I be buried : the Lord do fo to me, and more alfo, [if aught] but death part thee and me. She not only refolved that nothing but death fliould part them, and that fhe would lie in the fame grave, but this fhe confirmed by a folemn affeveration -, think of what impreca- tion you picaje, and the Lord do it to me, and more, if I 1 8 am not fine ere and refolute, VVhen fhe faw that fhe was ftedfaftly minded to go with her, then fhe left fpeaking unto her \ fhe was fatisfed \ and undoubtedly was glad of 19 her company and converfe. So they two went in til they came to Beth-lehem. And it came to pafs, when they were come to Beth- lehem, that all the city was moved 20 about them, and they faid, [Is] this Naomi ? b And fhe faid unto them, Call me not Naomi, that is, pUajant, but call me Mara, bitter or forrqwful: for the Almighty 21 hath dealt veiy bitterly with me. I went out full, had pwney, a hufband, and fons, and the Lord hath brought me home again empty, deprived of all \ why [then] call ye b An antient verhon renders it, the whole city rejoiced. She was a pious woman, well beloved, and formerly of great reputa- tion among them; they weie glad to fee her again; but appear- ing in a mean habit, and her countenance being greatly altered by years and trouble, they could fcarce believe her to be the iame jperfon, and cried out, fs this Naomi? RUTH. I. 505 ye me Naomi, feeing the Lord hath teftified againft me, and the Almighty hath afflicted me ? owning the 2 2 hand and juflice of God in her afflictions \ So Naomi re- turned, and Ruth the Moabitefs, her daughter in law, with her, which returned out of the country of Moab : and they came to Beth-lehem in the beginning of barley harveft, about the time of the pajfover \ this is mentioned as an introduction to the following ft ory. REFLECTIONS. 1. TI7HEN people forfake the poft of duty, it is no VV wonder that they meet with afflictions. Eli- melech's removal to Moab was a very wrong ftep. Had he been in diftrefs, he might have mortgaged his lands, and his brethren by the law of God were obliged to relieve him. But by the expreftion in v. 21, going out fulU it feems to be intimated that he was not in diftrefs. If he had been fo, he might have endured it as well as his brethren ; if not, he might have gone to fome other tribe, and not to Moab. To diftruft God, and go over to idolaters, was very wrong, and God remarkably punifhed the family : he and his fons died, and died childlefs too. It is a dangerous thing, be- caufe it is difpleaflng to God, to forfake the ftation in which providence hath placed us, becaufe there are fome inconveniences in it ; it fhows an unftable mind, and a dif- truft of providence. They who go out of the way to avoid a crofs, will very probably meet with one much more heavy and grievous, and pc- haps with death \ and there is no outrunning that. 2. Here is an amiable example for mothers and daughters in law, how to behave to each other. Thefe are relations in which there are perhaps more differences and contentions, than in any other ; and therefore caution is very proper. Naomi had been a kind, friendly mother to her daughters in law, and tender of their comfort and intereft \ and they mowed great refpecl to her. Let thofe whom providence has brought into this relation, guard againft jealoufy and fufpicion, and any unbecoming carriage. Kindnefs is a win- ning 5o6 RUT H. I. ning quality •, and if perfons are not beloved, it is generally, if not always, their own fault. 3. Ruth is a good pattern to all, and efpecially to young people, to be firm and refolute in their adherence to God and religion. Be willing to take the Lord for your God, your father, and ruler-, and his people for your people. Let them be your friends and companions ; afTociate with them, and continue among them *, and bind yourfelves to this in the ftrongeft manner. If finners would perfuade you againft this, reject their folicitations with abhorrence. If others return to their finful companions, be not you led away by them. Nay, if good men mould lay any {tumb- ling block in your way, and feem to difcourage you, re- folve, in divine ftrength, to break thro' all difficulties, and continue faithful to God and in fellowfhip with his people, even unto death. You cannot be too refolute and ftedfaft in what is fo good. Be willing, like this pious young woman, to run any rifk, or go thro' any hardship in this world, to fave your immortal fouls. - 4. What a melancholy change may be quickly made in the circumftances of thofe who are mod profperous and happy ! What forrow had this pious matron endured ! the lofs of her children, widowhood, poverty, and diftrefs, in a ftrange country. She little expected this when flie left the land of Canaan. Who can tell what circumftances a man fhall be in ten years hence, yea, ten days ? May we learn not to expect too much from this world ; but look for changes in life. Death will part us and our deareft friends. Let us then expect the parting moment, and beg of God to fit us for every change, efpecially our great change. And in order to this, let us obferve, 5. That it becomes us to acknowledge the hand and juf- tice of God in all the calamities of life. Naomi does this with a great deal of devotion •, the Lord hath brought me home — the Lord hath tefiified againfi me — the Almighty hath afflitted me. Such a fenfe of the hand of God in every thing that befals us, will tend to humble us, to prevent our mur- muring and complaining againft him, and being fretful and peevifh with thofe about us, and alfo to compofe and iatisfy our minds under the greateft evils. Let us endea- vour, RUTH. II. 507 vour, with this good woman, to be humble and patient •, to bring our minds to our conditions •, and then it will be good for us to have been afflicled. CHAP. II. Here we have an account of Ruth's humility and induflry -, the piety and generofity of Boaz ; and Naomi's gratitude, and further advice to her daughter. 1 A ND Naomi had a kinfman of her hufband's, a Jf\ mighty man of wealth, of the family of Eli- melech •, and his name [was] Boaz ; he was thegrandfon 2 of Ntihfhon, prince of the tribe of Judah, And Ruth the Moabkefs faid unto Naomi, Let me now go to the field, and glean ears of corn after [him,] that is, after any perfon, in whofe fight I (hall find grace, or favour. And 3 fhe faid unto her, Go, my daughter. And fhe went, and came, and gleaned in the field after the reapers : and her hap or fortune was to light on a part of the field [belong- ing] unto Boaz, who [was] of the kindred of Elimelech. 'This feemed a cafual things as /lie knew not whofe field it was ; but providence direcled her thither, as will appear in 4 the fequel. And, behold, Boaz came from Bethlehem, and faid unto the reapers, The Lord [be] with you. And they anfwered him, The Lord blefs thee. Ac- cording to the piety and Jimplicity of thofe times, he addrejfed them with this courteous and ferious falutation, which they 5 devoutly returned. Then faid Boaz unto his fervant that was fet over the reapers, Whofe damfel [is] this ? Seeing a fir anger, he enquired who fhe was, of hisftewardy who was fet over the labourers to fee that they did their work^ 6 to provide for them, and pay them their wages. And the fervant that was fet over the reapers anfwered and faid, It [is] the Moabitifh damfel that came back with 7 Naomi out of the country of Moab : And fhe faid, I pray you, let me glean, and gather after the reapers among the fheaves •, he not only informed him who flie was, but how diligent Jlie had been \ and that flie cfked it as a favour 5o8 RUT H. II. favour to glean \ tho* flie might have demanded it as a rights according to the law, Lev. xix. 9, 10. fo fhe came, and hath continued even from the morning until now, that fhe tarried a little in the houfe, in the hovel or tent, to 8 which they retired in the heat of the day. Then faid Boaz unto Ruth, Heareft thou not, my daughter ? Go not to glean in another field, neither go from hence, but abide here fad by my maidens ; treating her with great civility, and defiring her to hep clofe to the maidens who gathered up corn after his reapers •, and affuring her that his young men 9 fliould not moleft her. [Let] thine eyes [be] on the field that they do reap, and go thou after them : have I not charged the young men that they fhall not touch thee ? and -when thou art athirft, go unto the vefTcls, and drink of [that] which the young men have drawn. 10 Then fhe fell on her face, and bowed herfelf to the ground, and made a very decent and grateful reply, and faid unto him, Why have I found grace in thine eyes, that thou fhouldft take knowledge of me, feeing 1 [am] 1 1 a ftranger whom thou haft never feen before ? And Boaz anfwered and faid unto her, / have heard of thy filial affeclion, and it hath been fully mowed me, all that thou haft done unto thy mother in law fince the death of thine hufband : and [how] thou haft left thy father and thy mother, and the land of thy nativity ; and art come unto a people which thou kneweft not heretofore. 12 He then bleffed her with much ferioufnefs, and faid, The Lord recompenfe thy work, this high aft of faith and virtue, and a full reward be given thee of the Lord God of Ifrael, under whofe wings thou art come to truft ;c may God reward thee like himfelf, to whofe good providence thou haft committed thyfelf, whoje favour and 1 3 protection thou haft fought. Then lhe faid, Let me find favour in thy fight, my lord ; for that thou haft com- forted me, and for that thou haft fpoken friendly unto thine handmaid, though 1 be not like unto one of thine handmaidens; begging the continuance of his favour, as her * An allufion, fome fay, to the cherubim fpreading their wings over the holy place, where the ark was; cr rather, to an hen cherifhing and protecting her brocd under her wings. R U T H. II. 509 her great eft comfort under her prefent affliction, as a fir anger y and coming from a country of ill character \ and therefore not equal to the meaneft of his fervants. This handfome reply 1 4 increafed his civility and refpecl for her ; And Boaz faid unto her, At meal-time come thou hither, and eat of the bread, and dip thy morfel in the vinegar/ And me fat befide the reapers •, not among them, but near them : and he, obferving her modefty and unwillingnefs to help herfelf, reached her parched [corn,] corn dried on the fire, which was a common provifion among them, and fhe did eat, 15 and was fufficed, and left. And when fhe was rifen up to glean, Boaz commanded his young men, faying, Let her glean even among the fheaves, and reproach 16 her not, as if too bold and affuming. And, as an en- couragement to her induftry^ let fall alfo [fome] of the handfuls of purpofefor her, and leave [them,] that (he 17 may glean [them,] and rebuke her not. So fhe gleaned in the field until even, and beat out that fhe had glean- ed : and it was about an ephah of barley, near a bufheL 18 And fhe took [it] up, and went into the city : and her mother in law faw what fhe had gleaned : and fhe brought forth, and gave to her that fhe had referved after me was fufficed *, the remainder of the provifions 19 which Boaz gave her when fhe fat by the reapers. And her mother in law faid unto her, Where haft thou gleaned to day ? and where wroughteft thou ? bleffed be he that did take knowledge of thee : fhe thought Ruth could not have got fo much without the fpecial favour of fome generous p erf on. Ruth then told her who he was, but did not know that he was her relation ; and fhe mowed her mother in law with whom fhe had wrought, and faid, The man's name with whom I wrought to day [is] 20 Boaz. And Naomi faid unto her daughter in law, BlefTed [be] he of the Lord, who hath not left off his kindnefs to the living and to the dead, who hadjhown kindnefs to her hufband and fons, and now to her. And Naomi faid unto her, The man [is] near of kin unto us, one of our next kinfmen, or one that hath right to redeem^ d Bread is put for provifions in general ; vinegar was ufed in thcie hot countries for fauce, as it was cooling and flrengthening. 5io RUT H. IL redeem, (fee Lev. xxv. 25.) that is, to redeem the mort-. gaged land, and raife up the name of the dead by marrying 21 the widow, Deut. xxv. 5. And Ruth the Moabitefs faid, He faid unto me alfo, Thou fhalt keep faft by my young men, until they have ended all my harveft, that is, till the end of wheat harveft, which followed the other. 22 And Naomi faid unto Ruth her daughter inlaw, [It isj good, my daughter, that thou go out with his maidens, that they meet thee not in any other field, where you will perhaps not be fo welcome, and may meet with 23 fome ill ufage. So me kept faft by the maidens of Boaz to glean unto the end of barley harveft and of wheat harveft ; and dwelt with her mother in law, returning home every evening. REFLECTIONS. 1. f E R E is a good example for thofe who are in the XJl loweft ftations and meaneft circumftances of life. In this young woman, the poor have an example of induf- try, humility, and gratitude; fhe brought her mind to her condition ; was content to glean for her ftipport. She was not afbamed to confefs her poverty, nor willing to eat the bread of idlenefs. Let the poor learn hence to be diligent, to work for their living, and not be burdenfome to others, or to beg what they might earn by their labour. Poverty and floth are very ill matched -, and yet how often do wc fee them meet ! Many had rather beg, and ftoop to the greateft meannefs, or the worft villainy, than labour with their hands. Ruth is alfo a good example of gratitude and refpect ; fhe was very thankful for the kindnefs fhown her,' and defirous alfo to fecure the intereft and favour of her benefactor. We fee no arfogant airs, no abufe of his kind- nefs: but the greateft modefty and thankfulnefs. When fhe had nnifhed her day's work, inftead of gadding about, or trifling with the fervants of Boaz, fhe goes ftrait home, and minds her own proper bufinefs. In this refpect fervants and poor people ought to imitate her example, as they defire the efteem and kindnefs of others, and would con- tract good habits for this world and the next. 2. Here [RUT H. II. 5ri 2. Here is a good example to matters of famiiies, and tkofe in profperous circumftances of life. The rich and the wealthy may fee how they ought to behave, namely, to look well to their affairs, to be obliging to their fervants, and kind to ftrangers, efpecially to the pious poor. Boaz, tho' he had a tteward or overfeer, came himfelf, ami looked well to the ways of his houfehold, had his eye upon every thing. If mailers would have their work go on well, they mull follow it themfelves, and not trull it wholly to fervants. Religion, as well as felf-intereft, mould make men careful and frugal, and cultivate good ceconomy. Let matters - learn from this example to treat their fervants in a friendly, obliging manner. Boaz comes into the field, and does not begin chiding and fcolding them, much lefs curfing and fwearing at them, (as many do without occafion, or with a very fmall one, to fhow their authority and indulge their fpleen) but, with the greater!: refpecl and piety, prays for them ; and they return the civility in the fame pious language. Let matters and miftrerTes be careful that they do not teach their fervants an evil leffon againtt themfelves; and, by treating them with harlhnefs and roughnefs, inflame their fpirits, and make them worfe. A friendly word, and a kind look, will generally do a great deal more than ever fo much chiding. And let both matters and fervants learn, that piety is an ornament to difcourfe •, and that mutual good wifhes for each other are very becoming, provided they are not made things of form. Boaz's charity and .civility to a flranger, efpecially to one that gave fuch fub- ftantial proofs of her piety, is worthy of imitation. On our tongue let there be the law of kindnefs. Let the rich be ready to diftribute and willing to communicate^ efpecially to God's poor. Let us have compaffion one to another •, and lovs as brethren ; be pitiful? be courteous. 3. Let all learn, that thofe who perfift in the discharge of their duty, and put themfelves under the protection of heaven, mall not mifs their reward. Ruth's humility and induftry are here rewarded ; and more fo, as we fhall find hereafter. All of us, whatever our circumftances are, need the favour and protection of God. Let us therefore come and trufi under thejhadow of his wings. Let us fly to him, and rely 5i2 RUTH. III. rely upon him. So mall a full recompenfe of reward be given to us •, for this is a great and glorious work, and a great and gracious promife is annexed to it, namely, that God is not unrighteous, to forget our work of faith and our labour of love ; but that in keeping his commandments there is a great reward. CHAP. III. We have here the method taken by Ruth to claim Boaz for her hufband. The intention in itfelf was good •, it was only to make that claim which the law of God allowed ; but the method looked fufpicious, and plainly Jhowed too great a difiruft of providence. i 9HT\ HEN Naomi her mother in law faid unto her, J[ My daughter, (hall I not feek reft for thee, that it may be well with thee ? Naomi was defirous of feekinga fettlement for her daughter, where /he might live more com- 2 fortably than /he could do with her •, /he therefore faid, And now [is] not Boaz of our kindred, with whofe maidens thou waft ? Behold, he winnoweth barley to night in 3 the threfhing floor. Warn thyfelf therefore, and anoint thee, and put thy raiment upon thee, and get thee down to the floor : [but] make not thyfelf known unto the man, until he mail have done eating and drinking. 4 And it mall be, when he lieth down, that thou fhalt mark the place where he fhall lie, and thou fhalt go in, and uncover his feet, and lay thee down at his feet ♦, and 5 he will tell thee what thou fhalt do. And fhe faid unto 6 her, All that thou fayeft unto me I will do. And fhe went down unto the floor, and did according to all 7 that her mother in law bade her. And when Boaz had eaten and drunk, and his heart was merry, he went to lie down at the end of the heap of corn : and fhe came foftly, and uncovered his feet, and laid her down at 8 his feet. And it came to pafs at midnight, that the man was afraid, and turned himfelf : and, behold, a woman 9 lav at his feet. And he faid, Who [art] thou? And fhe ruth; in: BIS fhe anfwered, I [am] Ruth thine handmaid, fpread therefore thy fkirt over thine handmaid ; for thou [art] a near kinfman ; take me under thy protection, for thou haft a right to redeem our lands, and claim me as thy wife. And Boaz, infiead of reproaching her as an immodeft woman, com- 10 mended her highly. And he laid, BlefTed [be] thou of the Lord, my daughter : [for] thou haft fhowed more kindnefs in the latter end than at the beginning ; more, kindnefs to thy hufhand and mother in law, in defining to preferve the name of the family, than in all the former in- fiances of thy ajfeclion to them ; inafmuch as thou fol- lowedft not young men, whether poor or rich, pre- ferring one fo much advanced in years, becaufe he is a relation 11 to thy family, rather than a younger per fin. And now, my daughter, fear not; I will do to thee all that thou re- quired: : for all the city of my people doth know that thou [art] a virtuous woman. He would not have her imagine he thought ill of her becaufe flie took this courfe, or would defpife her becaufe fhe was poor and mean -, but would j 2 fee that fhe hadjuftice done to her in the morning. And now it is true that I [am thy] near kinfman : howbeit there 13 is a kinfman nearer than I. Tarry this night, and it it fhall be in the morning, [that] if he will perform unto thee the part of a kinfman, well; let him do the kinf- man's part : but if he will not do the part of a kinfman to thee, then will I do the part of a kinfman to thee, 14 [as] the Lord liveth: lie down until the morning. And fhe lay at his feet until the morning : and fhe rofe up before one could know another. And he faid, Let it not be known that a woman came into the floor. 15 Alfo he faid, Bring the vail, or fheet, or apron, that [thou haft] upon thee, and hold it. And when fhe held it, ;he meafured fix [meafures] of barley, and laid [it] on her, making her aprefent of as much corn as flic could carry, according to the honeft, plain bounty of thofe antient times: 16 and fhe went into the city. And when ihe came to her mother in law, fhe faid, Who [art] thou, my daugh- ter ? And fhe told her all that the man had done to her. 17 And fhe faid, Thefe fix [meafures] of barley gave he me ; for he faid to me, Go not empty unto thy mother Vol. II. I i in 5i4 RUTH, TIL 18 in law. Then faid fhe, Sit ftifl, my daughter, until thou know how the matter wiil fall - for the man will not be in reft, until he have finifhed the thing this 'day ; you may depend upon it Boaz will keep his word. REFLECTIONS. 1. TTj^ROM Naomi's concern for her daughter in law, %} we may obferve, that which mould be dented in the marriage ftate is reft^ and that it may be well with us \ that the affections may be fixed, and eafe and happinefs be found. It is the wifdom and duty of parents to feek this reft for their children, by aftifting them in the choice of proper help- mates 5 and to remember that this reft is not to be expected where there is not an hearty union of tem- pers and affections. And may we all remember, that it is never well with any perfons, truly well, till it is well with their fouls-, they will never have reft till then: this is therefore the main thing to be regarded in every choice. 2. Virtue in any ftation mould have its due praife, and be held in high efteem. Boaz commended Ruth for her honeft induftry and filial affection-, yea the v/hole city could not but own thztfhe was a virtuous woman •, her poverty did not hide her virtue, but made it more eminent and re- markable. We ought to commend what is good in the pooreft and meaneft -, fteady virtue will approve itfelf to mankind ; and thofe who behave confiftently with their rank and condition, will find favour both with God and man. 3. We may obferve, that great care ought to be taken to keep up. a good name. The conduct of Boaz plainly fuggefts this remark. He knew the purity of Ruth's in- tention, and was confeious of his own virtue, yet he was defirous to conceal what might raife fufpicion; that he might not trouble thofe who were good, nor give an handle to thofe who were bad, to reproach and cenfure. We ought to be afraid of fcandal as well as fin •, and not do that which wiil lay us open to blame, nor let that be known which may be mifinterpreted. We mould think on thofe things that are lovely and of good report \ and herein exercifie ourf elves daily y to keep confidences void of offence toward Cod and man. CHAP. RUTH. IV. 5r5 CHAP. IV. In this chapter Boaz calls upon the next relation to redeem the eftate and marry the widow \ which he refufing to do, Boaz is married to Ruth, 1 /"ITS HEN went Boaz up to the gate, and fat him jl down there, where the elders and magiftrates ufed to meet, and their court was kept ; it is probable he was one of them : and behold the kinfman of whom Boaz fpake came by ; unto whom he faid, Ho, fuch a one ! turn afide, fit down here. And he turned afide, and fat 2 down. And he took ten men of the elders of the city, and faid, Sit ye down here. And they fat down. He called thefe ten elders to be witneffes to the propofal and bar- 3 gain, according to the good cuftom of thofe days. And he faid unto the kinfman, Naomi, that is come again out of the country of Moab, felleth a parcel of land which 4 [was] our brother Elimelech's : And 1 thought to ad- vertife thee, faying, Buy [it] before the inhabitants, and before the elders of my people. If thou wilt "re- deem [it,] redeem [it:] but if thou wilt not redeem [it then] tell me, that I may know : for [there is] none to redeem [it] befides thee ; and I [am] after 5 thee. And he faid, I will redeem [it.] Then faid Boaz, "What day thou buyefc the field of the hand of Naomi, thou mufc buy [it] alfo of Ruth the Moabitefs, the wife of the dead, and therefore muft alfo marry her, (Gen. xxxviii. 8.) to raife up the name of the dead up- 6 on his inheritance. And the kinfman faid, I cannot redeem [it] for myfelf, left I mar mine own inheritance : he probably had a wife and children already -, his inheritance might befmall; he might fear contentions would arife in his family ; and that he could not provide for his former children and thofe he might have by a young widow, he therefore declined it, and faid, Redeem thou my right to thyfelf; 7 for I cannot redeem [it.] Now tlais [was the manner] in former time in Ifrael concerning redeeming and con- cerning changing, for to confirm all things; a man plucked off his fhoe, and gave [it] to his neighbour : I i 2 and 5i6 RUT H. IV, and this [was] a teftimony in Ifrael. There was no divine law for this, but it was the cuftom of the country for the feller to take off his fhoe in which he nfed to walk on the ground, and give it to the buyer ; who in that fhoe was to enter upon it, and take poffeffion -, like giving up the key of 8 a houfe or a turf of land. Therefore the kinfman faid unto Boaz, Buy [it] for thee. So he drew off his fhoe, 9 and thus refignedhis claim. And Boaz faid unto the elders, and [unto] all the people. Ye [are] witneffes this day that I have bought all that [was] Elimelech's, and all that [was] Chilian's and Million's, of the hand of XO Naomi. Moreover Ruth the Moabitefs, the wife of Mahlon, have I purchafed to be my wife, to raife up the name of the dead upon his inheritance, that the name of the dead be not cut off from among his bre- thren, and from the gate of his place : ye [are] wit- neffes this day. He calls upon the elders to witnefs that he had bought the land of Naomi, who had the firft claim to it, 1 1 and then of Ruth, as her fon9s widow. And all the peo- ple that [were] in the gate, and the elders, faid, [We arej witnefles. The Lord make th^ woman that is come into thine houfe, like Rachel and like Leah, which two did build the houfe of Ifrael : and do thou worthily in Ephratah, and be famous in Beth-lehem. 3 2 And let thy houfe be like the houfe of Pharez, whom Tamar bare unto Judah, of the feed which the Lord ihall give thee of this young woman. Thus the elders not only declared that they were witneffes, but added their folemn beneditlion, viz. that he might have a numerous, hopeful iffue, like Jacob's wives > and that he and his intended fpoufe might be examples of virtue and goodnefs to the -whole city. 13 So Boaz took Ruth, and fhe was his wife: and when he went in unto her, the Lord gave her conception, and 14 fhe bare a fon. And the women of the city, who came to congratulate her mother in law on this happy event, faid unto Naomi, Bleffed [be] the Lord, which hath not left thee this day without a kinfman, that his name 15 may be famous in Ifrael. And he mall be unto thee a reftorer of [thy] life, and a nouriiher of thine old age: for thy daughter in law3 which loveth thee, which is RUTH. IV. 5,7 is better to thee than {even fons, hath born him. They hoped this grandfon would live to be a comfort to her, to inherit his mother's virtues ', efpecially her affection for Naomi, who was better to her than feven fons, as Jhe was now 1 6 poffeffed offuch a plentiful eftate. And Naomi took the child, and laid it in her bofom, and became nurfe unto 17 it. And the women her neighbours gave it a name faying, There is a fon born to Naomi -, and they called his name Obed, that is, fervant, from the hope that he would be greatly ferviceable to her, the comfort and fupport of her old age, and of the reft of the family: he [is] the father of Jeffe, the father of David ♦, for whofe fake this whole hook feems to have been written, that it might be cer- tainly known from whom he defcended, as he was one of the ancejiors of the Meffiah \ therefore the genealogy is annexed from Pharez f on ofjudah to David, 1 8 Now thefe [are] the generations of Pharez : Pharez 19 begat Hezron, And Hezron begat Ram, and Ram 20 begat Amminadab, And Amminadab begat Nahfhon, 21 and Nahfhon begat Salmon, And Salmon begat Boaz, 22 and Boaz begat Obed, And Obed begat Jeffe, and Jeffe begat David. REFLECTIONS. I* TT^AIR and open dealings in matters of commerce j[/ and contracts, efpecially in marriage contracts, is extremely defirable and neceffary. Thefe feveral forms to afcertain the fale of lands and a contract of marriage were very proper, and fhowed that the Ifraelites in general Jludied the things that made for peace, and that Boaz was a man of eminent wifdom and prudence. Publick and open bar- gains are moft likely to be firm and fatisfactory *, and honeft minds never ftartle at open dealings. Clandeftine mar- riages are very bad things. The reafons why they are concealed, are generally reafons why they fhould be known and prevented. Our laws forbid them ; but artful men, in order to get money, have found out a way to evade the law j and by the neglect of making marriages more publick, innumerable evils have arifen in the world, and vafr, and irre- 5i8 RUT H. IV. irreparable mifchiefs have attended many families. What our Lord fays in a particular cafe, may be applied general- ly, and efpecially to marriage contracts, he that doeth evil hateth the light. 2, The devotion and piety of thefe early ages are wor- thy of our imitation. We fee that in the mod common occurrences of life, they exprefs a deep fenfe of God, and much of the fpirit of prayer. The manner in which Boaz's neighbours congratulated him upon his marriage, and the birth of his fon, teaches us to mingle devotion with civility, and to acknowledge the hand of God in every favourable event. It is a pity this pious language mould be loft among us, or grow into mere cuftom, and words without meaning. 3. It is a great fatisfaction to thofe who are advanced in years, to fee their children doing well for this world, more efpecially for another. This was Naomi's comfort, that her daughter was well married, to a man of wealth, and (which fhe greatly perferred) to a man of integrity, generofity, and piety. She was bleft with a grandfon, and faw a new generation rifing up to ferve God. Let chriftian parents endeavour to bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord, that they may have comfort in them when old and dying, and leave them behind with a good hope that they will be the ornaments and fupports of religion. Blejfed is he that fear eth the Lord, for hefhallfee his children's children comfortable and happy, and peace upon Ifrael. The end of the second Volume. BS1150.077v.2 A short and plain exposition of the Old Princeton Theological Seminary-Speer Library 1 1012 00038 3523