Gods Three Arrows, Section 68 – Section 69
§. 68. Of Gods power over plagues.
IIII. *See §. 64.GOD hath an abſolute power over plagues. Suddenly, as ſoone as he will he can reſtraine them, and keepe them from devouring any more. As he can ſay to the ſea, Hitherto ſhalt thou come, and no further: and here ſhall thy proud waves be ſtayed: ſo can be ſay to the Iob 38. 11.peſtilence, So long ſhalt thou continue, and no longer: ſo many ſhalt thou deſtroy, and no more. b2 Sam. 24. 13, 15, 25.Did not the Lord before hand threaten to ſend a plague upon Iſrael in Davids time three dayes: and anſwerably it continued till the time appointed? But when the wrath of the Lord was pacified, the plague was ſtayed. cExo 8. 12, 13. 30, 31.—9. 33.—10. 18, 19.Did he not remove the plagues from Egypt, ſo ſoone as Moſes prayed unto him? This power of the Lord over plagues and diſeaſes, was viſibly manifeſted in the Sonne of God, while he lived on earth. For he ſpake the word, and they went away: which the Centurion well obſerving, ſaid to Chriſt, dMat. 8. 8Speake the word onelyonly, and my ſervant ſhalbe healed.
The Lord, as he is the Creatour, ſo the Governour of all things: nothing can be without him: nothing can abide longer then he will. He calls, he ſends, he bids come, he bids go away: anſwerably they come, they go. ePſal. 105. 28.They rebell not againſt his word.
As ye deſire to have this plague that burneth ſo fiercely among us, and deſtroyeth ſo many, to be ſtayed, uſe the only remedy that is of power to that purpoſe, Call upon God to ſtay it. The plague it ſelfe is like a fierce, mad, maſtivedog, that will not ceaſe to bite if he be looſe. The Lord of plagues muſt chaine him up. Yea, it is like ravenous lions, that are ready to teare in peeces and devoure all they can catch. The Lord onelyonly can ſtop the mouth of this lion, as fDan. 6. 22.he ſtopped the mouthes of the lions among whom Daniel was caſt. All antidotes, all preſervatives, all manner of outward meanes are nothing without the Lord. He can preſerve whom he will while the plague rageth moſt. He can ſtay it as ſpeedily, as ſuddenly, as thorowly as he pleaſe. Call therefore upon him, turne unto him, truſt on him, and doubt not but that our God that hath ſuch power over plagues, will in his good time, when his worke is accompliſhed upon this Citie, and upon this Land, ſtay this plague.
This is a point of much comfort to ſuch as have aſſurance of Gods fatherly love to them, that their Father hath an abſolute power over plagues.
§. 69. Of the meaning of the 49 Verſe.
NVMB. 16. 49.Now they that died in the plague were foureteene thouſand, and ſeven hundred, beſide them that died about the matter of Korah.
THe ſeverity of Gods ſtroake by the fore-mentioned plague is here ſet downe: and that by the expreſſe number of them that were deſtroyed by that peſtilence. The particle tranſlated IN, (*foreign in the plague) among other ſignifications oft ſetteth out the inſtrumentall cauſe, whereby a thing is effected: as where the Lord ſaith to the Iewes that were in Egypt, I will puniſh them aIer. 44. 13. foreignBY the ſword, BY the famine, and BY the peſtilence. Others therefore thus tranſlate this text, Of the plague, that is, by it. The plague was the inſtrumentall cauſe of their death. Circumſtances ſhew that this plague from the firſt beginning to the end of it continued not a whole day. For ſo ſoone as the people gathered themſelves together againſt Moſes and Aaron, the Lord threatned to conſume them. Then inſtantly Moſes and Aaron fell on their faces: and Moſes then diſcerned that the plague was begun: which ſo ſoone as hee eſpied, he bad Aaron quickely offer up incenſe. Aaron accordingly ranne for incenſe, brought it, offered it up: and the plague was ſtayed. Theſe circumſtances duely weighed, who can imagine that there was more then a day from the beginning to the end of this plague: ſo as in the ſpace of a few houres, foureteene thouſand and ſeven hundred died together of a plague. O terrible ſtroake!
To aggravate the terrour hereof, mention is made of another fearefull judgement, which fell upon that people not long before, thus inferred, Beſide them that died about the matter of Korah. What this matter was, the former part of this chapter expreſly recordeth. It was a conſpiracy of Korah, here mentioned, with Dathan and Abiram, againſt Moſes, the chiefe Prince; and Aaron, the chiefe Prieſt, appointed by God over the children of Iſrael. bExo. 6. 18.This Korah was coſen german to Aaron: for they were brothers children. He therefore being of an ambitious ſpirit, ſcorned that his kinſeman ſhould bee ſo farre preferred before him, as to bee High-Prieſt: Thereupon hee gathers many of the Princes together to take part with him: ſuppoſing by ſtrong hand to wreſt from Aaron the dignity of Prieſt-hood, which the Lord had conferred upon them. Dathan and Abiram were of another Tribe, the tribe of Reuben. Theſe, as is probable, had another aime, and that at the chiefe civill government, wherein God had ſet Moſes. Reuben being the eldeſt ſonne of Iſrael, theſe two brothers were dPronepotes. Numb. 26. 5.under nephewes to Reuben, three generations from him: and imagined that they comming from the eldeſt ſonne ſhould be the chiefe overall. Thus having no regard to the choice which God had made of Moſes and Aaron, they would thruſt themſelves into places of eminency. The Lord was ſo highly diſpleaſed hereat, as he deſtroyed them, and ſuch as tooke part with them, with two fearefull judgements. The earth ſuddenly opened and ſwallowed up ſome of them alive: and fire ſuddenly flamed out upon others and deſtroyed them. eNumb. 16. 35.Two hundred and fifty are expreſly noted to be conſumed by the fire. How many were ſwallowed up by the earth is not expreſſed: but it may be conjectured that they were a great multitude.
This was the matter of Korah here mentioned. Korah was the Ring-leader of all. For fNumb. 16. 1.he is the firſt mentioned in the conſpiracy. g—5.He impudently gathered an head againſt Moſes and Aaron, while h—12.Dathan and Abiram abode in their tents. iNumb. 26. 9.It is ſaid of Dathan and Abiram, that they ſtrove againſt Moſes and Aaron in the conſpiracy of Korah. So as the conſpiracy was Korahs eſpecially. He was the chiefe conſpirator. The matter therefore here intended compriſeth under it, both the earths ſwallowing up of ſome, and the fires conſuming of others.
The people that by the earths opening, and fires breaking out periſhed, are ſaid to die in the matter of Korah, becauſe his ambition being the firſt motive of that rebellion, he was a cauſe of their ſinne, and ſo of their judgement. Thus their death is imputed to him. They died in his buſineſſe, about his matter.
The Summe of this verſe is A declaration of the ſeverity of Gods indignation: which is
1. Propounded, in the number of thoſe that died of this plague, 14700.
2. Aggravated, by other fearefull judgements executed the day before. Beſides thoſe that died about the matter of Korah. Here have we,
1. A generall intimation of the judgements. Beſides thoſe that died.
2. A manifeſtation of the originall cauſe of all. The matter of Korah.
The firſt point ſheweth, that,
I. A plague can quickly destroy a multitude.
The aggravation pointeth at other judgements that were the day before inflicted on the people, and giveth evidence, that,
II. God can many wayes deſtroy men. By cauſing the earth to open it ſelfe, he deſtroyed ſome: by fire he conſumed others: yet beſides theſe, 14700. die of a plague.
The manner of expreſſing the former judgements by relation to Korah, thus, in the matter of Korah, giveth proofe, that
III. The bloud of acceſſaries lieth upon the principalls. Korahs matter was the peoples death.
In that others died about that matter, it further giveth inſtance, that
IIII. Acceſſaries make themſelves liable to the judgement that falleth on the principall.