The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 80
SECT. LXXX.
ISrael now being encamped at Abel-Shittim [ſee Ch. 33.49.] in the very borders of the promiſed Land, the Women of Moab and Midian were ſet on work (according to the wicked Counſel of Balaam, ſee Numb. 31.16. Rev. 2.14.) to turn the people to Idolatry, and to allure them to commit folly with them, that ſo the Favour of God being thereby turned away from them, they might be expoſed to miſchief from their Enemies; And accordingly a great number of the people did commit Whoredom with them, and being invited by them to their Idolatrous Feaſts (made upon Sacrifices offered to their Gods) at length were drawn to open Idolatry alſo [ſee Exod. 34.15.] and to bow down to their Gods, and worſhip them. Thus a great many of the Iſraelites worſhipped Baal-Peor, *See Hoſea 9.10.(which was the Idol-god of the Moabites, ſo called from Mount-Peor, where this Idol was worſhipped,) and the anger of the Lord was greatly kindled againſt them for it. And he commanded Moſes to call the Heads and Princes of the people together, and by their aſſiſtance to take all the Ringleaders of this diſorder and to hang them up before the Sun; that is openly in the ſight of all men, that as they had ſinned openly, they might be puniſhed openly, for the terrour of others; and this was accordingly done. Then Moſes gave order to the Judges and Rulers to put to death all ſuch of them that were under their ſeveral Commands whom they found to have joyned themſelves to Baal-Peor. And laſt of all, God ſent a Plague among them, whereof there died 23000 men in one day, [ſee 1 Cor. 10.8.] which added to them that were hanged and killed by the Sword amounted in all to 24000. During theſe dreadful Judgments and Executions, Zimri a Prince of Renown in the Tribe of Simeon openly, and impudently in the ſight of Moſes and all the Congreation (who were weeping before the door of the Tabernacle, under a ſenſe of the wrath of God, whereby ſo many of their Brethren had been cut off,) carried Cozbi the Daughter of a Prince of Midian into his Tent to commit folly with her. Phineas the Son of Eleazar underſtanding this, being ſtirred up with an holy zeal for God, and by the ſpecial motion of his Spirit, he took a Javelin in his hand, and ran into the Tent, and ſlew them both in the very act of their Villany; and by this heroick act of Phineas the wrath of God was appeaſed, and the Plague ſtayed, ſee Pſal. 106.30. And God was ſo well pleaſed therewith, that he commands Moſes to make known for Phineas's incouragement, that he had given unto him his Covenant of peace, for the ſetling of the Prieſthood in his Poſterity, and to be continued in his Seed as long as ever the Levitical Prieſthood ſhould continue, *V. 13. Sempiternum id dicitur quod diutu…num admodum. Nam poſt pronepotem Phinees, tranſlatus erat Pontificatus ad Eli, qui erat de familia Ithamari ut patet, 1 Paralip. 24.3. Foedus ergo hoc conditionatum fuit, nempe ſi poſteri in fide perſeveraverint. Ad tempus interruptum orat, ſed poſt quatuor Pontifices vi hujus foederis reſipiſcentibus poſteris Phineas rediit (tempore Davidis & Solomonis) ad Sadoc ex Eleazari & Phinees familia, in qua deinceps poſtea manſit ad Herodis tempora, uſ que ad Chriſtum.provided they walked in ways pleaſing unto God. And he call it his Covenant of Peace, Firſt, Becauſe they ſhould peaceably injoy it. 2ly, Becauſe the work of the Prieſt was to make peace between God and the people: Now though the Dignity of being High Prieſt ſhould have come to him, and his by deſcent, becauſe he was the eldeſt Son of Eleazar, (Aaron's eldeſt Son) yet that it ſhould not be removed to another Family for want of Iſſue, that was of Gods ſpecial goodneſs, and is here promiſed as the reward of Phineas's zeal. Yet we muſt not underſtand this Promiſe ſo abſolutely, but that his Poſterity might by their ſins, for a time, deprive themſelves of this Dignity, as it afterwards fell out, when Eli was made High Prieſt, who was of the Family of Ithamar, ſee 1 Chron. 24.3.
God having thus manifeſted his favour to Phineas for this heroick act of zeal, (which was counted to him for righteouſneſs, Pſal. 106.31.) and having puniſhed his own people for their ſins, he now decrees Vengeance againſt their Enemies. And accordingly he commands the Iſraelites forthwith to vex the Midianites, that is, to make War upon them, which Command implyed alſo a promiſe of Victory. For their newly profeſſed Friendſhip towards them was but feigned, and they plotted their ruine according to the Counſel of Balaam, and diſtreſſed them with their wiles and devices, though not with War; neither need it ſeem ſtrange that the Iſraelites are not commanded to War againſt the Moabites *Nondum completa erat menſura Moabitarum.as well as the Midianites, becauſe God had expreſly forbidden them, Deut. 2.9. And 2ly, Becauſe the Midianites ſeem to have had the chief hand in this miſchief, as ſeems probable from Balaam's ſtay among them.
Numb. 25. whole Chapter.