The History of the Old Testament Methodized, Chapter 4 · Section 92 (3 of 3)

The History of the Old Testament Methodized · Chapter 4 · Section 92 (3 of 3)

p. 24719ly, He exhorts them to obſerve all the Statutes and Judgments which the Lord had given them, and that with all their Hearts and Souls. Which if they really conſented to do, then they ſhould conſider that, that day they did in effect renew their Covenant with the Lord, and avouch Him to be their God, promiſing to hearken unto his Voice, and to obey Him. And the Lord did avouch them to be his peculiar people, ſeparate from all others, and devoted to walk in his Statutes (thorow his Grace working in their Hearts) and would make them high above all Nations in praiſe, in name and in honour, and an holy people unto Himſelf, from verſ. 16. to the end.

20. Having now again aſſembled the Elders and people of Iſrael together, He Chap. XXVII commands them that after their entrance into Canaan, at their firſt opportunity, they ſhould build a Monument of great ſtones, plaiſtring them with mortar, on Mount Ebal, and to write the Law of God thereon, viz. the ten Commandments very plainly, that it might be a Monument **Joſhua 8.30. We find this Monument was erected after their taking of Ai.Josh 8:30to put them in mind of keeping Gods Law. Together with this Monument they were to build an Altar (u)(u)To teach them that Righteouſneſs and Salvation is not to be attained by the works of the Law, but to be ſought by Chriſt, of whom this Altar was a Type.of whole ſtones, and not to lift up any iron Tool upon it, [ſee Exod. 20.24, 25.] and thereon to offer Burnt-Offerings and Peace-Offerings, and to eat there and to rejoyce before the Lord their God. And becauſe they had at this time renewed their Covenant with God, Moſes together with the Prieſts and Levites adviſe them to take heed unto themſelves, and to obey the Voice of the Lord their God, and to obſerve his Commandments and Statutes, from verſ. 1. to 11.

21. Moſes now injoyns the people that when they had ſet up this Monument of ſtones on Mount Ebal, and written the Law plainly upon it, and had built the Altar before mentioned, and had offered Sacrifices thereon as God had commanded them, they ſhould then afterwards give their conſent to the Bleſſings **See Deut. 11.29.Deut 11:29and Curſes that ſhould be pronounced by the Prieſts upon thoſe that ſhould keep, and upon thoſe that ſhould break Gods Laws; and the manner injoyned for the doing thereof was this, viz. ſix of the Tribes were to ſtand upon Mount Gerizim, to wit, Simeon and Levi, Judah and Iſſachar, and Joſeph and Benjamin, (where by the Tribe of Joſeph are meant the two Tribes of Ephraim and Manaſſeh, who are here joyn'd together as one, becauſe Levi is reckoned as one of the twelve,) and all theſe were the Poſterity of Leah and p. 248Rachel; and then the other ſix Tribes were to ſtand on Mount Ebal, to wit, Gad and Aſher, Dan and Napthali, (who were the Sons of their Hand-Maids) and with them the Tribe of Reuben (who for his ſin loſt his Birth-Right) and Zebulun the youngeſt of Leahs Sons. And the Tribes being thus divided, the Prieſts **V. 14. Pronunciabunt Levitae] i. e. aliqui ſacerdotum qui & erant Levitae. Caeteri enim erant in monte Gerizim ad benedicendum, ſee Joſhua Ch. 8. v. 32, 33, 34.were to come with them into the little Valley that was between theſe two Mountains, and there firſt they pronounced the Bleſſings, (turning their faces as 'tis like towards Mount Gerizim) and then all the Tribes that ſtood on that Mountain anſwered Amen; and then turning their faces towards Mount Ebal, they pronounced the twelve Curſes here mentioned, and then all the Tribes that ſtood on Mount Ebal anſwered Amen. Moſes omits the Bleſſings poſſibly becauſe they might be eaſily enough gathered from the contrary Curſes which are here expreſſed. Firſt, Curſed be the man that maketh any graven or molten Image (though he keep it never ſo ſecret) for it is an abomination to the Lord. 2ly, Curſed be He that ſetteth light by his Father or Mother, [ſee Exod. 21.17.] 3ly, Curſed be He that removeth his Neighbours Land-mark. 4ly, Curſed be He that maketh the Blind to wander out of the way; and much more thoſe that miſlead the people into pernicious Errours, or give them knowingly pernicious Counſels. 5ly, Curſed be He that perverteth the judgment of the Stranger, Fatherleſs and Widow. 6ly, Curſed be He that lieth with his Fathers wife. ††V. 20. Quia retexit oram Patris ſui] i. e. oram veſtimenti Patris ſui. Per veſtimentum Patris intelligitur veſtimentum quod eſt in poteſtate Patris ut poſſit illud retegere. Piſcator.7ly, Curſed be He that lieth with any manner of Beaſt. 8ly, Curſed be He that lieth with his Siſter, the Daughter of his Father, or the Daughter of his Mother; that is, his half-Siſter, (ſee Levit 1.8, 9.) 9ly, Curſed be He that lieth with his Mother-in-law; that is, his Wives Mother. 10ly, Curſed be He that ſmiteth his Neighbour ſecretly, either by ſecret practices procuring his blood to be ſhed, or ſmiting him ſecretly with his Tongue. 11ly, Curſed be He that taketh a Reward to ſlay an innocent perſon, [ſee Ezek. 22.12.] 12ly, Curſed be He that confirmeth not all the words of this Law to do them. To every one of theſe the people were to ſay Amen. And ſo ſubſcribe to the juſtice of Gods Law, as it were wiſhing that the Curſes might fall on them, if they ſhould in any of theſe things tranſgreſs Gods Commandment, from verſ. 11. to the end.

Chap. XXVIII Upon obſerving Gods Commandments, He ſhews them, that many bleſſings would follow and overtake them, from verſ. 1. to 13. particularly theſe: 1. God would ſet them on high above all Nations, both in reſpect of temporal and ſpiritual bleſſings, and they ſhall be the head and not the tail, verſ. 13. that is, ſhall be highly eſteem'd above other Nations, and not ſcorned and deſpiſed as a baſe and contemptible people. 2. They ſhall be bleſſed in the City and in the Field; that is, whither they dwell in the City or the Country, and manage buſineſs belonging either to a Citizen or a Farmer. 3. They ſhall be bleſſed in the fruit of their Bodies, their Children, in the fruits of their Grounds, and the fruits of their Cattel, ſo that they ſhall abound in all theſe, verſ. 11.4. They ſhall be bleſſed in their Basket wherein they put the fruits of their ground; it ſhall not be empty; and in their ſtore; they ſhall have plenty of Proviſions, they ſhall be bleſſed in their Barns and Store-houſes, verſ. 8. and God will command his bleſſing on all that they ſet their hands unto. 5. They ſhall be bleſſed when they come in and when they go out, [ſee verſ. 19.] that is, at home and abroad, and in all their employments and buſineſſes publick and private. 6. They ſhall be bleſſed with Victory over their Enemies, who ſhall flee before them many ways. 7. The Lord will eſtabliſh them for an holy people unto Himſelf; that is, will eſtabliſh them for a people that may be His in a peculiar manner, and may appertain to Him as his peculiar Treaſure, to ſerve him faithfully, and to enjoy the bleſſings of his Covenant, [ſee Ch. 7.6.] And all Nations ſhall ſee by the ſingular bleſſings that ſhall be heaped upon this people, that God did indeed own them for his peculiar people, and that they were called by his Name, and ſo owned as his Children, and thereupon called the Children of God, upon which account other Nations ſhould be afraid of them. 8. They ſhall be bleſſed with rain. The Lord will open to them his good Treaſures; the Heavens ſhall give them rain in due ſeaſon. The Heavens are called the Lords Treaſure, becauſe He keepeth therein thoſe things wherewith He cauſeth the Earth to be fruitful, as rain to water the ground, and ſnow to make it fertil, and the heat of the Sun and influences of the Moon and Stars to make all things therein to grow and proſper. 9. They ſhall ſo increaſe in riches, that they ſhall lend unto many Nations, and ſhall not borrow of them, Ch. 15.6. Theſe bleſſings he ſhews would follow and overtake them, if they walked faithfully in Gods Statutes, and did not p. 249turn aſide from them either to the right hand or to the left, nor did decline to other gods, from verſ. 1. to 15.

But if they were Diſobedient, then he tells them, Such Judgments and Curſes ſhould purſue them and overtake them as were directly contrary to theſe Bleſſings. Firſt, God would ſend upon them curſing, vexation and rebuke in all that they ſet their hands unto. He would ſend the Peſtilence into their Cities and Towns, and would command it to cleave to them, and to continue long among them. 2ly, He would ſmite them with the Conſumption, Feaver, Inflammation, and extream burning; and with Drought, Blaſting and Mildew. 3ly, The Heaven ſhould be as Braſs, and the Earth as Iron, and the Lord would make the rain of their Land powder and duſt; that is, inſtead of rain the duſt being driven by the wind in time of drought ſhould fall upon their Grounds, Trees and Plants, &c. 4ly, They ſhall flee before their Enemies, and ſhall be ſcattered into the ſeveral Nations of the Earth, and thoſe of them that ſhould be ſlain by the Enemy, their Carcaſſes ſhould lie unburied, and ſhould be meat for the Fowls of the Air, and Beaſts of the Field, none fraying them away. 5ly, God would ſmite them with the botch of Egypt; that is, with Boils breaking forth with Blains, [ſee Exod. 9.9.] and with the Emrods or Piles with the Scab, and with an incurable Itch. 6ly, With madneſs, blindneſs, and aſtoniſhment of heart; that is, God would deprive them of the uſe of their underſtandings, that they ſhould ſtand like blind men, or men amazed and aſtoniſhed, not knowing which way to turn themſelves, and ſhould do ſuch things which if they were not blind or mad they would never do. And as an effect of this bruitiſh ſtupidity they ſhould grope at noon-day; that is, ſhould not apprehend their danger, nor diſcern the right ways of helping themſelves; they ſhould be oppreſſed and ſpoiled, and none ſhould ſuccour them. 7ly, He threatens to deprive them of things very dear to them, even then when they were in expectation to injoy them. They ſhould betroth wives and others ſhould enjoy them; they ſhould build Houſes, but not dwell in them, plant Vineyards, but not gather the Grapes of them; their Oxen, Aſſes and Sheep ſhould be violently taken away from them. 8ly, Their Sons and Daughters ſhould be led into Captivity, and their eyes ſhould look earneſtly and even fail with longing for their return, and there ſhould be no might or power in their hands to reſcue or recover them again out of the hands of their Enemies. They ſhould be oppreſſed and cruſhed by a Nation they knew not, who ſhould eat the fruit of their Land, and of their labour, ſo that they ſhould be even mad and diſtracted by reaſon of the dreadful Calamities which they ſhould be conſtrained to behold with their eyes. 9ly, The Lord would ſmite them with a ſore and incurable Botch, from the crown of the Head to the ſole of the Foot. 10ly, They and their King (as it happened to Manaſſah, Jehoiachim and Zedekiah,) and their Sons and their Daughters ſhould be carried into Captivity, and there they ſhould be either inticed or forced to ſerve other gods, (viz. Wood and Stone,) and their Calamities ſhould be ſo great that their very Enemies ſhould be aſtoniſhed at them; and they ſhould be flouted and ſcorned, and made a laughing-ſtock in thoſe places where they ſhould be Captive, [1 Kings 9.7.] 11ly, Hurtful Vermine, ſuch as Locuſts and Worms, ſhould devour the fruits of their Fields and Vineyards; and their choice Trees ſhould caſt their fruit. 12ly, The Strangers that were left among them ſhould prevail againſt them, and be Lords over them, and ſhould be in a far better ſtate than themſelves. And all theſe Curſes which ſhould overtake them, ſhould be upon them and their Seed as a ſign of Gods great Indignation againſt them, and for a wonder that a people who were once ſo high in his Favour, ſhould be ſo unwiſe and wicked as to provoke Him to bring ſuch a Change upon them. And becauſe they ſerved not the Lord with joyfulneſs and gladneſs of heart, with delight and thankfulneſs, for the abundance of all good things he gave them, that therefore they ſhould be forced to ſerve their Enemies in hunger and thirſt, nakedneſs, and want of all things; and that their Enemies ſhould put a yoke of Iron upon their Necks, and keep them in bondage till they were deſtroyed, ſee Neh. 9.25, 26, 27. Jer. 28.13, 14. 13ly, God would ſuffer them to be invaded by a powerful foreign Enemy, who ſhould come as ſwift as an Eagle; that is, ſuddainly, unexpectedly, and with irreſiſtible Violence, viz. the Babilonians **Deſcribed Dan. 7.4. to be a Lion with Eagles wings, ſee Ezek. 17.3, 12. Forſan ad Romanos alluſit aquilis ſuis notiſſimos a quibus haec paſſi ſunt. Tremel.Dan 7:4Ezek 17:3Ezek 17:12whoſe Language they underſtood not, and ſo would be extreamly troubled how to ſpeak to them, or beg any favour of them. A Nation of a fierce Countenance, which ſhould p. 250not regard the perſon of the Old, nor ſhew favour to the Young, who ſhould waſt their Country, and eat up the fruits of their Cattel, and of their Land, and ſhould beſiege them in all their Cities, **V. 52. In omnibus portis tuis] i. e. civitatibus, Synecdoche membri.and batter down their high and fenced Walls wherein they truſted, and then all the Evils and Calamities incident to places ſtraitly beſieged ſhould fall upon them; Parents ſhould eat the fruits of their own Bodies, the fleſh of their Sons and Daughters. The man that was tender among them, and very delicate, dainty and voluptuous, ſhould grudge††V. 54. Malignas erit oculus ejus] i. e. invidebit fratri, &c. his Brother, nay the Wife of his boſom, and his remaining Children, any ſhare of the Child he ſhall eat, having nothing elſe left to feed upon in that Extremity. The tender and delicate woman **Contigerunt iis ad literam in obſidione Samariae, 4 Reg. 6. v. 29. & in obſidione Jeruſalem per Babilonios, Threnorum 2. v. 20. & in Romanâ apud Joſephum. Threnorum 2. dicuntur parvuli ad menſuram palmae comeſti, i. e. etiam imperfecti & per aborſum abjecti: Et tales videntur vocari hic illo verſu 57 illuvies ſecundarum nempe proles adhuc ſecundis, ſeu ſecundinis & ſordibus involuta & ideo immundiſſima & abominanda potius quam ad cibum expetenda. Janſ.among them that would not adventure to ſet the ſole of her foot on the ground for delicateneſs and tenderneſs, ſhe ſhould grudge the Husband of her boſom, and her Children grown up, any ſhare of her young Children which ſhe ſhould eat in ſecret in that extream Famine, from verſ. 15. to 58.

He further tells them, That if they did not ſet themſelves to fear the glorious God, V. 58. That thou mayſt fear this glorious and fearful Name, the Lord thy God] by the Name of God, is to be underſtood the Lord Himſelf.whoſe Name is Jehovah, He would make their Plagues wonderful, and would bring upon them and their Children great Plagues and Sickneſſes, and of long continuance, yea the ſtrange evil Diſeaſes wherewith God plagued the Egyptians (of which they were ſo much afraid) ſhould cleave unto them; yea more Plagues ſhould fall on them then are written in this Book. And whereas they were as the Stars of Heaven for multitude, they ſhould be ſo waſted and deſtroyed, that they ſhould come to be but few in number. And as the Lord formerly rojoyced over them to do them good, and to multiply them, ſo now He would rejoyce in their deſtruction, and the execution of his Juſtice upon ſuch Deſpiſers of his Mercy; and they ſhould be plucked off from the Land which God gave them for an Inheritance, viz. Canaan, and ſo ſhould loſe the Pledge of their Adoption, which would be a ſad ſign to them that their heavenly Father had diſinherited them, and caſt them off. And they ſhould be diſperſed and ſcattered abroad into many Nations, and in their exile they ſhould be inticed or forced to worſhip Wood and Stone; and among thoſe Nations they ſhould find no eaſe or reſt, but ſhould be hurried from place to place, ſo that their hearts ſhould tremble,††Judaea tremen. Juv. Satyr. 6. and their eyes fail with extream weeping, and their minds be fill'd with ſorrow and vexation. And they ſhould be in continual doubt and fear both day and night of loſing their lives, which muſt needs make their condition exceeding grievous to them. In the morning they ſhould wiſh it were even, and at even they ſhould wiſh it were morning thorow the terrors of their minds, and by reaſon of the diſmal things they ſhould ſee with their eyes. And the Lord would cauſe them to be carried again by Ships into Egypt, whither he had ſaid they ſhould return no more, **God promiſed they ſhould not return again thither on condition they were Obedient.[ſee Ch. 17.16. The Lord hath ſaid unto you, Ye ſhall henceforth return no more that way, that is, into that Country.] This was verified when the Jews, after the deſtruction of Jeruſalem, were carried in Ships to Egypt, and there fold for Slaves, ††There were then 97 thouſand Captives of the Jews.but they were ſo vile and contemptible, that many would not proffer any money for them, even to be their Slaves; and none would buy them with an intent to ſet them at liberty, from verſ. 58. to the end.

Chap. XXX He further declares to them, That when in their exile they ſhall reflect upon the experience they had of Gods bleſſing them ſo eminently while they continued Obedient, and how ſeverely He puniſhed them when they were Diſobedient, and ſhall thereupon truly repent, and ſeriouſly turn unto the Lord, both they and their Children, and ſhall ſerve the Lord with all their Heart and Soul, then the Lord will have compaſſion on them, and will turn their Captivity, and gather them from all the Nations under Heaven, whither he had ſcattered them, and from thence will fetch them back to their own Country, ſee Neh. 1.9. And He will Circumciſe ††Promiſſio haec eſt ſpiritualium beneficiorum per Chriſtum. Conſer Rom. 2.29. & Col. 2.11, 12.Rom 2:29Col 2:11Col 2:12their hearts, and the hearts of their Children; that is, will purge them of their Corruptions by the Grace of his Spirit, and renew them, and incline them to a ready Obedience to his Will, that it may go well with them. And his Curſes ſhall fall on their Enemies, and on thoſe that perſecuted them; But they ſhall be bleſſed in the fruit of their p. 251Bodies, of their Cattel, and of their Land, and theſe bleſſings ſhall be given them in mercy, and ſhall tend to their good, and not their hurt; And the Lord will rejoce over them to do them good, as he rejoyced over their Fathers. And leſt any of them ſhould object and ſay, they would willingly obey the Commandments of the Lord if they knew them, He tells them, That the directions he had given them concerning the way and means of Salvation by Faith in the Meſſias, and the moral Law which he had given them, as the rule **Loquitur de tota in genere Dei Doctrina quae Evangelium ſub ſe Comprehendit, ut clare oſtendit Paulus, Rom. 10.8.Rom 10:8of their Obedience, they could not pretend to be ignorant of. Neither were thoſe things hidden from them, ſo that the knowledge of them need be fetched down from Heaven, or from ſome remote Country for them, for they were ſufficiently revealed to them; the word was very nigh them, in their mouths, and in their heart. It was plainly reveal'd to them, frequently read and expounded to them by the Levites, ſo that they could not but talk of it, and remember it. And if they were obedient to this Law they ſhould be happy, but if they turned from the Lord to worſhip other gods, and ſerve them, they ſhould not prolong their days in the Land which they were now going to poſſeſs. He calls Heaven and Earth to witneſs that he had dealt faithfully with them. He had on the one ſide ſet life before them, with all manner of bleſſings attending it, if they would be Obedient; and on the other ſide death and miſery, if they were Diſobedient. He exhorts them to chooſe the one, and to avoid the other, and to cleave to the Lord with all their hearts, for He was their life, and the length of their days; that is, as He is the giver of life, ſo He is the maintainer and prolonger of it. And that they might injoy the fore-mentioned Chap. XXIX Bleſſings, and eſcape the Curſes, He calls them now to renew their Covenant which their Fathers made with God at Horeb, and to bind themſelves more firmly thereby unto the Lord. And poſſibly the ſame Ceremonies were obſerved now in this renewing of the Covenant which were before obſerved at Horeb [ſee Exod. 24.] when their Fathers firſt entred into it. And to prepare them the better for it, 1. He repeats the great and manifold Favours God had beſtowed on them. He tells them, That many of them who were then young might remember what God did to Pharaoh and his Servants in Egypt, and the great Plagues whereby He tempted and tried whither he would let Iſrael go or no. But though they had ſeen all thoſe great Signs and Wonders with their bodily eyes, yet by reaſon of their great perverſeneſs, and manifold Provocations, it was not given**V. 4. God hath not given you a heart to perceive] ſimul oſtendit hic Moſes, & ſine adjutorio Dei eos intelligere, & obedire non poſſe; & tamen ſi illud adjutorium Dei deſit, non ideo eſſe excuſabile hominis vitium; ſuo enim demerito caret. Auguſtin. unto them to underſtand Gods meaning in them, [ſee Matth. 13.11.] neither had thoſe great Wonders and Deliverances made ſuch Impreſſions upon them as they ſhould have done, nor inclin'd them to turn to God, and yield ſincere Obedience unto Him. And ſo God puniſhed the wickedneſs of their hearts with the blindneſs of their minds. And the Lord by Moſes further ſpake unto them ſaying, I have led you forty years in the Wilderneſs; your Clothes waxed not old upon your Backs, nor your ſhoes upon your Feet, [ſee Deut. 8.4.] Ye have not eaten common and ordinary bread, for I have fed you with Manna; ††Doubtleſs ordinarily they had no other bread, though at ſometimes they might, ſee Deut. 2.6.Deut 2:6you have not drunk Wine or ſtrong Drink, for your drink has been as miraculous as your bread, viz. water fetcht out of the Rock, [Numb. 20.11. Pſal. 78.15, 16.] and theſe things I have done for you, that you might know that I am the Lord your God, and yet how little have you conſidered it? Moſes further tells them, That they might remember how ſince they came hither they had conquered Sihon King of Heſhbon, and Og King of Baſhan, and how He had given their Land to the Reubenites, Gadites, and half the Tribe of Manaſſeh. Therefore (ſays he) conſidering all theſe great Mercies God hath beſtowed on you, you ought to be very careful to obſerve the … … ditions and Articles of the Covenant which you are now to enter into, and to confirm with an Oath, that ſo it may go well with you, and that you may proſper in all that you do. Attend therefore all of you, with all ſeriouſneſs to this ſolemn buſineſs you are now about. Behold you all ſtand this day before the Lord your God, the Captains of your Tribes, your Elders and Officers, you, your Wives and little Ones, and the Strangers that are in your Camp, even from the Hewer of Wood unto the Drawer of Water, ye are all met together, and ſtand here before the Lord your God to enter into Covenant with Him, and to confirm it with an Oath, whereby you bind your ſelves to perform it, that ſo He may eſtabliſh you for a people unto Himſelf, and that He may be your God as He promiſed your Fathers. Neither do I bind only you who are here preſent to the obſervance of this Covenant, but your Poſterity alſo, who are not yet born. And there is great reaſon you ſhould now enter into this Covenant, becauſe having dwelt p. 252in the Land of Egypt (at leaſt many of you in your younger years) and having gone thorow the Confines of ſome Idolatrous Nations in your Journey towards Canaan, and ſeen their ſeveral Idolatries and Abominations, there is ſome cauſe to fear leſt ſome of you may be tainted with their evil Manners. And therefore to prevent this, it is fit that ye ſhould all ſolemnly enter into Covenant with God, leſt there be found among you any Man, Woman, Family or Tribe whoſe hearts are inclined to ſerve the gods of theſe Nations, and leſt there be found among you any Root that beareth Wormwood; that is, any root of Idolatry or Rebellion againſt God, which is as diſpleaſing and diſtaſtful to Him, as Gall and Wormwood is to us, and which will prove to the Sinner, and who ever is infected therewith, bitterneſs in the latter end, [ſee Heb. 12.15, &c.] And he tells them, If there ſhall be found any ſuch evil-ſpirited and infectious perſons among them, who when they ſhall hear the words of this Curſe, yet ſhall bleſs themſelves in their own hearts, ſaying, They ſhall have peace though they walk in the evil imaginations of their own hearts, and ſo add drunkenneſs to thirſt; that is, being wicked already do yet encourage themſelves to be more wicked, (as Drunkenneſs increaſes thirſt, and ſo draws on another Drunkenneſs,) the Lord will not ſpare ſuch perſons, but his anger and jealouſie will ſmoke againſt them, and all the Curſes in this Book will light upon them, and the Lord will blot out their names from under Heaven, and will ſeparate them out of all the Tribes of Iſrael unto puniſhment, miſchief and deſtruction, anſwerably to the threatnings that are denounced againſt the Breakers of this Covenant, and are written in this Book of the Law. So that when your Children that ſhall be born hereafter, and the Strangers that come from a far Country, ſhall ſee the Plagues and Sickneſſes that the Lord will bring upon the Inhabitants of the Land for theſe Tranſgreſſions, and how the Land, by Gods juſt Curſe, is ſo defaced and altered, that it is become (in a manner) like Sodom and Gomorrah, Admah and Zeboim, (which Cities the Lord overthrew in his wrath and anger) they and other Nations alſo that ſhall hear of it ſhall ſay, Wherefore hath the Lord thus puniſhed this Land? what meaneth the heat of his great anger againſt it? Then men ſhall anſwer, It is becauſe they have forſaken the Covenant of the God of their Fathers, which He made with them when he brought them forth out of Egypt; For they went and ſerved other gods, and worſhipped them, viz. gods of Gold and Silver, Wood and Stone whom they knew to be no gods, nor to have given them any thing, nor could or would do them any good. And they knew alſo that the Lord had forbidden them to worſhip Him by ſuch Idols and Images, and thereupon his anger was kindled againſt them, and he was provoked to bring upon them all the Curſes denounced in his Law againſt the Violators of his Covenant. And hence it was that after thoſe great Judgments He had ſent upon them in their own Nation, He was provoked to root them out of their own Land in wrath, anger and indignation, and to ſcatter them into other Nations, as you ſee it is now come to paſs. But (ſays he) if you ſhall ask me, When will theſe things be? when will our Poſterity by their Rebellions thus provoke God, and bring ſuch heavy Judgments on themſelves and the Land? I anſwer, That is only known to God Himſelf; ſecret things belong to Him, but things revealed belong to us and our Children; and therefore we may ſafely conclude, That if they do thus provoke God, then all this Miſery and Calamity will certainly befal them, except by true and timely repentance and turning unto God they prevent this ruine. This (ſays He) God hath revealed; and what he hath revealed it becomes us and our C…ldren always to conſider and lay to heart, that we may not provoke Him by tranſgreſſing any of his Commandments.

Ch. XXXI Moſes now calling the people together, He tells them, He was at this time an 120 years old, and therefore by the courſe of Nature it could not be expected that he ſhould be able much longer to go in and out before them, and to lead and govern them as before he had done. And beſides the Lord had told him, He ſhould not go over Jordan. However he bids them be of good courage, for the Lord Himſelf would go before them, and by the Conduct of his Servant Joſhua would ſubdue their Enemies for them, (as he had already done Sihon and Og Kings of the Amorites) and they ſhould deſtroy them as he had commanded; and therefore he bids them not to be afraid of them, for the Lord would go along with them, and would not fail them nor forſake them. Then he addreſſes his Speech to Joſhua, and in the ſight of them all, bids him be ſtrong and of a good courage, truſting in Gods Providence and Aſſiſtance, who would not fail him p. 253nor forſake him; He tells him, He muſt lead the people over into Canaan, and cauſe them to inherit it.

Then Moſes having put into writing(x)(x)Videtur Scripſiſſe, tu… Deuteronomium, tum Canticum ſequens antequam ea populo pronunciaret. this Law; that is, this Book of Deuteronomy, he delivered it ſolemnly unto the Prieſts (who upon ſome extraordinary occaſions did carry the Ark as well as the Levites, ſee Joſhua 3.17. &. Joſh. 6.12.) and unto all the Elders of Iſrael, thereby giving them to underſtand that they were the men to whom it did eſpecially belong to ſee that this Original Copy of the Law were ſafely kept, and that the Laws therein commanded were duly obſerved both by themſelves and the people. And Moſes commanded the Prieſts to read this Book, this Original Copy of the Law every ſeventh year (which was the year of Releaſe) among the people at the Feaſt of Tabernacles. 'Tis like ſome part of the Book of the Law was read among them by the Levites every Sabbath-day, [ſee Acts 15.21.] and 'tis like the people had Copies of the Law for their own private uſe, in the reading whereof they did daily exerciſe themſelves.(y)(y)If this were required of their Kings, Ch. 17, 18, 19. much more may we think it was required of them. But yet once in ſeven years God would have this Book to be read by the Prieſts, from the beginning to the end, among the people, both that it might make the deeper impreſſion on them, and cauſe them to fear the Lord their God, and to obſerve and do all the words of this Law; and that it might appear to them that thoſe Copies of the Law which they had among them, and were read to them every Sabbath-day, did agree with this Original Copy which Moſes had given them. And God appointed this to be done in the year of Releaſe, becauſe then they had moſt liberty to mind and attend that Service, the Land lying that year at reſt, themſelves being freed from the danger of having their Debts exacted of them. It was alſo an holy year, the Sabbath of years, and ſo the fitter for this extraordinary duty. And it was appointed to be done at the Feaſt of Tabernacles, becauſe all Iſrael uſed then to appear before the Lord. For though the Males only were bound to appear at the three ſolemn Feaſts, [Exod. 23.17.] yet at this Feaſt (it ſeems) they carried their Wives and Children and the Strangers within their Gates along with them, as appears verſ. 12. & Neh. 8.3. And hereby their Children who had not ſeen the Wonders and Miracles that God had wrought for them, as their Fathers had done, might by hearing this Original Book of the Law read openly among them, learn to fear the Lord their God, and to ſerve him faithfully as long as they lived.

Then the Lord tells Moſes, That the day of his death did now approach, and therefore he ſhould call Joſhua, and they two ſhould preſent themſelves before Him in the Tabernacle of the Congregation, that there he might give Joſhua his Charge. They accordingly went to the Tabernacle, and the Pillar of Cloud ſtood over the door of it, and the Lord ſaid unto Moſes, Behold thou ſhalt lie down to ſleep in the duſt as did thy Fathers, but I know that after thy death this people will go a whoring after the gods of the Canaanites, and will forſake me, and break my Covenant. Then my anger will be kindled againſt them, and I will forſake them, and hide my Face from them, and withdraw my Favour, Bleſſing and Help; and then they ſhall be devoured by their Enemies as by wild Beaſts, and many evils and troubles ſhall befal them, ſo that they will ſay in that day, Are not theſe evils come upon us becauſe our God is not among us? The Lord therefore commands Moſes to write this following Song (ſet down in the next Chapter) containing a Propheſie of their falling off from God, and his juſt Judgment upon them for it. And the Lord was pleaſed to give it to them in the form of a Song, that it might be the better remembred by them, and might work more upon their affections; and the Iſraelites were to learn it and ſing it, that in time to come when they ſhould ſo provoke God by their ſins, as is there ſet forth, and God ſhould thereupon puniſh them with thoſe very evils that are there foretold; this Song (as out of their own mouths) might be a Witneſs for God againſt them, viz. that He had given them ſufficient warning, and yet notwithſtanding by their willful and hainous Provocations they had brought theſe Miſeries on themſelves. For (ſays the Lord) I know their ſecret Imaginations, and the baſe apoſtatizing thoughts, and purpoſes which ſome of them already have in their hearts, even now before I have brought them into the Land, which I ſware unto their Fathers to give them, [ſee Amos 5.25. and Acts 7.43.] and I do foreſee what they will do hereafter. Moſes accordingly wrote this Song the ſame day, and taught it the Children of Iſrael.

p. 254God then gives Joſhua his Charge, ſaying to him, Be ſtrong, and of a good courage, for thou ſhalt bring this people into the Land of Canaan,V. 23. Hoc loco primum alloquitur Dominus Joſhuam, ut ei authoritatem coram populo Conciliet. and I will be with thee. Moſes now commands the Prieſts (the Sons of Levi) to put this Book of the Law which he had written in ſome ſafe Repoſitory or Cheſt on the outſide of the Ark, where was the Pot of Manna, and Aaron's Rod, ſee Heb. 9.4. Indeed in the Ark it ſelf were only the two Tables, [1 Kings 8.9.] but on the outſide of it, and by it was this Volume of the Law to be kept. This Book was many years after found in the Treaſury of the Temple in Joſiah's Reign, 2 Kings 22.8. & 2 Chron. 34.14. and therefore it ſeems it had been removed from the Ark, and kept elſewhere; wherein ſeeing they tranſgreſſed the directions that God here gave to the Prieſts, no marvel if this precious Treaſure was for ſome years loſt, and not looked after. Moſes having commanded them to place this Book on the outſide of the Ark, He ſaid to them, O Iſrael, if thou art diſobedient, this Book ſhall be a witneſs againſt thee wherein thou art ſufficiently warned to the contrary, and ſhewed the Judgments that will thereupon inſue. But alas I know thy rebellious Diſpoſition, and thy ſtiff Neck. Ye have been rebellious againſt the Lord while I was with you, how much more will ye be ſo when I am dead. Gather therefore unto me all the Elders of your Tribes, and your Officers, that I may ſpeak unto them, and call Heaven and Earth to witneſs againſt them. For I know that after my death you will corrupt your ſelves, and turn aſide from the way which I have commanded you, and evil will befal you in the latter days, becauſe you will do evil in the ſight of the Lord, and thereby provoke Him to anger. The Elders and Officers of the people being met, Moſes ſpake in the ears of all the Congregation of Iſrael the words of this following Song.

Ch. XXXII Give Ear O ye Heavens, **See Iſa. 1.2.Isa 1:2and I will ſpeak, and hear O Earth the words of my mouth. He beginneth this Prophetical Song with a Rhetorical Scheme, calling the Heavens and Earth, and all the Creatures in them, to be witneſſes of his word, the more to affect the hearts of the people, to reprove their hardneſs, and to excite their attention. I wiſh (ſays He) my Doctrine (which I have received from God) might ſo fall upon your hearts, as the ſweet and gentle Showers and fruitful Dew falleth upon the Herbs, and Flowers, and Graſs of the Earth, and cauſeth them to ſpring forth and flouriſh, [Iſa. 55.10.] Hear therefore for I will now publiſh unto you the Name of the Lord; that is, his glorious Excellencies, viz. his infinite Power, Wiſdom and Goodneſs, and therefore ſee that ye aſcribe Greatneſs and Majeſty to Him, and that ye magnifie Him as ye ought to do, ſaying, Thine, O Jehovah, is the Greatneſs and the Power, and the Glory, 1 Chron. 29.11. and that ye attend to what is ſpoken with all humility, and lay it to heart, and yield Obedience thereunto. Know ye therefore, that God is the Rock, **In times of danger men uſe to fly to Rocks to ſhelter themſelves, 1 Sam. 13.6.1 Sam 13:6He is an All-ſufficient ſtable, and ſure Refuge for all thoſe that fly to Him; neither is there any ſure Shelter any where elſe but in Him. His Work is perfect, for all his ways are Judgment.

All his Works are perfect, (z)(z)Even in thoſe works of God that ſeem to have ſome imperfection in them as Children that are born blind or lame, &c. yet as they are acts of Providence there is a perfection of Wiſdom, Holineſs and Juſtice in them, and there is nothing at all in them for which God can juſtly be blamed.and without any blemiſh, there is no defect or fault to be found in any of them; All his ways are Judgment, his dealings with his people have been always right and juſt; He is a God of truth and without Iniquity, juſt and right is He. But as for this people, they have corrupted themſelves by their Idolatry, their ſpot is not the ſpot of his Children, for it proceedeth not of weakneſs and infirmity, (to which all are ſubject) but of wilfulneſs and perverſeneſs, and an impenitent heart. They are a perverſe and crooked Generation, for both their hearts and ways are evil, and turned aſide from the right Rule of Gods Law. Do you thus requite the Lord O fooliſh people and unwiſe? Is not God thy Father that made thee? Is not He thy Father that hath bought thee; that is, ranſomed and brought thee forth out of Egypt with a mighty Hand, and the power of Miracles? Hath not He made thee his people, and eſtabliſhed thee by Covenant to continue ſo, if thou art not wanting to thy ſelf, and thy duty? Remember the days of old, and conſider the years of many Generations; ask thy Father, and he will ſhew thee; thy Elders, and they will tell thee, how God when by his Providence He diſpoſed the ſeveral Nations that came out of the Loins of Adam into ſeveral parts of the Earth (allotting to one Nation one Country, and another to another) did then ſet the bounds of the people according to the number of the Children of Iſrael; that is, did then chuſe the Children of Iſrael to be his peculiar people and Inheritance, and where they were, there it might be ſaid was his p. 255people, and where their bounds ended, there was the end and utmoſt bound of his people, and the bounds of the Heathen then began; and according to his ſecret purpoſe he gave and allotted to the Canaanites ſuch bounds and limits as he knew would ſerve for the number of the Iſraelites. For the Lords portion is his people, Jacob is the lot of his Inheritance; that is, the Iſraelites are that portion of Mankind whom he was pleaſed to make his peculiar people; they are his Inheritance, and therefore dear to Him as Inheritances uſe to be to men, which are divided to them by lot; and they were to acknowledge no other Lord over them but Himſelf, and they and their Children after them were to be His ſucceſſively. He found them in a deſart Land, in a waſt howling Wilderneſs inhabited only by wild howling Beaſts of Prey; He found them there in deſperate danger, but came in ſeaſonably to their ſuccour, when they were ready to periſh; He led them about, he inſtructed them both by his Word and Works, by his Spirit, and the ſeveral Diſpenſations of his Providence; He kept them as the apple of his eye, with tender care and love. As an Eagle ſtirreth up her neſt; that is, awaketh her brood or young ones in her neſt, rouſing them up with the Cry that ſhe maketh, to ſignifie to them that ſhe intends to teach them to fly, and ſpreading abroad her wings taketh them up, and beareth them thereon; ſo did the Lord carry Iſrael towards Canaan, leading them Himſelf thither, and there was no ſtrange god with him; that is, no ſtrange God had any hand in it. He made him ride on the high places of the Earth; that is, he inabled them to ſubdue and conquer the mountainous places and the high-walled Cities of their Enemies, and to poſſeſs a Land far excelling others in all Commodities whatſoever. He made him to eat of the increaſe of the Earth, to ſuck Honey out of the Rock; that is, of Bees neſtling in the holes of Rocks, and Oil of Olive-Trees that grow in ſtony places. He made him to eat of Butter of Kine and Milk of Sheep, with the fat of Lambs and Rams of the choice breed of Baſhan, and Bread made of the fineſt, plumpeſt and largeſt kernels of Wheat, reſembling Kidneys in ſhape, and to drink the pure blood of the Grape; that is, the choiceſt red Wine. But Jeſhurun **Jeſhurun (derived from Joſher, ſignifying Righteouſneſs,) intimates that by their calling they ought to be a righteous people, and to walk uprightly in Gods ways, but Moſes here by giving them this Title, ſeems to upbraid them that they were ſo unlike the people they ſhould have been.being waxed fat, kicked; that is, hath behaved himſelf wantonly, forſaking God that made him, contemptuouſly and lightly eſteeming the Rock of his Salvation, in whom alone was his help. They provoked Him to jealouſie, and made him exceeding angry by their ſpiritual Fornication, and worſhipping ſtrange gods; They ſacrificed unto Devils; that is, unto Idols wherein the Devil was ſerved and not God, [Levit. 17.7. 1 Cor. 10.20.] They ſacrificed to gods whom they knew not, nor had any knowledge or experience of any good from them, to new gods, newly come up; for though they had continued many hundred years in the World, yet if compared to the Eternal ever-living God they might be ſaid to be newly come up, and to be meer up-ſtarts, and ſuch as their Fathers ſlighted as Vanities. Of the Rock, that is, of the ſtrong God that created them and begat them they were unmindful, and forgot Him that formed them and made them his people, Iſa. 43.21. When the Lord ſaw this he abhorred them, becauſe of the provoking of his Sons and Daughters; that is, of thoſe that profeſſed themſelves to be his people. And he ſaid, I will hide my face from them, I will ſee what their end will be; that is, I will let them ſee what a miſerable end they will come to, when I forſake them. For they are a very froward Generation, Children in whom there is no faithfulneſs, or fidelity, or ſtedfaſtneſs to keep their Covenant with me. They have moved me to jealouſie with that which is not god, that is, provoked me to Diſpleaſure, by giving that worſhip which is only due to me to Idols which are no gods, and ſo preferring mear Vanities, viz. Stocks and Stones before their Creator. Therefore (he ſays) he would move them to jealouſie, that is, vex and diſquiet them with thoſe that are not a people, ††The Jews underſtand this of the Chaldeans, who carried them Captive, and ſo grieved them. But the Apoſtle underſtands it of the Jews rejection for refuſing Chriſt, and of the calling of the Gentiles, at which the Jews were very angry, ſee Rom. 11.14. Completum hoc cum ab Ethnicis infeſterentur Judaei, deinde & in Gentium vocatione. Confer Hoſ. 1.10. Rom. 10.19. Anonym.Rom 11:14Hos 1:10Rom 10:19even with a fooliſh Nation; that is, by calling the Gentiles who were not now his people, and were deſpiſed by the Jews for their blindneſs and folly, Rom. 10.19. For a fire is kindled in mine anger, and ſhall burn unto the loweſt Hell, and ſhall conſume the Earth with her increaſe, and ſet on fire the foundations of the Mountains; that is, the Judgments which God in his anger would bring upon them ſhould be moſt vehement and dreadful, and ſhould utterly deſtroy the Land, and therefore this deſolation and deſtruction is ſet forth in expreſſions reſembling the Conflagration of the World at the laſt day. He further adds, I will heap miſchiefs upon them, I will ſpend mine arrows upon them; that is, I will ſtrike them with many Plagues, and they ſhall p. 256be wounded with them, as with Arrows, ſuddainly and unexpectedly. They ſhall be burnt with hunger; that is, conſumed with Famine, [ſee Lam. 4.8.] and devoured with burning heat and bitter deſtruction; that is, with burning Carbuncles and fiery Ʋlcers on their Bodies. I will ſend the teeth of Beaſts upon them, with the poyſon of Serpents of the duſt, viz. that hide themſelves in the duſt, and feed on the duſt; and aſſault ſuddainly. They that are abroad ſhall be ſlain by the Sword, and they that are within ſhall die with terrour and fear, and this miſery and calamity ſhall fall on all ſorts, old and young. I ſaid I would ſcatter them into Corners, and make the remembrance of them ceaſe from among men, were it not that I feared the wrath of the Enemy, leſt the Adverſaries of my people ſhould behave themſeves ſtrangely, and leſt they ſhould ſay, Our hand is high, and the Lord hath not done this. God here ſpeaks of Himſelf after the manner of men, who oftentimes deſiſt from doing what otherwiſe they intended to do, for fear of encouraging the pride and inſolency of wicked men. And therefore God would not bring his people ſo near to utter deſtruction as their ſins deſerved, leſt their Enemies ſhould thereupon exalt themſelves as if by their own power alone, or the help of their Idols, they had vanquiſhed Iſrael, and done all that they had done, [ſee Pſal. 140.8.] And the reaſon why God was ſo far provoked as to be ready almoſt utterly to deſtroy the Iſraelites, had not reſpect to his own glory reſtrained him, was, becauſe they were a Nation void of Counſel, neither was there any underſtanding in them; that is, they went on blindly and deſperately in wickedneſs, without conſidering what would be the iſſue of it. O that they were wiſe (ſays God) that they would conſider what will befal them in the latter end, if they go on in their Rebellions againſt me, that ſo by true Repentance they may prevent theſe miſeries. For if they had not by their frequent and high Tranſgreſſions extreamly provoked me, their Enemies ſhould never have had that power over them that they have had; ſeeing I had promiſed them, in caſe they were obedient, that an hundred of them ſhould put ten thouſand of their Enemies to flight, [Joſh. 23.10. Levit. 26.8.] and this they have found true in many ſtrange Victories which they have gotten, wherein a few of them have defeated whole Armies of their Adverſaries. And how could it come to paſs quite contrary, that one of their Enemies ſhould chaſe a thouſand of them, and that two of their Enemies ſhould put ten thouſand of them to flight, except their Rock had ſold them, and the Lord had ſhut them up; that is, except the Lord who is their Rock, and their only Stay and Strength had delivered them up into the hands and power of their Enemies to be captivated and impriſoned by them at their will, and to be made their Slaves and Vaſſals, ſee Pſal. 31.7, 8. And the Iſraelites may well ſay, If our God had not done it, the Idol gods of the Heathens could never have made them ſo Victorious over us. For their Rock is not as our Rock; Our God is of infinite Power, and therefore able to make his people Victorious over their Enemies when He pleaſes, but their Idol-gods (on which they rely) cannot make them to prevail over us, except our God withdraw his help, and give us up into their hands. And this is ſo clear, that our Enemies themſelves cannot deny it. But if any ſhall ask, How came the Lord to be ſo incenſed againſt Iſrael, as to give them up into the hands of their Enemies? The reaſon was, becauſe their Vine is the Vine of Sodom, and of the Fields of Gomorrah, their Grapes are Grapes of gall, their Cluſters are bitter; that is, they are of like nature and diſpoſition, and their lives and doings are like theirs of Sodom and Gomorrah; and therefore no wonder if God be ſo highly offended with them, their Wine is **This may have reſpect to their bitter and deadly malice againſt the Prophets, and other faithful Servants of God in future times, but eſpecially againſt Chriſt and his Apoſtles.the poyſon of Dragons, and the cruel venome of Aſps; that is, their Works are diſtaſtful to God, and deadly to themſelves and others. And (ſays the Lord) though for a time I forbear to puniſh theſe curſed Works of theirs, yet let them not therefore think totally to eſcape; For all their Tranſgreſſions are laid up in ſtore with me, and I keep them ſealed up among my Treaſures; that is, a Memorial of them is kept among the unſearchable Treaſures of my Wiſdom and Knowledge, [ſee Col. 2.3.] To me belongeth Vengeance and Recompence; that is, the work of puniſhing wickedneſs, they ſhall not ſtand ſtedfaſt in the proſperous Eſtate they now are in, their foot ſhall ſlide in due time; they ſhall certainly fall when my time is come, and the day of their Calamity is at hand; that is, after they are grown thus deſperately wicked, it ſhall not be long ere this Calamity here threatned ſhall overtake them, and the things that ſhall come upon them make haſt. But if they ſhall repent of their evil deeds, and turn unto me, I will take pity on them in the height of their miſery, and will change the p. 257courſe of my Adminiſtration towards them, and will take Vengeance on their Oppreſſors and Adverſaries; And eſpecially when I ſee their power is gone, and there is none ſhut up or left, viz. in Garriſons or Cities to defend themſelves, but all are in a manner overthrown and ruined, then will I ariſe and help them for my great Name ſake. Then will I ſay to the Heathen, Where are your gods (your Rocks in whom ye truſted) which did eat the fat of your Sacrifices, and drank the Wine of you Drink-Offerings; that is, where are your Idols to whom ye burned the fat of your Sacrifices, and poured out the Wine of your Drink-Offerings? let them now riſe up, and help you, and be your Protection if they can. You ſhall know, That I am the true God, and there is none beſides me; I kill and I make alive, I wound and I heal, [1 Sam. 2.6.] neither can any deliver out of my hands. I lift up my hand to Heaven, and ſware by my Self, As ſure as I live for ever, I will do what I now ſay. If I whet my glittering Sword, and my Hand take hold on the Weapons of Judgment, I will render Vengeance to mine Enemies, and will reward them that hate me. I will make mine Arrows drunk with blood, and that with the blood of the ſlain, and of the Captives; that is, both with the blood of thoſe that are ſlain in the field, and of thoſe that are hurt in battel, and thereupon taken Captive, and my Sword ſhall devour much fleſh from the beginning of revenges upon the Enemy; that is, from the time that I begin to take Vengeance on mine and my peoples Enemies, and I will revenge all the wrongs that my people have ſuffered from their Enemies, even from their firſt beginning to oppreſs them. And ſeeing it ſhall be ſo, Rejoyce O ye Nations with this people; that is, both Jews and Gentiles rejoyce and praiſe God together for his great goodneſs to his people in taking Vengeance on their Enemies, and being ſo propitious and favourable unto them; and hereby poſſibly is intimated that the time ſhould come when both Jews and Gentiles ſhould joyn together in praiſing the Lord, namely, when they ſhall be both his Church and people; and therefore the Apoſtle alledgeth this place to prove the calling of the Gentiles, Rom. 15.10.

This was the Song that Moſes ſpake in the ears of the Children of Iſrael, Joſhua ſtanding by, and as it were aſſenting to what he ſpake. Moſes further ſaid unto them, Set your hearts to all the words which I teſtifie among you this day, and command your Children alſo to obſerve all the Precepts of this Law, for it is not a vain thing for you ſo to do; it is your life; that is, 'tis the beſt way and means to prolong your days in the Land which you are going to poſſeſs.

God now gives Moſes a Charge to go up to Mount Nebo, to view the Land of Canaan, telling him, That there he ſhould die, and be gathered unto his people; that is, his godly fore-Fathers, and the ſociety of the Souls of juſt men made perfect, as Aaron his Brother died on Mount Hor. And he gives him a reaſon why they both were excluded the Land of Canaan, namely, becauſe they treſpaſſed againſt Him at the waters of Meribah-Kadeſh, and ſanctified Him not in the midſt of the people, ſee Numb. 20.11, 12. that is, they did not at that time publickly ſhew before the people ſuch an affiance in Him, nor did ſo glorifie his great Name as they ſhould have done.

Moſes the man of God **He is ſo ſtiled that the Iſ…aelites might aſſure themſelves that what he ſpake to them in theſe Prohetical bleſſings, he ſpake by the authority of God. Samuel is ſo ſtiled, 1 Sam. 9.6, 7. ſee 1 Tim. 6.11.1 Sam 9:61 Sam 9:71 Tim 6:11(viz. the Prophet of the Lord) having received that Charge Ch. XXXIII to go up to Mount Nebo, where he was to die: He now immediately before his death ſolemnly bleſſes the twelve Tribes, pronouncing ſuch Prophetical bleſſings upon them as might allay in good part the bitterneſs of the fore-going Predictions. Indeed the Tribe of Simeon is not at all here mentioned, but the reaſon of it ſeems to be becauſe this Tribe was to have their Inheritance within the Inheritance of the Sons of Judah, Joſ. 19.1. Whence it was that they went joyntly together to fight againſt the Canaanites, [Judg. 1.3.] and conſequently this Tribe was bleſſed with that of Judah, among whom they were to dwell.

And firſt as an Introduction or Preface to his Prophetick Benediction, he ſets before them the Lords great goodneſs to them, and the ſeveral gracious manifeſtations of his favour towards them, as he conducted them along from Egypt to Canaan. Firſt, He came and appeared to them from Sinai, where he gave them his Law. 2ly, He further manifeſted Himſelf to them from Mount Seir, when He commanded the braſen Serpent to be ſet up, by which thoſe among them were cured that were mortally bitten with fiery Serpents, and thereby He gave them a notable Type of the promiſed Meſſiah. 3ly, He ſhined forth from Mount Paran; that is repeated and explained the Law to them by the Miniſtry of Moſes in the Wilderneſs of Paran, who exhorted p. 258them to yield Obedience to it. And when the Lord gave them his Law at Sinai. (He tells them) He came attended with Royal Majeſty, with an infinite number of glorious Angels, who are here called Saints, becauſe of their purity and holineſs, ſee Acts 7.53. From his right hand went a fiery Law for them; that is, He ſpake it to them out of the midſt of the fire, Deut. 5.22. And yet that giving them his Law was a ſingular effect of his ſpecial love to them; He thereby teſtified his great kindneſs to them, and ſo he did alſo in His protecting of them from their Enemies; and therefore we may truly ſay, All Iſraels Saints are under thy Care and Protection, O Lord. They ſat at thy feet, they attended upon thee at the foot of Mount Sinai, as Scholars at the feet of their Maſter, and all that are true Iſraelites will receive inſtruction from thy words. And ſuch Iſraelites will readily declare, That God gave them his Law by the miniſtry of Moſes, even the Inheritance of the Congregation of Jacob; that is, which is as dear to them as an Inheritance is to any man. They will declare, That He gave it them as a rare and precious Treaſure, and not for their uſe only, but for the uſe and inſtruction alſo of their Poſterity after them. And they do acknowledge, that Moſes was King in Jeſhurun; that is, chief King and Magiſtrate in Iſrael by Gods own appointment, when the Heads of the people and the Tribes were gathered together to receive the Law at Mount Sinai. And they acknowledging Him to be a perſon ſo extraordinarily favoured, guided and aſſiſted by God, could not but receive what he delivered unto them, as ſpoken by God himſelf, from verſ. 1. to 6. He comes now to bleſs the Tribes particularly. He begins with Reuben, Let Reuben live and not die, and let not his men be few. Jacob had propheſied of this Tribe, that they ſhould loſe the Dignity of the Birth-right, and ſhould never come to any eminency among the Tribes, either for number of people, or any other excellency, and that becauſe of Reuben's Inceſt with his Fathers Concubine, ſee Gen. 49.4. Now therefore for the comfort of this Tribe, Moſes pronounces this bleſſing upon them, Let Reuben live; that is, though Reuben by his Inceſt brough that Curſe upon him, pronounced by his Father, yea though by the ſin of the Reubenites in adhering to Corah, they deſerved that God ſhould utterly deſtroy them, yet, ſays he, the Name and Tribe of Reuben ſhall ſtill continue among the people of God, and though for his ſin he loſt the glory of excelling the other Tribes in number of men, which as the firſt-born he might otherwiſe have expected, however he ſhall continue a numerous Tribe. 2ly, He comes next to Judah, becauſe the honour of the Birth-right was partly given from Reuben to Judah, and in his Tribe the Regal Power was afterwards ſetled. Hear Lord (ſays he) the voice of Judah, **Audi Domine preces Jehudae, ſcil. cum egreſſus fuerit ad bellum, & reduc eum, ſcil. a bello incolumem ad fratres ſuos. Oleaſter.that is, the Prayers that this Tribe ſhall make to thee; particularly that the promiſed Meſſiah may according to thy Promiſe come of their ſtock, and that they may have Victory over their Enemies; and grant them, O Lord, ſufficient ſtrength to ſtand in the day of battel, thou being their Helper; and when thou ſhalt ſuffer this Tribe, with that of Benjamin, to be carried by the Babylonians into Captivity, bring them back again in thy due time to their people; that is, to the poor that were left in Judea to husband the Land, Jer. 39.10. & 40.7. & 52.16. 3ly, He bleſſes Levi, Let thy Ʋrim and thy Thummim be with thy holy one; that is, let the High Prieſthood (to which appertained the Breaſt-plate in which was the Ʋrim and Thummim, Exod. 28.30.) be continued in Aaron's Poſterity, and let them be furniſhed with thoſe Gifts and Graces, with that Knowledge and Piety which is requiſite for their high Calling, and ſignified by Ʋrim and Thummim. Whom thou didſt prove at Maſſah, and with whom thou didſt ſtrive at the waters of Meribah; that is, whoſe Faith thou didſt try at Meribah-Kadeſh, [ſee Numb. 20.] and ſharply reprove both Moſes and Him for their Infidelity. Who ſaid to his Father and his Mother, I have not ſeen him; This may have reference either to the Law, forbidding the High Prieſt to defile himſelf by mourning for the dead, [ſee Levit. 21.11.] Neither ſhall he go into any dead body, nor defile himſelf for his Father or Mother. Or elſe to that notable fact of the Levites, [Exod. 32.] who were ſo impartial in Gods Cauſe, as not to ſpare any though nearly related to them, who they found had worſhipped the golden Calf. For they obſerved thy Word, and kept the Covenant which they made with thee, Exod. 24.8. Let them therefore teach Jacob (that is the Poſterity of Jacob) thy Judgments or Statutes, and Iſrael thy Laws; Let them put Incenſe before, and whole Burnt-Offerings upon thy Altar. Bleſs Lord their ſubſtance, and accept the work of their hands; that is, bleſs them in their outward Eſtate, and accept in good part the Work and Service p. 259they do for thee and thy people. Smite thorow the loins of thoſe that riſe up againſt them, and hate them; that is, break the Power of thoſe that oppoſe them in the faithful diſcharge of their Duty and Office, ſee Jer. 15.10. 4ly, He comes to Benjamin, of whom he ſaith, The beloved of the Lord ſhall dwell in ſafety by him; that is, as Benjamin was his Fathers darling (when Joſeph was ſuppoſed to be dead) ſo he is much beloved of the Lord, and therefore ſhall dwell ſafely by him; that is, near his Temple, which was built in his portion, and the Lord ſhall cover him all the day long; that is, protect and defend him, and he ſhall dwell between his ſhoulders; that is, God will chuſe for Himſelf an Habitation in the chief City of this Tribe. For though the South part of Jeruſalem where was Mount Sion, **God is ſaid to dwell in Mount Sion, and thence ſome conceive his Temple was ſituate upon it; but where it is ſo ſaid, the word Sion muſt not be taken ſtrictly for the hill Sion, but by a Synecdoche for the whole City of Jeruſalem, and therewith for the Temple founded on Mount Moriah.(called the City of God in a more eſpecial manner) was in the Tribe of Judah, yet the Northern part, with Mount Moriah, where the Temple ſtood, was in the Tribe of Benjamin, and being ſet upon that Hill, it was conſpicuouſly eminent, as the Head placed above, and between the ſhoulders, and in that ſenſe God may be ſaid to dwell between his ſhoulders. 5ly, He comes now to Joſeph (whoſe two Sons Ephraim and Manaſſeh were Heads of two Tribes) of whom he ſaith, Bleſſed of the Lord be his Land, and let it be bleſſed with the moſt excellent things of Heaven; that is, with Rains and Dews that fall from Heaven, and let it be bleſsed with the deep that coucheth beneath; that is, with ſprings ariſing from the deep; let it be bleſſed with precious Fruits brought forth by the heat and influence of the Sun, and the kindly moiſtures of the Night, and the influence of the Moon. Let it be bleſſed with the chief things of the ancient Mountains, and with the precious things of the laſting Hills; that is, with the choiceſt Trees, and Fruits, and Herbs that grow on Hills, ſuch as are Vines, Olives, Cedars Pines, Cypreſs, and other uſeful Trees; and with Mines of Gold and Silver, and other metals which are uſually found in Hills ††See Gen. 49.26.Gen 49:26and Mountains. And let the Poſterity of Joſeph be bleſſed not only with the good things of the Earth, and with plenty of them, but with the good-will of Him that dwelt in the Buſh. In the Buſh God appeared to Moſes as the God of Abraham, Iſaac and Jacob, and the good-will of God thus manifeſted (viz. as a God in Covenant with them) was that which alone could make them truly happy, ſee Pſal. 106.4. Let this bleſſing (ſays he) come on the head of Joſeph; that is, on his Poſterity, whoſe Father was ſeparated from his Brethren, and advanced by the Lord to an high and ſingular degree of Honour above them. His glory ſhall be like the firſtling of his Bullock, (that is, of a fair young Bullock in his beſt ſtrength) and his horns like the horns of Ʋnicorns; that is, his Power ſhall be great and irreſiſtible, wherewith he ſhall Conquer far remote Nations. Now theſe horns of his, he ſhews are the ten thouſands of Ephraim and the thouſands of Manaſſeh. 6ly, He comes to Zebulun, of whom he ſays, Rejoyce Zebulun in thy going out, and Iſſachar in thy Tents. Here he bleſſes two Tribes together. Of Zebulun he Propheſies, That they ſhall be happy in their going forth to Trade, and in their merchandiſing by Ships, agreeable to what Jacob propheſied of them, Gen. 49.13. Zebulun ſhall dwell at the harbour of the Sea, he ſhall be for an Haven of Ships. And of Iſſachar he Propheſies, That they ſhould be happy in their Tents; that is, in their quiet life at home, and in their Husbandry and Tillage, and breeding and feeding of Cattel. Both their ways of living ſhould yield them matter of rejoycing in the goodneſs and bounty of God to them. Iſſachar ſhoul be happy in their Husbandry, Zebulun in following their Merchandiſe. They ſhould ſuck of the abundance of the Seas, (that is, of the Riches and Wealth brought over the Seas,) and of the Treaſures hid in the ſand, that is brought from ſuch Cities as were ſeated upon the Sea-ſhore in ſandy-ground. They ſhall call the people unto the Mountain, there they ſhall offer Sacrifices of Righteouſneſs; herein he Propheſies of their religious thankfulneſs to God for his great bleſſings to them. They ſhould duly go to Mount Sion to worſhip the Lord, and ſhould invite their Brethren, and poſſibly ſtrangers of other Nations to go along with them, though they were ſeated by the Sea-ſide in the outmoſt parts of the Land, and ſo far off from the Temple of Jeruſalem; yet at times appointed they ſhould readily go up to the Houſe of God, and there offer the Sacrifices and Thank-Offerings which were juſtly due to God, and agreeable to what his Law preſcribed. 7ly, He comes to Gad, of whom he ſays, Bleſſed be He that inlargeth Gad, namely, the Lord, who hath beſtowed upon Gad a large and ſpacious Country, and though it lay upon the Frontiers, and therefore was liable to frequent Incurſions of Enemies, yet they ſhould have heart and courage p. 260to defend themſelves. Therefore he Propheſies of Gad, That he ſhall dwell as a Lion that is bold and undaunted, and as a Lion teareth ſometimes the Arm, ſometimes the Crown of the Head; that is, ſometimes in one place, ſometimes in another, ſo this Tribe ſhould divers ways ſpoil their Enemies. He provided the firſt part for himſelf; that is, the firſt part of the conquered Land, which was the Country of Sihon; and this Tribe may be ſaid to have provided for themſelves, becauſe they deſired it of Moſes for their Inheritance; and this part of the Country of Canaan being without Jordan was that alone which God permitted Moſes the Law-giver to come into, and allowed him to give unto them for their Inheritance; and being thus provided they went with the Heads of the people armed **Moſes here ſpeaks of a thing to come, as if it had been already done, foreſeeing by the Spirit of Propheſie that it would be ſo.before their Brethren, and executed the juſtice of the Lord, and his judgments upon the accurſed Canaanites. 8ly, He comes to Dan, of whom he ſays, Dan is a Lions whelp, he ſhall leap from Baſhan. Baſhan was a place where were many Lions, though not in Dan's poſſeſſion, but Manaſſeh's, ſee Deut. 3.13. The Danites are therefore here compared to Lions, ruſhing ſuddenly out of the Forreſts and Dens of Baſhan, who ſeize upon thoſe that paſs by ere they were aware. Thus the Danites ſhould leap unexpectedly out of their Forts, and faſtneſses, and ſecret places (where they lay in ambuſh, and ſhould ſeize upon their Enemies when they leaſt expected them. ſee Gen. 49.17. Joſh. 19.47. Judg. 18.27, 29. 9ly, He comes to Naphtali, of whom he ſays, O Naphtali ſatisfied with favour, and full with the bleſſing of the Lord, wherein he Propheſies of the fruitfulneſs of the Soil wherein this Tribe ſhould have their portion. Therefore Jacob compares them to a Hind let looſe that hath a large walk, and ſo in choice Paſtures finds plenty of feeding, Gen. 49.21. He therefore here breaks out into an admiration of the great plenty and abundance of bleſſings which their Inheritance ſhould yield them, but intimates that their bleſſings ſhould not conſiſt ſo much in their having ſuch plenty and fulneſs of outward bleſſings, as in their being fully ſatisfied and contented therewith, and that the thing which ſhould yield ſuch ſatisfaction to their Souls was not ſo much the bleſſings themſelves, as the ſingular love and favour of God whereof to them theſe Bleſſings were Pledges. He further adds, Poſſeſs thou the Weſt and the South, intimating to them thereby that their lot ſhould fall to them South-Weſt in reference to Dan's Inheritance, which was in the North. And their Inheritance reaching to the Sea of Tiberias, this might alſo imply, that beſides the other rich Commodities of the Land they ſhould enjoy the advantage of Merchandizing alſo. Laſtly, He comes to Aſher, ſaying, Let Aſher be bleſſed with Children, (that is, with many and good Children, who for their amiable diſpoſition ſhould be exceedingly beloved of all about them,) and let him dip his foot in Oil; that is, let his Country exceedingly abound with Oil, **Ita abundabit oleo ut eo pedem lavare poſſit. Vide Gen. 49.20. Job 29.6. Janſen.Gen 49:20Job 29:6and other good things. And under his ſhoes ſhall be Iron and Braſs; that is, his portion ſhould be full of Mines of Iron and Braſs, and other metals, and as his days ſo ſhould his ſtrength be; that is, all his days his ſtrength ſhould continue.

Moſes having thus bleſſed the ſeveral Tribes particularly, He now in the cloſe of his Speech ſets forth the happineſs of all the people, and all the Tribes in general, and that for the ſpecial Intereſt they have in God, who hath all the Creatures at his Command for their help. There is none (ſays he) like unto the God of Jeſhurun, who rideth upon the Heavens for thy help, and in his Excellency on the Sky, intimating that as a man turns and winds his Horſe which way he pleaſeth, ſo doth the Lord rule the Heavens, and all the Hoſt of them, making them ſerviceable to the good of his people. For from thence he ſendeth help unto them againſt their Enemies, ſmiting and deſtroying them with terrible Tempeſts, with Hail, Lightning and Thunder, ſee Pſal. 18. from verſ. 7. to 20. The eternal God is thy Refuge, and underneath thee are the everlaſting Arms of his Omnipotency to ſupport thee, and he ſhall thruſt out the Enemy from before thee, and ſhall give thee Commiſſion and Power to deſtroy them. Iſrael ſhall dwell alone in ſafety, that is, ſhall caſt out the Cannanites, and have the Land to themſelves, not living now as formerly in Egypt only as Sojourners, and mixt with other Nations, but they ſhall live as a Nation and people of themſelves, and in a Land of their own, under their own Laws and Government, and ſhall dwell in ſafety not fearing other people. The fountain **Fountain is here uſed for a River or Stream iſſuing out of a Fountain, Pſal, 104.10. Waters often ſignifie people, Rev. 17.15. ſee Pſal. 68.26.Rev 17:15Ps 68:26of Jacob (that is, the people which flowed out of Jacob as out of a Well or Fountain, viz. the Poſterity of Jacob,) ſhall dwell upon a Land of Corn and Wine, and the Heavens that are ſpread over their Land ſhall drop down dew and make it exceeding fruitful. He concludes all with this Acclamation, p. 261Happy art thou, O Iſrael, who is like unto thee! O people, ſaved by the Lord, who is the Shield of thy help, and not only a Shield or Buckler to defend thee, but the Sword of thy Excellency to fight for thee againſt thy Enemies. 'Tis He that maketh thee famous and renowned above others for Marſhal Exploits, and thine Enemies who propheſied of their Victories over thee, and how they ſhould overcome thee by the help of their Idol-gods, ſhall be found Liars unto thee, for thou ſhalt tread upon their High Places; that is, triumphantly prevail over their fenced Cities, whoſe Walls and Towers are raiſed very high.