Commentary on the Pentateuch, Commentary 2 · Chapter 3
CHAP. III. Verſ. i. They will not believ mee]
THey had formerly refuſed him, and thruſt him away. Exod. 2.14. Act. 7.27. And ſo they might again, if hee had not ſomwhat to ſhew for his extraordinarie calling. Quae que repulſa gravis. Hor.In the year 434, the Jews of Creet were ſhamefully ſeduced by a Pſeudo-Moſes, who promiſed to divide the ſea for them to bring them back to their own Countrie. Funccius in Comm. Chron.Thoſe that will not receiv the love of the truth, are juſtly given up to the efficacie of error. 2 Theſſ. 2.10.11.
Verſ. 3. And it became a ſerpent] So doth the word to thoſe that caſt away the care of it; it ſting's them with unqueſtionable conviction and horror. With this rod Moſes ſhould guide the Iſraëlites, ſting the Egyptians. Iſai. 14.29. Jer. 8.17. And Moſes fled from before it] Firſt flie from ſin as from a ſerpent, ſaith one: But if thou haſt taken this ſerpent into thy hand, reſt not till, like Moſes ſerpent, it bee turned into a rod again to ſcourge thy ſoul. Bee either innocent or penitent.
Verſ. 4. Take it by the tail] which was dreadful to bee don, becauſ of the antipathie and likely danger: but faith fortifie's the heart againſt the fear of the creature, and carrie's a man thorough the difficultie of dutie.
Verſ. 5. That they may believ] Miracles are ſufficient teſtimonies of an extraordinarie calling from God: provided that they bee true Miracles, (not ſuch as Deut. 13) to confirm a calling that is agreeable to God's holy word, as here.
Verſ. 6. Put now thine hand] Here was ſign upon ſign, as Chap. 3 12. So low ſtoop's the moſt high to our meanneſs. And doth hee not the ſame favor for us by the often adminiſtration of the Lords Supper? Doth hee not ſeal again and again, &c? Was leprous as ſnow] Let us but laie our hand upon our hearts, thruſt them into our boſoms to rifle there, and wee ſhall bee ſure to take them out leprous, all of a tetter.
Verſ. 7. As his other fleſh] To ſhew him, that God by ſmall means could bring about great matters, and that in a moment. See Iſai. 66.7, 8. Which yet was ill applied by Card. Pool to this revolting nation in Q. Maries daies.
Verſ. 8. The voice of the firſt ſign] God's ſignes have a voice, and words. Pſal. 105.27. They ſpeak not onelyonly to our eies, but ears; as thoſe manie prodigies did before the laſt deſolation of Jeruſalem; as that terrible tempeſt at Rome, (Anno. 1516. The ſame year that Luther began to ſtir) that ſo ſtruck the Church where Pope Leo was creäting his Cardinals, Balcus Centur. 8.that it removed the Childe Jeſus out of the lap of his Mother, and the Keies out of St. Peter's hand. So the two Suns ſeen in London at the comming in of King Phillip, foreignFeb. 15.1553. The new ſtar in Caſſiopeia. Anno, 1572. The prodigious Comet. Anno. 1618, &c.
Verſ. 9. Shall becom blood] In the year 874, at Brixia in Italie, Funce. Chronol.it rained blood for three daies and three nights. Anno. 1505. There appeared in Germanie upon the garments of men and women, Act. and Mon. fol. 769.diverſ prints and tokens of the nails, of the ſpunge, of the ſpear, of the Lords coat, and of bloodie croſſes, Maximilian the Emperor had, and ſhewed the ſame to Francis Mirandula, who thereupon wrote his Staureſtichon, and therein thus.
Non ignota cano, Caeſar monſtravit, & ipſi
Vidimus; innumeros prompſit Germania teſtes.Ibid. 1853.
In the third yeer of Q. Marie, William Pikes beeing at libertie after impriſonment, and going into his garden, took with him a Bible: where ſitting and reading, there ſoddainly fell down upon his Book four drops of freſh blood, and hee knew not from whence it came. Whereat hee beeing ſore aſtoniſhed, and wiping out one of the drops with his finger, called his wife and ſaid, in the virtue of God, wife, what meaneth this? Will the Lord have four ſacrifices? I ſee well enough the Lord will have blood: his will bee don, and give mee grace to abide the trial, &c.
Verſ. 10. I am not eloquent] Heb. A man of words, a maſter of ſpeech, as Paul was. Act. 14.12. Hee had not (that firſt, ſecond and third of an Orator) Elocution or Pronunciation. foreign.And yet God made choiſ of him rather then of eloquent Aaron to praie. Exod. 17. Not gifts but graces prevail in praier. Slow of ſpeech] Of a letſom deliverie, word-bound.
Verſ. 11. Who hath made man's mouth?] There is no mouth into which God cannot put fit words. Balaam's Aſs was enabled by God to convince his Maſter. Whereas by a man, never ſo full and fluent, hee cannot bring forth his conceptions, without the obſtetrication of God's aſſiſtance. Prov. 16.1.
Verſ. 12. I will bee with thy mouth] See the Note on Matth. 10.19.
Verſ. 13. By the hand of him whom thou wilt] Or ſhouldeſt ſend, By that excellent Speaker the Meſſiah, cujus dicere eſt facere. Thus when God had anſwered all Moſe's objections, hee forwardly denie's to go notwithſtanding, and bid's him ſend by his ſon, as one that was better fitted for the ſervice. That which made Moſes ſo unwilling, was (whatever hee pretended) the fear of his life: which rub when God had once removed, hee went on end, verſ. 19, 20.
Verſ. 14. And the anger of the Lord] And no wonder: Patientia laeſa fit furor. Where God commandeth, there to ask a reaſon is preſumption; but to oppoſe reaſon, is a kind of Rebellion. I know that hee can ſpeak well] The gift of utterance is an high favor, a piece of a Chriſtian's riches. 1 Cor. 1.5. See the Note there. Aaron (as Tully ſaith of Ariſtotle) had aureum flumen orationis, a golden gift of ſpeech.
Ver. 15. Will teach you] See the note on ver. 11.12.
Ver. 16. And hee ſhal bee thy ſpokeſman] God hath made mee ill-favored in this world, and without grace in the ſight of men (ſaid Tindal to Frith) ſpeechleſs and rude, Act. and Mo…um. p. 988.dull and ſlowwitted: your part ſhal be to ſupplie that wch lacketh in mee: remembring, that as lowlineſs of heart ſhall make you high with God, even ſo meekneſs of words ſhall make you ſink into the hearts of men. [In ſtead of God] To dictate unto him my minde and counſel. Such a God to every Chriſtian, is his ſanctified Conſcience.
Ver. 17. Wherewith thou ſhalt do ſigns] God, of his free-will joining his operation thereunto; as likewiſe hee doth to the outward ſigns in the two Sacraments: and hence their energie, which elſ would bee none.
Ver. 18. Whether they bee yet alive] which if they bee, though in a low condition, both they and I ſhall ſee cauſ to bee thankful. Lam. 3.39. Eccleſ. 9.4.
Ver. 19. For all the men are dead] Here the Lord laie's his finger upon the ſore. This was that pad in the ſtraw, the thing that made Moſes hang off as hee did; however hee pretended the people's incredulitie, his own inabilitie, and this and that, neither did hee altogether diſſemble: but ſelf-love need's not bee taught to tell her tale.
Ver. 20. Ʋpon an Aſs] This may argue his povertie, as, Zach. 9. ver. 9. Eſpecially if hee had but one Aſs for the whole Familie.
Ver. 21. But I will harden his heart] with a judiciarie penal hardneſs. And thus God is in this book eight times ſaid to have hardned Pharaoh's heart: thrice it is ſaid that hee hardened his own heart, and five times his heart is ſaid to have been hardned viz. by the devil, through the juſt judgment of God.
Ver. 22. Even my firſt-born] And ſo higher then the Kings of the earth. Pſal. 89.27.
Ver. 23. Let my Songo] God commanding Pharaoh to let go his people, and yet hardning his heart that hee would not let them go, is not contrarie to himſelf. For by ſo commanding him, hee requireth his obedience, and by ſo hardning him, hee puniſheth his diſobedience
Ver. 24. And ſought to kill him] to do juſtice upon him according to Gen. 17.14. and as upon one that was an unmeet man to take care of the Church, having no better ordered his own houſ. 1 Tim. 3.5. God paſſeth not by the ſins of his beſt children without a ſenſible check, if ſcandalous eſpecially and committed againſt conſcience. Hee hath much ado to forbear killing us in ſuch caſes: Hee is even readie to have a blow at us, and crie's like a travelling woman (who bite's in her pain while ſhee can) to bee delivered of his judgments. Iſa. 42.14.
Ver. 25. Surely a bloodie husband] A peeviſh wife whoſe frowardneſs is either tollenda or toleranda, cured or carried patiently, nè conjugium fiat conjurgium. Shee was not ſo hot, but Moſes was as meek.
Ver. 26. A bloodie husband thou art] This peal ſhee ring's oft in his ears, and ſo taught him patience.
Conjugium humanae divina Academia vitae.
Certain it is that wee are a bloodie ſpouſ to Chriſt: the Church is Acheldama, a field of blood.
Ver. 27. And the Lord ſaid unto Aaron]. To this religious Familie rather then to anie other, God appeareth: which merciemercy is remembred. 1 Sam. 2.27. [Met him in the mount of God] His wife either had left him, or was ſent back by him to her father. God ſuppli'es that comfort by the coming of Aaron.
Ver. 28. And Moſes told Aaron] So clouds, when full, powr down, and the ſpouts run, and the eavs ſhed, and the preſſes overflow, Aromatical trees ſweat out their precious oils; and as Amber-greece is nothing ſo ſweet in it ſelf, as when compounded with other things: ſo good men are great gainers by communicating themſelvs to each other.
Ver. 31. They bowed their heads] An ordinarie geſture among the Jews then: as at this day, the reverence they ſhew is in ſtanding up, Spec. Europ.and the geſture of adoration in the bowing forward of their bodies: for kneeling they uſe none, neither ſtir they their bonnets in their Synagogues to anie man, but remain ſtill covered.