Commentary on the Pentateuch, Commentary 4 · Chapter 16 – Chapter 17
CHAP. XVI.
Verſ. 1. THe ſon of Izhar] And ſo couzen german to Moſes and Aaron; for Izhar was brother to Amram their father, Exod. 6.18. [Sons of Reuben] Who being next neighbours to Korah in the Camp, were the ſooner corrupted by him.
Vvaque corrupta livorem ducit ab …a.Juven.
Verſ. 2. Princes of the Aſſembly] A very dangerous conſpiracy: For as in a beaſt, the body followes the head; ſo in that bellua multorum capitum, the multitude. Great men are the looking-glaſſes of the Country; according to which, moſt men dreſs themſelves: their ſins do as ſeldom go unattended, as their perſons: Height of place ever adds two wings to ſin, Example, and Scandal, whereby it ſoares higher, and flyes much further.
Verſ. 3. Againſt Moſes, and againſt Aaron] They were againſt both Magiſtracy and Miniſtery, (as our late Levellers,) and would have brought in Anarchy, that every man might offer his own ſacrific… and do that which is good in his own eyes: Regnum Cyclopicum.
Verſ. 4. He fell upon his face] As a ſuppliant to them, not to proceed in their rebellion; or rather to God, not to proceed againſt them for their ſin.
Verſ. 5. And he ſpake unto Korah] By the inſtinct of the Spirit, who had given into his heart a preſent anſwer to his prayer, and furniſhed him with this anſwer.
Verſ. 7. Ye take too much upon you] He retorts that upon them, that they had falſly charged upon him and Aa…on: So doth Elias upon Ahab, 1 King. 18.17.18. So do we worthily upon Popery, the charge of novelty: When a Papiſt tauntingly demanded of a Proteſtant, Where was your Religion before Luther? he was anſwered, In the Bible, where yours never was.
Verſ. 8. ye ſons of Levi] He took theſe to task apart; as hoping, haply, to withdraw them from their purpoſe, and to hide pride from them, Job 33.17. but they proved uncounſellable, incorrigible.
Verſ. 9. Seemeth it but a ſmall thing] Whiles theſe ambitious Levites would be looking up to the Prieſts, Moſes ſends down their eyes to the people. The way not to repine at thoſe above us, is to look at thoſe below us.
Verſ. 10. And ſeek ye the Prieſthood alſo] Ambition is reſtleſs and unſatisfiable; for, like the Crocodile, it grows as long as it lives.
Verſ. 11. And what is Aaron] q. d. Is it not God, whom ye wound through Aaron's ſides? Saul, Saul, why perſecuteſt thou me? Act. 9.
Verſ. 12. We will not come up] Sturdy rebels, ripe for deſtruction. See Prov. 29.1. with the Note there. One perhaps had knockt off, and is therefore no more mentioned. Satius eſt recurrere, quam male currere, as that Emperour ſaid, Better ſtop, or ſtep back, then run on to utter ruine.
Verſ. 13. That floweth with milk and honey] So they falſly, and maliciouſly ſpeak of the land of Egypt, in deriſion of the land of Canaan, whereunto that praiſe properly belonged. Thoſe that were born in hell, know no other heaven.
Altogether a Prince over us] So their quarrel was againſt Moſes his principality, though they pretended the Prieſthood only at firſt. If the Miniſtery once be taken away, let the Magiſt…ate ſee to himſelf; hee's next.
Verſ. 14. We will not come up] Sc. to the place of judgment; ſo they add rebellion to ſin, and juſtifie their treaſonful practices; as did Ravilliac, Faux, Saunders, others.
Verſ. 15. And Moſes was very wroth] Or, very ſore grieved. He might have ſaid, as One once did, Felix eſſem ſi non imperitaſſem; Happy had I been, if I had never been in place of authority. Egypt is ſaid, by Seneca, to have been loquax & ingenioſa in contumeliam praefectorum provincia, in qua qui vitaverit culpam non effugit infamiam, a Province apt to find fault with, and to ſpeak hardly of their Rulers, though never ſo innocent. Theſe rebels had, haply, learned thoſe Egyptian manners, by living ſo long amongſt them. [I have not taken one aſſe from them] Moſes was not of them, that follow the adminiſtration of juſtice as a trade only, with an unquenchable and unconſcionable deſire of gain. This is but robbery with authority, and juſtifies the common reſemblance of the Courts of juſtice to the Buſh: whereto while the ſheep flyes for defence, in weather, he is ſure to loſe part of his fleece.
Verſ. 16. Thy company] Or, thy congregation, thy faction, or Church-Malignant, as Pſal. 26.5. Act. 19.32, 40.
Verſ. 17. And take every man his cenſer] Which they had ready provided, when firſt they combined to thruſt themſelves into the Prieſts office.
Verſ. 18. And ſtood in the door] Such an impudency had ſin oaded in their faces, that they ſtood ſtouting it out before the Lord; and made open profeſſion of their wickedneſs: there was no need to dig, to find it out, Jer. 2.34. for they ſet it, as it were, upon the cliff of the rock, Ezek. 24.7.
Verſ. 19. All the Congregation] Not his own company onelyonly▪ for the whole multitude was too ready to favour his attempt, as he perſwaded them God alſo would: his deſign being to introduce an equal popularity, an ochlocratie, that Rule of raſcality, as One calleth it.
Verſ. 21. Separate your ſelves] Good men are taken away from the evill to come. When God pulls away the pillars, what will become of the building? Lot was no ſooner taken out of Sodome, but Sodome was taken out of the world.
Verſ. 22. The God of the Spirits] The Former and Father of Spirits, Zech. 12.1. Heb. 12.9. that giveth to all foreign, life and breath, Act. 17.25. in whoſe hand is the ſoul of all living, and the ſpirit of all fleſh, Job 12.10.
Verſ. 24. Get you up from about] Save your ſelves from this untoward generation, Act. 2.40. force your ſelves from them, ſtave them off, foreign.as the word ſignifies, 2 Theſſ. 3.6. and we charge you in the name of our Lord Jeſus Chriſt, to do ſo; ut ſcias quàm aegrè divellimur, ſaith One.
Verſ. 26. Leſt ye be conſumed] See verſ. 24. and the Note on Revel. 18.4. Hamath fares the worſe, for lying ſo neer Damaſcus, Zech. 9.2. St. John ſprang out of the Bath, where he found Cerinthus the heretick.
Verſ. 27. Came out and ſtood] As out-facing Moſes, and ſcorning the judgment threatned. Deus quem deſtruit dementat; Hardened ſinners make no more of Gods dreadful threatnings, then Behemoth doth of iron weapons, which he eſteemeth as ſtrawes.
Verſ. 28. Hereby ye ſhall know] Thus he engageth the truth and honour of his office upon a miracle. But now he that expects a miracle, is himſelf a miracle, ſaith Auguſtine. Let Papiſts brag of their lying wonders, 2 Theſſ. 2.9. We diſlike not altogether that obſervation of Gretſer the Jeſuite, Tam ſterilis & deſerta eſt Lutherana & Calviniana ſecta, ut diabolus ne dignetur quidem per eam aliquid fallacium & umbratilium prodigiorum aggredi, ſaltem frequenter & palam. So dull and dry is the Lutheran and Calvinian Sect, that the devil daynes not to work any, or not many miracles, amongſt them, as he doth among the Catholikes.
Verſ. 29. The common death of all men] Ne quiſquam ſua mor…e defunctus eſt, ſaid Suetonius of Caeſar's murtherers; So may we ſay of our powder-plotters, your ſin will finde you out.
Verſ. 30. Quick unto the pit] Not into hell, as the Papiſts conclude from this text; for how could their houſes and goods go down to hell, verſ. 32? and who would not hope that ſome of them were innocent, ſome penitent? The puniſhment they ſuffered in being buried alive, was very miſerable; and ſo accounted by the Heathens, who ſerved their veſtall virgins in this ſort, that had been defloured.
Verſ. 31. As he bad made an end of ſpeaking] Dictum factum, So it is ſtill, Joh. 20.23. Vengeance is every whit as ready in Gods hands, as in his Miniſters mouthes, 2 Cor. 10.6.
Verſ. 32. And the earth opened her mouth, and ſwallowed them up] So it did a great part of Antioch, by a horrible earthquake, Anno, 527. for their horrible hereſies and blaſphemies there broached, by the Biſhops, and defended by the people. So lately, Pleurs in Italy.
Verſ. 33. And they periſhed from among] So the powderplotters here; and before them the Northern rebels. That rebellion, ſaith One, like the bubbles which children blow up into the ayr, was no ſooner blown up, then blown out, and fell into the eyes of thoſe, which with blaſts of ambition and ſuperſtition, held it up.
Verſ. 34. Leſt the earth ſwallow us up alſo] Let the deſtruction of others, be a terrour to us; that we may waſh our feet in the blood of the wicked, Pſal. 52.6. But he that is ſwallowed up with earth, (as K…rah) his ears ſtopped, his heart ſtuffed with earth, ſhall have earth enough when he dyes, but of heaven little enough.
Verſ. 35. And there came out a fire] By fire they ſinned, and by a fire they ſuffer:
Per quod quis peccat, per idem punitur & ipſe.
Verſ. 37. For they are hallowed] And therefore may not be turned to any other uſe.
Verſ. 38. Theſe ſinners againſt their own ſouls] So are all ſuch, as ſpend the ſpan of this tranſitory life, after the wayes of their own hearts, and thereby periſh for ever. Sin is the ſouls poyſon; yet how heartily do men feed upon it, as Tartarians do upon dead horſes; as the maid, in Pliny, did upon Spiders; as the Turkiſh gally-ſlaves do upon Opiuns, an ounce whereof they will eat at once, as if it were bread.
Verſ. 40. To be a memorial] God cannot abide to be forgotten; and they are worthily made examples, that will not take them; as that ſecond Captain, 2 King. 1.
Verſ. 41. But on the morrow] That after conviction, they ſhould ſo ſoon again rebell, and run away with the bit in their mouthes, was prodigious contumacy.
Verſ. 42. And behold the cloud] Deus foreign, God, as out of an Engine, appears for his diſtreſſed ſervants.
Verſ. 46. For there is wrath] Moſes is quick-ſighted, and ſpies it at firſt ſetting out. By how much more faithful and familiar men are with God, ſo much earlier do they diſcern his wrath.
Verſ. 47. The plague] Which ran as a fire in a cornfield.
Verſ. 48. And he ſtood between] A cleer type of Chriſt.
CHAP. XVII.
Verſ. 2. TAke of every one of them a r…d] Or, ſtaffe; the enſign of their honour, Num. 21.18. and of their civil authority, Pſal. 110.2. Jer. 48.16, 17. a ſufficient witneſſe againſt them, that the Prieſthood belonged not to them. Ʋzziah ſmarted for invading it. George Prince of Anhalt, was a ſingular example, M…l…h, Adam.qui primus & unus ex omni Principum Germanorum numer…, ſubdi…s ſuos ipſe & viva voce & ſcriptis editis de via ſalutis erudiret, who was the firſt, and the only German Prince, that both by preaching and writing, taught his Subjects.
Verſ. 5. And I will make to ceaſe] But then he muſt do more then work miracles. For ſuch is the habitual hardneſs of mens hearts, as neither Miniſter, nor miſery, nor miracle, nor mercy, can poſſibly mollifie. Nothing can do it, but an extraordinary touch from the hand of heaven.
Verſ. 8. And bloomed bloſſomes] 1. For a teſtimony of Aarons calling from God, to the honour of the Prieſthood. 2. For a type of Chriſt the branch, growing out of the ſtem of Jeſſe, Eſai. 11.1. 3. For a figure of the Miniſtery of the Goſpel, which although to profane perſons, it ſeem a dry, barren, and vaniſhing voyce, yet it bloometh and flouriſheth in the hearts of Gods Elect. And ſurely, fruitfulneſs is the beſt argument of our election, and that we are called of God. For not only all the plants of his ſetting, but the very boughes cut off from the body of them, will flouriſh. 4. For a lively repreſentation of a glorious reſurrection. At the French maſſacre, Aug. 25.1572. in the Church-yard of St. Innocent at Paris, a certain buſh ſuddenly bloomed about the middle time of that bloody day, at an unuſual time of the year: The Papiſts boaſted, Epitome hiſt. Gallicae. p. 149.that God by that miracle, ſhewed his good liking of that maſſacre they had made. But the Proteſtants took it for a confirmation of their religion, and a teſtimony of their innocency.