Commentary on the Pentateuch, Commentary 4 · Chapter 23
CHAP. XXIII.
Verſ. 1. BƲild me here ſeven altars] Here in Baals high-places, Chap. 22.41. A ſinfull mixture; ſuch as was that of thoſe Mongrels, 2 King. 17.28, 29. and their naturall Nephews, the Samaritans, Ioh. 4. Ambodexters in their religion, which being groſſer at firſt, was afterward refined by Manaſſeh a Iew-Prieſt, (ſuch another as Balaam,) that in Alexanders time, made a defection to them, and brought many Iewes with him. Of Conſtantinus Copronymus it is ſaid, (how truly I know not,) that he was neither Iew, Heathen, nor Chriſtian, ſed colluviem quandam impietatis, but a hodg-podg of wickedneſs. And of Redwald King of the Eaſt-Saxons (the firſt that was baptized) Camden reports, that he had in the ſame Church, one Altar for Chriſtian Religion, and another for ſacrificing to devills: And a loafe of the ſame leaven, was that reſolute Rufus, that painted God on the one ſide of his ſhield, and the devill on the other, with this deſperate inſcription; In …trumque paratus; Ready for either, catch as catch may.
Verſ. 2. And Balak did] Ready to conform to any religion, ſo he might obtain his purpoſes. So did Henry the fourth of France; but it was his ruine: whiles he ſought the love of all parties, aequè malo ac bono reconciliabilis, (as one ſaith of him,) he loſt all: Whiles he ſtood to the true religion, he was Bonus Orbi, (as one wittily anagrammatized his name Borbonius,) but when he fell from it, Orbus boni. And ſurely, he was not like to ſtand long to the truth, who at his beſt had told Beza, Pelagoſe non ita commiſſurus eſſet, quin quando liberct, pedem referre poſſet.that he would launch no further into the ſea, then he might be ſure to return ſafe to the haven: ſome countenance he would ſhew to religion, but yet ſo, as he would be ſure to ſave himſelf. God abhors theſe luke-warme Neuter-paſſives, that are inter coelum terramque penduli, that halt between two, that commit Idolatry, between the porch and the altar, with thoſe five and twenty miſcreants, Ezek. 8.16.
Verſ. 4. I have prepared ſeven Altars] He boaſts of his devotions, and ſo thinks to demerit Gods favour: So thoſe hypocrites in Eſay, Chap. 58.3. Non ſic deos coluimus, ut ille nos vinceret; we have not ſo ſerved the gods, as that the enemy ſhould have the better of us, ſaid the Emperour Antoninus, the Philoſopher.
Verſ. 5. And the Lord put a word in Balaams mouth] The words thus put into his mouth, do but paſs from him, they are not polluted by him, becauſe they are not his: as the Trunk through which a man ſpeaks, is not more eloquent, for the ſpeech uttered through it: Balaam did not eate Gods word, as Ieremy did, Chap. 15.16. nor believe what he had ſpoken, as David, and after him Saint Paul did, Pſal. 116.10. 2 Cor. 4.13. No more did Plato, Seneca, and other Heathens, in their divine ſentences,
Verſ. 7. And he took up his parable] Or, pithy and powerfull ſpeech, uttered in numerous and ſententious tearms; and taken among the Heathen, for prophecyes, or oracles: poëmata pro vaticiniis, &c. Poets were taken for Prophets, Tit. 1.2. and Poems, for prophecyes. Hence their foreign, wherein, opening a book of Homer, Heſiod, &c. they took upon them, by the firſt verſe they lighted upon, to divine. Tragedians alſo, for their p…rables, or Maſter-ſentences, were highly eſteemed of old; inſomuch as, after the diſcomfit of the Athenians in Sicily, they were releeved, who could repeat ſomewhat of Euripides.
Out of Aram] Aram Naharim, or Meſopotamia; ſo called, becauſe it is ſcituate betwixt thoſe two rivers of paradiſe, Tigris and Euphrates: This was Abrahams country; where, whiles he was it it, he ſerved ſtrange gods, Ioſh. 24.2.
Verſ. 8. How ſhall I curſe] He had a good minde to it; but did not, becauſe he durſt not: God ſtood over him with a whip, as it were; the Angell, with a ſword in his hand, could not be forgotten by him. Virtus nolentium nulla eſt.
Verſ. 9. From the top of the rocks I ſee him] And have no power to hurt him. She heard me without daunting; I departed not without terrour, Camb. Eliſ.when I opened the conſpiracy againſt her life; howbeit, cloathed with the beſt art I could, ſaid Parry the traytour, concerning Queen Elizabeth: Achilles was ſaid to be Styge armatus, but Iſrael was deo armatus, and therefore extra ja…tum.
Lo the people ſhall dwell alone] That they might have no medling with the heathen. God would not have them lye neer the ſea-coaſts, (for the Philiſtims lay between them and the ſea,) le…t they ſhould by commerce wax prouder, as Tyrus did, Ezek 27.28. and learn forrein faſhions. See Eſther. 3.8. Hence Iudae…, (though part of the continent,) is called an Iſland, Iſai. 20.6.
Verſ. 10. Let me dye the death] But he was ſo far from living the life of the righteous, that he gave peſtilent counſell againſt the lives of Gods Iſrael: and though here in a fit of companction, Chap. 31.8.he ſeem a friend; yet he was afterward ſlain, by the ſword of Iſrael, whoſe happineſs he admireth, and deſires to ſhare in. Bern.Carnales non curant quaerere, quem tamen deſiderant invenire, cupieuses conſequi, ſed non et ſequi. Carnall men care not to ſeek that which they would gladly finde, &c. ſome faint deſires, and ſhort-winded wiſhes, may be ſometimes found in them; but the miſchief is, they would break Gods chain, ſunder happineſs from holineſs, ſalvation from ſanctiſication, the end from the meanes; they would dance with the devill all day, and then ſup with Chriſt at night: live all their lives-long in Dalilah's lap, and then go to Abrahams boſome, when they dye. The Papiſts have a ſaying, that a man would deſire to live in Italy (a place of great pleaſure,) but to dye in Spain; becauſe there the Catholike religion (as they call it,) is ſo ſincerely profeſſed. And a heathen being asked, whether he would rather be Socrates, a painfull Philoſopher, or, Croeſus, a wealthy king? anſwered, that for this life he would be Croeſus, but for the life to come, Socrates. Thus all men wiſh well to Heavens happineſs: but bad men finde no more comfort of it, then a man doth of the Sun, when it ſhines not in his own Horizon. Balaam might here be compared to a ſtranger, that travelling a far country, ſeeth the ſtate and magnificence of the court, and is admitted into the preſence-chamber, which greatly doth affect him, though himſelf have no part or intereſt in the King. See the Note on Chap. 24.5.
Verſ. 11. What haſt thou done unto me?] Hereby it appeares, that Balac in ſerving of God, by building Altars, and offering ſacrifices, did but ſerve himſelf upon God; as Ephraim bore fruit to himſelf, Hoſ. 10.1. and did ye faſt to me, even to me? Zech. 7.5.
Verſ. 12. Muſt I not take heed to ſpeak] See how theſe hypocrites mock one with another. Poteſt Augur Augurem videre, Cic. de Divinat. lib. 2.& non ridere? ſaid Cato.
V. 13. From Whence thou maiſt ſee them] And over-look them, as they ſay, witches do. foreign: quaſi foreign: Neſcio quis teneros, &c. In Hebrew the ſame word ſignifies, both an eye and a fountain; to ſhew, that from the eye, as a fountain, flows both both ſin and miſery.
Verſ. 16. Put a Word] See the Note on verſ. 5.
Verſ. 18. Riſe up Balac] The greateſt potentate, muſt reverently attend to the word of God. Ehud, (though a fat unweldy man,) ſtood up to hear a meſſage from God, Iud. 3.20. Euſeb. Act. and Mon.So did Conſtantine the great, and our Edward the ſixth hear ſermons ſtanding, and uſually uncovered.
Verſ. 19. That he ſhould repent] When at any time God is ſaid to repent, it is Mutatio rei, non dei, effectus non affectus, facti non conſilii, it is not a change of his will, but of his work.
Verſ. 20. Behold, I have, &c.] A bad man, may bleſs by command from God, and he ſay Amen to it. The precious ſtone Lyncurie, may iſſue out of the body of the Lynx, an unclean and ſpotted beaſt.
Verſ. 21. He hath not beheld iniquity] Of this place of Scripture, we may ſay as we did of another: This verſe had been eaſie, had not Commentatours made it ſo knotty. The ſence I like beſt is, that at this time, when Balac hired Balaam, there was no peecatum flagrans, no foul ſin of that people, flaming in the eyes of God, or ſtinking in his noſtrils; and therefore there could be no inchantment againſt them, verſ. 23. Whence that devilliſh counſell of his to Balak, to ſet fair women a fore them, to entice them to adultery and Idolatry, and ſo to put them under Gods diſpleaſure. But what ſtrange inferences are thoſe from this text, that God ſees no ſin in his elect; that the very being of their ſins, is aboliſhed out of his ſight; that God is never diſpleaſed with his people, though they fall into adultery, or the like ſin, no not with a fatherly diſpleaſure? &c.