which, on account of its relation to our sub- | cure good to themselves. Had these Midianject, perhaps you will have the curiosity to ites, and Moabites, associated together to hear. It is a perfect contrast to the blessing strengthen their borders; had they invited a which Balaam was obliged, reluctantly, to prophet to come and confirm their bands of alpronounce upon Israel. The priest destined liance, and encourage the hearts of their solto this awful employment, after presenting the diery, by pronouncing a blessing upon themusual sacrifice, advanced to the head of the selves, they had not been reprehensible; but army, and in the presence of the general and such is the corruption and malignity of the huprincipal officers, pronounced aloud words to man heart, that it not only takes pleasure in this effect: 66 Almighty Father of gods and the evil that befalls another, where our own men, or if thou wouldst rather be addressed interest is concerned, but in the very mischief by the name of Jupiter, or if any other appel- that is wrought for mischief sake. The great lation be more grateful to thine ear; pour out, evil is, men engage in transitory pursuits, as I conjure thee, upon this army," or "this if they were immortal; and had they the city," according as the case required, "the power, together with the inclination, would spirit of terror and dismay; deprive of the prosecute momentary offences with everlastsight of their eyes, all those who shall level ing punishments. What is it to one nation their blows at us, our legions or troops; spread that another great nation be utterly extermidarkness over our enemies, over their cities, nated, provided a favourite scheme of ambiover their fields, over their armies. Look tion, commerce, or revenge, be thereby proupon them as a thing accursed: bring them moted! When we hear a poor wretch, a under the hardest conditions that ever an ene- common curser and swearer, on the most frimy was constrained to undergo. As for me, volous occasions, imprecating eternal damnato destruction I hereby devote them; my tion on his fellow-creature, we are filled with curse I pour upon them, and take this prince, horror; and yet without surprise, we behold these captains, this people, to be witnesses of religious sects in their zeal, and mighty emit."* This ceremony being performed, and pires in their pride and fury, deliberately the soldiers inspirited by the sanctions of re- doing the same thing. What principle so imligion, they advanced to the combat, in confi- portant to individuals and to states, as a prindence of success. ciple of true religion! It is a comforter in affliction, a counsellor in darkness and uncertainty, a refuge in danger and distress, a sup

It was for a purpose of this kind, that Balaam was now sent for by the confederated powers of Moab and Midian. How the lat-port in death. What so seductive and mister of these two nations had been induced to chievous as an erroneous principle of this sort! join in such an embassy, we are not informed. "If the light that is in men be darkness, how The middle forty years of his life, Moses had great is that darkness?" False religion is a spent among that people; had formed alli- wandering fire of the night, hurrying men ance with them, by marrying the daughter over a precipice; plunging them in the of Jethro, one of the princes of the country, gulf-pretending to bring a tribute of glory with whom he maintained a most friendly to God by destroying mankind. It is the spicorrespondence, after he was raised to the rit of the great enemy of God and man, who command of the armies of Israel. He can-is a liar and a murderer from the beginning. not, therefore, be suspected of forming a hostile design against his ancient hosts and relations; and it was much more natural for them to form an alliance with a man of Moses's well known wisdom and moderation, and with a people so sensibly favoured of Heaven as Israel was, than with a nation of idolators, and a prince, who was reduced to employ the poor arts of incantation against his enemies. But, in many cases it happens, that, aiming at an over-refined wisdom and policy, men prove themselves fools. Jethro was probably by this time dead, and the Midianitis estate was governed by councils, very unlike those which would probably have been suggested by that wise and good man: and a deputation of their princes joins those of Balak, in an application to Balaam, to strengthen their united forces, by laying Israel under a curse.

It is melancholy to think that from the beginning to this day, men have been more eager to bring mischief upon others, than to pro*Macrob. Saturnal. lib. iii. cap. 9.

It is the perilousness of the times that has tossed Balaam into notice, and consequence, and infamy. In a quieter period, he had floated unnoticed on the surface, and silently increased the paltry gains of his black art, by playing on the credulity of silly women and children. But the old wizard has had the good fortune to attract the notice of princes, and has the opportunity of selling his magical spells at his own price; and he fails, not to make the most of his market. With the clue afforded us in scripture, we will attempt in another Lecture, to follow the various turnings and windings of that profoundest, darkest, most intricate of all labyrinths, a carnal, covetous heart.. We conclude the present with calling upon you".

To remark and to revere the righteous judgment of God, in giving up to strong delusion those who seek and follow delusions. Every deliberate violation of God's law, every victory which a man gains over his own conscience' becomes his punishment, as it is his

HISTORY OF BALA AM.

LECTURE LXVIII

And Balaam rose up in the morning, and saddled his ass, and went with the princes of Moab.

NUMBERS xxii. 21.

THE eagerness which men discover in indifference respecting the things of God and pursuing the objects of time and sense, is a eternity. The carnal mind needs but a hint melancholy contrast to their coldness and to attach itself to the pursuit of riches, plea

pects had excited his envy and jealousy. Diffident of his strength, either to repel invasion, if attacked by so powerful an adversary, or to attack them first, and endeavour to obstruct their progress, he enters into an alliance with the people of Midian, for their mutual security and defence. And even then, still doubtful of the force of their united

sure, or honour; and when engaged no argu- Their warlike array and recent successes, ment is of weight sufficient to dissuade, no have alarmed the apprehensions of Balak, danger intimidates, no difficulty discourages. | king of Moab, as their prosperity and prosThe understanding becomes the dupe of the passions, conscience is led hoodwinked by appetite, and the man is shamefully sunk in the brute. But the alarm must be louder than thunder, which awakens the thoughtless, the sensual, and the selfish to serious reflection; and it must be repeated every hour, else they will slumber and sleep again. Water has in its natural coldness a ten-arms, they agree to employ the arts of divinadency to congeal; and, once reduced to ice; tion in aid of the sword, and dream of conhas no principle in itself to recover from quering by the power of enchantment, those that torpid state. The cause of change must whom they were afraid to encounter in the come from without. To dissolve and restore field. To such base, such wretched shifts it to its liquid state, the sun must shine, the do princes and nations resort, to gratify pride, wind must blow; withdraw the action of air ambition, or revenge. For this purpose, and fire, and it will gradually freeze again. they send a joint embassy to Balaam, the In like manner, without any cause from son of Beor, a noted soothsayer in the neighwithout, the human body, by a principle of bourhood. corruption within itself, must speedily dissolve and be destroyed; and the human mind, by a similar internal principle of moral corruption, degenerates from depravity to depravity, till, lost to shame, fear, remorse, and at length, to feeling, men come to commit iniquity with greediness, and to glory in their shame. To preserve the body in life, there must be constant supplies of nourishment administered; and to preserve the soul in health, there must be line upon line, precept upon precept, here a little and there a little."

It is truly affecting to see men enlightened and persuaded, yet wedded to their lusts; clearly informed of the right path, but wilfully and deliberately persisting in error; hardening themselves against God, and yet thinking to prosper; acknowledging God in words, but in works denying him.

These observations are all strikingly exemplified in the character and conduct of Balaam, of which we attempted to give you a general idea in the last Lecture, and to which were added some observations tending to elucidate his singular history. We are now to enter on the particular detail of it, as it is delivered in the sacred record.

Balak and Moab had degenerated from the faith of Lot, their forefather, and were sunk into idolatry; it is therefore no wonder to see them of a jealous and hostile spirit towards Israel, their brother. A principle of religion, consisting in the fear and love of God, is the great bond of union among men; it strengthens the ties of natural affection, and even conciliates friendship between enemies: but irreligion, or what is worse, an erroneous principle of religion, turns men loose against each other, dissolves society, and fattens the earth with human blood. We cannot help recollecting, alas! that Abraham and Lot, the uncle and nephew, the progenitors of the two nations, were under the necessity of separating from each other, on account of their increasing wealth; and we see, many years after they were laid in the dust, the self-same cause, whetting the spirits and the swords of their posterity, and arming them for their mutual destruction. The whole world is a possession too scanty for avarice and ambition; the success of one seems to be a diminution of the happiness of another; and even the immense ocean is crimsoned with gore, that one may enjoy sole and sullen empire; as if that vast space could not accommodate the operations of two tribes of ants on yonder molehill. Blessed world, where envy and strife shall rage no more; where there is bread enough and to spare, room enough and to spare; where the felicity of every one is an accession of felicity to every one!

The Israelitish nation was now in the last year of their peregrination through the wilderness; their civil and religious government were fully settled, and the theocracy finally established. They were now approaching the banks of the Jordan: and by their number, order, and discipline, striking terror into all the neighbouring nations. Two kings, Balaam is described in scripture by his their armies, and their people, have already parentage, his country, and profession. He fallen before their victorious arms; and no- was the son of Beor, or Bosor, the difference thing is left to oppose their progress to Ca- of which pronunciation is accounted for, from naan, but the river, the boundary itself of the the difference of dialect in the oriental lanpromised land. They pitch their camp qui-guages. The father exists to us only in his etly in the plains of Moab, expecting the sig-name, and in the history of his son: and nal from their divine leader and commander happy had it been for that son, to have left to pass over, conquer, and take possession. behind him nothing too but a mere name,

We

instead of one loaded with infamy and detest- | licked up the water that was in the trench."* ation. Pethor, the place of his residence, The ox, as he feeds calmly and stately along, was a city of Aram, or Mesopotamia, the employs his tongue only, and the grass perishvery country where Abraham himself was eth without pushing with the horn, or stampborn, and where he resided till his seventy- ing with the foot, actions that denote strength fifth year; the native country of Rebekah, and exertion, but by the easy motion of a soft the wife of Isaac; the country where Jacob and pliant film of flesh, he sweeps away all passed a great part of his youthful years; before him; thus easily and certainly, Balak where he married; where all his children, apprehends, was Israel advancing to his and except Benjamin, were born, and whence he his people's destruction. obtained the name of a Syrian. Pethor was situated on the river Euphrates, called the river, by way of eminence or distinction, it being the largest in the country; and thence, in many passages of scripture, styled the great river. The country adjacent, to a vast distance, being plain, it was favourable to the observation of the heavenly bodies; and accordingly we find the science of astronomy was early cultivated there; and the pretended science of astrology, that is, the power of foretelling future events, from the appearances and supposed influence of the stars, was speedily grafted upon it. Pride, presumption, and a little knowledge, soon arrogated to themselves a power of controlling these great luminaries, which seem in perpetual motion to encompass our earth, and of suspending or altering their influences; and ignorance, superstition, and credulity easily admitted the insolent claim, and resorted to it. This was apparently the profession of Balaam, for in the book of Joshua he is expressly termed "the soothsayer." It was probably to his skill and power as an astrologer, that Balak had recourse for assistance against Israel, and when we come to his prophecy itself, we shall meet with some, and these not obscure allusions to that art.

The message put into the mouths of these ambassadors, is strongly expressive of terror and consternation." There is a people come out from Egypt: behold, they cover the face of the earth, and they abide over against me."* The dreadful plagues inflicted on Egypt, in effecting Israel's deliverance, had been heard at the distance of Moab; and though forty years have elapsed, they are neither forgotten, nor have lost their impression. Fear ever magnifies its object; "they cover the face of the earth :" the word is, the eye or sight of the earth; their tents extend so far, that the earth and they seem to have one limit, and they are marshalled so close, that no ground can be seen. Another image, strongly expressive of the same passion, is that in the fourth verse. "Now will this company lick up all that are round about us, as the ox licketh up the grass of the field." "Lick up," it is the same word 'which is used 1 Kings xvii. 38, to express the action of devouring fire. "Then the fire of the Lord fell, and consumed the burnt sacrifice, and the wood, and the stones, and the dust, and

*Numb. xxii. 5.

And how was this approaching plague to be resisted or averted? "Come now, therefore, I pray thee, curse me this people, for they are too mighty for me; peradventure I shall prevail that we may smite them, and that I may drive them out of the land; for I wot that he whom thou blessest is blessed, and he whom thou cursest is cursed." have here an assemblage of all the baser and more contemptible passions of the human mind, called forth, and led on by the predominant one of fear: a low grovelling superstition, expecting from magical spells, what ought to have been sought for from wisdom and valour: unprovoked violence and cruelty, in seeking the destruction of a people, who were dwelling peaceably by him, and who had given such strong and recent proof of their moderation, in submitting to a tedious and difficult march round the whole land of Edom, rather than offend an unkind brother, who had refused a passage through his land, which they could easily have cut with the sword; and unmanly, abject adulation of a vile wizard, whom he supposed capable of serving his turn. On the other hand, the two great leading passions of Balaam's soul, vanity and covetousness, were likely to be gratified to the full. How would his heart exult, to see a train of princes standing at his gate, and presents, worthy of kings to bestow, poured down at his feet! A prophet indeed, would have known from the beginning, that the application was nugatory, and that it must come to nothing; and an honest man would have rejected it with firmness, and persevered in that rejection. But we see his heart is won from the first moment, and all that follows is a wretched struggle between inclination and conscience, in which the former, at length, carries off the victory.

He receives the messengers with great courtesy, and accommodates them in his house; for even a miser can be hospitable, if he be sure of gaining by it. Abraham's servant, followed by a camel loaded with the good things of Canaan, can easily force open the doors of such a man as Laban, or Balaam. He affects an air of great mystery; he cannot give his response immediately. Night, the season of incantation and dreams, must intervene; and, horrible to think, the great and dreadful name of Jehovah is interposed, to sanction and conceal the wicked purposes * 1 Kings xviii. 39.

† Numb. xxii. 6.