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each of them (c); but then the fame Perfons were not allowed to be taken down in both the Polls. To the firft Poll came all the If raelites from twenty Years old and upwards (d); but in the fecond Poll the Levites were not numbred (e): When the first Poll was taken, I say all the Ifraelites were numbred, no Tribe excepted; for the Levites were not then feparated from the Congregation (ƒ); but at the taking the fecond Poll, the Levites were to be numbered by themselves, and in another manner (g): And thus at taking the first Poll, the whole Camp, Levites included, confifted of 663550 Men of and above twenty Years old (b); at the second Poll the Camp confifted of the like number of 603550 Men (i) of the Age abovementioned, without any Levites in the Computation; fo that as many Perfons were grown up to the Age of twenty Years in the space of time between taking the two Polls, as the number of Levites of twenty Years old and upwards at the first Poll amounted to, fuppofing, what I think may be allowed, that no one Perfon died in the Camp in this Interval (ii). On

(c) Exodus xxxviii. 26. Numb. 1. 46.

Xxx. 14.

(e) Numb. i. 47.

(d) Exod.

(f) The Separation of the Levites was at taking the fecond Poll. Number iii. 6. God having directed them not to be numbred in it. chap. i. 48, 49. (g) 1. 48. iii. (b) Exod. xxxviii. 26. (i) Numb. i, 46. (ii) If we confider the whole Body of the Ifraelites as under the Protection of a particular Providence, and in Hopes, each Perfon for himself and Children, of living to go into the promifed Land: If we add to this, that Sickness and an early Death

were

On the first Day of the first Month of the fecond Year after the departure out of Egypt, i. e. about the middle of our March, A. M. 2514, Mofes reared up the Tabernacle, and placed the Ark in it, and hung up the Vail, and put the Table of Shew-Bread in its Place, and fet the Bread in order upon it, and put the Candlestick in its Place, and lighted the Lamps, and placed the golden Altar of Incense in the Tent before the Vail, and he burnt fweet Incense thereon, and he fet up the Hanging at the Door of the Tabernacle, and fet the Laver in its Place, and reared up the Court round about the Tabernacle and the Altar, and fet up the Hanging of the Court-Gate. This is what Mofes is reprefented (a) to have done this Day (b): and all the Parts of the Tabernacle being ready to be put together,

were not frequent in thefe Ages, but were thought Judgments for particular Sins. See Vol. II. Book IX. Numb. xxvii. 3. it will not be hard to imagine five or fix Months to pass without a Death in the Camp. And if we further reflect, that the younger Part of the Camp were fo numerous, as in about eight or nine and thirty Years to grow up into a Body of 601730 Men of twenty Years old and upwards, without the Levites, and without any of the Perfons that were now twenty, except Joshua and Caleb, to be numbred amongst them, Numb. xxvi. 51,-64. it may not feem improbable that the Perfons at this time near twenty Years old, but not completely fo, fhould be fufficient to afford in five or fix Months an Addition to the Camp, not only equal to the Number of Levites of twenty Years old and upwards, who were taken from it, and who were, I conceive, in Number not above 8 or 10000. See Numbers iv. 48. but also to a farther Number of aged Men, if any fuch must be fuppofed to have died in this Interval.

(a) Exodus xl. 17.- -33. (b) What is mentioned ver. 31, 32. that Mofes and Aaron and his Sons washed their Hands and Feet at the Laver, was not now done, but at fuch Times as they went into the Tent of the Congregation, or approached the Altar, and is bere fet down only to tell the use of the Laver.

and

and the Ark and Altar completely finished, fit for their refpective Places, all this may very well be conceived to be done in the space of Time allotted to it, an Hour or two before Night And when Mofes had thus raifed the Tabernacle, God was pleased to give the People a vifible and miraculous Demonftration, that it was erected according to his Directions; for a Cloud covered the Tent of the Congregation, and the Glory of the Lord filled the Tabernacle (c): And this vifible Evidence of the divine Prefence continued from this Time, until the Ifraelites had finished their Journeys thro' the Wilderness; for the Cloud of the Lord was upon the Tabernacle by Day, and Fire was on it by Night, in the fight of all the Houfe of Ifrael throughout all their Journeys; and when the Cloud was taken up from over the Tabernacle, the Children of Ifrael went onward in all their Journeys: But if the Cloud were not taken up, then they journeyed not, till the Day that it was taken up (d): And thus God was pleafed to appoint himself, as it were, a vifible Dwelling amongst Men; for the Tabernacle was built, that he might dwell amongft his People (e), that there might be a known and determined Place, where he would at all Times vouchfafe to meet them and commune with them (ƒ), and give them a fenfible Evidence of his

(c) Exodus xl. 34. Numb. ix. 15-23. xxix. 43.45.

(d) Exod. xl. 36, (e) Exod. xxv. 8.

37, 38. See 37) 3ver. 22.

being nigh unto them in all Things, that they might have occafion to call upon him for (g); and this was the firft Structure that was erected in the World for the Purposes of Religion (b). The Ifraelites had a moft ftrict Charge to deftroy utterly all the Places, wherein the Nations of Canaan had ferved their Gods, whether they were upon the high Mountains, or upon the Hills, or under green Trees (i); but we do not find, that they had any Buildings to erafe, rather all they had to do, was to overthrow their Altars, to break their Pillars, to cut down, and to burn their Groves with Fire, and to hew down the graven Images of their Gods, and to deftroy the Names of them out of the Place where they had erected them (k). In After-times, when Houses were built for the idolatrous Worship, we find express mention of the demolishing them, by the Perfons who engaged in reforming the People: Thus Jebu brake down the House of Baal (1), as did Jehoiada in like manner (m); and the Iraelites would unqueftionably have been as exprefly commanded to demolish fuch Structures, had there been any, when they entred Canaan ; the Heathen Nations had no Thought of building Houses to their Gods, until after the Ifraelites had their Tabernacle.

(g) Deut. iv. 7. (i) Deut. xii. 2. xxiii. 24.

2 Chron. xxiii.

(b) See Vol. II. Book VIII.
(k) ver. 3. vii. 5. Exod. xxxiv. 13.
(m) 2 Kings xi. 18.

(1) 2 Kingsx. 27.

17.

When

When the Glory first covered the Tabernacle, Mofes could not enter into it, because the Cloud abode thereon, and the Glory of the Lord filled it (n); and it continued to do fo moft probably for fome Days, during which the Lord called unto Mofes, and spake unto him out of the Tabernacle of the Congregation (0), and delivered to him, in an audible Voice, the feveral Laws recorded in the first eight Chapters of Leviticus; after receiving which, Mofes proceeded to anoint the Tabernacle, the Altar, and all its Veffels, and to confecrate Aaron and his Sons to the Priests Offices (p). Aaron first officiated as high Priest on the eighth Day after the beginning of his Confecration (g), and his Confecration might be begun on the fifth Day of the Month; fo that he might enter upon his Ministry on the Twelfth: We cannot fuppofe his Confecration fooner, allowing a due fpace of Time for the giving and receiving and recording the Laws abovementioned; nor can we imagine it later upon Account of celebrating the Paffover, which was to be on the fourteenth, and which was not celebrated until after the Deaths of Nadab and Abibu; for we find at the Paffover, that there were certain Men, who were defiled by the dead Body of a Man, that they could not keep the Paffover (r); and thefe I think must have been Mihael and Elzaphan, who had carried Nadab and Abibu, from before the

(2) Exodus xl. 34, 35. (+) viii. (g) ix. 1.-8.

(0) Levitic. i. 1.
() Numbers ix. 6.

Sanctuary

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