If the Paftors came into Egypt as above about A. M. 2420, and their first King Salatis reigned 19 Years, their fecond King Beon reigned 44, and their third King Apophis 36 Years and 7 Months (p), the end of Apophis Reign falls A. M. 2520; fo that he was the Pharaoh or King of lower Egypt, who purfued the Ifraelites, and perished in the Red-Sea: The Exit of the Ifraelites out of Egypt, and their paffing over the Red-Sea happened A. M. 2513; but the judicious Reader will not expect to be ascertained of our having all the numeral Characters in the Egyptian Reigns, fo truly calculated or conveyed down to us, that the Difference between A. M. 2513 and 2520 of 6 or of 6 or 7 Years can want to be accounted for. 94. (p) Vid. Jofeph. contra Ap. 1. 1. Marfham. Can. Chron. p. The The SACRED and PROPHANE HISTORY I Of the WORLD Connected. BOOK XII. N the first Month of the fortieth ed their Tents at Kadefh: Miriam died foon after their coming hither (6): They found little or no Water in thefe Parts, and as foon as their Wants made them uneafy, they murmured against Mofes and Aaron (c): Mofes and Aaron confulted God for a Supply, and Mofes was ordered to go with Aaron and gather the Affembly: Mofes was then to take Aaron's Rod, and He and Aaron were to speak unto a Rock in the Defert, and the Rock was to pour out Water in the fight of all the Ifraelites (d): (a) Numb. xx. I. (a) Numb, xx. 8. We have had no mention of the Ifraelites from the Time of the Rebellion of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram, until they came into this Difficulty: There had paffed fix or seven and thirty Years in this Interval; during which Time Mofes had led them up and down from Place to Place (e), as God had thought fit to direct their Journeyings by the Cloud that moved before them (f) And it is probable, that during all this space of time the People had been very obedient; for we hear of no Difcontents or Oppofitions amongst them: This was their firft Emotion: Now they began to be refractory again; but Mofes now could not fo well bear it: He was here tranfported beyond his usual Temper: The Murmurings of the People provoked his Spirit, fo that he spake unadvisedly with his Lips (f): He and Aaron here committed a Fault, for which God pronounced against them, that they should not bring the People into the Land, which he had given them (g). The Commentators appear in fome Doubt, what the Fault was which Mofes and Aaron were here guilty of; but I fhould think it a Point not hard to be determined: When Mofes undertook the Charge of the People after they were over the Red-Sea, it was strictly required of him, that he should be punctually obedient to all the Directions which God fhould give him (b): He was to be a Minifter of the Power of God unto his People, and in all his Actions to be faithful to him that appointed him (hh), to promote his Glory; to convince the People that the Lord was really their God, and that there was none elfe befides him, who could protect and affift them, or whom they ought to worship. And this Mofes had hitherto obferved in all his Conduct: But in the Inftance before us, there is a Failure in his Behaviour: When the People were in Distress here by Want of Water, God vouchfafed to hear their Complaint, and directed Mofes and Aaron to give them a Demonftration, that his Power was ready at hand miraculously to relieve them: They had been once before in the fame Strait: Then God thought fit to caufe a Rock, upon Mofes's ftriking it with his Rod, to pour forth Water (i): But here Mofes and Aaron were commanded to take the Rod; to go and ftand before a Rock appointed them, having fummoned the People to fee how God would relieve them; then they were to speak only to the Rock, and the Rock was to give forth Water. Had the Ifraelites been here prone to entertain any fuperftitious Fancy of the Virtue of that Rod, which had been the Inftrument of fo many Miracles, what an Opportunity had Mofes of convincing them of their Folly, and evidencing to them, that neither himself, nor Aaron, nor the Rod was of any Importance, but that God could have perfected the fame Wonders by a Word only, if he had thought fit to have done them in that manner? (bb) Heb. iii. 2. (i) Exod. xvii. R 3 But But instead of thus difcharging himself, he took the Rod, and He and Aaron gathered the Congregation, and he faid unto them: Hear now, ye Rebels, muft we fetch you Water out of this Rock? And Mofes lift up his Hand, and fmote the Rock twice and the Water came out abundantly (k): In this he spoke and acted unadvisedly (1); for he did not fpeak nor act according to the Commiffion which God had given him; but he spake and acted of himself, too great an Argument of an Affectation of raifing his own Credit; for He that Speaketh of bimfelf, feeketh his own Glory (m): Mofes expreffed himself to have had this Senfe of things upon another Occafion: When Nadab and Abibu offered ftrange Fire before the Lord, which he commanded them not: Mofes remonstrated their Crime to Aaron in the cleareft Terms, and declared, that God would be fanctified in them that come nigh him, and glorified before all the People (n): But here He and Aaron joined in a Part very different from these Sentiments: Their Duty was to have glorified God in the fight of the Congregation, by punctually performing what he had directed: But inftead of this, they did and faid what he commanded them not, and thereby gave the Ifraelités an Opportunity to imagine the Supply might come from them; from their Power and Ability to procure it: And for this Reason, because they were not strictly careful to promote the (k) Numb. xx. 10, 11. vii. 18. (n) Levit. x. 3. () Pfalm. cvi. 32. (m) John Glory |