CHAP, xxxiir.
Verse 26. There is none like unto the God of Jeshuniii\ We have already seen the literal meaning of Jcs/mru??, chap, xxxii. 15. but besides its literal meaning, it seems to he Ubcd a» an ex])ression o\ particular ajj'ection; hence Cahnet understands it as a diminutive of the word Israel. We know that -nKvoi sons, in the mouth of St. John, sigmfies much less than TiKvta, which properly translated, would be beloved children, a term which at once shews the helplessness of the oflspring, and the tender affection of the parent. So Jesliurun may be nndersljiid here: and hence the Septuagiiil seem to have ajv |)reliended the full force of the word by translating it rou nyoi7rr:fA.tv!n>, the beloved one, the object of God's especial delight.
Israel's God, and God's Israel, have no fellows. What were all the gods of the nations, even supposing they were real beings, in comparison of the Almighty! And what nation under heaven coukl be compared to the Israel of Cjoel! It was, however, from God's excellence that ility derived theirs.
Rideth upon the lieaven, &c.] Unites heaven and earth in thy defence and support, and comes with irresistible velocity to succour and dcRnd thee, and to discomfit Ihine ad\ersaries.
27 The eternal Cotl is
arms: and ''he shall thrust | saved hy tiic Loiio, ''the shield of out the enemy from boibrc thee; and shall say, thy helj), and who is the sword of thy evcel-
Destroy llicm! I lency! and thine enemies ' shall '^ be fiiund liars
'28 '^Israel then shall dwell in safety alone: ""the unto tiiee; and ' tliou shall tread upon iheir
fountain of Jacob shall he upon a land of corn and wine; also his 'heavens shall drop down dew.
Everluii'inr «.;«»] As t'le ami is Ihe emblem of power, and of powpf n).1 stai- nf r.ierti m, the nor'ls here.state, that an miliin.led, and uiu iiiiquerabic |)u«>;r shaM li'* eternally exerted in tiie drfenie of God's C7i«> e/i,- and in ilie behalf ot all tiiu<>e who trust in him.
Tltru.,1 nut the enemy'] He will expel all the ancient inhabitants, and put thee in |)o»>e'sion oi' their land.
VIT.-.0 2H. hrad then skill dwell — alone] This people shall not be imorpniiitcd vilh any other people undi r heaven. A proi^hfi-y svhirh eonliniies to be fuHi!i<d to the very letter. I'.vii y iillem' t to unite them with any ulliei" people, lias proved ab.-.oiutily ineH'tttiial.
The fomuuin of Jacob] His oj^xpring shall possess a most fertile land — muIi was I'aleftine.
Verse 'J J. lliipiydn ll:0'i, &.C.] nurx asliny, O the happiness of Israel ' it is ineffable — iuiiimeivabU — because they are a people Mved hy the Ij^rd — have.such a saUalion, as it becomes the infinite jierfections of God to bestow: He is their help, their never failintj strenojth, and the shield of that help; \)e defends their defence — saves theni, ami presents them in the stutc of »alvation.
Sword of ihiiic eicelleitcy] Or xihose sword, his all conquering WoitD, is thine excelkncy, in its promises, threatcninu;s, precepts, k.c. he. ^t. Paul, in his exhortation to the Christians al I'.paesus, uses the same luptaphor. Take unto you the SWOKD of the SPIKIT, which is the NVoKD of GOD.
Thine enemies shall he found li/im] Who said thou sliouldst never be able lo ^ram llie [mssession of this gowJ land; for thou shall tread on, subdue, their high places, even their Ijcst lurtified cities.
The blcs.sit)j{s contained in this chanter belong^ aWi to tlie spiritual I>rael of God, who, according to thcdi\,iic promise, sh.ill have a complete victory oier all their spir tual foes; shall have all d:eir inward enemies, the whole rf the carnal mind destroyed; lor the blood of Jesus Christ, ap> plied by the energy of the eternal Spirit, shall not only blot out all their sin, but purify their hearu from all u!irii;hteoiisne.ss: and thus being- delivered from their enenii. s, ihey >hall love God with all their heart, and serve hnn in rii;liteowsne>s and true holiness without (ear before him, all the days of their life. There are many circumstances and expressions in this oile similar to several in the prophet.' al blessing pronounced by Jacob on his twelve sons. Gen. xlix. for the subject is the same in both chapters; the Keader is therefore requested to compare the two places, and to con-ider the notes on each, as they have some tendency to cast light on each other. Both these chapters constitute a part of those Scriptures which, according to St Paul, ifoin. XV. 4. were written for our learning: and, as to instruct the Reader, and make him wise unto salvation was the gracious design of Go<l; we should particularly bi-g of him " that we may in such wise hear them, read, mark, learn, and inwardly digest them, that by patience and comfort of his luily word, we may embrace and ever Ix-ld fa-t the blessed hope of everlasting hte which I e has given us in our Saviour Jesus Christ," Collect for the second Sunday in Advent.
Moses goes up mount Nebo, to the top o/Pisgali, and God dcics him the whole extent of the laud nhich he promised to give lo the descendants of Abraham, 1 — 4. There Moses ditd, and nas so privulely buried bi/ the Lord, that his sepulchre K IIS never discovered, 5,6. His age and strength of conslitution, ~. The people Keep for him thirtj/ days, 8. Joshua being filled ruth the ^piiit of «isdo,ii, the Israelites hearken to him, as the Lord eommnnded them, f). The chaiacler of Mo^es as a prophet, and as a zcorker of the most ertraordinary miracles, both in the sight of the ELii/ptians, and the people of Israel: conclusion of the Pentateuch, 10 — 12.
AND Moses went out from thej plains of Moab * unto the moun- 1 tain of Nebo, to the top of " Pisgah, j that is over against Jericho. And the Loud j " shewed him all the land of Gilead, " unto Dan.
2 And all Naphtali, and the land of Ephraim, I and Manasseh, and all the land of Judah, ^ unto the utmost sea.
3 And the south, and the plain of the valley of Jericho, ' the city of palm trees, unto Zoar.
4 And the Lord said unto him, ^ This is the land which. I sware unto Abraliam, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, saying, I will give it unto thy.seed: " I have caused thee to see // with thine eyes, but thou shalt not go over tliither.
5 if ' So Moses the servant of the Lord died there in the land of Moab, according to the word of the Lord.
Joshua appointed in his place.
6 And he buried liim in a valley in the land of Moab, over against
Beth-peor: but " no man knoweth oi his sej)ulchre unto this day.
7 % ' And Moses 'was a hundred and twenty years old when he died: " his eye was not dim, nor his " natural force ° abated.
8 % And the children of Israel wept for Moses in the plains of Moab '' thirty days: so the days of weeping and mourning for Moses were ended.
9 % And Joshua the son of Nun was full of the ''spirit of wisdom; for "^ Moses had laid his hands upon him: and the children of Israel hearkened unto him, and did as the Lord commanded Moses.
10 ^f And there 'arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, ' whom the Lord knew face to face:
Numbers
Verse 1. And Moses went out] This chapter could not have been written by Moses. A man certainly cannot give an account of his own death and burial. We may therefore ' consider Moses's words as ending with the conclusion of the preceding chapter, as what follows could not possibly have j been written by himself. To suppose tiiathe anticipated these \ circumstances, or that tliey were shewn to him by an especial | revelation, is departing far from propriety and necessity; and involving the subject in absurdity; for God gives no prophetic j intimations but such as are absolutely necessary to be made; but there is no nece.ssity here, for the spirit which inspired j the writer of the following book, would naturally communicate the matter that concludes tiiis. I believe, therefore, that Drut. xxxiv. sliould constitute ihe first cliaptei- of the book of Joshua.
On this subject, tlic following note from an intelligent.Jew, cannot be unacceptable to the Reader.
" Most commentators are of opinion, that Ezra was the author of the last chapter of Deuteronomy: some think it was JoshuUj and others the sevenij/ elders, immediately after the death of Moses; adding, tliat the book of Deuteronomy originally ended with the pr<)])iRtic blessing upon tiie twelve tribes; Ilappy art thou, O l.sracl, who is like unto thee; () people, saved of the Lord, &c. and, that what now makes the last chapter of Deuteronomy, was formerly the first of Joshua, but was removed from thence, and joined to the former by v.ay of supplement. 'J'his opinion will not appear unnatural, if it be considered that sections and oilier divisions, as well as points and pauH-s, were inventi^d long since tlicse books were written; for in those early ages, i sever&l Itooks were connected together, and followed each otlier on the same roll. The beginning of one book might I
therefore be easily transferi-ed to the end of another, and, in process of time, be considered as its real conclusion, as in the case of Deuteronomy, especially as this supplemental chapter contains an account of the last transactions and death of the great Author of the Pentateuch." — Alexander's Heb. and Eng. Pentateuch.
This.seems to be a perfectly correct view of the subject. This chapter farms a very proper commencement to the book of.Iosluia, for of this last cliapter of Deuteronomy, the first chapter of.Toshua, is an evident continuation. If the subject be viewed in this light, it will remove every appearance of absurdity and contradiction, with which, on the common mode of interpretation, it stands.=adly encumbered.
Verse 5. So Hfoses — died — according to the word of the. Lord.] riirr 'S Si? dl pi yehovah, at the mouth of Jehovah; i.e. by the especial command and authority of the Lord: but it is possible, that what is here.said, refers only to the sentence of his exclusion from the promised land, when he offended at the waters of Meribah.
\'^erse 6. He, (God,) buried him] It is probable that the reason why Moses was buried thus privately, was, lest the Israelites, prone to idolatrj', should pay him divine honours. And God would not have the body of his faithful servant abused in this way. Almost all the gods of antiquity were deified men — great laiie,ive7-s, eminent.iialcsmen, or victorious generals.^ See the account of the life of Moses at the end of this chapter.
Verse 1. His eye ivas not dim'] Even at the advanced age of a hundred and twenty, nor his natural force abated: he was a young man even in old age, notwithstanding the unparalleled hardships he had gone through. — Sec the account of his life at the end nl' this chapter.
of Moses. Masoretic notes.
to all his servants, and to all his land.
12 And in all that "mighty hand, anil in all the great terror which Moses sliewed in the sight of all
All. f.iixl.liC. Vl—Adar.
• Kucceedinfj prophets, none was found so eminent in alt respects, nor so liiglily privilegod as Moses — willi hiui God spake /«ce to
Verse 10. There arose not a prophet, &:c.] Among all the
face — adiiiittcd liim to the closest Caniiliarity and ^n aitstfrK-ndshipwilli liiin.'.flt'. Now all liiis continued Inn tdl tlic advent of Jesus Christ, of whom Mo>.cs saiti, ".\ proplict shall llic Lord your God raise up unto vou f'n^ni amoii<4 your liretlin ii, like unto me" — hut how jireat was iliis per»on when cimiparcd with IVIoses! Moses desired to see God's j^lorv — ihissighl he could not bear — lie saw his back parts — pro()al)ly meaning God's design relative to the latter days; but Jesus, the almighty Saviour, in whom dwells all the fulness of the Godhead bodily, who lay in the btisom of tlif Fatlier, lie hath declared God to man. W'oiwirous.system of legal ordinances that jiointed out and typified all tlie-e things! And more wonderfid system of gospel salvation, which is the hody, soul, life, ener:;!/, ami fall accoinplis/imcnl of a\\ that was written in the Law, in the I'ROPHiTS, and in the l's,vl,MS, concerning ihc sufferings and death of Jesus, and the redemption of a ruined world, " by his agony and bloody sweat, bv his cross and 1 passion, by bis d. alb and burial, by bis glorious resurrection I and ascension, and by the conifng of the Holy Ghost!" Thus; ends the PtiNT.vrF.ucu, commonly called the Law of Moses; a work every way woriliy of God its author, and only le.ss than the Nhw Covknant, the I//u) and Gospel of our Lord and Saviour Jksus ClMtl.ST. j
Now to the ever blessed and glorious Tlil^■ITy, FaTHF.R, i WoRt), and Sl'lRlT, the infinite and ttenial One, from whom alone ivisdom, truth, and goodness can proceed, be ■ glory and dominion for ever and ever. Amen. I
VoT a general view of the cliaraeter of Moses, and of the; importance of the Pentateuch, see the concluding observations | on llie next, and following pages. I
The number of verses in Elleh HaDEBARIM, Deutero- ' nomy, is 955; the symbol of wbich is prt in which word, ' V tsdddc stands for 900, i nun for 50, and n chet/i for 5. j
The middle rcr.-e is the lUlh of chap. xvii. And thou shall | obserz-e to do all that they command tliee.
Masoretic notes on Deuteronomy.
Its I'areshioth, or larger sections, are II, the numerical symbol of which is jn cUag; Psal. cxviii. '21. Bind the S.\- \ CRIFIi R with cords to the horns of the altar. In which word I n clieth stands for 8, anil i tjiinel for 3.
Its Peralcim, or mo''em chapters, arc 3 1-, the symbol of which is 33? lebab; Psal. cxi. 1. 1 xcill praise the I^rd viuh my xehole Hi iRr. In which word the two 3 3 i«/<« stand for 4, and the *? lamed for 30.
The number of open tecliont ii 34; of it« close seciiona 124; total 152; the i^ynibol of which is OTTU' j/fn/ic/nVam, 14i<, and "VT^S cab-od, 10. 1 Sam. ii. 8. To nuike them to \till¥.R{T the thione of his GLOHY. The numerical letters of the word dS'TO' yenacliitam, 148, with T1 od, 10, takew from "1133 c'iioi/, make 158, the total of iu ojtcn and flose sections.
The number of verses in the whole Pentateuch is 5845, the memorial symbol of which is nom hachammah, Isai. XXT.
26. Moreover the tii^ht of the moon shall be as the light of THE
SUN. In which word, the letters taken in their projjer order,
The middle terse of the Law is Levit. viii. 8. And he put the breastplate upon him, and he put in the breastplate the URIM and the THU.M.MI.M.
The number ofoPFN sections in the whole Law is 290, die symbol of which is nD peri; Cant. iv. 16. Let my beloved come into his garden, and eat his precious FRUITS.
The number of its CLOSE sections is 379, the sjmbol of which occurs in the word ny3',y3 bishebudh; N'umb. xxx. 10. Or bound her -loul rvith a bond BY AN OATH.
Total number of all the open and c/o5e sections, 669, the memorial symbol of which is icnn th lo techsar; Deut. viii. 9. TnOU SHALT NOT LACK any thing in it.
SECTION.'^ of the Book of Deuteronomy, carried or» from Numbers, which ends with the FORTV-THIRD.
We have now passed through the Pentateuch, and have endeavoured carefully to mark its important contents. Its antiquity sets it at the head of all the writings in the world; and the various subjects it embraces, make it of the utmost consequence to every civilized part of the earth. Its philosophy, jurisprudence, history, geography, and chronology, entitle it to the respect of the whole human race; while its system of theology and religion, demonstrably prove it to be a revelation from GOD. But on these topics, as many observations have already been made as the nature of a commentary, professing to study bre\1ty, can possibly admit.
Of Moses, the writer of the Pentateuch, considered as a historian and philosopher, a good deal has been said in the course of the notes on the book of Genesis; and especially at the conclusion of the fiftieth chapter; to which the Reader is particularly referred.
Of Moses, as a legislator, volumes might be written, and the subject not be exhausted. ^^' hat is called the Laiv of Moses, is more properly the Lfiw of God: and niH' mm Torat Jehovah, the Law of Jehovah, is the grand title of the Pentateuch. Such a definition of this term as comports with the nature, structure, and design, of the Pentateuch, has already been given in the note on Exod. xii. 49. to which the Reader is requested to refer. Could we conceive Mots to have been the author of this system, we must consider liim more than mortal: — no wisdom of man has ever yet been able to invent such a code of laws.
This merit however has been disputed, and his laws severely criticised, by certain persons whose interest it was to prove religion to be a cheat, because they had none themselves: and whose case must be hopeless, could it be proved to be true. To some whose mental taste and feeling are strangely perverted, every thing in heatlienism wears not only the most fascinating aspect, but appears to lay claim to and possess every excellencj'. These have called up Confucius, Menu, Zorcaster, and Mohammed himself, to dispute the palm of excellence with jMoses! To examine the claims of such competitors, and to decide on their respective meiits, would require a large treatise, and my limits confine me. to a sketch. To any godly, impartial mind, properly acquainted with the subject, little needs to be said: to those who are prejudiced, all reasoning is thrown away. A few vords on the merit of each of these competitors must suffice.
1. To Con fu tsee, the great Chiriese lawgiver, corruptly called Confucius, are attributed, in the records of his country, a number of ordinances and institutions, which do hon((ur to his times and to his people: but alas! how much of the darkness, eironeousness, and infirmity of the human mind, do they txhiliil! And hovvev<r profitable (hey may be, as prudential maxims and social regufaiiou'^ lo a certain txient, how little arc they calculated to elcvuJe or ennoble the human niind; or inspire men with a just notion of vice and virtue! Tiifcir author had no correct notion of the Divine nature; his laws liad no sanction but that of coitzcnience or necessity; and notwithstanding tluir boasted exc<llt0ce,> have left, from the time of tlifir promulgation, to the present day, the sum to!itl of that iii.ni'.'nst nation, which prolesses to be governed by th'm, in the ihitkes,! darkne.s.s, of the mo.st degrading idolatry, closely verging upon atheism itself! Not so the Mosaic code; it was the light that lightened the universe, and the glory of the people who were go\erned by its diet.tes. We have the firmest ground, and the most ample authority to assert, that the greatest kings, the ivisest statesmen, the most accomplished poets and rhetoricians, the must?>utgnunimous heroes, and the most holy and useful people that ever existed, were formed on the model, and brought up in the bosom, and under the influence of the Mosaic institutions. While the Proverbs and Ecclesiasles of SOLOMOX, the histoiy and poetic compositions oC David; the inimitable rf/scojow*- of /.«//«//, Jeremiah, Joel, Habukkuk, and others of the Jewish prophets remain, every intt-lligent reader will have the fullest proofs of the truth of the above assertion, which shrinks not under the pretence of being hazarded; but which must spring up in every ingenuous mind, from the fullest conviction of its own truth, after a serious perusal of the Sacred Code in question. All those eminent personages were brought up in the Mosaic school; and were prepared by the Pentateuch for the prophetic influence.
2. The Institutes of Menu, lately clothed in an English dress, by the elegant hand of Sir William Jones, have been thought to.stand in fair competition with the laws of Moses. I have read them carefully, with strong prejudice in their favour; and have endeavoured, to the best of my judgment, duly lo appreciate their worth. — I liave sought for resemblances to the Mosaic institutions, because 1 thought it possible that the same God, who was so fully knoxin in Je-xry, might have made at least a partial revelation of himself in Hindostan; but while I alternately arfw/rerf and regretted, I was ultimately disappointed; as I plamly saw that the system in its essential parts, laiked the.seal of the livins; God. Aiy Readers may justly cjucsiion my competency to form a correct opinion of the work under consideration — I shall not therefore obtrude it, but substitute that of the translator, who was better qualified than perhaps any other man in Europe or Asia, to form a correct judgment of its merits. " The work," says he, " now prejented to the European world, contains abundance of curious matter, extremely interesting, both to speculative lawyers and antifiuaries; with many beauties which need not be pointed out; and with many 6to/;/s/ifs which cannot be just fied, or palliated. It is a sj'stem of despotism and priestcraft, both indeed limited by law, but arlfully conspiring to give mutual support, though with mutual checks. It is filled wiih strange conceits in metaphysics and natural philosophy; with idle superstitions, and with a schemp o( lhto\ogy nM^l obscurely figurative, and conseq'ieutly liable lo dangerous nu:<conccption. It abounds with tniuute and childish formalities, with ceremonies, generally absurd, and often ridiculoiis; the punishmeHis are partial and fanciful; for some crimes dreadful.y cruel, and llir others, rcprehcns'hly slight: and the very?noru!s, though ri"iden(U"h on the whole, are in one or two inslam es as in the case of tight oaths and pious perjury, unaccountably relaxed." — PkeiaCE to the Institutes oi' Menu.
We may defy its enemies to prove any of these things again-st the Pentateuch. Pric-ilcraft and despotism cannot app< ar under its san lion: GOD is KiNG alone, and the piie.^l,]ns. seiranl; and lie who was prevented, by ihe very liiw under whicli he ministired, fromliaviiig «?(y eutthly prrpirly, could, conscquihlly, have no iau/u; \/'oux;-. — The king, who v,M aftcrwarcU chosen, was ever conniJcrtil as CtixVii lUpuii/ \ or ricfifcrcnl; li«; was oblij;cd to rule according lo liiu laws llial were jrivin l>y Go<l tliroti^;li Mones; and was never j ijcmiillcd I'itlier to cliuii'^e tlicni, or add a xiuific precept, or rile lo llic civil or Kacrcd rode of liis coiinlry. 'I llu^, 1 dcupoliam and priciUriift were equally iirccliidcd. As to its riles and ceremonies, they arc at once iiij;nifiril and expressive: tliey |M)inl out tlic holiness of their Aullior, the sinCulnCM of man, the necessity of an atonement, and the state of moral CKCcllencc to which the prace and mercy of the CIreator has promised to raise the liinnan soul. As to its punishments lliey arc ever such as the nature an<l circumstances of the crime render just and necessary — and iLs nutirds are not such as flow merely from a principle of retrihutinn or reinnncrative justice; but from an enlightened and fatherly tinderness, which makes obedience lo the laws, the highest interest of the subject.
At the same time that love to God, and obedience lo ills commandments, arestron;;ly incidcated; love and benevolence to man arc e("|ually inforced, together with piety, which is the sovd of obedience, patriotism the life of society; hospitality to.strangers, and humaniiy to the whole brute creation. To all this might be added, that it includes in it, as well as points out, the gospel of the son of God, from which it receives its consummation and (lerfeetion. Such, Reader, is the law of God, given through Moses, to the people of Israel.
3. Of the laws of Zcrdust, or Zeratusht, commonly called 1 Zoroaster, it is unnecessary to speak at large — they are incapable of comparison with the Mosaic code. As delivered in (he Zend Avtsta, they cannot so properly be called a system, as a coni;erics of puerility, superstition, and absurdity; with scarcely a precept or a rite that has any tendency to elevate the mind, or raise man from his state of moral degradation, to a |)roper rank in civdized society; or to any worthy apprehension of the Maker and Governor of the universe. Uannlessliess is the siun of ihe morality they seem to inculcate; with a certain superstitious reverence for/;c, probably as the emblem of purity; and for animal life, principally in reference to the <loclrme of the Uletnnpsychosis or transmigration of, souls, on which it seems to have been originally built. j
4 The K(1RAN of Mohammed is the only retuaining' competitor, that can be supposed lo be at all qualified to | dispute the palm with the Pentateuch of Moses; but the i pretensions of this production will be soon settled, when it is j known that it possesses not one excellence, the purity and ' elegance of?/,? Mn^'Mnijc excepted, which it has not borrowed 1 from the w ritings of Moses and tlie prophets; or the sayings of Christ and his apostles. This is a fact which none can successfully dispute; and of which the Koran ilself, bears the j most unequivocal evidences. ^\'h3t can be fairly claimed as! tbe pcculitaa of the Arab lawgiver, makes a.ipolley mixture j yiih what he has stolen from the l)ook of God, and is ini jjeneral as al>surii and weak as it is, on the w hole,. false and wicked. As to the boasted morality of the Koran, it will iwve a-s little to exult in f'f tliis kind, when the L«-x and the gospel have taken from it that of which they have been ^lunder^d, as the daw in the fable had, when the diftercnt jbwls had plucked away their own feathers, with wbicli the *rain bird bad decorated herself. Mohammed, it is true, jl)esUoy*^il idcrtatry wherever he came; and he did the same by true religion; for Judaism and Christianity, met wilh no more quarter from him, than the grosnett error* of pagan idolatry. To compare bini with the pure, holy, disintcreslcd, humane, and lieavenly minded Jewish legislator, would fjc -i* grosi political, as it would be palpable religious blasphemy. W'hco wc allow that he was a man of a <lcep and |>«nelrating mind, well atquamted with the superslilious turn of his countrymen, austere, cunning and hypocritical; a great general, and a brutal conqueror, who etcmed to sacrifice at no other shrme than that of Ins luit and ambition, we do liim no injuttice: the whole of his system bears the most evident proofs of iin[>osition an<l forgery: nor is there a character to which intjMistiire can lay claim, that docs not npiM-ar prominently in the Koran, and in every |)nrt of the Mohammedan system. The chief of these distinctive marks have already l>ecn examincrl, in reference to the Pentaleuch, in the concluding note on Kxod. xviii. 'J'hese are all f)und in the Koran, but not one of them in the Pentateuch. The Pentateuch, therefore, is of God: the Koran came from another quarter.
5. The diflcrenl systems of the Grecian ethic phihsopkert, cannot come into this enquiry. — They were in general incongnious and contradictory; and none of them wiu ever capabla of forming a sect, that oould be said to have any moral perpetuity.
C. The laws of Lyciirgus and.So/on could not prescn'e lliose states, at the basis of which they were laid; while the laws of Moses have been the means of ])rcscrving the [>cople who heltj them, amidst the most terriWe reverses of what are called fortune nndfate for nearly llie space of 4,000 years! Tliin is one of the most extraordinary and astonishing facts jn the whole history of jnankind.
7. The republic of Plato, of which it is fashionable to boast, is, when stripped of what it has borrowed from Moses, like the Utopia of Sir T. More, the aerial figment of a philosophic mind, en delirc: both systems are inapplicable and impractic«ble in Uie presentstalc of man. To persons under the influence of various and discordant passions, strongly actuated by xlfinterest, they can never apply. They have no tendency to change the moral state of society from -ice to zirtue.- a nation of saints might agree to regulate tlieir lives and conduct by them, but wliere is such to be found? Though Plato lias borrowed much from Moses, yet be has destroyed the.cffect of the whole by not referring the precepts and maxims to God, by whom alone, strength to fulfill them could be furnished. It is the province of the revelation of God, to make the knave a honest man; the unholy and profane, pure and pious; and to cause all who act by its dictates, to love one another with pure hearts fervently; and to feel the finest and fullest impressions of
" The i^enerous mind that's not confined at home, " But spreads itself abroad through all the public, " And feels for every member of the land."
The Pentateuch is an original work: nothing like it was ever found among the nations of the eartli. Those who have asserted that its principal mstitutions have been borrowed from the Egyptians, neither know the Mosaic Code, nor are acquainted with flie Egyptian mythology. Dr. Priestly has written well on this point, and from bis dissertation 1 shall I borro%¥ the following extracts.
" They who suppose that Moses himself.was the author of the inslitutions, civil or religious, that bear his name, and that in framing tliem he borrowed much from the Egyptians, or other ancient nations, must never have compared them together: otherwise they could not but liave perceived many circumstances, in which they dilTtr most essentially from them all. I shall endeavour to point out the more considerable of ihem.
" 1. No heathen ever conceived' an idea of so great an object, as that of the institutions of IVloses, which a])pears to be notliing less than the instruction of all mankind in the great doctrine of the unity, and universal moral government of God, as the!\Iaker of the world, and the common parent of all the human race, in opposition to the polytheism and idolatrj' which then prevailed; which, besides being grossly absurd in. its principles, and leading to endless superstitions, threatened the world with a deluge of vice and misery. For this purpose the Hebrew nation was placed in the most cons])icuou9 situation among all the civilized nations of the world, which were universally addicted to idolatry of the gro,sscst kind, to divinaHons, necromancy, and other superstitions of a similar nature, and j>ractised as acts of religion; some of their rites abominably licentious, and others the most shockingly cruel, as the necessary means of recommending themselves to the various objects of their worship. As all mankind imagined that their outward prosperity depended upon the observance of their respective religions, that of the Hebrew nation was made to do so in the most conspicuous manner, as a visible lesson to all the world. They were to prosper beyond all other nations, while they adhered to their religion; and to suffer in a manner equally exemplary and conspicuous, in consequence of their departure from it. Of this all mankind might easily judge. Tliese great ideas occur in the sacred books of the Hebrews and no where else. They are all distinctly advanced l>y Moses, and inore fully unfolded in the writings of the later prophets. But certainly nothing so great and sublime could have been suggested to Moses, from any thing that he suv: -m J'-gypt, or could have heard of in other countries,
" 2. In no system of religion, besides that of Moses, was ■purity of morals ' axiy part of it. All the heathen teligions \vere systems of mere ceremonirs, on the observance of which it was imp.gincd that the prosperity of the several states depend<;d; and the sole business of the priest's was to attend to the due observance' of these' rites; rtiany of which \t'cre so far from being favuxlrable to mforals, thit they were of the most impure and abominable nature, a.< is will known to all wlm have any knowledge of tliem. 'On iIk^ contrary, it appears not only from the tcn'coiiimaitdmcntx, Init from allthe writings of.Moses, and those of the prophet^ who.-.urceedcd him, that the purest morality, tlic most faMiuralile to private and pui<l:c happiness, was the principal and ultimate object of the xystem. The books of i\Ioses abound wUh precepts of morality, inoulralcd in the most furcible'manncr, and they are distinguished fnim la-.ns'h)' having no penalty annexed to them..Such iirecrpts as- these— ^ lit" yf lioh;, for I rim ■holy: — and, mmt does the Lord require of thee, hut to do justice, to lore mercy, and to walk hwnli'y \lith thy Hod — could ncvci' have been borrowed from any htatheli system of n ligion. In lhi> most important resj)ect,- the institutions tif Moses arc a gicul orininut, and were never copied by any other lawgiver.
" 3. No where in all the heathen world could Moses have heard of such a proper national worship, as that whicbhe introduced. The Hebrew nation had not only o«(rsingle ohject of their worship, in which they dirtered essentially from all other nations, but one national altar, one precise ritual, and only one place for the meeting of the wliole nation at the public festivals. A whole tribe, a twelfth part of the nation, was set apart for services of a religious nature, and their provision made to depend in a great measure upon their performance of them; being not in lands cultivated by themselves, but in the produce of lands cultivated by others. At this one great national altar, sacrifices were performed every morning and evening, in the name and at the expence of the vhole nation; and the manner in which this was done was invariable, and not left to the discretion of the performers. In all other countries, the places of worship were numerous; and the diversity in the modes of worship variedwith the objects of them. In Egypt, in particular, the different nomes were exceedingly hostile to each other on this account. Hence arose endless and discordant superstitions.
" 4. In no country besides that of the Hebrews, were the ptdilic festivals cxpresslj' instituted in commemoration of such great events respecting their history and religion. It is peculiar to this nation also, that the directions for the celebration of them, were reduced to writing at the time of their institution; so that there could never be any uncertainty about the origin or the reasons of them. They were only three: — the pass-over, on their deliverance from their state of servitude in Egypt, when the firstborn of all the Egyptians were destroyed, and all theirs preserved; the Pentecost, on the giving of the I,aw, from Mount Sinai; and the feast of tabernacles, in commemoration of their living in tents and booths during their travels through the wilderness. At the first of these festivals, the flrsi-fniits of the year were solemnly presented; at the second, the harvest was got in; and at the lastj the vintage, and all the greater labours of the year, were closed. Among the heathen nations, the festivals were numerous and perplexing. More than sixty were celebrated by the Athenians: the origin and reason of their institution were uncertain; and none of them were calculated to answer any important moral purposes, but Were too often the occasion, not of innocent festivity, but of intemperance and debauch. Several of the heathen festivals were celebrated m a manner the most disgusting, and shocking to common modesty, anil common sense.-
" Sacrificing was a mode more ancient than idolatry, er the institutions of Moses; but among the heathens, various superstitious customs were introduced respecting it, which were all excluded from the religion of the Hebrews.
" III the Luws'oi Moses, in which we find even the most minute circumstances of the act of sacrificing prescribed, there is no mention of any thing preceding the slaying of the animal, liesides its being sound and of a proper a^c. It was not bronght with any garlands'. No euXai, or cakes of barley and salt, were put upon its back. No wine was poured u))on its horns. No hair was taken from its forehead to be throw* into the fre on the altar. And nothing is said about inspecting the entrails, vith a view to' divination, which was a principal object in all the heathen sacrifices. 'I^he use that was made of the blood of the victims was peculiaj to the HebreW jlliial; and cntainly mit K.-n'owcil from any licalhcn riisloiiH llial ci.iilil have been kiiuwii to Mosc«.
" No liciitliciH knew any tlnnt; of the upratklin^ of the hinod, ill lilt ^xTiillarly solemn iiiaiinir ni uliidi it wa* to be (lont: liy till- Hebrew priests; and so Car were ibcy IVoiii rigorously abslainin'^ from (he ctttin^ of litund, that, in llieir Hacrifices to tlie infernal ileitics, they partook of it, as a nietliod of fi'astini; with thiiii; and in ihc ToiirH/oliuiii, Ihc otUrer was covered with it from head to foot, and kepi hiin-eil in tliat condition as loni; as lie could. (As a pifHif of this, sre the note on l.evit. viii. 'J3.) At Mo'ses diil not adopt any of the iieatlieii customs, it is equally evident tlial tin y borrowed nothiiifj from him with respect to sacrifices. ^^ ith them we find no such di.stinelion of sacrificco as is iiutle m the books of Moses, such m bunit-off'erini^'i, siit-offcrinirs, tresp'lss-ojjii itit;s, and pawe-offerini^s, or of the Iwavin:; or uar in;; •of the sacrifices. 'I'hosc particulars therefore, he could not li.ne had from tiiem, whether wc can discover any rea.son lor tliem ur not. 'I'hey either had their origin in the time of Blose-s or, which is nio>t probable, were prior to his lime, and to thi; existence of idolatry.
" Had Moses copied any lliini; from the heathens, he would probably have introduced something of their mysteries, which «eie rites performed in secret, and generally in the iiii;ht, to which peculiar pruileges were annexed, and which it «a» deemed the greatest crime to reveal; all of them, circumstances 'of a suspicious nature, aud evidently liable to great abuse.
" 'I'lio most rcniarkable of these mysteries were the Elcusiiiidii, which were cclilirated at Athens every tour years; and eontiniKil nine ilays. Whatever these rites were, it was made <leaih to ivveal iheiii; and if any person not regularly initialed, was present at this e.\hibilion, he was put to death withoiil meruy.
" Nothing, surely, like this can be found in the institutions of Moses. There was nothing in the Hebrew ritual of worship that was any secret. Every thing is expressly described in the written Law^ and though none but prii-sts could enter the holy ]>lace, or the holy of holies besides the Highpnest, every thing that was done by him thcrt:, is as particularly described as what was done by the people w ithout; and no service v. luUever was performed in the night, except the attendance at the great altar, to keep the fire in a proper slate for consuming all the remains of victims; and of this no mention is made in the ritual. It is only presiuned by the.Irtish writers on the subject, that it must Iwve been done of course.
" Had INIoses borrowed any thing from the heathens, he could nut have overlooked the various modes of divinutioii..sorcery, and witchcraft, their omens of a lliMisaud kinds, their rilos for consulting the dead in the art of necromancy, their distinelioii of days into lucky and unlucky; wJ-.ich constituted a..great part of the religious observances of all the.lieathen nations, civilized or uncivilized. The Uomaiis had tvcn an order of |)riests c.llled iiiic;urs, whose sole business it •was to observe tlie flight of birds,.and to make prognoslica- 4ions from ihem. lUit so far are we from fmdiii!: any thing -of this kind in the books of Moses, of which those of the Hindoos arc full, that they are spoken of with the greatest contempt and abhorrence; and the pretenders to them are *lirccl>?d to be put to deaUi.
" 'I'hc cili'^ of refuge Iiivc Ixren mtiitiomd, a» compared with the iinliiiile.l right of fiiyfum atUicbcd to ibc l<mplc» of the heallmi-; and tliH may be < oiniidercd M a religioiu a< will as a civil iiisliliilion. fJul llie privik-gen of tlx- labbuli. ml </rar, awl i<( t\tr Juhilcc, are wholly of a civil oaturc; and ihey must have l«en an adinirible wciirily fjr person;.! liberty, and the |>ro|>trty of families. No \UUiw CO'jM hmil hiin-elf for s.-rvilude more than:nen yiar»; nor robld h<- alienate his landed property for more than //'y. No gift or sale could have any tfll-cl beyond iJiis term, which wan fiX'-l for (he whole nation, and did not commenrc at Uic time o! every parlieiilar bargain. In consequence of lliif, though a family mi'.'hi siifiir by (he imprudence, or eMravaganct of Ihe head of il, the evil had a limit; for at the jubilee all estates reverted to the ori;4inal projirieior-i.
" III short, no person can peruse the lawi of Moses without acknowledging them to l)e truly original; and their superiority to those of other antnent nations the nioul famed (or their wi.sdoiii, is an evidence of their Divine origin."^ Dissertation on the Mosaic Insliiulion-. S. On tViis eul'ject, in general, it may be just ncce->ary to add, thai the utmost that can l>* said of all laws merely himnu, is, that they restrain vices, through ihe terror of punishment. God's law not only restrains iice, but it infuses rirtve. It ahiue brings man to ihe footstool of his Maker, and keeps bia» dependant on the strong for strength; on the wiie for wisdom, and on the merciful for grace. It.iboimds with promises of sujjpoit, and salvation for tlie present life, wiiich no fabc system dartd cm r to pn>pose: everywhere, Moses in tlie most conlideul manner, pledges his Ood for the fulfilment of all the exceeding great and precious promi-es, with which his laws are so i)lentifully iiiten.|)er-< d; and while tliey verr obedient they could say, " Not one word hath failed us, of all the good things which the Lord our God spake concerning us." Who that dispassionately reads the Pentateuch, that considers it in it.self, and in its reference to that glorious Cospel wliich it was intended to introduce, can for a moment deny it the palm of inunite superiority over all the systems cvir framtd or imagined by man ' Well might the Inraehtiili peo])!c triumphantly exclaim, "There is none like ihe Gfxl of Jisliurun!" and with what sinking propriety docs (lie glorious legislator add, "Happy art fliou, O Israel! wlio is like unto thee? O people, saved of the LORD!"
A.'JKF.TCII or THE niSTORY AST> ri;AB.*CTER OF MOSES.
H.tVlNG Mid so much concerning tfce PentaJeiicb, there ren-.ains litile room to >aj' miidi concf-roing Mosts hknsdf; as his charact«'r is so much involvrtl in that of his work. The genuine history of Moses i< writt li by himself, and that is round succinctly iktaded in the book of Kxodus; Josepiius, the Ruhbins, and the nriental historians, have written lives of this great man, which arc perfect romances; for, by attempting to emWlish, ihcy have turned the whole hi-story into ridicule. Trogiis Pom}>eius has copied some of iIkuh 5 N 2 unless we allow that his abridger, Justin, is the author of the ill-told falsity, which is found in his work. But with these relations we have no concern; and, from the account, written by himself, collated with the speech of St. Stephen, Acts vii. we learn the following facts:
Moses, the son of Amram and Jocebed, both of the tribe of Levi, was born A. M. 2433. B. C. 15T1. while the Israelites were in a state of bondage in Egypt; and at that time, under the most distressful persecution, the king of Egypt having issued an edict to destroy all the male children of the Hebrews. Added to their parental affection, his personal beauty (Acts vii. 20.) seems to have induced his parents to hazard every thing to preserve their child's life; they therefore hid him for three months; but finding, from circumstances, that they could keep him secret no longer, they weie determined to abandon him wholly to the care of Providence. Having provided a little vessel of buUrushes, or flags pitched, and thus rendered impervious to the water, they set him afloat on the river Nile, and sent his sister Miriam, to watch the event. The daughter of Pharaoh, coming to that part of the river, either to make her ablutions, or to wash her clothes, seeing the vessel afloat, commanded it to be brought to her — and being struck with the helpless state and beauty of the child, judging that it belonged to one of the Hebrews, determined to preserve its life, and adopt it for her own. Miriam, his sister, who immediately appeared, but was unknown to the princess, ofTered her services, to procure a nurse for tlie child from among the Hebrew women— she was accordingly employed, and Jocebed, the mother, was soon brought to the spot, and the child was immediately com- \ mitted to her care; the princess being entirely ignorant of the ] relation that subsisted between the child and its nurse. At a proper age he was taken to the Egyptian court, and educated there as the son of Pharaoh's daughter, and was brought up in all the learning and wisdom of the Egi/plia7!s, and became very eminent both in words and deeds. Acts vii. 22. Here, he appears to have staid nearly /or/y years. Afterwards, in consequence of having killed one of the oppressors of his Hebrew brethren, he was obliged to take refuge in Midian, where, entering into the service of Jethro, a priest or prince of that country, he married his daughter, Zipporah, by whom he had two sons, Eleazar and Gtrshom; and continued as the guardian of the flocks of his father-in-law for forty years. At the conclusion of this time, God manifested himself to him while tending the flocks of his father-in-law at mount Horeb, and gave him a commission to bring Israel out of Egypt- He went on the divine errand, became associated with his elder brother, Aaron, opened liis commission to the Egyptian king, and wrought several striking miracles to prove tlie truth of his divine mission. The king refusing to let the people go, God afflicted him and the land with ten grievous plagues; after which, the people were led out, and by a most stupendous miracle, passed through the divided waters of the Red-sea; which Pharaoh and his army essaying io do, were drowned. Having led the Israelites into the dcsarts of Arabia, commonly called the Wilderness, God gave them the most signal manifestations of his power and goodness, in a series of successive miracles; and delivered to Mose.i, their leatler, that information, and those knos, which are contained in the Pentateucli. Having governed the people forty years in the desart, and brought them to the very verge of the promised land, he was not permitted to pass over Jordan with them, but died in the plains of Moab, while in familiar converse with his God, in the 120th year of his age. Care, labour, and years, had made no inroads upon his constitution, for it is particularly marked that his eye was not dim, nor his natiiral force abated. Deut. x.vxiv. 8. that he preserved all the vivacity of youth, and the vigour of manhood to a period in which, even at that time, old ao-e made its greatest depredations upon those who had no other support, than what the common course of nature afforded.
After this hasty sketch of so eventful a life as that of Moses, it may be necessary to enter more particularly into an examination of his character and conduct. This is a difficult task: but. In MAGNIS voluisse, sat est.
The eulogium or character given of him by tlie Spirit of God, though very concise, is yet full and satisfactory. And there arose not a prophet since in Israel like unto Moses, whom Jehovah knew face to face; in all the signs and the wonders which the Lord sent him to do in the land of Egypt, to Pharaoh, and to all his servants, and to all his land; and in all that mighty hand (all conquering power and influence) and in all the great terror which Moses shcxved in the sight of all Israel. Moses is called the servant of God, and he has farther this high character, that as a servant, he was faithful to God in all his house, Heb. iii. 5. He faithfully discharged the trust reposed in him, and totally forgetting himself, and his own secular interest, with that also oi' hh family, he laboured incessantly to promote God's honour and the people's welfare, which, on many occasions, he shewed, were dearer to him than his own life. Moses was in every respect a great man; for every virtue that constitutes genuine nobility,' was concentred in his mind, and fully displayed in his conduct. He ever conducted himself as a man conscious of his own ii:,- tegrity, and of the guidance and protection of God, under whose orders he constantly acted. He therefore betrays no confusion. in his views, nor indecision in his measures — he was ever without anxiety, because he was conscious of the rectitude of his motives, and that the cause which he espoused was the cause of God; and that his power and faithfulness were pledged for his support. His courage and fortitude were unshaken and unconquerable, because his reliance was unremittingly fixed, on the unchangeuhleness of JehOV.IH. He left Egypt, hav~ ing an eye to the recompence of reward in another world; and never lost sight of this grand object: he was therefore neither discouraged by difficulties, nor elated by prosperity. He, who in Egypt refused to be called the son of Pharaoh'-t daughter, thereby renouncing the claim he might have had on the Egyptian throne, was never likely to be influenced by secular views in the government of the miserable multitudes which he led out of that country. His renunciation of the court of Pharaoh and its advantages, was the amplest proof that he neither sought nor expected honour or emolument in the Wilderness, among a people who had scarcely any thing but what they received by immediate miracle from the hand of
I have more than once had occasion to note the disinterestedness of Moses in reference to his family, as well as to himself. This is a singular case: his owti tribe, that of Levi, he left without any earthly possession: and though to mini- find character of Hfoses.
ster to God was tlte moht lionniiralilo fnij)loymetit, yet tlip [I 1a:vUcs coiiUl Mi:v<T aris'- to;iny pnlitical conM-tiiicncc in | l-.rucl. \',\cn his own sons lnTiinn' l>li-nilc<l iii the (•oniiiKui, muss of tlic Levitts, and poxNChsi'd no kind of dicliiiction j iiiiioiifj their bretliren. 'rhoiigh liis confidence in Oo<l was i| ever unsliaken, yet lie had a lil'c of toil and per|)ctual di^treK8, |, ivecasioncd tiy the ignorance, ohfplinary, and hasenes* of the', people over wlioin he jirrsidcd; and he dud in their service, [| leaving no other piojierlj/ hut his <iHf, hehind liiin. Of the, apnils taken in war, wo never reati of the jwttiou of Moses: ji lleh.'iii none, he wanted Tionf, liis treasure was in heaven,} Slid where his treasure was, there also wac his heart. ]iy: this disinterestedness of Moses, two points ure fully proved: I si. That he was salisfied, fully so, that his mission was di- j vine, and that in it he served the livinf; Und; and 2dly, That lie helieved in the inuwyiialily of the soul, and llie doelrine, of future rewards and piinisliiiienN, and tiierefure he lahoured i so to puss tliiDU'^h tliiii'^s Uiiiporul, (hat he lui^lit not lose the things that are elenml. It is strange that the faith of Moses in these points, should be questioned by any who had ever seriously read the Pentateuch.
The manner in which he bore the sentence of his exclusion from the promised inheritance, is an additional proof of his persuasion of the reality of the invisible world: No testiness, no murmuring, no expatiating on former services; no passionate intreaties to have the sentence reversed, appear in the spirit or conduct of this truly great man. He bowed to the decision of that justice which he knew could not act wrong; and having buried the world, as to himself, he had no earthly attaehineiiLs; he was obeying the will of God, in leatling the people, and therefore, when his master chose to dismiss him from this service, he was content; and saw, without regret or tmy, another appointed to his office.
The moral character of Moses is almost immaculate. That lie oflended Jehovah at the waters of Meribah, there can be no doubt; but in xvhat the offence consisted, commentators and critics are greatly at a loss to ascertain. In the note on Num. XX. 12. I have said all that I believe should be said upon the point; and after all, conjecture is obliged to come in, to supply the place of substantial evidence; and the fault is so slight, humanly speaking, as even to glide away from the eye of conjecture itsell". Had the offence, whatsoever it was, been committed by any ordinaiy person, it would probably have passed between (rod and the conscience, without any public reprehension. Rut Moses was great, and siipir^iininfly favoured; and a fault in him derived much of its moral delinquency from these very circumstances. He did not tanctifij the Ijord in ihe sight qf the people; he did not fully shew tliat God himself was the sole v:orker: he apf)eai-ed by his conduct to exhibit himself as an agent indispensably necessary in the promised miraculous supply; and this might have had the most dangerous consequences on the minds of this gross people, had not God thus marked it with his dibpleasiire. This awful lesson to the legislator taught the people that their help came from GOD,.aid not from man; and that consequently, they must rej>ose their confidence in HIM alone. But this subject deserves to be more distinctly considered, as in the account given of his death, this uUencc is again brought forth to view. God himself thus details he circumstances: " Get thee up into this mountain, antl MioM (he land of Canaan — and die in the mount whilhi r thou goe»t up, and Ik: gathereil unto thy people a^ Aar<in thy brother, bi-nuM- ye Irmpafied againtt nic.\.M<».N<i IIIK CIMI.DKKN Ol ISKAKL; bci auM." ye >anclificd nie not in the midht of the children of Inracl." (chap, xxxii. 49 — 51.) "And Motcn went up unto the rnounluin of Ntbo — and the Lord shewed hiin all the land — and th« Lord «aid unto him, this in the land which I xwarc iinlu Abraham, unto Isaac, and unto Jacob, uying, I will give it unto thy seed: 1 have caus<.<l thee to »ee it with thine cyc», but llioii shall not go over lhitli(T — so Mo»ch, the M-nanl of the Lord, died there, according Uj the word of the Ixird; and he buried him," chap, xxxiv. 1 — 6. In the above extracts all the circumstances relative to this event are brought into one {loint of view; and we.see plainly, the btresd that ii> laid on the i>lhnce against God. Ye TRKSPASSED Af.AINST
These words may be understood thus: The ])eople of themselves were too much prone to take ofl' their eye from Goi>, consult tlicir senses, and dcfjend upon man; and the manner in which Moses and Aaron j)erformed the miracle which Go<l commanded them to do in his name, was such as to confirm them in the carnality of their views, and cause them to depend on an arm ofjlesh. Ye therefore shall not go into tlte promised land, said the Lord: and the death of them both was the fullest ])roof to this people, that it was not by might nor by powoT, but by the Spirit of the Lord of Hosts, that their enemies were expelled, and that themselves were introduced and established in the promised inheritance. This seems to be the spirit of the whole business: and as Moses had no other end in view but the glory of God, it must have been a supreme satisfaction to his pious soul, that this end wa.' so effectually promoted, though even at the expense of hU life.
1. At a distant view there appears to be very little observable in the death of Moses; but on a nearer approach, we shall find it to have been the most honourable, I might add, the most glorious, with which any human being wa« ever favoured. As to bis death itielf, it is simply said, he died in the land of Jiloab — according to the word of the Lord. He was, as has already been observed, in familiar conversation with his Maker: and wliile in the act of viewing the land, and receiving the last information relative to it, the ancient covenant with the patriarchs, and the performance of the covenant in putting their posterity into possession of this goodly inheritance, he yielded up the ghost, and suddenly passed from the verge of the earthly, into the heavenly Camtan. Thus, without the labour and the delay of passing through the type, he entered at once into the possession of the antitype; having simply lost the honour of leading the people a little farther, whom, with so much care and solicitude, he had brought thus far,
1. There is another circumstance in his death which requires particular notice. It is said, lie died — according to the word of the Lord: the original words iTTI' »5 hv al pi YehovaU, signify literally at (or upon) the mouth of Jehozah: which Jonathan ben Utziel interprets thus, 'n invo np^yj V? dl neshihalh mcymra daycya, " by a kiss of the WORD of Jehovah;" and this has given rise to an ancient tradition among the Jews, " that God embraced Moses, and drew his.
soul out of his body by a kiss," The Targumist adds, that tliis was " on the seventh day of the month Adar, the same day of the same month on which he was born."