thought proper to stay in the same place, as supposing that God there inhabited among men, but when that removed they journeyed also.*

Moses was also the inventor of the form of the Hebrew trumpet, which was made of silver. In length it was little less than a cubit. It was composed of a narrow tube, somewhat thicker than a flute, but with so much breadth as was sufficient for admission of the breadth of a man's mouth; it ended in the form of a bell, like common trumpets. Its sound was called, in the Hebrew tongue, assosra. There were two of them made; and when the first of them gave a signal, the heads of the tribes were to assemble, and consult about the affairs to them properly belonging: but when both of them sounded, they called the multitude together, which was done when the tabernacle was to remove. When the second signal was given, those that were on the south quarter did the like. In the next place, the tabernacle was taken to pieces, and was carried in the midst of six tribes that went before, and of six that followed. Now all the Levites were about the tabernacle. When the third signal was given, that part which had their tents towards the west put themselves in motion; and at the fourth signalt those on the north did so likewise. They also used trumpets in their sacred ministrations, when they were bringing their sacrifices to the altar, as well as on the sabbaths, and on the rest of the festival days. And now it was that Moses offered that sacrifice which was called the Passover in the wilderness, as the first he had offered after the departure out of Egypt.

CHAP. XIII.

OF MOSES'S REMOVAL FROM MOUNT SINAI TOWARDS THE BORDERS

OF THE CANAANITES.

against the men, there was one who exhorted them not to be unmindful of Moses, and of what great pains he had been at about their common safety, and not to despair of assistance from God. The multitude, however, became still more unruly, and more mutinous against Moses than before; hereupon Moses, although he was so basely abused by them, encouraged them in their despairing condition, and promised that he would procure them a great quantity of flesh meat, and that not for a few days only, but for many days; and when they could not believe him, and one of them asked, whence he could obtain such vast plenty of what he promised? he replied, "Neither God nor I, although we hear such opprobrious words from you, will leave off our labours for you; and this shall soon appear." As soon as he had said this, the whole camp was filled with quails, and they stood round about them, and gathered them in great numbers. However, it was not long ere God punished the Hebrews for that insolence and those reproaches they had used towards him, for no small number of them died; and to this day the place retains the memory of their destruction, and is named Kibroth Hattaavah, which is, the graves of lust.§

CHAP. XIV.

OF THE SPIES WHO WERE SENT TO SEARCH OUT THE LAND OF
CANAAN, AND THE CONSEQUENCE OF THEIR REPORT.

WHEN Moses had led the Hebrews to a place called Paran, which was near the borders of the Canaanites, and a place difficult to be continued in, he gathered the multitude together; and standing in the midst of them, he said: "Of the two things that God determined to bestow upon us, liberty, and the possession of a happy country, the one ye are already partakers of, by the gift of God, and the other you will quickly obtain; for we now have our abode A LITTLE while afterwards Moses rose up, and near the borders of Canaan, and nothing can hinder went from mount Sinai; and, having passed through the acquisition of it, when we now at last are fallen several mansions, of which we will speak anon, he upon it: I say not only no king, nor city, but neicame to a place called Hazeroth, where the multi-ther the whole race of mankind, if they are all tude began to be mutinous, and to blame him for the misfortunes they had suffered in their travels; and that when he had persuaded them to leave a good land, they at once had lost that land, and instead of the happy state he had promised them, they were still wandering in their present miserable condition, being already in want of water, and if the manna should happen to fail, they must then utterly perish; yet, while they generally spake many bitter things

* Exod. xl. 36, 37.

†These two signals are wanting in the Hebrew and Samaritan, but extant in the Septuagint, as in Josephus.

This circumstance clearly evinces the propriety with which Moses is denominated the meekest of men. The provocations

gathered together, could do it. Let us, therefore,
prepare ourselves for the work; for the Canaanites
will not resign up their land to us without fighting,
but it must be wrested from them by great struggles
in war. Let us then send spies, who may take a
view of the goodness of the land, and what strength
it is of; but above all things, let us be of one mind,
and let us honour God, who is our supreme helper
and assister."

he received would have excited resentment in most men; but
on him it had no other effect than to induce him to exert him-
self the more for the good of the people. B.
§ Numb. xi. 34.

When Moses had said thus, the multitude requited him with marks of respect, and chose twelve spies of the most eminent men, one out of each tribe, who, passing over all the land of Canaan, from the borders of Egypt, came to the city Hamath and to mount Lebanon; and when they had learned the nature of the land and of its inhabitants, they returned home, having spent forty days in the whole work. They also brought with them of the excellent fruits which the land bare, and gave an account of the great quantity of the good things the country afforded, which were motives to the multitude to go to war; but then they terrified them again with the

suspicion of ill success, trusting in God to conduct us, and following those that are to be our leaders." Thus did these two exhort them, and endeavour to pacify the rage they were in; but Moses and Aaron fell on the ground, and besought God, not for their own deliverance, but that he would now put a stop to what the people were unwarily doing, and would bring their minds to a quiet temper, which were now disordered by their present passion. The cloud also now appeared, and stood over, the tabernacle, declaring the presence of God to be there.‡

CHAP. XV.

OF THEIR REBELLION:-SKETCH OF THE POWER AND INFLUENCE OF
THE JEWISH LEGISLATOR.

great difficulty there was in obtaining it, saying, that oF THE PUNISHMENT THREATENED TO THE ISRAELITES ON ACCOUNT the rivers were so large and deep that they could not be passed over, the hills were so high that they could not travel along for them, and the cities were strengthened with walls and firm fortifications. They told them also, that they found at Hebron the posterity of the giants. Accordingly these spies, who had seen the land of Canaan, when they perceived that all these difficulties were greater there than they had met with since they came out of Egypt, were affrighted at them themselves, and endeavoured to intimidate the multitude also.

From this account the people supposed that it was impossible to get the possession of the country,* and when the congregation was dissolved, they, their -wives, and children, continued their lamentations, as if God would not indeed assist them, but only promised them fair; they also again blamed Moses, and made a clamour against him and his brother Aaron, the high-priest; accordingly they passed that night very ill, and with contumelious language against them; but in the morning they ran to a congregation, intending to stone Moses and Aaron, and then to return into Egypt.t

But of the spies there were Joshua the son of Nun, of the tribe of Ephraim, and Caleb of the tribe of Judah, who were afraid of the consequence, and came into the midst of them, and stilled the multitude; desiring them to be of good courage, and neither to condemn God, as having deceived them, neither to hearken to those who had affrighted them by telling what was not true concerning the Canaanites, but believe those that encouraged them to hope for good success, and that they should gain possession of the happiness promised them, because neither the height of mountains, nor the depth of rivers, could hinder men of true courage from attempting them, especially while God would take care of them beforehand, and be assistant to them. "Let us go then," said they, "against our enemies, and have no

* This was the effect of their unbelief; a sin with which they are repeatedly charged in the Scriptures, and which was the

MOSES now came boldly to the multitude, and informed them that God was moved at their abuse of him, and would inflict punishment upon them, not indeed such as they deserved for their sins, but such as parents inflict on their children, in order to their correction; for, he said, that when he was in their tabernacle, and was bewailing with tears that destruction which was coming upon them, God put him in mind what things he had done for them, and what benefits they had received from him, and yet how ungrateful they had proved; that just now they had been induced by the timorousness of the spies, to think their words truer than his own promise to them, and that on this account, though he would not destroy them all, nor utterly exterminate their nation, which he had honoured more than any other part of mankind; he would not permit them to take possession of the land of Canaan, nor enjoy its happiness, but would make them wander in the wilderness, and live without a fixed habitation, and without a city, for forty years together, as a punishment for their transgression; but at the same time he promised to give that land to their children, and to bestow on them those good things which their fathers had forfeited by their ungoverned passions.

When Moses had discoursed thus, according to the direction of God, the multitude grieved, and were in affliction; and entreated Moses to procure their reconciliation to God, and to permit them no longer to wander in the wilderness, but to bestow cities upon them; but he replied that God would not admit of any such trial, for that God was not moved to this determination from any human levity or anger, but that he had judiciously condemned them to that punishment. Now we are not to disbelieve that Moses, who was but a single person, pacified so many ten thousands more aggravated in them, as they had witnessed so many signal and repeated exertions of the divine power. B. † Numb. xiv. 4.

‡ Numb. xiv. 10.

when they were in anger, and converted them to || in an imperfect condition; nay, many were not a mildness of temper; for God was with him, and able even at first so much as to enter into the prepared the way to his persuasions of the multi- || temple, but went their ways in this state, as pretude; and as they had often been disobedient, ferring a submission to the laws of Moses before they were now sensible that such disobedience the fulfilling of their own inclinations, even when was disadvantageous to them, and that they had they had no fear upon them that any body could thereby fallen into calamities. convict them, but only out of a reverence to their own conscience; so that this legislation, which appeared to be divine, made this man to be esteemed as one superior to his own human nature. Nay, farther, a little before the beginning of this war, when Claudius was emperor of the Romans, and Ismael was our high-priest; and when so great a famine* was come upon us, that one tenth deal of wheat was sold for four drachmæ, and when no less than seventy corit of flour was || brought into the temple, at the feast of unleavened bread, not one of the priests was so hardy as to eat one crumb of it, even while so great a distress was on the land, and this out of a dread of the law, and of that wrath which God retains against acts of wickedness, even when no one can accuse the actors; whence we are not to wonder at what was then done, while this very day the writings left by Moses have so great force, that even those who hate us, confess that he who established this settlement was God, and that it was by the means of Moses, and of his virtue.

This man was indeed admirable for his virtue,. and powerful in making men give credit to what he delivered, not only during the time of his natural life, but even there is still no one of the Hebrews, who does not act, even now, as if Moses were present, and ready to punish him if he should do any thing that is indecent; nay, there is no one but is obedient to what laws he ordained, although they might be concealed in their transgressions. There are also many other demonstrations that his power was more than human; and some have even come from the parts beyond Euphrates, a journey of four months, through many dangers, and at great expenses, in honour of our temple; and yet when they had offered their oblations could not partake of their own sacrifices, because Moses had forbidden it, by somewhat in the law that did not permit them, or somewhat that had befallen them, which our ancient customs made inconsistent therewith; so that some of these did not sacrifice at all, and others left their sacrifices

*This great famine, as Dr. Hudson observes, in the days of Claudius, is again mentioned in the Antiquities, XX. 4, and Acts xi. 28, as also by Tacitus, Phlegon, Dio, and Africanus.

†These cori are thirty-one Sicilian, or forty-one Athenian medimni.

BOOK IV.

Containing an interval of Thirty-eight Years.

FROM THE REJECTION OF THAT GENERATION, TO THE DEATH OF MOSES.