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the ambassadors, and told them that he was himself willing and desirous to comply with their request, but that God was opposite to his intentions, even that God who had raised him to great reputation on account of the truth of his predictions. For that this army which they entreated him to come to curse, was in favour of God. On which account he advised them to go home again, and not to persist in their enmity against the Israelites. And when he had given them that answer, he dismissed the ambassadors.

Now the Midianites, at the earnest entreaties of Balak, sent other ambassadors to Balaam, who, desiring to gratify the men, inquired again of God; but he was displeased at this second trial, and bid him by no means to contradict the ambassadors. Balaam did not imagine that God gave this injunction in order to deceive him; so he went along with the ambassadors. But when the Divine angel met him in the way, when he was in a narrow passage, and edged in with a wall on both sides, the ass on which Balaam rode, understood that it was a Divine spirit that met him; and thrust Balaam to one of the walls, without regard to the stripes which her master, when he was hurt by the wall, gave her. But when the ass, upon the angel's continuing to distress her, and upon the stripes which were

*Numb. xxii. 31. "Then the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam, and he saw the angel of the Lord standing in the way." There are several instances to be found, both in the scriptures and in profane authors, where the eyes have been opened by a divine power to perceive that which they could not see by mere natural discernment. Thus the eyes of Hagar were opened, that she might see the fountain, Gen. xxi. 19. Homer also presents us with an example of this kind. Minerva says to Diomed:

Yet more from mortal mists I purge thy eyes, And set to view the warring deities. II. v. 164. POPE. And in Virgil, Venus performs the same office to Æneas, and shews him the gods who were engaged in the destruction of Troy.

Aspice; namque omnem, quæ nunc obducta tuenti
Mortales hebetat visus tibi, et humida circum, &c.

En. ii. 604.

Now cast your eyes around: while I dissolve
The mists and films that mortal eyes involve;
Purge from your sight the dross, and make you see
The shape of each avenging deity.
DRYDEN.

Miiton seems likewise to have imitated this, when he
makes Michael open Adam's eyes to see the future revo-
lutions of the world, and the fortunes of his posterity.
then purg'd with euphrasy and rue
The visual nerve, for he had much to see,

given her, fell down; by the will of God she made use of the voice of a man, and complained of Balaam, as acting unjustly to her; that whereas he had no fault to find with her in her former service, he now inflicted stripes upon her, as not understanding that she was hindered from serving him in what he was now going about by the providence of God. And when he was disturbed by reason of the voice of the ass, which was that of a man, the angel plainly appeared to him,* and blamed him for the stripes he had given his ass; informing him, that the creature was not in fault, but that he was himself come to obstruct his journey, as being contrary to the will of God. Upon this Balaam was afraid, and was preparing to return back, yet God excited him to go on his intended way; but added this injunction, that he should declare nothing, but what he himself should suggest.†

When God had given him this charge, the prophet came to Balak; and after the king had entertained him in a magnificent manner, he desired him to go to one of the mountains, to take a view of the state of the camp of the Hebrews. Balak himself also came to the mountain, and brought the prophet along with him, with a royal attendance. mountain lay over their heads, and was distant sixty furlongs from the camp. He then And from the well of life three drops instill'd.

This

Paradise Lost, b. xi. 414. B.

Note that Josephus never supposes Balaam to be an idolator, nor to seek idolatrous enchantments, or to prophesy falsely, but to be no other than an ill-disposed prophet of the true God: and intimates that God's answer the second time, permitting him to go, was ironical, and on design that he should be deceived; which sort of deception, by way of punishment for former crimes, Josephus never scruples to admit; as ever esteeming such wicked men justly and providentially deceived. But perhaps we had better to adhere closely to the text; which says, Numb. xxiii. 20, 21, that God only permitted Balaam to go along with, or in the Septuagint version, to follow, the ambassadors, in case they came and called him; or positively insisted on his going along with them, on any terms. Whereas Balaam seems, out of impatience, to have risen up in the morning and saddled his ass, and rather to have called them, than staid for their calling him. So zealous does he seem to have been for his reward of divination, his wages of unrighteousness. Numb. xxii. 7, 17, 18, 37. 2 Pet. ii. 15. Jude 11. which reward or wages the truly religious prophets of God never required, nor accepted; as Josephus justly takes notice in the cases of Samuel, Antiq. VI. 4, and Daniel, Antiq. X. 17. See also Gen. xiv. 23, 24. 2 Kings v. 15, 16, 26. and Acts viii. 18-24. Balaam required seven altars to be built, and suitable

sun.

slew the sacrifices, and offered them as burnt offerings, that he might observe some signal of the flight of the Hebrews. Then said he, "Happy is this people, on whom God bestows the possession of innumerable good things; and grants them his own providence to be their assistant and their guide: so that there is not any nation among mankind, but you will be esteemed superior to them in virtue, and in the earnest prosecution of the best rules of life, and of such as are pure from wickedness; and will leave those rules to your excellent children: and this out of the regard that God bears to you, and the provision of such things for you as may render you happier than any other people under the You shall retain that land to which he hath sent you, and it shall be ever under the command of your children; and both all the earth, as well as the sea, shall be filled with their glory. And you shall be sufficiently numerous to supply the world in general, and every region of it in particular, with inhabitants out of your stock. However, O blessed army! wonder that you are become so many from one father! and truly the land of Canaan can now hold you, as being yet comparatively few: but know ye, that the whole world is proposed to be your place of habitation for ever. Your posterity shall also live in the islands, as well as on the continent, and shall be more numerous than the stars of heaven. And when you are become so many, God will not relinquish his care of you, but will afford you an abundance of all good things in times of peace, with victory and dominion in times of war. May the children of your enemies have an inclination to fight against you, and may they be so hardy as to come to arms, and to assault you in battle, for they will not return with victory, nor will their return be agreeable to their wives and children. To so great a degree of valour will you be raised by the providence of God, who is able to diminish the affluence of some, and to supply the wants of others."

sacrifices to be prepared. The ancients were very superstitious about certain numbers, supposing that God delighted in odd numbers.

Terna tibi hæc primum triplici diversa colore
Licia circumdo; terque hæc altaria circum
Effigiem duco; numero Deus impare gaudet.

VIRG. Eclog. viii. 73.

Thus did Balaam speak by inspiration; as not being in his own power, but moved to say what he did by the Divine spirit. But Balak was greatly displeased, and said, he had broken the contract whereby he was to come, as he and his confederates had invited him, by the promise of great presents. For whereas he came to curse their enemies, he had pronounced an encomium on them; and had declared they were the happiest of men. To which Balaam replied; "O Balak, if thou rightly considerest this whole matter, canst thou suppose that it is in our power to be silent, or to say any thing, when the Spirit of God seizes upon us? for he puts such words as he pleases in our mouths, and such discourses as we are not ourselves conscious of. I well remember by what entreaties both you and the Midianites brought me hither; and on that account I took this journey. It was my prayer that I might not put any affront upon you, as to what you desired of me. But God is more powerful than the purposes I had made to serve you. For those that take upon them to foretel the affairs of mankind, as from their own abilities, are entirely unable to do it; or to forbear to utter what God suggests to them, or to offer violence to his will. For when he prevents us, and enters into us, nothing that we say is our own. I then did not intend to praise this army, nor to notice the several good things which God intended to do to their race. But since he was so favourable to them, and so ready to bestow upon them a happy life, and eternal glory, he suggested the declaration of those things to me. But now, because it is my desire to oblige thee thyself, as well as the Midianites, whose entreaties it is not decent for me to reject; let us again rear other altars, and offer the like sacrifices that we did before; and I may see whether I can persuade God to permit me to bind these men with curses." Balak readily agreed to this proposal; but God would not even upon* second sacrifices consent to his cursing the Israelites. Then fell

Around his waxen image first I wind

Three woollen fillets, of three colours join'd;
Thrice bind about his thrice devoted head,
Which round the sacred altar thrice is led.
Unequal numbers please the gods.

DRYDEN. B.

* Whether Josephus had in his copy but two attempta of Balaam in all to curse Israel; or whether by his twice

Balaam upon his face, and foretold what calamities would befal the several kings of the nations, and the most eminent cities; some of which of old were not so much as inhabited; which events have come to pass among the several people concerned, both in the preceding ages, and in this, till my own memory, both by sea and land. From which completion of these predictions, one may naturally expect that the rest will have their completions in time to come.

Balak, being very angry that the Israelites were not cursed, sent away Balaam, without thinking him worthy of any honour. Whereupon, when he was just upon his journey, in order to pass the Euphrates, he sent for Balak, and for the princes of the Midianites, and spake thus to him: “O Balak, and you Midianites that are here present, I am obliged, even without the will of God, to gratify you. It is true, no entire destruction can seize upon the nation of the Hebrews; neither by war, nor by plague, nor by scarcity of the fruits of the earth; nor can any other unexpected accident be to their entire ruin. For the providence of God is concerned to preserve them from such a misfortune; nor will it permit any such calamity to come upon them, whereby they may all perish. But some small misfortunes, and those for some time, whereby they may appear to be brought low, may still befal them. But after that they will flourish again, to the terror of those who brought those mischiefs upon them. So that if you are desirous of gaining a victory over them for a short space of time, you will obtain it by following my directions. Do you therefore,* set out the comeliness of such of your daughters as are most eminent for beauty, and proper to conquer the modesty of those that behold them; and these decked and ornamented to the highest degree you are able. Then send them to the Israelites' camp; and give them in charge, that when the young men of the Hebrews desire their company, they allow it offering sacrifice, he meant twice beside the first time already mentioned, which is not yet very probable; cannot now be certainly determined. In the mean time all other copies have three such attempts of Balaam to curse them in the present history.

* Such a large and distinct account of this perversion of the Israelites by the Midianite women, of which our other copies give us but short intimations, Numb. xxxi. 16. 2 Pet, ii. 15. Jude 11. Apoc. ii. 14. is preserved, as Reland

them. And when they see that they are enamoured of them, let them take their leave; and if they entreat them to stay, let them not give their consent, till they have persuaded them to neglect their own laws, and the worship of that God who established them, and to worship the gods of the Midianites and Moabites: for by this means God will be incensed against them." Accordingly when Balaam had suggested this course, he went his way.

When the Midianites had sent their daugh-ters, as Balaam had exhorted them, the Hebrew young men were allured by their beauty; and besought them not to grudge them the enjoyment of their beauty, nor to deny them their conversation. These daughters of the Midianites received their words gladly, and consented to stay with them. But when they had brought them to be perfectly enamoured, they began to talk of departing. Then it was that these men became greatly disconsolate at the women's departure; and were urgent with them not to leave them; but begged they would continue there, and become their wives, and promised them they should be owned as mistresses of all they had. This they said with an oath, calling God for the arbitrator of what they promised; and this with tears in their eyes, and such other marks of concern as might show how miserable they thought themselves without them, and so might move their compassion. So the women, as soon as they perceived they had made them their slaves, and had enamoured them with their conversation, began to speak thus to them:

"O ye illustrious young men; we have houses of our own at home, and great plenty of good things there; together with the natural affectionate love of our parents and friends. Nor is it out of our want of any such things that we are come to discourse with you; nor did we admit of your invitation with design to prostitute our beauty for gain: but,

informs us, in the Samaritan chronicle, in Philo, and in other writings of the Jews, as well as here by Josephus.

†This grand maxim, that God's people of Israel could never be hurt, nor destroyed, but by drawing them to sin against God; appears to be true, by the entire history of that people, both in the Bible, and in Josephus; and is often noticed in them both. See in particular a most remarkable Ammonite testimony to this purpose: Judith v. 5, 21.

taking you for brave and worthy men, we agreed to your request, that we might treat you with such honours as hospitality required. And now seeing you say that you have a great affection for us, and are troubled when you think we are departing, we are not averse to your entreaties, and if we may receive satisfactory assurance of your good will, we will be glad to lead our lives with you, as your wives; but we are afraid that you will in time be weary of our company, and will then abuse us, and send us back to our parents, after an ignominious manner. You must, therefore, excuse us in guarding against that danger."

The young men professed they would give them any assistance they should desire; nor did they at all contradict what they requested; so great was the passion they had for them.

"If then," rejoined they, "this be your resolution; since you make use of such customs* and conduct of life as are entirely different from all other men; insomuch that your kinds of food are peculiar to yourselves, and your kinds of drink not common to others; it will be absolutely necessary, if you would have us for your wives, that you do withal worship our gods. Nor can there be any other demonstration of the kindness which you say you already have, and promise to have hereafter to us, than this, that you worship the same gods as we do. For has any one reason to complain, that now you are come into this country, you should worship the proper gods of the same country? especially while our gods are common to all men, and yours such as belong to nobody but yourselves." So they said they must either come into such methods of divine worship as all others came into, or else they must look out for another world, wherein they might live by themselves according to their own laws.

Now the young men were induced, by the fondness they had for these women, to think they spake very well. So they gave themselves up to what they suggested, and transgressed their own laws; and supposing there

*What Josephus here puts into the mouths of these Midianite women who came to entice the Israelites to lewdness and idolatry; viz. that their worship of the God of Israel, in opposition to their idol gods, implied their living according to the holy laws, which the true God had given them by Moses, in opposition to those impure laws, which were observed under their false gods, well deserves

VOL. I.-NO, 4,

were many gods, and resolving that they would sacrifice to them according to the law of that country which ordained them: they both were delighted with their strange food, and went on to do every thing that the women would have them do, though in contradiction. to their own laws. So far, indeed, that this transgression was already gone through the whole army of the young men: and they fell into a sedition that was much worse than the former, and into the danger of the entire abolition of their own institutions. For when once the youth had tasted of these strange customs, they went with insatiable inclinations into them; and some of the principal men, who were illustrious on account of the virtues of their fathers, were also corrupted together with the rest. Even Zimri, the head of the tribe of Simeon, accompanied with Cozbi, a Midianitish woman, who was the daughter of Sur, a man of authority in that country: and being desired by his wife to disregard the laws of Moses, and to follow those she was used to, he complied with her: and this both by sacrificing after a manner different from his own, and by taking a stranger to wife.

When things were in this state, Moses was afraid that matters would grow worse, and called the people to a congregation: he then accused nobody by name; as unwilling to drive those to despair, who, by lying concealed, might come to repentance; but he said, that they did not do what was either worthy of themselves, or of their fathers; by preferring pleasure to God, and to the living according to his will: that it was fit to change their courses, while affairs were in a good state; and think that to be true fortitude, which, instead of offering violence to their laws, enabled them to resist their lusts. besides that, he said, it was not a reasonable thing, when they had lived soberly in the wilderness, to act madly now they were in prosperity: and that they ought not to lose in abundance, what they had gained when they had little. And thus did he endeavour to cor

And

our consideration; and gives us a substantial reason for the great concern that was ever showed under the laws of Moses, to preserve the Israelites from idolatry, and in the worship of the true God; it being of no less consequence than, whether God's people should be governed by the holy laws of the true God, or by the impure laws, derived from demons, under the pagan idolatry.

I 1

rect the young men, and to bring them to repentance for what they had done.

But Zimri arose up after him, and said, "Yes, indeed, Moses, thou art at liberty to make use of such laws as thou art so fond of; and hast, by accustoming thyself to them, made them firm. Otherwise, if things had not been thus, thou hadst often been punished before now, and hadst known that the Hebrews are not easily put upon. But thou shalt not have me one of thy followers in thy tyrannical commands: for thou didst nothing else hitherto, but, under pretence of laws, and of God, wickedly impose upon us slavery, and gain dominion to thyself; while thou deprivest us of the sweetness of life, which consists in acting according to our own wills, and is the right of free men, and of those that have no lord over them. Nay, indeed, thou art harder upon the Hebrews than were the Egyptians themselves; as pretending to punish according to law every one's acting as is most agreeable to himself. But thou thyself better deservest to suffer punishment, who presumest to abolish what every one acknowledges to be good for him; and aimest to make thy single opinion of more force than that of the rest, and what I now do, and think to be right, I shall not hereafter deny to be according to my own sentiments. I have married, as thou sayest rightly, a strange woman, and thou hearest what I do from myself, as from one that is free: for truly I did not intend to conceal myself. I also own that I sacrifice to those gods to whom you do not think fit to sacrifice; and I think it right to acquire knowledge by inquiring of many people; and not, like one that lives under tyranny, to suffer the whole hope of my life to depend upon one man. Nor shall any one find cause to rejoice who declares himself to have more authority over my actions than myself."

When Zimri had said these things, about what he and some others had wickedly done, the people held their peace: both out of fear of what might come upon them, and because they saw that their legislator was not willing to bring his insolence before the public any farther, or openly to contend with him. For he avoided that, lest many should imitate the impudence of his language, and thereby disturb the multitude. Upon this, the assembly was dissolved. However, this mischievous

attempt had proceeded farther, if Zimri had not been slain on the following occasion: Phineas, a man in other respects better than the rest of the young men, and also one that surpassed his contemporaries in the dignity of his father; (for he was the son of Eleazar the high-priest, and the grandson of Aaron, Moses's brother,) was greatly troubled at what was done by Zimri. So he resolved to inflict punishment on him, before his unworthy behaviour should grow stronger by impunity, and in order to prevent this transgression from proceeding farther: which would happen if the ringleaders were not punished. He was of so great magnanimity, both in strength of mind and body, that when he undertook any very dangerous attempt, he did not relinquish it till he got an entire victory. So he came into Zimri's tent, and slew him with his javelin; and with it he slew Cozbi also. Upon which, all those young men that had a regard to virtue, and aimed to do a glorious action, imitated Phineas's boldness, and slew those that were found to be guilty of the same crime with Zimri. Accordingly many of those who had transgressed perished by the magnanimous valour of these young men. The rest all perished by a plague, which God himself inflicted upon them. So that all those, who, instead of hindering them from such wicked actions, as they ought to have done, had persuaded them to go on, were esteemed by God as partners in the wickedness, and died. Accordingly there perished out of the army no fewer than twentyfour thousand at this time.

This was the cause why Moses was provoked to destroy the Midianites; concerning which expedition we will speak presently, when we have first related what has been omitted. For it is but just not to pass over our legislator's due encomium, on account of his conduct here: because, although Balaam, who was sent for by the Midianites to curse the Hebrews; and when he was hindered from doing it by Divine Providence, did still suggest that advice to them, by making use of which our enemies had nearly corrupted the multitude of the Hebrews with their artifices; yet did he do him great honour, by setting down his prophecies in writing. And while it was in his power to claim this glory to himself, and make men believe they were his

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