as some better render it, from the head to the slave of the 43 enemy, from the king to the meanest of the people. Rejoice, O ye nations, [with] his people: for he will avenge the blood of his servants, and will render vengeance to his adversaries, and will be merciful unto his land, [and] to his people.* The former part of the song expresses great enmity between the Jews and the Gentiles; but here Moses exults in the prospect of their becoming one people.

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And Moses came and spake all the words of this song in the ears of the people, he and Hoshea, or Joshua, the son of 45 Nun. And Moses made an end of speaking all these words to 46 all Israel: And he said unto them, Set your hearts unto all

the words which I testify among you this day, which ye shall command your children to observe to do, all the words of 47 this law. For it [is] not a vain thing for you; because it [is] your life: and through this thing ye shall prolong [your] days in the land, whither ye go over Jordan to possess it. Here Moses gives them a solemn charge to regard what he had been saying, and to teach them to their children, as the way to obtain long life here, and eternal life hereafter. Luke x. 28.

48 And the LORD spake unto Moses that selfsame day, he 49 renewed the order given him in chap. xxvii. 12, saying, Get thee up into this mountain Abarim, [unto] mount Nebo, which [is] in the land of Moab, that [is] over against Jericho ; and behold the land of Canaan, which I give unto the children $0 of Israel for a possession: And die in the mount whither thou goest up, and be gathered unto thy people; as Aaron thy brother died in mount Hor, and was gathered unto his $1 people; Because ye trespassed against me among the children of Israel at the waters of Meribahkadesh, in the wilderness of Zin; because ye sanctified me not in the midst of 52 the children of Israel. Yet thou shalt see the land before [thee;] but thou shalt not go thither unto the land which I give the children of Israel. God reminds Moses of his sin, that he might submit to the appointment more cheerfully ; he tells him of Aaron who was gone before, and was a pattern of patient resignation; and promises him a sight of the good land; this was designed as a favour, and a token that he was reconciled.

Before this verse the LXX insert these words; Rejoice, ye heavens, together with him, and let all the angels of God worship him. The latter clause is exactly the words which the apostle quotes in Heb. i. 6. and, if they are in the original, they are a prediction of the exaltation of Christ, as what comes after is a plain prophecy of the calling of the gentiles, and is so applied by St. Paul. This yet remains to be fulfilled, with many other Parallel passages in the Revelations

1.

REFLECTIONS.

T is much to be wished, that all men would consider their latter end, and reflect upon the consequences of their actions. It is a sign of wisdom, and the way to increase it. Especially let us look forward to the end of life, and what will await us then. While men banish the thoughts of futurity, and live like the beasts that perish, without understanding and reflection, it is no wonder there is so much wickedness in the world. The miseries of mankind are owing to want of consideration. Lam. i. 9. Jerusalem remembered not her last end, therefore she came down wonderfully: she had no comforter. Let us look forward, and consider what lies before us; that, like prudent men, foreseeing the evil we may hide ourselves.

2. Though wicked men may at present prosper, and flourish like the green bay tree, yet judgments are kept in store for them. Their wickedness is laid up for them, and it will not be lost or forgotten. Though punishment may be delayed, and the sentence may not be speedily executed, a day of reckoning will come, when the treasure will be unsealed, and God will execute vengeance on his enemies. This is true of christians who apostatize from the gospel, or who abuse it. For we know him that hath said, Vengeance belongeth to me, I will recompense, saith the Lord. The Lord shall judge his people, Heb. x. 30. Let us, therefore, be afraid of God's judgments; for, as the apostle infers from this very consideration, it is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God.

3. The great importance of religion, should recommend it to the serious regards of all mankind; it is not a vain thing, or a light matter, or a thing of indifference, that may be either attended to or neglected; but our life is at stake. It is the only way to secure peace and happiness in the present life, and to obtain eternal felicity. This is not one of those trifles, which if a man pursue he is not the better, or if he neglect he is not the worse; it is a matter of infinite moment. Oh that men were sensible of this; that they would set their hearts to keep God's commandments; that they would make religion their chief business, and set about it with seriousness, affection, and resolution! May we then fear God, and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.

CHAP. XXXIII.

In this chapter we have a very sublime description of the majesty of God; the blessings of the twelve tribes; and the excellency of Israel; being the last words of Moses, who dies, like his ances tors, expressing his good wishes for Israel, and leaving behind him a prophetical blessing, which should in due time be fulfilled. The dying words of great and eminent men, often make a deep impression; these were probably left in writing.

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is the wherewith the man

God blessed the children of Israel before his death, 2 which was a prophecy of what should befall them hereafter. And he said, The LORD came from Sinai, and rose up from Seir unto them; he shined forth from mount Paran,* and he came with ten thousands of saints: from his right hand [went] a fiery law for them. In this verse he celebrates the goodness of 3 God in giving them the law from Sinai. Yea, he loved the people; all his saints [are] in thy hand and they sat down at thy feet [every one] shall receive of thy words. The giving of the law, though attended with terror, was a token of his special love to them. They were in his hand, or under his providence and protection; and during their abode at Sinai, they sat at his feet to receive his words, like scholars at their master's feet. They are then reminded by whose hand it was given, and the Jews say, this was the first thing they were to teach 4 their children. Moses commanded us a law, [even] the inheritance of the congregation of Jacob; Moses commanded to receive this law, which God hath given, and which was the 5 best inheritance to them and their children. And he was king in Jeshurun, when the heads of the people [and] the tribes of Israel were gathered together; Moses was, under God, their supreme ruler and governor. He then proceeds to bless each particular tribe.

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Let Reuben live, and not die; and let [not] his men be few.t

And this is the blessing] of Judah and he said, Hear, LORD, the voice of Judah; that is, hear their prayers: it intimates that much of a devotional spirit should remain among them, and that their prayers should be answered: and bring him unto his people, that is, after the captivity; which was accomplished: let his hands be sufficient for him; and be thou an help [to him] from his enemies; that is, avenge him of his enemies,

Seir and Paran were two neighbouring hills that were enlightened with the glory of God, which shone on Sinai; from hence, amidst an host of angels, he delivered the law with his right hand to Moses out of the midst of the fire.

+ The last not should be left out; though his men be few, it should still exist as a tribe, though not be so numerous as some others.

and let his own strength be sufficient, without the aid of his brethren. Accordingly, this was the most valiant and successful tribe, and continued longest. Nothing is said of Simeon, because he was included in the lot of Judah, Joshua xix. 1. they went together in their expeditions.

And of Levi he said, [Let] thy Thummim and thy Urim [be] with thy holy one; let the breastplate of judgment, (which was the Urim and Thummîm,) let light and uprightness be with Aaron and his seed; whom thou didst prove at Massah, [and with] whom thou didst strive at the waters of Meribah, whom thou didst severely try and awfully reprove, and shut out of Canaan; Who said unto his father and to his mother, I have not seen him; neither did he acknowledge his brethren, nor knew his own children for they have observed thy word, and kept thy covenant; in the execution of thy judgments concerning the golden calf, they showed no respect of persons, 10 and adhered to God when none else did so; therefore They shall teach Jacob thy judgments, and Israel thy law they shall put incense before thee, and whole burnt sacrifice upon thine altar; they shall be continued in this honourable employment, 11 shall teach thy law, and offer sacrifices. Bless, LORD, his substance, and accept the work of his hands: smite through the loins of them that rise against him, and of them that hate him, that they rise not again; they will have many enemies, perhaps more, because of their being God's ministers; but thou wilt bless and prosper them.

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[And] of Benjamin he said, The beloved of the LORD shall dwell in safety by, or before, him; [and the LORD] shall cover him all the day long; the tribe of Benjamin, who is beloved of God, as Benjamin was of his father, shall have his lot near the temple of God, who will protect him from evil; and he shall dwell between his shoulders; that is, God's temple, wherein he drvelt, shall be built on mount Moriah, which was in that tribe.

And of Joseph he said, Blessed of the LORD [be] his land, for the precious things of heaven, for the dew, and for the deep that coucheth beneath; his shall be a fruitful country, 14 enriched with dews, and showers, and springs of water; And for the precious fruits [brought forth] by the sun, and for the precious things put forth by the moon, or, as in the margin of our bibles, by the moons; that is, fruits shall be brought forth 15 successively in their several months. And for the chief things of the ancient mountains, and for the precious things of the lasting hills; their hills shall bring forth vines, and olives, and 16 figs without, and within shall be full of rich metals. And for the precious things of the earth and fulness thereof, and [for] the good will of him that dwelt in the bush; the crown of all was the Shekinah, which appeared to Moses, the good will and VOL. II. Ee

:

favour of God, the fountain of all blessings; and who alone can give a relish to all: let [the blessing] come upon the head of Joseph, and upon the top of the head of him that was separated from his brethren; let blessings come in a large, plentiful, conspicuous manner, and crown the head of him that was separated from his brethren, but separated to honour and glory in 17 Egypt. His glory [is like] the firstling of his bullock, and his horns [are like] the horns of unicorns with them he shall push the people together to the ends of the earth; he shall enjoy kingly authority, have power and strength to push and destroy his enemies to the ends of the earth, or the land: and they [are] the ten thousands of Ephraim, and they [are] the thousands of Manasseh; though the men of Manasseh are now more than the men of Ephraim, in process of time Ephraim shall exceed Manasseh, according to Jacob's prophecy, Gen. xlviii. 19.

1.

REFLECTIONS.

WE have great reason toeads Israel to celebrate this, as a

us his

token of his special kindness. A goodly land was their inheritance, but the divine revelation was the best possession for them and theirs we can leave posterity nothing better than our bibles. Let us bless God for them, as Israel here did for Moses; and maintain a grateful sense of the grace of the Lord Jesus Christ, who came to teach us. The glorious light of the gospel is the greatest blessing our land can boast of. We have, in this repect, all reason to say, The lines are fallen to us in pleasant places, surely we have a goodly heritage.

2. The favour and good will of God, is the best blessing we can ask for our friends. Moses prayed for many blessings upon Joseph, but this was the last and the chief; it is the source of all blessings; it sweetens all others, and secures the soul from evil. At the bush God renewed his covenant; let us recommend our children, servants, friends, and acquaintance, to the good will of God, as our covenant God; and instead of being solicitous for a blessing out of the corn floor or wine press, or from worldly prosperity, let us pray, that his good will may be with them for time and eternity.