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Lessons for the Twenty-first Day of the Month throughout the Year.

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v. 8.

ข. 12.

cording to the favour that thou bearest unto thy people : O visit me with thy salvation!

5 That I may see the felicity of thy chosen and rejoice in the gladness of thy people, and give thanks with thine inheritance.

6 We have sinned with our fathers we have done amiss, and dealt wickedly.

7 Our fathers regarded not thy wonders in Egypt, neither kept they thy great goodness in remembrance: but were disobedient at the sea, even at the Red Sea.

8 Nevertheless, he helped them for his Name's sake (t): that he might make his power to be

known.

9 He rebuked the Red Sea also, and it was dried up so he led them through the deep, as through a wilderness;

10 And he saved them from the adversaries' hand and delivered them from the hand of the enemy.

11 As for those that troubled them, the waters overwhelmed

(t)" Name's sake." See Psalm

XXV. IO.

(u)" Sang praise." It was upon this occasion the triumphal hymn in Exod.xv. was written, which is the most antient piece of poetry now extant. It was written 1551 years before the birth of Christ.

v. 14. (x) "Lust," to have flesh to eat, because they were tired of manna. See Numb. xi. 4. "The mixed multi"tude that was among them fell a lust"ing, and the children of Israel also wept again, and said, Who shall give us flesh to eat."

0.15.

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(y)" Gave them," &c. According to Numb. xi. 31. "there went forth a wind from the Lord, and brought quails "from the sea," which they gathered up in large quantities,

them there was not one of them left.

12 Then believed they his words and sang praise (u) unto

him.

13 But within a while they forgat his works and would not abide his counsel;

14 But lust (x) came upon them in the wilderness: and they tempted God in the desert.

15 And he gave them (y) their desire and sent leanness (z) withal into their soul.

16 (a) They angered Moses also in the tents: and Aaron, the saint of the Lord.

17 So the earth opened, and swallowed up Dathan and covered the congregation of Abiram.

18 And the fire was kindled in their company the flame burnt up the ungodly.

19 They made a calf (b) in Horeb and worshipped the molten image.

:

20 Thus they turned their glory (c) into the similitude of

a calf that eateth hay.

(x)" Leanness," &c. According to v.15. Numb. xi. 33. "while the flesh was yet "between their teeth, ere it was chewed, "the wrath of the Lord was kindled "against the people, and the Lord "smote the people with a very great "plague: and he called the name of that place Kibroth Hattaavah, because "there they buried the people that "lusted." See also Ps. lxxviii. 31. (a) See Numb. xvi. 1 to 35.

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(b)" A calf." See Exod. xxxii. 4. (c) "Turned their glory." St. Paul uses the same expression for idol worship, Rom. i. 23. "they changed the glory "of the incorruptible God into an image "made like to corruptible man." So Jer. ii. 11. My people have changed "their glory for that which doth not "profit."

v. 16.

v. 19.

v. 20.

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27 To cast out their seed among the nations and to scatter them in the lands.

28 They joined themselves unto Baal-peor (g) and ate the offer. ings of the dead.

29 Thus they provoked him to anger with their own inventions and the plague was great among them.

30 Then stood up Phineas, and prayed (b) and so the plague ceased.

31 And that was counted unto him for righteousness: among all posterities for evermore.

32 They angered him also at the waters of strife (i) so that he punished Moses for their sakes.

33 Because they provoked his

v.23.

v. 24.

v. 26.

(d) "Stood," &c. See Exod. xxxii. II, 12. "Moses besought the Lord his "God, and said, "Lord, why doth thy "wrath wax hot against thy people, "whom thou hast brought forth out of "the land of Egypt, with great power, " and with a mighty hand? Wherefore "should the Egyptians say, " For mis"chief did he bring them out, to slay "them in the mountains, and to consume "them from the face of the earth," &c.

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(e) Thought scorn," &c. See ante 3. note on Ps. xcv. 8 to 11.

(ƒ) "Lift he up his hand," i. e. "sware." In the Israelitish mode of swearing, the hand was lifted up, and there are several passages in which the expression of" lifting up the hand" signifies "swearing." See Gen. xiv. 22, 23. "I have lift up mine hand unto the Lord, "that I will not take any thing that is "thine." So Ez. xx. 15. 23. "I" (i. e. God) "lifted up my hand unto "them in the wilderness, that I would "not bring them into the land which I "had given them, and that I would "scatter them among the heathen, and "disperse them through the countries," &c. &c. And Rev. x. 5. "The angel "lifted up his hand to heaven, and sware," &c. See also Ezek. xx. 5.

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28. 42.-Dan. xii. 7.-Ps. xliv. 21.cxliv. 8.

(g) "Unto Baalpeor." See Numb. xxv. 3. "And Israel joined himself unto Baalpeor; and the anger of the Lord was kindled against Israel."

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(b) For "prayed," the Bible transla. *. tion is "executed judgment;" and Dr.

Hammond reads "made an atonement," either of which seems right. The Bible gives no account of any prayer by Phineas, but when Zimri brought unto his bre thren a Midianitish woman, and God destroyed 24,000 of the people for joining themselves unto the daughters of Moab, and unto Baalpeor, Phineas slew Zimri and the woman; "and the Lord spake "unto Moses, saying, Phineas hath "turned my wrath away from the chil "dren of Israel, while he was zealous "for my sake among them, that I con"sumed not the children of Israel in my jealousy Behold, I give unto him my covenant of peace, and he shall have it, and his seed after him, even the "covenant of an everlasting priesthood, "because he was zealous for his God, " and made an atonement for the children " of Israel." See Numb. xxv. 10 to 13.

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(i)" Of strife," so called, because the

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spirit so that he spake unad-
visedly (k) with his lips.

41 Their enemies oppressed them and had them in sub

34 Neither destroyed they thejection.
heathen (1) as the Lord com-
manded them;

35 But were mingled among
the heathen and learned their
works.

36 Insomuch that they worshipped their idols, which turned to their own decay: yea, they offered their sons and their daughters unto devils;

37 And shed innocent blood, even the blood of their sons and of their daughters whom they offered unto the idols of Canaan, and the land was defiled with blood.

38 Thus were they stained with their own works: and went a whoring with their own inventions.

39 Therefore was the wrath of the Lord kindled against his people insomuch that he abhorred his own inheritance.

40 And he gave them over into the hand of the heathen: and they that hated them were lords over them.

children of Israel strove with the Lord
for want of water. See Numb. xx. 13.

(k) "Unadvisedly," &c. God had
ordered Moses and Aaron to speak unto
the rock before the eyes of the assembly,
and it should give forth water; they did
so, and Moses struck the rock with his
rod twice, and the water came out abun-
dantly; but Moses used some expressions
upon gathering the people together,
which implied a distrust in the water's
being produced, and such as were not
calculated to put the minds of the people
into a proper temper, so as to give the
miracle its proper effect upon them:
"Hear now, ye rebels, must we fetch

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you water out of this rock?" and "God spake unto Moses and unto

42 Many a time did he deliver them but they rebelled against him with their own inventions, and were brought down in their wickedness.

43 Nevertheless, when he saw their adversity he heard their complaint.

44 He thought upon his covenant, and pitied them according unto the multitude of his mercies: yea, he made all those that led them away captive, to pity them.

45 Deliver us, O Lord our God, and gather us from among the heathen that we may give thanks unto thy holy Name, and make our boast of thy praise.

46 Blessed be the Lord God of Israel from everlasting, and world without end: and let all the people say, Amen.

MORNING PRAYER.

Psalm cvii. (m)
O GIVE thanks unto the Lord;

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IO, II, 12.

(1) "Destroyed they the heathen," &c. v.34. See Judges i. ii.

(m) A beautiful alternate hymn, by two sets of singers, animating the people to the praise of God, by pointing out instances of his mercy, each set endea vouring to surpass the other by those he adduced. It is not improbable, from the instances it brings forward, that it was written shortly after the pas sage through Jordan, into the land of Canaan; and if so, it is far more antient

v.7.

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2 Let them give thanks, whom the Lord hath redeemed and delivered from the hand of the enemy;

3 And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west from the north, and from the south..

4 They went astray in the wilderness out of the way: and found no city to dwell in ;

5 Hungry and thirsty : their soul fainted in them.

6 So they cried unto the Lord in their trouble : and he delivered them from their distress.

7 He led them forth by the right way that they might go to the city where they dwelt (n).

8 O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodness: and declare the wonders that he doeth for the children of men!

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13 So(0) when they cried unto the Lord in their trouble he delivered them out of their distress.

14 For, he brought them out of darkness, and out of the shadow of death and brake their bonds in sunder.

15 O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodness and declare the wonders that he doeth for the children of men!

16 For he hath broken the gates of brass and smitten the bars of iron in sunder.

17 Foolish men are plagued for their offence: and because of their wickedness.

18 Their soul abhorred (p) all manner of meat and they were even hard at death's door.

19 So (9) when they cried unto the Lord in their trouble: he delivered them out of their distress.

20 He sent his word, and healed them and they were saved from their destruction.

21 O that men would therefore praise the Lord for his goodness and declare the wonders that he doeth for the children of men!

22 That they would offer unto him the sacrifice of thanksgiving: and tell out his works with glad ness!

23 They that go down to the

same thing. The complaint in the 4th verse is, that they "found no city to "dwell in,” and this answers that com plaint.

(0) For" so," read " but." (p) "Abhorred," i. e. (probably) . from illness.

(q) For "so" read " but."

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