150 NLIMBERS XX I Ila had faid, and bee offered abullockeand a rant on an altar. Annotations,' BVW me here] or , Build for me in this placefiven altars. Balaam here bewraicth his impiety, when in fiead of diffwading the king from his evill cnterprife,by theword ofGod,who had for- bidden him to curie Ifrael , Numb. 22.12. hee at- tempteth togetherwith him, to effe& his wicked purpoCe ; and that (which is wont of all) under the colour of religious aEtions, building altars, and offering facrifices to God , hereby to entreat and obtaine leave of him to curie his people. For it was the manner in thofc dayes to feeke the Lord, and obtaine his favour by facrifice , Gen. 46.1,2. &c. I Sam. 13.9.12. Hot' 5.6. Thus Bala- ; hath loose forgotten the Oracle of God , the sword of the Angell , and dangers that kee fo hardly efcaped by the way, and greedily runneth after the errour of his esill heart , fulfilling the laying of the Prophet , Let favour be [hewed to the wicked, yet will he not !came righteoufneffè , E fai. 26. 1 o. prepare me] or, prepare for me. As Balak faid , Curf me Iahob and defie Ifrael : fo Balsam faith, Build me altars, and prepare me facrifices; his intent being not to honour God,but to curie his people. Thus religion is made a cloake of wiekedneffe. The faerifice of the wicked is abomination: how much more when he bringeth it with a wicked minde, Pray. 2i. 27. God defireth mercie and not faerifice, Hof. 6. 6. But Balaam was of their reli- gion which thinhe that game is gtdlineffe, r Tim. 6.5. and for the wages ofiniquitie, abufeth the ordinances of the bleffed God ;unto curfing and crueltie. fives bullocks] as bullock! and rammet were facrifices which God hinifelfe required in the Law, Levit. T. and which the Patriarchs had learned fromGod of old,Gen.15.9. fo feven was a number fan£tified of God for many myfteries,(as is noted on Levit.4.6.) and particularly in facri- fices,as he Laid to Iobs friends , Take ante you now fevers bullocks and fact: rammes , and goe to my fir- vane lob, and offer up for your feller a Burnt-offering, fob 42.8. So at thebringing up oldie Arke,David and the Elders of Ifrael ofredfves bullocks andfe- Zen rams , 1 Chron. a 5.26, and Ezekias with the ru- lers brought [yen bullocks , and feven rams , and feven lambs, and fven bee -goats for a Sin- ofring for the king - dome, &c. 2 Chren.2 9.21. Wherefore the Aramites, Moabites, and other nations , having learned from their ancestors the manner of facrificiug unto God , retained it till Mores time, and long after,though corrupted with their owne fuperfti- tions, and abulèd to much impietie. Hereupon Balaam facrificeth to the Lord in this fort , to purchafe favour of him,and vainly boafteth unto God himfelfe of his good worke, verf. 4. And according to this number, it is leven times faid of Bataan', that he tool; up húparable, Numb.23.7. is. and Nunib.24.3. t 5.20.21.23. z Verse 2. Balaktid]ThottghChemofh was Balaks tIod,Num,2 i.29. yet now by Balaams counlèll he facrificeth to Jehovah the God of Ifrael,v.3.17,as unftable then in hope to obtaine their purpofes are easily drawn to communicate with all reli- gions trite or false, & to make a finfull mixture of them,, King. 17. 28 ,29.--- 33Ezr.4.r,2.Afïi7.23. on an altar]that is,as the Chaldee explaineth it, on every altar. The altar being an holy ordinance, which farr&ified the offering,Mat.23. t 9.and a fi- gure of Chrift,Heb. r ;.1 o.loh. i 7. i 9.they(for the morefanfimony) offer their gifts on feverall al- tars. Wherein they adde fuperftition to the reli- gion received from the fathers:for holy men ufed one altar in a place,though many facrifices, Gen. 8.zo.& 12.7.& i 3.4.18.and 26.25.and 33.20, & 35.3. Ex.17. e 5.& 24.4. but Idolaters accuftomed themfelves to many altars, z Kings 18, a 2.Ier. a i. 13.Hof, to, r.and r2.11 Amos 3.r4.Efa. 17.8.fuch many altars were multiplied to fin, Hof.8.i r. Verse 3. Stand] or, Prefent thy felfe, to wit, unto God, here by shy burnt- ofing, and goe not with me ;as they were wont to Rand by their facrifices whiles they burned,and prefent themfelves there unto the Lord,who lint had refpeht unto the offe- rer,and then unto the gift,Gen.4.4.5foBalak and his princes were to fray there , if perhaps God would refpeEt their perfons. peradventure le- hovah will come] or , as the Greeke tranflateth , if perhaps the Lord will appeare. Balaam went ow to meet with inchantments , or fignes ofgood luck, Num.24. I. which after the manner offalfe Pro- phees , hee coloureth with the name of the Lord. what word]or,wbat thing loever. to an high place] to a cliff of the rock: or, fo/itarie,to a falitarie place: and thus the Chaldee expounds it , he went alone. He went as foothfayers were wont , to an high and folitary place, to make his prayers,and to observe fignes if any lhonld appeare. Verse 4. God met Balaam] in Greeke , Godappea- red to Balsam; in Chaldee, the word from before the L 0 RD met (or came unto)Balaam: and fo againe in v.16. Though he fought the Lord both by an unlawful! means of inchantneent,Num. 24.1. Den. 18.10: and to a wicked end,that he might curie Ifrael, Deut. 23.4,5. yet the Lord meeteth with him, and putteth his word in his mouth, for the good of his people. So when Nebuchadnezzar ufed divinations,and confidted with Idols,being unrefolved whether he should fire} warre against the Iewes or the Ammonites , the Lord fo difpo- fed of it, that he first fell upon the Iewes, & figni- fied the fame to his Prophet, Ezek 21.1 9.-- -23. be faid] that is, as the Greeke explaineth it, Balsam faid. I have prepared]or, I have ordered. He vainly glorieth of his religious works before God,fuppofing that he would be pleafed with his many altars and facrifices wherewith he honou- red him;and withal! implying his requeft,that he might have leave to curie Ifrael : but the Lord mould not heare Balaam, Dent. 23.5. for he bath not fo great delight in Burnt- offrings and facrifices, as in obedience to his voyce, i Sam.15 .z 2. To doe juffice and judgement, is more acceptable to the L 0 RD, than faerifice, Prov. 2I.3. Vert 3 4
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