UNCLE IN ENGLAND. 185 



the very interesting narrative of Balak and 

 Balaam's insidious attempts. It also describes 

 the consecration of the tabernacle, and recapi- 

 tulates the forty-two journeys of the Israelites 

 in the wilderness, under the miraculous guidance 

 of the cloud. 



" This book also contains several instances of 

 the prompt seventy with which God punished 

 the rebellious murmurings and ungrateful sedi- 

 tions of the people. But amidst the exemplary 

 terrors of those judgments, it sets forth on every 

 occasion the continuance of his fatherly mercy 

 and goodness, in providing for their wants, in 

 protecting and defending them, in holding out 

 the consoling offer of future restoration to his 

 favour, and particularly in the beautiful and com- 

 prehensive blessing which he appointed to be 

 pronounced by the priests, and to which, lest any 

 body should despise it, because uttered by a 

 mere mortal, he annexed this gracious and dis- 

 tinct promise, ' and I will bless them.' 



" The blessing* probably extended in its full 

 meaning to after-ages, and seems to be capable 

 of a more comprehensive interpretation than 

 what appears in our translation. For it is very 

 remarkable, that the name of Jehovah, which is 

 three times repeated, has each time in the ori- 

 ginal Hebrew a different accent. Some com- 

 mentators think that this refers to the three per- 



* Numbers vi. 24, 25, 26. 



R 3 



