M O 
mediately carried out of the camp, and buried without 
any funeral pomp; and he prohibited the family of Aaron 
from pradtifing any of the rites of mourning on that me¬ 
lancholy occafion. 
At length, after the camp had remained nearly twelve 
months in the neighbourhood of Mount Sinai, the Is¬ 
raelites re-commenced their marches through the wilder- 
nefs under the guidance of the miraculous cloud ; (Num. 
x. ii.) However, they had not proceeded more than 
three days, before Strong Symptoms of difcontent were 
difcovered among them, the pretended caule of which is 
not mentioned in the facred writings. But, whatever it 
might be, it was highly often five to the Divine Being, who 
caul'ed many of them to be deftroyed by an extraordinary 
fire, which broke out in different parts of the camp, and 
which ceafed as miraculoully as it had begun, at the in- 
terceffion of Mofes; (Num. xi.) From this early proof 
of their rebellious temper after the wonders which had 
been wrought among them, Mofes became fenfible that 
the weight of government was likely to prove fo heavy, 
that he Should require more afliftance in fuftaining it than 
he could derive from the aid of the magiftrates whom he 
had appointed by the advice of Jethro. He, therefore, 
earneltly requefted the divine direction in this matter; 
when God was pleafed to command him to choofe Seventy 
of the elders of Ifrael, w’ho were mod considerable for 
wifdom and integrity, and to eredt them into a Supreme 
court, promifing to bellow on them a portion of the fame 
Spirit which he had communicated to him, that they 
might bear the Share of the burden with him. This court 
Mofes established without delay; and he found the ad¬ 
vantage at the very next encampment of the Israelites 
at a Small distance from the Red Sea. A mixed mul¬ 
titude which had followed them from Egypt began, now 
to murmur at being confined to live upon manna, and 
to regret the abundance and delicioufnefs of the fiSh, 
fruits, and vegetables, which they enjoyed in that coun¬ 
try. The difl’atisfadtion which they exprefled Soon Spread 
through the whole camp; and the people aSTembled in 
crowds round the tent of Mofes, demanding, in a tumul¬ 
tuous manner, that he Should provide them fleSh to eat, 
instead of the manna, which was now become loathfome 
to them. Upon this, Mofes Summoned the Seventy elders 
to the door of the tabernacle, where Some Striking mani¬ 
festation of the Special presence of God drew the atten¬ 
tion of the whole camp, and he communicated to the 
elders Such a Share of his Spirit, that they all began to 
prophefy, or to enter on the duties of their new office 
with a degree of authority, vigour, and influence, adapted 
to the crisis. At the fame time Mofes was diredted to 
inform the people, that, Since they demanded fleSh, they 
Should be provided with Such food, till they Should 
naufeate it as much as they now did the manna. Ac¬ 
cordingly, a Strong wind brought Such aftoniftiing flocks 
of quails, that they covered the whole camp and Sur¬ 
rounding country for Several miles, and, being tired by 
their long flight, were caught by the people in quantities 
Sufficient not only for an immediate Supply, but to be 
preserved for future ufe. The firSl care of the murmurers 
was to glut themfelves with this tempting food; but in 
the midft of their feafting they were Smitten with the 
peftilence or plague, which carried off great numbers of 
them as a punishment for their leditious and discontented 
aondudt. 
The next occafion on which the divine power was ex¬ 
erted in Support of the authority of Mofes, was owing to 
.an unexpected difpute in his own family, (ch. xii.) Mi¬ 
riam as well as Aaron appearing to have caft unworthy re¬ 
flections upon his wife, and to have aimed at poSSeffing an 
equal if not Superior Share of power than himfelf in affairs 
of government. As a token of the divine dilpleafure at 
their conduct, Miriam, who Seems to have been the moft 
faulty of the two, was Stricken with a Sudden leprofy; 
which had a proper eftedt upon them both, and led them 
fabmiffively to apply to their brother for his interceffioa 
s E S. 87 
with God on her behalf, in conSequence of which She was 
cured of that diforder. 
In the fourth month of the Second year after their 
leaving Egypt, the Israelites encamped in the wilderneSs 
of Paran, when Mofes was commanded to Send twelve 
proper men, one out of each tribe, to view the whole 
land of Canaan, to examine the Strength of its cities and 
inhabitants, the fertility of the foil and its productions ; 
(ch. xiii.) After an abfence of forty days thefe meSTen- 
gers returned to the camp, and delivered their report to 
Mofes and Aaron, in the prefence of the elders and of 
all the people. They began by extolling the richnefs of 
the country, and Showed Specimens of the fine fruits 
which it produced, particularly a bunch of grapes of 
extraordinary lize, which had been fufpended on one of 
their Staves, and carried on the Shoulders of two perfons, 
to prevent the fruit from being bruifed. As Soon, how¬ 
ever, as they observed that their account had infpired 
the people with an eager defire of becoming the pofieflbrs 
of fuch a rich inheritance, by a fpeedy conqueft, ten of 
the envoys altered their tone, and maintained that fuch 
an undertaking was impracticable, on account of the 
Strength of the fortified cities, and the bravery and gi¬ 
gantic Stature of the inhabitants. Jofliua and Caleb, on 
the contrary, who were the remaining two of the depu¬ 
tation, adhered Steadily to a favourable report; (ch. xiv.) 
and the latter endeavoured to diffipate the apprehensions 
which he perceived that the representations of the cow¬ 
ardly ten had created in the minds of the people, by 
proving their ability for fuch a glorious enterprife. But 
his efforts were in vain, and the people wholly deSpaired 
of overcoming the obftacles which oppofed the conqueft 
of Canaan. Before the following morning their nuir- 
murings grew to fuch a height, that they talked of re¬ 
turning again into Egypt, as preferable to embarking in 
fuch a dangerous warfare, and even began to conlult 
about choofing a leader to conduCt them to the land of 
their former fervitude. But, when they were upon the 
point of breaking out into open infurreCtion, they were 
deterred by fome threatening appearances in the cloud 
which then covered the tabernacle; and their fears of 
the Canaanites were converted into apprehenfions of fome 
terrible judgment which might be immediately inflidted 
on them, as a punishment of their pusillanimity and re¬ 
bellious fpirit. On this occafion Mofes was commissioned 
to announce a divine decree, that, as a mark of God’s 
difpleafure on account of their infidelity and ingratitude, 
not one of their number, who were above the age of twenty 
years, excepting Jofliua and Caleb, Should ever enter into 
the promifed land ; but that they Should wander from 
place to place during forty years, til 1 they all perished in 
the wildernefs. As an earnefl: of the fulfilment of this 
decree, ten meSTengers, by whofe falfe report they were in¬ 
stigated to this rebellion, were all destroyed by a fudden 
death. This fevere fentence excited fo much alarm and 
Shame in the cowardly multitude, that they prefen ted them¬ 
felves ready armed on the following morning before Mofes, 
(ver. 40.) and declared their determination to proceed im¬ 
mediately to the conqueft of.the country. It was in vain 
that he endeavoured to divert them from fo rafli an enter- 
prize, by representing that they could not now expedt fuc- 
cefs, Since by their late behaviour they had forfeited the di¬ 
vine affiltance and protedtion. Determined to try their for¬ 
tune, they marched againft the Amalekites and Canaanitys, 
who furprifed them-in the pafles of their mountains, and 
drove them back with great Slaughter to the camp. 
During the remaining years which the Ifraelites fpen£ 
in the wildernefs, they were prepared for encountering 
thefe warlike nations by their expeditions againft the 
Amorites and Midianites: and they were trained to order 
and obedience, by the fevere punishment which fpeedily 
followed their adts of rebellion and wickednefs. Of the 
numerous instances of their corredtion which occurred 
under the administration of Mofes, we Shall notice a few • 
of the principal before we relate the concluding adtion? 
