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tween the dead and the living, he prayed for the people; and the plague ceased. And the number of them that were slain was fourteen thousand and seven hundred men, besides them that had perished in the sedition of Core.

After this awful vengeance which God thus took upon those who rebelled against His authority, He gave a fresh and merciful proof that the priesthood was given to Aaron by His especial command. He said to Moses : Speak to the children of Israel, and take of every one of them a rod by their kindreds, of all the princes of the tribes, twelve rods, and write the name of every man upon his rod. And the name of Aaron shall be for the tribe of Levi; and one rod shall contain all their families and thou shalt lay them up in the tabernacle of the covenant before the testimony, where I will speak to thee. Whomsoever of these I shall choose, his rod shall blossom: and I will make to cease from me the murmurings of the children of Israel, wherewith they murmur against you. And Moses spoke to the children of Israel and all the princes gave him rods one for every tribe: and there were twelve rods besides the rod of Aaron. And when Moses had laid them up before the Lord in the tabernacle of the testimony: he returned on the following day, and found that the rod of Aaron for the house of Levi was budded: and that the buds swelling it had bloomed blossoms, which spreading the leaves, were formed into almonds. Moses therefore brought out all the rods from before the Lord to all the children of Israel: and they saw and every one received their rods. And the Lord said to Moses: Carry back the rod of Aaron into the tabernacle of the testimony, that it may be kept there for a token of the rebellious children of Israel, and that their complaints may cease from Me lest they die. And Moses did as the Lord had commanded.

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CHAP. XII. Water brought from the Rock. The Brazen Serpent. AGAIN the people murmured for want of water, so soon as any difficulty was found in obtaining it. They came

to Moses and Aaron, and said: Would God we had perished among our brethren before the Lord. Why have you brought out the church of the Lord into the wilderness, that both we and our cattle should die? Why have you made us come up out of Egypt, and have brought us into this wretched place, which cannot be sowed, nor bringeth forth figs, nor vines, nor pomegranates, neither is there any water to drink? And Moses and Aaron, leaving the multitude, went into the tabernacle of the covenant, and fell flat upon the ground, and cried to the Lord, and said: O Lord God, hear the cry of this people, and open to them Thy treasure, a fountain of living water, that being satisfied, they may cease to murmur. And the glory of the Lord appeared over them. And the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: Take the rod, and assemble the people together, thou and Aaron thy brother: and speak to the rock before them, and it shall yield waters. And when thou hast brought forth water out of the rock, all the multitude and their cattle shall drink. Moses therefore took the rod which was before the Lord, as He had commanded him. And having gathered together the multitude before the rock, he said to them: Hear, ye rebellious and incredulous: Can we bring you forth water out of this rock? And when Moses had lifted up his hand, and struck the rock twice with the rod, there came forth water in great abundance, so that the people and their cattle drank.

It was on this occasion also that Moses and Aaron themselves forfeited their title to lead the people into the promised land. When the tumult first arose, they fell into a state of unbelief; and so far doubted the power and goodness of God to protect His people as to dishonour Him before the people. As their punishment, therefore, God declared that they should die with the rest of the unbelieving multitude, before their children should enter Chanaan.

Aaron himself died not long afterwards; and just before he died, his priesthood was transferred, by God's command, to his son Eleazar.

The rock from which Moses brought forth the water by striking it with his rod was a figure of Jesus Christ; and the water represented His precious blood, which flowed forth for the salvation of man. In like manner also, the very next sin of the Israelites was followed by another token of the great deliverance from sin and death hereafter to be wrought by the Messias. After a while, the continual feeding upon the manna grew odious to the people, and they longed for more rich and varied kinds of food. Their sensual murmurings were punished immediately by an attack of fiery serpents, which bit the people in great numbers, and killed them. And when their hearts were struck with sorrow and fear, and they prayed for mercy, Moses was commanded by God to make a serpent of brass, and to set it up on high among the dying crowds; and whosoever looked at this serpent was healed from the fiery serpents' bite. And thus Christ was lifted up on high upon His cross, that every one who looked to Him in faith and penitence might be saved from the death which sin had brought upon him.

CHAP. XIII. Balaam.

THE Israelites were now close upon the country of the Moabites, an idolatrous and powerful people. Two pagan princes, Sehon king of the Amorrhites, and Og king of Basan, had already striven to stop the march of the chosen children of God, and had been defeated with great slaughter. And now the Moabitish sovereign, Balac by name, seeing how his neighbours had been overcome by this new and formidable multitude of wanderers, was terrified at their approach, and planned a method for destroying them. He imagined that if he could get the Israelites cursed by a magician or soothsayer, they would fall an easy prey into his hands when he attacked them. It was the belief of the old idolaters, that each nation was under the special protection of some idol-god, and that it was because the god of

the Israelites was a strong and powerful god that they crushed their enemies wheresoever they came.

Amongst the Ammonites, a Chanaanitish race, at this time lived Balaam, one of those magicians or false prophets who pretended to have supernatural powers, and who sometimes were indeed the instruments by which the devil wrought his accursed purposes among men. This Balaam was celebrated through all the country round, and to him, therefore, Balac, the Moabitish king, had recourse, and entreated him to come and curse the Israelites. It pleased the true God Himself, however, on this occasion to communicate His will to Balaam, and He forbade him to go with Balac's messengers. Balac then sent a second time to him, with offers of the must abundant gifts, if he would come and curse the people. Still Balaam durst not go with him; but his covetous disposition being tempted with Balac's splendid offers, he lingered in the hope that God would give him permission to go.

And this permission God gave him, enjoining him at the same time to take care not to follow Balac's wishes, but to say only whatever words God should put into his heart when he came to see the Israelites encamped on the borders of Moab. On his journey he received another proof that he was taking part with the enemies of God in even thus pretending to agree to the proposals of Balac, and a warning was given to beware of fighting against the Lord, which would have opened the eyes of any one less given up to the love of this world's riches. An angel met him as he rode upon his ass, in company with Balac's messengers. And the ass, seeing the angel standing in the way with a drawn sword, turned herself out of the way, and went into the field. And when Balaam beat her, and had a mind to bring her again into the way, the angel stood in a narrow place between two walls, wherewith the vineyards were inclosed. And the ass seeing him, thrust herself close to the wall, and bruised the foot of the rider. But he beat her again and nevertheless the angel going on to a narrow place, where there was no way to turn aside

either to the right hand or to the left, stood to meet him. And when the ass saw the angel standing, she fell under the feet of the rider; who, being angry, beat her sides more vehemently with a staff. And the Lord opened the mouth of the ass; and she said: What have I done to thee? why strikest thou me, lo, now this third time? Balaam answered: Because thou hast deserved it, and hast served me ill: I would I had a sword that I might kill thee. The ass said: Am not I thy beast, on which thou hast been always accustomed to ride until this present day? tell me if I ever did the like thing to thee. But he said: Never. Forthwith the Lord opened the eyes of Balaam; and he saw the angel standing in the way with a drawn sword; and he worshipped him, falling flat on the ground. And the angel said to him: Why beatest thou thy ass these three times? I am come to withstand thee, because thy way is perverse, and contrary to me: and unless the ass had turned out of the way, giving place to me who stood against thee, I had slain thee, and she should have lived. Balaam said: I have sinned, not knowing that thou didst stand against me: and now if it displeases thee that I go, I will return. The angel said: Go with these men, and see thou speak no other thing than what I shall command thee.

Arriving at Balac's palace, Balaam gave directions for preparing a solemn sacrifice upon seven altars. And when the sacrifice was completed, the Lord met him, and bade him bless the people. And he stood upon a high land, in the very place where the idolatrous worship of the Moabitish god Baal was carried on, and he beheld spread out beneath his feet the vast encampment of the Israelites. And he lifted up his voice, and said: Balac king of the Moabites hath brought me from Aram, from the mountains of the east: Come, said he, and curse Jacob: make haste and detest Israel. How shall I curse him, whom God hath not cursed? By what means should I detest him, whom the Lord detesteth not? I shall see him from the tops of the rocks, and shall consider him from the hills. This

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