the sixteenth chapter of the fourth book written by Moses, and called Numbers, because it contains an account of the numbering or mustering of the people of Israel. CHARLES. I have found the place, Mamma; shall I begin to read? MAMMA. Do so, my Do so, my dear; and as you proceed I shall occasionally stop you to tell you what I have learned from reading the works of various commentators on the Holy Scriptures. CHARLES. "Now Korah, the son of Izhar, the son of Kohath, the son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram, the sons of Eliab, and On, the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men." MAMMA. Korah's father, Ìzhar, being brother to Amram, the father of Moses and Aaron, he perhaps thought he ought to be on an equality with his cousins. CHARLES. But, Mamma, I should not be jealous of my cousins, or angry at their being appointed to any situation for which they were fitter than me. MAMMA. I hope not, my dear child, nor yet if they were appointed to places which you felt assured in your own mind you could have better filled; for in this world it does not always happen that those most deserving are rewarded, or that those best qualified for useful and important situations are chosen for them. But it is probable that Korah was an ambitious man, and that he was offended because another of his cousins, Elizaphan, son of Izhar's younger brother Uzziel, was appointed chief of the Kohathites instead of him. than, Abiram, and On, being descended from Jacob's eldest son Reuben, might think they had a better right to power Da and honour than those of the tribe of Levi. Some learned men, amongst others, Bishop Patrick* and Doctor Kennicott†, think this passage should rather have been translated "Korah, the son of Izhar, &c. took,”—or enticed, persuaded, won over, — “ Dathan and Abiram," &c. Now go on. "And they rose up be Dr. Simon Patrick, a learned and exemplary prelate of the 17th century. He endeared himself much to the parishioners of St. Paul's Covent Garden by his excellent character and preaching, and by his kindness to them while the plague was raging in 1665. In the reign of James II. he distinguished himself by his zeal for the Protestant religion, and was deservedly held in great esteem by William and Mary. He died at Ely, of which he was bishop, in 1707, at the age of 80, leaving behind him many valuable works, particularly commentaries and paraphrases on several of the books of the Old Testament. † Dr. Benjamin Kennicott, an excellent divine and eminent Hebrew scholar of the last century, who devoted his learning to the study and elucidation of the Bible. fore Moses, with certain of the children of Israel, two hundred and fifty princes of the assembly, famous in the congregation, men of renown and they gathered themselves together against Moses and against Aaron, and said unto them, Ye take too much upon you, seeing all the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the Lord is among them: wherefore then lift ye up yourselves above the congregation of the Lord ?” MAMMA. Nothing could be more false and unjust than this accusation of Moses, the meekest man on earth, as was declared in the third verse of the twelfth chapter of this book of Numbers. So far from lifting himself up, it was with the utmost difficulty he was persuaded to be the bearer of God's message to Pharaoh, or believe himself chosen to be the leader of the Israelites. His reply to the voice from the burning bush, was, "Who am I, that I should go unto Pharaoh, and that I should bring forth the children of Israel out of Egypt ?" CHARLES. I wonder, too, how they could dare to call themselves holy, when they had been so frequently guilty of distrust, disobedience, and idolatry. MAMMA. This is but too frequently the case; when men are angry, they quite forget how many causes of provocation they have given both to God and man. CHARLES." And when Moses heard it, he fell on his face." MAMMA. This he did, probably, both because he was much shocked at the ingratitude and presumption of these men, and also as and also as an act of humility before God. To this day, |