the tabernacle of Korah, Dathan, and Abiram on every side: and Dathan and Abiram came out, and stood in the door of their tents, and their wives, and their sons, and their little children. And Moses said, Hereby ye shall know that the Lord hath sent me to do all these works; for I have not done them of my own mind. If these men die the common death of all men, or if they be visited after the visitation of all men; then the Lord hath not sent me."

MAMMA. The common death of all men, means a natural death, by illness or any of the usual accidents that cause death.

CHARLES.

"But if the Lord make a new thing, and the earth open her mouth, and swallow them up, with all that appertain unto them, and they go down quick into the pit”

MAMMA. This means to be buried

alive in perfect health.

CHARLES. "Then ye shall understand that these men have provoked the Lord."

MAMMA. In making this address, it is obvious that Moses spoke only the words dictated to his mind by the Holy Spirit; as he could not from himself only have known that God would take this method of vindicating His insulted honour, and showing to the people of Israel what was really His will.

CHARLES.

"And it came to pass, as he had made an end of speaking all these words, that the ground clave asunder that was under them; and the earth opened her mouth, and swallowed them up, and their houses, and all the men that appertained to them went down alive into the pit, and

the earth closed upon them: and they perished from among the congregation."

MAMMA. From an after-part of the Holy Scripture, it appears that the children of Korah were not involved in his punishment; but as no mention is made in any otner place of the children of Dathan and Abiram, it is probable that "their wives, their sons, and their little children," who stood with them "in the door of their tents," perished with them.

pose that the families of these unhappy men were led astray by their influence and example, and partook of their wickedness; but if that were not so, however appalling the dispensation to the by-standers, we cannot consider

it as harsh and severe to those who, if well-disposed, must have been very wretched had they been suffered to survive, and lament for their relatives suddenly cut off in the midst of unrepented sin. However that may be, we are sure that "the Judge of all the earth" would “ do right.”

CHARLES. "And all Israel that were round about them fled at the cry of them for they said, Lest the earth swallow us up also."

MAMMA. No wonder that all who witnessed this dreadful mark of God's displeasure were awe-struck. We cannot conceive any event more appalling than an earthquake, which, in an unlooked-for moment, brings instantaneous and hopeless destruction. To the Israelites it must have been most particularly so; for as earthquakes, I believe, are not known in any of the

countries bordering on Canaan or Egypt, it is not likely they should have ever heard of any such thing.

CHARLES. "And there came out a fire from the Lord, and consumed the two hundred and fifty men that offered incense."

MAMMA. This fire may either have been lightning, or fire that the Lord caused to break forth from the earth.

CHARLES. "And the Lord spake unto Moses, saying, Speak unto Eleazar, the son of Aaron the priest, that he take up the censers out of the burning, and scatter thou the fire yonder; for they are hallowed. The censers of these sinners against their own souls".

MAMMA. That is, these wicked men who had brought destruction on themselves.

CHARLES. "Let them make them