clean, and that ye may teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the Lord hath spoken unto them by the hands of Moses." Thus far at least is clear, that a grievous and thoughtless insult is offered to God by two of his Priests, for which they are cut off-that without any direct allusion to their case, but still very shortly after it had happened, a law is issued forbidding the Priests the use of wine when about to minister. I conclude, therefore, that there was a relation (though it is not asserted) between the specific offence and the general law; the more so, because the sin against which that law is directed is just of a kind to have produced the rash and inconsiderate act of which Aaron's sons were guilty. If, therefore, this incidental mention of such a law at such a moment, a moment so likely to suggest the enactment

of it, be thought enough to establish the law as a matter of fact, then have we once more ground to stand upon; for the enactment of the law is coupled with the sin of Aaron's sons; their sin with their punishment; their punishment with a miracle. Nor, it may be added, does the unreserved and faithful record of such a death, suffered for such an offence, afford an inconsiderable argument in favour of the candour and honesty of Moses, who is no respecter of persons it seems; but when God's glory is concerned, and the welfare of the people entrusted to him, does not scruple to be the chronicler of the disgrace and destruction even of the children of his own brother.

XIV.

ANOTHER Coincidence suggests itself, arising out of this same portion of history, whether however founded in fact or in fancy, be my readers the judges. From the 9th chapter of Numbers, v. 15, we learn that the Tabernacle was erected in the wilderness preparatory to the celebration of the first Passover kept by the Israelites after their escape from Egypt. From the 40th chapter of Exodus we find, that it was reared on the first day of the first month, (v. 2,) or thirteen days before the Passover,* and that at the same time Aaron and his sons were consecrated to minister in it (v. 13.) In the 8th and 9th chapters of Leviticus are given the particulars of their consecration, (8th, 6. 12, 30,) and the ceremony is *Leviticus, xxiii. 5.

said to have occupied seven days, (v. 33,) during which they were not to leave the Tabernacle day or night. On the eighth day they offered up sin-offerings for themselves and for the people. It was on this same day, as we read in the 10th chapter,* that Nadab and Abihu were cut off because of the strange fire which they offered, and their dead bodies were disposed of as follows:-"Moses called Mishael and Elizaphan, the sons of Uzziel, the uncle of Aaron, and said unto them, Come near, carry your brethren from before the sanctuary out of the camp. So they went near and carried them in their coats out of the camp." (x. 4.) All this happened on the eighth day of the first month, or just six days before the Passover.

Now in the 9th chapter of the Book of

*See ch. ix. 8. 12: x. 19.

Numbers, which speaks of this identical Passover, (v. 1,) as will be seen by a reference to the first verse of that chapter, (indeed there is no mention of more than this one Passover having been kept in the whole march,*) in this 9th chapter I am told of the following incidental difficulty: -that "there were certain men who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the Passover on that day-and they came before Moses and before Aaron on that day-and those men said unto him, We are defiled by the dead body of a man, wherefore are we kept back that we may not offer an offering to the Lord in his appointed season among the children of Israel.” (v. 6, 7.) The case is spoken of as a solitary one.

Now it may be observed, by way of limiting the question, that the number of

*See also Joshua, v. 9, 10.