When the glory first covered the tabernacle, Moses could not enter into it, because the cloud abode thereon, and the glory of the LORD filled it; and it continued to do so most probably for some days, during which the LORD called unto Moses, and spake unto him out of the tabernacle of the congregation, and deli vered to him, in an audible voice, the several laws recorded in the first eight chapters of Leviticus; after receiving which, Moses proceeded to anoint the taber nacle, the altar, and all its vessels, and to consecrate Aaron and his sons to the priests' offices. Aaron first officiated as high priest on the eighth day after the be ginning of his consecration, and his consecration might be begun on the fifth day of the month; so that he might enter upon his ministry on the twelfth. We cannot suppose his consecration sooner, allowing a due space of time for the giving and receiving and recording the laws above-mentioned; nor can we ima gine it later upon account of celebrating the passover, which was to be on the fourteenth, and which was not celebrated until after the deaths of Nadab and Abihu; for we find at the passover, that there were certain men, who were defiled by the dead body of a man, that they could not keep the passover. These I think must have been Mishael and Elzaphan, who had carried Nadab and Abihu, from before the sanctuary out of the camp;' so that their deaths happened just before the passover,

P. Exodus xl. 34, 35.

'ix. 1-8.

" Levit. v. 4.

Levit. i. 1.

v viii.

t Numbers ix. 6.

X

on the very first day of Aaron's ministration; for whilst he was ordering the bullock and the ram for the peace-offering, when the fire came out from before the LORD and consumed the burnt-offering and fat upon the altar," Nadab and Abihu two of Aaron's sons, took cach of them a censer, and put fire therein, and put incense thereon, and offered strange fire before the LORD, which he commanded them not, and there went out fire from before the LORD and struck them dead. This unhappy accident must have occasioned some interruption in the ministration; Aaron and his two other sons were undoubtedly affected with it, but Moses applied to them, and required them to suppress their grief for the calamity, and not to accompany the dead bodies out of the tabernacle, lest the displeasure of God should arise against them. Aaron's heart seems here to have almost sunk within him; and I imagine, he would have taken some refreshment to support his spirits against the load of sorrow which now pressed heavy upon him; and that this occasioned the command now given him, Do not drink wine, nor strong drink, thou nor thy sons with thee, when ye go into the tabernacle of the congregation, lest ye die; it shall be a statute for ever throughout your generations. Moses ordered the dead bodies of Nadab and Abihu to be carried out of the tabernacle and out of the camp; and then called upon Aaron, and his sons

a

* Levit. ix. 18. a ver. 6, 7.

y ix. 24.

x. 8. 9.

*x. 1, 2.

ever. 4.

who were left, to finish the day's service; but upon enquiry he found, that the sin-offering, which ought to have been eaten by the priests in the holy place, was burnt and consumed. He represented to the sons of Aaron their mistake in this matter;" but Aaron made excuse for it, and alleged, that such judgments had been inflicted that day, as to give him reason to doubt, whether it might be proper for him to finish the atonement. Aaron said unto Moses: Behold, this day have they offered their sin-offering, and their burntoffering before the LORD, and such things have befallen me; and if I had eaten the sin-offering to day, should it have been accepted in the sight of the LORD? Some of the commentators represent, that Aaron thought himself, upon account of the grief and concern he was then under, not to be in a fit disposition to cat the sin-offering; others, that it would have been indecorous for him to have done it; but they do not consider the charge which Moses had given him: the Hebrew text suggests what I have hinted to be Aaron's apology. Aaron said unto Moses, Behold this day have

They comment upon the words thus; Agnosco quidem comedendum fuisse et cum lætitia, sed qui potui lætari? Malui igitur convivium negligere, quàm mastus inire. vid. Pool. Synops. in loc.

Indecorum fuisset patrem convivari carne victimæ, in quâ offerenda duos filios subitò amiserat. Cleric. Com. ment, in loc.

VOL. IIT.

they offered their sin-offering and their burnt-offering ( Up) vattikrenah oti caelleh, the verb valtikrenah is the plural fœminine, and refers to the offerings; and what Aaron suggests is, That the ministrations already performed had called down upon him the judgments which had been inflicted; and that for this reason he feared they had profaned the services of the day, and therefore that he did not presume to go on to finish them, but had burnt the goat, instead of reserving it to be eaten, according to the orders, which he should have observed, if their officiating had been so conducted, as to give him reason to think it would have been accepted in the sight of the LORD. This, indeed, seems a reasonable excuse, and we find Moses was contented with it; and pressed him no further to finish the remaining offices of that day's service.

m

'It may be here asked, what so great crime were Nadab and Abihu guilty of, that they paid so dear a price as to lose their lives by an immediate vengeance? But the answer is casy; the great end and purpose of the Mosaic dispensation was, to separate unto God a chosen people, who should be careful to obey his voice indeed, and who, instead of being like other nations, following and practising, as parts of their religion, what men might invent, set up, and think proper and reasonable, should diligently and strictly keep to what GOD had enjoined, without turning therefrom to the

The verb p in the conjugation here used, has this sense. Jer. xxxii. 23 m Levitic. x. 20.

right hand or to the left, or without adding to the -word which was commanded them, or diminishing ought from it. But herein these young men greatly failed; GOD had as yet given no law for offering incense in censers; all that had been commanded about it was, that Aaron should burn it upon the altar of incense every morning and every evening." AfterAwards he received further directions; so that these men took upon them to begin and introduce a service. into religion, which was not appointed, they offered what the LORD commanded them not. Now, if this

had been suffered, it would have opened a door to great irregularities; and the Jewish religion would in a little time have been, not what Gop had directed, but have abounded in many human inventions added to it. Aaron and his sons were sanctified to minister in the priest's office, for this end, that they should remember the commandments of the LORD to do them, not that they should seek after their own heart." They could not have taken upon themselves the offices of their priesthood, if they had not been called of GOD to them; and as they were called of God to them, it was their indispensable duty to be faithful to him that appointed them in all his house,' in every part of the dispensation commit'ed to them. This, said Moses, is that which the LORD spake, saying, I will be sanctified in them that come nigh me, and