A briefe exposition of such chapters of the olde testament as vsually are redde in the church at common praier on the Sondayes set forth for the better helpe and instruction of the vnlearned. By Thomas Cooper Bishop of Lincolne.

The second Sunday after Easter at Morning prayer.

Numb. 23.

ANd Balaam sayd vnto Balac, Buylde me here seuen [ A] aulters, and prepare me here seuen oxen and seuen rammes. 2 And Balac did as Balaam sayde, and Balac and Balaam offered on euery aulter an oxe and a ramine. 3 And Balaam ••ayde vnto Balac, Stande by thy whole burnt sacrifice, and I will go, if so be that the Lord will méete me: and whatsoeuer he sheweth me I will tell thée. And he went vp hyer. 4 But God met Balaam, and (Balaam) sayde vnto him, I haue prepared seuen au••sers, and haue offered vpon euery aulter an oxe and a ramme.

5 And the Lorde put a saying in Balaams mouth, and sayde, Go againe to Balac, and say on this wise.

6 And when he went againe vnto him, ••o, he stoode by his whole burnt sacrifice, he and all the Lordes of Moab.

7 And he ••olie vp his parable, and sayde, Balac 〈◊〉〈◊〉 [ B] of Moab hath brought me from Mesapotamia,* 1.1 out of the mountaynes of the Cast, (saying) Come, 〈◊〉〈◊〉 Iacob for my sake, come and defie Israel. 8▪s How that 〈◊〉〈◊〉 him, whom

〈…〉〈…〉 or howe shall I defie him, whom the hath no••. ••••fied? 9 For from the toppe of the rocks 〈…〉〈…〉 from the hilles I beholde him: lo, the people 〈…〉〈…〉 themselues, and shall not be reckened among 〈…〉〈…〉. 10 Who can tell the dust of Iacob, and the number of the fourth part of Israell? I pray God that my soule maye die the death of the righteous, and that my last ende may be like his. 11 And Balac sayde vnto Balaam, What hast thou done vnto me? I tooke thée to curse myne enimies, and beholde, thou hast blessed them altogither.

[ C] 12 He answered and sayd, must I not take héede to speake that which the Lorde hath put in my mouth.

13 And Balac sayde vnto him, Come I pray thée with me vnto another place, whence thou mayst sée them, and thou shalt sée but the vtmost part of them, and shalt not sée them all: curse them out of that place for my sake.

14 And he brought him into a fielde where men might sée farre of, to the top of an hill, and built seuen aulters, and of∣fered an oxe and a ramme on euery aulter.

15 And he sayde vnto Balac, Stande here by thy whole burnt sacrifice, while I méete (the Lorde) yonder.

16 And the Lorde met Balaam,* 1.2 and put a worde in his mouth, and sayde, Go againe vnto Balac, and say thus.

17 And when he came to him, beholde he stoode by his whole burnt sacrifice, and the Lordes of Moab with him. And Balac sayd vnto him, What hath the Lorde sayde?

18 And be tooke vp his parable, and answered, Rise vp Balac, and heare, & hearken vnto me thou sonne of Ziphor.

19 God is not a man that he should lie,* 1.3 neyther the sonne of man that he shoulde repent: shoulde he say and not doe? or shoul•• ••e speake and not make it good?

20 Beholde I haue taken vpon me to blesse: for he hath blessed, and it is not in my power to alter it.

21 He behelde no vanitie in Iacob, nor sawe transgression in Israel: The Lorde his: God is with him, and the ioyfull shoute of a King is among them.

22 God brought them out of Egypt, they haue strength as an Vnicorne. 23 For there is no sorcerie in Iacob, nor soothsaying in Israell, according to this time it shall be saide of Iacob and Israell, What hath God wrought?

24 Beholde the people shall rise vp as a Lion, and heaue vppe himselfe as a yong Lion: he shall not lie downe vntill he eate of the pray, & drinke the bloud of them that are slaine.

25 And Balac sayde vnto Balaam, Neither curse them, nor blesse them at all.

26 But Balaam answered and sayd vnto Balac, Tolde not I thée, saying, All that the lord speaketh, that I must do?

27 And Balac sayd vnto Balaam, Come I pray thée, and I will bring thée yet vnto another place, if at all it will please God that thou mayst thence curse them for my sake. [ D]

28 And Balac brought Balaam vnto the top of Peor, that looketh towarde Iesimon.

29 And Balaam sayde vnto Balac, Make me here seuen aulters, and prepare me here seuen oxen, & seuen rammes.

30 And Balac did as Balaam had sayde, and offered an oxe and a ramme on euery aulter.

The Exposition vpon the .xxiij. Chapter of Numbers.

And Balaam sayde vnto Balac,* 1.4 buylde me here seuen aulters and prepare, &c.

THere maye appeare some Heathnish pompe and superstition in erecting of these seuen aulters, and appoynting for Sacrifice seuen oxen, and seuen rammes: because the true Saintes of God neuer vsed the like, and God him selfe by his commaundement had appoynted Moi∣ses to make but one aulter,* 1.5 whereon his people should offer sacrifices vnto him. Therefore this false Prophet doth here also bewray himself in his shewe of Gods worship, to haue mixed Heathnish Superstition and Magicall deuises of his owne. And yet neuerthelesse, that it pleased God, in some respect, to suffer him to be the instrument of the ho∣ly ghost, to vtter y^e truth of his blessing of his peo∣ple, and the promises made before to Abraham and other of the Increase and prosperous successe of theyr seede: that their wicked enimies to their fur∣ther condemnation might haue some Vnderstan∣ding thereof.

But God mette Balaam,* 1.6 and Balaam sayde vnto him, I haue prepared, &c.

It maye seeme verie straunge, that God would in any point communicate with the fylthynesse of Balaams deuises.* 1.7 For there is no partaking be∣tweene light and darkenesse,* 1.8 and God detesteth all societie with Deuils. Yet although God hate the wicked corruption of Balaam, it did not let him, but

that in some Particuler thing he might vse hym to his purpose. For this meeting of Balaam was no token of Gods fauour, neyther that he did Alow the superstition of the seauen aulters and sacrifi∣ces: But as he often vsed wicked persons for in∣struments of his glorie, So doth he nowe vse the mouth of this false Prophet, to publishe vnto the Infidels and Heathens the promise and couenant that he made with Abraham and his seede. By this meanes he proclameth great comfort to his peo∣ple,* 1.9 euen out of the mouths of their * enemies, and by the endeuours of them that with all meanes they could, did seeke their confusion.

And he tooke vp his Parable and saide,* 1.10 Balac the king of Moab, &c.

By a Parable is vnderstanded an Hie kinde of Speech, which by the instinction of the holye ghost he vsed, therewith the more to Abash and wound the harte of the wicked king Balac, that he myght the sooner knowe, not onely how Foolish, but how vaine also his endeuor was to striue against God, and to haue that people cursed, that God had bles∣sed.* 1.11 And whereas * Balac had saide of Balaam, that whomsoeuer He blessed, was blessed, and whom∣soeuer He cursed, was cursed, In this place to the further reproch and griefe of that naughtie king, Balaam with his owne mouth renounceth that pre∣rogatine, and sayth plainly, he can not Curse him, that God hath not cursed, giuing that Power and

honor to God, and shewing that in this respect he is not Ruler of his owne tongue, but that God for his people sake, had Brydeled both his will and his speech.

Loe,* 1.12 the people shall dwell by themselues, and shall not be reckened amonge, &c.

When he sayth they shall dwell by themselues, his meaning is not, that they shall dwell in solita∣rinesse, but that they shall holde themselues con∣tented with their owne state, and trusting in their God, whom they worshipped, should not neede nor desire the protection and helpe of any other peo∣ple. And therfore it foloweth, that they should not be accompted among Nations,* 1.13 * because no nation or people should be worthie to be compared vnto them,* 1.14 for that they were adopted and chosen as the onely people of God, whom he would take vnder his defence and protection.

Who can tell the duste of Iacob,* 1.15 and number the fourth part of Israel, &c.

By the Dust of Iacob he vnderstandeth the great Multitude wherwith God would blesse that peo∣ple, and therein he alludeth to the promise of God made to Abraham,* 1.16 * that he would multiplye his seede as the Sande of the sea, &c.

And Balac saide vnto him,* 1.17 come I pray thee with me vnto another place, &c.

In this that foloweth, we haue to note the blind obstinacie both of Balac in his superstition, and of Balaam in his couetous affection. For albeit, God had euidently nowe at two sundrie times decla∣red his purpose: yet neyther the wycked king would be satisfied, nor the false Prophet perswa∣ded to leaue his tempting of God. But both of them, by superstitious chaunging the place, inde∣uour to make God shew himselfe mutable, and as it were, by their superstitious Importunitie, to winne his fauour from his people, and to make him to yeelde to their lewde and naughtie affecti∣ons. Therefore God maketh the false Prophet to pronounce sentence against himselfe, and that ob∣stinate and wicked king, in saying: God is not a manne that he shoulde lye, neyther the sonne of a man that he should repent: should he say and not do? or should he speake and not make it good? &c. And yet all this would not satisfie them, such is the ma∣ner of the obstinate and reprobate sinners, that no teaching nor declaring of the holy will of God, can make them so to chaūge their mindes, but that they will more and more continue in their Deuil∣lishe and naughtie purposes.

And the ioyfull shoute of a king is a mong them,* 1.18 &c.

By this he meaneth that the Maiesty and might of God as their louing king and gouernour is a∣mong them, for their assured defence, to their great ioye and comfort.

According to this time it shall be saide of Iacob and Israel,* 1.19 what hath, &c.

That is to saye, According as at this time it is sayd, what wonderous works hath God wrought for this people? so shall it more and more be sayde hereafter. For God hath promised for Euer to be their God, and to deale Wonderfully for them.

He shall not lye downe vntill he eate of the pray,* 1.20 and drinke the bloud, &c.

In this verse he noteth that the People of Israel shall be Valiant, strong and mightie as a Lyon, and hable to conquer and spoile their enimies, that vniustly doe assault them, and by violence seeke to doe them wrong.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Num. 22. a. 2.
• * 1.2

  Num. 22. g. 38
• * 1.3

  1. Cor. 1. b. 9.
• * 1.4

  Vers. 1. &c.
• * 1.5

  Exod. 20. d. 24
• * 1.6

  Vers. 4.
• * 1.7

  3. Cor. 6. c. 14. 1.
• * 1.8

  Cor. 10. c 20
• * 1.9

  Iohn. 18. c. 14.
• * 1.10

  Vers. 7. 8
• * 1.11

  Num. 22. b. 6.
• * 1.12

  Vers. 9.
• * 1.13

  Deut 4. b. 7.
• * 1.14

  Psal. 147. a. 8.
• * 1.15

  Vers. 10.
• * 1.16

  Gen. 22. d. 17.
• * 1.17

  Vers. 13.
• * 1.18

  Vers. 21.
• * 1.19

  Vers. 23.
• * 1.20

  Vers. 24.