Bring Aaron's rod again before the Refer virgam Aharon coram testi-
HARMONY OF THE LAW · VOLUME 2
10. And the Lord said unto Moses, Bring Aaron's rod again before the testimony, to be kept for a token against the rebels; and thou shalt quite take away their murmurings from me, that they die not.
10. Dixit autem Jehova ad Mosen, Refer virgam Aharon coram testimonio in custodiam, in signum filiis rebellibus; et cessare facies murmurationes eorum apud me, ut non moriantur.
11. And Moses did so: as the Lord commanded him, so did he.
11. Et fecit Moses quemadmodum praeceperat Jehova, sic fecit.
12. And the children of Israel spoke unto Moses, saying, Behold, we die, we perish, we all perish.
12. Et dixerunt filii Israel ad Mosen, dicendo, Ecce mortui sumus, periimus, omnes nos periimus.
13. Whosoever cometh any thing near unto the tabernacle of the Lord shall die: shall we be consumed with dying?
13. Quicunque accesserit, qui accesserit, inquam, ad tabernaculum Jehovae, morietur; nunquid consumendi sumus moriendo?
1. And the Lord spoke unto Moses. Howsoever stubborn the Israelites might be, yet their hardness of heart being now subdued, and their pride broken down, they ought to have acknowledged the authority of the priesthood, and to have perpetually held it in pious reverence. But it is plain from the confirmation of it, which is now added, that they were not yet thoroughly overcome. For God never appoints anything in vain; the remedy, therefore, was necessary, that He now applied to that disease of obstinacy which He perceived still to maintain its secret hold upon their hearts. Herein we also behold His inestimable goodness, when He not only had regard to the relief of their infirmity, but even struggled with their depravity and perverseness, in order to restore them to their senses. In the same way also He now deals with us, for he not only strengthens the weakness of our faith by many aids, but He puts constraint upon our light and inconstant minds, and retains us in the path of duty though we strive against Him. He likewise anticipates our willfulness, so as to keep us from growing presumptuous, or rouses us up when we are disposed to be slothful. In fact, his our business so to apply to our use whatever helps to faith and piety He sets before us, as to be assured that they are so many pieces of evidence to convict us of unbelief Although, therefore, the majesty of the priesthood had been already sufficiently, and more than sufficiently established, still God saw float in the