entirely resigned to this just but awful stroke: nor did he and his surviving sons make any lamentation for them, except in forbearing to eat the flesh of the people's sin-offering that day, id. x.

mount; and, without receiving any offered sacrifice for the congregation hurt, had very near and distinct views of Israel; and, while he and his broof the glorious symbols of the divinether Moses blessed the people, the presence, when the Lord talked with sacred fire descended from heaven, Moses, id. xxiv. 1, 2, 9-11. Almost and consumed what lay on the brazen immediately after, he and his poste-altar, id. ix. His two eldest sons, rity were divinely chosen, to execute perhaps intoxicated with wine, drunk the office of priesthood among the at their consecration, instead of takJews, till the coming and death of ing sacred fire from the brazen altar, the promised Messiah, id. xxix.-took common fire to burn the incense Scarce was this distinguished honour with on the golden altar: provoked assigned him, when, to mark his per- with their inattention and disobedisonal insufficiency for recommending ence, God immediately consumed others to the favour of God, he him- them with a flash of lightning; and self fell into the most grievous crime.ordered, that thenceforth no priest The Hebrews solicited him to make should taste wine when he was going them gods, to be their directors, in-to officiate in holy things. Aaron was stead of Moses, who still tarried in the mount. He ordered them to bring him all their pendants and ear-rings: these were brought, perhaps more readily than he expected: Having collected them into a bag, he caused them to be melted down into a golden It was perhaps scarce a year after, calf, in imitation of the ox Apis, which when Aaron and Miriam, envying the natives, and probably too many of the authority of Moses, rudely upthe Hebrews, had adored in Egypt. braided him for his marriage with This idol he ordered them to place Zipporah the Midianitess; and for on a pedestal, to render it the more overlooking them in the constitution conspicuous he appointed a solemn of the seventy elders. Aaron, whose feast to be observed to its honour, || priestly performances were daily neand caused to be proclaimed before it, cessary, was spared; but Miriam "These be thy gods, O Israel, which was smitten with an universal leprosy. "brought thee out of the land of E- Aaron immediately discerned his "gypt." While he was thus occu-guilt, acknowledged his fault, begged pied, Moses descended from mount forgiveness for himself and his sisSinai, and sharply reproved him for ter; and that she might speedily be Lis horrid offence. Amidst the deep-restored to health, Numb. xii. It was est confusion, he attempted to excuse not long after, when KORAH and his himself, by laying the blame on the company, envying the honours of wickedness of the people; and by a Aaron, thought to thrust themselves false and stupid pretence, that he had into the office of priests. These rebels but cast the ear-rings into the fire, and being miraculously destroyed by God, the golden calf had been formed out the Hebrews reviled Moses and Aaron of them by mere chance, id. xxxii. as guilty of murdering them: the Aaron heartily repented of this scan- Lord, provoked herewith, sent a dedalous crime; and, with his four sons, structive plague among the people, was, about two months after, solemn-which threatened to consume the ly invested with the sacred robes, and whole congregation. Aaron, who had consecrated by soleman washing, unc-lately, by his prayers, prevented their tion, and sacrifices, to his office of being totally ruined along with Kopriesthood, Lev. viii. Heimmediately rah, now generously risked his own

dience, he publicly and.willingly, on Calvary, surrendered himself unto death; bequeathing his robes of finished righteousness to his spiritual seed.

life for the deliverance of his ungrate-struction of his Jewish and other eneful and injurious brethren: he ran in mies; the marvellous budding of his between the living and the dead, and, gospel ROD, in the conversion and by offering of incense, atoned for their sanctification of men, abundantly contrespass, and so the plague was stay- firm it. He is the leader of his peced. To reward this benevolent deed, ple from their spiritual bondage; and and prevent future contention about he guides, justifies, and sanctifies the priesthood, God confirmed it to them in their wilderness-journey.— Aaron, by making his rod, all of a He is their great prophet, who can sudden, when laid up before the mer- speak well to their respective cases cy-seat, blossom and bear almonds; and doubts. He is their distinguished while the rods for the other Hebrew High Pri, and the spiritual Father tribes continued in their withered of all the innumerable company of condition, Numb. xvi. and xvii. men, who are made priests unto God. We hear no more of Aaron, till at With unequalled purity, patience, Meribah he and his brother Moses pity, courage, and labour, he, amidst sinned, in not sufficiently expressing inconceivable injuries and temptatheir confidence in God's providing tions, faithfully executes his work. water for the congregation. To pu- At the expence of his life, he averted nish this, and to mark the insufficiency the burning plague of endless venof the Aaronic priesthood, for bring-geance from his unreasonable foes: ing men to the heavenly inheritance, and having finished his work of obcAaron was debarred from entering Canaan. About a year before the Hebrews entered that country, and while they encamped at Mosera, he, at the commandment of the Lord, went up to mount Hor; and his sa- AB, the eleventh month of the cred robes being stripped off him by Jewish civil year, and the fifth of Moses, and put on Eleazar his son and their sacred. It answered to the successor, he suddenly expired in the moon that begins in July, and conLord, aged 123 years, A. M. 2552:sisted of thirty days. On the first His own sons and brother buried him day, the Jews observe a fast for the in a cave, and all the Israelites mourn-death of Aaron: on the 9th, a fast ed for him thirty days, Numb. xx. for the debarring of the murmuring Deut. x. 6. His offspring were called Hebrews from the promised land, AARONITES; and were so numerous, and for the burning of the first and as to have thirteen cities assigned second temple: on the 18th, a fast them out of the tribes of Judah and for the extinction of the evening lamp Benjamin, 1 Chron. xii. 27, and vi. during the reign of Ahaz: on the 54, 60. Joshua xxi. 13,-19. 24th, a feast in memory of the aboSome good authors think the story|lishment of the Sadducean law, which of the Heathen Mercury to have been hammered out of Aaron's. But may we not, with far more edification, ABADDON, which signifies deconsider him as a personal type of struction; and APOLLYON the deJesus Christ? Heb. v. 4, 5. Whoses/royer, is the name of the king and call to his office of priesthood, was head of the apocalyptic LOCUSTS, unseasonable and divinely solemn: ander the fifth trumpet. His name is unmeasurable unction of the Holy marked both in Hebrew and Greek, Ghost, and perfect purity of nature, to intimate, that he is a destroyer prepared him for the execution there-both of Jews and Gentiles. But who of: miracles unnumbered; the de- he is, is not so universally agreed.

required sons and daughters to be equal heirs of their parents estate.

distance of a day's journey from it: the river upon which it is situated is the Scyrtus, the overflowing whereof is dangerous and frequent. In the reign of Justin, it was entirely ruined by inundations; the emperor rebuilt it, and gave it the name of Justinopolis; but it was afterwards called Orfa. There were kings of Edessa before the reign of Augustus, and they generally bore the name of Abgarus. M. Valliens has preserved a succession of these kings, who from the first century were all Christians.

Some think him the devil, who goes ed upon. Edessa, which some have about seeking whom he may devour.placed on the Euphrates, was at the Without excluding Satan, who was a murderer from the beginning, we suppose the Spirit of God, by this king of the locusts, this angel of the bottomless pit, directly designs the Popes, these sons of perdition, who, et the head of unnumbered clergy, and other agents, ruin the souls, and murder the bodies, of inconceivable multitudes of men ;-and Mahomet and his inferior agents, who, partly with delusion, and partly with ravage and murder, have destroyed infinite numbers. It would be shocking to relate, what thousands and millions were murdered by Hejajus, and Abu Moslem, Saracens, Tamerlane the Tartar, Bajazet, and Mohamed II. Turks, Shah Abbas the Persian, and other heads of the Mohamedan party, Rev. ix. 11. See in ANTI-CHRIST, ARABIANS, SCYTHIANS.

[The following, though a fabulous article, we insert from Calmet's Dictionary, more as a matter of curiosity than of belief.]

ABANA and PHARPAR, two rivers of Syria, which Naaman the leper thought more fit to cure him of his unclean disease, than all the rivers of Israel. Abana is probably the same with Barrady or Chrysorroas, which, Springing from mount Lebanon, glides pleasantly towards the south; and, after running some leagues, is divided into three streams; the middlemost and largest runs directly through the city of Damascus, and ABAGARUS, or Abgurus, king the other two run one on each side of Edessa, so called because he was of the city, and fertilize the gardens lame; we should not therefore give to an uncommon degree. The streams him the name of Abgar, as if it were uniting to the southward of the city derived from the Arabic, Akbar, are, after a course of about five which signifies Great. The city of leagues, lost in a dry desart. BenjaEdessa, where he resided, goes ge- min of Tudela will have that part of nerally by the name of Orfa; it is a the Barrady, which runs through Dacommon tradition among the eastern mascus, to be Abana, and the streams people, both Christians and Mahome- which water the gardens without the 1ans, that this prince wrote a letter to city to be Pharpar; but perhaps our Saviour, and received an answer the Pharpar is the same with Orontes, from him, together with a handker-the most noted river of Syria, which, chief with the impression of our Lord's face upon it. This we are told by M. D. Herbelot, in his oriental library, which, however, does not destroy what we have heard of Abgarus, nor is it sufficient to confirm the authenticity and truth of Abgarus's pretended letter to Jesus Christ, and our Saviour's reply to Abgarus. The eastern people are generally not very exact in matters of history, and their|| traditions are not always to be depend

||

taking its rise a little to the north or north-east of Damascus, glides through a delightful plain, till, after passing Antioch, and running about 200 miles to the north-west, it loses itself in the Mediterranean sea. 2 Kings v. 12.

ABARIM, a general name given to a ridge of rugged hills on the east of Jordan; on the south and north of the river Arnon. They reached into the territories of both the Reubenites

and Moabites. It is probable they had ABDON, (1.) The son of Hillel this name from the ABARIM, Or an Ephraimite. He succeeded Elon passages, between the particular hills A. M. 2840; and judged the Israelites of PISGAH, NEBO, PEOR, &c. all eight years; after which he died, and which were part of them. Near these was buried at Pirathon in the land of mountains the Israelites had several Ephraim. He left forty sons, and encampments, Numb. xxxiii. 44.-thirty grandsons, who rode on ass48. and xxvii. 12. colts, according to the manner of the ABARON, is the surname of Elea-great men of that age, Judg. xii. 13. zar, the fourth son of Judas Macca-(2.) The son of Micah, one of Josibeus. Abaron in Hebrew signifies An's messengers sent to consult HULanger, passionate, or passing away.DAH, 2 Chron. xxxiv. 20. (3.) A ciJosephus calls him Auran or Avran, and the first book of the Maccabeus Savaren; 1 Mac. vi. 43. He got a great deal of honour by his death, having been crushed to pieces under an elephant, which he slew by piercing him with his sword. [a]

To ABASE, signifies to treat with contempt; to reduce to meanness and poverty, Dan. iv. 37. Job xl. 11. One is abased when deprived of honour and wealth, and laid under poverty, affliction, contempt, Philip iv. 12. One abases himself when he behaves in an humble and debased manner, as Paul did, when he, though a preacher, laboured with his hands for his daily bread, 2 Cor. xi. 7.

To ABATE, to grow lower, less, Gen. viii. 3. Deut. xxxiv. 7. to make less, Lev. xxvii. 18.

ty, which belonged to the tribe of Asher; and was given to the Levites of Gershom's family, Josh. xxi. 30.

ABEDNEGO, is the Chaldee name given by the king of Babylon's officer to Azarath, Daniel's compani

on.

This name imports the servant of Nago or Nego, which is the sun or morning star, so called for its brightness. See Shadrack. [a]

ABEL, the second son of Adam and Eve, was born, perhaps with a twin sister, A. M. 2d. or Sd. It seems his parents, by this time were sufficiently convinced of the vanity of all created enjoyments, and hoped but little from him; and so marked his name with vanity. When he was grown up, he commenced shepherd of his father's flock. In process of time, or, as the Hebrew words in Gen. ABBA, a Syriac word signifying fa- iv. 3. signify, At the end of the days.that ther. It being the same whether we is, on the Sabbath, or on the beginread it backward or forward, may per-ning of the year, he, by faith in haps hint to us, that God's fatherly the divine institution of sacrifices, affection to his people is the same and in the promised Messiah thereby whether he smile on them by prospe- prefigured, offered unto God the best rity, or chasten them by heavy cros-of his flock.t By consuming his okses and sore adversity. The apostle's using the word Abba, a word of the Syriac, (the Hebrew dialect being commonly used in his time,) and his giving its signification in Greek may intimate, that by the influence of the Spirit of adoption both Jews and Gentiles, as one united body, have the most assured faith in, love to, and familiar intercourse with God, Rom. viii. 15. Gal. iv. 6.*

The learned Mr. Selden, from the Ba. bylonian Gemera, has proved, that slaves

were not allowed to use the title of Abba in addressing the master of the family to which they belonged. This will beautiful. tament here quoted. Wilson's Aceptorily illustrate the passages of the New Tes cal Dictionary.

It is evident, that the faith, by whicff. according to the apostle in Heb. xi. 4. Ave. offered a more excellent sacrifice them Cain, was founded on the comntsegud pro. mise of God: For unless he had kindly Divine appointment of sacrifices, he ha not have had any satisfying persuasion,

lation with a flash of fire from hea- || of his field, he conceived an implacable ven, or some other visible token, God grudge at Abel, on account of his homarked his regard to him, and to it.ly behaviour, and the peculiar regard No such honour being done to Cain, who at the same time, offered the fruits

sented with distinguished vengeance on the head of Cain; who together with his seed, were cast out from the church of God, Gen. iv. 2.-16. Heb. xi. 4. Abel being dead yet speaketh; his example teacheth us to live by

which had been shewn him by God. He rested not, till he murdered him in the field; and it seems secretly buthat his offering of the firstlings of the flock ried him in the earth, about A. M. would be acceptable to God. The offer-128. His murder was divinely reing of sacrifices appears to have been appointed, soon after God had given our first parents the promise of the seed, that is, of Jesus Christ, who was to bruise the head of the serpent: for when God clothed our first parents with skins, these seem to have been the skins of animals, that were appointed to be offered in sacrifice. Besides, it appears from the directions given to No-faith on a crucified Redeemer; and ah about receiving the animals into the ark, to behave soberly, righteously, and Gen. vii. 2, 3, that the distinction between godly in this present world, whatever clean and unclean beasts, which primarily persecution it may expose us to, respected those which were or were not to be offered in sacrifice, obtained before the Heb. xii. 4. His blood cried for venuniversal deluge. Thus Abel offered sa- geance on Cain the murderer, Heb. crifice by faith; 1, because he offered itxii. 24. from a regard to the command and promise Was our adored Jesus prefigured of God: 2, because he did so with a believ-by this first martyr? He grew as a ing reference to the Lamb of God, or the great propitiatory sacrifice, which the Mes-root out of dry ground, appeared in siah was to offer for the remission of sin. the likeness of sinful flesh, and had Dr Kenicot, as quoted by Dr. Guise on his name covered with the basest, the Heb. xi. 4. observes that the Greek word, vilest, reproach. He is the great rendered in our translation more excellent, Shepherd of his Father's flock of ransignifies greater or fuller or more in numbe, rather than in value, in which last sense somed men. In the faith of his Fait is not used in the whole New Testament. ther's call and assistance, he offered Thus, it intimates, that Abel brought the infinitely excellent sacrifice of more sacrifice than Cain, that is, not himself. The horrid murder of him only, as Cain did, the mincha or meat by his malicious brethren the JEWS, offering of the fruits of the earth; but also issued in the terrible judgments of the bloody sacrifice of the firstlings of his Heaven on them and their seed. And flock with the fat thereof, which he presenied to the Lord under an humbling sense of he yet speaketh to men in his examguilt, and of his need of atonement. This ple, oracles, and ordinances. part of the offering, Cain, in the pride and unbelief of his heart, entirely neglected. Some suppose this token was the appearance of an angel from heaven: some think, that it was inferred from the different suc-morate the mourning of the Hebrews, cess which the two brothers had in their for their friends who were struck affairs: some decline to give any opinion dead for looking into the ark. It upon this subject. But many judicious interpreters agree that it is highly probable, seems a great stone was erected in that God shewed his acceptance of Abel's memory of that wrathful event, 1 sacrifice by sending fire from heaven to Sam. vi. 18, 19. consume it; there being so many examples in aftertimes of God's declaring in this manner his acceptance of the sacrifices offered to him, Levit. ix. 24. Judg. vi.. 21. 1 King. xvii. 38. Chron. vii. 1. and xxi. 26. In Peal. xx. 3. the word rendered in our translation, accept, may be gendered,

turn to ashes.

2. ABEL, and which was otherwise called the field of Joshua, a place near Bethshemesh, so called, to comme

3. ABEL-MIZRAIM, a place otherwise called the threshing-floor of Atad. It was so called from the great mourn ing of the Egyptians over Jacob's corpse, as they carried it to Machpelah. It is thought to have lain between Jordan and Jericho, where the