In the time of Moses, there were seventy men besides himself, that _prophecied_ in the camp of the Israelites. In what manner God spake to them, is declared in _Numbers_, chap. xi. verse 25. _The Lord came down in a cloud, and spake unto Moses, and took of the spirit that was upon him, and gave it to the seventy elders. And it came to pass, when the spirit rested upon them, they prophecied and did not cease._ By which it is manifest, first, that their prophecying to the people was subservient and subordinate to the prophecying of Moses; for that God took of the spirit of Moses, to put upon them; so that they prophecied as Moses would have them: otherwise they had not been suffered to prophecy at all. For there was (verse 27) a complaint made against them to Moses; and Joshua would have Moses to have forbidden them; which he did not, but said to Joshua, _be not jealous in my behalf_. Secondly, that the spirit of God in that place signifieth nothing but the mind and disposition to obey and assist Moses in the administration of the government. For if it were meant they had the substantial spirit of God; that is, the divine nature, inspired into them, then they had it in no less manner than Christ himself, in whom only the spirit of God dwelt bodily. It is meant therefore of the gift and grace of God, that guided them to cooperate with Moses; from whom their spirit was derived. And it appeareth (_Numb._ xi. 16) that they were such as Moses himself should appoint for elders and officers of the people: for the words are, _Gather unto me seventy men, whom thou knowest to be elders and officers of the people_: where, _thou knowest_, is the same with _thou appointest_, or _hast appointed to be such_. For we are told before (_Exod._ xviii. 24) that Moses following the counsel of Jethro, his father-in-law, did appoint judges and officers over the people, such as feared God; and of these were those seventy, whom God, by putting upon them Moses’ spirit, inclined to aid Moses in the administration of the kingdom: and in this sense the spirit of God is said (_1 Sam._ xvi. 13, 14) presently upon the anointing of David, to have come upon David, and left Saul; God giving his graces to him he chose to govern his people, and taking them away from him he rejected. So that by the spirit is meant inclination to God’s service; and not any supernatural revelation. [Sidenote: God sometimes also spake by lots.]