ducted through the Red Sea, made to triumph over all their enemies, we are apt to confider them as the favourites of Heaven, deftined to personal honours and poffeffions. But the event teaches us to correc our hafty judgment, and inftructs us that not the par ticular interefts of individuals, but the great interefts of the church of God, are the care of Heaven; that, though Aaron and his fons may die, the priesthood ever lives; and that while prophet after prophet retires, it is only to make room for the Prince and Lord of all the prophets.

Of little confequence is it to obtain poffeffion of expected good, unlefs we be fitted for the enjoyment of it. A nation of flaves was unqualified to ex ercise the rights and to enjoy the privileges of citizens. Ifrael had no exiftence in Egypt but merely a natural one. They had no civil conftitution, no laws, no government. To have been conducted directly to Canaan in fuch a ftate had been the reverse of a ben. efit. Providence therefore thought proper to employ a series of years in the wildernefs, in training the peo ple for empire, in modelling a government fuitable to their future condition, and by enacting wife laws, ref, pecting both religion and civil polity, prepared them for that exalted rank which they were to hold among the nations; and that duration of power and importance, with which the falvation of the whole human race was fo clofely connected. Thus the eternal de cree makes the poffeffion of the heavenly Canaan fure to every heir of glory; which decree, the juftifying grace and adopting love of his heavenly Father declare and confirm; but he is not brought home to his Father's houfe above, till through the fchool of difcipline, and by the Spirit of holinefs, he is "made meet to be a partaker of the inheritance of the faints in light."

Men, through impatience and peevishness, mifs the very end at which they aim. Canaan flies but the farther off, from being grafped at too foon. The homely

provifion

provifion brought from Egypt was now fpent; the milk and honey of Canaan were not yet bestowed. The wilderness naturally produced nothing for food, hardly water to quench their thirft. The wonders of Egypt, the parting of the Red Sea, the fweetening of the bitter waters of Marah, all, all is forgotten the moment diftress comes upon them. "And the whole congregation of the children of Ifrael murmured against Mofes and Aaron in the wilderness." God immediately takes up the cause as his own; but instead of expreffing the refentment of an infulted fovereign and benefactor, declares his gracious refolution to overcome this ungracious fpirit, by compliance and kindness and men, unworthy of the meaneft earthly fare, have a promife of a daily fupply of bread from heaven. But as God does not always withhold in displeasure, fo he does not always grant from love. When Providence deigns to indulge the humours and gratify the lufts of men, it is far, very far from being a token for good. A promife of bread in the morning is precious information; but the addition of flesh to the full in the evening wears rather the appearance of a threatening. When our defires exceed the bounds of wisdom, the accomplishment, not the difappointment of them, becomes our punishment.

It is remarkable too, that the luxurious part of their demand was granted before that which was neceffary. The quails came in the evening; the manna appeared not till the next morning. Another proof, that the supply granted flowed not from unmixed affection.

Without going at prefent into any of the critical inquiries which have been purfued, refpecting either the name or the nature of this wonderful bread, we proceed to make a few practical obfervations upon it, founded upon the letter of the hiftory, as it ftands in our bible.

First. Then and then only is faith warranted to expe& relief from a miracle, when means have been

tried

tried without effect; or, when we are in fuch a fituation, that no means can be ufed with a probability of fuccefs. If God in his providence has brought us into the wilderness, where no corn can grow, where no water flows, we may reasonably look for an interpofition from above for our fupport, which we fhould expect in vain in a land of corn and vineyards. Where there is a field for the exercise of forefight, industry and diligence, we tempt God inftead of honouring him, when we caft our work, and not our care, upon him. And yet it is not uncommon to fee a liftlefs, indolent difpofition, wanting to pass itself for reliance on the goodness of Heaven. Herod defired to see Chrift merely in the view of gratification to an idle curiofity in hope of feeing a miracle performed; but his motive being wrong and unworthy, his defire was not indulged. The Pharifees, from a captious, unbelieving fpirit, tempted Chrift, "afking a fign from heaven;" but though figns innumerable were every day exhibited in compaffion to the miferable and condefcenfion to the weak, no fign but that "of the prophet Jonas," was given to the felf-conceited infidel. JEHOVAH performs the wonders of his power and goodness, neither to fave the exertions of the lazy, nor to tickle the imaginations of the curious. His object is not to make men ftare and wonder, but to do them good.

Secondly. Man's happiest estate is to feel his daily, conftant dependence upon his Maker, and to fee the regular promifed fupply evincing the truth and faithfulness of its bountiful Author. With a monitor for God preffing in upon us through every avenue of the foul, we are nevertheless apt to be inattentive and unthankful. It is therefore an inftance of great goodness, when God is pleafed to force himfelf upon our thoughts, and to invite us to communion with "the Father of our fpirits," in the commerce of a conftant habitual friendship. Here then the poor have infinitely the advantage over the rich. They fee, or

they

they are blind indeed, they see their "dry morfel and their dinner of herbs," coming at the expected hour from the bounty of indulgent Heaven. They are not fuffered to be careless, impious and ungrateful. Their homely fare is garnished and feafoned with what gold. cannot purchase, nor power compel, the gentle whifpers of a Father's love, the kindly welcome of an affectionate friend. And yet the bulk of mankind is striving and straining to get out of this happy state eagerly catching at a fituation which would infallibly betray them into felf-fufficiency, infolence and irreligion. That proud word, independence, is continually in their mouths, and the thing itself is in their hearts; not confidering, that the real happiness of man confifts in mutual connexion and dependence, and that the glory and felicity of every rational being is founded upon union with, and a fenfe of his conftant and entire dependence on his Creator.

The re

Thirdly. No fulness and no excellency of created comforts will produce real happiness to rational beings, without the aid of religion. During the abode of Ifrael in Egypt, the obfervance of the fabbath had been greatly neglected, if not altogether difufed. ligious principle of course must have been much weakened, if not wholly destroyed. There was nothing done, then, till this matter was re-established. For there can be no good government but what is founded upon religion; and religion cannot long exist in any degree of either fervour or purity, where no attention is paid to the Lord's day. Providence, therefore, employed a certain method to point out that day to Ifrael, and to enforce the observance of it. On that day no manna fell. But, to compenfate the failure, a double quantity was given the day before; and the manna of that day, contrary to its ufual cuftom, retained its fweetnefs during the fabbath: it neither melted away, nor became putrid. But, alas! long difufe had fo much diminished public refpect for the ordinance, that a difcipline of forty years is fcarcely fufficient to restore VOL. III.

M

it

it to its ancient dignity and eftimation. The reftraints of religion are no encroachments on human liberty. "The fabbath was made for man," a feafon of reft for his body; a season of contemplation for his mind. It was intended to be his comfort, as a citizen of this world; and his condition as a candidate for another country, that is, an that is, an heavenly, is clofely connected with it. Can the great God be honoured by our refting from the ufual employments of life for a feventh part of our time? Surely not: but God is honoured and glorified, when man is made wife, good and happy.

Fourthly. The folly and perverfenefs of men exhibit a melancholy contraft to the wisdom and goodnefs of God. The promise of the Almighty gave full affurance of a daily, certain, ftated fupply. But either through miftruft at one time they attempt to hoard up to-morrow's provifion from the fuperabundance of today; or, through impiety at another, they violate the divine appointment, by going out to gather on that day when they were exprefsly affured they needed to expect none. Thus we are always doing too little or too much; impatiently and impetuoufly outrunning Providence, or fluggifhly and carelessly lagging behind. And what do we get to ourselves, in either cafe, but difappointment and difhonour? The man who diffidently laboured to accumulate for five days of the week, when he looks upon his ftore, finds he has been treasuring up to himfelf nothing but ftench and putrefaction; and the Ifraelite who prefumptuously trufted his fabbath-day's entertainment to the manna of that day, muft faft for his folly.

Fifthly. Obferve the care of Providence to preserve among this highly favoured people a conftant fenfe of their equality. All had their conftant fupply; every one was entitled to his fair proportion; and no good purpofe did it answer to grafp at a double portion. For the hand which miraculously rained down this heavenly bread, miraculously modified it to every one's use. "He who gathered much had nothing over, and he

that