are opened," fpiritual food is given from above, “and man eats on the bread of the mighty "ones;" whether by "mighty ones" we understand those who eat the bread, and are invigorated thereby; or the bleffed perfons who give the bread to man. Such is our manna, our fuftenance in the wilderness, our viaticum, while on the road to Canaan. But how is it "loathed," and despised, in comparison with the flesh pots of Egypt," by men who, "be"lieve not in God, and truft not in his falvation!" Will not the fame caufe produce the fame effect? Will not "Jehovah hear this, and be wroth?" Will not a fire be kindled against Jacob, and anger "alfo come up againft Ifrael! For this caufe," faith an Apostle to the irreverent Corinthian receivers, many are weak and fickly among you, and many fleep." 1 Cor. xi. 30.

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26. He caufed an east wind to blow in the heaven: and by his power he brought in the fouth wind. 27. He rained flesh alfo upon them as duft, and feathered fowls like as the fand of the fea. 28. And he let it fall in the midft of their camp, round about their habitations. 29. So they did eat, and were well filled: for he gave them their own defire. 30. They were not eftranged from their luft; but while the meat was yet in their mouths, 31. The wrath of God came upon them, and flew the fatteft of them, and fmote down the chofen men of Ifrael.

The people, difcontented with manna, afked, in a tumultuous and rebellious way, for flesh, at the fame time diftrufting the power of God to give it them in the wilderness. Flefh, however, was pro

cured.

cured. A wind, proper for the occasion, went forth from Jehovah, and brought a cloud of quails, which furnished the whole camp with a most delicious kind of flesh food, for the space of an entire month. But from the event we learn, that inordinate defires, though fometimes complied with, and fatisfied by heaven, do not therefore go unpunished; on the contrary, they are often punished, by being complied with. The bleffings, chofen for us by God, are bleffings indeed, and, like the manna, bring no forrow with them: but when we choose for ourselves, and are so unhappy as to be gratified in that choice, our portion too often proves a curfe; and while the much loved morfel is yet between our teeth, "the "wrath of God comes upon us," for making a wrong choice. This will always be the cafe in the end, whenever earth is preferred to heaven, and sense to faith.

32.

For all this they finned ftill: and believed not for his wondrous works. 33. Therefore their days did he confume in vanity, and their years in trouble.

Mercies are followed by provocations; provocations are punished with judgments; to judgments fucceed repeated provocations, which call down fresh judgments. Immediately after the hiftory of the quails, we read of a fedition stirred up by Aaron and Miriam, and of new murmurs at the report, brought by the fpies, concerning the promised land; in conLequence of which last, the nation had been destroyed, but for the interceffion of Mofes; and the whole generation of those who came out of Egypt, except Joshua and Caleb, actually fell in the wilderness,

wafted

wafted and confumed by various plagues and calamities, during a forty years peregrination. See Numb. xii. xiii. xiv. St. Jude makes mention of fuch a generation in the early days of the Christian church, speakers of "hard fpeeches against Christ, murmurers, complainers, walking after their own lufts;" and he therefore puts converts "in remembrance, how that "the Lord, having faved the people out of the land "of Egypt, afterward destroyed them that believed "not." Jude, verfe 5, and 15. standing all that Jefus has done, for the church, men "fin yet more, and believe not "for his wondrous works," but either defpife the heavenly country, or defpair of obtaining it, therefore is the hand of God heavy upon the world; vanity and trouble" wear out the life of man; and they who have paffed the waters of baptifin, fall fhort of the promised reft.

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Becaufe, notwithand continues to do

34. When he flew them, then they fought him: and they returned, and enquired early after God. 35. And they remembered that God was their rock, and the high God their Redeemer. 36. Nevertheless did they flatter him with their mouth, and they lyed unto him with their tongues. 37. For their heart was not right with him, neither were they fedfaft in his covenant.

Several inftances of this behaviour occur in the hiftory of Korah's rebellion and punishment, of the fiery ferpents, and of Ifrael and Moab. See Numb. xvi. xx. xxi. xxv. The Ifraelites, in this particular, refembled their great perfecutor Pharaoh; their repentance, which came with the divine judgments, wept alfo away with them, and appeared no more.

By

by night the dew falleth from heaven, and refresheth the weary ground, and caufeth the green herb and the flower of the field to revive and fpring; but in the morning the fun arifeth with a burning heat, and presently the dew is evaporated, the grafs withereth, the flower fadeth, and the ground again be-. cometh parched and dry, as before. Thus it is with man. Adversity is the night, and grace is the dew, by which his heart is made tender and religious, and good refolutions are formed, and begin to shoot; but returning profperity has the force and effect of a summer fun; at it's prefence piety vanisheth, resolutions come to nothing, and the heart is once more hardened. "O Ephraim," exclaims Jehovah by his prophet, "what fhall I do unto thee? O Judah, what "fhall I do unto thee? for your goodness is as a "morning cloud, and as the early dew it paffes

away." Hos. vi. 4. Who, that hath been converfant in the house of mourning, and about the bed of sickness, but must have seen frequent inftances of a temporary and deceitful repentance? Whose heart doth not reproach him with some of these backflidings of Ifrael? In the day, therefore, of health, and ftrength, and prosperity, before the indignation of heaven break forth, and the right aiming thunderbolts fly abroad, from a motive of love, not of fear, let us "feek early after God, and return from our fins, remembering the rock of our falvation, and "the high God, our Redeemer." Thus may we entertain fome hope, that our converfion is fincere; that we do not "flatter, and lie" unto our Maker; that our "heart is right with him," and we shall VOL. II.

C

continue "ftedfast in his covenant." And then, a plant that is fet and lives in the heat of the day, how will it thrive, and flourish, under the cool and moist influences of night!

38. But he being full of compaffion, forgave their iniquity, and deftroyed them not; yea, many a time turned he is anger away, and did not flir up all his wrath. 39. For he remembered that they were but flesh; a wind, or, breath, that paffeth away, and cometh not again.

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Had God "ftirred up all his wrath," the Ifraelites must have been exterminated in the wilderness. But then the promises made to Abraham, of mercy and "compaffion" to them, and by them to all mankind, had failed. Therefore they were " forgiven," and not deftroyed:" judgment was executed, from time to time, upon the perfons of offenders; but still a remnant was left; the nation fubfifted, until the Seed came, to whom the promife was made. Nay, although, in confequence of their laft and greatest crime, their polity was fubverted with their city and temple, the race is yet marvellously preferved; and, we truft, preferved for mercy, to be fhewn them in the last days. Be not angry, O Lord Jefu, for ever, with them, or with us; but remember of what materials we are made, and into what a state we are fallen; how weak and how frail we are; how liable to be feduced into fin, and blinded by error: remem ber this, O Lord, and forgive us; and teach us to remember it, that we may forgive one another.

40. How oft did they provoke him in the wilderness, and grieve him in the defert? 41. Yea, they

turned