VI. that world which they renounced at their LECT. baptism, and bring it with them into the Christian profeffion, as the Hebrews brought Egypt with them into the wildernefs. Whatever you think of the manna from heaven, and a fpringing well from a ftone of flint, you have a greater miracle before your eyes daily. You have Chrift come down to be the life of the world, and offering himself as the true manna in the bleffed facrament. You have his spirit and his word, as a water of life attending you in your way through this wilderness: but these spiritual bleffings have their value with those only who are Spiritually minded. Count the congregation of Chriftians in any parish, and fee how few of that number attend the holy Communion: then you will discover, that Chriftians are fick of this Jewish diftemper. As the wonders of the wilderness made no impreffion on those who were ftill affected to Egypt; fo Christianity can offer nothing defireable to those whofe hearts are full of the world. Where there is an attachment to fulness of feasting, excess of drinking, and to the M 4 other VI. LECT. other profpects, pleasures and profits of the world, there can be no fpiritual appetite. To thirst after earthly and heavenly things at the fame time, is as impoffible as to ferve God and Mammon. Can the man, who makes it his wish and his pleafure to be drunk, join with the prophet and fay-Like as the hart defireth the waterbrooks, fo longeth my foul after thee, O God. My foul is athirst for God, even the living God: when shall I come and appear before the prefence of God? Doth he not rather fay, "let me never come near him, for I have no relish for his ways or his worfhip. I wish there were no church, no facraments, no preaching, no praying. I was baptized to be a member of Chrift, but I never defire to be in his company. Let me continue to be one of the fwine of Egypt, as I have hitherto been, and let my latter end be like theirs." Such is the language which paffes in many hearts when it is put into plain English. Men are called by different names at diftant periods of time; but the workings of their minds are the fame in all ages. The devout Christian follows VI. follows the calling of God at this day, LECT. on the fame motives of faith as the Patriarchs did of old, and confiders this life as a pilgrimage; while others are drawn away by the world and the flesh just as they were whose carcafes fell in the wilderness. They were made examples to us, with this intention as the apostle inftructs us, that we should not luft after evil things as they also lufted*. If we look to their history in the book of Numbers, we find how discontented and miserable they were under the way of life to which God had brought them: The children of Ifrael wept again and faid, who fhall give us flesh to eat? It was well with us in Egypt, but now our foul is dried away; away; there is nothing at all befides this manna before our eyes. Then we read that God complied with their murmurings, and fent them meat to the full; but fent a plague after it, whereby many were deftroyed; and the place received its name from the graves of those who were buried for their lufts. 1 Cori x. 6. Here LECT. VI. Here the child of this world may fee his own picture. It is his object to gratify himself at any rate, without confidering the confequences. His Paradife is this Egypt: felf-denial is a meagre doctrine, and there is nothing to be got, which he can relish, by the fervice of God. You will therefore fee people as fretful and cross when devotion and felf-denial come in their way, as the weeping Ifraelites, who complained that they were dried up with eating manna. And the confequence is as it was of old, God is not well pleafed with them: and fooner or later, every man will feel the effect of fetting God against him by his indifference and difaffection. Some have their punishment in that fulnefs which they have defired. Who amongst us cannot recollect many, who have died before their time, by following some ungoverned appetite; and come to the fame end, by the fame means, as they who were buried at Kibroth Hattaavah? If they live long to enjoy that for which they thought it worth their while to murmur against and defpife the ways of God, they VI. they suffer miferably in another refpect: LECT. as it is faid in the Pfalm, he gave them their defire, and fent leanness withal into their foul*: so that while their bodies were thriving their fouls were ftarving. If it were poffible to fee the fouls of some such people, they would look worse than skin and bone; wafting and perishing for lack of that grace by which the inner man is renewed. He then who wishes to find death, mifery, and the displeasure of God, which is worst of all, let him turn back from his Christian profeffion, and demand fatisfaction for all his lufts. But let him who wishes to find Cannaan at laft, be content to find a wilderness in the way to it, and there take with thankfulness what God has appointed for him. *Pfalm cvi. 15. LECT |