keeper of the world, when he sees how he can furnish his tables at pleasure? Is he grown now careless, or we faithless rather? Why do we not repose upon his mercy? Rather than we shall want, when we trust him, he will fetch quails from all the coasts of heaven to our board. O Lord, thy hand is not shortened to give; let not ours be shortened, or shut in receiving.

Elijah's servitors, the ravens, brought him his full service of bread and flesh at once, each morning and evening. But these Israelites have their flesh at even, and their bread in the morning. Good reason there should be a difference. Elijah's table was upon God's direct appointment; the Israelites upon their mutiny. Although God will relieve them with provision, yet he will punish their impatience with delay; so shall they know themselves his people, that they shall find they were murmurers. Not only in the matter, but in the order, God answers their grudging; first, they complain of the want of flesh-pots, then of bread. In the first place therefore they have flesh, bread after. When they have flesh, yet they must stay a time ere they can have a full meal, unless they would eat their meat breadless, and their bread dry. God will be waited on, and will give the consummation of his blessings at his own leisure. In the evening of our life we have the first pledges of his favour; but in the morning of our resurrection, must we look for our perfect satiety of the true manna, the bread of life.

Now the Israelites sped well with their quails; they did eat and digest, and prosper; not long after, they have quails with a vengeance; the meat was pleasant, but the sauce was fearful. They let down the quails at their mouth, but they came out at their nostrils. How much better had it been to have died of hunger through the chastisement of God, than of the plague of God, with the flesh betwixt their teeth! Behold, they perish of the same disease then, whereof they now recover. The same sin repeated is death, whose first act found remission. Relapses are despe

With us men,

rate, where the sickness itself is not. once goes away with a warning, the second act is but whipping, the third is death. It is a mortal thing to abuse the lenity of God. We should be presumptuously mad, to hope that God will stand us for a sinning stock, to provoke him how we will. It is more mercy than he owes us, if he forbear us once; it is his justice to plague us the second time. We may thank ourselves, if we will not be warned.

Their meat was strange, but nothing so much as their bread. To find quails in a wilderness was unusual; but for bread to come down from heaven was yet more. They had seen quails before, though not in such number; manna was never seen till now. From this day, till their settling in Canaan, God wrought a perpetual miracle in this food. A miracle in the place; other bread rises up from below, this fell down from above; neither did it ever rain bread till now; yet so did this heavenly shower fall, that it is confined to the camp of Israel. A miracle in the quantity; that every morning should fall enough to fill so many hundred thousand mouths and maws. A miracle in the composition; that it is sweet like honey-cakes, round like corianders, transparent as dew. A miracle in the quality; that it is melted by one heat, by another hardened. A miracle in the difference of the fall; that (as if it knew times, and would teach them as well as feed them) it fell double in the even of the Sabbath, and on the Sabbath fell not. A miracle in the putrefaction and preservation; that it was full of worms, when it was kept beyond the due hour for distrust; full of sweetness, when it was kept a day longer for religion; yea, many ages, in the ark, for a monument of the power and mercy of the Giver. A miracle in the continuance and ceasing; that this shower of bread followed their camp in all their removals, till they came to taste of the bread of Canaan; and then withdrew itself, as if it should have said, ye need no miracles, now ye have means.

They had the types, we have the substance. In this wilderness of the world, the true manna is rained upon the tents of our hearts. He that sent the manna, was 'the manna which he sent. He hath said, "I am the manna that came down from heaven." Behold, their whole meals were sacramental. Every morsel they did eat was spiritual. We eat still of their manna: still he comes down from heaven. He hath substance enough for worlds of souls, yet only is to be found in the lists of the true church; he hath more sweetness than the honey, and the honey-comb. Happy are we, if we can find him so sweet as he is.

The same hand that rained manna upon their tents, could have rained it into their mouths, or laps. God loves we should take pains for our spiritual food. Little would it have availed them, that the manna lay about their tents, if they had not gone forth and gathered it, beaten it, baked it. Let salvation be never so plentiful, if we bring it not home, and make it ours by faith, we are no whit the better. If the work done, and means used, had been enough to give life, no Israelite had died. Their bellies were full of that bread, whereof one crumb gives life; yet they died many of them in displeasure. As in natural, so in spiritual things, we may not trust to means. The carcass of the sacrament cannot give life, but the soul of it, which is the thing represented. I see each man gather, and take his just measure out of the common heap. We must be industrious, and helpful each to other; but, when we have done, Christ is not partial. If our sanctification differ, yet our justification is equal in all.

He that gave a gomer to each, could have given an ephah. As easily could he have rained down enough for a month, or a year at once, as for a day. God delights to have us live in a continual dependence upon his providence, and each day renew the acts of our faith and thankfulness. But what a covetous Israelite was that, which, in a foolish distrust, would be sparing the charges of God, and reserving that for

morning, which he should have spent upon his supper? He shall know, that even the bread that came down from heaven can corrupt. The manna was from above, the worms and stink from his diffidence. Nothing is so sovereign, which being perverted may not annoy, instead of benefiting us.

Yet I see some difference between the true and typical manna; God never meant that the shadow and the body should agree in all things. The outward manna reserved was poison: the spiritual manna is to us, as it was to the ark, not good, unless it be kept perpetually. If we keep it, it shall keep us from putrefaction. The outward manna fell not at all on the Sabbath. The spiritual manna, though it baulks no day, yet it falls double on God's day; and if we gather it not then, we famish. In that true Sabbath of our glorious rest, we shall for ever feed of that manna which we have gathered in this, even of our life.

CONTEMPLATION III.

OF THE ROCK OF REPHIDIM.

BEFORE, Israel thirsted and was satisfied; after that, they hungered and were filled; now they thirst again. They have bread and meat, but what drink? It is a marvel if God do not evermore hold us short of something, because he would keep us still in exercise. We should forget at whose cost we live, if we wanted nothing. Still God observes a vicissitude of evil and good; and the same evils that we have passed, return upon us in their courses. Crosses are not of the nature of those diseases which they say a man can have but once. Their first seizure doth but make way for their re-entry. None but our last enemy comes once

for all and I know not, if that; for even in living we die daily. So must we take our leaves of all afflictions, that we reserve a lodging for them and expect their return.

All Israel murmured when they wanted bread, meat, water; and yet all Israel departed from the wilderness of Sin to Rephidim, at God's command. The very worst men will obey God in something; none but the good, in all. He is rarely desperate, that makes an universal opposition to God. It is an unsound praise that is given a man for one good action. It may be safely said of the very devils themselves, that they do something well: they know, and believe, and tremble. If we follow God, and murmur, it is all one as if we had staid behind.

Those distrust his providence in their necessity, that are ready to follow his guidance in their welfare. It is a harder matter to endure an extreme want, than to obey a hard commandment. Sufferings are greater trials than actions. How many have we seen jeopard their lives, with cheerful resolution, which cannot endure in cold blood to lose a limb with patience! Because God will have his thoroughly tried, he puts them to both and if we cannot endure both, to follow him from Sin, and to thirst in Rephidim, we are not sound Israelites.

God led them on purpose to this dry Rephidim. He could as well have conducted them to another Elim, to convenient waterings. Or he, that gives the waters of all their channels, could as well have derived them to meet Israel: but God doth purposely carry them to thirst. It is not for necessity that we fare ill, but out of choice. It were all one with God to give us health, as sickness; abundance as poverty. The treasury of his riches hath more store than his creature can be capable of. We could not complain, if it were not good for us to want.

This should have been a contentment able to quench any thirst; "God had led us hither." If