of the divine majesty, shining forth in the assumed form of a servant.- -The taste of the manna, that was so very sweet, like honey, and the most excellent oil, signifies the unspeakable delights of that grace we obtain by Christ, whose sweetness none understand but they who taste it, Psal. xxxiv. 8.-In order to be a more proper food for Israel, it was ground in mills, or pounded with pestles, or baked in pans, Numb. xi. 8. Christ. was also prepared by various sufferings, that he might be most sweet and wholesome food to our souls.

LII. The manna was rained down in the wilderness: and Christ came into the world, and to the people of Israel, when, like a wilderness, it was overgrown with thistles and thorns, and most barren of good fruit; and, by his coming, comforted all the waste places of Zion, and made her wilderness like Eden, and her desert like the garden of Jehovah, Is. li. 3.It was then, that the Israelites obtained the manna, when all that they had brought out of Egypt, was spent, and they saw they must inevitably perish by famine, unless they were relieved by the unexpected favor of heaven. Christ bestows his grace only on those, who, sensible of their want, and rejecting every worldly comfort, chuse to owe their salvation to him alone, Luke i. 53. He filled the hungry with good things, and sent the rich empty away.Nor can any one hope for the consolations of divine grace, unless he first quit the Egypt of this world, and the prison of sin, and passing through the Red sea of sorrowful repentance, he give himself up to be led and directed by the Holy Spirit, in the way to the heavenly Canaan, Is. xxxii. 16, 17.

LIII. The manna came down every day, and whenever the morning dawned, presented itself fresh to the Israelites. Thus also the grace and tender mercies of the Lord are new every morning, Lam. iii. 23.-Yet

this bread was in such manner given for six days, as none of it was to be seen on the seventh. This seems to signify, that Christ would in his appointed time appear among the Israelites, and converse daily with them; but afterwards would neither be seen, nor sought for, any where on earth, nor be imagined to be either in this or in the other place. But because that day was the seventh of the week, this set forth, he should cease to be seen by men on the seventh, but on the first day of the week, when he returned from the grave, he would present himself to the view of his people almost as early as the sun. When the Israelites were come into Canaan, the manna ceased; every thing which regards the state of the church, wandering in the wilderness of this world, consequently every healing grace, and every thing which flows to us from Christ as Mediator, and supposes any defect, shall cease after the last day, when God himself shall be all in all to his church, when introduced into the heavenly country, I Cor. xv. 28.

LIV. The manna was not bestowed on the Israelites, as the effect of their sowing or culture, or of any human industry; but by the gratuitous gift of the divine goodness and bounty alone: the only thing required of them, was to receive, to gather, and make use of that gift of God. Thus in like manner, the life and salvation we have in Christ the Lord, is not of him that willeth, nor of him that runneth, but of God that sheweth mercy, Rom. ix. 16. And his grace is as a dew from Jehovah, as the showers upon the grass, that tarrieth not for man, nor waiteth for the sons of men, Mic. v. 7. It is however our duty, by faith to receive, and apply to ourselves the offered grace. And this was what our Saviour meant, when he said, John ix. 27. Labour not for the meat which perisheth, but for

that meat which endureth unto everlasting life, which the Son of man shall give unto you. And this, indeed, was to be done early in the morning, not letting slip the opportunity, Is. lv. 6. Seek ye the Lord, while he is near. Psal. Ixiii. 1. O God, thou art my God, early will I seek thee.The Israelites were to go without the camp, in order to have the manna. Whosoever labours to find Christ, must not indulge too much the ease of the flesh. When the spouse sought her belov ed in her bed, she found him not, Cant. iii. 1. but when she had gone a little further, she found him, ver. 4.

LV. Though God gave the manna in a certain stinted measure, yet in a quantity sufficient for those of the largest appetite: Christ deals out a portion of his grace to each, in such a manner as nothing may be wanting to their salvation, 2 Cor. xii. 9. His grace, however, is equally set before all the elect, that each may take of it to his full satisfaction, Cant. v. 1. If they open their mouths wide, they shall be filled with the goodness of the Lord, Psal. lxxxi. 10. and xxxvi. 8, 9.Our esteem and longing for the divine grace can indeed never be to excess; nor are we forbid to strive after more let each account it said to himself, 1 Cor. xii. 31. Covet earnestly the best gifts. But yet every one ought to be content with the most free and wise dispensation of our Father, humbly confessing ourselves unworthy even of the least. But if any, by the blessing of God, is found to have gathered more than others, his duty is to lay out his abundance for the common benefit, and supply the wants of others from the plenty of his gifts.

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LVI. The manna, that was kept to the following day, became tainted, and ceased any longer to be either the usual, much less the sacramental bread. Thus also the eucharistical bread, the antitype of the

manna, after the time is over, when it is distributed to be eaten, loses the virtue of a sacrament; and if it be kept contrary to the command of God, instead of being a spiritual food, will be found tainted with the maggots of a base superstition.-A double quantity was gathered the day before the Sabbath, for the use of that day of rest on the same day of the week, the labour of Christ's soul being redoubled, such an abundance of grace was purchased for the elect, even enough to satiate, and make them happy through an eternal Sabbath.Nor are we to apprehend, that the spiritual gifts, laid up that day, can be tainted by any corruption.In a word, the keeping the manna in a golden pot, and the laying it up in the tabernacle, before Jehovah and the testimony, set forth, that he who came down from heaven, to be the bread of life to sinful man, should again be taken up into heaven, and continue in the sanctuary not made with hands, and in a state of uninterrupted life before God; whence also the communion with Christ in glory is called the hidden manna, Rev. ii. 17. However, we are, above all things, to be on our guard, lest, with the ungrateful Israelites, we loath the incomparable delights of the heavenly grace, and prefer the husks of this world before them, and so incur the justest vengeance of a despised Deity.

LVII. But forasmuch as the favor of meat is nothing, if there be no drink, as Josephus introduces Moses speaking to God; and because the superabundant fulness which is in Christ, was to be shadowed forth to the ancient people, as well as to us, the divine goodness indulged the murmuring Israelites likewise with drink, which was as miraculous as their meat. For, the people being parched with thirst, and finding no water, either for themselves or children, much less

their cattle, in the parched wilderness, Moses, at God's command, striking with his rod the rock which was in Horeb, on whose summit the glorious majesty of the divine presence was seen, opened large veins of water, Exod. xvii. 1.—6. This miracle is celebrated in many places of scripture, Psal. lxxviii. 15, 16. He clave the rocks in the wilderness, and gave them drink, as out of the great depths: he brought streams also out of the rock, and caused waters to run down like rivers. Some imagine the rock itself was turned to streams of water, from Psal. cxiv. 8. where the Vulgate translates, qui convertit petram in stagna aquarum, et rupem in fontes aquarum, "which turned the rock into a standing water, the flint into a fountain of waters;" the Septuagint, TOU TREPSANTOS. But this is a poetical hyperbole, as if we should say, heaven itself was dissolved into showers. Nothing is more ridiculous, than to bring this in support of the monster of transubstantiation. But whether God first miraculously produced the water in that place, or whether, when Moses smote the rock with his rod, he suddenly set open the veins of water, which had been there before, but had been shut up till then, is not for us to determine, since the scripture is silent. What the Jews feign, that the rod of Moses was made of adamant, and hence penetrated the rock by the stroke; and that therefore Moses is said not to have struck upon the rock, but in the rock, ver. 6. is trifling to the highest degree.

LVIII. As there is no great difficulty in this historical account, we hasten to the consideration of the mystery, set forth, 1 Cor. x. 4. And did all drink the same spiritual drink. Spiritual, not surely in its own nature, but in its signification, as we have intimated, concerning the meat. For they drank of the spiritual rock that followed them, that is, the water of the rock which fol