for that he himself, was the LORD their Gon." But although the thunder of divine wrath so dreadfully roared thoughout all the land of Egypt among the Egyptians, and God was now, in a miraculous manner, working their deliverance; yet, even now, they rebelled against the Lord, and would not hearken unto him. "They did not every man cast away the abominations of their eyes, neither did they forsake the idols of Egypt." Wherefore God said, “ I will pour out my fury upon them, to accomplish mine anger upon them, in the midst of the land of Egypt*. But then God considered what the Egyptians would say to such a dispensation of providence, and how it would be misinterpreted through all nations and ages. "Wherefore, he wrought for his great

name's sake that it might not be polluted before the heathen, among whom they were, and in whose sight God intended to make himself known to the Israelites by bringing them out of the land of Egyptt." And therefore, instead of the destruction they deserved from his hands, for their stupid attachment to Egyptian abominations, God let loose Pharaoh to increase their burdens, to make their bondage absolutely intolerable, that he might force them from their idols, and drive them out of Egypt. And to bring them still more to their senses, God let Pharaoh loose to pursue them with chariots,

* If when God met with such infinite provocations at the hands of the Hebrews, he could yet find in his heart to prosecute his design, and accomplish his promise to Abraham, that to his seed he would give the land of Canaan, we cannot have the least reason to doubt but that, notwithstanding all the present wickedness of his professing people in the world, whereby he is infinitely provoked to resign all Christendom to destruction, he will yet prosecute his designs, and accomplish all his promises," Give to his son the heathen for his inheritance, and the utmost parts of the earth for his possession; and bring every people, nation, language, and tongue, to serve him; and satan shall be bound, and Christ shall reign on earth for a thousand years.”—No obstacles, no discouragements, no prvocations, no diffieulties, of whatever kind, or however great, can hinder God from the accomplishment of the glorious designs of his grace. He redeemed Israel out of Egypt, although he saw what they were then and what they would be in all future times. Yea, he has given his Son, and that to the death of the cross, in order to carry on his designs. And what will not GOD ALMIGHTY then do? ALMIGHTINESS, SO INFI. NITELY engaged, cannot and will not be frustrated.

† Ezekiel xx. 5-9.

and horsemen, and a great army; and contrived that he should overtake them, shut in among the mountains, unable to make their escape; that he might have opportunity to let Israel see his mighty power, in dividing the sea, and make them feel their dependance upon and obligations to him; and that, having led them through the sea, he might have them in a barren wilderness, where there was neither bread, nor flesh, nor water, as the fittest scene for those transactions, and grand events, belonging to the infinitely wise plan which God had laid out.

Israel had been in Egypt 215 years*; and the latter part of the time, for above an hundred years in a state of bondage and slavery. They had almost forgotten the true God, and the true religion; were habituated to the idolatry and manners of Egypt; well pleased with the country; and, but for their oppressions, would never have entertained any thoughts of leaving it. Yea, notwithstanding their severe bondage, were hardly prevailed upon to hearken to Moses, to whom they said, "Let us alone, that we may serve the Egyptians," as they afterwards upbraided him in their distress at the Red seat. And they were of so mean and dastardly a spirit, as to be unfit to march against their enemies. God, who knew their temper, judged that if he had led them from Egypt strait to Canaan, which was not an hundred miles distant, the approach of their enemies, prepared for war, would have frightened them back again to Egypt‡. Yea, such was their attachment to Egypt, their coldness to Canaan, their coward

From the covenant with Abraham, to the giving of the law, was, (as St. Paul asserts, Gal. iii. 17.) 430 years. And this will give light to Gen. xv. 13. and to Exod. xii. 40, 41. For the law was given soon after they came out of Egypt.

Joseph was 17 years old when he was sold, and it is supposed he was soon imprisoned, perhaps the very same year, and so that he lay in prison about 13 years; for he was 30 at his advancement. After which, in about nine years, Jacob and all his family came down into Egypt. After which Joseph lived 71 years. And so, in all, was in the greatest honour 80 years, to counterbalance 13 years of Israel came out of Egypt 144 years after Joseph's death; the greatest part of which time they were under oppression. Moses was born 64 years after Joseph's death; spent 40 in Pharaoh's court, and 40 in the land of Midian. + Exodus xiii. 17.

sorrow.

↑ Exodus xiv. 12.

ice and their stupid infidelity, even after a year's dicipline in the wilderness, and notwithstanding their solemn profession and promises to God at Mount Sinai, that, upon the ill tidings of the spies, they were for stoning Caleb and Joshua, and making to themselves a captain, and returning to their beloved Egypt.

Now such were the people God had to manage, so every way distempered, that they needed all their old notions, tastes, and tempers, to be eradicated; and to have their minds wholly framed anew, in order to be fit inhabitants for the holy land.

They must be thoroughly weaned from Egypt; from their idolatry and their manners; and be brought to know the true God, and to be sensible of his infinite abhorrence of their tempers and ways, and have their hearts effectually broken under a sense of their vileness, that they might loath themselves, and turn to the Lord, and love him, and be prepared to understand and fall in with the religion he gave them from Mount Sinai, that they might be an holy people to the Lord, a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation; that they might be to his praise and glory, in the midst of an idolatrous, benighted world; and that they might receive the promised land, not as a reward of their righteousness; for they were a stiff-necked people; but as a mere free gift from the God of Abraham, their father; and feel themselves, by the means, laid under the strongest obligations to love him, and fear him, and walk in all his ways, and keep all his commands: and at the same time, be so inured to hardship, and so thoroughly confirmed in the belief of the being and perfections of God, as that, in an entire dependance on the Lord they might march into the promised land, and behave like valiant soldiers, and execute God's vengeance on those idolatrous nations whom he had doomed to destruction; break down their altars; cut down their groves; burn their gods, and extirpate both them and their religion from off the face of the earth.

And what method, better suited to answer these noble ends, could possibly have been devised, than that which the Lord their God took for the space of forty years in the wilderness?

Wherein he humbled them, and proved them, and tried them, that it might appear what was in their hearts; and he left them to hunger and to thirst, and to murmur and rebel, and to commit idolatry, that their hearts might be turned inside out before their eyes; and, by a long course of discipline, he trained them up to a sense of his being, and perfections, and government, and to feel their dependance on him, and obliga tions to him, and by experience learn the dreadful nature of sin. He fed them with angel's food, and gave them water out of the flinty rock; he led them by day in a cloud, and in the night by a pillar of fire; but when they rebelled, the earth opened its mouth, and swallowed up hundreds, and the plague swept away thousands at a stroke; yea, at last, the whole congregation of six hundred thousand were doomed to fall in the wilderness.

Nothing impresses the heart of a human creature like FACTS. Nor could any series of facts have been better contrived than these to reach their hearts, and make them feel what they were in the sight of infinite holiness, and to bring them to fear the glorious and fearful name of the Lord their God.

At the side of the Red sea they were, to appearance, full of love to God, and there they sang his praise. And had things gone to their minds, they might never have suspected the secret hypocrisy of their hearts. But, as God had contrived the plan, in three days their religious affections were gone, and their corrupt hearts, like the troubled sea, cast up mire and dirt. God knew what they were before, and it ́ was wise in him to take this method to bring them to know it too.

But in less than forty

At Mount Sinai they were again deeply affected, when the law was given in a manner so solemn and divine; and there they promised, that whatsoever the Lord their God should command them, that would they do. days they made them a calf after the manner of Egypt, and eat and drank, and rose up to play, after the Egyptian mode. God knew before that all this was in their hearts; and now he wisely permitted it to break out, that they might know it too, and that he might have a good opportunity to let them see how exceedingly he hated their ways. He had tried

WORDS, but these would not do. He had used the plainest and strongest expressions in the first and second commandments, but they were not effectual. Now he proceeds to FACTS. Three thousand are slain by the sword at his command, to let the whole congregation KNOW how detestable their conduct was in his eyes*.

And so again, while the tabernacle was building, and at the time of its dedication, they appeared very forward in religion, as though they loved God, and loved his worship, and were determined for the future to be an obedient people. And this lasted for about a year. And doubtless they thought themselves sincere, and 'always might have thought so, had no new trials come on. But no sooner did the spies return from viewing the land of Canaan, and bring ill-tidings, but their old Egyptian temper all revived. Now Joshua and Caleb must be stoned for pleading the Lord's cause, and a new captain chosen to conduct them back to Egypt, which they left with reluctance about a year ago; willing, it seems, for ever to part with their God, their tabernacle, and their religion; and turn back to the idols and manners, and leeks, and onions of Egypt; and make their peace with the Egyptians as they could. And had not the ALMIGHTY suddenly interposed, no doubt dreadful deeds would soon have been done. God knew all this was in their hearts before; and now he wisely permitted it to break out that they might know it too, and that, by his future conduct toward that people, he might let them know that he was the Lord, and fill the whole earth with his glory+.

And while that generation was doomed to wander forty years in the wilderness, and their carcasses there to fall as the just punishment of their crimes, their posterity, by the means, had their Egyptian notions and tempers eradicated, and were trained up in the knowledge of God, and of the true religion; and prepared to enter, conquer, and possess, the holy land. Nor could they ever, to their dying day, forget the works of the Lord their God, which they had seen in Egypt, at the Red sea, in the wilderness, &c. Nor could they have hal

VOL. II.

* Exodus xxxii. 28.

† Numbers xiv.

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