-~, [ontemplationl. LIB. v-:- fo much greater reward for the Righteous: as eternity is beyond time, and heaven A above earth. It was not ofany natural! infiinCl,but from theO\•er-ruling power oftheir Cre.Itor, that thefe Q!_ailes came to the Defarc. Needs mu!rcheycome whom G o D brings. His hand1s inalltbe motions of his meanefi Creatures. Notonely we, bm they move 10 htm. As not many Q!_a~les, fo not one SpJrrow falls without him: How much more are the actions of his bell: creature,Man,direCled by his proVIdence~ How a01amed mtght thefe Ifraeittu have been, to fee thefe creatures fo obedient ro their Creator, as to come and o!fer themfdves to their llaughter. whiles they went fo repiningly to his fervice and their owne preferment ~ Who c..; difirufi the provifion ofthe great Houfe-keeper of the world, when he fees how he can furnith his tables at pleafure! Is he growne now carele!fe, or we faithldfe B rather! Why doe we not repofe upon his mercy! Ratherth~n we llnll w:mr when we truft him, he will fetch Q!_ailes hom all the coafis of heaven to our board. Oh Lord, thy hand is not 1!1ortne-d to give : let not ours be lhorrned, or il1ut in receiving. Eirahs fervitors, the Ravens, brought him his full ferviceof bread, and Aell1 at once~ ~ach morning and evening. Bur rhefe Ifraelius have their fldh a.t even, and their bread in the morning: Good reafon therdhould be a difference. Eliahs table wasupon Gods dirett appointmenr;the Ifratlituupon their mutiny:Although God will relieve them with provifion,yet he will punifh their impatience with delay; fo ll1all they know themfdves his people, that they il1 llfinde they were murmurers. Notone!y in thematter, but inthe order, God anfwerstheir grudging; firll they C compl1ine ofthe want of AeOJ-pots,thenofbread. In the firfi place therefore they have fleOJ,bread after. Whenthey have flefh, yet they mull: fiay a time ere they can have a full meale; unldfe they wouldeatthdr meat breadle!fe,and their bread dry. God will be waited on and will give the confummationofhis bleflings at hisown leafure. In the evening ofour life, we have the firtl pledgesofhis favour: but in' the morning ofour refurrettion, mull: welookc for our perfett faciety of the true Manna,the bread oflife. Now the Ifraclitts fped well )virh theirQ!ailes ; they did eat and digefi,and pro· fper: notlong afrer1 they have: Qqailes withavengeance; the meat was plcafant, 1 but the fauce was fearfull,They let down theQ!.'liles at their mouth,butthey came I omat their nofirils.How much bercer had it been to have died ofhunger, through D the chafiifement ofGod, then of the plague ofGod, with the flell1 betwixt their reerh!Behold,theyperiOJOfthefame dif<>fe then,whereofthey now recover. The fame finne repeated,is death, whofe firfi aCl found remiflion: Relapfes are defperate,where the fickne!fe it fdf is not.With us men,once goes away witha warning, the fecond att isbut whipping,the third is death. It is amortal! thing to abufe the lenity ofGod;we ll10uld be prefumptuouflymad,to hope that God will fbnd us for a finnin•-llock,to provoke him howwe will. It is moremercy then he owes us,ifhe forbe~reusonce: iris his jufiice to plague us thefecond time: We may thanke ourfelves, ifwe will not be warned. Their meatwas firange,but nothing fo much as their bread.To find O!!;liles in a Wilderne!fe was unufuall;but for bread to comedown fi·om Heavenwas yet more. E They had feen ~iles before(though not infuch number:) Manna was neverfee11 till now.From this day till their feeling in Canaitn, God wrought a perpetua)l miracle in this food. A mirarle in the-place : other bread rifes up from below,this fell down fi·om above; neither did it everrain bread till now; Yet fo did this heavenly fhowre fall, that it is confined to the Camp of IJYae/. A miracle in the quantity: That every morning fhould f.1ll enough to fill fo many hundred thoufand mourhes aud mawes. A miracle 10 rhe compofinon;That 11 was fweet hke hony-cakes,round hke Cori:tnders,tranfparent as dhv.Amiracle in the qu•lity;That it me!reel by ooeheac, byanother hardened.Amiraclein the diffe:ence of the f:ll;Tlm(as ifit knewnmes, andwould teach them as we! as feed >hem)It fell double mthe even oftheSabbacb, and on the Sabbath felll)ot.A miracle in the putrefactionand prefervation; Tha; it WlS
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=