Preparations for the Gsvl:ng o ftheLaw. 289 from their, temptations and provocations. That which alone we have to obferve concerningthis difpenfation of God towards them, is, that they had this eminent re- newed pledge of theBread of Life, the food oftheir fouls, the Lord Chrift, givenunto them, before theywere entruftedwith the Law, which by making their only glory, andbetaking themfelvesunto, without the healing Tree And heavenly Manna, i; be- come their fnarc and ruine. See lob. 6.3r, 32, 48, 49, 51. Rev. 2. 17. A thirdfgnal preparation for the Law on the like occafion, and to the fame pur- Qi 27. pofewith the former, is repeated, Exed. x7,1, z, 3, 4, 5, 6, y. Andall theCongregation of the children ofIfraeljourneyed from the wildernefs ofSin, after their journeys, according toghe commandmentof the Lord, andpitched in Rephidim ; andthere was no water for the people to drink Wherefore the people did chide withMores, andPaid, Give AS water that we may drink AndMofes jaid unto them, Why chideye with me ? wherefore do ye tempt theLord? Andthe people thirffed there for water ; and thepeople murmuredegainffMofes, andjaid, Wherefore is this that thou haft brought its up out of Egypt to kill us with ehirff ? AndMofescriedunto the Lord,!eying, What fhallI do unto thispeople? they beelm* ready toftonema Andthe Lordfaidunto Mofes, Go on before thepeople, andtake with thee of the EldersofIfrael, andthyRod wherewith thou fmoteff the River take in thine hand, and go, behold Iwillffandbefore thee there upon theRick in Horeb; and thou (halt finite the hock, and there fballcome water out ofit thactbeymay drink. And Mofes didfo herbs fight of the Elders ofIfrael. , Andhe called the name, of the placeMaffah and Meribab, be- caufe of the chiding of the children ofIfrael, andbetaufe they tempted the Lord, faying,.Is theLord amongff Of or not ? Marching up farther into the Wildernefs,, and coming to , Rephidim, their fourth Elation from the Red-fee, meeting with no waters to their fa- tisfaftion, they fell into an high murmuring again[} the Lord; and mutiny againft Mofes their Leader. And this iniquity, the Jewifh Doetors fuppofe, aggravated, be- caufe they were in no abfolute nece(fity of water, the dew which fell from the Manna running in fame firearm. Hereon God leads Mofes to the Rock of Horeb, wherehim- (elf appeared in the cloud, which he had prepared for the place ofgiving the Law, commanding him to take his Rod in his hand to fmite the Rock, whereon waters flowed out for the reliefofthis finful murmuring people. And the holy Ghoft hath put fundry remarksupon thisdifpenfation ,ofGod towards them. Firft, upon thefin ofthe people, whence hegave a doublename to the place where they finned, for a memorial to all generations ; he called it Maffah and Meribah; which words our Apoftle renders by riveie rem and napasrr¡aoµar, chap. 3. 9. Tem- ptation, andprovoking Contention. And it is often mentioned again both on the part' ofthe people, either to reproach and burthen themwith their fin, as Deut.9. 22. And at Maffahye provoked the Lord to wrath ; or to warn them ofthe like mifcarriage, chap. 6. a6. Youfhal!not tempt the Lord your God, asyou tempted him in Maffah ; as alto Pjal. 95. 8. Andonthe partofMojes, as to thefignal trialthat God had there ofhis faithand obedience, in that great difficulty which he confliéted withall; as alto of thofe of the TribeofLevi, whoin a preparation unto their mining dedication unto God, clave unto him inhis (traits. Deut. 3 3.8. And ofLevi befaid, Let thy Thummim andthyVrim be with thyholy one, whom thou didjt proveat Maffeb, and with whom thou didft iriveat the waters ofMeribah. The mercy likewife that enfued in giving them water from the Rock, is mot{ frequently celebrated, Deut. B. 15.Pfal.78.15, 16. Pfal ío5.41. Neh. 9. 15. Now all this wasdyne, to bring them to attendand enquire diligently intothekernel, the pearl of this mercy, whole outward hell was fo undefervedly free, and fo defervedly pre- tious. For in thisRock ofHoreb lay hid a#iritualRock, as our Apofile tells us, t Cor. to 4. even Chrift the SonofGod, who beingfmitten with the Rod of Mofes, or the flroke and curfeof the Law, adminiftred by him, gaveout watersoflife freely unto all that thirftandcome untohim. Thusdid God prepare this.people for the receivingoftheLaw,bya triple intimation 5. 28. ofHim, who is the Redeemer fromthe Law,and by whom alone the Lawthat was tobe given, could be made ufefuland profitable unto them. And 'all there intimations wet e fill given them on their great and fìgnàl provocations, ro declare,that neither did their Goodnefs defervethem, nor couldtheir fins hinder the progrefs ofthe counCel ofGod's will, and the work of his grace. Hereby alfodid God revive Onto them the graceof the promiCe, which being given, as our Apoftle obférves, four hundred and thirty years before the giving of the Law, could not be difnulfd or impeach'd thereby. And theft I call the remotepreparations ofthe people for the receiving of the Law, confuting
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