lafting life, before we go into the world to labour for the body the meat which perisheth.-Fourth, They were to fill an omer with manna, (fomething above three pints) which omer was a type of the heart, and its being filled with manna, of the word of CHRIST dwelling richly there. But this manna was to be put into a pot, to be laid up before the LORD; the apoftle fays, Heb. ix. 4. a golden pot, and fo does Philo the Jew; nor is it reasonable to think that this pot, which was to contain the manna for future generation, was made of earth. Now this pot in which the manna was kept, as the judicious Dr. Gill obferves, "was typical of the ordinances of the gofpel; in its "matter, being made of gold, denoting the preciousness and "duration of them; the bignefs of it, holding an homer, fhew"ing that these contain a plenty of good things to fatisfaction; "its fituation before the ark fignifying the prefence of CHRIST "with his ordinances, and in its ufe, to hold manna, and to "be a memorial of it to ages to come, as the ordinances have "in them food for fouls, and are a remembrance of CHRIST "until his fecond coming." But I rather think, by the golden pot, we are to understand the divine nature of the LORD JEsus, and by the manna being preferved in this pot, the prefervation of the human nature, by virtue of its union with the divine. Its being laid up before the LORD, I apprehend, points out to us CHRIST's conftant appearing in the prefence of GOD for us, with his own blood within the veil, having obtained eternal redemption. And the manna being kept for future generations, that the children of Ifrael might fee the bread wherewith the Lord had fed them, Ex. xvi. 32. was, I apprehend, a lively type and prefiguration of CHRIST's appearing in heaven to the faints, as a lamb that had been flain; a view of which will bring to their remembrance what God hath done for their fouls, and with what he fed them in the wilderness of all the difpenfations of his providence, the wonders of his grace, and all thro' a mediator, in which CHRIST will remain or be preferved in the precious memories of the faints wher time fhall be no more. We remember thy love more than wine fays the church, Cant. i. 4. and if the love of CHRIST ha fuch life, favour and fragrancy in it here, what will it when these sweet, thefe tranfient drops of love, fhall b changed into a full ocean! when these fips and scarce a tafte fhall be changed into living fountains! when thefe varieties love's exhilarations fhall have the happy viciffitude to love conftant admiration! when thefe gloomy nights fhall cente in one eternal day! thefe glimmering views by faith, in or

Contant vifion of him whom our fouls love! when every hope and expectation fhall meet in one eternal fruition and enjoyment! Oh! what will it be! let filence exprefs and eternity unfold. Thus, my dear Friendly, the manna may with propriety be faid to be fpiritual food.

Friendly. Your defcription of the manna in the type, and its accomplishment in the antitype, as fpiritual food, has enriched and entertained my foul as a feaft of marrow and fatness; but I remember you faid it was angels food, therefore your ideas of it as fuch, will clofely engage my attention.

Truth. Here I muft beg leave to ufe much brevity, left I fhould be thought too tedious upon one fubject. By its being called angels food, Pf. lxxviii. 25. fome understand its being prepared by angels, others that angels might have eat of it; it was of fuch a delicious, fatisfying nature, that had angels any occafion of food they might have fed thereupon, or as it is in the margin of fome bibles, every one did eat the bread of the mighty. But I apprehend it was as the HOLY GHOST fays, P. lxxvii. 25. angels food, real and fubftantial food, as their bright intellectual minds fed thereupon, and were entertained the Old Teftament faints, an adumbration of the life, death, and delighted thereby; as the manna was to them, as well as to and fufferings of CHRIST ; likewife of his refurrection, exaltation, interceffion and glorification; which things, fays the apoftle, the angels defire to look into: they were the harbingers of his incarnation, the joyful heralds of his birth, his attendants in life, likewife at his death, the witneffes of his refurrection, and his grand majestic retinue to his Father's throne; the lovers and adorers of his name, therefore he is faid to be the head of all principalities and powers. For the elect

and ever will be, entertained with the love, wifdom, power, angels have their ftanding and fecurity in CHRIST, and are now and glory, difplayed in him, whofe name is IMMANUEL, bread from heaven, Exod. xvi. 4. under this character wherein Friendly. But you obferve, Thirdly, the manna was called

Ged with us.

doth it appear as a type

of CHRIST?

Trath. I anfwer, Firft, as there is in the quality of bread that which fupports and nourishes life from day to day, therefore proverbially called the staff of life; fo there is that in CHRIST which fupports and maintains the life of our fouls; therefore fays CHRIST, John vi. 51. I am the living bread which came down from heaven; if any man eat of this bread be

fhall live for ever, and the bread that I will give is my flesh; my fiefh, fays he, is meat indeed,

c.

Friendly. If my anxious enquiring mind be not too fertile, give me leave to afk, my dear Truth, what I am to understand by CHRIST's fleth being meat indeed?-Second, What by giving it? Third, What life they live that feed upon it, because CHRIST fays, fpeaking to the Jews, John vi. 58. not as your fathers did eat manna in the wilderness, and are dead; he that eateth of this bread fhall live for ever?

Truth. By CHRIST's fleth, I understand his incarnation, John i. 14. the word was made flesh and dwelt among us; and likewife that which is contained in his flesh or human nature, which is his being anointed as the MESSIAH with oil of gladness above his fellows; as having all the bleffings of grace and glory treasured up in him, Pfa. xlv. 2. grace is poured into thy lips; and all the promises of God's word center in him, in whom they are all yea and amen. This is the flesh of CHRIST which is meat indeed; the anointings of the HOLY GHOST, the bleffings of grace, the promifes of the covenant, being all treasured therein, makes his flesh a heavenly feaft. This is that which is fpread in Zion as a feaft of fat things, and will be the head of the feaft at the marriage-fupper of the Lamb; on which account he fays, John vi. 48. I am the bread of life.-Second, By giving his flesh, as he himself speaks, the bread that I will give you is my flesh, which he gave unto his people in a life of obedience, in a death of fufferings and fatisfaction, in the miniftration of the word. Third, he gives his life of glory to them, therefore fays the apoftle, who loved me and gave himself for me.-And Fourth, This is the bread of life, as it gives life fpiritual, and maintains it until it is confummated into life eternal, on which account CHRIST fays, Because I live ye shall live allo; and he that eateth me fhall live by me.

Friendly. You obferved that the manna was a portion, in form me in what refpect?

Truth. It was a portion, as it was fuch an eminent type of CHRIST, and of all the grace and glory, life and happiness that is contained in him, for JEHOVAH had no greater portion to give than his Son, in whom his foul delighted; and CHRIST had no greater gift than himfelf, for heaven, earth, and all therein, was nothing to himfelf, therefore fays the apoftle, whe loved us, and gave himself to God for us,; and as the Ifraelites faid of the manna, it is a portion; fo when we take view of CHRIST in the dignity of his perfon, the glory of his love, the treatures of his grace,-that every promife and

blefing, comfort and joy, heaven and happiness, are settled upon us in him, as our inheritance and poffeffion, furely we may far, as the church in Lam. iii. 24. the Lord is my portion, faith ayful, therefore will I hope.

But I now proceed to elucidate upon the next type, which was the rock in Horeb, and the waters flowing therefrom, which the apoftle applies to CHRIST, I Cor. x. 4. and did all drink the fame Spiritual drink, for they drank of that spiritual rock that followed them, and that rock was Chrift.

First, CHRIST may be compared to a rock for ftrength and ftability; as a rock is ftrong and stable to bear up under any weight and preffure laid upon it; fo CHRIST is emphatically filed, the ftrength of Ifrael, and the rock of ages; therefore the prophet, with a kind of holy zeal, exhorts the church to trust inthe Lord for ever, for in the Lord is everlasting strength, Ija. xxvi. 4. As much as if he had faid, lay all your ponderous cares, the burthens of your minds, and the concerns of your fouls upon the rock of ages; try if he will fupport you, and depend upon him, for he will not fail you; therefore truft in the LORD for ever, though it be now as dark as midnight, as gloomy as death, yet I fay, trust in him; for as ponderous weights lie folid upon a rock, and find fupport there, fo let the weighty forrows of thy heart lie upon the rock of ages, for in him is everlasting strength, strength to bear thy burthens, and remove them from thee, Pfal. xviii. 31. For who is God fave the Lord? or who is a rock fave our God?

Second, A rock is durable and permanent; fo is the LORD JESUS as durable as eternity, as permanent as the throne of heaven; he is durable, as to his divine perfon, being felf-begotten; and as to his perfon as God-man, he knows no change, being confecrated a priest for ever, Heb. vii. 24. But this man, because he continueth ever, hath an unchangeable priesthood. He is durable in his love, it admits of no variation, or fluctuation in bis mind, baving loved his own, that were in the world, he loveth them to the end. As the various changes of weather never move a rock, neither do the variations of the chriftian's frame, the deadnefs of his heart, the coldnefs of his affections, move the love of the God of Ifrael, the rock of eternity; his love being a perfection of his nature, God is love.

Third, A rock affords a delightful fhade from the heat of the fua; fo CHRIST is the foul's delightful fhade from the wrath of God, as he interpofeth and ftands between GoD and man, 1 Tim. ii. 5. For there is one God, and one Mediator between

God and man, the man Chrift Jefus. As the atonement of his precious blood is a fhade of divine refreshment for the travellers of Zion to retreat unto, when a sense of guilt and wrath burns upon their confcience, when the fiery law flames round about them, that when they look up to heaven, there is an angry GoD, if they look within there is an accufing conscience; if to the law of GOD there is nothing but condemnation; if to their conduct they are ready to defpair, and cry out, God be merciful to me a finner; yet here is a rock of hope, a refuge for the needy, an afylum for the guilty, Ifa. xxxii. 2. A man fhall be as an hiding place from the wind, a covert from the tempeft, and as the shadow of a great rock in a weary land.

Fourth, A rock is a folid foundation to build upon, therefore when the rains came, and the floods defcended, the house ftood, because it was founded upon a rock; to which CHRIST is compared in his perfon, blood and obedience, as the only foundation of our hope, the rest and stay of our fouls, for when Peter faid unto the LORD JESUS, thou art Chrift, the Son of the living God, JESUS faid unto him, upon this rock will I build my church, and the gates of hell fhall not prevail against it, Mat. xvi. 18. as much as though he had faid, if I am CHRIST, the anointed of GOD, the promised Meffiah, the Son of God, having all divine perfections effentially in my original nature, and all the perfections of human nature, therewith conftituting the dignity of my perfon God-man,-upon this rock will I build my church, and the gates of hell fhall not prevail against it; therefore, faid the apoftle, 1 Cor. iii. 11. other foundation can no man lay, than that which is laid, which is Christ Jesus the Lord; for CHRIST as the foundation, was laid typically by all the types and fhadows under the Mofaic difpenfation, they were fhadows of good things to come, but the body is Chrift, Cal. ii. 17.-Second, CHRIST as the foundation, was prophetically laid, as the prophets of old, by all their prophecies and predictions, pointed him out as the MESSIAH, the rock of Ifrael and falvation-stay of the people; therefore, fays the LORD by the prophet, Behold I lay in Zion for a foundation, a stone, a tried ftone, a precious corner-ftone, a fure foundation, Ifa. xxxviii. 16. And, fays the apoftle Peter, he that believeth on him shall never be afhamed. Third, CHRIST as a foundation, is hiftorically laid by the evangelift, who gives us a fuccinct account of his birth and pedigree, his life and death, his refurrection and afcenfion, of the words he spoke, and of the miracles he wrought, &c.