joined together, Rom. x. 9. And therefore, if they be wife, let them not forfake the affembling themfelves together with us, Heb. x. 20. And having once entered this houfe, let them never leave it, least they be condemned for apoftates; concerning whom Paul fpeaks, Heb. vi. 4-6. and chap. x. 38, 39. and Peter, 2 Pet. ii. 20, 21. 1. B CHAP. X. Of the extraordinary Sacraments in the Wilderness. ESIDES the ordinary and univerfal facraments of circumcifion and the paffover, fome extraordinary fymbols of divine grace were granted to the Ifraelites in the wilderness, which, in the New Teftament, are applied to Chrift and his benefits, and faid to have the fame fignification with our facraments. And they are in order thefe: I. The paffage in the cloud through the Red Sea. II. The manna which was rained from heaven. III. The water iffuing out of the rock. IV. The brazen ferpent erected by Mofes for the cure of the Ifraelites. II. The facred hiftory, Exod. xiv. very particularly relates, how Pharaoh with mad rage at the head of a vaft army, purfued the Ifraelites, who were juft departed from Egypt, and as he imagined, were entangled on every hand, through a mistake of the way, in unpaffable deferts: how in the first place, a miraculous cloud, interpofing between them and the Egyptians, protected the Ifraelites, who were trembling with fear, and calling out to heaven for help: next how the channel of the weedy or Red Sea, was made paffable, as on dry land, by the waters giving way on each hand, being divided by the rod of Mofes and by a strong eaft wind. How, in fine, the Egyptian monarch did not delay to purfue them clofe as they retreated, entered the fea as it opened a way for them, and was destroyed with all his army, the waters immediately returning upon them. For the better understanding of all this, we fhall briefly explain thefe five heads. I. Why that fea, which Mofes, Exod. xiii. 18. and xiv. 4. called, or the weedy fea; is by Paul, Heb. xi. 29. and generally by writers, called vegà ta arra, the Red Sea? II. Whether that drying up of the waters was natural, or altogether miraculous? III. Whether the Ifraelites paffed over the whole breadth of the sea, and landed on the Arabian shore over againft Egypt, or only marched as far through it, as was enough enough to overwhelm the Egyptians, and returned again on foot, by taking a femicircular compafs, to the fame fhore? IV. In what fenfe the apoftle might fay, the " Ifraelites were baptifed unto Mofes in the cloud and in the fea." V. What may be the mystical fignification of these things? III. The reafon is obvious why this is called the weedy fea; namely, because of the plenty of fea weeds, with which it abounds, heaps of which being raised like mountains near the fhore, and laid close together by the continual heat of the fun, afford the convenience of houfes to the inhabitants there, who from their eating of fish are called Ichthyophagi. And Agatharcides fays, that fome of them live under the ribs of fish, covered over with fea weed. Bochart in Phaleg. Lib. 4. c. 22. may be confulted on this fubject. IV. Why it is called the Red or Erythrean Sea, was formerly not fo well known. The ancients generally referred it to the colour of the water; which fonte think was derived from the reflection of the folar rays; others from the circumjacent mountains being made red by the fcorching heat, from which waters impetuously defcended into the fea, and tinged it of a like colour; others, in fine, from the red fand that lay on its fhore, or channel: not to mention any thing now about the fable of Perfeus, who, after having killed the fea-monster, to which the daughter of Cepheus had been exposed, is said there to have washed away the blood, with which he was all over ftained. But the undoubted experience of mariners fhews the falfehood of all this. Ludovicus Vartomannus, who failed over the whole of it almost from its extremity to the mouth of the ftraits, fays, "it is a thing fufficiently confeffed by all, that the faid fea is not red, but like other feas, Navig. lib. 1. c. 21. The fame thing Pietro della Valle, a noble Roman, an eyewitnefs, teftifies; who fays the waters are clear, tranfparent and blue, and the fand of the ufual colour, nay, whiter than ours, Itiner. p. 1. c. 30. Diodorus Siculus writes, that in colour it is altogether green. Not that fuch is the nature of the water, but on account of the quantity of mofs and fea-weed floating theron. What is therefore faid of the red colour is all fable, this prejudice having arifen from an erroneous interpre tation of the name. V. They come nearer the truth, who derive its name from king Erythras or Erythrus, who had this fea within the bounds of his empire. But who this Erythras was, all the profane writers are abfolutely ignorant. The Scriptures alone inform us of this: from which Nic. Fuller, Mifcellan. lib. 4. c. 20. boats that he made the firft difcovery: namely, that this Erythras Nn 2 was was Efau, furnamed Edom or Red, both from the hairy redness, with which he was born, Gen. xxv. 25. and from that red pottage, for which he fold his birthright, ver. 30. This Edom, who, according to the genius of thofe times, having the whole authority in thofe parts, gave name to the country reduced under his dominion and power, fo that it was also called the land of Edom, and even fimply Edom, namely of the feminine gender, Jer. xlix. 17. His pofterity, proud of fo great an original of their nation, lived on the borders of the fea, we are now treating of: and hence it had its name: the Hebrew Edomi or Idumean Sea, the Greek gutgator, and the Latin Mare rubrum differ therefore only in language. See among others Voffius de Idololat. lib. 1. c. 34. VI. We are on no account to imagine, that what we are here told, befel the waters of the Red Sea, was either altogether, or for the greatest part natural: as if Mofes, who had great skill in the knowledge of nature, took the opportunity of an ordinary reflux, which, on the blowing of an east wind, was both more impetuous and lafting than ufual; ventured in the prefent imminent danger, to attempt the paffage, and perfuaded the Ifraelites to follow his example: but Pharaoh, who was ignorant of those things, and delaying too long, was drowned on the return of the flood. For, the whole of this history is full of miracles; which none but the enemies of the Scripture, as Scaliger, de Subtilitat. Exercit. 52. juftly calls them, can doubt of. ft, It was a miracle, that the extraordinary cloud, which went before, and pointed out the way to the Hebrews, fhould now place itfelf in the middle, between them and the Egyptians, Exod. xiv. 19. 2dly, It was a miracle, that when Mofes lifted up his rod, and stretched out his hand, the fea fhould not only go back, but was alfo divided; and giving way on each hand, yield a fafe paffage to Ifrael amidst the waters, ver. 16, 21. which never was, nor could be done by any natural reflux. 3dly, It is a miracle, that the waters, naturally fluid, fhould be collected together into very high heaps, and ftand like a wall on the right and left of the Ifraelites, ver. 22. 4thly, It was a miracle of miracles, that when Mofes again ftretched out his hand and rod towards that part of the fea, where the Egyptians were purfuing them, the waters fhould return to their natural force, and drown all the Egyptians; while the children of Ifrael had now either almoft finifhed, or were ftill profecuting their journey on dry land, through the midst of the fea, ver. 26, 27, 29. Can any mortal have fo much impudence, as to dare to compare these things with the daily flux and reflux of the fea? It is indeed true, that God here made ufe of the wind, but it is alfo alfo evident, that the fame God exerted an extraordinary power, both by raising the wind fo feafonably, and by executing fuch things by it, as could not be effected by any natural caufe, by its own virtue. And therefore the Ifraelites defervedly admired in this work, that great hand of their God, ver. 31. VII. The inhabitants on the coaft of the Arabian Gulf, though barbarous to the highest degree, preserved the memory. of this prodigy for many ages after; as Diodorus Siculus. vouches, lib. 3. where he writes as follows. "The neighbouring Ichthyophagi have an ancient tradition, handed down to them by their ancestors, that, upon a certain great recess of the fea, all the parts of this bay being dried up, and the fea falling back to oppofite parts, the channel appeared of a green colour, and that again the fea, returning with a ftrong tide, was restored to its former place." In thefe words, who does not see that this miracle of Mofes is defcribed, the memory of which these barbarians did, though fomewhat obfcurely, propagate to their posterity? VIII. But it is a more intricate point, which is even at this day made the subject of debate among the learned; whether the Hebrews paffed the fea ftraight forward, from the shore of Egypt, to the oppofite coaft of Arabia; or whether they fetched a femicircular compafs in the midft of the fea, and returned to the fame fhore, from which they fet out? The former opinion is by far more commonly received; and refts on those arguments, collected by Rivet in Exod. xiv. 21. 1ft, The words of the history feem to bear this meaning; and it tends very much to fhew the greatnefs of the miracle. The Scripture fays, that the " Ifraelites paffed through the Red Sea;" but what others alledge was not a tranfit or paffage, but a circuit. 2dly, It appears from the map of the country, that it must have been, fo. For, in order to come from Egypt to mount Sinai, as the Red Sea lies between that mountain and Egypt, it must of neceffity be paffed over. For, though the foot paffage from Ramefes to Sinai is direct, leaving the Red Sea on one fide, yet fo blocked up, and every where fo rough on account of rocks, as not to be fit for the journeying of fo great a people. 3dly, The fame is concluded from Numb. xxxiii. 8. " and they departed from before Pi-hahiroth, and paffed through the midft of the fea into the wildernefs;" which feems to denote quite a different thing, from their returning by a circuit, or compass to the wilderness. 4thly, Add the authority of Jofephus, who declares, that the Ifraelites paffed over to the oppofite fhore, Antiq. lib. 2. c. ult. IX. But the contrary opinion has alfo great names, and no mean mean arguments to fupport it. 1ft, They defire us to take notice. of the intent of the paffage through the fea: which was, the drowning of the Egyptians, and by that means to manifeft the glory of God to the people all around. And therefore it is probable, the Egyptians were thrown out on that part of the fhore which was nearest to Egypt, that the judgment of God might be manifefted to that kingdom. 2dly, They obferve, that the part of the Red Sea, which the Ifraelites paffed over, is diftant from the oppofite fhore at leaft fix, others fay, fifteen leagues: which journey, it feems, could not poffibly be accomplished by fo great an army, together with their children, women, and baggage, in the compass of a short night as was done here, ver. 21, 23. 3dly, It appears from Exod. xiii. 20. that before the Ifraelites entered into the fea, they encamped in the wilderness of Etham, in the border of the wildernefs. And yet after their coming out of the fea, they again proceeded to the wilderness of Etham, Numb. xxiii. 8. They confequently returned to the fame fhore, but at a greater distance from the place, from which they fet out. This argument cannot be answered, but by faying, either that there were two wilderneffes of the fame name, on each fide of the Red Sea, which Lyranus does, or that the whole country, quite to mount Sinai, went under the fame appellation, according to Rivet: but whether this can be proved, is matter of inquiry. 4thly, They add, that the Red Sea does not lie between Egypt and mount Sinai, but that the journey by land is directly performed with camels and other cattle. Of this may be feen the Itinerarium of della Valle p 1. c 27, 28. 5thly, The argument for the contrary fentiment, taken from its being faid, that the Ifraelites paffed through the Red Sea feems to be of little weight. For, the facred hiftory ufes very general terms," and they went into the midft of the fea," Exod. xiv. 22. " they walked upon dry land in the midst of the fea," ver. 29. it is, indeed, faid Numb. xxxiii. 8. and they paffed through. But befides, the word fometimes fimply fignifies to go on before, as Gen.xxxiii. 3. and he paffed over (went on) before; the Ifraelites may very properly be faid to have paffed through the waters of the fea, though by taking a femicircular compafs they returned to the fame fhore. For in every journey there is an intermediate paffage from the term from which, to the term to which. Nor is it neceffary, that every paffage fhould be in a direct line. 6thly, Nor is it more convincing, that they are faid to have walked in the midst of the fea, though others oppofe this very reason. For certainly they who had the fea both on their right and left, must have walked in the midft of the fea by what way foever, or whitherfoever they went. So that it appears, nothing certain Call |