Power and Providence over them, at most they could be only Minifters of the Divine Will, and therefore could have no Title to Divine Honours, no more than Minifters of State have to the Royal Dignity: And it was very reasonable to conclude this, when they faw that this Supreme God would not fuffer Ifrael, whom he had chofen for his peculiar People, to worship any other God befides himself: This was not unknown to the Egyptians, but was more manifeft in After-Ages, when God fo feverely punished them for their Idolatry ; and was made evident to Nebuchadnezzar and Darius, when God delivered Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego, out of the fiery Furnace, who refufed to worship the Golden Image which he had fet up; and delivered Daniel from the power of the Lions, when he was caft into the Lions Den for praying to his God. This fhews the ftrange Power of Prejudice and Custom; but yet we must confefs, that this was wifely defigned by God for the cure of Polytheism and Idolatry.

Having thus vindicated and explained the Wisdom of Providence, both with respect to the removal of Ifrael out of the Land of Canaan into Egypt, and the hard Bondage they fuffered there; and their deliverance out of Egypt with a mighty Hand, and outstretched Arm,, with Signs and Wonders, and Miracles; let us now follow them into the Wilderness.

God having chose Ifrael for his peculiar People, and delivered them out of Egypt; before he Thewed them openly to the World under fuch a peculiar Character, it was neceffary first to form their Manners; to take care that they should own him for their God, and behave themselves A a

as

as it became fo glorious a Relation: This could not be done in Egypt, where they were oppreffed by hard Bondage; and therefore God first leads them into the Wilderness, remote from the Converfation of all other People, and upon all accounts a fit Place both to inftruct and try them. I do not intend, as I faid before, to enquire into the Mystical Reasons of thofe various Providences with which God exercifed them in the Wilderness, to which our Saviour and his Apoftles so often refer, and which they apply to the Gospel State; but fhall only confider the Wif dom of Providence, as to the external and visible Conduct of that People, to make them fit to be owned before all the World for his peculiar People.

They had lived two hundred Years in Egypt, and were tinctur'd with the Idolatries, and had learnt the corrupt Manners of that People, and had all that Meannefs and Stupidity, and Perverfeness of Humour, that a State of Servitude and Bondage is apt to create; of which we have too many visible Inftances in their Behaviour towards Mofes. All this was to be corrected before their entrance into Canaan; which will give us the Reasons of fome very wonderful Providences.

The first remarkable thing to this purpose to be observed, is God's delivering the Law to them with all the most formidable Solemnities, in an audible Voice from Mount Sinai: Which Mofes tells them was fuch a thing as

4. Deut. 32, 33.

was never known before, fince the day that God created Man upon the Earth: Did ever People hear the voice of God Speaking out of the midst of the Fire, as thou hast heard, and live? And the ufe Mofes makes of it is very natural, to con

35.

36.

firm them in the Belief and Worship of the One Supreme God. Unto thee it was fhewed, that thou mightest know, that the Lord he is God, there is none elfe befides him. Out of Heaven he made thee to hear his Voice, that he might inftruct thee; and upon Earth he fhewed thee his great fire, and thou heardest his words out of the midst of the fire. Know therefore this day, and con- 39 fider it in thine heart, that the Lord is God in beaven above, and upon the earth beneath; there is none elfe. For what can convince Men that there is One Supreme God, if fuch a terrible Appearance as that on Mount Sinai, and the Law delivered in an audible Voice from Heaven, will not convince them? Numa pretended to receive his Laws from the Goddefs Ageria, as fome other Lawgivers pretended to do the like; but no Man knew any thing of it but themselves; but here a whole Nation heard God speak to them, and faw fuch an Awful Appearance upon the Mount, as made Mofes himself fear and tremble. I defire any Man to tell me, how God, who is a Pure Invisible Mind, could poffibly give a more vifible Demonftration of his Prefence and his Power? I defire the Wittiest and most Philofophical Atheists, only for Experiment fake, to fuppofe the Truth of that Relation which Mofes gives us of this matter; and that they themselves had been present at Mount Sinai, had feen the Smoke and Fire cover the Mountain, had heard the Thunder and the Trumpet, and at last a Voice delivering the Law with an unimitable Terror and Majefty, what would they then have thought of this? Or what farther Evidence would they have defired, that it was God who fpoke to them? This could be no Dream, nor melancholy Apparition, or difturbed Fancy, for A a z

they

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they had timely notice of it three days before, and were commanded to fanctify themselves to meet their God; and if a whole Nation had been imposed on after fuch fair Warning, it had 'been as great a Prodigy and Miracle, as the Appearance on Mount Sinai, and would have argued fome Divine and Supernatural Infatuation, and that would have proved a God.

This then was as vifible a Demonftration as could be given of the Prefence, and Power, and Majefty of God, who rejected all other Gods from any fhare in his Worship, and declares himfelf to be the Maker of Heaven and Earth; for I'm fure the Wit of Man cannot invent a more effectual Conviction than this.

Let us then confider the Wisdom of Providence in this, both with refpect to the Ifraelites, and to the reft of Mankind.

He that cometh to God, must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently feek him. And therefore when God intended to reftore his own Worship again in the World, and to make Ifrael a Pattern and Example of it to the rest of Mankind, it was neceffary to give them as vifible and ocular a demonftration of the Power and Glory of God, as it was poffible for Creatures to have. When the whole World was over-run with Idolatry, and the Ifraelites themfelves fo ftrongly inclined to it, nothing lefs than fuch an Appearance from Mount Sinai was likely to establish the Faith and Worship of the One Supreme God; and we fee that this it felf could very hardly do it; for immediately after they had heard God speak to them, while Mofes was in the Mount, they made them a Golden Calf, and worshipped it; and as foon as they mingled with any other People, they joined in

their Idolatrous Worfhip; a fad Example of which we have in their worship of Baal Peor, 25. Numb. But this was the highest Evidence God could then give them of his Power and Glory; and it did in time prevail; and in them all Mankind who know their Story, have a vifible demonftration of One Supreme God.

But not to infift on every Particular, which would be endless; it may feem strange, that when God brought Ifrael out of Egypt to give them Poffeffion of the Promised Land, he should make them wander in the Wilderness forty Years, till all that Generation of Men which came out of Egypt were dead, excepting Joshua and Caleb, The Apoftle to the Hebrews gives us the general Account of this matter, 3. Heb. 7. to the end; which refolves it into their Idolatry and Infide lity. Wherefore as the Holy Ghost faith, To day if ye will bear his voice, harden not your hearts, as in the provocation, in the day of temptation in the Wilderness; when your fathers tempted me, proved me, and Saw my works forty years. Wherefore I was grieved with that generation, and faid, They do always err in their heart, and they have not known my ways; fo I fware in my wrath, they shall not enter into my reft. Which he makes an Admonition to Chriftians, Take beed, Brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God; that is, in forfaking the True: God, and declining to Idolatry, as the Ifraelites in the Wilderness did. And to whom fware he, that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not? So we fee, that they could not enter in, because of unbelief.

The plain State of the Cafe is this; That Generation of Men, which came out of Egypt, and remembred the Cuftoms and Practices of