animate our fouls to acts of love and delight in the ways of GOD; that it might be faid of us, as of the harpers, that are playing upon their harps the fong for ever new; Rev. xix. 4. These are they that follow the Lamb whitherfoever he goeth. And if our minds are not barren and unfruitful in the word of GOD, and in the love of CHRIST, it will furely engage us, with a lively zeal, and vivacity of foul to be followers of them, who through faith and patience inherit the promises.

Truth. I am glad, my dear Friendly, that you have fuch a fenfe of the love of God, and fuch a comprehenfive knowledge of its influence upon the mind; that you defire, out of gratitude and love, to walk worthy of the vocation wherewith you are called. This is the only way to glorify GoD, to fpread an honour upon his ways, and enjoy confolation of foul; which fhould at all times be the highest ambition of our minds, the aim and end of all our actions, that God in all things might

be glorified. Friendly. What might I apprehend by the High Prieft's bleffing the people of Ifrael, as mentioned Numb. vi. 22 to 26. And the Lord spake unto Mofes, faying, fpeak unto Aaron, and unto his fans, faying, on this wife ye shall bless the children of Ifrael, Jaging unto them, The Lord biefs thee, and keep thee: The Lord make bis face to fhine upon thee, and be gracious unto thee: The Lard lift up the light of his countenance, and give thee peace?

Truth. In this refpect the High Prieft was typical of CHRIST'S bleffing his people; for he has authority to blefs his people, as he hath all power in Heaven and Earth, that he might give eternal life to as many as the FATHER hath given him. Likewife, he hath a liberal heart, and a liberal hand not a fingle foul perifheth, that cleaves unto him for life and falvation; all the bleffings of grace and glory are treasured up in him; he has had the maintenance and fupply of Angels and Archangels, of Seraphs, and Seraphims, of the Church militant, and the Church triumphant, for many thousand years, yet ftill he leads them to living fountains of water. with regard to our prefent fupply, it all flows from the munificence of his heart, John i. 16. Out of his fulness we receive, and that grace for grace. It was one end of his incarnation, to open that fountain of love that lay in his heart from everlasting, as faith the Apoftle, Acts iii. 26. Unto you first God having raifed up his Son Jefus, fent him to bless you, in turning away every one of you from his iniquities; for, as MEDIATOR, he has received at the hands of the FATHER a defpotic power, to

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command the bleffings of his counsel and covenant, even life for evermore: It hath pleafed the Father that in him should all fulness dwell. This was not only the end of his miffion on earth, but it was likewife his office and employment in Heaven, Acts iv. 31. Him hath God exalted with his right hand to be a Prince and a Saviour, to give repentance unto Ifrael, and remiffion of fins. To him therefore we are to look for all the fure mercies of David, as he hath received gifts for men; the bleffings of Heaven are as an immenfe ocean, full flowing, nay, fuperabounding; and CHRIST is the channel and fountain of all its communications; not a fingle bleffing, either of nature, grace, or glory, but what comes from his hand; therefore he faith, John xvi. 24. Ask that ye might receive, that your joy might be full. Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you; not as the world giveth, give I unto you; let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.

Friendly. How could the Children of Ifrael (after so many mercies) be fo ungrateful to GOD, as to fay, Numb. xi. 5, 6. We remember the fish that we did eat in Egypt freely, the cucumbers, and the melons, and the leeks, and the onions, and the garlick; but now our foul is dried away, there is nothing at all befides this manna before our eyes; thereby esteeming their former bondage, defpifing the promise of GOD, and loathing his richest mercy? Be astonished, O Heavens, at this! for in Numb. xiv. 4. They faid one to another, let us make us a captain, and return into Egypt.

Truth. This is an amazing circumftance of rebellion, ftubbornness, and obftinacy against GOD. In which respect, I humbly conceive, it to be typical of the rebellion of our hearts, when the difpenfations of Providence run contrary to our expectation. For if we have a promise from God of any particular mercy and enjoyment, we are too apt to think, that this mercy must come in a smooth path, in an eafy pleasant way, and if it doth not come fo, our wicked deceitful hearts foon fly in the face of our kind benefactor. O! the horrid ingratitude of the heart! the unparalleled rebellion of the will! notwithstanding we have tafted that the LORD is gracious, yet we are for limiting the Holy One of Ifrael, drawing out a plan for infinite wildom to work by; and if we have it not according to our own model, we presently think we shall never have it, and that God has forgotten to be gracious. Nay, at times, fo ftubborn is our will, that we think we must have it in our own way, or elfe as good never have it. Or otherwise, we think that God is hard in delaying fo long, and cry out

with the Pfalmift, Pfal. xiii. 1. How long wilt thou forget me;

O Lord, for ever.

Friendly. What might I apprehend by the children of Israel longing after the onions, leeks, and the garlick, in Egypt?

Truth. I apprehend it to be typical of the prevalency of unbelief and carnality (at times) in our minds, fo that we feem to go back into the world. Our hearts cleaving to carnal pleafures, we find a ftrong propenfity to that which is vain, a defire to gratify the inclinations of the flesh, and in our hearts, as Stephen expreffeth it, to turn back again into Egypt, Aēts vii. 39. Through a propenfity that remains in our hearts to that which is evil, we turn again to our natural bondage. I do not fay to our natural estate; no, a fpiritual man will never become a carnal man, though he may have much carnality in his heart; and, it may at times break forth in his words and actions, yet he cannot become a carnal man. This was the Apoftle's cafe, Rom. vii. 14. But I am carnal, fold under fin ; Yet, he was not in a carnal unregenerate ftate; for he fays, v. 24. I delight in the law of God after the inward man. truth lies here, a real Chriftian may, through the prevalency of carnality, be carried away after things that are vain and trifling, with great eagerness, and affiduous purfuit, until he becomes overwhelmed and immerfed in the things of this life; or as the prophet expreffeth it, laden with thick clay; of which the children of Ifrael, by longing after the onions, and the enjoyments of Egypt, feem to me to be a prefiguration; and this was it which made Stephen fay, who in their hearts went back into Egypt.

The

Friendly. What might I apprehend by the children of Ifrael fpeaking with fo much life, concerning their enjoyments in Egypt, Numb. xi. 5. We remember the fish we did eat in Egypt freely, &c.

Truth. I apprehend it points out to us, that our former carnal delights are at times, too warmly remembered, and from thence too eagerly purfued; for every carnal man hath a particular fin, or carnal pleasure in which he most delights. And after grace hath renewed his foul, there remains, at times, too great, I might have faid, too warm and lively a remembrance of it, and longing after it; may not this be the fin, (that the Apostle speaks of) which doth fo easily befet us? Heb. xii. I. Or it might be typical of the remains of indwelling fin, in general, and of that strange propenfity there is in our hearts to carnal bondage; as the fpiritual mind loves nothing

but things holy, fpiritual, and divine; fo the carnal mind loves and longs after nothing elfe but things earthly, fenfual, and devilish. And as the Chriftian poflefleth both a fpiritual and carnal mind, no wonder that he is fometimes led aftray from God by the latter, when with the other he delights in the law of his Gop after the inward man. But, faith the Apostle, I fee another law in my members warring against the law of my mind, and bringing me into captivity to the law of fin, which is in my members, Rom. vii. 23.

Friendly. But how could the fouls of the children of Ifrael be dry with fuch a rich bleffing as the manna?

Truth. No wonder, Friendly, that their fouls were dry, when they defpifed the dew of Heaven, the only bleffing that could make their fouls fruitful. And this is too often the lamentable cafe of the dear people of God; their hearts being once engroffed in carnal things, they foon entertain light thoughts of the means of grace, the heavenly manna that falls around the tents of Ifrael; they firft begin to find fault, and have light thoughts of their minifter, as the children of Ifrael had of Mofes, faying, as for this Mofes, &c. If any common infirmity appears in his conduct, they will harp upon that; but if nothing appear in his walk that they can lay hold of, they will carp at his method and manner of delivery, that it is not methodical, judicious, orderly ranged, emphatically expreffed, or that it is incoherent, wants fublimity of language, &c. And when a Chriftian comes to have fuch a nice ear, (or rather fuch a carnal curious fancy) he is fure to have a dry foul, a barren mind, and a fruitless heart; which often appears in counting the folemnities of God's house, the feast of fat things, common; as the Ifraelites, who faid, there is nothing at all before our eyes but this manna. Thus the foul may go on until it cries out, ah, my leanness, my leannefs! and perhaps is ready to lay the fault upon the minifter, like the children of Ifrael, who murmured againft Mofes, Numb. xxi. 5. And the people fpake against God, and against Mofes, &c. when alas! alas! it is they themselves that are culpable; and the cause of their leannefs and barrennefs of foul is the carnality of their affections, the fenfuality and earthlinefs of their minds, Rom. viii. 6. For to be carnally minded is death, but to be fpiritually minded is life and peace.

Friendly. But is it poffible that the children of God can think light of this spiritual food?

Truth. If we may judge by their backwardness to come to hear the word, their fupinenefs in hearing it, their prejudices

against many that preach it, it appears that they have, at times, too light and indifferent thoughts of the precioufnels, worth, and inestimable value of the word of God. However, this I will venture to fay, that the Chriftian may, through the temptations of Satan, the enfnarements of the world, the cotruptions of his own heart, lofe that fenfation, and fpiritual taite it used to have in hearing, reading, meditation and prayer; and, being choked with the cares of this world, its appetite to divine things, not only becomes dead and lifelefs, but, O amazing, the miniftration of the word, (that was wont to convey the bleffings of Heaven) becomes burthenfome to the mind: for the truth of which, may I not appeal to the experience of backfliding believers, who have, at times, found their hearts under the word as itupid as a ftone; fuch an infenfibility of redeeming love, of the worth, glory, and majesty of the things of GOD, that they have been ready to fay, there is nothing before our eyes but this manna: Pfal. Íxxiii. 22. So folifh was I and ignorant, I was as a beaft before thee.

Friendly. But is it poffible that a real Chriftian can be brought into fuch a mournful state of foul?

Truth. Yes, for the church is compared to a waste place, a defart, and a wilderness; which are the moft elegant metaphors in nature to illuftrate a barren and fruitless state, and defcribe it fo much to the life, that it cannot be made more confpicuous and plain. However, we might juft obferve, what a disproportion there is between a wild wafte defart, and a fertile field, as to fruitfulnefs, pleafure, and value; fo there is as great a difproportion in the experience of a Chriftian, for take a view of a believer in his firft love, and as he appears in the things of GoD, like a field which the Lord hath blessed; but then take a view of him when the fnares of this world, have engroffed his affections, time, and employments; then as to divine things, he appears like a waste wilderness. But to come close to the metaphor, fuppofe you faw a fertile field, with the feed fpringing up in a tender blade, covering the earth with a pleafant greennefs, promifing a fruitful crop, then afterwards fee the fame field, laid open as a waste, you would then fay, with a kind of fympathy, furely an enemy hath been here. This may be the cafe of a Chriftian, whofe heart hath been manured by divine operations; the feed of grace hath been fown there, which fprung up in the tender blade of faith and love, which covered the mind with a pleafant greennefs, life, and fragrancy of divine things, which promifed a plentiful harvest