ftriveth for the ma tain. 25. And (1) every man that ftery, is temperate in all things: Now they do it to ob tain a corruptible crown, but we an which are before, I prefs forward 2 Tim. 2. 5. If a Man ftrive for Mafteries, yet is he not crowned ex incorruptible. 26. I there cept he ftrive lawfully. † 2 Tim. 4. 7. The Words under Ver. 24. Pt 2 Tim. 4. 8. Henceforth there is laid up for me a Crown of Righteousness. + Jam. 1. 12. When he is tried, he fhall receive the Crown of Life, which the Lord hath promifed to them that love him. I Pet. 1.4. To an Inheri tance incorruptible and undefiled, that fadeth not away, referved in Heaven for you. ti Pet. 5.4. When the chief Shepherd fhall ap pear, ye fhall receive a Crown of 15 Glory that fadeth not away. Rev. 2. 10. Be thou faithful unto Death, (1) Dr. Lucas, in the third Part of his Enquiry after Happiness, intituled, Religious Perfection, Chap. VI.has feveral ufeful Hints refpecting voluntary Impofitions, as Fafting, &c. I thought it would be of Service to transcribe the following. As there are very few who have not in their Nature very confiderable Infirmities, so are there as few who have not in their Fortune very confiderable Inconveniencies: And if they would apply themselves to the Mastering both thefe as they ought, they would ftand in lefs need of the Difcipline of arbitrary. Aufterities. There are many things too trifling to be taken notice of, which yet do prove fufficient to difturb the Quiet of moft, and betray them to many Paffions and Indecencies: Nay, the Weakneffes of good Men, are fometimes fed by Temptations of very little moment. Now to furmount these Temptations, and to frame and ac commodate the Mind to bear the little Shocks and Fuftles which we daily meet with, without any Difcompofure and Difpleasure, is a matter of great Ule to the Tranquillity of Life, and the Maturity of Virtue. To be able to bear the Pride of one, and the Stupidity of another; one while to encounter Rudeness, another while neglect, without being moved by ether; to fubmit to Noife, Disorder, and the Distraction of many line Affairs, when one is naturally a lover of Quietness and Order, or when the Mind is intent upon things of Importance; in one Word, to digeft the perpetual Disappointments which we meet with, both in Bufinefs and Pleafure, and in all the little Projects which not the Elegant and Ingeni ous only, but People of all Stations and all Capacities purfue; to fuf fer all the Humours and Follies, the Errors, Artifices, Indecencies, and Faults of thofe we have to do with, with that Temper we ought, that is, with a Calmnefs which proceeds, not from an Unconcernment for the good of others, but a juft Dominion over our own. Spirits; this is a great Height; and to train up our felves daily with much Patience, Vigi lance, and Application of Mind, is the best Difcipline. Though I do not mean hereby to exclude all voluntary Impofitions. therefore fo run, not as uncertainly: fo fight I, not as one that beateth the air: 27. But I keep under my body, and bring it into fubjection: left that by any means when I have preached to others, I my felf fhould be a * caft-away. СНА Р. X. M OREOVER, brethren, I would not that ye fhould be ignorant, how that all our fathers were under the cloud, and all paffed through the fea; 2. And were all (1) baptized unto Mofes in the cloud, and in the sea; a H 2 3. And to go by Day and Night. Exod. 40. 34. A Cloud covered the rent of the Congregation, and the Glory of the Lord filled the Taberna5 cle. † Numb. 9. 18. As long as the Cloud abode upon the Taberna-, cle they rested in their Tents. † Deut. 1. 33. Who went in the Way before you, in Fire by Night, and in a Cloud by Day. † Neh. 9. 12, 19. Thou leddeft them in the Day by a cloudy Pillar.- The Pillar of the Cloud' departed not from them by Day. Rom. 6. 18, 19. Being then made free from Sin, ye became Ser vants of Righteoufnefs. As ye 10 have yielded your Members Servants to Uncleanness, and to Iniquity unto iniquity; even fo now yield your Members Servants to Righteoufnefs unto holinefs. † Col. 15 3.5. Mortifie therefore your Members which are upon Earth. S Jer. 6. 30. Reprobate Silver fhall Men call them, because the Lord hath rejected them. 2 Cor. 13. 6. I trust that ye fhall know that we are not reprobates. CHAP. X. I: at Exod. 13. 21. And the Lord went before them by Day ina Pillar of a Cloud, to lead them the Way; and by Night in a Pillar of Fire, to give them Light: 20 25 Pfal. 78. 14. In the Day-time al` fo he led them with a Cloud. bt Exod. 14. 22. The Children' of Ifrael went into the midft of the Sea upon dry Ground: and the Waters were a Wall unto them on their right Hand, and on their left. Josh. 4. 23. The Lord your God dried up the Waters of Jordan from before you, until ye were paffed over, as the Lord your God did to the red Sea, which he dried up from before us, until we were gone over. (1) That is, Baptized into the Doctrine or Law delivered by Mofes, by whofe Mediation they were admitted into Covenant with God. Many things which befel the Ifraelites were Typical. Moles was a Type of Chrift, Canaan of Heaven. Their Redemption from Egypt, a Figure of the Redemption from Sin and the Devil. The Afflictions they met with in the Wilderness, prefigured the Sufferings and f fliations of a true Chriftian in this World. Their going down into the Sea, was a fit Reprefentation of Baptifm, which was antiently adminiftred 3. And did all eat the fame fpiritual meat; 4. And did all drink the fame & fpiritual drink: (for they drank of that fpiritual Rock that followed [Or, went with] them: and that Rock was Chrift.) 5. But with many of them God was not well pleafed for they were overthrown in the wildernefs. 6. Now thefe things were our examples [Gr. figures], to the intent we fhould not luft after evil things, as they alfo lufted. 7. Neither be ye idolaters, as were g cat. 4. I 5 d † Exod. 17. 6. Behold, I will ftand before thee there upon 10 the Rock in Horeb; and thou fhalt fmite the Rock, and there fhall come Water out of it, that the People may drink. And Mofes did fo in the Sight of the Elders 15 of Ifrael. Numb. 20. 11. And Mofes lift up his Hand, and with his Rod he fmote the Rock twice: and the Waters came out abundantly, and the Congregation 20 drank, and their Beafts alfo. † Pfal. 78. 15. He clave the Rocks in the Wildernefs, and gave them drink as out of the great Depths. et Deut. 9. 21. -I caft the duft 25 thereof of the molten Calf] into the Brook that defcended out of the Mount. Pfal. 105. 41. He o pened the Rock, and the Waters gufhed out,they ran in the dry Places 30 like a River. f 5. Numb. 14. 23, 29, 37. Sure Jy they fhall not fee the Land which Ifware unto their Fathers, neither fhall any of them that provoked 35 me, fee it. Your Carcafes fhall fall in this Wilderness. Even thofe f fome Men that did bring up the evil report upon the Land, died by the Plague before the Lord. † Numb. + 26. 64, 65. Among thefe, there was not a Man of them whom Mofes and Aaron the Priest number ed, when they numbered the Children of Ifrael in the Wilderness of Sinai. For the Lord had faid of them, They fall furely die in the Wilderness Heb. 3. 17, 18, 19. With whom was he grieved forty Years? was it not with them that had finned, whofe Carcafes fell in the Wildernefs? And to whom fware he that they should not enter in his Reft, but to them that bew lieved not? So we fee that they could not enter in becaufe of unbe lief. Jude ver. 5-The Lord having faved the People out of the Land of Egypt, afterward deftroyed them that believed not. 6. &t Numb, 11: 4, 33. The mixt Multitude that was among them, fell a lufting: and the Chil dren of Ifrael alfo wept again, and faid, Who fhall give us Flesh to eat? while the Flefh was yet be tween their Teeth, e're it was chewed; the Wrath of the Lord was kindled against the People, and the Lord fmote the People with a very great Plague.. Pfal. 1c6. 14. But lufted exceedingly in the Wildernefs, and tempted God in the Defart. adminiftred by the Perfons going into the Water. The Manna from Heaven reprefented the Sacrament of the Body and Blood of Chrift, &c. fome of them; as it is written, The h people fat down to eat and drink, and rofe up to play. 8. Neither let us commit fornication, as fome of them committed, and i fell in one day (1) three and twenty thousand. 9. Neither let us tempt Chrift, as fome of them alfo tempted, and were deftroyed of ferpents. 10. Neither murmur ye, as fome of them alfo " murmured, and were " deftroyed of the deH 3! ftroyer. 7. Exod. 32. 6. They rofe up early on the Morrow, and offered Burnt-offerings, and brought Peace offerings: and the People, &c. as here. 8. Numb., 25. 1, 9. The People begun to commit Whoredom with the Daughters of Moab. Thofe that died of the Plague were twenty and four Thoufand. † Pfal. 106. 29. Thus they provo ked him to anger with their Inventions: and the Plague brake in upon them. n kept not his Teftimonies. + Pfal. 95.9. When your Fathers tempted me, proved me, and faw my work 1 Numb. 21. 6. The Lord 5fent fiery Serpents among the People; and they bit the People, and much People of Ifrael died. 9. † Exod. 17. 2,7 -Mofes 15 faid unto them, why chide you with me? Wherefore do ye tempt the Lord? He called the name of the Place Maffab and Meribah, because of the chiding of the Children of Ifrael,-All and because they tempted the Lord, faying, Is the Lord among us or not? 10. m Exod. 16. 2. The whole Congregation of the Children of 1oIfrael murmured against Mofes and Aaron in the Wilderness. † Numb. 14. 2, 29. All the Children of Israel murmured, and faid- Would God that we had died in the Land of Egypt, or would God we had' died in this Wilderness, Your Carcafes fhall fall in this Wildernefs, all which have murmured against me. Numb. 16. 41, 49. the Congregation of the Children of Ifrael murmured against Mofes, and againft Aaron, faying, Ye have killed the People of the Lord. Now they that died in the Plague were fourteen Thousand and feven Hundred, befide them that died about the Matter of Korah. Phil. 2. 14. Do all things without Murmurings and Difputings, 1 Pet, 304.9. Ufe hofpitality one to another without grudging. Jude ver. 16. Thefe are Murmurers, Complainers, walking after their own Luis † Numb. 21. 5. The People fpake against God, and againft Mofes, Wherefore have ye 25 brought us up out of Egypt, to die in the Wildernefs? for there is no Bread, neither is there any Water, and our Soul loatheth this light Food. Deut. 6. 16. Ye fhall not tempt the Lord your God, as ye tempted him in Maffah. † Pfal. 78. 18, 56. They tempted God in their Heart, by asking Meat for their Luft. They tempted and provoked the most high God, and "Exod 12. 23. The Lord will pafs (1) This Account is thus reconciled with that in Numb. 25. 9.. The Apoftle here, probably, gives us the Number of thofe which were flain by the immediate Hand of God; whereas Mofes's Account may include the Heads of the People which were put to death for this Sin by the Judges, Numb 25. 4, 5. If we fuppofe thefe to be one Thoufand, both Accounts will agree. It is farther to be ob ferved, that fome Copies here read, twenty four Thousand. r ftroyer. 11. Now all these things happened unto them for *enfamples [Or, types]: and they are written for our admonition, upon whom the P ends of the world are come. 12. Wherefore let him that thinketh he ftandẹth, take heed left he fall. 13. There hath no temptation taken you, but fuch as is common [Or, moderate] to man: but God is faithful, who will not fuffer you to be tempted above that ye are able; but will" with the temptation alfo make a way to efcape, that ye may be able to bear it. 14. Wherefore my dearly beloved, flee from idolatry. 15. I fpeak as to wife men: judge ye what I fay. 16. The a cup of bleffing which we blefs, is it not the communion of the blood of Chrift? The bread which we break, is it not the communion of the body of Chrift? 17. For we being e 12. Rom. 11. 20. Becaufe of unbelief they were broken off, and thou ftandeft by Faith. Be not high-minded, but fear. 13 r See on 1 Cor. 1. 9. Exod 13. 17. -God led them [Ifraelites] not through the Way of the Land of the Philiftines, al 15 S 2 Efdr. 2. 32. not fail. Joh. 15. 5. ye can do nothing." My Grace is fufficient for thee: for my Strength is made perfect in Weakness. Phil. 4. 11. I can do all things through Chrift which Strengthneth me. at Jer. 29. 11. I know the Thoughts that I think towards you, faith the Lord, Thoughts of Peace, and not of Euil, to give you an expected End. 14. с 15. Gen. 18.25. -Shall not the Judge of all the Earth do right? Ifai. 1. 18. Come now and let us reafon together faith the Lord.- Ifa. 5. 3. Judge I pray you, betwixt me and my Vineyard. Luk. 12. 57. Yea, and why even of your felves judge ye not what is right. I Cor. 11. 13. Judge in your 3° felves. b + 2 Cor. 6. 17. Touch not the unclean thing. † 1 Joh. Though that was near: for God 20 5. 21. Little Children, keep your Said, Left peradventure the People felves from Idals. repent when they fee War, and they return into Egypt. Pfal. 103. 13, 14. Like as a Father pitieth his Children: So the Lord piticth them .that fear him. For he knoweth our Frame: he remembreth that we are Dust Pfal. 125. 3. The Rod of the Wicked fhall not reft upon the Lot of the Rightecus; left the Righ-2 teous put forth their Hands unto iniquity. Jam. 1. 2. Count it all Joy when ye fall into divers Temptations. 1 Pet. 1. 6. Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now for 35 Rom, 12. 5. a Seafon (if need be) ye are in 16d See on Mat, 26. 26, 27. e. See on Acts 20. 7. f 17. † 1 Cor. 12, 27. See on |