"on this fide, and as it were a day's journey on the "other fide, round about the camp, and as it were two "cubits high upon the face of the earth. And the "people stood up all that day, and all that night, "and all the next day, and they gathered the quails: "he that gathered least gathered ten homers; and "they spread them all abroad for themselves round "about the camp. And while the flesh was yet be"tween their teeth, ere it was chewed, the wrath of "the Lord was kindled against the people; and the "Lord fmote the people with a very great plague. "And he called the name of that place Kibroth-hat"taavah: because there they buried the people that "lufted." But, alas! though the fathers were buried, their children furvived; and there are many among Christians now, as well as among the Jews of old, upon whose tombs KIBROTH-HATTAAVAH may be inscribed, with a tranflation under, THE GRAVES OF LUSTS. Let us approach these fepulchres and receive inftruction.

I. LET US REMARK THE POWER AND DOMINION OF GOD. Every element, every creature is fubject to his authority, and yields to his controul. He holds "the wind in his fift;" he determines the quarter from which it blows; the time of its rifing and of its falling; the degree of its influence; the quality of its effects. દ Every living thing" ftands before him, and ministers unto him; he fays to one, "Go, and he go"eth; to another, come, and he cometh." He fpeaks; and the fowls of the air, and the beasts of the field repair to Adam for names, to Noah for fhelter. Has

He enemies? Where can they hide? How can they escape? Every place is a magazine of arms; every being becomes an executioner, from an angel to a fly. Has He friends? He can never want instruments to deliver or relieve them. A fifh fupplies Peter with the facred tribute. Lions refufe to touch Daniel. Ravens feed Elijah. He nods, and the fea divides, the rock pours out water, manna drops from the clouds. "And there went forth a wind from the "Lord, and brought quails from the fea, and let them "fall by the camp, as it were a day's journey on this“fide, and as it were a day's journey on the other side, "round about the camp; and as it were about two cu"bits high upon the face of the earth." The Ifraelites were unbelieving; they queftioned his ability to fupply them; they faid, "Can God furnish a table in "the wilderness? Behold He fmote the rock, and the "waters gufhed out, and the streams overflowed; can "He give bread alfo, can he provide flesh for his peo"ple ?" Even Mofes ftaggered through unbelief. "The people among whom I am, are fix hundred "thousand footmen; and thou haft faid, I will give "them flesh that they may eat a whole month. Shall "the flocks and herds be flain for them to fuffice "them? or fhall all the fish in the fea be gathered 66 together for them to fuffice them? And the Lord "faid unto Mofes, is the Lord's hand waxed fhort? "Thou fhalt fee now whether my word shall come to

pass unto thee or not." Chriftian, why doft thou limit "the Holy One of Ifrael?" Why does thy confidence tremble when difficulties multiply, and ordinary means of relief fail thee! Haft thou not

"His are the

"known? Haft thou not heard, that the everlasting "God, the Lord, the Creator of the ends of the earth, “fainteth not, neither is weary?" Behold in Him whofe you are and whom you ferve, boundless refources at the command of friendly sympathy and fatherly care. "To Him belong the iffues from death." "The filver and the gold are his." "cattle upon a thousand hills." "The earth is the "Lord's, and the fullness thereof, the world and they "that dwell therein." "O fear the Lord, ye his "faints, for there is no want to them that fear him: "the young lions may lack and fuffer hunger, but . they that feek the Lord fhall not want any good "thing."

II. SEE HOW MUCH MORE DILIGENT MEN ARE IN COLLECTING THE MEAT THAT PERISHETH, THAN IN LABOURING FOR THAT MEAT WHICH ENDURETH UNTO EVERLASTING LIFE.

"And the people stood

"up all that day, and all that night, and all the next "day and gathered the quails: he that gathered leaft

. gathered ten homers: and they spread them all "abroad for themselves round about the camp." What eagerness, what affiduity, what perfeverance, what facrifices of eafe, and even of fleep do we here difcover! "This is our opportunity; this may not "continue; this may never return." "The children "of this world are wifer in their generation than the "children of light." The wants of nature are preffing, and knock till they are relieved; but fpiritual neceffities are either unknown, or difregarded. When the body is in danger, we are alarmed, and inftantly

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inquire for means of fafety; but inattentive to the expofure of the foul, who afks for the "Balm of Gile"ad? for the Phyfician there ?" We are quick-fighted in the affairs of time; but, O what stupidity blinds us as to the concerns of eternity; if there be a profpect of improving our fecular advantage, we need no arguments; a hint excites us; we are awake; we rise early, fit up late, eat the bread of carefulness; we form our plans; we lay hold of every accidental affiftance; we compafs fea and land. But when we are to obtain "the honour that cometh from God," to gain a feat "in heavenly places," to secure "the true "riches," we are all torpor and forgetfulness; we need line upon line, precept upon precept; fabbaths must be instituted to imprefs us; minifters must be appointed to stir up our minds by way of remembrance; confcience must be deputed to live within us as a constant monitor; and after all, where is our affiduity and application? Who fees us "working out "our falvation with fear and trembling ?" "ftriving "to enter in at the ftrait gate ?" "preffing into the "kingdom of God?" "giving all diligence to make "our calling and election fure?"

III. PERSONS MAY GATHER AND HOARD UP WHAT THEY WILL NEVER LIVE TO ENJOY. See these men; they are anxious to lay in a stock for days and weeks to come; they accordingly provide it, and prepare it; but would they have been so active, so eager, fo grafping, had they foreseen that they were immediately to leave their abundance, and that as foon as they tafted they were to die! But fo it was; "And

"while the flesh was yet between their teeth, ere it "was chewed, the wrath of the Lord was kindled

against the people, and the Lord fmote the people "with a very great plague." By many confiderations, my Brethren, do we labour to quench your undue ardours in the chace of earthly things. We have often laid before you the Divine prohibitions. We have fhewn you how impoffible it is "to ferve God "and Mammon." We have proved that "a man's "life confifteth not in the abundance of the things "that he poffeffes ;" that nature is fatisfied with little, and grace with lefs. And after all this are you torn with anxieties, and wearying yourselves in worldly purfuits? Take another view; contemplate the vanity, the brevity, the uncertainty of life, upon the continuance of which all depends. "Go to now, ye that fay, to-day or to-morrow we will go into fuch a

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city, and continue there a year, and buy and fell "and get gain whereas ye know not what fhall be 6c on the morrow. For what is your life? it is even "a vapour, that appeareth for a little time, and then "vanifheth away." "And he thought within himself

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faying, what fhall I do, because I have no room "where to bestow my fruits? and he faid, this will "I do, I will pull down my barns and build greater: "and there will I beftow all my goods. And I will

fay to my foul, Soul, thou haft much goods laid up "for many years; take thine ease, eat, drink, and be

merry. But God faid unto him, Thou fool, this "night thy foul fhall be required of thee: then whofe "fhall thofe things be which thou haft provided ?" "There is one alone, and there is not a fecond: yea,