at freedom to gather it, and there was enough for the whole camp; fo Chrift is God's free gift, and in him is a fulness of grace for the whole believing world, and every gofpel hearer is free to gather it, tho' indeed the morning of our lives is the moft proper gathering time. There was a memorial of this manna-preferved in the ark; fo is there of Christ in the Lord's fupper, as the food of our fouls.-Manna was ground in a mill, or beaten in a morter, and baken in an oven, before it was fit for food; fo Chrift was bruifed and ground by his fufferings, and fcorched in the fiery oven of his father's wrath that he might become a fit Saviour, and fit food for our fouls.

But Chrift crucified infinitely excels the Israelites manna: Theirs was peculiar to themselves; but Christ is free to both Jews and Gentiles: Theirs ceafed when the ycame to Canaan; but ours continues for ever, and is enjoyed moft fully in the Canaan above: Theirs only preferved a natural life; but ours gives a fpiritual and eternal life.-O come then, eat of his heavenly bread, when fet before you in plenty, with hunger and defire, bleffing God for it, faying, Lord evermore give us this bread: Come with spiritual appetites and purified hearts. The Ifraelites manna was laid up in the ark, and kept in a pure golden pot, to teach you to cleanse your hearts from your fin and corruption, that they may be fit to lodge Jefus Chrift our heavenly manna. If the veffels which contain the facramental bread, were foul or polluted, you would cenfure it as most indecent; but much more unbecoming is it, to receive Chrift into a foul heart.

Come to this table with humility, and a deep fenfe of your ill defervings, acknowledging, that the leaft crumb of this bread will be a great mercy to fuch an unworthy creature! Truth, Lord, I am a dog, vile

and polluted, yet the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from the childrens table! May I plead for a crumb for thy free mercies fake.-Oh, I am unworthy of the commen bread that is fet upon my own table, much more of the heavenly bread that is fet upon thine inftead of bread thou mayeft give me a ftone; instead of a file, a frown; inftead of the cup of the new teftament, thou mayft put a cup of wrath and trembling in my hand: But thy free grace, and large offers, encourage me to wait and hope, that the needy fhall not be forgotten, and tbe expectation of the poor fhall not perish.

Come with a lively faith to receive and eat, not only of the bread of life, but alfo to receive the bread, the Lord, your Immanuel in perfon, and make ufe of him in all his offices.-Come eat with love and thankfulness, to him that was willing to be beaten, bruifed, ground and fcorched, that he might be bread for nourishing of ftarving fouls, receive this bread of heaven thankfully as a diftinguishing bleffing, which is not granted to all indifferently; for as God rained down manna from heaven upon the Ifraelites; fo he rained down fire and brimftone on Sodom and Gomorrab.

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ADVICE V.

From GEN. xlv. 4.

Come near to me, I am Jofeph your brother, whom you soldl.

OSEPH was an eminent type of Chrift; tho' he was hated, fold, and cruelly used by his brethren; yet he ftill loved them, forgave them, and laid out himfelf for their prefervation and happinefs.Tho' Chrift be Lord of heaven and earth; yet, O believ

ing communicants, he own himfelf as your brother, bone of your bone, and flesh of your flesh; nay he is not alhamed to call you brethren, Go tell my brethren, faid he to Mary, Mat. xxviii. 10. Tho' you be mean and low, and Chrift highly raised, yet his exaltation doth not caufe him to forget his poor friends below; he ftill owns them as his brethren. He is indeed the elder brother, and heir of all things; yet he is pleased to adopt his younger brethren into his right, and make them joint heirs with him of the inheritance above. As Joseph was most condescending to his poor brethren, though he was lord over all the land; fo is Chrift. As they did not know Josepb, until he told them, I am Jofeph your brother; fo neither do we know Chrift until he discover himfelf to us. As Joseph seemed to deal roughly with his brethren at first, to make them remember the injuries they did him; yet, in the mean time he loved them, gave them food, and afterwards fpoke kindly to them: So Chrift at first takes ways to humble his people, and make them fenfible of their fin; yet at the fame time he fecretly fupports them, and at length brings in confolation to them, faying, I am Jesus your brother, it is 1, be not afraid. Come near to me, faid Joseph in a kind and familiar way to his bre thren; fo Chrift faith to you, draw near to me with a fincere heart, and I will manifeft myself unto you, as a loving brother.

But if you would have the gracious intimations of his favour, you must first be humbled for the wrongs you have done hini. You have dealt treacherously and inhumanly with Chrift, as Jacob's fons did with their brother Joseph: Thefe fold their brother for twenty pieces of filver; but, ah! have not fome of you fold Jefus, your brother, for lefs, even for fome vile luft or filthy pleasure? Nay, have

you not to murder him by your fins? As Cain flew his innocent brother openly in the field; fo your fins have openly nailed Jefus to the crofs, in the fields without Jerufalem, and fhed his blood like water on the ground. O how can you answer for fuch horrid cruelty to your innocent brother? How can you look him in the face after all you have done against him? What feeling have you of the injuries you have done him? Are you deeply humbled, and heartily grieved for them? Then I have good news to tell you, you have to do with a most loving and forgiving brother; Tho' you have betrayed him, fold him, wounded him, murdered him; yet he is wil. ling to forget and forgive all to the humble pexi. tent: Come near to me, faith be, I am Jofeph your brother, ftand not at a diflance, but come near me by faith and prayer, embrace me in the facrament, and I will give you a fealed pardon of all your crimes; I will give you all the good things of the land, far excelling the richest fruits of Egypt, even my own body and bloed, with all the spiritual and eternal bleffings purchafed thereby.

Object. But alas, I have dealt fo bafely and treacherously with my brother Jofeph, I have no confidence to go and meet him, I am afraid he'il frown on me. Anf. He has indeed good ground to do it, but he is full of bowels, tenderness and pity to penitents, and most ready to forgive. Let me advise you to imitate Jacob when going to meet his brother Efau, whofe wrath he very much dreaded. He carried prefents along with him to his brother. In like manner do you take prefents with you, fuch as, 1. A broken, contrite and humbled heart, a broken heart be will not despise.-2. Take faith with you, and the fironger it is, it will be the more agreeable prefent to Christ; put a firm trust and con

fidence in his blood and bowels, bode and threap kindness on him, like the woman of Canaan, truth, Lord, I am a dog, but dog as I am, I may plead for a-crumb, feeing thy faithful word warrants me to do it; this prefent from that poor creature was fo acceptable to Chrift, that he inmediately anfwer ed, O woman, great is thy faith; be it unto thee even as thou wilt, Matth. xv. 28. 3. Take with you a firm purpose and refolution, in the ftrength of your brother, not to betray or wound him any more, and feal a covenant with him upon thefe terms. 4. Take with you a fincere heart and purpofe and imitating your brother, and ftudying conformity to him. Learn of me, faith he, for I am meek and lowly in beart. Thefe prefents would be moft acceptable to your grieved and offended brother. But feeing you have nothing of your own, cry, Lord, give them firit to me, and I'll offer them unto thee.

What condefcenfion is this, that Chrift, the King of kings fhould fay to all believers, ye are my bre thren and fifters! Who would not defire to ftand in this honourable relation to an earthly king, and far more to the King of glory! Would we have him then for our brother to own us, fuccour and fympathize with us in all our troubles; let us forthwith embrace and clofe with him by faith, as he is tendered to us in the rich, large and free offers of the gofpel, and then the relation is prefently made up.

how inviting and alluring is that word, I am Jefus your brother! It thould conquer the most stub. born will, and make every unbelieving heart to receive him like Thomas, and fay, My lord and my God.

Let every believer in diftrefs come like the bee, and fuck honey from this flower, I am Jefus your

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