of ordinances which belonged to it finished; but before this time the Lord's work had been advanced among the congregation of Ifrael, by the erection of the tabernacle, the confecration of the priests, and the law of facrifices. Now, as thefe branches of reformation were included in former covenants, by confequence at leaft, it was proper they fhould be formally engroffed in this new tranfaction.

2. THIS COvenant-renovation obtained after Ifrael had been guilty of many tranfgreffions, murmurings, and rebellions against the Lord. Soon after they had fuffered fo fmartly for making and worshipping the golden calf, they involved themfelves again in the moft awful guilt: For they had not marched more than three days, at the direction of the pillar of fire, and of the pillar of cloud, after the tabernacle had been erected, till they murmured because of the way. And the Lord heard it, and his anger was kindled; and the fire of the Lord burnt among them, and confumed them who were in the uttermoft parts of the camp. This fire was fearcely quenched, at the interpofition of Mofes, before the mixed multitude, and even the whole congregation of the children of Ifrael, lufted for the flefl, the cucumbers, the melons, the leeks, and the garlic of Egypt; and, at the fame time, loathed the manna, by which they had been fo liberally fupplied in

the

the wilderness *. God granted their defire, fending them abundance of quails; but, while the flesh was between their teeth, the Lord finote them with a great plague, of which many died. And they called the name of the place KIBROTH-HATTAAVAH: That is, the Graves of Concupifcence; because there they buried the people who lufted †. About four months after, they again murmured againft Mofes and Aaron, as well as fpake of ftoning them, together with Caleb and Joshua, on account of the evil report, which had been returned by the major part of the fpies fent to fearch out the promifed land: Said they, "Would to God we had died in the land of Egypt; or, would to God we had died in the wilderness. Wherefore hath the Lord brought us unto this land, to fall by the fword, that our wives and our children fhould be a prey? Were it not better for us to return to Egypt? Let us make a Captain and return into Egypt!" As if they had not been long enough in Egypt already. The puniflunent which God infisted on the unbelieving fpies was death: And that which he inflicted on fuch as believed them was deprivation of entering into the promised land. Accordingly, they lingered out the space of forty years (commencing at their departure out of Egypt, a year for each day the fpies were afurveying the promised land), in the wilderness;

Numb. xi. 4-6.

Numb. xi. 31-34.

and,

and, during this space, all the congregation of Ifrael, from twenty years and upwards, fell, except Caleb and Jofhua. The particular providences which befel Ifrael, and their rebellion against the Lord, for the first two years of the forty, are pretty fully enumerated; but thofe which befel them the laft thirty-eight years are more flightly touched. Among their provocations and plagues, however, which obtained in this last period, may be reckoned the rebellion of Korah, and Ifrael's affociation with Midian: The former of which coft that congregation near fifteen thousand men; and the latter not fewer than twenty-four thoufand. There were probably many other provocations of which Ifrael was guilty, during their forty years peregrination; but thefe are fufficient to thew the patience and long-suffering, as well as the juftice of God, in his conduct towards them. And each of them was an evidence of the divine fovereignty, in admitting the feed of fuch finners into covenant with himself, on the one hand; and, on the other, thefe things alfo filled up that confeflion of fin in which Ifrael was employed prior to this covenant-renovation *.

* Mofes not only preached on their tranfgreffions, as is evident from the former part of the book of Deutero. nomy; but he alfo reminded them of their TEMPTATIONS, by which they tempted the Lord immediately before this tranfaction, Deut. xxix. 3. as well as of all God's gracious interpofitions in their behalf: To inspire them with repentance on the one hand, and gratitude on the other.

3. THIS

3. THIS Covenant-renovation took place after that generation had been removed by death, which God had brought forth out of the land of Egypt. God had executed his threatening, in which he faid, "Surely there fhall not one of these men, of this evil generation, fee the good land, which I fware to give unto your fathers." Seeing the former race of covenanters were removed, it was proper to allow the then prefent generation an opportunity of coming into covenant, to fill up their room.

4. THIS Covenant-renovation obtained after Mofes had delivered various fermons to the congregation of Ifracl, on thofe covenant-engagements under which he had brought them in the loins of their fathers. In thefe difcourfes, which Mofes delivered, he recorded the matter of the covenant *; and then entered into a more minute explication of particular articles. The matter of the covenant, as we have feen, is the ten commandments. The firft precept of it he explained chapter fixth †, &c. And these articles were not only recited and explained; but also applied unto the particular

* Deut. v. 6————21.

+ See Ainsworth's Argument of the book of Deuteronomy. The fecond precept is explained chap. xii. The third, chap. xiii. The fourth, chap. xv. and xvi. The fifth, chap. xvii. and xviii. The fixth, chap. xix, xx, and xxi. The feventh, chap. xxii. The eighth, chap. xxiii, xxiv, XXV.

steps

fteps of conduct with which Ifrael was chargeable: And their tranfgreffions of thefe articles were matter of confeffion at this time, with a view unto this covenant-renovation. By this fermon, Mofes likeways fet an example unto minifters of the gospel, in all fucceeding ages, to prepare their people for covenant-renovation, by preaching on the nature and extent of paft and prefent covenant-engagements. Many in our day, indeed, are extremely weary of fermons of this kind; nor would they have been better pleafed had they made a part of Mofes's auditory: But difcourfes are not always wort when men weary most of them; nor are the pleafers of men always the most faithful fervants of the living God.

5. MOSES brought Ifrael forward to the duty of covenanting juft before he was removed to the other world. He began his fermon on covenanting on the first day of the eleventh month of the forticth year after the children of Ifrael came out of Egypt. It is probable the fermon continued feveral days. Againft the end of the month, however, Mofes died. He brought the young generation under perfonal engagements unto the Lord, that the congregation might be left on a proper footing to Jofua; and fo taught the fervants of God to have a generous concern, not only for the prefent, but alfo for the rifing generation;

that