Aaron, directed by Mofes, in Obedience to God's exprefs Command, put an Omer of Manna into a Pot, in order to keep it in memory of the wonderful fupply of Food, which God had thus given them.

From the Wilderness of Sin, Mofes led the Ifraelites to Rephidim, making two fhort Halts by the Way, which are not mentioned here in Exodus, one of them was at Dophkah, the other at Alush (x). From their Encampment in the Wilderness of Sin to Rephidim might be, I imagine, about twenty Miles: At Rephidim they were diftreffed for want of Water, and murmured against Mofes, for bringing them into Extremity. Mofes cried unto the Lord, and received Directions to fmite a Rock at Mount Horeb with the Rod, which he had used in performing the Wonders wrought in Egypt; and upon his doing this in the fight of the Elders of Ifrael, God was pleased to caufe a River of Water miraculously to flow out of the Rock, to supply their Neceffities (y).

The most learned Archbishop Uber remarks, that the Rock out of which Mofes thus miraculously produced the Water, followed the Ifraelites throughout the Wildernefs (z): Tertullian is faid to have been of

(x) I may here hint once for all, that thefe and the other Names we have of the feveral Places where the Ifraelites made their Encampments in the Wilderness, are generally Names given by them to the Places they fapt at, and that the Places were not called by any particular Names, except by the Ifraelites upon account of their Encamping at them. (Exodus xvi. 5, 6. (x) Ufher's Annals.

this opinion (a): The Jewish Rabbins were fond of it: The most learned Primate fays exprefly, that the Rock, which Mofes fmote, followed them; but fome other Writers foften the Prodigy, and affert, that the Water from the Rock became a River, and was made to flow after the Camp, wherever the Ifraelites journeyed, until they came to Kadesh. The Reasons given for this Opinion are, 1. It is remarked, that from the Time of this Flow of Waters from the Rock at Horeb, until they came to Kadesh the Ifraelites are not faid to have ever wanted Water (b); and it is argued, that they must continually have wanted it in their Paffage thro' the Wilderness, if God had not thus miraculously supplied them.

2. Some Paffages in the Pfalms are thought to imply, that a River from the Rock attended them in their Journeyings. 3. It is hinted, that a Text in Deuteronomy confirms this Opinion: And lastly, it is pretended, that St. Paul fays exprefly, that the Rock followed them.

I." It is faid, that the Ifraelites never want❝ed Water, after this Supply from the Rock "at Horeb, until they came to Kadesh; tho' "the Wilderness they travelled thro' was fo dry a Place, that they could not have found "Water in it, without fome continual Mira"cle." To this I anfwer. 1. We are no where told in Scripture, that God wrought this particular Miracle upon the Rock, in or

(a) Hæc eft Aqua, quæ de comite Petrâ Populo defluebat. Tertullian. de Baptismo. (b) Numbers xx.

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der to continue a Supply of Water for the Ifraelites, during the whole Time of their journeying in the Wilderness; and if a Miracle was really neceffary, why this rather than fome other? The Ifraelites knew how to dig Wells when they wanted Water, and it is probable that they digged many in their Paffage thro' the Wilderness, as we read they digged one at Beer (c); and it is more reasonable to imagine that God might frequently give them Water (d), by caufing them when they digged for it, to find Water-Springs in a dry Ground (e), than to suppose that a mountainous Rock moved after them in their Journeyings, or that any Streams from it, became a River, and was made to form it felf a Channel to flow to them in all their Movements. But 2. Tho' the Wilderness was indeed a dry Place, and may in general Terms be called, a dry and thirsty Land, where no Water is (f); Tho' the Ifraelites complained of it as fuch (g), and the Heathen Writers give it this Character (b); yet we muft not take their Expreffions fo ftrictly, as to imagine, that no Water was to be found in any Parts of it. Strabo speaks of Foffes of Water in the drieft of these Defarts (i), and from Diodorus we may collect, that in the moft unpromifing Parts of this Country, there were proper Places to fink Wells in, which would afford abundance of

(c) Numbers xxi. 18. (d) See Ver. 16. (e) Pfalm. cvii. 35. (f) Pfalm. lxiii. 1. (g) Numbers xxi. 5. (b) cenμos y avudpós os, Diodor. Sic. 1. 2. p. 95. vid. Strab. Geog. 1. 16. (3) Δίαμμος γὴ καὶ λυπρὰ φοίνικας ἔχεσα öníyes—¿ öşunlaudara. Strab. Geog. 1. 16.

Water

Water (k). The Ifraelites might be reduced to Difficulties in many Places, but unquestionably in others they found Receptacles of Water of divers Sorts (1); fo that the true Reason, why we read of no miraculous Supply of Water, from the Time of their leaving Horeb until they came to Kadesh, may be their not neceffarily wanting fuch a Supply in that Interval. But

II. It is reprefented, that from Pfalms lxxviii. 16—20. cv. 41, it may be justly inferred, that Rivers of Water flowed from the Rock after the Ifraelites in their feveral Marches. I answer: The Expreffions cited from the Pfalmift prove only, that the Rock fmote by Mofes poured forth a large quantity of Water. God brought Streams out of the Rock, and caufed Waters to run down like Rivers: He opened the Rock, and the Waters gushed out, they ran in the dry Places like a River. Philo the Jew relates, that upon Mofes ftriking the Rock, the Water poured out like a Torrent, affording them not only a fufficient Quantity for the allaying their prefent Thirst, but to fill their Water-Veffels, in order to carry away Water with them, when they marched forwards (m): A very confiderable Supply must

(7) κατὰ τὸ ἄνυδρον χώρον λεγομένων κατασκευάζοντες σκαιρο φρέατα χρῶνται δαψιλέσι πότοις, Diodor. 1. 2. p. 92. (1) πολλαχε συςάδες τῶν ὀμβρίων υδάτων.

(m) Παίει πέτραν, ἡ ἢ πρηνηδὸν ἐκγεται, ὡς μὴ τότε μία τον παρασχεῖν ἀκΘ Δίψες, ἀλλὰ καὶ προς πλείω χρόνον τοσαύ ταις μυριάσιν ἀφθονίαν πότε τὰ γὰρ ἕδρα πάντα ἐπλήρω σαν, ὡς καὶ πρότερον ὑπὸ τῶν πηγῶν, αἱ πικραι μὲν ἦσαν φύσε, μετεβάλοντο ἢ ἐπιφροσυνη θεία πρὸς τὸ γλύκιον. Philo de vit, Mofis 1. 1.

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be wanted by fo large a Multitude, and the Words of the Pfalmift do well defcribe fuch a Supply; but they do in no wife intimate, that Rivers from the Rock followed them, when they left the Place where the Supply was given them. But,

III. Mofes, Deut. ix. 21. mentions a River, or Brook, which defcended out of the Mount, and flowed near the Camp, after the Ifraelites were departed from Rephidim, and were encamped at Mount Sinai (n). Now if this Brook was a River which flowed from Mount Horeb, it could be none other, than that which was caused by Moses striking the Rock; for before that Miracle, there was no Water; and if it came from hence, it seems evident, that the Stream of this Water flowed near the Camp, after they had left Rephidim, the Place where the Supply was firft given. But a few Obfervations will fet this Fact in a clear Light: And 1. I think it evident, that no Supply of Water was given to the Ifraelites from any Rock at Rephidim: The Direction to Mofes, when he cried unto the Lord, was, to take the Elders of Ifrael with him, and to go from Repbidim, the Place where the Ifraelites were encamped, unto Horeb, and there to fmite a Rock in order to obtain Water (0); so that the Supply of Water was not obtained at Rephidim where the Ifraelites were encamped, but at a Place fome Distance from Rephidim, whither not the People but the Elders of Ifrael accompanied Mofes, and where

(2) Exodus xix. 2.

(0) Exodus xvii. 5, 6.

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