Exodus 16

He that converts any time of the Sabbath to worldly business, is a worse thief than he who robs on the highway; for such a thief does but rob man, but this thief robs God, he robs him of his day. The Lord forbade manna to be gathered on the Sabbath (Exodus 16). One would think t…

4. We do God's will as the angels in Heaven, when we do God's will fervently, sine remissione (Romans 12:11): Fervent in spirit serving God; ⟨in non-Latin alphabet⟩, a metaphor from water when it seethes and boils over; so our affections should boil over in zeal [◊] fervency; th…

There is a humor in men; we are very desirous to try conclusions, condemning things common, and are fond about strange novelties. It was told the Israelites as plain as could be, that they should not reserve Manna till the morning, and they need not to have reserved it, they had…

In regard the Jews saw no way open to return home, and that there lay between many great and vast wildernesses, the Prophet alleges God's power, from which he propounds some examples, that so the Jews might be dispossessed of all fear and doubts. He would have them then to consi…

The Prophet confirms that which was said in the former verse; to wit, that God has provision ready to sustain the Jews in the way; so as no necessaries shall be wanting to them. And no doubt he puts them in mind of that time in which their fathers were ready to perish in the des…

The things that put it to the proof whether men will prefer God to other things in practice, are the difficulties of religion, or those things which occur that make the practice of duty difficult and cross to other principles besides the love of God; because in them, God and oth…

"But if you will not hearken to me to hallow the Sabbath day; then will I kindle a fire in the gates thereof, and it shall devour the palaces of Jerusalem, and it shall not be quenched." Indeed, God was so exacting about this, that he descends to a particular prohibition of seve…

When he purposed to bring a famine on the world, he sent a man beforehand to lay up provision for his Church (Genesis 45:7). When his Church was in a barren and dry wilderness, he gave them bread from heaven, water out of the rock, and kept their clothing from growing old, and t…

Carnal wishes for death arise either (1.) out of violent anger and a pet against providence, as Jonah 4:8: the sun beat upon the head of Jonah, that he fainted, and wished in himself to die, and said it is better for me to die than live. The children of Israel murmured when they…

4th Commandment: Remember the Sabbath day, etc. He breaks this commandment: who labors in the servile works of his ordinary calling (Nehemiah 13:15); who travels abroad on his ordinary business (Exodus 16:24); who keeps fairs and markets on this day (Nehemiah 13:15); who works h…

And this very thing seems to be typified of old by the corrupting of the manna. Some of the children of Israel, because they had gathered a store of manna, trusted in it, there being, as they supposed, sufficient in the store they had gathered and laid up, without humbly looking…