what he did was done, not in the fight of the Congregation, but in the fight of the Elders of Ifrael (p). 2. Horeb and Sinai were near and contiguous to one another, being only different Cliffs of one and the fame Mountain. T'his appears evident from feveral Paffages in the Books of Mofes: When God delivered the Commandments in an audible Voice from Mount Sinai (q), He is faid to speak unto them in Horeb (r): And when the People ftood before the Lord their God, under the Mountain, and the Mountain burned with Fire (s), which Mountain was unquestionably Mount Sinai (t), they stood before the Lord at Horeb (u): And in the Day of their Affembly, when they defired not to hear the Voice of the Lord any more (w), which Petition was made, when they were affembled at Mount Sinai (x), they are faid to be at Horeb (y); fo that from these and many other Paffages, that might be cited, it appears, either according to St. Jerom, that Horeb and Sinai were but two Names for one and the fame Mount (~), or rather they were two Mountains fo contiguous, that whilft the People lay encamped at the Foot of them, they might be faid to be at either: And therefore 3. The Water which Mofes obtained from the Rock at Horeb, might fupply the Camp, all the Time the Ifraelites were at Sinai, with (9) Ibid. xx. (t) (p) Exod. xvii. 5, 6. (r) Deut. i. 19. (s) Deut. iv. 10, 11. Exodus xix. 18. (u) Deut. iv. 10. (w) Deut. xviii. 16. (x) Exod. xx. 19. (y) Deut. xviii. 16. (z) Mihi autem videtur, quòd duplici nomine idem Mons, nunc Sina, nunc Choreb vocetur. Hieron. de locis Heb. out C 2 out the Rock's moving from its Place; for they were encamped very near the Rock from whence this Supply of Water was given, all the Time they were at Sinai. 4. We need not fuppofe, that the Water which God was pleafed to give at Horeb, ceafed to flow, as foon as the Ifraelites were relieved by it. It is more reasonable to imagine, that God directed Mofes to ftrike a Place, where there was naturally a Spring, tho' until the Rock was opened, the Water was bound down to fubterraneous Paffages; but after it had taken Vent, it might become a Fountain, and continue to flow, not only whilft the Ifraelites continued in these Parts, but to future Ages: It might cause the Brook, which defcended out of the Mount, and fupplied them with Water all the Time they lay encamped here, and the Brook caufed by it may perhaps run to this Day (a); but tho' this may be true, yet it will not hence follow, that the Streams of this Brook flowed after the Camp, when they departed from Horeb, and took their Journeys out of the Wilderness of Sinai into the Wildernefs of Paran. But IV. The chief Argument for fuppofing the Rock to have followed the Ifraelites in (a) We find from the Accounts of modern Travellers, that there runs now a Brook from Mount Horeb, which Supplies Water to the Monafery called St. Saviour's, being a Greek Convent fituate at the Foot of the Mountain. Chorebus, fays Belonius, Lib. II. c. 63. commodiffimo Fonte inftructus eft; and in c. 62. Speaking of the Convent, he fays, Monafterium aquâ abundat: Rivus enim ex monte defluens Monachorum cifternam replet aquâ limpidâ, frigidâ, dulci, deniq; optimâ, &c. their Journeys thro' the Wilderness, is taken. from the Words of St. Paul, 1 Corinthians x. 4. The Apostle fays, Our Fathers did all drink the fame fpiritual drink (for they drank of that fpiritual Rock, which followed them, and that Rock was Chrift.) But I think it is very evident, that the Apostle here fpeaks not of the Rock of Horeb, but of Chrift, who tho' invifible, was the fpiritual Support of the Ifraelites in the Wilderness. In ver. 3. He alludes to the Manna which was given them; but then treats of the Spiritual Meat which fuftained them, defigning to turn the Thoughts of the Corinthians from the Manna to God, who gave the Manna and made it a fufficient Nourithment to his People: Man liveth not by Bread alone (b): The Manna of it felf had been but a very flender Provifion; but by the Direction of God, the Morning Dew would have been an abundant Supply, or He could, if he had pleased, as well have fuftained them the whole forty Years without any Food at all, as he did Mofes in the Mount forty Days and forty Nights without his eating Bread or drinking Water: We must not therefore look at the Manna, as if that was fufficient to (c) nourish the People, but confider the Power of God, who was their spiritual Meat, and invifibly fupported them. In the fame manner we must confider the Supply they had of Drink: The Rock at Horeb ftruck by the Rod of Moses, sent forth Wa (b) Matt. iv. 4. Deut. viii. 3. xxix. 6. (c) Deut. viii. 3. C 3 ters, ters, but the Benefit was not owing to the Rock, but to Chrift, who was the Spiritual and invifible Rock of his People; who by his Power gave them this Supply, and whofe Prefence was with them, not at this Time only, but in all their Journeyings: The meaning of St. Paul is very plain and eafy, and we evidently play with the Letter, instead of attending to the Design of his Words, if we infer from them, that the Rock at Horeb, or any Water from it, followed the Ifraelites thro' the Wilderness. Upon the whole, if we had any Authority from Scripture to fay, that the Rock at Horeb followed the Camp; or that the Waters from Horeb flowed after the If raclites, we fhould have no Reason to question the Fact: The Power of God could have caufed either; but neither Mofes nor any other facred Writer fays any thing like it, nor was any fuch Fact known to either Philo or Jofephus; fo that I fhould think it a mere Fiction (d) of the Rabbins, and that it ought to be rejected: A due Application will enable every fober Querift to vindicate the Miracles recorded in Scripture: But it is an idle Labour, and (d) The Rabbins were fruitful Inventors of this fort of Miracles. Jonathan B. Uziel fays of the Well, which the Ifraelites digged at Beer, That Abraham and Ifaac and Jacob firft digged it; but that Mofes and Aaron drew it after them into the Wilderness by the Rod, and that it followed them up high Hills, and down into low Vallies, and went round about the Camp of the Ifraelites, and gave every one Drink at his Tent-Door, and that it followed them until they came to the Borders of the Land of Moab, but that they loft it upon the Top of an Hill over against Beth-Jefhimon. See Targum Jonathan on Numbers xxxi. will prove of differvice to Religion, to add Miracles of our own making to those which the Scriptures fet before us. Whilft the Ifraelites were at Rephidim, the Amalekites, near unto whofe Country they then encamped (e), attacked them (f), whereupon Mofes ordered fofua to choose out a Number of the ableft Men to fuftain the Affault, and He himself went up the Hill with his Rod in his Hand, and Aaron and Hur with him (g). The Battle had many Turns: Whilft Mofes held up his Hand, the Ifraelites had the better; but whenever Mofes let his Hand fall, the Amalekites prevailed (b): Upon obferving this Event, Aaron and Hur, Mofes being quite tired, caused him to fit down upon a Stone, and they, one on each fide of him, fupported his Hands all the Remainder of the Day until the Evening, and upon this Joshua obtained a complete Victory over the Amalekites (i): And the Lord ordered Mofes to leave it upon Record, and to remind Joshua of it, that it was his Design utterly to extirpate the Amalekites (k); and this Purpose of God was afterwards revealed to Balaam (1); and Mofes, according to the Directions given him to write it in a Book (a), took care to record it in his Book of Deuteronomy, in the most exprefs Terms (b): And becaufe God had 7. (e) The Country of the Amalekites lay next to Seir. (f) See Deut. xxv. 18. (g) Exodus xvii. 9, (b) Exodus xvii. 11. (2) Numbers xxiv. 20. XXV. 17, 18, 19. (i) Ver. 11, 12, 13. C 4 Gen. xiv. 10. (k) Ver. 14. (b) Deut. vouchfafed |