ascribed to them, that "they heard." And this may be taken either strictly, for the hearing of the voice of God at the giving of the law on mount Sinai, when the whole congregation heard those voices of God in thundering and dreadful agitations of the mount wherewith it was accompanied; or it may be taken more largely for a participation in all those instructions which God granted them in the wilderness. There seems, indeed, to be a special respect to the giving of the law; not merely the promulgation of the ten words on Sinai, but the whole system of attendant precepts and ordinances of worship; for therein they were evangelized even as we, chap. iv, 2. Also their "hearing" is spoken of as that which was past; "When they had heard," before their provoking, which yet signally happened in the second year after their coming out of Egypt. What they heard then was the voice of God; and their sin was that (Taperingavav) they provoked; that is, God, whose voice they heard. Hos. xii, 13, “Ephraim hath provoked bitterness;" that is, very bitterly. Great provocations have a bitterness in them, as the word here denotes, which causeth God to loath the provokers. By these considerations doth the apostle enforce his exhortations; for, saith he, when the people of old heard the voice of God in that dispensation of his law and grace, which was suited to their condition, some of them provoked God; and whereas, they may do so also who hear his voice in the dispensation of the gospel, therefore doth it highly concern them to take care; for, under every dispensation, dreadful is the event of abused mercy.

§3. The apostle adds expressly a limitation, with respect to the persons who heard and provoked; 'howbeit not all.' In his preceding discourse he had expressed the sin and punishment of the people indefi

nitely, so as at first view to include the whole genera tion in the wilderness; here he puts in an exception, which may refer to three sorts of persons: First, those who were under twenty years of age, not being numbered in the wilderness of Sinai, in the second year af ter their coming out of Egypt, Num. i, 1-3. For of those that were then numbered, there was not a man left save Caleb and Joshua, when the people were again numbered in the plains of Moab by Moses and Eleazer, chap. xxvi, 63, 64, but those who were numbered, were they who died, because of their provocation. Secondly, the tribe of Levi; for, as now observed, the threatening and oath of God was against all of them only that were numbered in the wilderness of Sinai; Num. xiv, 29. And Moses was expressly commanded in the taking of the first muster-roll not to take the number of the Levites, chap. i, 47, 48, 49. However, I much fear, by the course of the story, that the generality of this tribe fell also. Thirdly, Caleb and Joshua; and it is certain that these are principally intended. The apostle expresseth the limitation of his former general assertion, that he might enforce his exhortation with the example of them who believed and obeyed the voice of God, and who thereon enjoyed the promise, and entered into his rest; as well as those who provoked. So that he takes his argument not only from the severity of God, which at first view seems only to be represented in this instance, but also from his implied faithfulness and grace.

§4. The apostle's language, though in form of speech an interrogation, is in reality a strong answer. The answer to this first inquiry, 'But with whom was he angry forty years?' consists in a double description of them, first by their sin; Was it not with them that sinned? Secondly, by their punishment; Whose car

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casses fell in the wilderness.' And we may consider, both what is included, and then what is expressed, in this answer. It is plainly included that God was not thus displeased with them all; let not any apprehend that God took a causeless distaste at that whole generation, and so cast them off and destroyed them promiscuously. As they were some only, and not all, that provoked; so it was with some only, and not all, that God was displeased. With those who sinned not, who provoked not, God was not displeased, but according to his promise they entered into his rest; which promise in a more excellent sense still remains for the benefit of this present generation of them, if they were not disobedient. The first thing expressed in the words, or the first part of the description of them with whom God was displeased, is their sin; 'was it not with them that sinned?' The 'sins' here principally intended, are the general sins of the whole congregation, which consisted in their frequent murmurings and rebellions, which came to an head as it were in that great provocation upon the return of the spies, Num. xiv, when they not only provoked God by their own unbelief, but encouraged one another to destroy these two persons, Joshua and Caleb, who would not concur in their disobedience; 'All the congregation bade stone them with stones,' ver. 10. This distinction was observed by the daughters of Zelophehad, in their address for an inheritance among their brethren; 'Our father, say they, died in the wilderness, and he was not in the company of them that gathered themselves together against the Lord, in the company of Corah, but died in his own sin,' Num. xxvii, 13. They acknowledge him guilty of personal sins, and deny not but that he joined in the general provocation of the whole congregation; but only that he

had no hand in those special provocations, which God fixed an eminent mark of his displeasure upon, by cutting off the provokers with fearful, sudden, and signal judgments; whereas others were gradually consumed by death in a natural way.

§5. The apostle describes them next by their punishment. Whose carcasses fell in the wilderness." I suppose the (1) 'Carcasses' of the people may here be called their (xwλa) members, or their bones, as SuIDAS renders the word, because probably in those great plagues and destructions that befel them, their rebellious carcasses, at least many of them, were left on the ground in the wilderness, where, after the most perishable parts were consumed, their greater bones lay scattered up and down. So the psalmist complains, that it befel them at another season, Psalm cxli, 7. 'Our bones are scattered at the grave's mouth, as when one cutteth and cleaveth wood on the earth.' A sore destruction, or judgment, this is accounted amongst men; and therefore is it made a representation of hell, Isa. Ixvi, 24. They shall go forth and look upon the carcasses of the men that have transgressed against me; for their worm shall not die, neither shall their fire be quenched; and they shall be an abhorring unto all flesh.' Their carcasses (ETETOV) fell, that is, pœnally; which is an aggravation of their destruction. He doth not say, they died; but "their carcasses fell," which intimates contempt and indignation.

§6. Was it not with them who believed not?" (TOIGATION;) this word as before shewn, is variously rendered; obeyed not, believed not, assented not, acquiesced not. The original verb (bw) is to persuade, by words or any other means; and the word compounded (anebe) is properly not to be persuaded, or not to do what the persuasion leads to; and if that persuasion be

with authority, the dissent is disobedience, or contumacy; and these are varied according as the persuasion hath been proposed. The Greek noun (are) is usually disobedience, stubbornness, or rebellion; but in the New Testament it is often rendered by unbelief, Rom. xi, 30-32. Heb. iv, 11. and, indeed, the word (515) faith itself, is from (TE) to persuade. And in other authors (5) faith is nothing but that persuasion of mind which is begotten by arguments proposed; but the promiscuous rendering of that word by either disobedience or unbelief, seeing these formally differ, is not so safe, and ought to be reduced to some certain rule. This, for ought I can perceive, interpreters have not done, but have indifferently rendered it, by the one word or the other. The two words (απειθεια and απειθεω) do certainly denote a denial of the proper effect of the primitive (TE) the effect of persuasion is not produced. Now this persuasion is not merely and solely an exhortation by words; but whatever hath a moral tendency to prevail with the mind of man to do or not to do any thing, hath the virtue of a persuasion. Thus in commands, in promises, in threatenings, there is a persuasion; and is common to them all, that they are suited to prevail with the minds of men, to do or not to do the things which they respect. But there is some peculiar adjunct whereby they are distinguished as to their persuasive efficacy; as authority in commands, faithfulness in promises, severity in threatenings, power and holiness in all. Look then in any place what is the formal reason of the persuasion whose disappointment is expressed by the terms in question, and we shall understand what it is that primarily and directly is intend ed by them. That whereby we answer a 'command' is obedience, because of the authority wherewith it is