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sedulous dealing with them in the name of God, they may take up the apostle's close with the unbelieving Jews, Acts xiii. 41. "Behold ye despisers, wonder and perish." Most of them unto whom our Saviour preached, perished. They got nothing by hearing his doctrine through their unbelief, but an aggravation of their sin, and the hastening of their ruin. So he told Capernaum, and the rest of the towns wherein he had wrought his miracles, and to whom he had preached the gospel. His presence and preaching for a while, brought them into a condition above that of Jerusalem: they were lifted up unto heaven; but their unbelief under it, brought them into a condition worse than that of Sodom, they were brought down to hell, Matt. xi. 21-24. It is, I confess, a great privilege for men to have the word preached unto them, and to hear it, Psal. cxlvii. 19, 20. But privileges are as men use them. In themselves, they are of worth, and to be prized. But unto us, they are as they are used. Hence the gospel becomes unto some, "a savour of death unto death," 2 Cor. ii. 16. Yea, Christ himself, in his whole ministry, was a stone of stumbling, and rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, a gin and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem, Isa. viii. 14. Luke ii. 34. And the enjoyment of any part of the means of grace, is but a trial. And when any rest therein, they do but boast in the putting on of their harness, not knowing what will be the end of the battle. And let none mistake unto whom the word of God comes, as it did unto this people in the wilderness. They are engaged; and there is no coming off but conquerors, or ruined. If they receive it not, it will be the aggravation of their sins, the eternal destruction of their souls. The reasons why it will do so, I have insisted on, in the exposition of Chap. II. ver. 1-3.

Obs. II. In the most general and visible apostasies of the church, God still reserves a remnant unto himself, to bear witness unto him and for him, by their faith and obedience: "They provoked; howbeit not all."-They were indeed many who provoked, but not all. A few they were, but yet some there were, who inherited the promise. The professing church in the world, was never nearer ruin than at this time. Once, had Moses stood out of the way, had he not with all bis might of faith and zeal abode in the breach; God had disinherited them all, and utterly destroyed them, and reserved him only for a new stock or spring, Exod. xxxii. 9, 10. 14. Psal. cvi. 23. God had indeed at this time a great secret people in the children of that generation. But the visible professing church consisted principally in the men that were numbered; and it is not to be supposed, that their wives were much behind their husbands in their murmurings, being more naturally than they, in straits and difficulties, prone to such miscarriages, by reason

of their fears. And, quantillum abfuit, how near was this whole church to destruction? how near to apostasy? How many soever retained their faith, only Caleb and Joshua retained their profession. When God of old brought a flood upon the world for their wickedness, the professing church that had been very great and large in the posterity of Seth, was reduced to eight persons, and one of them a cursed hypocrite. And once Elijah could see no more in Israel but himself. There were indeed then seven thousand latent believers, but scarce another visible professor. And it is not hard to imagine how little true faith, regularly professed, there was in the world, when Christ was in the grave. And under the fatal apostasy foretold in the Revelation, those that kept the testimony of Jesus are reduced to so small a number, as that they are spoken of under the name of two witnesses. But yet in all these hazardous trials and reduc tions of the numbers of professors, God always hath maintained, and ever will, a remnant, true, faithful, pure and undefiled, unto himself. This he hath done, and this he will do,

1. To maintain his, own kingdom in the world. Satan by his temptations and the entrance of sin, had greatly defaced the beauty, glory and order of that kingdom which God first erected in the world, to be governed by the law of creation. But God still retains his sovereignty and authority, in it and over it, in all its disorder, by his all-disposing providence. But that he might lose nothing by this attempt of his adversary, as not in power or interest, so neither in honour or glory, he erected in the first promise, a new kingdom of grace. Unto this kingdom he gives his Son to be the head; "the head over all things unto the church," Eph. i. 22. and he gives the church unto him to have therein an everlasting dominion, enduring through all ages, so that of the increase of his rule and government therein, there should be no end, Isa. ix. 7. Now this kingdom cannot be thus preserved, unless some be always by real saving grace and the profession of it, kept and maintained as subjects thereof. The kingdom of providence, indeed, under all its alterations, is natural unto God and necessary. It implies a contradiction that there should be a creature, and God not the sovereign Lord of it. But this kingdom of grace depends on the purpose and faithfulness of God. He hath taken upon himself the continuance and preservation of it unto the end. Should it at any time totally fail, Christ would be a king without a kingdom, a head without a body, or cease to be the one or the other. Wherefore God will secure some, that neither by the abuse of their own liberty, nor by the endeavours of the gates of hell, shall ever be drawn off from their obedience. And this God in his grace, power and faithfulness will effect, to make good

his promises unto Christ, which he multiplied unto that purpose from the foundation of the world.

2. Should all faith utterly fail in the earth, should all professors provoke God and apostatize from him, all gracious intercourse between the Holy Spirit and mankind in this world, would be at an end. The work of the Spirit is to convert the souls of men unto God, to sanctify them to be temples for himself to dwell in, to guide, teach, lead and comfort them by supplies of his grace. Suppose then that no saving faith or obedience should be left in the earth, this work of the Spirit of God must utterly fail and cease. But this consisteth not with his glorious immutability and power. He hath undertaken a work and he will not faint in it, or give it over one moment until it be accomplished, and all the elect brought unto God. If therefore the natural children of Abraham fail, he will out of the stones and rubbish of the Gentiles, raise up a living temple unto God, wherein he may dwell, and provide a remnant for him on the earth.

3. God will do this for the work that he hath for some of his in all ages and seasons to do in the world. And this is great and various. He will have some always to conflict with his adversaries and overcome them, and therein give testimony to the power of his grace and truth. Could sin and Satan drive all true grace, faith and obedience out of the world, they would complete their victory. But so long as they have any to conflict withal, against whom they cannot prevail, themselves are conquered. The victory is on the other side, and Satan is sensible that he is under the curse. Wherever true

faith is, there is a victory, 1 John v. 4. By this doth God make his remnant as a brazen wall that his enemies shall fight against in vain, Jer. xv. 20. Be they therefore never so few, they shall do the work of God, in conquering Satan and the world through the blood of the Lamb.

4. God will always have a testimony given to his goodness, grace and mercy. As in the ways of his providence, he never left himself without witness, Acts xiv. 17.; no more will he in the ways of his grace. Some he will have to give testimony to his goodness, in the calling, pardoning and sanctifying of sinners, and who shall do this, if there be none on earth made partakers of that grace? They are proper witnesses who testify what they know and have experience of.

5. And lastly, God will always have a revenue of especial glory out of the world, in and by his worship. And this also must necessarily cease and fail, should not God preserve to himself a remnant of them that truly fear him.

And if this be the way of God's dealing, we may see what becomes sometimes of that which the Papists make a note of

the church; namely, number and visibility. He that would choose his party by tale, would scarce have joined himself with Caleb and Joshua against the consent of about six hundred thousand men, who cried out to stone them, because they were not of their mind. God's way, indeed, is always to preserve some, but sometimes his way is to reserve but a few; as we have seen in sundry instances before mentioned.

Again, It is evident from whence it is, that the church of God hath passed through so many trials, hazards and dangers, and yet hath not to this day, at any time utterly been prevailed against. It escaped of old, when Cain slew Abel; "when all flesh had corrupted its ways," and God brought the flood upon ungodly men: it escaped then in the family of Noah, as it did afterwards in that of Abraham; so it did in the wilderness, by the fidelity of Moses, Caleb and Joshua. Since the establishment of the Christian church, it is known what dreadful opposition it hath been exercised withal. At one time the world groaned, admiring to see itself surprised into Arianism. Afterwards, all wondered after the beast, and none were suffered to live that received not his mark; a high renunciation of the authority of Jesus Christ. Yet, from the jaws of all these hazards, these deaths, hath the church been preserved, and triumphed against all oppositions. God hath undertaken its preservation, and he will make it good to the uttermost. He hath given the Lord Christ power and authority to secure his own interest and concerns in the earth. And he sends the Spirit to convert and sanctify his elect, and will do so until the consummation of all things. A thread of infinite wisdom, care and faithfulness, hath run along in this matter from the beginning hitherto, and it shall not be cut off or broken. And this may also give us satisfaction and security for the future, as to that remnant of Jacob which lies in the midst; in the bowels of many nations, it shall be preserved. He spake proudly who encouraged the pilot in a storm, with Casaris fortunam vehis, fear not, thou carriest the fortune of Cæsar;' which, though not then, yet soon after failed him. Believers are engaged in a bottom, that hath Christ in it, and his interest, and the faithfulness of God to secure its safe arrival in the harbour of eternal rest and peace. There is at this day a dreadful appearance of an opposition to the city of God. Paganism, Mahometanism, Popery, Atheism, with sundry gross heresies, are in combination, as it were, against it. The contribution also of strength and craft, which they have from the lusts and worldly interests of men, is incredible. But yet we see that in the midst of all these storms and fears, the Lord is pleased to preserve a remnant to himself, neither themselves nor their adversaries knowing how:

and upon the grounds mentioned, he will assuredly continue to do so to the end.

Obs. III. God lays a few, oft-times a very few of his secret ones in the balance against the greatest multitude of rebels and transgressors. They that provoked God were about six hundred thousand men, and upon the matter two only opposed them. But in the language of the Holy Ghost, all that great multitude were but some; some, not all. The principal part was preserved in those who were obedient. They are his portion, his inheritance, his jewels, dear to him as the apple of his eye, and deservedly preferred unto the greatest heap of chaff and rubbish.

VER. 17, 18.-IN the two next verses, the apostle proceedeth to evince the necessity, and enforce the use of his preceding exhortation, from the circumstances of the example insisted on; and this he doth by way of interrogation. He proposeth in them, questions on the matter of fact, and answers them from what is either directly expressed, or undeniably included in the words insisted on.

VER. 17, 18.-But with whom was he grieved forty years? was it not with them that had sinned, whose carcases, fell in the wilderness? And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but unto them that believed not?

The kind of arguing here used by the apostle, is not simply interrogatory, but it is that which is said to be by interrogation and subjection; that is, when a question is drawn, and an answer substituted out of the same matter, which hath such an efficacy for conviction and persuasion, that the great Roman orator seldom omits it in any of his orations. And it is so especially when the question proposed is interrogatio rei, an inquiry into a matter of fact, and the answer returned is interrogatio dežews, in form of speech an interrogation, but really an answer. Such is the apostle's manner of arguing here. The interrogation, ver. 17. With whom was he grieved forty years?" is interrogatio rei; and the answer returned is in án interrogatory forin of speech, "Was it not with them that sinned, whose carcases fell in the wilderness ?"

The words of the interrogation were explained on ver. 10. whereunto the reader is referred. In this repetition of them, the design of the apostle is to fix on the minds of the Hebrews, the consideration of the people's sin, and God's dealing with them thereon.

The answer unto this first inquiry, consists in a double description of them with whom God was so long grieved or displeased: first, by their sin-" Was it not with them that sing

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