necessary unto him in all things to will his own glory. Now unbelief is nothing but the attempt of sin and Satan to frustrate the whole design of God, to make him a liar, 1 John v. 10. to keep him from being known, owned, acknowledged and worshipped, as God only wise, infinitely righteous, holy, faithful, gracious and bountiful. And this upon the matter is to oppose the being of God. It is to deny that he was righteous and holy, in requiring the punishment due to sin of our Sponsor or Mediator, that is, in punishing sin; to deny that he was infinitely wise and gracious, in sending his Son to save that which was lost; to deny that the way which he hath provided for the salvation of sinners is good, sufficient and safe; to deny his faithfulness in the accomplishment of his promises; and his truth and veracity about what he hath affirmed concerning the salvation of sinners by Jesus Christ. And where then is the glory of God? or what is left unto him for which he should be glorified or worshipped? And can this atheistical rebellious attempt be too severely revenged? Is not God not only justified in that decretory sentence, "He that believeth not, shall be damned ?" but doth it not in the hearts of all the creation call aloud for the vindication of his glory, from this great contempt cast upon it, and horrible attempt to frustrate his design for the advancement of it? As sure as God is God, unbelief shall not go unpunished. Yea, from the gracious salvation of believers, and righteous condemnation of them who will not believe, doth arise that great and triumphant glory, wherein God will be admired and adored by the whole rational creation unto eternity. And this further appears; for, Obs. III. The oath of God is engaged against no sin but unbelief-As God hath given his oath for the confirmation and consolation of believers, both as to the things which they are to believe, and as to their assured safety on their believing, and to nothing else directly in a way of grace, for it is annexed unto his covenant; so he hath in a way of justice engaged his oath against no sin but that of unbelief, and to the exclusion of unbelievers from eternal rest. To whom sware he, that they should not enter into his rest, but unto them that believed not? Other sins there are that have great provocations in them. So had the murmurings of the people in the wilderness. But it is their relation unto unbelief, their growing upon that stock or root, that gives them such a height of provocation, as that God at any time enters a caveat against them by his oath. And in this sense it is not said amiss, that UNBELIEF is the only damning sin; because, as there is no other sin but may be, but shall be, remitted or pardoned unto men upon believing, so the formal consideration on which other sins fall under judgment in them to whom the gospel is preached, is unbelief. These things I shall put together, to represent the apostle's exhortation, with the grounds and reasons of it, as unto our own concernment therein. For these things belong unto us, and they may be improved unto the use of all sorts of persons. As, 1. Unto them who have never much considered their duty or concern in this matter. I intend not open and profligate sinners, though the terror hereof will one day reach them in particular. "This is their condemnation, that light is come into the world, and they love darkness more than light, because their deeds are evil." But it is them whom I aim at, whose consciences are so far awakened, as that they would abstain from sin, and do good, with respect unto their latter end. They would be saved from the wrath to come; but as to believing, or mixing the promise of the gospel with faith, they have not endeavoured after it, or do not at all understand it. But this is the hinge on which their eternal condition doth turn. They may do well therefore to consider what hath been said from the apostle in this matter, and what is their concern therein, to examine their hearts, that they may know what hath passed between God and them. For with whom is God provoked? Concerning whom doth he thus swear that they shall not enter into his rest? Is it not against you, and such as you are who believe not, whilst you continue in that state and condition? 2. Unto those who are in doubt whether they should believe or not, not notionally and indefinitely, but practically and in particular. This is the state of many in their minds and consciences, which causeth them to fluctuate all their days. But what is it that they doubt of in this matter? Is it whether it be their duty to believe or not? It is indispensably required of them by the command of God; so that not to do so, is the greatest height of disobedience that they can make themselves guilty of. Is it whether they may do so or not, and whether they shall find acceptance with God in their so doing? This cails the righteousness and faithfulness of God in question. It is no otherwise, where to believe is our duty by virtue of his command, to question our acceptance in the performance of that duty. Is it because of the many objections which they find arising up in themselves against themselves, which leave them no hope of a personal participation of the good things promised? But what are all their objections before those evidences that are tendered in the gospel unto the contrary, which we have touched upon? The truth is, if men will not believe, it is out of love to sin, and a dislike of the design of God to glorify himself by JESUS CHRIST; and what will be the issue thereof hath been declared. If then it be a question with you, whether you shall believe or not, consider if you do not what will be the event. The demerit of your sin is such, as that it will justify, yea and glorify God, in his greatest severity against you; and his OATH is engaged that you shall never enter into his rest. What like this can you fear on the other hand; and why do you doubt what course to take? 3. Unto believers. Meat may be taken for them out of this eater. All this terror and dread of God's severity, speaks peace and consolation unto their souls. For as the oath of God is engaged against the entrance of unbelievers into rest, so also is it for the eternal security of them that do believe. VER. 19. So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief. THIS Verse contains, in a summary conclusion, what the apostle had evinced by all his former arguings from the example of their forefathers as recorded by Moses, and the renewed representation of it for their use by David. And he lays it down as the especial foundation of that exhortation which he intends to pursue in the next chapter. 6 Kai Boμ, and we see; that is, it is evident from what hath been laid down and proved; or, this we have evinced, or given an ocular demonstration of. Now we see ;' and this evident conclusion consists of two parts. 1. An assertion-that they could not enter in. 2. The reason of it-because of unbelief. In the first, the apostle doth not only declare the factum and event-they did not enter-they died in the wilderness-there their carcases fell; but the jus also in a negation, oux nduinoar, they could not enter;' that is, they lost all right unto an entrance, by virtue of any promise of God. Whatever desire they had so to do, as they manifested their desires by their murmuring at the heavy tidings brought them by Moses concerning their exclusion, Numb. xiv. 39.; whatever attempts they made for that end, as they got up and fell upon the Canaanites and Amalekites that were next them, so to begin their conquest, by whom they were defeated, ver. 40. 44, 45. having lost all right unto the promise, they could not enter. Illud possumus, quod jure possumus. In things moral, our ability is commensurate unto our right. This being lost, they could not enter. The expression is elliptical, and God's rest is to be supplied from the foregoing verses. He sware they should not enter into his rest. And his determination is the rule of our right. The reason and cause hereof is expressed in the last words: di' anirian, 'because of unbelief.' They that shall look over the whole story of the sins of the people, and of God's dealing with them, would perhaps of themselves fix upon other causes of their exclusion from the rest of God, as the Jews their pos terity do to this day. Might not they say, it was because of their idolatry in making the golden calf, which became a reproach unto them in all ages. So great a sin this was, that when God passed it by, as to their present destruction, he reserves as it were liberty to himself to remember it in after visitations, Exod. xxxii. 34. "Go," saith he, " lead the people to the place of which I have spoken unto thee; nevertheless, in the day when I visit, I will visit their sin upon them." Hence the Jews have a saying, that no trouble befalleth Israel, but there is in it an ounce of the golden calf.' Or, they might think the cause of it was, their abominable mixture of all sorts of sins, in their conjunction with the Midianites and Moabites, worshipping Baal-Peor, eating the sacrifices of the dead, and giving themselves up unto uncleanness. Their frequent murmurings also would occur unto their minds. But our apostle lays it here absolutely and wholly on their unbelief, and evidently proves it so to have been. A sin this is, that men are very unapt to charge themselves withal; but that which above all others will be charged on them by God. And this is here charged on this people most righteously. 1. Because the name which God was then designing to glorify among them, and himself thereby, was that of JEHOVAH, Exod. vi. 3. "I will now be known by my name JEHOVAH. And his purpose, by the renewed revelation and engagement of that name, was to teach them that he would now manifest the stability of his promises in their accomplishment. By their unbelief therefore did they rebel against God, and oppose his design in the especial revelation of himself whereby he would be glorified. 2. Because their unbelief was the spring and cause of all their other sins. Hence were their idolatries, and adulteries, and murmurings, and all their other provocations. 3. Because they had herein often broken with God from under great convictions. For oftentimes upon his mighty works their minds had been conquered to the profession of faith and confidence. "The people feared the Lord, and believed the Lord, and his servant Moses," Exod. xiv. 31. But immediately on the next trial they met withal, they renounced their own experiences, and despised the faithfulness and power of God, which before they acknowledged, ch. xv. 24. 4. Because their last provocation was with direct respect unto the promise, which we have at large insisted on from Num. xiv. "So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief." There are sundry things that these words present unto us for our instruction. But as this verse is but a recapitulation of, and conclusion from what was before disputed and confirmed, so the practical truths contained in it, have formerly occurred unto us as to the substance or main design of them; and some of them we shall be again minded of in the heginning of the next chapter. Here therefore I shall only briefly propose them; and they are these that follow. Obs. I. Whatever we consider in sin, God principally considers the root and spring of it in unbelief, as that which maketh the most direct and immediate opposition unto himself.-The people in the wilderness were guilty of many provoking sins, before God entered the caution mentioned against their entrance into his rest. Yet the Holy Ghost sums up all here in their unbelief. This was that which God regarded, and which he would not pass by without a severe animadversion upon it. For indeed, Obs. II. Unbelief is the immediate root and cause of all provoking sins. As faith is the spring and cause of all obedience, (for without faith it is impossible to please God, and the obedience that is accepted with him is the obedience of faith), so is unbelief of all sin. All sins of flesh and spirit have no other root. Did men believe either the promises or threatenings of God, they would not by their sins so despise him and neglect him as they do. And as this is so with respect unto the total prevalency of unbelief, so it is as to its partial efficacy. As our obedience follows in proportion to the operation of our faith, so do all our sins and irregularities answer the working and prevalency of unbelief in us. --- Obs. III. To disbelieve God with respect unto any especial design of glorifying himself, is the greatest and highest provocation. Thus was it with this wilderness-generation. God in his dealings with them, had a great design in hand. He was now about to glorify himself by his faithfulness in his promise and oath unto Abraham, his power in the deliverance of the people, and his grace in bringing of them into a typical rest. This design of God did they, as much as lay in them, endeavour to frustrate by their unbelief. This therefore God will not bear withal in them. The especial design of God under the gospel, is to glorify himself in JESUS CHRIST, by the deliverance of his elect according to his promise and covenant from hell and death, and the bringing of them unto eternal rest. Unbelief in this matter lies against this great and glorious design of God; and it is evident what will be the end thereof. For, Obs. IV. Unbelief deprives men of all interest in, or right unto the promises of God.-There was a promise given unto this people of their being brought into the land of Canaan; but yet they entered not into it, they died in the wilderness. How came this to pass? The apostle here declares that they |