ment, support and consolation. They can be no more utterly prevailed against, that is, their testimony cannot, than can God himself. So he speaks to Jeremiah; "I will make thee a fenced brazen wall, they shall fight against thee, but they shall not prevail against thee, for I am with thee to save thee, and deliver thee, saith the Lord," Jer. xv, 20. And in what they suffer, God is so far concerned in it, as to account all that is done against them, to be done against himself. Christ is hungry with them, and thirsty with them, and in prison with them, Matt. xxv, 35-37. Again,

§31. Obs. 16. Unbelief manifesting itself in a time of trial, is a most provoking sin. Unbelief, I mean, as working in a distrust of God, with respect to the dispensations of his providence. The Israelites here blamed were in the way of God, and no opposition ought to have discouraged them therein. To have a sufficient warrant of the presence and protection of God, is what makes faith and trust a duty. And this the Israelites had in the promise made to Abraham, and others of their forefathers. When he hath given us experience of his goodness and faithfulness, this adds a specialty to the general warrant for faith in the word of promise.

Here it may be inquired, what it is that makes any time or season to be a day of trial; seeing the miscarriage of men in such a season is expressed as a great aggravation of their sin; and they are the things following:

(1.) That there be a concernment of the glory of God in the performance of that duty wherein we are to act faith, or to trust in God. So God tried the faith of Abraham, in a duty wherein his glory was greatly concerned. For by his obedience in faith, it appeared to all the world that Abraham respected

God, and valued a compliance with his will above all things in the world. So God himself expresseth it, Gen. xxii, 12, "Now I know that thou fearest God, seeing thou hast not withheld thy son, thy only son from me." This was the tenth and last trial that befell Abraham. Nine times had he been tried before.*

Here, therefore, Abraham in a most especial manner acquits himself, whence God gives him that testimony; "Now I know that thou fearest God;" that is, now thou hast made it known beyond all exception: and this puts a blessed close to all his signal trials.

(2.) Difficulties and oppositions lying in the way of duty, makes the season of it a day of trial. When men have wind and tide with them in their sailing, neither their strength nor their skill is tried at all. But when all is against them, then it is known what they are. When the sun shines and fair weather continues, the houses that are built on the sands continue as well as those that are built on a rock. But when the rain and the floods and the winds come, they make the trial. Whilst men have outward advantages to encourage them in the ways of God, it is not known what principles they act from; but when their obedience and profession is attended with persecution, reproach, poverty, famine, nakedness, death, then it is tried what men build upon, and what they trust to; then it is to them a time of trial.

$32. Farther, to give light to our proposition we may inquire, how, or by what means, men act and

*1. In his departure out of his country. 2. By the famine which drove him into Egypt. 3. In the taking of his wife there by Pharaoh. 4. In his war with the four kings. 5. In his hopelessness of issue by Sarah, whence he took Hagar. 6. In the law of circumcision. 7. His wife taken from him again by Abimelech. 8. His casting out of Hagar after she had conceived. 9. His expulsion of Ishmael.

manifest their unbelief at such a season.

may be done several ways:

And this

1. By dissatisfaction with that condition of diffi culty, whereunto they are brought by providence for their trial. Herein principally did the Israelites offend in the wilderness; this occasioned all their murmurings and complaints whereby God was provoked. It is true, they were brought into many straits and difficulties; but they were brought into them for their trial by God himself, against whom they had no reason to repine or complain. And this is no small fruit and evidence of unbelief, when we like not, for instance, a state of providential poverty, want, dangers, or persecutions. If we like it not, it is from our unbelief, God expects other things from us: our condition is the effect of his wisdom, his care and love; and as such by faith ought it to be acquiesced in.

2. By the omission of any incumbent duty, because of the difficulties that attend it, and the opposition made to it. To be "fearful" and "unbelieving," go together, Rev. xxi, 9. Where our fear, or any other affection, influenced or moved by earthly things, prevails with us to forego our duty, there unbelief prevails in the time of our trials. And this way also in particular did the Israelites fail. When they heard of fenced cities and sons of Anak, they gave up all en

deavors of going into the land of Canaan; and consulted of making a captain to lead them back again into Egypt. And no otherwise is it with them to forego their profession, because of the giant-like opposition which they find against it.

3. When men turn aside and seek for unwarrantable assistances against their difficulties. So did this people, they made a calf to supply the absence of Moses, and were contriving a return into Egypt to deliver

them out of their troubles. When men in any thing make flesh their arm, their hearts depart from the Lord, Jer. xvii, 5.

4. When men disbelieve plain and direct promises, merely on account of the difficulties that lie against their accomplishment; this reflects unspeakable dishonor on the veracity and power of God, and was the common sin of Israel in the wilderness. They limited God, and said. can he do this or that? Seldom it was they believed beyond what they enjoyed. Here lay the main cause of their sin and ruin; they had a promise of entering into the land, but they believed it not; and, as our apostle says, they could not enter in because of unbelief, a time of trial is the turn, the hinge of the church's peace or ruin. We see what their unbelief cost a whole generation in the wilderness; and these Hebrews, their posterity, were now upon the like trial. And the apostle by this instance plainly insinuates what would be the issue if they continued therein, which accordingly proved to be their utter rejection. Many pretend that they believe the promises of the covenant as to life and salvation, firmly and immoveably; God tries them by particular instances, of persecution, difficulty, straits, public or private. Here they abide not; but either complain and murmur, or desert their duty, or fall to sinful: compliances, or are weary of God's dispensations; and this manifests their unsoundness.

$33. Obs. 17. There is commonly a day, a time, wherein, unbelief riseth to its height in provocation.: We shewed before that there is a day, a special season of God's dealing with the sons of men, by his word, and other means of grace. After this, if not closed. with, if not mixed with faith and obeyed, they either insensibly decline, in respect of their tender or efficacy

or are utterly removed. In like manner there is a day, a season wherein the unbelief of men in its provocation comes to its (anun) height, and uttermost issue, beyond which God will bear with them no longer, but will break off all gracious intercourse between himself and such provokers. This was the direct case with these Israelites. They had by their unbelief and murmuring, provoked God ten times. But the day of their provocation, the season when it arrived at its height, came not until this trial mentioned Numb. xiv, upon the return of the spies that went to search the land. Before that time God often reproved them, was angry with them, and variously punished them; but he still returned to them in mercy and compassion; and still proposed to them an entrance into his rest according to the promise. But when the day once came, when the provocation of their unbelief was come to its height, then he would bear with them no longer, but "swears in his wrath that they should not enter into his rest." And so it was with their posterity, as to their ecclesiastical and national state. God often sent unto them, and dealt variously with them by the prophets through several generations. Some of them they persecuted, others they killed, and upon the matter rejected them all, as to the main end of their message. But yet all this while God spared them, and continued them a people and a church. Their provocation was not come to its height, its last day was not come yet. At length, according to his promise, he sent his Son to them. This gave them their last trial; this put them to the same condition with their forefathers in the wilderness; as our apostle plainly intimates in the use of their example. Again, they despised the promises; as their fathers had done in the type and shadow, so did they when the sub