with authority, the dissent is disobedience, or contumacy; and these are varied according as the persuasion hath been proposed. The Greek noun (EEI) 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 (51) faith itself, is from (Tεiow) 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' îs obedience, because of the authority wherewith it is

attended, and our not being persuaded or prevailed on thereby is disobedience; that whereby we answer a 'promise' is faith, trust, or believing, and our failing herein is unbelief. Not that these things can be so

separated, as though we could obey and not believe or believe and not obey; but yet they are thus properly distinguished. Wherever then these expressions occur, we must consider whether they directly express the neglect of the command of God, or of his promise; if it be of the former, they are duly rendered by disobeying and disobedience; if the latter, by unbelief, incredulity, and the like. As in this place their crime (TEE) principally respected the promise of God to give them the land of Canaan, and his power to effect it; so that unbelief is primarily and principally intended; they would not believe, that he would or could bring them into that land. But yet, because they were also under the command of God to go up and possess it, their unbelief was accompanied with disobedience and rebellion. This then is the meaning; To whom did he swear, that they should not enter into his rest?' It was then who notwithstanding a promise of it being made to them, and a command given that they should be ready to go up and possess it would not acquiesce in the faithfulness and power of God, believed not his word, and thereupon yielded not obedience to his commands; and this was suf ficient both to provoke, and justify the severity of God against them, in his oath and the execution of it.

$7. So we see that they could not enter in because of "unbelief;" (nai ßheroμev) and we see; that is, it is evident from what hath been laid down and proved; or, this we have evinced, and given as it were an ocular demonstration of it. The apostle doth not only declare the fact and event, "they did not enter;" but

the right and equity also, in a negation, (8× nduvn@ysav) "they could not enter;" that is, they lost all right to enter, by virtue of any promise of God. Whatever desire they had so to do, as they manifested their desires by their murmurings, at the heavy tidings brought them by Moses concerning their exclusion, Numb. xiv, 39. Whatever attempts they made for that end; having lost all right to the promise, "They could not enter." He sware they should not enter into his rest, and his determination is the rule of our right. "Because of unbelief." In looking over the whole story of the sins of the people, and of God's dealing with them, one would be apt to fix upon other causes of their exclusion from the rest of God, as the Jews their posterity do to this day. Might not they say; It was because of their idolatry in making the golden calf, which became a reproach to them in all ages? Hence the Jews have a saying, "that no trouble befalleth Israel, but there is in it an ounce of the golden calf." Or they may think the cause of it was their abominable mixture of all sorts of sins, in their conjunction with the Midianites and Moabites, worshipping Baalpeor, eating the sacrifices of the dead, and giving themselves up to uncleanness. Their frequent murmurings also would occur to their minds. But our apostle lays it absolutely and wholly on their unbelief, and evidently proves it to have been the spring and cause of all. A sin it is that men are very unapt to charge themselves with, and yet a sin which above all others is charged on them by God.

§8. (II.) Obs. 1. Every circumstance of holy scripture is instructive. God hath filled his own word with truth; whence one said well, (adoro plenitudinem scripturarum) "I reverence the fulness of the scriptures." Psal. cxxxviii, 2, 'He hath magnified his

word above all his name, or made it more instructive than any other way, or means whereby he hath revealed himself." Psal. cxix, 18, "Open thou mine eyes," saith the psalmist, "that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law.' There are wonderful things in the word, if God be pleased to give us light to see it; it is like a cabinet of jewels, that when you pull out one box or drawer, and search into it, you find it full; pull out another it is full; and when you think you have pulled out all, yet still there are some secret recesses in the cabinet, that if you search farther, you will find more. Our apostle seemed to have drawn out all the boxes of this cabinet; but making a second search into the words, he finds all these things treasured up, which he had not before touched upon. It was said by some of old, that the scripture hath fords where a lamb may wade, and depths where an elephant may swim.' Let any lamb of Christ, the weakest christian, come to the sacred oracles with due reverence, and he will find no place so dark or difficult, but will yield him some bencfit; and let the wisest, the most learned and experienced person, that seems like an elephant in spiritual skill and strength amongst the flock, come to the plainest place to search out the mind and will of God in it, if he be humble as well as learned, (which if he be not he is not wise) he will scarce boast that he hath been at the bottom of it, and hath perfectly comprehended all that is in it; seeing whatever we know, we know but in part. When a learned man and one mighty in the Scriptures, undertakes the consideration of a place of scripture, and finds, it may be, in the issue, that with all his skill and industry, with all his helps and advantages, though attended in the use of them with fervent prayer and holy meditation, that he is not able to search it out

unto perfection; let him not suppose that such a place will be of no advantage to them who are not sharers in his greater advantages; for they may obtain a profitable portion for themselves, where he cannot take down all. If any one look on this river of God, like Behemoth on Jordan, trusting that he can draw it up into his mouth, or take up the whole sense of God in it, he of all others seems to know nothing of its worth and excellency.

Some think that it belongs to the fulness of the scripture, that each place in it should have various senses, some say three, some four; but this, in fact, is to empty it of all fulness; for if it have not every where one proper determinate sense, it hath none at all. But the things which the words of it are signs of, and expressed by, are so great, deep, and mysterious, and have such various respects to our light, faith, and obedience, as that it is unscarchably instructive: the commandment is exceeding broad, Psalm cxix, 96. The word used to express the wideness of the sea, Psalm civ, 25, the great sea that hath wide and large arms, which it stretcheth out to comprehend the whole earth. Hence we may observe, that in the quotations of testimonies out of the Old Testament in the New, it very seldom that the principal aim and intendment of any place is insisted on, but rather some peculiar speciality that is either truly included in the words, or duly educed from them, by just consequence.

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§9. And this may teach men what diligence they ought to use in searching and studying the scriptures; especially is this incumbent on them, whose duty and office it is to declare and expound them to others. And there is amongst many, both of a public and private character, a great miscarriage in these things: some men preach with very little regard to the scripture,