sons were sinners as all are, and therefore righteously obnoxious at any time unto any severe judgment of God.

And the reason of God's singling them out in such a manner, is that mentioned in the same place by our Saviour; namely, to declare and proclaim unto others in the like condition with themselves, that unless they repented, they should all likewise perish. And so it befel this people who neglected these instructive examples. Within a few years, thousands and ten thousands of them had their blood as it were mingled with their sacrifices, being slain by multitudes in the temple, the place of their offerings, and no less number of them perishing in the fall and ruin of their walls and buildings, battered down by the Romans. But in such cases, God takes out men to be instructive in their sufferings unto others in a way of sovereignty, as he caused the man to be born blind, without any respect unto particular demerit in himself or his parents, John ix. 2, 3. But yet this hinders not but that when mens sins are visible, they are, as the apostle speaks, open before hand, and going before to judgment, 1 Tim. v. 24. They are god, manifest to the judgment of all men, before they come to be laid open at the last day. And they go to judgment before the sinners themselves are brought thither. And with respect unto such as these, God may, and doth oftentimes so connect provoking sins, and extraordinary judgments or punishments, that men cannot but see and own the relation that is between them. Such were the sins of the old world and the flood, of Sodom and the fire, of Dathan and the earth opening its mouth to receive him, with the rest of the instances frequently enumerated in the Scripture. Such are all stories and reports of what has happened in former times, with which the world is filled; and our own days have abounded with pregnant instances to the same purpose. And God will do thus:

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First, To bear witness to his own holiness and severity. In the ordinary course of the dispensation of his providence, God gives constant testimony unto his goodness and patience. causeth his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust," Matt. v. 45. He never left himself "without witness, in that he did men good, and gave them rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling their hearts with food and gladness," Acts xiv. 17. This constant testimony doth God give unto his goodness and patience amongst men; and his design therein is to bring them to an acknowledgment of him, or to leave them in their wickedness, utterly without excuse. For, under the enjoyment of these things, he leaves the generality of mankind; by whom, for the most part, they are abused, and God in them is despised. But things will not end so. He hath appointed a day wherein he will call

them over again, and will require his corn, and wine, and oil, his health, his peace, his plenty, his prosperity, at the hands of men. Yet, though this be his ordinary way of proceeding, he doth not absolutely commit over his severity and indignation against sin, to be manifested and asserted by his written threatenings and comminations of things future. He will" sometimes rise up to his work, his strange work, his act, his strange act," Isa. xxviii. 21. That is, to execute great and fearful present judgments on sinners; which, though it be, and seen a strange work, seldom coming to pass or effected, yet it is his work, a work that becomes him, and whereby he will manifest his holiness and severity. He "reveals his judgments from heaven against the ungodliness of men," Rom. I. 19. And this he doth by exemplary punishments on exemplary sinners.

Secondly, God doth this to check and controul the atheism that is in the hearts of men. Many whilst they see wicked men, especially open and profligate sinners, prospering in a constant course, are ready to say in their hearts, that there is no God, or that he hath forsaken the earth; or with them, Job ix. 24. "The earth is given into the hand of the wicked, if not where and who is he?" where is he, or who is he, that should punish them in or for all their enormous provocations? or, as they, Mal. ii. 17. "Where is the God of judgment?" And this encourageth men in their wickedness, as the wise man expressly tells us. "Because sentence against an evil work is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sons of men is fully set in them to do evil," Eccles. viii. 11. The consideration hereof, makes them cast off all regard of God, and to pursue the lusts of their hearts according to the power of their hand. To stay men in this course, God sometimes hurls a thunderbolt amongst them, casts out an amazing judgment, in a way of vengeance on some notable transgressors. When men have long travelled, or have been long upon a voyage at sea, if they meet with nothing but smiles of sun and wind, they are apt to grow careless and negligent, as though all must needs be smooth to their journey's end. But if at any time they are surprised with an unexpected clap of thunder, they begin to fear lest there be a storm yet behind. The language of nature upon such judgments as we speak of, is, est profecto Deus, qui hæc videt et gubernat; or, as the psalmist expresseth Verily there is a reward for the righteous, verily there is a God that judgeth in the earth." And were it not that God did sometimes awe the world with his strange works of vengeance which he executes at his pleasure, so that great sinners can never be secure one moment from them; it is to be feared that the atheism that is in the hearts of men would bring them every where to the condition of things before the flood; when

it,

the whole earth was filled with violence, and all flesh had corrupted its ways." But these judgments do secretly influence them with that dread and terror, which prescribe some bounds to the lusts of the worst of men.

Thirdly, God will do thus for the encouragement of them whom he hath designed to bear witness to himself in the world against the wickedness of men. The principal work of the servants of God in the world, is to bear witness unto God; his being, his holiness, his righteousness, his goodness, his hatred of sin. For this cause are they for the most part mocked, despised and persecuted in the world. So saith our apostle. "For therefore we both labour and suffer reproach, because we trust in the living God," 1 Tim. iv. 10. And sometimes they are ready to faint in their trials. It is unto them "like a sword in their bones, while their enemies say unto them, Where is your God?" Psal. xlii. 10. They have indeed a sure word of providence to trust unto, and to rest upon; and that which is able to carry them safely and quietly through all temptations and oppositions. But yet God is pleased sometimes to relieve and refresh their spirits by confirming their testimony from heaven, bearing witness to himself and his holiness by his visible tremendous judgments upon openly notorious provokers. So saith the psalmist, "God shall take them away as with a whirlwind, both living and in his wrath;" in the midst of their days he shall bring judgment and destruction upon them, fearfully, suddenly, unexpectedly, unavoidably, like a whirlwind. And what then? "The righteous shall rejoice when he seeth the vengeance, he shall wash his feet in the blood of the wicked," Psal. Iviii. 9, 10. That is God's executing of dreadful judgments on wicked men to their destruction, slrall justify them in their testimony and profession, and wash off all aspersions cast upon them, which shall cause them to rejoice, or cleanse their own ways, upon the example set before them, and the mouth of iniquity shall at least for a season be stopped.

The first use hereof is that which Hannah proposeth, 1 Sam. ii. 3. "Talk no more so exceeding proudly; let not arrogance come out of your mouth, for the Lord is a God of knowledge, and by him actions are weighed." Let men take heed how they arrogantly boast themselves in their sin and wickedness, which is too common with provoking sinners; for God is a God of knowledge and judgment. If they regard not the judgment that is to come, but put the evil day far away from them, yet let them take heed lest God single them out unto some signal vengeance in this world, to make them examples unto those that shall afterwards live ungodly. It is to me strange, that some men, considering their course and ways, should be so stupidly secure, as not to fear every moment, lest

the earth should open and swallow them up, as it did Dathan and Abiram, or that thunder or lightening from heaven should consume them as it did Sodom, or that one judgment or other should overtake them as they are acting their villanies. But they are secure, and will cry peace, until they are surprised with sudden destruction.

Secondly, Let us learn to glorify God because of his righteous judgments. The saints in heaven go before us in this work and duty, Rev. xi. 15-18. xv. 3, 4. xix. 1, 2. So they did of old in the earth, as in that signal instance of the song of Moses upon the destruction of the Egyptians in the Red Sea, Exod xv. 1-20. And God requires it at our hands. Not that we should rejoice in the misery of men, but we should do so in the vindication of the glory of God, which is infinitely to be preferred before the impunity of profligate sinners.

Obs. IV. Great destructions in a way of judgment and vengeance, are instituted representations of the judgment and vengeance to come.-I dare not say with the Jews, that all this provoking generation perished eternally, and that none of them shall have a blessed lot or portion in the world to come. They might repent of their sins and provocations. The oath of God was to their temporal punishment, not to spiritual impenitency. There is a repentance which may prevail for the removal, or at least deferring of a temporal judgment threatened and denounc ed, if not confirmed by oath; which yet is not prevalent to free the sinner from eternal ruin. Such was the repentance of Ahab, and probably that of Nineveh. And there is a repentance and humiliation that may free the soul from eternal ruin, and yet not take off a temporal judgment threatened against it. Such was the repentance of David upon his adultery. The Lord put away the guilt of his sin, and told him that he should not die penally, but would not be intreated to spare the life of the child, nor to spare him in those other sore afflictions which afterwards befel him on the same account. And thus might it be with some, yea, with many of these Israelites. God might give them repentance to make way for the pardon and forgiveness of their persons: nevertheless, he would so far take vengeance on their inventions, as to cause their carcases to fall in the wilderness. But yet this must be acknowledged, that their punishment was a great representation of the future judgment, wherein ungodly unbelievers shall be cast off forever. For, as they fell visibly under the wrath and displeasure of God, and their carcases were cast out in the wilderness as a loathsome abomination, so their judgment overtook them under this formal consideration, that they were excluded out of the rest of God. And these things together give an evident resemblance of the judgment to come, when sinners shall perish eternally

under the wrath of God, and be forever excluded out of his rest. So Jude affirms the same of the destruction of Sodom and Gomorrah, ver. 7. And hence many of God's great judgments in this world, are set out under such expressions, as that the teaching of the dread of the final judgment at the last day, seems principally to be intended in them. See Isa. xxxiv. 1—5. Dan. vii. 9-11. Matt. xxiv. 29. Heb. x. 26, 27. 2 Pet. iii. 5-7. Rev. vi. 13-17.

VER. 18. THE apostle pursues his design yet further, in making application of the example laid down and insisted on unto the Hebrews, by way of interrogation, as to one circumstance more. And hereunto an answer is returned by him, and that such as is evidently supplied out of the story itself. Here also he discovers what was that particular sin, which was the ground of all their other transgressions and miscarriages, the declaration of the danger and guilt whereof he principally intends.

VER. 18. And to whom sware he that they should not enter into his rest, but to them that believed not?

The question proposed is annexed unto that foregoing, and declared to be designed unto the same purpose by the respective copulative de, which we render and.'" "And to whom." The words of this question have been explained before, on ver. 11. Only here is one thing added. For whereas it is there said only, that "God sware in his wrath, that they should not enter into his rest;" that is, he sware so concerning them; it is here intimated, that for the greater terror, and the manifestation of his wrath and indignation, he sware so to them. Tis auors, to whom did he swear?' and so it appears to have been from the story. For though the words of the Lord were repeated unto the people by Moses and Aaron, yet the people themselves are proposed as they unto whom he spake and sware; "As you have spoken, so will I do unto you; your carcases shall fall in this wilderness," Num. xiv. 28, 29. This inquiry the apostle makes upon that typical example, wherein the present condition of the church of the Hebrews was represented. The answer which he returns hereunto, which is evidently collected from the whole matter, contains the instruction intended by him : ει μη τοις απειθήσασι. This word, as I have shewed, is variously rendered; by some, obeyed not; by some, believed not; by some, assented not, acquiesced not.' Sis, to persuade,' by words or any other means. E is properly, not to be persuaded,' so as to do the thing that the persuasion leads unto. And if that persuasion be with authority, that dissent is to be disobedient or contumacious

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