(2.) It was a sudden occasional passion, or fit of impatience. But by that we may give place to Satan, and grieve the Spirit of God: Eph. iv. 26, 27, ' Let not the sun go down on your wrath, neither give place to the devil ; ' and ver. 30, ' Grieve not the Holy Spirit of God.' Therefore we should watch against the sudden disorders of our passions and aff"ec- tions, otherwise we may do that in a moment the effects of which will not
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be altogether blotted out by a long repentance. If we give way to excessive anger, we open a door to Satan, and give him an advantage to excite us to more evil, and the work of grace may be so darkened in us that we may long miss of comfort. If we once let the fire be kindled, it will presently send up a black smoke, whereby we dishonour our profession and provoke God. And whatever just cause of provoca- tion we have, we are to overcome and bridle the exorbitancies of our passions ; for though we be provoked, we must not provoke God.
(3.) The sin consisted in this, that the exemplariness of their faith and obedience was somewhat obscured. We should look to this, to have a faith that will not only save ourselves, but tend to the glory of God: 2 Thes. i. 11, 12, ' We pray always for you, that our God would count you worthy of this calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power ; that the name of our Lord Jesus Christ may be glorified in you, and ye in him.' We may not be guilty of other men's sins. We must have grace, not only for our own private benefit, that we may be saved, but for a more public good, that God may be glorified and others edified by our example. Many make a hard shift to go to heaven ; they may have grace enough for their own salvation, but yet have not grace enough for the honour and exaltation of God in the world. Now it is a great fault, especially in the eminent, if they neglect the glorifying of God in the eyes of others. Noah was raised up in his age to condemn the world : Heb. xi. 7, 'By faith Noah, being warned of God of things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark for the saving of his house, by the which he condemned the world ; ' that is, of their security and contempt of God's warnings. Thus Moses and Aaron should have condemned the Israel- ites by their own faith and ready obedience. And if we do not mind this in ourselves, we are the more culpable before God : 1 Peter ii. 12, ' Having your conversation honest among the gentiles that whereas they speak against you as evil-doers, they may by your good works which they shall behold glorify God in the day of visitation ; ' that is, in the day when he shall please to visit them by his saving grace, other- wise we are accountable for those sins we draw others into ; and so a man may sin after he is dead, as his example ontliveth him. In short, God is severe upon his scandalous children ; though he may pardon their faults as to eternal punishment; yet they smart for it in this world.
Thirdly, The kind of the punishment. It was not exclusion out of heaven, but out of Canaan; they might not go into the promised land. This chastisement was grievous to Moses ; he looked upon it as a not- able inconvenience, and besought the Lord that he might go over: Deut. iii. 23, 2.5, ' I besought the Lord at that time, saying, I pray thee, let me go over and see that good land that is beyond Jordan, that goodly mountain, and Lebanon.' But, ver. 26, ' The Lord was wroth with me for your sakes, and would not hear me ; and said unto me. Let it suffice thee ; speak no more unto me of this matter.' Nay, Deut. iv. 21, ' The Lord was angry with me for your sakes, and sware that I should not go over Jordan, and that I should not go in unto that good land which the Lord thy God giveth thee for an inheritance.' Thus you see, with all his prayer and entreaty, Moses could not get the sentence reversed ;
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all the favour he could ohtain was to get it mitigated. He was per- mitted to get to the top of Pisgah and see it with his eyes : Deut. iii. 27, ' Get thee up into the top of Pisgah, and lift up thine ej'es westward, and northward, and southward, and eastward, and behold it with thine eyes ; but thou shalt not go over this Jordan.' This was not vouchsafed to Aaron, for he died at Mount Hor ; but Moses brought the people to the very borders, and thence had a prospect of the land of Canaan on every side. Thus God may wear away an nnthanlvful generation by sundry calamities, and some good men that live among them may be also taken off before God produce and bring forth his beautiful work, which is the sum of all their hopes and the fruit of their pain and sorrow. Only they have the privilege of believers, to see the promises afar off, and to ' be persuaded of them, and embrace them,' Heb. xi. 13, which was some comfort to Moses.