[1.] That they be called unto or engaged in some especial way of God. And this is no extraordinary thing. All believers who attend unto their duty will find it to be their state and condition. So were the Israelites in the wilderness. If we are out of the ways of God, our sin may be great, but it is a sin of another nature, It is in his ways that we have his promises, and therefore it is in them, and with reference unto them, that we are bound to believe and trust in
VER. 7-11.] EPISTLE TO THE HEBREWS. 69
him; and on the same account, in them alone can we tempt God by our unbelief.
[2.] That in this way they meet with oppositions, difficulties, hard- ships, temptations; and this, whilst Satan and the world continue in their power, they shall be sure to do. Yea, God himself is pleased ofttimes to exercise them with sundry things of this nature. Thus it befell the people in the wilderness. Sometimes they had no bread, and sometimes they had no water; sometimes enemies assaulted them, and sometimes serpents bit them. Those things which in God’s design are trials of faith, and means to stir it up unto a dili- gent exercise, in their own natures are grievous and troublesome, and in the management of Satan tend to the producing of this sin, or tempting of God.
[3.] That they have received former experiences of the goodness, power, and wisdom of God, in his dealings with them. So had this people done; and this God chargeth them withal when he reproach- eth them with this sin of tempting him. And this also all believers are or may be made partakers of He who hath no experience of the especial goodness and power of God towards him, it hath been through his own negligence and want of observation, and not from any defect in God’s dispensations. As he leaveth not himself with- out witness towards the world, in that “he doth them good, sending them rain from heaven, and fruitful seasons, filling their hearts with food and gladness;” no more is he wanting towards all believers, in giving them especial tokens of his love, care, and kindness towards them; for he is the “saviour of all men,” but “specially of those that believe,” 1 Tim. iv. 10. But as the most in the world take no notice of the effects of his care and goodness towards them, so many believers are negligent in treasuring up experiences of his especial care and love towards them. Yet this hinders not but that the ways and dealings of God are indeed such as have been de- clared.
Now, where these things concur, the distrust of God is a high provocation of him. It is unbelief, the worst of sins, expressing itself to the greatest disadvantage of God’s glory, the height of aggra- vations; for what can God do more for us, and what can we do more against him? Surely, when he hath revealed his ways unto us, and made known unto us our duty; when he hath given us pledges of his presence with us, and of his owning of us, so as to seal and ascer- tain his promises unto us; then for us, upon the opposition of crea- tures, or worldly difficulties, about outward, temporary, perishing things (for their power and efficacy extends no farther), to disbelieve and distrust him, it must needs be a high provocation to the eyes of his glory. But, alas! how frequently do we contract the guilt of this sin, both in our personal, family, and more public concernments!
70 AN EXPOSITION OF THE [CHAP. III.
A due consideration hereof lays, without doubt, matter of deep humiliation before us.
And this is the second general head insisted on by the apostle in the example proposed,—namely, the nature of the sin or sins which the people fell into, and which he intends to dehort his Hebrews from.
3. The third general head of this discourse contains a triple aggra- vation of the sin of the people in their provoking and tempting of God:—(1.) From the place wherein they so sinned,—it was in the wilderness. (2.) From the means they had to the contrary,—they saw the works of God. (8.) From the continuance of the use of those means, and the duration of their sin under them,—it was thus for forty years: “They saw my works forty years.” For these, as they are circumstances of the story, so they are aggravations of the sin mentioned in it.
(1.) They thus dealt with God in the wilderness: what wilder- ness is intended we showed before, in the exposition of the words. And however there may be a peculiar respect unto that part of the wilderness wherein the definitive sentence of their exclusion from the land of Canaan was given out against them,—which was in the wilderness of Paran, Num. xii. 16, at the very borders of the land that they were to possess, as appears chap. xiv. 40,—yet because the time of forty years is mentioned, which was the whole time of the people’s peregrination in the deserts of Arabia, I take the word to comprehend the whole. Here, in this wilderness, they provoked and tempted God. And this contains a great aggravation of their sin; for,—
[1.] This was the place wherein they were brought into liberty, after they and their forefathers had been in sore bondage unto the Egyptians for sundry ages. This was a mercy promised unto them, and which they cried out for in the day of their oppression: “ They cried; and their cry came up unto God, by reason of the bondage,” Exod. ii. 28. Now, to handsel their liberty, to make an entrance into it by this rebellion against God, it was a provoking circum- stance,