in fact it arose from the Israelites themselves: the whole body of the people took a lively interest in it, and came, by their representatives at least, to request that Moses would accede to it. Moses, taking it as a symptom of their readiness to go and possess the land, was highly delighted with ita; and consulted God respecting it. God, knowing the thoughts of their hearts, and seeing that their faith in him was not so strong but that they needed to have it con- firmed by further testimony, consented ; just as the Baptist did to his diciples, when they wanted to ascertain whether Jesus were the Christb: he bore with their weakness, and permitted them to seek conviction in their own way. But when the spies " brought up an evil report of the land which they had searched," the people instantly betrayed their unbelieving fears, and drew from Caleb and Joshua the remonstrance which we have just read.
That we may have a full view of the subject, we shall consider,
I. The remonstrance itself — Let us examine, 1. The occasion of it —
[The spies who were sent, were twelve in number, one from every tribe. Of these, no less than ten agreed in representing the land as unconquerable. The inhabitants, they said, were giants, in comparison of whom they themselves were but " as grasshoppers ;" and they dwelt in " walled cities" that were im- pregnable. They represented too the climate as so unhealthy, that " the land ate up its inhabitants0." (God had, according to his promise, sent either hornets, or some kind of plague, to destroy the people before themd; and this they turned into a ground of tfo's-couragement!) The goodness of the land indeed they could not deny ; because they had brought such a sample of its fruits, as was a clear proof of its luxuriant fertility6. On hearing the report, the congregation gave way to utter de- spondency : they " wept the whole night :" they wished they had " died either in Egypt, or in the wilderness :" they com- plained that God had brought them thither on purpose to de- stroy them : they declared it would be better for them at once
a Deut. i. 22, 23. b Matt. xi. 2, 3. c Numb. xiii. 28, 31—33. d Exod. xxiii. 28. e Numb. xiii. 23.