acted wisely in his endeavours to pacify his brother's wrath, Bending presents by many successive messengers, and dividing his family, so that, if some were slain by Esau, others might escape. These precautions sprang not from any want of faith in God, but from a determination to leave nothing undone on his part which might contribute to the desired end. His con- fidence was not at all in the means he used, but in God, who, he hoped, would accomplish by them the purposes of his grace0. But where means are so used as to become a joint ground of confidence to those who use them, there is the evil complained of in the text. Such was the character of the Jews who went down to Egypt for help against their enemies. God had told them, that " in returning and rest they should be saved ; that in quietness and confidence should be their strength ; and that their strength was to sit still." But not able to rely on God alone, they went down to Egypt for help, and thereby pro- voked God to give them up to utter destruction d. God is a jealous God, and requires that we should trust in him alone, and have no confidence whatever on an arm of flesh e.]
2. Whose confidence in God is not entire —
[Not only is there to be no reliance on the creature, but there should be no distrust of God. We should rely upon him without any doubt as to the issue of our confidence. We should view every thing, even to the falling of a sparrow, as under his controul. We should feel that there is no power or counsel against him : and that for man to defeat his pur- poses, is utterly impossible. We should see, that, if we trust in God, he will accomplish for us every thing that is good; and the things which are not, shall as certainly exist, as if they were already in existence f.
But this measure of faith is not in the double-minded man. He cannot so repose his confidence in God. He does not so realize the thought of God's universal agency, as to be able to commit every thing into his hands, and to " stand still in an assured expectation of seeing the salvation of Godg." On the contrary, he is ever " limiting the Holy One of Israel :" and when successive trials arise, he overlooks his former de- liverances, and reiterates his wonted apprehensions ; like those who said, " He smote the stony rock indeed, that the waters gushed out ; but can he give bread also, or provide flesh for his people11?"]
The character of the double-minded man will be more fully seen, whilst we proceed,
c Gen. xxxii. 13 — 23. and xxxiii. 1 — 3.
d Isai. xxx. 7, 15, 16. e Jer. xvii. 5 — 8. f Rom. iv. 17.
a Exod. xiv. 13, 14. h Ps. lxxviii. 20.