Vere. 32-85.-Tl,e gi·ieuous consequences of unbelief. Moses rehearses in the bearing of Isrnel the etmnge story of "their manners in the wilderness," and reminds them how their unbelief bad provoked the Lotd to anger, and bad deprived vast numbers of them of the rest they had hoped to enjoy. We ought to be at no loss how to apply this to l)resent day uses. 'l'be Holy Ghost, by the mouth of David, renews the warning voice. 1l'ho writer of the Epistle to the Hebrews, both by argument and exhortation, repeatedly says, Take heed lest a like evil befall you (Heb. iii. 7-19; iv. 1-11). Whence observe- !. HEnE IS A nEMAilKADLE FACT TO BE NOTED: viz. Divine arrangements apparently failing of their end through the misconduct of man. 1. God had made provision for securing the entrance of Israel into their land. Early had the promise been made. Long and patiently did the patriarchs await its fulfilment (Ileb. xi. 13). God had watched over his people's wanderings. He beheld them in Egypt. When the time for liberating them was come, Moses was at hand. Israel had but to stand still, and see the salvation of the Lord, again and again. The Law was given from Sinai. Manna descended from heaven. Water gushed from the rock. The pillar of fire and of cloud was their guard, light, or shade. '!'hey knew what God intended to do for them. The promise was clear; the conditions were plain; the warnings were solemn ; the threatenings were terrible. No excuse of ignorance could be pleaded by the people. Yet: 2. All were insufficient to prevent their defection of heart from God. They were perpetually doubting God. "Ten times" 1 (Numb. xiv. 22). Unbelief led to the break- ing forth of lust. 'l'hey forfeited the promise ; and of the many thousands who started for Egypt only two survived to enter Canaan. "So we see that they could not enter in because of unbelief." II. 'l'HERE IS GREAT DANGER LEST THE PARALLEL BETWEEN OURSELVES AND ISRAEL, ALREADY SEEN IN GREATER MERCY, SHOULD BE SEEN AGAIN IN A GREATER Rll'CT. There is already a parallel in mercy. 1. There is a complete arrangement for meeting all our wants on the way to a nobler rest. 2. In treading the way, we have a far better Leader than Moses. 3. We have far clearer light than Israel bad. 4. We have fuller and richer promises. 5. We have a far higher rest in view. 6. Throughout the way there will be demands on our faith. 7. There is a danger from icithin, lest we should distrust God. Are we not conscious of such a danger? Our hearts are sinful, and predisposed to doubt. ,ve have doubted God very much, and thus wronged him in times gone by. Such unbelief may take or may have taken the form of presumption or of despair. For an illustrafion of the former, see next Homily. The latter kind of uubelief may be almost indefinitely varied. Men may doubt (1) the power of God to bring them to the rest; or (2) the willingness of God to do it; or (3) the readiness of God to bring them to the rest, wit.bout questioning his care for others; or they may even go so far as to doubt (4) whether the promises of the rest be Divine; (5) whether there is any snch rest as the one promised; and even (G) whether there is any God of promise. Whichever of these forms a despairing unbelief may assume, the evil of it is sufficiently manifest. It is the greatest dishonour which we can cast on God, to allow the thought to gain the mastery, that we are flung down hither without any sure destiny of blessedness being disclosed, or without any certainty of reaching it being made known. Besides, doubt prevents work ; it paralyzes. Doubting God gives the rein to every lust. 8. And unless we "take heed," if we suffer doubt to get the mastery, as Israel lost their rest, we shall lose ours. ,vhat present rest can we have while unbelief has the upper hand? Doubt is essentially unrest. How can we enjoy any future rest? What sympathy with God can we have? Besides, God declares, "'!'hey shall not enter into my rest." In that heavenly rest none can or will share who do not implicitly believe the promise and loyally obey the precept. 9. And how much more serious it will be to trifle with Christ, than to slight Moses (Heb. x. 28-31) ! But there is a very bri11:ht side to this subject. While unbelief will shut us out of heaven, nething else will/ Nothing can shut us out of heaven but doubting Go<l ! Poverty cannot. Persecution cannot. Reproach cannot. Obscw-it.y cannot. No one 1 Ton limes: E:r.od. v. 20, 21; xlv. 11, 12; ir.v. 22-27; ir.vi. 2, S, 20, 27; ir.vii. 1-7; s.u.ii. ; Numb, xi. 1-9, 4-95 i ir.lv, 22 THE DOOK OF D:B:U'l'ERONOMY, [cu. t. 10-4.0,
she11 e,·er sink who trustB his God. See that young and weak believer who has turDed his ha<'k on the world, and set his face heavenward. A thousand difficulties bristll' up in all directions. But he meets them all, saying," God called-rue, God will help me God ~·ill lead me, God will guard mo." ' "A feeble saint shall win the day, Though denth and hell obstruct the way I" Yea, c'l""en so! "Them that honour me," saith God," I will honour." Dut,. must we not look to him who awakened our faith, to sustain it? "l'is ev<Jn so, Ever have we to say, '' Give what thou cornrnandest, and then command what thou wilt." "Lord, we believe; help thou our unbelief." A11d is there not enough revealed of God and of his wondrous love in Christ to put every doubt to flight., when all that God is to us is laid home to our hearts by the Holy Ghost? Here, indeed, is a quickening, inspiring, sustaining force, of which Israel knew little or nothing. " Greater is he. that is for us than all they which be against us." "He that spared not his own Son, but gave him up for us all, how shall be not with him also freely give us all things? '1 Let us doubt ourselves as much as we will, but our God and Saviour-never. He hath said, " I will never lea 1·c thee nor forsake thee." "Rath he said, and shall he not do it? Rath he spoken, and shall he not make it good?"