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peculiar specialty that is either truly included in the words, or duly educed by just consequence from them.

And this may teach men what diligence they ought to use in searching and studying of the Scripture. Slight inadvertent considerations will be of little use in this matter. Especially is this incumbent on them, whose duty and office it is to declare and expound them unto others. And there is amongst many a great miscarriage in these things, and that both in some that teach, and some that only privately read or meditate on the word. Some men preach with very little regard to the Scripture, either as to the treasure and promptuary of all the truth they are to dispense, or as to the rule whereby they are to proceed. And some are ready to coin notions in their own minds, or to learn them from others, and then attempt to put them upon the Scripture, or obtain countenance from thence unto them. And this is the way of men who invent and vent false opinions and groundless curiosities, which a previous due reverential observance of the word might have delivered them from. And some again, and those too many, superficially take up with that sense of the words which obviously presents itself unto their first consideration, which they improve to their own purpose as they see cause. Such persons as these see little of the wisdom of God in the word; they enter not into those mines of gold; they are but passengers, they do not stand in the "counsel of God, to hear his word," Jer. xxiii. 22. It is certain that the diligent search into the Scriptures which is commended unto us, which the worth of them, and the things contained in them requires, and which that fulness and comprehension of truth that is in them doth make necessary, is by most neglected. And the same may be observed in multitudes of commentators and expositors. They express things otherwise one than another, but for the most part directly the same. Seldom any one ventures into the deep one step beyond what he sees his way beat before him, and as he supposes his ground secure; though a diligent inquirer may often find the most beaten path either to turn away from the fountain, or at least to end and fail before it comes there. I would not speak any thing to encourage men in bold adventures, groundless conjectures, and curious pryings into things hidden, secret and marvellous. But it is humble diligence, joined with prayer, meditation, and waiting on God for the revelation of his will in the study of the Scriptures, upon the account of the fulness of its treasury, and the guiding, instructive virtue wherewithal its concerns are accompanied, that I would press after, And hence I am persuaded, that the church of God hath, through his care and faithfulness, had great advantage from their opposition unto the truth, who, to countenance their own errors, have searched curiously into all the concernments of the words of many testi

monies given unto the truth. For though they have done this to their own destruction, yet out of this eater there hath come forth meat. For they have not only given an occasion unto, but imposed a necessity upon us to search with all diligence into every concernment of some most material passages in the Scripture, and that to the clearing of the truth, and the establishing of the minds of many. That which I would press from these considerations grounded on the precedent before us, wherein the apostle, from sundry latent circumstances of the text, draws out observations singularly useful in reference unto our faith and obedience, is, that our utmost diligence, especially in them who are called unto the instruction of others, is required in this neglected, yea despised work of searching the Scriptures. And as a consequent of the neglect hereof, I cannot but say, that I have observed a threefold defect amongst sundry teachers, that were in general intimated before. As, first, When men scarce at any time make use of the Scripture in their preaching, any farther than to make remarks and observations on the obvious sense of any place, neither entering themselves, nor endeavouring to lead their hearers into the secret and rich recesses of them. And secondly, which is worse, When men without the Scripture design their subjects, and project the handling of them, and occasionally only take in the words of the Scripture, and that guided more by the sound than the sense of them. And thirdly, which is worst of all, When men by their own notions, opinions, curiosities, and allegories, rather draw men from the Scripture, than endeavour to lead them unto it. The example of our great apostle will guide us unto other ways of proceeding in our work. VER. 16. For some when they heard (the word) provoked; harbeit not all who came out of Egypt by Moses.

The intention of the apostle in this and the ensuing verses, as hath been observed, is to confirm his preceding exhortation from the example proposed unto them, and that on the consideration of the various events that befel their forefathers in the wilderness, with respect on the one hand, unto the promises and threatenings of God, and on the other, to their faith and disobedience. To this end, in this verse he makes a distribution of the persons who came forth of Egypt under the conduct of Moses, and heard the voice of God in the wilderness. They all came out of Egypt, they all heard the voice of God; howbeit all did not provoke, but only some. Two things then are affirmed of them all in general; First, That they all came out of Egypt by Moses; Secondly, That they all heard the voice of God. And the distribution respects one instance only. Some of these all provoked, and some did not. The first thing in general ascribed unto them is, that they came out of Egypt by Moses. A few

words, but comprehensive of a great story; a work wherein God was exceedingly glorified, and that people made partakers of greater mercies and privileges than ever any before them from the foundation of the world; the pressing whereof upon the minds and consciences of the people is one main end of the book of Deuteronomy. Moses sums up much of it, chap. iv. 34. "Did ever God assay to go and take him a nation from the midst of another nation, by temptations, by signs and wonders, and by a mighty hand, and by an out-stretched arm, and by great terrors, according to all that the Lord your God hath done for you?"

Tantæ Molis erat Judæam condere Gentem.

And besides the other circumstances that the apostle expressly insists upon, this is mentioned here, to intimate what obligation was on this people to attend to the voice of God, in that he brought them up out of Egypt; and therefore it pleased God to preface the whole law of their obedience with the expression of it, "I am the Lord thy God which brought thee out of the land of Egypt," Exod. xx. 2. dia Maosas, by Moses; by the hand of Moses saith the Syriac. That is, either under his conduct and guidance, or through the prevalency of the miraculous works which God wrought by him. Both these senses the prophet expresseth, Isa. lxiii. 11, 12. «Then he remembered the days of old, Moses and his people, saying, Where is he that brought them up out of the sea, with the shepherd of his flock? Where is he that put his Holy Spirit within him? that led them by the right hand of Moses with his glorious arm, dividing the water before them, to make himself an everlasting name?" Both the conduct of Moses, and the miracles that God wrought by him, are comprised in their coming up by Moses. And by the way it may be observed, that in this preparation and consultation as it were about new mercies to be bestowed on that people, there are several persons in the Deity introduced treating about it, and calling to remembrance their former actings towards them. He that speaks is the person of the Father, whose love and compassion are celebrated, ver. 7-9. as they are every where peculiarly ascribed unto that person. And he that is spoken of, and as it were inquired after to appear again in the work of their salvation which peculiarly belongs unto him, he is called the Angel of his Presence, ver. 9. and the Lord himself, ver. 14. that is, the person of the Son, unto whom the actual deliverance of the church in every strait doth belong; and he is therefore here as it were inquired after. And with reference unto this work by Moses it is said, "And by a prophet the Lord brought Israel out of Egypt, and by a prophet was he preserved," Hos. xii. 13. And this belongeth unto the whole people, none excepted. Secondly, This also is ascribed unto them, that they heard; for whereas it

is said, "Some when they heard provoked;" it is not meant, that some only heard, and provoked; but of them that heard, some only provoked. What they heard was declared before; the voice of God, as it is said, "To-day if you will hear his voice." And this may be taken either strictly, for the hearing of the voice of God at the giving of the law on Mount Sinai, when the whole congregation heard bp, those voices of God in thundering and dreadful agitations of the Mount wherewith it was accompanied, and the voice of God himself whereby the law was pronounced, that is, an audible voice framed for that purpose by the ministry of angels. Or it may be taken more largely, for a participation in all those instructions which God granted unto them in the wilderness. There seems indeed to be an especial respect unto the giving of the law, though not merely the promulgation of the ten words on Sinai, but the whole system of precepts and ordinances of worship that attended; for therein they were evangelized even as we, chap. iv. 2. And also their hearing is spoken of as that which was past, "When they had heard," before their provoking, which yet signally happened in the second year after their coming out of Egypt. This then was the voice of God which they heard.

The sin which is appropriated unto some of them who thus came out of Egypt and heard, is that waggarar, they provoked; that is, God, whose voice or word, or law they heard. The meaning of this word, and the nature of the sin expressed by it, have been spoken to before. I shall add one place that explains it, Hos. xii. 14. provoked bitternesses;" that is, very bitterly. Great provocations have a bitterness in them, as the word here denotes, which causeth God to loath the provokers.

Ephraim hath * הכעים אפרים תמרורים

By these considerations doth the apostle enforce his exhortation before insisted on; and shew the necessity of it. This is, that they would diligently attend unto the word of the gospel, and stedfastly continue in the profession thereof. For, saith he, when the people of old heard the voice of God in that dispensation of his law and grace which was suited unto their condition, some of them provoked God; whereas they may do so also who hear his voice in the dispensation of the gospel, therefore doth it highly concern them to take care, that this be not the event of their mercy therein.

Lastly, The apostle adds expressly a limitation, with respect to the persons who heard and provoked; «Howbeit not all." In his preceding discourse he had expressed the sin and punishment of the people indefinitely, so as at first view to include the whole generation in the wilderness without exception of any. Here, out of the story, he puts in an exception of some even of them who came up out of Egypt under the conduct of Moses. And

there are three sorts of persons who lay claim to an interest in the privilege. First, Those who being under twenty years of age, were not numbered in the wilderness of Sinai, in the second year after their coming up out of Egypt, Numb. i. 1. 3. For of those that were then numbered, there was not a man left save Caleb and Joshua, when the people was numbered again in the plains of Moab, by Moses and Eleazer, ch. xxvi. 63, 64. These were they who died because of their provocation; those who before were under twenty years old being now the body of the people that was numbered. Secondly, The tribe of Levi; for the threatening and oath of God was against all of them that were numbered in the wilderness of Sinai, Numb. xiv. 29. and the account is accordingly given in of the death of the numbered ones only, ch. xxvi. 63, 64. Now in the taking of that first muster-roll, Moses was expressly commanded not to take the number of the Levites, ch. i. 47-49. However, I much fear, by the course of the story, that the generality of this tribe fell also. Thirdly, Caleb and Joshua; and it is certain that these are principally, if not solely intended. Now, the reason why the apostle expresseth this limitation of his former general assertion, is, that he might enforce his exhortation, with the example of them who believed, and obeyed the voice of God, and who thereon both enjoyed the promises, and entered into the rest of God; so that he takes his argument not only from the severity of God, which at first view seems only to be represented in his instance and example, but also from his faithfulness and grace, which are included therein. And we may now a little further consider what is contained in these words for our instruction. As,

Obs. I. First, Many hear the word or voice of God to no advantage, but only to aggravate their sin. Their hearing renders their sin provoking unto God, and destructive to their own souls. "Some, when they heard, provoked." Daily experience is a sufficient confirmation of this assertion. The word of God is preached unto us, the voice of God sounds amongst us. As our apostle speaks, ch. iv. 2. "Unto us was the gospel preached, as well as unto them ;" and that with many advantages on our part. They heard the gospel indeed, but obscurely and in law-language, hard to be understood: we have it plainly, openly, and without parables, declared unto us. They heard the voice of him that spake on earth: we his, who speaks from heaven. But what is the issue of God's thus dealing with us? Plainly, some neglect the word, some corrupt it, some despise it, few mix it with faith, or yield obedience unto it. The dispensers of it may, for the most part, take up the complaint of the prophet, "Who hath believed our report, and to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed?" Isa. liii. 1. And unto many, after their most serious and

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