been deftroyed by "fire from the LORD;" the earth had opened her mouth, and fwallowed up the company of Korah yet" on the morrow all "the congregation of Ifrael murmured against "Mofes and Aaron," and were "gathered against "them," with this impious language in their mouths; “Ye have killed the people of the LORD." While they accufe Mofes and Aaron of facrilegious murder, they mean to accufe God himfelf, as if he had acted a cruel and unjuft part towards his faithful people. Can any thing more impreffively declare the dreadful obftinacy of man, in rebellion against God, when left to the ways of his own heart; or the infufficiency of any outward means to reclaim him? 111. The neceffity of an efficacious operation on the heart, may alfo be illuftrated from the history of the promifed feed. God had not only promifed to Abraham, that he fhould have a fon, but fworn that in his feed all the families of the "carth fhould be bleffed." Abraham waited long for the completion of the promife; ftill expecting it according to the course of nature. But. it was twenty-five years after the promife was firft made, ere it was accomplished. God was pleased to exercise the faith and patience of the Patriarch, till all hope of his being a father, according to the ordinary courfe of nature, was gone. He had a fon, indeed, born to him while he was yet in his ftrength. But he was informed Bb 2 that t Gen. xii. 4.; xxi. §. that this was not the promised child, but that in Ifaac his feed fhould be called. Well might his fon be defigned "the child of promife;" not only as his birth was matter of promife long before it took place, and as the bleffing was to defcend in the line of his pofterity, he being the destined progenitor of the feed of the woman; but efpecially because he was born, not according to the common courfe of nature, but by virtue of the promife. "He who was of the bond-woman was "born after the flesh; but he of the free-woman "was of promife. Which things are an allegory ". "Against hope," Abraham is called to "believe in hope." Nature must be dead, and evidently appear to be fo; that the power may be known to proceed wholly from Him "who "quickneth the dead." For nature can contribute nothing to grace, Abraham received the promise concerning Ifaac before he was circumcifed. But it was not fulfilled, till he had fubmitted to this humiliating rite ". As this fignified the circumcifion of the heart, or the renovation of our nature, the connexion fhews that all fpiritual bleffings proceed from fovereign grace, and become ours only by the operation of almighty power. The promised bleffing was received by the patriarch, only as fymbolically" putting off the old man ;' whereas Ifhmael had been born to him while he was yet uncircumcifed. For temporal bleffings are conferred even on carnal men: but it is only u Gal. iv. 23, 24. v.Gen. xvii. ro. 21: as as being made new creatures, that we can enjoy those which are spiritual. In like manner, Ifaac, the child of promife, lived twenty years in wedlock before he was a father. Rebekah his wife was barren; and it was only in anfwer to prayer that this natural obftacle to the fulfilment of the promise was remoyed w. The faith of Ifaac, of whom the Meffiah was to fpring, was thus tried nearly as long as that of Abraham, and in a fimilar way, ere the bleffing was given. IV. The neceffity of almighty power to give efficacy to the gospel, is illuftrated by the nature of many of the victories obtained by God's ancient people. Jericho, the key of Canaan in its ftate of idolatry, may be viewed as a ftriking emblem of the kingdom of Satan. But it was fubdued by Joshua, whofe name by interpretation is Jefus. Was it by force of arms? We may well fuppofe that the many thousands of Ifrael were able, by human means, to have conquered this fingle city. It was, however, the pleasure of God to give. them victory in another way. He faid to Joshua; See, I have given into thine hand Jericho, "and the king thereof, and the mighty men "of valour." But the Ifraelites were to employ no ordinary means of warfare. No forts were to be erected, no battering-rams to be employed against the city. Not a hand was to be lifted up to make a breach in its walls, or to cut Bb3 w. Gen. xxv. 20, 21. 26. off off those who defended them. Their victory was to proceed from the ark of the covenant, which "compaffed the city." The only actual warriors were priefts, blowing trumpets. For fix days fucceffively were the men of war thus to encompass Jericho, once every day. On the feventh, in the fame manner were they to go round it feven times. Then, when the priests blew with the trumpets, and the people "fhouted with a great "fhout, the wall fell down flat" on every fide. Nothing could in a more lively manner reprefent the nature of the conquefts of our Jofhua. The preaching of the word is in itself as inadequate for fubduing the hearts of finners, as the blowing of horns could be for overthrowing the walls of Jericho. They had other trumpets, of filver; but thofe of horn, called cornets, were to be used on this occafion, as they were also used in proclaiming the jubilee; and they were the moft proper emblem of the meannefs of the inftruments God is pleafed to employ in the gospel, in proclaiming the acceptable year of the LORD, and liberty to the captive. The Ifraelites muft ftrictly obferve the orders given to Joshua, patiently waiting the time appointed by God for the downfal of the walls of Jericho. Although expofed to the bitter taunts of the heathen inhabitants, as to the fuppofed inutility of their folemn proceffion, they must have recourfe to no unhallowed means. In this are they emblems of the pa- tience to be exercifed by the fervants of Chrift, in the continued ufe of the very fame means, how unproductive productive foever they may appear. They must "in all things approve themfelves as the ministers "of God, in much patience, in afflictions, in ne"ceffities, in diftreffes." Thus faith the great Apoftle of the Gentiles; "Being reviled, we "blefs; being perfecuted, we fuffer it; being "defamed, we entreat "." When God's appointed time is come, his word fhall not return unto him void. One would think that this fame infpired writer, when defcribing the efficacy of the gofpel, exprefsly alluded to the falling of the high walls of Jericho at the founding of horns. Though we walk in the flesh," he fays, "we "do not war after the flefh: (for the weapons "of our warfare are not carnal, but mighty 66 66 through God to the pulling down of strong"holds ;) cafting down imaginations," or reafonings, and every high thing that exalteth itself against the knowledge of God, and bringing "into captivity every thought to the obedience "of Chrift.” 66 We have a fimilar inftance, in the hiftory of the deliverance of Ifrael by Gideon. His family was poor in Manaffeh, and he was the leaft in his father's house. Therefore he is emblematically represented as “a cake of barley-bread ;" and as in himself not lefs unfit to work fo great a falvation, than a barley-cake could be to overturn à tent. A look from JEVOVAH communicated to him all the might that he had; and a gracious Bb 4 word ⚫ x 2-Cor. vi. 4. a Judg. vi. 15. y 1 Cor iv. 13, 14. z 2 Cor. x. 3.-5. |