Let him therefore who thinketh he standeth, that is, high in God's favour, because he is a Christian, take heed lest he fall; as the Israelites did in the wilderness, and never set their eyes upon the Land of Promise, which they so much desired.

When we hear the account of the strange behaviour of the people of Israel, while God was bringing them out of slavery, in order to make them happy in a land of their own, we cannot but wonder at it; we are apt to think it impossible, that people should see so many miracles wrought in their favour, and yet should distrust, at every turn, the power, the wisdom, and the goodness, of that God who wrought them.

And yet so it was: and the Psalmist expresseth his wonder after a most elegant manner: They were disobedient at the sea, even at the Red Sea; at the very place where God had saved them by the greatest miracle that ever man had seen.

In short; their whole life was one continued miracle. They had their meat from heaven, their garments waxed not old, their enemies fell before them, the visible judgments of God fell upon them over and over for their sins, and yet they were disobedient. The conclusion of all was, that God was so provoked by their unworthy behaviour and ingratitude, that he suffered very few of them ever to enjoy the land of Canaan, which he had promised to give them.

But you will say, What is this to us? Why I will tell you the apostle shall tell you.These

things were written for our admonition, for a warning to us, to let us know how God has ever dealt, and for ever will deal, with those that despise his mercies, and forbearance, and long-suffering.

In short; as the goodness of God to those that obeyed him amongst the Jews, was a figure of the favour and loving-kindness which he bears to all others that love and fear him; so the severity of God to that whole nation, in suffering so few of them ever to set foot on the promised land, is a figure of that severity with which he will deal with wicked Christians; he will for ever shut them out of heaven, of which Canaan was a figure.

But we are apt to think, that we are not so blind, and stubborn, and hard-hearted, and wicked, as the Jews were. People are apt to think, that the world is now civilized, and that Christians are not so liable to God's judgments as heretofore. I would to God it were so; but really it is not. Many that call themselves Christians can make a shift to be as wicked as either Jews or Heathens.

Observe the malice and envy with which one Christian pursues another, rejoicing in the ruin and misery of their fellow-creatures ;—

Laying snares for one another in all manner of business; scarce any security from another man's word or oath;

All things carried by power, or interest, or craft ;

The rich oppressing the poor, because it is in the power of their hand to do it; and the poor

envying the rich, instead of helping them by their prayers to heaven ;—

Parents educating their children after such a manner, as will ruin them as certainly as if they intended their ruin, teaching them to love the world with all their heart and soul, instead of renouncing it; suffering them to content themselves with a form of religion, without the power;

Pastors as little concerned for their flocks committed to their charge, as if in truth they were so many beasts, whose souls must die with their bodies.

In short, if the Jews were disobedient to God, so are Christians; if they were ungrateful, so are we; if they were within the covenant of mercy, and yet lived as ill as those that were strangers to the covenant and promises, so do : Christians, who have yet greater things to fear and hope for, than ever they had; if they were delivered from the bondage of Egypt, by the mighty hand of God, and yet as soon forgot the mercy as it was over, even so Christians, who have been delivered from a greater tyranny and bondage than that of Pharaoh, do yet forget the mercy, and desire to return to the slavery of sin and death.

In one word; the Israelites in Egypt and in the wilderness are exact figures of Christians in this world, and in their passage to the next, -except in this one thing, that God, being wearied, as it were, and provoked by their backslidings, did at last swear that none of them, who had so ungratefully abused his favours,

should enter into the place of rest designed for them.

In this one thing we are happier than they, in that we have it yet in our power to work out our salvation; to appease our God by repentance, to avert his judgments by returning to our duty, and to secure to ourselves a share in his promise of heaven and happiness eternally.

What saith the apostle to Christians on this head? To-day, if ye will hear his voice, harden not your hearts; for as the promises, and mercies, and assistances, and rewards, to Christians, far exceed those which God made to the Jews; so the punishment which wicked Christians will meet with, will be infinitely greater than any they had to fear.

So very little reason have Christians to value themselves upon the better covenant, and better promises, and better means of grace, which God has afforded them, if they do not make a better use of them.

Let us all, therefore, seriously consider this portion of holy scripture, and what befel the Jews for their frequently provoking God by their sins; that is, that at last God for ever shut them out of Canaan.

Let us also fear, lest a promise being made us of entering into heaven, any of us should come short of it; ever remembering, that the people of Israel had the same God, the same promises, the same law, that we have:-And this advantage we have which they had not; we may learn by their example not to provoke God too far, lest he treat us with the same severity

he did them,-lest he shut us for ever out of the heavenly Canaan.

To conclude:-A christian name, a christian faith, the christian covenant, the christian sacraments, will not set us one step nearer heaven, without a christian life. So that the case of Christians is far from being better than that of Jews and heathens, if they are not careful to lead a christian life.