sumed with the plagues and judgments that were inflicted on them on their account. And yet, now be holding this wonderful work of God, in opening the sea to receive them from their pursuit, they would ·make a venture (as the word signifies) to follow them into it. Vain and desperate attempt, and an high evidence of infatuation! Here we have one of the most signal examples of the power of unbelief, confirmed by judiciary hardness of heart, that is upon record in the whole book of God; nor is there any monument of equal folly and blindness among the annals of time.. The event was, that they (alɛTobyσav) were drowned, swallowed up. The account hereof is given us so gloriously in the triumphant song of Moses, Exod. xv; that nothing needs to be added for its farther illustration. And this destruction of the Egyptians, with the deliverance of Israel, was a type and pledge of the victory and triumph which the church shall have over its anti-christian adversaries, Rev. xv, 2-5.

$5. (II.) Observe hence,

1. Where God engaged his word and promise, there is nothing so difficult, nothing so remote from the rational apprehensions of men, but he may righteously require our faith and trust in him therein.

2. Faith will find a way through a sea of difficulties under the call of God.

3. There is no trial, no difficulty, that the church can be called to, but there are examples on record of the power of faith in working out its deliverance. There can be no greater strait than the Israelites were in between the host of the Egyptians and the Red Sea.

§6. 1. God knows how to secure impenitent sinners to their appointed destruction, by giving them up to hardness of heart, and an obstinate continuance in

their sins against all warnings and means of repen tance, see Rom. i, 24-32.

2. God doth not give up any judicial way to sin, but it is a punishment for preceding sins, and as a means to bring on them total ruin and destruction.

3. Let us not wonder that we see men in the world obstinate in foolish counsels and undertakings, tending to their own inevitable ruin, seeing probably they are under judicial hardness from God, Isa. vi, 9, 10; and xxix, 10; and xix, 13, 14.

4. There is no such blinding, hardening lust in the minds of men as hatred of God's people, and desire of their ruin. Where this prevails, as it did in these persecuting Egyptians, it deprives men of all wisdom and understanding, that they shall do things against all rules of reason and polity, (which commonly they pretended to) act brutishly and obstinately, though appare nt's tending to their own ruin and destruction. These Egyptians designed the utter extirpation of the people, that they should be no more in the world, by their edict for the destruction of all the male children, which in one age would have totally exterminated them out of Egypt; yet now they will run themselves on imminent universal destruction, to bring them back again into Egypt.

5. When the oppressors of the church are nearest to their ruin, they commonly rage most, and are most obstinate in their bloody persecutions.

VERSE SO.

By faith the walls of Jericho fell down after they were compassed about seven days.

§1. The faith of Israel at Jericho. §2. After it was compassed about seven days. $3. How this manifested their faith. $4. Observations.

§1. In this verse the apostle adds another instance of the faith of the whole congregation in the sense before

declared; for although respect be had, no doubt, to the faith of Joshua in an especial manner, yet that of the whole people is expressed. The city itself was not great, as is evident, because the whole army of the Israelites did compass it seven times in one day; but most probably it was fortified and encompassed with walls of great height and strength, with which the spies sent by Moses out of the wilderness were terrified, Numb. xiii, 28; and it is uncertain how long it wasTM besieged by the Israelites, before God shewed them the way to demolish the walls; for the town was beleaguered by Joshua it may be for some good while before he had the command to compass it, Joshua vi, 1;-these walls, saith the apostle, (ETEGE) fell down; or as in Joshua ver. 20, Heb. "The wall fell down under it." It intimates the utter casting it down flat on the earth, whereby the people went over it with ease into the city; yet need not this be so far extended, as that no part of it was left standing; for that part of it, for instance, whereon the house of Rahab was built, was probably left standing; but the fall was such as took away all defence from the inhabitants, and facilitated the entrance of the Israelites in various places at once.

§2. This, saith the apostle, was done after they were "compassed about seven days," Josh. vi, 2, 3. The first command of God was to have it done six times in the space of six days, ver. 3; but an especial command and direction was given for that of the sev enth day, because it was to be done then seven times, ver, 4. This seventh day probably was the sabbath; and some mystery is, no doubt, intimated in the number seven in this place. The reader may, if he pleases, consult our discourse of the original and institution of the sabbath, wherein these things are spoken to.

§3. And some things there are wherein the Israelites did manifest their faith therein.

1. It was on the command of God, and his promise of success, that they now entered the land of Canaan, and began their work and war with the siege of this strong town, not having, by any previous fight, weakened the inhabitants. Here they made the first experiment of the presence of God with them in the accomplishment of the promise made to Abraham.

2. They shewed their faith in their readiness to comply with the way prescribed, of compassing the town so many days with the noise of trumpets, without the least attempt to possess it; for without a respect by faith to the command and promise of God, this act was so far from furthering them in their design, that it was suited to expose them to the scorn and contempt of their adversaries; this way was prescribed to them of God to give them a distinct apprehension, that the work of the conquest of Canaan was his, and not theirs.

3. The same faith is manifest in the triumphant shout they gave, before the walls in the least moved; they used the sign of their downfall before the thing signified was accomplished; and triumphed by faith in the ruin of the walls, whilst they stood in their full strength; werefore the apostle might justly commend their faith, which was acted against so many difficulties, in the use of unlikely means,

§4. Hence we may observe;

1. Faith will make use of means divinely prescribed, though it be not able to discern the effective influence of them to the end aimed at, see 2 Kings v, 14.

2. Faith will cast down walls and strong towers that lie in the way of the work of God; it is true, we have no stone walls to demolish, nor cities to destroy; but

the same faith in exercise is required of us in all our concerns, as was in Joshua when he entered on the conquest of Canaan, as the apostle declares, chap. xiii, 5, and there are strong holds of sin in our minds, which nothing but faith can cast to the ground.

VERSE 31,

By faith Rahab the harlot perished not with them that believed not, when she received the spies with peace.

§1. The history and faith of Rahab, contained in several propositions. She was a Gentile, an Amorite, an harlot, yet converted to God. $2. Made an excellent confession of her faith. $3. Joined God's people. 4. Shewed her faith by her works. §5, The fruit of her faith. §6. Observations.

§1. THE story concerning this Rahab, her faith and works, is at large recorded in Joshua, chap. ii, vi. What concerns the exposition of these words, and the great instance of the grace of God, and efficacy of faith in them, may be comprised in some remarks.

1. Rahab was by nature a Gentile, an alien from the stock and covenant of Abraham; wherefore, as her conversion to God was an act of free grace and mercy in a peculiar manner, so it was a type and pledge of calling a church from among the Gentiles.

2. She was not only a Gentile, but an Amorite; of that race which in general was devoted to utter destruction; she was therefore an instance of God's sovereignty in dispensing with his positive laws, as it seems good unto him; for of his own mere pleasure he exempted her from the doom denounced against all those of her origin.

3. She was (Top) an harlot, though it may be not one that commonly and promiscuously exposed herself; (in nobili scortum;) that she kept a public house of entertainment, is evident from the spies going thither; which they did as to such a house; and herein