tiles, he fays, Having the Understanding darkened, being alienated from the Life of God, through the Ignorance that is in them, becaufe of the BLINDNESS (it fhould be tranflated, as in the Margin, the HARDNESS) of their Hearts; who, being paft feeling, have given themselves over unto Lafciviousness, to work all Uncleanness with Greediness. But we cannot have a more ftriking Example of a ftubborn hard-hearted Difpofition, than that referred to in the Pfalm before us, of the Jews in the Wilderness; which is therefore held out to us as a Warning" harden not your Hearts; as in the Provocation, and as in the Day of Temptation in the Wildernefs; when your Fathers tempted me, proved me, and faw my Works"- Ver. 8, 9.—The 78th Pfalm paints their Rebellion in the strongest Colours; it calls them a faithless and ftubborn Generation that kept not the Covenant of God, and would not walk in his Law-but forgat what He had done, and the wonderful Works that He had fhewed for them. Ver. 9, 11, 12.-Though they saw his miraculous Works, and experienced his fatherly Care and Protection; and though

they had been wonderfully conducted by Him through the Red Sea, and were now fed with Bread from Heaven, and plentifully fupplied with Streams of Water out of the hard Rock; though they were led by Him in the Day-time with a Cloud, and all the Night through with a Light of Fire; yet for all this they finned more against Him, and provoked the moft Highest in the Wilderness ;they tempted God in their Hearts they Spake against Him grieved Him and moved the Holy One in Ifraël. Thus "forty Years long was He grieved with this Generation, and faid; It is a People that do err in their Hearts, for they have not known my Ways," Ver. 10.To err in their Hearts, does not here imply a flight involuntary Error (as we sometimes use the Word in common Discourse to fignify a Mistake in Judgment) but a wilful Depravity, a corrupt malicious Turn of Mind, fuch as the Pfalmift elsewhere defcribes, when he says, that they fet not their HEART aright; and that their HEART was not whole with Him. Pf. lxxviii. 9, 37.In like Manner the Word ERROR is used

they provoked Him- they

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by St. Paul, Rom. i. 27, to denote the vilest Impurity; and by St. James, Chap. v. 20, to point out a general Courfe of Sin, and a total Departure from the Truth. So likewife the following Expreffion, "they have not known my Ways," does not fignify an unavoidable Ignorance, but a wilful Blindnefs; fuch as St. Peter fpeaks of, when he fays, For this they WILLINGLY are ignorant of. 2 Pet. iii. 5; and St. Paul, on another Occafion, They did NOT LIKE to retain God in their KNOWLEDGE. Rom. i. 28. Our bleffed Saviour uses the fame Sort of Expreffion to the perverse Jews in his Days, when he upbraids them for not having known God. John viii. 55; not speaking of their Ignorance as invincible or excufable, but taxing them with it as in the highest Degree wilful and criminal.I have now, I hope, fufficiently explained what is meant by that Hardness of Heart, against which the Holy Spirit cautions us in this admirable Pfalm, from the Example of the rebellious Ifraëlités. It remains only to confider the Confequence mentioned in the laft Verfe; and to make the Application" Unto whom F 4 I fware

I fware in my Wrath, that they should not enter into Reft." Ver. 11.-Among many

my

Inftances of the Murmuring and Perversenefs of the Children of Ifraël related by Mofes, we read, that upon the Report made to them by the Spies, of the promised Land, they all murmured against Mofes and against Aaron; and the whole Congregation faid unto them, Would God that we had died in the Land of Egypt, or would God we had died in this Wilderness. Numb. xiv. 2. And the Lord faid, Because all thofe Men, which have feen my Glory, and my Miracles which I did in Egypt and in the Wilderness, and have tempted me now thefe ten Times, and have not hearkened to my Voice; Surely they shall not fee the Land, which I fware unto their Fathers. Ver. 22, 23.-And again, As truly as I live, faith the Lord, as ye bave spoken in my Ears, fo will I do to you; your Carcafes fhall fall in this Wilderness. Ver. 28, 29. And accordingly they all perished; for, as the Apostle fays, they could not enter in because of Unbelief. Heb. iii. 19.- Now as all thefe Things bappened unto them for Enfamples, and are written for our Admonition, we should not

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confider them as uninterefting Narrations, but should make the Application to ourselves; and be careful to avoid their Sin, if we hope to escape their Punishment. To this End, whenever we repeat the Pfalm now under Confideration, we should, if we wish to improve and be edified by it, always make fome fuch Reflections as these that follow:-The Wandering of the Ifraelites through the Wilderness represents our travelling through this World; their earthly Canaan, or promised Land, being a Type or Figure of Heaven; of that blessed Country, to which we are all invited, and where, if it be not our own Fault, we may all one Day arrive. The fame divine Providence which once guided and protected them, now watches over and defends ys;— they did all eat the fame Spiritual Meat; and did all drink the fame Spiritual Drink, 1 Cor. x, 3, 4: the Manna, with which they were miraculously fuftained, was an Emblem of the true Bread of Life, which came down from Heaven, for the Support of our Souls; and the Water, which they drank out of the Rock, prefigured the Graces of the Holy Spirit, which we receive

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