n; where they were
servants to the King and his sons until the reign of the Kingdom of
Persia; to fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah,
until the land had enjoyed her sabbaths; for as long as she lay
desolate she kept sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years" (2
Chron. 36. 20).[14]

Now these illustrations of the nature of the divine government are
very instructive, whether we contemplate Abraham's obedience and
reward, or the disobedience and punishment of his posterity. Abraham
appears to pursue a line of conduct, which must end in the loss of
everything dear to him; yet in the way of obedience, unimagined
mercies and favours meet him. His posterity, by neglecting to go
thrice in the year to Jerusalem, or to obey the command respecting
the observance of the sabbatical year, seem to the natural eye to be
in the way of safety and abundance; yet their enemies brought famine
and desolation on their land, and they themselves, their wives, and
their little ones, were carried away into captivity. Now the
anxieties which led the Jews to ask,--"What will become of our wives
and our children during our absence at Jerusalem?" or, "What will
become of our households during the seventh year?"--are natural
anxieties, as strong and as amiable as can influence the decision of
the human heart. Yet these very anxieties were the immediate cause of
their doubts, their distrust, and their disobedience. If then the
following even these strong dictates of the heart, against a command
of God, has proved perfect foolishness to those who have presumed so
to do, let us take warning by their example; for to this end were
these things written.

There is one inference which, guided by the analogy of faith I would
draw from the preceding observations. If trusting against the natural
appearance of things, was demanded under the comparatively dim light
of the Old Testament,--a dispensation which, considered nationally,
had peculiar respect to temporal prosperity; much more might we
expect it to be required under the bright light of the Gospel,--a
dispensation in which temporal prosperity and all temporal
distinctions are cast entirely into the shade: and as the
disobedience of the Jews cut them off--not only from the direct
blessings promised to obedience, but also from the striking
manifestations of the divine providence over them, which the three
years' corn in one year, and the protection of their families and
possessions du