3 The more experiences, comforts, evidences, and manifestations of God's power and presence we have had, the greater the unbelief: This was that which provoked the Lord against Israel, to destroy them in the Wilderness. Numb. 14. 11. How long will it be ere ye believe in me for all the words that I have showed? God traineth up his people by experience, that they may know what he can or will do for them; and therefore by every experience we should grow up into a greater courage and strength of faith and as David, draw inferences of hope against the present danger from the Lyon and the Bear, 1 Sam. 17. 36. or as Paul he hath and doth, and therefore will, 2 Cor. 1. 10. otherwise these experiences are given in vain: Christ was angry with his Disciples for not remembering the miracle of the loaves, Matth. 16. 9. when they were in a li•e strait again; when we show a child a letter here, and the same letter again in another word, and the same again in a third, if he should be to seek when we show ⟨p. 261⟩him again the same letter in the next word, we are angry, and think our teaching lost: So when God giveth an evidence of his power and care in this strait, and in a condescension to our weakness, giveth us a like evidence again, and in a third strait he teacheth us how to read and apply a promise, and yet upon the next difficulty we are to seek again, God is angry with us, because his condescensions are lost: and in this sense God is more angry with the unbelief of his children then of others, because they have more experiences, and are so ready to distrust him that never failed them.
3 The more experiences, comforts, evidences, and manifestations of God's power and presence we have had, the great•r the unbelief: This was that which provoked the Lord against Israel, to destroy them in the Wilderness. Numb. 14. 11. How long will it be ere ye believe in me for all the words that I have shewed? God traineth up his people by experience, that they may know what he can or will do for them; and therefore by every experience we should grow up into a greater courage and strength of faith and as David, draw inferences of hope against the present danger from the Lyon and the Bear, 1 Sam. 17. 36. or as Paul he hath and doth, and therefore will, 2 Cor. 1. 10. otherwise these experiences are given in vain: Christ was angry with his Disciples for not rememb•ing the miracle of the loaves, Matth. 16. 9. when they were in a li•e stra•t again; when we shew a child a letter here, and the same letter again in another word, and the same again in a third, if he should be to seek when we shew ⟨p. 261⟩him again the same letter in the next word, we are angry, and think our teaching lost: So when God giveth an evidence of his power and care in this strait, and in a condescention to our weakness, giveth us a like evidence again, and in a third strait he teacheth us how to read and apply a promise, and yet upon the next difficulty we are to seek again, God is angry with us, because his condescentions are lost: and in this sense God is more angry with the unbelief of his children then of others, because they have more experiences, and are so ready to distrust him that never failed them.
