Volume III, Treatise I, Chapter XVII

The Want of Confidence Is Very Displeasing to God

As there is nothing more pleasing to God nor more proper to draw down his graces upon us, than the confidence we have in him, so nothing displeases him more, nor is more capable to provoke his indignation against us, than the want of confidence. He ’ looks upon it as an offence and injury done to his honour, and we see in effect that this was one of the subjects that most of all moved him to anger against the children of Israel, and for which he most severely punished them. When Moses sent persons to view the land of promise, the greater part of them reported at their return that they had seen very strong cities, and such giants that, compared to them, they themselves were but ants; and this caused so great a consternation amongst the people that, despairing of being able to become masters of the land that had been promised them, they already spoke of electing a chief to lead them back to Egypt. Nay, they even went so far as to express a wish of stoning Caleb and Josue, who endeavoured to dissuade them from this design: and then, the glory of God appearing upon the tabernacle, “How long”, says the Lord to- Moses, “will this people blaspheme against me? How long will they refuse to believe me, after so many prodigies as I have wrought in their, presence? I will strike them, then, with the plague, and destroy them” (Numbers 14:11,12) Moses, however, interceded with God for the people, and God pardoned them. ‘In the meantime”, says he, “all those who have seen my glory, and the prodigies I have wrought in Egypt and in the desert, and have frequently risen and rebelled against me, not having obeyed my voice, shall never see the land that I have sworn to their fathers to give them, nor any of those who have blasphemed against me shall ever behold it”’ (Numbers 14:22,23) In effect, of more than six hundred thousand men that went out of Egypt, there was not one of them who saw the land of promise except Caleb and Josue, who endeavoured to encourage the people. All the rest died in the desert, receiving this punishment for the little confidence they had in God, and as to their children, who they said would become a prey to their enemies, it was of these God made choice to take possession of this land. Even Moses and Aaron, to show how disagreeable to God their want of confidence was, were chastised in the same manner, because when they struck the rock, as God had commanded them, it was with a kind of doubt whether water could spring from it. ‘Because you have not believed me”, says our Lord, ‘and have not maintained my glory before the children of Israel, you shall not lead this people into the land that I will give them” (Numbers 20:12) He gave Moses, indeed, a sight of it from a high mountain, but said to him at the same time: “Thou hast seen it with thy eyes, but thou shalt not enter into it” (Deuteronomy 34:4),—-as if he would have said, behold the land of which I promised to give you possession, but to punish you for your little confidence, you shall never enjoy it. This want of confidence is an offence committed against God’s honour, as I have already said, and hence it is that he punishes it so severely.

We may draw from this two inferences for our instruction. First, that the discouragement into which we permit ourselves to fall, either in temptations, or in our own advancement in virtue, or finally, in the ministry wherein obedience has placed us, is a very bad thing in itself, and very displeasing to God. If we look to appearances only, it might be said this is a sentiment which springs from humility, when in reality it proceeds only from our thinking that it is from our own strength we are to derive help in our necessities, which indeed is a kind of pride very much to be condemned. The second instruction we may derive, is, that in all our necessities and in all afflictions, the first thing we ought to do is to have recourse to God. We must not begin, by doing all that depends on us, and then recurring to God; for this is one of the great abuses the people in the world are guilty of, who instantly strain every nerve, and adopt all ways and means, to compass their designs, without thinking at all upon God; and have recourse to him only when they have tried all other ways in vain, and when their affairs seem to be desperate. God likewise often permits all human means, m which they placed the greatest confidence, to become unprofitable, and even to turn to their own confusion: ‘ Because thou hast had confidence in the king of Syria”, says he to Asa by the mouth of his prophet, “and not in the Lord thy God, therefore the army of the king of Syria has escaped thy hands”—II. Paral., xvi. 7. God is offended that we should seek any other help than his, It is to him, therefore, we must first have recourse; and for this effect, one of the chief things we have to do in prayer, is then to establish in our hearts an entire confidence in God. For since the establishment of virtue in our heart is what we ought chiefly to propose to ourselves in prayer, it is fit that we should employ ourselves therein to gain a virtue so necessary and of so great importance. But, moreover, to do this well, we ought to labour herein without ceasing, till we find a habit thereof well ‘fixed in our heart, and till we come to have recourse to God in all things, and to put our confidence in nothing but in him. We ought continually to have the words of Josaphat, King of Juda, in our thoughts, “Lord, in the ignorance we are, what ought we to do, but only to raise our eyes to thee, O God?”—II. Paral., xx. 12. And then we shall be able not only to do all things with God, but we shall also begin to be happy with him, since the Royal Prophet teaches us, “that blessed is the man whose confidence is in the name of the Lord” (Psalms 39:5)

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