are not hid from thee: we were foolish in being difobedient w and our lufts are foolish and hurtful *. Foolishness was bound up in our hearts when we were children y; for tho' vain man would be wife, he is born like the wild afs's colt z. Our way hath been our folly a, and in many instances we have done foolishly ». So foolish have we been and ignorant, and even as beafts before God . (3.) The unprofitableness of fin.. We have finned and perverted that which was right, and it profited us not d. What fruit have we now in these things whereof we have caufe to be ashamed, seeing the end of those things is death? And what are we profited, if we should gain the whole world, and lofe our own souls.ƒ? (4.) The deceitfulness of fin. Sin hath deceived us, and by it flain us g; for our hearts have been hardened through the deceitfulness of fin1 and we have been drawn away of our own luft, and enticed i. : It has promifed us liberty, but has made us the fervants of corruption; hath promised that we shall not furely die, and that we fhall be as gods : but it has flattered us, and spread a net for our feet 1. The pride of our heart particularly has deceived us m (5.) The offence which by fin we have given to the holy God. By breaking the law we have difhonoured God " and have provoked the Holy One of Ifrael to anger moft Pfalm Ixix. 51. Proverbs xxii. 15. b2 Sam xxiv. 10. ́e Rom. vi. 21. w Tit. iii. b Heb. ii. 13. x 1 Tim. vi. 9.a Pfalm xlix. 13. d Job xxxiii. 27%g Rom. vii. 11. k z Pet. ii. 19 n Rom. ii. 23. bitterly P. And many a thing that we have done hath difpleafed the Lord 9. God has been broken by our whorish heart, and our eyes that have gone a whoring after our idols '. We have tempted him, and proved him, and grieved him in the wilderness, have rebelled and vexed his holy Spirit, and preffed him with our iniquities, as a cart is preffed that is full of fheaves ". We have grieved the holy Spirit of God, by whom we are fealed to the day of redemption *. (6.) The damage which by fin we have done to our own fouls, and their great interefts. By our iniquities we have fold ourfelves, and in finning against thee we have wronged our own fouls ". Our fins have feparated between us and God a, and have kept good things from us; and by them our minds and confciences have been defiled . Our own wickednefs hath corrected us, and back flidings have reproved us, and we cannot but know and fee, that it is an evil thing, and bitter that we have forfaken the Lord our God, and that his fear hath not been in use. O what fools are they that make a mock at fina ! 8. We must aggravate our fins, and take notice of thofe things which make more heinous in the fight of God, and more dangerous to ourselves. We bewail before thee all our fins, and all our transgreffions in all our fins e (1.) The more knowledge we have of good and evil, the greater is our fin. We have known our master's will, but have not done it, and therefore deserve to be beaten with many stripes. We have known the way of the Lord, and the judg ments of our God, and yet have altogether broken the yoke, and burft the bonds 8. We have known the judgment of God, that they which do fuch things are worthy of death, and yet have done them, and have had pleafure in them that do them ". We have taught others, and yet have not taught ourfelves; and while we profefs to know God, we have in works denied him *. (2.) The greater profeffion we have made of religion, the greater hath been our fin. We call ourselves of the holy city', and stay ourselves upon the God of Ifrael, and make mention of his name, but not in truth and in righteoufnefs m. For we have dishonoured that worthy name by which we are called, and given great occafion to the enemies of the Lord to blafpheme ". We have named the name of Chrift, and yet have not departed from iniquity". (3) The more mercies we have received from God, the greater has been our fin. Thou haft nourished and brought us up as children, but we have rebelled against thee P. We have ill requited thee, O Lord, as foolish people and unwife: Thou art our father that made us, and bought us, and established us, yet our spot has not been the spot of thy children q. We have not rendered again, according to the benefit done unto us. (4.) The fairer warning we have had from the word of God, and from our own confciences concerning our danger of fin, and danger by fin, the greater is the fin, if we go on in it. We have been often reproved, and yet have har dened our neck, and have gone on frowardly in the way of our heart. Thou haft fent to us, faying, O do not this abominable thing which I hate; but we have not hearkened, nor inclined our ear v. The word of God hath been to us precept upon precept, and line upon line w; and though we have beheld our natural faces in the glafs, yet we have gone away, and ftraightway forgot what manner of men we were *. (5.) The greater afflictions we have been under or fill, the greater is the fin, if we go on in it. Thou haft ftricken us, but we have not grieved; we have refused to receive correction, and have made our faces harder than a rock ; and the rod hath not driven the foolishness out of our hearts Thou haft chaftened us with the rod of men, and with the ftripes of the children of men, yet we have not turned to him that smiteth us 2, nor have we lought the Lord of hosts". When fome have been overthrown as Sodom and Gomorrah were, we have been as brands plucked out of the fire, yet have we not returned unto thee, O Lord c. And when thy hand has been lifted up, we have not feen it 4. (6.) The more vows and promifes we have made of better obeidence, the greater has our fin been. We have not performed the words of the covenant which we made before thee, but as treacherous dealers, we have dealt treacheroufly. Did we not say, we would not tranfgrefs, we would not offend any more? We did 1, and yet we have returned with the dog to his vomiti, we have returned to › folly after God hath spoken peace *. t Ifa. lvii. 17.. x James i.. 23, 24. a 2 Sam. vii. 14. b Ifa. ix. 13. % Prov. xxii. 1 15. c Amos iv. 11. d Ifa. xxvi. II. e Jer. xxxiv. 18. ƒ Ifa. xxiv. 16. g Jer. ii. 20. b Job xxxiv. 1. i 2 Pet. ii. 22. k Pfalm lxxxv. 8. 9. We must judge and condemn ourselves for our fins, and own ourselves liable to punishment. And now, O our God, what fhall we fay after this, for we have forfaken thy commandments 1? We have finned, what fhall we do unto thee, O thou preferver of man m? We know that the law curfeth every one that continues not in all things that are written in the book of the law, to do them"; that the wages of every fin is death; and that for thefe things fake the wrath of God cometh upon the children of difobedience P. And we are all guilty before God; the fcripture hath concluded us all under fin; and therefore thou mighteft justly be angry with us, till thou hadft con. fumed us, fo that there fhould be no remnant nor efcaping". If thou fhouldeft lay righteoufnefs to the line, and judgment to the plummet, thou mightest justly fepa. rate us unto all evil, according to all the curfes of the covenant, and blot out our names from under heaven ". Thou mighteft juftly fwear in thy wrath that we fhould never enter into thy reft; mightest justly set us naked and bare, and take away our corn in the feafon thereof, and put into our hands the cup of trembling, and make us drink even the dregs of that cup y. Thou art juft in whatever thou art pleafed to lay upon us; for thou haft done right, but we have done wickedly. Nay, that our God has punifhed us less than our iniquities have deserved". Thou therefore fhalt be juftified when thou fpeakeft, and clear when thou judgeft; and we will accept of the punishment of our iniquitiy, and humble ourselves / Ezra ix. 10. Rom. vi 23. 22. s Ezra ix. 14. ix. 13. m Job vii, 20. n Galatians iii, 10. Eph. v.6. q Rom. iii. 19. Gal. ii. Ila. xxviii. 17. v Deut. ii. 9, 21. Hof. ii. 3, 9. y Pfalm li. 12. ≈ Ezra 33. b Pfalm li. 4. c Lev. xxvi. 43. |