d after
vanity?" Jer. ii. 5.

There are two things in sin that exceedingly abuse the creature,--the
iniquity of it, and the folly and madness of it. It is contrary to all
equity and reason to depart from him that hath made us, and given us a
law, to whom we are by so many obligations tied, but what is the folly and
madness of it, to depart from the fountain of living waters, and dig
broken cisterns that can hold none? verse 13. This is a thing that the
heavens may be astonished at, and, if the earth had sense to understand
such a thing, the whole fabric of it would tremble for horror at such
madness and folly of reasonable souls and this evil hath two evils in
it,--we forsake life and love death, go from him and choose vanity. It is
great iniquity to depart without an offence on his part. He may appeal to
all our consciences, and let them sit down and examine his way most
narrowly,--"What iniquity have ye found in me? What cause have ye to leave
me!" But when withal he is a living fountain, he is our glory, he is a
fruitful land, a land of light, our ornament and attire, in a word, our
life and our consolation, our happiness and our beauty; what word shall be
found to express the extreme madness of men to depart from such an one,
and change their glory into that which doth not profit? If either he were
not a fountain of living waters, or if there were any fountain beside,
that could yield water to satisfy the insatiable desires of men, it were
more excusable, but what shadow shall be found to cover such an iniquity
that is both infinite sin, and incompatable loss? It is the scripture's
style given to natural men, "fools and simple." All sin hath folly in it,
but the people of God's departing from him hath extremity of folly in it,
beside iniquity, because they do embrace a dunghill instead of a throne,
they make the maddest exchange that can be imagined, glory for shame, life
for death,--at least, consolation and peace, for vanity and vexation and
anguish of spirit.

If ye would be duly affected with the sight of your own evils, look upon
them in this consideration, and, in the view of God, your large portion,
ye will be forced to confess yourselves beasts in his sight, Psal. lxxiii.
22. Oh! that men would consider how good and blessed the Lord is, how he
is alone, and nothing beside him in heaven and earth,--all broken cisterns,
all dung and unprofitable, all vanity and vexation,--he only
self-sufficient, all others