enseless creatures are
called to wonder at. It must surpass all the wonders and prodigies of
nature and art. And what is that? "I have nourished and brought up
children, and they have rebelled against me," &c. If we consider what this
people seemed once to be, and thought themselves to be, we may easily know
how they corrupted themselves. If ye look on them at one time, (Exod. xix.
8, Deut. v. 27,) ye would call them children. There was never a fairer
undertaking of obedience than this, "All that the Lord hath spoken we will
do," so that the Lord commends them for speaking well, verse 28, "They
have well said all that they have spoken," verse 29, "O that there were
such an heart in them!" But compare all this people's practice with this
profession, and you shall find it exceeding contrary; they indeed
corrupted themselves, though they got warning to take heed of it. "Take ye
therefore good heed unto yourselves, lest ye corrupt yourselves," Deut.
iv. 15, 16. But alas, it was within them that destroyed them; there was
not such a heart in them as to hear and obey, but they undertake, being
ignorant of their own deceitful hearts, which were desperately wicked. And
therefore, behold what corruption ensued and followed upon such a
professed resolution. They never sooner promised obedience, but they
disobeyed; they did abominable works, and did no good, and this is to
corrupt their way, Psalm xiv. 1, &c. We need not instance this longer in
this people, we ourselves are a sufficient proof of it. We may make this
song our own, "we have corrupted ourselves." Once we had a fair show of
zeal for God, of love and desire of reformation of life, many solemn
undertakings were that we should amend our ways and doings, but what is
the fruit of all? Alas, we have corrupted ourselves more than they. Israel
promised, but we vowed and swore to the Most High, reformation and
amendment of life in our conversations and callings. Lay this rule to our
practices, and are we not a perverse and crooked generation? Oh! that we
were more affected with our corruptions, and were more sensible of them,
then we could not choose but mourn for our own and the land's departing
from God. Did not every man vow and swear to the most high God to
endeavour reformation of his life, even a personal reformation?(265) But
alas, where is it? "He that is filthy" is "filthy still." Nay, which is
worse, the evil man waxeth worse and worse. There is a great noise of a
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