,A,,choke Bete Spices 1 ;Tilt:let tke people go, that they may do Sacrifice unto the Lord.' "Tis not intreat the Lord, that he would take away this proud heart, or this hard heartor this befotted heart, or this blind mind, or this perverfe vvil I, or this benummed Confcience that is in me and my people, but intreat the Lord that he may take away the Frogs from me and my people. A grace- leis heart is more abundantly willing to be freed from pu- nifliment the effe& of fin, than 'tis willing to be freed from fin, the caufe of punifliment. A gracious heart fees more filthinefs in fin than in Frogs, and had rather he rid of his fins, than of all the Frogs or Toads that be in the World. See what a fad fpirit was upon the children of Ifrael, in that Numb. 21. 6, 7. rind the Lord fent Fiery Serpents among the people, and they bite the people, and much pelle of Ifrael dyed. Therefore the people came to Moles, and laid, We have finned, for we have fpoken againft the Lord, and againft thee, pray unto the Lord that he take away the Serpents from to. Now mark, in the fifth were you:have them murmurina b againa God, and Moles, and divine difpenfa tions,and naufe°atino of the Wheat of Heaven as light meat, becaufe they came lightly by it ; they diftruft the Providence of God, they let fly at God, their fpirit li.vels againft the holy one of Ifrael, and they fcorn, deride, revile, and contumelioufly and defpitefully fpeak againfl Moles ; and though they had often .fmarted for thefe fins, yet they are at them again ; upon this God fends an Army of Fiery Serpents among them, and they bite and devour many of them. And now they run to Mofes (who but a little before they had defpifed) and:are very importunate with him to pray to the Lord to take away the Serpents from them. They do not defire Moles to improve his interea in Heaven, that God would take away their proud hearts, their diftrultful hearts, their murmuring hearts, &c. but that God would take away the Serpents ; they were much more defi- rous to be rid of their Serpents, than they were to be rid of their fins. So thole in Pr. 30.15. why cryefl thou for thine offiitlion ? thy forroo is incurable, for the multitude of thine ; tecaufe thy fins were encreafed, I have done thefe things unto thee. They do not cry out of their fins, but they cry out of their fleb.Eurning Ser- pents, thus they are called, from the elf & of their biting,which c ato- fed a mortal bur- ning, and confe- quently inch an exceffive thirft as killed them.
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