3 36 Chap. 31. An Expoftion upon the Book of J 6 B. Vert. y. The effeds of fin are fatali and deadly. 'Tis an Egyptian reed which is not only too weake to fupport us, but [harpe enough to wound us : He that kanesand layeth the ftreffe of himfelfe upon auy creature ofGod, much more he that kanes upon fin, which is his owne creature , gets nothing by it but fhame and ruine. ( Pen q.. t8.) Thy wayand thy doings bave procured thefe things unto thee, this is thy wickednrffe becanfeit is bitter. Ifany one en- quire what thofe things were which their doings procured them, he may receave fadning fatisfa6tion to that doubt from the for- mer part of the Chapter, efpecially from the 6th verfe,where the. Lord threatneth, Iwill bring evil!from the Nerthand agreat de- first-lion ; This deftruetion was their wickedneffe, that is, the re- ward of. heir wickedn.ff ,as another Prophet telleth us(Hof..r3. 9. ) O Brae!, then haft deftroyed thy felfe ; Thy fin hath utterly undone thee. Sin deftroyeth two wayes ; Firft, meritorioufly; Secondly, inftrumentally. It alwayes deferves deftru&ion, and often workes our deftruc`tion; By finfull a6tings many pull the houfe upon their owne heads, and are buried in the ruines. And when a mans owne fin is the thing which ruines him, how vaine a thing is his fin to him I T hirdly , Sin is vaine, and towalke with fin, is to walke in va- nity ; Becaufe it deceiveth us; Sin makes us many faire promi- fes, not only that it will doe us nohurt, but that it will doe us much good ; Sec it can neither doe us good, nor can it keepe off hurt from us. Sin is a meere pretender, yea an importer. (Eph. 4. ZW. ) `Put cffconcerning the former converfatiou the old man which ú corrupt according to the deceitful! lofts. Luft makes us many proffers, but it alwayes leaves us under difappoyntments ; And is not that a vanity, whichdoth to ? Againe, taking vanitie more aridly, as was (hewed in the ex- plication Ofthe text. Obferve. As allfin,fo of fecially the ¡;n o ffaltedealing or wrongingothers by ways; of unrighteoufnes, i; a vaine thing, a very vanitte. That's the fin which ?oh fo vehemently difclaimeth in thiscon- text, and he had done it more then once before. How vaine a thing is it toenrich our. (elves by impoverifhing another? feting he who doth fo drawes that upon himfelfe which is worfe then paver.:
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