Hagar; at whose conception the sterility of the family was fairly proved to lie at the door of Sarah, and not at the door of Abraham. She drives Hagar out of the tent, to get rid of the cross that she had brought upon herself. The angel of God sends Hagar back again, that Sarah might be filled with her own ways. How she felt this I must leave those to guess who are in the secret. I believe she was never perfectly healed of this disease till she had got the promised seed upon her knees, and the bond woman and her son out of the tent.

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When the spirit of jealousy comes upon a man, doth not stay here. Such an one is not only jealous of the love and favour of God, so as to envy the happiness of all that enjoy the light of his blessed countenance; but he is jealous of his own honour, and jealous of the affections, good-will, and applause, of every body. Such an one cannot bear to hear another spoken well of; he views every one in any esteem a rival to him. The apostles disputed which should be the greatest, though they were ashamed to own it; and the ten were filled with indignation at James and John, for wanting to sit at the right hand and at the left of Christ in his kingdom, which they supposed was to be a temporal one.

This jealousy often terminates in carnal jealousy. The man is jealous of his wife, or she is jealous of her husband; and such souls are preparing their bitter waters, ashes, and jealousy-offer

ings, all the day long; for jealousy is the rage of man, and so it is of woman; and such will not rest contented though thou givest many gifts; nothing can remove it, but him that sent it; for it is the workings of the spirit of bondage, and a terrible ingredient in it; and let those, who have felt the bitterness of it, take heed that they do not procure these things to themselves by provoking God, or others, to jealousy; for, if they do not procure them by these, they are not like to have them themselves.

The reasons of God's sending these things upon his people are these; God is good, great, and glorious; and is jealous of his own praise, glory, and honour, which he will never give to another. God is a husband; and is jealous of the love, obedience, and affections, of his own church, and will not be provoked with a whorish heart. Now, if his people bow their knees and give his praise to idols, as Solomon did; or if any rival to God be set up, called the image of jealousy, which provoketh to jealousy; or if the affections be alienated from God, and gone after covetousness and the love of money, as Israel's heart was, which provoked God to wrath; or if inordinate affections, which are a member of the old man, be indulged to the creature, as David's was to Absalom, and Jacob's to Rachael, Jephtha's to his daughter, Jacob's to Joseph, or Eli's to Hophni and Phineas; these rivals to God are sure to be removed out of the way, or left to be a snare to the indulger.

For, when God is moved to anger, wrath, and jealousy, by the provocations of his people, he will then send the spirit of bondage upon them, and influence them with the same anger, wrath, and jealousy which his people provoke him to.

This may be seen in the matter of Eli; "Wherefore," saith God, "kick ye my sacrifice, and at mine offering which I have commanded in mine habitation, and honourest thy sons above me?" They kicked at God's sacrifice, which provoked the Lord; they abused the women that came to the house of God, till people abhorred the offerings of the Lord; which is called grieving the Lord. Eli honoured his sons before God, by continuing them, from motives of affection, in the priest's office, whereby God was dishonoured. And all this God turns upon Eli; Samuel shall provoke Eli, as his sons had provoked God. "And thou shalt see an enemy in my habitation; and there shall not be an old man in thine house for ever; and the man of thine, whom I shall not cut off from mine altar, shall be to consume thine eyes, and to grieve thine heart." Thus Eli was to see an enemy, a rival, in God's house, who was to consume his eyes; whom he was to view with a suspicious and jealous eye to the grief of his heart. After this God begins to provoke him: for he speaks to Samuel, though a child, but no more to Eli. And thus God, when provoked to jealousy, puts those who provoke him, as it were, in his own place; then asks them how they like it, and if they have not procured these

things to themselves in that they have forsaken the Lord their God? Jerem. ii. 17. And this is no more than the law of retaliation; measure for measure. I come now to the

Sixth head. Rebellion and discontent. Jonah is ordered to Nineveh. He rebels, and goes to Joppa, in order to flee to Tarshish from the presence of God. He is thrown overboard, and sinks in the belly of hell. Then he is humbled, and prays heartily. God brings him up again, and repeats his command to Nineveh. Jonah goes, and delivers his message, which was all that God required of him. He might then have gone home again, if he would; but Jonah seeks another quarrel, like Lot's wife, who looked back to see what became of Sodom: Jonah makes a booth, and sits there to see what becomes of the city. He had no orders for all this; he might have left the event of his message to God. Jonah expects an overthrow of all the buildings by an earthquake, or some strange judgment; God meant an overthrow of idolatry. Jonah expects that all would presently go crying into hell; but God intended an universal cry to heaven. He begins to breathe out his anger against God; God breathes an east wind, and smites Jonah. Jonah faints; so he may; "God fainteth not, neither is weary." God raises a gourd; Jonah is pleased. God smites it; Jonah is angry again, and does well to be angry, even unto death. Suppose he is, what of that? Nineveh shall stand in spite of him. His message was an

overthrow, not a destruction.

But God did not tell Jonah what he meant by an overthrow; then it proves, what every body knows, that God giveth not account of any of his matters.

Jeremiah flees from the work, and is determined to have no more of it. God's anger is to come in like a torrent, and not one prophet to stand in the gap for Israel. A Jewish captain caught him, and brought him back, taking him for a traitor, who was going to fall away to the Chaldeans. He is brought to the princes, who are wrath with him; they smite him, and put him in the prison, Jer. xxxvii. 13, 14. Moses desires to be killed outright, that he may not see his wretched

ness.

A soul thus influenced with the spirit of bondage, while he is harassed with a legal conscience, is contented no where. The Psalmist wants the wings of a dove to fly away, and remain afar off in the wilderness. Another wishes that he had given up the ghost as soon as he came forth from the womb, and that no eye had seen him. Another is for a place of wayfaring men, that he leave the people, and go from them. treats the Lord to take away his life; what God never intended to do.

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Every affliction under this spirit of bondage is singular, and works discontent; "Had it been an enemy, I could have borne it; or, if it had been him that hated me, I would have hid myself from him; but it was thou," &c.; every thing but the