be unequally yoked for religion : now, to such parents, (1.) Think how precious tho soul of your child is ; it is immortal, it is capable of communion with God and an- gels : and will you let this soul be lost, by placing it in a bad family? If you had an horse you loved, you would not put him into a stable with other horses that were sick and diseased ; and do you not love your child better than your horse ? (2.) God hath intrusted you with the souls of your chil- dren, you have a charge of souls. God saith, as 1 Kings xx. 39., " Keep this man : if by any means he be missing, then thy life shall be for his life." So saith God, ' If the soul of thy child miscarry by thy negligence, his blood will I require at thy hand.' Think of this, all ye parents ; take heed of placing your children in Eg^-pt, in a Avicked family ; do not put them in the devil's mouth : find out a sober, religious family, such a family as Joshua's, chap, xxiv. 15., " As for me and my house we will serve the Lord." Such a family as Cranmer's, which was pa/ces/ra pietatis, — • a nursery of piety ; such a family as is a Bethel, of which it may be said, as Col. iv. 15., " The church which is in his house." Use btli. Let us pray that God would keep our English nation from tlie defile- ments of Egypt, that it may not be again overspread with superstition and idolatry. O sad religion ! not only to have our estates, our bodies enslaved, but our conscience. Prav that the true protestant religion may still flourish among us, that the sun of the gospel may still shine in our horizon. The gospel lifts a people up to heaven, it is columna et corona regni, — ' the crown and glory of the kingdom ;' if this be removed, then Ichahod^ the glory is departed ! The top of the beech-tree being cut off, the whole body of the tree withers apace : the gospel is the top of all our blessings, if this top be cut, the whole body ])olitic will soon wi- ther. O pray that the Lord will cmitinue the visible tokens »)f his presence among us, his ordinances, that England may be called, Jehovah Shaminah, " The Lord is there !" Ezck. xlvlii. 35. Pray that righteousness and peace may kiss each other, that so glory may dwell in our land !
OF THE PREFACE TO THE TEN COMMANDMENTS.
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ExoD. XX. 2. Out of the House of Bondage.
III. " EGYPT," and " the Iiouse of bon- dage," are the same, only they are express- ed under a different notion. By Egypt is meant a place of idolatry and supersti- tion ; by the house of bondag^e, is meant a place of affliction. Israel, while they were in Egypt, were under great tyranny ; they had cruel task-masters set over them, who put them to hard labour, and set them to make brick, yet allowed them no straw ; therefore Egypt is called the iron furnace, Deut. iv. 20., and here the house of bon- dage. From this expression, " I brought thee out of the house of bondage," two things are to be noted : 1. God's cliildren may sometimes be under sore afflictions, " In the house of bondage." That God will in his due time bring them out of their afflicted state, " I brought thee out of the house of bondage."
1st. God's children may sometimes be under sore afflictions, In domo servitutis, — * in the house of bondage.' God's people have no right of ease granted them, — no charter of exemption from trouble in this life; while the wicked are kept in sugar, the godly are oft kept in brine. And in- deed, how could God's power be seen in bringing them out of trouble, if he did not sometimes bring them into it? or how should God wij)e away the tears from their eyes in heaven, if on earth they shed none? Doubtless God sees there is need that his children should be sometimes in the house of bondage, 1 Pet. i. 6., " If need be, ye are in heaviness;" the body some- times doth more need a bitter potion than a julap.
Quest. 1. Why God lets his people he in the house of bondage, in an afflicted state ?
Alts. lie doth it, 1. For probation or irial : Deut. viii. 16., " Who led thee through that terrible wilderness, that he might hum- ble tliee and prove thee." Affliction is the touch-stone of sincerity, Ps. Ixvi. 10, 11., " Tlioii O God, hast pioved us; thou hast tried us as silver: thou laidst affliction upon our loins." Hypocrites may euil)race the true religion in prosperity, and court this
queen while she hath a jewel hung at her ear, but he is ji good Christian who will keep close to God in a time of suffering, Ps. xliv. 17., " All this is come upon us, yet have we not forgotten thee." To love God in heaven, is no wonder : but to love God when he chastiseth us, this dicovers sincerity.