' Ephraim shall say, What have I any more to do with idols ?' &c.
Hence, in that Ephraim shall say thus, and say it with such vehemency of spirit and indignation, we may observe in general.
There is excellent use of the affections^
God hath planted the afiections in us, to be as the wind, to carry the soul to and fro, forward or backward : for affections are planted in the soul, answerable to things aimed at by it. For, as in the nature of things, there be good and bad, delightful and hateful, hurting or pleasing ; so an- swerably God hath framed the soul to the nature of things. For good things, God hath planted affections in us to join, clasp, embrace them and welcome them ; as love, joy, delight, and such like. And for evil tilings, he hath planted affections to avoid them ; as indignation, hatred, and the like. Indeed, religion is mainly in the affections, whereof there is excellent use. Take away them, and take away all religion whatsoever. A man, were it not for his affections, is like mare mortintm, the dead sea that never stirreth. Therefore it is but a doting, idle conceit of these rigid men, that take away affections ; much like the folly of them, who, because they have been drunk with wine, do therefore cut up all the vines. But the way were, to moderate the excess, not to cut up the vines. So for the affections, we * That is, ' aversion.' — G
HoSEA. XIV. 8.] THE RETURNING BACKSLIDER. 869
must not root them up, or cut them down, but order them aright. For what doth the first commandment require, Thou shalt have no other gods but me ; but a right ordering of all the affections of the soul, joy, delight, trust, and fear, and the whole frame of them to be carried to God ? For the inward worship of God is nothing else but the excellent working of these affections suitably to the law, with the detestation of the contraiy. It is not knowledge that makes a man a good man, but the affections. The devil and wicked spirits know much ; but they have no love, joy, or delight in them. Therefore we must value ourselves and things, as we are in our will and affections ; for so God valueth us, and we should value others thereby. This well done would bring us a wondrous deal of comfort, and stop our too much and rigid judging and censuring of others.
' Ephraim shall say. What have I any more to do with idols ?'
Now in particular we see here, that Ephraim not only leaveth idols, but there is planted in him a sound indignation against them ; whence we may learn,
That it is not enough to leave sin, but ive must loathe sin. also.
A notable place to this purpose, we have in the prophecy of Isaiah, what they should do after their conversion, in the case of hatred to idolatry. ' Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of sUver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold : thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth ; thou shalt say unto it, Get thee hence,' Isa. xxx. 22. There is a hatred and a strong loathing indignation against sin, when it is discovered in the pollution and vileness thereof ; which affection of hatred, God hath planted to draw the soul away from anything that is truly hurtful to it. It is not enough to leave sin for some by-ends, as fear of punish- ment, shame, and the like ; but we must loathe it also. The prophet David, when he professeth his love to the law, how proveth he it ? 'I hate and abhor lying,' Ps. cxix. 163. And so again, ' Do not I hate them, 0 Lord, that hate thee ? and am not I grieved with those that rise up against thee ? I hate them with perfect hatred, I account them mine enemies,' Ps. cxxxix. 21. Here is hatred, and perfect hatred with abomination.
Reason 1. The reason is, because God is a Spirit, John iv. 24 ; and looks to the bent of our spirits, seeing what we love and what we hate. Therefore the strength of this consideration draweth the soul to hate and love, with God, as he hates and loves ; and as much as may be, to hate sin as he doth.
Reason 2. And then again, he requireth our heart especially. ' My son, give me thy heart.' Give me thy love in that which is good, and hate that which is ill. What ill we leave, we must hate first ; and what good we do, we must first love, or else we shall never do either of them acceptably to purpose. What the heart doth not, is not done in rehgion. If it hath no hand in the avoiding of ill, it is not avoided. If it have no hand in the doing of good, it is not done before God. Therefore in true conversion, there must be a loathing of sin.
Reason 3. Thirdly, because in all true conversion there is a new nature pxd in us. Now the new creature, which partaketh of the di^dne nature, whereby we resemble God, it hath an antipathy to the gi-eatest ill, which is sin, the cause of all other evils whatsoever ; which maketh us opposite to God, defileth the soul, and hindereth our sweet communion with him, A new creature, we know, hath a new disposition, and is opposite to the works of the flesh ; they are contrary to one another. So that we see it clear, that we must not only leave but loathe sin.