A cabinet of choice jewels, or, A box of precious ointment being a plain…A cabinet of choice jevvels, or, A box of precious ointment being a plain…

But now graceless men are much more willing to be rid of their afflictions,¹ than to be rid of their sins, witness Pharaoh, who cries out, take away the Frogs, Exod. 8.8. Then Pharaoh called for Moses and Aaron, and said, Entreat the Lord that he may take away the Frogs from me, and from my people, and ⟨p. 95⟩I will let the people go, that they may do Sacrifice unto the Lord. 'Tis not entreat the Lord, that he would take away this proud heart, or this hard heart, or this besotted heart, or this blind mind, or this perverse will, or this benumbed Conscience that is in me and my people, but entreat the Lord that he may take away the Frogs from me and my people. A graceless heart is more abundantly willing to be freed from punishment the effect of sin, than 'tis willing to be freed from sin, the cause of punishment. A gracious heart sees more filthiness in sin than in Frogs, and had rather be rid of his sins, than of all the Frogs or Toads that be in the World. See what a sad spirit was upon the children of Israel, in that Numb. 21.6, 7.² And the Lord sent Fiery Serpents among the people, and they bite the people, and much people of Israel dyed. Therefore the people came to Moses, and said, We have sinned, for we have spoken against the Lord, and against thee, pray unto the Lord that he take away the Serpents from us. Now mark, in the fifth verse you have them murmuring against God, and Moses, and divine dispensations, and nauseating of the Wheat of Heaven as light meat, because they came lightly by it; they distrust the Providence of God, they let fly at God, their spirit swells against the holy one of Israel, and they scorn, deride, revile, and contumeliously and despitefully speak against Moses; and though they had often smarted for these sins, yet they are at them again; upon this God sends an Army of Fiery Serpents among them, and they bite and devour many of them. And now they run to Moses (who but a little before they had despised) and are very importunate with him to pray to the Lord to take away the Serpents from them. They do not desire Moses to improve his interest in Heaven, that God would take away their proud hearts, their distrustful hearts, their murmuring hearts, &c. but that God would take away the Serpents; they were much more desirous to be rid of their Serpents, than they were to be rid of their sins. So those in