When God (I say) hears his poor Ephraims thus bemoaning themselves, 1and smiting upon their thigh, with holy shame and confusion, reproach themselves, ⟨p. 129⟩thus: Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised; Lord, if blows would have made me good, I had been good long ago; I have had affliction upon affliction, stroke upon stroke; but all this while I have been as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke, unteachable and untractable: thou hast drawn forward, and I have drawn backward; thou hast stricken me, & I have kicked, I have lifted up the heel against thee; and hereupon, in an holy agony, turning Confession into Prayer, Turn thou me and I shall be turned, heal me and I shall be bealed, for thou art the Lord my God; While thus (I say) the soul weeps, God weeps also; Ephraim weeps before God tears of contrition, and God weeps over Ephraim, tears of compassion. In all this affliction of the soul, Gods Soul is afflicted, his bowels are troubled, his compassions are kindled; and, as not able longer to refrain himself, ⟨p. 130⟩(as Joseph once towards his brethren) he breaks out into this passionate condolency; Is Ephraim my dear Son? Is he a pleasant child? Is this the voice of my repenting child, pouring out his Soul & his sorrows over his sinful in firmities? I do earnestly remember him, I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord.
When God (I say) hears his poor Ephraims thus bemaoning themselves, 1and smiting upon their thigh, with holy shame and confusion, reproach themselves, ⟨p. 129⟩thus: Thou hast chastised me and I was chastised; Lord, if blowes would have made me good, I had been good long ago; I have had affliction upon affliction, stroke upon stroke; but all this while I have been as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke, unteachable and untractable: thou hast drawn forward, and I have drawn backward; thou hast stricken me, & I have kicked, I have lifted up the heel against thee; and hereupon, in an holy agony, turning Confession into Prayer, Turn thou me and I shall be turned, heal me and I shall be bealed, for thou art the Lord my God; While thus (I say) the soul weeps, God weeps also; Ephraim weeps before God tears of contrition, and God weeps over Ephraim, tears of compassion. In all this affliction of the soul, Gods Soul is afflicted, his bowels are troubled, his compassions are kindled; and, as not able longer to refrain himself, ⟨p. 130⟩(as Joseph once towards his brethren) he breaks out into this passionate condolency; Is Ephraim my dear Son? Is he a pleasant child? Is this the voice of my repenting child, pouring out his Soul & his sorrowes over his sinful in firmities? I do earnestly remember him, I will surely have mercy upon him, saith the Lord.
- 1Jer. 31.19, 20.
