Parallels.

GRay Hairs are a Sign that a Man's best Days, his youthful Days, are gone: So some Sins and Judgments upon a People, are a Sign that their best Days are past away, that their Youth and Glory is departing.

II. Gray Hairs are a Sign of old Age: So some Sins and Judgments upon a People, shew forth that they are old in Wickedness.

III. Gray Hairs come oft-times by great Grief. Scaliger tells us of a young Man,* who through the extreme Trouble of his Spirit, was turned gray in one Night: So the Judg∣ments and Miseries of a People, because of their Sins, make them gray-headed, and there∣by look old and withered, &c.

IV. When gray Hairs come upon a Man, they bring oftentimes with them feeble Knees, and Stiffness of the Limbs: So Sin makes feeble; the Heat of Zeal, and Vigour of Spirit is thereby abated.

V. Gray Hairs are Symptoms and Fore-runners of Death and Mortality: So some Sins and Miseries upon a People, are the clear Symptoms of spiritual Death, or Night of Dark∣ness.

VI. Some Men have gray Hairs here and there, and they know not of them: So a Soul, Nation, or Church, may have sad Symptoms of Ruine upon them, and they be ignorant of them: He knows it not.

Quest. What were those gray Hairs that were upon Ephraim?

Answ. 1. One was, Strangers had devoured his Strength: Their Support and chief Stay, that which should uphold, comfort, and succour them, was gone. — Wicked Men were let in upon them, and such who sought to spoil them of their Rights, Liberties, and Estates; or spiritually, Sin prevail•d, strange Lusts had devoured their Strength.* Ephraim was fallen in love with other Lovers, his Affection was set upon Strangers. Saints should keep their Hearts close to Christ, or else the Love of the World will soon steal away their Strength▪ and make them decay in Godliness. The Whoredom of Ephraim was doubtless one of those gray Hairs he had upon him.

2. The Pride of Ephraim was another gray Hair: The Pride of Israel doth testify to his Face; and therefore shall Israel and Ephraim fall in their Iniquity.*

3. Their Goodness was as the M•rning-Cloud, and as the early Dew, it passed away:* Which might be another of his gray Hairs. By their Goodness, doubtless is meant their Good∣ness and Kindness to God, and one towards another. They were false-hearted, unconstant, Page  358 and fickle, like a Morning-Cloud; their Words were empty Sounds, like Clouds withou• Water; they dealt treacherously with God, and deceitfully with their Brethren.

4. They were like a silly Dove without a Heart; they let their dearest Enjoiments go, like as a silly Dove parts with her Young, and did not, like the Hen, strive to preserve them: This might be another of his gray Hairs. A Dove is easily caught with a Net; so was Ephraim easily ensnared by his Enemies. A Dove will keep her Nest, tho you take it away, and thereby take her captive: O how unwilling are some Men to part with their Lusts! They will not leave their Sins, or Company, tho it prove their Ruine: They are like the silly Dove.

5. The great Things of God's Law were accounted strange Things to Ephraim; tho God himself wrote them, yet he liked them not, but rather derided at them that owned, and subjected to them. This was another gray Hair.

*6. Ephraim was as a Cake not turned, he was not through for God; he stood halting be∣tween two Opinions, did not know what Religion to be of: Or he was so perverse, that tho he lay under heavy Judgments, and was ready to be burned on the Coals; yet he sought not to prevent the Danger,* and escape the Fire; he cried not to God in his Affliction. And this was another of his gray Hairs.

7. Ephraim was as an empty Vine; he brought forth Fruit to himself: God received but little from Ephraim; all his Labor and Doing was for himself, to enrich himself, and lay up for himself; he cared not for the Interest of God. An empty Vine: He had Juyce and Sap enough to bring forth Fruit to himself, but was barren towards God. They cannot spare Time, nor have they leisure to wait upon his Service: They can't spare Money to further the Interest of Godliness, tho they can give two, three, four, or five hundred, nay, a thousand Pounds, to such a Son, or such a Daughter, and maintain them bravely, when some of Christ's Ministers want Bread: They love (alas!) their Sons and Daughters more than Christ: They are empty Vines, they bring forth Fruit to themselves. O what a base Spirit and Principle are some Professors of! They are like Ephraim. And this was another of his gray Hairs.

*8. He was broken in Judgment, he fed on the Wind, and followed after the East Wind: He pursued after Vanity, and the empty Things of this World. And that was another of his gray Hairs. Many more I might mention, they were indeed thick upon him, he was become very gray in Wickedness.