ement with him. The royed with fire and brimthe plagues of Egypt, the with the owners, also their res, &c. The inanimate m alfo. He fins, and the nds for him; but groan as it

cannot loose them: Job, hou bind the sweet influensofe the bands of Orion ?" cannot break: Deut. xxviii. n that is over thy head fhall th that is under thee fhall be ters are ftraitly bound up on xvii. 10. "By the breath of and the breadth of the waters they are muffled up with a like a stone under ground; for to go, and as nimble as they dand held faft, like a wild

This is the true sense of chap. xxxviii. 30. "The waa ftone, and the face of the Nay, the very heavens are in viii. 23. And they cry out in 21. "I will hear, faith the heavens, and they shall hear

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4. The creature has fallen into the hands o God's enemies, and is forced to ferve them. When man ftood, all the creatures were at his beck, and were ready to come to him at his call. But when he left God, all the creatures would have left him, the fun would have fhined no more on him, the air would have refused his breathing in it, the earth would not have fed nor carried him more, if God had not subjected them anew to him: Rom. viii. 20. "For the creature was made fubject to vanity, not willingly, but by reason of him who hath fubjected the fame in hope." We fee how far fome of them have gone in renouncing their fervice to him, Job, xxxix. 7. 8. And ver. 9. "Will the unicorn be willing to ferve thee, or abide by thy crib ?" And they would all have left their fervice, as a faithful fervant will leave his mafter, when he goes out in rebellion against his fovereign, but that they were forced to go along; and therefore they groan.

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5. They are used by finners to ends for which God never made them. They fuffer violence, they are abused, and therefore they groan. made them for his honour, men abuse them to his difhonour. Never did a beast speak but once, BaJaam's afs, Numb. xxii. 28. 30. and that was 2. complaint on man for abusing it to an end for which God never made it. The dumb ass rebuked the madness of the prophet, that would have it to carry him in a way God forbade him to go, and where the angel ftood to oppofe him. And, 'could the creatures fpeak to us, we would hear many complaints that way. God gave the creatures to be fervants to man, but man has fold them for flaves to his lufts; and who would not groan to be fo maltreated? There are two things which make hard fervice:

(1.) Labour in vain, continual toil, and yet no profit by it. The creatures have no intermiffion in their fervice: Ecclef. i. 5. 8. "All things are full of labour." But O where is the profit of it all? The fun rifeth, and runs his race every day, and never refteth. But what is the iffue? If it were to let men fee to read God's word, to behold and admire his works, to perform acts of piety, to accomplish substantial good, all the toil would never be grudged by the creatures. But, alas! here is the cafe, for the most part men see to fin more by it, the worldling, the drunkard, &c. to purfue their lufts by it. The night waits on in its turn, and the thief, the adulterer, and the like, get their lufts fulfilled with it. The air waits about us continually, and the fwearer gets fworn by it, the liar lied by it, and the like. The earth and fea wait on us with their produce; and people get their fenfuality, their vanity, pride, and the like, nourished by it. What wonder they groan, to be brought to this pafs? Sun, moon, air, earth, and fea, are groaning for this as they can, If our

very meat and drink could groan, they would groan in the dish, cup, throat, and belly of the drunkard, glutton, fenfualift, yea, of every one with whom they are not employed to nourish the body for the Lord and his fervice, but for the world, &c.There is,

(2.) Hard labour, and much lofs by it. We have both these: Hab. ii. 13. "Behold, is it not of the Lord of hofts, that the people shall labour in the very fire, and the people fhall weary themfelves for very vanity?" The creatures not only toil for vanity, but as it were in the fire, where they fmart for their pains. The covetous oppreffor's money kept from the labourer, groans in the corner of your cheft, and cries, "Behold, the

hire of the labourers which have reaped down your fields, which is of you kept back by fraud, crieth, and the cries of them that have reaped are entered into the ears of the Lord of fabaoth," James, v. 4. Why do you lock me up here, where a heavy curfe hes upon me? why wilt thou not let me away to the labourer? The oppreffor builds his house by blood and oppreffion, and the very stones and timber cry out, Why have you laid me here, where the curfe of God will not let me reft?" Hab. ii. 11. If a mafter fhould force his fervant into the king's throne, and force the crown on his head, and the fceptre into his hand, how would he groan to think that he is abused, and that his life must go for it too. Ah! is it any wonder that the beafts, the paftures of the wildernefs, groan this day, who have so often been set in God's throne, the heart; have had room with him, yea, more room than him, nay, many times the only room there? O! would they not cry, if they could fpeak, Why get we the first thoughts in the morning, and the laft at night? Why fet you that love, joy, delight, and truft in us, that you ought to place in God? O let us out of this dangerous place, let us out of your hearts, that is a dangerous place to us,' Ezek. xxiv. 25. 26.—I only add,

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6. And last reason of their groaning, that the creatures partake with man in his miferies.Though they do not fin with him, yet they suffer with him. They that have life, live groaning with him. They are liable to sickness, pains, and fores, as well as he; for not a few of the troops of difcafes billeted on man, were quartered alfo on them. Sinful man's neighbourhood infected them; they die groaning with him. In the deluge they perifhed with him, except a few preferved in the ark,

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as living in the fame element with him. The beasts in Sodom were destroyed with fire and brimftone, with the men. In the plagues of Egypt, the cattle smarted together with the owners, also their fields, vines, fycomores, &c. The inanimate creatures fuffer with him alfo. He fins, and the very earth is laid in bonds for him; but groan as it will in that cafe, he cannot loose them: Job, xxxviii. 31. "Canft thou bind the fweet influences of Pleiades, or loose the bands of Orion ?" Their iron-bands he cannot break: Deut. xxviii. 23. "And the heaven that is over thy head fhall be brass, and the earth that is under thee fhall be iron." The very waters are ftraitly bound up on his account: Job, xxxvii. 10. " By the breath of God froft is given; and the breadth of the waters is ftraitened." Nay, they are muffled up with a weight above them, like a stone under ground; for as swift as they rise to go, and as nimble as they run, they are catched and held faft, like a wild beaft, in God's trap. This is the true sense of Job, in the Hebrew, chap. xxxviii. 30. "The waters are hid as with a stone, and the face of the deep is frozen." Nay, the very heavens are in bonds too, Deut. xxviii. 23. And they cry out in their bands, Hof. ii. 21. "I will hear, faith the Lord, I will hear the heavens, and they fhall hear the earth."

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