Verse 9

VER. 9.

They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah.

Their wickedness has deeply-rooted itself, so the word here signifies. There's little hope to prevail with them, labor what you can, their superstitious and idolatrous ways have gotten such deep root in their hearts that there is no getting of it out. Sin, and especially that sin of superstition so deeply roots itself in the hearts of men if it be let alone but a little time that there is no getting of it out.

And indeed there is little hope of the Reformation that is now in hand, that ever we should see it come to the full beauty and perfection of it until even God himself, either by some extraordinary hand of his should root out those superstitious principles that there are in many men, or at least by his own hand root out those that have such superstitious and idolatrous principles rooted in them. We wonder that men cannot be taken off from superstitious ways, Oh! they are deeply rooted, it's not an easy matter to eradicate those ways and vile words of theirs. It's a blessed thing to take sin betimes, and you that are young that have not other wickedness, and especially superstition rooted in you, you are those that it's like God will make use of for the bringing this Reformation to perfection, you shall see the glory of it, it may be when others are gone and dead you shall come to see what God intended in all these stirs that have been among us. We find by experience the fruit of this in the hearts of men, what a deal of stir was there to take them off at first? Oh! but the root abides still in men's hearts, and there's this experiment of it, of the depth and root that superstition takes in men's hearts, that though men be content not to practice those superstitious ways that they did before, because now the times do not favor them, yet this we find, that men cannot be brought to leave off those things as sinful, but as inconvenient, they will be content to forbear the practice of them. But you have but few men, I had almost said but few Ministers, but so far I may be bold to say, that many Ministers, but especially those who were anything forward in superstitious ways, such as did not before account them a burden, those though they do leave them off at this time, yet not as things that are sinful, they never could be brought to that, to acknowledge them to be sinful, and so to charge themselves in sinning against God, but they are content to leave them off as things that are inconvenient and as may be burdensome to other men. But the leaving them off after such a way is no other, but if the times should favor them again there is a principle retained in their hearts, so as they would be in readiness to submit to them again, and to do them as formerly, this bitter root of superstition abides in their hearts. That's the meaning of this phrase, they are deeply rooted, that is, their superstition and false worship is deeply rooted in their hearts. Well, let their superstition be rooted as deep as it will, yet as Christ says (Matthew 15), every plant that my Father has not planted shall be rooted out: God will either root you out, or the superstition of your heart out of you. And seeing the false worshipers have superstition so rooted in their hearts, Oh! how should the true worshipers of God have the truth rooted in their hearts never to be rooted out; so Saint Paul (Colossians 2:7), rooted and built up in him, and stablished in the faith &c.