The beams of our house are cedar, and our rafters of fir. And behold, the congregations of saints, the places where we do sweetly converse and walk together, are both firm and during, like cedars amongst the trees, not subject, through thy protect- How is the faithful city become an harlot! it was full of judgment. Jerusalem was once my faithful spouse, a holy city: how is it, x 2 that she is now turned strumpet, and become desperately lewd and debauched? &c. Thy silver is become dross, thy wine mixed with water. Those good graces, that thou didst once profess to have, are now utterly corrupted and depraved; thine obedience, which was once sincere and pure, is now adulterated with abominable wickedness. And I will turn my hand upon thee, and purely purge away thy dross, and take away all thy tin. Yet, in my judgment will I remember mercy: I will not utterly destroy thee as I might, but I will turn my hand upon thee, for thy restoration; and, whereas I might burn thee quite up, yet I will only purge away thy dross, and take away the base metal from thee, that the small remainder of the pure and precious may be reserved. For they shall be ashamed of the oaks which ye have desired, and ye shall be confounded for the gardens that ye have chosen. They shall be ashamed of that foul idolatry, wherewith ye have been tainted; and of those groves, which ye have used to that purpose; and of those gardens and orchards, which ye have so employed. For ye shall be as an oak whose leaf fadeth, and as a garden that hath no water. And, if ye again relapse, ye shall be left like one of the oaks of those destroyed groves, without leaf or sap; or like one of those gardens, which you have abused, in a time of drought, without water.