The Second Part.
hearing tremble and believe, and do not come to know by experience that dreadful evil in them. If God should in his infinite wisdom have studied (as one may so speak) from all Eternity to have found out a way to have presented sin to be dreadful to the Children of men, we could not conceive how infinite wisdom should from all eternity have found out an Argument to manifest the evil of sin more, or so much as in the sufferings of Jesus Christ: So that in them God does as it were say, Well, I see wretched Men and Women will not believe the evil of sin; well, among other Arguments, I will have one, that if possible, shall Convince all wicked hard hearts in the world to make them see what sin is, and that is in my Son, in my dealings with my Son; and that wrath of mine I shall lay upon my
Son; this shall make it appear to them what sin is. Now if God have done this on purpose to render sin odious and abominable, and a most dreadful Evil; Oh woe then to that Soul, that after all this shall go on in ways of sin pleasingly and delightfully, and easily entertain sin.
THE SECOND PART OF THIS TREATISE.
sin is most opposite to Mans Good; and far more opposite to the Good of man than affliction.
IT may be by all that has been said of sins being against God, the hearts of some (at least) may not be so much as turned: therefore now we come to shew how sin is against the Good of Man; not only against God, but against our selves. Certainly Brethren, sin makes the sinner to be in an evil case: from that which has been said we may conclude, That of a truth a sinner, a wicked man or woman must needs be in an evil case. This is the Subject which I am to open, What an evil case sin brings our selves into: and thereby we shall see that sin is a greater Evil than affliction. Though we have spent divers Exercises upon this, yet it is as various as if we had