Chapter V
That since there is so great a corruption in our natures, ice should be very earnest
to have it purged out. What is the way and means by which we may be
purified. If this corruption be not only a misery, but a sin, ice must not
think it enough to make sad complaints of it, but we must in a more special manner humble ourselves for it in the sight of God. Since all hinds of sin
are in our nature, we should watch and pray that we fall not into tempta tion. All that are enlightened by the gospel, should take care that they do
not sin against the Holy Ghost.
If it be a corruption which is inherent, sticking in and cleaving unto our
natures, a defilement made connatural to us, as all things are we have by
birth;
Use 1. The use may be of exhortation, to purge and cleanse ourselves, and our natures daily from it ; and this concerns all, especially regenerate men. I say, to purge yourselves, for if it were no more than that it is a
corruption and a defilement that is in you, this naturally calls upon you to throw it out. What is there that belongs to thee that hath any filth in it, but you purge and cleanse daily
: your hands and outward parts, because
they contract dirt daily, you daily wash and cleanse them ; your clothes you
wear" about you, that do but hang on you, you daily wash, brush, and rub them ; your houses you live in, which are not so near you as your clothes, you sweep and garnish daily; nay, your streets you walk in, and that you tread upon, you yet cleanse weekly ; and all these because they contract a
filthiness and defilement. Let me say to you all, as our Saviour Christ
doth, Luke xi. 39, 40, Now do ye pharisees make clean the outside of the
cup and platter ; but your inward part is full of ravening and wickedness. Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without, make that which is
within also ? Do you make clean the outside of your cups, &c., and suffer
your inward parts to remain full of filthiness and corruption ? The other
are external things, and contract but an external filthiness, which yet Christ
says defiles not a man, Mat. xv. 20. But this which is in thy nature is in-
trinsecal, and there by birth, and a rooted filthiness in tbee, which con
* But those things which
tinually casts out mire and dirt : Mat. xv. 18-20,
proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart, and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications,
: these are the things which defile a man ; but to eat with unwashen hands defileth not a man. So that these
thefts, false witnesses, blasphemies
pollutions light not on you by accident, and externally cast on you, as dirt on your clothes, &c., but spring up in your hearts, and these defile the man
indeed ; as Christ says, these make thee a filthy, loathsome, and abominable
person ; these make your minds and consciences defiled, Titus i. 15 ; and
these lusts also make you abominable : Titus i. 16, They profess that they know God ; but in works they deny him, being abominable and disobedient,
CHAP. V.] IN RESPECT OF SIN AND PUNISHMENT. 69
and unto every good work reprobate. Will you not, then, purge them ?
This, therefore, is a use proper to the first doctrine which I have handled, and so the Scripture enforceth it, using that metaphor of purging, 1 Cor.
v. 7, as having relation to the working out of that inward corruption which
sticks in us by nature. So David, having acknowledged the filthiness of
* Behold, I was
his nature by birth, and the uncleanness of it : Ps. li. 5,
shapen in iniquity, and in sin did my mother conceive me ; he cries out
upon it, Purge me with hyssop, and create a clean heart within me, ver. 7. And so Paul, in the place before cited : 1 Cor. v. 7,
* Purge out the old
leaven, says he. Look, as leaven is a corrupt tainture and sourness in the
dough, so is there answerably a corruption in the soul, and this ab origine, from your birth, from the old Adam, which, because it is a corruption, therefore purge ; for that is a metaphor hath still reference to corruption, mingled or blended with something which is good in itself, but spoiled whilst
that is in it, because it is the old leaven that hath been there so long, and
therefore there is so much of it, and is now so deeply rooted. Therefore
go about speedily to cast it out ; it is high time to begin
: Jer. iv. 14,
* Wash thy heart, Jerusalem : how long shall thy vain thoughts be in
: an old sore that hath
thee ? Thy filthiness hath been there long enough
festered, and was from thy nativity, and thou never didst dress it yet, never
purged or washed it yet ; and so after a long expectation, God says, Jer.
xiii. 27, I have seen thine adulteries, and thy neighings, the lewdness of
thy whoredom, and thine abominations on the hills in the field : Woe unto
thee, Jerusalem, wilt thou not be made clean ? when shall it once be ? God thinks it long that you should all be filthy from the womb, and never
so much as once go about to cleanse you. And, therefore, methinks you hearing this doctrine, that there is such a corruption and filthiness in your natures, the next thought you should have about it should be, I am indeed thus from my birth ; oh when shall I begin to purge myself ? And it being a corruption of thy nature, a filthiness of flesh and spirit, as
it is called, 2 Cor. vii. 1, which sticks both in soul and body, seated princi
pally in the heart, out of which all defiled things come, therefore, I say, be sure the thing thou principally labourest to cleanse be thy heart and thy natural disposition. It is a folly to purge the streams of thy life, and ne
glect the fountain whence all springs. Cleanse that which is within, says our Saviour Christ, and then that which is without will be clean also, Mat.
* Thou blind pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also. Take a sow and cleanse her from her mire without, yet her swinish disposition remaining, she cannot be said to be clean, but a filthy creature still, because it is her nature again and again to wallow in the mire, 2 Pet. ii. 22. There are a gene ration of men purge themselves from the grosser filth of outward evils, and think that is enough ; but let them consider that this corruption is inherent
xxiii. 26.
in their natures, and though their outward mire be washed off, and they leave gross sins, yet they may be filthy swine still ; and therefore Solomon
says, There are a generation that are pure in their own eyes, who are not washed from their filthiness, Prov. xxx. 12. Cleansed they were from
something others are defiled with, how else could they be clean in their own eyes, as gross sinners are not ? but yet their original corruption and
filthy natures still remaining, from which they were not washed, they are not clean.
But you will say, If it be my nature, how can I be purged of it ? I answer, it is not the substance of thy nature, but a corrupt defilement
cleaves to it ; for in the phrase of purging there is implied a separation of
70 AN UNREGENERATE MAN S GUILTINESS BEFORE GOD, [BOOK II.
some filthiness from something that is good, for that which is nothing but
naughtiness and filthiness cannot be said to be purged ; for as election is out of a mass refused, so purging from a mass that is good ; and so all the things which this phrase is drawn from and alludes unto implies thus much, as the
purging out of leaven, 1 Cor. v. 7. The leaven is one thing, and the sub stance of the dough another, which is good
: so that allusion, Mai. iii. 3, 4, And he shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver : and he shall purify the sons of Levi, and purge them as gold and silver, that they may offer unto the Lord an offering in righteousness. Then shall the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord, as in the days of old, and as in former
years. There is something which is naught mingled with what is good, dross with the substance of gold, and the purging is the severing of these two ; and as the gold hath a fceces mingled with it, which it hath from its
original as it comes out of the womb of the earth, so the nature and sub stance of man hath, since the fall, a dross and inherent defilement, which is
mingled and incorporated with the soul. I may say so without absurdity, for it is a body of sin and death : Rom. vii. 24,
* wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver me from the body of this death ? Now, therefore, this
purging is not the taking away of any of the substance, or what is created by God in the soul, but only the defilement. The purges which physicians
give carry away something that is good with the bad humours, and the fire that consumes the dross causeth some of the gold to perish, and therefore, 1 Peter i. 7, faith is said to be much more precious than gold which perish-
eth, when it is tried in the fire, for some of the gold perisheth, but not a shred or grain of thy faith ; and so this purging takes nothing away but only the corruption, not a jot of the substance which God created perisheth
: Isa.
xxvii. 9, By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged ; and this
is all the fruit to take away his sin ; when he maketh all the stones of the
altar as chalk-stones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and images shall not stand up. The prophet speaks of this purging, which I now exhort to, as it is wrought by affliction : by this shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged ; and this is all the fruit to take away the sin, that is, all it takes away im
pairs not the substance of thy soul ; so that when I say it is a purging of thy nature, my meaning is, it is a severing the corruption which now is in thee
by nature from the substance of thy soul, which God made. I exhort you to purge out nothing else ; for, my brethren, you have a substance made by God, endued with natural faculties, all which are good, and sin is the spoil and corruption of them, as the dross is the spoil of the gold and silver, if it be not severed from it, as ill humours are the spoil and corruption of the
body, if they be not severed from it and purged out. And therefore that should be a motive to you, to purge yourselves from this filth, because it is
the spoil of that which is good in thee. God loseth a creature, a noble
creature, by reason of it, and this is an argument Christ useth, Lake xi. 39,
40, why they should wash their hearts as well as their cups, Did not God, that made that which is without, make that which is within also? namely, their hearts. Their hearts were of God s making, and it is the corruption which spoils the creature that God made, and destroys it. Now, therefore,
purge yourselves, and wash your hearts as well as your cups ; for why shouldst thou suffer that which is naught to spoil that which is good in thee
for want of purging it out ? Thou hast a good wit, it may be, which God hath made ; a wisdom and a large understanding. Is it not pity it should be spoiled ? Why, thou art born with a corruption cleaving to it, which, if thou severest it not, will be the spoil of it that it shall be good for nothing,
but, as silver when the dross is in it, is fit to make nothing of, but crum-
CHAP. V.] IN RESPECT OF SIN AND PUNISHMENT. 71
bles and breaks." Titus i. 15, he having said that men s minds and con
sciences are denied, he adds, ver. 16, that they are reprobate to every good work ; and therefore now God shall be forced to reject them, and to destroy the creature that he hath made, if thou wilt not purge out thy defilement from thee. Jer. vi. 80, when he laboured to purge them and they would
* Reprobate silver shall men call them, for the Lord hath
not, it is said,
rejected them. Though there was a substance which was good in them, which God might regard as his creature, yet, their dross remaining, he could have no use of them ; they being reprobate in themselves to every good work, God would reject them also : as a vessel which a man cannot get the filth out of he dasheth against the walls and breaks : 2 Tim. ii. 21, There are
vessels of honour, and vessels of dishonour ; if a man purge himself, he
shall be a vessel unto honour, sanctified, and meet for the master s use, and
prepared to every good work.
Observe, first, that there are vessels of several sorts, and the clay and
fashion is from God, the potter. Now, how come some to be vessels of dis
honour, that is, of damnation, and wrath, and confusion of face ; some of honour and glory, namely, salvation ? for so honour is taken, Rom. ii. 10. Why, says the apostle, if a man purge himself, then he shall become a vessel of honour, for all have a defilement in them by nature, none become vessels
of honour but those that purge themselves ; and why ? Because none else can God employ in that honourable employment of his service, for so a man be comes sanctified and meet for his master s use. God cannot use the other about his business, no more than you can do with an unclean vessel to drink
in, and so he is fain to lay you aside as vessels wherein he hath no pleasure : Hosea viii. 8,
* Israel is swallowed up: now shall they be among the Gentiles
as a vessel wherein is no pleasure ; and not only so, but to break you in
pieces like a potter s vessel, Ps. ii. 9, so that unless you mean to lose all
that is good in you, aud lose God a creature, purge yourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit. Only be sure to make thorough work ; and above all, endeavour to purge corruption out of thy heart and nature, as well
as out of thy actions, for, take what pains thou wilt to purge thyself from
gross actions, thou shalt still be reckoned a filthy person, as one that hath no part in Christ : John xiii. 8, If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. Thou art but an outside, as civil men be who purge themselves from
adultery, &c., but within are full of uncleanness, &c.
* Jerusalem, says God, Jer. iv. 14,
* wash thy heart. How long shall thy vain thoughts lodge within thee ? Not thy hands only, and the outward converse, but thy heart and the evil thoughts must be purged ; and therefore says David, Ps.
Ii. 7, Create a clean heart within me. Apprehending his corruption, it would not content him to be kept clean from wallowing any more in un
cleanness, but he rests not till his heart be washed from the defilement he
left behind in it, and from those unclean fancies, the impression of that sin renewed in him day by day. And therein lies the difference of hypocrites and believers, the foolish and wise virgins, as they are called, Mat. xxv. 2.
Virgins they are both called, as keeping themselves undefiled from some cor
ruptions and adulterous practices which others are given to. And so virgin is used in opposition to the Romish whore : Rev. xiv. 4, These are they which were not defiled with women ; for they are virgins. These are they which follow the Lamb whithersoever he goeth. These were redeemed from among men, being the first fruits unto God and to the Lamb. Only the wise virgins purify their hearts as well as their hands ; but the foolish, though
virgins in regard of being clear from common whorings and adulteries of the
world, yet their hearts were unclean within, their folly lying in this, that
? S GUILTINESS BEFORE GOD, [BOOK II.
72 AN UNREGENEEATE MAN
they purged the streams and not the fountains, which is a vain and foolish labour ; so therefore Christ calls pharisees fools : Luke xi. 40,
* Ye fools, did not he that made that which is without make that which is within also ? And therefore you shall find that difference between true believers and tem
poraries in 2 Peter i. 4, Whereby are given unto us exceeding great and
: that by these ye might be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. And 2 Peter ii. 20, For if after they have escaped the pollutions of the world
precious promises
through the knowledge of the Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ, they are again entangled therein, and overcome, the latter end is worse than the beginning. There is a riddance in both of defilement, but the one is said barely to
escape pollution, ra. ^lacf^ara, the other corruption through lust ; the one
inward, the other outward, the mire external only, for so 2 Peter ii. 22 in
terprets it, comparing them to swine ; but the other are cleared from internal
pollutions, for, on the contrary, they are to be partakers of a divine nature.
Obj. But you will say, How shall I get this corruption out, seeing it is in my nature ? Jer. xiii. 23, Can a blackmoor change his skin ? This is my
skin, the natural dye which I brought with me into the world ; or, Can a
leopard change his spots ? Though they be but spots, yet how shall I be
able to get them out ?
Ans. I indeed confess there is nothing in nature can do it ; there is no
creature, that is simply a creature, can do it. A toad cannot empty itself of
poison, because it is incorporated into it, so neither canst thou empty thyself of sin because it is incorporated into thee ; it is blended in thy nature, and
there is nothing but that which is contrary can expel a contrary. Now, there
is nothing contrary to sin in thee ; yea, there is no creature can do it for
thee : Jer. ii. 22, Though thou wash thyself with nitre, and take much
soap, yet thine iniquity is marked before thee, &c. Take all the soap in
the world, such as you use to wash your clothes with, and it will not do it ;
yea, take all your legal sacrifices with which they did use to purge and ex
piate sin, and it will not do it : Heb. x. 1-4, For the law having a shadow
of good things to come, and not the very image of the things, can never with
those sacrifices which they offered year by year continually make the comers
thereunto perfect. For then would they not have ceased to be offered ? be
cause that the worshippers once purged should have had no more conscience
of sins. But in those sacrifices there is a remembrance again made of sins
every year. For it is not possible that the blood of bulls and of goats should
take away sins. There the apostle saith, sacrifices could not purchase sin,
for if they could (saith he) they would not have been offered every year, but would have ceased, because they that were once purged should have no more
conscience of sin ; and therefore (he saith) it was impossible that the blood
of bulls and goats should take away sin, yea, if all the world had been
offered for a sacrifice it could not have done it. Again, the law of God
could never do it (though this be a help to our nature), yet it could not
purge sin ; it might indeed break us all to pieces, it might bray thee as in a
mortar, and yet thou wouldst be a fool still, thy folly would not depart from
thee, Prov. xxvii. 22. Therefore, Rom. viii. 7, where, having spoken of this
corruption in the former chapter, he saith the law could not free a man from
it, in that it is weak through the flesh. All this will not fetch corruption out,
as if you should take wheat and beat it to pieces in a mortar, yet it would
continue to be wheat still though it were broken ; so, though the law might break thee to pieces, yet thy corruption would still remain in thee. What way, then, is there to purge it ? You shall see in the next words : Bom. viii. 3, when * the law could not do it, God sent his Son. God sent
CHAP. V.] IN RESPECT OF SIN AND PUNISHMENT. 73
one from heaven on purpose to come down to do this office here upon earth, to be a refiner, to purge men from their sins, Mai. iii. 3. Jesus Christ hath
his work here upon earth ; and as men have their several employments, so hath Christ his, to purge and purify men from sin. And there is not one
of this employment in heaven and earth but he, and those that he purifieth are the sons of Levi, all Christians, who are by him made kings and
priests unto God the Father, Rev. i. 6 ; and these he purgeth, and fetcheth
the dross away, that they may offer to the Lord offerings of righleousness, and acceptable sacrifices. Therefore, if you would be purged, and have your dross fetched off, here is a refiner, and here is fuller s soap, Mai. iii. 2.
Bring hither therefore your filthy souls, he can purge them ; there is nothing else can do it, for it is his proper business ; he was sent of purpose to do it. As if you would have some great work done, that never a man in England can do it, ypu would send for a tradesman beyond sea ; yea, even when
there was not one upon earth could do it, God sent to heaven for his Son
to come down to purge away sin.
Obj. But how doth he do it ? Am. He doth it, first, by his blood ; there was nothing else could do it.
It is that which purges your consciences from dead works : as Heb. xi. 14, How much more shall the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without spot to God, purge your conscience from dead works to serve the living God ? There is in every part of our nature a mass of cor
ruption, a bundle of folly, Prov. xv. 22. But how shall that be got out ? See 1 John iii. 8, it is said there, that Christ appeared
* to destroy, to untie
* the works of the devil. He is the fountain opened for a separation of sin and uncleanness, Zech. xiii. 1, to purge and purify the sons of men, and it
is his blood that doth all this.
Again, secondly, this power he communicated by his Spirit. When this
refiner, Mai. iii, 2, and the fuller s soap, that is, his Spirit, does join, then such a man is purified indeed; therefore the Holy Ghost is compared to fire, which purgeth the heart from all the dross which we brought with us into the world. He is this fuller s soap, and there isjaone like it in the world ; and if the Spirit seize upon the heart once, he will purify it thoroughly. Therefore do you as David did
c ; when he saw he could not do it of himself, he went to God for the assistance of his Spirit
: Purge me, Lord, saith
he, Ps. li. 7. So, 1 Peter i. 2, this work is attributed to the Spirit. In 1 Peter i. 22, Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.
Thirdly, The Spirit is conveyed to us in the word ; therefore the apostle, 1 Peter i. 22, they had purified their souls in obeying the truth. If thou wouldst be pure in heart, be frequent in the word ; therefore our Saviour
saith, You are clean through the word that I have spoken to you ; for the
Spirit goes with the word, and that washes and purifies the heart. But you must be sure you obey it then ; therefore it is said, they purified their hearts in obeying the truth. It is not enough to hear a sermon, but you must eat it down, take in what it commands, and then it will purge your heart. Ps. cxix. 9,
* Wherewith shall a young man cleanse his ways ? By ruling himself according to thy word. Take the word and digest it, squeeze the juice of it into thy heart, and it will purge thee from all contrary cor
ruption.
Fourthly, Of all parts in the word, the promises have the most virtue in them, they do purge most of all : 2 Peter i. 4,
* Whereby are given to us
exceeding great and precious promises : that by these ye might be partakers
74 AN UNREGENERATE MAN*S GUILTINESS BEFORE GOD, [BOOK II.
of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is ip. the world
through lust; 2 Cor. vii. 1, Having therefore these promises, dearly beloved, let us cleanse ourselves from all filthiness of the flesh and spirit,
perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Do but thoroughly drink down the
promises, and they will purge thy heart.
Fifthly, God giveth power to some graces to do it, As, I, faith is a special means to purge thy heart, Acts xv. 9, for it brings home the promises so to thy heart, as it is purged by them ; as when a man comes to consider of his privileges, that he is the son of God in Christ, 2 Cor. vi. 18, and also considering, that if he be the son of God, then he must be like him. Now knowing that God is pure, this makes him labour
by all means to purge himself; so likewise when the soul considers, I have a new husband, now I am married unto Christ, and therefore I must labour
to be pure. So likewise when the soul by faith considers, I am now the
temple of God, and he walks in it, and therefore I must not make it a den of
thieves : 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20, What ! know ye not that your body is the
temple of the Holy Ghost which is in you, which ye have of God, and ye are not your own ? For ye are bought with a price
: therefore glorify God
in your body, and your spirit, which are God s. And indeed, holiness becomes his house for ever, Ps. xciii. 5.
2. The Lord gives his power to hope: 1 John iii. 2, He that hath this
hope purifies himself. So that, hast thou a hope ever to come to heaven ? Then thou wilt fall to washing and scouring of thy nature. By this you see how you may be pure
: go to Christ, bathe in his blood, pray for the Spirit, obey the word, squeeze out the juice of the promises, and these will be
excellent helps to purge your hearts.
And there are certain times when this is to be done.
Especially, 1, young men they should do it : How shall a young man
cleanse his ways .? Ps. cxix. 9 ; Remember thy Creator in the days of thy
youth, Eccles. xii. 1. God speaks not to old men, there is not such a place to them in all the Scripture where God saith so to them ; therefore set about
the work betimes, and take the best opportunity. It is good to purge the
body in the spring, it is good to purge the kingdom in the spring of a king s
reign, and it is good to purge the heart in the spring of thy youth, before
old age come upon thee.
2. Again, when God stirs thy heart at the hearing of the word, or with a
good motion of his Spirit, then it is good purging. They say it is good purg
ing in a rainy day, because then the humours are stirring, and they will go away the easier. Now there are times, Ezek. xxiv. 13, when God comes to
purge you. Oh then do you fall a cleansing of yourselves ; for God would then purge you, would you but join with him. Yet it is the Spirit that must indeed do it after all : 1 Peter i. 22,
* Seeing ye have purified your souls in obeying the truth through the Spirit unto unfeigned love of the
brethren, see that ye love one another with a pure heart fervently.
Ohj. But what is it to purge yourselves ? Ans. It implies three things.
First, To loose thy heart from sin. As if you would purge a cloth, you
steep it in the water to loosen the defilement of it ; if you would purge
silver, you put it into the fire to loosen the dross from it ; if you would
purge the chaff from the wheat, you thresh it first, that you may loosen it ; so if you would purge sin, you must labour to loosen it from the heart ; therefore it is said, that Christ came for this purpose: Zech. xiii. 1,
* In that
day there shall be a fountain opened to the house of David, and to the
inhabitants of Jerusalem, for sin and for uncleanness. Christ was to come
ClIAP. V.] IN RESPECT OF SIN AND PUNISHMENT. 75
to work a separation from sin and uncleanness ;~tbou wast bound up in the band of iniquity, and Christ came forth to loose the band, and to untie thee
from it, when it was incorporated into thee : 1 John iii. 8, He that com-
mitteth sin is of the devil ; for the devil sinneth from the beginning. For
this purpose the Son of God was manifested, that he might destroy the works of the devil. He came to untie the band, and to destroy the works
of the devil.
Secondly, Purging implies a taking away of the dross"; for it is but a folly to put the gold into fire, if you let the dross lie upon it and keil it again ; it
is but a folly to thresh the wheat, if you do not winnow and fan it, and
thoroughly purge the floor. Even so you must do in this ; you must purge out the corruption, for this is all the fruit of purifying, to take away the
sin : Isa. xxvii. 9, By this therefore shall the iniquity of Jacob be purged ; and this is all the fruit to take away his sin ; when he maketh all the stones
of the altar as chalk-stones that are beaten in sunder, the groves and the
image shall not stand up. This is to purge yourselves from sin, to lay it
aside, as it is James i. 21, Wherefore, lay apart all filthiness and super
fluity of naughtiness, and receive with meekness the engrafted word, which
is able to save your souls. For it is but an excrement ; if naughtiness could have an excrement, sin should be it. And there is this scum in you which must be boiled out, Ezek. xxiv. 11, 12 ; you must not let it boil in
again, but you must fetch it out; even as merchants do in boiling and scum
ming of new wines, so must you, when the scum of your corruptions rise, you must purge it out.
Thirdly, You being purged, you must keep yourselves pure from the pol lutions of the world, and not so much as touch the unclean thing
: 2 Cor.
* Wherefore, come out from among them, and be ye separate, saith
vi. 17,
the Lord, and touch not the unclean thing ; and I will receive you. And
being once purged, you must walk carefully, even as a man walking in a
miry lane, that you do not spatter yourselves again. John xvii. 15, I
pray not that thou shouldst take them out of the world, but that thou
shouldst keep them from the evil. 1 John v. 18, We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not ; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not. Thou hast put on thy clothes, and washed thy feet, and wilt thou wallow in the mire again ?
Obj. But how shall I get it loosened and purged, and what shall I do to
keep it clean ? Am. To get it loosened,
First, Get a dislike of sin. As if we would loosen two friends that are
knit together in a common bond of friendship, the only way is to get a dislike
of one another, and then they will soon part. So to loosen sin, get an ill
opinion of it ; which that you may, consider what the word speaks against
it, and think of sin as it speaks of it, and it is able to engender in thee an ill opinion of sin ; therefore hear the word much, read it much, digest
it much.
Secondly, Humble thyself much for sin, get thy heart broken and melted;
for it is said of Joshua, that when he humbled himself, his heart melted at
the word. Now, when you put gold into the fire, when it is melted, you may easily take the dross from it. So you may deal with your corruptions : James iv. 8, Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you. Cleanse
your hands, ye sinners; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. But how shall they so do ? Verse 9, Be afflicted, and mourn, and weep : let
your laughter be turned to mourning, and your joy to heaviness.
Again, that you may purge sin. The special means is, to labour to
76 AN UNREGENERATE MAN^S GUILTINESS BEFORE GOD, [BOOK II.
strengthen the inward man ; for there is in every man vis ejectiva, an expul sive faculty, to expel and purge out corruptions. Now, what is the reason that any man dies, but only because this power is not strong enough to cast out the deadly humours ? Even so to purge out sin, thou must strengthen the inward man, labour to get grace, as faith, joy, hope, to strengthen and make the inward man more lively ; for sin is but an outward man, an excre ment which the inward man will soon shake off, and purge it out, even as nature doth a scab ; for all grace purgeth the heart, and maketh it to cast out corruption, therefore labour to purge it out. Use 2. When thou hast purged out thy sins, keep thyself clean. I have read a story of a fuller and a collier, and as fast as the fuller purge;! his
cloth the collier fouled it again, because they lived both in one house. Even
so is it with us, by reason of the nearness of the flesh, and the regenerate part in us, and therefore it is the harder to keep ourselves clean. But that thou mayest,
First, Keep thyself from evil thoughts, for they defile the man : Mat. xv.
* But those things which proceed out of the mouth come forth from the heart; and they defile the man. For out of the heart proceed evil
18-20,
thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies
: these are the things which defile a man : but to eat with unwashen hands
defile tk not a man. The more thou entertainest these thoughts, the more
thy heart will be corrupted.
Secondly, Keep thyself from evil speeches, because evil words corrupt good manners, 1 Cor. xv. 33. Thou canst not gargle them in thy mouth, but some of them will go down.
Thirdly, Take heed of ill company, for that will defile the man. In the time of the law, if a living man touched a dead man, he was unclean. Take heed therefore of conversing with dead men, for it will defile thee ; as when thou hast prayed, and taken pains with thy heart, and brought it into some
good frame, when thou comest into ill company, they will cool thee again.
Fourthly, Take heed of all occasions of evil abuse of things lawful, even
they also will make thee impure, because it is a means to draw out the im
* Unto the
purity of thy heart; therefore if thou be defiled, as Titus i. 15,
: but unto them that are defiled and unbelieving is
pure all things are pure
nothing pure; but even their mind and conscience is defiled. Then all
those things that draw out the corruption of thy heart, though they be things
lawful, yet use them not, for often by lawful recreations men gather defile
ment, even as a man by telling of money defileth his hands with it. And also, to stir you up to this duty, consider these motives :
1. Unless thou purge thyself, thou hast no part in Christ: John xiii. 8, Peter saith unto him, Thou shalt never wash my feet. Jesus answered him,
If I wash thee not, thou hast no part with me. If Christ have not washed
thy heart, thou hast no part in him. Christ was made fit to loose sin in us, therefore if sin be not dissolved in thee, thou hast no part in him.
2. This purging distinguisheth a godly man from an hypocrite. An hypo
crite washeth the outward man : Prov. xxx. 12, Though they are pure in
their own eyes, yet they are not washed from their filthiness. But now a
child of God washeth his heart; therefore if thou wilt have comfort by this
distinction, labour to purge thyself, and to get the core of sin out.
3. Without this thou shalt never see God : Ps. xxiv. 3, 4, Who shall
ascend into the hill of the Lord ? and who shall stand in his holy place ? He that hath clean hands, and a pure heart ; who hath not lift up his soul unto vanity, nor sworn deceitfully; only he that hath clean hands, and a
pure heart, shall be received into God s tabernacle. Now, thou art impure,
CHAP. V.] IN RESPECT OF SIN AND PUNISHMENT. 77
and dost thou think ever to come to God ? No ; God will have no such come
to him.
4. For outward blessings, till thou purge thyself, God will not many times bestow them upon thee. It may be God hath a heart to do it, but thou
hast an impure heart, and therefore canst not receive them: Ps. Ixxiii. 1,
* God is good only to such as have clean hearts. He knows if he should
give thee outward blessings they would defile thee. I will shut up all there
fore with that exhortation, James iv. 8, Draw nigh to God, and he will draw
nigh to you. Cleanse your hands, ye sinners ; and purify your hearts, ye double-minded. God will never draw nigh unto you unless you purge
yourselves. But how shall we do it ? He tells you in the next verse, Be
afflicted, and mourn. Go to Christ, bring faith with you ; go to Christ, and
desire him to purge thee; labour to drink down the word deep into thy soul, and this will be a means to purge thy heart; and for all this thou wilt not be clean. Mark, with what God concludes all the Scriptures, He that is
filthy, let him be filthy still, Rev. xxii. 11. As if he had said, Go and see what will come of it, see who will have the worst of it ; but this know, that when God comes to purge thee, and thou wilt not, he will never strive to
purge thee more : Jer. vi. 30, God would have purged them, and they would
not ; therefore reprobate silver shall men call them, because the Lord hath
rejected them; and then thou wilt be found at last to be a vessel of wrath, and so wilt be dashed in pieces. Therefore think this seriously with your selves : If I be found in my natural defilement, not purged, the Lord will dash me to pieces, and I shall never be found a vessel of honour fit for my Master s use. Therefore labour to be earnest to be in Christ, that purify
ing virtue may go out from him, and thou mayest bring forth fruit in him : John xv. 2,
* Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away; and
every branch that beareth fruit he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more
fruit. And then God will purge thee ; and the more thou drawest to Christ, the more purging thou shalt have, and the more God will cut off the old branches of sin in thee.
Use 3. If this corruption be not only a misery befallen our nature, but
also truly and properly in itself a sin, then let me exhort you, in a true and
thorough sense of it, not only to cry out and complain of it (as men use to do of miseries), but in an especial manner to humble yourselves for it, when
you come into God s presence.
1. I say, to be truly and thoroughly sensible of it ; for otherwise you can neither truly complain of it as a misery, nor be humbled for it as a sin, of which corruption and distemper of nature yet the most men have been and are (like men in a mortal and deadly sickness) insensible. So far were some of the Stoics and heathens of old, and atheists of these times, from thinking
it a misery, as consequenter nature vivere was with themfoelicitatisjinem attin-
gere, to live according to nature was to attain the end of happiness, like brute
"beasts, following the swing of nature and corrupt reason, as the truest guide
to happiness ; whence haply it was that some in the primitive times thought fornication and uncleanness could be no sin (because it was an action so
agreeable to nature), no more than in beasts, which do according to their kind. And indeed where nothing but nature itself sat/he judge upon itself, we need not wonder at so favourable a sentence. But in those among us Christians who have had the true glass of God s word to discover the de
formity and depravation of their natures unto them, I do much more wonder to hear them bolster themselves, and lay the foundation of their hopes for heaven in the goodness and sweetness of their natures, smoothness and
ingenuousness of their dispositions ; yea, and that so far as to put it into
78 AN UNKEGENERATE MAN S GUILTINESS BEFORE GOD, [BOOK II.
the balance against the exorbitancies and gross enormities of their lives,
thinking their actual sins will not damn them, their inclinations being so
good and towardly.
Others, if further convinced, so as not to justify themselves by the false
supposed goodness of it, yet so as at least to excuse themselves by the bad ness of it, which they are forced to acknowledge, laying all upon the devil and their natures ; it is their natural inclination and disposition to do so, and we are all flesh and blood, and what other can be expected of them ? This is their talk; so far are and were all these sorts of men from laying it
to heart and being truly sensible of it. Better shall it fare with those more
ingenuous heathens, who were not only sensible of this disease of nature, but
complained of it as a woful misery. So Tully, lib. ii. de Rep., as quoted by Augustine, lib. iv. contra Julian.* laments the miserable condition of mankind,
Quern natura noverca in lucem edidit, corpore nudo, fragili, infirmo, ammo ad
molestias anxio, ad timores hwnili, ad labores debili, ad libidines proclivi, in
quo divinus ignis sit obrutus, ingenium et mores. But yet all this acknow
ledgment ended in a mere complaint, and that not in particular so much,
bewailing it in themselves (which only humbles), but in the general, as the common condition ; neither, indeed, was it so much an humble complaint of
this misery, as a proud expostulation and upbraiding of nature, that is, the God of nature, as a stepfather, for making them so as they thought ; which acknowledgment, though it might humble them in regard of their car
riage one towards another, as considering they were subject to the like miseries other men were, yet it brought them not upon their knees for it
before God, but flushed them rather against him ; and therefore com
plain they did (as Titus Vespasian f when dying), that the frame of nature should so soon be dissolved by death (God s sergeant and executioner), not
considering that it was originally set wrong, not by God, but their own de
fault, and so went continually wrong, insomuch that God was provoked to break the workmanship that he had made, considering it would not be mended.
Others among us Christians there are acknowledge it not only a misery, and themselves miserable men in particular in regard of it, but also humbly acknowledge it before God, as a misery that not he, but they in their first
fathers have brought upon themselves ; so as, indeed, their natures are
justly thus corrupted, and therefore humbly sue to him for pity and deliver
ance, as beggars do to those that are able to help them, as maimed persons do to a physician.
Use 4. But yet, my brethren, in the fourth place, that which I am to ex hort you to is not only to be thus particularly sensible of it, and so to com
plain of it, and that not only as a misery that is justly befallen you, as the
just debt of the first sin you are guilty of, but further than all this, to lay it
to heart as a sin, and accordingly to humble yourselves before it as low as
hell, with a heart broken, confounded, and a mouth put in the" dust ; for it is one thing so far to be humbled for it, as a man that hath brought himself
into misery, and so laments himself, and so sues out to God for help and
pity, or as a wounded patient doth to the physician, and another thing to be humbled before God for it, as a traitor before his prince, or a guilty person before his judge, so as to acknowledge that, though that cursed root of
* See the Citation afore in Book I.
f Deinde ad primam statim mansionem febrim nactus cum inde lectica transfer-
retur, suspexisse dicitur dimotis plagulis coelum, multumque conquaestus, eripi sibi vitam immerenti : neque enim extare ullum suum factura poeiiitendum excepto dun-
taxat uno. Suetonius in Vita Titi Vesp. c. 10.
CHAP. V.] IN RESPECT OF SIN AND PUNISHMENT. 79
original corruption had never sprouted forth into actual sin, yet it, and him
self for it, did deserve to be stubbed up, and to be cast into hell, merely because it was naturally so poisoned and embittered, and envenomed with
such dispositions as are truly sinful and hateful in God s most holy and all-
seeing eye.
Now thus to humble a man s soul for it contains four things in it.
1. To be particularly sensible of the evil and misery of it, for no affection
stirs to anything, be it good or evil, till we apprehend it so ; as not love, so
not grief, and sensible we must be of it. This particularly, not barely as the common condition of all mankind, for that keeps men rather off from
humbling themselves. We think ourselves to be the more excused, as from
thankfulness for mercies others have a share in, so from the guilt of sins which are common to others. Therefore, I say, a man must be particularly sensible of it, that though all the world complain not of these wounds and
festered sores we brought into the world with us, yet let us lay them open before the throne of God from day to day, as if no man else in the world had the like bad nature to ours.
2. To be humbled requires such a sensible acknowledgment and laying open of this misery as to have a man s mouth stopped, and nothing to say for one s self by way of excuse how it befell us ; and therefore that to be
truly humbled is expressed by being confounded, and not able to open the mouth any more : Ezek. xvi. 63, That thou mayest remember, and be con
founded, and never open thy mouth any more, because of thy shame, when
I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God. The heathens, therefore, though sensible of it, were not humbled for it, be cause they complained of nature for bringing them forth so ; and indeed, if we apprehend we are fallen into misery, and not through our own default, we think we deserve pity and help, and complain of those that afford it not. But to be humbled is not simply to be sensible of and complain of a misery, and to seek and cry out for help, but to complain of ourselves, through whose default it is befallen us, and that justly. And then the creature be
gins to be humbled before God, for then, though God be of a pitiful nature and ready to help, yet our misery being befallen us by our own default, we then apprehend him not bound by the laws of pity to succour us, but that he may justly say, You may thank yourselves for it. Now, all must confess
their original depravation as a thing befallen them, wherein they have no
thing to say by way of excuse ; and though, indeed, none can help it or avoid
it (for we are born so), yet it comes by our default, sinning in Adam ; and therefore the apostle, Rom. iii. 19, speaking of the general depravation of the natures and lives of all mankind, as there he expressly out of Ps. xiv. doth, from ver. 10 to 19 ; says he, ver. 19,
* that every mouth may be stopped, have nothing to say, Why, I am thus unrighteous, and that there is no fear of God before my eyes.
But yet, 3, this is not all ; for simply to acknowledge a misery which needs
pity, delivering us from it, suppose befallen us justly, doth not thoroughly humble or bring the creature low enough before God, as now it ought to be. But when the creature shall come in and acknowledge this corruption, not
only a misery but also a sin, and that therefore he needs not only pity, be cause this befell him through his own default, but that he deserves wrath instead of mercy, as being his sin, that it is not only deservedly befallen him by reason of the guilt of Adam s sin that he cannot rid himself out
of, but also that in itself it deserves a worse misery, eternal death. And thus also should all mankind humble themselves before God for this corrup tion : Bom. iii. 19,
* Now we know that what things soever the law saith,
80 AN UNREGENERA.TE MAN*S GUILTINESS BEFORE GOD, [BOOK II.
it saith to them who are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God. All the world, in regard of a natural righteousness spoken of before, even children and all ; all the world must become guilty, that is, in their own acknowledgment, before God, not only have their mouths stopped (if it were a misery so they might be), but also that they are guilty, that is, as signifies in the original, subject to
the wrath and judgment of God. Therefore, Eph. ii. 3, speaking of that
natural corruption brought by nature, he says, By nature we were the chil dren of wrath, that is, by reason of the corruption of our natures, which he
there speaks of ; for, as Whitaker well observes, he brings it after he had described the corruption in their lives in the former words, as the cause whence that sprung. And having spoken of both in ver. 1 in general, in
these words, dead in trespasses, that is, sins actual deserving death, and in
sins, namely, of natural corruption, 1, he shews particularly the trespasses of
the lives, ver. 2, 3 ; and, 2, adds the other part of their sinfulness, which was the cause of the corruption of their natures. They were by nature the
children of wrath ; that is, not only deserving wrath in regard of their lives, but also of their very natures ; for to be a child of wrath is to deserve wrath, as Judas is called
* the child of perdition, John xvii. 12.
4. But in that true and kind humiliation which I exhort you to, there is
a fourth thing required, not simply to judge and acknowledge a man s self
subject to wrath for the sin, but to look on a man s self with loathing and
detestation for it ; for you shall find humbling a man s self so expressed :
* They shall loathe themselves for their sins, Ezek. xxxvi. 31. Were this
corruption simply a misery that had befallen them, though justly, yet if it were no more, one would not loathe himself for it, no, no more than a man doth his own flesh, though full of boils and diseases. Pie hates not his
ilesh, because he looks on those diseases as a misery only befallen it ; neither to be humbled, for it is merely to apprehend that wrath due to it
as to a sin, for that may be, where no love of God is, out of self-love; but to humble thyself for it, is to look upon this disease, and even to hate thy own self for it, to look upon it as God doth, not only as a thing that deserves his wrath, but which he abominates, cannot endure to have any communion with, as contrary to him and his law; and so now to look on
thyself for it with the same eye, to account thyself not only a guilty person, but a filthy, loathsome, abominable, vile person, contrary to God as a crea
ture, which, if God would not, thou couldst find in thy heart to destroy. And thus Job humbled himself for the corruption of his nature, Job xlii. 6, having seen, ver. 5, the holiness of God s nature :
* Now mine eye hath seen
thee, says he ; and then reflecting his eye upon himself, his filthy nature, he abhorred himself; for in regard of this corruption, a man is not only a miserable person in God s eye, Bom. vii. 24,
* Oh wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver me from the body of this death ? and so he is the object of pity, but man is a sinful creature, and so an object of wrath, Eph. ii. 3,
: Job xv. 16, How much more abominable and
yea, an abominable person
filthy is man, which drinketh iniquity like water ? He is the object of
hatred and loathing ; he speaks there of man in regard of original native
corruption ; for, ver. 14, he saith, What is man, that he should be clean ; and he which is born of a woman, that he should be righteous ?
And now to press this on you, having shewn what it is to humble your selves for it. If you have cause thus to humble yourselves, loathe and abhor yourselves for anything, then much more for the corruption of your nature. Single out the grossest sin that ever thou hast committed, which hath brought thee lowest on thy knees, and hath cost thee most sighs and
CHAP. V.] IN RESPECT OF SIN AND PUNISHMENT. 81
sobs, which thou hast drenched and watered with most tears, and compare
it but with the evil disposition of thy heart and nature, which was the root
that cursed fruit grew on ; and whereas thou hast bestowed a thousand tears on the one, thou hast cause to shed millions of tears for this, and to wish indeed that thy head were a fountain of tears, Jer. ix. 1, to weep day and
* fountain of sin, that casts out filth both day and night, Jer. vi. 7.
night, because thy heart is a
Consider, 1, that actual sin was but a bud sprung from this root; that the cause, this gross sin but the effect ; the grossest sin that ever thou
committedst, simply considered, is but the effect of thine inbred corruption. But this is not all ; I may add, compare it with many, I dare not say all, thy gross sins, simply considered, as fruits out of this root and stalk they grew on, and thou hast as much cause to be humbled for the badness of thy nature as for them : though indeed thou shouldst do well to put both
together, and humble thy soul for thy actual sins the more, because they are the offspring of so cursed and hateful a mother ; and for the corruption of thy nature, because it is the mother of so cursed a brood. And if thou
sayest, Why, but my actual sins are infinite in number, surpassing my knowledge, more than the sands ; so is the wickedness of thy heart and nature past thy knowledge
* The heart is deceitful, and despe
: Jer. xvii. 9,
: who can know it ? an abounding depth, which thou canst never guage the bottom of.
rately wicked above all things
And that thou mayest see this to be true, view it, 1st, in the general nature of it ; and 2dly, in the particular parts of it.
First, In the general ; consider, 1. That it is the root, yea, the mother of all those thy actual sins, the womb from whence they sprang, and where they were conceived. The
* When lust hath conceived, it
apostle rips up the womb of it when he says,
brings forth sin, James i. 15. Though temptation and occasion may be the midwife to help to bring sin forth, yet this is the mother ; and therefore, Gal. v. 19, 20, he says that adultery, fornication, &c., all that cursed cata
logue he there musters up, he says they are the fruits of the flesh, that is, of inherent, native corruption ; that is the root, these the fruits. So Christ
also calls it the evil treasure, out of which all sins are brought, the treasure or mine whence they are all taken : Mat. xii. 35,
* And an evil man out of the evil treasure bringeth forth evil things. Not that they are ready minted, but in the ore or bullion, as it were ; yet so as no sin is brought forth that hath not its materials there, for it is brought forth out of that
treasury. And if it be thus the mother-root and treasury of all sin, have
you not cause to be humbled for it as much, as simply for all other sins ? Doth not Paul set out the foulness of the love of money, by calling it the root of all evil ? 1 Tim. vi. 10. Is not this much more odious, that it is the root, as of all other, so of covetousness itself; that bitter root spoken of, Heb. xii. 15, that bears all the gall and wormwood that grows up in our
lives ? Take any poisoned root, and you will find the least piece of it hath
as much strength of poison in it as all the leaves and branches. Of every
action, yea, of all actions, it may be said, thou bearest not the root, but this root bears thee. The sea hath more waters in it than all the rivers that come from it, and infinitely more dirt at the bottom of it than it casts forth. Now unto this doth Isaiah compare original sin in comparison to actual :
Isa. Ivii. 20, But the wicked are like the troubled sea, when it cannot rest, whose waters cast up mire and dirt.
And if it be the mother, then as the devil is therefore called that wicked VOL. x. F
82 AN UNREGENERATE MAN S GUILTINESS BEFORE GOD, [BOOK II.
one, xar sgo^v, John viii. 34, because he is the father of sins, all sins
being called his works, 1 John iii. 8, there, in a higher demonstration, the
great blame will be cast upon the mother of all sin, by how much it is more near and intimate (as to our hearts), the cause thereof, nourishing, breeding, cherishing of them more than Satan doth. As Eome being the mother of
fornication, all nations being drunk with her cup, and therefore shall be rewarded double : Rev. viii. 24, In her are found all the blood of the slain ;
yea, and the souls of men ; so shall this sin be arraigned at the latter day to have been the great whore and mother of fornication, in whom shall be found all the sins that ever thou didst commit. Yea, as Christ to his glory shall present himself, and say, Lo, here I am, and the children thou hast
given me, so at that day, after that all thy sins have been set in order before thee, as Ps. 1. 20, then shall this great beldame be brought in with all her blood ; and then cursed shall be the womb that bare them, and those
lusts which as paps did give them suck.
A mother it is, that conceives and brings forth often, yea, without a father, which other mothers cannot ; so as the devil shall not need, neither doth he indeed tempt us to every sin we commit. This womb is never barren, but
fruitful of itself; neither is it the mother of all only by succession, or alone
lineal descent, as Adam is accounted the father of all mankind, and Eve the mother of all living ; but every sin comes immediately out of the loins of this mother. David lays his adultery and murder upon his being born in sin.
It is the great traitor, that hath a hand in every treason to the end of the world ; though I confess it is much more increased, and the treasury is
enlarged by custom in sinning ; yet so, as Paul says, when any sin is com
mitted, it is that sin that dwells within him that doth it, even this inherent
* Now if I do that I would not, it is no more I
corruption : Bom. vii. 20,
that do it, but sin that dwelleth in me. And though indeed God punisheth often one sin with another (as Stapleton objects), yet so as still this is the
sin by which and for which we arc so punished, the immediate cause of both ; and inclines us as well to that sin which is the punishment, as it had done
to that other sin for which this punishment is inflicted ; only God, in letting out corrupt nature, observes a method, broacheth one after another, but this
sin inclines us alike immediately unto all.
But, 2, this is not all thou art to consider in it for the humbling of thee.
It hath not only been actually the cause of all the sins thou hast committed, but virtually, and radically, and potentially, it is the seminal root of millions
more, even of all manner of sin, which thou never actedst, God restraining
thee, so as thou hast seen the least part of the villany of it. And indeed it
is causa universalis malorum, the universal cause of all evils, even as God is
of all good, not only because he is the cause of all the good that is, but because he is potentially the cause of millions of worlds which lie in his
power to create ; so this potentially is the cause of new worlds of sins. So, though it can act but one sin at a time, yet potentially it would and might incline thee to any other sin, and might hale to contrary lusts at once, so as when we sin there is still more in nature than can be acted. Therefore, Mat. xii. 34, a man that is wicked is said to speak out of the abundance of
the heart, which argues there is still more in the heart an abundance there which the mouth speaks not ; so actual sin is brought out of that treasury, ver. 35, and there is far more store in the treasury and warehouse than
brought out into the shop. Yea, I say, look not only on thine own sins, but
go out into the world and view all kinds of sins ever acted (as indeed the
lives of men have been a comment on this text), spoken of Rom. i. What
ever the word forbids they are all in thee virtually, for the sin of thy nature
CHAP. V.] IN KESPECT OF SIN AND PUNISHMENT. 83
would be the like cause of them all. For as when he wondered that Saul
prophesied, one that stood by said, Yea, but who is the father of them?
1 Sam. x. 11, 12. His meaning was, wonder not at him, but consider that
it is God who is the father of the prophets, who is able to make these stones
to prophesy. So do I say, when thou seest so many villanies that thou
never committedst, I ask, but who is the mother of them ? Even the same
original corruption that is in the sect.* So as multi Marii in uno C&sare, so
multi Juda in uno peccato. As there are many Caius Mariuses in one Ca3sar, so there are many Judases in one sin, that sin of thy nature. But a pair of
shears went betwixt thy nature and theirs. If the sins in the world be not
enough to inform thee, go down to hell ; this sin is the image of the devils,
they are but wild ones, we are tame by God s restraint, yet both of the same
kind.
Use 5. If it be so, that every man, by the corruption of his nature, is in
* watch and pray that you fall not into temptation, Mark xiv. 38. For if thou hadst but one lust, viz., love of money, then
clined to all sin, then
shouldst thou, as the apostle speaks, have temptations enow, even many foolish and hurtful lusts : 1 Tim. vi. 9, 10, But they that will be rich fall
into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root
of all evil : which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows. Now, it will be much more so when thou art addicted to all lusts. My brethren, the world is full
of snares, and men walk upon them. To some men their table is a snare, to others credit, lust, &c., and therefore no wonder if men fall into tempta tion and a snare. It is said sin compasseth men about, Heb. xii. 1, so
that, let a man go which way he will, sin will be sure to meet with him : yea, whatsoever we put our hands to, recreation, meats, &c., they are all defiled
whilst the heart is denied, and thy corruption runs out to every creature thou usest. The heart dasheth against no object, but thy lusts, like sparks of fire out of a torch struck against a post, do in multitudes fly out. There
fore, trust not thine heart ; fear in all thy ways lest sin meet thee. There
fore, watch in prayer, for thine heart hath a thousand chinks for flies to come
in at. Take heed in good company that thou be not presumptuous, and in bad company that thou be not scandalous. In prosperity take heed lest thy heart be full, and thou deny God, and in adversity lest thy heart run out
into unlawful courses. When thou art at a feast put thy knife to thy throat,
&c., Prov. xxiii. 2. If thou walk in the street, make a covenant with thine
eyes, lest lusts steal in, Job xxxi. 1, for lusts are apt to be drawn out in
every one of these things. In a word, watch in all things, as 2 Tim. iv. 5 ; keep thy heart up as thou wouldst do a man given to company from his old
companions: if he get but out, he then flies out into all excess. So will thy heart, there will be no stopping of it. Keep it up, and let it not slip the
collar, for thou wilt not easily get it in again. Pray also to the Lord not to
give thee up to temptation, for thou being filled with all unrighteousness, if God do but take away his hand from the hole, there is no lust but will be
apt to leak out. Labour also to get all grace stamped upon your hearts, as you have all sin there ; and arm yourselves with resolution against every sin, as 1 Peter v. 9, for he that hath no rule over his spirit is like a city without
walls, any temptation may break in. And if a breach be made, mend up the wall again as soon as you can, for it is as the breach of waters which is not easily stopped. And if you would not fall into sin, be still in the exercise of some grace, and then, saith the apostle, you shall never fall.
* Qu. thyself ? ED.
84 AN UNREGENERATE MAN S GUILTINESS BEFORE GOD, [BOOK II.
Use 6. If it be so that there are the seeds of all sin in us, then you that have light take heed that you do not sin against the Holy Ghost. The Gen
tiles indeed are not capable of it ; but you that have the Spirit of God mov
ing your hearts in the word, that have received the knowledge of the truth, take heed lest you sin willingly
: Heb. x. 26, 27, For if we sin wilfully after
that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more
sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery in
dignation, which shall devour the adversaries. Which is the sin that David
: Ps. xix. 13, Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins : let them not have dominion over me. He calls it the great offence, a sin greater than presumptuous sins, for against them he had prayed in the words afore. And doubtless where the gospel is much preached, and many are converted to Christ, many fall into this sin, and more do than we think
prays against
of. Therefore, you that are of younger years, whom God deals with, and
convinceth you of his ways, of the truth of them, and of the sincerity of the
gospel, take heed how you resist these motions, for though this resisting be
not the sin against the Holy Ghost, yet it is a fearful step to it. And know
this, when God comes to thy bedside morning and evening, talks with thee,
persuades thee of the truth and goodness of the ways of grace, and thou
refusest, thou sinnest against the Holy Ghost, though thou dost not commit
that sin which we usually call the sin against the Holy Ghost ; but such sins
are a step to it. Take heed also how thou speakest against the people of God, contrary to
thy own knowledge and conscience, for those dogs that will out of wanton
ness fall upon sheep, when they have tasted their blood, will kill them in
earnest. So there is many a man that will begin to speak against the people of God for some other end at first, but at last God may give them up to the
malice of their own hearts ; and so thou dost not only run into inevitable
danger, but there is the sorest punishment of all other belongs to thee : How much sorer punishment, &c., Heb. x. 29, and therefore it is said, Mat. xxi.
40, 44, The Lord will come and miserably destroy those wicked men ; and
ver. 44, Whosoever shall fall on that stone shall be broken ; that is, ordi
nary sinners that rush against Christ shall be broken by him ; but on whom
this stone shall fall, that is, he that shall out of malice sin against Christ (for that sin is nothing else but revenge against God, that is the form of it),
* he
shall grind them to powder. As if a glass fall upon a stone, it will be broken, but if a rock fall upon it, it will grind it to powder. I speak not to discourage any ; but as the apostle, fearing lest some would be discouraged at the de
livery of this doctrine, said, Heb. vi. 9, so say I, We are persuaded better
things of you, and things that accompany salvation, though we thus speak.