Chapter III
That man s reason, which should direct him in his actions, is depraved, and
therefore misguides him.
The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt; they have
done abominable u-orks ; there is none that doth good. PSALM XIV. 1.
I have discovered unto you the folly which is in men s hearts. The next
CHAP. III.J IN KESPECT OF SIN AND PUNISHMENT. 223
which both these words and my scope (which is to go on to lay open the
corruption of man s heart by nature) presents to be spoke of, is the vain
reasonings which accompany that folly.
Now, when I speak of the vain reasonings of man s mind, understand me not to intend the reasonings or discussing and arguing of things in their
speculations, which in their speeches, and discourses, and writings they dis
cover; for these are often right and true, though yet therein there are and may be infinite errors, which the mind of man is subject to. Witness all
the errors which the most of the world are divided and carried away with, which are infinite to reckon up. Only let this in the general be said and
acknowledged, that look what errors and vain reasonings any man s mind
engenders, or is taken with, the same every man s mind would be if left to
itself, there being no more privilege to exempt or free it from being prone to any error, or false reasoning in judgment, than to any sin or error in
practice.
But I will limit myself to those false reasonings which men are led aside
by, and misguided in their practice, and in their ways and courses; for in these it is certain that every man is guided by some reasoning or other, though a false one ; and the cause of all errors in the life is some error in the heart : Ps. xcv. 10,
* Forty years long was I grieved with this generation, and said, It is a people that do err in their heart, and they have not known* my ways. It is a people do err in their hearts, for the practical understand
ing hath its reasonings as well as the speculative.
Now, all reasonings and discourses of the mind are made up of two things
1, some general principles or general axioms which the mind takes for granted, and into which all its opinions, and apprehensions, and reasonings of things may be resolved ; 2, conclusions and consequences derived and drawn out of them, and founded on them.
Answerably are those vain reasonings (whereby he is misled in his course, of which only I speak) made up, and consist of vain and erroneous principles, and unbelief of the true ones, which are the foundations of a godly course ; which principles, contrary to the true, are the grounds of all their evil courses and ways.
Secondly, They are made up of false arguments, collections, and deduc
tions, which their minds gather to themselves to strengthen them in their
evil courses and estates.
Now, as a foundation to speak of the first, I have chosen these words, as wherein you have the axle-tree whereon all wickedness is founded and turns : a fundamental error in the first principle of all piety, which is to believe there is a God, and what manner of God he is, which the fool here spoken of doth not only not believe, but there is a positive principle and grounded apprehension of the contrary, a saying in the heart there is no God.
And by the fool here spoken of is not meant some particular man only, but the psalmist s scope is to describe the general corruption in all mankind, for so he goes on : Ps. xiv. 1-3, The fool hath said in his heart, There is no God. They are corrupt ; they have done abominable works ; there is none that doth good. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are altogether become filthy ; there is none that doth
good, no, not one ; and so it is quoted by the apostle, Rom. iii. 10. And he places unbelief and error in this main principle, as the foundation of all that corruption that follows, and therefore puts it in the fore-front ; and though it be but one of those corrupt principles his mind by nature is poisoned with, yet it is a most principal and fundamental one ; for ag God
224 AN UNREGENERATE MAN*S GUILTINESS BEFORE GOD, [BOOK Y.
is the foundation, and prop, and shorer up of all being in the world, so
that there is a God is the main pillar whereon, in the heart, all religion sub
sists. And therefore these words will fitly serve as a bottom to a general discourse of that unbelief of all the first principles of godliness, and contrary false principles which are in the minds of all men, whence all errors in their
life proceed.
To this purpose the doctrine I raise is :
Obs. That there is in the hearts of all men a secret unbelief of the very
first principles of true godliness ; and not only so, but contrary sayings and
dictates of the heart, which are the foundation of all corruption in their lives.
I will both explain and prove it. I will premise but these two considera
tions to make way.
1. That as in all matters of knowledge there are always some common and general truths, which are as a few seeds of light, which, when sown and
received into the mind of them that begin to learn, do multiply in such
beginners understandings, and increase into many other notions. Thus
scholars find it in all sciences and arts they learn, that they meet with some
general truths, which virtually contain all particulars; and so also the apostle
tells you it is in the doctrines of religion, and you find it so, that there are
certain principles of the doctrine of Christ : Heb. vi. 1, Therefore, leaving the principles of the doctrine of Christ, let us go on unto perfection ; not
laying again the foundation of repentance from dead works, and of faith towards God. Now, as it is so in the matter of the knowledge of religion and the form thereof, so also in the matter of the practice and power of it. There are some general principles which, if they have true and sound root
ing in the heart and practical understanding, they do mould and frame anew, and have influence into all their actions, one of which the apostle clearly to
this purpose intimates : Heb. xi. 6, But without faith it is impossible to
please him : for he that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he
* He that will come to God ; that is, part with sin, and all the world, and all things in it, and join him
is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.
self in covenant to obey him alone in all things, there are two principles, says
he, must be riveted into his heart first, viz. 1, that God is ; 2, that he is a
rewarder of them that seek him.
This you may also see in popery and the mystery of iniquity. There are certain principles both of the doctrine and practice of it, cer
tain principles of the doctrine of antichrist and of the oracles of Satan (I call them so in opposition to those of Christ), which if admitted and acknow
ledged, you thereby at once acknowledge all particulars in popery to be
true. Those principles are two : that the church cannot err, and that theirs
is the true church ; for then all that church teacheth must be assented unto
as true.
So also in the practice of their religion, entertain but into your heart an
opinion of merit, and justification by works, &c., and it will set all in a man,
if thoroughly believed, to abound in all the practices which their religion
dictates, such power and influence hath one small principle in men s hearts
upon all their actions. But now, on the contrary, Luther, seeing the heinous-
ness of sin, and thereupon the inability of all in him to justify him, this
principle being laid and once admitted, he altered all his opinions and prac
tices : such power hath one principle laid in speculative or practical under
standing to alter a man s judgment and course. And thus now answerably
is it. In the power and practice of sinning in men s hearts and lives, for
which, though there is little reason can be brought, yet the practical under
standing wanting faith in some principles, and being poisoned secretly with
CHAP. IV.] IN KESPECT OF SIN AND PUNISHMENT. 225
the contrary, hence come all, and proceed all, the aberrations of men s hearts and lives, and into those they may be resolved. And as all kingdoms have fundamental laws, which are as the bases, and props, and pillars on which
all other laws do rest and spring, as we see ours hath, and as all states have
certain common axioms of state they guide all their counsels by, and frame and cut out all their projects unto, and which they never cross or swerve from ; so hath the kingdom of sin also fundamental principles, whence all wickedness flows, and on which the laws of sin are founded, which, when
they are once overthrown, the kingdom of sin is dissolved, so that as the foundation of all coming to God is a belief that God is, and that he is a rewarder of those that seek him, so, on the contrary, the foundation of all
departing from God is unbelief of this and such like principles. So says the
apostle : Heb. iii. 12, Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an
evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.
And, secondly, this is farther to be added, that those first and common
principles of piety and godliness come not to have interest and power in the heart till they be believed, for that is the only right and true way of appre hending them ; for they are all things not seen. For who hath seen God at
any time ? So as to be convinced fully there is a God, it must be done by
faith, so says the apostle in that place in the Hebrews, you must believe, as
that God is, so that he will reward those that seek him. You must have
faith to rivet this thoroughly in your minds, for it is a thing not seen, it is
to come ; and so that there is a judgment for wicked men is a thing not seen, but to be believed by faith.
So, then, those which are thus the first and common principles of all true
piety, are no way apprehended truly but by faith, which is, as the apostle
says, the evidence or conviction of things not seen ; and though they may be and are known without faith, yet the heart is not persuaded of them till faith comes in ; for as the principles of arts and sciences are not to be proved by reason, but are such as the mind at first propounding assents unto, for else reason would have no bottom to rest on, so these first practical active prin
ciples of piety are not apprehended by reason, neither are they evident to the mind at the first blush, for they are things not seen, and therefore if the
heart do truly assent to them, faith must be wrought, which as an optic
glass may represent them and make them visible. For who hath seen God
at any time ? And that he will reward those that seek him, and with how
great a reward, is a thing to come, not yet seen. That he will render ven
geance to all that do evil, who sees it, nay, who sees not the contrary ? For
all happens alike to all, Eccles. ix. 3, and therefore the heart of man is full
of evil. Now, therefore, though there is some knowledge of these things which may be wrought in the minds of men, yet if these principles become
active, and guide them in their lives, they must have faith to rivet and
fasten these common known truths in them : Heb. xi. 6, he must believe
that God is, &c. He must have faith to assent to that, if ever it draws his heart to him.