Chapter IV
What are the aggravations of our sinful lusts. They make us fit and ready for any sin. They are eager, greedy, and insatiate.
Having explained the essential parts of this aberration of our inclinations and desires, it remains that I shew the aggravations of inordinacy in these
several parts, which are necessarily to be added to them, to make the aKa-ri, and aberration more fully appear. The aggravations of their sinfulness, in
regard of the first part, aversion from God, being treated of before, when I
discovered that contrariety and enmity which is in our natures to God, I
will omit it here, and come to those which are proper to the second, viz. conversion to other things, and what is evil, which indeed is the first of the
positive part of our sinfulness by nature.
Now, the aggravation of the inordinacy of our inclinations, in regard of
their conversion to what is evil, is expressed in these degrees of it.
First, The first and lowest, and indeed least positive, evil that lust adds to our nature is, that in all the faculties and powers of the soul and body, there
is a fitness to be instrumental, and employed about what is evil, rather than what is good, and therefore are they called members of the body of sin :
Col. iii. 5, Mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; for
nication, uncleanness, &c. And they are also called weapons or instruments
* Let not sin therefore
of unrighteousness to obey lusts : Rom. vi. 12, 13,
reign in your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof :
neither yield ye your members as instruments of unrighteousness unto sin. Now, that which differenceth one member from another, is a fitness or
disposition to be employed about something that another is not, as the eye, that it is a fit organ for the soul to see with ; the hand, which is ogyavov
ogydvuv, to apprehend and lay hold with ; which several fitness ariseth from a
several fashion that is in them. And so also one weapon differs from another
weapon or instrument, by reason it hath some peculiar fitness to be used in some employment, because of the fashion given, which another wanting is
298 AN UNREGENERATE MAN*S GUILTINESS BEFORE GOD, [BOOK VIII.
unfit for such an use, as a sword to fight with, a shield to defend with. And therefore Aristotle said, that an instrument is tv vgog sv, it hath a
peculiar fitness for some one thing. Now, then, when the apostle calls the
faculties of soul and body, members of the body of sin, and weapons of
unrighteousness, it implies that there is a peculiar fitness in them to be used
in any unrighteous practice, and that if they be but drawn out and wielded,
they are fit instruments for sin, and for nothing else ; that as grace moulds and casts our souls and faculties into such a fashion, that all are fit weapons for righteousness, sin doth so mould them, that they are fit instruments only for what is evil : Rom. vi. 17, But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin ; but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you. He calls it VVKOC, bida-^s, tig ov KapzdoQqre,
* into which ye were delivered; so in the original, and in the margin. It was as a mould they were cast into, as vessels are, and so received such a fashion, as
they were fit instruments for righteousness, ver. 13, and 2 Tim. ii. 21, made
vessels meet for the Master s use, and prepared for every good work. So now our nature having been cast in old Adam s mould into his image, 1 Cor. xv. 49, we are shaped and formed in iniquity, as our translation reads that in Ps. li. 5, and so made fit for all iniquity, and reprobate, and unfit for
every good work. That as a spade hath a fitness in it to dig in the earth, but is unfit to cut meat with, or the like honourable employment; so are all our inclinations and dispositions earthly members, Col. iii. 5, as being fit to be used in earthly and sinful employments, but unfit for heavenly. As there
fore David compares his tongue to the pen of a ready writer, in regard of
fitness and preparedness to indite holy and good things, Ps. xlv. 1, to run
nimbly and fairly as a well-made pen, so a wicked man s tongue he
compares (for the fitness of it for mischief, to wound others in their good name) to a sharp and keen razor : Ps. Iii. 2, Thy tongue deviseth mis
chiefs ; like a sharp razor, working deceitfully. So he speaks of Doeg s
tongue, in regard of the fitness of it to abuse men, by detracting from, and
cutting off what is an ornament to a man, as hair is, Ezek. xiv. 7. Now, that which is said of the tongue is true of the rest of the members.
Secondly, The second degree of the heinousness of these lusts is, that in them all there is an active readiness to what is evil, which is a farther degree, and more than simply an instrumental fitness to be used and acted ; for
euperadded to this there is a lively principle, a quicksilver activeness and readiness to what is evil. Acts xiii. 10, And said, full of all subtilty and
all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord ? It is said of Elymas, that he was full of all readiness to work evil ; so it is ^expressly in the
original, paduvoyiag, and in the fore-named place, Rom. vi. 18, they are not
only called weapons of unrighteousness, but servants also, ready to act what
is enjoined them upon all occasions, that always stand readily appointed to
stir upon the least watchword given. Yea, and St Paul says, Rom. vii. 18,
* For I know that in me (that is, in my flesh) dwelleth no good thing
: for
to will is present with me ; but how to perform that which is good I find
not. Evil was present with him, even at his elbow, still offering its service ; so evil our inclinations are, still pushing themselves forward, when any evil
is to be done, like unto that spirit, 1 Kings xxii. 21, when Ahab was to be
tempted, one comes and says, 1 will persuade him, And so, Rom. iii. 15, our feet are said to be swift to shed blood, ready to run, and that swiftly
too, upon oppression s errand, or murder s errand; but when any good is to be done, we are slow of heart,* Luke xxiv. 25, and need goads to prick us on to it. When we are exhorted to any good, our ears are dull of hearing
CHAP. IV.] IN RESPECT OF SIN AND PUNISHMENT. 299
Heb. v. 11, Of whom we have many things to say, and hard to be uttered,
seeing ye are dull of hearing. Mat. xiii. 15, For this people s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, &c. The word is wOgoi, i.e.
which are heavy, and so they are opposed to such as are swift of hearing, James i. 19.
Thirdly, A third aggravation^ their aberration is, that there is in them
not only an active readiness to sin, but a powerful prevailing injunction to
do a wicked action. Lusts do not only make all the faculties fit and ready, but with power and authority carry a man on to sin ; therefore sin is com
pared to a tyrant reigning in us, whereof the laws, in which the power of
* Let not sin therefore reign in
this tyrant lies, he calls lusts : Rom. vi. 12,
your mortal body, that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof. Let it not
reign. If you ask by what ? he tells you, that you obey it in the lusts thereof, which therefore in Rom. vii. 23 are called expressly a law of the members
carrying captive unto sin. For what is more powerful than a longing lust,
coming with a strong mandamus into the heart, and with a spring-tide that
bears all before it ? And therefore, 2 Peter ii. 14, they are said to have
eyes full of adultery, it coming in like a full sea filling all the banks, flowing into the eyes, and overflowing there, so as the man cannot cease from sin ; neither is it compared to a strong tide only, but to a strong wind also. Wicked men are as clouds carried about with a whirlwind, and as empty clouds with a tempest, Jude 12, which are carried by reason of their light ness irresistibly.
Fourthly, A fourth degree of their inordinacy is an untainted greediness of sinning, which is in our lusts also : Eph. iv. 19,
* Who being past feel
ing, have given themselves unto lasciviousness, to work all uncleanness
with greediness. They give themselves to work uncleanness, all unclean-
ness (that is, sin in general), with a crXeoi/gg/a, as desiring to have their fill,
to be stuffed with it, as the word vrKsovvxtiv implies, come with full mouth to
every act of sinning, as a thirsty man doth to drink ; so is the comparison, Dent. xxix. 19, desiring to swallow down all the pleasure that is to be had in
sin at one gulp, if it be possible. And therefore it is also said of wicked
men, Jude 11, that they go greedily after the wages of Balaam, they sz.iyj>- Qwav, that is, effundunt corda, they pour out all, which is very emphatical. And whereas the desires of grace are pure and peaceable, James iii. 18 ;
lusts do war in our members, chap. iv. 1, From whence come wars and
fightings among you ? come they not hence, even of your lusts, that war in
your members? The soul is up in arms for anything it desires; when it would have anything, it musters up all its forces, carries out an army to con
quer the Helena or Golden Fleece of our desires.
This appears, 1. In that they carry us clean against reason. Rachel s desire of chil dren was so violent, and so transported her, as against all sense she comes
to her husband arid says passionately, Give me children, or else I die, Gen. xxx. 1, whenas, poor man (as he truly answered her), it was not in his
< Am I in God s stead ? ver. 2. And so, 2 Tim. vi. 9, he that will
power
be rich is led into many foolish lusts, to do things which even reason is
against. So, how foolishly was Herod transported to promise a woman,
! Mark vi. 9.
merely for a dance, to give her the half of his kingdom
2. Their greediness appears, that if one lust Kbe not satisfied, nothing else can please us as long as that fit lasts. Rachel, when she could not have her
longing, she would in pet die in all haste, Give me children, or else I die,
though she had an husband was worth ten children to nor. And so was
it with Hainan, Esther v. 11-18 ; all the honour and riches which he pos-
300 AN UNREGENERATE MAN S GUILTINESS BEFORE GOD, [BOOK Till.
sessed would not content him, so long as he was not revenged on a poor porter that would not rise to him. So Ahab, though a king, had his stomach took away to all other delights, because that he wanted one bit, Naboth s
vineyard, which he coveted, 1 Kings xxi. 4.
3. It appears in the unseasonableness of them. Men cannot stay, but must have them satisfied immediately. Hence men make haste to be rich, Prov. xxviii. 22, so greedy are they that they would presently be at the jour ney s end of their desires. And therefore the intemperancy of princes is noted out, Eccles. x. 16, 17, that they drink not in season, but in the morn
ing, so impatient and unseasonable are their desires, like eagles that haste to the prey, as Hab. i. 8 compares them, it being a greedy bird. Whereas the desires of grace are seasonable and patient
* He that believes makes not haste.
1 And in Ps. i. 3, a godly man is compared to a tree which brings forth fruit in season.
4. It appears in that the greater the difficulty is to attain to them, the more eager we are, so as the difficulty whets our desires for it, sets a greater price upon the thing desired. Amnon fell sick, and thought it hard to do
anything to his sister, 2 Sam. xiii. 2 ; and this is noted to shew how his desire was the more whetted, by how much he thought it harder to compass, though with some hope. Let a thing seem to be concealed from us, and we
long the more earnestly to know it ; as the pulling away of the bait makes
fish greedier.
5. It appears in that nothing can tame a lust. Therefore, James iii. 7, 8, the tongue is called
* an unruly evil, which none can tame, and so more
fierce than any beast? for there is no beast but hath been tamed by the art of man ; but no reason caii tame this. Solomon, speaking of the vanity of all human knowledge, Eccles. i. 15, brings this in for one, that it cannot rectify the crookedness of a man s desires; nothing but grace can do it: James
iv. 5,6, Do ye think that the Scripture saith in vain, The spirit that dwelleth in us lusteth to envy? But he giveth more grace: wherefore he
saith, God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble.
6. Yea, the greediness is increased by all the means we use to quell it,
till God give more grace ; the more we are forbidden a thing, the more we
long after it, nitimur in vetitum. The law, which was as water to cool the heat of ill desires, forbidding them, stirred them up in Paul s heart the more : Rom. vii. 13, Was then that which is good made death unto me? God
forbid. But sin, that it might appear sin, working death in me by that which is good ; that sin by the commandment might become exceeding sin
ful. The law prohibiting, makes our lusts more violent, as water cast by smiths on their forge makes the fire burn faster, or as the wind that blows out the fire one would think, doth but spread the flame, and stir it up the more. John told Herod it was unlawful to have his brother Philip s wife, and the more he loved her ; and therefore stolen bread and waters are sweeter than others, Prov. ix. 17, because we gain it in opposition to the command.
Fifthly, The last aggravalion of the inordinacy of our lusts is unsatisfied-
ness, which I make a further degree than greediness. For the lions and
eagles, though greedy after their prey, Job ix. 25, 1 Peter v. 8, 9, where
the devil is compared to a roaring lion drinking up all at a draught, yet they are soon satisfied, and lay not up what they leave, Mat. vi. 26. But we, as we are strong of appetite, which notes our greediness, so we can never have
enough, know not to be satisfied: Isa. Ivi. 11, 12, Yea, they are greedy dogs which can never have enough, and they are shepherds that cannot
understand : they all look to their own way, every one for his gain from
CHAP. V.] IN RESPECT OF SIN AND PUNISHMENT. 301
his quarter. Come ye, say they, I will fetch wine, and we will fill ourselves with strong drink, and to-morrow shall be as this day, and much more abundant. That whereas the desires of grace are content with little, 1 Tim.
vi. 8, with meat and clothes, with but convenient food, or a stinted portion, as the word signifies, Prov. xxx. 8, so it is in the margin, an allowance such as soldiers have, or birds by them that feed them, and they crave no
more, Mat. vi. 26; the birds lay not up, only we enlarge our desires, as hell
that cannot be satisfied, Hab. ii. 5. The ambitious man heaps up in vast
fancies and desires, all nations ; and at ver. 6, the covetous man loads him
self with thick clay, takes not only what he needs, but loads himself.