Aggravation of sin and sinning against knowledge. Mercy. Delivered in several sermons upon divers…Aggravation of sinne and sinning against knowledge. Mercie. Delivered in severall sermons upon divers…

Which first it hath debased the soul of man, the noblest creature under heaven, and highest allied, made to be a companion fit for God himself, but sin hath stripped it of its first native excellency, as it did Reuben, Gen. 49. 41. debased the soul more worth than all the world, as Christ himself saith, that only went to the ⟨p. 3⟩price of it: yet sin hath made it a drudge and slave to every creature it was made to rule: therefore the Prodigal as a type is said to serve swine, and feed on husks, so as every vanity masters it. Therefore we find in Scripture, that men are said to be servants to wine, Tit. 2. 3. servants to riches, and divers lusts, &c.

Which first it hath debased the soule of man, the noblest creature under heaven, and highest allyed, made to be a companion fit for God himselfe, but sinne hath stript it of its first native excellency, as it did Reuben, Gen. 49. 41. debased the soule more worth than all the world, as Christ himselfe saith, that onely went to the ⟨p. 3⟩price of it: yet sinne hath made it a drudge and slave to every creature it was made to rule: therefore the Prodigall as a type is said to serve swine, and feed on huskes, so as every vanity masters it. Therefore we find in Scripture, that men are said to be servants to wine, Tit. 2. 3. servants to riches, and divers lusts, &c.

And hence it is that shame attends upon it, Rom. 6. 21. Now shame ariseth out of an apprehension of some excellency debased: and by how much the excellency is greater, by so much is the shame the greater, and therefore unutterable confusion will one day befall sinners: because sin is the debasement of an unvaluable excellency.