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…

Well, if thou goest on thus to do so still, thou hast a hard heart; it argues the greatest hardness of all other; that is the second. You use not (however it comes to pass) to deal thus with the worst of men, sinner like to your selves; but to them that love you, you tender love again, Luke 6. 33. and will you deal so with God? Is it a small thing to weary men, but you must weary God also? ¹says Isaiah, 7. 13. He thought it infinitely less to abuse men than God; but you carry your selves as men, to men, but as devils towards God; herein ye have not the hearts of men in you; not principles of common humanity, whereby ye differ from beasts; The cords of love are called the cords of a man, ²Hos. 11. 6. the spirit of man breaks, melts under kindness; beasts indeed ye use to prick with goads, but the cords of a man are the cords of love; no principle being more deeply engraven in mens hearts, than this, to do good to those who do good to you, Mat. 5. 46.³ Nay, would ye had herein yet the hearts of beasts; The Ox knows his owner, the Ass his masters crib, but my people have rebelled against me. A sin so much against nature, that he calls upon those creatures, who have no more than mere nature in them, viz.⁴ the heavens to stand astonished at it. But as nature elevated by grace, riseth higher than it self; so being poisoned with sin, it is cast below it ⟨p. 40⟩self, sins against it self, and the principles which are begotten in and with it self; if it were not so, how were it possible thou shouldst hate him, who never did thee hurt? and go on to wound him, who weepeth over thee? and despise that in him most, which seeks to save thee? and load him with sins?⁵