A cloud of faithful witnesses, leading to the heavenly Canaan, or, A commentary upon…A cloud of faithfull witnesses, leading to the heauenly Canaan, or, A commentarie vpon…

Secondly, hence we learn, that till a man be called, and his person justified and sanctified, all that ever he doth is sin. 1. His common actions, his eating, drinking, sleeping, walking, talking, are all sins. Yea 2. The works of his calling, & his labour in the same, though never so just, equal, and upright. 3. Further, his civill actions, namely the practice of civill virtues: his outward gravity, meekness, sobriety, temperance, quietness, uprightness, and all outward conformity, are all sins. Yea more then all this, his best actions, namely his practicing of the parts of Gods worship, or his deeds of charity, his prayer, his hearing the word, his receiving the sacraments, his giving of alms; they are all sins unto him, if he have not a believing and penitent heart: yea such sins as shall condemn h•m, if he had no other. Object. This should seem strange divinity, that the most holy actions, as prayer, &c. should be damnable sins. I answer, they are in themselves holy and good, and as far forth as God hath commanded them; yet in the doer they are sins, because he doth them from a foul & unholy heart: for the same action may be holy in it self and in regard of God the author of it, and yet a sin in him that is the doer of it. As clear water, pure in the fountain, is corrupted or poisoned by running through a filthy and polluted channel; so are even the best actions, sins: as even the preaching of the word to a minister, whose heart is not cleansed by faith, and his person accepted of God; it is a sin unto him, and (if he repent not) shall be his condemnation. Cain sinned not only in hating and murdering his brother, in lying and dissembling with God; but Cain sinned also even in offering sacrifice. And Abel's sacrifice had been a damnable sin, but that his person was justified before ⟨p. 52⟩God. And the reason of all this is good: for nothing in the work is able to make an action acceptable to God, but only the acceptation of the person by Christ. This being so, it stands us every one in hand to look to our selves; and to labour above all things for faith and repentance: that so our persons may be accepted righteous before God, and thereby our actions accepted also. If it be a miserable thing, that all thy actions, even holy actions should be sins, then labour to be justified;

Secondly, hence we learne, that till a man bee called, and his person iustified and sanctified, all that euer hee doth is sinne. 1. His common actions, his eating, drinking, sleeping, walking, talking, are all sinnes. Yea 2. The workes of his calling, & his labor in the same, though neuer so iust, equal, and vpright. 3. Further, his ciuill actions, namely the practice of ciuill vertues: his outward grauitie, meekenesse, sobrietie, temperance, quietnesse, vprightnesse, and all outward conformitie, are all sinnes. Yea more then all this, his best actions, namely his practicing of the parts of Gods worship, or his deeds of charitie, his praier, his hearing the word, his receiuing the sacraments, his giuing of almes; they are all sinnes vnto him, if hee haue not a belieuing and penitent heart: yea such sinnes as shall condemne hm, if hee had no other. Obiect. This should seeme strange diuinity, that the most holy actions, as praier, &c. should be damnable sinnes. I answer, they are in themselues holy and good, and as farre forth as God hath commanded them; yet in the doer they are sinnes, because hee doth them from a fowle & vnholy heart: for the same action may be holy in it selfe and in regard of God the author of it, and yet a sin in him that is the doer of it. As cleere water, pure in the fountaine, is corrupted or poisoned by running through a filthy and polluted channell; so are euen the best actions, sinnes: as euen the preaching of the word to a minister, whose heart is not cleansed by faith, and his person accepted of God; it is a sin vnto him, and (if he repent not) shall be his condemnation. Cain sinned not onely in hating and murthering his brother, in lying and dissembling with God; but Cain sinned also euen in offering sacrifice. And Abels sacrifice had beene a damnable sinne, but that his person was iustified before