Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulness of sin. The life…Three treatises of the vanity of the creature. The sinfulnesse of sinne. The life…

Thirdly, consider the great Contagion, and pestilential humour which is in this sin, which doth not only cleave unseparably to our nature, but derives venom upon every action that comes from us. For though we do not say That the good works of the Regenerate are sins, and so hateful to God (as our adversaries belie¹ and misreport us) for that were to reproach the spirit and the grace of Christ by which they are wrought: yet this we affirm constantly unto the best work that is done by the concurrence and contribution of our own faculties such a viciousness doth adhere, such stubble of ours is superinduced, as that God may justly charge ⟨p. 150⟩us for defiling the grace he gave, and for the evil which² we mix with them may turn away his eyes from his own gifts in us▪ Sin in the faculty is poison in the fountain, that sheds infection into every thing that proceeds from it. Ignorance and difficulty are two evil properties which from the fountain do in some measure diffuse themselves upon all our works. Whensoever thou art going about any good this evil will be present with thee, to derive a deadness, a damp, a dullness, an indisposedness upon all thy services, an iniquity upon thy holiest things, which thou standest in need of a priest to bear for thee, Exod. 28. 38. and to remove from thee. In the Law whatsoever an unclean person touched was unclean, though it were holy flesh; to note the evil quality of sinful nature, to stain and blemish every good work which cometh from it. This is that which in thy prayers deeds thy zeal, fervency, humiliation, self-abhorrency, thy importunity, faith, and close attention, this like an evil savour mingleth with thy sacrifice, casteth in impertinent thoughts, wrong ends, makes thee rest in the work done, and never enquire after the truth of thine own heart, or Gods blessing and success to thy services. This is it that in reading and hearing the Word throws in so much prejudice, blindness, inadvertency, security, infidelity, misapplication, misconstruction, wresting and shaping the word to our selves. This is that which in thy meditations makes thee roving and unsettled, driving to no point nor issue, running into no conclusion nor resolutions of further obedience in faith and godliness.