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…

First, Sin will abide for the time of this mortal life in the most regenerate, who can say, I have made my heart clean, I am free from my sin? David had his secret sins, which made him pray; and Paul his thorn in his flesh, which made him cry out against it. To the reasons of this point before produced we may add, that God suffers our sins to dwell in us, first to magnify the glory of his mercy, that notwithstanding he be provoked every day, yet he doth still spare us. It is said in one place, ⟨p. 274⟩that when God saw that every Imagination of the¹ thoughts of mans heart was continually evil, he said, I will destroy man whom I have created from off the face of the earth; yet afterwards God said, I will not again curse the ground any more for mans sake, for the imagination ²of mans heart is evil from his youth. The places seem at first view to be contradictory to one another. But we are thus to reconcile them, After there had been a propitiatory offering made by Noah unto God upon an Altar, which was the type of Christ, it is said that God smelt a sweet savour, and resolved, I will no more curse the earth, not Because, but Although the imagination of mans heart be evil from his youth; that is, though men are so wicked that if I would Jure meo uti, take advantage to pour out again my displeasure upon them, I might do it every day, yet I will spare them notwithstanding their lusts continue in them. For we are not to understand the place as if it tended to the extenuation of original sin (as ^asome do) I will take pity upon them, Because of their natural infirmities; but only as tending to the magnifying of Gods mercy and patience, I will take pity upon them, ^bthough I might destroy them. For so the original word is elsewhere taken. Thou shalt drive out the Canaanites, Though they have iron chariots, &c.

First, Sinne will abide for the time of this mortall life in the most regenerate, who can say, I have made my heart cleane, I am free from my sinne? David had his secret sinnes, which made him pray; and Paul his thorne in his flesh, which made him cry out against it. To the reasons of this point before produc'd wee may adde, that God suffers our sinnes to dwell in us, first to magnifie the glory of his mercy, that notwithstanding he be provoked every day, yet he doth still spare us. It is said in one place,