and an utter unaptness and inability to do any thing (that in the true judgement and estimation of God, who only can judge aright in this case), is, or may be termed good, as answerable to his law. In his soul and body there lies the spawn of all wickedness: of Atheism, of pride, of unbelief, of hypocrisy, of rebellion, of impatience, of hatred and contempt of God, and of his word, of indevotion, of profaneness, of ambition, of wrath, of filthiness, of worldliness, of arrogance, of self-conceitedness, of murders, of whoredoms, of thefts, of perjuries, and whatsoever thing besides, is hateful to God, and contrary to his most holy law. He is wholly darkness, wholly flesh, wholly and totally opposite to the living God; to whose law, he neither is subject, nor will, nor can be, till he be cast into an other, and a fairer mould, by the working of his spirit. Such a thing as this (my brethren), even just such a thing and none other, is a man, even every man; such an one am I, are you, are all, and each of all, the sons of Adam, that have been, are, or ⟨p. 9⟩shall be, and that universally, without any exception, as witnesseth the Prophet, saying,1 They are all gone out of the way, they are all become unprofitable, there is none that doth good, no not one. All these words, and more then all these, or all that can be spoken by us, falls far short, of a full description of mans natural sinfulness. For if the tongue it self (one poor and little member) may well be entitled,2 (as it is entitled by the pen of S. James) a world of wickedness; then alas, how many, and how great worlds of wickedness, are included in this one little world of man? Now how should so foul, so unclean, so polluted a creature, set his foot within the portal of heaven? How should such an heap of hellish lusts, and devilish vices, be received into that happy palace, and holy mansion place, of Saints, and Angels? What was the reason that the devil could not tarry in heaven, having once been there? was it not because he had infected himself with sin?
and an vtter vnaptnesse and inability to doe any thing (that in the true iudgement and estimation of God, who onely can iudge aright in this case), is, or may bee termed good, as answerable to his law. In his soule and body there lies the spawne of all wickednesse: of Atheisme, of pride, of vnbeleefe, of hypocrisie, of rebellion, of impatiencie, of hatred and contempt of God, and of his word, of indeuotion, of prophannesse, of ambition, of wrath, of filthinesse, of worldlinesse, of arrogancie, of selfe-conceitednesse, of murthers, of whoredomes, of thefts, of periuries, and whatsoeuer thing besides, is hatefull to God, and contrary to his most holy law. He is wholly darknesse, wholly flesh, wholly and totally opposite to the liuing God; to whose law, hee neither is subiect, nor will, nor can be, till he be cast into an other, and a fairer mould, by the working of his spirit. Such a thing as this (my brethren), euen iust such a thing and none other, is a man, euen euery man; such an one am I, are you, are all, and each of all, the sonnes of Adam, that haue been, are, or ⟨p. 9⟩shall be, and that vniuersally, without any exception, as witnesseth the Prophet, saying,1 They are all gone out of the way, they are all become vnprofitable, there is none that doth good, no not one. All these words, and more then all these, or all that can be spoken by vs, falls farre short, of a full description of mans naturall sinfulnes. For if the tongue it selfe (one poore and little member) may well be intitled,2 (as it is intitled by the pen of S. Iames) a world of wickednesse; then alas, how many, and how great worlds of wickednesse, are included in this one little world of man? Now how should so foule, so vncleane, so polluted a creature, set his foote within the portall of heauen? How should such an heape of hellish lusts, and diuellish vices, bee receiued into that happie palace, and holy mansion place, of Saints, and Angels? What was the reason that the diuell could not tarie in heauen, hauing once been there? was it not because he had infected himselfe with sinne?
- 1Psal. 14.
- 2Jam. 3.6.Iam. 3.6.
