Remains of that excellent minister of Jesus Christ, Mr. Joseph Alleine being a collection…Remaines of that excellent minister of Jesus Christ, Mr. Joseph Alleine being a collection…

2. He is a useless thing. Able to do the Lord no service, Eph. 2. 1. Yea when he is recovered by grace, 'tis very poor service, that he can do for his maker. And therefore our Saviour teacheth his disciples to say they are unprofitable servants when they have done their duty. Yea we are so far from doing him any acceptable service, that we cannot but sin against him, and offend him. Now put these things together, and doth it not appear to be a wonder that God should make such account of man? Is he a vain thing, Worthless and Useless, and yet will God set his heart upon him? what a wonder is this!

2. He is a useless thing. Able to doe the Lord no service, Eph. 2. 1. Yea when he is recovered by grace, 'tis very poor service, that he can doe for his maker. And therefore our Saviour teacheth his disciples to say they are unprofitable servants when they have done their duty. Yea we are so far from doing him any acceptable service, that we cannot but sin against him, and offend him. Now put these things together, and doth it not appear to be a wonder that God should make such account of man? Is he a vain thing, Worthless and Useless, and yet will God set his heart upon him? what a wonder is this!

2. Man is a vile thing. If he were only empty of good, this were something; but now he is not only empty of all that is good, but he is full of all that is displeasing to God, Job 15. ver. 16. Man drinketh in iniquity like water. This is the condition of man, he drinketh in sin as the fish drinks in water: Sin is his proper Element. The filthy carcass lying before us is not more loathsome to us than we are to God in our sins. Man, before God in himself is like a carcass lying in its crawling worms. Now is it not strange that so vain, yea, so vile a thing as man ⟨p. 284⟩