The dead saint speaking to saints and sinners living in several treatisesThe dead saint speaking to saints and sinners living in severall treatises

Now this is the finishing, the concluding stroke; this is the last punishment, and the Greatest of all other, To give a man up to the state of sin; To say to a man, Thou that art filthy, be filthy still, and thou that art unclean, be unclean still. This he tells them in Ezek. 24.13—Because I would have washed thee, purged thee, and thou wouldst not be purged; therefore thou shalt not be purged. And so he tells the Israelites—Because you would have altars to sin; therefore altars shall be to you to sin, Hos. 8.11.

Oh! There is no sadder judgement in the world, than for a man To be given up to his own hearts lust. This sets an Eternal night of Darkness.

A Meipso me libera, Domine, saith Augustine, Good Lord deliver me from my self. You had better be given up to the lusts of men, to the malice and cruelties of blood-thirsty men; better to be given up to the utmost rage and malice of our bloody Cavaliers and Irish Rebels, than to be delivered up to Your selves, to the lusts of your own hearts. Nay, you had better to be Given up to Satan, than to be Given up to your selves, your sins.