A treatise of original sin ... proving that it is

How many sins, how many iniquities even like the sand on the sea-shore might come into thy mind and amaze thee, giving thee no rest, till thou hadst obtained the pardon of them? But thou art so far from this, that rather thou strivest and labourest to put them out of thy memory; If thy sins come to thy mind, presently thou divertest thy thoughts, turnest thy memory to other things; and thus as the noise of the Cart-wheel, because nearer to us, maketh us not bear the noise of thunder at that time, so other things more delightsome and pleasing, being next in our memory, we wholly forget what might turn to our salvation: Hence it is that natural men love no good conference, no reproof, no powerful preaching that may bring their sins to remembrance, but say as the woman to Elisha, 1 King. 17. 18. What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? Art thou come unto me to call my ⟨p. 261⟩sin to remembrance? So that herein our desperate pollution is seen, that we bring not our sins to our remembrance, yea we voluntarily forget them, use all the means we can, that we may never have them in our minds.

How many sinnes, how many iniquities even like the sand on the sea-shore might come into thy mind and amaze thee, giving thee no rest, till thou hadst obtained the pardon of them? But thou art so farre from this, that rather thou strivest and labourest to put them out of thy memory; If thy sinnes come to thy mind, presently thou divertest thy thoughts, turnest thy memory to other things; and thus as the noise of the Cart-wheel, because nearer to us, maketh us not bear the noise of thunder at that time, so other things more delightsome and pleasing, being next in our memory, we wholly forget what might turn to our salvation: Hence it is that natural men love no good conference, no reproof, no powerfull preaching that may bring their sinnes to remembrance, but say as the woman to Elisha, 1 King. 17. 18. What have I to do with thee, O thou man of God? Art thou come unto me to call my ⟨p. 261⟩sinne to remembrance? So that herein our desperate pollution is seen, that we bring not our sinnes to our remembrance, yea we voluntarily forget them, use all the means we can, that we may never have them in our minds.