An exposition with practical observations continued upon the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth chapters of…An exposition with practicall observations continued upon the fifteenth, sixteenth, and seventeenth chapters of…

A carnal heart sins often: He sins, and sins, he cannot but sin,¹ it is a continual, yea a continued act; he hath never done, he is like the Drunkard that must always be tippling. Or like the covetous man, who is always having, and the more he hath the more he desires to have: Covetousness is a dry drunkenness, and drunkenness is a wet covetousness: both return often upon the same acts; and so doth every sinner naturally. He cannot cease from sin, as the Apostle Peter speaks, Every imagination ⟨p. 73⟩of the thoughts of his heart is only evil, and that continually. The cup of iniquity is never from his mouth.

A carnall heart sins often: He sins, and sins, hee cannot but sin,¹ it is a continuall, yea a continued act; he hath never done, he is like the Drunkard that must alwayes be tipling. Or like the covetous man, who is alwaies having, and the more he hath the more he desires to have: Covetousnesse is a dry drunkennesse, and drunkennesse is a wet covetousnesse: both returne often upon the same acts; and so doth every sinner naturally. He cannot cease from sin, as the Apostle Peter speakes, Every imagination ⟨p. 73⟩of the thoughts of his heart is onely evill, and that continually. The cup of iniquity is never from his mouth.

1. 1Inveteratum ac inseparabilem peccandi habitum & consuetudinem denotat.

Sixthly, To drink iniquity like water notes not only the frequency of sinning, but the abundance of sinning; they take great draughts of sin, who drink iniquity like water: Such as are accustomed to drink water (in many places it is the common drink) such, I say, drink more then men usually do of Wine, or strong drink; first, because Wine and artificial liquors are costly; but you may drink water good cheap, and none will grutch you. Secondly, Water is not strong nor vaporous, it doth not burden the brain like your heady liquors. Now though iniquity be somewhat unlike water in both these respects (for to some their sins are costly enough at present, and they will cost all very dear (except they repent of them before) at the day of reckoning; sin also flies up into the brain, and doth as much besot, as defile the soul. Now, I say, though sin be thus unlike water) yet the natural man drinks it like water, he takes in and sends out abundance of it; what cares he what it costs him, or how it besots him, neither the present distemperings of it, nor the after reckonings for it, trouble him.