An exposition with practical observations continued upon the thirty-fifth, thirty-sixth, and thirty-seventh chapters of…

Secondly, That man doth exceed in his transgression, or his transgression doth exceed, who sins with, or hath a very ill frame of heart in sinning. Many a good man falls into sin, and yet he hath not, as I may say, a base or wicked frame of heart in sinning, but his very sinning is, upon the matter, against his own heart, and the bent of his spirit, his heart goeth not with it. The more of the heart or will is mingled with any sin, the more exceeding sinful it is. I may say of some men (I would not be mistaken) That they do evil with a better frame of heart, than others do good; there are some that do good with very bad, yea with base hearts; The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with a wicked mind, or (as we put in the Margin) with wickedness, (Pro. 21.27.) that is, either for applause, to be seen of men, or for profit, to gain by men, or in malice, the better to compass revenge upon any man, or sort of men; under all which covers, wicked men have brought their sacrifices, that is, have appeared in the outward worship of God, or have taken up the form of godliness. And whosoever doth thus, hath a far worse frame of heart in doing good, than a good man hath in doing evil: who though he doth evil, yet he delights not in it, and closes not with it. By how much any mans heart is more taken with sin, by so much the more sinful it is.

Secondly, That man doth exceed in his transgression, or his transgression doth exceed, who sins with, or hath a very ill frame of heart in sinning. Many a good man falls into sin, and yet he hath not, as I may say, a base or wicked frame of heart in sinning, but his very sinning is, upon the matter, against his own heart, and the bent of his spirit, his heart goeth not with it. The more of the heart or will is mingled with any sin, the more exceeding sinfull it is. I may say of some men (I would not be mistaken) That they do evill with a better frame of heart, than others do good; there are some that do good with very bad, yea with base hearts; The sacrifice of the wicked is an abomination; how much more when he brings it with a wicked mind, or (as we put in the Margin) with wickedness, (Pro. 21.27.) that is, either for applause, to be seen of men, or for profit, to gain by men, or in malice, the better to compass revenge upon any man, or sort of men; under all which covers, wicked men have brought their sacrifices, that is, have appeared in the outward worship of God, or have taken up the form of godliness. And whosoever doth thus, hath a far worse frame of heart in doing good, than a good man hath in doing evil: who though he doth evil, yet he delights not in it, and closes not with it. By how much any mans heart is more taken with sin, by so much the more sinfull it is.