The real Christian, or, A treatise of effectual calling wherein the work of God…

Secondly, Thou fearest if thy lusts and Idol-creatures were discovered to thee as they are in themselves, thou and they should part: there is, I confess, fair probability of it; for certainly were a man throughly enlightened to see what it is to be a slave to its Justs, a vassal to the Creature, an enemy unto God, a stranger from Christ, a prisoner under the Law, a drudge to the Devil, and God an enemy to him, (which is the state of us all by Nature) no man living could bear it, but would cry out for a Redeemer presently. But is it not then a most irrational thing, that a ⟨p. 59⟩man should be loth to see these things as they are? Truth is the object of the understanding; we may say truly, Intellectus vult verum, so it is in all things but in matters of eternity, a mans own salvation; here he is content with falsehood, and afraid of truth: if a man goeth to buy Cloth or any other Commodity, he will endeavour to know the thing as it is, views it well, and gets others to help him, if his own skill be doubted; but for Sin and Creatures, in reference to a spiritual end, he doth not desire to see them as they are: it is just as if a man were bewitched with a painted Hag, he is very loth to have the paint washed off, that he should see her as she is, lest while he seeth her wrinkles and deformity, he should loath her, and cast her off. This is the case between our Souls, and Sin, and Creature; O the power of Sin! O the witchery of the Creature! How rich is that Mercy, how precious that Redemption, that delivereth us from Sin-slavery and Creature-bondage!

Secondly, Thou fearest if thy lusts and Idol-creatures were discovered to thee as they are in themselves, thou and they should part: there is, I confess, fair probability of it; for certainly were a man throughly enlightened to see what it is to be a slave to its Iusts, a vassal to the Creature, an enemy unto God, a stranger from Christ, a prisoner under the Law, a drudge to the Devil, and God an enemy to him, (which is the state of us all by Nature) no man living could bear it, but would cry out for a Redeemer presently. But is it not then a most irrational thing, that a ⟨p. 59⟩man should be loth to see these things as they are? Truth is the object of the understanding; we may say truly, Intellectus vult verum, so it is in all things but in matters of eternity, a mans own salvation; here he is content with falshood, and afraid of truth: if a man goeth to buy Cloth or any other Commodity, he will endeavour to know the thing as it is, views it well, and gets others to help him, if his own skill be doubted; but for Sin and Creatures, in reference to a spiritual end, he doth not desire to see them as they are: it is just as if a man were bewitched with a painted Hag, he is very loth to have the paint washed off, that he should see her as she is, lest while he seeth her wrinkles and deformity, he should loath her, and cast her off. This is the case between our Souls, and Sin, and Creature; O the power of Sin! O the witchery of the Creature! How rich is that Mercy, how precious that Redemption, that delivereth us from Sin-slavery and Creature-bondage!