A44666:455
The blessedness of the righteous discoursed from Psal. 17, 15 /The blessednesse of the righteous discoursed from Psal. 17, 15 /
The blessedness of the righteous discoursed from Psal. 17, 15 / by John Howe ...The blessednesse of the righteous discoursed from Psal. 17, 15 / by John Howe ...
printed by Sarah Griffin for Samuel Thomson, 1668
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
The wickedness of the world hath killed this love at the very root; and indisposed the nature of man to all exercises of it, either way, whether towards God, or his neighbour. It hath not only rendered man unmeet for holy communion with God; but in a great measure for civil society with one another. It hath destroyed good nature; made men false, envious, barbarous; turned the world (especially the dark places of the Earth, where the light of the Gospel shines not) into habitations of cruelty. But who sees not the enmity, and disaffection of mens hearts towards God is the more deeply rooted, and less superable evil?
The wickedness of the world hath kil'd this love at the very root; and indisposed the nature of man to all exercises of it, either way, whether towards God, or his neighbour. It hath not only rendred man unmeet for holy communion with God; but in a great measure for civil society with one another. It hath destroyed good nature; made men false, envious, barbarous; turn'd the world (especially the dark places of the Earth, where the light of the Gospel shines not) into habitations of cruelty. But who sees not the enmity, and disaffection of mens hearts towards God is the more deeply rooted, and less superable evil?
The beloved Apostle gives us a plain and sad intimation how the case is, as to this; when he reasons thus. He that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen; how can he love God, whom he hath not seen?
He argues from the less to the greater; and this is the ground upon which his argument is built: That the loving of God is a matter of greater difficulty, and from which the Spirit of m•n is more remote, then the loving of his neighbour. And he withal insinuates an account why it is so; Gods remoteness from our sense, which is indeed a cause, but no excuse. For is our so gross sensuality no sin? that nothing should affect our hearts but what we can see with our eyes? as if our sense were the only