Twenty sermons preached at Oxford before His Majesty, and elsewhere

Now let us take these woes in pieces one after another.

1. The first woe is the polluting and defiling of the soul by sin. A thing (it may be) that we little think of; but if God once open our eyes, and show us what a black soul we have within us, and that every sin, every lustful thought, every covetous act, every sin sets a new spot and stain upon the soul, and tumbles it into a new puddle of filth, then we shall see it, and not till then; for our eyes are carnal, and we cannot see this. If once we did but see our hateful and abominable spots, that every sin tumbles us afresh into the mire: did we see what a black Devil we have within us, we would hate and abhor our selves, as Job did. It would be so foul a sight, that it would make us out of our wits, as it were, to behold it. A man that is but natural, cannot imagine, what a black Devil there is within him: But though he seeth it not, yet he that hath eyes, like as flame of fire, Rev. 1.14. seeth our stains, and spots.

1. The first woe is the polluting and defiling of the soul by sin. A thing (it may be) that we little think of; but if God once open our eyes, and shew us what a black soul we have within us, and that every sin, every lustful thought, every covetous act, every sin sets a new spot and stain upon the soul, and tumbles it into a new puddle of filth, then we shall see it, and not till then; for our eyes are carnal, and we cannot see this. If once we did but see our hateful and abominable spots, that every sin tumbles us afresh into the mire: did we see what a black Devil we have within us, we would hate and abhor our selves, as Job did. It would be so foul a sight, that it would make us out of our wits, as it were, to behold it. A man that is but natural, cannot imagine, what a black Devil there is within him: But though he seeth it not, yet he that hath eyes, like as flame of fire, Rev. 1.14. seeth our stains, and spots.