Christ the fountain of lifeChrist the fountaine of life

And in the first place for begetting any unto grace, we rather do the quite contrary, we addict our selves to beget men to become the children of Hell, worse then our selves, Matth. 23.15. two-fold more the children of Hell; and because that may be more proper to corrupt teachers, Jeremiah speaks it of all the sons of nature, and those especially that had lived a while under the means, and were not thereby brought on to an estate of grace, those whom God had kindled some fire in their hearts, and whom he would have brought on to grace, even these; They are all grievously revolted, walking with slanders, they are brass and Iron, they are all corrupters, Jer. 6.28. He doth not say, they are all corrupted, but all corrupters; that is, such as are not only naught themselves, but they corrupt others also, they make others worse for their sakes; No man that sets his face to God-ward, but if he come among them, he is the worse for them; every man is kept off the more from goodness by their means, they do not love that men should be too forward, or too precise, nor to keep such a puling, nor such a praying; we are all by nature corrupters, Gen. 6.11. All flesh had corrupted their way; even every man had done it, every one is the worse for us that hath to do with us, if we see but any good disposition in them to be coming on in the ways of grace, we do as much as in us lies to quench, and damp, and smother them, and never rest by our good wills till we make them as ill as our selves, and harden their hearts from Gods fear; this is the true carriage of all those who are out of Christ: He that hath not the Son, he hath no life; no motion of spiritual life, no growing up in Christ, no purging out ⟨p. 169⟩of sinful uncleanness; and therefore now to apply this, conceive thus much:

And in the first place for begetting any unto grace, we rather doe the quite contrary, we addict our selves to beget men to become the children of Hell, worse then our selves, Matth. 23.15. two-fold more the children of Hell; and because that may be more proper to corrupt teachers, Jeremy speakes it of all the sonnes of nature, and those especially that had lived a while under the meanes, and were not thereby brought on to an estate of grace, those whom God had kindled some fire in their hearts, and whom he would have brought on to grace, even these; They are all grievously revolted, walking with slanders, they are brasse and Iron, they are all corrupters,