The saints dignity and duty· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardness. /…The saints dignitie and dutie· Together with the danger of ignorance and hardnesse. /…

In a word, they that have the life of righteousness in them, they do in their hearts apprehend sin to be the greatest evil, and the most bitter thing that is in the world, whether it be a great sin or a small sin, in regard of the matter of it: whether it be a secret sin, or a public sin in regard of the circumstance: however sin may differ, yet they apprehend the greatest evil and bitterness to be in all sin; thereupon it is, that they are as truly, though not as strongly, shy of the least sin as of the greatest; of the secretest sin, as of the most public and scandalous sin. You have Saint Paul for this, Rom. 7.24. Oh wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the body of this death? The remembrance of that ⟨p. 65⟩Original corruption that was in his soul, and could never be rooted out, this made him to cry out for deliverance.

In a word, they that have the life of righteousnesse in them, they doe in their hearts apprehend sin to be the greatest evill, and the most bitter thing that is in the world, whether it be a great sin or a small sin, in regard of the matter of it: whether it be a secret sin, or a publike sin in regard of the circumstance: however sin may differ, yet they apprehend the greatest evill and bitterness to be in all sin; thereupon it is, that they are as truly, though not as strongly, shy of the least sin as of the greatest; of the secretest sin, as of the most publique and scandalous sin. You have Saint Paul for this, Rom. 7.24. Oh wretched man that I am, who shall deliver me from the bodie of this death? The remembrance of that ⟨p. 65⟩Originall corruption that was in his soul, and could never be rooted out, this made him to cry out for deliverance.

Again Fourthly: Wheresoever there is the life of righteousness, there is a discovering and discerning of the several Particulars of sin and of unrighteousness. Light it doth discover all things that are foul and are amiss; and life doth oftentimes discover weaknesses, and illness, and straightness we know discovers crookedness; so where ever there is the life of righteousness, there is a discerning of that inward contrariety of unrighteousness that is in that heart. I know that no man can discern all the evils that are in his soul, because the life of righteousness is not perfect, but imperfect in this world; but yet notwithstanding he that hath the life or righteousness, he doth in part discover every corruption in his soul; he doth see in himself the corruptions that are contrary to the whole frame of righteousness, he doth see in himself the iniquities that are the transgressions of the whole Law of God. Hence it is that the children of God are so humbled; for a child of God, one that hath the life of righteousness in him, cannot be proud, for he having a life of righteousness cometh to see the death of sin in him, and to discern in himself an universal contrariety in part to the whole Law of God. Hence it is also that they think worse of themselves then of any other, because by the life of righteousness, they discern the remnants of an universal contrariety that is in them to the whole Law of God.