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. /…

To apply this Point now thus opened and cleared. It serveth first for Instruction, to teach us the falseness of that Position that is in the world, That all men are sinners alike, that there is no difference between sinners in the world. When any of Gods Children come to a wicked man, a drunkard, a whoremaster, a swearer, &c. and tells him of his sin, saith he presently, we are all sinners alike, I have my vice, and you have your vice, one man hath one sin, and another man another, but sinners we are all alike. This is a damnable opinion, and a mark and brand of a wretched person. But now this Doctrine teacheth us, that howsoever it is true, that Gods people and others are all sinners, and alike by nature, yet there is a great deal of difference between Gods people that are under sin, and the unregenerate man. Indeed Gods children they are under sin, but (mark it) they are not under the dominion of sin; thou art under the dominion of sin, but they are not under that: There is the difference, we are all sinners, but we are not all alike sinners. We that are the people of God are under the guilt and power of some sins, but yet we are not under the dominion of any sin: Sin hath neither dominion over us to rule us as a Sovereign doth his subjects, nor to damn us as it shall do them that are not in Christ: But as for thee that art a carnal wretch, thou art under the dominion of sin, thou doest obey sin in ⟨p. 98⟩the lusts thereof; if sin bid thee do a thing thou doest it, and doest it withal thy heart: and so as thou art under the reign of sin, so thou art under the damnation of sin, except by faith and repentance thou cometh out of this condition Therefore learn that there is a difference between the people of God, and the men of the world: we are all under sin, but not under the dominion of sin, as the world is.

To apply this Point now thus opened and cleared. It serveth first for Instruction, to teach us the falsenesse of that Position that is in the world, That all men are sinners alike, that there is no difference between sinners in the world. When any of Gods Children come to a wicked man, a drunkard, a whoremaster, a swearer, &c. and tells him of his sin, saith he presently, we are all sinners alike, I have my vice, and you have your vice, one man hath one sin, and another man another, but sinners we are all alike. This is a damnable opinion, and a mark and brand of a wretched person. But now this Doctrine teacheth us, that howsoever it is true, that Gods people and others are all sinners, and alike by nature, yet there is a great deal of difference between Gods people that are under sin, and the unregenerate man. Indeed Gods children they are under sin, but (mark it) they are not under the dominion of sin; thou art under the dominion of sin, but they are not under that: There is the difference, we are all sinners, but we are not all alike sinners. We that are the people of God are under the guilt and power of some sins, but yet we are not under the dominion of any sin: Sin hath neither dominion over us to rule us as a Soveraign doth his subjects, nor to damn us as it shall doe them that are not in Christ: But as for thee that art a carnall wretch, thou art under the dominion of sin, thou doest obey sin in