2. Meditate upon the filth of sin; §11not only is the guilt of Adams sin imputed, but the poison of his nature is disseminated to us. Our Virgin nature is defiled, the heart is spotted*; how then can the actions be pure? If the water be foul in the well, it cannot be clean in the bucket. Isa. 64.6. We are all as an unclean thing. We are like a Patient under the Physicians hand that hath no sound part in him, his head bruised, his liver swelled, his lungs perished, his blood inflamed, his feet gangrened. Thus is it with us before grace comes, in the mind darkness in the memory slipperiness; in the heart hardness; in the will stubbornness, from the sole of the foot, to the crown of the head there is no soundness, but wounds ⟨p. 98⟩and bruises, and putrefying sores, Isa. 1.6. A sinner befilthied with sin, is no better than a devil in mans shape*; and which is sadly to be laid to heart, the adherency of this sin. Sin is naturalized to us, the Apostle calls it [Greek or Hebrew], an encompassing sin, Heb. 12.1. a sin that will not easily be cast off. A man may as well shake off the skin of his body, as the sin of his soul; it sticks fast as the ivy to the wall. There's no shaking off this viper till death. Oh often meditate on this contagion of sin. How strong is that poison, a drop whereof is able to poison a whole sea? how venomous and malignant was that apple, a taste whereof poisoned all mankind? Meditate sadly on this. The meditation of sin would make the plumes of pride fall, if our knowledge makes us proud, we have sin enough to make us humble. The best Saint alive who is taken out of ⟨p. 99⟩the grave of sin, yet hath the smell of the grave-clothes still upon him.
2. Meditate upon the filth of sin; §11not only is the guilt of Adams sinne imputed, but the poison of his nature is disseminated to us. Our Virgin nature is defiled, the heart is spotted*; how then can the actions be pure? If the water be foule in the well, it cannot be cleane in the bucket. Isa. 64.6. We are all as an unclean thing. We are like a Patient under the Physicians hand that hath no sound part in him, his head bruised, his liver swell'd, his lungs perish'd, his blood enflam'd, his feet gangreen'd. Thus is it with us before grace comes, in the mind darknesse in the memory slipperinesse; in the heart hardnesse; in the will stubbornesse, from the sole of the foot, to the crown of the head there is no soundnesse, but wounds ⟨p. 98⟩and bruises, and putrifying sores, Isa. 1.6. A sinner befilthied with sinne, is no better than a devil in mans shape*; and which is sadly to be laid to heart, the adherency of this sinne. Sinne is naturalized to us, the Apostle calls it 〈non-Latin alphabet〉, an encompassing sinne, Heb. 12.1. a sin that will not easily be cast off. A man may as well shake off the skin of his body, as the sinne of his soul; it sticks fast as the ivy to the wall. There's no shaking off this viper till death. Oh often meditate on this contagion of sinne. How strong is that poison, a drop whereof is able to poison a whole sea? how venemous and malignant was that apple, a taste whereof poisoned all mankinde? Meditate sadly on this. The meditation of sinne would make the plumes of pride fall, if our knowledge makes us proud, we have sin enough to make us humble. The best Saint alive who is taken out of ⟨p. 99⟩the grave of sin, yet hath the smell of the grave-cloathes still upon him.
- 1Macula.
- *1 Kings 8.38.
- *[Greek or Hebrew]. Macar. hom. 11.〈non-Latin alphabet〉. Macar. hom. 11.
