The danger of speedy degeneracy, held forth in a sermon preached at the lecture…

3. God will surely judge you, if you corrupt your selves. You may not expect that God will spare you: Josh. 24. 19. God is an holy God: and a jealous God, he will not pardon your iniquities, nor your sins: If there were no cloud in the sky, yet it would not be long before there be a Storm. God will never grow into love with sin: He will never grow regardless of his honour, he will never repent of his Covenant, he will never grow weary of punishing a Rebellious People: it is a vain thing for People to promise themselves Prosperity in a way of Rebellion. ⟨p. 26⟩Sin will prove a moth to their Estates, and poison to their Bodies; if men harden themselves they will not prosper, Job 9. 4. Walls of brass will not be sufficient to defend a Rebellious People.

4. No man knows when you will be recovered, if you should grow more corrupt. Sometimes in the beginning of a distemper it is easily cured, but when it is grown inveterate it rejects all means. It is hard to recover us now, we find abundance of obstacles in the way, and some are discouraged; but if degeneracy should prevail more, the case will be more desperate; it is easy to grow worse and worse, but hard to grow better. When men are habituated to do evil, it is an hard lesson to learn to do well: Jer. 13. 23. How can you that are accustomed to do evil learn to do well? When much means are used in vain God speaks of a People as incurable: Jer. 13. 27. O Jerusalem, wilt thou not be made clean, when shall it once be?