Human nature in its fourfold state ... In several practical discourses

Evid. 2. How easily are men led aside to sin! The children, who are not persuaded to good; are otherways simple ones; easily wrought upon; those whom the word cannot draw to holiness, are led by Satan at his pleasure. Profane Esau, that cunning man, Gen. xxv. 27. was as easily cheated of the blessing, as if he had been a fool or an idiot. The more natural a thing is, it is the more easy: so Christ's yoke is easy to the saints, in so far as they are partakers of the divine nature: and sin is easy to the unrenewed man; but to learn to do good, as difficult as for the Ethiopian to change his skin; because the will naturally hangs towards evil; but is averse to good. A child can cause a round thing to run, while he cannot move a square thing of the same weight; for the roundness makes it fit for motion, so that it goes with a touch. Even so, when men find the hear easily carried towards sin, while it is as a dead weight in the way of holiness; we must bring the reason of this from the natural set and disposition of the heart, whereby it is prone and bent to evil. Were man's will naturally, but in an equal balance to good and evil, the one might be embraced with as little difficulty as the other; but experience testifies, it is not so. In the sacred history of the Israelites, especially in the book of Judges, how often do we find them forsaking JEHOVAH, the mighty GOD, and doting upon the idols of the nations about them? But did ever one of these nations grow sound of Israel's GOD, and forsake their own idols? No, no; tho' man is naturally given to changes, it is but from evil to evil, not from evil to good, Jer. ii 10, 11. Hath a nation changed their gods, which yet are no gods? But my people have changed their glory, for that which doth not profit. Surely the will of man stands not in equal balance, but has a cast to the wrong side.

Evid. 2. How easily are men led aside to sin! The children, who are not persuaded to good; are otherways simple ones; easily wrought upon; those whom the word cannot draw to holiness, are led by Satan at his pleasure. Profane Esau, that cunning man, Gen. xxv. 27. was as easily cheated of the blessing, as if he had been a fool or an ideot. The more natural a thing is, it is the more easy: so Christ's yoke is easy to the saints, in so far as they are partakers of the divine nature: and sin is easy to the unrenewed man; but to learn to do good, as difficult as for the Ethi•pian to change his skin; because the will naturally hangs towards evil; but is averse to good. A child can cause a round thing to run, while he cannot move a square thing of the same weight; for the roundness makes it fit for motion, so that it goes with a touch. Even so, when men find the heare easily carried towards sin, while it is as a dead weight in the way of holiness; we must bring the reason of this from the natural set and disposition of the heart, whereby it is prone and bent to evil. Were man's will naturally, but in an equal balance to good and evil, the one might be embraced with as little difficulty as the other; but experience testifies, it is not so. In the sacred history of the Israelites, especially in the book of Judges, how often do we find them forsaking JEHOVAH, the mighty GOD, and doting upon the idols of the nations about them? But did ever one of these nations grow sond of Israel's GOD, and forsake their own idols? No, no; tho' man is naturally given to changes, it is but from evil to evil, not from evil to good, Jer. ii 10, 11. Hath a nation changed their gods, which yet are no gods? But my pople have changed their glory, for that which doth not profit. Surely the will of man stands not in equal balance, but has a cast to the wrong side.