Inquiry for a Suitable Return for Continued Life In and After Time of Plague, Part 2 · Section 1
SECTION I. Queſtion Firſt.Whether ungodly men do often times wax worſe and worſe?
SOme wax richer, and ſome wax better, and all men wax older, and many wax worſer. 2 Tim. 3.13. But evil men and ſeducers wax worſe and worſe; deceiving and being deceived. To encreaſe in Riches is not ſimply evil; to encreaſe in Grace is ſurely good. This increaſe is commanded: 2 Pet. 3.18. But grow in Grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jeſus Chriſt. It is commended, 1 Cor. 1.5. In every thing ye are enriched by him, in all utterance and in all knowledge. It is to be prayed for, Luk. 17.5. Lord encreaſe our faith. Col. 1.9. For this cauſe we alſo, ſince the day we heard it, do not ceaſe to pray for you, and to deſire you may be filled with the knowledge of his will, in all wiſdom and ſpiritual underſtanding. Verſ. 10. That ye may walk worthy of the Lord unto all pleaſing, being fruitfull in every good work, and increaſing in the knowledge of God. But to encreaſe in ſin, and to grow in wickedneſs, eſpecially after men have ſeen Gods diſpleaſure againſt ſin, in a waſting Plague, is an evil to be lamented, if we could, with tears of blood. When inſtead of adding grace to grace, 2 Pet. 1.5, 6, 7. they adde ſin to ſin; to Drunkenneſs they add Adultery; to Paſſion Malice, to Malice Revenge. Some men make ſuch progreſs in ſin by little and little, till (as all the little Channels meeting in one place) become a common Sewer of all filthineſs, and impiety; Sinks of ſin and naſty dunghils of all uncleanneſs.
Let me premiſe theſe ſix particulars, and I will paſs to the proof of this firſt thing,
1.Six things premiſed, for explication. That the Nature of man is wonderfully depraved, and in all men (except Chriſt) equally ſinfull. For
Firſt, All men are equally under the guilt of Adams firſt tranſgreſſion.
Secondly, All men are equally deprived of Originall righteouſneſſe.
Thirdly, All men have equally the ſeeds of all ſin in their nature, all naturally prone to all ſin, Gen. 6.5. though by reaſon of the temperament of the body, ſome men might be more inclined to one ſin than to another, yet all ſin is ſeminally and radically in every mans nature, all men by nature are equally tinder the curſe of the Law, deſerve the wrath of God, and equally liable to the torments of hell, Epheſ. 2.3.
2. That every ſin that men commit is of a damning nature, and though ſome ſins in compariſon of others might be called little ſins, yet in reſpect of the great God againſt whom they are committed, no ſin is ſmall. Though degrees of ſin, and inequality of ſinning, have greater degrees of torment, and ſhall have inequality in ſufferings, yet eternall death is the wages of the ſmalleſt ſin. Therefore let no man think, while I ſpeak of the increaſe of ſin, that he is good, becauſe he is not ſo bad as others grow to be.
3. That in the world there are ſeverall ſizes and degrees of ſinners, as in the Church there are ſeverall ſizes and degrees of believers. *Pe…de… haec [peccati] differentia graduum (1) A reſpectu perſonae a qua admittitur. (2) A g…nere & natura rei, (3) Ah intenſione & remiſſione actus. (4) ratione et modo patrandi. (5) A circumſtantiis loci, temporis, &c. Ames …ed. p. 65.In the Church there are, Fathers, Young men, Children, 1 Joh. 2.13. And Babes, 1 Pet. 2.1. So there are ſeverall ſizes of ſinners. Some morall men, ſome openly prophane: ſome are great ſwearers and great drunk…rds, Ringleaders to ſin; the Devils Lievetenants, provoking others to ſin, and incouraging them therein. Some are chief among ſinners, Luk. 19.2. Some drink in Iniquity like water. Job 15.16. Some are drawn to ſin, and ſome draw ſin to them, and that as with Cart ropes, Iſa. 5.18. ſome commit ſin, and tremble at it: and ſome commit ſin and rejoyce at it. Prov. 2.14. ſome commit ſin, and are terrified at it when they have done it: ſome commit ſin and make a mock and ſport of ſin, when they have done it, Pro. 10.23. & 14.9. ſome commit ſin with great remorſe and reluctance, and others commit ſin with as great and eager greedineſs, Eph. 4.18.19. A dreadfull text, Having the underſtanding darkned, being alienated from the Life of God, through the Ignorance that is in them, becauſe of the blindneſs of their heart, verſ. 19. Who being paſt feeling, have given themſelves over to laſciviouſneſs, to work all uncleanneſs with greedineſs. Theſe are ſinners of a great Magnitude, if you weigh the things ſpoken of them (1) Having their underſtandings darkned. *foreign.The word doth either ſignify the faculty it ſelfe, or the ratiocination, or reaſoning of the underſtanding, and it is true in both reſpects, their underſtandings are dark and ignorant, and their reaſonings are dark and obſcure.foreign. (2) Being alienated from the Life of God, i. e.*Vitam … Dei appellat, vitam illam qua deus vivit in ſuis: quam que praecipit & approbat. Beza in loc. That Life, that God commands and approveth, they are too much acquainted with a ſenſuall, fleſh-pleaſing, ſwiniſh life: but they are utter ſtrangers to an holy, ſelf-denying, ſin-mortifying Life: becauſe of the ignorance that is in them, as a bruit doth not know the life of reaſon, ſo ſinners are ignorant of the Life of God. (3) Becauſe of the blindneſs, (more properly) the hardneſs of their heart; foreign. This word is ſometimes rendred blindneſs, ſometimes hardneſs, becauſe they are conjunct, a blind heart is a hard heart, and a hard heart is a blind heart; it ſignifieth the thick skin that covereth the palmes of the hands of hard labourers, that they can handle nettles, and in that part of their hand have no feeling of the ſtingings, as others are ſenſible of. There is a thick skin hath over grown the hearts of ſome ſinners, that they are (4) paſt *foreign.feeling, unſenſible as a ſtone, who are ſaid to have their conſciences feared as with an hot Iron. But though they feel not their ſin here, they ſhall feel the torments due for ſin in the life to come. The hideous howlings, and gnaſhings of teeth amongſt the damned, ſpeak plainly that they feel the puniſhment of ſin. (5) Have given themſelves over to laſciviouſneſs, ſometime ſinners are ſaid to ſell themſelves to work wickedneſs, as Ahab, 1 King. 21.2…. ſometimes are ſaid to give themſelves to wickedneſs, which denotes their conſtancy, and complacency in working wickedneſs, as when St. Paul commanded Timothy to give himſelf to reading, he ſaith, Give thy ſelf wholly to them, 1 Tim. 4.15. foreign. Be thou in theſe things, a mans heart is in thoſe things he is given to, a Schollar that is given to his Book, a drunkard that is given to drinking, when his cup is in his hand, his heart is in the cup. He is in drink is our proverb, when the drink is in him. God and Chriſt ſhould dwell in their heart, but their heart is in their ſin, and ſin is in their heart. (6) To *foreign, is opera quaeſtus.work, They work at ſin as for gain, when it is the loſs of the ſoul, that will be the iſſue. Sin indeed is a hard labour, and greateſt drudgery: ſinners work and damnation will be their wages; they ſhould be working out their ſalvation; but they are working out their damnation, they are Labouring for hell, and taking pains to undoe themſelves; and what is it they are ſo much imployed in; (7) In uncleanneſs, in the extent and latitude of it, working all manner of uncleanneſs, and that (8) with greedineſs, or with *foreign. i. e. quaſi agatur de lu…n ita ut …liu… alium ſuperare conte…d…t. Beza in loc.covetouſneſs. Wicked men are as eager after ſin, as a covetous man is after a good bargain, they are covetous to commit ſin. But Beza, renders it Certatim, contending and ſtriving who may ſin moſt, as if they could not get to damnation ſoone enough, or ſure enough.
4. That the reaſon why ſin doth not riſe to its height in all men, is not from themſelves but from God. It is God that ſets bounds to the Ocean of mens luſts that they ſhould no more overflow. God in great meaſure by reſtraining grace dammeth up the fountain of ſin, that it ſendeth not forth ſo many ſtreames as in others it doth. Gen. 20.6.—for I alſo withheld thee from ſinning against me, therefore ſuffered I thee not to touch her. But ſome God giveth up unto their luſts, Rom. 1.24, 26.
5. That men ſtand not at a ſtay, in virtue, or in vice, in holineſs, or wickedneſs: If a man doth not increaſe in grace, likely he is decreaſing, ſo if a man be not mending he is growing worſe; like rotten things every day are worſe and worſe; more ſeared, if not ſoftned; more reſolved to ſin if not reclaimed. Of good it is ſaid, Non progredi eſt regredi, not to goe forward, is to go backward; of wicked, I ſay, Non regredi eſt progredi, not to go backward from ſin, is to go forward in ſin.
6. That wicked men might ſeem to mend in one thing, and waxe worſe in another, and ſo they do not leave their wickedneſs, but only change it, as one that was a prodigall and licentious, turns to be niggardly and covetous.