Sermons and Discourses Volume 8, Sermon 5
SERMON V.Serm. 5. The Shamefulneſs of Sin, an Argument for Repentance. The Firſt Sermon on this Text.
ROM. VI.21, 22.
What fruit had ye then in thoſe things, whereof ye are now aſhamed? For the end of thoſe things is death. But now being made free from ſin, and become Servants to God, ye have your fruit unto Holineſs, and the end Everlaſting Life.
THERE are two Paſſions which do always in ſome Degree or other accompany a true Repentance, viz. Sorrow and Shame for our Sins; becauſe theſe are neceſſary to engage men to a Reſolution of making that change wherein Repentance does conſiſt:Vol. 8. For till we are heartily ſorry for what we have done, and aſhamed of the evil of it, it is not likely that we ſhould ever come to a firm and ſteady purpoſe of forſaking our evil ways, and betaking our ſelves to a better courſe.
And theſe two Paſſions of Sorrow and Shame for our Sins, were wont anciently to be ſignified by thoſe outward expreſſions of Humiliation and Repentance, which we find ſo frequently mentioned in Scripture, of being cloathed in Sackcloath as a teſtimony of our ſorrow and mourning for our Sins, and of being ſprinkled upon the head, and covered over with filth and dirt, with duſt and aſhes, in token of our ſhame and confuſion of Face for all our Iniquities and tranſgreſſions. Hence are thoſe Expreſſions in Scripture of Repenting in Sackcloath and Aſhes, of lying down in our ſhame, and being cover'd with confuſion, in token of their great ſorrow and ſhame for the manifold and heinous Sins, which they had been guilty of.
Of the former of theſe, viz. Trouble and Sorrow for our Sins, I have very lately *Ser. 3.treated; and of the latter, I intend now by God's aſſiſtance to ſpeak, viz. Shame for our Sins, and that from theſe Words which I have recited to you; What fruit had ye then in thoſe things, &c. In which Words the Apoſtle makes a compariſon between an Holy and Virtuous, and a Sinful and Vicious courſe of Life, and ſets before us a perfect enumeration of the manifeſt Inconveniences of the one, and the manifold Advantages of the other.
Firſt, The manifeſt Inconveniences of a Vicious and Sinful courſe; and the Apoſtle mentions theſe three.
I. It is unprofitable, it brings no manner of preſent Benefit and Advantage to us, if all things be rightly calculated and conſider'd. What fruit had ye then in thoſe things? Then (i. e.) at the time when you committed thoſe Sins, had you any preſent Advantage by them? No, certainly; but quite contrary.
II. The reflection upon our Sins afterwards is cauſe of ſhame and confuſion to us; What fruit had you then in thoſe things, whereof ye are now aſhamed?
III. The final iſſue and conſequence of theſe things is very diſmal and miſerable; The end of thoſe things is death. Let us put theſe things together, and ſee what they amount to: No Fruit then when ye did theſe things, and ſhame now when ye come afterwards to reflect upon them, and death and miſery at the laſt.
Secondly, Here is likewiſe on the other hand repreſented to us the manifold Benefit of an Holy and Virtuous Life. And that upon theſe two accounts.
I. Of the preſent Benefit of it, which the Apoſtle calls here fruit; Ye have your fruit unto Holineſs.
II. In reſpect of the future Reward of it; And the end Everlaſting Life. Here is a conſiderable Earneſt in hand, and a mighty Recompence afterwards, infinitely beyond the proportion of our beſt Actions and Services, both in reſpect of the greatneſs and the duration of it, Everlaſting Life; for a few tranſient and very imperfect actions of obedience, a perfect and immutable and endleſs ſtate of Happineſs. I ſhall begin with the
Firſt, of the two general Heads. viz. The manifeſt Inconveniences of a Sinful and Vicious courſe; and the Apoſtle I told you in the Text takes notice of three.
I. It is unprofitable, and if all things be rightly calculated and conſider'd, it brings no manner of preſent Advantage and Benefit to us. What fruit had ye then in thoſe things? Then, (i. e.) When ye committed thoſe Sins, had you any preſent Advantage by them? No certainly, quite the contrary; as if the Apoſtle had ſaid, if you ſeriouſly reflect upon your former courſe of Impiety and Sin, wherein you have continued ſo long, you cannot but acknowledge that it brought no manner of advantage to you; and when all accounts are truly caſt up, you muſt, if you will confeſs the Truth, own that you were in no ſort gainers by it: For the words are a foreign, and the Apoſtle plainly intends more than he expreſſeth, What fruit had ye then in thoſe things? (i. e.) The wicked courſe which ye formerly lived in, was ſo far from being any ways Beneficial to you, that it was on the contrary upon all accounts extreamly to your prejudice and diſadvantage.
And this is not only true in reſpect of the final Iſſue and Conſequence of a Sinful and Vicious courſe of Life, that no Man is a gainer by it at the long run, and if we take into our conſideration another World, and the dreadful and endleſs miſery which a wicked and impenitent Life will then plunge men into, (which in the farther handling of this Text will at large be ſpoken to, being the laſt of the three Particulars under this Firſt general head:) But it is true likewiſe, even in reſpect of this World, and with regard only to this preſent and temporal Life, without looking ſo far as the future Recompence and Puniſhment of Sin in another World.
And this would plainly appear, by an Induction of theſe three Particulars.
1. It is Evident that ſome Sins are plainly miſchievous to the temporal Intereſt of men, as tending either to the diſturbance of their minds, or the endangering of their Health and Lives, or to the prejudice of their Eſtates, or the blaſting of them in their Reputation and good name.
2. That there are other Sins, which tho' they are not ſo viſibly burdened and attended with miſchievous Conſequences, yet are they plainly unprofitable, and bring no manner of real Advantage to men, either in reſpect of gain or pleaſure; ſuch are the Sins of Profaneneſs, and cuſtomary Swearing in common Converſation.
3. That even thoſe Sins and Vices, which make the faireſt pretence to be of Advantage to us, when all Accounts are caſt up, and all Circumſtances duly weigh'd and conſider'd, will be found to be but pretenders, and in no degree able to perform and make good what they ſo largely promiſe before hand, when they tempt us to the commiſſion of them. There are ſome Vices, which pretend to bring in great profit, and tempt worldly-minded men, whoſe minds are diſpoſed to catch at that bait; ſuch are the Sins of Covetouſneſs and Oppreſſion, of Fraud and Falſhood and Perfidiouſneſs. And there are others which pretend to bring pleaſure along with them, which is almoſt an irreſiſtable temptation to voluptuous and ſenſual men; ſuch are the Sins of Revenge, and Intemperance, and Luſt. But upon a particular examination of each of theſe, it will evidently appear, that there is no ſuch profit or pleaſure in any of theſe Vices, as can be a reaſonable temptation to any Man to fall in love with them, and to engage in the Commiſſion and Practice of them. But I ſhall not now inlarge upon any of theſe, having lately diſcours'd upon them from another Text. I ſhall therefore proceed to the
II. Inconvenience which I mentioned of a ſinful and vicious Courſe, viz. that the reflection upon our Sins afterwards, is cauſe of great Shame and Confuſion to us. What fruit had you then in thoſe things, whereof you are now aſhamed? And this is a very proper Argument for this Seaſon *Preach'd in Lent.; becauſe the Paſſion of Shame, as it is the natural and uſual conſequent of Sin, ſo it is a Diſpoſition neceſſarily required to a true Repentance.
Moſt Men when they commit a known Fault are apt to be aſhamed, and ready to bluſh, whenever they are put in mind of it, and charged with it. Some Perſons indeed have gone ſo far in Sin, and have waded ſo deep in a vicious courſe, as to be confirmed and harden'd in their Wickedneſs to that degree, as to be paſt all Shame, and almoſt all ſenſe of their Faults; eſpecially in regard of the more common and ordinary Vices, which are in vogue and faſhion, and in the commiſſion whereof they are countenanc'd and encourag'd by Company and Example. Such were thoſe of whom the Prophet ſpeaks, Jer. 6.15. Were they aſhamed, when they had committed abomination? nay, they were not aſhamed, neither could they bluſh.
But yet even theſe Perſons, when they come to be ſenſible of their guilt, ſo as to be brought to Repentance, they cannot then but be aſhamed of what they have done. For what face ſoever Men may ſet upon their Vices, Sin is ſhameful in it ſelf, and ſo apt to fill Men with confuſion of face, when they ſeriouſly reflect upon it, that they cannot harden their Foreheads againſt all ſenſe of Shame. And whatever Men may declare to the contrary, this is tacitly acknowledged by the generality of Men; in that they are ſo ſolicitous and careful to conceal their Faults from the Eyes of others, and to keep them as ſecret as they can; and whenever they are diſcovered, and laid open, 'tis matter of great Trouble and Confuſion to them; and if any one happen to upbraid and twit them with their Miſcarriages of any kind, they cannot bear with Patience to hear of them.
There are indeed ſome few ſuch Prodigies and Monſters of Men, as are able after great ſtruglings with their Conſciences, to force themſelves to boaſt impudently of their Wickedneſs, and to glory in their ſhame; not becauſe they do really and inwardly believe their Vices to be an Honour and Glory to them, but becauſe conſcious to themſelves that they have done ſhameful things, and believing that others know it, they put on a Whore's Forehead, and think to prevent the upbraiding of others, by owning what they have done, and ſeeming to glory in it: but yet for all that, theſe Perſons, if they would confeſs the Truth, do feel ſome Confuſion in themſelves, and they are inwardly ſenſible of the Infamy and Reproach of ſuch Actions, for all they would ſeem to the World to bear it out ſo well: For when all is done, there is a wide difference between the Impudence of a Criminal, and the Confidence and Aſſurance of a clear Conſcience, that is fully ſatisfied of its own Innocence and Integrity. The conſcientious Man is not aſhamed of any thing that he hath done: but the impudent Sinner only ſeems not to be ſo, but all the while feels a great deal of Confuſion in his own Mind. The one is ſenſible and ſatisfied that there is no cauſe for Shame: the other is conſcious to himſelf that there is cauſe, but he offers Violence to himſelf, and ſuppreſſes all he can the ſenſe and ſhew of it, and will needs face down the World, that he hath no Guilt and Regret in his own Mind for any thing that he hath done.
Now that Sin is truly matter of Shame, will be very evident, if we conſider theſe two things.
Firſt, If we conſider the nature of this Paſſion of Shame.
Secondly, If we conſider what there is in Sin, which gives real ground and occaſion for it.
Firſt, For the nature of this Paſſion. Shame is the Trouble or Confuſion of Mind, occaſioned by ſomething that tends to our Diſgrace and Diſhonour, to our Infamy and Reproach. Now there is nothing truly and really matter of Shame and Reproach to us, but what we our ſelves have done, or have been ſome way or other acceſſary to the doing of, by our own fault or neglect, and by conſequence what it was in our Power and Choice not to have done: For no Man is aſhamed of what he is ſure he could not help. Neceſſity, unleſs it be wilful and contracted, and happens through ſome precedent occaſion and fault of our own, does take away all juſt cauſe of Shame.
And nothing likewiſe is matter of Shame, but ſomething which we ought not to do, which misbecomes us, and is below the Dignity and Perfection of our Nature, and is againſt ſome Duty and Obligation that is upon us to the contrary; and conſequently is a Reproach to our Reaſon and Underſtanding, a Reflection upon our Prudence and Diſcretion, and at firſt ſight hath an appearance of Ruggednſs and Deformity.
And all Actions of this nature do receive ſeveral Aggravations, with reſpect to the Perſons againſt whom, and in whoſe Preſence, and under whoſe Eye and Knowledge theſe ſhameful things are done. Now I ſhall ſhew in the
Second place, That Sin contains in it whatſoever is juſtly accounted infamous, together with all the Aggravations of Shame and Reproach that can be imagined. And this will appear by conſidering Sin and Vice in theſe two reſpects;
I. In relation to our ſelves.
II. In reſpect to God, againſt whom, and in whoſe ſight it is committed.
I. In relation to our ſelves, there are theſe four things which make Sin and Vice to be very ſhameful.
1. The natural Ruggedneſs and Deformity of it.
2. That it is ſo great a Diſhonour to our Nature, and to the Dignity and Excellency of our Being.
3. That it is ſo great a Reproach to our Reaſon and Underſtanding, and ſo foul a Reflection upon our Prudence and Diſcretion.
4. That it is our own voluntary Act and Choice.
Every one of theſe Conſiderations render it very ſhameful, and all of them together ought to fill the Sinner with Confuſion of face. I ſhall ſpeak to them ſeverally.
1. The natural Ruggedneſs and Deformity of Sin and Vice render it very ſhameful Men are apt to be aſhamed of any thing in them, or belonging to them, that looks ugly and monſtrous, and therefore they endeavour with great Care and Art to conceal and diſſemble their Deformity in any kind. How ſtrangely do we ſee Men concerned with all their Diligence and Skill, to cover and palliate any Defect or Deformity in their Bodies; an ill Face, if they could, however a foul and bad Complexion, or blind or ſquinting Eye, a crooked Body or Limb, and whatever is ill-favour'd or monſtrous. Now in regard of our Souls and better part, Sin hath all the monſtrouſneſs and deformity in it, which we can imagine in the Body, and much more; and it is as hard to be covered from the Eye of diſcerning Men, as the deformity of the Body is; but impoſſible to be conceal'd from the Eye of God, to whom Darkneſs and Light, ſecret and open are all one. But then the moral Defects and Deformities of the Mind have this advantage above the natural Defects and Deformities of the Body, that the former are poſſible to be cured by the Grace of God, in Conjunction with our own Care and Endeavour: Whereas no Diligence or Skill can ever help or remove many of the natural Defects and Deformities of the Body.
Sin is the blindneſs of our Minds, the perverſeneſs and crookedneſs of our Wills, and the monſtrous irregularity and diſorder of our Affections and Appetites; it is the miſ-placing of our Powers and Faculties, the ſetting of our Wills and Paſſions above our Reaſon; all which is ugly and unnatural, and, if we were truly ſenſible of it, matter of great Shame and Reproach to us.
There is hardly any Vice, but at firſt ſight hath an odious and ugly Appearance to a well diſciplin'd and innocent Mind, that hath never had any acquaintance with it. And however Familiarity and Cuſtom may abate the ſenſe of it's Deformity, yet it is at it was before, and the change that is made in us, does not alter the nature of the thing. Drunkenneſs and furious Paſſion, Pride and Faſhood, Covetouſneſs and Cruelty, are odious, and matter of Shame, in the ſincere and uncorrupted Opinion of all Mankind. And tho' a Man, by the frequent Practice of any of theſe Vices, and a long familiarity with them, may not be ſo ſenſible of the Deformity of them in himſelf, yet he quickly diſcerns the uglineſs of them in others, when ever they come in his way, and could with Salt and Sharpneſs enough upbraid thoſe whom he ſees guilty of them, but that he is inwardly conſcious, that the Reproach may be ſo eaſily return'd, and thrown back upon himſelf. However this is a natural acknowledgment of the Deformity and Shamefulneſs of Sin and Vice.
2. They are likewiſe ſhameful, becauſe they are ſo great a Diſhonour to our Nature, and to the Dignity and Excellency of our Being. We go below our ſelves, and act beneath the Dignity of our Nature, when we do any thing contrary to the Rules and Laws of it, or to the revealed Will of God; becauſe theſe are the Bounds and Limits which God and Nature hath ſet to Humane Actions; and are the meaſures of our Duty, i. e. what is fit and becoming for us to do, and what not. So that all Sin and Vice is baſe and unworthy, and beneath the Dignity of our Nature; it argues a corrupt and diſeaſed Conſtitution and Habit of Mind, a crooked and perverſe Diſpoſition of Will, and a ſordid and mean temper of Spirit.
And therefore the Scripture doth frequently repreſent a ſtate of Sin and Wickedneſs, by that which is accounted the baſeſt and meaneſt Condition among Men, by a ſtate of Servitude and Slavery, eſpecially if it had been our Choice, or the evident and neceſſary Conſequence of our wilful Fault: For we do as bad as chuſe it, when we wilfully bring it upon our ſelves. So that to be a Sinner, is to be a Slave to ſome vile Luſt, Appetite, or Paſſion, to ſome unnatural or irregular Deſire; it is to ſell our ſelves into Bondage, and to part with one of the moſt valuable things in the World, our Liberty, upon low and unworthy terms. Such a State and Condition does unavoidably debaſe and debauch our Minds, and break the force and firmneſs of our Spirits, and robs us, as Dalilah did Sampſon, of our Strength and Courage, of our Reſolution and Conſtancy; ſo that Men have not the Heart left to deſign and endeavour in good earneſt their own Reſcue out of this mean and miſerable eſtate, into which by their own Folly and Fault they have brought themſelves.
When Men are engaged into a cuſtom of ſinning, and have habituated themſelves to any vicious Courſe, how do they betray their Weakneſs and want of Reſolution, by being at the beck of every fooliſh Luſt, and by ſuffering themſelves to be commanded and burried away by every unruly Appetite and Paſſion, to do things which they know to be greatly to their Harm and Prejudice, and which they are convinced are mean and ſordid things, and ſuch as they are aſhamed that any wiſe Man ſhould ſee them doing! And there is no greater Argument of a pitiful and degenerate Spirit, than to commit ſuch things as a Man would bluſh to be ſurprized in, and would be mightily troubled to hear of afterwards. And which is more, after he hath been convinc'd by manifold Experience, that they are a Shame and Diſgrace to him, and make him to hang down his Head, and let fall his Countenance, whenever he is in better Company than himſelf; yet after this to go and do the ſame things again, which he is ſenſible are ſo ſhameful, and to be ſo impotent, and to have ſo little Command of himſelf, as not to be able to free himſelf from this Bondage, nor the heart to pray to God that by his Grace he would enable him hereto.
And that Sin is of this ſhameful Nature, is evident, in that the greateſt part of Sinners take ſo much Care and Pains to hide their Vices from the ſight and notice of Men, and to this purpoſe chuſe Darkneſs and ſecret places of Retirement to commit their Sins in. The Apoſtle takes notice, that thus much Modeſty was left even in a very wicked and degenerate Age, 1 Theſ. 5.7. They that be drunk (ſays he) are drunk in the night. Now all this is a plain acknowledgment, that Sin is a ſpurious and degenerate thing, that it misbecomes Humane Nature, and is below the Dignity of a reaſonable Creature: Otherwiſe why ſhould Men be ſo ſolicitous and concern'd to cover their Faults from the ſight of others? If they are not aſhamed of them, why do they not bring them into the broad Light, and ſhew them openly, if they think they will endure it?
So true is that Obſervation which Plato makes, That tho' a Man were ſure that God would forgive his Sins, and that Men ſhould never know them, yet there is that Baſeneſs in Sin, that a wiſe Man, that conſiders what it is, would bluſh to himſelf alone to be guilty of it; and tho' he were not afraid of the Puniſhment, would be aſhamed of the Turpitude and Deformity of it.
Did but a Man conſider ſeriouſly with himſelf, how mean and unmanly it is for a Man to be drunk; and what an apiſh and ridiculous thing he renders himſelf to all ſober Men that behold him, and with what Contempt and Scorn they entertain ſuch a ſight; and how brutiſh it is to wallow in any unlawful Luſt, and how much a Man deſcends and ſtoops beneath himſelf; what ſhameful Fear and Cowardiſe he betrays when he is frighted to tell a Lye out of Fear, or tempted thereto for ſome little Advantage; and yet is ſo inconſiſtent with himſelf, as to have, or to pretend to have the Courage to fight any Man, that ſhall tell him ſo ſawcy a Truth, as that he told a Lye.
Would but a Man think before hand, how unworthy, and how unequal a thing it is, to defraud or cheat his Brother, or to do any thing to another Man, which he would be loth in the like caſe that he ſhould do to him; how baſe a thing it is, for a Man to be perfidious and falſe to his Promiſe or Truſt; how monſtrous to be unthankful to one that hath highly obliged him, and every way and upon all occaſions deſerved well at his Hands; and ſo I might inſtance in all other ſorts of Sins; I ſay, he that conſiders this well and wiſely, tho' there were no Law againſt Sin, and (if it were a poſſible caſe, and fit to be ſuppoſed) tho' there were no ſuch Being as God in the World, to call him to account and puniſh him for it, yet out of meer Generoſity and Greatneſs of Mind, out of pure reſpect to himſelf, and the Dignity and Rank of his Being, and of his Order in the World, out of very Reverence to Humane Nature, and the inward Perſwaſion of his own Mind, (however he came by that Perſwaſion) concerning the Indeceny and Deformity and Shamefulneſs of the thing, I ſay, for theſe Reaſons, if there were no other, a Man would ſtrive with himſelf, with all his might, to refrain from Sin and Vice, and not only bluſh, but abhor to think of doing a wicked Action.
3. Sin will yet farther appear ſhameful, in that it is ſo great a Reproach to our Underſtandings and Reaſons, and ſo foul a Blot upon our Prudence and Diſcretion. Omnis peccans aut ignorans eſt, aut incogitans, is a Saying, I think, of one of the School-men; (as one would gueſs by the Latin of it) Every Sinner is either an ignorant, or inconſiderate Perſon. Either Men do not underſtand what they do, when they commit Sin; or if they do know, they do not actually attend to, and conſider what they know: Either they are habitually or actually ignorant of what they do: for Sin and Conſideration cannot dwell together; 'tis ſo very unreaſonable and abſurd a thing, that it requires either groſs Ignorance, or ſtupid Inadvertency, to make a Man capable of committing it. Whenever a Man ſins, he muſt either be deſtitute of Reaſon, or muſt lay it aſide or aſleep for the time, and ſo ſuffer himſelf to be hurried away, and to act brutiſhly, as if he had no underſtanding.
Did but Men attentively conſider what it is to offend God, and to break the Laws of that great Law-giver, who is able to ſave or to deſtroy, they would diſcern ſo many invincible Objections againſt the thing, and would be filled with ſuch ſtrong Fears and Jealouſies of the fatal Iſſue and Event of it, that they would not dare to venture upon it. And therefore we find the Scripture ſo frequently reſolving the Wickedneſs of Men into their Ignorance and Inconſiderateneſs, Pſal. 14.4. Have all the workers of iniquity no knowledge? intimating that by their Actions one would judge ſo. And the ſame account God himſelf alſo gives elſewhere of the frequent Diſobedience and Rebellion of the People of Iſrael, Deut. 32.28, 29. They are a nation void of counſel, neither is there any underſtanding in them. Oh! that they were wiſe, that they underſtood this, that they would conſider their latter end! Knowledge and Conſideration would cure a great part of the Wickedneſs that is in the World; Men would not commit Sin with ſo much greedineſs, would they but take time to conſider, and bethink themſelves what they do.
Have we not reaſon then to be aſhamed of Sin, which caſts ſuch a reproach of Ignorance and Raſhneſs upon us? and of Imprudence likewiſe and Indiſcretion? Since nothing can be more directly and plainly againſt our greateſt and beſt Intereſt both of Body and Soul, both here and hereafter, both now and to all Eternity. And there is nothing that Men are more aſhamed of, than to be guilty of ſo great an Imprudence, as to act clearly againſt their own Intereſt, to which Sin is the moſt plainly croſs and contrary, that it is poſſible for any thing to be. No Man can engage and continue in a ſinful Courſe, without being ſo far abuſed and infatuated, as to be contented to part with Everlaſting Happineſs, and to be undone and miſerable for ever; none but he that can perſwade himſelf againſt all the Reaſon and Senſe of Mankind, that there is pleaſure enough in the tranſient acts of Sin, to make amends for Eternal Sorrow, and Shame, and Suffering. And can ſuch a Thought as this enter into the Heart of a conſiderate Man? Epicurus was ſo wiſe, as to conclude againſt all Pleaſure that would give a Man more Trouble and Diſturbance afterwards; againſt all Pleaſures that had Pain and Grief conſequent upon them; and he forbids his Wiſe Man to taſte of them, or to meddle with them; and had he believed any thing of a future State, he muſt, according to his Principle, have pronounc'd it the greateſt Folly that could be, for any Man to purchaſe the Pleaſures and Happineſs of a few Years, at the dear rate of Eternal Miſery and Torment. So that if it be a Diſgrace to a Man to act imprudently, and to do things plainly againſt his Intereſt, then Vice is the greateſt reproach that is poſſible.
The 4th and laſt Conſideration, which renders Sin ſo ſhameful to us, is, that it is our own Voluntary Act and Choice. We chuſe this Diſgrace and willingly bring this Reproach upon our ſelves. We pity an Ideot, and one that is naturally deſtitute of Underſtanding, or one that loſeth the uſe of his Reaſon by a Diſeaſe or other inevitable accident: But every one deſpiſeth him who beſots himſelf, and plays the fool out of careleſsneſs and a groſs neglect of himſelf. And this is the Caſe of the Sinner; there is no Man that ſinneth, but becauſe he is wanting to himſelf; he might be wiſer and do better, and will not; but he chuſeth his own Devices, and Voluntarily runs himſelf upon thoſe inconveniences, which it was in his Power to have avoided.
Not but that I do heartily own and lament the great Corruption and Degeneracy of our Nature, and the ſtrong Propenſions which appear ſo early in us to that which is Evil: but God hath provided a Remedy and Cure for all this: For ſince the Grace of God, which brings Salvation unto all men, hath appeared, under the influence and through the aſſiſtance of that Grace, which is offer'd to them by the Goſpel, men may deny ungodlineſs and worldly luſts, and live ſoberly, righteouſly, and godly in this preſent World. For I make no doubt, but ſince God hath enter'd into a new Covenant of Grace with Mankind, and offered new Terms of Life and Salvation to us, I ſay I doubt not, but his Grace is ready at hand, to enable us to perform all thoſe Conditions which he requires of us, if we be not wanting to our ſelves.
There was a way of Salvation eſtabliſhed, before the Goſpel was clearly reveal'd to the World, and they who under that Diſpenſation, whether Jews or Gentiles, ſincerely endeavour'd to do the will of God, ſo far as they knew it, were not utterly deſtitute of Divine Grace and Aſſiſtance: But now there is a more plentiful Effuſion of God's Grace and Holy Spirit; ſo that whoever under the Goſpel ſins deliberately, ſins wilfully, and is wicked, not for want of Power but of Will to do otherwiſe. And this is that which makes Sin ſo ſhameful a thing, and ſo very reproachful to us, that we deſtroy our ſelves by our own folly and neglect of our ſelves, and become miſerable by our own choice; and when the Grace of God hath put it into our Power to be wiſe and to be happy.
I ſhould now have proceeded to the Second thing I propoſed, which was to conſider Sin in relation to God, and to ſhew that it is no leſs ſhameful in that reſpect, than I have ſhewn it to be with regard to our ſelves: But this I ſhall refer to another oportunity.