·ofthe tlectltfolnife ttntlgalleofMttHihe"'t: , -, 'Adttm at firft; thus to covtr our nakcdnelfe with leaves; Even in godly men here is too much of the crooked Serpent. In .David, what colours, what extufcs had :he in the murder of Vri~h 1In AaYon when he joyned with-the people in making that calf for idolatry ;' I Put it into the jiYe, and it came one this cAlf, fai th he,Exo.32·24· As if he had not intended or thought ofaoy fuch thing; Now this is no.t only a fin, but an aggra- - vation of finne : To feck out excufes, to labour for llilrking holestorun into: We would wonder at the guile and hypoa crifie ofamans heart, What aready excufe it will have for every fin . As thefe coverings men will get for their nakednefs. I. They Will lay the 6/ame. ojff om them[e!ves to others: They - would not have 4one fo or fo, but others perfwaded thtm, orthey were forced eo lt. Now this will not be any excufe with God, for there is never any ncceffity to fi!,l, and ftn is a greater evil then any temporail evil ; Therefore our Saviour bids us Fear Godwho ea~ deftroy foul andbody, andnot man 'Who cankjll the body only., Lgk. t 2.). Saut, he made this excufe for himfelf, why he facrificed before Sam11e! _came; Oh the peo• ple 'Would-have it[fl, and he could not gainf:qr it, but this loft him his kingdom, a little thing we would have thought, but tlijobedimce ua thing lik_e Witchcraft; Adamat firft laid the fin opon Eve, and Eve on the Serpent; fo that it is an hereditary corrupdon in us all: If we have offendc~ to lay the blame fomewhereelfe if poffibly: but now the godly man he jud· gcth himfelf moll, he laieth the heaviell load upon himfelf: · I and my F~ttbers houfe have.finned, faithDavid, but what hav~ the[c Sheep done? 2 Sam.I4·I7· Do not deceive your felves by putting it on others. . _ Afecond excu fe is, To put it off upon the devil, to fay, Ies true fuch and fuch linnes I have committed, but the devil he tempted me; but this is no excufe, partly becaufe the devil cannot force thee to fin; it"s thy own voluntary giving. thy fdfup to him, and therefore that is no excule though thede– vil do cempt,thce. Hence we reade Peter charging Anan.ia~ with that lie againfl the holy Ghoft; faith, WhJ hath Satan · filled thy heart to lie, Ad.5 ·3· Mark i'r, It was his .fin to let Sa– tan fill his heart, a::td therefore he is not excufed but tbe more · ' E ~ blamed,
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