Preached Auguft 17. 1662. 21 Secondly, The next thing to be laid afide is fin which doth fo eafily beret us. As we muff guard againft things without, fo we mutt mortifieour corrupt inclinations within : or elle, it will loon make US weary ofour heavenly Race, or faint in it. Sin you know is twofold, Original and Atitta Aetna' fin is not meant pi imarily, for that is not peccaturn agens, fin that eafily befets us; butpeccatunt tranfiens, the fin that paffes from us ; and original fin is that which is emphatically called fin, Rom. 7. 8. Now this original corrupti- on may be confidered as meetly native, or as acquired and im- proved into evil cuftoms and habits : for according to mens tem- pers and conflitutions, as they are feverally difpofed Co by the corruption of nature they are inclin'd to one fin more then ano- ther : as the channel is cut, fo corrupt nature findes a vent and iffue : in every man there is fome predominant fin; and in every regenerate perfon force reliques of that fin, fromwhence is the greateft danger of his foul: thus David [peaks of his iniquity Hal. 18.23 Well then, this is that On that doth eafily befet us: original fin improved into fome tyranny or evil cuftome, which cloth in- create and prevail upon us more and more : Now, this is laid eafily tobeet us fcr three Reafons : Partly, becaufe it hath a great power and xeffraint over us, and implies the whole man the members of the body,. the faculties of the foul.; fo great an intereft bath it acquired in our affeecions, it doth eafilybefet us, it .hath great power and command over us. Partly, hecaufe, it flicks fo clofe, that we cannot by our own firength lay it afide, 'Jeremiah 13. 23. Can the Ethiopian change his skin ? or the Leopard his fpots, &c. Aman can as loonchange his skin as lay afide his ettlioPls,that are fodeeply ingraven as the blacknefs ofan Ethiopian, or the fpots ofthe Leopard. And partly, becaufe it mingles it felfwith all Our motions and a&ions, Romans 7. 21. &c. It eafily befets us, 'tis prefent with us, it impels us, and folicits us, and draws us to fin further and further, and doth make us negligent in what is Gods : we cannot door (peak any thing, but it will infeft us in all our dtt- tiesof Piety, Charity, Juftice ; on every fide it is interpofing, vexing, thwarting the motions of the Spirit, and fo abates our ftrength, vigor, and agility, & retards our Courfe towards Heaven and Glory; Therefore, lay ande, as every Weight, fo every S'in,&c: MOM, what is it to [lay afide ?-] or how can we lay afide once fin flicks fo clofe tons, and is engraven in our natures ? AnIw. Certainly, fomething may be done by us : for this is every where preffed as oIr Duty, Ephef. 4. 22. Put off theold man, -and., Pet. 2. I i, we may put it off more and more, though we can
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