568 Chap.14. Expofition upon the Book of Jos. Verf. q, fo full of evil. God made man upright and happy, he gaye him a lifewherein he might have continued long and long, even for ever. Though man might have died as created, yet there was no neceffity he fhould die till hehad finned. $oth the tigrt= ble of this life and death it Pelf, are debts of penalty for oufun- cleannefs ; and whenwe areonce perfee`lly cleanfed, we hall ne- ver beunder any arrefl for thekdebts. Secondly, Obferve, Sin is an unclean thing. They who fee the face of fin in the Glafs of the Law, fee it the moil ugly and deformed Objet in the World. If Vertue could be feen, fhe would attrad all Eyes and Hearts to her : Vertue is an invifible beauty. So if fin could be feen, all Eyes would turn away from it : Sin is an invifible deformity. The Spirit of God doth as it were ftrive for comparifons to fet out the uglinefsof fin :.It is compared to the blood and pollution of an Infant, (Ezek. t 6.6.) to the corruption of a rottenSepul- chre, (Rom. . z 3 .)to the fcum ofa feething Pot, (Ezek2q.. r r, r2) All thefe comparifons Phew us fomewhat of the uglinefs of fin, but it is ugly beyond compare. How fad is their miftake who think.to adorn themfelves with"fin ? Who put on pride as a cloak" upon their backs, andUnrighteoufnefs as a Crownor a Diadem upon their Heads : Who boafl as if they had then Holy-day cloathes on, when they are cloathed with Vnholinefs, and make to themfelves Beatsty_fpots of the blackefl fpots of fin ! The Apo- Caro in fcri- file, (C0/.3. í2.) calleth us to put on another kind of Drefs, ptura male To be cloathed with Humility, Meeknefs, Humblenefs of Mind, audit. Mi- Charity ; thefe.areMining, pure, white Raiment indeed : Our rum non ellfs righteoufnefs is a filthy ragg, if we boafl in it, or would be jufli- arundinis ra- fled in it : Then how filthy a ragg 'is our Unrighteoufnefs, efpe-, . mus aut eicu- cially ifWe bóaft of it, or juflifie out. felves in it ! to varumfit Thirdly, Obferve, a medulla,aut Man being naturally unclean , his Children and Poflerity ,are noxiumall- unclean too. quad habcat ; John3.6. That which inborn of thefefb, is fie}!,. The Copycan- Aut f no be better then the Original, nor the effe t nobler then the thispij'efili- caufe:;" Thisflefb bath an ill name all the Scripture over : 'Tis no us e/Ethiopi- wonder if that which is poyfonous bring forth a poyfonous feed, rum ab ea co- or that a flinging Serpent procreats a flinging Serpent a Toad lorem trahat. a Toad _; or that mofbrings forth a wolf : The fon ofan Ethi- San& opian
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