406 Chap. 28. An Expofition upon. thy Boo} of J O B. Verf. 28 and to have counted the blcodof theCovenant wherewith they were fandiiled(externally, or as to the opinion of men) an unholy thing, ( Heb. to. 29) How unfpeakable an evil! is fin which rifeth up thus spina ChriCt, who only faveth us from our fins ? Sin aboundes in evil, as it breakes the Law, but as it oppofes and rejects the light and love of the.Gofpel, it becomes exceflive- ly evil. Secondly, As the evil of finappeares in its references to God, againft whom we fin, foas it refpe&s our (elves whoare the fin.. ners. Firi+,it deceives and befooles us, and therefore fin is called folly, and tanners fooles,ottenand often in the Scripture. We read of the dece,tfulnes offin (Heb. 3. ta.) and of deceitful lulls (Eph.4. 22.) and what other bufinefïe candeceivers have with us, but to deceive us ? fecondly, fin pollutes and defiles us it defiles not our garments, or our, faces, but our minder, and ,con- fciences (Tit. t. i5.) it is an internal (pot, and will be an eter- nal one, unleffe Chrift fetch it our. Thirdly, fin keeps us low and debaCeth us ; it is a reproach to a perfonand to a people. As Reu- ben loft his dignity by it, though the firm born he could nor ercell (gen. 49. 43 fo every man in Gods ef+eem is degraded and made lower by it : yea, they who are highef+ arnong men are in his efleem fet, not only in degree but in kind,below the lowef+,of men,and are like unto and numbred among the haftswhich perifh (Pfal. 9.9.20.) Fourthly, it breakes our peace and weakens our cavorts, it troubles- our confcience, and at the bet+, doth but make work for forrow and repentance (Pfal. 38. 3, 4, 5.) Fifthly, Sin feparates between God and us, ( lea. 59. 2.) and endangers his departure fromus (Yer.6.8.) Sixthly, it makespre- fent good things lefsgood tous, and prefent evils much worfe to us ; and lafily, layes us open to endlefsevills. if in all thefe glaf- fes we fee not the evil of fin, 'ris either becaufe we cannot, or (which is worfe ) will not fee. Secondly, Obferve It is our duty to depart from every finfulevil. Sin is The evil, and what good can we get or expe6+ by it ? îis dangerous to have to doe with it ; Sin will be to us in its ef- fe&s as it is in its nnrure, evil and onlyevil,and that continually. Mopes warned the people of lfrael (Num. 16. 26.) in the hiflo- ry
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