s I N COMPARED TO p 0 I s 0 N. Book IV. V. It may teach the Saints eo blefs God, and admire his Grace, who hath delivered t)lem from the Contagion of Sin. But art thou made whole? Sin no more, Johl! v. , 4. VI. None but the High-Pridt pronounced a Perfon clean from tl1e Leprofy: So none but ChriO: can difcern our U ncleannefs, and pronounce us clean, and wholly free from the Plague of Sin. 0 what is Sin ? It is a Leprofy, When Scripture fo conipares it, may not l Call it a Plague, a Wound, a loathfome Sore, That doth corrupt and fpread the Soul all o're? Like to an Ulcer, or infectious Biles, Which the whole Man moO: woefully defiles. 0 how do Men fly from the PeO:ilence, And thall not we learn Wifdom now from thence ? Sin is a Plague that kills eternally, All Sorts of Men, un\efs they fwiftly Ay To Jefus ChriO:; no Med'cine will do good, Nor heal the Soul, but this Phy!ician's Blood. S I N COMPARED TO P 0 I S 0 N. <fhe Poifon of Afps is under their <fongues, Ram. iii. 13. poiSON of Afps denotes, r. Sometimes great Punifhments. Job vi. 4· and xx. r6. He jha/lfuck the Poifon of Afps, &c. 2. Sometimes corrupt Doctrine, and He– relies, wherewith Men poifon themfelves and Followers. Deut. xxxii. >3· 'Iheir Wine is the Poifon of Dragons, i. e. their Doctrine; fo Ainfworth. Re·v. xvii. 2. With the Wine of her fornication: Which intends Venom and Poifon of the Devil, the old Dragon; or the deceO:able Superfiition and Idolatry of Antichrifi, and Church of Rome. 3· It !ignifies the cruel Malice and Rage of Men. Note, Sin is the Venom or Poifon of the Serpent, or the old Dragon. P A R A L L E L ~ I. poiSON inflames, heats, and, as it were, lets the Body on fire: So Sin inflame~. heats, and fees, as it were, a Man's Spirit on fire. What a Heat doth the Devil put Come Men in, by O:irring up their Wrath, Rage, and M•lice, againit their Neighbars! JI. Poifon caufeth a great and extreme ThirO:. Grofs or dreggifh Liquor will not quench the fiery ThirO: of Poifon; it drinks, faith one, nothing but pure Spirits: So Sin fiirs up an infatiable Defire or Thrifi after Revenge, as alfo after the Pleafures, Profits, and Honors of this World, which nothing can allay, but the Water of Life, ,which Jefus Chrifl: gives, John iv. I4· Ill. Poifon gets quickly, faith one, to the Spirit, it is fubtil and fpiritful, and in a very little Time will corrupt the whole Mafs of Blood, &c. So Sin in a little Time corrupted the whole Lump of Mankind. Adam had no fooner finned againO: God, but the fpiricual Poifon ancl Venom thereof O:ruck to his Heart, corrupting every Faculty of his Soul, and not only fo, but alfo the Souls of all his PoO:erity. See Wounds. IV. lt is noted by Plutarch, that when an Afp O:ings a Man, it doth firO: tickle him, and makes him laugh, till the Poifonbyiinle and little gets to tht Hearr, and then it pains and torments him, more than ever it delighted him before: So doth Sin, it may pleafe a little at firO:: 'though Wickednefs be fweet in his Mouth, though he hide it under his 'Iongue; though he [pare it, and forfake it not, but keepeth it fli/1 within his Mouth: Yet his Meat in his Bowels is turned, it is the Gall of Afps within him, Job xx. 12. For– bidden Profits and Pleafures are very delightful to carnal Men, and many love to be meddling with thefe poifoningMorfels of Sin. Many eat that on Earth, which they digell: in Hell. Men mull not think to dine and dance with the Devil, and then to fup wirh Abraham, Ijaac, and Jacob, in God's Kingdom. V. Poifon in a Toad or Serpent, fuits and agrees well with their Nature; but Poifon in a Man's Stomach makes fearful Work, it being of a contrary Nacure: So Sin in awicked Man, one that. hath no Spark of true Grace in him, feems to be fuitable, · and
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