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TESE

POWERS

AND

CONTESTS

OE

FLESH'AND

SPIïtIT.

.333

these iniquities.

And

if

this be

called a different degree

of

original

sin,

I

will

not

stand'

now to

contest

the

word,

nor can

I

utterly

deny the

matter.

But still it

is

abundantly

evident

also

concerning

every

one

of

us,

who

are

sóns

or daughters

of

Adam,

how

sin-

ful

or

how

holy soever

our

immediate

parents

were,

that

we

bring

vicious

propensities enough

with

our

flesh

and

blood into this

world, that if

we

encourage and indulge

them,

and

walk

after

the

flesh, we

shall

soon

be

found

sufficiently

wicked here,

and

grow

meet

for

a

just

con-

demnation hereafter

;

and

this

will

be

the

case

of

the

best constitution,

unless

a

mighty change pass

upon

nature,

by

the

power

of

renewing

and

sanctifying

grace.

All

"

that

is

born

of

the

flesh

is flesh,

or

sinful

;

and

except

a

man be born

of

water

and

the

spirit,

that

is,

regenerated

by

the

Spirit of God,

which

is'typified

by

baptismal water,

he

cannot enter

into the kingdom'

of

God

;"

John

iii.

3,

5,

6.

Question V.

Whether

the same

sin

always

carries

equal guilt

with

it

in different persons, who have

the

same advantage or the

same

degree

of

knowledge

r

Answer.

It

seems

to

be

supposed

in

the question,

that

different means

or

different measures

of

knowledge make

the

sinner more or

less

guilty in the sight

of

God

;

and

indeed our Saviour himself

has determined

that

point

beyond

all

dispute

;

Mat.

xi.

'21,

22.

Chorazin

and

Bethsaida

having seen the miracles

of

Ch' -ist,

and

heard

his

doctrine,

were

much more culpable than

Tyre

and

Sidon, whose

great ignorance

would

render their

'case

more tolerable

'in

the day

of

judgment.

But

to

answer this

question, let it

be

considered

that

there are

other

things besides

knowledge

that

make sins

more or

less

heinous.

The

same crime

committed

under

a

small

and

single

temptation,

is

much

more culpable

than

when

the temptations are

many

and

strong;

whether

they

be

within

us

or without

us.

Now

if

a

person

of a

sharp and fretful constitution,

or

whose

natural juices

of

the

flesh

are,

soured

by

long

sickness

and

pain,

should

fall

into

frequent

passions

of

sinful anger,

notwithstand-

ing all

his

laboùr and

watchfulness against

it,

he

is

not

quite

so

criminal

in

the sight

of

God

as

another,

who

has

na

such

peevish

and fretful springs

of

passion

in

his

nature, neither

by

original constitution,

nor

by

any