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spirit_n flesh_n lust_n sin_n 7,244 5 5.0237 4 false
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A67773 A short and sure way to grace and salvation being a necessary and profitable tract, upon three fundamental principles of Christian religion ... : how man was at first created, how he is now corrupted, how he may be again restored : together with the conditions of the covenant of grace, and to whom the promises of the Gospel belong ... / by R. Younge ... Younge, Richard. 1658 (1658) Wing Y185; ESTC R14649 25,252 24

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root of all corruption a seed plot of all sin our eyes are eyes of vanity our ears are ears of folly our mouthes mouthes of deceit our hands hands of iniquity and every part does dishonour God which yet would be glorified of him The understanding which was given us to learn virtue is apt now to apprehend nothing but sin the will which was given us to affect righteousnesse is apt now to love nothing but wickednesse the memory which was given us to remember good things is apt now to keep nothing but evill things c. For sin like a spreading leaprosie is so grown over us that from the crown of our heads to the sole of our feet there is nothing whole therein but wounds and swellings and sores full of corruption To be short wee are as Trailors condemned to suffer eternall torments in Hell-fire being only repricved for a time Sect. XIII And so much of Originall sin which is the pravity naughtiness and corruption of our Nature Psal. 51. 5. Now of actuall sin which is the transgression of Gods law 1 John 3. 4. when evill thoughts are consented unto and performed in outward deeds James 1. 15. Touching which we are to know and take notice that The Law of God is spirituall and therefore requireth not only outward obedience in word and deed but also inward in mind and heart and that chiefly neither doth it forbid onely the committing of outward sins in word and deed but also all the secret corruptions of the mind and heart Rom. 7. 13 14 15. Matth. 5. 21 22 27 28. 1 John 3. 15. Again where any duty is commanded there the means which tend thereto are enjoyned and where any vice is forbidden there the occasions provocations and alurments tending thereto are also forbidden Again It is not enough to do that which is good for substance except wee do it well also in regard of circumstances as namely that it flows from a pious and good heart sanctified by the holy Ghost and be done in faith obedience to the word humility saving knowledg and sincere love to God zeal of his glory and a desire to edifie and win others of which I might give you many examples as of the Jewes fasting Isa. 58. 3 to 8. of those reprobates preaching in Christs name and casting out devills Matth. 7-21 22 23. of Cains sacrificiing 1 John 3. 12. He offered and God abhorred because he cared not for the manner to do it well God cared not for his offering though the act was good Simon Magus believed Herod listned Felix feared Saul obeyed Jezabell fasted the Pha●●sees prayed but because they did not believe so hear so fear so obey so fast so and pray so as God required and as is before related they were never the more regarded for what they did For love is the fountain of obedience and all externall obedience to God without inward love is hyppocrisie whereas Christ commends to his disciples the care of keeping his commandements aright as the utmost testimony of their love unto him John 15. 10. Sect. XIV Which being so how oft and how many wayes do we all offend For if we but narrowly look into our hearts and lives we shall easily perceive that there is not one of those righteous precepts set down Exodus 20. which we have not broken ten thousand times and ten thousand wayes Yea O God may the best of us say there is no vein in me that is not full of the blood of thy Son whom I have crucifyed and crucifyed again by multiplying many and often repeating the same sin● there is no artery in me that hath not the spirit of errour the spirit of pride of passion of lust the spirit of giddinesse in it no bone in me that is not hardened with the custome of sin nourished and supplied with the marrow of sin no sinews no ligaments which do not tye and chain sin and sin together Yea If we but watch over our own hearts narrowly one day we shall find an army of unclean thoughts and desires there perpetually fighting against our souls Whereby wee are continually tempted drawn away inticed through our own concupiscence As how many temptations come in by those Cink-ports the senses how many more by Satans injections presenting to the affections things absent from the sences but most of all by lust it selfe a thing not created yet as quick as thought tumblieg over a thousand desires in one houre For the devill and our flesh meet together every day and houre to ingender new sins which is the reason our sins are counted among those things which are infinite as the hairs of our head the sands of the Sea the stars of Heaven We are swift to all evill but to all good immoveable when we do evil wee do it cheerfully and quickly and easily but if we do any good wee do it faintly and rawly and slackly We have used all our wisedome to commit the foolishness of sin our whole conversation hath been to serve Satan and fulfill the lusts of the flesh We even suck in iniquity like water and draw on sin as it were with cart-ropes Isai. 5. 18. It hath been the course of our whole life to leave that which God commands and to do that which he forbids The Word and Spirit may work in us some flashes of desire and purposes of better obedience but we are constant in nothing but perpetuall offending onely therein we cease not for when we are waking our flesh tempts us to wickednesse if wee are sleeping it sollicits us to filthinesse What ever God commands we do the contrary We prophane his daies contemne his Ordinances resist his Word grieve his Spirit misuse his messengers hate our reprovers slander and persecute his people seduce our friends give ill example to our neighborurs open the mouths of God's and our enemi●s to blaspheme that glorious Name after which we are called and the truth we professe Yea we have done more against God in one week then we have done for him ever since we were born and whereas the least of Gods mercies is greater then all the courtesies of men we are not so thankful to him for them all as we are to a friend for some one good turn Sect. XV Neither are we sufficient of our selves to think much lesse to speak least of all to do ought that is good 2 Cor. 3. 5. Joh. 15. 4 5. There is so much wearisomnesse pride passion lust envy ignorance awkwardnesse hypocrisie infidelitie vain thoughts unprofitablenesse and the like cleaving to our best actions to defile them that even our praying and fasting and repenting our hearing believing and giving our holiest communication our most brotherly admonition c. are in themselves as filthy raggs Isa. 64. 6. were they not accepted in Christ covered with his righteousnesse and washed white in his most pretious blood Our very righteousnesse is as a menstruous cloth Isa. 64. 6. What then is our sinfulnesse As