(3.) The new nature, which is contrary to sin: Ps. xcvii, 10, 'Ye that love the Lord hate evil ;' There is odium offensionis, et odium inimicitice, a hatred of offence, and a hatred of enmity.
(4.) Their seriousness. Before the deluded soul is so taken up with fleshly pleasm-es, and deluding objects, that they had no time nor room to consider of their ways ; what with business and sensual delights, and the crowd of worldly cares, and the noise of foolish sports and sensual passions, their hearts were diverted from observing things of the greatest and everlasting consequence, they did in effect forget they had souls to save or lose, or a God to serve, or a glory to look after : but now they remember, and loathe themselves.
Use 1. To show how much they differ from the people of God that wallow in all manner of filthiness, and know no shame. Impudency is a great note of obstinacy and impenitency : Zeph. iii. 5, ' The unjust knoweth no shame.' By long custom in sinning they lose the sense of the filthiness and odiousness of it, and so outgrow all feelings of conscience.
2. To stir up in the people of God this holy shame, by reason of sin past and present. It is a great help to the spiritual life, for when we make light of sin, we are in danger of being overcome by it. There- fore rouse up yourselves. Is the offending of the eternal God a slight thing ? Surely God doth not make his laws for nought, nor doth he make such a stir by his word and providence against a tame and harmless thing, nor threaten men to hell for small indifferent matters ; neither needed Christ to have died, and done all that he hath done to cure a small and little disease. More particularly,
[1.] Sin is the creature's rebellion and disobedience to the law of the absolutely universal sovereign : 1 John iii. 4, ' Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth the law ; for sin is the transgression of the law,'
[2.] The deformity of the noblest creature upon earth : Rom. iii 23, ' For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God.'
[3.] A stain so deep that nothing could wash it away but the blood of Christ : Rev. i. 5, 6, ' To him that loved us, and washed our sins with his own blood,' &c.
[4.] It hath yielded a flood that drowned the world of sinners, yet it
350 SERMONS UPON EOMANS VI. [SeU. XXI.
did not wash away their sins : 2 Pet. ii. 9, ' Bringing in the flood upon the world of the ungodly/
[5.] Hell itself can never do it, nor purge out the malignity of it, therefore it hath no end : Mark ix. 44, ' Where their worm dieth not, and the fire is not quenched.'
[6.] God himself doth loathe the creature for sin, and nothing else but sin : Zech. xi. 8, ' Three shepherds also I cut off in one month, and my soul loathed them ; ' Deut. xxxii. 19, * When the Lord saw it he abhorred them, because of the provoking of his sons and of his daughters ;' Ps. Ixxviii. 59, ' When God saw this he was wroth, and greatly abhorred Israel.'
Secondly, as it sets forth the evil and the odiousness of sin ; shame dogs sin at the heels.
Doct. That sin is really the matter of shame.
1. It is so for the present, it will make you loathsome to yourselves, infamous to others, odious to God.
[1.] Loathsome to ourselves. Therefore a wicked man dareth not to converse with his own heart, but doth what he can to fly from him- self, to divert his thoughts from the sight of his own soul, or the view of his own natural face in the glass of the word : John iii. 20, ' Every one that doth evil hateth the light, neither cometh he to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved.' There is a secret bosom-witness which they fear : Job xxvii. 6, ' My righteousness I hold fast, and will not let it go, my heart shall not reproach me so long as I live.' There needeth a great deal of do to bring a man and his conscience together. [2.] Infamous to others. He bringeth a blot upon himself : Prov. xiii. 5, 'A righteous man hateth lying, but a wicked man is loathsome, and cometh to shame.' They are a disgrace to the society in which they live : 2 Pet. ii. 13, ' Spots are they, and blemishes, sporting them- selves with their own deceivings, while they feast with you.' Those that love sin in themselves, hate it in another : Tit. iii. 3, 'We ourselves also were sometimes foolish, disobedient, serving divers lusts and pleasures, living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another.' [3.] Odious to God : Ps. xiv. 2, 3, ' The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are altogether become filthy, there is none that doth good, no not one ;' and they are sensible of it, and therefore grow shy of God, 1 John iii. 20, 21. 2. It will be much more so hereafter.