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that planteth any Thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the Increase.

Which of us, by taking Thought can add one Cubit unto his Stature? or can make one Hair white or black?

"There is no King faved by the Multitude of an Hoft; and a mighty Man is not delivered by much Strength.

• Through God we fhall do valiantly, but vain is the Help of Man in Trouble. For what is our Strength, that we should hope ?

P The Wicked imagine mifchievous Devices, which they are not able to perform. Let them take Counfel together, and it fhall come to nought: Let them fpeak the Word, and it shall not stand. For God is with us.

The SINFULNESS of MAN.

By one Man Sin entered into the World; and by his Difobedience many were made Sinners. God made Man upright; but they have fought out many Inventions.

$ Our first Father hath finned, and our Teachers have tranfgrefled against the Lord; and all Flesh hath corrupted his Way upon the Earth.

What is Man, that he should be clean? And he which is born of a Woman, that he should be

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righteous? Behold he was shapen in Iniquity, and in Sin did his Mother conceive him; and the Imagination of Man's Heart is evil from his Youth.

"We are a Seed of Evil-doers, who are rifen up in our Father's Stead; an Increase of finful Men, to augment the fierce Anger of the Lord.

"We have finned against the Lord our God, we and our Fathers, from our Youth even unto this Day and we are all of us by Nature the Children of Wrath.

* The Children of Men are corrupt; they have done abominable Works: There is none that doth Good; they are all gone afide, they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doth Good, no not one.

y All we, like Sheep, have gone aftray, we have turned every one to his own Way: All have finned, and come short of the Glory of God; and the whole World lieth in Wickedness.

z If we fay that we have no Sin, we deceive ourfelves, and the Truth is not in us: For there is none upright among Men; there is no Man that finneth not; but in many Things we offend all; and it is impoffible but that Offences will come. Who then can fay, I have made my Heart clean, I am pure from my Sin; when there is not a juft Man upon Earth, that doth good, and finneth not?

The Scripture hath concluded all Men, both Jews and Gentiles, under Sin; that every Mouth

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may be stopped, and all the World may become guilty before God. For as many as are of the Works of the Law, are under the Curfe; for it is written, Curfed is every one that continueth not in all Things which are written in the Law, to do them; therefore by the Deeds of the Law there fhall no Flefh be juftified in the Sight of God. And now, for a long Seafon, a great Part of the Gentile World hath been without the true God, and without a teaching Prieft, and without Law; and thefe have had their Conversation in the Lufts of the Fleth, fulfilling the Defires of the Flesh and of the Mind, and walking according to the Course of this World.

b How abominable and filthy is Man, who drinketh Iniquity like Water?

The Heart of Man is deceitful above all Things, and defperately wicked; who can know it?

Men love Darkness rather than Light, because their Deeds are evil..

Because Sentence against an evil Work is not executed speedily; therefore the Heart of the Sons of Men is fully fet in them to do Evil.

The Way of Man is froward and ftrange; and the Way of Peace have they not known.

The Heart of the Sons of Men is full of Evil; and Madness is in, their Heart while they live, and after that they go to the Dead.

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In us, that is, in our Flesh, dwelleth no good Thing: For to will is prefent with us, but how to perform that which is good we find not. The Spirit indeed is willing, but the Flesh is weak: And though we delight in the Law of God, after the inward Man, yet there is another Law in our Members, which is continually warring against the Law of our Mind, in order to bring it into Captivity to the Law of Sin which is in our Members; fo that oftentimes what we would, that do we not; but what we hate, that do we: For the Flesh lufteth against the Spirit, and the Spirit against the Flesh; and thefe are contrary the one to the other: fo that we cannot always do the Things that we would: For the Good that we would, we do not; but the Evil which we would not, that we do.

Our Goodnefs is as a Morning Cloud, and as the early Dew it goeth away.

We are all as an unclean Thing, and all our Righteousneffes are as filthy Rags.

When we fhall have done all thofe Things which are commanded us, we are fill unprofitable Servants; and we are not worthy of the least of all the Mercies which God hath fhewed

unto us.

m If thou, Lord, fhouldft mark Iniquities, who shall stand? In thy Sight, O Lord, fhall no Man living be juftified.

n

Every Way of Man is right and clean in his own Eyes; but the Lord who pondereth the

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Hearts, and weigheth the Spirits, knoweth his Foolishness; and his Sins are not hid from him.

• Let no Man fay when he is tempted, I am tempted of God; for God tempteth not any Man; but every Man is tempted when he is drawn away of his own Lufts and enticed: Then when Luft hath conceived, it bringeth forth Sin: and Sin, when it is finished, bringeth forth Death.

Thou wilt say then, Since we cannot by Nature do the Things contained in the Law of God, why doth he yet find Fault? Nay, but, O Man, who art thou that replieft against God? Shall the Thing formed fay to him that formed it, Why haft thou made me thus ?

To the Lord our God belong Mercies and Forgiveneffes, though we have rebelled against him. And therefore we ought rather to fay, Lord, what is Man that thou fhouldft magnify him, and that thou shouldft fet thine Heart upon him; and that thou shouldst visit him every Morning, and try him every Moment!

Prov. 16. 2.

9. 19.
7. 17, 18.

Pfal. 69. 5.
Rom. 2. 14.

• James 1. 13, 14, 15. P Rom. Rom. 9. 20. 9 Dan. 9. 9. Job

CHAP.

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