ence did flow that malcontent and envious
humour, in maligning the happiness of man. And this was the poison that
Satan, the chief of these angels, did drop into man's nature, by
temptations and suggestions of an imaginary wisdom and happiness, "You
shall be as gods knowing good and evil." And truly this poison is so
strong and pestilent, that having once entered into the body, it spreads
through all the members, it infects all the posterity that were in Adam's
loins. Being once distilled into the lump, it diffuses itself through the
whole, such a strange contagion is it. That wretched aim at a higher
wisdom, hath thrown us all down into this brutish and stupid condition, to
be like wild asses colts. Yet this false and fond imagination of wisdom
and excellence remains within us, which is so much the nearer madness,
that now there is no apparent ground left for such a fairly.(434) And if
one of a cubit's height should imagine himself as tall as a mountain, and
accordingly labour to stretch out himself, we would seek no other sign of
madness. Truly this malignant and poisonable humour is so subtile that it
hath insinuated itself into all the parts and powers of the soul, and
steals in without observation into all our thoughts, purposes, affections,
ways, and courses. It is of so infectious and pestiferous a nature, that
it defiles all that is in the man, and all that comes out of the man.

The apostle speaks of covetousness, that it "is the root of all evil."
Truly I think that comprehends many inordinate affections in it. Now, both
self love and earth love arise from some false imagination of that which
is not. Whether it be an imagination of some excellency in ourselves, or
some worth in these worldly and earthly things, man first makes a god of
it, and then worships it. Therefore covetousness is called idolatry, self
idolatry and earth idolatry. We first attribute some divinity to ourselves
like these people (Isa. xliv. 17) to their idols. We then fall down and
worship ourselves, but we do not consider in our heart, that we are but
dust. And then we ascribe some divinity to the perishing things of the
world, and then worship them, but do not consider that they are earthly
and perishing vanities. Thus we feed upon ashes, a deceived heart hath
turned us aside, and we cannot deliver our own souls, by discovering the
lie that is in our right hand. We feed partly on the element of the air,
by seeking that of others that we ha