! And indeed this wretched
aim at so high an estate hath thrown us down as low as hell. You see then
how injurious this transgression was to God. There was disobedience and
rebellion in it, which denies his dominion and supremacy; there was
unthankfulness in it, denying his goodness and bounty; there was unbelief
in it, contradicting his truth and faithfulness; and finally, pride,
opposing itself to all that is in God, reaching up to his very crown of
Majesty to take it off. You see then what you are guilty of, in being
guilty of Adam's transgression. Many of you flatter yourselves in your own
eyes that you have not done much evil, and you will justify yourselves in
your comparisons with others; but I beseech you, consider this, though you
had never done personally good or evil here, that which drowned the world
in misery is your sin, and charged upon you. You are guilty of that which
ruined all mankind, and makes the creation "subject to vanity" and
corruption. O if ye believe this, you would find more need of the second
Adam than you do! O how precious would his righteousness and obedience be
to you, if you had rightly apprehended your interest in the first man's
disobedience!

But besides this imputation, there is much more propagated unto all, and
that is a total corruption and depravation of nature in soul and body,
whereby man is utterly indisposed, disabled, and made opposite unto all
that is truly and spiritually good, and wholly inclined to all evil, and
that continually, which is commonly called original sin,--a total
averseness from God and from all goodness, an antipathy against the ways
of holiness,--and a propension and strong impulse towards evil, even as a
stone moves downwards. This poison and contagion of sin entering into the
world hath infected all, and gone through all the members. Neither is it
any wonder that it is so, when this leprosy hath defiled the walls and
roof of the house,--I mean, hath made the creation "subject to vanity" and
corruption; it is no wonder that it spread abroad in his issue, and makes
all unclean like himself. And truly this is it which most abases man's
nature, and, being seen, would most humble men. Yea, till this be
discerned, no man can be indeed humbled. He will never apprehend himself
so bad as he is, but still imagine some excellency in himself, till he see
himself in this glass. You talk of good natures, and good dispositions,
but in our flesh, saith the apostle, "d