Section 4
The fourth subject of meditation is, meditate upon sin.
1. Meditate upon the guilt of sin. We were in Adam, tanquam in radice, as in a common head, or root, and he sinning, we become guilty, Romans 5:12. in whom all have sinned; by his treason our blood is tainted, and this guilt brings shame with it as its twin, Romans 6:21.
2. Meditate upon the filth of sin; not only is the guilt of Adam's sin imputed, but the poison of his nature is disseminated to us. Our Virgin nature is defiled, the heart is spotted; how then can the actions be pure? If the water be foul in the well, it cannot be clean in the bucket. Isaiah 64:6. We are all as an unclean thing. We are like a Patient under the Physician's hand that has no sound part in him, his head bruised, his liver swelled, his lungs perished, his blood inflamed, his feet gangrened. Thus is it with us before grace comes, in the mind darkness, in the memory slipperiness; in the heart hardness; in the will stubbornness, from the sole of the foot, to the crown of the head there is no soundness, but wounds and bruises, and putrifying sores, Isaiah 1:6. A sinner befilthied with sin, is no better than a devil in man's shape; and which is sadly to be laid to heart, the adherency of this sin. Sin is naturalized to us, the Apostle calls it an encompassing sin, Hebrews 12:1, a sin that will not easily be cast off. A man may as well shake off the skin of his body, as the sin of his soul; it sticks fast as the ivy to the wall. There is no shaking off this viper till death. Oh often meditate on this contagion of sin. How strong is that poison, a drop whereof is able to poison a whole sea? How venomous and malignant was that apple, a taste whereof poisoned all mankind? Meditate sadly on this. The meditation of sin would make the plumes of pride fall, if our knowledge makes us proud, we have sin enough to make us humble. The best Saint alive who is taken out of the grave of sin, yet has the smell of the grave-clothes still upon him.
3. Meditate upon the curse of sin. Galatians 3:10. Cursed be every one that continues not in all things written in the book of the Law. This curse is like a blast upon fruit, which keeps it from thriving; sin is not only a defiling thing, but a damning. It is not only a spot in the face, but a stab at the heart. Sin betrays us into the Devil's hands, who like Draco, writes all his Laws in blood. Sin binds us over to the wrath of God, and then what are all our earthly enjoyments, but like Damocles' banquet, with a sword hanging over the head? Sin brings forth the roll written with curses against a sinner, Zechariah 5; and it is a flying roll, verse 5; it comes swiftly, if mercy does not stop it. You are cursed with a curse, Malachi 3:9. Thus it is till the entail of this curse be cut off by Christ. Oh meditate upon this curse due to sin.
The meditation of this curse would make us afraid, 1. Of retaining sin. When Micah had stolen his mother's money, and heard her curse him, he dared not keep it any longer, but restores it, Judges 17:2; he was afraid of his mother's curse; what then is God's curse? 2. The meditation of this curse would make us afraid of entertaining sin. We would not willingly entertain one into our house who had the plague. Sin brings a curse along with it, which is the plague of God that cleaves to a sinner; sin is like the water of jealousy which made the belly to swell, and the thigh to rot, Numbers 5:22. The meditation of this would make us fly from sin; while we sit under the shadow of this bramble, fire will come out of the bramble eternally to devour us.
