SECONDLY, The whole unregenerate world lies under the dominion and reigning power of fin and wickednefs, Rom. vi. 17. Even in the regenerate fin dwells, as a troublesome gueft; but it has loft the throne in the heart. But in the unregenerate, it has full fway, and is the fovereign commanding principle in them. There are two things that evi

dence this.

1. Sin is in them in its full ftrength and vigour, and therefore rules and commands all. The ftrength of fin is the law, 1 Cor. xv. 56. and they are under the law, under it as a covenant of works, and therefore under the curfe. And where ever the curfe lies, there fin remains in its ftrength and power; and there is no cutting off the locks of fin, and breaking the power of it, but by removing the curfe, and delivering from the law as a covenant, Rom. vi, 14.

2. It poffeffeth them alone without an oppofite principle. The old man of fin has not only the poffeffion of every part, but of the whole of every part, there being no principle of grace brought in upon it to counteract it. In the regenerate there is a corrupt principle indeed, called the flesh; but it reigns not, because there is an oppofite principle brought in upon it to refift it, Gal. v., 17. But the unregenerate are wholly flesh, John iii. 6. So they are like the dead man, where death bears full fway; in the other death and the difeafe are ftruggling for the mastery.

THIRDLY, They lie in the habitual practice of fin and wickednefs, Pfal. xiv. 1. "The fool hath faid in his heart, there is no God; they are corrupt, they have done abominable works, there is none that doeth good." Where fin reigns in the heart, one's course of life cannot be otherwife; if the eye be evil, the whole body must be full of darkness. Where the old corrupt nature remains in its vigour, it is impoffible but the life and converfation must be corrupt too. It is true, there is a great difference of life and practice

among

among the men of the world; but that all the unregenerate lie in the practice of fin and wickedness, however they differ in the kinds of it, is clear from the following confiderations.

First, The bent, ftrain, and courfe of their life is quite wrong, Eph. ii. 1. 2. They are off from the mark; Adam led us all of the road, and they are not brought to it again. However quickly they move at any time, they are always like an arrow fhot befide the mark, a traveller that is of his road, Eccl. x. 15. They are a company of wanderers, ftraying sheep, wandering on the mountains of vanity, 1 Pet. ii. ult. though they go their fundry ways, Ifa. liii. 6.; fome wandering in the wilderness of formality, others in the mires and bogs of profanity. But all have finned and come short of the glory of God, Rom. iii. 23.

Secondly, Any good they do is accidental, even as a wanderer in his courfe of wandering may fumble fometimes on the road; but it is not the product of their main scope and aim. So the Danites confulted God as to their way, not that they were seeking an occafion of it, but an occafion met them, Judg. xviii. 5. So fome expound that paffage, Lev. xxvi. 23. If ye will not be reformed by me by these things, but will walk contrary unto me, &c. Unregenerate men may do good; but it is by the by only, as it happens to fuit with their particular humours, and interests; for felf is the dead fea with them, wherein all is fwallowed up; and they are unconverted.

Thirdly, The beft things they do are fin, unapproved, unaccepted of God, Prov. xv. 8. The facrifice of the wicked is an abomination to the Lord, Ifa. lxvi. 3. "He that killeth an ox, is as if he flew a man; he that facrificeth a lamb, as if he cut off a dog's neck; he that offereth an oblation, as if he offered fwine's blood; he that burneth incenfe, as if he bleffed an idol." They reckon wrong, dividing their actions into good works and ill works; they are entirely di

vided into glistering fins, and black and dark fins; and what they call their good works, are but gliftering fins. For they are not done in faith; and whatfoever is not of faith, is fin, Rom. xiv. ult. Their finful unregenerate ftate corrupts all, as a tainted veffel doth the liquor poured into it, Hag. ii. 11.-14. Their actions materially good, are really evil, as wrong in the principles, manner and end.

Laftly, Whatever good an unregenerate man does, he ftill lives in the allowed practice of fome fin without repenting or forfaking it. Let him have never fo many good things about him, there is still one thing lacking, that mars all, Mark x. 21. This will be evident, if ye confider,

I. That an univerfal and impartial respect to the commands of God, is a mark of the regenerate, Pfal. cxix. 6. "Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have refpect unto all thy commandments." This bears that in the cafe of others there is always fome exception, they never go along with the holy law without referve. There is always fomething in Chrift that offends them, that they stick at, and cannot go down with them, Matth. xi. 6.

2. Sin's reign being ftill entire in them, it must have fome luft or other for its fceptre to command by, Rom. vi. 12. The current or channel of a water may be altered; but as long as the fountain is not dried up, it will have fome channel to run in. A man's particular predominant may alter; but while unregenerate, he will always have fome predominant, that hall command all.

3. The heart of man muft needs hang on at one door or other for reft to itself. Faith carries the foul to take up its reft in God, Heb. iv. 3. But the unregenerate being unbelievers, do not make God their reft: therefore without controverfy they will be found about the creature's door, feeking their reft there. So E

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the

the heart has ftill fome fecret haunt of luft or other, that it can never be driven away from.

That haunt of the heart will be found in one of two.

Ift, In the defires of the flesh, Eph. ii. 3. There the groffer part of the world do neftle, who live as if they were nothing but flesh, and had nothing but the body, and a prefent life, to care for. And here one of two things will readily be found the reigning fin of the unregenerate.

1. Covetoufnefs and worldly mindedness. There is in the world the luft of the eye, the gains and profits of a present world; and there many an unsan&ified heart has its fecret haunt, ever minding earthly things, Phil. iii. 19. Here is the bait for the rich and the poor, the main ftream of their cares runs there, the one for increafing, the other for getting ; fome by lawful means, but immoderately used, others right or wrong. But that is inftead of God to them, 1 John ii. 15.; and therefore it is called idolatry, Col. iii. 5.

2. Senfuality. There is in the world the luft of the flesh, the pleasures of sense, and carnal appetite ; and there many an unrenewed heart has its fecret haunt, that it can by no means be kept out of. There may be many good things about them; but their running iffue there can never be ftopt. The pleafures of fenfe are better to them, than all the pleasures of communion with God; and they are instead of it to them, 2 Tim. iii. 4, 5. Hence fome are voluptuous epicures, whofe belly is their god; fome fleshly flaves, abandoned to, and wholly in the power of their fleshly lufts.

2dly, Or in the defires of the' mind, Eph. ii. 3. There is in the world the pride of life too; and there the more refined part of the unregenerate world do neftle. And here are several things that will be found reigning fins of the unregenerate, the haunts of their unrenewed hearts.

1. Reigning

1. Reigning pride and felf-conceit, 2 Tim. iii. 2. Having never had a kindly work of humiliation wrought on them, the natural height of their spirit is unbroken. If they have any natural or acquired excellencies about them, they admire themselves in these, and take it very ill if others do not do fo too. If they happen to obtain any religious or moral excellencies, their cafe then becomes moft hopeless, that publicans and harlots enter into the kingdom of heaven before them; for their unrenewed hearts have no ballaft for that fail.

2. Bitterness of fpirit, fhewing itself in malice and revenge against those they think have injured them. The unregenerate world is the region of malice and bitterness, as peopled by the feed of the ferpent, Tit. iii..3. "For we ourselves alfo, (faith the apostle Paul), were fometimes foolish,-living in malice and envy, hateful, and hating one another." This temper of spirit is more the nature of the unregenerate than generally we are aware of. The contrary difpofition is the badge of the family of God, Matth. v. 44, 45. "But I fay unto you, Love your enemies, bless them that curfe you, do good to them that hate you, and pray for them which defpitefully ufe you, and perfecute you; that ye may be the children of your Father which is in heaven, for he maketh his fun to rife on the evil and on the good, and fendeth rain on the just and on the unjust." An unforgiving difpofition is a fign of an unforgiven ftate, Matth. vi. 14, 15. Therefore there were none more spiteful and malicious than the Pharifees, because there were none farther from a ftate of pardon with God. Where grace comes, it turns lions into lambs, Ifa. xi. 6.; and has a benign influence to the good of mankind, Rom. xiii. 10.

3. Reigning vanity of mind, Eph. iv. 17. All the unregenerate world having left God, follow after vanity; for there is no mids, 1 Sam. xii. 21. They are all in the dark, groping here and there for reft to