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The whole works of the most Rev. James Ussher...
The whole works of the most Rev James Ussher Author:James Ussher Purchase of this book includes free trial access to www.million-books.com where you can read more than a million books for free. This is an OCR edition with typos. Excerpt from book: SERMON IV. Ephes. Chap. II. Ver 1, 2, 3. ' And you hath he quickened who were dead in trespasses and sins, where in times past you walked according to the ... more »course of this world, according to the prince that ruleth in the air, the spirit that worketh in the children of disobedience. Amongst whom also we all had our conversation in times past, in the lusts of our flesh, fulfilling the desires of the flesh and of the mind, and were by nature the children of wrath even as others." The last time I declared unto you the duty that was necessarily required of us if we look to be saved, that we must not only take the matter speedily into consideration, and not be deluded by our own hearts and the wiles of Satan; but that we must not do it superficially or perfunctorily, but must bring ourselves to the true touchstone, and not look upon ourselves with false glasses, because there is naturally in every one self-love; and in these last and worst times men are apt to think better of themselves than they deserve. If there be any beginning of goodness in them, they think all is well, when there is no greater danger in the world than being but half Christians. He thinks (the half Christian I mean,) that if he hath escaped the outward pollutions of the world, through lust, and be not so bad as formerly he hath been, and not so bad as many men in the world are, therefore he is well enough : whereas his end proves worse than his beginning. This superficial repentance is but like the washing of a hog, the outside is only washed, the swinish nature is not taken away. There may be in this man some outward abstaining from the common gross sins of the world, or those which he himself was subject unto; but his disposition to sin is the same, his nature is nothing changed: there is no renovation, n...« less