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{Sermons on John 1:47
The Doctrine Confirmed
The Principles and Doctrines of Godliness Are Not Fantasy
Sin
Spiritual Sins, Soul Pollution are Greatest of Sins, Foulest}
To the degree that the soul is more excellent than the body in its nature, by that amount is the depravity of the soul great vileness and wickedness. The soul of a person is the prime subject of the image of God in people. There is much of God to be seen in the body or externals of a person, but the face of God and the glory of God were stamped on his soul. When the soul was corrupted,148 it became the express image of the devil. Satan is rudely limbed and some darker shadows of him are drawn on the outward man, but his very life is drawn out on the soul. The very face and heart of Satan, and his pride, malice, envy, and falsehood are engraved on the heart. A proud heart has more of the devil than a proud look. A wanton heart is more vile than a wanton eye. A murderous or adulterous heart is worse than a murderous or adulterous act. It is true that, when sin breaks out externally, it is worse than when one keeps sin inside the heart only; and sin is worse in its birth than in its bare conception. When sin is committed externally, there are both parts together: the outward and the spiritual. There is sin of the hand and sin of the heart together to make up the murder. But if you distinguish between what the hand does towards the murder, and what the heart has done, the heart’s part is incomparably the worse. The sins of the heart are the root sins, the power that sets all the wheels in motion, the spring that sets all the streams flowing, and the fire that sets the furnace to smoking. This is the reason that sins of the heart are worse. Carnal people little regard outward sins, and spiritual sins not at all. Even if some of them would not wish to be extortionists, oppressors, swearers, or foul-mouthed, evil thoughts may lodge in them. Lust may rule in them. Pride, envy, ignorance, atheism, heart-blasphemy—these are scarcely deemed to be evils. What are thoughts, such as a little inward discontent, anger, and the like, that we should trouble ourselves about them? Oh! You do not know what there may be in a thought or secret lust; there may be a thousand evil words and actions in the bowels of a few evil thoughts. Lusts are big-bellied; a world of monstrous births are continually springing forth from them. Beloved, if you should examine the wickedness of your lives, such as drunkenness, whoredom, lying, sinful oaths, and perjury, and ask them one by one, “Drunkenness, from where did you come? Adultery, from where did you come? Sinful oaths, curses, and lies, from where did all of you come?” would they not answer with the apostle, “Did we not come from the lusts that war in your members?” (Romans 7:23; 1 Peter 2:11).149 Do not blame Christians that they are so much afraid of their own hearts. Do not blame them that they take so many pains and spend so much time purging, washing, and watching their hearts; safeguarding their thoughts; governing their passions; and mortifying their lusts. They know what there is within them [ready to break out] if they do not. They know that if someone makes nothing of an evil thought, the devil is likely to bring him to some sin in a short time.
148When Adam sinned by eating the forbidden fruit, thus imparting to all of us a sin nature at conception.
149The rhetorical question is Alleine’s, not a Scripture quote.
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