Religion & morality > Human nature in its four-fold state ... in several practical discourses

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Great Oppreffion, wr. 4. ‘there were Giants in
the Earth in thofe Days, Men of Great Stature,
great Strength, and monftrous Wickedmfs, filling
the Earth with Violence, ver. n. But neither
their Strength, nor Treafufes of Wickednefs, could
profit them in the Day of Wrath. Yet the Gain
of Oppreflion dill carries many, over the Terror of
this" dreadful Example. This much for the Con¬
nexion,fand what particular Crimes that'Generation
was guilty of. But every Perfon that was fweptaway
with the Flood, could not be guilty of thefe Things;
and Jhall not the Judge of all the Earth do Right ?
Thereibre in my Text, there is a generallndidment
drawn up againft them all. The Wickednefs of Man
was great in the Earth, Sec. And this is well in-
ftru&ed, for God faw it. Two Things are laid to
their Charge, here.
Firft, Corruption of Life, Wickednefs, great
Wtckednefs. I underftand this of the Wickednefs
of their Lives ; for it is plainly diftinguilhed from
the Wickednefs of their Hearts. The Sins of their
outward Converfation, were great in the Nature of
them, and greatly aggravated by their attending
Circutnflances: And this not only among thofe of
the Race of curfed Cain, but thofe of holy Seth ;
the Wickednefs of Man was great. And then ’tis
added, in the Earth. (1.) To vindicate God's
Severity, in that he not only cut off Sinners, but
defaced the Beauty of the Earth; and fwept off the
brute Creatures from it, by the Deluge; that as
Men had fet the Marks of their Impiety, God
might fet the Marks of. his Indignation, on the
Earth. (2.) To fhew the Heinoufnefs of their Sin,
in making the which God had fo adorned for
the Ufe of Man, a Sink of Sin, and a Stage wherc-
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