Wesley Corpus

And it is in consequence of his sin, that the present life of man is short and afflictive; of which the very Heathens were deeply sensible. They also saw, that “great travail is created for every man, and a heavy yoke is upon the sons of Adam, from the day that they go out of their mother's womb, till the day that they return to the mother of all things.’” (Page 40.) “‘Wain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass’s colt;’ (Job xi. 12;) in the original, ‘though man be born’ (will be born in every age) ‘the colt of a wild ass. Dr. Taylor owns, “We are born quite ignorant.” But this is far from reach ing the plain import of the text, in which man, as born into the world, is compared to an animal most remarkably stupid and intractable. And such all the sons of Adam naturally are, particularly with regard to the things of God; from their infancy slow to learn what is good, though impetuously pro pense to learn and practise what is evil.” (Pages 43, 44.) “Job xiv. 4, and xv. 14. I join these, because the latter confirms the former. “Who can bring a clean thing, or person, “out of an unclean? Not one.’ This is express. Job had been reflecting on the sorrowful, uncertain, imperfect state of all Adam’s children in the present world. (xiv. 1-3.) Then he carries his thoughts to the spring of such a state, the original corruption of man. “Who, what creature, can make an innocent, righteous person proceed from a parent defiled by sin? ‘Not one.’ Through the whole Scripture we may observe, ‘sin’ is described as ‘uncleanness,’ and a sinner as an unclean thing. On the contrary, holiness is expressed by ‘cleanness’ of heart and hands; and the right eous man is described as clean. Agreeably to which, the text asserts the natural impossibility of any man’s being born clean, guiltless, and sinless, because he proceeds from them who are unclean, guilty, and defiled with sin. “The Septuagint translate the text, “Who shall be clean from filth?