Jeremiah 13:23,
"Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the leopard its spots?
Neither can you do good, who are accustomed to doing evil."
Our nature is inherently sinful. Sin pervades all our faculties, whether of
mind or body.
Our understanding is blinded by sin,
our will is rendered perverse by sin,
our affections are made earthly and sensual by sin,
our conscience is stupefied by sin,
our memory is enfeebled with respect to everything truly good.
By sin also, is the whole of our body defiled! Paul, with a remarkable
particularity, specifies the subjection of our several members to this evil
principle, from head to foot, in Romans 3:12-15.
Hence what the prophet speaks of the Jewish people, may well be said of us,
"From the sole of the foot even to top of the head,there is no soundness
in us—only wounds, and bruises, and putrefying sores!" Isaiah 1:6
The whole man is corrupt! "The Lord saw how great man's wickedness on the earth
had become, and that every inclination of the thoughts of his heart was only
evil all the time!" Genesis 6:5
All our members are instruments of unrighteousness unto sin! Romans 6:13.
The Scripture expressly says, that "in us, that is, in our flesh, dwells no good
thing!" Romans 7:18
We cannot so much as will what is good, and much less can we do
it—unless God works within us to that end! Philippians 2:13. Nor have we a
sufficiency even to think a good thought—unless it is put into our hearts by
the only Giver of all good.
Sin receives assistance from everything around us! "All that is in the
world" is summed up by the Apostle under these three designations:
"the lust of the flesh,
the lust of the eyes,
and the pride of life!" 1 John 2:16
And what are these, but allies of the evil principle within us, giving it
continually fresh scope for exercise, and soliciting it in every possible way to
enslave our souls!
Everything we see, and everything we hear in the world, has a
tendency . . .
to draw us from God,
to gratify our corrupt nature,
and to give to the evil principle within us, an advantage against us, to
our destruction.
Sin conceals its influence under subtle names. There is not an evil which
the corrupt principle does not lead us to palliate by some gentle name;
while on vital godliness, it invariably casts reproach!
What will our corrupt principle not commend to us, under the idea of innocent
amusement? What will it not sanction, under the terms conviviality?
Covetousness, worldliness, carnal ambition, yes, and profligacy itself—all lose
their hateful qualities under the less offensive terms of harmless amusement
and entertainment!
Is it any wonder then, that men are led captive by sin and Satan; and that
vital godliness is in so great a degree banished from the world?
If any man thinks that of himself he can turn unto the Lord, and serve Him in
sincerity and truth, let him first wash an
Ethiopian white; and then he may hope to accomplish the task of converting his
own soul, and of "creating himself anew after the Divine image, in righteousness
and true holiness."