Human Sinfulness and Depravity

Where it surfaces

• Adam

  Adam's sin leads to estrangement, fear, and blame-shifting.

• Cain and Abel

  The poem depicts Cain as the embodiment of fallen human nature—malicious, blind, and proud—and asserts that all are like him until born again by grace.

• The Golden Calf

  The poem highlights the depth of human sinfulness, showing how even those who witnessed God's glory quickly turned to idolatry.

• Dagon Before the Ark

  The persistent re-erection of self and the remaining stump illustrate the deep-rooted nature of human sinfulness.

• David’s Fall

  David's descent from lust to adultery and murder illustrates the progressive and corrupting nature of sin.

• Is This Thy Kindness to Thy Friend?

  The speaker laments his perverse returns, faithlessness, and shame, recognizing his own sinfulness in contrast to Christ's faithfulness.

• Naaman

  The speaker acknowledges their own pride and sinfulness, comparing themselves to Naaman's leprosy, and recognizing the need for cleansing.

• 67: Jehovah Our Righteousness

  The poem vividly describes how sin contaminates every aspect of the believer's life, including praise and prayer.

• Belshazzar

  Belshazzar's profane boldness and defiance of God illustrate human sinfulness, and the poem warns sinners of their perilous state.

• The Leper

  Sin is depicted as a leprosy—incurable, defiling, and impossible to hide, emphasizing the depth of human depravity.

• A Sick Soul

  The poem vividly portrays sin as a pervasive and debilitating disease affecting every part of the person.

• The Wheat and Tares

  The tares represent those who outwardly appear among the wheat but are inwardly corrupt, illustrating the presence of sin within the church.

• But One Loaf

  The disciples' unbelief and forgetfulness reflect human sinfulness, which the narrator acknowledges in himself.

• The Blasted Fig-Tree

  The fig tree represents those who are deceived by sin and yield no fruit, only leaves.

• The Two Debtors

  The woman's past sinfulness and the narrator's 'heart of steel' highlight the depth of human depravity and need for forgiveness.

• The Barren Fig-Tree

  The barren fig tree represents those who profess faith but show no fruits of grace, illustrating human sinfulness and spiritual barrenness.

• Zaccheus

  Zaccheus's long-forgotten faults and secret thoughts are brought to light, showing human sinfulness.

• 109: Father, Forgive Them

  The hymn confesses human ignorance and sinfulness, acknowledging that we 'knew not what we did.'

• The Good That I Would Do, I Do Not

  The speaker describes being prone to ill and unable to do good, highlighting the inherent sinfulness of humanity.

• The Inward Warfare

  The speaker acknowledges the persistent power of sin, manifesting in backwardness to prayer, coldness to the promises, and unbelief even on the Sabbath.

• The Word Quick and Powerful

  The Word pierces the sinner through, revealing that no heart can be concealed from God's all-piercing eyes.

• Sardis

  The church is described as 'cold and dead' despite being called a living church, highlighting the reality of spiritual decline.

• Laodicea

  The poem highlights the self-deception and spiritual poverty of those who consider themselves rich and in need of nothing.

• A New-Year’s Thought and Prayer

  The poem acknowledges the weight of sins that have grieved the Spirit and the debt owed to God.

• Death and War. 1778

  The poem attributes the year's sorrows and war to the 'fruitful seeds of sin,' highlighting human depravity as the cause of divine judgment.

• Another

  Acknowledges that even the youngest have a 'stone' within their breast and are stained with many crimes.

• Looking at the Cross

  The speaker's guilt is vividly portrayed as they realize their sins caused Christ's death.

• On the Commencement of Hostilities in America

  The nation's sins are lamented, and the war is seen as a consequence of collective guilt.

• Fast Day Hymns

  The hymns confess national and personal sins, including profaneness, riot, lust, and pride, as reasons for divine judgment.

• Confession and Prayer. Dec. 13, 1776

  The hymn vividly describes the nation's rebellion, ingratitude, and the blackest crimes, highlighting human depravity.

• On the Earthquake. Sept. 8, 1775

  The poem emphasizes Britain's guilt and the sinfulness of sinners who scorn mercy and continue in their ways.

• On the Fire at Olney. Sept. 22, 1777

  The poem confesses ingratitude for past mercies and sees the fire as a rebuke for sin.

• Thunder

  The poem opens with guilt and fear as fruits of sin, and the sinner's tendency to forget vows once the storm passes.

• Moonlight

  The frozen heart and the prevalence of sin illustrate the fallen human condition that reason cannot remedy.

• The Flood

  The poem illustrates how even small sins accumulate into a mighty flood that can destroy the soul, underscoring the inherent sinfulness of humanity.

• The Thaw

  The heart is described as stone, ice, or steel, illustrating the natural hardness and sinfulness of humanity.

• The Spider and Bee

  The wicked are depicted as having 'vile venom' in their hearts, which poisons even the sweet truths of God's Word.

• The Tamed Lion

  The poem contrasts the tameable lion with the more fierce and unfeeling nature of man, who rebels against God despite being preserved and fed.

• The Garden

  Adam's fall brought disgrace and ruin to all, and believers' hearts naturally grow thorns and weeds.

• I: Solemn Addresses to Sinners

  The chapter vividly portrays the sinful state of humanity, describing sinners as 'madly pursuing' the dangerous road to destruction and being 'blindly secure' in their rebellion against God.

• Expostulation

  Sinners are depicted as madly pursuing a dangerous road, refusing to stop despite God's warnings.

• Prepare to Meet God

  The poem addresses sinners who are secure in their sin, refusing to pray, and who glory in their shame, highlighting the depravity of humanity.

• II: Seeking, Pleading, and Hoping

  The chapter vividly portrays the depth of human sin and the sinner's inability to save themselves, as seen in 'Behold, I Am Vile' and 'The Burdened Sinner.'

• The Burdened Sinner

  The poem vividly portrays the sinner's overwhelming guilt and the multitude of sins that exceed the sands on the shore.

• Behold, I Am Vile

  The speaker vividly describes his own vileness, unclean heart, and the swarm of evils within, acknowledging his inability to pray or understand Scripture.

• 8: The Shining Light

  The speaker acknowledges being 'dead in trespasses and sins' and dreads impending doom.

• Self-Acquaintance

  The speaker acknowledges the evil within their heart, including anger, unbelief, and presumption.

• The Way of Access

  The narrator confesses his own vileness and blackness before a holy God, acknowledging the depth of his sin.

• The Heart Healed and Changed by Mercy

  The speaker describes being enslaved by sin, blind, and rebellious, illustrating the depth of human depravity.

• Hatred of Sin

  The poem vividly describes sin as a poison and a chain, emphasizing its pervasive and corrupting influence.

• Cautions

  Sin is depicted as deceitful and enslaving, and the natural heart is prone to self-righteousness and false zeal.

• The New Convert

  The new convert soon experiences the 'cruel sting' of sin, revealing the inherent weakness and sinfulness of human nature.

• True and False Zeal

  The poem exposes the sinfulness of self, which disguises itself as zeal and seeks its own ends, contrasting with the purity of true zeal.

• Abuse of the Gospel

  Highlights the licentiousness of those who claim to see God's face yet turn away, showing the depravity that persists even in the light of the gospel.

• Dependence

  Peter's denial is used as a warning against self-confidence, highlighting human weakness.

• Not of Works

  Human works are described as 'fruits of pride' and 'vain pretence,' highlighting the depravity of self-righteousness.

• Sin's Deceit

  The poem vividly portrays sin as a horrid, hateful sight, and the speaker confesses that his sins are 'black indeed.'

• The Sluggard

  The sluggard's behavior illustrates the natural human tendency toward spiritual laziness and excuse-making.