them there we see our own heart unbowell'd and there we can discern what our selves are at the cost of other mens Sins What says the Wise man in Prov. 27 19 As in water face answereth unto face so doth the heart of a man to a man It was the proud Pharisee's boast Lord I thank thee that I am not as other men are Extortioners Vnjust Adulterers or a this Publican as it is in Luke 18. Yes believe it you and I and all yea the best of us all we are even as others are the vilest Sinners are the truest Glasses to represent to our view what our Hearts are their wickedness gives in a true Inventory of what lies locked up in our Breasts there we have the same Vipers knotting and sprawling within that crawl forth in others Lives there is Rancour and Malice and Hatred and Slaughters and Adulteries and the whole Spawn of all those black Sins that have made Men either infamous in Story or mighty in Torment and that we have not yet out-sinned all the Copies that ever were set us that we have not yet discovered some new unknown wickedness to the World is not because our inclination to Sin or our stock of Corruption fails us but because God's Grace either preventing or renewing fails not Where then is the Christian that hath not cause to go mourning to his Grave can you blame him to see him sad and disconsolate when he hath no less Reason for it than a Heart brim-full of Sin Certainly that Man neither loves God nor his own Soul that can hear that there is in him such a violent propension to injure the one and ruine the other without exclaiming with the Prophet Woe is me for I am undone because I am a Man of an unclean heart and of polluted Lips It is but just yea it is all the reason in the World that while our hearts continue to be fountains of Sin our heads should continue to be fountains of Tears That Proneness that is in God's Children to Sin should make them long for Heaven Thirdly Is there in the best a strong proneness to the worst Sins what cause have we then to long and breath after Heaven For not till then shall we be free from it In-dwelling Sin hath taken a Lease of our Souls and holds them by our own Lives it will be in us to the last gasp and as the Heart is the last that dies so also is that Corruption that lodgeth in it but yet die it must and die it shall And this is the comfort of a Child of God that though he brought Sin with him into the World yet he shall not carry it with him out of the World God hath so wisely ordered and appointed it that as Death came in by Sin so also shall Sin it self be destroyed by Death As Worms when they creep into their holes leave their Slime and their Dirt behind them Why truly so is it with a Christian when he dies he leaves all his Slime all his Filth and Corruption at the mouth of the Grave and his Soul gets free from that Clog and mounts up into the bosom of God and there alone is it that it shall no more strive and struggle against sinful Propensions and Inclinations there shall it be eternally fixed and confirmed not only in Glory but in Holiness also we shall there be out of the reach of Satan's Temptations We read indeed that sometimes the Devil appears before God as an Accuser but we never read that he comes there as a Tempter we shall no more feel the first risings and steamings up of Corruption there no more shall we cast kind glances upon our Sins nor have hovering Thoughts towards them O blessed Necessity when the Soul shall be tied up to one all-satisfying Good when it shall have as natural a proneness and ardour to delight in God as to love it self and to delight in its own happiness And who then would desire to linger any longer here below and to spin out his wretched Life wherein Sin and Sorrow shall have the greatest share here the best of us are in perpetual Combates and Quarrels betwixt Sin and Geace the one will not yield and the other cannot Corruption that compells one way and Grace commands another Haste therefore O Christian out of this Scuffle make haste to Heaven and there the controversie will be for ever decided there shalt thou no more live in fear of new sins nor yet in sorrow for old sins but all sorrow and sighing shall flee away all tears shall be wiped from our eyes and all Sin shall be rooted out of our hearts and we shall be perfectly holy even as the Angels themselves are A Proneness in us to Sin should make us â—â—â—ful to avoid occasions of Sin Lastly Is there such a strong proneness in the best to the worst Sins this then should teach us carefully to avoid all Temptations to Sin and whatever may be an occasion to draw forth that Corruption that lies latent within us Wherefore is it that one Petition of those few that Christ taught his Disciples was that God would not lead them into Temptation but because he knew there is in all of us sinful Natures that do too too well correspond with Temptations And he knew that if we were brought into Temptations it is very seldom that we are brought off from them without Sin Were we as free from inherent Sin as Adam was at first or were we confirmed in Grace as the Saints in Heaven now are we might then repell all Temptations with ease and therefore our Saviour whose Nature was spotless by an extraordinary conception and whose Holiness was secure to him by an unspeakable Union of the Godhead he tells us in John 4.13 The Prince of this World came and found nothing in him The Devil came to tempt him but because he found nothing in him therefore he could fasten nothing upon him no Temptation could enter because there was no Corruption to receive it and therefore when he tempted Christ he only cast fiery darts against an impenetrable Rock a Rock that will beat them back again into his own face but our Corruptions have made us combustible Matter that there is scarce a Dart thrown at us in vain when he tempts us it is but like the casting of Fire into Tinder that presently catcheth our Hearts kindle upon the least Spark that falls like a Vessel that is brim-full of Water upon the least jogg runs over Were we but true to our selves though the Devil might knock by his Temptations yet he could never burst open the everlasting Doors of our Hearts by force or violence but alas we our selves are not all of one heart and one mind Satan hath got a strong party within us that as soon as he knocks opens to him and entertains him and hence is it that many times small Temptations and very petty occasions draw forth great Corruptions as
hold it was long before must fall within the compass of six Days for in that space the Scripture tells us God made Heaven and Earth and all things therein and therefore within the space of six Days he created the Angels also Some refer their Creatioâ— to the first Days Work others to thâ— fourth Day and it 's probably thoughâ— That Adam's continuance in Innocency was not much above one Day and yeâ— even then there were fallen Angels tâ— tempt him so that their glorious anâ— blessed State could not according to thâ— Computation last above six or seven Days such a speedy issue did God make with them upon their very first sin But now how is his Patience and Forbearance extended towards sinful Man He drives Adam out of Paradise but iâ— was free Grace he did not drive him into Hell where he had but a little before plunged far more excellent Creature than Adam was his Patience is prolonged to impenitent unbelieving Sinners he bears with their proud Affronts waits their returns and with a Miracle of Mercy reprieves them for a much longer date than he did the Angels themselves How much more then oughâ— free Grace to be extolled by us which did not so much as Reprieve the Angelâ— for one sin and yet every moment grants out a free and absolute Pardon to his Servants not for one sin but for reiterated Provocations they could not obtain respite and we obtain pardon How many Leaves in God's Remembrance-Book stands written thick with multitudes of sins and yet no sooner doth God write down but he also wipes out His Pen and his Spunge keep the same measure our sins find constant Employment for the one and God's free Grace and Mercy finds constant Employment for the other Fourthly add to this what some with great probability affirm the same price that bought out our Pardon might have procured theirs also By which it plainly appears that there is no other Reason why our Estate differs from theirs but only God's free Soveraign Grace Upon the same Account God might have Damned all Mankind that he Damned the Angels for and at the same cost he might have saved all the fallen Angels at which he saved some of Mankind The Merits of Christ are the price of our Pardon and Redemption and these have in them an infinite worth and an All-sufficient Expiation not for our sins only but for the sins of the whole World both Men and Devils The Streams of Christ's Bloud shed on the Cross for us was sufficient to quench the flames of Hell and utterly to have washt away the Lake of Fire and Brimstone Hell might have been depopulated and those black Mansions left void without Inhabitants for ever and the Devils and Men have been common sharers in that same common Salvation For Christ having an infinite Dignity in his Person being God as well as Man his Bloud the Bloud of God his Sufferings the Sufferings and Humiliation of a God inhanced his Merits to such a redundancy as neither fallen Angels nor fallen Men were their Sins more and their Miseries greater were ever able to drain out Not a drop more of Gall and Wormwood should have been squeezed into the Cup of Christ's Sufferings though it had proved a Cup of Health and Salvation to them as well as to us And yet such was God's dreadful severity that he excluded the Angels from the benefits of Christ's Death though he had been at no more Expences to save them the price of whose Pardon and Redemption would have been the same And yet we such is the infinite Riches of his Grace and Mercy are Redeemed by a price that infinitely exceeds the purchace O the freeness and riches of God's Grace that he should thus pass by the Angels and pitch upon and choose such vile wretched Creatures as we are Sixthly consider Pardoning Grace is free whether we consider the generality of its designation or the speciality of its Application First It is free Pardoning Grace is free in its Designation in its general designation in that God hath design'd and purposed to forgive the sins of all the World if they will believe and repent It is the Universality of Grace that mightily exalts its freeness now what can be more universal than that Proclamation of Pardon that God makes to poor sinners in Acts 10.43 Whosoever believes in him shall receive remission of sins The whole World is under this Conditional Promise not one Soul of Man excepted Be thy sins more than the Sands greater than Mountains though the cry of them reacheth up to Heaven and the guilt of them reacheth down to Hell yet thou hast nâ— Reason O Sinner to exclude thy selâ— from Pardon for God hath not only believe and repent But as general aâ— this pardon is yet is there somewhaâ— that is discriminating in it that makeâ— it more illustrious for it is not tendreâ— to Devils and Damned Spirits Christ iâ— not appointed to be a Saviour unto them nor is his Bloud a propitiation for their sins they are not under any Covenant of Grace nor have they any promise of Mercy no not so much as Conditional It is not said unto them believe and you shall be rescued from the everlasting residue of your Torments believe and those unquenchable Flames you are now burning in shall be put out No God requires no such Duty from them neither hath he made any such Promise to them yea should it be supposed that they could believe yet this their Faith would not at all avail them because God hath ordained no Ransome for them and resolves to receive no other satisfaction to his Justice than their personal Punishment But while we are alive we are all the Objects of God's free pardoning Grace And for any Man that hears the sound of the Gospel and upon what terms God hath proclaimed forgiveness of Sin if any Man notwithstanding shall perish in his sins it is not because God hath excluded him from Pardon which he doth seriously and with vehement importunity offer and urge upon him but because he excludes himself by his own Impenitency and Unbelief in not accepting of it Secondly Pardoning Grace is free Pardoning Grace is free in its special Application in the special Application of it Now the Application of Pardon is not made unto any till the performance of those Conditions upon which Pardon is tendred and they are Faith and Repentance Now herein is God's Grace infinitely free who first fulfils these Conditions in his Children that so he may fulfill his Gracious Promises unto them of Life and Pardon The Conditional Covenant of Grace promises Pardon and Remission of Sins unto all that shall believe and repent But notwithstanding all this the whole World might perish under a contracted Impotency whereby they could not believe nor repent did not the Absolute Covenant engagâ— God's Truth to work Faith and Repentance in the Hearts of his People Sâ— that one Covenant promiseth Pardon
â—s small Sins yet they still plod on in â—he way to Hell and Destruction without any stop or interruption In sharp Diseases the violence of the Fit doth not â—ast so long as the Disease lasts at times â—here is an Intermission but still there is â— constant Distemper in the Body So when the pang of a violent Sin is well over yet still there remains a constant Distemper in the Soul which though it be not outragious yet still continues the Souls Disease and will bring it to its Death at last In the Fortification of a City or Town all the Ramparts are not Castles and Strong holds but between Fort and Fort there is a Line drawn thaâ— doth as it were joyn all together anâ— makes the place Impregnable So is â— in the Fortification of the Soul by Sin all Sins are not Strong holds of Sathan they are greater and grosser Sins but between these is drawn a line of smalleâ— Sins so close that you cannot find â— Breach in it and by these the Heart iâ— fenced against God Now is it nothing that your Little Sins fill up all the voiâ— spaces of your Lives Is it nothing thaâ— you no where lie open to the force and impression of the Holy Spirit He by his Convictions batters the greater and more hainous Sins of your Lives buâ— these Strong holds of Sathan are Impregnable and give him the repulse he seeks to enter in by the Thoughts but these are so fortified by Vanity and Earthly mindedness and a thousand other Follies that though they are but Little Sins yet swarms of them stop up the passage and the Soul is so full already that there is no room for the Holy Spirit to enter There 's not a sinner here that if he will make an Impartial search within him but will find the experience of this in his own breast When at any â—me you have flown out into the Commission of any boisterous and notorious Wickedness have you not afterwards â—und that you live in a more constant â—king and allowance of little Sins When â—nce a Man is stunn'd by some heavy â—ow a small nip or pinch is not then felt â—y him And when once Conscience is â—eadned by the stroak of some great and â—andalous Sin afterwards it grows less â—ensible of the guilt and evil that there â— in smaller Sins and thus you live in â—hem without pain and regret till you â—ll into some notorious Wickedness that â—ore hardens the Heart and more fears â—he Conscience and what is this but to â—n round from Sin to Sin from a small â—in to a great Sin and from a great Sin â—o a small Sin again till Hell put a peâ—iod to this Circle what is this now â—ut for the Devil to get ground upon â—ou by great Sins and to keep it by little Sins whereby he drives on and keeps up â—he trade of Sin and when God shall â—ast up your Accounts for you at the last Day you will find that the Trade hath â—gain'd you no small loss even the loss of â—our Immortal Souls Now although â—he evil and danger of committing little Sins hath been made very apparent in the forementioned particulars yet because Men are very prone to indulge and excuse themselves herein I shall add some farther Demonstrations of their aggravated Guilt in these following particulars Which will serve greatly for the confirmation of the truth of the Doctrine Little Sins usually are the damning Sins First Consider little Sins usually are the damning and destroying Sins There are more beyond comparison that perish and go down to Hell by the Commission of little Sins than by those that are more Notorious and Infamous here perisheth the Hypocrite and here the formal Professor here perisheth your honest civil neighbourly Man that is so fair and upright in his dealing that you can see nothing that is gross and scandalous by him Oh! but yet the blood of their precious and Immortal Souls runs out and is spilt for ever thorough those insensible wounds that little Sins do make Yea hereby commonly perisheth the Prophane Sinner also for it is usually but the Commission of one small Sin more that fills up the measure of their â—niquities and makes them fully ripe â—or Damnation sometimes indeed God â—oth by some signal Stroke of his Vengeance strike the sinner through and â—hrough in the Commission of some bold â—nd daring Sin but usually the last Sin â—f the worst of Men is but of the lesser â—ze and though God hath formerly â—orn many great impieties from such â—ersons yet is he at last so provoked by â—ome little Sin that he will wait no lonâ—er but snatcheth the sinner away in his â—rath and throws him down into Hell This is an Argument how dreadfully â—rovoking small Sins are that usually â—pon the Commission of one of them God puts an end to his patience and forâ—earance It is not all the great and crying â—ins of a Mans Life that brings so much misery upon him as a little Sin that â—nks him down into Eternal Torments â—oth Usually the last Sin that a sinner â—nters into Hell by is but a little Sin Take it therefore as a warning from God â—enceforth never more despise any Sin â—s slight because it is small We have a â—nown Proverb among us that when a â—east hath his full load one straw more will break his Back Believe it sirs it is most certainly true in the present Case many Christians have been a long time sinners against God and their own Souls adding iniquity to iniquity and some oâ— you may already have your full load â— beware how you ever venture upon thâ— Commission of another Sin though it bâ— but a little and a slight Sin yet this slighâ— and small Sin added to the rest may breaâ— and sink you for ever into Hell thiâ— little Sin may fill up the Ephah of youâ— iniquities and after this small Sin yoâ— may neither have time to Sin again noâ— to Repent of your Sin Little Sins what they want in weight they do more than make up innumber Secondly Consider this Small Sin what they want in weight usually they do more than make up in number and therefore are as pernicious to the Souâ— as the greatest Sins can be Hence David prays Psal 19.12 Who can understand his errours cleanse thou me from secret Sins Psal 19.12 Secret Sins must needs bâ— the least and smallest Sins seeing they are so small that he that commits then cannot discern them but yet as they are small so are they numerous whâ— knows how often he thus transgresseth whâ— can understand his errours Therefore cleanse thou me O Lord from these secret â—ins A Ship may have a heavy burâ—en of Sands as well as of Milstones and â—ay be as soon sunk with them And â—uly small Sins though they should be â— small as Sands yet commonly they â—e as numerous as the Sands too and â—hat odds then is there between
Whoremonger or an Adulterer or a Murtherer These Sins make a Man a Scorn and a Reproach to all that pretend to Civility But now there are other Sins that are inward and spiritual Sins that are indeed more sinful though less scandalous such as Vnbelief Hypocrisie Hardness of Heart Slighting and Rejecting of Christ Resisting the Holy Ghost and the like Now herein lies the great mistake of the World in estimating of Sin At the naming of the former we are ready to tremble and so indeed we ought and not only so but we ought to shun and avoid those that are guilty of them as Monsters of Men. But now we have no such abhorrency against the latter if the Life be free from gross Enormities we look upon Vnbelief and Impenitency but as small and trivial sins Now those Sins that we thus slight are incomparably the greatest and the vilest Sins Murther Adultery Blasphemy and the rest of those crying Impieties could not damn the Soul were it not for Vnbelief and Impenitency It is not the Swearer or the Drunkard that perish but it is the Vnbeliever He that believes not is condemned already John 3.18 And so hating of God and a secret scorning and despising of Holiness and the Ways of God these are Sins that do not defile and pollute the outward Man and many doubtless are guilty of them that are of a fair and civil Life and Conversation and yet these are Sins that may out-vie with the most horrid Sins for the hottest and lowest place in Hell We see then what small heed is to be given to the Judgment of the World concerning small Sins Those that the World counts little Sins may be great and heinous in the sight of God for God judgeth not as Man judgeth he is a Spirit and therefore spiritual Sins and Provocations such as Inordinacy in the Thoughts Desires and Affections these are Sins possibly that are more heinous in God's Sight than more carnal and grosser Sins are Damnation for little Sins will be most into lerable damnation Seventhly and lastly Consider this Damnation for little Sins will be most aggravated and most intolerable Damnation Oh will it not be a most cutting Consideration to the Soul in Hell when it shall think here I lie and fry for ever in unquenchable Flames for the gratifying of my self in that which I call'd little Sins Fool that ever I was that I should account any Sin little that would bring to this place of Torment There 's another of my fellow-wretched Sinners between whom and me there was as much difference as there was between me and a true Saint He prophane and daringly wicked I honest and civil and yet for allowing my self in those Sins to which the World encouraged me and called little Sins the same Hell that holds him shall hold me for ever Oh the dreadful Severity of God! Oh wretched Folly and Madness of mine Oh insufferable Torments and Anguish Believe â—t thus will those that are damned for small and little Sins reflect upon their former Lives such will be their dismal Reflections and such will be yours also expect no other if being warned of the great Evil that there is in little Sins you will yet persist in them without Repenâ—ance And thus I have done with the Doctrinal Part of the Text I now come to make some Application of it Vse 1 And the First Use shall be by way of Corollary If so be that little Sins have in them so much danger and guilt as hath been demonstrated to you what shall we then think of great and notorious Impieties If Sands will sink a Man so deep into the Lake of Fire and Brimstone how deep then will their Hell be that are plunged into it with Talents of Lead bound upon their Souls Whilst I have been setting forth the Aggravations of the great Evil that there is in little Sins possibly some prophane Spirit or other may thus argue if little Sins be so dangerous and damning then since it is utterly impossible to keep our selves free from all Sins whatever what need I scruple the greatest Sin more than the least I am stated down under a necessity of sinning and I am told that the rate that every Sin will stand me in is eternal Death the least is not less and the greatest is no more It is but ridiculous Folly for a Malefactor nicely to shun the Dirt and pick out the cleaner â—ath when he is going to Execution â—nd so it is but a Folly for me to go the â—raiter and severer way to Hell and â—herefore since there is no difference beâ—ween Sins in the end but all alike lead â—own to the same Destruction I will put â—o difference between them in my praâ—tice But let such presumptuous Sinâ—ers know First That All Mens sins are not equal as all Mens Sins are not â—ual here so neither shall all Mens Torâ—ents he equal hereafter Some shall be â—aten with fewer others with more â—ripes some shall be chastised with â—hips others with Scorpions The Eâ—rnal Furnace shall be heated seven â—mes hotter for some than for others â—nd for whom is the greater wrath preâ—red but for the greatest Sinners In â—e blackest and hottest place in Hell â—ere is chained the great Devil that â—rch Rebel against God and after him â— ranked whole Clusters of damned â—irits each according to their several â—grees both of Sin and Torment He â—at suffers the least suffers no less than Hell but yet he is in a condition to be envied at by those whose daring and desperate Wickednesses have brought upon them far heavier and sorer vengeance these shall have cause to envy the state of little Sinners even as they do envy the state of glorified Saints in Heaven Do not therefore conclude that because the wages of the least sin is Death therefore the wages of the greatest Sin is no more nor no worse For though in a natural Death there is no being dead a little yet in the spiritual and eternal Death there are degrees As the Civiâ— Man was a Saint here on Earth in comparison of the Lewd and Debauched Sinner so shall he be happy hereafter in comparison of his Torments Let such therefore seriously consider how sad and infinitely wretched their Condition musâ— needs be since that no less than Damnation it self shall be judged a Happiness compared with what they shall suffer and what Wrath they shall lie under to Eternity In committing great sins we avoid not less sins Secondly Consider In the commissioâ— of great Sins you do not avoid the commission of less Sins but only add to thâ— guilt of them and to that Damnation that will follow upon them It is true if a meer Civil Man whose highest Attainments are but some commendable external Vertues if he could change the guilt of all the little Sins that he hath committed in his whole Life for the single guilt of some great and heinous Sin though I pretend
us and therefore he ties his hands before he sets us out to the Conflict and what wonder is it if we then conquer when God hath trodden Satan under us no wonder if as weak as we are we can then trample upon him too but that all our Success may appear to be not from our own strength but from God's Might he leaves us sometimes to Satan and le ts loose Satan upon us in all his rage he leads uâ— into Temptation and he leaves uâ— under Temptation and when we are buffetted we then yield and fall and thâ— Devil shamefully triumphs over us lâ— this Case which is one of the saddeâ— that a Christian can be in though thâ— Sin be very foul and heinous yet thâ— same Power of Temptation that make us sin heinously keeps us from sinning presumptuously Presumptuous Sins are not to be measured by the bulk and ugliness of the Action but by the forward and headlong Consent of the Will unto it and therefore a gross Sin may sometimes be but a Sin of Infirmity wheâ— yet a Sin of a less Nature is desperately daring and presumptuous In the Laâ— if a Person that was ravished struggleâ— and cried out aloud for help the Crimâ— was not imputed to her So if the Souâ— be forcibly ravished by Temptations though it struggle and strive against them though it call upon its God crying aloud Help Lord though it calâ— up its Graces Arise help this Siâ— shall not be imputed to it as a presumptuous Sin How then shall we judge by our Temptations whether the Sinâ— â—e commit are presumptuous or not I answer you may judge of it by these â—llowing Particulars First If we sin when we are not besieged with violent Temptations then we sin presumptuously If we commit Sin when we are â—t besieged and disturbed by violent and â—vincible Temptations this is too too cerâ—in a Sign that then we sin presumptuâ—sly This plainly shews a Will strongâ— fixed and resolved to Sin When Men â—ill surrender and yield up their Souls â— the Devil even before he summons â—em and when they will consent to 〈◊〉 upon every small and trivial temptation as soon as they have but a hint and â—impse of some sinful Object passing beâ—re them though it offer them no Vioâ—nce though it present nothing to â—em of so much Pleasure and Profit â—d Credit in it but that a generous Christian might easily disdain if yet â—ey run out after it and will sin mereâ— because they will these are most deâ—erate sinners that are impatient to â—it the leisure of a lingring and lazy â—emptation they know the Devil hath â—uch work to do in the World many thousands to tempt deceive and draw to Perdition and therefore they will noâ— trouble him and for his ease they wiâ— sin without a Temptation and ruiâ— their own Souls without any help oâ— any other Devil than what their owâ— Hearts prove to them As those are thâ— best and most stayed Christians that aâ— constant in the performance of Holy Duties even then when they have nâ— strong impulses and motions from thâ— Holy-Ghost unto Duty So truly thoâ— are the worst and most stubborn Sinneâ— that even then commit sin with greedâ—ness when they have no violent impâ—ses and temptations from the Devil â— hurry them into sin Now there aâ— Two things whereby it plainly appearâ— that then a sin is presumptuous when â— is committed without strong and violeâ— Temptations to it First Hereby we do evidently declâ— a fearful Contempt of the great Goâ— we never more vilifie and disparaâ— God than when we do that for nâ—thing which we know his Soul hatâ— Should the Devil when he Tempâ— you take you as he took Christ aâ— shew you the Kingdoms of the Worâ— and the Glory of them all and promise to bestow all these upon you why yet when God shews you the infinite Glory of the Kingdom of another World you can plead no Natural Reason why you should consent to Sin God infinitely out-bidding the Devil even then when the Devil bids highest but when you will preferr a Sin that bids nothing a barren fruitless and unprofitable Lust before the Holy Will of the great God and the sure Promises of Eternal Glory what Reason or Pretence can you shew why you should sin unless it be because you are resolved rather to despight and affront God than to advantage your own Souls And this was the great aggravation of Judas's Sin and that which made it so exceeding presumptuous What â— poor Temptation was Thirty Pieces of Silver to enduce him to the Vilest Wickedness that ever was committed since the World stood It was no more â—han the ordinary Value and Rate of a Slave as you may see in Exod. 31.32 â—mounting much to about Thirty Seâ—en Shillings Six Pence and yet so far â—id he undervalue Christ as that for â—his small Price he sells the Lord of Life and Glory and this God himself takes notice of as a great Indignity done unto him Zach. 11.13 Zach. 11.13 A goodly Price says God by the Prophet there was I prized at of them I know that at the very hearing of this your Hearts rise up in detestation of the Cursed Covetousness of Judas that ever he should suffer himself to be Tempted by so base a Reward as a few Shillings were to betray him to Death who was infinitely more worth than Heaven and Earth Why the Case is yours nay wonder not at it he betrayed him for Thirty Pieces of Silver and you Daily Crucifie him and put him to open shame you wound and pierce him to the very Heart for much less than that is look back upon your past Life can you not recall to Mind that you have been prevailed upon to commit many a sin by such poor and inconsiderable things as scarce bear the shew or face or appearance of a Temptation have you not dealt very injuriously with God and Christ and set them at nought for a little gain for some vanishing delight for compliance sake for the fickle favour of Men yea very Feathers and empty Nothings have weighed down the Scales with you against God The Devil 's first and greatest sin was Pride and Contempt of God and how much is he pleased and humoured to see the same Contempt of God rivetted in the Hearts of Men and to see him so much slighted in the World that he can scarce bid low enough when he Tempts but whatever he offers is greedily snatch'd at and preferred before God and Heaven though it be but a very Toy and Trifle This certainly must needs be a very heinous Contempt of the great Majesty of Heaven and must needs argue most desperate boldness and presumptuous sinning Secondly When Men sin upon small or no temptations they declare plainly a wretched neglect of their precious Souls and therefore they sin presumptuously I have Read of a Soldier who being with Two others for some Crime Condemned drew Lots for
The best Christians proved to be prone to the worst Sins From which Words I formerly collected and shall now prosecute this proposition That in the best Christians there is great Proneness to the worst Sins In the handling of this to true a point I shall First By some demonstrations make it evident that there is a strong inclination in the best to the worst Sins and then search out the Original Cause whence it is that since in the first Creation Man's Will was left wholly free and indeterminate without any other inclination to Good or Evil besides what its Free and Arbitrary Choice made yet in the new Creation whereby Souls are repaired there should be still left in it that Biass that strongly sways it unto Evil. These Two things God assisting I shall at present do For the demonstratious of the point I shall give you them in these following particulars First From the Examples of others The Examples of others may here be a convincing Argument If I should summon in the most excellent of God's Saints a Man might wonder that Drunkenness Incest Murder and Abjuration of Christ that such Brats of Satan should ever be found in company with such an Angelical Troop as they are and yet Noah is Drunk Lot is Incestuous David Murders and Peter Abjures these glorious Stars have had their twinklings and if the Leaders and Champions are thus foiled what may we think then hath in all Ages befallen the Croud of Vulgar Christians We may with truth and boldness say Never was there a sin committed in the World how horrid soever unless the unpardonable Sin against the Holy-Ghost but God may find it written down in his Book of Remembrance under their Names whose Names he himself hath written down in the Book of Life And what shall we say when we see a Stone falling that there is no weight nor propenseness in it to fall shall we say when we see such Eminent Christians falling into sin yea even into great and gross sins that they have not strong propensions and inclinations to sin Yet O ye Saints divulge not these things to Wicked Men whisper them softly one to another with fear and trembling least some Profane Wretch or other over-hear you and take that for encouragement that was only meant for caution What is more common than for the Vilest Sinners to plead for their Excuse or warrant rather the foul Miscarriages of God's dearest Saints Thus the Drunkard looks upon Holy Noah as a Pot-Companion whereby he discovers his Nakedness in a worse sence than ever Cham did And thus the unclean Sensualist Quotes David and calls him in to be the Patron of his Debauchery certainly if there be any Grief that can overcast the perfect Joys of the Saints in Heaven it is that their Names and Examples should to the great dishonour of God be produced by wicked and sinful Men to countenance their grossest Sins and Wickednesses But let such know that though God hath set up these in his Church to be Monuments of his Mercy to declare to Humble and Penitent Sinners how great Sins he can Pardon yet if any hereupon imbolden themselves in Sin instead of being set up as Monuments of Mercy God will set them up as Pillars of Salt Secondly From those frequent Exhortations given in Scripture to Watchfulness against and Mortification of these Sins It appears that there is a strong proneness in the best to the worst Sins from those frequent and pressing Exhortations that are given us in Scripture to Watchfulness against them and to the Mortification of them Wherefore were these Curbs necessary but that God sees our Lusts are head-strong and ready to fly out and hurry us into all Excesses Nay these Exhortations are not so particularly nor with so great Emphasis given to the Wicked as they are to the Children of God Of the Wicked God saith He that will be Wicked let him be Wicked still that 's all the Care God takes of them as we use to say of them that we despair to reclaim Nay let them take their own courses But he especially warns and exhorts the Godly to beware of those Sins that one would think a Godly Man were scarce liable to commit See how Christ Cautions his Disciples Luke 21.34 Take heed to your selves says he least at any time your Hearts be overcharged with Surfeiting and Drunkenness and the Cares of this Life Why would not any Man wonder that our Saviour should so solicitously warn them against Surfeiting and Drunkenness which are the Sins usually of a Plentiful Estate but what warn them against these Sins whose Poverty was such and was to be such that those that gave unto them a Cup of cold Water should receive a plentiful Reward for their pains were they in such danger to be Surfeited by the one and Drunk with the other and what they like to be choaked with the Cares of this Life and with Carking to get what they had not who had but just before renounced all that they had to follow Christ Yea but Christ knew that even in these poor abstemious Disciples there was a Natural Proneness to Gluttony and Rioting and Drunkenness and therefore he thus Exhorts them and he doth it that Grace may keep them from enclining to these Sins as their Low and Persecuted Condition should be sure to keep them from committing them So also the Apostle in Coloss 3.5 speaking to them that should certainly appear with Christ in Glory as you may see in verse 4. yet these he commands to Mortifie their Members that were upon the Earth Well but what Members are these it may be they are only vanity and inconstancy of Thoughts levity and unfixedness of Affections deadness and heaviness of Heart and such other less Sins that should they be perfectly free from they should be perfectly Holy No says the Apostle these Members are the big Limbs of the Old Man they are Fornication Vncleanness Inordinate Affections Evil Concupiscence and Covetuousness And in verse 8. he Exhorts them again to put off all these things Anger Wrath Malice Blasphemy Filthy Communication and Lying and so he goes on reckoning up foul and horrid Sins and Exhorts them to Mortifie these Sins who were to appear with Christ in Glory those who never Lived in them not at least after their Conversion is it not strange that such eminent Christians as these were should need Exhortations against such foul Sins Why there 's many a Person in a state of Nature that would count their Morals much wronged if you should be officiously importunate with them not to commit Adultery or Blasphemy not to be Covetous or Drunkards or the like this they would look upon as an Injury done to them that you should suspect such things as these are of them would not they say as Hazael did to the Prophet What are thy Servants dogs that they should do such great things as these are But the Apostle knew
provoked as he is nor his Spirit so grieved nor the Devil so rejoyced at the dayly miscarriages of the best Christians Wherefore is it that God hath perfected the Saints now in glory but that they might yield him perfect Obedience and Service Why truly our services would be as perfect and as well pleasing unto God as theirs are were our imperfect natures as theirs are and therefore God would have had a double Heaven an upper and a lower Heaven had he but destroyed sin in us upon Earth and since it might seem so much to redown to his glory Why God leaves a proneness to Sin in his own Children why hath he not consummated our Sanctification but still left thorns in our eyes and goads in our sides with which not only we but he himself also is grieved and vexed what should be the reason of this Now to answer this question Because it is his Will so to do you must know the general and comprehensive reason thereof is his own Soveraign unaccountable good will and pleasure into which the reason of all things is most rationally resolved and therefore that among all Mankind that lay all alike in the same mass of corruption that some are sanctified and some are not that among them that are sanctified some are sanctified in one degree and some in another and yet none so perfectly as to be freed from sin the best of God's Saints may rest satisfied in this it is God's good pleasure to give forth his Grace in such a measure to some more to some less as shall only weaken not utterly destroy the corruptions of his People Therefore the Apostle in Hebrews 9.10 speaking of Christ's coming to do the will of God by which will says he we are sanctified That we are sanctified when others are not is from the will of God that we are sanctified in such a measure not more nor less must be resolved into the soveraign and uncontroulable will of God by which will we are sanctified and yet there are also many wise ends and reasons of this will of God why he should leave still such sinful Propensions and corrupt Inclinations even in the best of his People As first Because hereby he maintains a harmony in the Works of Grace Hereby God maintains a beauty and harmony in the works of Grace as well as in the works of Nature the beauty and harmony of the Universe consists in gradation whereby as by little steps or rounds we ascend from one kind of being to another thus God hath placed Man in the World as it were a middle step betwixt brute Creatures and Angels and therefore he partakes somewhat of the nature of both his Soul and his intellectual part that is made like the nature of Angels and then there is in him a sensative part Desires and Propensions and on this side he is a kin even to the Beasts that perish so is it also in the works of Grace a Christian is as it were a step betwixt a wicked Man and an Angel a wicked Man hath no Grace and a holy Angel hath no sin now to make up this great gap God hath placed a Christian as a middle step betwixt them to tack and unite the moral World together There is in him a heavenly and spiritual part and by that he is of affinity to the Angels and there are also in him sinful desires and sinful inclinations and by this he holds hands with wicked Men and is thereby joyned to them and thus God illustrates his admirable Wisdom in causing such an admirable harmony and gradual difference in the Works of Grace bringing Men out of a State of mere sinful Nature to a State of Grace mixed with sin and from a State of Mixt Grace to a State of pure and compleat Grace where at last a Christian shall be fully consummated and be as the Angels of God thus from step to step God gradually carries on the work of Sanctification to Perfection and hereby he maintains an admirable beauty and harmony in the Works of Grace as well as in the Works of Nature this sets forth the beauty of the World that there is such a conveyance from one kind of Creatures to another whereby they touch one another and are tacked together by several orders as inanimate and sensitive then rational as Men then intellectual as Angels So also is it in grace from a wicked Man to a Saint partly wicked and partly gracious from a Saint on Earth to a Saint in Heaven where the imperfect Work of Grace here on Earth is swallowed up by perfect Grace and Holiness Secondly For the Exercise of their Graces Therefore doth God suffer sinful inclinations to remain in the best Christians that he might have wherewithal continually to exercise the Graces of his People Some Graces are Graces of War if I may so call them which would never be exercised if we had not Enemies to encounter with and therefore as it is said in Judges 3.2 That God would not utterly drive out all the Nations before the Children of Israel but left some of them among them that by continual combating and fighting with them they might learn War so neither hath God utterly expelled the Spiritual Canaanites out of the hearts of his People to this end that by dayly conflicting with them they might learn the Wars of the Lord and might grow expert in the handling and using every piece of their Spiritual and Christian Armour how should we keep up a holy Watch and Ward if we had no Enemies to beat up our quarters and how should we exercise Faith which S. John tells us is our victory if we had no Enemies to conquer and how should we exercise Repentance and godly Sorrow whereby the Soul is recruited and whereby its Graces are reinforced again if so be we were never foiled nor overcome by ouâ— Spiritual Enemies part of our Spiritual Armour would soon rust but that ouâ— corruptions and sinful inclinations put uâ— dayly upon a necessity of using of them shortly when we come to Heaven we shall have no need nor use of these Graces there we shall be out of the reach oâ— all Enemies and therefore God is resolved to exercise these Graces here and therefore he suffers corruption to abide in this life that so Grace making way thorough this corruption may enter into Heaven where it shall for ever rest and triumph these warring Graces of the Saints have no time nor place to be exercised in but only in this life and because God will have all the parts of holiness have their due exercise therefore hath he left these corruptions in the Soul that their warring Graces might have Enemies to encounter with For the Glory of God's Power And thirdly Hereby also the Almighty power of God is exceedingly glorified in preserving us thorough Faith unto Salvation notwithstanding our own violent inclination and proneness to sin unto our own destruction
a Vessel that is full of new Liquor upon the least Vent given works over into foam and froth so truly our hearts almost upon every slight trivial Temptation makes that inbred Corruption that lodgeth there swell and boil and run over into abundance of Scum and Filth in our Lives and Conversations Have we not great cause therefore to be jealous and suspicious of our selves and to keep a watchful eye over all the motions of those Bosom-Traitors our own hearts He that trusteth to his own heart says Solomon is a Fool Prov. 28.25 Certainly it were the greatest Folly in the World to trust our Hearts after so frequent experience of their Treachery and Slipperiness venture them not therefore upon Temptations What Security have you that your sinful Hearts will not sin yea and it may be betray you into such great Abominations as you cannot now think of without horrour as Men presume upon the Mercy of God to pardon their lesser Sins so they presume also upon their own strength to preserve them from greater Sins they say of small Sins is it not a little one and our Souls shall live And they say of great Sins is it not a great one and our Souls shall never commit it Alas how know you but if once you lay your head in the Lap of a Temptation these Philistines will be upon you and you like Samson think to go and shake your selves as at other times but alas your great strength is departed from you and you left a Prey to the foulest and worsâ— of Sins whatsoever And thus now you have seen in David's Prayer the besâ— Saints proneness to the worst Sins The next Thing observable is The best Saints Weakness and Inability to preserve themselves without the assistance of Divine Grace and both these namely their proneness to commit Sin and their weakness to resist it are evident Demonstrations of the general Proposition the Almighty Grace of God is their best yea and their only Security Now as the Bottom and Foundation of this present Exercise I shall lay down this Point to be treated of Doct. That it is not a Christians own but God's Power only that can preserve him from the Commission of the most daring and presumptuous Sins Advantages that men have to keep themselves from presumptuous Sins And yet truly if any Sins are easie to be resisted and overcome they are the Sins of the grosser sort for many times it is with Sins as with over-grown Bodies the vaster the Bulk of them is the less is their force and activity The Soul hath great advantage to lay hold on great Sins and to keep them off at Arms length when less Sins flip in and seize upon the heart unperceivably For First Presumptuous Sins give warning to prepare for resistance Great and presumptuous Sins seldom make an assault upon the Soul but they give warning before-hand to prepare for resistance The Stratagems of War if they are but discovered they usually prove unsuccessful as strong Liquors taking vent lose their strength and spirits so is it in this holy War also the Soul may easily foresee gross Sins and therefore may more easily avoid them If a Man feels in himself sinful Thoughts stirring and sinful Desires strugling hereupon an Assault is made and the Devil hereby gives us warning what Sins we should especially watch against Are they lascivious Thoughts Beware of Vncleanness Are they wrathful Thoughts Beware of Murther Are they murmuring thoughts Beware of Blasphemy Are they worldly Thoughts and Desires Beware of Oppression and Injustice Thus these Giant-like Sins stand forth in view and send open defiance to the Soul and bid it prepare for the Combat sinful thoughts and sinful desires go before as Armour-bearers use to go before their Champions and proclaim what great Lust is about to make an Assault upon the Soul Now such fore-warnings as these are is a great advantage that we have to repel and subdue them Job 34.32 That which I see not teach thou me And what follows Why If I have done iniquity I will do so no more When a man sees his Enemy before him this is a mighty advantage either to avoid or to conquer This Advantage now we have not against smaller Sins we cannot so easily escape sins of Ignorance because we cannot see them nor yet the Sins of our Thoughts and Desires because we cannot foresee them Who of us all knows what Thoughts will next bubble up in our Hearts whether holy and gracious or whether sinful and prophane These strike without warning and as an Enemy within rise up in the midst of our Hearts unseen Sins are of two sorts either such by which we are tempted or such to which we are tempted The Devil makes use of one Sin to tempt to another of a less to tempt to a greater â—hus wicked Thoughts are at once sins â—n themselves and also temptations unâ—o wicked Actions Now it is very hard â—nd the best Christians find it so to keep â—hemselves free from sinful Thoughts â—ecause these spring up immediately in â—he Heart without any foregoing Temâ—tations to them but while the Devil â— tempting us to sinful Actions by sinful Thoughts then the Soul hath leisure to â—ecollect it self to muster up all its â—races to set its Guards to call in Diâ—ine Help and Assistance and upon â—hese Preparations it may more easily â—esist the Sin and overcome the Tempâ—tion and that 's one great Advantage â—e have to keep our selves from preâ—mptuous Sins Secondly Natural Conscience opposeth the commission of presumptuous Sins Natural Conscience also abâ—rs more and doth more oppose these â—trageous presumptuous Sins than it â—oth those Sins that it judgeth proceed â—ly from weakness and infirmity and this so gives us a mighty Advantage to keep â—r selves from them Little Sins do not â—uch disturb the peace and quietness of Man's Conscience and therefore the â—postle speaks of himself before his Conversion in Acts 23.1 I have lived says he in all good Conscience before God until this very day And so in Phil. 3.6 Touching the Law says he speaking oâ— himself before his Conversion I waâ— blameless How could that be What blameless and unconverted and in state of Nature Yes he was not guilty of notorious scandalous Sins and aâ— for lesser Faults his Conscience over look'd them and never blam'd him foâ— them and so truly is it with many moral Man his Conscience hath not word to say against all their small anâ— petty Sins let their Hearts be sensuaâ— and their Thoughts vain and their Diâ—course unsavoury and their Lives unprofitable yet still Conscience and the live very friendly together But let thâ— Devil tempt such a sober Sinner as thâ— is to Murther or Adultery or Drunkenness or some such branded Impiety Conscience then flings Fire-brands anâ— storms and cries out with Hazaeâ— What is thy Servant a Dog that he shouâ— do such things as these are As Subjecâ— pay to their
works upon Wicked Men and Reprobates as well as others Buâ— Sanctifying Grace that is special and belongs only to those who belong themselves to the Election of Grace Esaâ— whom the Scripture Notes as the greaâ— instance of Reprobation comes out against Jacob with a Troop of Four Thousand Ruffins intending doubtless to Revenge himself upon him for the loss oâ— his Birth-Right and Blessing but at their first meeting God by a secret work so mollifies his Heart that instead of falling upon him and killing him he falls upon his Neck and kisses him here God restrains him from that Presumptuous Sin of Murder not in a way of meer External Providence but with his own Hand immediately turns about his Heart and by seeing such a company of Cattel bleating and bellowing so many timorous Men and helpless Children all bowing and supplicating unto him he turns his Revenge into Compassion and with much urging receives a Present from him whom before he intended to make a Prey The same power of restraint God laid upon the Heart of Abimelech that Heathen King you have it in Geneses 20.6 when he had taken Sarah Abraham 's Wife intending to make her his Wife or Concubine God tells him in a Dream I with-held thee from â—inning against me therefore suffered I â—hee not to touch her Here was nothing visible to hinder Abimelech from so great â— Wickedness but God invisibly wrought upon his heart and unhinged his wicked Desires now from the instances of Esau and Abimelech we may clearly collect how Restraining Grace differs both from Restraining Providence and also from Sanctifying Grace From Providence it differs because usually when God Providentially restrains from Sin he doth it by some visible apparent means that doth not work by bringing any change or alteration on the Heart but only by â—aying an External Check upon Men's Actions but now by Restraining Grace God deals in a secret way with the very Heart of a Sinner though he doth not change the nature of his Heart yet he alters the present frame and disposition of it and takes away the desire of committing those Sins that yet it doth not Mortifie and from Sanctifying Grace it differs also in that God vouchsafes Restraining Grace to Wicked Men as you have heard but none partake of Sanctifying Grace besides the Children of God and the Remnant according to Election those whom he predestinates them he also calls that is them he Sanctifies as yoâ— have it in Rom. 8.30 Election Sanctification are of the self same bredth Electionâ— the cause of Sanctification Sanctificatioâ— is a sign of Election Those whom Goâ— will bring to himself in Glory he causeth a double separation to pass upoâ— them the one from Eternity when hâ— calls them out from the mass of thoâ— that he leaves to perish in their Sins anâ— the other in Time when those whom he hath set apart for himself by Election he brings home to himself by Conversion And therefore whatever measure of Restraining Grace God may aâ—ford to Wicked Men and Reprobates yeâ— Sanctifying Grace is the fruit only of Election and the portion only of thoâ— who are Elected And that is the firâ— difference In their Nature Essence Secondly They differ also in theiâ— Nature and Essence Sanctifying Gracâ— is a Habit wrought in the Soul by thâ— Spirit of God called therefore a writinâ— of the Law on the Heart and a putting God's fear into our inward parts Jer. 31. 33. And St. John terms it a Seed that remains John 1.9 These Expressions clearly denote it to be an internal Principle or Habit deeply rooted and fixed in the Soul and whatever Holy Actions a Saint performs as they are caused by a Divine influence without him so they flow also from a Holy Principle within him Hence our Saviour tells us in Mark 12.35 That a good Man out of the good treasure of his heart bringeth forth good things that is out of that inward Habit and Principle of Grace that the Holy Ghost hath wrought in him in the work of Regeneration But Restraining Grace hath no such Habit and Principle implanted in the Soul but is only a Merciful Actual influence from God hindering the commission of those Sins to which Men's Natural Corruptions make them enclined in brief Sanctifying Grace is a Quality wrought in us but Restraining Grace is only an Action flowing from God Thirdly In the manner of their Operation Sanctifying and Restraining Grace differ in their manner of Working and Operation and here we may observe a Four fold difference Sanctifying Grace destroys Sin Restraining Grace only Imprisons it First Sanctifying Grace keeps the Soul from Sin by destroying of it but Restraining Grace keeps the Soul from Sin only by imprisoning of it God many times shuts up the sins of those in Prison whom notwithstanding he will at last shut up in Hell It is sanctifying Grace alone that can do execution upon them restraining grace may debar them of their liberty but it is only Sanctifying Grace can deprive them of their Life There may appear but little difference betwixt the Conversation of a Child of God whom Special Grace doth Sanctifie and one in a state of Nature whom common Grace doth only Restrain doth the one walk blamelessly without offence doth he avoid the grosser Pollutions of the World so doth the other a Star is not more like a Star than these Meteors may be like them But now here lies the difference Restraining Grace only ties the Hands but Sanctifying Grace stabs the old Man to the Heart It is one thing to bind a Thief to a Tree and another thing to Nail him fast to the Cross Restraining Grace only binds Corruption fast that it cannot stir not outwardly but still it hath as much strength as ever But now Sanctifying Grace that Crucifies it and Nails it to the Cross of Christ where it weakens and languisheth and hangs a dying Body of Death The Earth is as dry and hard in a frosty Winter as it is in a parching Summer yet there 's a great deal of difference in the cause of it in Summer the Sun dries up the moisture and in Winter the Frost binds it in Truly Restraining and Sanctifying Grace are for all the World like Frost and Sun the ways of those who have only a Restraint laid upon them may be altogether as fair and clean as the ways of those that are Sanctified are but there 's a great difference in the cause Sanctifying Grace dries up the Filth and Corruption in the Heart of the one but Restraining Grace only frezeth in and binds up the Filth and Corruption of the other Secondly Sanctifying Grace strikes at the Sins of the heart Restraining Grace only hinders the Sins of the Life Sanctifying Grace strikes especially at the Sins of the Heart but Restraining Grace usually only hinders the Sins of the Life An Unregenerate Man though never so Moral hunts his Sins only in
and destroys it but waving them I shall only mention two Particulars wherein this energy of Faith in keeping Men from Sin is the most conspicuous First Faith preserves from Sin by bringing in and presenting to the Soul eternal Rewards and Punishments and that 's the peculiar Office of Faith These indeed are future unto Sense but they are present unto Faith for Faith is the substance of things not seen Heb. 11.1 It gives them a Being before they are and what we hope for or fear as to come by Faith it is enjoyed or felt as already present Why now what a mighty advantage is this to preserve men from sinning Would Sinners treat with the Devil or hearken to a Temptation if they should now see the whole World on flame Angels hastning them to Judgment and Christ upon his Throne here Heaven to receive and crown them there Hell with all its horrours to torment them would any of you dare to sin if all this were before your eyes Why believe it when Faith acts lively all this is as truly present to the Soul as it is certain it shall once be and therefore no more than we would commit a Sin if Sentence were now passing upon us either of Absolution or of eternal Damnation at the Judgment-Seat of God no more shall we sin while Faith sets these things evidently before our eyes and makes them as real to us as they are sure Secondly Faith preserves from sinning by representing that God who must hereafter be our Judge to be now our Spectator and Observer It is only an Eye of Faith that can discover things future as present and things spiritual as real Why now God he is a spiritual Being and therefore is invisible to the dull eyes of Flesh but the quick Eye of Faith that can see him who is invisible as it was said of Moses Heb. 11.27 it fixeth its eye upon the all-seeing eye of God and fills the Soul with awful Thoughts of God's Omni-presence and Omnisciency that all things are naked and bare before him in whose company we are where-ever we are and with whom we have to do whatever we are doing Why now consider with your selves Would I commit such or such a Sin to which possibly you are tempted if some grave person were in the room with you whom you did much respect And what shall the Presence of a mortal Man keep you from sinning and shall not the Presence of the Great God much more Shall we dare to sin when God's eye is fixed upon us when he views not only our outward Actions but also our inward Thoughts clearer than we can see the faces one of another It was the wise Counsel that a Heathen-Man gave to a Scholar of his That if he would preserve himself from doing any thing that was undecent he should suppose some sober and reverend man present with him and this would keep him from doing that which he would be ashamed to do before him Truly we need not make any such Supposition the great and holy God is present with us in reality and the eye of Faith discovers him so to be he is always looking on us yea always looking into us and certainly this to one that can exercise the discerning eye of Faith will be a more effectual means to keep a man from Sin than if all the eyes of Men and Angels were upon him Secondly As the exercise of Faith so the sprightly and vigorous exercise of Divine Love is an excellent Preservative against Sin Love will not willingly do any thing that may offend and grieve the Object loved Love it is an assimilating Affection it is the very Cement that joyns God and the Soul together in the same Spirit and makes them to be of one heart and of one mind it is the Load-stone of the Soul that toucheth all other Affections and makes them stand heaven-ward When once God hath wrought the Love of himself in our hearts this will constrain us to love what he loves and to hate what he hates Sin is the only thing that God hates and those that love him will not cannot but hate Sin their love to God will constrain them to do it Psalm 97 7. Ye that love the Lord hate evil And certainly the hatred of evil is the best security against the committing of it will any one take a Toad or Serpent into his bosome to lodge it there Truly as utterly impossible it is while the Exciting Grace of God stirs up and quickens our Love to him that we should ever embrace a vile lust and lodge it in our hearts since our sight of the beauty of Holiness hath made it ugly and our love to God hath made it hateful Thirdly To mention no more A Holy Fear and Caution least we should Sin is a most excellent preservative against Sin None are so safe as those that are least secure fear is the best preservative of Grace whereas those that are rash and venturous and confident of their own strength run themselves into many Temptations and come off with wounded and smarting Consciences Stand in awe says the Psalmist and Sin not Psalm 4.4 The timorous and trembling Christian stands firmest because such a one is apt upon every occasion to suspect his own strength and to call in God's And indeed when we consider the treachery of our own Hearts and the subtilty of the Devil this Holy Fear and Jealousie is no more than is needful and it is less than sufficient A Man that is to wade thorough a deep River will first try his Footing before he takes his step Why we are to wade thorough the depths of Satan as the Apostle calls them and certainly it is but a requisite caution first to try our ground before we venture upon it to look about and consider whether such and such an Action be grounded upon a Command and secured to us by a Promise whether if we do it we shall not lay our selves open to such and such Temptations or if we do lie open to them whether or not we are in God's way and may expect his Protection and Preservation Truly such circumspection as this is will prove our best security and though we are not able by all our own strength and diligence to preserve our selves yet when God sees us so industriously solicitous to avoid Sin he will then come in by his Almighty Grace that helps not the Sloathful but the Laborious and he will keep us from those Sins that we cannot keep our selves from Now for the Application of this if it be so that it is the Almighty Power of God only that can keep us from Sin This may then be Convictive of that Errour that now a Days is very rife in the World that ascribes our preservation in our standing not so much to the Almighty Grace of God as to the Liberty and Freedom of our own Wills Truly this is an Opinion that proceeds much from the Pride and Stomach
iâ— we believe and repent and the other Covenant bestows this Faith and Repentance upon us The Conditional Covenant promiseth Pardon of sin and Salvation if we believe and repent and the absolute Covenant promiseth Faith and Repentance to us to inable us to believe and repent And what could God do more that might farther express the freeness of his Grace to us than to pardon upon Condition of Faith and Repentance which Faith and Repentance he works in us This is to pardon us as freely as if he had pardon'd us without any Faith and Repentance at all God pardons great sinners and passeth by those that are guilty of less Seventhly God sometimes selects out the greatest and most notorious Sinners to vouchsafe Grace and Pardon to them when he suffers others eternally to perish under far less guilt He makes a difference in his Proceedings quite contrary to the difference he finds in Mens Demerits And wherefore is this but only to shew forth the absolute freeness of his Grace greater Debts are blotted out when smaller stand still upon the account only that it may be known that God is free to do what he will with his own and that he will shew mercy to whom he will shew mercy and whom he will he pardons How many Heathens Men of improved Natural Endowments and proportionable Virtues and yet not having Faith in and knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ are excluded from pardon and forgiveness whose sins rather shew them to be Men than not to be Christians Whereas others under the Noon-tide of the Gospel are guilty of such flagitious Crimes that shew them to be Monsters rather than Men and yet these upon their Faith and Repentance obtain Pardon and Remission as if it were with God as it is with Men the more there is to be remembred the sooner he forgets It is these Riches of Pardoning Grace that St. Paul admires and adores when he tells us concerning himself I was a Blasphemer and a Persecutor and Injurious but I obtained mercy 1 Tim. 1.13 God pardons without foresight of Merit Eighthly God decrees to pardon without foresight of Merit or worth in us When we lay before him as the Objects of his Mercy what was our posture but weltering in our Bloud And what promising Aspect was such a loathsome Object as this Divine Love did not foresee any attractive Comeliness in us but made it when we were rolled up in our own Filth cast forth to the loathing of our Flesh yet then was it a time of Love and even then when we were in our Bloud God said to us Live when we were full of Wounds Bruises and putrifying Sores Divine Love condescended to bind them up and cure them such miserable deformed Creatures were we And could there be any thing amiable in such an Object as this only hereby God puts an accent on the Riches of his Love laying it out upon such as were not worthy with a design to make them worthy God pardons sin though he foresees we will commit more sin Ninthly Consider this God pardons not only though he saw no Merit in us but what is more to the Glory of his free Grace though he foresaw many future wrongs and injuries would be added to those we had already done He foresaw all our Provocations and Rebellions how we would abuse his Grace and turn it into wantonness He saw the Rebellions of our unregeneracy the Infirmities of our Converted State yet tho' he foresaw all before they were yet he resolved not to see them when they are Numb 23.21 He hath not beheld iniquity in Jacob nor perverseness in Israel And this though it ought not to encourage us in sin yet it may be a support and comfort to us when through weakness and infirmity we have sinned that God who loved us and decreed to pardon us when he foresaw how sinful we would be will not certainly now cease to love us and pardon us when we are as vile and sinful as he foresaw we would be Tenthly The Lord Jesus Christ Christ by whom alone we are paron'd is the Gift of God by whom alone we are pardon'd is freely given to us by the Father What price could we have offer'd to have brought down the Son of his Eternal Love from his Embraces What was there in us to draw a Saviour out of Heaven Were we so amiable as to move him to divest himself of his Glory and to Eclipse his Deity in our Mortal Bodies only that he might become like such poor Worms as we are and take us unto himself Ask no more but admire God so loved the World that he gave his only begotten Son that whosoever believeth in him might not perish but have everlasting Life Here 's a Mystery that the whole College of Angels can never comprehend What God Condemn his Son that he might pardon Rebels The Son of God blot his Deity in our Flesh only that he might blot out our Transgressions with his Bloud This is such transcendent free Grace and Love that in this we have an Advantage above the Angels themselves standing higher in the Favour of God upon this account than they do Now compact all these Ten Particulars in your thoughts together wherein the freeness of pardoning Grace most illustriously appears and you will find there is good reason for God in the Text triumphantly to ascribe to himself I even I am he that blotteth out your Transgressions The Application I shall make of this Truth I shall only briefly mention First VSE We must not sin because of pardoning Grace Is the Pardoning Grace of God thus free Take heed then that you do not abuse or turn it into Wantonness Shall we continue in sin because God so freely pardons sin God forbid Who would ever make such a cursed Inference as this that ever had the least sense or touch of Divine Love upon his Heart Every one loves to have his Ears tickled with this soft sweet downy Doctrine of God's free Grace and Love and when they hear it they stretch themselves upon it and lull themselves fast asleep in sin But what says the wise Man Prov. 25.27 It is not good to eat much honey No there is no such dangerous Surfeit as upon the sweet and luscious Truths of the Gospel This Honey leaves a deadly sting in Men that abuse it to encourage themselves in sin It is such disingenuity to argue from freeness of pardon to freedom in sinning that I dare say That no Heart that ever had a pardon sealed to it by the Witness of the Spirit of God but utterly abhors it What therefore to provoke God because he is ready to forgive What to multiply sin because God is ready to pardon What is this but to spurn at those Bowels of Mercy that yern towards us and even to strike at God with that Golden Scepter that he holds out to us as a Token of Love and Peace Certainly