It is a deep impression of infinite wrath and fury on every member of the Body and faculty of the Soul And O what a fearful thing is it to fall into the hands of the living God for our God is a consuming fire Heb. 12.2 ult The wrath of God is sometimes compared to that of a Lion roaring after her prey which tears and rents and kills and slays without the least pity And to a Bear robbed of her Whelps which claws and wounds and destroys whatsoever comes near her But alas the wrath of a God is infinitely more cutting more killing The Mountains are moved the Rocks are rent in pieces the stoutest Oaks are rooted up the Foundations of the Earth tremble the great Luminaries are darkned the course of Nature is over-turned when he is wroth Thou even thou art to be feared for who may stand when thou art angry If his wrath be kindled but a little how wofully do his own Children cry out Job 6.4 The Arrows of the Almighty are within me Job 13.24 Wherefore hidest thou thy face and holdest me for thine enemy Psal 88. Their Spirits are drunk up while they suffer his terrors they are distracted What then will be the condition of them on whom he will pour out all his wrath If a small degree of God's anger be so terrible when it is mingled with Love what will a full Cup of pure wrath be 3. They differ in the ends of their Creation Our fires were created for our Service and Comfort God made these for the use and benefit of man to fence us against the cold to melt and mould metals and form them into several moulds c. But the fire of Hell is created for the torment of Men and Devils God makes it of such a nature as may best suit his end For every wise Agent fitteth his means to his end and the more wise the Agent is the more proper means he findeth out for his end Now when the only wise God to whom Angels themselves are Fools shall set his infinite Wisdom awork about the most proper means of racking and torturing the poor Creature surely it will be done to purpose As when his Love sets his Wisdom awork to find out a way to comfort his Children what Rivers of Pleasures VVeights of Glory Crowns of Life fulness of Joy doth he provide So when his wrath sets VVisdom awork to find out a way for the afflicting his Enemies what stinging Adders and gnawing VVorms and Chains of Darkness and Lakes of Brimstone doth he provide 4. They differ in the Fewel that feeds them Our fires are maintain'd and preserv'd in burning by wood or coals or somewhat that is combustible and the fire must be suitable to the meanness and limitedness of the fewel But the fire of Hell is fed with the Curse of a righteous Law and the wrath of an infinite God and the lusts of the damned Ah what work will sin back'd with the Curse and wrath of God make in the Souls and Bodies of men If David beloved of God under the weight of sin and sense of Divine displeasures went mourning all the day and cryeth out so mounfully Thine Arrows stick fast in me and thy hand presseth me sore There is no soundness in my flesh because of thine Anger nor rest in my bones because of my Sin Mine Iniquities are gone over mine head as an heavy burden they are too heavy for me Psal 38.2 3 4. O what will they suffer and how will they roar and howl whose Sins are as a Mountain of Lead shall press and oppress their Consciences all whose lusts shall gnaw their Spirits set home and close to their Souls by the fury and malediction of God 5. They differ in this that our fires are accompanied with Light but the fire of Hell though it hath heat to torment hath no light to comfort It is a state of darkness of utter darkness Matth. 25. Of Blackness of Darkness Jude vers 13. They have only light enough to see themselves endlesly and easelesly wretched and miserable Darkness is dreadful but what darkness like utter darkness or blackness of darkness The Egyptians did not move out of their places in the time of their darkness but what will men do in the dark in the midst of ravenous VVolves and roaring Lions and stinging Adders and fiery Serpents and frightful Devils 6. They differ in their Operations 1. Our fires work only on the Body they cannot pierce the Soul but Hell fire pierceth the Soul Spirits burn in it as well as Bodies Go into everlasting fire prepared for the Devil and his Angels If it seise on Devils it will also on the Souls of men The Spirit whose senses are most acute will feel the greatest pain in the unquenchable fire 2. Our fires destroy and consume their fewel they turn their wood and coals into dust and ashes the bodies of men are by them turn'd into ashes and hereby the pain ceaseth with the life of the Creature But the fire of Hell will never consume though it be ever consuming it will always be destroying but never destroy the Sinner The damned will be always dying but never die The Almighty hand of God will preserve them to undergo that wrath that is intollerable and those flames that are unquenchable CHAP. XII The fulness of wicked mens misery in that it 's positive and privative with some Cautions against it Vse LEarn hence the full misery of the wicked in the other World They shall not only be deprived of all good in their banishment from the presence of God but also be afflicted with all evil in their suffering the pains of Hell fire The godly in the other World shall be perfectly blessed in their freedom from all poenal and all moral evil and their fruition of all that is truly good for they shall ever be with the Lord who is an universal good So the Wicked in the World to come shall be perfectly cursed in the absence of what ever is comfortable and in the presence of whatsoever is dreadful and may render them miserable Snares Fire Brimstone an horrible Tempest shall be rained on them as their portion woful are the fruits of Sin oftentimes in this World It keeps good from men here strips them of their Estates Relations Liberties Limbs Health Names nay of the Gospel Ordinances and seasons of Grace and brings on them much evil here Aches Pains Diseases in their Bodies Horrors and Terrors in their Souls But these are nothing to the effects of Sin in the other World Here in the midst of Judgment Mercy is remembred there is no state on Earth of mear or pure wrath All good things are not removed nor all evil things inflicted on any In the worst Estate there is Life and that cloathed with some Favours The pained have some intermission or at least remission of their pains In the lowest estate there is hope of better and that is no small Cordial
Great Day These bid open defiance to the Prohibitions Precepts and Penalty of the Law and dare the Law to do its worst Either these must be condemned or all shall be saved But God is of an holier Nature than to dwell with such Sinners They may read their doom written under his own hand and like the Law of the Medes and Persians That cannot be alter'd 1 Cor. 6.9 10. Ephes 5.5 Rom. 8.5 To be carnally minded is death vers 13. If ye live after the flesh ye shall die 2. Proposition They who are guilty of total external Omissions are in a damnable Condition This is written in broad Letters that he who runs may read it They who pray not are under wrath and the effusions of wrath Jer. 10. ult They who neglect to pay their external Allegiance to the true God and deny him his outward Homage and Acknowledgment shall be denied and disowned by Christ before his Father and before his holy Angels The Holy God doth all along speak of these as Heathens Psal 79.6 and Sinners with a witness Psal 36.1 2 3. and threatneth that Christ shall come in flaming fire to render Vengeance on them 2 Thess 2.7 8 9 10. Those who are guilty of these total Omissions in regard of the matter of the Duties commanded them are ungodly in the highest degree for ungodliness strictly and properly speaks the neglect of our Duties to God and sins against the first Table as unrighteousness the neglect of our Duties to our Neighbour and our Transgressions against the Second Table and so none in the whole Scripture more obnoxious to wrath and ruine Psal 73.12 These are the Ungodly who prosper in the World but mark how soon they perish vers 18. Thou castest them down to destruction and utterly consumest them with terrours 2 Pet. 3.7 Jude vers 4. 15. 3. Proposition Those who perform external Duties and wholly neglect internal or please themselves in total inward Omissions cannot be in a state of Salvation God will not be put off with the Body without the Soul of Religion Indeed external Duties are but the Garments or Cloaths of Religion wherein it appears and whereby it is known to the World the life and power of it consists in internal Performances or those that are the motions and actions of the Understanding and Will and Affections as in the Knowledg of God his Being and Excellency and the kindness he hath for and the love he hath to Mankind in Jesus Christ as also in the choosing him for our richest Treasure and supream Lord and Law-giver and in loving him with all the heart and Soul and strength and desiring his love above all the World and delighting in his Favour as the Souls felicity and seeking to please him rather than to command the Creation A man without these is but the Picture of a Saint he hath somewhat of the resemblance but nothing of the reality of a Christian He hath a form but nothing of the power of godliness 2 Tim. 3.1 2 3 4 5 to 7. and therefore is in a state of perdition The neglect of believing repenting loving the Lord Jesus Christ are all inward Omissions for these are acts proper and peculiar to the Soul and condemned in Scripture with the most dreadful damnation Mark 16.16 John 3. ult Luke 13.3 1 Cor. 16.22 If a man pray and pray wholly without Faith and without fervency Jam. 1. Jam. 5. this is no way acceptable to God All such prayers are howlings and bablings and of no sweet sound in Gods Ears Hos 7. Isa 1.15 16 17. Whatsoever a man doth either by way of hearing or singing or praying or receiving if there be not that dread of God and love to his Name and Faith in Christ which are the essentials of these Duties all is as nothing 4. Proposition Those who allow themselves in partial Omissions whether external or internal are in no good Condition By partial Omissions I mean at sometimes as for prayer a man it may be prays in his Closet or Family usually but if any worldly business intervene and calls for his company he will as usually attend on that and wholly omit his Closet and Family-Duties for that Morning or Evening Or for a man to pray as some do only at the Evening and not in the Morning as if God were the God of the Night and not of the Day or as some others who will pray only upon the Lords-Day as if God had a right to them then but not all the week after Or when men perform some religious Duties and not others will pray but not read Scripture daily or pray and read the Word but not take notice of those under their Roofs to instruct and admonish and support them as occasion is Or some will perform their Duties which immediately concern God but will not be charitable to the Poor at least not in such a degree and measure as their Estates will bear and as God expects These and such like I understand by partial and external Omissions What is meant by internal partial Omission is next to be consider'd Partial internal Omissions are when men oftentimes though not constantly are negligent in the manner of performing their Duties and though they be formal and superficial and lazy and slothful in the Worship of God yet they take little or no notice thereof Indeed sometimes they find some heat and warmth and this pleaseth them but at other times they are cold and liveless in their Duties and this doth not much displease them They can commonly pray as if they pray'd not and read as if they read not and wait on God without any suitable and considerable affections towards him and not be disturbed at it These sudden heats at one time and colds at another time speak the Body out of order and the Soul not healthy The next thing to be explain'd is what is meant by allowing themselves in partial Omissions and indeed the stress of the Proposition depends on that To allow themselves in these partial Omissions notes these two things To know these partial Omissions to be sins and yet to continue in them without any great disturbance or trouble of Spirit They must know that they are sins otherwise continuance in them will not argue a total want of Grace or the predominant power of sensuality in the Soul I doubt not but in many dark places of this Nation there may be those who live in a total Omission of some Duties as praying with their Families and a strict sanctification of the Sabbath or who yet fear God in truth and make great Conscience of their Conversations These men neglect prayer and devoting the Sabbath wholly to God c. because they do not know them to be their Duties And where a man desires and endeavours to know his Masters Will and lives up to that Light God hath given him he may upon a general repentance expect pardon through the blood of Christ for
World Of a Child of the Devil thou art made a Child of God of a Slave to sin a Citizen of Sion nay he doth not only free thee from damnation and the curse of the Law but also give thee the blessing of eternal life in and with himself among his innumerable Company of Angels and the Congregation of the First-born Now Reader judge whether it be not very disingenious to receive from God all sorts of Mercies and to give to God not half the Duties we owe to him How canst thou mete to God one measure and expect from him another Friend God doth not put thee off with half-Happiness and why shouldst thou put him off with half-Holiness CHAP. XXXV Arguments against Omissions Christ purchased positive as well as negative Holiness and our Priviledges oblige to both 3. COnsider Christ died to purchase positive as well as negative godliness for men and wilt thou disappoint him of the Fruits of his Death Indeed if it had been possible for him to have bought mans deliverance from sin without the re-impression of Gods Image on the Soul he had been but half a Saviour and made us at the most but half happy But according to the Apostles phrase he saves perfectly or to the utmost upon all accounts and in all respects Heb. 7.25 and in order thereunto bought man off from sin and unto the Service of God He redeems us from sin We are redeemed saith the Apostle from our vain Conversation received by tradition from our Fathers Not with corruptible things as Silver and Gold but with the precious blood of Christ as of a Lamb without spot and blemish 1 Pet. 1.17 18 19. He redeems also unto his own Service Chap. 3. vers 18. of the same Epistle He suffered the Just for the Vnjust to bring us to God He died that we might die to sin and he died that we might live to God He suffered to bring us off from our cursed loathsome Lusts and he suffered to bring us to the Fear and Love and Service of the blessed and glorious Lord. We have both these ends of our Saviours Sufferings mention'd in Tit. 2.14 Who gave himself his Death is called a giving himself because it was voluntary and a freewill Offering for us here is his Passion but what ends had he in his eye truly both these that he might redeem us from all Iniquity make us negatively religious in freeing us from the bondage of sin and purifie unto himself a peculiar people zealous of good works i. e. make them positively holy None are purified without positive qualifications and gracious habits in the Soul To be purified unto himself is to be thus qualified for the honour and service of Christ And to make it more plain the Apostle tells us To purifie unto himself a peculiar people a people that shall disown all other Lords and all other Work and shall be his Servants and do his Work only zealous of good works He did not die only to make men good and to enable men to do good but also to cause them to do good with heat and heart and fervency of Spirit Nay it is evident that to make men positively pious was the main and principal end of his Passion and that his delivering us from sin was only in order to this to his adorning us with Sanctity As a man cannot put on new Robes till he hath first put off his old Rags so a man cannot put on the new man the beautiful Image of the heavenly till he hath put off the old man the abominable Image of the earthly Adam Luke 1.74 75. We are delivered out of the hands of our Enemies that we should serve him in holiness and righteousness all the days of our lives He plougheth up the fallow ground of the Heart and kills the weeds of sin in order to the casting in the seed of Grace into the Soul Now Reader consider if Christ died to purchase positive Holiness for thee what hope canst thou have of an interest in his Death without it Canst thou think he bought one for thee without the other or that thou mayst be a partial sharer in his Death And what wilt thou do without an interest in his Sufferings Except he wash thee in his blood thou hast no part in him and if thou hast no part in him thy part must be among Devils and damned Spirits Again wilt thou by thy Omissions deny and deprive Christ of that Service which he hath bought so dearly Alas how little is it that thou art able to do for him when thou dost all thou canst And how much did that cost him what pangs and throws did he bear what rage from men what wrath from God how did he wrastle with the Frowns and Fury with the Power and Policy of the World and Hell And after all this dost thou grudge him that poor Service for which he was hungry and thirsty and weary and tempted and betrayed and crucified Whether we live saith the Apostle we live to the Lord whether we die we die to the Lord whether we live or die we are the Lords To this end Jesus died and rose again that he might be Lord both of the Dead and Living Rom. 14.7 8. Thou wouldst take it ill thy self to be denied the Service of that for which thou hast so dearly paid O think of it when thou art guilty of Omissions in the matter or manner of Duties I now rob Jesus Christ of that which he bought with his most precious blood and let him see the travail of his Soul upon thee and be satisfied 4. Consider the Priviledges thou enjoyest call aloud upon thee to mind positive Holiness and to do good as well as to forbear evil I am sure thy Priviledges are positive and so should thy Piety be What is the Gospel but a Cabinet of precious Jewels a River of living water a Case of the richest and costliest Cordials a Counterpart of Heavens eternal Court-Rolls concerning the Philanthropy or kindness of God to Mankind wherein are all sorts of blessings for Body and Soul in every condition treasur'd up The enjoyment of it is a special singular Priviledge the Ministration of the Spirit 2 Cor. 3.8 9. The Ministration of Righteousness far above the Legal Ministration The Psalmist tells us The Laws God gave to the Israelites were a special distinguishing Mercy He sheweth his Word unto Jacob his Statutes and his Judgments unto Israel He hath not dealt so with every Nation as for his Judgments they have not known them Psal 147.19 20. But his Gospel-Dispensation is an higher and greater Favour But what doth this Gospel-Priviledge call for surely positive as well as negative godliness The Grace of God the Gospel is so called because it declares it to us 2 Tim. 1.10 and interests us in it as an Instrument thereof Rom. 1.16 which bringeth Salvation which proclaimeth Life upon holy Conditions teacheth us that denying all ungodliness and worldly lusts Commissions
vitia quam cum virtute Rather seemingly free from Vice than really filled with Virtue Or at best as was reported of Cato That he was homo virtuti simillimus A man that looked like a virtuous person How many civil men presume their persons holy because they are not so filthy as those who rake in Ditches and Kennels and defile themselves daily with scandalous Abominations and they presume their states to be good and themselves in the way to Heaven because they are no Drunkards no Swearers no Adulterers no Theeves no Murderers when for all this they shall be cast to Hell because they are no Believers no Penitents no obedient Subjects to the King of Saints Because they know not God and obey not the Gospel 2 Thess 1.7 8. Such men are farther distant from good than from evil Ceasing from evil is not enough it 's but one step Heaven-ward doing of good must accompany it or it will be of small moment I confess when I behold a civil man who is harmless in his Carriage unblamable in regard of scandal in his publick Conversation and courteous in his Behaviour to all I cannot but respect him and am ready to wish as Athanasius that all the World of Atheists and prophane Wretches would turn Hypocrites that all scandalous Sinners would turn Civilians and come so far towards Holiness but yet I must say that this is scarce half way to Christianity He is not half a Saint who is but a negative Saint The forbearance of gross Corruptions is the easiest and least part of Religion and therefore will not speak any man in a state of Salvation The Tree that is barren and without good fruit is for the fire as well as the Tree that brings forth evil fruit For men to think to excuse themselves that they do no hurt wrong neither Man Woman or Child and are not as the Pharisee said as the Publicans who generally were Oppressors is but a vain foolish thing The idle Servant might have said Lord I did no harm with my Talent I did not lay it out in Rioting and Drunkenness or any way to thy dishonour I only hid it and did not improve it Matth. 25. yet this was enough to condemn him Can we call ground good ground for bearing no weeds if it never bring forth good Corn Or do we count that Servant a good Servant who doth not wrong his Master in his Estate by purloining or wasting it if he live idle all day and neglect the business his Master appoints him Believe it Reader thou mayst not be morally evil to the abomination of men and yet not spiritually good to the acceptation of God He keeps no Law of God who minds only the negative part of it A life free from enormity is too often accompanied with an heart full of iniquity And that this negative Holiness is insufficient will appear if we consider 1. That the Holy Ghost characterizeth a godly man both negatively and positively The Scripture tells us That a true Christan minds both parts of the Law its commanding part as well as its forbidding part When the Holy Ghost speaks of Davids goodness he tells us That he served the Wills of God in his Generation not only his forbidding-will but also his commanding-will Act. 13.36 When Job is commended as a godly man he is said to eschew evil there was his negative Holiness and to fear God there was his positive Holiness Job 1.1 8. The Psalmist describes the happy man by his holiness both ways 1. By way of Negation Blessed is the man that walketh not in the Counsel of the Vngodly i. e. that committeth not wickedness which is the consultation of the Ungodly nor standeth in the way of Sinners i. e. that goeth not on with pleasure in any course of prophaneness nor sitteth in the Seat of the scornful i. e. that hardneth not not his heart against advice and admonition c. 2. By way of Position But his delight is in the Law of the Lord and in that Law doth he meditate day and night His affection to the Law and his meditation in it are both positive and without these the man could neither be holy nor happy He might have been able to say I have not walked in the Counsel of the Vngodly nor stood in the way of Sinners not sate in the Seat of the scornful and yet been a wicked and cursed man for Negatives neither speak nor make any man holy It is a positive quality that gives being perfection and denomination to Piety Therefore Jehu is branded for a wicked man notwithstanding all his zeal against Baal because he took no heed to walk in the Law of the Lord God of Israel 1 King 10.29 30 31. Philosophers tell us That motions are imperfect and but in fieri whilst they are passing from the Terminus a quo and are not perfect or in facto esse till the Terminus ad quem be attained Whilst a man is departing from evil he is but an imperfect Christian when he comes to the doing of good which is the end of the former then he is a Christian indeed 2. The Law which is the Rule of Religion is Affirmative as well as Negative Every man is so far perfect in his Calling or in any Art as he agrees with his Rule And every man is so far religious and no farther as he agreeth with the Will of God revealed in his Word which is the Rule of Religion Gal. 6.16 As many as walk according to this Rule peace be to them c. Now this Rule hath Positive as well as Negative Commands Nay all its Negative Commands have as hath been shewn before somewhat positive in them and therefore negative holiness cannot be sufficient He that makes not Conscience of every part of Gods Will makes Conscience of no part of Gods Will. He that denieth ungodliness and worldly lusts because the Law his Rule forbids them will also live righteously soberly and godly because the same Rule commands them Tit. 2.11 12. Indeed all true eschewing of evil doth proceed out of love to good so that he who doth not delight in good and do it cannot eschew evil out of any good Principle Observe the Rule Ephes 4.23 24. And be renewed in the Spirit of your mind And that ye put on the new man which after God is created in righteousness and true holiness Isa 1.15 But men love to be compleat in every thing but that which deserves exactness 3. An Heathen may be negatively religious A Cato a Seneca an Aristides may be free from Intemperance Bribery Injustice Uncleanness and all gross sins and can we think that Religion sufficient for us which Heathens may attain to Is there nothing revealed by the Sun-light of Scripture for us to do which they were unable to see by the dim Rush-candle of Nature The Holy Ghost acquaints us with the condition of the Heathen Ephes 2.12 That they were without God without Christ
at all Seasons and in all Conditions thou art to be in the fear of God and watchful over thy self that thou dost nothing to displease him and solicitous how thou mayst do that which is most pleasing to him Thou must love God with all thy heart when he seems most angry with thee and trust in his goodness when he inflicts never so great or so many evils on thee Thy duty is to believe in a crucified Christ and so venture thy Soul on the death of another upon the bare warrant of Scripture thou art required to deny and bemoan and abhor thy self as near and dear as thou art to thy self to mortifie thy earthly members and to cut off thy right hand and pluck out thy right eye Not a Relation not a Condition not an Ordinance not a Providence but calls for Duties suitable Duties to be performed and not one of these Duties but calls for suitable Graces to be exercised Besides ere these Duties can be performed and these Graces exercised many strong and sturdy lusts must be subdued the allurements on one hand of a flattering gaudy giddy skin-deep World as Babies to please Children trampled on and its afrightments as Cloths stuft with straw to scare Birds must be despised I and all the Powers and Policies of Hell combated with and conquered And Friend can all this be done with thy hands in thy Pocket or without pains It 's in vain to think of freedom from Omissions whilst thou liest on the bed of Security Water corrupteth and breeds venemous Creatures whilst it standeth still it is preserved sweet by motion as we experience in running-streams The unused Iron rusteth whilst that which is used groweth daily more bright Neither Nature nor Art will afford us any thing that is good without labour The ground will not yield its fruit unless the Husbandman dung and plow and dress and harrow it Can any Artist make an excellent Clock or Watch or curious Vessel without pains And wilt thou presume of Holiness and Heaven without it The Heavens are ever in motion for the benefit of this lower World and never stand still but by a Miracle The Earth is always labouring to bring forth fruit for our profit and delight and never idle and barren but as cursed of God for mans sin Adam in his estate of Innocency was by God himself taught a Lesson of Industry and commanded to till the ground Our blessed Saviour was not idle but when he undertook the work of mans Redemption went up and down doing good denying himself his sleep A great while before day he was at prayer Mark 1. and he prayed all night He denied himself his Food when he was hungry and disappointed of Food at the Figg-Tree he goeth not to an house to eat but to the Synagogue to preach He denied himself his ease and pleasure and all to follow his business Joh. 9.4 As he said so he did I must work the work of him that sent me whilst it is day And did Christ contend and fight and strive and wrastle night and day before he was crown'd or could enjoy the Joy set before him and dost thou think to have all for nothing Reader to conclude this Head consider Rom. 12.11 Not slothful in business fervent in Spirit serving the Lord. Where we have the Duty I am perswading thee to commanded by the Apostle in regard of its great weight extraordinary difficulty or backwardness to it both ways 1. Negatively not slothful in business i. e. you will do nothing at it if ye be sleepy or slothful the business is not such as may be done in a dream As idleness is the burial of our persons so slothfulness is the burial of our actions It 's bad to be slow at our business but much worse to be slothful 2. Affirmatively fervent in Spirit this is the greatest diligence possible Fervency is the heat and height of the Affections and is as contrary to slothfulness as fire to water When the powers and faculties of the Soul are wound up to their highest pitch in the Service of God then a man may be said to be fervent in Spirit The labour of the body is nothing to the labour of the brains and the sweating of the outward man is little to the industry of the inward man He that hath the heart of a man may command his purse and hands and what he hath Fervency of Spirit or intension of Mind about any business will call in his time and wealth and strength and all to its assistance 2. The Duty is urged by an high and weighty reason serving the Lord. It 's the Majesty Excellency Purity and boundless Perfection of the Object which requires such warmth and life and heat and fervency of Spirit in those that adore him Though we may make bold with our fellow-dust and ashes with those that are of the same make and mould with our selves yet the most High he whose Name alone is Excellent the God of the Spirits of all Flesh to whom the whole Creation is less than nothing he is not to be made bold with His immense Being and Perfections command the highest and the hottest affections The greatest Prince must not be put off with less than the greatest Present CHAP. XLIV Another cause of Omissions is vain excuses men have that Omissions are little sins with the cure of it 4. A Fourth cause of sins of Omission is a Presumption or false Opinion that men have concerning them and so they think to excuse them 1. That they are little sins and so not much to be minded 2. That the performance of them would be unseasonable at this or that time and so they are put off to another time that never comes 3. That when they are called to the performance of this or that Duty they neglect it with this excuse that it is but one Duty they live in the neglect of or it can be no great matter for once to omit it Reader I shall handle these severally and shew first that these foolish excuses which men please themselves with do cause Omissions and then direct to the cure of each severally 1. The first excuse is that Omissions are small sins and this Opinion is generally rooted in all men Because they do not fly in the face of Conscience disturb the light of Reason trouble the Societies where and debauch the persons amongst whom we live as some sins of Commission do therefore thy fancy for it is but a fancy that they are light and little and no great matter is to be made of them When once a man hath suckt in this poysonous Opinion no wonder if his heart swell and his life swarm with such sins For when his Nature hath a reluctancy against the positive Precepts much more than against the negative and his lazy temper sets him farther off and he believes that they are Peccadilloes and little taken notice of by God yea that a pardon in the High
Court of Heaven is allowed in course for such small offences what should hinder but he should abound and continue in them to the end of his life unless his judgment of them be alter'd In all our converses and dealings we are most careless about matters which we judge to be of small concernment For 't is judged a part of folly to be very solicitous about toys and trifles If I have a slight cut on my Finger or my skin razed I possibly let it go and am nothing troubled about it but if a bone be broken or a vital part infected I am not a little perplexed and quickly apply the best means for the cure of it The less I apprehend the danger to be the less care I take to prevent it We see it by experience about the Laws of men that those Laws the breach of which they presume will be generally winked at and little taken notice of by the Magistrate as relieving Beggars and several others are seldom observed and men at most are indifferent whether they keep them or no but for those Laws which they believe will be severely reckon'd for if men break them as those against Thefts Murthers Ravishments Treasons and the like these they will be tender of and take care lest they should incur their penalties Truly so it is about the Laws of God we do usually make some conscience of those Laws which we apprehend have Death and Hell and Wrath and Damnation attending the breach of them but those Laws the breach of which we presume is no great matter and little minded by God we are careless and indifferent about To cure this Reader consider these three or four particulars 1. I grant that there are degrees of Sin All sins are not of the same size nor every Sinner of the same stature All ordinary Births which Satan begets upon the hearts of men are not of the same bigness yet sometimes we find Monsters born Some sins are compared to Camels others to Gnats Matth. 23.24 Some to Motes others to Beams Matth. 7.3 Some to Talents others to Farthings or Pence Our Saviour tells us of a Creditor who had two Debtors the one owed much more than the other Luke 7.41 So Luke 16.5 Some sins are pardonable other sins unpardonable Matth. 12.31 Wherefore I say unto you all manner of sin and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men but the blasphemy against the Holy Ghost shall not be forgiven unto men The Stoicks as Tully observes in his Paradoxes and the Jovinians Epist 29. cap. 1. as St. Hierom testifieth in his Second Book against them sided with them held That all sins were equal because all sins are aberrations from the rule and a going beyond the bounds but it is to be considered that some may wander farther from their rule and out of their way than others Some may shoot wider than others though both miss the mark A sin against the First Table caeteris paribus is greater than a sin against the Second 1 Sam. 2.25 as being more immediately against God Whereas all sin hath its sinfulness from its opposition and offensiveness to so infinite a Majesty Psal 51.4 Against thee thee only have I sinned Thus we read that Witch-craft and Idolatry which directly disown God as the greatest sins 1 Sam. 15.13 And our Lord Jesus when asked what was the first and great Commandment answers To love the Lord our God with all our hearts c. Matth. 22.11 Spiritual sins are greater than bodily sins 1. As those by which we most imitate the Devil who is for spiritual wickednesses in high places Ephes 6. All sin is from Satan per modum servitutis but these sins per modum imaginis 2. As those sins by which we most directly oppose God who is a Spirit Joh. 4.24 and therefore God most directly sets himself in battel-array against them 3. As those sins that defile and pollute most the chiefest part of man his spirit in which regard the Apostle calls them filthiness of spirit and distinguisheth them from the filthiness of the flesh 2 Cor. 7.1 4. As those sins which are the spring of all bodily and outward sins Out of the heart proceed Murders Blasphemies Thefts c. Matth. 15.19 5. As those sins have more of the heart and spirit in them the malignity of sin in regard of its Object is from the immensity of that God against whom it is committed in regard of its Subject it 's from the degree of that heartiness and willingness with which it is committed To back-slide in heart is more than back-slide from God with our tongues and deny him vocally Prov. 14.14 Such a one shall be filled with his own ways and wickedness To err in heart is the provocation indeed Heb. 3.10 To err in heart is much worse than to err in our heads the more of the heart and spirit in any Service the more lovely and acceptable to God the more of the heart and spirit in any sin the more loathsome and abominable to God 6. As those sins which have their full scope and swing In bodily sins a man is curbed as in Uncleanness by the weakness or weariness of his Body in Prodigality and Luxury and Pride by the weakness of his Estate in Murder by his Antagonist's strength or his fear of the Law or want of opportunity But spiritual sins have none of these obstacles or hinderances He whose Body is so weak that he cannot know one Woman may yet in his Spirit defile hundreds in one day He whose Estate is so small that he can scarce maintain himself will yet in his thoughts keep a Table for a Prince throw away hundreds upon provision for the Flesh and be as great an Emperour as he pleaseth He whose sickness and lowness of quality and want of a convenient season hindreth him from doing his Neighbour the least actual injury may yet in his Spirit slay more than Sampson did with the jaw-bone of an Ass in a much less time Sins against Knowledge are greater than sins of Ignorance Our Saviour tells the Jews That if they had been blind they had had no sin but because ye say ye see therefore your sin remaineth Joh. 9. Sins against knowledge are sins against our own light and thereby we offer violence to our selves Rom. 1.21 to 28.2 More daring to God for he who is ignorant of his Masters will cannot do any thing or omit any thing to dare him or to provoke him because he doth not know what is displeasing to him but he who knoweth what God would have and omits what he commandeth or doth what he forbids may rather be supposed to commit the one or omit the other because of his enmity to God 3. As more against the mercy of God Knowledge is a great mercy The Vnderstanding of Man is the Candle of the Lord. And sins against it are therefore the more provoking because against the Divine goodness Joh. 15.4 These sins against