what is the ground of all our returns to evil after all our repentance and reformation but our nature Suppose water be heated after it is warmed and heated it cools again heat it again and it cools again Why Because coldness is its nature And so what 's the reason that men return again and again to their sin after all their repentance and reformation but the sin of their nature 5. Look what that evil is which is the least lamented and that whereby our sin is most excused That is a great and dreadful evil Now of all sins the sin of our Nature is least lamented and thereby mens sins are most excused Bear with me it is my nature I am passionate but it is my nature I am froward but it is my nature Men excuse themselves thereby Now I say look what that evil is which is least lamented and that whereby our sin is most excused that is a dreadful evil Thus it is with the sin of our nature 2. But secondly As for the sin of our hearts and thoughts the evil thereof 1. Look what that sin is that is the most incureable That 's worst A secret hidden wound within the body or a disease within the body is the most incurable Such are the sins of our hearts and thoughts secret sins and sothe most incurable 2. Look what that sin is that is a friend a Parent to other sins That must needs be very evil Now what are the Parents of all our sinful actions but sinful thoughts What puts life into evil actions but sinful thoughts So with the godly and so with the ungodly With the Godly for saith Abraham I thought the fear of God was not in this place Gen. 20. 11. and therefore I said she is my Sister she was indeed his Sister and he lied not in saying so but he dissembled and hid the truth using an unworthy shift for his own preservation and where began this evil but in a sinful thought I thought the fear of God is not in this place So with the Ungodly Psal 50. 21. Thou thoughtest that I was alltogether such an one as thy self The wicked steal and commit Adultery and deceive and slander others and how are they led into all this but by thoughts Thou thoughtest I was such a one as thy self and you know what the Psalmist saith Cleanse thou me from secret faults then shall I be upright and I shall be innocent from the great transgression Psal 19. 12 13. Sins of our hearts and thoughts do principiate and give a being unto sinful actions and therefore are very evil 3. Thereby also by the sins of our hearts and thoughts our former sin committed that was dead is revived again and hath a resurrection by our musing on it contemplating on it with delight As the witch at Endor called up Samuel that was dead so a delightful thought calls up a sinful action that was dead before Thereby our sins that were dead before are revived and have a resurrection 4. Thereby also a man may possibly sin that sin in effect which he never did commit in act and so the Lord may punish him for it As the Lord said to David because it was in thine heart to build me an house I will build thy House So sayes God to a man in a way of punishment because it was in thy heart to do this evil though thou didst it not I will punish thee for it Possibly I say by the sin of our hearts and thoughts a man may sin that sin in effect which he never did commit in act And that is evil 5. Thereby a man may or doth repent of his very repentance A man sins and afterwards is sorrowful and repents thereof and then after his repentance he thinks on his sin with delight What is this but to to repent of his very repentance As by my repentance I am sorrowful for my sin so by musing on my sin with delight I repent of my repentance Now is it not a very great evil for a man to repent of his repentance Lo this may a man do and this men ordinarily do they repent of their repentance by musing on their sin and delighting in it in a way of sinful thoughts 3. But thirdly As for the sin of our lives and practise especially living under the Gospel the evil thereof that is very great for 1. Sin under the Gospel is sinning against the remedy and of all sins sinning against the remedy are the greatest and therefore it is worse for a man to commit adultery that is married than for an unmarried man to commit fornication for he sins against the remedy Now the great remedy against sin is the Gospel therefore for a man to sin under the Gospel he sins against the remedy 2. The greater obligations a man sinneth against the worse and the greater is his sin By the Gospel we are brought under great obligations and by our sinning under the Gospel what do we Weingage the very mercy of God to become our adversary by our sinning under the Gospel we sin against Mercy and Grace and thereby ingage the very mercy of God our greatest friend to become our greatest adversary 3. Peccatum majus ubi specialis repugnantia inter peccantem peccatum The more repugnancy there is betwixt the sin and the sinner the greater is the sin and therefore it is worse for a Judg to be unjust than for another because there is a special repugnancy betwixt the sin and the sinner Now there is a special repugnancy betwixt the Gospel and a man that sins under the Gospel for he professes the contrary and therefore sin there is the greater 4. Peccatum majus ubi majus nocumentum The more hurtful or mischievous any sin is the greater is that sin Sinning under the Gospel is very hurtful to our selves and to others To our selve as poyson taken in Sack or something that is warm is the most venemous so sin under the Gospel is the deadliest poyson Why Because it is warmed with Gospel heat And it is hurtful to others because they are hardened for when men sin under the Gospel others are hardened thereby 5. The more able that any sin is to defend it self by knowledg shifts and distinctions the worse and greater it is Now a man that lives under the Gospel hath knowledg and by his knowledg is able to defend his sin by many distinctions and sins bred under the Gospel are able to defend themselves by knowledg fetched from the Gospel therefore the worse 6. The more deceitful that any sin is and the better ends and pretences it hath the worse it is and holds the longer Now sins bred under the Gospel are most deceitful and have the best ends and pretences and therefore the worse 7. The more that a man doth cast contempt upon the great things of God by his sin the greater and the worse is his sin Sins under the Gospel cast contempt upon the
must needs be great evil Take sin away and Hell-fire dies Sin is that brimstone that Hell-fire feeds upon to all Eternity 9. Look what that Evil is that is worse than the worst of afflictions That must needs be very evil The least sin is worse than the greatest affliction For 1. Take an affliction and though it be never so great it doth not defile the man for that which is from without doth not defile the man but that which is from within Mar. 7. 15. Sin is from within affliction is not from within but from without but sin is from within therefore if I give a reproachfull word to another it more defiles me than a hundred reproachful words from another because my word comes from within me his words from without me Now affliction is from without and doth not defile but sin is from within and doth defile therefore the least sin is worse than the greatest affliction 2. Take an affliction and though it be never so great yet notwithstanding God is the Author of it Is there evil in the City and the Lord hath not done it Amos 3. 6. God bad Shimei curse David Let him alone God hath bidden him 2 Sam. 16. 11. I send Famine and I send Pestilence and I send Mildew sayes God God is the Author of Affliction but God is not the Author of any sin Indeed it is said God hardened the heart of Pharaoh and others but that is non infundendo malitiam sed subtrahendo gratiam not by infusing malice into their hearts but by withdrawing his grace God is not the Author of sin but God is the Author of all affliction 3. Take an affliction and though it be never so great yet it is not contrary to God but sin though never so small is contrary to God 4. Take an affliction and though it be never so great yet notwithstanding it is but the fruit and the Claws of sin What are the Claws to the Lion if the Lion be dead the Claws can do us no hurt but if the Lion be alive his life puts strength into his Claws afflictions are but the Claws of sin The sting of death is sin 1 Cor. 15. 56. and the sting of affliction is sin but as for afflictions they are but the bare Claws and it is sin that puts life and strength into these Claws 5. Take an affliction and though it be never so great yet God doth not hate affliction neither doth affliction make a man hate God but God hates sin and sin makes a man hate God 6. Take an affliction and though it be never so great a man may be a blessed man in the worst affliction Blessed is the man whose transgression is forgiven and whose sin is covered Psal 32. 1. but he cannot be a blessed man that lies in sin Cursed is every man that continueth not in all things written in the Law to do them Gal. 3. 10. Thus you see the least sin is worse than the greatest affliction therefore certainly the evil of sin is very great That 's the 9th 10. Look what that evil is that God doth punish with the greatest severity both in His own and others though it be but small in our eyes that must needs be exceeding evil Now he doth severely punish that which we look upon as a small sin both in his own and others In his own you think it was no great matter for Adam to eat the forbidden fruit You think Moses was but a little in passion with the Children of Israel for which he was kept out of Canaan And you think it was no great matter for Vzza to stay the Ark when it was falling yet God punished these small sins small in our eyes he punished them severely in his own people And as for others Because there is an infinite evil in sin and God doth justly punish he punisheth them to all eternity for the least sin for amongst men it is just to punish till a man repenteth but in Hell men never repent therefore God punisheth them to all eternity So that God doth punish sin with the greatest severity both in his own and others therefore surely it is very evil 11. Look what that is that is a worse evil than Hell or the Devil that must needs be a very great and exceeding evil Sin is worse than the Devil for the Devil is a Creature that God made but Sin is none of Gods Creature And it is worse than Hell for Hell is of Gods making too but Sin is not It is worse to be given up to sin than to the Devil if a man be given up to the Devil it is that his soul may be saved but if a man be given up to sin it is that his soul may be destroyed and not saved So that Sin is worse than Hell or the Devil 12. Look what that evil is that is a punishment in it self that must needs be exceeding evil Sin in it self is a punishment though there were no other punishment to follow in keeping thy Commandments there is great reward Psal 19. 11. So in breaking Gods Commandments there is great punishment Therefore sometimes when God would punish men for their sins he punisheth them by giving them up to great sins Rom. 1. 26. God gave them up to vile affections to uncleanness c. Now I say look what that is which is in it self a punishment that must needs be exceeding evil and thus it is with sin this therefore must needs be a very great evil Thus in the general you see there is a great deal of evil and sinfulness in sin But now more particularly I shall shew it you in three sorts of sins The sin of our Nature The sin of our Hearts and Thoughts And the sin of our Lives and Practises especially living under the Gospel the evil of these sins 1. First As for the sin of our Nature the more universal and overspreading any leprosie or contagion is the worse and the greater it is now the sin of our Nature spreads over all our faculties our Understanding Reason Will Affections it spreads over all our Faculties 2. Look what that contagion or leprosie is that is so great that nothing will help against it but the pulling down the house that must needs be very great Truly the sin of our Nature is such nothing will cure it but the pulling down the house 3. Look what that sin is that is most unwearied and whereby a man is unwearied in sin that must needs be very great The sin of our nature is unwearied as the Fountain is unwearied in sending up water bubbling up water a man may be wearied in drawing up water our of the Fountain and so a man may be wearied in sinful actions but sinful nature is never weary and that sin that is unwearied is exceeding great 4. Look what that sin is that is the ground of all our relapses and returns to sin That must needs be very great Now
great things of God the glory of God the glorious offer of the grace of God to sin under the Gospel is to cast contempt upon the glory of God and the great things of God and therefore sin there is the greater 8. The more costly and chargeable that any sin is the greater and the worse it is Now a man that sins under the Gospel cannot sin at so cheap a rate as another though he sins the very same sin that another commits Why He that knows his Masters will and doth it not shall be beaten with many stripes Luke 12. 47. What an evil and dreadfull thing is it for men to sin under the Gospel sayes the Apostle He shall come in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel 2 Thes 1. 8. Flaming fire not painted fire but real fire but there may be real fire in a spark therefore he doth not say real fire neither but He shall come in flaming fire taking vengeance on them that know not God and that obey not the Gospel O what an evil and dreadful thing is it for a man to sin living under the Gospel Now if there be so much evil in the sins of our lives and practises living under the Gospel if there be so much evil in the sin of our hearts and thoughts if there be so much evil in the sin of our nature if sin hath taken up all the names of all evils if sin doth separate between God and us if sin doth unite us to Satan and make us the Children of the Devil if sin did put Christ to death if sin doth bring a general curse upon the whole Creation if sin doth stain all our glory if sin doth awaken Conscience to that horror that nothing but the blood of Christ can quiet it if sin doth feed the fire of Hell if the least sin be worse than the greatest affliction if God doth punish the least sin both in his own and others with the greatest severity if sin be worse than Hell or the Devil and if sin it self be a punishment certainly there is abundance of evil and sinfulness in sin So I have done with the first thing namely that there is a great deal of evil and sinfulness in sin 2. Secondly Though there be thus much evil and sinfulness in sin this doth not appear to a man until he doth convert and turn unto God till then his sin is dead but then it is revived till then the sinfulness of sin doth not appear for 1. Till then a man is in the dark and who can see the greatness of an evil in the dark 2. Till then grace the contrary is not placed in the soul one contrary doth shew the other white is best seen by black Grace is best seen by Sin and Sin is best seen by Grace till then a man hath no grace no contrary to illustrate it to make it appear 3. And till then sin is in its own place elementum non gravidat suo loco water is not heavy in its own place it is not heavy in the River a man may lay at the bottom of the River with all the water upon his back and yet not feel the weight of it because it is in its place but take but a pailful of water out of the River and you feel the weight of it because then it is out of its place Now till a man convert and turn unto God sin is in its own place and therefore the sinfulness of it doth not appear Quest But you will say How comes this to pass that sin should not appear in the sinfulness of it until a man convert and turn unto God Answ 1. Sin is a spiritual thing I mean a moral not a natural thing Sin is a spiritual thing and a man that liveth by sense cannot see what is spiritual 2. A man is blind unto what he loves till a man convert and turn unto God he loves his Sin he loves it above all the World and therefore the evil and sinfulness of sin doth not yet appear to him 3. The more Blinds a man hath that cover his sin the less he sees it and the less sin appears to be sinful Now before a man convert and turn unto God all his duties are but Blinds to cover his sin all his morality is but a Blind all his natural uprightness is but a Blind True says he I am a sinner but I pray and perform duty therefore am not so great a sinner I have such and such moralities and my heart is as good as any ones therefore I am not so great a sinner What are all his duties before he convert and turn unto God but so many Blinds to cover and hide his sin No wonder therefore that sin doth not appear as it is until a man doth convert and turn unto God 4. The more a man looks upon sin as going into it the less it appears to be and the more a man looks upon sin as coming out of it coming from it the greater it appears to be there is a going into sin by commission and there is a coming from it by repentance Now when a man is going into his sin there he sees Profit Pleasure and his own concernments and this makes his sin appear little but when he comes out of it there he sees sorrow and repentance and that makes his sin appear great 5. Sometimes by the providence of God sin meets with good events and holiness meets with bad events in the world and so the evil and sinfulness of sin is hidden from men 6. and lastly The less a man is at the work of private examination the less sin appears to be sin and the less he sees sin as it is before a man convert and turn unto God he is little in the work of examining his own soul in private No wonder therefore sin doth not appear to him to be sinful because he is little in the work of private examination Thus ye see sin doth not appear in the sinfulness of of it untill a man doth convert and turn unto God That 's the second III. Thirdly Look when a man doth convert and turn unto the Lord then sin appears in the sinfulness thereof unto his soul For then 1. He is weary and heavy laden under the burden of his sin the more a man is weary and heavy laden under the burden of his sin the more sin appears evil and sinfull to him Now look when a man doth convert and turn unto God then he is weary and heavy laden under the burden of his sin Come unto me all ye that labour and are heavy laden Matth. 11. 28. 2. Then he sees God and not till then the more a man sees God the glory of God the goodness of God the wisdom of God the holiness of God the soveraignty of God the more sin appears in its sinfulness to him Wo is me I am undone for I