imputation but of Original sin by propagation thou wert conceived in sin and thou art born in iniquity thou hast a nature which thou carriest about with thee which makes thee prone to all sin and indisposed to all good thou hast a nature that defiles all thy holy duties and thou art guilty of many actual transgressions of heart-heart-sins of lip-lip-sins of life-life-sins of sins of omission how many good duties have I omitted of sins of commission how many evil actions have I committed and thou art guilty of sins against the Law and sins against the Gospel then would I reckon up soms sins and then thou art guilty of fleshly and outward and visible sins and thou art especially Oh my soul guilty of inward spiritual and invisible sins of heart-adultery though not outward adultery of heart-murder of heart-idolatry of pride vain-glory hypocrisie self-seeking There is the second head the division of sin 3. I would come to the third head and consider the original and cause of sin and I would say thus Oh my soul surely God is not the author of all these sins that I am guilty of it is the greatest blasphemy in the world to charge God with our sins God cannot be the author of that of which he is the punisher Iudas did not betray Christ because it was determined he should do it but it was out of covetousness and the brethren of Iudah did not fell Ioseph because it was decreed they should do it but out of envy Oh! it is my wicked heart that is the root of all my sin it is not the Devil that is the original of my sin for the Devil cannot force me to sin the Devil perswades me to sin tempts me to sin but he cannot compel me to sin sin came into the world by Adam's disobedience Rom. 5. 12. By one man sin came into the world And my wicked heart is the root of all my sin Oh my soul why shouldest not thou abhor thy self because of thy sin 4. I would have you consider the cursed fruits and effects of sin and I would say thus Oh my soul be thou humbled for thy sins Oh lye in the dust because of thy sin for it is sin that is the cause of all evil both Temporal Spiritual and Eternal sin brings spiritual temporal and eternal curses it was sin put devilishness into the Angels and made the Angels in Heaven to become Devils in Hell it was sin that brought the flood upon the old world it was sin that turned Heaven into Hell and made God rain down fire and brimstone upon Sodom and Gomorah it is sin that kindles the fire in Hell the fire of Hell would go out were it not for sin sin is worse than Hell because it is the cause of Hell and I would meditate thus Surely sin is more opposite to God than Hell for God is the author of Hell God made Hell for sinners but God is not the author of sin and therefore Oh my soul do thou hate sin more than affliction nay more than Hell it self 5. I would proceed to consider the adjuncts and properties of sin in general and of my sin in particular and I would thus meditate upon this common-place head Oh that the Lord would work in my heart a further abhorrency of all sin Oh that sin might be more loathed for sin is of a defiling nature of a destructive nature sin is of a defiling nature it defiles my person it defiles my Sacraments my Prayers the Sermons I hear it makes me like a dog like a swine nay it makes me like a Devil I have chosen twelve and one of you is a Devil Sin makes you nasty and loathsome in Gods sight sin defiles your civil actions The plowing of a wicked man is sin sin defiles the land in which you live Ezek. 14. The land is defiled by your idolatry sin defiles the whole Creation Oh my soul wilt thou make a sport of that which defiles the whole Creation And then I would say sin is of a destructive nature it destroys the body it destroys the soul for evermore And then I would consider the properties of my sin in particular I would say thus Oh my soul how great is thy guilt I have sinned not only against God but against light my sins have bloody aggravations I have sinned against the heart-blood-mercy of Jesus Christ. I have sinned against many Sacrament-vows that I have made I have sinned against knowledg against conscience 6. I would consider the opposites to the thing I meditate on what is opposite to sin why Grace Then I would meditate of the excellency of Grace and I would say Oh my soul how beautiful is that soul that is endued with Grace sin makes me like a Devil sin stamps the Devils image upon my soul but Grace makes me Gods picture Grace is the portraiture of the Holy Ghost Grace ennobles the soul it legitimates the soul it elevates the soul. Oh the beauty of a soul enriched with grace Oh the Heavenly excellency of a gracious soul Now by how much Grace is more excellent by so much is sin more odious for sin destroys Grace 7. I would consider the comparisons to which sin is compared and I would say thus Oh my soul wilt thou not abhor sin sin is compared to bruises sores putrefaction a leprosie a plague the excrements of a man And it is called in Scripture an abominable thing it is compared to the filth under a mans nails and to the putrefactions of sores and the dung the excrements of man and wilt thou love that which is loathsom to God shall sin be so abominable in the sight of God and shall it not be so in my sight 8. I would consider the titles that are given to sin and I would say thus Sin is called a robbing of God Mal. 3. shall I rob God of his glory by my sin Oh! God forbid Sin is called an injury to God shall I injure my Saviour by my sins It is called a striking thorough the name of God so the Hebrew word signifies which we translate to swear it is a Deicidium the killing the murdering of God and Oh my soul wilt thou do as much as in thee lies to murder thy Saviour to crucifie Christ afresh by thy sins 9. I would consider all that the Scripture saith concerning sin I would consider the wrath of God against sin I would consider all the Threatnings of God against sin and especially I would study what Christ suffered to free us from sin and I would behold the odiousness of sin upon Christ's Cross sin made Christ sweat drops of blood and shall it not make me shed tears Sin made Christ cry My God my God why hast thou forsaken me and shall it not make me cry out Oh miserable man that I am who shall deliver me from this body of sin And then I would consider what hope there is of pardon through Christ and what promises there are made
Vncertainty 3. The fitness for it 4. How to be above the hurt of it 5. To live in expectation of it 6. To be free from the fear of it 122 2. Judgment 1. The terribleness of it 2. Solemnity of the great Assizes 3. Account to be given to God 4. Separation at that day 5. Happiness of the Godly 6. Miserableness of the wicked 123 3. Heaven 1. The joys of it 2. Beatifical Vision 3. Perfection 4. Perpetuity 5. Fitness for 6. What to do to get to Heaven 125 4. Hell where of the punishment of 1. Loss 2. Sense 126 2. God Christ the Holy Ghost and thy self 127 1. Of God where of his 1. Attributes 2. Works 3. What Relation towards him 128 2. Christ where of his 1. Divine 2. Humane nature 3. Offices and then of his 1. Life 2. Death where 1. what he suffered 2. for whom 3. who he was 4. what love he suffered with 5. what interest you have in it 6. his Resurrection 7. Ascension 8. Intercession at Gods right hand ibid. 3. Holy Ghost 1. nature 2. office 3. motion 4. graces 131 4. Our selves in the state of 1. Innocency 2. Apostacy 3. Regeneration 4. Glory 132 Further of our 1. Sins 2. Duties 3. Evidences 4. Comforts 5. frailty of body 6. immortality ibid. 3. Dependance upon God 4. Advantages God hath us at he may throw into Hell at pleasure therefore we should study and think on 1. our Relations 2. Calling 3. Company 4. our hearts Hereof 1. Thoughts 2. Affections 3. Words 4. Actions ibid. 5. Sinfulness of sin 137 6. Vanity of the Creature 138 7. Excellency of the Gospel 8. Commandments Threatnings Promises Ordinances of the Gospel as 1. Prayers 2. reading the Word 3. hearing the Word 4. the Sacrament 139 9. Errors of the times Iudgments of God great changes of the Nation several passages of Providence the mercies of God 140 6 Rules and Directions and those of three sorts respecting person subject manner 1. For the right qualifying of the person that is to meditate viz. 143 1. Convince thy soul of the necessity of it 144 2. Of the benefits and advantages of it as 145 1. The begetting Repentance 2. The Love of God 3. Fear of God 4. Love of Christ. 3. The mischiefs of not-meditating 4. Get a sufficient furniture of saving knowledg 148 5. Labour to get a serious spirit 149 to which purpose a fourfold frame of spirit is to be avoided as namely 150 1. A slight frame of spirit 2. A trifling frame of spirit 3. A watry frame of spirit 4. An inconsiderate frame of spirit 6. Labour for the love of heaven and heavenly things 153 7. Labour to get an interest in Heaven and heavenly things 154 8. An heart disengaged from the world 155 9. Be not discouraged though you have difficulty in the beginning 157 10. Do all these things by power deriv'd from Iesus Christ 158 2. Rules for the right ordering the subjects or materials ibid. 1. At the beginning pick out easie subjects as of Heaven 1. the happiness of it in general 2. in particular 161 2. Vse variety as heads of several materials were suggested 162 3. Pick out such subjects more especially as dispose to godly sorrow and holiness 163 4. Such as are most seasonable to thy condition and suitable to thy relation As suppose thou art 164 1. Troubled in mind and exceedingly dejected think of the willingness of Christ to receive poor ones 165 2. Troubled in conscience think of the promises not only to grace but of grace to give grace 167 3. In outward want consider the wonderful providences of God ibid. 4. Sick like to thy own life or some dear Relative think on a seasonable subject as Death c. 168 5. To receive the Sacrament consider the nature thy need of it c. 169 3. Rules for the manner of ordering Meditations on the foremention'd or like subjects viz. 170 1. To begin and enter upon the practise of Meditation and here be six Directions ibid. 1. Be sure to pick a fit place to meditate in ibid. 2. A fit and seasonable time according to our circumstances ibid. 3. Be sure to have a fit subject prepar'd not to seek at the time 171 4. Then set your self as in Gods presence under his eye ibid. 5. Begin with some short ejaculatory not long prayer 172 6. Keep your hearts with all keeping 173 2. To proceed better in this work here we must know there be two faculties of the soul the understanding and will or heart and affections 175 1. Rules to help the understanding more logically and plainly 176 1. Logically as Topicks or Common-place-heads ibid. viz. 1. Description 2. Distribution 3. Causes 4. Effects 5. Properties 6. Opposites 7. Comparisons 8. Titles 9. Testimonies ibid. An instance in considering sin as the subject ibid. 1. Consider description as a transgression of Gods Law 178 2. Distribution as sin by imputation propagation and action ibid. 3. Cause of sin God not the cause but Satan and self 179 4. Effects and cursed fruits temporal carnal and eternal 5. Properties and Adjuncts in general and particular 181 6. Opposites grace and holiness 182 7. Comparisons as bruises leprosie c. ibid. 8. Titles given to sin in Scripture as robbing God c. 183 9. Testimonies in Scripture against sin wrath of God c. ibid. 2. Plainly where particularly consider 184 1. What the Scripture saith of the subject you would meditate upon ibid. 2. What Sermons you have heard upon that subject 185 3. Take a Book that treats on the subject you would metate upon 186 4. Be sure to join Application with your Contemplation 187 5. Consider the means how to obtain what you meditate upon 188 2. Rules to help the will heart and affections and to raise them 189 1 Labour to get a relish and savour of the things you meditate on to have the heart affected 2. Complain before God for the want of this relish 3. Wish you had a supply of the tast you want 190 4. Confess your inability as of your self to do this 5. Petition to God for help 6. Confidently believe God will help you 3. Rules to conclude all after entrance and progress 197 1. Lift up your heart to God with thankfulness and bless his Name ibid. 2. Resolve to live as one who hath been thinking on the things of God 199 3. Recommend your self body soul relatives c. to God 200 A Perswasion to the practise of these things concluding in four particulars 201 1. Mourn before God that you have liv'd so long in the School of Christ and have not practised this duty of solemn Meditation 202 2. That you have misplac'd your Meditation ibid. 3. Study the necessity excellency usefulness and profitableness of Meditation as the marrow of all other duties 205 4. Defer not to practise according to the directions given in expectation of Gods blessing ibid. GEN. XXIV 63. And Isaac went out to meditate in the
practise of this duty be not always like Martha troubled with this and that business but remember Maries choice who chose the better part in attending upon Christ's Ministry I would have all rich men every day think of that Text Luk. 12. 20. Thou fool this night shall thy soul be taken from thee and what then will become of all thy possessions I confess God doth not require this at the hand of the daily labourer or at the hands of servants that are not masters of their own time and those that are very poor and are not able to set time apart for Meditation But you may remember I gave you a distinction between Ejaculatory Meditation and solemn Meditation a poor man when he is at his work may have a short Ejaculatory Meditation though he hath not time for this set and solemn meditation when he is at his work he may meditate upon the Promises and of Heaven and of Hell and of Death and Iudgment and the vanity of the world I have heard of a godly man was wont to say I thank God I can be in heaven in the midst of the croud of Cheapside I can meditate on the Rest I shall have in the other world 3. The third Direction is this The Sabbath-day especially is a day wherein all sorts of people are to busie themselves in this excellent work of Divine Meditation this is a day wherein the labourer ceaseth from his work the Plowmans yoke is taken off and the labouring-man and the serving man have their rest therefore it concerns all of us to spend some time every Sabbath-day in Meditation to meditate of the work of Creation or Redemption for the Lords-day is so called because Christ rose on that day and Christ set apart that day in memory of his Resurrection in memory of his Redemption therefore this is thy work Oh Christian not only to come to the publick Ordinances not only to pray in thy family but to set some time apart for Divine Meditation and the Lord forgive us this sin that we have omitted this duty so long Oh that I could be Gods instrument that there might be a resurrection of it that you would make conscience of it every Sabbath-day as you make conscience of attending upon publick and private duties so you would put this as one of your Sabbath-day duties for it is the very Quintessence the life and soul of all duty the Sabbath-day is a type of the eternal Sabbath which we shall keep for ever in Heaven and shall not I think of my eternal Sabbath upon the Sabbath shall not I be much in Heaven when I am keeping a rest upon earth that represents my eternal rest in Heaven let us upon our day of rest meditate much upon our eternal rest Oh let us upon our Sabbath-day meditate upon the everlasting Sabbath which we shall keep with God Almighty the Father Son and Holy Ghost for ever in Heaven 4. And last Direction is this That Sacrament-days are especially to be meditating-days to be set apart for this great work of Divine Meditation it is the great end why Christ hath appointed the Sacrament to shew forth the Lords-death till he come and saith Christ Do this in remembrance of me There are two things make us worthy receivers of the Sacrament Preparation before we come and Meditation when we are come and though thy Preparation be never so serious yet if thou dost not act aright in thy Meditation as well as thou hast done in thy Preparation thou maist lose the benefit of the Sacrament Now if any should ask me What are those things you would have us to meditate of when we are come unto the Sacrament or when we are at the Sacrament There are twelve Meditations which ought to take up our Sacramental-time which I call twelve common-place-heads I do not say we can meditate upon all of them at one Sacrament but my design is to give you matter sufficient that you may sometimes meditate of one sometimes of another I will but name them 1. You must meditate of the great and wonderful love of God the Father in giving Christ not only to die for us upon the Cross but in giving him to be our food at the Sacrament there was nothing moved God to give Christ but pure love and great love For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son So how so infinitely so inexpressibly the love of God in bestowing Christ is so great that the Angels desire to look into it And you that are not affected with this love I fear you have little share in it That is enough to take up one Sacrament 2. You are to meditate at the Sacrament not only of the love of the Father in giving of his Son but of the love of Christ in giving himself Ephes. 5. 2. Who loved us and hath given himself for us an offering and a sacrifice to God for a sweet smelling savour As God gave Christ so Christ gave himself as God gave himself as man the Godhead infused this will into the Manhood that Christ willingly laid down his life Ioh. 10. 17 18. Therefore doth my Father love me because I lay down my life that I may take it up again no man taketh it from me but I lay it down of my self I have power to lay it down and I have power to take it up this commandment have I received of my Father Now the love of Christ in giving himself to be a curse for us is a love that passeth knowledg yet it is a love that we must study to know It is a riddle but such a riddle as the Apostle himself doth in so many express words declare unto us Ephes. 3. 19. That we may be able to comprehend with all Saints what is the breadth and length and depth and heigth and to know the love of Christ which passeth knowledg Great is the love of Christ which passeth knowledg great is the love of Christ in dying for us and being made sin for us and being made a curse for us 3. We must meditate of the heinousness of sin when we were all fallen in Adam we were ingulphed into such a bottomless abyss of misery that none but the blood of a God could deliver us for there was an infinite breach by sin between God and us and this breach could never be made up but by the blood of God That is a rare meditation at the Sacrament to meditate of the heinousness of sin when you see the bread broken it was sin that caused Christs body to be broken and when you see the wine poured out it was sin caused Christs blood to be poured out it was sin that caused Christ to suffer so much 4. You must meditate of the excellency of this Sacramental feast for the Sacrament is a commemorative Sacrifice it is a commemoration of that blessed Sacrifice that was offered on the Cross for our sins and it is an obsignation
You must meditate of the fourfold state of man man may be considered in a fourfold state 1. Either in the state of innocency as he was before the fall a spotless picture of God that is a rare meditation study the happiness of man before he fell when he was made after Gods own image 2. The state of man when fallen when corrupted study the cursed condition of man in his natural condition 3. The estate of man when restored by Christ when regenerated when renew'd when made a picture of God 4. The estate of man in Heaven 1. What thou wert in Adam 2. What thou art when fallen 3. What thou art in Christ. 4. What thou shalt be in Heaven You must meditate of your sins of your good duties of your evidences and of your comforts 1. You must meditate of your sins that is a large field to walk in you must meditate of the sins you have committed against God of your sins of omission of your sins of commission your sins against the Law your sins against the Gospel your Sermon-sins your Sacrament-sins your spiritual sins your fleshly sins You must meditate of sin to be humbled for it that is a rare meditation to fit you for the Sacrament And oh that we had hearts seriously to meditate of our sins 2. You must meditate of your good duties that is how many good duties we omit how many good duties we sinfully perform whether we perform duties so as to please God in the performance of them 3. You must meditate of your Evidences for Heaven whether they are right or no whether you have gotten Tribunal-proof assurance for Heaven whether thy Evidences for Heaven are death-enduring whether they will hold out at the day of Judgment 4. You must meditate of your comforts whether those comforts that you have be the consolations of the Spirit or the delusions of the Devil There are many men will tell you that they have comforts but their comforts are Diabolical delusions not Divine consolations You must meditate of the frailty of your body the immortality of your soul the dependance you have upon God and the advantage God hath you at 1. The frailty of your body the body of man is made of dust and will quickly crumble to dust it is an earthly Tabernacle that is easily dissolved What a rare thing will it be to take the Scripture and study all the comparisons to which the life of man is compared to set out the shortness of it it is compared to grass to hay to stubble to dry stubble to a dry leaf to a swift post to a vapour to a hands-breadth meditate of the frailty of thy vile body that will quickly go down to the house of rottenness 2. Meditate of the immortality of thy soul thy precious soul which is a picture of God made by God and made for God There is no man but hath a heavenly tapour within him which can never be blown out there is no man but he hath that within him that he cannot kill himself there is no man but he hath that within him that must live for ever as blessed as an Angel or as cursed as a Devil Meditate upon the dependance you have upon God Oh this will keep thee humble and make thee comply with Gods will thou dependest upon God for thy being thy well-being thy eternal being thou dependest upon God every minute thou livest by Gods upholding thee study the dependance thou hast upon God for thy soul thy body thy wise thy children thy all 4. Meditate of the advantage God hath thee at God hath all the world between his hands as the Prophet saith and he can easily crush us as we do a moth as we are creatures he can annihilate us if he please and as we are sinners he can throw us into hell if he please Study the relations in which God hath placed thee study thy calling thy company thy heart 1. Study thy relations in which God hath placed thee there is none of us all but we are under many relations art thou a Minister art thou a Magistrate art thou a Father art thou a Master study the duties of every relation study how to honour God in every relation study to keep a good conscience in every relation 2. Study thy calling how to honour God in thy calling how to keep a good conscience in thy calling how to keep thy self unspotted from the sins of thy calling for there is no calling but hath some sin or other attending it Oh meditate that thy Shop do not destroy thy soul meditate to keep a good conscience in thy Shop that thou dost not lose in thy own house what thou gainest in Gods house 3. Study thy company what company to keep that is a great matter for I know a man by his company more than any thing whatsoever I mean by the company he useth to keep Study to keep a good conscience in all company study to keep thy self from the sins of thy company 4. Study thy heart meditate often of thine own heart the deceitfulness of thy heart the heart is deceitful above all things it is the greatest cheater in the world and there are thousands whose hearts do cozen them into Hell thy heart will tell thee thou lovest God when thou dost not love him at all that thou art upright when thou art an hypocrite Study thy Thoughts thy Affections thy Words and thy Actions 1. Meditate of thy Thoughts the vanity of thy thoughts the vileness of thy thoughts the Hell shall I say that is in thy thoughts if all the thoughts that we think were written upon our foreheads how would we be ashamed that the world should see us Oh meditate of thy covetous thoughts of thy lustful thoughts thy vile and vain thoughts to be humbled for them 2. Meditate of thy Affections God doth especially look to our affections he hates any service that is not mixed with affection There are several Affections meditate of thy love whether thou lovest God or the world most Meditate where thy love is whether thou servest God out of love whether the world doth not lye nearer thy heart than Christ Meditate of thy desire whether thou hast larger desires after the creature than after God Meditate of thy joy whether thou dost not delight more in vanity than in Christ Jesus And meditate of thy sorrow whether thou dost not mourn more for outward losses than for thy sins Meditate of thy anger whether thy anger be rightly placed And meditate of thy trust and hopes whether thou dost trust in God at all times 3. You must meditate of your Words Oh what a world of sin is in our tongues and if we would meditate of the sins of our tongues Oh what a black catalogue would there be the tongue is a world of iniquity set on fire of hell saith the Apostle Iames. 4. Meditate of thy Actions whether thy actions be agreeable to the will of God or no
did to his servants Gen. 22. 5. He said unto the young men abide you here with the asse and I and the lad will go yonder and worship Tarry you here below while I go up to the Mount of God Now I know this is a hard matter I am not ignorant of it to drive away this plague of flies that pester our best duties and therefore we must do as the Priest did to King Vzziah he would needs offer Incense and the Priest hindred him and the Lord plagued Vzziah and the leprosie appeared in his forehead and the Priest came and thrust him out of the Temple So I would have you do when you go to your Closets to meditate your vain thoughts will croud into the Temple of your hearts I would have you do as these Priest did thrust out these vain thoughts out of the temple of your hearts or rather pray unto God to do it for alas it is above our power to get free from distracting thoughts in this duty pray unto the Lord who is the heart-maker that he would be the heart-preparer for when you go to meditate God looks especially at your hearts and if your hearts be full fraught with lustful vain worldly carnal covetous thoughts he scorns all your service Now do not mistake me I mean if you willingly yield to this if you strive against it God will accept of it let it be thy work that is my rule to keep thy heart with all keeping when thou beginnest this work And labour to get thy heart disengaged and disintangled from worldly things So much for the beginning and of the six Rules to direct you in the entrance upon this work 2. I will lay down Rules for the better proceeding in this work for this you must know there are two faculties of the soul that must always be set on work in the practice of Divine Meditation the one is the Understanding the other is the heart and affections for Divine Meditation is not only an act of the head but of the heart and true Meditation must not only be intellectual and notional but practical and affectionative The work of the Understanding is to blow up and increase to kindle and inflame the love of God and Christ in the heart the Understanding to the heart and affections must be as the nurse to the child as the nurse cuts the meat and many times chews it and prepares it for the child to eat so doth the Understanding by Divine Truths it prepares them for the affections and the heart to close with them to eat them and digest them and to turn them into a holy conversation These are the two faculties we must set on work and you never meditate aright unless the affection be raised as well as the understanding and therefore both heart and head are the parts that must be exercised in the practice of the duty of Divine Meditation Now the work of the head or understanding is serious consideration of the Truths we come to meditate upon the work of the heart is increase of devotion and holiness by these Meditations Now I will speak to both I will give you Rules to help the intellectual part your contemplation of Divine things and Rules to help the affectionative part 1. I will give you Rules for the helping the understanding to chew and prepare the things you meditate upon for the heart and affections Now here I must tell you I shall be somewhat difficult and hard to be understood this is the knottiest and difficultest part of Meditation and therefore learned men that write of this subject that labour to teach the art of Divine Meditation do give in nine common-place-heads as so many several ways of the enlarging the understanding in the consideration of the Truths that they meditate upon 1. They would have you describe the thing you meditate upon 2. They would have you divide and distribute the thing you meditate upon 3. They would have you consider the causes of the thing you meditate upon 4. The fruits and effects 5. The adjuncts qualities and properties 6. The opposites and the contraries to it 7. The comparisons to which it is compared 8. The titles that are given to the thing of which you meditate 9. All the Scripture-testimonies that may be brought concerning the thing you are to meditate upon Now there are nine common-place-heads and these I fear are very difficult but that I might help you a little I will give you an example I will go over these Logical heads only I will preface thus much That it is not the intent of these learned men that we should be over-curious in prosecuting all these Logical heads for the end of Meditation is not to practise Logick but to kindle devotion and there are many subjects that will not admit of all these nine When I meditate of God I cannot shew any cause of God and I cannot make any comparison to compare God to but the meaning of those learned men is this that we should not rack and torture our understandings to pursue all these heads of reasons but we should pick out so many of them as are most suitable to the subjects we are meditating upon As for example Suppose I would go into my Closet and meditate of the sinfulness of sin then I would go over all these nine heads and by going over them you will understand the use of them I would meditate of the sinfulness of sin that so I might get my heart to hate it more that so I might study to be more mortified to it to mourn for it Now for this purpose that I might enlarge my intellectual part of consideration 1. I will begin with the description of sin and I will say thus to my soul when I am alone Oh my soul why shouldest not thou hate and abhor sin is not sin the breach of the holy law of God and doth it not therefore deserve eternal damnation is not sin a walking contrary unto God and certainly that man that walks contrary to God walks contrary to Heaven and contrary to his own happiness Is not sin most opposite to the greatest good and therefore must needs be the greatest evil and why then should not sin have the greatest sorrow why should not I hate sin above all things if it be the greatest evil 2. I would proceed to the distribution of sin and thus I would say to my soul Oh my soul how art thou be-leper'd with sin how art thou all over bespread with iniquity thou art guilty of the first sin that ever was committed in the world of Adam's eating the forbidden fruit that sin was jusdy thine by imputation For in him saith the Apostle we all sinned Rom. 5. 12. And thou wilt never be free from the guilt of the imputation of Adam's sin till thou be by faith made partaker of the imputation of Christs righteousness Thou art guilty Oh my soul not only of Adam's sin by