And for your poverty and suffering, is it not against your will? you cannot deny it: and will God save any man for that which is against his will? You would have riches, and honour, and pleasure, and your good things in this life as well as others, if you could tell how you love the world as well as others, if you could get more of it. And to be carnal and worldly for so poor a pittance, and to love the world when you suffer in it, doth make you more inexcus able than the rich. The devils have suffered more than you, and so have many thousand souls in hell; and yet they shall be saved never the more. If you are poor in the world, but rich in faith and holiness, then you may well expect salvation. But if your sufferings make you no more holy, they do but aggravate your sin.

Tempt. XXVIII. Also the devil blindeth sinners, by keeping them ignorant of the nature and power of holiness of heart and life! They know it not by any experience: and he will not let them see it and judge of it in the Scripture, where it is to be seen without any mixed contraries; but he points them only to professors of holiness, and commonly to the weakest and the worst of them, and to that which is worst in them, and sheweth them the miscarriages of hypocrites, and the falls of the weaker sort of Christians, and then tells them, this is their godliness and religion; they are all alike.'

Direct. XXVIII. But it is easy to see, how these men deceive and condemn themselves. This is as if you should plead that a beast is wiser than a man, because some men are drunk, and some are passionate, and some are mad. Drunkenness and passions, which are the disturbers of reason, are no disgrace to reason, but to themselves: nor were they a disgrace themselves, if reason which they hinder were not honourable. So no man's sins are a disgrace to holiness, which condemneth them: nor were they bad themselves, if holiness were not good, which they oppose. It is no disgrace to the day-light or sun, that there is night and darkness: : nor were darkness bad, if light were not good. Will you refuse health, because some men are sick? nay, will you rather choose to be dead, because the living have infirmities? The devil's reasoning is more foolish than this!

e James ii. 5.

Holiness is of absolute necessity to salvation. If many that do more than you, are as bad as you imagine, what a case then are you in, that have not near so much as they? If they that make it their greatest care to please God, and be saved, are as very hypocrites as the devil would persuade you, what a hopeless case then are you in, that come far short of them? If so, you must do more than they, and not less, if you will be saved: or else out of your own mouths will you be condemned.

Tempt. XXIX. Another way of the tempter is, by drawing them desperately to venture their souls; come on them what will, they will put it to the venture, rather than live so strict a life.'

Direct. XXIX. But, Oman, consider what thou dost, and who will have the loss of it! and how quickly it may be too late to recall thy adventure! What should put thee on so mad a resolution? Is sin so good?-is hell so easy?—is thy soul so contemptible ?-is heaven such a trifle?-is God so hard a master?-is his work so grievous, and his way so bad? -doth he require any thing unreasonable of you?—hath God set you such a grievous task, that it is better to venture on damnation than perform it? You cannot believe this, if you believe him to be God. Come near, and think more deliberately on it, and you will find you might better run from your food, your friend, your life, than from your God, and from a holy life, when you run but into sin and hell.

Tempt. xxx. Another great temptation is, in making them believe that their sins are but such common infirmities as the best have; they cannot deny but they have their faults; but are not all men sinners? They hope they are not reigning, unpardoned sins.'

Direct. xxx. But, O how great a difference is between a converted and an unconverted sinner!-between the failings of a child and the contempt of a rebel!-between a sinner that hath no gross or mortal sin, and hateth, bewaileth, and striveth against his infirmities;—and a sinner that loveth his sin, and is loath to leave it, and maketh light of it, and loveth not a holy life. God will one day shew you a difference between these two, when you see that there are sinners that are justified and saved, and sinners that are condemned.

Temptations to take Mortal Sins for Infirmities.

Tempt. 1. But here are many subordinate temptations, by which satan persuades them that their sins are but infirmities: one is, because their sin is but in the heart, and appeareth not in outward deeds: and they take restraint for sanctification.'

Direct. 1. Alas! man, the life and reign of sin is in the heart: that is its garrison and throne: the life of sin lieth in the prevalence of your lusts within, against the power of reason and will. All outward sins are but acts of obedience to the reigning sin within; and a gathering tribute for this, which is the king. For this it is that they make provision'. On this all is consumed. Original sin may be reigning sin (as a king may be born a king): sin certainly reigneth, until the soul be converted and born again.

Tempt. 11. The devil tells them it is but an infirmity, because it is no open, gross, disgraceful sin: it is hard to believe that they are in danger of hell, for sins which are accounted small.'

Direct. 11. But do you think it is no mortal, heinous sin, to be void of the love of God and holiness?-to love the flesh and the world above him?-to set more by earth than heaven, and do more for it? However they shew themselves, these are the great and mortal sins. Sin is not less dangerous for lying secret in the heart. The root and heart are usually unseen. Some kings (as in China, Persia, &c.) keep out of sight for the honour of their majesty. Kings are the spring of government; but actions of state are executed by officers. When you see a man go, or work, you know that it is something within which is the cause of all. If sin appeared without, as it is within, it would lose much of its power and majesty. Then ministers, and friends, and every good man would cast a stone at it; but its secresy is its peace. The devil himself prevaileth by keeping out of sight. If he were seen, he would be less obeyed. So it is with the reigning sins of the heart. Pride and covetousness may be reigning sins, though they appear not in any notorious, disgraceful course of life. David's hiding his sin, or Rachel her idol, made them not the better. It is a mercy to some men, that. God permitteth them to fall into some open, scandalous sin,

Rom. xiii. 14.

T

* James iv. 3.

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which may tend to humble them, who would not have been humbled nor convinced by heart-sins alone1. An oven is hottest when it is stopped.

Tempt. III. Satan tells them, they are not unpardoned, reigning sins, because they are common in the world. If all that are as bad as I, must be condemned, say they, God help a great number.'

Direct. 111. But know you not that reigning sin is much more common than saving holiness? and that the gate is wide, and the way is broad that leadeth to destruction, and many go in at it? Salvation is as rare as holiness; and damnation as common as reigning sin, where it is not cured. This sign therefore makes against you.

Tempt. IV. But, saith the tempter, they are such sins as you see good men commit: you play at the same games as they you do but what you see them do; and they are pardoned.'

Direct. IV. You must judge the man by his works, and not the works by the man. And there is more to be looked at, than the bare matter of an act. A good man and a bad may play at the same game, but not with the same end, nor with the same love to sport, nor so frequently and long to the loss of time. Many drops may wear a stone: many stripes with small twigs may draw blood. Many mean men in a senate have been as great as kings: you may have many of these little sins set all together, which plainly make up a carnal life. The power of a sin is more considerable than the outward shew. A poor man, if he be in the place of a magistrate, may be a ruler. And a sin materially small, and such as better men commit, may be a sin in power and rule with you, and concur with others which are greater. Tempt. v. But, saith the tempter, they are but sins of omission, and such as are not reigning sins.'

Direct. v. Sins of omission are always accompanied with some positive, sensual affection to the creature, which diverteth the soul, and causeth the omission: and so omission is no small part of the reigning sin. The not using of reason and the will for God, and for the mastering of sensuality, is much of the state of ungodliness in man. Denying God the heart and life is no small sin. God made you to

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do good, and not only to do no harm: else a stone or corpse were as good a Christian as you, for they do less harm than you. If sin have a negative voice in your religion, whether God shall be worshipped and obeyed or not, it is your king: it may shew its power as well by commanding you not to pray, and not to consider, and not to read, as in commanding you to be drunk or swear. The wicked are described by omissions :-Such as " will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts';"-such as "know not God, and call not on his name;"-that have "no truth, or mercy, or knowledge of God1;"-that "feed not, clothe not, visit not" Christ in his members";-that hide their talents". Indeed, if God have not your hearts the creature hath it; and so it is omission and commission that go together in your reigning sin.

Tempt. vi. But, saith the tempter, they are but sins of ignorance, and therefore they are not reigning sins: at least you are not certain that they are sins.

Direct. vi. And, indeed, do you not know that it is a sin to love the world better than God? and fleshly pleasure better than God's service? and riches better than grace and holiness? and to do more for the body than for the soul, and for earth than for heaven? Are you uncertain whether these are sins? And do you not feel that they are your sins? You cannot pretend ignorance for these. But what causeth your ignorance? Is it because you would feign know, and cannot? Do you read, and hear, and study, and inquire, and pray for knowledge, and yet cannot know? Or is it not because you would not know, or think it not worth the pain to get it; or because you love your sin? And will such wilful ignorance as this excuse you? No; it doth make your sin the greater. It sheweth the greater dominion of sin, when it can use thee as the Philistines did Samson, put out thine eyes, and make a drudge of thee; and conquer thy reason, and make thee believe that evil is good and good is evil. Now it hath mastered the principal fortress of thy soul, when thine understanding is mastered by it. He is reconciled indeed to his enemy, who taketh him to be a friend. Do you not know, that God should have your heart, and heaven should have your chiefest care and dilik Jer. x. 25.1 Hos. iv. 1.

i Psal. x. 4.

m Matt. xxv.

» Matt. xxv.