The firft frep is A .ftght of fia ; ~ ClearlJ•. and fin mull: be fcen ( ConviUingly. Firft, Clearly: It is nota general fight, and confufed fight offin that will fente the turn; it is n.ot enough to fay, it U_my infirmity, and I r.,·annct t!mend u, we are allfi'nners .· no, this is the ground why we m1ftakc our evils, and reform not our waycs ; a man mull f~arch'n~rrowly, a~d prove his wayes, as the Goldfmith cloth his gold in the fire: Pfal, 119· So. I t·onftdered my JPayes, ( faith Da11id ) and l'ltrned my feet umo thy te flimonies; in the Original,' fwrned myftns ~tpfidc down, he looked'all over his wayes. And this dear fight of fi1,1 appears in two particulars. r. · A man mull fee his fin nakedly in its own proper colours: we mull not look on fin th,rough .the Medium~, _of profits, and pleafurcs, and contentments of this world, for fo \VC mi~ake fin : but the foul ofa true Chrilian that would fee fin dearly, he mull: fl~ip it ot all cbnieni and quiet that ever the heart recciv~d in it; as the Adulterer mull not look ·upon fin in regard of the fwectneffe of it, nor the Covetou$ man on his fin in regard of the profit ofit: you that are fuch, the time will come, when you mu!1 die, and th~p ~onfider what good thefe finful courfes will do you : How will you judge of fin then, when it /hall leave a blot on your fouls, and a guilt on your confcicnce>? 2. A 'man mull: look on fin in the venom ofit; and that you may do partly, if you compare it with other things, and partly, if you look at it in regard of it fclf. r. Com– pare finne with thofe things that are moll: fearful and horrible ; as fuppofe any foul • here prefent were to behold the damned in hell, ifthe Lord fhould give any one of you a little peep-hole into hell, that you faw the horror of the damned, then propound this to your heart, \Vhat are thofe paines whLch the damned endure? and your heart will fQ.ake and qnake at it; yet the )earl: fin that ever you did commit, is a greater evil (in its own nature) than the grcate.li pains of the damned in hell. 2. Look at fin fimply as it is in it felfe, what is it, but a profefl oppoftng ofGod himfdf? A finful creature joyns fide with the Devil, and comes in battd-array againfl: the Lord, and flies in the face of the Lord God of Holls. I pray you in cold blood confider this, and fay, Good Lord, what a'ft~ful wreteh am ,I? that a poor damned JPretch ofthe earth, jbouldjtand in defiance a;gainjfGod! that I jho;tldJubmit my[elf tq the Devil, and oppofe the Lord God of HoHs! . Secondly, Com;iflingly, that fin may be fo to us, as it is in it felf; and that difcovers it felf in thefe two particulars : 1. When we ha~e a particular apprehenfion in our own perfon, that whatfoever fin is in !ite'neral, Wt; CO)),fe~e lt the fame in our own fouls: It is the curfed di/lemper of our hearts,howfoever y.;_e bofd the 'J;ruth In general, yet when we come to our own fins, to deny th!j particulars. ·.The Adulter_er confeffeth the danger and lilthineffc of that fin in gro!l'e.,.Qqt he will not :lp'ply it to himfelf: The Rule thereofis, ..Armcrhy foul (wh<– foever tho1< art) of thojeJinnes particulwly wheroftho" ftandeff g1-Jilty; To this purpofe, fay, . fs M15r.ther, 1 ~tnd Pride, and DrunkJnneJ!c, tmd uncle~tnnejfe fuch ho>·rible ftns? 0 Lord;<; was my Hr art that was proud, and vam; it W!ls my Tongue that did fpcak_ji!thily, andblasphemo~<flY ;,myll.and that wrought wickJdne!fe; my Eye that 1MJ wamon; and my Heart that IVI!t unclean.'indfilthy; Lord,here they are :Thus bring thy heart before God. 2. Wijen i!)e f()iJllits down wirh the audience of truth, and feeks no fhift to oppofe tn.irh,r~"vealed. ; \v.h·9·fl;ti\e Lord comes to make racks in the hearts of fuch as he means John: t6. 8, to dti \l9P4 to~_ th,e.. T~x~'f~ith1 .He ,willreprove the wortd of ji11; that is, He will con,;ince the worTt/'ofJP.ckjd'!J'JJ'e.: ..he w1ll fer ,tRe foul m fuch a /land, that 1t fhallthavenothmg·to fay 'fqr)'\' felf,, he can))ob lhif~ it off. : The Miniller faith, God hates fuch and fuch a - finntJ '; ,tlndrhe Lord-hates l'if tfv;, (faith the foul) for I amg11iLt.y ofthat fin. Thus many d t1me, when a·fian.er cpme~·into 1he cong<egation ( if the Lord pleafe to work on him) the mind is enfightned, and the Minifl:er meets with his corruptions, as if he were in his bofom, and he anfwers all his cavils, and takes away all his objeCl:ions: with that thefoul begins to be in a maze, and faith, Ifthv.be fo (M it ufar ought I k_now) and ifall be true that_the Minifter faith, thenI he Lord be merciful unto myfoul, I am the moft miferable ftnner that ever lVM born. . . You.that knQw not your fins, that you may fec:'tKem Con'viBirrgty, get you home to Vfe. the Law, and look into the glaffe.thereof, and then ·bundle up all your fins thus : So many ftmagainft God himfe!fin the firft Commandment, againjthis Worfhip in thefec•nd, againft hu Name in the third, againft hif Sabbath in the fou•th: Nay, all Mr Thoughts, Words and actions, all ofthem have bem ftns, able tlrftn"-.. mr fouls "' rhe bottom of Hell. Atjd fecondly, ~)!at you may fee themd~11rty, confider of their effeCl:, both in the~r Doom.,
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=