1)ire8ions for a JVell grounded Fait/,. 119 §. 51 . Tempt. 14• <fb~ 1 empter per{trudetb the finner, tbat it c.mnot be that Godjhould maJ?.! fo great Dire{/. I "f"' a matter of fin: becau[e the tbouglur of a manJ heart, or his ~ordJ ?r _deedr are m:ztten of no great mo~ ment, trben m::zn bimfilf is fo po~r. a worm; and wbtcvcr bt dJtiJ, z.t !f no hurt ta God: Therefore }Of~ ueed nOt m.zk.,.e Jitch cf. matter of 11. ?· 52 • Dirc[l. 14 • Jf God fo much re~ard us as tomak;_e ~~,and preferv~ Ul continuatl.Y, and to be- Tempt. 14 . come our Go11trmur, and make a L.zw for Jff, and judge zM, and Reword hJs fervants wuh no lefs than H::aven ; rhan you may eafily fee rhat he [o much reganlcth us, as to obterve whether we obey or breaft his Lawt: He that fo far carcth for a Clock or Watch, as' tO mak._e i~ and TPind it up, doth care whether ir go uue or falfe. whar do thefe men make- of God, who thmk he car:s nor what men do? Then he cares not if men beat you, or rob you, m kJU you, for none of th1s hwtttb God? And the King may fay, ifany murder your friends or children ; why {hould 1 punifh him? he hurt not me-. But Jujfice is to keep order in the world, and not only to preferve the Governour from hurt: God may be wronged, though he be not hurt. And he will make you pa.>\ for it, if youhurt otherJ; and[mart for it, if you hurt )'Ottr flif. 9· 53· T empt. 1 5· '[he Tetr.pter laboureth to extenuate the fin, and mak,.e it feem a little one; and if Tempt. I 5• t'Very little fi1t mHji be made fuch a m:~tter of, you'U nwe: be quiet. . . , 9·54• Direll.l5· Butflill remember, 1. There IS de<dly poyfon mthe•eryn•tu~eof fin, as DmCI.J5• there is in a Serpent, be he never fo [mall : The t:all fin tS worfe tha~ the_greatdl: pam that ever 1 .,_ man felt; and would you choofe that and fay, it1 little? The Jeafi fin IS odJnts to God, and had a hand in the death ofChrill, and will damn you if it. be not pardoned: and fhould fuch a thing be made light of? And many fins counted [mall, may have great aggravations, fuch as the knowing, de· liberau, wilful committing of them is. To love a [mall fin) is a f!.reat fin: fpecially to love it fo well, that the remembrance ofGods Will and Love, of Chrifi, and Heaven, and Hell, w11l not fuffice to refolve you againfiir. Befidcs, a[m.JU fin is the common way togreaur: }1mes I· 14, 15. 1Vben lujl L.~th conceived, it bring1 forth fin, and fin wben it is finijhed, brings forth death. Jarnes 3· 5· Behn!d how great amatter a liu/e {ire kJn4/etb? The horrid fins of David and Peter had frnall beginnings? Mortal ficknefTes feem little matters at the rirll : Many a thoufand have finned thcmfelves to Hell, rhat began with that which is accounted fma11. · 9· 5S• Tempt. 16. Al[o the Devil draweth on the finner, by promifing him that he jhaU fin bHt once, Tem£1· t6. or bttta very fewtimeJ, amithw dl} jO na more: He teUs thi 'thief, and the ForlJicator, t!J~tt if they wifl <S do it but thi4 once, they jhall be quiet. ~ 9· 56. DixcC1:. 16. But 0 conlider, ,. That one flab at the heart may prooe uncurablc. God may DmCI' 16. deny thee time or gr4ce to repent. 2 • That it is caficr to forbear the firfi time than the fccond : For one fin di[pofeth the heart umo another: If you ·cannot deny the firjl temptation, how will you de~ ny the mxt l When you have loll: your fhength, and grieved your helper, and firengthened your enemy and your fnare , will you then refif\· better wounded , then now when you are whole? 9· 57· Tempt. 17. But whentbt Devil bath prevailedfor once with the finner, be mak.,erthat anargu· 7'empt. rz~ mmt for a ficond: Hefoith to the Thirf,andDrunlzard, and Fornicator,It iJbutthe fome thing that thou }Jajl done once already ; and if once may be p!Zrdoned, twice m!Jy be pardamd; and if~rwice, why not thrice, and {o on ? v;:- 9· 58. Dire[/. '7· This it is, ,to let the Devil get in a foot: Afpark is eafier quenched than a flame Dm[l. , 7 • but yet remember that the longer., the worfe : theoftner you fin, the greater IS the abufe of the Spirit , of God, and the contempt ot grace, and che wrong to Chrift, and the harder is repentance; and. the ]harper if you do repent, bccaufe the deeper is your wound : Repent therefore fpeedily, and go uo futther unlefs you would have the Devil tell you next, It' 1 now t09 late. • 9· 59• Tempt. 18. 'Ihe Tempter ma~th ufe of the greater fins of others .to perfwade men to vtntttre Tempt. 18. upon lefs : Thou htareft other men curfe, and [wear, and rail, and doj! tbou flick at idle talk ? How many in the world are enemieJ to Chrijf, andpt:r[e'c.utt hU MinijlerJ and Servants, and tro}r-thottmak.! fo great amatter nf ~mitting a Sermon, or a prayer, or other holy duty·? 9· 6o. Dire[/. 18. As there are degrw of fin, [o there arc degrees of punijhment: And wilt thou Din[!. 18. rathet choofe the eafief! place in Hell, than Heaven? How {mall foevcr the mat~r of fin be, thy wilfu1nefs and {inning againfi confcience 1 aud mercies, and warnings may make it great to thee ? Are great finncrs fo happy in thy eyes , that thou wouldfl be as li~ them as thou claxefl. ~ •61•. Tempt. '9· AIJO he. woHld embolden thejinner, becaufe of the Commonnefs of the ji11, and 1·empt. 19 • t/Jt multitude ,th::~t commtt e:ther that or tvorfe, aJ if it were Hot therefore fo bad Or dangcroJU. - 9· 62. Direll-19· But remember, that the more tx~tmplu you have to take warning by, the more Dirdi. 19 • uncxcufable is your fall. It was not the number ofAngels that fell, ' that could keep them from being Devils and damned for their fin ; God will do Jufiice on many, as well as on one. The fin is the greater, and therefore the puni(hmcnt fhall not be the lefs. Make the e<fc your own : Will you think it a good reafon for any one to abufe you, bear you, rob you, becaufe that m;;;ny have done fo before? He (hould rather think, that you are abufed too much already, and therefore he fhould not add to your wrongs : If when many had fpit in Chrifls face or \lulfcttcd him , fome one lhould have given him another fpit or blow, as if he had not c:nough before, would you not have taken him ro be the worfl and .ruelle!l of them all : If you do as the moll, you'll fpeed as the moll. · R
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