Spiritual PerfeClion. which i4 /f1pocrijie: For there U nothing covered, th~t /hall not ht rt'Vtaled; »_either hid that foal/ not be known: Whatfoever 7e have fp okm m darknefs, {ball be heard m the lit.f;t; and tbt~t whrch J' have fpoken m the Ear tn &!o[ets, /haD he proclaimed on the houfe top;: Envy at. the Good of others,. and Malice, wifhing them Evil, is a deep poilution of the Spirit. · This abfolutely alienates Men from the Nature and Life of God: For the cleareft conception we have of the Deity is, that he is Good, and does Good. This is contrary not only to fupernatural Grace, but eo natural Confcience; and turns a Man into a Fiend. This Vice is immediately attended with its Puni!hment. The ;z,vi~~;,,~:~~~~~Jl~~ f~f ro~~dnets~r,t~i~~!;: tt~ee Je1c:~st ~a;eJiv~~: ~~~M~;~~~~~d ~;~~~~ the Petitions of the Envious into ImprecatiOns againll themfelves. To finifh this Head, 'tis obfervable, nothing more difcovers the neceffity of Renovation, than the defilements of the Spirit. As Birds by incubation hatch their brood ; fa from finful Thoughts and Defires aClual Sins proceed. Our Saviour tells us, Out ~bt. •s . •9· of the Heart procud J1urders, Adulteries, Fornications, Tht{ts, Faf{e-witne/s, Bla{phemies, which defile a Man. 'Tis above all things necelfary, to keep the Hean; for the i!Juo of Death flow from it. The defign, contrivance, and confent to fin, are in the Heart; the Body is only the InGrument of Sin. To enforce this Counfel, there are many Motives. ( 1.) God is infinitely diflJOnour'd and difpleas'd by the Sins of our Spirits: For the Soul is of near alliance with God, and of incomparable more value than the vile Body; Therefore the defiling it is highly provoking. The Soul is the place of his fpecial refidencc; and the entertaining Sin in it, is a fouler Indignity, than the bringing Dung into the Chamber of Prefence of a King. We fhould be more careful to approve our Thoughts and Defircs to God, than our Words and AClions to Men. ( ,, ) They arc more eafily contraCl:ed than thofe which areaCled by the fenfitive Faculties: They fecretly infinuate into the Soul. External Sins require fit time, and place, and means for their commiffion; and are often hinder'd by the moral reftraints of Fear and Shame: but fpeculative Sins may be committed without convenient circumftances. In whatever place, or company, Men are, they may recire into their Hearts, and pleafe themfelves with vicious thoughts and delires of future Sins) and devices how to make provifion for the Flefh; with carnal reprefentations and complacency of the Sins they have committed: They may perfooate the Pleafures of Sin in the fccne of Fancy; and the imagination of old Sins becomes a new Temptation , and deep!y llains their Minds: And as 'tis ufual, what pleafes is favour'd and defended, they by carnal Difcourfe pervert Scripture to countenance their Lulls; which is the highell Wickednefs. ( 3·) Spiritual Sins arc moft frequently commitred, being of quick difpatch, without the toil of the Body: From hence their number is as the Sand upon the Sea-fhore. They infinitely increale Mens accounts with the high and eternal Judge; whore Underftanding is as fe~rching as 't is unfearchable. The Judgment of the !all Day is difiinguifbed from the procefs of inferior Human Courts, which are confin'd to take cognifance only of Mens intentions by Overt-atls; for then there !hall be a revelation of the thoughts and /ecrets of the He.rt. ( 4•) Spiritual Sins are more incurable than thore that are done by the Body: For when the fenfitive Faculties by Difeafes and Age are difabled, then the vicious habits ~g~~e Soul may be ftrong; and like the Poyfon of a Serpent, be more deadly by Pi<i•"m ~i,; • . Notwith~and~ng inward Po11~tions induce fuch a Guilr, yet carnal Men are apt to~::: ~~; thmk that ttll Stn be perfeCled m the grofs ail, 'tis not deadly: And for this they p~rvert Scripture; \~l~erei~ ',tis fai_d, That whm Lrlji luth. conceiv_ed, it hringeth fort/J Sm _; and Sm >Vhtn tu fnifb d, brmgs forth Dwb. But ID Gods fight, the cnntem· plattve. commtffion of Sm, renders one as truly guilty as the atlual ; and Confent to the domg it, rcn~ers as obnoxious to his inlightened and impartial Tribunal, as the Performance. Hts pure and perfetl Law, the Rule of our duty, forbids all defilements fie!hly and fpiritual, and that !hall be the Rule o.f our judgment. And as the SoultS ~he firft and principal agent in Sm, it !hall firft receive the recompence of it: !n the tnterval between Death and the RefurreClion, while the Body is without fenfe 1n the Grave, the Soul is tormented in Hell. Before I. proceed to tile next Head, it will be ufeful to add, That many lincere Sauus are m perplexity from the injetlions of Satan, fearing they arife from their own Hearts. · , 1. They
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