568 / 808
548
(
L'phe¡iam.r,
Chap.g..
V
B
R.2.7,
ounr no
fin
have
power
on us.
Count
no
finne
finall,for
fo
the Devill would
have
(mall.
it,
that
fo
thereby
he may endanger
us
for the committing
of
greater.
And know
this,that
leffer and
lighter
fins
do more
infenfibly and
dan-
geroufly harden the heart then greater
;
and
he
that maketh not
con-
ference ro
avoid fmall
fins,
will come
in
time to
make confcience
of
no
fin.
He
that
lies
in
one fin
(without labouring
to
recover
himfelfe
by repentance) although
he counts
it
but
fmall
,
is
fure
to
fall
into
Ecc1.to.r3.
greater
fins
:
The beginning
of
afoolifh
mansBeechesfaalifhneffe, bat the
latter
end
thereof
is
tricked
madneff
e.
David admitted at
firft but
a
little
idleneffe
he
wouldnot
goc
to
wane,
nor be imployed, but
gave him
Idle
to
his
cafe,to take
a
nap in
the
afternoone,
and
by this
entertai-
ning
of
idlenefí'e,
what followed
after,
but
luft
a
whereupon enfued,
murder and
adultery.
They
that dwell
by the
Sea banks will
not
let
a
fmall breach lye
unrepayred,
for
they know
it
will endanger
the
lo-
fing
of
much ground that
will hardly againe be
recovered,
but with
the
loffe
of
as
much
in
another place, for the
Sea will
have
his
courfe,
and therefore they
are
very careful' to
keep'
the
orals in
repaire, and to
fortifie every place
,
knowing
that
fire
and
water
have no mercy
:
Surely
fuch
a
cafe
is
this, the inundation
and
comming
in
of
fin and
fire
of
wickedneffe, if it have once made
but
a
little breach and
is
bro
ken over
the banks
of
a
Chriftian confcience,ir
is
hard
to be recovered.
Learne therefore this true
Chriftian wifdome,
to dealewith
finne
and
cat
:.y.
Satan,
as
the Apofìle
Paul dealt
with
falte
brethren
;
He
gave
them
no
place,
no
not
far
an houre.
Give
no
ground to the Devill
, not
an
inch,
you know
not what
you doe
,
when you give him
a
little
liberty
for
never fo little
a
time
;
for
he
is
fuch
a
one
that
when
he
is
once let
in,
will fcarcebe driven out with
fire
and
fword
, falling and prayer
will
hardly
get him out againe.
Pre
a;
Seing
the
continuance
of
fin is
an
entertainement
of
the
devil',
it
The
fearfull
doth
let
us
fee
the
fearefull
elate
of
many
that
live
trading
themfelves
flare
of
many
in
evill
:
the Devill bath
fuch
hold
of
them that without Gods
al-
wholive
tra-
ding
in
fin;
out
mighty power
and
grace , he will never be removed.
It
is
with
the
of
which
they
Devill
as
with
a
Serpent, while
it
flideth upon
a
thing
it is eafily
fha-
cannot
he
freed without
ken
off;
but
if
it hath wound
it
felfc
with many foldings about
this or
Gods almighty
that,
it
is
not
eafily
unfalened
:
So this ferpentineevil' offen, having
power.
once wound
it felfe
into the heart
and affcélions of
a
man, it will hard.
ly be
call out, nothingbut the
divine power
of
Gods Spirit
can
drive
it out.
When
Satan
is
reentred into
a
man,
there
is
leffe
hope
ofdif
poffefíing
or
diflodging him
againe
then
before
:
when now
he
is
re-
turned he will
ufe
more policy
,
and
bring
more forces for the
ford.
fying
of
his
new invafion. In
a
word
,
if
it be true concerning
a
man
Tins.r8. that never was
converted
to
the faith, that the Devill
bath
him
in
ha
fnare,
and
takes
him
at
his
will
;
Surely much more
is
it
true
of
him
that
bath
cfcaped
the
fnare
of
the.
Devill
, and
the Devill hath got
him
in
againe,
for now he will looke more narrowly
to
him
,
and make the
fnare ftronger
then
ever before.
VERSE
28.
VERSE
28. Let
him
that
bath
fiolne
flealc
no
more,
but
rather
let
him