Ofgreat ami little fins. - . of the v{g'gr&vittio!ls if St'nne: graces, 1Pet. I. We mufl to fait'h adde temperttnce,&c.So there is a chain of fins. Men adde: ~ne' vice CO another., and fQ of thtmfelves ' would never flop till they were in irrecover2hle deftruClion ; fo that it is bqcb the greatnetJ.e of qua- . lit) aodgreatmJfe of 'fJPJimtit.{ that DavidW<Yuld be; innocent · from. . That itJ averygreat mercy to he k.fpt from great tran!gref!ionf. Such ma.k! a greater 'Wound upon the be~~rt, greater ef/range– ment from @od., ~tnd mo~~~ the £_ure rnor,e difficult. To purfue this point. Confider · . · ·:, 1. That a// fins are not· equ~tl, as the Stoicks thought, and as the Papifis do calumniate the "Proteftanrs for fuch a Do– ctrine: We hold indeed every finne deferveth eternal dam– nation, but that doth no more itnply we make all fins equal, th~n they do all mortal finnes equal, when yet every one of them, they fay,merits eternal wrath. That fins ~o differ, one is farre more grievous then another, appearetb, in that the Scripture faith, fome have finned more then others. lhofe that delivered Chrift toPilate--l are faid to have agreater finne ' upon them then Pil-ate, John J,9oii. So fome fins are compa– red to aCamel, others toaGnat; forne to a Jl;foat, other~ to ,aBeam, Mat. 7·3. Some arecalle9 finne's ofdaily incurfion, others confcience and foul-wafting fins by Divines. There is therefore agreat difference among fins, and greater finnes if not repented of, will have greater tlripes, greater punifh– ment ;. or if rcp~nted of, ~hey r;equire greater forrow .and humiliation,.. its'.a greater matter to get the pardon of them, they interrupt that fwect Communion and holy fellowfhip the foul hath with God; and although it be all one to God, to pardon great firls as well as I.ffe, and the .bloud of Chri!l 'do~h as e.afily drown thef~Can;~l.s, .;~s tfi~fe =Gn,.,a,ts,:·ye~- G~d flath dJmmanded -great~r humtltatton for fome 'fulhes th~ others, becaufc hereby Gbd is inore diilion~ ured, and t'he affiitl:ed foul may hereby t~fiifie the greater grief it hath,be– caufe God is difpleafed. David is faid to ao·all thil'lgs accor- - din~to G?dsheart~ fave in the matter of Vri;ah, i' King. I 5·5• David H:td ita~ny' other failings, but that }Vas' a ~re~t tranf– gteffionv'liad Da.vid been ipnoctnt rfrom' rhat,hiS' bones had not been fo fore b~okcQ. • 1 3-• Jt..
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