Burgess - BT715 B85 1654

o{tbe .Aggravatiot~s sfSinHe. A m.4n! end u in committing !Vick!dneffe, the more malieioUJ and JPirefu!l he is at grJdlimfe, thegmtter uhujinne. -Ifa man vex and trouble a godly man, hecaufe of fome perfonal injuries or fuppofed wrongs received by him, its nor fo great a finne, as to hate him for his godlinetfe, and bec~ufe his waies are more holy then thine. The Pharifees fins againfl Cbrifi were great tranfgreffions, becaufe they did all &J:ainfl him. out of envie, and from ·that convitl:ion upon them,chat the dotl:rine and life of ·Chrift was above theirs. Thus if a man fuould be fo wicked to tempt another to finne, meerly that he migbt damn that mans foul, its a farre more hainous finne, then to tempt him tor fome delight or profit he fuaJI receive thereby. Bodinmlib.5. de Repuh.cap.6.p.95 r.. relateth an high kinde of wickedndfe to this kinde : Briefly this, Ao lt~tlian was at deadly feud with one once his familiar friend, and for ten years fought occafion to fatisfie his wicked revenge, but be~ · ing fruflrated of his hope, pretended reconciliation, and ba– Ying one time an advanrage, fees on the man, overcometfl him, and is going to kill 'him ; The miferable man defireth bim to fpare his life ; the revengefull man faid, he would do it, on condition he would renounce God and all the benefits of his foul ; Though this was hard to the poor man, yet fear of death makes him·renounce God and falvation, upon whic that wretched malicious enemy killeth him with this boa , Now he h11d[at~jied hu revenge, for he had no~ onef.J kjlled hu body, but damnedhu foul. By this you fee, that even among wicked men, fome have more devilifu ends then others, and there are too many that have fuch fore cies, that they cannot endure the bright beams of a g~dly mam life, which doch fo much difcovef their darkneffe,and cond~mn it. Indeed thefc ends are only known to God, and therefore thou maicft be a. great tranfgrdfour before him, -when applauded before men. Therefore the more wicked thy end .is in linning, the greater · tranfgreffi@n it is; for al~hough the Schoolmen fay, Pr.opter finem operantu r.Jon arhittum peccata [pcciem qu£[t.imi poteft ex fine operu, that the end ofa man in finning the more corrupt - it is, the more defiled it makes the adion. V {e. O.f Inftructjon, Although none are to give way to, ' ~ ~ or . ,.

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