Caryl - Houston-Packer Collection BS1415 .C37 v7

C ap. 22. ín Expofition upon the Book of o ts. Verf., 5. 37 with the other, we may give this difiin&ion ofthem into little and great, light and heavy. And as Tome Godlymen are faithfull and feare God above many, fo Come wicked menare finfull and difhonour God above many. Ir not thy wiclednefe great Hence note our duty not only to take notice of our tins, brit of thegreat- metre anddegree ofourfins. elipbaz doth well to put lob upon that inquiry, Ir nor thy witkedneffe great ? Though he did i l fo groundlefly to fuf- pe&, much more to conclude that it was fo. When Moìer (Exod. 32. 3 t.) interceded for the people, after they hadmade the GoldenCalfe, he makes report of their finne to God in the fulleft aggravation ofit ; O, this people bavefanned a great Panne, andhave made them god' ofGold ; he doth not only confeffe in their behalfe, that they had finned, but they had finnedgreat- ly, They have (faith he) finned afin, that's more then to doe a thing that is finfull, and which is yet more, They have fin- nedagreat fin, and which is mo[&ofall, they (though they have been taught and have profeffed that God made them) bave made them gods ofGold.David makes this the ground why he did beg pardon ofhis fin (T%al. 25. i i ) Pardon mine iniquityfor it esgreat, As we are to look upon the greatntfe of firme, to humble our fouler with godly farrow, fo we are to look upon thegreatnef e of finne when we fue to the Lord for pardon ; pardon my finne for it is great, our very fenfibleneffe that our finne is great, is a prevailing argument with God to par- don it ; and our in fenfiblenef e that our Climes are great, gives the greaten flop to the pardon of them. And as every finne bath themore need ofpardon, by how much the greater it is, fo God will have the more glory in pardoning it, by how much the greater it is. The great wounds, and fickne ffes of the Patient have themore needof curing, and if a Phy titian cure agreat woundor fickneffe, he hath the more honour by the cure. Now that we may take the trueft meafureofour finnes, we mull lookeupon them, fire in their nature and kinde, of what fort they are, and to what they relate in their commif- fion; fecondly, in their circumftances, when, how, and in what

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