PART IIt of gracious :f_ ffa ons. a r 3 on. In order to judge how much Corruption or Sin we have remain- ing in us,we mull take ourMeafure from thatHeight to which theRule of our Duty extends : The whole of the Diflance we are at from that Height, is Sin : For failing of Duty is Sin ; otherwife our Duty is not our Duty ; and by how much the more we fall fhort of our Duty, fo much the more Sin have we. Sin is no other than Difa- greablenefs, in a moral Agent, to the Law, or Rule of his Duty. And therefore the Degree of Sin is to be judged of by the Rule : So much Difagreablenefs to the Rule, fo much Sin, whether it be in Defer. or .Excel . Therefore if Men, in their Love to God, don't come up half way to that Height which Duty requires, then they have more Corruption in their Hearts than Grace ; becaufe there is more Goodnefs wanting,than is there ; and all that is wanting isSin : it is an abominable Defea; and appears fo to the Saints, efpecially thofe that are eminent ; it appears exceeding abominable to them, that Chrifl fhouid be loved fo little, and thanked fo little for his dying Love; it is in their Eyes hateful Ingratitude. And then the Increafe of Grace has a Tendency another Way, to caufe the Saints to think their Deformity vafily more than their Goodnefs : It not only tends to convince them that their Corruption is much greater than their Goodnefs ; which is indeed theCafe : But it alto tends to caufe the Deformity that there is in the leaft Sin, or the leaft Degree of Corruption, to appear fo great, as vafily to out- weigh all the Beauty there is in their greatefl Holinefs : For this alto is indeed the Cafe. For the leaft Sin againft an infinite God, has an infinite Hatefulnefs or Deformity in it ; but the highefl Degree of Holinefs in a Creature, has not an infinite Lovelinefs in it : And therefore the Lovelinefs of it is as nothing, in Comparifon of the De- formity of the leaft Sin. That every Sin has infinite Deformity and Hatefulnefs in it, is moil demonfirablyevident; becaufe what the Evil, or Iniquity, or Hatefulnefs of Sin confifls in, is the violating of an Obligation, or the being or doing contrary to what we fhouid be or do, or are obliged to. And therefore by how much the greater the Obligation is that is violated, fo much the greater is the Iniquity and Hatefulnefs of the Violation. But certainly our Obligation to love and honour any Being, is in fome Proportion to his Lovelinefs and Hcnourablenefc, or to his Worthinefs to be loved and honoured by us ; which is the fame Thing. We are Purely under greater Ob- ligation to love a more lovely Being, than a left' lovely : And if a Being be infinitely lovely or worthy to be loved by us, then our Ob- ligations to love him, are infinitely great : And therefore, whatever is contrary to this Love, has in it infinite Iniquity, Deformity and Unworthinefs. But on the other Hand, with Refpec`,l to our Holi- nefs or Love to God, there is not an infinite Worthinefs in that. The Sin of the Creature againfl God, is ili-deferving and hateful in P 3 Proportion
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