394 The great Evil and Danger of Little Sins. nance or prefence of a Temptation. Now if it be not the violence of Tempta tion that makes you to S_in, it can ~e nothi~g elfe but your own wilfulnefs that makes you d1Us to Sm. Now WIIfulnefs ts the meafure of all o-uiJc . accor ding . ~s :your Sins are. Tore or le_fs wilul, fo are you t~e mqre 0 or l;fs finful~ Now 1t ts not the Devils Temptations, b~t your own Wzlfulnefs, that runs you upon the Commiffioh of Li1tle Sins; and this is it that aggravates and heightens them ; you Sin voluntarily wid~ouc compulfio~, ~nd f~ by Myfiery of Iniquity you make your [elves Great Smmrs by comnmung L~ ttle ,Sjn;, . . Sevemhly, Little Sins do maintain the trade and courfe of finning. The De<tJil L_Jt~I, ~ms cannot expect always to receive fuch returns of great and crying Impieties hue ~':::e':},..yet ~hen he keeps th~ fio~k of Cor:upti~n going, and ~r~vesonthetradeof Sin. finmng by L_effer_ Sms ,_believe It,Corrupuon wtll be on the thnVIng Hand,and you may grow 11ch m guilc,and treafure up to your fclves Wrath againfi the Day of Wrath,by adding thofe that you call Little Sim unto the heap. lr is not poffib!e tha~ any ~nner in the Worldlh?ul~ be always rag~ng a!lainll God by daring and fianng Sms; for though the pnnctple of Co?rupuon atms fhll to exerc ics utmoft firength,yet the Facultia in which it dwells, an_d by which it acts_,cannot bear fo conftant an intentnefs; there mufi be therefore in the vi left Sinners fome Interw million, but yet in this Inrermiillon there is the continued practice and courfe of fmall Sins,that tack and unite them rogether; betwixt the Cqmmiffion of one grofs Sin and another, intervenes a conft~nt negleCt an~ forg~fulnefs of God, a conftant hardnefs of Hearc,a confiam vamty and unfruttfulnefs of Life; and by thefe,though finners look upon them as fmall Sim,yer they fiill plod on in the way eo HeU and Dejlruflion without any fiop or interruption. In lharp Difeafesthe vio-. lence of the Fit doth noc lafi fo long as the Difeafe lafts, ac cimes rhere is an Inter. miillon,but fiill there is a conftant Diftemper in the Body: So when the pang of a violent Sin is well over, yec frill there remains aconfiam Diflemper in che Soul which though it be not ourragious, yet ftill continues the Soul's Difeafe, and wili bring it to its Death at !aft. In the Fortification ofa City or Town, all the Rampars are not Cajlles and Strong-holds,but between Fort and Fort there is a Line drawn chat doth as itwere join all together, and makes the placelmpregnable. So is it in the Fortification ofcheSoul bySin,allSins are not Strong-holdJ of S.-tttm,they are greater and grofi'er Sins; but between thefe is drawn a line of finaiierSins fo clofC that you cannot find a Breach in ic,and by thefe the Heart is fenced againft God. Now is it · nothing chat your Little Sin; fill up all the void fpacesof your Lives? ls it nothing that you no where lye open to the force and impreffion of the Hol.J Spirit? He by his Convictions barters che greater and more heinous Sins of your Lives, but chefe Strong-holds of Satan are irnpregnable,and give him rhe repulfe j he feeks 10 enter in by the Thougbts,but thefe are fo fortified by Vanity and Earrhlymindednefs, and a thoufand other Follies,thar though chey are but Litrle Sim,yet fwarms of them ftop up the paifage,and the Soul is fo full already chat there is no room for the Holy Spiri~to enter. There's not a Sinner here that if he will make an Impartial fearch within him,but will find the experience of this in his own breafi: When at any time you have flown out into the Commiffion of any boifierous and notorious Wickednefs,have you not afterwards found that you liva in a more conftant liking and allowance of little Sin1?When once aMan i5 ftunn'd by fome heavy blow,a fmall nip or pinch is not then felt by him: And when once Confcience is deadned by the ftroke of fomc grca[ and fcandalous Sin,afterwards it grows lefs f~nfible of che guile and evil that there is in fmaUer Sins; and thus yolllive in them wichouc pain and regrer,till you fall inco fomc notorious Wickednefs that more hardens che Heart,and more fears the Confcience; and what is this but to runround from Sin to Sin,from a fmall Sin to a great Sin,and from a great Sin to a fma11 Sir, again,till HtUpu.t a period to chis Circle? What is this now,butforrhe Devil eo gee ground upon you by treat Sim,and to keep it by little Sins, whereby he drives on and keeps up che trade of Sin, and when God fhall call up your Accounts for you ar the la!!Day,you will find that rheTrade hath gain'd you no fmall!ofs,even the lofs of your Immortal Souls? Now although the evil and danger of committing little Sins bath been made very apparent in the forementioned particulars, ye~ becaufe Men are very prone to indulge and excufe themfelves herein, I ihall add fome farther Demonftrations of their ag.. gravated Guilt in thefe following particulars : Which will ferve greatly for ~ho_ confirmation of the truth of the Doctrine. firll,
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