The great Evit and Danger of Little Sins. 397 not eo fay inco Debaucheries and Prophanenefs, aU your Dudes, all your p ayers all your Profeffion is blown away by the fame Tongue that uttered rhe~ ani:i all your Religion will be in vain; and let me add, This feeming 'Religion will er:.d only in fhame and confufion at the laft, when rhe Soul and ConfCience of a finner !hall be ripe open at the great D.ay, befor:e Men and Angels; and that little Si,n that kept God, and Chnit, and Eternal Salvation out, Jhall openly be Jpew d to all the World, and laughed at by all the World, that fuch a Sii].Ihould keep a Man from Heaven and Eternal Happinefs And therefore f~ys Da'Vid, Pfal. 11 9· 6. Then fha/1 I not be njiMmed, Pfal. it!J. when J ha;e refpetl untoaltthy Commandment!. To have refpect tofome of God's 5. Commandments, and not ro all, is now hypocrifie, and will a~ l~fi be Jhame and confufion. It is a moll: certain Truth, that though the Comm1fitOn ofthe greateft Sin be confill:enr with the truth of Grace, yet 10 is not the approbation of the lelljf Sin. Oh ! what a fevere and critical thing is true HolinefS, that will no more allow the leafi Tranfgreffion than the greateft; nor more tolerate the defilement of Dufi in our Hearts than a Dunghil. We have all of us need therefore to pray with David, P[al. r 39· 2;. Search me, 0 Lord, 1mJ r; m1 Heart; P!i-1. 139. tz.} me 1md lno?u my Thoughts, and fu if there he any e'Vil way in me ; becaufe our 21· Sins ~ay be fo licrle as, t<>_ efC~pe our own fear.ch; ~nd hecaufe the leafi Sin ,if lee alone in the Heart, Wlll hke a fmall fpeck m fruit, fpread to a total rouennefs: Therefore, 0 Lvrd, dothoujelfrch and try m, and ifthere her.ny war of'vicluJne/f in'"' caft thou our our Corruptions, that fo thou maift not cafl: us out as corrupt and rotten at the laft. ·' Fifrhly, C"nfider little Sim do ufually make ?vay an'd open a pa.f[age into the Little Sim. Heart for the gre11te# and vi/eft Sins, Thus a little Thief that creeps in at the j;akt •a; Window, may unlock the Door for others that fiand without. And rhus it fared ~~t"e"tn with Da'Vitl, while fenfllal Delight crept in by the eye ac the fight of Ba ·hfheba, it opened his Heart eo the temptation, and in rufht thofe two outrageous Sins of Adultery and Murder. Believe it, ehere is no Sin fofmall but tends to the ucmofi: wickednefs that can poffibly be committed. An irreverent Thought of God, tends to no ltfs than Blafphemy and Atheifm. A Oight grudge at another, · tends to no lefs than Murder. A Jafcivious thought tends to no lefs than impudent and common Profiirution : And though at firfi they feem to play only Jingly about the Heart, yet within a while they will mortally wound it.. There are two things give little Sim their growth and increafe. Firft, The Devil by his Temptations, is continually nurfing up youngling Sins till they arrive to a full ftrengch and ftature of wickednefs. He is con.. tinually fuiting Occafionsand Temptations to the propenfions ofour Lufis : Hath he wrought any finful defire, or any evil purpofe in you, he will take care you Ihall not long want an occa.fion to fulfil it. Were it not for his vigilancy many a Sin muft needs die in the Womb that conceived ic; but as it was conceived by his Temptations, fa is it brought forth by his induttry and diligence. S~eondly, Natural Corruption it felf is of a thriving, growing Nature. If any Luft bath feized firongly on the thoughts, and boils there, it will vent it feJf in Difcourfe. A bad Heart, as well as a bad Liver, ~ill break our at the Lips; and if the Qifcourfe be poyfonous, the Vepom will lpread it felf into the Life and Converfation; for ot4t of the ab"?'dance of the Heart the Mouth /pealuth ; and e'tli~ Words corrupt good Manners. Smful Thoughts form themfelYes into Words 1 and Words will confolidace thernfelves into Actions; and then Sin is perfed:ed; and hath attained its full growth: And if you would know what the next degree or ftep is that Sin rakes, the Apoftle Se. James tells you, Jam. r. f · When Luft hath concei'Ued, it bringeth forth Sin; nnd Sin, when it i: perfiE!ed, bringeth forth Death. You can no more fet bounds to your CorruptiOns, than to the raging Sea; nor fay to it, Hitherto jhall thy proud Waves go and no furthtr. It wereFolly,when youhavefet fire to a Train ofPowder,toexped: it fhouldftop any wherefhortoftheutmoft of it. So truly, when the Thoughts are fet on fire of Hell, this will inflame the Tongue, and that will inflame the Life· and unlefs God'.s infinite Mercy prevent, this bu:ning wil.l ftop no where fh0n ofeverlafting burmng. Ask but your own Expenences th1s ; Have you not often found ir fo? Haeh not the Dwil drill'd you on from little Sins to great Sins, and from thefe, to far greater Abominations? Believe it, there is a botromlefs deceit in
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