The Great Duty ftands at as great an antipathy to a corrupt Nature as to a finful Life. And therefore we find Da-uid, Pfal. 51. 5. aggravating his aCtual Sins from this Conftderation, That he wa; /haptn in Iniquity, and concei-ued ir1 Sin. Certainly original Sin., is no excufe, but rather an aggravation of adual7 and the violent propenfions of a Man's Nature to one Sin more than another, is but an efpecial expreffion of original Corruption. 1.. SecondLy, Avoid cfpccially thofc Occafions that have an cfpecial tendency in OaajiP'Is them to draw forth thy peculiar Luft. This as it muft be obferved in the MortiofSin ?J"fl fication of ev_cry Sin, fo _mufl: it be moft carefully heeded in ~hy dealing againft beavotd~d. thy proper Sm; becanfc tt WJ\1 take Advantage from every 1l1ght and trivial Oc~ cation to.break for th a!~d ihe~ it felf. in aCt;_ it ~atcheth all Opportunities, and a very little Spark WI1l fuffice to kindle this Tmder. Thou complaineft thou canft noE fubdue fuch a Corruption, i;; will rife and tumulcuate in thee it will fi:ill break from thee; why, canft thou ever expect it will be otherwife wl;ile thou heedlefly expofeft thy fetf to fo many Occa~ons on .w~ich t~y Corruption will take hol?? <?h ! ~ow ealie and comf?rtable mtEht Chnlhans m?ke this grea t work of MoruficatLon If they would herein be watchful. Corruption would not ftir or if it doth, might foon be quelled, did not you your felves entice it out b.:j giving it fuch fatr Opportunities to exert it felf. \Vbat faith the wife Man Prov, 6. 27. Can a Man take Fire into his bofom, ~tnd his cloaths not b~ burnt? No' 'tis impoffible: Y~t tr_nly '.tis as poffible for a M.an .that carries the prepared Fewel of Corruption m hrs Heart, not to have 1t kmdled and inflamed by his venturous ru~ning in~o Occali?ns of finning. _You ~o but hereby provoke and dare Corrupuon, whtch ala's! ts too aJ?t to ~Ir of It felf. Certainly he that will venture on a near Occafion of finmng, wtll venture on the Sin it felf · and if he be all his days vexed and perplexed by it, 'tis the fault of his own 'care-; lefnefs. · 'fhird(Y., Confider this, that proper and peculiar Sins do deferve and call for :3• proper an~ pe~uliarPunifuments .. Why Jl10.uldft thou think '?bile any unmortified Luft IS thme own, the Pumihment of It fuould not be thme own alfo? Is it reafon that the Sin fhould be peculiarly thine, and yet the Punifhment of it Chrift'~? No, Chrift never came into the World to take off the Guilt of that Sin by Juftification, from which he doth not in fome meafure take off the BenE and Propenfion of the Heart by San8:ification. And, ,.i Laftly, Confider if you are Saints, you your felves are not your own, and lhall any Sin then be your peculiar Sin. I Co-l. 6. J 9, 20. You are not your own, but you are bought with a PriCe: Wherefore glorifte God in your Bodies, and in your SpiritJ which ar~ God's. And fhall we our felves be God's and yet any Sin be ours? What is this lefs than by a kind of PraClical Blafphemy, to make our Sins God's alfo. Such like Confiderations as thefe are, fho.uld be continually prefent with us, when we go forth againft our proper Sins. It is not ordinary Endeavours that will fuffice to mortifie thefe, they are fo rooted in and interwoven with the very Principles of our Nature, that they -are the very laft Sins that will quit their hold, and that not withou~ mu_ch d~fficulty and hard~ip. Thus l ha_ve done with the firft Branch of tlus Dtrcaton, to take nouce of thofe Sms which have the greateft Advantage and Prevalency againft us, which are cufto.. mary and peculiar Sins; and have given you fame particulars to help you in the mortifying of them. SeCondly, The other Branch of this DireCtion is, to be continually pondering 2. and weighing the Ground and Caufe of lhe Quarrel. This will exceedingly Br4n'h animate your utmoft Endeavours unto Mortification. 'Tis the Caufe that infpirits Soldiers: Tell them that they are to fight for Eftates, Liberties and Lives, that whatever is dear to them, is laid at Stake, and pawn'd upon their Valour; this will fharpen their Courage, yea, and their Swords two, and make every ftroak laid on by fuch Conliderationsfatal as Death. What can be more effeCtually preft up· on ttle fpiritual Soldier to heighten and inflame his Courage? Tell him but the Caufe h~ engatheth for, ahd he muft be either very much a Coward, or elfe very tr~~cDe.rous againft pis. own ~oul, that doth not refolve to ftand ~t out eo .the -qtmoft; ''us for an eYerlaftmg Kmgdom, a Crown of Glory, a prec10us and I m· mortal1 Scull for eternat Life, for God ' himfelf, you are to ,~ght for, and \~ill you fit ftill and fee all ' tl!efe loft and taken from you? There s not a Corn1pl10n or
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