Branch 9. If sin be so great an evil, then, what wisdom is it to depart from evil! Job xxviii. 28, "To depart from evil is understanding." To sin, is to do foolishly: therefore, to depart from sin, is to do wisely. Solomon saith, Prov. xxix. 6, In every trans

sin? It hath shame for its companion; and
death for its wages. What profit had Achan
of his wedge of gold? That wedge seemed
to cleave asunder his soul from God. What
profit had Ahab of the vineyard he got un-
justly? The dogs licked his blood, 1 Kings
xxi. 19. What profit had Judas of his trea-gression is a snare? Is it not wisdom to avoid
son? For thirty pieces he sold his Saviour,
and bought his own damnation. All the gain
men get by their sins, they may put in their
eye; nay, they must, and weep it out again.
Branch 8. If sin be so great an evil, see
then the folly of those who venture upon sin,
because of the pleasure they have in it, 2
Thess. ii. 12, "But had pleasure in unright-
eousness." As for the pleasure of sin, 1. It
is but seeming, it is but a pleasant fancy, a
golden dream. 2. And besides, it is a mixed
pleasure, it has bitterness intermingled, Prov.
vii. 17, "I have, saith the harlot, perfumed
my bed with myrrh, aloes, and cinnamon."
For one sweet, here are two bitters; cinna-
mon is sweet, but myrrh and aloes are bitter;
the harlot's pleasure is mixed. There are
those inward fears and lashes of conscience,
as imbitter the pleasure. 3. If there be any
pleasure in sin, it is only to the body, the
brutish part; the soul is not at all gratified
by the pleasure, Luke xii. 19, "Soul, take
thy ease;" he might have more properly said,
"Body take thy ease;" the soul cannot feed
on sensual objects. 4. In short, that plea-
sure men talk of in sin, is their disease.
Some take pleasure in eating chalk or coals,
this is from their disease: so, when men talk
of pleasure in eating the forbidden fruit, it is
from the sickness and disease of their souls,
they put bitter for sweet," Isa. v. 20. O
what folly is it, for a cup of pleasure, to
drink a sea of wrath! Sin will be bitter in
the end, Prov. xxiii. 31, 32, “Look not on the
wine when it is red, when it gives its colour
in the cup; at last it bites like a serpent."
Sin will prove like Ezekiel's roll, sweet in the
mouth, but bitter in the belly,—mel in ore,
fel in corde. Ask Cain now how he likes
his murder? Achan, how he likes his golden
wedge? O remember that saying of Austin,
Momentarum est quod delectat, æternum
quod cruciat! The pleasure of sin is soon
gone, but the sting remains.

a snare? Sin is a deceiver, it cheated our
first parents; instead of being as gods, they
became as the beasts that perish, Ps. xlix. 20.
Sin hath cheated all that have meddled with
it; is it not wisdom to shun such a cheater?
Sin hath many fair pleas, and tells how it will
gratify all the senses with pleasure: "But,"
saith a gracious soul, "Christ's love is sweet-
er,-peace of conscience is sweeter,-what
are the pleasures of sin to the pleasures of
paradise?" Well may the saints be called
wise virgins, because they spy the deceits
that are in sin, and avoid the snares.
"The
fear of the Lord, that is wisdom; and to
depart from evil, is understanding."

Branch 10. If sin be so great an evil, then,
how justifiable and commendable are all those
means which are used to keep men from sin?
How justifiable are a minister's admonitions
and reproofs? Tit. i. 13, "Rebuke them
sharply;" or cuttingly; a metaphor from a
chirurgeon that searches a wound, and cuts
out the proud flesh that the patient may be
sound; so God's minister comes with a cut-
ting reproof, but it is to keep you from sin,
and to save your souls. Si merito objurga.
verit te aliquis, scito quia profuit, SENECA.
Esteem them your best friends who would
keep you from sinning against God. If a
man were going to poison or drown himself,
were not he his friend who would hinder him
from doing it? All a minister's reproofs are
but to keep you from sin, and hinder you
from self-murder; all is in love, 2 Cor. v. 11,
"Knowing the terror of the Lord, we per-
suade men." "Tis the passion of most to be
angry with them that would reclaim them
from sin, Amos v. 10, "They hate him that
rebuketh in the gate." Who is angry with
the physician for prescribing a bitter potion,
seeing it is to purge out the peccant humour?
'Tis mercy to men's souls to tell them of
their sins. And surely those are priests for
the devil, 2 Cor. xi. 15, who see men go on

in sin, and ready to drop into hell, yet never | sin, not only from the outward acts of sin, pull them back by a reproof, nay, perhaps but from the inbeing of sin. In heaven we flatter them in their sins. God never made ministers as false glasses, to make bad faces look fair; such make themselves guilty of other men's sins.

Branch 11. If sin be so great an evil,—the evil of evils, then see what a bad choice they make, who choose sin to avoid affliction: as, if to save the coat from being rent, one should suffer his flesh to be rent. It was a false charge that Elihu brought against Job, xxxvi 21, Thou hast chosen iniquity rather than affliction. This is a bad choice. Affliction hath a promise made to it, 2 Sam. xxii. 28, but sin hath no promise made to it. Affliction is for our good, but sin is not for our good; it would entail hell and damnation upon us. Spira chose iniquity rather than affliction, but it cost him dear; he at last repented of his choice. He who commits sin to avoid suffering, is like one that runs into a lion's den to avoid the stinging of a gnat.

Branch 12. If sin be so great an evil, see then what should be a Christian's great care in this life, to keep from sin; "Deliver us from evil." Some make it all their care to keep out of trouble; they had rather keep their skin whole than their conscience pure; but our care should be chiefly to keep from sin. How careful are we to forbear such a dish, as the physicians tell us is hurtful for us,—it will bring the stone or gout: much more should we be careful that we eat not the forbidden fruit, which will bring divine vengeance, 1 Tim. v. 22, "Keep thyself pure." It hath always been the study of the saints to keep alooff off from sin, Gen. xxxix. 9, "How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God?" Ps. xix. 13, "Keep back thy servant from presumptuous sins." It was a saying of Anselm, "If sin were on one side, and hell on the other, I would rather leap into hell, than willingly sin against my God." O what a mercy is it to be kept from sin! We count it a great mercy to be kept from the plague and fire, but what is it to be kept from sin?

Branch 13. Is sin so great an evil? see then that which may make us long for heaven, when we shall be perfectly freed from

shall not need to pray this prayer, "Deliver us from evil." What a blessed time will it be, when we shall never have a vain thought more? Then Christ's spouse shall be sine macula et ruga,-without spot or wrinkle, Eph. v. 27. Now there is a dead man tied to the living; we cannot do any holy duty, but we mix sin; we cannot pray without wander. ing, we cannot believe without doubting,but then, our virgin-soul shall not be capable of the least tincture of sin, but we shall all be as the angels of God. In heaven we shall have no temptation to sin. The old serpent is cast out of paradise, and his fiery darts shall never come near to touch us.

Use 2d. Exhortation. And it hath two distinct branches.

Branch 1. To all in general. If sin be so great and prodigious an evil, then, as you love your souls take heed of sin. If you taste of the forbidden fruit, it will cost you dear,—it will cost you bitter tears,-it may cost you lying in hell,-O therefore flee from sin!

1. Take heed of sins of omission, Matt. xxiii. 23. It is as really dangerous not to do things commanded, as to do things forbidden. Some think it no great matter to omit reading scripture; the Bible lies by like rusty armour, which they never use; they think it no great matter to omit family or closet-prayer; they can go several months, and God never hear of them. These have nothing sanctified to them; they feed upon a curse; for every creature is sanctified by prayer, 1 Tim. iv. 5. The bird may shame many, it never takes a drop but its eye is lifted up towards heaven. O take heed of living in the neglect of any known duty! It was the prayer of a reverend holy man on his death-bead, "Lord, forgive my sins of omission."

2. Take heed of secret sins. Some are more modest than to sin openly in a balco. ny; but they will carry their sins under a canopy, they will sin in secret. Rachel did not let her father's images be seen, but she put them under her, "and sat up. on them," Gen. xxxi. 34. Many will be

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drunk and unclean, if they may do it when nobody may see them; they are like one that shuts up his shop-windows, but follows his trade within doors. But if sin be so great an evil, let me warn you this day not to sin in secret; know, that you can never sin so privately, but that there are two witnesses always by,-God and conscience.

plexion-sin which he could not resist, and that was the love of the world; his silver was dearer to him than his Saviour. It is a sad thing a man should be so bewitched by a lust, that he will part with the kingdom of heaven to gratify it.

A. 4. That sin which men use arguments to defend is the darling-sin. To plead for sin, is to be the devil's attorney; if the sin be covetousness and we vindicate it; if it be rash anger, and we justify it, Jonah iv. 9, "I do well to be angry;" this is the complexion-sin.

3. Take heed of your complexion-sin, that sin which your nature and constitution doth most incline you to. As in the hive there is a master-bee, so in the heart there is a master-sin, Ps. xviii. 23, "I have kept myself from mine iniquity." There is some sin that is a special favourite,-the peccatum in de-ness and distress, that is the beloved sin. liciis,-the darling sin that lies in the bosom, When Joseph's brethren were distressed, and this doth bewitch and draw away the their sin came to remembrance in selling heart. O beware of this! their brother, Gen. xlv. 2: so, when a man is

A. 5. That sin which doth most trouble one, and flee in his face in an hour of sick

QUEST. How may this darling sin be upon his sick-bed, and conscience shall say, known?

ANS. 1. That sin which a man doth most cherish, and to which all other sins are subservient; this is the sin which is most tended and waited upon. The Pharisees' darling-sin was vain-glory; all they did was to feed this sin of pride, Matt. vi. 2, "That they may have glory of men," when they gave alms, they sounded a trumpet. If a stranger had asked the question, "Why doth this trumpet sound?" The answer was, "The Pharisees are going to give alms to the poor. Their lamp of charity was filled with the oil of vain-glory," Matt. xxiii. 5. All their works they did to be seen of men. Pride was their bosom-sin. Often-times covetousness is the darling-sin; all other sins are committed to maintain this. Why do men equivocate, oppress, defraud, take bribes? all is to uphold covetousness. A. 2. That sin which a man doth not love to have reproved, is the darling-sin. Herod could not endure to have his incest spoken against: if John the Baptist meddles with that sin it shall cost him his head.

Dost not thou remember how thou hast lived in such a sin, though thou hast been often warned, yet thou wouldst not leave it? Conscience reads a curtain-lecture; sure that was the darling-sin.

A. 6. That sin which a man is most unwilling to part with, that is the darling-sin. Jacob could of all his sons, most hardly part with Benjamin, Gen. xlii. 36, “Joseph is not, and Simeon is not, and ye will take Benjamin away :" so saith the sinner, this and that sin have I parted with; but must Benjamin go? must I part with this delightful sin? that goes to the heart. This is the Delilah, the beloved sin. O if sin be such a deadly evil, dare not to indulge any bosom-sin! This is of all the most dangerous: like a humour striking to the heart, which is mortal, leave open but one gap, the wild beast may enter at it; one darling-sin lived in, is setting open a gap for Satan to enter.

4. Take heed of the sins which attend your particular callings. A calling you must live in; Adam in Paradise tilled the ground; God never sealed warrants to idle

A. 3. That sin which hath most power over one, and doth most easily lead him cap-ness; but every calling hath its snare; as tive, that is the beloved of the soul. There are some sins a man can better put off, and give a repulse to; but there is one sin, which, if it comes to be a suitor, he cannot deny, but is overcome by it: this is the bosom-sin. The young man in the gospel had a com

some sin in living out of a calling, so others sin in a calling. Remember how deadly an evil sin is; avoid those sins which you may be exposed to in your trade; take heed of all fraud and collusion in your dealings, Matt. vii. 12, "Whatsoever ye would that

men should do to you, do ye even so to against the brethren, and wound their weak them."

(1). Take heed of a deceitful tongue in selling. The scripture makes it the character of one that goes to heaven, Ps. xv. 2, “He speaketh the truth from his heart." It is the custom of many to say, the commodity stands them more, yet take less. This is hardly credible.

(2). Beware of a deceitful balance, Hos. xii. 7, "The balances of deceit are in his hand." Men by making their weights lighter, make their accounts heavier.

(3). Beware of sophisticating, mingling and embasing commodities, Amos viii. 6, "They sell the refuse of the wheat." They would pick out the best grains of the wheat, and sell the worst at the same price as they did the best; to mix a coarser commodity with a fine, and yet sell it all for fine, is no better than deceit, Isa. i. 22.

(4). Beware of stretching your consciences too far, or taking more for a commodity than it is worth, Lev. xxv. 14, "If thou sellest ought unto thy neighbour, ye shall not oppress one another." There is a lawful gain allowed, yet one may not so advantage himself as to damnify another. Let that be the tradesman's motto, Acts xxiv. 16, "A conscience void of offence, toward God and toward man." He hath a hard bargain, that doth purchase the world with the loss of his soul.

(5). Sin being so deadly an evil, "take heed of the appearance of sin." Abstain not only from apparent evil, but the appearance of evil; if it be not absolutely a sin, yet if it looks like sin, avoid it. He who is loyal to his prince, not only forbears to have his hand in treason, but he will take heed of that which hath a show of treason. Joseph's mistress tempted him, and he fled and would not be with her, Gen. xxxix. 12. An appearance of good is too little, and an appearance of evil is too much. 1. The appearance of evil is oft an occasion of evil; dalliance is an appearance of evil, and oftentimes it occasions evil. Touching the forbidden fruit, may occasion tasting: dancing in masquerades, hath often been the occasion of uncleanness. 2. The appearance of evil may scandalize another, 1 Cor. viii. 12, "When ye sin

conscience, ye sin against Christ:" sinning against a member of Christ, is a sinning against Christ.

Thus you see sin being so deadly an evil, we should avoid all sin,-sins of omission,secret sins,-complexion-sins,-sins that at tend our particular calling,-yea, the appear. ance of evil.

QUEST. What means shall we use to be kept from the acts of sin?

ANS. 1. If you would be preserved from actual and scandalous sins, labour to mortify original sin. If you would not have the branches bud and blossom, smite at the root. I know original sin cannot in this life be removed, but labour to have it subdued. Why do men break forth into actual sins, but because they do not mortify heart sins? Suppress the first risings of pride, lust, passion; original sin unmortified, will prove such a root of bitterness, as will bring forth the cursed root of scandalous sin.

A. 2. If you would be kept from actual sins, think what an odious thing sin is. Besides what you have heard, remember, sin is the accursed thing,' Josh. vii. 13. It is the abominable thing God hates, Jer. xliv. 4, “O do not this abominable thing that I hate!" Sin is the spirits of witchcraft; it is the devil's excrement; it is called filthiness,' James i. 21. If all the evils in the world were put together, and their quintessence strained out, they could not make a thing so filthy as sin doth. So odious is a sinner, that God loathes the sight of him, Zech. xi. 8, “My soul loathed them." He who defiles himself with avarice, what is he but a serpent licking the dust? He who defiles himself with the lust of uncleanness, what is he but a swine with a man's head? He who defiles himself with pride, what is he but a bladder, which the devil hath blown up? He who defiles himself with drunkenness, what is he but a beast that hath got the staggers? To consider how odious and base a thing sin is would be a mean to keep us from sinning.

A. 3. If you would be kept from actual sins, get the fear of God planted in your hearts, Prov. xvi. 6, "By the fear of the Lord men depart from evil." Cavebis si

pavebis. Fear is a bridle to sin, and a spur | are taken by the enemy, there is great danger to holiness. Fear puts a holy awe upon the of taking the whole castle.