A Christian Directory Volume I Part 23

9. The constant inhesion of sin is a great aggravation: that it is ever with us, lying down and rising up, at home and abroad; we are never free from it.

10. That it should poison all our common mercies, and corrupt all our duties, is an aggravation. But we shall take up some of these anon.

The special aggravations of the sins of G.o.d's own children are these:[103]

1. They sin against a nearer relation than others do; even against that G.o.d that is their Father by the new birth, which is more heinous than if a stranger did it.

2. They are Christ's own members: and it is most unnatural for his members to rebel against him, or do him wrong.

3. They sin against more excellent operations of the Spirit than others do, and against a principle of life within them.

4. They sin against the differencing grace, which appeared in their conversion. G.o.d took them out of a world of sinners, whom he pa.s.sed by when he could as well have sanctified them: and should they so quickly thus requite him?

5. They sin against the pardon and justification which they have already received. Did G.o.d so lately forgive them all their former debts, so many, so great and heinous sins, and that so freely to them, when the procurement was so dear to Christ? and should they so soon forget, or so ill requite, so great a mercy?

6. They sin against a more serious covenant, which at their conversion they entered into with G.o.d, than other men do.

7. They sin against all the heart-breaking or humbling sorrows, which they have tasted of at their conversion, and since. They have known more of the evil of sin than others, in their sad experience of its sting.

8. They sin against more knowledge than other men: they have known more what sin is, and what Christ is, and what the will of G.o.d is, than others: and therefore deserve to be beaten with many stripes.

9. They have oftener confessed sin than others, and spoke odiously of it, as the vilest thing, and aggravated it to G.o.d and man.

10. Their many prayers against it, and all their labour in hearing, and reading, and sacraments, and other means, do aggravate it.

11. They make a greater profession of strict obedience, and therefore sin against their own profession.

12. They have renewed their promises of obedience to G.o.d, in prayer, at sacraments, and at other times, much more than others.

13. They have had more experience than others of the goodness of obedience, and of the comforts and benefits that attend it, in the favour of G.o.d, and communion with him therein.

14. Their sins are aggravated by all the reproofs and exhortations which they have used to others, to tell them how unreasonable and bad it is to provoke the Lord.

15. They sin under greater hopes of glory than others do; and provoke that G.o.d with whom they hope to live for ever.

16. The high t.i.tles of love and praise which G.o.d doth give them in his word, do aggravate their sin. That he should call them his treasure, his peculiar people, his jewels, and the apple of his eye, his sons and daughters, and a holy people, and priests to G.o.d, and boast of them as a people more excellent than their neighbours; and after this they should sin against him.

17. They have had audience with G.o.d, the answer of prayers, and many a deliverance and mercy in this life, which others have not; which aggravate their sins, as being thus contemned, and as obliging them more to G.o.d than others.

18. They dishonour G.o.d more than any others by their sins. His honour lieth not so much upon the actions of the unG.o.dly, as on those that are nearest to him.

19. They harden the wicked more than such sins in other men would do.

They cause them to blaspheme, and reproach the G.o.dly for their sakes, and say, These are your religious men! You see now what their strictness is. And they hinder the conversion and salvation of others: they grieve the G.o.dly, and wrong the church and cause of G.o.d, much more than the sins of others do.

20. Lastly, They please the devil more than the sins of other men. How busy is he to have drawn a Job to sin! and how would he have boasted against G.o.d, and his grace, and his servants, if he had prevailed, when he boasted so much before, in the false presumption of his success! as if he could make the G.o.dly forsake G.o.d, and be as bad as others, if he have leave to tempt them.

I shall next give you some particular directions, besides those foregoing, to help you to think of sin as it is, that you may hate it; for your cleansing and cure consist in this: so far as you hate sin it is mortified, and you are cured of it. And therefore, as I have anatomized it, that you may see the hatefulness of it, I shall direct you to improve this for your cure.

[Sidenote: How to hate sin.]

_Direct._ I. Labour to know G.o.d, and to be affected with his attributes, and always to live as in his sight.--No man can know sin perfectly, because no man can know G.o.d perfectly. You can no further know what sin is than you know what G.o.d is, whom you sin against; for the formal malignity of sin is relative, as it is against the will and attributes of G.o.d. The G.o.dly have some knowledge of the malignity of sin, because they have some knowledge of G.o.d that is wronged by it.

The wicked have no practical, prevalent knowledge of the malignity of sin, because they have no such knowledge of G.o.d. They that fear G.o.d will fear sinning; they that in their hearts are bold irreverently with G.o.d, will, in heart and life, be bold with sin: the atheist, that thinketh there is no G.o.d, thinks there is no sin against him. Nothing in the world will tell us so plainly and powerfully of the evil of sin, as the knowledge of the greatness, wisdom, goodness, holiness, authority, justice, truth, &c. of G.o.d. The sense of his presence, therefore, will revive our sense of sin's malignity.

_Direct._ II. Consider well of the office, the bloodshed, and the holy life of Christ.--His office is to expiate sin, and to destroy it. His blood was shed for it: his life condemned it. Love Christ, and thou wilt hate that which caused his death. Love him, and thou wilt love to be made like him, and hate that which is so contrary to Christ. These two great lights will show the odiousness of darkness.

_Direct._ III. Think well both how holy the office and work of the Holy Ghost is, and how great a mercy it is to us.--Shall G.o.d himself, the heavenly light, come down into a sinful heart, to illuminate and purify it? and yet shall I keep my darkness and defilement, in opposition to such wonderful mercy? Though all sin against the Holy Ghost be not the unpardonable blasphemy, yet all is aggravated hereby.

_Direct._ IV. Know and consider the wonderful love and mercy of G.o.d, and think what he hath done for you; and you will hate sin, and be ashamed of it.--It is an aggravation which makes sin odious even to common reason and ingenuity, that we should offend a G.o.d of infinite goodness, who hath filled up our lives with mercy. It will grieve you if you have wronged an extraordinary friend: his love and kindness will come into your thoughts, and make you angry with your own unkindness. Here look over the catalogue of G.o.d's mercies to you, for soul and body. And here observe that Satan, in hiding the love of G.o.d from you, and tempting you under the pretence of humility to deny his greatest, special mercy, doth seek to destroy your repentance and humiliation also, by hiding the greatest aggravation of your sin.

_Direct._ V. Think what the soul of man is made for, and should be used to, even to love, obey, and glorify our Maker; and then you will see what sin is, which disableth and perverteth it.--How excellent, and high, and holy a work are we created for and called to! And should we defile the temple of G.o.d? and serve the devil in filthiness and folly, where we should entertain, and serve, and magnify our Creator?

_Direct._ VI. Think well what pure and sweet delights a holy soul may enjoy from G.o.d, in his holy service; and then you will see what sin is, which robbeth him of these delights, and preferreth fleshly l.u.s.ts before them.--O how happily might we perform every duty, and how fruitfully might we serve our Lord, and what delight should we find in his love and acceptation, and the foresight of everlasting blessedness, if it were not for sin; which bringeth down the soul from the doors of heaven, to wallow with swine in a beloved dunghill!

_Direct._ VII. Bethink you what a life it is which you must live for ever, if you live in heaven; and what a life the holy ones there now live; and then think whether sin, which is so contrary to it, be not a vile and hateful thing.--Either you would live in heaven, or not. If not, you are not those I speak to. If you would, you know that there is no sinning; no worldly mind, no pride, no pa.s.sion, no fleshly l.u.s.t or pleasures there. Oh, did you but see and hear one hour, how those blessed spirits are taken up in loving and magnifying the glorious G.o.d in purity and holiness, and how far they are from sin, it would make you loathe sin ever after, and look on sinners as on men in bedlam wallowing naked in their dung. Especially, to think that you hope yourselves to live for ever like those holy spirits; and therefore sin doth ill beseem you.

_Direct._ VIII. Look but to the state and torment of the d.a.m.ned, and think well of the difference betwixt angels and devils, and you may know what sin is.--Angels are pure; devils are polluted: holiness and sin do make the difference. Sin dwells in h.e.l.l, and holiness in heaven.

Remember that every temptation is from the devil, to make you like himself; as every holy motion is from Christ, to make you like himself.

Remember when you sin, that you are learning and imitating of the devil, and are so far like him, John viii. 44. And the end of all is, that you may feel his pains. If h.e.l.l-fire be not good, then sin is not good.

_Direct._ IX. Look always on sin as one that is ready to die, and consider how all men judge of it at the last.--What do men in heaven say of it? and what do men in h.e.l.l say of it? and what do men at death say of it? and what do converted souls, or awakened consciences, say of it? Is it then followed with delight and fearlessness as it is now?

is it then applauded? will any of them speak well of it? Nay, all the world speaks evil of sin in the general now, even when they love and commit the several acts. Will you sin when you are dying?

_Direct._ X. Look always on sin and judgment together.--Remember that you must answer for it before G.o.d, and angels, and all the world; and you will the better know it.

_Direct._ XI. Look now but upon sickness, poverty, shame, despair, death, and rottenness in the grave, and it may a little help you to know what sin is.--These are things within your sight or feeling; you need not faith to tell you of them. And by such effects you might have some little knowledge of the cause.

_Direct._ XII. Look but upon some eminent, holy persons upon earth, and upon the mad, profane, malignant world; and the difference may tell you in part what sin is.--Is there not an amiableness in a holy, blameless person, that liveth in love to G.o.d and man, and in the joyful hopes of life eternal? Is not a beastly drunkard or wh.o.r.emonger, and a raging swearer, and a malicious persecutor, a very deformed, loathsome creature? Is not the mad, confused, ignorant, unG.o.dly state of the world a very pitiful sight? What then is the sin that all this doth consist in?

Though the princ.i.p.al part of the cure is in turning the will to the hatred of sin, and is done by this discovery of its malignity; yet I shall add a few more directions for the executive part, supposing that what is said already has had its effect.

_Direct._ I. When you have found out your disease and danger, give up yourselves to Christ as the Saviour and Physician of souls, and to the Holy Ghost as your Sanctifier, remembering that he is sufficient and willing to do the work which he hath undertaken.--It is not you that are to be saviours and sanctifiers of yourselves (unless as you work under Christ). But he that hath undertaken it, doth take it for his glory to perform it.

_Direct._ II. Yet must you be willing and obedient in applying the remedies prescribed you by Christ, and observing his directions in order to your cure.--And you must not be tender, and coy, and fine, and say, This is too bitter, and that is too sharp; but trust his love, and skill, and care, and take it as he prescribeth it, or giveth it you, without any more ado. Say not, It is grievous, and I cannot take it: for he commands you nothing but what is safe, and wholesome, and necessary, and if you cannot take it, you must try whether you can bear your sickness, and death, and the fire of h.e.l.l! Are humiliation, confession, rest.i.tution, mortification, and holy diligence, worse than h.e.l.l?

_Direct._ III. See that you take not part with sin, and wrangle not, or strive not against your Physician, or any that would do you good.--Excusing sin, and pleading for and extenuating it, and striving against the Spirit and conscience, and wrangling against ministers and G.o.dly friends, and hating reproof, are not the means to be cured and sanctified.

_Direct._ IV. See that malignity in every one of your particular sins, which you can see and say is in sin in general.--It is a gross deceit of yourselves, if you will speak a great deal of the evil of sin, and see none of this malignity in your pride, and your worldliness, and your pa.s.sion and peevishness, and your malice and uncharitableness, and your lying, backbiting, slandering, or sinning against conscience for worldly commodity or safety. What self-contradiction is it for a man in prayer to aggravate sin, and when he is reproved for it, to justify or excuse it! for a popish priest to enter sinfully upon his place, by subscribing or swearing the Trent Confession, and then to preach zealously against sin in the general, as if he had never committed so horrid a crime! This is like him that will speak against treason, and the enemies of the king, but because the traitors are his friends and kindred, will protect or hide them, and take their parts.

_Direct._ V. Keep as far as you can from those temptations which feed and strengthen the sins which you would overcome.--Lay siege to your sins, and starve them out, by keeping away the food and fuel which is their maintenance and life.

_Direct._ VI. Live in the exercise of those graces and duties which are contrary to the sins which you are most in danger of.--For grace and duty are contrary to sin, and killeth it, and cureth us of it, as the fire cureth us of cold, or health of sickness.

_Direct._ VII. Hearken not to weakening unbelief and distrust, and cast not away the comforts of G.o.d, which are your cordials and strength.--It is not a frightful, dejected, despairing frame of mind, that is fittest to resist sin; but it is the encouraging sense of the love of G.o.d, and thankful sense of grace received (with a cautelous fear).

_Direct._ VIII. Be always suspicious of carnal self-love, and watch against it.--For that is the burrow or fortress of sin; and the common patron of it; ready to draw you to it, and ready to justify it. We are very p.r.o.ne to be partial in our own cause; as the case of Judah with Tamar, and David when Nathan reproved him in a parable, show. Our own pa.s.sions, our own pride, our own censures, or backbitings, or injurious dealings, our own neglects of duty, seem small, excusable, if not justifiable things to us; whereas we could easily see the faultiness of all these in another, especially in an enemy: when yet we should be best acquainted with ourselves, and we should most love ourselves, and therefore hate our own sins most.