(3.) Sin is injurious to God, as it is an act of high ingratitude. God feeds a sin- ner, screens off many evils from him ; yet he not only forgets God's mercies, but abu- seth them; IIos. ii. 8., " I gave her corn, and wine, and oil, and multiplied her silver, which they prepared for Baal." God may say, I gave thee wit, health, and riches, which thou hast employed against me. A sinner makes an arrow of God's mercies, and shoots at him, 2 Sam. xvi. 17., " Is this thy kindness to thy friend ?" Did God give thee life to sin ? Did he give thee wa- ges to serve the devil ? O what an ungrate- ful thing is sin ! Ingratitude forfeits niercv, as the merchant forfeits his goods by not paying custom.
3. Sin is g\\\ in its nature, as it is a fool- ish thing, Luke xii. 20., " Thou fool, this night thy soul shall be required of thee !" Is it not foorish to prefer a short lease be- fore an inheritance ? A sinner prefers the plejisures of sin for a season before those pleasures which are at God's right-hand for evermore. Is it not folly to gratify an en- emy ? Sin gratifies Satan. Morldlium irro- res cpuhe sunt damomnn, men's sins feast the devil. Is it not folly for a man to bo felo fie se, guilty of his own destruction, to give himself poison ? A sinner hath an hand in his own death, Prov. i. 18., " Tliey lay wait for their own lilood ;" no creature did ever willingly kill itself but man.
4. Sin is a polluting thing. Sin is not only a defection, but a pollution ; it is as rust to gold, — as a stain to beauty ; it is
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c'lUcd " filtliiiiess of tlie flesh and s])irit," 2 Cow vii. 1. It makes tlie soul rod with puilt and hhick with filth. Qitantn fceditas vithsfc mentis! Cicero. This filth of sin is inward ; a spot in the face may easily be wiped off, but to have the liver and lunj^s tainted is far worse ; sin hatli cfot into the conscience, Tit. i. 15. Sin defiles all the faculties, tlie mind, memory, affections, as if the whole mass of blood were corrupted ; sin pollutes and fly-blows our holy thinjrs ; the leper, in the law, if he had touched the altar, the altar had not cleansed him, but he had polluted the altar; an emblem of sin's leprosy spotting our holy things.
.5. Sin is a debasing thing, it degrades us of our honour, Dan. xi. 21. In those days " shall stand up a vile person." This was spoken of Antiochus Epiphanes, who was a king, and his name signifies illustri- ous ; but sin had made him vile. Sin blots a man's name; nothing so turns a man's glory into shame as sin doth ; sin makes one like a beast, Ps. xlix. 20. It is worse to be like a beast, than to be a beast; it is no shame to be a beast, but it is a shame for a man to be like a beast. Lust makes a man brutish, and wrath makes him devi- lish.
6. Sin is an enslaving thing. A sinner is a slave when he sins most freely. Gra- ve servitntis jugum! Cicero. Sin makes men the devil's servants ; Satan bids them sin, and they do it ; he bid Judas betray Christ, and he did it ; he bid Ananias tell a lie, and he did it. Acts v. 3. When a man commits a sin, he is the devil's lackey and runs on his errand ; they who serve Satan have such a bad master, that they will be afraid to receive their wages.
7. Sin is an misavoury thing, Ps. xiv. 3., *' Tliey are altogether become filthy ;" in the Hebrew, they are become stinking. Sin is very noisome to God ; that person who shall worship in God's house, yet live in the sin of uiicleanness, let liim be perfumed with all the spices of Arabia, his prayers are unsavoury, Isa. i. 13., " Incense is an abomination to me ;" therefore God is sjiid to behold the proud afar off, Ps. cxxx\'iii. 6. He will not come near the dunghill-sinner, that hath such noisome vapours coming from him.
8. Sin is a painful thing, it costs men much labour and pains to accomplish their wicked designs, Jer. ix. 5., " They weary themselves to commit iniquity." Peccatnm est sui ipsius pceiut. \Vliat pains did Judas take to bring about his treason ! lie goes to the high priest, and then after to the band of soldiers, and then back again to the garden. Wliat pains did the powder- traitors take in digging through a thick stone-wall ! What pains in laying their bar- rels of powder, and then covering them with crows of iron ! How did they tire out themselves in sin's drudgery! Chrysostom saith, virtue is easier than vice ; it is easier to be sober than intemperate ; it is easier to serve God than to follow sin. A wicked man sweats at the devil's plough, and is at great pains to damn himself.