bo.som sin, then engage all thy 'power and might against thy bosom sin, draw up thy spiritual forces, and engage them wholly against the sin that doth so easily beset thee. As the king of Syria said to his captains, * Fight neither with small nor great, save only with the king of Israel,' 2 Chron. xviii. 30 ; so say I, your wisdom and your work, O doubting souls, liethnot in skirmishing with this or that sin, but in com- ing up to a close sharp fight with the king of Israel, with that darling sin that hath a kingly interest in you, and a kingly power over you.
Constantine the Great his symbol w^as, Immedicabile vulniis ense rescindendum est, when there is no hope of curing, men must fall a-cutting. Believe it, souls, you must fall n-cutting your bosom sins in pieces by the sword of the Spirit, as Samuel cut Agag in pieces in Gilgal before the Lord, or else you will never obtain a perfect cure, 1 Sam. XV. 33. Slight skirmishes will not do it ; you must pursue your bosom sins to the death, or they will be the death of your souls.
The second means to bring under a bosom sin, is, to labour to he most eTTiinent a7id excellent in that particular grace that is most opposite to a Tnan's bosom sin.^ As it is a Christian's glory to be eminent in every grace, so it is a Christian's special duty to excel in that particular grace that is most contrary to his darling sins. Is it pride, is it the world, is it hypocrisy, &c., that is thy bosom sin, that is the chief favourite in thy soul ? Oh then, labour above all to be clothed with humility, to abound in heavenly-mindedness, to transcend in sincerity, &c., I know no surer, no choicer, no sweeter way, effectually to crucify a bosom sin, than this. He that comes up to this counsel, will not be long held in golden fetters, it will not be long before such a soul cries out. Victory, victory!
The third means to help us to trample upon bosom sins, is, to look upon bosom sins now, as they will appear to us at last ; to look upon them in the time of health, as they will appear to us in times of sick- ness ; to look upon them in the time of our life, as they will appear to us in the day of our death. Ah ! souls, of all unpardoned sins, your bosom sins will be presented by God, conscience, and Satan at last, as the most filthy and ugly, as the most terrible and dreadful. Your bosom sins at last will appear to be those monsters, those fiends of hell that have most provoked God against you, that have shut up Christ's bowels of love and compassion from you, that have armed conscience against you, that have barred the gates of glory against you, that have prepared the hottest place in hell for you, and that have given Satan the greatest advantage eternally to triumph over you.'^ Ah ! souls, at last your bosom sins will more press and oppress you, more sad and sink you, more terrify and amaze you, than all your other transgressions. Those sins that seem most sweet in life, will prove most bitter in death. Job XX. 1 1-29. Those pleasant morsels will prove thy greatest hell, when there is but a short step between thy soul and eternity. Ah ! Christians, never look upon bosom sins, but with that eye which within a few hours you must behold them ; and this, you will find by expe- rience, will be a singular means to bring under your bosom sins.
' As when one bucket of a well goes up, the other goes down ; as when one of the two laurels in Rome flourishes, the other withers ; so when grace gets up, sin goes down ; when grace flourishes, sin withers.
' Many there be that have found these things hj woful experience. Woe, woe, to that soul that shall put it to the trial.
Rom. VIII. 32-34.] heaven on earth. 397
The fourth imeans to subdue bosom sins is, to apply yourselves to extraordinary means, as fasting and prayer, &c. Ordinary physic will not remove extraordinary distempers, nor ordinary duties will not remove bosom sins, who, by long and familiar acquaintance with the soul, are exceedingly strengthened and advantaged. You read of some devils in the Gospel that could not be cast out but by prayer and fast- ing, Mat. xvii. 14-22. So bosom sins are those white devils that will not, that cannot be cast out but by fervent and constant prayer, joined with fasting and humiliation. Souls that are serious and conscientious in observing of this rule will find such a divine power to attend their en- deavours as will give them to ' lead captivity captive,' Eph, iv. 8, and to triumph over those white devils within, as Christ triumphed over prin- cipalities and powers upon the cross. Col. ii. 14, 15.
The fifth mean^. As you would have victory over bosom sins, keep off from all those occasions that tend to lead thee to the gratifying of them. He that shuns not the occasions of sin, tempts two at once, Satan and his own heart ; he tempts Satan to tempt him to taste of forbidden fruit, and he tempts his own heart to feed upon forbidden fruit. ' Abstain from all appearance of evil,' 1 Thes, v. 22 ; ' hate the garment spotted by the flesh,' Jude 23. Whatever can-ies with it an ill show or shadow, favour or suspicion, that abstain from, that you may neither wound God nor the gospel, your own consciences nor others. If there be any fuel to feed thy bosom sin in thy house, remove it ; or be- fore thine eye, remove it ; or in thy hand, remove it, put it far away. Thy soul cannot be safe, it cannot be secure, so long as the occasions of sin are thy companions. Wouldst thou have a clear evidence of the truth of thy grace, then shun the occasions of sin; wouldst thou imitate the choicest saints, then shun the occasions of sin; wouldst thou stand in shaking times, then keep off from the occasions of sin ; wouldst thou keep always peace with God, and peace with conscience, then keep off from the occasions of sin ; wouldst thou frustrate Satan's greatest de- signs, and countermine him in his deepest plots, then keep off from the occasions of sin ; wouldst thou keep thy bones from breaking, and thy heart from bleeding, then keep off from the occasions of sin ; wouldst thou keep down fears and doubts, and keep up faith and hope, then keep off from the occasions of sin ; wouldst thou have assurance in life, and joy and peace in death, then keep off from the occasions of sin. Do this, and you do all ; if you do not this, you do nothing at all.^
And thus I have done with the impediments that hinder souls from assurance, as also with the moans to remove those impediments.
Containing several rnotives to provoke Christians to he restless till they have obtained a well-grounded assurance of their eternal happiness and blessedness.
*(1.) The first motive. Now, the first motive that I shall lay down to ^ Gen. zxsiz. 10 ; Job xzxi. 1 ; Ps. xxvi. 4-6.
S98 HEAVEN ON EARTH. [ROM. VIII. 32-34.