[4.] Fourthh% That soul that does not, nor through grace assisting, will not alloiv himself, or indulge himself in a course of sin, or in the common practice of any knovjn sin, that soul is certainhj a gracious soul. ' The evil that I do, I allow not,' Rom. vii. 1.5. So Ps. cxix. 1, 3, ' Blessed are the undefiled in the way, that walk in the law of the Lord, they also do no iniquity;' that is, they allow not themselves in the practice of any iniquity. Blessed souls live not in the service of sin, they live not in an ordinary practice of any iniquity : 1 John iii. 9, I Whosoever is born of God, doth not commit sin, for his seed remaineth in him, and he cannot sin, because he is born of God.' He that has the seed of God, the seed of grace and regeneration in him, he cannot allow himself in a way of sin, he cannot give himself over to a voluntary serving of sin, he cannot make a trade of sin. So Prov. xvi. 17, 'The higliway of the upright is to depart from evil ;' that is, it is the ordinary, usual, constant course of an upright man to depart from evil. An honest traveller may step out of the king's highway into a house, a wood, a close, but his work, his business is to go on in the king's high- way. So the business, the work of an upright man is to depart from evil. It is possible for an upright man to step into a sinful path, or to touch upon sinful facts ; but his main way, his principal work and business is to depart from iniquity, as a bee may light upon a thistle, but her work is to be gathering at flowers; or as the sheep may slip into the dirt, but its work is to be grazing on the mountains, or in the meadows. Certainly there is no man in the world so abominable wicked, but that he may now and then, when he is in a good mood, or when he is under distress of conscience, or bleeding under a smarting rod, or beholding the handwriting upon the wall, or under a sentence of death, depart from evil ; but this is not his course, this is not his business, this is not his work, this is not his highway. Thieves do but now and then step into the king's highway to take a purse, they do not keep the king's highway. But now the upright man's highway, his common and ordinary course, is to depart from evil, and therefore he cannot allow himself liberty to walk in an evil way : Titus ii. II, 12, ' For the grace
Chap. II.] a cabinet of jewels. 313
of God, that briDgeth salvation, hath appeared to all men,' (without dis- tinction of nations, sex, age, or condition) ' teaching us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world.' Under the name of ungodliness, he com- priseth all the breaches of the first table ; and under the name of worldly lusts, he compriseth all inordinate desires against the second table ; and those three words, ' soberly, righteously, and godly,' have a threefold reference : the first to ourselves, the second to our neighbour, and the third to God. We must live soberly in respect of ourselves, righteously in respect of our neighbours, and godly in respect of God. And this is the sum of a Christian's whole duty. Now if the grace of God, which bringeth salvation, teaches saints to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts, then certainly saints that are taught by that grace can- not live, nor allow themselves in ungodliness or worldly lusts. \Vitho\it all peradventure, heaven is for that man, and that man is for heaven, that can appeal to heaven that he allows not himself in the practice of any known sin. Thus David did : ' Search me, 0 Lord,' says he, ' and know' my heart ; try me, and know my thoughts ; and see if there be any wicked way in me,' Ps. cxxxix. 21. It is a most sure sign, that sin hath not gained a man's heart nor consent, but committed a rape upon his soul, when he allows not himself in it, but cries out bitterly to God asrainst it, as Paul did, Rom. vii. If the ravished virsfin under the law cried out, she was guiltless, Deut. xxii. 2.5-27. Certainly such as cry out of their sins, and that would not for all the world allow themselves in a way of sin, such are guiltless before the Lord. That which a Christian does not allow himself in, that he does not do in divine account, &c.
But 'now the whole trade, the whole life of formal and carnal Chris- tians, is nothing else but one continued web of wickedness ; there is no wicked unregenerate person in the world, but lives in the daily practice of some known sin or other ; but allows himself in some trade or way of wickedness or other, as you may evidently see by comparing of these following scriptures together. Pro v. i. 20-33 ; Jer. v. 3, xliv. 16-19, ix. 3-6, vii. 8-16 ; Ps. 1. 16, 17; Isa. Ixvi. 3 ; Mat. vii. 23 ; Rom. vi. 12, 13, 19, viii. 5 ; Luke xiii. 27 ; Ephes. ii. 2, 3; Phihp. iv. 19 ; Titus iii. 3 ; 2 Peter ii. 14. Sin is a sinner's absolute work, it is his main work, and the sinner is besides himself, besides his calling, as it w^ere, when he is besides his sin.
[5.] Fifthly, He that conflicts most with heart-sins, and is onost affected ivith spiritual sins, and that laments and mourns most over secret sins, invisible sins, sins that lie most hid and remote from the eyes of the world, he is certainly a gracious soul} Grace in truth, and grace in power, will rise and conflict, and make head against the most inward and secret vanities of the soul, as against secret self-love, and secret hardness of heart, Isa. Ixiii. 1 7 ; and secret unbelief, Mark ix. 24 ; and secret carnal confidence, and secret hypocrisy, and secret envy, and secret malice, and secret vain-glory, and secret fretting and murmuring, and secret lustings, and secret runnings-out of the soul after the meat that perisheth, and secret pride. Hence Hezekiah humbles himself for the pride of his heart ; and so David, he humbles him- ' Ps. xix. 12 ; cxix. 113, ' I hate vain thoughts;' Ps. xxx. 6, 7 ; Isa. Ixiv. ?.
8 14 A CABINET OF JEWELS. [ChAP. II.