makes way for a greater, and so do little sins make way for greater. Satan and our own hearts will be modest at first, and therefore they are often in a combination, first to draw us to lesser sins and then to greater, and so from sins less obnoxious to sins more scandalous, till we come to be abominable to God, hateful to others, and a terror to our- selves. Such as live in one sin, God will in justice give over to other sins. The Gentiles gave up themselves to idolatry, Rom. i. 23 ; ' And God gave them ujd to uncleanness,' ver. 24. It is impossible for any man to take one sin into his bosom, and to shut all others out. He that lives but in the allowance of himself in one sin, will find that sin at last to shut the door of heaven against him, and therefore the true penitent turns from sin universally.
[4.] Fourthly, The reasons of turning from sin, are universally binding to a penitent soul} There are the same reasons and grounds for a penitent man's turning from every sin, as there is for his turning from any one sin. I>j you turn from this or that sin, because the Lord has forbid it ? Why, upon the same ground you must turn from every sin, for God has forbid every sin as well as this or that particular sin. There is the same authority forbidding or commanding in all ; and if the authority of God awes a man from one sin, it will awe him from all. There is one and the same Lawgiver in respect of all the command- ments. He that gave one commandment gave also another ; therefore, he that observes one commandment in obedience unto God, whose com- mandment it is, will observe all, because all are his commandments ; and he that slights one commandment is guilty of all, because he doth contemn the authority and will of him that gave them all. Even in those commands which he doth observe, he hath no respect to the will and authority of him that gave them. Therefore, there is no obedience towards God, where there is not an uniform endeavour to please God, as well in one thing as in another. The same God that hath inhibited one smful act, hath inhibited every sinful act ; and, therefore, he that out of conscience and respect to God's will, and word, and authority, turns from any one sin, or abhors any one sin, he will out of conscience of the same -will, and woixl, and authority, turn from every sin, and abhor every sin, because the same God in his word hath alike for- bidden all. 0 sirs ! how is it possible for a man truly to repent of this or that sin, because it is contrary to the law, will, and authority of God, but he must needs repent of whatsoever he knows to be contrary to the law, will, and authority of God ? He that turns from any one sin because it is a transgression ef the holy and righteous law of God,, he will turn from every sin upon the same account. He that turas from any one sin, because it is a dishonour to God, a reproach to Christ, a grief to the Spirit, a wound to religion, &c., will upon the same grounds turn from every sin. He that turns from any one sin, because of the curse, the threatenings, the judgments, the wrath, the hell that hangs, as it were, over the head of that sin, he will turn from every sin, because the curse, the threatenings, the judgments, the wrath, the hell, that hangs over the head of that one sin, hangs over the head of every sin.
' As in a harp, to make the music good and harmonious, it is not enough that all the strings he right tuned except one ; one string that jars will spoil the sweetest music. The application is easy, &c.
422 A CABINET OF JEWELS. [ChAP. III.
By these hints it is most evident, that the reasons of turning from sin are universally binding to a penitent soul ; and therefore he turns not from some sins only, but from every sin. He says not to one, but to all bis idols, ' Get you hence, for what have I any more to do with you ?'
[5.] Fifthly, One sin allowed, tvallovjed and tumbled in, is suficient to deprive a man for ever of the greatest good. Moses came witlnn the sight of Canaan ; but for one sin, viz., not sanctifying God's name at the water of Meribah, he was shut out, Exod. xxii. ; for him to be so near the holy land, and yet so far off from entering into it, was doubtless of all strokes the hardest that ever he felt. In the law, the leper that had the spot of leprosy in any one part of his body was accounted a leper, although all the rest of his body were sound and whole, and ac- cordingly he was to be shut up, and shut out from the society and company of the people of God, Lev. xiii. ; so one sin, one leprous spot, allowed and beloved, will for ever shut a man out from the glorious presence of God., Christ, the Spirit, angels, and the ' spirits of just men made perfect.' One sin wallowed in, will as certainly deprive a man of the blessed vision of God, and of all the treasures, pleasures, and de- lights that be at God's right hand, as a thousand. It was a sore vexation to king Lysimachus, that he should lose his earthly kingdom for one draught of water.' O sirs ! it will be an everlasting vexation to such, who for one lust shall at last lose not an earthly but a heavenly king- dom. One sin stripped the fallen angels of all their glory ; and one sin stripped our first parents of all their dignity and excellency. Gen. iii. 4, 5. Satan, by one loud lie to Adam and Eve, made fruitless all that God had preached to them immediately before. To turn from some sins, but not from all, is gross hypocrisy, Job xx. 1-3. One sin set up in the love and service of it, will keep Christ out of his throne. It speaks sin to be rampant, and Satan to be victorious ; and what can be the issue of these things but ruin and damnation ? Rom. vi. 16. One fly in the box of precious ointment spoils the whole box ; one thief may rob a man of all his treasure ; one disease may deprive a man of all his health ; one strong wind may blow down and blow away all a man's comforts ; and so one sin delighted and wallowed in, will make a man miserable for ever. Though this or that particular sin be very pleasant to the flesh, and delightful to the fancy, yet he is the wisest man, and he is the best man, and the only blessed man in all the world, that keeps furthest from it ; and therefore the true penitent turns not merely from this or that sin, but from every sin.