[2.] Secondly, A holy heart knows that Httle sins have exposed both sinners and saints to very great punishments. A gracious soul re- members the man that was stoned to death for gathering of sticks on the Sabbath-day. He remembers how Saul lost two kingdoms at once, his own kingdom and the kingdom of heaven, for sparing of Agag and the fat of the cattle. He remembers how the unprofitable servant, for the non-improvement of his talent, was cast into outer darkness. He remembers how Ananias and Sapphira were stricken suddenly dead for telling a lie. He remembers how Lot's wife, for a look of curiosity, was turned into a pillar of salt. He remembers how Adam was cast out of paradise for eating an apple ; and the angels cast out of heaven for not keeping their standings. He remembers that Jacob smarted for his lying to his dying day. He remembers how God followed him with sorrow upon sorrow, and breach upon breach, filling up his days with grief and trouble. He remembers how Moses was shut out of the Holy Land, because he spoke unadvisedly with his lips.2 He remembers the young prophet who was slain by a lion for eating a little bread and drinking a little water, contrary to the command of God, though he was drawn thereunto by an old pro- phet, under a pretence of a revelation from heaven, 1 Kings xiii. He re- members how Zacharias was stricken both dumb and deaf, because he believed not the report of the angel Gabriel, Luke i. 19-62. He re- members how Uzzah was stricken dead for staying up the ark when it was in danger to have fallen. Yea, he can never forget the fifty thousand men of Beth-shemesh who were slain for looking into the ark, 2 Sam. vi. 7, 8 ; 1 Sam. vi. 19-21. Now, ah, how doth the remembrance of these things stir up the hatred and indignation of a gracious soul against the least sins ! A drachm of poison diffuseth itself to all parts, tUl it strangle the vital spirits, and separates the soul from the body ; a little coal of fire hath turned many a stately fabric into ashes ; a little prick with a thorn may as well lall a man as a cut with a drawn sword ; a little fly may spoil all the alabaster box of ointment. General Norris having received a slight wound in his arm in the wars of Ireland, made light of it, but his arm gangrened, and so he lost both arm and life together. Fabius, a senator of Kome, and lord chief-justice besides, was strangled by swallowing a small hair in a draught of milk. Three fits of an ague carried away Tamerlane, who was the terror of his time. Anacreon, the poet, was choked with the kernel of a grape. An emperor died hj the scratch of a comb. One of the kings of France died miserably by the chock ^ of a hog; and his brother, with a blow of a ball at tennis, was struck into his grave. And thus you see little things have brought upon many great miseries. And so little sins may expose and make persons very liable
^ The preceding and succeeding paragraphs on * little sins ' combine recollections of Spencer's * Things New and Old '—the famous folio— and of Herbert Palmer's ' Chris-
« Num. XV. 30, 37, 38 ; 1 Sam. xv. 23 ; Mat. xxv. 25, 31 ; Acts v. 3, 4 ; Gen. xix. 26 and iii. and xxvii, * ' Part of the neck,' usually applied to ' veal.' — 0. VOL. IV. H
114 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, RAKITY, [HeB. XII. 14.
to great punishments : and therefore no wonder if the heart of a holy man rises against them. Those sins which are seemingly but small, are very provoking to the great God, and very hurtful to the immortal Boul : and therefore they cannot but be the object of a Christian's hatred.
[3.] Thirdly, A holy heart knows that a holy God looks and expects that the least sins should he shunned and avoided. He looks that the cockatrice should be crushed in the egg. God looks that Babylon's little ones should be dashed against the stones, Ps. cxxxvii. 9. Not only great sins, but little ones, must be killed, or they will kill the soul. The viper is killed by the little ones that she nourishes in her own bowels ; so many a man is eternally slain by the little sins that he nourishes in his own bosom. As a little stab at the heart kills a man, so a little sin, without a great deal of mercy, will damn a man. God expects that his children should ' abstain from all appearance of evil,' 1 Thes. v. 22.1 ^g thou wouldst neither wound thy conscience nor thy credit, God nor the gospel, thou must keep off from the very appearances of evil A Christian is to hate not only the flesh, but the garment ; and not only the garment which is besmeared, but the very garment that is but bespotted with the flesh, Jude 23. Our first parents were not only forbidden to eat of the forbidden fruit, but they were forbidden to touch it, Gen. iii, 3. And certainly he that would not gape after forbidden fruit, must not gaze upon forbidden fruit ; he that would not long after it, must not look upon it ; he that would not taste it, must not touch it. The pious Nazarite was not only com- manded to abstain from wine and strong drink, but also from eating grapes, whether moist or dry; yea, he was prohibited from eating anjrthing that was made of the vine-tree, from the kernels even to the husk. Num. vi. 3, 4, lest by the sweet and contentment of any of these, he should be tempted or enticed to drink wine, and so forget the law, and break his vow, and make work for hell or repentance, or the Phy- sician of souls, Prov. xxxi. 5. Siu is so hateful a thing, that both the remote occasion, and the least occasion that might draw the soul to it, is to be avoided and shunned, as a man would avoid and shun hell itself. 2 He that truly hates the nature of sin, cannot but hate the least sin, yea, all appearances of sin. A holy heart knows that the very thought of sin, if not^ thought on, will break forth into action, action into cus- tom, custom into habit, and then body and soul are undone for ever. Look, as nothing speaks out more sincerity and real sanctity, than shunning the very appearances of vanity ; so nothing speaks out more indignation against sin, than the avoiding the occasions of sin. But,
[4.] Fourthly, A holy heart knows that the indulging of the least sin is ground sufficient for any man to question his integrity and in- genuity towards God. He hath much reason to suspect himself, and to be suspected by others, who dares break with God, and with his own conscience, for a trifle. He that will transgress for a morsel of bread, will be ready enough to sell his soul for a groat, Prov. xxviii. 21. He that will pervert justice for a few pieces of silver, what will he not
^ Bernard glosseth Quicquid est male coloratum : Whatsoever is of an ill show, or ill report.
* Difficile ijuis venenum bibet et vivet : A man can hardly drink poison and live. — Cyprian. 3 Qu. < but ' ?— Ed
HeB. XII. 14.] AND BEAUTY OF HOLINESS. 115