do for a hatful of gold ? he that will sell the poor for a pair of shoes, will destroy the poor for a brace of angels, ^ Amos ii. 6. He that will sell souls dog-cheap, that will slay the souls that should not die, and save the souls alive that should not live, for handfuls of barley and pieces of bread, will make no bones of making merchandise of souls for silver and gold, Ezek. iii. 19. He that will sell his Saviour once for thirty pieces of silver, will sell him as often as you please for a greater sum, Zech. xi. 12. He that makes no conscience of betraying Christ into the hands of sinners for thirty shillings, will make no con- science of betraying his own soul into the hands of the devil at the price of a halter. He that dares lie to save a little of his estate, what will not he do to save his life ? These things a holy heart well under- stands, and the serious remembrance of them stirs up in him a holy indignation against the least transgression. But,
[5.] Fifthly and lastly. Take many things in one: a holy heart knows that the least sin cost Christ his dearest blood: Heb. ix. 22, ' Without shedding of blood there was no remission ;' no remission of great sins, nor no remission of httle sins. He knows that the blood of Christ is as requisite to cleanse the soul from the least sin, as it is to cleanse it from the greatest : 1 John i. 7, ' And the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all our sins.' It is not the casting of a little holy water upon us ; it is not the Papists' purgatories, nor their whippings, nor St Francis his kissing or licking of our sores, nor a bishop's blessing, nor a few knocks on the breast, nor a few tears dropping from our eyes, that can cleanse us from the least sin. No, it is only the blood of Christ that cleanseth us from all our sins.^ There is not the least spot in a Christian's heart that call be washed out but in the blood of the Lamb. When Satan appeared and pre- sented to a djdng man in a long parchment roll lus idle words, his false words, his angry words, his wanton words, and his more wicked words and deeds ; the dying man answered. All this is true, Satan, but yet there is one thing more for thee to set down under all my sins, and that is this, ' The blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanseth us from all our sins.' Whereupon the devil vanished, as being vanquished.^ Certainly, there is not a vain thought, nor an idle word, nor an angry word, nor a wanton word that can be pardoned or cleansed but by the blood of Jesus Christ ; the remembrance of which cannot but stir up a holy indignation in a gracious soul against the least corruption. When Julius Caesar the emperor was murdered, Antonius brought forth his bloody coat, and shewed it to the people, which stirred up in them such an indignation against the murderers, that they cried out, Slay the murderers : and went and burnt their houses, and aU that was in them.* So when a holy heart looks upon his sins, yea, his little sins, as those that have murdered the Prince of glory, ah, what an in- dignation doth it raise in the soul against them ! A holy heart knOws that there is not the least sin, but doth in a measure estrange the soul from God. As little clouds do somewhat interpose between the
1 'Coin' so-called.— G.
2 About little sins you may see more in my ' Precious Remedies afrainst Satan's De- vices,' pp. 22, 34. [Vol. i. pp. 19-23.— G.] ^ Told of Luther.— G. * Cf. Shakespere's Julius Ceesar, iiL 2. — G.
116 THE NECESSITY, EXCELLENCY, RARITY, [HeB. XII. 14.
sun and us ; so little sins do somewhat interpose between God and our souls : and as sometimes a little matter, a mistake, or lending an ear, or a word out of joint, or an act of forgetfulness, doth occasion some distance between dearest friends, Acts xv. 36-41 ; so sometimes little sins do occasion some distance between our dearest God and our souls, Prov. xvi, 28, and xvii. 9. A holy heart knows that Christ looks upon those sins as great, which the blind world accounts but little. Christ accounts hatred murder, 1 John iii. 15 ; a wanton eye adultery, Mat. v. 28 ; and he reckons the officious lie and the merry lie amongst the most monstrous sins, and condemns it to the lowest hell, Kev. xxi. 8. The consideration of all which raises no small in- dignation in a holy heart against the least, the smallest sin. But now unholy hearts make nothing of little sins : with Achan they will be bond-slaves for a wedge of gold ; with Gehazi they will be servants of unrighteousness for a talent of silver and two changes of garments ; with Adam they wiU transgress for an apple ; and with Esau they will seU their birthright of grace here, and of glory hereafter, for a mess of pottage. The hearts of unholy persons may rise against gross sins, such as are not only against the law of God, but against the light and laws of nature and nations. Their souls may rise in arms against those sins that makes them liable to the laws of men, or that lays them open to shame, fear, grief, or loss ; but as for vain thoughts, idle words, petty oaths, sinful motions, and frequent omissions, they look upon these as trifles, motes and gnats that are not to be regarded or bewailed. But,
(3.) Thirdly, As a holy heart rises against the least sins ; so a holy heart rises against hosom-sins, against constitution-sins, against those that either his calling, former citstom, or his present inclination or condition, do most dispose him to. It is true, a prodigal person may abhor covetousness, and a covetous person may condemn prodigality : a furious person may hate fearfulness, and a fearful person may detest furiousness. But now the hearts of those that are holy rise against complexion sins, against darling sins, against those that make for pre- sent pleasure and profit, against those that were once as right hands and right eyes ; that were that to their souls, that Delilah was to Samson, Herodias to Herod, Isaac to Abraham, and Joseph to Jacob : Ps. xviii. 23, ' I was also upright before him ; and I kept myself from mine iniquity;' that is, from my darling sin, whereunto I was most in- clined and addicted. What this bosom-sin was that he kept himself from, is hard to say. Some suppose his darling sin was lying, dis- sembling ; for it is certain, he often fell into this sin : others suppose it to be some secret iniquity, which was only known to God and his own conscience : others say it was uncleanness, and that therefore he prayed that ' God would turn away his eyes from beholding vanity,' Ps. cxix. 37 : others judge it to be that sin of disloyalty, which Saul and his courtiers falsely charged upon him. It is enough for our purpose that his heart did rise against that very sin, that either by custom or some strong inclination he was most naturally apt, ready, and prone to fall into. Idolatry was the darling sin of the people of Israel;! they ' Jer. xliv. 15, 20 ; Isa. i. 29, and Ivii. 5 ; Jer. xvii. 1, 2 ; Hosea ii. 8 ; Isa. xxxi. 6, 7.