than Day very self.' 10. Austin saith he would willingly go through hell to Christ. 11. Another saith, ' He had rather be in his chimney- corner with Christ than in heaven without him.' 12. Another cries out, ' I had rather have one Christ than a thousand worlds ;' by all which it is most evident that Jesus Christ is the saint's best beloved, and not this or that sin.
Now by these thirteen arguments it is most clear that no gracious Christian does or can indulge himself in any trade, course, or way of sin.
Yea, by these thirteen arguments it is most evident that no godly man has, or can have, any one beloved sin, any one bosom, darling sin, though many worthy ministers, both in their preaching and writings, make a great noise about the saints' beloved sins, about their bosom, darling sins. I readily grant that all unregenerate persons have their beloved sins, their bosom sins, their darling sins ; but that no such sins are chargeable upon the regenerate is sufficiently demonstrated by the thirteen arguments last cited ; and oh that this were wisely and seriously considered of, both by ministers and Christians ! There is no known sin that a godly man is not troubled at, and that he would not be rid of. There is as much difference between sin in a regenerate person and in an unregenerate person, as there is between poison in a man and poison in a serpent. Poison in a man's body is most offensive and burdensome, and he readily uses all arts and anti- dotes to expel it and get rid ; but poison in a serpent, is in its natm-al place, and is most pleasing and delightful: so sin in a regenerate man is most offensive and burdensome, and he readily uses all holy means and antidotes to expel it and to get rid of it. But sin in an unre- generate man is most pleasing and delightful, it being in its natural place. A godly man still enters his protest against sin. A gracious soul, while he commits sin, hates the sin he commits.
0 sirs ! there is a vast difference between a special and a beloved sin, a darling sin, a bosom sin. Noah had a sin, and Lot had a sin, and Jacob had a sin, and Job had a sin, and David had a sin, which was his special sin ; but neither of these had any sin which was their beloved sin, their bosom sin, their darling sin. That passage in Job xxxi. 33 is observable, ' If I covered my transgression as Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom.' Mark, in this text, while Job calleth some sin or other his iniquity, he denieth that he had any beloved sin ; for saith he, ' Did I hide it in my bosom ? did I shew it any favour ? did I cherish it or nourish it, or keep it warm in my bosom? Oh, no; I did not.' A godly man may have many sins, yet he hath not one beloved sin, one bosom sin, one darling sin ; he may have some particular sin, to which the unregenerate part of his will may strongly incline, and to which his unmortified affections may run out with violence to ; yet he hath no sin he bears any good-wiii to, or doth really or cordially affect. Mark, that may be called a man's particular way of sinning, which yet we cannot, we may not call his beloved sin, his bosom sin, his darling sin ; for it may be his greatest grief and torment, and may cost him more sorrow and tears than all the rest of his sins ; it may be a tyrant usurping power over
24 SERIOUS AND WEIGHTY QUESTIONS
him, when it is not the delight and pleasure_ of his soul. A godly man may be more prone to fall into some one sin rather than another ; it may be passion, or pride, or slavish fear, or worldlineps, or hypocrisy, or this, or that, or t'other vanity ; yet are not these his beloved sins, his bosom sins, his darling sins ; for these are the enemies he hates and abhors ; these are the grand enemies that he prays against, and complains of, and mourns over ; these are the potent rebels that his soul cries out most against, and by which his soul suffers the greatest violence. Mark, no sm, but Christ, is the dearly beloved of a Chris- tian's soul ; Christ, and not this sin or that, is ' the chiefest of ten thousand ' to a gracious soul ; and yet some particular corruption or other may more frequently worst a believer and lead him captive; but then the believer cries out most against that particular sin. Oh, saith he, this is mine iniquity ; this is the Saul, the Pharaoh that is always a-pursuing after the blood of my soul. Lord ! let this Saul fall by the sword of thy Spirit ; let this Pharaoh be drowned in the Ked Sea of thy son's blood. 0 sirs, it is a point of very great importance for gracious souls to understand the vast difference that there is be- tween a beloved sin and this or that particular sin, violently tyran- nising over them ; for this is most certain, whosoever giveth up himself freely, willingly, cheerfully, habitually, to the service of any one par- ticular lust or sin, he is in the state of nature, imder wrath, and in the way to eternal ruin.
Now a little to shew the vanity, folly, and falsehood of that opinion that is received and commonly avowed by ministers and Christians — viz., that every godly person hath his beloved sin, his bosom sin, his darling sin — seriously and frequently consider with me of these follow- ing particulars : —
[1.] First, That this opinion is not bottomed or founded upon any clear scripture or scriptures, either in the Old or Neio Testament. \ [2,] Secondly, This opinion that is now under consideration runs counter-cross to all those thirteen arguments but now alleged, and to all those scores of plain scriptures by which those arguments are confirmed,
[3.] Thirdly, This opinion that is now under consideration has a great tendency to harden and strengthen wicked men in their sins ; for when they shall hear and read that the saints, the dearly beloved of God, have their beloved sins, their bosom sins, their darling sins, what inferences will they not be ready to make ! What are these they call saints ? wherein are they better than us ? Have we our beloved sins ? so have they. Have we our bosom sins ? so have they. Have we our darling sins ? so have they. They have their beloved sins, and yet are beloved of God ; and why not we — why not we ? Saints have their beloved sins, and yet God is kind to them ; and why then not to us, why not to us also ? Saints have their beloved sins, and yet God will save them ; and why then should we believe that God will damn us ? Saints have their beloved sins, their bosom sins, their darling sins, and therefore certainly they are not to be so dearly loved, and highly prized, and greatly honoured as ministers would make us believe. Saints have their beloved sins, their bosom sins,
CLEARLY AND SATISFACTORILY ANSWERED. 25