law, being copulative ; or, 2. With the same disposition of heart, that he willingly, wilfully, habitually breaks one, with the same disposi- tion of heart he is ready pressed to break all. The apostle's meaning in that James ii. 10, is certainly this, viz., that suppose a man should keep the whole law for substance, except in some one particular, yet fey allowing of himself in this particular, thereby he manifests that he kept no precept of the law in obedience and conscience unto God ; for if he did, then he would be careful to keep every precept. Thus much the words following import, and hereby he manifests that he is guilty of all. Some others conceive that therefore such a one may be said to be guilty of all, because by allowing of himself in any ope sin, thereby he lies under that curse which is threatened against the transgi*essors of the law, Deut. xxvii. 26.
Eighthly, ' Every Christian should carry in his heart,' saith an- other, ' a constant and resolute purpose not to sin in anything ; for faith and the purpose of sinning can never stand together.' This must be understood of a habitual, not actual; of a constant, not transient purpose. But,
Ninthly, ' One flaw in a diamond/ saith another, * takes away the lustre and the price.' One puddle, if we wallow in it, will defile us. One man, in law, may keep possession. One piece of ward-land makes the heir liable to the king. So one sin lived in, and allowed, may make a man miserable for ever. But,
Tenthly, One turn may bring a man quite out of the way. One act of treason makes a traitor. Gideon had seventy sons, but one bastard, and yet that one bastard destroyed all the rest, Judg. viii. 31. ' One sin,' as well as one sinner, ' lived in and allowed, may destroy much good,' saith another.
Eleventhly, ' He that favoureth one sin, though he forego many, does but as Benhadad, recover of one disease and die of another ; yea, he doth but take pains to go to hell,' saith another.
Twelfthly, ' Satan, by one lie to our first parents, made fruitless what God himself had preached to them immediately before,' saith another.
Thirteenthly , A man may, by one short act of sin, bring a long curse upon himself and his posterity, as Ham did when he saw his father Noah drunk : Gen. ix, 24, 25, ' And Noah awoke from his wine, and knew what his younger son had done unto him, and he said. Cursed is Canaan, a servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren.' Canaan was Ham's son. Noah, as God's mouth, pro- phesied a curse upon the son for his father's sin. Here Ham is cursed in his son Canaan, and the curse entailed not only to Canaan, but to his posterity. Noah prophesies a long series and chain of curses upon Canaan and his children. He makes the curse hereditary to the name and nation of the Canaanites : ' A servant of servants shall he be unto his brethren,' that is, the vilest and basest servant ; for the Hebrews express the superlative degree by such a duplication as ' vanity of vanities ;' that is, most vain : ' a song of songs ;' that is, a most excellent song. So here, ' a servant of servants ;' that is, the vilest, the basest servant. Ah, heavy and prodigious curse, upon the account of one sin ! But,
3d SERIOUS AND WEIGHTY QUESTIONS
Fourteenthly, Satan can be content that men should yield to God in many things, provided that they will be but true to him in some one thing ; for he knows very well, that as one dram of poison may poison a man, and one stab at the heart may kill a man ; so one sin unrepented of, one sin allowed, retained, cherished, and practised, will certainly damn a man. But,
Fifteenthly^ Though all the parts of a man's body be sound, save only one, that one diseased and ulcerous part may be deadly to thee ; for all the sound members cannot preserve thy life, but that one diseased and ulcerous member will hasten thy death ; so one sin allowed, indulged, and lived in, will prove killing and damning to thee.
Sixteentlily , 'Observe,' saith another, 'that an unmortified sin allowed and wilfully retained will eat out all appearance of virtue and piety. Herod's high esteem of John and his ministry, and his reverencing of him and observing of him, and his forward performance of many good things, are all given over and laid aside at the instance and command of his master-sin, his reigning sin. John's head must go for it, if he won't let Herod enjoy his Herodias quietly.' But,
Seventeenthly, Some will leave all their sins but one ; Jacob would let all his sons go but Benjamin. Satan can hold a man fast enough by one sin that he allows and lives in, as the fowler can hold the bird fast enough by one wing or by one claw.
Eighteenthly, Holy Polycarp, in the time of the fourth persecution, when he was commanded but to swear one oath, he made this answer : " Four-score and six years have I endeavoured to do God service, and all this while he never hurt me ; how then can I speak evil of so good a Lord and Master who hath thus long preserved me ! I am a Chris- tian, and cannot swear ; let heathens and infidels swear if they will, I cannot do it, were it to the saving of my life.'
Ninteenthly, A wilKng and a wilful keeping up, either in heart or life, any known transgression against the Lord, is a breach of the holy law of God ; it is a fighting against the honour and glory of God, and is a reproach to the eye of God, the omnipresence of God.
Tiventietlily, The keeping up of any known transgression against the Lord may endanger the souls of others, and may be found a fight- ing against all the cries, prayers, tears, promises, vows, and covenants that thou hast made to God, when thou hast been upon a sick-bed, or in eminent dangers, or near death ; or else when thou hast been in solemn seeking of the Lord, either alone or with others. These things should be frequently and seriously thought of by such poor fools as are entangled by any lust.
Twenty -firstly, The keeping up of any known transgression against the Lord, either in heart or life, is a high tempting of Satan to tempt the soul ; it will also greatly unfit the soul for all sorts of duties and services that he either owes to God, to himself, or others; it will also put a sting into all a man's troubles, afilictions, and distresses ; it will also lay a foundation for despair ; and it will make death, which is the kmg of terrors, and the terror of kmgs, to be very terrible to the soul.
Twenty-secondly, The keeping up of any known transgression against
CLEARLY AND SATISFACTORILY ANSWERED. 39
the Lord, either in heart or life, will fight against all those patterns and examples in Holy Writ, that in duty and honour we are bound to imitate and follow. Pray, where do you find in any of the blessed Scriptures, that any of the patriarchs, prophets, apostles, or saints are ever charged with a willing or a wilful keeping up, either in their hearts or lives, any known transgression against the Lord ?