Twenty-seventhly , As the philosopher saith, a cup or some such thing that hath a hole in it is no cup ; it will hold nothing, and therefore cannot perform the use of a cup, though it have but one hole in it. So if the heart have but one hole in it, if it retain the devil but in one thing, if it make choice but of any one sin to lie and wallow in, and tumble in, it doth evacuate all the other good, by the entertain- ment of that one sin. The whole box of ointment will be spoiled by the dropping of that one fly into it. By the laws of our kingdom, a man can never have a true possession till he have voided all. And in the state of grace, no man can have a full interest in Christ till all sin, that is, all reigning, domineering sin be rooted out.
Thus you see the concurrent judgments of our most famous divines, against men's allowing, indulging, or retaining any one known sin against their light and consciences ; but that these sayings of theirs may lie in more weight and power upon every poor soul that is entangled with any base lusts, be pleased seriously and frequently to consider of these following particulars : —
[1.] First, It is to no purpose for a man to turn from some sins, if he does not turn from all his sins, James i. 26. ' If any man among you seem to be religious, and bridle not his tongne, but deceiveth his own heart, this man's religion is in vain.' This, at first sight, may seem to be a hard saying, that for one fault, for one fault in the tongue, all a man's religion should be counted vain ; and yet this, you see, the Holy Ghost does peremptorily conclude. Let a man make never so glori- ous a profession of religion, yet, if he gives himself liberty to live in the practice of any known sin, yea, though it be but in a sin of the tongue, his religion is in vain, and that one sin will separate him from God for ever. If a wife be never so officious i to her husband in many things, yet if she entertains any other lover into his bed besides him- self, it will for ever alienate his affections from her, and make an everlasting separation between them. The application is easy. To turn from one sin to another is but to be tossed from one hand of the devil to another, it is but, with Benhadad, to recover of one disease and die of another ; it is but to take pains to go to hell. If a ship spring three leaks, and only two be stopped, the third will sink the ship ; or if a man have two grievous wounds in his body, and takes order only to cure one, that which is neglected will certainly kill him. It is so here. Herod, Judas, and Saul, with the scribes and Pharisees, have for many hundred years experienced this truth. But,
[2.] Secondly, Partial obedience is indeed no obedience ; it is only universal obedience that is true obedience: Exod. xxiv. 7, 'All that the Lord hath said will we do, and be obedient.' They only are indeed obedient who have a care to do all that is commanded ; for to obey is to do that which is commanded because it is commanded. Though the thing done be commanded, yet if it be not therefore done because it is commanded, it is no obedience. Now if this be the nature of obedience,
' As before : see Glossary. — G.
42 SERIOUS AND WEIGHTY QUESTIONS
tlien where obedience is indeed, it is not partial, but universal ; for lie that doth any one thing that is commanded because it is commanded, he will be careful to do everythmg that is commanded, there being the same reason for all. They that are only for a partial obedience, they do break asunder the bond and reason of all obedience; for all obedience is to be founded upon the authority and will of God, because God, who hath authority over all his creatures, doth will and command us to obey his voice, to walk in his statutes. For this very reason do we stand bound to obey him ; and if we do obey him upon tliis reason, then must we walk in all his statutes, for so hath he commanded us. And if we will not come up to this, but will walk in what statutes of his we please, then do we renounce his will as the obliging reason of our obedience, and do set up our own liking and plea;sure as the reason thereof. God has so connexed the duties of his law one to another, that if there be not a conscientious care to walk according to all that the law requires, a man becomes a transgressor of the whole law ; according to that of St James, chap. ii. 10, ' Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, is guilty of all.' The bond of all is broken, the authority of all is slighted, and that evil disposition, that sinful frame of heart, that works a man to venture upon the breach of one command, would make him venture upon the breach of any command, were it not for some infirmity of nature, or because his purse will not hold out to maintain it, or for shame, or loss, or because of the eyes of friends, or the sword of the magistrate, or for some other sinister respects. He that gives himself liberty to live in the breach of any one command of God, is qualified with a disposition of heart to break them all. Every single sin contains virtually all sin in it. He that allows liimself a liberty to live in the breach of any one particular law of God, he casts contempt and scorn upon the authority that made the whole law, and upon this account breaks it all. And the apostle gives the reason of it in verse 11 ; for he that said, ' Do not commit adultery,' said also, ' Do not kill.' Now, if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law ; not that he is guilty of all distributively, but collectively ; for the law is copulative, there is a chain of duties, and these are all so linked one to another, that you cannot break one link of the chain, but you break the whole chain. No man can live in the breach of any known command of God, but he wrongs every command of God. He hath no real regard to any of the commandments of God, that hath not a regard to all the command- ments of God. There is one and the same lawgiver in respect of all the commandments ; he that gave one command gave also another. Therefore he that observes one commandment in obedience unto God, whose commandment it is, he will observe all, because all are his com- mandments ; and he that slights one commandment is guilty of all, because he doth contemn the authority of him that gave them all. Even in those commandments which he doth observe, he hath no respect to the will and authority of him that gave them ; therefore, as Calvin doth well observe upon James ii. 10, 11, ' That there is no obedience towards God, where there is not a uniform endeavour to please God, as well in one thing as in another.'
[3.] Thirdly, Partial obedience tends to plain atheism ; for by the
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