Ohs. 3. What is conceived in the heart is usually brought forth in the life and conversation. ' Lust, when it hath conceived, bringeth forth sin.' That is the reason why the apostle Peter directeth a Christian to spend the first care about the heart: 1 Peter ii. 11, 12, ' Abstain from fleshly lusts/ and then ' have your conversations honest.' As long as there is lust in the heart, there will be no cleanness in the conversation ; as worms in wood will at length cause the rottenness to appear. How soon do lusts bewray themselves ! Pride runneth into the eyes, therefore we read of ' haughty eyes,' Prov. vi. 17, or into the feet, causing a strutting gait or gesture. A wanton mind peepeth out through wanton eyes and a gazing look. A garish, frothy spirit bewrayeth itself in the vanity of ai)parel, and a filthy heart in the rottenness of communication ; the eyes, the fecit, the tongue, the life do easily bewray what is seated in the heart. Momus, in the fable, quarrelled with God for not making a window at every man's breast, that others might see what was in it. There needeth no such dis- covery. Time showeth what births there are in the womb ; so will the life what lusts are conceived and fostered in the heart, for lust delighteth to bring forth. Well, then : —
1. Learn that hyi)Ocrites cannot always be hidden, disginses will fall off. Men flatter themselves in their hidden sins, but they will be ' found hateful,' Ps. xxxvi. 2 ; that is, scandalous and inconvenient. God hath peremptorily determined that ' their wickedness shall be showed before the congregation,' Prov. xxvi. 2G. Some misbehaviour
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will brings it to light; art aiid fiction is not durable. The ajjostle saitb, 1 Tim. v. 25, ' They that arc otherwise cannot be hidden ; ' that is, otherwise than good.
2. Learn the danger of neglecting lusts and thoughts. If these be Dot suppressed, they Avill ripen into sins and acts of filthiness. While we are negligent and our care is intermitted, the business of sin thriveth and goeth on. Allowed thoughts bring the mind and the temptation together. David mused on Batlisheba's beauty, and so was all on fire. It is ill dallying with thoughts.
3. Learn what a mercy it is to be hindered of our evil intentions, that sinful conceptions arc still-born, and when we wanted no lust we should want ' an occasion. Mere restraints are a blessing. We are not so evil as otherwise we would be. Lust would bring forth. God would have Abimelech to acknowledge mercy in a restraint : Gen. xx. 6, ' I withheld thee from sinning against her.' David blessed God that the rash executions of his rage were prevented : ' Blessed be the God of Israel, which sent thee to meet me this day,' 1 Sam. xxv. 32. God smote Paul from his horse, and so took him off from persecution, when his heart boiled with rancour and malice against the saints, Acts ix. Oh ! take notice of such instances when your way of sin hath been hedged up by providence, Hosea ii. 6 ; and though lusts be not checked, yet the execution is disappointed : you were mad, and should have gone on furiously, but that God ' fenced up your way with thorns.'
Ohs. 4. That the result and last effect of sin is death ; so the apostle Paul, Kom. vi. 21, 'The end of these things is death.' It cometli with a pleasing and delightful sweetness, promising nothing but satis- faction and contentment, but the end is death. So Ezek. xviii. 4, ' The soul that sinneth it shall die.' It is an express law that brooketh only the exception of free grace ; it shall die temporally, die eternally. This is a principle impressed upon nature ; the very heathens were sensible of it : Eom. i. 32, ' Knowing that they which commit such things are worthy of death.' Mark, the apostle saith the heathens knew it. Conscience, being sensible of the wrong done to the godhead, could fear nothing less from angry justice. Draco, the rigid law- giver, being asked why, when sins were equal,l he appointed death to all ? answered, He knew that sins were not all equal, but he knew the least deserved death. This was that that made the heathens at such a loss for a satisfaction to divine justice, because they could find none sufficient to redeem their guilty souls from the dread of death ; and therefore the first effect of the blood of Christ upon the conscience is ' purging from dead works,' Heb. ix. 14 ; that is, from that sentence of death which the conscience receiveth by reason of our works. The Papists on this point, worse than the heathen, hold some sins venial in their own nature. It is true, it is said, 1 John v. 17, ' There is a sin not unto death ; ' but that place speaketh of the event, not the merit ; words, evil thoughts, the least sins, deserve death. Do not think God will be 2 so extreme. If you have no better plea, that will be a sorry refuge in the day of wrath. David a ]\Iauden,3 a learned Papist, saith, Those sins are only to be counted mortal — (1.) Which are said to be