But when may we be said to omit our watchfulness ?
[1.] When we grow bolder with sin, and the temptations and occasions of it, and think we have so good a command of ourselves, and can keep within compass well enough, though we cast ourselves upon tempting objects and occasions unnecessarily, and without a call. Surely these men forget themselves and the danger of sin, as if they had some special amulet against it, which the people of God had not in former times. They know exactly how far they may go in every thing, even to the cleaving of a hair, and will not lose one jot of their
VeR. 14.] SERMONS UPON ROMANS VI. 2i?7
liberty, and seem to make a sport of it, to show how far they can go, and how near the pit, and not fall in. They can allow themselves in all kind of liberty for lascivious songs, wanton plays, and yet look to the main chance well enough ; please themselves with all kinds of froth and folly, yea, sometimes execrable filth, yet never any kind of infec- tion cometh near their hearts. Alas ! poor deluded creatures ! they that do all that they may will soon do more than they should ; and those that come as near a sin as possibly they can without falling into it, cannot be long safe ; yea, and they are infected already, that have so little sense of the strength of sin and their own weakness. I con- fess some are more liable to temptations than others, but yet all need watchfulness for their preservation ; for sin is not extirpated and rooted out of any. And again, when I am in my calling, I am under God's protection, as a subject is under the protection of his prince, travelling in due hours on the highway ; but none can presume their knowledge is so sound, their faith so strong, their hearts so good to God, as to think no hurt will come when they cast themselves voluntarily upon occasions of sin.
[2.] When you make a small matter of those corruptions which were once so grievous, even intolerable to you : Rom. vii. 24, * O wretched man that I am ! who shall deliver me from the body of this death ? ' You lose tenderness of conscience, remit of your care.
[3.] When you content yourselves with the customary use of holy duties, though you find no profit nor increase of grace by them, rather perform them as a task, than use them as a means to get and increase grace. Nunquam abs ie absque te recedam. Lord, I will never go from thee Avithout thee : Gen. xxxii. 26, ' I will not let thee go, except thou bless me.'
[4.] When you neglect your hearts, grow strangers to them, find little work to do about them. Every christian findeth work enough from day to day to get his heart quickened when it is dead, enlarged when it is straitened, prepared when it is indisposed, to be made seri- ous when it is vain and frothy, cured when it is distempered, settled when it is troubled and discomposed ; but sin becometh easy, and con- science becometh patient and quiet under it. Surely you are not watchful, and mind not your covenant vow.
2. It reproveth those that hope to have sin subdued and kept from reigning, though they never strive against it. It is the striving chris- tian which is here encouraged, those that have given up themselves to Christ's conduct, and to fight in his warfare. Many run of their own accord into sin, others make no opposition against it. Now Christ undertaketh not to keep these. The captain of our salvation only taketh charge of his own soldiers, to lead them safe to eternal glory and happiness ; others are excepted. Grace received from him is of little use to us if we fight not. Therefore, besides watching, there must be resisting. This resistance must be —
[1.] Earnest and vehement, such as cometh from a hatred of sin as sia The light of nature will rise up against many sins, especially at first, as sin is a disorder and inconvenience ; but this is but partial and soon tireth ; but the resistance required of christians is such as ariseth from a constant hatred : Rom. vii. 15, * That which I do I allow not ;
288 SERMONS UPON ROMANS VI. [SeR. XV.
for what I would, that do I not ; but what I hate that do I.' Wheu Eve speaketh faintly, the devil reneweth the assault : Gen. iii. 3, 'Of the fruit of the tree, which is in the midst of the garden, God hath said, iTe shall not eat of it, neither shall ye touch it, lest ye die.' She speaketh too warmly, and with an impatient resentment of the re- straint, and too coldly of the commination. God had said, ' In dying ve shall die.' A faint denial is a kind of a grant. Our Lord rebuketh the devil with indignation : Mat. iv. 10, ' Get thee behind me, Satan.'
[2.] It must be a thorough universal resistance. Take the little foxes, dash out the brains of Babylon's brats. The devil would frighten you by propounding great sins at first, but he approacheth by degrees ; therefore, Epli. iv. 27, we must not ' give place to the devil.' You set open the door to Satan by yielding a little. A temptation is better kept out than gotten out ; when he hath but the narrowest passage or least opportunity, he seeketh to re-enter, and seat hiniself in the heart, and exercise his former tyranny, and doth excite the person to commit more sin. When the stone at the top of the hill beginneth to roll downward, it is a hard thing to stay it. I '11 yield but once, saith the deceived heart ; but the devil chargeth us further and further, till he hath left no tenderness in our conscience ; as some that thought to venture but a shilling or two, by the secret witchery of gaming have played away all their estates.