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354 SERMONS UPON PSALM XEX. 13. [SeR. II.
2. They do exceedingly weaken the work of grace that is wrought in their hearts. It is far abated ; it is much weakened, though not totally abolished. Gradus remittitur, actus intermittitur, licet habitus non amittitur. The degree may be remitted : Mat. xxiv. 12, * Love may wax cold ; ' though not extinguished, yet abated ; it is more cold than it was, though there be love still : Eev. ii. 4, ' Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.' Not all love, but ' first love ; ' those high and raised operations wrought in the soul upon first acquaintance with Christ and Chris- tianity. Qualities are capable of intension or remission. The act is intermitted. Ephesus lost her first love, left her first works, Rev. ii. 5, The apostle's advice is to keep from family breaches, that our prayers be not hindered, 1 Peter iii. 7. Such men are altogether unfit for action, and perform duties in a very uncomfortable fashion, because of the guilt of the injuring party, and the grief and passion of the injured ; but the habit is not lost, for the seed of God remaineth, 1 John iii. 9 ; and that fountain of living water that springeth up to eternal life is never dried up ; and the unction abideth in you, 1 John ii. 27 ; and they are kept on foot by the power of God, and the con- tinual intercession of Jesus Christ.
3. That by presumptuous sins we may weaken the habit, therefore the apostle biddeth us not to quench the Spirit, 1 Thes. v. 19. Fire may be quenched by withdrawing fuel or pouring on water ; pre- sumptuous sins of omission do the first, and commission the second. When we live in the neglect of those duties that may increase grace, or commission of gross sinful acts, they are as pouring on water, they are as a wound to the body, that lets out our blood and strength. Now this should breed caution in us ; for there is a double principle in us ; as the one increaseth, the other languisheth ; as sin increaseth, grace is ready to die : Eev. iii. 2, ' Be watchful, and strengthen the things which remain, which are ready to die.' There is this advantage on the flesh's side, that it is a native, not a foreigner, a home-bred plant, which the soil breedeth naturally without any tillage, as nettles will sooner preserve themselves and get ground upon better plants, because the earth bringeth them forth of her own accord ; as water heated, the cold is natural to it, and will prevail against the heat, unless driven out by a constant fire.
4. The hurt is exceeding great to lose any degree of grace. How shall we answer it to God when we embezzle our stock ? It is not only donum, a gift to be preserved, but talentum, a talent to be increased upon our hands, and of which we must give an account to God. It is a precious gift dearly bought, serving for the highest use, to fit us for communion with God. He that had five talents answered for five, and he that had two accounted for two. You are to give an account of all that you have received. So much as we lose, so much we lose of our fitness to serve God, and our glory suitable.
5. To be careless of degree makes way for the loss of the whole. Christians are like a hen when many eggs are taken out of the nest ; as long as one or two remaineth, she taketh no notice of it, forsaketh not the nest. Therefore consider whether there be not abatement of some degree of grace, though some may remain still. Content not
VeB. 13.] SEKMONS UPOH PSALM XIX. 13. 355
yourselves that all is not lost, but something remains, except it be ia a great propoi'tion as formerly.
6. Those that are guilty of presumptuous sins will not be intrusted with BO much again. A man may recover his peace, comfort, and strength, but in a lower degree ; as a prodigal that hath once broken is not intrusted with a like stock again ; his friends are more cautious. David did not recover that largeness of spirit and fidness of inward strength and comfort he had before : 2 Chron. xvii. 3, ' And the Lord was with Jehoshaphat, because he walked in the first ways of his father David.' After a great disease we do not regain that pitch of health we had afore ; then the acts are intermitted. When the soul is distempered it is unfit for action ; either duties are omitted, or else done in such an overly manner as doth increase our distemper and harden us the more. In what sorry fashion did David worship God till his conscience was awakened by Nathan, which was nine months. Now this was a great loss to be so long without expressing his love to God, to have his spiritual trade and commerce with heaven at a stand, or to serve him in such a careless fashion.
7. They lose their present aptitude of entering into the kingdom of heaven by falling into these gross presumptuous sins. The scripture tells us, Rev. xxi. 27, that ' there shall in no wise enter into the kingdom of heaven anything that defileth, or worketh abomination, or maketh a lie.' And again, the apostle, speaking of fornication, adultery, drunkenness, wantonness, saith, Gal. v. 21, ' They that do such things shall not enter into the kingdom of God.' Now the ministers of God are to declare it to them, and they that commit such things are to apply ib to themselves. It is true, the regenerate that do fall into these sins do not actually perish in them, because they repent in this life, and come to themselves, and recover their estate again ; but for the present, till they do repent, their pardon is not actually passed, but the guilt remaineth of them ; for that is the difference between these sins and sins of infirmity ; that whereas infirmities are pardoned of course, and by virtue of our general interest in the covenant, these sins are not pardoned but upon express and particular repentance. When David humbled himself, 2 Sara. xii. 13, the prophet told him, ' The Lord hath put away thy sin.' But till this be done, though they have a dormant right by virtue of their general state, yet they are under a sequestration ; as a leprous man was compelled to want his own house till he was cleansed from that disease ; he had a right to the house, but could not use it ; so these lose their fitness for heaven till they recover themselves ; therefore scandalous sinners are shut out by the keys of the kingdom of heaven : Mat. xviii. 18, ' Whatsoever ye shall bind on earth shall be boimd in heaven ; and whatsoever ye shall loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.' What a misery is it lor a man to be in such an estate, wherein, if he should die, you may suppose he cannot be saved ! Well, then, you see it is ill depending upon your estate. Those that are in a good estate lose ground in the three great privileges of Christianity — ^^justification, sanctification, and glorification. If they should ' fall into drunkenness with Noah, adultery with David, incest with Lot, idolatry with Solomon, pcijury with Peter, yet they smart lor it.