Fourthly, The difference of sins does arise from the nature of temptations,
1. When a small temptation, a little mSctter, carrieth us off from God ; an handful of barley and a piece of bread, a vain pleasure, a small profit ; and we can hazard our peace, neglect our duty, and pervert our ways for a trifle. Adam for an apple : ' They sell the righteous for silver, and the poor for a pair of shoes,' Amos ii. 7.
2. When a great temptation draws us to apostasy from Christ ; idolatry, blasphemy, adultery, murder, or gross enormities ; to hearken to these is contrary to all that natural sense of honesty and piety, or those notions which we have of either of these. There are peccata clamantia, crying sins, that solicit God for vengeance, and will not let him be quiet. To fall into these is a great evil : Ps. li. 2, * Wash me throughly from mine iniquity, and cleanse me from my sin.'
Fifthly, From the consequence and effects. So a sin may be greater or lesser as it turneth to the prejudice and loss of him that committeth it, or to the dishonour of God,
1. When it turneth to his loss ; when it terrifieth or stupifieth him, Terrifieth : James iv. 17, ' To him that knoweth to do good, and doeth it not, to him it is sin ; ' Gen. iv. 13, ' And Cain said unto the Lord, My punishment is greater than I can bear.' When a man goeth up and down under the burden of his despairing thoughts, and is a terror to himself, to him it is sin indeed ; he findeth and feeleth it to be so. Or when it stupifieth and settleth into an evil custom and bondage upon the soul, which we know not how to break, so that men go on impenitently, and resolve to make the best of their lives, and to live as sweetly in their sin as they can : Jer,- xviii, 12, ' And they said, There is no hope ; we will walk after our own devices, and we will every one do the imagination of his evil heart.' When it hath strangely pre- vailed over us, that is a great transgression indeed ; when it cometh to that, to yield up ourselves to the tyranny of any lust, to carry us where it will. Yet this is the fruit of relapses, or frequent committing of the same sin, as a bone often broken in the same place is hardly set ; so when men will frequently run into the same sin, they bring a necessity upon themselves, and then yield their necks to the yoke.
2. As to God, when his name is dishonoured : Rom. ii. 24, ' For the name of God is blasphemed among the gentiles through you.' When you encourage others to sin in like manner, or by your inordinate
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walking give them occasion to speak evil of the ways of God : Mat. xviii. 7, ' Woe be to him by whom offences come ! for it must needs be that oifences come, but woe to that man by whom the oifence cometh ! ' Such sins will bring a reproach upon godliness, and ruin others' souls. These are great sinners indeed. There is scandalum <:ictivum et passivum, either given or taken by weak clnistians. A man should not offend them ; Mat. xviii. 6, ' Whoso shall offend one ■of those little ones that believe in me, it were better for him that a millstone were hanged about his neck, and that he were drowned in the depth of the sea ; ' Exod. xxi. 22, ' If a man strive and hurt a Avoman with child, so that her fruit depart from her, and yet no mischief follow, he shall be surely punished.' Or malicious ones, as the pharisees were scandalised at Christ. When there is no occasion given on our part, it is well ; but when you open the mouth of iniquity, nnd furnish the triumphs of the uncircumcised, the dishonour of God's name is put on your score.
II. That the lesser sins make way for the greater, and the greater for the unpardonable sin. This it doth meritorie and effective.
1. 3Ie7'ifor{e. Meritoriously, it provoketh God to give us up to our own heart's counsel; for God is wont in his just judgment to punish sin with sin; our carelessness, looseness, and security in small sins, by leaving us to wallow in greater: 2 Thes. ii. 10, 11, 'And with all <leceiveableness of unrighteousness in them that perish ; because they received not the love of the truth, that they might be saved. For this cause God sent them strong delusions, that they should believe a lie.' David giveth himself liberty in idleness to wanton eyes : 2 Sam. xi. 2, * And it came to pass in an evening-tide, that David arose from off his bed, and walked upon the roof of the king's house ; and he saw a woman washing herself, and the woman was very beautiful to look tipon.' God left him to the foul sins of blood and uncleanness. Therefore Job made a covenant with his eyes: 'Why then should I think upon a maid,' Job xxxi. 1. He would not allow himself in a wanton glance for fear of further mischief. He kept his eves under a law, and a firm resolution and endeavour, that they might not dwell on any object of lust, lest it should prove a means to infect and poisoQ his heart.