But mark the extent from evenj evil work. St Paxil' scare is not for one or two, but that God would keep him from every e\i\ work. "Why so ?
Why St Paul says from every evil tcork. Because he that truly hates one sin, will hate all the kinds of it. Both come from the same love of God. He that loves God as he should, will hate whatsoever God hates; ' and have respect to all God's commandments,' as the psalmist speaks, Ps. cxix. 128. Par- tial obedience is indeed no obedience at all ; for he that obeys one, and not another, obeys not simply because of the commander, to yield obedience unto him; but only to satisfy his own corrupt nature, picking and choosing what pleases himself, which belongs not to an inferior, but to a superior to do. And therefore, such make themselves gods, in that they single out easy things that do not oppose their lusts, which are not against their re- putation, &c., and therein perhaps they will supererogate, and do more than they need, only because they will have a compensation with God, that he should quit with them for other things. I have done that, and therefore he must bear with mo in this. Oh ! but there is no compensation here. A man is never so straitened but he may escape without sin. There is no pretence will serve ; but we must abstain from every evil work. Satan keeps many
THE saint's safety IN EVIL TIMES. 323
men in his snare by this, and so he hath them safe in one sin, he carea not; therefore he will sufler them to hear, read, and pray, &c., holding them fast in one reigning sin, wherein he will let them alone till the time of some great afifliction, or death ; and then he will roar upon them. Oh beloved ! we cannot provide worse for our own souls, than to cherish a purpose of living in any one sin, for that is enough for the devil to hold his possession in us by, and at the hour of death to claim us for his own. * If we regard any iniquity in our heart, the Lord will not hear our prayers,' Ps. Ixvi. 18. I beseech you therefore, let us labour to have clear con- sciences, freeing ourselves from a purpose to live in any sin ; that in aU our slips and failings we may say with an honest heart, my purpose was not to do this, but to refrain from wickedness.
Again, he speaks of this for the time to come ; the Lord u'ill deliver me from evil. A true Christian is as careful to avoid sin for the time to come, as to be freed from the guilt of sins past. Judas may desire to have his conscience freed from foimer sins, but Judas cannot desire to be a good man for the time to come. Nothing argues a good conscience more than this. The most wicked wretch that breathes, may desire to have his con- science stilled, and yet never have any pm-pose or power to abstain from sin ; but like a dog, after he hath disgorged himself, return to his vomit again. True repentance is a turning from former evils to a contrary good. Our grief no fui'ther jaelds comfort of sound repentance, than it hath care attending, for prevention of sin ; according to that which Christ said to the woman taken in adultery, ' Go, and sin no more,' John v. 14, and as David prays, * Purge me, 0 Lord, and cleanse me, but withal, establish me with thy free Spirit for the time to come,' Ps. U. 2, 12. As if he should say, Lord, I know it is not in man to order his own ways, I desii-e not the forgiveness of my sins that thereby I might with more liberty offend thy majesty, but with pardoning grace, I beg preventing grace. No false heart can move such a desire as this to God. A gracious heart that prays aright, prays as well that God would preserve him from future sin, as forgive him his fonner sins. It is a ridiculous thing of the papists to make confession of a sin which they mean to commit : as some late traitors confessed such and such things which they were to act, and were straight absolved for it. So your cursed duellists, that will pray and repent, when they mean presently to fall one upon another. Is this repentance, when a man is inveigled with the sin he means to commit ; and cannot overcome himself in the case of revenge ? Do these men think they repent ? No, certainly ; repentance is of sins past, and the carriage of every true Christian is to avoid evil for the time to come.
Again, it is here a perpetuated act : The Lord will deUver me stiU from every evil work. Whence you see that in every e\il work we are tempted to, we need delivering grace ; as to ever}- good work, assisting grace. In- deed, om- whole Ufe, if we look upwai'ds, is nothing but a deliverance, but if we look to oui'selves, it is nothing but danger and a warfare, and there- fore we have need of a deUverance. How little a temptation turns over a great man ! as sometimes a little wind turns over your mighty galleys. We see this in DaAdd and Solomon ; and, if God leave us to ourselves, even the strongest man in the world, how soon is he overturned ! In the midst of sinful occasions, how ready are we to joia ^^dth them, and betray our own souls !