* Lips.— G.
374 THE EETTTRNING BACKSLIDEIl. [SeRMON X.
ting, that all that love the Lord hate evil. All those that are near unto God, they hate all sin. The more they grow into communion with God, the more they grow in the hatred of all that is contraiy. Let us therefore never talk of love to God, and of piety, and such like ; for if there be any grace or communion with God, we hate all sin in that measure as God hateth. He who hath no zeal to reform that which God hateth, he hath no love at all.
2. Again, the way to stir us up to hate sin in ourselves and others, and out of that hatred to reform it, is to set before us, what it is in itself; that it is the loathsomest thing in the world, worse than the devil himself : for it is sin which makes him a devil. That corruption, pride, worldliness, and profaneness, which we cherish, is worse than the devil himself, because this made him a devil. Let us make sin therefore as loathsome as we can, and then we shall hate it : and let us present it to our souls, as the most dangerous thing of all, the ill of ills, which bringeth all other evils upon us. This may appear more ugly in our sight, in that the foulness thereof could not be expiated but by the death of the Son of God. And consider what great torments he hath prepared for that which we so cherish. This proud, sinful, and carnal disposition of ours, so opposite to all goodness, God hath appointed to punish it with eternal separation from his presence. It maketh God hate his own creatures. * Go, ye cursed, into everlasting fire, prepared for the devil and his angels,' Matt. xxv. 41.
3. And to stir us up to reform sin in all that belong unto us, we must consider the dangerous condition that they lire and die in, in ivhom this is not reformed. Etenaal torments, and separation from God. These things may help to work in our hearts a hatred of sin : and from this hatred, a refor- mation of it, with a zeal and indignation. Therefore let us labour more find more for this temper of soul, that we may be like God, and carry the characters of the children of God in us. There is no affection will distin- guish us from hypocrites more than hatred, which cometh of love, which is the first-born and breeding affection of all others. For why do we hate any thing, but because it is opposite to that we love ? Why do we hate ill, but because it is opposite to God and to Christ, whom we love ? Amongst others, take we along this consideration with us, that it is the spear which wounded our blessed Saviour ; and that it is that he hates most which we love most. Consider the holiness of God, that he would punish it in his own Son, ere it should not be punished.
4. And consider that t^ is the bane of all our comfort, this which we so cherish, and that it embitters all things to us. We cannot rejoice, no, not in the good blessings of God, whilst we are guilty of sin ; neither can we pray com- fortably whilst our hearts regard it, Ps. Ixvi. 18. In this case, that which should rejoice the heart, communion with God, is terrible to us. What have I to do to take his name in my mouth, when I embrace such sins ? Ps. 1. 16. The day of judgment is terrible also ; for how can a man think comfortably thereof, if therewith he expect a heavy doom for his sins he liveth in ? So we may say of the day of death. None of these can be thought upon with- out terror, when therewithal it cometh to one's mind, the cutting off from their sins, and the ' terror of the Lord' against all sin whatsoever, 2 Cor. V. 11. It should be the joy of our hearts to think of these happy times : therefore, there must needs be a great deal of sin and atheism in our hearts when we cannot think comfortably of them. For either we believe not these things, and so are plain atheists ; or else, if we believe them, we are ex- ceeding foolish to lose future joys for the poor ' pleasures of sin for a season.*
HOSEA XIV. 8. J THE RETURNING BACKSLIDER. 875
5. Let us labour to grow in (trace more and more ; for the more we grow in the love of God and good things, the more we shall hate sin. For, whatsoever may be said for the growth in love, and cherishing of it to good things, the same may be said for the hatred of ill, in a contrary sense.
6. The last place shaU be, to place and drive our affections a contrary icay, to translate and 2)lace them on a contrarif object, when they are stirred up to evil attempts. As, when hatred is stirred up, du'ect it to its proper object, sin ; when love is iiTegular, think with om-selves, that God hath not planted this aflfection for this object, but to cari-y me another way ; I must love God above all, and all that he loveth, for his sake. Hath God put love and hatred into my heart, to hate my brother whom I should love, and to love the devil, and hate God ? Oh no ! I should love God above all, and my brother as myself; and hate the de-^il and all his works, whom I have renounced in my baptism. Therefore, in distempers of the affections, make a diverson, and turn them the right way. As physicians use to do, when the distempered blood runs dangerously one way ; if they cannot stop that, they open a vein to drive the course of the blood another way. So it is Christian policy, when the affections run dangerously one way, then to reflect thus upon ourselves : Aye, But is this the end vrhy God hath placed this affection in me ? Certainly no ! He hath planted this affection in me for another purpose. Therefore, I will hate that which I should hate ; sin in general, and my own sin most of all, which makes me hate my brother. This should be our daily task and study, to take off the affections where they should not be placed, and to iix them where they should be placed ; and there to let them go amain, the faster the better ; restraining them where they should not run out.