Aggravation of sin and sinning against knowledge. Mercy. Delivered in several sermons upon divers…Aggravation of sinne and sinning against knowledge. Mercie. Delivered in severall sermons upon divers…

The second rule is,¹ the more consultations, debates, and motives against it, did run through thee before thou didst it, so much the greater and more heinous. How often did mercy come in, and tell thee, that if thou lookest for any hope or part in it, thou shouldest not do such an evil? how often came that in, Shall I do this, and sin against God? did any Scripture come in to testify against thee in the nick? did God send in the remembrance of such a mercy past, to persuade thee; or some mercies to come, which thou dependest upon him for? That which made Spira's sin so great, was such debates as these before: and this made Darius sin, in casting Daniel into the Lions den, so great; he debated it with himself, Dan. 6. 14. he was sore displeased with himself, and laboured to the going down of the sun to deliver him; he considered that he was as his right hand in all the affairs of his Kingdom, and a man entrapped merely for his conscience, and that to put him to death was to sacrifice him to their malice; he knew him to be holy, and wise, worth all the men that sought after his life, and yet yielded; these considerations troubled him afore, and also after; insomuch as he could not sleep for them, ver. 18. Now because that every such consultation should set an impression upon the heart, and countermand the motions of sin, when therefore thou dost it, maugre all such debates and motives to the contrary, this is much against knowledge, and very heinous. Therefore ⟨p. 71⟩the Pharisees, Luke 7. 30. are said to have rejected the counsel of God, [Greek or Hebrew], in or against themselves: the words will bear either: In themselves, because they knew it, and took it into consideration, and yet rejected it: and against themselves, because it was their destruction.

The second rule is,¹ the more consultations, debates, and motives against it, did runne through thee before thou didst it, so much the greater and more hainous. How often did mercy come in, and tell thee, that if thou lookest for any hope or part in it, thou shouldest not doe such an evill? how often came that in, Shall I doe this, and sinne against God? did any Scripture come in to testifie against thee in the nick? did God send in the remembrance of such a mercie past, to perswade thee; or some mercies to come, which thou dependest upon him for? That which made Spira's sinne so great, was such debates as these before: and this made Darius sinne, in casting Daniel into the Lions den, so great; he debated it with himselfe,