Directions for weak distempered Christians, to grow up to a confirmed state of grace…

But yet no price can seem sufficient to him to buy his innocency: Nor will he wilfully sin, and say it is a little one, nor do evil that good may come by it; nor offer to God the sacrifice of disobedient fools, and then say, I knew not that I did evil: For he knoweth that God will rather have obedience than sacrifice, and that disobedience is as the sin of witchcraft: And he that breaketh one of the least commands and teacheth men so, shall be called Least in the Kingdom of God: And he that teacheth men to sin by the example of his own practice, can little expect to turn them from sin, by his better instructions and exhortations. He that will deliberately sin in a small matter, doth set but a small price on the favour of God and his salvation. Wilful disobedience is odious to God, how small soever the matter be about which it is committed. Who can expect that he should stick at any sin, when his ⟨p. 95⟩temptation is great, who will considerately commit the least; especially if he will approve and justify it. Therefore the sound Christian will rather forsake his riches, his liberty, his reputation, his friends, and his country, than his conscience, and rather lay down liberty, and life it self, than choose to sin against his God; as knowing that never man gained by his sin: Rom. 3.8. Eccl. 5.2. 1 Sam. 15.15, 21, 22, 23. Mat. 5.19. The sin that Saul was rejected for seemed but a little thing; nor the sin that Uzzah was slain for: and the service of God, even his sacrifice and his ark were the pretence for both. The sin of the Bethshemites, of Achan, of Gebezi, of Ananias and Sapphira which had grievous punishments, would seem but little things to us. And it is a great aggravation of our sin to be chosen, deliberate, justified and fathered upon God, and to pretend that we do it for his service, for the worshipping of him, or the doing good to others; as if God would own and bless sinful means, or needed a lie to his service or glory: When he hateth all the workers of iniquity, Psal. 5.5. and requireth only the sacrifices of righteousness,