A cabinet of choice jewels, or, A box of precious ointment being a plain…A cabinet of choice jevvels, or, A box of precious ointment being a plain…

Sixthly, He that abstains from sin, he whose heart rises against sin, he that sets himself against sin, because of the evil ⟨p. 103⟩nature of sin,¹ because of that vileness and filthiness that is in sin; he certainly has a principle of Grace, a seed of God in him. He who refrains from sin, and whose heart rises more against sin, because of the purity of the Law which forbids sin, then because of the severity of the Law which condemns sin, is certainly under the power of renewing Grace, of saving Grace. Psal. 119.140. Thy word is very pure, therefore thy servant loveth it: 'tis only pure Grace that can enable a man to love the Word for its purity. The Apostle to set forth the formidable evil that is in sin, expresses it thus, Rom. 7.13. That sin might appear to be sin. He could find nothing more evil and odious to express it by than it self. Sin is so great an evil, that it cannot have a worse Epithet given it. Paul can call it no worse than by its own name, sinful sin. Had the Apostle said that sin might appear to be a snare, a Serpent, a Viper, a Toad, a Plague, a Devil, a Hell, &c. he had said much, but yet not enough to set forth the transcendent evil that is in sin, and therefore he calls it sinful sin. All other evils are but outward, they only reach the name, the body, the estate, the life, but sin is an inward evil, a spiritual evil, an evil that reaches the precious and immortal Soul, and therefore is the greatest evil. Death puts an end to all other troubles, viz. poverty, sickness, disgrace, scorn, contempt, crosses, losses, &c. but sin is so great an evil, that death it self cannot put an end to it, Eternity it self shall never put a stop, a period to this evil of evils. All outward evils can never make a man the subject of Gods wrath and hatred. A man may be poor, and yet precious in the eyes of God, he may be greatly abhorred by the World, and yet highly honoured by God; he may be debased by men, and yet exalted by God. But now sin is so great an evil, that it subjects the sinners Soul to the wrath and hatred of God; all other evils do but strike at a mans present well-being, but sin strikes at a mans eternal well-being; all other evils can never hinder a mans communion with God, a man may have communion with God in poverty, in sickness, in Prison, in Banishment;