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…

Now mark, a gracious heart makes most head, most opposition against his darling sin, against his complexion sin, against those sins that were once as dear to him as his right hand, or as his right eye, or as Delilah was to Sampson. Herodias to Herod, Isaac to Abraham, and Joseph to ⟨p. 166⟩Jacob, Psal. 18.23. I was also upright before him, and I kept my self from mine iniquity: That is, from my darling sin, whereunto I was most inclined and addicted; what this bosom sin was that he kept himself from,¹ is hard to say: Some suppose his darling sin was lying, dissembling, for it is certain he often fell into this sin, Psal. 119.29. Remove from me the way of lying; others suppose it to be some secret iniquity, which was only known to God and his own conscience; others say it was uncleanness, and that therefore he prayed, that God would turn away his eyes from beholding vanity, Psal. 119.37. Others judge it to be that sin of disloyalty which Saul and his Courtiers falsely charged upon him: Well, be it this or that, it is enough for our purpose, that his heart did rise against that very sin, that either by custom or complexion, or some strong inclination, he was most naturally apt, ready and prone to fall into. This is the laying of the axe to the root of the Tree; and by this practise David gives a clear proof of the integrity of his heart.² Idolatry was the darling sin of the people of Israel; they called their Idols delectable or desirable things; they did dearly affect, and greatly delight in their Idols: But when the Lord in the day of his power, wrought savingly and gloriously upon their hearts, Oh! how did their hatred and indignation against their Idols rise? as you may see, Isa. 30.22. Ye shall defile also the covering of thy graven images of silver, and the ornament of thy molten images of gold; thou shalt cast them away as a menstruous cloth, thou sha•t say unto it, get thee hence. They were so delighted and enamoured with their Idols, that they would lavish gold out of the bag (or they waste or spend riotously, as the Hebrew runs) that they might richly deck them up,