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…

Satan will be sure to nest himself, to lodge himself in the least sins (as birds nest and lodge themselves in the smallest branches of a Tree) and there he will hatch all ⟨p. 263⟩manner of wickedness. A sinful motion, if it be not rejected, will procure consent, and consent will break forth into act, and one act will procure another act, until the multiplying of acts have begot a habit, and that habit hath choked and stifled conscience, and when once conscience is stifled and benumbed, it will be ready upon all occasions to lay the soul open, and to prostrate it to the basest and worst of sins. O! there is a prodigious evil in the least of sins, it will quickly multiply it self into all manner of evils; unless sin be cut off in the first motion, it will proceed to action, and from action to delectation, and from delight to custom, and from custom to a habit; and so the soul will be in eminent danger of being undone for ever. A little thief put in at the window, may open the doors for stronger and greater to come in, that may take away both life and treasure at once. A little wedge makes way for a greater, and so do little sins make way for greater. Satan and our own hearts will be modest at first, and therefore they are often in a combination, first to draw us to lesser sins, and then to greater, and so from sins less obnoxious to sins more scandalous, till we come to be • bominable to God, hateful to others, and a terror to our selves. Such as live in one sin, God will in justice give over to other sins. The Gentiles gave up themselves to idolatry, Rom. 1.23. And God gave them up to uncleanness, ver. 24. 'Tis impossible for any man to take one sin into his bosom, and to shut all others out; he that lives but in the allowance of himself in one sin, will find that sin at last to shut the door of heaven against him; and therefore the true penitent turns from sin universally.

Satan will be sure to nest himself, to lodge himself in the least sins (as birdsnest and lodge themselves in the smallest branches of a Tree) and there he will hatch all ⟨p. 263⟩manner of wickedness. A sinful motion, if it be not rejected, will procure consent, and consent will break forth into act, and one act will procure another act, until the multiplying of acts have begot a habit, and that habit hath choakt and stifled conscience, and when once conscience is stifled and benummed, it will be ready upon all occasions to lay the soul open, and to prostrate it to the basest and worst of sins. O! there is a prodigious evil in the least of sins, it will quickly multiply it self into all manner of evils; unless sin be cut off in the first motion, it will proceed to action, and from action to delectation, and from delight to custom, and from custom to a habit; and so the soul will be in eminent danger of being undone for ever. A little thief put in at the window, may open the doors for stronger and greater to come in, that may take away both life and treasure at once. A little wedge makes way for a greater, and so do little sins make way for greater. Satan and our own hearts will be modest at first, and therefore they are often in a combination, first to draw us to lesser sins, and then to greater, and so from sins less obnoxious to sins more scandalous, till we come to be bominable to God, hateful to others, and a terror to our selves. Such as live in one sin, God will in justice give over to other sins. The Gentiles gave up themselves to idolatry,