The crown & glory of Christianity, or, Holiness, the only way to happiness discovered…The crovvn & glory of Christianity, or, Holiness, the only way to happiness discovered…

Here take my keys, and where you find any images, break them in pieces; which accordingly ⟨p. 233⟩was done; upon this the devout man went to prayer, but no cure was wrought; whereupon the sick man cried out, O I am as sick as ever, O I am very weak and sick still: It cannot be otherwise, replied the devout person, neither can I help it, for there is doubtless one Idol yet in your house undiscovered, and that must be defaced too: True (saith Chromatius) it is so indeed, it is all of beaten gold, it cost 200. l. I would fain have saved it, but here take my keys again, you shall find it fast locked up in my chest, break it also in pieces; which being done, the devout man prayed, and Chromatius was healed. The moral of it is good; the sin-sick soul must break, not some, but all its Idols in pieces, before a cure will follow. It must deface its golden Idols, its most costly Idols, its most darling Idols; the returning sinner must make head against all his sins, and trample upon all his lusts, or else he will die and be undone for ever; and though this be as difficult as it is noble, yet it is no more then what God hath engaged to do, and to see done, as you may see by comparing Ezek. 36.25, 26, 27. with Isa. 30.21, 22. Now is this an easy thing, to turn from every sin, to loath every sin, and to abandon every sin, with a Get you hence, for what have I more to do with you? Hos. 14.8. Surely no. As Nehemiah cast out Tobiah and all his household-stuff, in Nehem. 13.6, 7, 8. so true repentance, it casts out Satan and all his retinue; As Moses would not leave so much as a hoof behind him, Exod. 10.26. So true repentance will not leave so much as a lust behind; a dispensatory conscience is always an evil conscience; he that can dispense with one sin, will, when opportunity presents, commit any sin. And as the flood made clean work, it swept away all Noah's friends, and drowned all his servants; so the flood of penitent tears makes clean work, it sweeps away every lust, it drowns every corruption in respect of love and dominion. And as some Conquerors would not give so much as one of their enemies Quarter; so true repentance will not give one lust quarter; it falls heavily upon the bones of every sin, and nothing but the blood and death of sin will satisfy the penitent soul;