A30241:928
CXLV expository sermons upon the whole 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St.…
CXLV expository sermons upon the whole 17th chapter of the Gospel according to St. John, or, Christs prayer before his passion explicated, and both practically and polemically improved by Anthony Burgess ...
London: printed by Abraham Miller for Thomas Underhill, 1656
Title page typeset from the transcription.
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
Secondly, In the godly we are again to distinguish between gross sins, such as Tertullian saith waste the conscience; And those Relics of corruption which Austin saith are of daily incursion upon us; The one is a camel, the other is a gnat comparatively; Now the godly do so keep all Gods commands, that they seldom or never, to be sure not wilfully and habitually fall into these deep and foul pits; But as for the latter we see by Pauls complaint they have not a full conquest over them, Rom. 7. They may be possessors of Canaan, though they have some Jebusites alive to humble them and keep them low.
Secondly, In the godly we are again to distinguish between grosse sins, such as Tertullian saith waste the conscience; And those Reliques of corruption which Austin saith are of daily incursion upon us; The one is a camel, the other is a gnat comparatively; Now the godly do so keep all Gods commands, that they seldom or never, to be sure not wilfully and habitually fall into these deep and foul pits; But as for the latter we see by Pauls complaint they have not a full conquest over them, Rom. 7. They may be possessors of Canaan, though they have some Jebusites alive to humble them and keep them low.
Thirdly, Though the godly have a respect to all Gods Commandments, yet they acknowledge an order amongst the commands, they know some are greater, and others less; And therefore when there cometh an indispensable omission of one, they pass by the least, and the contrary to this is grand hypocrisy, which our Saviour doth often condemn in the Pharisees; They omitted the great things of the Law, and Judgement, and Mercy, but were very diligent in the inferior things; Saul lost both a temporal and spiritual Kingdom in this respect; For Samuel tells him, Obedience was better then Sacrifice, 1 Sam. 15.22. and Rebellion is like the sin of witchcraft; There is the great command of loving God with all our heart and soul, to which all others must bow.