Moses his choice with his eye fixed upon Heaven, discovering the happy condition of…

Secondly, those hypocrites are to be rebuked ⟨p. 638⟩¹that go on fairly in the profession of Religion, and make conscience of secret sins, and not only in shows, but really are escaped many pollutions of the world, and yet at last lose all for cleaving to some one sin: but there is a great deal of difference between a real escaping, and true sanctifying escaping; many may really forsake many pollutions, and many sins, and yet at last lose all this reward for closing with some secret sin. O take heed lest this be any of your portions, you have been vile, and you have reformed your ways in many things, and are not guilty of such and such sins as you were before; but look to your selves that you do not lose all this reward for some one sin at last: let them do what they will in profession, if their hearts do not come off from every sin, it is all nothing; not but that there may be some remainders of sin, and yet the heart be taken off from every sin; but if there be any secret closing with any sin, all your profession, and the leaving of all the other is to no purpose, it will never bring you to this reward: As suppose a wife should be very serviceable to her husband in many things, and forsake many lovers, yet if she entertain but any one lover besides her husband, her husband does not care for all her service and respect; and so it is with those that make profession: Look that there be no one secret sin lodge in your hearts, if there be you will lose all. It was a vexation to Lysimachus a King, that his staying to drink one draught of water, lost him his Kingdom: And so it will be a vexation to any that have gone on in the ways of godliness, that he hath lost Heaven for one sin.

Secondly, those hypocrites are to be rebuked ⟨p. 638⟩¹that go on fairly in the profession of Religion, and make conscience of secret sins, and not onely in shews, but really are escaped many pollutions of the world, and yet at last lose all for cleaving to some one sin: but there is a great deal of difference between a real escaping, and true sanctifying escaping; many may really forsake many pollutions, and many sins, and yet at last lose all this reward for closing with some secret sin. O take heed lest this be any of your portions, you have been vile, and you have reformed your ways in many things, and are not guilty of such and such sins as you were before; but look to your selves that you do not lose all this reward for some one sin at last: let them do what they will in profession, if their hearts do not come off from every sin, it is all nothing; not but that there may be some remainders of sin, and yet the heart be taken off from every sin; but if there be any secret closing with any sin, all your profession, and the leaving of all the other is to no purpose, it will never bring you to this reward: As suppose a wife should be very serviceable to her husband in many things, and forsake many lovers, yet if she entertain but any one lover besides her husband, her husband does not care for all her service and respect; and so it is with those that make profession: Look that there be no one secret sin lodge in your hearts, if there be you will lose all. It was a vexation to Lysimachus a King, that his staying to drink one draught of water, lost him his Kingdom: And so it will be a vexation to any that have gone on in the ways of godliness, that he hath lost Heaven for one sin.