Man ashiv le-Yahoweh, or, A serious enquiry for a suitable return for continued life,…

VI. ¹Then wicked men proceed to the frequent Iteration of the same sin, till it becomes customary. A wicked man is drunk till it is his custom to be so, and to swear till it becomes his custom to do so. This is a great progress made in sin, it is great growth, and such will be hardly reclaimed. Jer. 13.23. Can the Ethiopian change his skin, or the Leopard his spots? then may you who are accustomed to do evil, learn to do well. Aethiopem lavare is to labour in vain. Ministers endeavour to reclaim men accustomed to swearing, and lying, and drunkenness, and they preach in vain, and study and pray in vain, as to any success usually upon such mens hearts. It is the commendation of a man to be accustomed to a thing, if it be good, for a Christian to say, it is his custom to pray; and a Minister, it is his custom to preach; though it is not good, that the one pray out of custom, nor the other preach customarily: To have it customary to perform holy duties is good, but to do them customarily is evil. Thus it was Christs custom, or he was wont to preach and teach the people. But it is an aggravation to be accustomed to a thing if it be evil, and if it be gross, it is a sign of a graceless person: Though some carnal men ⟨p. 29⟩when reproved for their often swearing, say, I thought no harm, it is only a custom I have got, and I cannot leave it: A custom! why that is the aggravation and growth of thy wickedness, and thou dost as foolishly allege that to extenuate thy sin, which indeed doth aggravate thy sin; as a Thief accused before the Judge for stealing should plead, it was his custom so to do. Now sin is become the profession of the sinner, and he goes to his sin as customarily as an Artificer to his Shop or Work-house; but it is not the custom of Gods people to make a custom of committing gross sins. David did to the wounding of his soul once commit Adultery, but it was not his Custom so to do. Peter at one time did deny his Lord, but it was not his custom so to do. It is not the custom of a gracious person often to commit the same gross sin, but it is his custom often to lament a gross sin but once committed. Therefore if it be thy custom to commit gross sins, and thou art wont to do so, thou art gone beyond the people of God in thy sinnings. Thy state is deplorable.