Englands duty under the present gospel liberty from Revel. III, vers. 20

(5ly,) There are ring-leaders in sin, and single personal sins which spread no farther than our selves; a ring-leader in sin is in Scripture reckoned amongst the greatest of sinners; so Revel. 2. 14. Thou hast them that held the Doctrine of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the Children of Israel; thus Jeroboam the son of Nebat made Israel to sin. There is the same difference betwixt these and single personal sins, as there is betwixt a chain shot, and a single bullet: Mind this, you that have ⟨p. 268⟩induced others to sin by your counsel or example.

(5ly,) There are ring-leaders in sin, and single personal sins which spread no farther than our selves; a ring-leader in sin is in Scripture reckoned amongst the greatest of sinners; so Revel. 2. 14. Thou hast them that held the Doctrin of Balaam, who taught Balac to cast a stumbling block before the Children of Israel; thus Ieroboam the son of Nebat made Israel to sin. There is the same difference betwixt these and single personal sins, as there is betwixt a chain shot, and a single bullet: Mind this, you that have ⟨p. 268⟩induced others to sin by your counsel or example.

(6ly,) There are sins in which men glory and take pleasure, and sins for which men groan and mourn. Now the more pleasure any man takes in sin, the greater doth the sin arise in its aggravation. We read of some, Job 20. 12. in whose mouths wickedness is sweet, and they hide it under their tongue: that is, they draw a great deal of contemplative delight before and after the commission of sin, as well as in the commission of it. 'Tis bad enough to sin and sigh, to sin and weep; but to sin and boast, to sin and make a mock of sin, what a prodigious way of sinning is this? O Sinner, what an heart hast thou, that canst play and sport with that which grieves God, crucified Christ, and with without deep and sound Repentance will damn thine own Soul!