A second volume of discourses or sermons on several scriptures

Secondly, Labour always to keep alive upon your Hearts awful and reverent Thoughts of God, his Omnipresence and Omniscience; That there is no Sin so small but he knows it, though but a Sin in our Thoughts, yet every Thought of our Hearts is altogether known unto him. Call to remembrance his infinite Purity and Holiness whereby he hates every little Sin, even with an infinite hatred as well as the greatest. Think of his Power whereby he can, and of his Truth, Justice and Severity whereby he will ⟨p. 100⟩punish every little Sin with no less than Eternal Destruction: And whilst you thus think of God, indulge your selves in little Sins if you can. The Psalmist gives this very Direction, Ps. 4.4. Stand in awe and Sin not, that is of the infinite glorious Majesty of God. Have awful thoughts and reverential apprehensions of God abiding upon your Hearts and that will keep you from sinning: Stand in awe and Sin not. To look upon Sin thorough the Attributes of God, is to look upon it through a Magnifying Glass, and thus you may best see its ugly deformed Nature; this is the best way to represent the infinite guilt that is in it, and that contrariety that it bears to the Holy Nature of God. And while you thus see Sin comparing it with God, even the least Sin must appear heinous: And when you are Tempted to any Sin, while you thus think, you may repel a Temptation as Joseph did his Mistress, ¹How shall I do this great wickedness and Sin against God: The World indeed counts it but a little Sin, but looking upon it and comparing it with the Holiness and Purity of God, we must cry out, How shall we commit this Sin ⟨p. 101⟩though accounted little by others, and so provoke a great and holy God?

Secondly, Labour always to keep alive upon your Hearts awful and reverent Thoughts of God, his Omnipresence and Omniscience; That there is no Sin so small but he knows it, though but a Sin in our Thoughts, yet every Thought of our Hearts is altogether known unto him. Call to remembrance his infinite Purity and Holiness whereby he hates every little Sin, even with an infinite hatred as well as the greatest. Think of his Power whereby he can, and of his Truth, Justice and Severity whereby he will