1Secondly, Consider this: Small Sin what they want in weight usually they do more than make up in number, and therefore are as pernicious to the Sou• as the greatest Sins can be. Hence David prays, Psal. 19.12. Who can understand his errors, cleanse thou me from secret Sins. 2Secret Sins must needs b• the least and smallest Sins, seeing they are so small that he that commits then cannot discern them; but yet as they are small, so are they numerous, wh• knows how often he thus transgresseth, wh• can understand his errors? Therefore ⟨p. 67⟩cleanse thou me, O Lord, from these secret •ins. A Ship may have a heavy burden of Sands as well as of Millstones, and •ay be as soon sunk with them. And •uly small Sins though they should be • small as Sands, yet commonly they •e as numerous as the Sands too; and •hat odds then is there between them •d the greatest Sins? Every thought •ou thinkest, and every word thou •eakest in an unregenerate State and con•tion there is Sin in it, and though most • them possibly are but little Sins, yet • multitude of them alone are able to •nk you down into the lowest Hell. •our Consciences start back and are •frighted, as indeed they ought, at a temptation to Murder, Incest, Blasphemy, or any of those more horrid Sins, •at are the prodigies of corrupt Nature, lose Sins you dare not so much as commit once: And yet thousands of thou•nds of lesser Sins, such as sinful Thoughts, •le Words, petty Oaths, commodious Lies; lose proceed from you without either •riving against them, or mourning for •em. Why now, Sirs, do you more fear tolerable and everlasting Wrath, for •e single Commission of a great Sin, ⟨p. 68⟩than you do for the frequent and repeated Commission of less Sins? Truly • cannot precisely tell you, whether you had not as good Blaspheme God once, a• take his Name in vain often; whether it be not as good to Murder once, as to hate always: The frequency of little Sins makes their guilt so great and thei• punishment so intolerable, that the vilest Sins you can imagine shall have nothing to exceed them in, unless it be the horror of the Name of that Sin. An• yet it fares with us as it did with th• Israelites, we tremble more at one Goliath than we do at the whole Army of th• Philistines.
1Secondly, Consider this: Small Sin what they want in weight usually they do more than make up in number, and therefore are as pernicious to the Sou• as the greatest Sins can be. Hence David prays, Psal. 19.12. Who can understand his errours, cleanse thou me from secret Sins. 2Secret Sins must needs b• the least and smallest Sins, seeing they are so small that he that commits then cannot discern them; but yet as they are small, so are they numerous, wh• knows how often he thus transgresseth, wh• can understand his errours? Therefore ⟨p. 67⟩cleanse thou me, O Lord, from these secret •ins. A Ship may have a heavy bur•en of Sands as well as of Milstones, and •ay be as soon sunk with them. And •uly small Sins though they should be • small as Sands, yet commonly they •e as numerous as the Sands too; and •hat odds then is there between them •d the greatest Sins? Every thought •ou thinkest, and every word thou •eakest in an unregenerate State and con•tion there is Sin in it, and though most • them possibly are but little Sins, yet • multitude of them alone are able to •nk you down into the lowest Hell. •our Consciences start back and are •frighted, as indeed they ought, at a •emptation to Murder, Incest, Blas•emy, or any of those more horrid Sins, •at are the prodigies of corrupt Nature, ese Sins you dare not so much as comit once: And yet thousands of thounds of lesser Sins, such as sinful Thoughts, le Words, petty Oaths, commodious Lyes; ese proceed from you without either riving against them, or mourning for em. Why now, Sirs, do you more fear tolerable and everlasting Wrath, for e single Commission of a great Sin,
- 1Little Sins what they want in weight they do more than make up innumber.
- 2Psal. 19.12.
