The dejected souls cure tending to support poor drooping sinners. With rules, comforts, and…The dejected soules cure tending to support poor drooping sinners. With rules, comforts, and…

The second Rule is this, Look upon small sins clothed with great aggravations; Beloved, this is the reason why men are not troubled, they look on their small sins as small, but do not look on them as clothed with many heinous circumstances: Suppose thy sin be a small sin, invisible as to the world, yet if thou wouldst clothe this sin with aggravated circumstances; it may be a sin against conscience; a sin against much mercy; it may be it is a sin committed after many purposes and vows. This course did Justin take in the second book of his Confessions, chap. 4. about his robbing the Orchard: I did it, saith he, compelled neither by hunger nor poverty, but even through a cloyedness of well doing, and a pamperedness of iniquity; for I steal that of which I had enough of mine own, and much better, &c. and so he goeth to aggravate his sin. Beloved, when you find your souls not troubled for sin, clothe it with many heinous circumstances; and this we read of one that he would aggravate his sin, saith he, It is true, the Devils have sinned, but they never sinned against a Saviour as I have done; Adam sinned, but he never sinned against a Christ as I have done: Do thou thus aggravate a small sin, and this will bring humiliation.

The second Rule is this, Look upon small sins cloathed with great aggravations; Beloved, this is the reason why men are not troubled, they look on their small sins as small, but do not look on them as cloathed with many hainous circumstances: Suppose thy sin be a small sin, invisible as to the world, yet if thou wouldst cloath this sin with aggravated circumstances; it may be a sin against conscience; a sin against much mercy; it may be it is a sin committed after many purposes and vows. This course did Justin take in the second book of his Confessions, chap. 4. about his robbing the Orchard: I did it, saith he, compelled neither by hunger nor poverty, but even through a cloyedness of well doing, and a pamperedness of iniquity; for I steal that of which I had enough of mine own, and much better, &c. and so he goeth to aggravate his sin. Beloved, when you find your souls not troubled for sin, cloath it with many hainous circumstances; and this we read of one that he would aggravate his sin, saith he, It is true, the Divels have sinned, but they never sinned against a Saviour as I have done; Adam sinned, but he never sinned against a Christ as I have done: Do thou thus aggravate a small sin, and this will bring humiliation.