Precious faith considered in its nature, working, and growth

Thirdly, All known actual sins are not absolute bars to resignation, and so not to faith: there are peccata quotidianae incursionis, sins of mere infirmity, such as are not the proper formal issues of deliberation, but the inevitable effluviums of humane frailty; these may be in a man, and may be known to be in him, and yet through grace he may resign, notwithstanding these black moats flying round ⟨p. 160⟩about him, his faith may look up to the mercy-seat; on the other side, known actual sin issuing out of deliberation, if it be but in one single act, doth, whilst it is acting, put a bar to resignation, and so to faith, for that single act is rebellion, and how can a man, whilst he is knowingly in arms against God, resign? it is as the sin of witchcraft, 1 Sam. 15.25. and how can a man, who is virtually in covenant with the devil, enter into terms with God? that faith is not truly recumbential, which is not also obediential, neither doth it, can it, indeed lean upon Gods grace, whilst his holiness is rejected. And if such known deliberate sin in one single act put a bar to faith, much more will it do so when it is in a course and series of successive rebellions. Thus St. John saith, whosoever sinneth, that is, makes a trade and runs a course of known sin, hath not seen him, that is, Jesus Christ, who was manifested to take away sin, 1 Joh. 3.6. such an one, though never so full of Scriptural notions, never yet saw a crucified Christ by faith, never yet looked upon the right mercy-seat, never yet set foot on the precious promises of the Gospel; Christ and Belial cannot be in concord, for Christ is a holy Christ, a Christ upon his throne, and the trader in sin is a man of Belial, a man (as the Hebrew word imports) absque jugo, who casts off the holy yoke from his heart and life.

Thirdly, All known actual sins are not absolute barrs to resignation, and so not to faith: there are peccata quotidianae incursionis, sins of meer infirmity, such as are not the proper formal issues of deliberation, but the inevitable effluviums of humane frailty; these may be in a man, and may be known to be in him, and yet through grace he may resign, notwithstanding these black moats slying round ⟨p. 160⟩