Twenty sermons preached at Oxford before His Majesty, and elsewhere

2. Consider, what sin is in its nature. It is a weight, ¹Heb. 12.1. Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us. Sin is then a weight, and so an Heavy thing; but add sin to sin, a weight to a weight, and it becomes Heavier and Heavier. A man that is in the state of impenitency, hath this weight laid on him, and is subject to the Devil, in a state of Rebellion against God. A man now in this estate is weighed down, what will he be, six, seven, or ten years hence, going on in his impenitency? How will he then shake that off, which now he cannot free himself of? He must hereafter Buckle against it with a great deal of disadvantage, and Wrestle with more difficulty. One says well, that if we consider of sin aright, it's like the rising of water, over which a man being to pass, and finding it Higher then it was wont to be, he stays a while, and then tries again, and finds it Higher then before: he stays yet longer, till it become unpassable, so that he may not adventure without great disadvantage. Thus it is with sin: Now peradventure the Waters of iniquity are Passable, if thou wilt, thou mayst go over, but if thou delayest the adventure, the streams of sin will run together into one Channel, and be more difficultly passed. Thou shalt find them like the Waters in Ezek. rising from the ankles to the Knees, from the knees to the Loins, till they become Water, in this indeed unlike them, not to Swim in, as they were, but to Sink in, like the Waters of the Red Sea returning in their force in which Pharaoh, and his Host sank down as a Stone, nay as Lead when the Wind of the Lord blew upon them. Exod. 15.5, 10.

2. Consider, what sin is in its nature. It is a weight, ¹Heb. 12.1. Let us lay aside every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us. Sin is then a weight, and so an Heavy thing; but add sin to sin, a weight to a weight, and it becomes Heavier and Heavier. A man that is in the state of impenitency, hath this weight laid on him, and is subject to the Devil, in a state of Rebellion against God. A man now in this estate is weighed down, what will he be, six, seven, or ten years hence, going on in his impenitency? How will he then shake that off, which now he cannot free himself of? He must hereafter Buckle against it with a great deal of disadvantage, and Wrestle with more difficulty. One sayes well, that if we consider of sin aright, it's like the rising of water, over which a man being to pass, and finding it Higher then it was wont to be, he stayes a while, and then tryes again, and finds it Higher then before: he stayes yet longer, till it become unpassable, so that he may not adventure without great disadvantage. Thus it is with sin: Now peradventure the Waters of iniquity are Passable, if thou wilt, thou mayst go over, but if thou delayest the adventure, the streams of sin will run together into one Channel, and be more difficultly passed. Thou shalt find them like the Waters in Ezek. rising from the ankles to the Knees, from the knees to the Loyns, till they become Water, in this indeed unlike them, not to Swim in, as they were, but to Sink in, like the Waters of the Red Sea returning in their force in which Pharoah, and his Host sank down as a Stone, nay as Lead when the Wind of the Lord blew upon them.