Sin, the Plague of Plagues

I remember I said, that sins of omission made way for sins of commission, and 'tis but too true: Job's friends hearing such unsaint-like ⟨p. 308⟩language from him as cursing, concluded that he omitted praying; thou restrainest prayer from God, Job 15.4. When men neglect Duty, they do usually fall into sin: to carry on this by the story of the slothful, see Prov. 24.30. I went by the field of the slothful; and what did he observe? Lo it was all grown over with thorns, nettles covered the face thereof, and the stonewall was broken down; alas, Eden becomes a wilderness, and Paradise a desert, the poor soul is under the curse, it brings forth grieving thorns and pricking briars, and stinging nettles, and is again nigh unto more cursing for bringing this forth, Heb. 6.8. Sin comes on by degrees, it seems modest at first, do but omit, then it grows bold, and bids thee commit, and so from omission to commission, till at last the man become a man of sin, and a son of perdition, vir perditus, an hopeless, desperate, lost, and undone man. Yet again, to show the worst of it, which follows hereupon, such persons are frequently given up, as Rom. 1.21. their first sin was not glorifying God as God, and then not being thankful, they became vain, being vain, they were darkened, thence they became fools, and so on to abominable Idolatries, and at last it came to this, that God gave them up, vers. 24. Oh, the danger of sins of omission, one makes way for another, and thence they proceed to commission, till they be given up and cursed!

I remember I said, that sins of omission made way for sins of commission, and 'tis but too true: Johs friends hearing such unsaint-like ⟨p. 308⟩language from him as cursing, concluded that he omitted praying; thou restrainest prayer from God, Job 15.4. When men neglect Duty, they do usually fall into sin: to carry on this by the story of the slothful, see