Sin, the Plague of Plagues

1. §1¹That which may be most properly called your own sin, the sin to which you are most inclined, and which doth most easily beset and conquer you: 'Twas Holy Davids Crown of rejoicing, that he had kept himself from his iniquity, Psal. 18.23. I was upright before him, and kept my self from mine iniquity, not only that which was charged upon me by others to be mine iniquity in relation to Saul, but (as most Interpreters carry it) that which was the sin of mine inclination, as one would say, from my complexion and constitution-sin, my natures darling-sin. Are you young? avoid the sins proper to this age, 2 Tim. 2.22. flee youthful lusts, or the lusts of youth; there are some lusts almost peculiar to youth, as, 1. Ambition, vain Glory, Pride, 1 Pet. 5.5. which much appears in their odd, fantastic garbs and flaunting behaviours (as that Text implies) and especially in not submitting to the elder. 2. Gratifying the sensual appetite and carnal inclination; they are much for the lust of the eye and of the flesh too, as well as for the pride of life; as Eccl. 11.9. and 12.1. tells us, that they are much set upon pleasure, the young mans favourite. The Prodigal (who was the younger brother) did this way waste his estate, his time, and himself, he spent all on back and belly, on riotous living: 'twas a young man that Solomon saw going the way to her house, Prov. 7.7. which way leads to Hell. 3. Another lust of youth is self-conceitedness, ⟨p. 315⟩too much proneness to be wise in their own eyes. They think old men fools, but old men know that they are fools. Their conceitedness puffs them up, and makes them incapable of instruction, and very unteachable (Rehoboam and his young Counsellors may save us the labour of instancing in any others,