A sixth case is this, Whether when a man is suing for pardon, he ought to make any difference between great sins and small sin. The Stoics say all sins are alike, and there is no difference; It is true, in regard of the object, all sins are against God; yet when you come to beg pardon for sin, according as your sins are greatened, you are accordingly to behave your selves in seeking for pardon: God can pardon great sins as well as small, in regard of God there is no difference, nor in regard of the merits of Christ; but yet in your behaviour in seeking for pardon of sin you are to make a great difference between the greatness and the smallness of your evils: For Beloved, First, Consider the Scripture makes a difference between sins; therefore we must do so, the Scripture compares some sins to Camels, and some to Gnats, the Scripture compares some sins to beams, and some to motes, some sins as talents, and others but as pence, and in Amos there is mention made of mighty sins, Amos 5. in John of greater sins, Joh. 19.11. Jesus answered, Thou couldst have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from ⟨p. 185⟩above, therefore he that delivered me unto thee, hath the greater sin. It is true, every sin deserves hell, yet there is more of the punishment of hell inflicted on some sinners then others; the reason why I speak of this case, is to let you know, that as God hath suffered any of you to fall into aggravated and heinous evils, so he requires more of you then of other men. First consider, that God requires of you more humiliation then he requires of other men; In the Law you read that if a man touched the unclean thing, he was unclean till Evening, but if a man bare an unclean thing he was to wash his clothes, to show that the touch of sin requires humiliation; but the bearing of a sin in thy bosom, thy continuing in sin requires more work then merely the touch of sin; Peter wept bitterly for his denial, he did more for that sin then for an ordinary sin. So that you are to consider, that though in regard of Christ there is no difference between a great sin and a small; as the red Sea could drown Pharaoh and his host as well as a single man; so Christs blood can drown a huge host of sins; but yet you must increase your humiliation on the aggravation of your guilt; thus much for the sixth case of Conscience.
A sixt case is this, Whether when a man is suing for pardon, he ought to make any difference between great sins and small sin. The Stoicks say all sins are alike, and there is no difference; It is true, in regard of the object, all sins are against God; yet when you come to beg pardon for sin, according as your sinnes are greatned, you are accordingly to behave your selves in seeking for pardon: God can pardon great sins as well as small, in regard of God there is no difference, nor in regard of the merits of Christ; but yet in your behaviour in seeking for pardon of sinne you are to make a great difference between the greatnesse and the smallnesse of your evills: For Beloved, First, Consider the Scripture makes a difference between sins; therefore we must doe so, the Scripture compares some sins to Camels, and some to Gnats, the Scripture compares some sins to beams, and some to motes, some sins as talents, and others but as pence, and in Amos there is mention made of mighty sins, Amos 5. in John of greater sins, Joh. 19.11. Jesus answered, Thou couldst have no power at all against me, except it were given thee from ⟨p. 185⟩above, therefore hee that delivered me unto thee, hath the greater sin. It is true, every sin deserves hell, yet there is more of the punishment of hell inflicted on some sinners then others; the reason why I speake of this case, is to let you know, that as God hath suffered any of you to fall into aggravated and hainous evils, so he requires more of you then of other men. First consider, that God requires of you more humiliation then he requires of other men; In the Law you read that if a man toucht the unclean thing, he was unclean till Evening, but if a man bare an unclean thing he was to wash his clothes, to shew that the touch of sin requires humiliation; but the bearing of a sin in thy bosome, thy continuing in sin requires more work then meerly the touch of sin; Peter wept bitterly for his denyall, he did more for that sin then for an ordinary sin. So that you are to consider, that though in regard of Christ there is no difference between a great sin and a small; as the red Sea could drown Pharaoh and his host as well as a single man; so Christs bloud can drown a huge host of sins; but yet you must encrease your humiliation on the aggravation of your guilt; thus much for the fixth case of Conscience.
