A92846:1059
The anatomy of secret sins, presumptuous sins, sins in dominion, & uprightness. Wherein divers…
The anatomy of secret sins, presumptuous sins, sins in dominion, & uprightness. Wherein divers weighty cases are resolved in relation to all those particulars: delivered in divers sermons preached at Mildreds in Bread-street London, on Psalm 19. 12, 13. Together with the remissibleness of all sin, and the irremissibleness of the sin against the Holy Ghost preached before an honourable auditory. By that reverend and faithful minister of the Gospel, Mr. Obadiah Sedgwick, B.D. Perfected by himself, and published by those whom he entrusted with his notes.The anatomy of secret sins, presumptuous sins, sins in dominion, & uprightness. Wherein divers weighty cases are resolved in relation to all those particulars: delivered in divers sermons preached at Mildreds in Bread-street London, on Psalm 19. 12, 13. Together with the remissibleness of all sin, and the irremissibleness of the sin against the Holy Ghost preached before an honourable auditory. By that reverend and faithfull minister of the Gospel, Mr. Obadiah Sedgwick, B.D. Perfected by himself, and published by those whom he intrusted with his notes.
London: printed by T.R. for Adoniram Byfeild, 1660
Modern spelling is a reading aid: the words are the author’s, only the spelling is modernized. Original shows the page as printed, with the transcription marks.
For as it was with Jacob after his earnest struggling with the Angel, he arose with a lame and halting thigh, so is it with all of us, both in and after our most affectionate performances, we are weak in our feet: that is not good which is done by a good man; and though he doth much which God doth reward, yet he doth nothing so completely, but God needs in something or other of it to pardon and cover. Not only our sins can accuse us, but some sinfulness in our best actions: no man prays, or hears, or reads, or acts any service of piety or charity, in that full and ample eminency or integrity of degrees, but that he may with the Elders in the Revelations, cast these Crowns down to the ground.
For as it was with Jacob after his earnest strugling with the Angel, he arose with a lame and halting thigh, so is it with all of us, both in and after our most affectionate performances, we are weak in our feet: that is not good which is done by a good man; and though he doth much which God doth reward, yet he doth nothing so compleatly, but God needs in something or other of it to pardon and cover. Not only our sinnes can accuse us, but some sinfulnesse in our best actions: no man prays, or heares, or reades, or acts any service of piety or charity, in that full and ample eminency or integrity of degrees, but that he may with the Elders in the Revelations, cast these Crowns down to the ground.
Thirdly, that by reason of these imperfections in duties, there is more reason (in a strict way of Justice) that God should reject all, then that he should accept of any thing.
Beloved, it is granted, that God doth not reject the services of his servants; nay, as he doth requite them, so he will accept of them, and reward them; but this is not for the dignity of the servant, but from the graciousness of the Master. For if God should answer any imperfect service (yea, that which hath but a very little, and particular imperfection, suppose them to be some contrary transient thoughts, or some thinner indispositions hanging about us in our duties) I say if God should answer them from the court of pure Justice, you should find that the mixture of a little sin would easily cry down the acceptance of much good: The most good which I bring in my services it is but duty, and the least evil which I bring is besides the duty, and the evil in duty, be not able to make that part which is good to be bad, yet it is able to shut out the service from acceptance, because, by reason of that evil, the service is not so good as God may and doth require, if he should stand with us upon terms of strict Justice.