The upright mans character and crown. Preached in a sermon at Pauls before the…

VIII. An upright Christian will¹ not allow himself in any known sin; he dares not touch the forbidden fruit, Gen. 39. 9. How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God? though it be a complexion-sin, he dis-inherits it. There's no man but doth propend and incline more to one sin then another^*; as in the body there is one humour predominant, or as in the hive there's one master-Be; so in the heart there's one master-sin: there is one sin which is not only near to a man as the garment, but dear to him as the right eye. This sin is Satan's Fort royal, all his strength lies here; and though we beat down his outworks, gross sin, yet if we let him hold this fort of complexion-sin, ⟨p. 26⟩'tis as much as he desires. The Devil can hold a man as fast by this one link, as by a whole chain of vices. The fowler hath the bird fast enough by one wing. Now an upright Christian will not indulge himself in this complexion-sin, Psalm 18. 24. I was also upright before him, and kept my self from mine iniquity. An upright Christian takes the sacrificing knife of mortification, and runs it through his beloved-sin. Herod did many things, but there was one sin so dear to him, that he would sooner behead the Prophet, then behead that sin. Herod would have a gap for his incest. An upright heart is not only angry with sin, (which may admit of reconciliation) but hates sin^*, and if he sees this Serpent creeping into his bosom, the nearer it is, the more he hates it.

VIII. An upright Christian will¹ not allow himself in any known sin; he dares not touch the forbidden fruit, Gen. 39. 9. How then can I do this great wickednesse and sinne against God? though it be a complexion-sinne, he dis-inherits it. There's no man but doth propend and incline more to one sinne then another