Christian directions, shewing how to walk with God all the day long drawn up for the use and benefit of the inhabitants of Sepulchres parish / by Tho. Gouge ...

CHAP. VIII.

Of Watchfulness against Sin.

AS thou must watch over thy Thoughts, Words, and Actions, so likewise against Sin.

Both against Sin in general, and likewise against the several kinds of Sin.

I. First, thou must watch against Sin in general, not bearing with thy self in the willing practice of any known Sin; for in vain dost thou expect any true peace in thy soul, so long as thou re••ai∣nest, and favourest any one Sin in thy self against thy Conscience.

For the more profitable pressing of this part of Christian watch∣fulness, I shall give thee some helps to direct thee therein.

1 Carefully avoyd all the occasions and means which may allure and draw thee unto sin; for it is impossible to eschew the one without the other; it is not possible that he who is inclined to drunkenness should contain himself from it, if he avoyd not the places and com∣pany of drunkards; neither is it possible for him that is wanton and lascivious, to abstain from filthiness and uncleanness, if he fre∣quent unchast company, and pamper himself in gluttony and drun∣kenness.* 1.1

2 If thou art assaulted, resist sin in the beginning; Doe not dally with temptations, as the Fly with the flame of a Candle, lest thou be burnt before thou be aware; neither doe thou suffer Sin to grow and increase, but rather withstand the first beginnings thereof, and if possibly nip it in the bud.

3 If thou beest overtaken with any sin, labour to recover thy self with all possible speed, by true and unfeigned repentance. Be sure thou doe not live, nor lye impenitently in the practice of any Sin against thy Conscience, for so long thou wearest the Devils Live∣ry, and art a stranger to true peace.

4 Being recovered, take heed of relapsing; A relapse is dangerous in bodily diseases, much more in spiritual; Christ saw this to bee a needful caveat, therefore he gave this advice to a Woman ta∣ken in Adultery,* 1.2 and forgiven, Goe and sin no more; yea the same advice he gave to the poor Cripple, whom he healed at the Pool of Bethesda,* 1.3 backt with a strong reason, saying to him, Sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee. Which doth not imply, that a man may keep himself pure, and free from all sin; but that hee ought with the best care, and greatest watchfulness that hee can, endeavour to keep himself pure and free from all sin, especially from enormous sins▪ which in an high manner provoke the Wrath of God. Though therefore thou hast obtained the pardon and for∣giveness of thy former sins, it concerns thee to be watchful against sin for the time to come, otherwise thou art in great danger of re∣lapsing into the same sins, if not worse; whereby thy last state will be worse than the first.

5 Often have recourse unto God by fervent prayer, as against sin in general, that hee would bee pleased to keep thee from falling thereunto, so espe••ially against those particular sins which thou fin∣dest working and stirring in thee, and with which thou art most mo∣lested, earnestly begging power and strength from God, that thou maist be enabled to stand in the day of temptation.

II. As thou must watch against Sin in general, so likewise a∣gainst the several sorts and kinds of sin. A,

I. Against thy beloved Sin;* 1.4 for there is none of us all but wee have in us our darling and beloved Sin, our own Idol (as I may say) whereunto we many times doe service, to the great offence of Almighty God.

For the better discovery whereof take these few directions.

1 Observe which way the stream of thy thoughts run, especially thy morning thoughts, whether after the world, or this or that lust, for Where the Carcass is, there will the Eagles be gathered together; whatsoever thy beloved Sin is, upon that will thy morning thoughts most hover; so that if world••ness and covetousness bee thy beloved Sin, thy morning thoughts for the most part will bee upon the

world, and the things thereof, how thou maist grow great and rich in the world; if pride and ambition be thy darling and beloved Sin, then thy morning thoughts will be upon thine advancement, how thou maist ••i••e in the world, and if ••••clearlness be thy belo∣ved Sin, then thy thoughts, especially thy morning thoughts, will be un••••ean, thy ••ead will be taken up with speculative filthiness, how thou maist satisfie thy iust; for this is a sure rule, Every man is what ••ee is most in the morning. As hee that is spiritual hath his morning thoughts upon God, or upon some spiritual and heavenly subje•••• so hee that is worldly and unclean, hath his morning thoughts upon the world, and about the satisfying of his carnal lusts.

2 Observe seriously what Sin it is thy Conscience doth most and chiefly check thee for, especially in time of affliction, for Conscience being then awakened will most of all check thee for thy beloved Sin.

3 Observe what it is wherewith thine enemies doe most up∣braid thee▪ for others many times can sooner discern our beloved Sin than we our selves, which like a stinking breath is sooner sen∣ted by a stander by, than by him that hath it; and thus maist thou make a good improvement of the bitterest objections of thine ad∣versaries against thee.

4 Observe what Sin it is thou hast least power to resist and with which thou art oftnest and easiliest overcome, notwithstan∣ding thy Conscience checks thee for the same; thou hast hereup∣on good ground to conclude that to be thy beloved Sin.

Having found out thy bosome Sin, thou must especially watch against that, lest thou bee surprised by it; and that for these reasons.

1 Because this Sin is so sweet and delightful to a Sinner, that he doth very hardly part with it; hee will forsake all that he pos∣sesseth, yea and adventure life it self, rather than forsake his be∣loved Sin;* 1.5 and therefore it may fitly be called the Sin that hang∣eth so fast on, as being not easily cast off.

2 One beloved Sin in the bosome so alienates the heart, that it cannot love Christ as it should; as one stranger in the bosome of the Wife, so takes up her affection, that she cannot love her Hus∣band as she ought.

II. Thou must with as great care and circumspection watch a∣gainst the sins of the times, and places of thine ab••de. So long as thou

livest in this world thou canst not be freed from the society and neighbourhood of wicked and ungodly men, but thy care must bee to keep thee as free from their wickedness as thou canst. This ad∣vice the Apostle Paul giveth in these words,* 1.6 See that yee walk cir∣cumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, because the days are evil; inti∣mating, the more evil the times are, the more any sin doth abound in the time and places of our abode, the more watchful should we be over our selves against those Sins, that we may not be infected nor poysoned by them:

And truely, as it is an high pitch of impiety for a man to be bad amongst good men; so it is an high pitch of piety, for a man to bee good amongst bad men, to retain his goodness in wicked times and places. Singularity I know is charged upon Gods children as their disgrace, but certainly it is their glory that they are a peculiar peo∣ple, separated from the sinful vanities and courses of the world; for we read, that the Spirit of God in setting forth the height of mens misery in their Natural state, describeth it by their living according to the common course of the world,* 1.7 and the sinful practices thereof.

III. Thou must with as great care and circumspection watch against secret sins, as against open and publick sins, making consci∣ence of sinning in secret, even when thou hast the opportunity of privacy for the acting and committing thereof, and that for these reasons.

1 Because we are more apt to fall into secret than into open and publick sins. For if we can hide our sins from the eyes and knowledge of men, we are apt to think all is well and safe, and thereupon encourage our selves to sin in secret. The fear of shame and discredit with men, hath great force to restrain men from committing sin in the publick view, but in secret few care what they doe; and therefore the Murtherer and Adulterer are brought in by Iob emboldning themselves,* 1.8 saying, No eye seeth us.

2 Howsoever we may hide our secret sins from the eyes of men, yet it is impossible to hide them from the all-seeing Eye of God,* 1.9 who seeth all, himself unseen of any, being present in all places, beholding both the evil and the good, Proverbs 15. 3. If then thou wilt sin securely, saith Augustine, seek out a place where he seeth thee not, and there doe what thou wilt;* 1.10 But seeing God is present in all places, it is impossible thou shouldest hide thy sins from his all-seeing Eye; and therefore never be encouraged to sin in hope of secrecy.

3 As God here seeth and taketh notice of our most secret sins, so he will one time or other discover those deeds of darkness to our great confusion, without true and unfeigned repentance; if not here in this life, yet at the Day of Judgement, when our most secret Sins shall be discovered to the view of all;* 1.11 for as the Wise man speaketh, God will bring every work into Iudgement, with e∣very secret thing, whether it be good, or whe••her it be evil, There is never a wicked man almost in the world, though never so formal, but he hath at some time or other committed that wickedness in secret which he would not have known for all the world; but know for certain, that at the Day of Judgement all the world shall hear thereof, for then all thy secret sins shall be discovered to An∣gels, Men, and Devils, thy secret uncleanness, and close adultery, thy pilferings and stealings, thy false weights and measures shall be brought to the view of all, to thine eternal shame and confusi∣on. Were our hearts thorowly possessed herewith, oh how watch∣ful would it make us over our selves in secret, and fearful to ad∣venture upon any Sin, though we have the opportunity of privacy for the acting of it?

IV. Thou must be watchful against the least sin, not esteeming any Sin so small and venial, as that thou maist safely give it en∣tertainment, and continue in it without true and unfeigned re∣pentance, and that for these reasons.

1 By the least Sin the Law of God is transgressed, his Justice violated,* 1.12 and his Wr••th provoked; and therefore farre be it from us to account that Sin little, which is committed against a God of infinite Majesty; whereupon saith Saint Augustine, Doe not consi∣der the smalness of thy sins,* 1.13 but the greatness of God, who is displea∣sed and provoked by them.

2 Little Sins are apt to make way for greater; as a little Boy let in at the window, will open the door, that the stoutest Thief may enter in, and rob and spoyl the house; so little Sins being once admitted, will in time set wide open the door of our hearts, that the greatest and grossest may enter in, and so rob and spoyl us of all grace and goodness; and therefore despise not the smal∣lest Sin, for even that is a step to a greater: for who sees not by daily experience, that unclean thoughts, and fil••hy words, draw many on to unclean actions;* 1.14 yea as Iustin reports of Ni••us his Victories,* 1.15 how every Victory was a means of another conquest. So e∣very small Sin is a means and way to a greater.

And this must needs be so. Because God in his Judgement doth usually punish Sin with Sin, I mean, God doth many times punish some mens lesser Sins, by leaving them so to themselves, and to the corruptions of their own wicked hearts, that they break forth into the acting and committing of grosser Sins. The best means therefore fo•• a man to keep himself from great and hainous Sins, is, to be watchful against smaller Sins, and to make conscience of them; for though at the present thou abhorrest the very thought of Murther, and such like hainous Sin, yet if thou givest way to uncleaneness, or livest impenitently in any other Sin, the Lord in his Justice may leave thee so to thy self, as that thou shalt break forth into actual Murther for the covering of thine uncleanness. Thus it fell out with David, who questionless abhorred the thought of Murther,* 1.16 yet having committed uncleanness with bathsheba, soon after murthered Uriah (though an innocent man, and one of his Worthies) for the covering of his Adultery. And how many Women in these our days, who abominated the very thought of Murther, yet have most cruelly slaugh••e••ed their tender Infants, for the concealing and covering of their unleanness? As therefore thou wouldst avoyd Murther, or such like hainous Sins, be watch∣ful against, and careful to avoyd lesser Sins, lest they make way for the other.

3 The least Sin cannot be expiated, nor pardoned, without the precious blood of the Son of God. That expression of the Apostle is observable, Christ was delivered to death for our offences; the word in the Greek translated Offences,* 1.17 signifieth properly our slips, implying, that our smallest Sins could not be expiated without the bloody death of Iesus Christ. Oh let not us overlightly account of that, for which Christ paid so dear a price as his own most precious blood.

Notes

• * 1.1

  Peccata non sant ••••nenda coalescere &c. sed in exordiis stati•• enecand•• sunt &c. Hilar. Enarrat. in Psal. 36
• * 1.2

  Joh, 8. 11
• * 1.3

  Joh. 5. 14
• * 1.4

  Peccatum in deliciis, as Aug. calls it.
• * 1.5

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Heb. 12. 1
• * 1.6

  Ephes. 5, 15
• * 1.7

  Ephes. 2. 2
• * 1.8

  Job. 24. 14
• * 1.9

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Eu∣rip.
• * 1.10

  Quare si pec∣care vi••, quaere ••••bi t•• non vide ••at, & fac quod vis. Aug.
• * 1.11

  Eccles. 12. 14
• * 1.12

  Ne consideres quod parva 〈◊〉〈◊〉 peccata, sed quod magnus sit Deus eui displicent.
• * 1.13

  Aug. de Poe••i∣tent. vera & falsa, cap. 8.
• * 1.14

  Quae{que} sequen∣tis victoriae causa ••uit.
• * 1.15

  Iustin. lib. 1.
• * 1.16

  2 Sam. 12. 9
• * 1.17

  〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉〈 in non-Latin alphabet 〉. Rom. 4. 25