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names and titles of a little reproof, and, having lived in wicked times, were betrayed into easier sentences of those sins which they saw all mankind almost to practise, which was the case of some of the doctors who lived in the time of those wars which broke the Roman empire; besides this, I say, venial sins can rather be described', than enumerated. For none are so in their nature, but all that are so, are so by accident; and, according as sins tend to excuse, so they put on their degrees of veniality. No sin is absolutely venial, but in comparison with others: neither is any sin at all times and to all persons alike venial. And therefore, let no man venture upon it upon any mistaken confidence: they that think sins are venial in their own nature, cannot agree which are venial and which are not; and therefore, nothing is in this case so certain, as that all doctrine which does in any sense represent sins as harmless or tame serpents, is infinitely dangerous; and there is no safety, but by striving against all beforehand, and repenting of all as there is need.

61. I sum up these questions and these advices with the saying of Josephus: Τὸ γὰρ ἐπὶ μικροῖς καὶ μεγάλοις παρανομεῖν loodúvaμóv koti. "It is as damnable to indulge leave to ourselves to sin little sins as great ones:" a man may be choked with a raisin, as well as with great morsels of flesh; and a small leak in a ship, if it be neglected, will as certainly sink her as if she sprung a plank. Death is the wages of all; and damnation is the portion of the impenitent, whatever was the instance of their sin. Though there are degrees of punishment, yet there is no difference of state, as to this particular: and therefore, we are tied to repent of all, and to dash the little Babylonians against the stones, against the rock that was smitten for us. For by the blood of Jesus, and the tears of repentance, and the watchfulness of a diligent, careful person, many of them shall be prevented, and all shall be pardoned.

A Psalm to be frequently used in our Repentance for our

daily Sins.

Bow down thine ear, O Lord, hear me, for I am poor and needy: rejoice the soul of thy servant; for unto thee, O Lord, do I lift up my soul.

See chap. 7. of sins of infirmity.

• Εἰς τοὺς Μακκαβαίους.

For thou, Lord, art good, and ready to forgive, and plenteous in mercy unto all them that call upon thee: teach me thy way, O Lord, I will walk in thy truth; unite my heart to fear thy name.

Shall mortal man be more just than God? Shall a man be more pure than his Maker? Behold, he put no trust in his servants; and his angels he charged with folly.

How much less on them that dwell in houses of clay, whose foundation is in the dust, which are crushed before the moth? Doth not their excellency which is in them, go away? They die even without wisdom.

The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. Moreover, by them is thy servant warned; and in keeping of them, there is great reward.

Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from my secret faults: keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me; then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression.

O ye sons of men, how long will ye turn my glory into shame? How long will ye love vanity and seek after leasing? But know that the Lord hath set apart him that is godly, for himself: the Lord will hear, when I call unto him.

Out of the deep have I called unto thee, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice: O let thine ears consider well the voice of my complaint.

If thou, Lord, wilt be extreme to mark what is done amiss, O Lord, who may abide it? But there is mercy with thee, therefore shalt thou be feared.

Set a watch, O Lord, before my mouth, and keep the door of my lips: take from me the way of lying; and cause thou me to make much of thy law.

The Lord is full of compassion and mercy, long-suffering, and of great goodness: he will not alway be chiding, neither keepeth he his anger for ever.

Yea, like as a father pitieth his own children, even so is the Lord merciful unto them that fear him. For he knoweth whereof we are made: he remembereth that we are but dust.

Praise the Lord, O my soul, and forget not all his benefits which forgiveth all thy sin, and healeth all thine infirmities.

Glory be to the Father, &c.

The Prayer.

O ETERNAL God, whose perfections are infinite, whose mercies are glorious, whose justice is severe, whose eyes are pure, whose judgments are wise; be pleased to look upon the infirmities of thy servant, and consider my weakness. My spirit is willing, but my flesh is weak; I desire to please thee, but in my endeavours I fail so often, so foolishly, so unreasonably, that I extremely displease myself, and I have too great reason to fear, that thou also art displeased with thy servant. O my God, I know my duty, I resolve to do it; I know my dangers, I stand upon my guard against them; but when they come near, I begin to be pleased, and delighted in the little images of death, and am seized upon by folly, even when with greatest severity I decree against it. Blessed Jesus, pity me, and have mercy upon my infirmities.

II.

O dear God, I humbly beg to be relieved by a mighty grące, for I bear a body of sin and death about me; sin creeps upon me in every thing that I do or suffer. When I do well, I am apt to be proud; when I do amiss, I am sometimes too confident, sometimes affrighted: if I see others do amiss, I either neglect them, or grow too angry; and in the very mortification of my anger, I grow angry and peevish. My duties are imperfect, my repentances little, my passions great, my fancy trifling: the sins of my tongue are infinite, and my omissions are infinite, and my evil thoughts cannot be numbered, and I cannot give an account concerning innumerable portions of my time which were once in my power, but were let slip, and were partly spent in sin, partly thrown away upon trifles and vanity and even of the basest sins, of which in accounts of men I am most innocent, I am guilty before thee, entertaining those sins in little instances, thoughts, desires, and imaginations, which I durst not produce into action and open significations. Blessed Jesus, pity me, and have mercy upon my infirmities.

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III.

Teach me, O Lord, to walk before thee in righteousness, perfecting holiness in the fear of God. Give me an obedient will, a loving spirit, an humble understanding, watchfulness over my thoughts, deliberation in all my words and actions, well-tempered passions, and a great prudence, and a great zeal, and a great charity, that I may do my duty wisely, diligently, holily; O let me be humbled in my infirmities, but let me be also safe from my enemies; let me never fall by their violence, nor by my own weakness; let me never be overcome by them, nor yet give myself up to folly and weak principles, to idleness, and secure, careless walking; but give me the strengths of thy Spirit, that I may grow strong upon the ruins of the flesh, growing from grace to grace, till I become a perfect man in Christ Jesus. O let my strength be seen in my weakness; and let thy mercy triumph over my infirmities; pitying the condition of my nature, the infancy of grace, the imperfection of my knowledge, the transportation of my passion. Let me never consent to sin, but for ever strive against it, and every day prevail, till it be quite dead in me; that thy servant, living the life of grace, may at last be admitted to that state of glory, where all my infirmities shall be done away, and all tears be dried up, and sin and death shall be no more. Grant this, O most gracious God and Father, for Jesus Christ's sake. Amen.

Our Father, &c.

CHAP. IV.

OF ACTUAL, SINGLE SINS, AND WHAT REPENTANCE IS PROPER TO THEM.

SECTION I.

I. THE first part of conversion or repentance, is a quitting of all sinful habits, and abstaining from all criminal actions whatsoever.

Virtus est vitium fagere, et sapientia prima

Stultitia caruisse

Hor. Ep. 1. 1. 41.

For unless the Spirit of God rule in our hearts, we are none of Christ's: but he rules not where the works of the flesh are frequently, or maliciously, or voluntarily entertained. All the works of the flesh, and whatsoever leads to them, all that is contrary to the Spirit, and does either grieve or extinguish him, must be rescinded, and utterly taken away. Concerning which, it is necessary that I set down the" catalogues, which by Christ and his apostles are left us as lights and watch-towers, to point out the rocks and quicksands where our danger is: and this I shall the rather do, not only because they comprehend many evils which are not observed or feared; some which are commended, and many that are excused; but also because, although they are all marked with the same black character of death, yet there is some difference in the execution of the sentence, and in the degrees of their condemnation, and of the consequent repent

ance.

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Evil Thoughts; or Discoursings.

2. Διαλογισμοὶ οἱ κακοὶ, ‘evil reasonings. Διαλογισμοί adoλeoxíaι, says Hesychius, that is, 'prating;' importune prattling and looseness of tongue, such as is usual with bold boys and young men ; prating much and to no purpose. But our Bibles read it evil thoughts,' or 'surmisings;' for in Scripture it is ovvexns μeλérn; so Suidas observes concerning ȧdoλεσχία, and αδολεσχήσω, that is, διηνεκῶς μελετήσω, ' to think long and carefully, to dwell in meditation upon a thing:' to which when our blessed Saviour adds κakoì, 'evil,' he notes and reproves such kind of morose thinkings and fancying of evil things and it is not unlikely that he means thoughts of uncleanness, or lustful fancies. For διαλέγεσθαι, τὸ συνουσιάζειν, saith Suidas: ἐπὶ τὸ συνουσιάζειν, says Hesychius; it signifies such words as are prologues to wantonness: so diαλέγοιντο γυναιξιν in Aristophanes.

Τὴν μέν γε πρώτην διαλέγουσαν τὴν ἐπὴν
Κατέλαβον, ᾗ τοῦ Πανός ἐστι ταῦλιον *.

So that here are forbidden all wanton words, and all morose delighting in venereous thoughts, all rollings and tossing such things in our mind. For even these defile the soul.

u Matt. xv. 19. Mark, vii. 21. 2 Tim. iii. 2-5. Rom. i. 29-32. * Lysistrat. 720. Brunck,

Gal. v. 16. 19-21. Eph. iv. 31, &c. v. 3—5. 1 Cor. vi. 9. Rev. xxi. 8. 1 Pet. iv. 3. 15.

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