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1. The ftupidity and fenfeleffness of those who are made to the perfection of reafon and understanding, and yet act contrary to it.

2. The impiety and unrighteoufness of finners, who. are a real offence to. God, cause his displeasure, and. bring upon perfons and places, ruin and destruction. For can any one imagine that it is a matter of nothing, that man, who is endued with mind and understanding, and fo made capable of God, to live in a conftant neglect of God, and abuse of those principles, whereby he is capable to ferve God?

Since all the ways of God, are ways of righteousnefs, judgment and truth, in whom there is fulness. of power and liberty; yet cannot by power pervert that which is right: is it to be endured by the Governor of the world, that a limited creature, of bounden duties, fhould extend liberty to the confounding of order and right, and all difference between good and evil? that he should take liberty to the introducing of all confufion and disorder in the family of God (for the whole world is his family) and live in the violation of all the laws of righteousness, goodness and truth, which are the laws of heaven. Let us think impartially, and judge righteous judgment.

Now because fome think that fin is a trifle, and wonder that God fhould think himself concerned to reftrain and limit his creatures, in what they have amind to do; that God fhould refufe to let them enjoy that liberty; that God fhould deny his creatures fatisfaction. I fhall therefore fhew that those things which we call finful, have an intrinfick

malignity

malignity in them; and therefore are forbidden by God, because of their naughtiness.

And for further fecurity to us against such poison, God (out of his care for us) hath fuperadded the use of his own authority over us, and our interest (which in all reafon ought to prevail with us) that we should not do ourselves that mischief; that we fhould not meddle with what is fo hurtful and dangerous.

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This may be faid concerning the liberty, that by our Saviour we are brought into that in the State of the gospel, I know nothing forbidden, which one of true reafon would defire to have liberty to do. There is intrinfick rancour, venom, and malignity in every fin, tho' in several degrees: and this I will fhew in four particulars.

1. Sin is a variation from the law and rule of God's creation: It is contrary to the order of reason: and when I fay this, I fay as bad as can be spoken. Every fin is against the order of reason, against the law and rule of God's creation and it is unnatural to the state of a creature. What other creature in nature doth vary from the ftate of it's creation, but man who ought to be most regular, conftant and uniform. If the reft of the creatures fhould do fo, the world would foon be turned into a chaos and confufion. If the fea fhould do fo, it would foon overflow all its banks. If the fun should give no more light, but be the cause of stench and putrefaction; that instead of the fplendid rays, which he cafts u pon the world, and revives thofe things by, which are below, it should send forth noifom vapours, how would the univerfe be unfurnished and difordered?

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The like may be faid of all other creatures, which if they should act as irregularly, and unnaturally as man, every thing would be brought into diforder and confufion, and the world turned into a chaos. What is it in human nature to do contrary to the order of reason, and law of heaven? It is a phrase characteristical of venom and malignity; to which there can be no comparison.

2. In fin, there is open and manifeft neglect of God, to whom all reverence and regard is most due. For whofoever converts himself inordinately to the creature, averts himself from God; and then, what becomes of our duc acknowledgements to God, and thankfulness, than which, nothing in the world is more reasonable; for, the ox knoweth his owner, and the afs, his master's crib, Ifa. i. 3.

3. By fin, there is a difturbance in God's family: (as the whole world is.) It is an interruption of that intercourse and communication there ought to be amongst creatures; for every finner deftroys much good. Wherever there is irregular motions, agents will interfere; and hence arife exafperations, contradiction and offence. Were mankind regular in their motions, and confined themselves to warrantable actions, there would be nothing of displeasure, paffion, provocation or offence found among men.

4. By the practice of iniquity we marr our spirits, spoil our tempers, and acquire unnatural principles, and difpofitions. By fin, we part with the modesty and ingenuity of our natures. Now therefore let the atheistical and profane person be aggrieved if he can, or find fault with God, that he fhould cut

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him short, and prohibit him all irregular and exorbitant actions: fince they are fo contrary to human nature and fuch a disturbance in God's government: and fince there is nothing in inferior nature, but what is regular and conftant, from the first moment of its creation, to this hour. There is turpitude in every act of fin; yet fins differ for there are feveral degrees of fin; for fins are aggravated or abated by the difpofition, capacities, and principles of the agent that commits them. As

1. If there be clear light, and fulness of liberty then it is fin with a high hand.

2. If fin be committed in doubtfulness and uncer tainty, then it weakens and difables confcience. Great regard is to be had to the innocence and tenderness of our own mind. The wife man in Ec-* clefiafticus faith, thou haft no friend in all the world fo near to thee as the reason of thy own mind, therefore never treat the reafon of thy mind unhandsome→ ly. Treat kindly thy home reprover; there is no friend truer to thee, nor can do thee better fervice; therefore hear it's voice, and give it satisfaction.

3. If men fin through confusion of thoughts, then it may be faid we were not ourselves. One may fay we were but half ourselves, when we did it.

4: If we fin by misapprehenfion or mistake; then we did not intend that, but another thing, when we did it.

5. If we did it by an assault, or fudden fuprifal, then it was as well another's fault as ours.

6. If upon provocation, heat of paffion, and we revoke it as soon as we return to ourselves; by this

we

we make it morally void and null: for you do revoke and morally undo, that which you repent of.

7. If men fin by fome careleffness, negligence, and indiligence; if we recompence it by after care, and diligence upon this coftly experience; this alfo helps to excufe.

I conclude with two words of admonition to two forts of perfons.

First, To the atheistical, and profane, I earnestly recommend to them the re-examining of things and if they do not pretend to infallibility, I beg of them to confider their former thoughts and refolutions. Think again, whether the great things of religion may not be realities, viz. the being of a God, the immortality of the foul, the effential difference of good and evil; and future rewards and punishments. At least do not practise against the sense of these things; but return, and use thy reason, which if not vitiated and prepoffeft, will fatisfy the native sense of the mind. To fay nothing now of fcripture (which fpeaks enough of affurance of what it declares; fo that they which read it will not eafily fhut their hands of it, ifthey intend to be wicked;) reafon hath fo much to fay for thefe great things, that the obftinate are put upon it, to blind and blot out those reasons and arguments, which they know not what to say to, nor how to answer; which stick as fo many goads. in their fides. No man but he, who is habitually evil,, and hath dethroned his reafon, and confederated with the enemy of his mind, can fatisfy himself, that there is no reafon to fatisfy him to fear thefe great things, viz. the being of a God, the immorta

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