sins of infirmity, if they be not gross, foul, and scandalous sins.*

Infirmity doth constantly keep a man's heart low, down, and humble. If one have an infirmity in his speech, he will not be so forward to speak as others are ; but being conscious of his own infirmity, he is always low, and afraid to speak. So spiritually. There are two sorts of sins that men do commit: some are foul, gross, and scandalous sins; others are weaknesses and infirmities: those that fall into great and gross sins, will be much troubled, much trouble and sorrow they do meet with presently, in case they repent; but those that lie under a constant infirmity, are constantly kept low and humble thereby. Do you therefore complain of your sin, and would you know of what sort of sins it is? Why, if it be not a gross and scandalous sin, and thy heart be kept constantly low thereby, then without doubt it is no other than this sin of infirmity. For though God could have wholly delivered his people from the filth of sin, as well as from the guilt of it, and as well from lesser sins as from great and scandalous; yet he hath left these infirmities and weaknesses in the hearts and lives of his people, that they may be constantly humbled in themselves, and prize Christ the more. And if this be the manner of an infirmity, then surely a good man, a true disciple of Christ, may possibly fall into the same sin again and again, and yet the sin be but a sin of infirmity. Which was the second thing proposed to be cleared by us.

But suppose that my sin be no other than a sin of infirmity, what then?

*Mirabilis Deus in consiliis super filiis hominum, multos per peccata sanat a peccatis, sicut venenum pellitur a veneno.-Luther.

Non solum mala passiva, quæ nobis irrogantur, in bonum cedunt, sed etiam activa, hoc est, mala quæ nos ipsi facimus; quorsum hoc inquis? quia homo pius cum videt lapsum suum, pudesit, et confunditur, sic lapsus ille principio operatur humilitatem, deinde invocationem ardentum, ac malum illud quod in carne reliquam est ceu calcar est quod nos excitat, ut nobis ipsis irascamur, nos damnemus et clamemus cum Paulo. Infelix ego, quis me liberabit a corpore hujus peccati, sic crescit fides occasione vitiorum, &c.-Luther, Com. 2. Gen. fol. 151, in cap. 20.

+ Datus est mihi stimulus carnis, ne extollar inquit Paulus, o venenum quod non curatur nisi veneno; caput cædebatur ne caput extolleretur o antidotum quasi quod de serpente conficitur et propterea theria cum dicitur.-Augustin de verbis Apost. Serm. 3.

The third particular answers you. Ther, your sin being but an infirmity, Christ will never leave you for it, nor cast you off for it; but if you sleep, he will waken you; and if you sleep again, he will waken you again; and if you yet sleep again, he will come again with his wakening mercy, and will never cast you off for it. Oh, what sweet grace is this.

Is there no evil then in this sin of infirmity?

Yes, much, very much: for though it be a drawer of water to your grace, yet it is a Gibeonite, a native, a Canaanite, that will upon all occasions be ready to betray you, and to open the door unto greater thieves, and will always be a thorn and goad in your sides; and though it do not put out your light, yet it is a thief in your candle, which may smear out much of your comfort, and blemish your duty. Ye know how it is with a good writing pen; if there be a small hair in it, though the hair be never so little a thing, yet if it be not pulled out, it will blot and blemish the whole writing sometimes. So may the sin of infirmity do; your whole duty may be blotted and blemished by this small hair, and although God can and doth make use of your infirmities for to keep your graces, yet they are but your lees and dregs, whereas your graces should be all refined. The word of God is as gold refined seven times; your ordinances are refined ordinances, refined by the hand of reformation; your comforts and mercies and privileges, are refined mercies, privileges and comforts: surely therefore your graces should be refined graces, and your duties refined duties. When Christ" shall sit as a refiner and purifier of silver, he shall purify the sons of Levi as gold and silver, and then shall the offerings of Judah and Jerusalem be pleasant unto the Lord," Mal. iii. 3, Oh, what an evil thing therefore is it, for a man to be unrefined. Is it not an evil thing to be burdensome unto others? By your sin, though it be but an infirmity, you may be a burden to others; for the apostle speaking of infirmities. saith," Bear ye one another's burdens," Gal. vi. 1, 6; and, "Ye that are strong, ought to bear the infirmities of the weak," Rom. xiv. 1. And although Christ will not cast you off for a sin of infirmity, yet you may provoke him thereby to chide you, and to be angry with you. The unbelief of the disciples was but their infirmity, yet Chi.st did upbraid them because of their unbelief. The remissness and loss of first love

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in the church of Ephesus, is by Christ called a somewhat, "Nevertheless I have somewhat against thee;" and yet Christ threatens her, that he will for this somewhat come against her quickly, and remove her candlestick, if she did not repent. And, Rev. ii. 16, the Lord Christ threatens the church of Smyrna, that unless she repented, he would come unto her quickly: yet he saith not to her, I have many things, but a few things against thee; or if you will, for the word is Aya, I have some small or little things against thee. So that although your sin be not of so great a bulk as others, yet you may provoke Christ thereby, and he may be angry, and chide you for it. Thus here he did chide the disciples, yet their sin was but a sin of infirmity. Surely, therefore, there is evil, and much evil in the sin, though it be but a sin of infirmity. But,

Thirdly, Though there be much evil in this sin, Christ will not cast you off for it.

For it is an honour to a man to pass by infirmities, saith Solomon; much more is it for the honour of Christ to pass by the infirmities of his people.

The saints and people of God are in covenant with God by Jesus Christ, and that covenant is a conjugal covenant. Hosea ii. But what husband will put away his wife for her infirmities? That covenant is a paternal covenant, and what father will thrust his child out of doors for his infirmities ? A child, though deformed, is more pleasing to the father, because the child is his own, than another beautiful child that is not his own. Yea, that covenant is, a covenant of grace: now in the covenant of works, the least sin breaks the covenant; but in the covenant of grace, the greatest sin doth not break the covenant between God and the soul: in the covenant of works, the least sin provokes God to hatred; in the covenant of grace, the greatest sin provokes and moves God to pity. If a master should turn away his servant for every failing and weakness, who would serve him? But God hath many servants in the world, who do serve him with cheerfulness; surely, therefore, he doth not and he will not cast men off for their infirmities.

The saints and people of God are the body of Christ; and every one a member of that mystical body, whereof our Lord Christ is the head. Now, saith Luther, what man will

cut off his nose, because there is filth in it? yea, though the nose be the sink of the brain, yet because it is a member a man will not cut it off.* And will Christ cut off one of his members, because there is filth in him, or some weakness and infirmity in him? No, surely. What woman will cast away the mortar, because it savours of the onions, or garlick which hath been beaten in it? What father will knock his child on the head, because a wart grows on his forehead? These infirmities in the saints and people of God, are their warts, which grow in the face of their conversation: the blessed martyrs themselves had these warts: Hierom of Prague had a great wart upon him, Cranmer another, Jewel another; yea, if we look into that little book of Chronicles, I mean Heb. xi., what saint is there mentioned upon record, but had one wart or another? Had not Abraham his wart, in saying, that Sarah was his sister? Had not Sarah her's in laughing? Had not Jacob, Isaac, and Joseph their's? Moses, Rahab, Samson, Jepthah, and David their's? Luther had his, and our reformers their's; yet God owned, used, and honoured them. Surely therefore, though there be much evil in a sin of infirmity, especially if a man fall into it again and again; yet Christ will not leave a man, or cast him off for it.t

But Solomon tells us, that the backslider in heart shall be satisfied with his own ways.

True: But there is much difference between the backsliding of an hypocrite, and the relapses of God's own children into their infirmities: a backslider loseth that power which once he had; but a good man relapsing into his infirmities, doth still keep that power of godliness which he had before a backslider's judgment and principles crack and

* Nemo nasum ideo abjicet quod impuro phlegmate abundat, et quasi cloaca cerebri, ita etiam infirmi temporis infirmitatis sunt pars regni Christi qui non ideo abjiciendi sed so vendi sanandi et erigendi sunt.-Luther.

+ Ego non possum excusare patres ut multi faciunt nec volo, imo libenter audio lapsus et infirmitates sanctorum non quod laudem, &c. sicut non excuso apostolos fugientes a Christo, Petrum negantem et alias eorum infirmitates, stultitias et ineptias, nec scribuntur ista propter duros super bos et obstinatos sed ut ratio regni Christi ostendatur qui in grege suo pusillo habet pauperes et infirmus conscientias; est rex fortium paritur et infirmorum, &c.-Luther in Gen. xxvi.

Scio ego me sæpe multa stulte et temere admodum egisse adeo ut cogitarem cur Deus, vocavit me ad predicandum &c.—Luther in Gen. xxvii.

alter, insomuch as he doth bless himself in his apostacy; but the good man relapsing into his infirmities, still doth retain his judgment, keep his principles, and doth groan under his relapses. Possibly a man may fall into the same sin again and again, yet he may be no backslider, nor called a backslider in scripture language.

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But again, A man may be said to be satisfied with his own ways either because he is given up to his sins, so as to be glutted with them, finding all delight and contentment in them; or he is said to be satisfied with his own ways, in regard of that sorrow and affliction which he doth reap by them in this sense a good man may have enough of his sin, and be said to be satisfied with his own ways. Thus it with Jacob; he deceived his brother Esau, and he deceived his father Isaac; afterwards he was deceived by Laban, and by his children; as he deceived his own father, so was he deceived by his father-in-law; and as he deceived his brother, so was he deceived by his children, in the reports of Joseph's death: here was he satisfied in a way of sorrow with his own ways; he deceived others, and was deceived by others he had enough of it. But though a good man may be thus satisfied with his own ways, yet he is never satisfied with them, so as to be given up to them. Possibly he may fall into them again and again, yet saith the Lord, Isa. lvii. 17, "For the iniquity of his covetousness, was I wroth, and smote him; I hid my face and was wroth:" What then? "And he went on frowardly, turning aside again, (so the Hebrew,) in the way of his heart." But, saith the Lord, "I have seen his ways, and will heal him, and will lead him also, and restore comforts to him, and his mourners." So that though a good man may have enough of his sin, in regard of sorrow that may come thereby: yet he shall never be satisfied with his own ways, or sins, so as to be given up to them: Christ will not cast him off; if he sleep, Christ will waken him; and if he sleep again, Christ will wake him again; Christ will not leave him in it, nor cast him off for it.

If these things be true, then what necessity is upon us, and what great cause have we to examine ourselves, and to consider seriously, what sort of sins those sins are, which we labour under. We do all sin, that is most certain; but there is a great difference between sin and sin: there is a