All Sion's children will lament and cry, T CHAP XXVI. A little leak neglected, dangerous proves : OBSERVATION. HE smallest leak, if not timely difcovered and ftopt, is enough to fink a fhip of the greateft burden: Therefore feamen are wont frequently to try what water is in the hold; and if they find it fresh, and increafing upon them, they ply the pump, and presently fet the carpenters to fearch for it and ftop it; and till it be found they cannot be quiet. APPLICATION. What fuch a leak is to a fhip, that is the finalleft fin neglec ted to the foul; it is enough to ruin it eternally. For as the greateft fin, difcovered, lamented, and mourned over by a believer, cannot ruin him; fo the leaft fin indulged, covered, and connived at, will certainly prove the deftruction of the finner. No fin, though never fo fmall, is tolerated by the pure and perfect law of God, Pfalm cxix. 96. The command is exceeding broad; not as if it gave men a latitude to walk as they please, but broad, (i. e.) extending itfelf to all our words, thoughts, actions, and affections: Laying a law upon them all; conniving at no evil in any man, 1 Pet. ii. 1. And as the word gives no allowance for the leaft fin, fo it is the very nature of fincerity and uprightnefs, to fet the heart against [every] way of wickednefs, Pfalm cxxxix. 23, 24. Job xxxi. 13. and especially against that fin which was its darling in the days of his vanity, Pfalm xviii. 23. True hatred (as the philofopher observes) is of the whole * kind; He that hates fin, as fin, and fo doth every upright foul, hates all fins as well as fome. Again, the foul that hath had a faving fight of Jefus Christ, and a true difcovery of the evil of fin, in the glafs both of the law and gofpel, can account no fin small. He knows the demerit of the fmalleft fin is God's eternal wrath, and that not the leaft fin can be remitted, without the fhedding and applica tion of the blood of Christ, Heb, ix. 22. which blood is of infinite value and price, 1 Pet. i. 19. To conclude, God's people know, that little as well as great. fins, are dangerous, deadly, and destructive in their own nature; a little poifon will deftroy a man. Adrian was choaked with a gnat, Caefar stabbed with bodkins. A man would think Adam's fin had been no great matter, yet what dreadful work did it make! It was not as a fingle bullet, to kill himself only; but as a chain-fhot, which cut off all his poor, miferable pofterity. Indeed, no fin çan be little, because its object, against whom it is committed, is fo great, whence it receives a kind of infiniteness in itself, and because the price paid to redeem us. from it is fo invaluable. 1 REFLECTION. And is the fmalleft fin not only damning in its own nature, but will certainly prove the ruin of that foul that hides and covers it; O then let my fpirit accomplish a diligent fearch. Look to it, O my foul! that no fin be indulged by thee; fet thefe confiderations as fo many flaming fwords in the way of thy carnal delights and lufts: Let me never fay of any fin, as Lot did of Zoar, "It is a little one, fpare it." Shall I fpare that which coft the blood of Jefus Chrift? The Lord would not fpare him, "When he made his foul an offering for fin," Rom. viii. 32. Neither will he fpare me, if I defend and hide it, Deut. xxix. 20. Ah! if my heart were right, and my converfation found, that luft, whatever it be, that is fo favoured by me, would especially be abhorred, and hated, Ifa. ii. 20. and xxx. 22. Whatever my convictions and reformations have been, yet if there be but one fin retained, and delighted in, this keeps the devil's interest still in my soul. And though for a time he feem to depart, yet at laft he will return with seven worse spirits, and this is the fin that will open the door to him, and deliver up my foul, Matth. xii. 43, 44. Lord, let me make thorough work of it; let me cut it off, and pluck it out, though it be as a right hand, or eye. Ah! fhall I come fo near the kingdom of God, and make fuch a fair offer for Chrift, and yet ftick at a fmall matter, and lose all for want of one thing? Lord, let me fhed the blood of the dearest luft, for his fake that fhed his deareft blood for me! TH The POEM. Here's many a foul eternally undone That wounds fo great a God, fo dear a foul. Are Chrift and hell for trifles fold and bought? Unless fuch fins do great repentance cost. T CHAP. XXVII. Ships make much way when they a trade-wind get; OBSERVATION. Hough in most parts of the world the winds are variable, and fometimes blow from every point of the compass, by reafon whereof, failing is flow, and dangerous; yet about the Equinoctial, seamen meet with a trade-wind, blowing, for the most part, one way; and there they fail jocund before it, and scarce need to lower a top-fail for fome hundreds of leagues. APPLICATION. Although the people of God meet with many feeming rubs and fet-backs in their way to heaven, which are like contrary winds to a fhip; yet are they from the day of their converfion, to the day of their complete falvation, never out of a tradewind's way to heaven. Rom. viii. 21. "We know that all "things work together for good, to them that love God, to them that are called according to his purpose." This is a moft precious fcripture, pregnant with its confolation to all believers in all conditions, a pillar of comfort to all distressed faints: Let us look a little nearer to it. (We know) Mark the certainty and evidence of the propofition, which is not built upon a guess or remote probability, but upon the knowledge of the faints; we know it, and that partly by divine revelation, God has told us fo; and partly by our own experience, we find it fo. (That all things) Not only things that lie in a natural ang direct tendency to our good; as ordinances, promifes, bleffings, c. but even fuch things as have no natural fitness and tendency to fuch an end; as afflictions, temptations, corruptions, defertions, &c. all thefe help onward. They (Work together.) Not all of them directly, and of their own nature and inclination; but by being over-ruled, and determined to fuch an iffue by the gracious hand of God: Nor yet do they work out fuch good to the faints, fingly, and apart, but as adjuvant causes or helps, standing under, and working in fubordination to the fupreme and principal cause of their happiness. Now, the moft feeming oppofite things, yea, fin in itself, which in its own nature is really oppofite to their good, yet eventually contributes to it. Afflictions and defertions seem to work against us, but being once put into the rank and order of causes, they work together with fuch bleffed inftruments, as word and prayer, to an happy iffue. And though the faces of these things, that fo agree and work together, look contrary ways; yet there are, as it were, fecret chains and connexions of providence betwixt them, to unite them in their iffue. There may be many inftruments employed about one work, and yet not communicate counfels, or hold intelligence with each other. Jofeph's brethren, the Midianites, Potiphar, &c. knew not one another's mind, nor aimed at one end, (much lefs the end that God brought about by them) one acts out of revenge, another for gain, a third out of policy; yet all meet together at laft, in that iffue God had defigned to bring about by them, even Jofeph's advancement. Even fo it is here, Chriftian, there are more inftruments at work for thine eternal good, than thou art aware of. REFLECTION. Chear up then, O my foul, and lean upon this pillar of comfort in all diftreffes. Here is a promife for me, if I am a called one; that, like the philofopher's ftone, turns all into gold it toucheth. This promife is my fecurity; however things go in the world, my God" will do me no hurt," Jer. xxv. 6. Nay, he will do me good by every difpenfation. "O that I had but heart to make all things work for his glory, that thus "caufeth every thing to work for my good." My God, doft thou turn every thing to my advantage? O let me return all to thy praife; and if by every thing thou work my eternal good, then let me in every thing give thanks. "C an But ah! how foolish and ignorant have I been? even as a beaft before thee. How hath my heart been difquieted, and a pr to repine at thy difpenfations, when they have croffed my wi not confidering that my God faithfully purfues my good, even in thofe things that crofs, as well as in that which pleases me. Bleffed Lord! what a bleffed condition are all thy people in, who are within the line of this promife? All things friendly and beneficial to them; friends helpful; enemies helpful; every thing confpiring, and conducing to their happiness. With others it is not fo; nothing works for their good; nay, every thing works againft it: their very mercies are fnares, and their profperity destroys them; Prov. i. 32. even the bleffed gospel itfelf is a favour of death to them: when evil befals them," it is "an only evil," Ezek. vii. 5. that is, not turned into good to them; and as their evils are not turned into good, fo all their good is turned into evil. As this promise hath an influence into all that concerns the people of God, so the curfe hath an influence into all the enjoyments of the wicked. O my foul, blefs the Lord, who hath caft thy lot into such a pleasant place, and given thee fuch a glorious heritage, as this promise is. WH The POE M. HEN once the dog-ftar rifes, many say, God's difpenfations to them then, fweet or four, |