if we were duly sensible of the evil and dreadful nature of sin, we should have an exceeding dread of it upon our spirits. We should hate it worse than death, and should fear it worse than the devil himself; and dread it even as we dread damnation. But those things that men have an exceeding dread of upon their spirits, they naturally and necessarily keep at a great distance from; and avoid those things that they apprehend expose to them. As a child that has been greatly terrified by the sight of any wild beast, will by no means be persuaded to go any where, where it apprehends that it shall be exposed to it, or fall in its way.

Sin in its own nature is infinitely hateful, so in its natural tendency it is infinitely dreadful. It is the tendency of all sin eternally to undo the soul. Every sin naturally carries hell in it! Therefore all sin ought to be treated by us as we would treat a thing that is infinitely terrible. If it be not so, that any one sin, yea, the least sin, do not necessarily bring eternal ruin with it, it is owing to nothing but the free grace and mercy of God to us, and not to the nature and tendency of sin itself: But certainly we ought not to take the less care to avoid sin, or all that tends to it, for the freeness and greatness of God's mercy to us, through which there is hope of pardon; for that would be a most ungrateful and vile abuse of mercy indeed. If it were so, that it were made known to us, that if we ever voluntarily committed any particular act of sin, we should be damned without any remedy or escape, should we not exceedingly dread the commission of such sins? Should we not be very watchful and careful to stand at the greatest distance from that sin, and from every thing that might expose us to it, and that has any tendency to stir up our lusts, or to betray us to such an act of sin? Let us then consider, that if it be not so, that the next voluntary act of known sin shall necessarily and unavoidably issue in certain damnation, yet it will certainly deserve it: We shall thereby really deserve to be cast off, without any remedy or hope; and it can only be owing to free grace, that it will not certainly and remedilessly be followed with such a punishment. And shall we be guilty. VOL. VII.

of such a vile abuse of God's mercy to us, as to take encouragement from it, the more boldly to expose ourselves to sin?

III. It is evident that we ought not only 10 avoid sin, but things that expose and lead to sin; because this is the way we act in things that pertain to our temporal interest.

Men do not only avoid those things that are themselves the hurt and ruin of their temporal interest, but also the things that tend to expose to it; because they love their temporal lives, they will not only actually avoid killing themselves, but they are very careful to avoid those things that bring their lives into danger, though they do not certainly know but they may escape.

They are careful not to pass rivers and deep waters on rotten ice, though they do not certainly know that they shall fall through and drown; so they will not only avoid those things that would be in themselves the ruin of their estates, such as the setting their own houses on fire, and burning them up with their substance; their taking their money and throwing it into the sea, &c. but they carefully avoid those things by which their estates are exposed. They are watchful, and have their eyes about them; are careful whom they deal with; they are watchful, that they be not overreached in their bargains; that they do not lay themselves open to knaves and fraudulent persons.

If a man be sick of a dangerous distemper, he is careful to ́avoid every thing that tends to increase the disorder; not only what he knows to be mortal in his situation, but other things that he fears the consequence of, or that may be prejudicial to him. Men are in this way wont to take care of their temporal interest, as what they have a great regard for. And therefore if we are not as careful to avoid sin, as we are to avoid injury in our temporal interest, it will shew a regardless disposition with respect to sin and duty; or that we do not much care though we do sin against God.

God's glory is surely a thing of as much importance and concern as our temporal interest. Certainly we should be careful not to be exposed to sin against the Majesty of heaven

and earth, as men are wont to be of a few pounds; yea, the latter are but mere trifles, compared with the former.

IV. We are wont to do thus by our dear earthly friends.

We not only are careful of those things wherein the destruction of their lives, or their hurt and calamity in any respect do directly consist, but are careful to avoid those things that do but remotely tend to it. We are careful to prevent and cut off all occasions of their loss or damage in any respect; and are watchful against that which tends in any wise to deprive them of their comfort or good name; and the reason is because they are very dear to us. In this manner men are wont to be careful of the good of their own children, and dread the approaches of any mischief that they apprehend they are, or may be exposed to. And we should take it hard if our friends did not do thus by us.

And surely we ought to treat God as a dear friend; we ought to act towards him, as those that have a sincere love and unfeigned regard to him; and so ought to watch and be careful against all occasions of that which is contrary to his honor and glory. If we have not a temper and desire so to do, it will show that whatever our pretences are, we are not God's sincere friends, and have no true love to him.

If we should be offended at any that have professed friendship to us, if they treated us in this mnaner, and were no more careful of our interest, surely God may justly be offended, that we are no more careful of his glory.

V. We would have God in his providence towards us, not order those things that tend to our hurt, or expose our interest; therefore certainly we ought to avoid things that lead to sin against him.

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We desire and love to have God's providence such toward us, as that our welfare may be well secured. No man loves to live in exposed, uncertain, and dangerous circumstances. While he is so, he lives uncomfortably, ir that he lives in continual fear. We desire that God would order lave things concerning us, that we may be safe from fear of evil; and that no evil may come nigh our dwelling; and that beCause we dread calamity. So we do not love the appearance

and approaches of it; and love to have it a great distance from us. We desire to have God be to us as a wall of fire round about us, to defend us; and that he would surround us as the mountains do the vallies, to guard us from every danger or enemy, that so no evil may come nigh us.

Now this plainly shows, that we ought in our behavior towards God to keep at a great distance from sin, and from all that exposes to it; as we desire God in his providence to us, should keep calamity and misery at a great distance from us, and not order those things that expose our welfare.

VI. Seeing we are to pray we may not be led into temptation; certainly we ought not to run ourselves into it.

This is one request that Christ directs us to make to God in that form of prayer which he taught his disciples, "Lead us not into temptation." And how inconsistent shall we be with ourselves if we pray to God, not to order it so in his providence, that we should be led into temptations; and yet at the same time we are not careful to avoid temptation; but bring ourselves into it, by doing those things that lead and expose to sin. What selfcontradiction is there in it, for a man to pray to God that he may be kept from that, which he takes no care to avoid? By praying that we may be kept from temptation we profess to God, that being in temptation is a thing that is to be avoided; but by running into it, show that we choose the contrary, viz. not to avoid it.

VII. The apostle directs us to avoid those things that are in themselves lawful, but tend to lead others into sin; surely then we should avoid what tends to lead ourselves into sin.

The apostle directs to this, 1 Cor. viii. 9. "Take heed lest this liberty of your's become a stumbling block, to them that are weak." Rom. xiv. 13. "That no man put a stum

bling block, or an occasion to fall in his brother's way.” Verse 15. But if thy brother be grieved with thy meat, now walkest that not charitably. Destroy not him with thy meat." Versetato, 21. "For meat destroy not the work of God. All things indeed are pure; but it is evil for that man who eateth with offence. It is good neither to eat flesh nor to drink wine,

or any thing whereby thy brother stumbleth, or is offended, or is made weak."

Now if this rule of the apostle be agreeable to the word of Christ, as we must suppose, or expunge what he says out of the canon of the scripture; then a like rule obliges more strongly in those things that tend to lead ourselves into sin.

VIII. There are many precepts of scripture, that do directly and positively imply, that we ought to avoid those things that send to sin.

This very thing is commanded by Christ, Matth. xxvi. 41, where he directs us to watch lest we enter into temptation. But certainly running ourselves into temptation, is the reverse of watching against it.

Again, we are commanded to abstain from all appearance of evil; i. e. do by sin, as a man does by a thing he hates the sight or appearance of; and therefore will avoid any thing that savors of it, or looks like it; and will not come near it, or in sight of it.

Again, Christ commanded to separate from us, those things that are stumbling blocks, or occasions of sin, however dear they are to us. Matth. v. 29. "If thy right eye offend thee, pluck it out and cast it from thee." Verse 30. "And if thy right hand offend thee, cut it off." By the right hand offending us, is not meant its paining us, but the word in the original signifies, being a stumbling block; if thy right hand prove a stumbling block, or occasion to fall; i. e. an occasion to sin. Those things are called offences or stumbling blocks in the New Testament, that are the occasions of falling into sin. We ought to avoid running up against stumbling blocks; i. e. we should avoid those things that expose us to fall into sin.

Yea, Christ tells us, we must avoid them however dear they are to us, though as dear as our right hand or right eye, If there be any practice that we have been accustomed to, that naturally tends and exposes us to sin, we must have done with it; though we love it ever so well, and are ever so loth to part with it, though it be as contrary to our inclination, as to cut off our right hand, or pluck out our own right eye, and