The Young Mans Guide, Chapter 21
CHAP. XXI. Containeth particular Directions for the ordering our lives, and actions, according to Godliness.
IN the next place I shall give thee some particular Directions.
I. Beware of living in the wilful omission of any known duty. The omission of good maketh us as liable to eternal vengeance, as the committing of evil. The unprofitable servant, we read, was …ast into outer darkness, where was nothing but weeping and gnashing of teeth; not for mispending his Talent, but for not improving it to his Masters advantage, Matth. 25. 24, 30. And Luk. 16. 20, 25. We read how Dives was tormented in Hell, not for taking away from Lazarus, but for not relieving him in his wants. And at the day of Judgment the▪ Reprobate are condemned, not for oppressing the Poor, but for not feeding them: not for stripping them of their Apparel, but for not cloathing the naked, Mat. 25. 42, 43.
And no marvel, considering the omitting of a known Duty ariseth from a wicked heart, and from a mind averse from God, and unwilling to his service. Besides, sins of Omission are always accompanied with sins of Commission: when we cease to do good, immediately we begin to do evil.
Bless not then thy self, O Young Man, in thine harmless condition, thinking thou art as good a Christian as the best, because thou art not as bad as the worst, but canst thank God with the Pharisee, thou art neither Adulterer, nor Drunkard, nor Extortioner: (it were to be wished that some could say so much) but know, that this is not sufficient. A man may truly say this, I am not as bad as others, and yet suffer with them in the same Lake of fire. Thy Omissions may be thy undoing: Yea, not only a total omission of all that's good, but an ordinary, and wilful, and allowed omission of any one thing thou knowest to be thy Duty. This cannot stand with sincerity, which (however it may be at some time) will in ordinary, certainly have respect to all the Commandments of God, Psal. 116. 9.
O how sadly doth this speak to thee, thou halting and trifling Soul! Many things thou dost, and therein thou comfortest thy self; but are there not many things also which thou knowest thou shouldst do, but wilt not? Thou knowest it is thy duty to pray, to pray in thy Family, in secret in thy Closet, to be constant, to be instant in prayer, Dost thou so? Thou knowest it to be thy duty to examine thy self, to search thy heart, and try thy ways, that thou mayst know the estate of thy Soul, Dost thou this? How seldom dost thou spend any pains this way? It may be thou hast never done it, nor so much as seriously put the question to thy self, Whose Child am I? or, How may I know whether I be the Child of God, or the Child of the Devil? Thou knowest it is thy duty to watch, to watch thine heart, and watch thy tongue, and watch against corruption, and temptation; Dost thou do it? Thou knowest it is thy duty to sanctifie the Sabbath, by forbearing thy Calling, thy Recreations, and Carnal Pleasures; by spending the whole day in the publick, and private exercises of Religion, not allowing thy self in vain and impertinent talk, or idle, or worldly thoughts; Dost thou so? Thou knowest it is thy duty to do good to others, to their Souls, by exhorting, or reproving them; to their bodies, by feeding, or cloathing, or otherwise relieving them; Dost thou so? Is there none of all this, nor nothing else which thou allowest thy self in the neglect of? If it be so, how canst thou think thy self sincere?
O Young man, if thou wouldst please God indeed, and have evidence that thou art his, resolve on Universal obedience, and be ready to every good work. Let not Conscience fly upon thee at last, and tell thee, one thing thou lackest, one thing thou wouldst not do. Be faithful, study to know thy whole duty, and rest not till thy heart be willing to follow the Lord in all things whatsoever he commands thee.
II. Live not in the practice of any known sin; For,
1. One sin is a Violation of Gods Law, as well as many. Jam. 2. 10, Whosoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet offend in one point, is guilty of all. A wilfull breach of one part of the Law makes thee guilty of the Violation of the whole Law. The Law of God is a chain of holy precepts, if one link of a chain is broken, you may say, the chain is broken.
2. One sin allowed, and delighted in, is enough to keep thy soul out of Heaven. As Adam by eating one forbidden fruit was cast out of Paradise: So maist thou out of Heaven, for but one sin, that thou hast committed, and not repented of.
3. The living and delighting in one sin doth evidence a rotten, and unsound heart. As it is made in the Scripture a note of uprightness to make Conscience of every known sin. So it is made a note of Hypocrisie to seem to make Conscience of the forbearance of some sins, and yet to live and lye in the practice of others. Hereby was Herods Hypocrisie discovered, who though upon Iohn Baptists Preaching he reformed much, and did many good things, yet would not part with his beloved Horodias, notwithstanding she was his Brothers Wife.
4. One sin never goeth alone, but is ever accompanied with more. For it is the natural effect of sin (especially being wittingly committed) to make men apter to s…n, Rom. 6. 19, You have yielded your members servants to uncleanness, and to iniquity, unto iniquity. God in his just judgement oft-times as a punishment for some o…e sin, leaves men so to themselves, that they break forth into the committing of others.
5. For a man to live and lye impenitently in the practice of a known sin is the dreadfullest judgement in the World. Better were it for a man to be given up to the Devil, than to the power of one sinful Lust. The incestuous person was delivered up to Satan, (1 Cor. 5. 5.) but he was restored again, and the better for it. Whereas we seldome read, or hear of any who were given up to the Lusts of their own hearts, that ever recovered.
O Young man, how doth it then concern thee to withstand every Lust, not to indulge thy self in any sin? but especially to keep thy self from thine own iniquity. I mean, thy natures darling sin, to which thou art most propense by thy complexion, and constitution, and of all thy Lusts are lothest to leave. Let not that bear rule in thee as formerly, but bend thy greatest force against it. As the King of Syria commanded his 32. Captains to fight principally against the King of Israel, for full well he knew, that the King being once slain, the whole Army would soon be discomfited. So if thy beloved sin that reigns and rules in thee were once subdued, thy other sins would soon be vanquished.
What saist thou now, O man, wilt thou hearken to this counsel, not to allow thy self in any one sin thou knowest to be so? Hast thou hearkened to it? Thou knowest it is a sin to lye, and yet dost thou not lye? Thou knowest that defrauding, over-reaching, defaming, backbiting, scoffing, quarrelling, thou knowest that these are all sins; are there none of them which thou allowest in thy self? Thou knowest 'tis a sin, unnecessarily to keep company with sinners, to be the companion of Drunkards, the companion of Swearers, and the vile ones of the earth; dost thou keep not only from the wayes, but from the company of such? Are they no company for thee, who are no friends to Godliness? Dost thou know thine owne iniquities, thy special sins, that have greatest power over thee, and thou hast greatest pleasure in, and dost thou keep thy self from these? Is there not one Lust that thou wouldst have spared to thee? God will not spare thee one sin, the Scripture will not allow thee one; and if thou wilt approve thy self to him, let not thy Conscience allow thee what God allows thee not, and let not thine heart love and entertain and practice it, whether Conscience allow it or no. If thou wilt be upright, keep thee from all, but especially from thine own iniquity.
III. If thou hast been overtaken with any sin, and thereby made a wound in thy Conscience, seek an healing Plaister by sound Repentance, and faith in the blood of Christ. Lie not secure in any known sin into which thou art fallen, but rise speedily again: make up every breach between God and thy soul betimes. What the Apostle saith of wrath, Ephes. 4. 26. the same may I say of other sins, Let not the Sun go down upon them. Do not presume to sleep one night in any sin unrepented of. It is dangerous sleeping at the brink of hell.
Hast thou fallen into sin? do not say it is but one, or but a little one. 'Tis sin (be it great or little, one or more) tis sin, and that's enough to destroy thee for ever, unless thou repent. Go speedily and make up the breach, repent and seek thy pardon, and thy peace.
But what shall I say to you, O rude and wicked Young men, whose whole life is a continued course of iniquity, who have so black a cloud of witnesses to testifie against you, who are so sunk, and drown'd in Lust and sensuality, whose hand is never out, but is alwayes ingaged in one wickedness or other, whose whole life hath been an Apprenticeship to the Devil. What, O what shall I say to you? Is this a state to take your rest in? Is this a state to laugh and be so merry in? How is it that you are not all upon your knees, or fallen upon your faces? that you are not all in tears, and in tremblings? Do you sit at the Wine, and chear your selves with strong Drink? Vinegar, and Gall, and Worm-wood is more proper for you, sorrow and bitterness of soul. What, friends, do you mean to outdare the Almighty? Do not you fear the wrath of the Lamb? Are you deathproof, and hell-proof? Is the judgement to come but abugbear? Dare you to meet the Judge of all the earth, and to stand before his Bar with all your loads of guilt upon you? How will your courage come down, and your brisk and wanton looks be appaled? How will these stout hearts quake, and these bold spirits of yours shiver and fall, and hide themselves if it were possible, from that terrour of the Lord in his dreadful and terrible day?
O how is it that you have no more pity, no more bowels for your poor, perishing, dying souls? What will you still be laying on more Irons, heavier loads? What yet more Oaths, and Lyes, and Drunkenness, and Whoredoms, and Obstinacies in them? What will you never leave loading, till your backs be broken, and you be past remedy? O repent, repent, and turn to the living God, and he will yet have mercy on you.
IV. When through Grace thou art recovered, take heed of falling back again. A relapse is dangerous in bodily diseases, much more in spiritual. Christ gave this advice to the Woman taken in Adultery, and forgiven, Go and sin no more, John 8, 11. As also to the poor lame man, whom he healed at the Pool of Bethesda, which he back'd with a strong reason, Go and sin no more, lest a worse thing come unto thee, lest the rod be turned into a Scorpion, Iohn 5. 14. Is the unclean spirit departed from thee? beware that he return not, lest thou become sevenfold more the Child of Hell in thy latter end, than thou wert in the beginning. Let thy former sins, and the smart they have put thee to, be warnings to thee as long as thou livest. Hast thou repented? Art thou reformed? Bless God for so great a mercy. Look back upon the mire of the pit out of which thou art delivered, and take heed to thy self, how thou ever comest there again.