A Practical and Polemical Commentary Upon 2 Timothy 3-4, Part 1 · Subpart 2 · Section 1
Covetous, Boasters, Proud, &c.
See here what a Concatenation of Sins there is, and how they are link't together, Self-Lovers, Covetous, Boasters, Proud, &c.
Hence observe, That Sins (especially great Sins) seldome go alone. As great men have great attendance, so great Sins have many followers; and as he that admits of a great man into the house, must look to have all his ragged Regiment, and black Guard, to follow him; so he that admits but one great Sir into his heart,Res immoderata Cupido. Ovid. must look for Gad, a Troop of ugly lusts to throng in after. Sin i… like a Tyrant, the more you yield to it, the worse it Tyrannizeth over you. 'Tis insatiable, and knowes no bounds. E. G. Davids great Sin of Idlenesse, brings forth Adultery, Murder, Lying, Drukennesse, Inhumanity, Cruelty. So Lots Drunkennesse brought forth Incest; Peters Self-confidence brought him to a deniall of his Master, & every deniall was worse then other. Mat. 26.72, 74. Adams eating of the Forbidden fruit, brought with it a breach of all the Commandements (as Divines observe) and if it be thus with Gods children, who Sin with Reluctancy, oh how violently will Satan drive on his slaves, who give themselves up to Sin! Thus Iezabell cove…s Naboths Vineyard, but doth she stay there? no, but she subornes false witness against him: and takes away hi… life. Iudas at first was a Hypocrite, then a Covetous Caitiffe, and at last sells his Master; so that what we say of Errors in Opinion,V. Capel on Tentat. l. 4. c. 1. p. 4.5. and Weems. Vol. 1. c. 3. p. 126. in fine Vol. Fides est una copulativa. is most true in matters of Practice; Concesso uno absurdo consequentur mille; Grant but one, and many will follow. As there is a Concatenation of Vertues, so that he who hath one in Truth, hath all. As 2 Pet. 1.5.6.7, 8. adde to your Faith Vertue, Knowledge, Temperance, &c. there is a golden chain consisting of eight Vertues, as so many Links; for the compleat adorning of a Christian. Here Faith hath the Precedency, it being the Root and Mother of all Grace, then see how many Maids of Honour attend her.
7. Vertue,Virtutes morales sunt ad invicem connexae. Aquinas, 1.2…. q. 65. art. 1. Vna virtus sine aliis aut omninó nulla est, aut imperfecta. Greg. Omnes virtutes ita sibi connexae concatenataeque sunt, ut qui unicâ caruerit omnibus careat, & qui unam habuerit, omnes habeat, Hieron. in Isai. 5 6. no true Faith without Vertue, no true Vertue without Knowledge, no true Knowledge without Temperance, no true Temperance without Patience, no true Patience without Godlinesse, no true Godlinesse without Brotherly kindnesse, no true Brotherly kindnesse without Love, This is that golden chain which God bestowes on those whom he doth more especially honour. As Christ was adorned with variety of Graces. Isai 11.2. so is every Christian in his measure, he receives Grace for Grace. Iohn 1.16. So Mal. 4.2. Rom. 8.30. there is Vocation, Justification, Sanctification, and growth in Grace, all linked together. So Luke 1.74, 75. Titus 2.12. Phil, 4.8. So there is a Concatenation of Vices, they are so linkt one in another, that as in a chain, the drawing of one link causeth the following of the rest; so the admittance of one notorious Sin, brings with it another, and that a worse, unlesse God stay … and restrain it: e. g. admit of Covetousnesse, then follow Usury, Bribery, Boasting, Lying, Forswearing, Murder, &c. So true is that, Iames 2.20. He that breaks one Commandement, is guilty of all. He that makes no conscience of breaking one, will, when a temptation comes, make no conscience of breaking any one; so that albeit he do not Actually b…eak them all, yet Habitually and Dispositively, he doth.
Oh then stop Sin betimes, resist the very beginnings of it, kill these Cockatrices in the shell, dash these brats of Satan against the stones, fly the very appearance of evill, else you will grow worse and worse, and fall away more and more, till you be ruined; for Sin is like to Water, give it a little passage, and it will eat a way for it self, till it become irresistible. Prov. 17.14. as little Thieves, let in at a Window, unbolt the dores for greater; so small Sins allowed in the Soul, will soon bring greater with them.