Temptations – Their Nature Danger and Cure Part 3, Tract · Chapter 1
CHAP. I. Of lesser sinnes.
IT is false divinity for a man to call any sinnes little, simply and without comparison. Sinnes cannot bee little to him that thinkes them little. But yet it is so, that some sinnes in relation to other sinnes, are farre lesser; and so some are great, and some are little. In this sense there are degrees of comparison in sinnes and sinning; & some have gone about to tell us which is the greatest sin of all, but which is of all sins the least, I do not find that any man hath beene on that argument. 'Tis enough for us that some sins are a great deale lesser than others, and the same sinne is lesser in one, and at one time, than in another, and at another time. And these lesser sins, when they be of the least size of all both for matter and maner, yet they may and will make a foule cry in the consciences of some men, who are come to that measure Saint Paul speakes of, Eph. 4. 13. Wherefore, first we are to doe our best to avoid them; simply to bee without them we cannot, but yet we are to stand as free as may bee: and to that end consider but these things:
1 That the least that is, is sinne, forbidden by the great God, and that on paine of damnation, and cost Christ his pretious blood. No sinne, be it ever so little, but hath in it all the nature of poyson. It is killing, it is damning. Be it but a penny, yet it hath the superscription and image of the divell on it. It carrieth guilt enough in the mouth of it to damne all the soules in the world, in case all the soules in the world were guilty of it. And what if Saint Paul put it on1 Cor. 6. 9. great sins, that they shut us out of heaven? yet the least sin hath in it enough to doe the deed. His meaning is, that such great sinnes use not to be where grace is; and when they bee done by such a man, they doe turne away from him the light of Gods blessed face, cast for a time a cloud upon the countenance of the Lord, and they do distresse the heart of such a sinner with a terrible feare: but 'tis not so (ever) with lesser sinnes, because they may and doe use to scape a man without his allowance, and God useth not to shew himselfe in his displeasure against such sinners. Lesser are damnable, in and of themselves: greater sins are not onelyonly, but yet chiefly, the sinnes which doe draw out the anger of God; so that we are to beware most of great and foule faults, the great transgression, Psal. 19. 13. But yet small debts are dangerous, and so are many, nay one small sinne; and sometimes there is the more danger, for that we thinke there is no danger. And such sins, of which wee use to say, it is but a little one, we are more apt to allow, and consent unto, than to greater, and then, when such a sinne is so committed, and after it is committed, so allowed, there will follow in a tender conscience a maine out-cry. This being a common practice with the divell, to make us make too little of a little sinne, when it is to be done or while it is a doing, but after to make us make rather too much, than too little of it. Consider then, not so much what it is which is forbidden, but who it is that forbids it, and why, and what is like to become of it: when Satan saith, Doe it, because it is a little sin, Answer, No, I will not do it, I dare not doe it▪ because it is a sin, and God will be very angry with me (nay, say, I will not do it because it is a little sin, and God will be very angry with me) in case I prove fLuk. 16. 10.unfaithfull in a little, especially if it bee not a thing done in gPsal. 116. 11.hast, and I have time to ponder on the matter: I must not; it is a most unfaithfull thing to breake with God for a little. Little sins carry with them but little temptation, and then a man shewes much vitiousnesse within, when he sins on a little tentation. 'Tis divellish to sinne without a temptation, 'tis little lesse than divellish to sinne on a little occasion. Many times the lesse the temptation, the greater the sinne. Sauls sin in not staying for Samuel was not so much in the matter; but it was much in the malice of it, and cost him deare. Say, the guilt is not little when we therefore sinne, because the sinne is little.
2 Secondly, let us not bee made such children, as to thinke that wee shall avoid some greater sinne by yeelding unto some lesser. For a lesser makes way for a greater, and a lesser sinne thus chosen and yeelded unto, is greater and worser than the great sinne, had we fallen into it without such choyce; a lesser sin allowed being guiltier than a greater sinne not allowed. Neither is it a little sinne to commit a little sinne, because it is a little sinne. Againe, in case wee give way to a lesser to avoid a greater, in the course of our corrupt nature we are in the way to doe the greater, and in the course of Gods justice wee shall (a thousand to one) fall into the greater. For if we commit one sinne to avoyd another, it is but just wee should avoyd neither. Let us rather say, sin is not cured nor prevented by sinne. Do not once thinke to avoid a greater sinne by it; if thou shouldest, yet this little sinne is little to thee no longer, but the wrath is great, and the danger great, and 'tis ten to one, that if we will fall into the lesser, we shall fall into the greater, we having not the law in our hands to keep off sins as we please.
3 Thirdly, bee not deceived, so as to thinke, and say, It is but a little sinne: or, They bee but small, and it is not possible to avoid them. Take them together, and it is not possible but wee shall sinne some sinnes while we are heere. 1 Joh. 1. 8. If we say wee have no sinne, we deceive our selves, and the truth is not in us. He saith not, and hHoc non tantum humiliter dicitur, sed eriam ve…aciter: poterat enim Apostolus dicere, Si dixerimus quia non habemus peccatum nos ipsos extollimus, & humilitas in nobis non est: Sed cum ait nos ipsos decipimus, & veritas in nobis non est, satis ostendit, eum qui se dixerit non habere peccatum, non verum loqui, sed falsum. Conci…. Mil…vit. can. 6.humility is not in us, but, and the truth is not in us, to shew, that he that sayth he hath no sinne, speakes not truth. But set them downe one by one, and 'tis easier to avoid this, or that lesser sinne, than a greater. Simply not to sin we cannot; but name this or that sinne, and we may avoid it. As not to eate at all we cannot: but not to eate of this, or that dish we may. Grace within may, and (if we would) it would keepe us easier from lesser infirmities, than from greater sinnes. The reason why we are not kept from lesser, rather than from greater, is not because that grace in us may not do one with more ease than the other, but because first, God he it is who doth by his actuall assisting and preventing grace keepe us, and not our habits of grace within, (in, and of themselves) and therefore one reason of this is, because he will, and doth suffer us to fall into lesser sinnes, but will not suffer us to fall into greater. So we have in Deut. 18. 14. These Nations which thou shalt possesse hearkened unto observers of times, and unto diviners, but as for thee, the Lord thy God hath not suffered thee to do so. It was not because they were better to God than the Nations, but because God was better to them. And God doth suffer us to fall into lesser sinnes, rather than into greater sinnes, because lesser sinnes use not so to disturbe our peace, as greater sinnes do; wee having our discharge for them in our generall pardon of grace.
Secondly, we fall into lesser sinnes, rather than into greater, because wee do not take that heed of lesser sinnes which wee do of greater. We are foolish in this, and doe thinke that lesser faults are venial, and do not deserve hell: and on these grounds it is, that we hold out against greater, but not aganst lesser sinnes, albeit in and of it selfe it is easier to avoid the lesser; only lesser slips being very many, we doe not eye them so as wee might: againe, we pray more against great temptations than against lesser. For we dreame, that of our selves we can resist the smaller and weaker temptations; whereas 'tis out of our power, without Gods speciall grace in a spirituall and gracious maner, to resist the least motion that is. We must then be at it, and keepe our spirits waking, and know that as wee ought, so we may with weake graces preserve our selves from lesser sins. In a word, all in generall are notDurand l. 2. D. 42. q. 2. evitable: for while Reason is in her watch against one motion, another on a suddaine steps in, and surpriseth a man ere hee is aware; but when they come one by one in single, it is easier by farre to checke a lesser than a greater motion, as being more avoidable.
Thus much for the meanes to avoyd lesser sinnes. Now a word or two how to get off the trouble of minde that falls on the Conscience of a spirituall man for lesser faults.
1 First, thinke it to be a blessed trouble, when we can finde an aking Conscience for lesser evills. It shewes that we are very tender, and that wee have much grace, a great deale of the spirit, much light that can see them, much life that can feele them, and can make much of that which others make nothing of. This trouble is mixed with joy, and it ends in comfort, sith it brings us to the maine ground of all comfort, that is, that wee are in the state of grace. Bee thankfull that thou hast a Davids heart, that can smite thee for a lap of Sauls garment: that thou hast a Pauls Conscience, that can cry out and call himselfe wretched man, and sigh after death, not for greater crosses, but for lesser sinnes. This is a sure testimony of faith: onelyonly wee must see that it be not in hypocrisie, that we do it not in partiality. This were to straine at a gnat; and wee may know, that we doe not swallow a Camell, if wee straine at a Camell first and most, and then straine at Gnats: Thus if we do, happie we that have such troubles in our consciences, because such troubles breed and feed heavenly comforts: and what if troubles arise many together, for many lesser leakes in our soules? yet they do not exclude comfort quite, they do onelyonly suspend it for the present: and how suspend it? not in regard of the roote, but of some fruite: as a sicke man is setled, because he hath and knowes he hath the possession of his estate, albeit for the present he have not the fruition. Right so, such doe mourne, and they are blessed. Blessed are they that aforeign i. e. as men do at funeralls, Zach. 12. to. as one mourneth for his only sonne.mourn. And why blessed? what? have they comfort? No, but they shall have, they shall be comforted: they are blessed that do mourne, not because they mourne, but because their mourning is some cause, and a signe, that they shall bee comforted. A man then may be a blessed man without comfort in hand as long as hee hath it in hope. A man should not for any thing desire to have his Conscience to passe over lesser faults, without some cry and some touch; it being our infirmity that in troubles of heart we use to cry too much for greater, too little for lesser faults: yet (saving some frailties in the manner of our trouble of minde) this trouble of heart is (not indeed an happy thing, but it is) an happy signe.
2 Secondly, wee must not judge of the sinne altogether by the trouble we feele, for we are troubled more with horrours sometimes for lesser sinnes, than for farre greater sinnes, kDurand. l. 4. D. 33. q. 2.because we have a greater inclination to one sin than to another: and as the lArist. de anima. l. 1. c. 2.Philosopher observes, it is from the body, and the temper thereof that some weaker passions and affections move us more than some stronger doe: wherefore our trouble must not be our judge. It follows not, this sinne doth trouble mee least, therefore it is the least sinne; this doth trouble mee more, therefore it is the greater sinne: but we must judge of the greatnesse and littlenesse of sinne by the word, and we must doe what wee can, that our trouble come chiefly from the right light of our mind, and not from the humour, the inclination or disinclination of the body: next, that our sorrow and trouble carry some proportion to our sinnes: and lastly, that we turne our sorrowes upon our sinnes, to crucifie them, because they so crucifie us; and then, when wee finde that our little sinnes grow lesse and lesse, fewer and fewer, our trouble stands, and runnes right, and wee are happy men when our sins cure themselves, when they eate out their owne guilt and strength. There is no sinne so little but it may grow lesse, and he is in the right who findes this use of his troubles for lesser sinnes, that they weaken under his trouble, and weare away daily. Thus little sinnes hurt not; but when they are seen and allowed, they hurt and damne: and I thinke some are in hell, who never committed such great sinnes, as some have done, who are now in heaven.
Lesser sinnes are of two kinds; First, mArist Eth. 1. 7. c. 7.of precipitaney and hast, when a man ere hee can consider the matter, is on a suddaine by imprudencie hurried away with some passion, and is in some sin ere he is aware: So he, (I said in my HAST, all men are liars.) Secondly, of infirmity, when a man wrestles, and hath some time to fight it out against evill motions: but for want of breath and strength, falls and is as S. Paul was, in some nRom. 7. 23.Captivity to the law of sinne. This is worse than the former, because here a man hath while and space to looke to himselfe, but in the former all is in an hurry; hast doth it, and marres all, and there is no time for one to bethinke himselfe: and sins of infirmitie having more of our nature, are more hard to cure, than sudden hasty sinnes of precipitancie; but both are lesser sinnes, and our point is meant of both.