Management of one's Affairs? Uncleannefs and Fornication, but only a Heat and Folly of Youth? And abundance of other Inftances of this kind may be given. And as we thus lightly pafs Cenfures upon the greatest Sins, whether of ourselves or others, in our Difcourfes, fo it is much to be feared we have the fame Apprehenfions between God and ourselves, when we come to reflect upon them, and to exercise Acts of Repentance for them. Even in this Cafe how extremely apt are we to catch at every Twig, to take Advantage of every Circumftance that any ways feems to contribute to the alleviating the Sins that we find ourselves burden'd with? What new and uncouth Measures have we made to ourselves for the estimating the Greatnefs or Littlenefs of Sins? We do not make a Judgment of them by the Word of God, and the Rules of Reason, but by other fantastick Rules, by the Commonness and Frequency of them among Mankind, by the Reputation they have in the World, by our own Inclinations and Tempers, and by the Powerfulness of the Temptations by which we were follicited to them. As for Inftance; If we be among the Number of the common Sinners; if our Sins be of that Kind that we fee daily and every where practised among us, why then it naturally falls into our Minds that we are not the first, nor the only Perfons, that are guilty of this Fault. There are Thousands about us that are as deeply concerned in this Matter as we And fure, where fo many are concerned, the Punishment will not light fo heavy upon one. If it be a fashionable Sin we are engaged in, a Sin that hath gained Credit and Reputation among the Generality of Men, why ftill that doth more either vindicate us, or excufe us. For what Prudence is it for any Man in this Age to be fingular? Who can bear the Taunts and Derifions that will be thrown upon us for not complying with the Humour of the Times, but living like Men of another World? If we be in the Briskness and Gaiety of our Youth, when we thus fly out into extravagant Actions, why that is a Salvo for them all. A Trick of Youth is always at least excufeable: As our juvenile Heats wear off, and our Judgment encreases, we fhall of ourselves return to more fober Counfels. In the mean time both God and the World will pardon our youthful Extravagancies. If the Iniquities we labour under be thofe which we are prompted to by our particular Tempers and Inclinations, why fure we shall never be called to a ftrict Account for them, fince it is not in any Man's Power to alter or new model his Constitution. At the worst, this is but an human Frailty, which every Man in our Circumstances is too apt to fall into. But But what are all thefe Pleas and Pretences, but fo many Inftances of covering our Sins? If we meant honestly, and dealt with Uprightness between God and our Souls, we should not be thus fagacious in contriving Ways to mitigate our Offences, nor fo forward to make use of them if they were contrived to our Hands. A fincere honest Penitent would think of none of thefe Things, at least he would not regard them. The main Thing he would confider, would be his ftrict Duty, and what Obligations he had to perform it. What the Laws of God and Jefus Chrift had obliged him to; and what Strength and Power he had to live up to thofe Laws, and how highly he was engaged, by the Oath he had taken to Jefus Chrift, fo to live. What folemn Vows and Refolutions he had made to renounce the World, the Flesh, and the Devil, and to yield up himself entirely to the Service of his Saviour. Such an honest Man would not infist much on the Corruptions of the Times, and the bad Examples before him, and the Strength of natural Inclinations, and the like; but he would think seriously of his Duty, and what his Confcience had often fuggefted to him about it, and what Affiftances God in his Word had made over to him by his Holy Spirit for the performing of it, and how intolerably he fhould be felf-condemned if he did neglect it. I fay, if we were honeft and true-hearted to God and our own eternal Interefts, we fhould reflect upon thefe Things. We fhould eftimate our Sins and Failings by these Rules, and not judge of them by those common Measures which loofe and fenfual Minds have found out for the leffening and extenuating of them. 4. But fourthly and laftly, There is another Way of covering our Sins, not unfit to be mentioned in this Place, because it is too frequently practifed; and that is, by taking the Blame off from ourselves, and laying it upon others. Tho' we are not ignorant of the Fault, neither do juftify it, nor yet extenuate it, yet we are loth it fhould lie with all its Load upon our own Shoulders, and therefore prudently transfer it upon those that were fome way or other either Tempters to it, or Occafions of it. To give you an Inftance from Scripture of this kind of covering of Sins: Adam, our firft Parent, had no fooner fallen in Paradife by eating the forbidden Fruit, but when God came to chide him for his Fault, he had his Answer ready, that it was not fo much his Fault as Eve's. The Woman, Gen. 3.12. fays he, that thou gaveft me to be with me, The tempted me, and gave me of the forbidden Tree, and I did eat. By this firft Inftance of Sin in the World, we may learn how natural it is for Men to rid the Blame and the Guilt of their eyil Actions off from them themselves, and to lay it upon others. And let us all examine our own Confciences, whether this alfo be not frequently practifed among us. How very ordinary is it when we are thinking of thofe Things that are apt to trouble our Confciences and make us uneafy, to make just such a Defence for ourselves as Adan here did? If we can but find out either an Author, or a Partner, or an Occafion of our Sin, we are well enough. With fome Men the Course of Life they are engaged in, the neceffary unavoidable Temptations that their Bufinefs or Employment doth expofe them to, is thought a juft fufficient Reason to exempt them from the Practice of thofe ftrict Rules of Virtue and Piety, that other Chriftians take themfelves to be obliged to. With others, that Set of Company and Acquaintance they are linked with, is an Apology for all the Extravagancies they run into. Saith the one Sort, If I was of another Calling, had I but another Profeffion, I fhould certainly avoid those Sins that I now daily fall into. Saith the other, If I had not fuch continual Temptations from my Friends and Acquaintance, I fhould certainly be another kind of Man than I am. All this may be true, fo far as we can judge of fuch Contingencies. But yet notwithstanding, if we think this ferioufly, and make it our Apology to God Almighty for our daily Sins, we do but juggle |