3. Caution Against Deed-Sins

The third thing I am to dehort from, and caution against, is living in the practice of any sin; yet before I directly speak to that, I crave leave to say some things about and against sins of omission, a thing too seldom treated or taken notice of, though scarce any guilt more common.

I shall therefore dehort 1. From sins of omission. 2. From sins of commission.

1. Take heed of sins of omission; it is a sin to omit what good is commanded, as well (or ill) as to commit what evil is forbidden, not to do what we ought, as to do what we ought not. We are not only to eschew evil, but to do good also (1 Peter 3:11). And I the rather insist a little here on this, because many are more apt and prone to omit duties, to be neglectful of doing good, than to commit (especially) gross and palpable evils; and withal, to look upon it as a less evil, if any at all, there being so many (though but trifling) excuses ready for it, as you may see (Luke 14:18-20). I beseech you therefore to consider these things.

1. That good, and some of the best of men have been guilty hereof, and have suffered hereby; to instance but in two: the first is Jacob, who was exceeding tender of telling a lie, though it were to get a blessing (Genesis 27:11-12). But this Jacob was so forgetful of, and did so long neglect and omit to pay his vow, which he made at Bethel, that God minds him of it (Genesis 35:1), and for the omission whereof, it is supposed that the afflictions mentioned in the former chapter did befall him. The other instance is Hezekiah, a good man and a good king, who returned not to the Lord according to the benefit he had received, nor did answer the end of it, but was guilty of not being humble or thankful enough, though he sung a song of praise (and it seems, annually) to God: and therefore wrath was upon him (2 Chronicles 32:25; Isaiah 38:20). Alas, how apt are good men to neglect duties, and especially returning ones, even those of praise; and for these things' sake the wrath of God comes on his own children, as for gross sins, it comes upon the children of disobedience (Ephesians 5:5-6). How dear did it cost the Spouse her not opening to her Beloved (Song of Solomon 5:6-7).

2. Yet generally, and for the most part, it is a great affliction to good and godly men to be forced to omit, and to be constrained to be absent from duties, though the omission of them (at such a time, and in such a case) be no sin of theirs, as in time of sickness, or in case of flight: how does David mourn while in the wilderness (being persecuted and driven there) how does he lament his absence from the assemblies of them that kept holy day (Psalm 42:1-4). Though God in cases of such necessity dispenses with his Sabbath, and consequently his instituted worship on that day; yet holy men lament this necessity, and mourn that they are restrained from bearing a part with others, and forced to do that which else were not lawful to do on a Sabbath day: and it is on this account (not to exclude others) that (as I conceive) our Saviour bid the disciples pray, that their flight might not be on the Sabbath day (Matthew 24:20). For the usual ordinances of the day could not be enjoyed, nor the ordinary duties of the day practiced and performed. But,

3. As it should be an affliction to be in a necessity, so it is a sin to be willing to omit a duty. It is an affliction not to have a head or hand, but a sin not to have a heart for duty. As it is a sin to will evil, so it is a sin not to will good; but to be willing not to do good, is more a sin: too many persons are glad of diversions (as schoolboys are when they have no mind to their books) — anything shall serve to put off a duty. When the flesh was weak, and the spirit willing, Christ himself excused them (Matthew 26:41). But if the spirit be unwilling, it is no excuse, though the flesh be never so weak. It was some comfort to Saint Paul, that though to do he had not power, yet to will was present with him (Romans 7:18). But not to will, though we have no power, and much more not to will when we have power, is a sin. The reason why the wicked bade God depart from them, was, because they had no mind nor desire to be acquainted with his ways (Job 21:14); so also (Romans 1:28), they did not like to retain God in their knowledge, or to pay acknowledgments to him, they had no mind nor will, nor inclination to do it; and this is sin, as well as the other sins with which they are charged.

4. One omission makes way for another; he that under pretense of unfitness to duty puts it off, makes himself fit for nothing more than to omit again (qui non est hodie, eras minùs aptus erit) he prepares and fits himself to be unfit for, and to omit duty: much and too long fasting takes away and deadens our appetite; he that omits one, is like to omit another, and so another, till he omit all, and give up his very profession, and when that's gone, the man's religion dies, and he becomes twice dead. Omissions make way for commissions (as it did in our first parents) and it will be worth our while to observe a few texts that speak of sluggards (from where sins of omission generally arise) (Ecclesiastes 10:18): by much slothfulness the building decays, and through idleness of the hands, the house drops through: it not only lies open to wind and weather, but at last falls down, the repairs being neglected and omitted. Our bodies are called the temples of God, of which our souls are (as I may say) the Holy of Holies, or as we call it, the Chancel, and it is through sloth that this glorious fabric decays so much (Proverbs 18:9). He that is slothful in his work, is brother to him that is a great waster, he is a man that will come to nothing, and be worse than nothing very shortly and speedily; for he is a prodigal, a spendthrift, he spends more than he gets, and more than was given him; true, and it is as true, that his brother, the slothful man, will not hold out much longer than he: for (Proverbs 20:4) the sluggard will not plow by reason of the cold, therefore shall he beg in harvest, and have nothing. A prodigal comes to nothing, and so does the sluggard. Love is a laborious thing, we read of the labor of love (1 Thessalonians 1:3), and love never grieves to be obedient (1 John 5). Now idleness argues a defect and want of love; for when the Angel of Ephesus left his first love he left also his first works (Revelation 2:4-5). When love grows cold, practice becomes dead. (Proverbs 26:13-15) the slothful man says, there is a lion in the way; ask him, why do not you arise and walk with God? Why do not you go forth and serve God? Oh, says he, there is a lion in the way, there is danger in it; when this is but his conceit, as it is verse 16. As the door turns upon the hinges, so does the slothful upon his bed; how is that? Why, first one way, then another, he cannot rest on his bed of idleness, and yet is loath to rise, and therefore turns him to this and the other side: and if after much ado, and many a yawn he gets up, then he hides his hand in his bosom (it is cold weather) and he is grieved to bring it twice to his mouth, though it be to feed himself: this is the guise of idle and slothful people, indeed, professors; we are to do what we do with our might, and how can that be, while our hand is in our bosom? For shame take it out, for as he that having put his hand to the plow looks back, so he that puts not his hand to the plow, will be found unfit for the work and Kingdom of God, he shall beg in harvest, but have nothing. In the great day of recompense, these slothful ones will learn to pray and beg, saying, Lord, Lord, open to us, but they shall have nothing, namely, of that which they beg, no door opened to let them into the House of God, where is bread enough.

I remember I said, that sins of omission made way for sins of commission, and it is but too true: Job's friends hearing such unsaint-like language from him as cursing, concluded that he omitted praying; you restrain prayer from God (Job 15:4). When men neglect duty, they do usually fall into sin: to carry on this by the story of the slothful, see (Proverbs 24:30). I went by the field of the slothful; and what did he observe? Lo it was all grown over with thorns, nettles covered the face thereof, and the stone wall was broken down; alas, Eden becomes a wilderness, and Paradise a desert, the poor soul is under the curse, it brings forth grieving thorns and pricking briars, and stinging nettles, and is again near to more cursing for bringing this forth (Hebrews 6:8). Sin comes on by degrees, it seems modest at first, do but omit, then it grows bold, and bids you commit, and so from omission to commission, till at last the man becomes a man of sin, and a son of perdition, vir perditus, an hopeless, desperate, lost, and undone man. Yet again, to show the worst of it, which follows hereupon, such persons are frequently given up, as (Romans 1:21) their first sin was not glorifying God as God, and then not being thankful, they became vain, being vain, they were darkened, from there they became fools, and so on to abominable idolatries, and at last it came to this, that God gave them up, verse 24. Oh, the danger of sins of omission, one makes way for another, and from there they proceed to commission, till they be given up and cursed!

5. The more knowledge of any duty we have, the more clear it is, and the more we are convinced of it, the more is the omission of that duty aggravated; the clearer the light is, the greater the sin of not receiving it — this is the condemnation (John 3:19). If Christ had not come, their sin had not been so great; but now not to believe is to be without excuse (John 15:22, 24). If God had not told us what we ought to do, we might have made excuse, and said, Had we known better, we would have done better; but God has shown you, O man, what is good (Micah 6:8), and that not only by his works, but by his word; and if the knowledge of him by them only aggravated their sin as it did (Romans 1:21), how greatly will their sin be aggravated that neglect so great a salvation, which at first was preached by the Lord Jesus Christ, and afterward confirmed by them that heard him, God bearing them witness with signs and wonders, diverse miracles and gifts of the Holy Ghost, as it is (Hebrews 2:3-4). To him that knows to do good, and does it not, to him it is sin, a great sin, a heinous sin, sin with a witness. It may be sin to another that knows not to do good, but not so great a sin as it is to him that knows; and therefore he that knew not his master's will was beaten but with a few stripes, but he that knew it, and did it not, was beaten with many (Luke 12:47-48). The Jews had used to abate one of the forty stripes which the law allowed, and that to Saint Paul (as much as they hated him) — for of them twice he received forty stripes save one (2 Corinthians 11:24). But he that knows his master's will, and does it not, nor prepares himself, shall be beaten with many stripes, with the full number, without abatement or mitigation — the total sum of the law shall be inflicted on him.

6. Sins of omission (if in the view of others) are evil examples, as sins of commission are; a man may do a great deal of hurt by not doing good. We are commanded to let our good works shine before others (Matthew 5:16), and to be examples of faith and charity to others, to be presidents of good works (Titus 3:8), for so the word signifies in that place. The world is led by the eye as much, if not more than by the ear, and are as much prevailed with by examples as they are by precepts; and are (on the other hand) very inclinable to think that they may do what others (especially their betters) do. If rich men give but little, others (that are not so rich, and yet able to give) think they may be excused if they give nothing to the poor. If the parents neglect prayer, the children scarce think it their duty to pray. As it is an excellent thing to be an exemplary Christian — it shows that religion is practicable, and tolls men on — it is a dull jade that will not follow and strive to keep pace when another mettled horse leads the way. So it is sad to be an exemplary sinner; for such a one has more sins to answer for than his own, even those of other men, that were committed by his example. It is a common plea: such learned and knowing men do so and so, and why may not I? Oh, follow not a multitude (however mighty and wise) to do evil; let us therefore provoke one another to love and good works by our example; let us not only show, but lead the way.

7. Consider this: sins of omission are sins which God has severely judged men for in this world, and for which he will judge men in the great day. It is observable how severe God has been to them that have omitted what he commanded them to do, though they have pretended to do it for God's sake; an instance of which we have in Saul (1 Samuel 15). God sent Saul to destroy Amalek root and branch, king and people, from head to foot, from throne to threshold, not to leave one person alive; man, woman, infant, and suckling, all must die; oxen and sheep, etc., none must escape. But Saul spared Agag, and the best of the sheep and oxen, etc., and would not utterly destroy them; upon which it follows that the Lord repented of having set up Saul to be king, verse 11. And though it were pretended to be done for a sacrifice to God (verses 15 and 22), yet it is charged upon him as rebellion and witchcraft, verse 23; and his not obeying the voice of the Lord is called a doing evil in his sight, verse 19. So that he who omits a good commits an evil; the omission of good is the commission of evil, and judged accordingly. Oh, how dear did this sin of omission cost Saul. Another instance is:

That of Eli (which is remarkable), who is charged with honoring his sons before God (1 Samuel 2:29). How so? Eli was a good old man, and can it be thought that he preferred his sons before God? What should the meaning of this be? See (1 Samuel 3:13), and there it is cleared up; for says God, I will judge his house for ever, for the iniquity which he knows, because his sons made themselves vile, and he restrained them not — he did not give them so much as a sour look, or as the Hebrew reads it, he frowned not upon them. And yet let me tell you, Eli went so far, that had his children had any ingenuity, or any respect to the rebukes of a priest and father, one would have thought he had said enough, for (1 Samuel 2:23), the old man very gravely takes them up with this expostulation: Why do you do such things? For I hear of your evil dealings by all this people — nay, my [reconstructed: son], for it is no good report which I hear; you make the Lord's people to transgress. If one man sins against another, the judge shall judge him, but if a man sins against the Lord, who shall entreat for him? Thus he lays their sin and danger before them pretty roundly, and yet, says God, he restrained them not — there was an omission and neglect of more severe discipline; and this omission cost him dear, as dear almost as the sins of commission did cost his sons, which was not to be purged with sacrifice, verse 14.

Another instance, is that concerning the Ammonites and Moabites (who were a bastard brood) and therefore like bastards, they were not to enter into the congregation of the Lord, till the tenth generation (Deuteronomy 23:2-4), and the reason is taken: first, from a sin of omission, because they met not Israel with bread and water, when they came out of Egypt. It is a dreadful thing to be excommunicated from, and a dreadful thing not to be admitted into the congregation of the Lord; and you see that a sin of omission may keep men out for a long time. But,

God will judge men for sins of omission in the great and terrible day of his righteous judgment: not only the wicked, but the slothful servant will be judged, and the slothful will be judged wicked, as we have it from the mouth of truth itself (Matthew 25:26). You wicked and slothful servant, wicked because slothful; he was no waster, but brother to him (as was lately noted) because slothful; for omitting the improvement of his talent, he was called and judged a wicked and slothful servant, and his punishment was (besides the loss of his talent) to be cast into utter darkness, where there is weeping and gnashing of teeth: he had not turned the grace of God into wantonness, yet for being unprofitable, he is sent to Hell. And again, verse 41, he shall say to them on his left hand, depart from me you cursed into everlasting fire, for your sins of omission, because when I was hungry and thirsty, you (like the Ammonites and Moabites newly mentioned, you brought me no bread and water) you gave me no meat and drink. Some are apt to justify themselves thus: we never did any man hurt, we have wronged and oppressed no man; yes, but God will condemn them that have not done such evils, because they have not done good: oh, think of these things, and beware of sins of omission. And,