They that name the name of Christ, let them depart from their
constitution-sin, or if you will, the sin that their temper most
inclines them to. Every man is not alike inclined to the same sin,
but some to one, and some to another. Now, let the man that
professes the name of Christ religiously consider with himself,
"Unto what sin or vanity am I most inclined? is it pride? is it
covetousness? is it fleshly lust?" and let him labor by all means to
leave off and depart from that. This is that which David called his
own iniquity, and saith, "I was also upright before him, and I kept
myself from mine iniquity." Psa. 18:23. Rightly are these two put
together, for it is not possible that he should be an upright man
that indulgeth or countenanceth his constitution-sin; but on the
contrary, he that keeps himself from that will be upright as to all
the rest; and the reason is, because if a man has grace to trample
upon and mortify his darling, his bosom, his only sin, he will more
easily and more heartily abhor and fly the rest.
And indeed, if a man will depart from iniquity, he must depart from
his darling sin first; for as long as that is entertained, the
other, at least those that are most suiting to that darling, will
always be haunting of him. There is a man that has such and such
haunt his house and spend his substance, and would be rid of them,
but cannot; but now, let him rid himself of that for the sake of
which they haunt his house, and then he shall with ease be rid of
them. Thus it is with sin. There is a man that is plagued with many
sins, perhaps because he embraceth one; well, let him turn that one
out of doors, and that is the way to be rid of the rest. Keep thee
from thy darling, thy bosom, thy constitution-sin.
Among the motives to prevail with thee to fall in with this
exhortation, are,
1. There can no great change appear in thee, make what profession of
Christ thou wilt, unless thou cast away thy bosom sin. A man's
constitution-sin is, as I may call it, his visible sin; it is that
by which his neighbors know him and describe him, whether it be
pride, covetousness, lightness, or the like. Now, if these abide
with thee, though thou shouldst be much reformed in thy notions and
in other parts of thy life, yet say thy neighbors, "He is the same
man still: his faith has not saved him from his darling. He was
proud before, and is proud still; was covetous before, and is
covetous still; was light and wanton before, and is so still; he is
the same man, though he has got a new mouth." But now, if thy
constitution-sin be parted with, if thy darling be cast way, thy
conversion is apparent; it is seen of all; for the casting away of
that is death to the rest, and ordinarily makes a change throughout.
2. So long as thy constitution-sin remains, as winked at by thee, so
long thou art a hypocrite before God, let thy profession be what it
will; also, when conscience shall awake and be commanded to speak to
thee plainly what thou art, it will tell thee so, to thy no little
vexation and perplexity.