Puritan Nuggets of Gold # 28

Excuses

By allowing one sin, we disarm and deprive ourselves of having a conscientious argument to defend ourselves against any other sin. He that can go against his conscience in one, cannot plead conscience against any other; for if the authority of God awes him from one, it will from all. "How can I do this, and sin against God?" said Joseph. I doubt not but his answer would have been the same if his mistress had bid him to lie for her, as now when she enticed him to lie with her. The ninth commandment would have bound him as well as the seventh. (William Gurnall)

"But," saith the tempter. "it is but one sin, and the rest of thy life is good and blameless."

Answer: If a man be a murderer, or a traitor, will you excuse him because the rest of his life is good, and it is but one sin that he is charged with? "Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, is guilty of all" (James 2:10). Indeed God doth judge by the bent of thy heart and the main drift and endeavor of thy life. The bent of a man's heart and life may be sinful, earthly, fleshly, though it run but in the channel of one way of gross sinning! As a man may be covetous that hath but one whore; and an idolater that hath but one idol, if thou lovedst God better, thou wouldst let go thy sin; and if thou love any one sin better than God, the whole bent of thy heart and life is wicked. (Richard Baxter)

"Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all." Not as though the violation of one precept were actually the violation of another; for many may steal, and yet not actually murder; many again may murder, and yet not actually commit adultery: bu this place of the apostle must be understood of violating that authority which passeth through them all, and by which all the commandments have their sanction. For since the authority of the great God is one and the same in all these laws, he shall so far disrespect this authority as willfully to break one of them, evidently declares that he owns it not in any. (Ezekiel Hopkins)

Never forget this: he that savoureth any one sin, though he foregoeth many, doth recover of one disease and die of another. (Thomas Brooks)

Those sins that seem most sweet in life, will prove most bitter in death. (Thomas Brooks)

The least sin is damnable. The smallest bit of sin is a murdering morsel. "Cursed be he that confirmeth not all the words of this law to do them." A pistol will kill as dead as a cannon. Some have been eaten up by bears and lions, other by mice and lice. It is spiritual murder to stifle and suppress the conception of the Spirit in thy soul, as well as to do open despite to the Holy Spirit. (George Swinnock)

As a man may die as well by a fly choking him as by a lion devouring him ... so, likewise, little sins will sink a man to hell as soon as great sins. (Daniel Cawdray)

Little sins unrepented of will damn thee as well as greater. Not only great rivers fall into the sea, but little brooks; not only greater sins carry men to hell, but lesser; therefore do not think pardon easy because sin is small. (Thomas Watson)