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.
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