of life, in order to give their account with joy to him, who shall judge the quick and the dead *.

Thefe and the like things they will, fome of them, defend and palliate with wonderful acutenefs; defigned partly to excufe them to others, but chiefly to deceive and pacify themfelves. Not that they ever attain either of these ends. For their neighbours, after all, just as plainly perceive their faults, as they perceive thofe of their neighbours. And it is but a half deceit that they put upon their own fouls. Every now and then they see through it, whether they will or will not; fee a very threatening prospect before them: and, though they do fhut their eyes, and flumber again, and tell themselves ail is peace; yet this dream of security is but a very disturbed one: Nothing like the clear and joyful perception, that he hath, whofe confcience is thoroughly awake, and affures him of his own innocence, or true repentance, and intereft in the pardon which his Redeemer hath purchased. But in however frong delufion+ God may permit them to remain at present: how can they be fure, but ere long remorfe may seize them, an adverfary expose them, a friend rebuke him: one way or other, the cafe of David, who doubtlefs thought he was exceedingly fafe, become theirs; and fome voice proclaim aloud to them, what they are afraid of whispering to themselves, Thou art the man! Though indeed, could we effectually impofe on all the world, and our own minds too; could this impofition last to our life's end, and not vanish at the approach of death, which commonly reprefents to the guilty their past conduct in a very new and tremendous light; what could we get by it, but more certain and exquifite mifery?

Therefore one of the happiest things imaginable is, being made fenfible of our fins in time: and the firft ftep to that is, reflecting how liable we are, both to commit them and to overlook them. If fuch a one as David could fall into fuch tranf greffions as he did, and continue in them fo long, and forget them fo intirely into how many grofs ones, into how many more fpeciously coloured over, may we have fallen in the courfe of our lives, negligent as we are? And how poffible is it, unless we have faithfully fearched our hearts, that we may be

Heb. xiii. 17. 1 Pet. iv. 5.

2 Theff. i 11.

be thoughtlessly going on to a future ftate, and fome of us near it, under heavy loads of complicated guilt? Surely felfinspection then is abfolutely neceffary: and if we fet about the work honeftly, it is by no means difficult. What paffes within our breasts is not far from us: what hath paffed there formerly may, in general, be recollected and what we are ufually forced to take much pains to hide from ourselves, we may, if we will, foon lay open. Let us each, therefore, confider seriously, as perfons whose interest lies in discovering, not concealing: Is there no way of wickedness in me, no blot upon my conduct and character? No failing that I fhould reproach my neighbour for; none that my enemy or ill-wisher, at least if he knew all, as I do, and God doth, could reproach me for? Are there not, indeed, feveral things of, this kind, and how many, and what are they? For it is my concern to know them all; and to think what the end of all will be. Such an inquiry as this would call off our attention from the too pleafing employment of judging thofe around us, to a more important trial within. We fhould fee, that if they have faults, fo have we likewife great ones, though it may be of different kinds: and which are worse upon the whole, is for God alone to determine. Our common guilt acquits neither before him, excufes neither for the mutual injuries they do, authorizes neither to disregard the cenfure of the world: but this effect the fenfe, how blameworthy we all are, fhould certainly have: it should restrain even the best of us from reproving with haughtinefs, and punishing with feverity: it fhould incline the more obnoxious to be fingularly gentle and mild in relation to offenders: and it should instruct us every one to think and act with great charity towards others, and employ our zeal chiefly, where there will feldom be danger of excefs, in correcting and reforming ourfelves. But this would bring me to the third head: to which I must not proceed at present: and shall therefore conclude with begging you to obferve, concerning what you have heard already, that you will never become either duly fenfible of your finful difpofitions and actual tranfgreffions, or able to amend what you do find of them, unless you are firft excited, and then affifted, by the grace of our bleffed

• Pfal. cxxxix. 24.

bleffed Saviour, without whom we can do nothing *. Therefore, whenever duties of any kind are preffed upon you, always remember, whether you are told it or not, that you muft pray as well as endeavour: pray in his name, and through faith in his blood †, who of God is made unto us' wisdom, and righteoufnefs, and fanctification, and redemption : fully affured, that, weak as we are in ourselves, we can do all things through Chrift, which strengtheneth us §: to whom therefore, &c.

SERMON

XXXVI.

ON THE DECEITFULNESS OF SIN.

2 SAM. xii. 13.

And David faid unto Nathan, I have finned against the Lord. And Nathan faid unto David, The Lord alfo hath put away thy fin: thou shalt not die.

FROM

ROM that portion of fcripture, in which these words are contained, I lately recommended to your serious notice the following points of doctrine.

I. That, without continual care, the best of men may be led into the worst of crimes.

II. That we are all very apt to overlook our own faults, and yet to be extremely quickfighted and fevere in relation to

thofe of others.

III. That as foon as ever we are, by any means, made fenfible of our offences, we fhould acknowledge them with due penitence.

IV. That, on doing this, the greatest fins will be forgiven us. Yet,

V. That fins, even after they are forgiven, produce frequently fuch lamentable confequences, that on this account, amongst others, innocence is greatly preferable to the trueft repentance.

On the two first of these I have already discoursed: and proceed now to the

III. That as foon as we are, by any means, made sensible of our offences, we ought to acknowledge them with due penitence.

David

David, it feems, till the prophet came to put him on confidering his ways, had not done it to any good purpose, ever fince the adultery and murder which he had committed: tho' a very little thought had been fufficient, and it is amazing, that he could avoid thinking enough, to fhew him his guilt. Had he continued infenfible of it, not all his paft piety could have preferved him from future damnation. For the threatening which God commanded the prophet Ezekiel to pronounce, ever hath been, and will be, without exception, the rule of his proceeding. Son of man, fay unto the children of thy people, When I fay to the righteous, that he fall furely live: if he trust to his own righteoufnefs, and commit iniquity, all his righteousness Shall not be remembered *. In his trefpafs that he hath trefpaffed, and in his fin that he hath finned, in them shall be die †. But, though it was not confiftent with infinite juftice, holiness and wisdom, to accept David, whilft in this condition: yet it was perfectly suitable to infinite goodness to awaken him out of it. Accordingly, Nathan was fent to him with a divine commiffion for that purpose: who having firft endeavoured, without fuccefs, to execute it in a gentler and more refpectful way, that of infinuating admonition, applied his parable at laft in the plainest words; nor was content with telling him directly, Thou art the man, but, undoubtedly finding it requifite, followed even this home-charge yet farther, by laying the particulars of his guilt, with its heavy aggravations, before his eyes.

And here David's example begins to be as ufeful for our imitation, as it had been before for our warning. Struck to the very heart with the fenfe of fo many and heinous iniquities, crowding in at once upon his mind; and abhorring himfelf for being able, firft to commit, and then to overlook them; he cries out, I have finned against the Lord. Few words, indeed, but greatly expreffive; and the more for being few. Astonishment, confufion, terror, might well ftop the utterance of more for the present, and for no fmall time. Afterwards his forrow obtained the relief of free vent: and his penitent Pfalms, efpecially the fifty-first, composed, as the title informs us, on this very occafion, exprefs, moft pathetically, the depth of his humiliation, and the earneftnefs of his intreaties for pardon, VOL. I.

Ezek. xxxiii. 12, 13.

3 F

Ezek. xviii. 24.

even