SERMON XXV.

THE SIN OF FOLLOWING THE MULTITUDE TO DO EVIL.

ANNUAL FAST, 1821.

THоU shalt not follow a multitude to do evil. - EXODUS, xxii 2

GOD requires men to do some things, and forbids them to do others; but his prohibitions are as binding as his precepts, because they are clothed with the same divine authority. The prohibition in the text primarily respects the giving of a false testimony before a civil tribunal, through fear or favor of a multitude who are disposed to do evil, and to lead others to follow their pernicious example. But this prohibition may be properly considered as a general caution to every one, not to follow a multitude to do evil in any of their wicked conduct or sinful courses. My present design is to consider what is implied in this solemn and extensive prohibition. And,

İ. It implies that the majority or great mass of mankind are uniformly and constantly engaged in doing evil.

All men by nature are morally depraved; and a great majority of them are in a state of nature, and constantly act under the influence of their native depravity, which disposes them to do nothing but evil. Though God might have renewed and sanctified every person from the first apostacy to the present day, yet he has not seen fit hitherto to do it, but has left the great majority of the human race, from age to age, to walk in the ways of their heart, and in the sight of their eyes, and in a constant course of disobedience to his commands. God considers all men as either holy or unholy, either godly or ungodly, either righteous or unrighteous, either saints or sinners, either his friends or his enemies. His friends have always been a small

minority, in comparison with the large majority of his enemies, and hardly worth mentioning. Accordingly he generally speaks of the world as altogether corrupt and sinful. And he calls sinners the world, the men of the world, the children of the world, the world of the ungodly, and the world that lies in wickedness, in distinction from saints, whom he has chosen out of the world, whom he has set apart for himself, and whom he forbids to be conformed to the world, or to be in friendship with the world. This distinction has existed in fact, for the great majority of mankind have always been wholly disaffected to God, and in a state of actual rebellion against him. In this light he represents them in his word. "The fool hath said in his heart, there is no God. They are corrupt; they have done abominable works; there is none that doeth good. The Lord looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand and seek God. They are all gone aside, they are altogether become filthy; there is none that doeth good, no, not one." The apostle gives a plain reason for this universal corruption of mankind when he says, "God in times past suffered all nations to walk in their own ways." This representation of mankind in general is corroborated by the history which God has given of their state and character, by the pen of inspiration. The Bible informs us that all flesh corrupted their way in the first ages of the world; that from the calling of Abraham, God suffered all nations but one to act out the depravity of their hearts without restraint; that the nation whom he did not give up were generally corrupt until the coming of Christ; and that since that day many have been called and but few have been chosen. Profane history concurs with sacred in representing the Egyptians, Babylonians, Chaldeans, Grecians, Romans, and all other nations, destitute of divine revelation, as sunk down in idolatry, superstition, and every species of moral corruption. And we know that the greater part of those who enjoy the gospel are atheists, or deists, or formalists, or open and avowed enemies to every thing sacred and divine; and that there is only a very few who really fear God and keep his commands. God knew, when he gave the solemn prohibition in the text, that the multitude, or the great majority of mankind, were then, and would be in time to come, uniformly and constantly engaged in doing evil in various ways.

Some, by opposing, instead of promoting, the gracious design of God in forming vessels of mercy, and preparing them for the kingdom of glory. This was the case in the earliest ages, before he chose the seed of Abraham for his peculiar people. Cain, and the posterity of Cain, and all that were born

after the flesh, were disposed to persecute the sons of God, who were born after the spirit. The nations round about Judea, were openly and avowedly hostile to the peculiar people of God, and did all in their power to prevent God's carrying on his gracious design among them. And there have been ever since, many among the men of the world, who have been openly and violently engaged in opposing the cause and the friends of God, by which they have obstructed the cause of truth, and done both temporal and eternal injury to mankind. While Paul and Barnabas were at Paphos, Sergius Paulus desired to hear them preach the gospel; but Elymas the sorcerer withstood them, seeking to turn away the deputy from the faith. Then Paul, filled with the Holy Ghost, set his eyes on him, and said, " O full of all subtilty and all mischief, thou child of the devil, thou enemy of all righteousness, wilt thou not cease to pervert the right ways of the Lord?" Such a spirit has often been cherished and expressed, by a multitude of those whose hearts were fully set in them to do evil.

Some among the men of the world do evil, by openly and grossly disobeying, instead of obeying, the express commands of God. They cast the divine laws behind their backs, and practically say, that he who hath made them shall not reign over them. They take the name of God in vain, profane his holy day, and treat his gospel as a cunningly devised fable; and at the same time practice every kind of iniquity with greediness. They set a visible example of unrestrained wickedness.

There are many more among the mass of mankind, who do evil by hating, instead of loving God. They as really hate God, as those who oppose his cause, disbelieve his word, or externally disobey his commands. They as clearly discover their unsanctified hearts, by their sins of omission, as others do by their sins of commission; and actually unite in their views, and feelings, and conduct, with the great majority of the ungodly world, in doing evil. All these classes of men which have been mentioned, are in the state of nature, and constantly acting under the influence of their native depravity; by which they are setting ten thousand evil and pernicious examples. This is the vast multitude of evil-doers, whom God in the text forbids every person to follow.

II. The prohibition which we are considering implies that every person is naturally disposed to follow a multitude to do evil.

We may presume that God would never forbid men to do what they have no natural disposition to do. He would not, therefore, have given the prohibition in the text, if he had not known that all men are naturally disposed to follow a multi45

VOL. II.

tude to do evil. They are, by nature, more disposed to do evil, than to do good; yea, they are wholly disposed to do evil, and wholly averse from doing good. There is none, by nature, disposed to do good; no, not one. They are all naturally children of disobedience, and have a carnal mind, which is enmity against God, not subject to his law, neither indeed can be. And as every one is naturally disposed to do evil himself, so he is naturally disposed to follow others who do evil. This is true of children, of youth, and of men, through every period of life. They are all naturally disposed both to lead and to be led, to do evil. Though some deny that men are born with a natural disposition to do evil any more than to do good; yet they allow that children very early become sinners, merely by the force and influence of the bad examples of the multitude of those who do evil. This proves, beyond contradiction, that men are universally, if not naturally, disposed to follow bad examples.

But there is no room for conjecture on this subject. The Bible puts it beyond doubt, that men are naturally, as well as universally, disposed to do evil, and consequently disposed to follow the examples of evil-doers. Men are born like the wild ass's colt, entirely stupid in respect to invisible and divine realities, which leads them to disbelieve, disregard, and disobey God. Men are born with a supreme love to themselves, which naturally leads them to pursue their own pleasure and interests, notwithstanding the restraints of reason and conscience. And must not every person of this character and disposition love to follow the example of those who justify his evil conduct and sinful courses? All natural men love natural men. All profligate men love profligate men. All worldly men love worldly men. So our Saviour taught his disciples. "If ye were of the world, the world would love his own." Worldly men love those false teachers who allow them to follow the practice of worldlings. Such teachers, the apostle says, "are of the world: therefore speak they of the world, and the world heareth them." The men of the world all love one another, because they justify one another in their sinful views, feelings, and conduct. And as they all love one another, so they are all naturally disposed to follow one another's evil examples.

If men had not been naturally disposed to follow those who do evil, can we account for it that Cain and his posterity should have gradually and universally corrupted the posterity of Seth, Enoch, and of all the pious patriarchs before Abraham? If men were not naturally disposed to follow bad examples rather than good, can we account for it that Jeroboam the son of Ne

bat could have drawn ten tribes out of twelve into the grossest idolatry, from age to age, while two tribes continued to acknowledge and worship the only living and true God? If men were not naturally disposed to follow bad examples rather than good, can we account for it that Phygellus and Hermogenes could have turned away all Asia from embracing the doctrines which Paul taught, to follow their fatal errors and delusions? If men were not naturally disposed to follow bad examples rather than good, can we account for it that the Pope of Rome could have drawn nearly three parts out of eight of the whole christian world, to embrace his fatal errors, instead of the pure doctrines of the gospel? Or, if men were not naturally disposed to follow bad examples rather than good, can we account for it that there has always been such a great majority of bad rather than of good men in the world? It is certain that God has exhibited more numerous, more reasonable, and far more weighty motives before their minds, to be followers of that which is good, than to be followers of that which is evil. Scripture, reason, observation and experience unitedly prove, that every person in the world is naturally disposed to follow a multitude to do evil. But,

III. The prohibition in the text implies that those are altogether criminal who follow the evil examples of evil-doers, though they are the great majority of mankind. For,

1. They are free and voluntary in following the examples of those who do evil. Men may feel themselves constrained to obey a command, but they never feel themselves constrained to follow an example. Examples have no power or influence to compel, but only to persuade. Every person is at perfect liberty to approve or disapprove, and to follow or refuse to follow, any bad example. But to follow a bad example of choice, is to choose to do evil; which is in its own nature criminal. In some cases, it may be as criminal to follow a bad example, as to set a bad example; and in some cases, a great deal more criminal. Many persons set a bad example, when they have no clear and extensive view of its extremely sinful and destructive tendency; but others may have a clear knowledge of its great criminality and dangerous tendency, while, at the same time, they freely and voluntarily follow it. So that, in all cases, those who follow, as well as those who set bad examples, are altogether criminal. They do evil freely and voluntarily; which is the essence of criminality, and which appears so to themselves and every body else.

2. Every person acts contrary to his reason and conscience in following a multitude to do evil, which renders him altogether criminal and inexcusable. If one man does wrong, that