tion upon his sins and defects, and by no well as the danger of giving in to the contemmeans with his state of mind, who hath fix-plation of our virtues, it is also a quieting and ed his attention chiefly upon his virtues: Se- consoling reflection for a different, and, in condly, That Scripture examples, that of Saint some degree, an opposite description of characPaul most particularly, teach us to renounce ter, that is to say, for tender and timorous conthe thoughts of our virtues, and to entertain sciences. Such are sometimes troubled with deeply and constantly the thoughts of our doubts and scruples about even their good acsins: Thirdly, That the habit here reproved, tions. Virtue was too easy for them, or too is inconsistent with a due sense of the love of difficult; too easy and pleasant to have any God in the redemption of the world. I am merit in it: or difficult by reason of fleshy, now to offer such further reasons as appear to selfish, or depraved propensities, still existing support the rule I have laid down. unsubdued, still struggling in their unregenerated hearts. These are natural, and, as I have sometimes known them, very distressing scruples. I think that observations might be offered to remove the ground of them altoge ther: but what I have at present to suggest is, that the very act of reflection, which leads to them, is unnecessary, provided you will pro ceed by our rule, viz. to leave your virtues, such as they are, to themselves; and to bend the whole force of your thought towards your sins, towards the conquest of these.

ed, to relish, to indulge, to enjoy these comforts? And can this be done without meditat ing upon our good actions.

And, first, There is no occasion whatever to meditate upon our virtues and good qualities. We e may leave them to themselves. We need not fear that they will either be forgotten or undervalued. "God is not unrighteous to forget your works and labour of love: Hebrews vi. 10. He will remember them; we need not. They are set down in his book; not a particle will be lost. Blessed are they who have much there; but we need not count them up in our recollection; for, whatever our virtues are or were, we cannot make them better by think- But it will be said, are we not to taste the ing of them afterwards. We may make them comforts of religion? Are we not to be perbetter in future by thinking of their imperfec-mitted, or rather ought we not to be encouragtions, and by endeavouring to encounter, to lessen, or remove those imperfections hereafter; but then this is to think, not upon our virtues, but upon our imperfections. Thinking upon I answer, that this can be done without me. our virtues, as such, has no tendency to make ditating upon our good actions. We need them better, be they what they will. But it not seek the comforts of religion in this way is not the same with our sins. Thinking up- Much we need not seek them at all; they on these afterwards may make a very great al- will visit us of their own accord, if we be seteration in them, because it may lead to an ef.rious and hearty in our religion. A wellfectual repentance. As to the act itself, what spent life will impart its support to the spiis past cannot be recalled; what is done can- rits, without any endeavour, on our part, to not be undone the mischief may possibly be call up our merits to our view, or even alirrevocable and irreparable. But as to the lowing the idea of merit to take possession of sin, it is different. Deep, true, sincere peni- our minds. There will, in this respect, always tence may, through the mercies of God in Christ be as much difference as there ought to be, beJesus, do away that. And such penitence tween the righteous man and the sinner, (or, may be the fruit of meditation upon our sins; to speak more properly, between sinners of cannot possibly come without it. Nay, the act different degrees,) without taking pains to itself may be altered. It is not always that draw forth in our recollection instances of an injury is irreparable. Wrong indeed has our virtue, or to institute a comparison bebeen received at our hands; but restitution or tween ourselves and others, or certain others compensation may be in our power. When of our acquaintance. These are habits, which they are so, they are the surest proofs of peni- I hold to be unchristian and wrong; and that tence. No penitence is sincere without them. the true way of finding and feeling the consoif they be practicable. This benefit to those lations of religion, is by progressively conquerwhom we have injured, and an infinitely great-ing our sins. Think of these; contend with er benefit to ourselves than to them, may be the effect of seeing our sins in their true light, which that man never does, who thinks only, or chiefly, or habitually, upon his virtues. Can a better reason be given for meditating more upon our sins, and less upon our virtues, than this; that one train of thought may be profitable to salvation, the other is profitable for nothing?

It is an exceedingly good observation, that we may safely leave our virtues and good qualities to themselves. And, besides the use we have made of it in showing the superfluity, as

these, and, if you contend with sincerity, and with effect, which is the proof indeed of sincerity, I will answer for the comforts of religion being your portion. What is it that disturbs our religious tranquillity? What is it that embitters or impairs our religious comfort, damps and checks our religious hopes, hinders us from relishing and entertaining these ideas, from turning to them, as a supply of consolation under all circumstances? What is it but our sins? Depend upon it, that it is sin, and nothing else, which spoils our religious comfort. Cleanse your heart from sin, and reli.

gion will enter in, with all her train of hopes | perfection as the Christians whom we read of and consolations. For proof of this, we may, in Scripture, yet no persons thought so little as before, refer to the examples of Scripture of their own virtues. What they continually Christians. They rejoiced in the Lord con- thought upon was the abounding love of Christ tinually. "The joy of faith," Phil. i. 25. towards them, " in that, whilst they were yet "Joy in the Holy Ghost," Rom. xiv. 17. was sinners, he died for them." and the tender and the word in their mouths, the sentiment of exceeding mercies of God in the pardon of their their hearts. They spake of their religion as sins, through Christ. From this they drew of a strong consolation, as of the "refuge to their consolation; but the ground and origin which they had fled, as of the hope of which of this train of thought was, not the contemthey had laid hold, of an anchor of the soul plation of virtue, but the conviction of sin. sure and steadfast:" Heb. vi. 18, 19. Their promise from the Lord Jesus Christ was, Your heart shall rejoice, and your joy no man taketh from you :" John xvi. 22. Was this promise fulfilled to them? Read Acts xiii. 52.They were filled with joy and the Holy Ghost." "The kingdom of God," saith Saint Paul," is joy in the Holy Ghost:" Rom. xiv. 17. So that St. Paul, you hear, takes his very description and definition of Christianity from the joy which is diffused over the heart; and St. Paul, I am very confident, described nothing but what he felt. Yet St. Paul did not meditate upon his virtues: nay, expressly renounced that sort of meditation. His meditations, on the contrary, were fixed upon his own unworthiness, and upon the exceeding, stupendous mercy of God towards him, through Jesus Christ his Saviour. At least, we have his own authority for saying, that, in his Christian progress, he never looked back; he forgot that which was behind, whatever it might be, which he had already attained; he refused to remember it, he put it out of his thoughts. Yet, upon this topic of religious joy, hear him again: "We joy in God through our Lord Jesus Christ:" Rom. v. 11. and once more, "the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace:" Gal. v. 22. These last are three memorable words, and they describe, not the effects of ruminating upon a man's own virtues, but the fruit of the Spirit.

But again: The custom of viewing our virtue, has a strong tendency to fill us with fallacious notions of our own state and condition. One almost constant deception is this, viz. that in whatever quality we have pretensions, or believe that we have pretensions to excel, that quality we place at the head of all other virtues. If we be charitable, then "charity covereth a multitude of sins." If we be strictly honest, then strict honesty is no less than the bond which keeps society together; and consequently, is that without which other vir tues would have no worth, or rather no exis tence. If we be temperate and chaste, then self-government being the hardest of all duties, is the surest test of obedience. Now every one of these propositions is true; but the misfortune is, that only one of them is thought of at the time, and that the one which favours our own particular case and character. The comparison of different virtues, as to their price and value, may give occasion to many nice questions; and some rules might be laid down upon the subject; but I contend that the practice itself is useless, and not only useless but delusive. Let us leave, as I have already said, our virtues to themselves, not engaging our minds in appreciating either their intrinsic or comparative value; being assured that they will be weighed in unerring scales. Our business is with our sins.

Again The habit of contemplating our spiritual acquirements, our religious or moral excellencies, has, very usually, and, I think, almost unavoidably, an unfavourable effect upon our disposition towards other men. A man who is continually computing his riches, almost in spite of himself, grows proud of his wealth. A man who accustoms himself to read and inquire, and think a great deal about his family, becomes vain of his extraction: he can hardly help becoming so. A man who has his titles sounding in his ears, or his state

But it is not in one apostle in whom we find this temper of mind, it is in them all. Speaking of the Lord Jesus Christ, St. Peter thus addresses his converts: "Whom having not seen, ye love; in whom, though now ye see him not, yet believing ye rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory:" 1 Peter i. 8. This joy covered even their persecutions and sufferings: "Wherein ye greatly rejoice, though now, for a season if need be, ye are in heaviness through manifold temptations,' ,"much before his eyes, is lifted up by his rank. 1 Peter i. 6. meaning persecutions. In like manner St. James saith, "Count it all joy when ye fall into divers temptations, that is, persecutions; and why?" knowing this, that the trying of your faith worketh pacience:" James i. 2, 3. Let no one, after these quotations, say, that it is necessary to fix our attention upon the virtues of our character in order to taste the comforts of religion. No persons enjoyed these comforts in so great

These are effects which every one observes; and no inconsiderable degree of the same ef. fect springs from the habit of meditating upon our virtues. Now humble-mindedness is a Christian duty, if there be one. It is more than a duty; it is a principle. It is a principle of the religion; and its influence is exceedingly great, not only upon our religious, but our social character. They who are truly humble. minded, have no quarrels, give no offence, cou.

tend with no one in wrath and bitterness; honestly and resolutely to banish them from still more impossible is it for them to insult his mind, or to take his mind off from them. any man under any circumstances. But the a sinner in the sight of God. Much the same way to be humble-minded is the way I am kind of exposition belongs to the other compointing out, viz. to think less of our virtues, mandments; not only is murder forbidden, but and more of our sins. In reading the parable all unreasonable intemperate anger and pasof the Pharisee and the publican, if we could sion; not only stealing, but all hard and unsuppose them to be real characters, I should fair conduct, either in transacting business say of them, that the one had just come from with those who are upon a level with us, or, ruminating upon his virtues, the other from where it is more to be feared, towards those meditating upon his sins. And mark the dif- who are in our power. And do not these ference; first, in their behaviour; next, in points open to us a field of inquiry, how far their acceptance with God. The pharisee all we are concerned in them? There may not loftiness, and contemptuousness, and recital, and be what, strictly speaking, can be called an comparison, full of ideas of merit, views the act or deed, which is scandalously bad; yet poor publican, although withrawn to a dis- the current of our imaginations, the bent of tance from him, with eyes of scorn. The our tempers, the stream of our affections, may publican, on the contrary, enters not into com- all, or any of them, be wrong, and may be repetition with the pharisee, or with any one. quiring, even at the peril of our salvation, So far from looking round, he durst not so stronger control, a better direction. much as lift up his eyes; but casts himself, Again: There may not be any action which, hardly indeed presumes to cast himself, not singly and separately taken, amounts to what upon the justice, but wholly and solely upon would be reckoned a crime; yet there may be the mercies of his Maker: "God be merciful actions, which we give into, which even our to me a sinner." We know the judgment which our Lord himself pronounced upon the case: "I tell you, this man went down to his house justified rather than the other." (Luke xviii. 14.) The more, therefore, we are like the publican, and the less we are like the pharisee, the more we come up to the genuine temper of Christ's religion.

own consciences cannot approve; and these may be so frequent with us, as to form a part of the course and fashion of our lives.

Again: It is possible, that some of the miscarriages in conduct, of which we have to accuse ourselves, may be imputable to inadver tency or surprise. But could these miscar riages happen so often as they do, if we exThink, then, less of your virtues; more of ercised that vigilance in our Christian course, your sins. Do I hear any one answer, I have which not only forms a part of the Christian no sins to think upon; I have no crimes which character, but is a sure effect of a sincere lie upon my conscience: I reply, that this faith in religion, and a corresponding solici may be true with respect to some, nay, with tude and concern about it? Lastly, unprofit respect to many persons, according to the idea ableness itself is a sin. We need not do miswe commonly annex to the words, sins and chief in order to commit sin; uselessness, crimes; meaning thereby acts of gross and ex- when we might be useful, is enough to make ternal wickedness. But think further; en-us sinners before God. The fig-tree in the large your views. Is your obedience to the Gospel was cut down, not because it bore sour law of God what it ought to be, or what it fruit, but because it bore none. The parable might be? The first commandment of that of the talents (Matt. xxv. 14.) is pointed exlaw is, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God pressly against the simple neglect of faculties with all thy heart, with all thy mind, and with and opportunities of doing good, as contradis all thy strength." Is there, upon the subject tinguished from the perpetration of positive of this commandment, no matter for thought, crimes. Are not all these topics fit matters no room for amendment? The second com- of meditation, in the review of our lives? Upmandment is, "Thou shalt love thy neigh-on the whole, when I hear a person say he bour as thyself." Is all with us as it should has no sins to think upon, I conclude that be be here? Again, there is a spirituality in has not thought seriously concerning religion the commands of Christ's religion, which will at all.

cause the man who obeys them truly, not only Let our sins, then, be ever before us; it to govern his actions, but his words: not only not our crimes, of which it is possible that, his words, but his inclinations and his disposi- according to the common acceptation of that tions, his internal habits, as well as his external word, we may not have many to remember; life. "Ye have heard that it hath been said let our omissions, deficiencies, failures, our irof old time, Thou shalt not commit adultery: regularities of heart and affection, our vices of But I say unto you, He that looketh on a woman temper and disposition, our course and habit to lust after her," that is, he who voluntarily of giving into smaller offences, meaning, as I indulges and entertains in his mind an un- do mean, by offences, all those things which lawful desire, hath committed adultery with our consciences cannot really approve; our her already in his heart," is by the very en- slips, and inadvertencies and surprises, much tertainment of such ideas, instead of striving too frequent for a man in earnest about sal.

SERMON XII.

SALVATION FOR PENITENT SINNERS.

vation let these things occupy our attention ; | broken and deficient services, the truth is, thev let this be the bent and direction of our have recourse to no such hope; besides, it is ret thoughts: for they are the thoughts which will imperfection with which they are charged, but bring us to God evangelically; because they a total absence of principle. A man who never are the thoughts which will not only increase strives to obey, never indeed bears that thought our vigilance, but which must inspire us with about him, must not talk of the imperfection that humility as to ourselves, with that deep, of his obedience: neither the word, nor the and abiding, and operating sense of God Al-idea, pertains to him; nor can he speak of mighty's love and kindness and mercy towards broken and deficient services, who in no true us, in and through Jesus Christ our Saviour, sense of the term hath ever served God at all. which it was one great aim and end of the I own, therefore, I do not perceive what rationGospel, and of those who preached it, to in-al hopes religion can hold out to insensibility culcate upon all who came to take hold of the and unconcernedness; to those who neither offer of grace. obey its rules, nor seek its aid: neither follow after its rewards, nor sue, I mean, in spirit and sincerity, sue, for its pardon. But how, it will be asked, can a man be of regular and reputable morals, with this religious insensibility: in other words, with the want of vital religion in his heart? I answer, that it can be. A general regard to character, knowing that it is an advantageous thing to possess a good character; or a regard generated by natural and early habit; a disposition to follow the usages of life, which are practised around us, and which constitute decency; calm passions, easy IT has been thought an extravagant doctrine, circumstances, orderly companions, may, in a that the greatest sinners were sometimes near-multitude of instances, keep men within rules er to the kingdom of heaven than they whose and bounds, without the operation of any reoffences were less exhorbitant, and less con-ligious principle whatever. There is likewise another cause, which has spicuous: yet I apprehend, the doctrine wants only to be rationally explained, to show that a tendency to shut out religion from the mind, it has both a great deal of truth, and a great and yet hath at the same time a tendency to deal of use in it; that it may be an awaken- make men orderly and decent in their conduct: ing religious proposition to some, whilst it can- and that cause is business. A close attention very apt to exclude all other atnot, without being wilfully misconstrued, de- to business tentions; especially those of a spiritual nature, lude or deceive any. Of all conditions in the world, the most to be which appear to men of business shadowy and despaired of, is the condition of those who are unsubstantial, and to want that present reality altogether insensible and unconcerned about and advantage which they have been accustomreligion; and yet they may be, in the mean ed to look for and to find in their temporal time, tolerably regular in their outward beha- concerns: and yet it is undoubtedly true, that viour; there may be nothing in it to give great attention to business frequently and naturally Here, therefore, offence; their character may be fair; they produces regular manners.

Wherefore I say unto thee, Her sins, which are many, are forgiven; for she loved much. Luke vii. 47.

may pass with the common stream, or they may is a case, in which decency of behaviour shall even be well spoken of; nevertheless, I say, subsist along with religious insensibility, forthat, whilst this insensibility remains upon asmuch as one cause produces both-an intens their minds, their condition is more to be de-application to business. Decency, order, regularity, industry, applispaired of than that of any other person. The religion of Christ does not in any way apply cation to our calling, are all good things; but to them they do not belong to it; for are then they are accompanied with this great dan they to be saved by performing God's will?ger, viz. that they may subsist without any God is not in their thoughts; his will is not religious influence whatever; and that, when before their eyes. They may do good things, they do so, their tendency is to settle and con but it is not from a principle of obedience to firm men in religious insensibility. For findGod that they do them. There may be many ing things go on very smoothly, finding them. crimes which they are not guilty of; but it is selves received and respected without any re not out of regard to the will of God that they ligious principle, they are kept asleep, as to do not commit them. It does not, therefore, their spiritual concerns, by the very quietness appear, what just hopes they can entertain of and prosperity of things around them. "There heaven, upon the score of an obedience which is a way that seemeth right unto a man, but they not only do not perform, but do not at- the end thereof are the ways of death." It is tempt to perform. Then, secondly, if they possible to slumber in a fancied security, or raare to hope in Christ for a forgiveness of their ther in an unconsciousness of danger, a blindimperfections, for acceptance through him, of!ness to our true situation, a thoughtlessness

It

At the

or stupefaction concerning it, even at the time the sinner repent, why should he not be enwhen we are in the utmost peril of salvation; couraged? But some, you say, will take occa when we are descending fast towards a state of sion, from this encouragement, to plunge inperdition. It is not the judgment of an er- to sin. I answer, that then they wilfully roneous conscience: that is not the case I mean. misapply it: for if they enter upon sin inIt is rather a want of conscience, or a con- tending to repent afterwards, I take upon me science which is never exerted; in a word, it to tell them, that no true repentance can come is an indifference and insensibility concerning of such intention. The very intention is a religion, even in the midst of seeming and ex- fraud: instead of being the parent of true reternal decency of behaviour, and soothed and pentance, it is itself to be repented of bitterly. lulled by this very circumstance. Now it is Whether such a man ever repent or not is not only within the compass of possibility, but another question, but no sincere repentance it frequently, nay, I hope, it very frequently can issue or proceed from this intention. comes to pass, that open, confessed, acknow- must come altogether from another quarter. ledged sins, sting the sinner's conscience: that It will look back, when it does come, upon the upbraidings of mankind, the cry, the cla- that previous intention with hatred and hor. mour, the indignation, which his wickedness ror, as upon a plan, and scheme, and design to has excited, may at length come home to his impose upon and abuse the mercy of God. The own soul; may compel him to reflect, may moment a plan is formed of sinning with an bring him, though by force and violence, to a intention afterwards to repent, at that mosense of his guilt, and a knowledge of his si- ment the whole doctrine of grace, of repenttuation. Now I say, that this sense of sin, by ance, and of course this part of it amongst whatever cause it be produced, is better than the rest, is wilfully misconstrued. The grace religious insensibility. The sinner's penitence of God is turned into lasciviousness. is more to be trusted to than the seemingly time this design is formed, the person forming righteous man's security. The one is roused; it is in the bond of iniquity, as St. Peter told is roused from the deep forgetfulness of reli-Simon he was; in a state of eminent perdigion in which he had hitherto lived. Good tion; and this design will not help him out of fruit, even fruit unto life everlasting, may it. We say that repentance is sometimes more spring from the motion which is stirred in his likely to be brought about in a confessed, nay, heart. The other remains, as to religion, in notorious and convicted sinner, than in a seema state of torpor. The thing wanted, as the ingly regular life: but it is of true repentance quickening principle, as the seed and germ of that we speak, and no true repentance can religion in the heart, is compunction, convince- proceed from a previous intention to repent, I ment of sin, of danger, of the necessity of fly-mean an intention previous to the sin. Thereing to the Redeemer and to his religion in good earnest. "They were pricked in their heart, and said to Peter and to the rest of the apostles, Men and brethren, what shall we do ?" This But then you say, we place the sinner in a was the state of mind of those who first heard more hopeful condition than the righteous. the Gospel and this is the state of mind still But who, let us inquire, are the righteous we to be brought about before the Gospel be heard speak of? Not they, who are endeavouring, with effect. And sin will sometimes do it, however imperfectly, to perform the will of when outward righteousness will not; I mean God; not they, who are actuated by a princiby outward righteousness, external decency of ple of obedience to him; but men who are manners, without any inward principle of re-orderly and regular in their visible behaviour ligion whatever. The sinner may return and fly to God, even because the world is against him. The visibly righteous man is in friendship with the world: and the "friendship of the world is emnity with God," whensoever, as I have before expressed it, it soothes and lulls men in religious insensibility.

fore no advantage can be taken of this doctrine to the encouragement of sin, without wilfully misconstruing it.

without an internal religion. To the eye of man they appear righteous. But if they do good, it is not from the love or fear of God, or out of regard to religion that they do it, but from other considerations. If they abstain from sin, they abstain from it out of different motives from what religion offers; and so long as they have the acquiescence and approbation of the world, they are kept in a state of sleep; in a state, as to religion, of total negligence and unconcern. Of these righteous men there are many; and, when we compare their con

But how, it will be said, is this? Is it not to encourage sin? Is it not to put the sinner in a more hopeful condition than the righteous? Is it not, in some measure, giving the greatest sinner the greatest chance of being saved? This may be objected; and the objec-dition with that of the open sinner, it is to tion brings me to support the assertion in the beginning of my discourse, that the doctrine proposed cannot, without being wilfully misconstrued, deceive or delude any. First, you ask, is not this to encourage sin? I answer, it is to encourage the sinner who repents; and, if

rouse them, if possible, to a sense of religion. A wounded conscience is better than a conscience which is torpid. When conscience begins to do its office, they will feel things changed within them mightily. It will no longer be their concern to keep fair with the world, te