sinner's philosophy. And no wiser are his hopes: he hopes without a promise, and believes that he shall have mercy for which he never had a revelation.

There are some sins whose very formality is a lie. Superstition could not exist, if men believed that God was good and wise, free and merciful: no man would dare to do in private, what he fears to do publicly, if he knew and thought that God sees him there, and will bring that work of darkness into light, &c.

We need not thrust into this account other evils that are the events of ignorance, but introduced by sin; such as are, our being moved by what we see strongly, and weakly by what we understand; by fables rather than syllogisms, by parables than by demonstrations, by examples than precepts, by shadows than by substances: this topic enlarged on and illustrated.

2. Sin naturally makes a man weak, that is, unapt to do noble things; by which is not understood a natural disability; for it is equally ready for a man to will good as well as evil; and the understanding is convinced, and the hand can obey, and the passions can be directed to God's service: but because they are not used to it, the will finds a difficulty to do them violence, &c. There is a law in the members, and he that gave that law is a tyrant, and the subjects of it are slaves: this subject enlarged on; and the difficulty of breaking loose from wicked habits shown. Two things instanced, which seem great aggravations of the slavery and weakness of a customary sinner.

1. The first is, that men sin against their interest: they know they shall be ruined by it; that it will undo their estates, ruin their fortunes, destroy their body, impoverish their spirit, confound their reason, and destroy their hopes; but the evil custom still remains.

2. The second is, that custom prevails against experience. Though the man hath already smarted, though he hath been disgraced and undone, though he is turned out of service and un

employed, though he begs with a load of old sins on his back, yet this will not cure an evil custom: this topic dilated on.

Now this is such a state of slavery, that persons who are sen→ sible, ought to complain that they serve lords worse than Egyptian task-masters. The abject slavery of sinners exemplified in various instances.

3. Sin naturally introduces a great baseness on the spirit, expressed in Scripture sometimes, by the devil's entering into a man; as in the case of Judas. So St. Cyprian speaks of those who after baptism lapsed into foul crimes. Men fall by this means into sins, of which there can be no reason given, which no excuse can lessen, which are set off by no pleasure, advanced by no temptation, and which deceive by no allurements: instances of such given. Progress of a sinner, and the wretched state of a confirmed one described.

PART III.

Although these are shameful effects of sin, and a man need no greater dishonor than to be a fool, a slave, and a base person, yet there are some sins which are directly shameful in their nature and proper disrepute : a great many are the worst and basest in several respects; that is, every one of them has a venomous quality of its own. Thus the devil's sin was the worst, because it came from the greatest malice; Adam's, because it was of most universal dissemination; Judas's, because it was against the most excellent person: this topic enlarged on. There is a strange poison in the nature of sin, that of so many sorts, every one of them should be the worst. Every sin has an evil spirit of its own, to manage, to conduct, and to embitter it: yet to some sins shame is more appropriate, and a proper ingredient in their constitution: such are lying, and lust, and vow-breaking, and inconstancy. Lust makes a man afraid of public eyes and common voices; it is a work of

darkness; it debauches the spirit, and makes it to fall off from courage, resolution, constancy, and freedom. The shame which attends this vice more fully dilated on.

We see the existence of this degeneracy in sad experience. What arguments, what preaching, what necessity can persuade men to confess their sins? So ashamed are they, that they prefer concealing them before their remedy; although in penitential confession the shame is going off: but such is the fate of sin, that the shame grows more and more; we lie to men, and we excuse it to God.

If then we remember how ambitious we are for fame, honor, and reputation all our days, and when our days are gone; and that no ingenuous man can enjoy any thing if he lives in disgrace, let us consider, what an evil condition we are put into by sin; which renders us not only disparaged and despised here, but unpitied and dishonored in our graves; where indeed our disgrace will not sleep, but will cover us with shame and confusion, in the sight of men and angels, before the tribunal of God. Dreadful state of the sinner at that time dilated on.

III. Third general consideration. There is one other great circumstance of the shame of sin, which enlarges the evil of it; the added wrath of God. The rod of God, which cometh not into the lot of the righteous,' strikes the sinner with sore strokes of vengeance.

1. The first of these noticed, is that aggravation of the shame of sin, which consists in the impossibility of concealment, in most cases of heinous crimes. No wicked man that dwelt and delighted in sin, did ever go off from the scene of his unworthiness without a vile character: the intolerable apprehensions of sinners themselves, and the slightest circumstances lay open the cabinet of sin, and bring to light all that was transacted behind the curtains of night: this topic enlarged on and illustrated.

2. A second superinduced consequence of sin, brought on it

by the wrath of God, is sin. When God punishes sin with sin, he is extremely angry; for then the punishment is not medicinal, but final and exterminating. One evil invites another; and when God is angry, and withdraws his grace, and the Holy Spirit is grieved, and departs from his dwelling, the man is left at the mercy of the merciless enemy, who will receive him only with variety of mischiefs: the terrible state of such a sinner commented on.

3. Sin brings in its retinue fearful plagues and evil angels, messengers of the displeasure of God: of this the experience is. so great and the examples so frequent, that it need not be dilated on. But one thing is remarkable; that God, even when he forgives the sin, reserves such remains of punishment, even to the best persons, as to show that every sinner is in a worse condition than he dreams of. Instances of this in the case of David, Zedekiah, and others, from profane history, &c. So much, and more is due to sin: and though Christ hath redeemed our souls, so that, if we repent, we shall not die eternally, yet he hath no where promised that we shall not be smitten.

Two appendages to this consideration. 1. That there are some mischiefs which are the proper and appointed scourges of certain sins: each has a punishment of its own which usually attends it, as giddiness does a drunkard: this enlarged on and illustrated. 2. That there are some states of sin, which expose a man to all mischief, by taking off every guard and defence, driving the good spirit from him, and stripping him of the guardianship of angels. This is the effect of habitual sin, of an evil course of life; and it is called in Scripture a grieving of the good Spirit of God: this dilated on. Concluding remarks on the deadly nature and lamentable evils of sin.

SERMON VIII.

APPLES OF SODOM; OR, THE FRUITS
OF SIN.

ROMANS, CHAP. VI.-VERSE 21.

What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? For the end of those things is death.

PART I.

THE son of Sirach did prudently advise concerning making judgments of the felicity or infelicity of men; 'Judge none blessed before his death; for a man shall be known in his children. Some men raise their fortunes from a cottage to the chairs of princes, from a sheep-cote to a throne, and dwell in the circles of the sun, and in the lap of prosperity; their wishes and success dwell under the same roof, and Providence brings all events into their design, and ties both ends together with prosperous successes; and even the little conspersions and intertextures of evil accidents in their lives, are but like a feigned note of music, by an artificial discord making the ear covetous, and then pleased with the harmony into which the appetite was enticed by passion, and a pretty restraint; and variety does but adorn prosperity, and make it of a sweeter relish, and of more advantages; and some of these men descend into their graves without a change of fortune.

Eripitur persona, manet res.

* Ecclus. xi. 28.