4thly, In the laft place, In admonishing one another for particular fins, we fhould ftill keep in view the fource of all fin, a polluted nature; and the great danger of the finner, as in a finful state. Though particular mifcarriages may give the occafion, it is of fmall moment to convince them of the folly of fuch or fuch a practice, unlefs you point out to them the neceffity of repentance, in general, upon evangelical principles. I have rarely feen that any arguments were fufficient to reform a finner of any particular fault he was once addicted to, but thofe drawn from eternity, and the awful effects of the difpleafure of a holy God. Prefent inconveniencies, however great, foon lofe their effect, and are quite unequal to combat a vicious inclination, or wreftle with the power of habit. But, though it were otherwife, what a fmall matter is it to cure a man of being a drunkard, or a swearer, or a whoremonger, if ftill you leave him a flave to fin, upon the whole, a fervant of the devil, and an heir of hell? It is plainly with a view to the final confequences of fin, that the Apostle recommends mutual exhortation in this pasfage, Exhort one another daily, while it is called, to-day; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin. Would you, therefore, admonish any perfon to his real profit? make ufe of particulars, to convince him of the evil of all fin, as fuch, and its power and influence over him by nature. When you reprove him for any fault he has committed, fhew him the deceitfulness of fin, and where, if he do not speedily ftop, he will be landed at last. Let his eternal ftate be the motive that urges you to the duty, and let the fame great confideration be made ufe of to carry home the inftruction with power and efficacy upon his heart. It 5thly, In the last place, Let those who would acquit themfelves of this duty, in a proper manner, be particularly watchful and circumfpect in their own conduct. is evident, that nothing can be more unfuitable, than for thofe, who take upon them to admonifh others, to be grofsly and vifibly blameable themselves. It is, indeed, fo intolerable, that nobody can bear their inftructions with patience. You know, from daily experience, that recri mination is the first thing to which those who are reprehended betake themfelves. The moment they are challenged, the reply is ready, Why, you yourself, do fo and fo, or, perhaps, worse. So prone are they to this, that many times they will upbraid men with innocent or lawful things, as if they were faults, to cover their own guilty practice. Now, if this is the cafe, how much more hurtful muft it be for those, who reprove others, to be really liable to juft accufation themfelves, and, perhaps upon the fame fubject? Therefore our Saviour fays, with the greatest strength and propriety, Luke vi. 41, 42, " And "why beholdeft thou the mote that is in thy brother's eye, "but perceiveft not the beam that is in thine own eye? "Either, how canft thou fay to thy brother, Brother, let "me pull out the mote that is in thine eye, when thou, thyfelf, beholdeft not the beam that is in thine own eye? "Thou hypocrite, caft out firft the beam out of thine own "eye, and then fhalt thou fee clearly to pull out the mote "that is in thy brother's eye?" Perhaps, my brethren, fome of you are saying within yourselves: Alas! you have now destroyed the whole effect of what has been urged, at fa great length, on the duty of mutual exhortation; for where is the man that is without fin, to reprove his neighbor? My brethren, no doubt we have all fuch failings as ought to make us do it with meekness and self-denial; yet furely we both may and ought to walk fo circumfpectly, as not to be juftly liable to heavy accufations. Though there is no holding of intemperate tongues, yet, furely, there is fuch a thing as a converfation becoming the gofpel, which will entitle the fervant of Chrift to appear with fome measure of courage in his master's caufe; nay, and fuch an habitual love of mankind, as may fometimes open their ears to his falutary counfel. And, believe it, those who begin to make confcience of their duty to their neigh bor, either in a family, or a wider fphere, will find its powerful and happy influence as a reftraint upon their own conduct. They will be naturally led to double their diligence, left their example fhould unhappily fruftrate the effect of their reproofs. One particular more I must add, that the next thing to being always in the right, is to VOL. II. -- L be humble, and ready to confefs when you have been in the wrong. This alfo is a fcripture precept, James v. 16, "Confefs your faults one to another, and pray one for "another, that ye may be healed." I am perfuaded that few things would add greater weight to any perfon's admonitions, than his being willing to confefs, and ready to amend, any thing that was pointed out to him as blameable in his own conduct. I come now, in the last place, to make some practical application of what has been faid. And, 1. From what has been faid, you may fee the great corruption and depravity of our nature. I look upon it as of great moment to have a deep and growing conviction of this truth. It is the language of scripture, it is the language of experience, and it is the parent of humility. I obferved, in the beginning of my difcourfe on this fubject, and it appears from every thing that has been faid upon it, that the deceitfulness of fin is but another expreffion for the treachery of the human heart. In vain would the objects of fin appear before us; in vain would Satan and his emiffaries present their folicitations, if our own inclination did not plead powerfully in their favor. To be deeply convinced of this, will lead to the exercise of penitence, and to felf-denial, which is the best mean of our support and prefervation. If the deceitfulness of fin lies chiefly in ourselves, that man will guard against it in the most effectual manner, who has learned to fear himself as his own greatest enemy. 2. From what has been faid, let us be led to ftrictness and frequency in felf-examination. If fin is fo deceitful, it may eafily lurk unobserved. Self-knowledge is a study of as great difficulty as importance. You have heard what artful disguises fin puts on, and how dreadfully fome have been led aftray. The very beft duties may be polluted by finful motives, and the very worst things may be done by an erring confcience, of which we may justly say, with our Saviour, Matth. vi. 23, "If therefore the light "that is in thee be darkness, how great is that darkness!" The old heathen precept, "Know thyfelf," was reckoned fo excellent a faying, that they fuppofed it to be a revelation from Heaven. And, in the holy Scriptures, we have many exhortations to felf-examination. I fhall only men. tion that of the apoftle Paul, 2 Cor. xiii. 5. "Examine "yourselves, whether ye be in the faith; prove your own "felves: know ye not your own felves, how that Jefus "Chrift is in you, except ye be reprobates?" Nay, af ter all our pains to examine ourselves, there ought to remain fuch a fufpicion of our own treachery, as should make us intreat, humbly and earnestly, the more impartial trial of a heart-fearching God, Pfal. xix. 12. "Who can "understand his errors? Cleanfe thou me from fecret "faults." Pfal. cxxxix. 23, 24. "Search me, O God! " and know my heart: try me, and know my thoughts: "and fee if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me "in the way everlasting." 3. From what hath been faid, let me befeech all, but efpecially young perfons, to beware of the beginnings of fin. It may be faid of fin, in general, as Solomon fays of ftrife, "the beginning of it is like the letting out of water." Beware of all that discourse which tends to give you flight thoughts of any fin. Sometimes men confider fins as fmall fins, and therefore tolerable. Many parents have thought it wrong to check their children for the follies and levities of youth, and have found, to their melancholy experience, that when follies had been fuffered to ripen into crimes, they had taken too deep hold to be rooted up. Many make light of fin by comparifon. How common is the pretence of the drunkards: We are harming nobody; we are not fpeaking ill of our neighbors; we are not oppreffing the poor. In the mean time, they are foon led to curfing and blafphemy; and, perhaps, by their riotous living, they are unable to pay their juft debts, rob the induftrious poor of their right, and, for the indulgence of a beastly appetite, bring their own offspring to beggary and ruin. Such is the behavior of many of your harmless people; men of focial friendly difpofitions, that, if you believe them, would not wrong their neighbor of a farthing to their knowledge; and yet it would be happy for any man to fall into the hands of highway robbers, rather than into their fociety. How fhort-fighted men are! they not only forget to look forward to the other world, but look not even to any diftance in this. From time to time we are made fools by fin, which never afks more of us than the prefent compliance; yet, if this is granted, never leaves us till our ftate is irrecoverable. What reafon have all to be afraid of that deplorable hardness of heart which is the confequence of the continued indulgence of fin. Let us never confider any fin by itfelf, but together with that ugly train which it draws behind it; and, then, though our falfe hearts might plead for the indulgence of a single luft, they may not be fo willing to fubmit to that deluge of vice which follows faft at its heels. 4. In the laft place, I fhall close the subject, by addreffing an exhortation to thofe of my hearers, who have been long and hardened finners; who have many habits of vice cleaving to them; who have hitherto despised the gospel, and even fat in the feat of the fcornful. No doubt, you have heard, in vain, and, perhaps, with contempt, many exhortations of this kind before; and therefore, there is, humanly speaking, but little hope, that any thing I can fay will have the effect. However, as our blessed and gracious Mafter has commanded his gospel to be preached to every creature, this Prince of the kings of the earth is able, by his Spirit accompanying the word, to lay the proudest and the boldest of his enemies proftrate at his feet; let me befeech you, in his name, to hear, that your fouls may live. Why will you longer continue at enmity with him, while he is offering you mercy? Nay, he is treating you with mercy in every inftance of his kind providence, in the renewed, meffages of his bleffed word, and in his dying agonies on the accurfed tree! Have you been long wedded to fin? he is able to fet you free; he came to destroy the works of the devil, and is able to knock off the strongest fetters, and restore liberty to the most sorrowful captive. "We, then, as workers together with him, "befeech you also, that ye receive not the grace of God in "vain." Remember, on the other hand, I beseech you, the dreadful vengeance that awaits the defpifers of the gofpel. If you fill refuse the gracious offer; if you will not |