whilst he loves his sin, yet dreads the punishment, he pursues it, without a hope to escape just retribution. The believer, on the contrary, whilst he knows that the eye of God is upon him, rejoices in the comprehensive blessing; for it embraces all that can meet his infinite necessities, and satisfy all his desires. "He looketh upon men," and beheld his children from all eternity, with a look of love. He sees them when in the broad road to destruction, forbids their ruin, and by the irresistible power of blessed truth, which gives "beauty for ashes," and "the oil of joy for mourning," the heart is subdued by his goodness, the rebel lays down his arms, and cries, "How great is his goodness! and how great is his beauty!" Let him 'guide me by his counsel, and afterwards receive me to glory."

66

II. The text expresses the character of a true penitent. He confesses his sin and acknowledges the unprofitable consequences thereof. "I have sinned and perverted that which is right, and it profited it me not." The first ray of Divine and saving light which is sent into the soul of man, shows him that his heart is not right with God, that in him there is a want of conformity to the Divine law. As the true convert advances in the knowledge of God by his word, as he learns what was the original and perfect condition of human nature, and how wicked it is now become, he not only owns that sin has stained the nature and the deeds of all, but he acknowledges his own individual share in the universal guilt; confessing before God, "I have sinned, and perverted that which is right." Mark the form of this confes

sion; how honest it is, how open; here is no deceitful prevarication, no wretched excuse it expresses personal humiliation, and deep selfabasement. Determined hypocrites and other impenitent persons say in general terms, "We are all sinners, we live in a wicked world, and our sins, as a nation, bring down the judgments of God." But to what end are such unmeaning confessions, if they go no further? They only reconcile men to an impenitent life. Let us not thus amuse our consciences by evading the fact, that "I have sinned, and perverted that which is right:" except I be converted, and Jesus deliver me from going down to the pit, I shall never see the light of heaven. Let us remark a few leading circumstances in which the true Christian confesses that he has sinned. His life has not been filled up with thoughts and deeds pure and holy before God: in admiration of his works, in homage to his attributes, and in obedience to his perfect law. Nor has he borne the happiness of the creatures of God ever on his heart. He has not sought their present peace and advantage, by the goodness of his temper and disposition towards every individual with whom he has had to do; ever rendering "good for evil, blessing for cursing." He has not shown love to man by a readiness to sacrifice his own ease and advantage for their interests, nor, in his desire for their eternal salvation, been ever ready to present his prayers to God in their behalf. Nay, and in another instance, including every transgression dishonourable to God, and destructive to man, he has sinned; and this great sin committed in a land professing Christianity, where the Bible may be read or heard by

all, is, "neglect of the gospel." Ah! my friends, we are guilty of this astonishing crime! We cannot say before the Lord, "I heard of thy love to man in the work of redemption by Jesus Christ, and from that moment embraced the blessing. I never lost a moment nor an hour, when I had the privilege, to read thy word or to hear it read. I never omitted a season when I could withdraw from every eye but God for secret devotion, for praise to God and prayer to him, for my own soul's prosperity and the salvation of others. I never either absented myself from public worship, or attended with a careless and inattentive mind." Ah! my friends, there never was but one in the likeness of men, who never sinned, and that is the Mediator, "God with us." May we by his grace confess our sin before the eye of Him who, when he looked upon Peter, touched his soul with penitence, and compelled him to weep bitterly. Then shall each one of us, in silent and solemn confession of heart, unheard even by each other, yet heard by the Almighty, say, "I have sinned, and perverted that which is right." Thy law is perfect, thy gospel is righteous; but I am a transgressor. I have perverted the precepts of the one, and presumed to sin, on the information which the gospel brings of thy mercy.

Consider, my friends, what sin is, and you will truly acknowledge that it profiteth not any. It ruined angels, who became devils. It destroyed the image of God in man, and made him what he now is. It blighted the bliss of Paradise, and filled this world with "lamentation, mourning, and woe." Truly may the millions of the human race confess with one voice, "I have sinned, and

it profited me not." True believers are ever ready with deep humiliation to acknowledge the awful fact; for their departures from God, even after conversion, have brought down the Divine chastisements, and given them occasion for sorrow of heart. Moses, although the meekest man, was excited to angry feelings and proud words when provoked by rebellious Israel; he then spoke incautiously with his lips, and did not sanctify the Lord in the midst of the congregation, Numb. xx. 10; but "it profited him not," for because of this transgression the Lord permitted him not to enter the land of Canaan, only to behold it.

Hezekiah, immediately after the Lord had mercifully recovered him from his sickness, and added fifteen years unto his life, evinced the frailty and depravity of the human mind by immediately backsliding from God. This monarch was, in his folly, so elevated by the presents of the king of Babylon, with inquiries after his health, that, courting their admiration with an ostentatious heart, he showed the ambassadors "the house of his precious things, the silver and the gold, all the house of his armour, and all that was found in his treasures." This he did for the admiration of the worldly; but "it profited him not," for Isaiah the prophet came and said unto him, "Hear the word of the Lord of hosts. Behold, the days come, that all that is in thine house, and all that which thy fathers have laid up in store until this day, shall be carried away to Babylon: nothing shall be left, saith the Lord."

The Lord will not permit his children to sin, and not regard it. It is true his fatherly chastise

ments do, indeed, promote their eternal advantage, but their sin brings nothing but sorrow, for, "it profiteth not." Jonah, instead of rejoicing in the blessed commission to go and preach the gospel to the Ninevites, with perverse and most rebellious heart, rose up to flee unto Tarshish from the presence of the Lord." But mark the painful consequences of his sin, for "it profited him not."

66

When in the ship going to Tarshish, “the Lord sent out a great wind into the sea, and there was a mighty tempest in the sea, so that the ship was like to be broken." And his prayer unto the God of mercy, who then visited his transgression, expressed of his sin, that "it profited him not: "Thou hadst cast me into the deep, in the midst of the seas; and the floods compassed me about: all thy billows and thy waves passed over me."

Solomon, that wise and celebrated man, affords us a warning as to the danger of backsliding from God, and the unprofitableness thereof. He sought gratification in earthly pursuits and enjoyments when he should have devoted himself to God with an undivided heart; but "it profited him not," for when in mercy he was brought back to God, this was his confession-" All is vanity and vexation of spirit."

Unbelievers in every age testify of sin, that it profiteth not. Look at Cain, his sin, and the consequences. He rejected Christ, as was shown by his sacrifice. That sin was followed by the murder of his brother, and "it profited him not," for Cain was cursed of God. Esau, like our gluttons and drunkards, who sell their souls for these things, "sold his birthright for a mess of pottage ;" but