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LUKE Xxiii. 34.—Father, forgive them; for they know not what they do!

THESE words of Christ, which appear to have been uttered at the moment when the pains of the cross began, while they seem in one sense to extenuate the crime of his murderers, in another they aggravate it upon our view. While the Redeemer prays that their sin may be forgiven, on the ground that it was not committed against such an amount of conviction as to render it unpardonable, he clearly intimates that they are doing a deed of more tremendous guilt than they are aware. Peter, on the day of Pentecost, addressing these same murderers of Christ, improves upon the hint here given, and charges home upon them, with all his might, the guilt of having killed the Prince of Life; and then throws in the intimation, that through ignorance they had done it, and therefore their guilt, however great, was pardonable on their repentance. The prayer of the Savior in the text was in full harmony with the main design of his mission. The same words which convey the idea, that the sin of his murderers was of that class which might be forgiven, express as strongly as words can express the aggravated nature of their They know not what they are doing! They know they are murdering a guiltless man, but his full innocence and worth they do not know. They know they are killing a prophet; but how much more than a prophet, they do not know. They know they are offending the God of heaven, but they do not know the high and awful nature of the offence;-do not know that every stroke of their wicked hands sends a pang to the heart of God's only Son.

crime.

In such a sense it is true of all sinners that they know not what they do. Sin is quite a different thing in fact, from what it is in the general estimation of sinners. This truth I shall in this discourse endeavor to illustrate, and carry round to different classes of sinners.

VOL. VII.-6

In order to do this I shall attempt to show, in the first place, how sinners come at their limited and inadequate views of sin;-In the second place, I shall show that their views of it are thus limited;—And, in the third place, apply the truth to different classes of sinners.

I. How do sinners come at their notion that sin is so trifling an affair. They form their estimation of it by false standards, and behold it in a very partial or imperfect light.

They have, in the first place, a very limited view of their own feelings and purposes, while in the course of sin, and infer that they cannot be very guilty because they have never been conscious of a very evil intention. In all their sins, perhaps, they do not remember of having once intended harm against God, or his kingdom. Though the constant feeling of their heart has been that it is a vain thing to serve God-though they have withheld their whole hearts from his service, and withheld obedience from every divine command -have treated God's authority with a contemptuous neglect-have cherished a settled alienation of feeling towards the holiness of God's character and government—and set up a thousand idols in the heart, they think their sin to be trifling, because they think they have meant no harm. They are so deceived as to think they have had no evil intention, and no feeling of opposition to God, when in fact the whole course of their affections has been opposed to his authority and government; when they have been hardening themselves against all the kindness of God, expressed in the gospel, and been wading recklessly through the currents of redeeming blood. They imagine they have done it all out of a feeling of mere good-nature, and that God will not be severe upon them for it.

Again-many derive their limited views of their sins from their meager conceptions of the divine law. They forget that God is a Spirit, spreading the wide canopy of his government over an empire of spirits, and bringing every thought and desire, as really as the doings of the hands and the motions of the tongue, under the control of his law. If a man would carry the impression that every coveting of what it would be sin to gain, is a high offence, and then bring up the remembrance of the ten thousand instances which every day's history would furnish of such coveting, he would no longer look upon his sin as a trifle. Forgetfulness of the holiness and goodness of the law, ministers also to the same levity of feeling on the subject of sin. If the law could be regarded as it is, as a transcript of the heart of God, or letting out of the feelings of infinite love, a barrier reared for the protection of our highest good, and standing between us and endless ruin, the offence against it would appear in some of its true colors of malignity. And then if sin could be seen as it is opposed to God's character, as it comes out in the face of all his holiness and goodness, with a desire to dismantle his throne of every attribute that is lovely to holy beings, the sinner might have some idea of what he is doing. But overlooking these facts, and forgetting that God has an eye that looks in upon the heart, and throws daylight upon the most concealed purposes, he makes little account of what passes within. Though there should be a perpetual flow of that love of the world which is idolatry, a feeling of alienation from God, an aversion to all the forms of communion

with him, an inveterate quarrelling with the word, providence, and Spirit of God, and with the terms and methods of grace,-in short, though all the elements of heart rebellion should be in vigorous action, and though there be an entire want of affections pleasing to the eye that searches hearts, still the feeling is cherished that there can be no serious amount of sinfulness, where there has been no outrage upon external morality. Because men are not knaves and villians, they think they are not sinners. Because their offence touches not the interests of human society, they dream of little injury done to the commonwealth of spirits.

Again-others erect a bar to conviction of personal guilt out of materials taken from infirmities incident to human nature. They are conscious of being found wanting when brought up to the strictness of God's law. But this law they repeal, and construct one of their own which makes liberal allowances for the frailties of human nature; and when pressed on the subject of sinfulness, they are not prepared to feel it. If they have come short, and halted, and tripped now and then, it is no more than all others have done. It is the common infirmity of the species, and they feel as little sense of personal guilt as they do for not having the powers of angels. They think they have lived as uprightly as most of their neighbors, and cannot see why they should be called sinners, and urged so earnestly to repent.

Others diminish their conceptions of their guilt by comparing themselves with greater sinners. They see, perhaps, the majority of men in deeper wickedness than themselves, and hence conclude that their own sin is small. Instead of looking into the mirror of God's law, they measure themselves by the standard which a sinful world has set up. And by such a standard they are able to pronounce almost any decent course of life sinless. Instead of taking the number of the sins of which they have been guilty, they number the sins of their neighbors of which themselves are clear. They have not done a thousand things which others have, and therefore count themselves a thousand-fold less guilty than others. And this approaches in their estimation to entire innocence. Thus they prevent the commandment from coming home; they hinder all just apprehensions of guilt.

Sin appears very different according to the different light and circumstances in which it is seen. A man, in the midst of sinful associates, takes less account of sin than he does in the society of the godly. Sin, when seen from a dying bed, and an opening eternity, appears more dreadful than when death and the judgment are put far away. And still more dreadful and odious will

it

appear when the light of heaven pours upon it. If the sinner would conceive of his heart with all its concealed abominations laid open to the inspection, not of his fellow-men, but of the pure spirits of heaven, and look in upon it himself with such feelings as they possess-in other words, would the sinner accustom himself to estimate his sinfulness by the light of heaven, most surely would he abhor himself and repent in dust and ashes.

Again-delay of punishment goes to confirm men in the opinion that sin is a trifle. Because sentence against an evil work is not speedily executed, men have not that dread of transgression which they otherwise would have. If every sin were followed immediately by its due visitation of God's displeasure, and that not behind the veil of eternity, but before our eyes, how would the world's opinion of sin be changed!

Again--the very greatness of the punishment threatened, is made an occasion of confirming men in the belief that their sins are small. They have satisfied themselves that they are not sinners, in such a sense as to deserve an eternal hell. And if such a punishment be threatened to sinners by a holy God, they feel that they cannot be of the number. They take it for granted that they have not deserved, and shall not receive an eternal punishment; and from such premises conclude, that if all impenitent sinners must perish, they are not such sinners.

II. Such are some of the means by which sinners come at the conclusion that their sin is a trifle. We come now to show, in the second place, that their views of sin are exceedingly limited, or that sin is quite another thing in fact from what it is in the sinner's estimation.

In the first place, it is very different in its effects from what they esteem it. They can form some adequate notion of the effects of sin when it bears palpably against the peace of society. When the thief and the assassin are abroad, they are awake to the mischiefs that are done. But they can conceive of no injury done by sin, so long as it is concealed in the heart. They cannot conceive of any one's interest suffering by their indulgence of worldly, unholy, and rebellious feelings. Grant that all within is opposition to God's government, who, they will ask, is injured by it? They are unaware that the kingdom of God is a kingdom of spirits, and that rebellion of spirit as effectually invades this kingdom as the fire and sword of civil war does an earthly realm. In both cases, the essence of the mischief consists of an attack made upon the rightful authority. And that we are unable to trace out with our eye all the mischievous effects of sins of heart on the peace and order of a universe of spirits, is no proof that no such effects exist. God is most competent to judge of this matter. If God be true, the judgment day will make such disclosures of the mischiefs done by sins of heart, as will cause a guilty world to stand aghast.

Again-sin is quite a different thing from what it is usually esteemed, if we consider the state of heart which gives birth to it. A man will swear profanely, and offer such insults to heaven as one would think would cause the earth to tremble under him—he will treat with marked neglect all the institutions of God; will make light of them, will scoff at them, and yet feel that all was done out of mere good-nature. But what would an angel think of the good-nature of him who could round his periods with wanton profaneness ? What would he think of the amiable intentions of him who could neglect and abuse all that is precious in the gospel?-of him who is so alienated from the God of heaven as to cast off fear, restrain prayer, refuse obedience to every command, and hate every thing that brings a holy God to view?

Again-sin is quite a different thing in God's esteem from what it is in the sinner's. The views of sin which are every where advanced in that book of his, which we call the Bible, are wide from the views which sinners have. And I presume most sinners have felt a difficulty here-have been unable to see why the Bible should set forth sin in such deep and awful colors. One of the greatest difficulties they have found in believing the Bible has come from its making so serious a matter of sin. Now it is evident that such

widely disagree with God on this point. And it is a great unhappiness thus to disagree; for you cannot maintain your point in opposition to him. He is surely in the right; and he will one day make it appear, to your everlasting conviction.

Again the costly expiation made for sin shows it to be no trifle. God has laid out no needless expense in the redemption of the world. But if the ill desert of sin is to be measured by the greatness of the sacrifice made to put it away, who can take its dimensions! We see what a deep and inflexible hatred God had for sin, when his own Son stood in the place of the sinner. If he then spared not his own Son, how heavy will be the visitation of his justice on you who have no claims to his compassion. If these things be done in a green tree, what shall be done in the dry!

Again the retributions of eternity will make sin to appear quite another thing from what it is here esteemed. It is easy now for fools to make a mock at sin, for careless sinners to treat it as a trifle, for the lovers of pleasure to sing of peace, while they walk after the imagination of their own hearts. But let the light of eternity burst upon them, and they will harp another strain. When they see all the generations of the world crowding around the throne of judgment, and learn that the purpose of all the preparation and parade of that day is to make discoveries of sin—that God and all the peers of his realm are busied on questions respecting sin, that a universe have come from remotest corners to attend to developments of sin, they will begin to think it a matter of some importance. When they hear the last sentence break forth, and see it go into execution on themselves, when they come to look down into the hell in which they are to make their beds for ever, they will confess themselves mistaken. When all restraints shall be taken off from their sinful dispositions, and the fever of rebellious passion shall burn, being set on fire of hell, their notions of sin will be awfully changed. III. Now, my fellow-sinner, is there not occasion for you to take up a solemn review of your character and conduct? If sin is a greater mischief than you are aware, you need to know it now. You cannot carry through eternity the notions you now possess. If you trust to them, they will fail you in an awfully trying hour. This is an impression which I wish to make on every heart. And the more effectually to do it, I shall endeavor, in the third place, to carry it round to different classes of sinners. And here I would remark, in the first place, that the profane swearer is accumulating an amount of guilt of which he is little aware. The feelings of a pious man are always shocked by the utterance of a profane word in his hearing; and he wonders at the daring that can offer such affronts to heaven's majesty. And yet the views which the pious man has of the venerableness of the name of God, which make him shudder at every abuse of it, come not half way up to the reality—not half way up to what are entertained by angels that adore before the throne. If we could have their views of God, methinks the utterance of a profane word in our hearing would shock us like an earthquake. Surely then those who, without even a trifling cause, to add emphasis to an assertion, or to finish out some foolish jest, can call in that tremendous name, know not what they do.

And the same may be said of the sin of the scoffer, who sets his mouth against the heavens, and delights in deriding all the sacred things of God, and pouring

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