fhouldft mark iniquities, O Lord, who fhall fland?" God is an omnifcient being, every where present, to whom all our thoughts and ways, and confequently all our fins, are and must be perfectly known. The expreffion, then, cannot mean, that there are any fins unregarded, or not obferved of God; becaufe this is impoffible. The marking of iniquities here, feems to be an allufion to what paffes in human courts, where the judges fet down, or put upon record all that is brought againfl the criminal, in order to found a fentence of condemnation. In this view, the meaning must be, if God fhould fo mark iniquities, as to proceed to punish us for all of which we were really guilty, there could be no poflibility of ftanding fuch an impartial

trial.

I need not tell you, that the putting the words in the form of a queftion, "O Lord, who fhall ftand?" does not imply, that there is any uncertainty in the matter, or that any can be found pure enough to endure fuch a fcrutiny, but rather ferves to deny it in the ftrongest manner. Again, we are not to fuppofe, that the Pfalmift, by putting the queftion thus in general, "Who fhall ftand?" defigned to turn the accufation from himfelf, or to extenuate his own fins, by bringing in others equally guilty. This is indeed the practice of many in the world, who seem to think the numbers of those who are chargeable with any fin, an excufe or pallation of the guilt of particular offenders. But the true fpirit of repentance leads to very dif ferent fentiments: it makes the finner fix upon his own faults, and point at the fins and plagues of his own heart, without thinking upon the fins of others, unlefs as they may be an occafion of difcovering to him more of the depravation and wickedness of his own nature. So that the genuine import of the Pfalmift's expreflion feems to be, If thon, Lord, thouldft execute the decrees of juflice, and punish every thing that is done amifs, the holiest man on earth would not be able to abide the trial; how much lefs would fuch a finner as I be able to ftand?

II. I proceed now to fupport and confirm this truth from fcripture and experience. And you will be pleased VOL. I. 3 H

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to obferve, that it is the conftant doctrine of the Holy Scriptures; it is the uniform language of humility and penitence there. Thus the Pfalmift, Pf. cxliii. 2. “Enter "not into judgment with thy fervant: for in thy fight "fhall no man living be juftified." To the fame purpose, fee the language of Job, ch. ix. 2. 3. 4. "I know it is "fo of a truth: but how fhould man be just with God? If "he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of "a thousand. He is wife in heart, and mighty in ftrength: "who hath hardened himself against him, and hath profpered?" A clear difcovery of the infinite majefty of God, the unfpotted holinefs of his nature, the extent, the purity, and fpirituality of his law, will immediately carry home a conviction of this truth, and make us fenfible what impure and wretched creatures we are: it will make every one of us cry out with Job, after a difcovery of the divine glory and perfection, ch. xl. 4, 5. "Behold, I am "vile, what fhall I answer thee? I will lay mine hand "upon my mouth. Once have I fpoken, but I will not "anfwer: yea, twice, but I will proceed no further."— And again, ch. xlii. 5, 6. “I have heard of thee by the "hearing of the ear: but now mine eye feeth thee. "Wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in duft and afh"es." Every true penitent will fay, with the Pfalmist, Pfal. xix. 12. "Who can underftand his errors? cleanse "thou me from fecret faults." Nay, he will confider his daily prefervation as an evidence of the divine patience, in the fufpenfion of his fentence, as in Lam. iii. 22, 23. "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not confumed, be"cause his compaffions fail not. They are new every "morning: great is thy faithfulness.”

Thefe, my brethren, are examples of the fentiments and language of the fcripture-faints; and if we look a little into their characters, as fet before us in the inspired writings, we fhall fee, that felf-abafement is one of the moft certain proofs of true religion; that the more any perfon has made real improvement in holiness, he will think and fpeak in fo much the humbler manner; will more clearly see the evil of fin, and more readily confefs its power and influence over his own heart. I know this

is very contrary to the fpirit that prevails in the world; and particularly oppofite to the reigning temper of the prefent age. I know also, that there are many objections raifed against this fundamental truth. But instead of wrangling controverfy, in which our understandings are often loft, and our paffions irritated, rather than fubdued ; for further inforcing the above truth, I fhall only urge every hearer to a serious and impartial reflection upon his own conduct. This, I am perfuaded, will, by the bleffing of God, be the most effectual mean of filencing the reafonings of the carnal mind, and forcing the confcience to a confeffion, both of the equity of the law, and the guilt of difobedience.

For attaining this end, I fhall juft propose three general fubjects of examination; and beg that you may fhew fidelity to your own fouls, in bringing them to the trial.

I.

How many duties have you omitted, which you must be fenfible you ought to have performed? 2. How often have you been guilty of exprefs tranfgreffions of the law of God? 3. How many blemishes and imperfections cleave to those very duties which you endeavor to perform in obedience to his will?

1. Then, How many duties have you omitted, which you must be fenfible you ought to have performed? In charging you with neglect of duty, I must begin with unthankfulness and forgetfulness of God. Let the confcience be ever so much biaffed by partiality, or perverted by wrong principles, is it poffible to deny the obligation of every creature to acknowledge his dependence upon the author of his being, the preferver of his life, and the fource of his mercies? But have you, my brethren, been sensible of this? How unmindful have you been of the Rock that begat you, and the God that formed you? This is the first of all fins, and the fruitful parent of every particular tranfgreffion. It was a heavy charge brought against a great prince by the prophet Daniel, ch. v. 23. last clause, "And the God in whofe hand thy breath is, and whose "are all thy ways, haft thou not glorified." Say ye men of the world, have you indeed acknowledged God, on whom you depend for every breath that you draw, for eve

ry moment that you continue in exiftence? I have often thought, that it was one of the greateft evidences of the depravity of human nature, that an abundant and opulent ftate on earth fhould fo generally lead to neglect of God. What is this, when interpreted, If I may speak fo, but that the greater our Maker's goodness is to us, commonly the lefs is our gratitude to him?

But I would speak to those whofe confciences are more enlightened, and who have not wholly forgotten the Lord. Are not you alfo chargeable with manifold omiffions! What fenfe of gratitude have you retained, and exprefied, for innumerable mercies, fpiritual and temporal, to your felves, and to your families? How unequal the payment of gratitude to the debt of obligation! What use have you made of them in God's fervice? What advantage have you reaped, for your own fanctification, from the bounty of Providence, from the ftrokes of Providence, from the ordinances of divine inftitution, from the truths of the everlafting gospel, from feafons of inftruction, and opportunities of worship, from edifying examples, from faithful admonitions? What have you done for the good of others? How often have you relieved the neceffitous, comforted the diftreffed, inflructed the ignorant, admonifhed the neg. ligent, punished or reftrained the profane? I hope I fpeak to many who have not been wholly negligent in improving their time and talents; yet furely there is juft ground of humiliation to the beft, that even under a conviction of duty, they have fo imperfectly difcharged it; and probably the very perfons who have done moft, will be moit fincerely grieved that they have not done more.

Alas! my brethren, it is a great miftake to think light of fins of omiflion. How much do I pity the condition of those thoughtlefs perfons, who, forgetting that they were made to ferve God, feem to live for no other purpose than to enjoy themfelves! And oh the miferable delufion of thofe finners who fet their minds at eafe by the filly excufe, That they do harm to none but themfelves! Let them hear and tremble at the tenor of the fentence in the

great day, Matth. xxv. 30. "Caft ye the unprofitable fervant into outer darknefs: there fhall be weeping and

"gnafhing of teeth." It is the firft duty of natural religigion, "Give unto the Lord the glory due unto his name;" and it is the fum of all the duties of the gofpel, 1 Cor. vi, 19. 20. "Ye are not your own; for ye are bought with a price therefore glorify God in your body, and in "your fpirit, which are God's."

2. Confider in how many inftances you have been guil. ty of exprefs tranfgreflions of the law of God, his law written upon your hearts, and repeated in his own word. If you know any thing at all of the law of God in its fpirituality and extent, you must be deeply convinced of your innumerable tranfgreffions, in thought, in word, and in deed. (1.) How many are the fins of your thoughts? Sin is feated in the heart: it hath its throne and dominion there. Every enormity in the life takes its rife from the impurity of the heart. None will think light of fins of the heart, who have any acquaintance with the word of God. Let them but reflect upon the account given of the guilt of the old world, Gen, vi. 5." And God faw that the wickednefs of man was "great in the earth, and that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." Let them reflect upon the faying of the wife man, Prov. iv. 23. "Keep thy heart with all diligence; for out of it are "the iffues of life;" or on the diftinguishing character of God, Jer. xvii. 10. "I the Lord fearch the heart, I try "the reins, even to give every man according to his ways, and according to the fruit of his doings."

1) How many thoughts are there in your hearts admitted

and entertained, difhonorable to God, unthankful for his mercies, impatient under his providence? How many thoughts envious, malicious, fpiteful, towards your neigh, bor? How many wanton, lafcivious thoughts, and irregular defires? How many covetous, worldly, vain, ambitious thoughts? Let me befeech you alfo to confider, that these are not fins that we fall into feldom, or by occa fional temptation, but multitudes break in upon us every day, and in a manner every hour. What an infinite number, then, muft we be chargeable with in twenty, thirty, forty, or fifty years! If fo many are the fins of a single