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who think they have no faults? Who have learned to "call evil good and good evil, to put darkness for light and light for darkness, bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter; who are wise in their own eyes, and prudent in their own sight."*

But remember, self-excusers, the words of "He that covereth his sins shall not

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While you cover your sins by self-excusing you are nourishing and cherishing them. You begin by covering them from others, and you will end by covering them even from the notice of your own eye. The more you excuse yourself the more will you believe the excuses which you urge upon others; and while you glory at having convinced others, you will suffer the deadly evil of convincing yourself that you have done no wrong.

This conviction will strengthen you in sin. As it increases, you will make more haste to do evil; while the more evil you do, the more innocent will you be in your own eyes; downwards, continually, will you be sinking in the

Isaiah v. 24.

depths of sin, while, as you sink, you will b more and more ready to exclaim, "who is s free from faults as I?" I hope you will neve become vicious and abandoned; but this is the very down-hill which the most vicious and abandoned travelled. Self-excusing quieted their consciences, and changed their vices into virtues, until the blasphemer, the drunkard, or the knave, was self-blinded to the blackest vices, or gloried in his shame.

How can the self-excuser prosper? who gives the reins to his ungovernable sin, and so rebels against his Maker's law? What prosperity can he have, who by every effort, plunges more deeply into sin; who fastens to his own neck the millstone, which will sink him in the depths of the sea?

Even that mercy, which God offers through his beloved Son, cannot reach the self-excuser so long as he remains so. "He that confesseth and forsaketh his sins shall find mercy." But how can the self-excuser confess or forsake?

Oh! it is not the self-excuser who can come and urge the prayer, which the blessed Sa

viour approved so highly, "God be merciful to me a sinner.” But if he pretend to come at all to God it will not be to ask a favour to the guilty: but even before the crucified Redeemer to excuse himself; yes, and at heaven's door, even when sentence, righteous sentence, has been pronounced against him, and he has received his doom, still will the self-excuser be ignorant of his guiltiness, and hope at first to turn away the anger of his Judge, while he ignorantly says, "When saw I thee an hungered, or athirst, or a stranger, or naked, or sick and in prison, and did not minister unto thee ?""*

Dear children, excuse not your faults. Be not hasty to determine that you are not guilty. Think once, and twice, and thrice, before you determine you are not in fault. It will not do you much harm to be blamed when you are right, but it will injure you exceedingly, and endanger your eternal well-being, to excuse yourselves when you are wrong.

You may be in the road to heaven even though you be condemned for what is right:

* Matthew xxv. 44.

but if you excuse what is wrong, you are throwing obstacles in your own way, and taking the sure road to destruction.

VOL II.

SERMON VII.

CHILDREN'S WORLDLINESS.

1 JOHN ii. 15.

Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world. If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him.

THE Father spoken of here, is HE who gave his well beloved Son to die for sinners; and who has promised to give his Holy Spirit to them that ask him. From him proceeds every good and perfect gift, and he graciously answers while his Son, the great Intercessor, pleads before his throne. All good men love and praise him. His love shed abroad in their hearts makes them peaceful and happy. Their joy is full, when they have fellowship with the Father and with the Son. In his favour,

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