This is gross sin; everybody knows it to be the breach of a plain commandment-everybody knows it to be a gross and gratuitous insult to Almighty God.

But now, how much worse is he that does this, than he that enjoys the exhibition and makes merry at it; and yet, there are those who can do so. How do such persons make common cause with God? They may not openly blaspheme themselves; but if they pray to God in words" hallowed be thy name," they can no more mean what they say, or desire what their words express, than the blasphemer himself. They may not be quite so reckless in affronting God as he is, but they are as truly indifferent about glorifying him.

Again, some are drunkards, and exhibit themselves as such before their neighbours; and those there are who can be amused even with this degrading spectacle, laugh at it, and go about from house to house to tell of it, as if it were something worthy to be heard. Certainly it may not suit the worldly interest, or perhaps not suit the particular taste, of those persons to run themselves into the like sottish and brutal habits. But they can no more be of the number of the pure in heart, who alone can see God, than the drunkard himself can be so.

Strifes, and quarrellings, and reviling abu

sive language, again, are unhappily but too common among us; and bystanders may be found, who here, also, can obtain their pleasure, and urge on the war of words till it becomes a war of blows. Nobody can deny this; then, how has the fomenter and encourager of strife and discord, any more charity than the actual combatant? How does he love his brother any more truly than he does who smites or curses him? And so of everything else. He that makes light of sin can never be one of those who is converted from sin, and in a state of grace. Upon suitable temptation he would commit it himself, and wallow remorselessly in the mire, in those special instances, I mean, in which he mocks at it, besides being, as it has already been shown he must be, quite destitute of love and piety.

To those, therefore, whose habit it is to laugh. where David wept, or who, without going so far as to take a malicious pleasure in iniquity, can trifle with what made him so serious-to such, what I have to say is this. In proportion as he was right, you are wrong. If his behaviour proves that the Spirit of God possessed him, yours proves that the contrary spirit, the spirit of the evil one, possesses you; and if so, I tell you that you have all your work to do. "He that is not with me, says Christ, is against me." *

* Matt. xii. 30.

I do not say that your outward lives are scandalous, but your hearts are not right with God. You must wash your hearts from wickedness, that you may be saved. be saved. You must pray to God to take the stony heart out of your flesh, and to put his Spirit within you. You must repent and be converted, that your sins may be blotted out, and you must begin at once; and you must not think that you have made any good progress until at least you have learnt to pray for all men; and that divine saying is become your rule, Thou shalt not hate thy brother in thine heart; thou shalt in any wise rebuke thy neighbour, and not suffer sin upon him.” *

2. This brings me to address another class of persons.

If

you are of David's mind, and therefore are disgusted with sin-if you loathe it as evil in itself if you are grieved because of it, and lament for the dishonour done to God, and the loss and misery which come by it to man, it is well: you will have enough indeed to cast a damp upon your spirits always-enough to keep you ever serious, the world being what it is; for who could much enjoy himself amidst the sights of a hospital or a prison, though neither sick nor bound himself? But nevertheless you are come to a temper and state of feeling which God himself is pleased to approve and justify. "For go through

* Levit. xix. 17.

the midst of the city," he says in Ezekiel, to him who attended upon the destroyers sent to smite it, through the midst of Jerusalem, and set a mark upon the foreheads of the men that sigh and cry for all the abominations that be done in the midst thereof;" that is, that they may be known and spared, when the rest are smitten. But then sighing and crying, and rivers of tears running down our eyes, be it observed, is all nothing, if there it stops. Some people's inward spirit is easily moved and melted, but we cannot judge of the sincerity, and much less of the stedfastness of religious principle, by the mere flow of the affections. David was a tender-spirited man, and he wept for sin; but that was not all. Read his history, and you will see, especially if you will look at the concluding chapters of the first book of Chronicles, what pains he took to put sin down, and to set up the ordinances of God. And Christ wept for sin, but he died to put it down; and if you are in earnest, you also will act as being so, and strive to do something to convert sinners from the error of their ways. And many ways there are, some or other of which everybody may take, and actually do good thereby, if, in taking them, they will bear in mind, that when we talk of one man converting another, or doing anything to

Ezek. ix. 4.

wards it; we mean only that he may be made. an instrument for that purpose,—for that "we are not sufficient of ourselves" even "to think any thing as of ourselves, but our sufficiency is of God." " *

of

In this dependence, however, let heads of families, like Abraham, command their children and their household after them to keep the way the Lord. Let "parents bring up their children in the nurture and admonition of the Lord." Let those of you who are unable yourselves to instruct your children, either because of your ignorance or because of your engagements, take care to see that they go where they may be instructed; and that you second yourselves, by your example at home, those lessons which good people and honest schoolmasters are at the pains of instilling into them. If you will not do this, it is idle to weep, and wail, and complain, that you have an undutiful or ungodly family, and quite hypocritical to pretend to any concern for God's honour or your neighbours' souls. For with those nearest to you, your own household especially, you are especially put in trust; and if your zeal against sin is not shown in your care for them, you have denied the faith altogether in effect, and are worse than infidels. Very pious parents, it is true, may have very wicked children in

VOL. III.

* 2 Cor. iii. 5.

D