but now, though it is ftill poffible, it becomes lefs and less probable. A tree, when it is newly planted, may be eafily removed, or may be overturned by a blaft of wind; but, when once it has fpread its roots in the ground, and long kept its poffeffion, the most violent tempeft may bend its top a little, but cannot shake its firm foundations. Sq the finner, that has been long habituated to wickedness, and confirmed by a long courfe of time, will ftand even the ftorms of affliction, and, if they do bend his haughty fpirit, yet they will not break his ftubborn heart. I do not mean to fet bounds to the almighty power and fovereign grace of God. He, no doubt, may, and, in fome inftances, has pluckt the most advanced finners as brands out of the fire. But thefe inftances are few and uncommon, for fome of the great ends of his government. It is not the ordinary way of his dealing with us; and he hath fufficiently warned us against trusting to it. He hath threatened to make the finner feel the natural confequence of obftinacy, by ceafing to strive with him, and giving him up to the lufts of his own heart.

It is an awful, but, ufeful leffon which young perfons may learn from what they fee in the world about them. Those who have been long habituated to idleness, what a hopeless thing is it to attempt to bring them to apply? Those who have been long habituated to drunkenness and intemperance, or fenfuality of any kind, we ought not to fay they are inclined to it, but they are compelled to it by the irrefiftible calls of thefe appetites which they are no longer able to control. All who obferve them, are fo fen.. fible of it, that they confider it, as in vain to speak to them, and think they may just as well fpeak to the wind or the florm: nay, we may often perceive the poor unhappy wretches themselves fenfible in fome meafure, of their captivity, though unable to break the chains that bind them. Some drunkards have been known to be filled with the deepest vexation, and ready to tear their own flesh, on reflection of their beaftly condition, and yet drawn, by an irrefiftble force, to the next temptationNothing can fet in a clearer light the deceitfulness of fin, than comparing the firength of habits, with the flow and VOL. II.

I

filent manner in which they fteal on. One fingle act of fin feems nothing; but one after another imperceptibly strengthens the difpofition, and enflaves the unhappy criminal beyond hope of recovery.

(5.) The next ftage in a finner's courfe, is, to lose the fense of shame, and fin openly and boldly. Sin is, in itself, a dishonorable thing, which hath, in many inftances, the testimony of mankind against it, though their practice be on its fide. Hence comes the veil and covering of hypocrify. Moft part of fins are the works of darkness, because they fhun the light. But, when once a finner has come to a certain degree, he throws off every mask or covering, and fins in the face of the fun. He no more feeks darkness for his evil deeds, but walks as "deftructi"on that wasteth at noon-day." The obferving eyes, and cenfuring tongues of men, are, now, no bar in his way; fince the strength of inclination and habit is fuch, that he muft indulge himself, he takes courage, and refufes to be restrained.

The prophet Jeremiah mentions it as an evidence of a high degree of degeneracy in the children of Ifrael, that many of them had loft all fenfe of fhame, Jeremiah vi. 15. "Were they ashamed when they had committed abomi"nation? nay, they were not at all afhamed, neither "could they blufh: therefore they fhall fall among them "that fall at the time that I vifit them they fhall be caft

down, faith the Lord." And, without all queftion, it is an evidence on an uncommon height of impiety, when even natural shame is gone; and whoever are in that condition, have loft a very powerful fence to virtue. So long as fhame remains, it is a great draw-back upon them in their licentious practices; but, when it is no more, they are without curb or reftraint, they draw iniquity with cords of vanity, and sin, as it were, with a cartrope. And that men are naturally carried to this bold and fhameless impiety, is evident from the very nature of the thing. Repeated acts of fin, which must be known, offend natural modefty fo frequently, and accuftom a man fo much to fhame, that he lofes the fenfe of it in time altogether. Of this we have but too many examples.

(6.) Another stage in the finner's progrefs, is, to harden himself so far, as to fin without remorfe of conscience. The confcience of a finner, for a long time, bears its tef timony against him, and every outward indulgence costs him fome inward uneafinefs; but, after he hath given himself over to abandoned wickednefs, it frequently ceases its reproof. This victory he may obtain two different ways: 1. The easiest and speediest way is by hearkening to loose principles. Thefe, at once, fet the mind at ease, and blunt the reproofs of confcience. But of this I have fpoken on a former head. 2. The other way is practical. The frequent repetition of atrocious crimes ftupifies the confcience. They, as it were, weary it out, and drive it to defpair. It is much the fame with the monitor in our own breast, and any friend who has a concern for another; if he finds that inftruction, admonition, reproach, are all in vain, he, at last, loosens the reins, and suffers him to take his course. Now, what must be the condition of a man, who has out-finned even his confcience itfelf? he muft furely be kept within no bounds, but triumph in his miferable conqueft. The apostle Paul tells us, 1 Tim. iv. z, of fome who are guilty of " fpeaking lies in hypo"crify, having their confcience feared with a hot iron." And thus defcribes the condition of fome finners, Eph. iv. 19. "Who being past feeling, have given themselves over "unto lafciviousness, to work all uncleannefs with greedi"nefs." Perhaps, it may be thought fome degree of comfort to a finner to have overcome his confcience, so that he is no more harraffed with its reproofs. But confider, I pray you, that all that he hereby gains, is only to be a little farther out of the way of recovery, a little nearer to deftruction. What avails it, that he has rendered himself infenfible of his danger? This will neither fcreen him from it, nor make it lighter when it falls. There is fomething, on the contrary, extremely terrible in the condition of that man who is infenfible of the judgment awaiting him, and still going on, till he lift up his eyes in torments that shall never have an end. But, before this, he has frequently fome further fteps to go. Having finished his character, he proceeds to finish his work; and, therefore, in the

(7.) Place, Improved finners often come to boast and glory of their wickednefs. It is fomething to be above fhame; but it is more ftill to glory in wickednefs, and esteem it honorable. Hear what the apoftle Paul fays of fuch, Phil. iii. 18, 19. "For many walk, of whom I have "told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the crofs of Chrift, whofe end is "deftruction, whofe God is their belly, and whose glory "is in their fhame, who mind earthly things." How many are there who have ftudied to excel each other in the glorious art of debauchery and riot, and then proclaim their own praises upon the fubject! How dreadful and how pernicious a character! for it is never separated from its counterpart, defpifing and reproaching true reli gion, and a ftedfaft adherence to its laws. It gives me great concern to fay, that there is fo much pains taken amongst us, to give countenance to profanity; fo that it requires no fmall measure of courage and refolution not to be afhamed of our Mafter's crofs. To what height of wickednefs are thofe arrived, who have thus inverted the natural order of things, have mastered their own judgment, and turned their reafon upfide down. Glorious ambition indeed! to have made fuch a progrefs downward toward the brute creation, both as to their bodily appetites and the fentiments of their minds. There remaineth but one ftep more for them to take, viz.

(8.) Not to be content with being wicked themselves, but to ufe all their art and influence to make others fo too. This is to be zealous in finning, and induftriously to promote the intereft of the infernal caufe. How often do we find those who have no fear of God before their own eyes, ufe their utmost endeavors to extinguifh it in others, to laugh down the qualms of their confciences, and break any reluctance they may feem to have at running to the fame excess of riot with themselves? Some are fo eminent this way that they refemble the Pharifees who "com"paffed fea and land to make one profelyte," and when they had made him, they made him "two-fold more the "child of hell than themselves." So will zealots in vice, compass fea and land to make a profelyte to the devil. It

is hard to tell to what we should attribute this extraordinary conduct. Is it that they are really perfuaded they have made a wife choice, and out of their great generofity and affection to their brethren are willing to make them partners of their joy? This I am afraid will hardly be believ ed by any reasonable man. It is more probable, that as they resemble in many other respects their father the devil, fo they resemble him alfo in malice, "going about like "roaring lions, seeking whom they may devour." They already begin to feel their mifery by fin, and defire to bring as many as poflible into the fame condition, as a wretched (and indeed miftaken) fource of confolation in their fu

ture wo.

ears,

And now to clofe the fcene, thofe who have thus far hardened themselves fhall be given up of God to judicial blindnefs of mind, and hardness of heart. When this fentence takes place, they are incapable of mercy, and marked out as veffels of wrath, fitted to deftruction. That God fometimes, in his righteous judgment, lays the finner under this awful fentence, is evident from the following paffages of fcripture, Ifa. vi. 1o. "Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and fhut their eyes left they fee with their eyes, and hear with their and understand with their heart, and convert, and "be healed. John xii. 39, 40. "Therefore they could not believe, because that Efaias faid again, he hath blind"ed their eyes, and hardened their heart; that they fhould "not fee with their eyes, nor understand with their heart, " and be converted, and I should heal them." Rom. i. 28. "And even as they did not like to retain God in their "knowledge, God gave them over to a reprobate mind, "to do those things which are not convenient." 2 Theff. ii. 11, 12. "And for this caufe God fhall fend them ftrong delufions, that they fhall believe a lie; that they "all might be damned, who believed not the truth, but "had pleasure in unrighteoufnefs." This is always a confequence of their former obftinacy. As they defpife and trample upon his mercy, he gives them over to themfelves and the mafters they have chofen; he finishes the day of his patience and long-fuffering, and devotes them to the judgment they deserve.