of his life thought fuch a thing dishonourable, may come at last to be reconciled to that very action, and with eagerness and delight

commit it.

And is there any wickedness which can be named, that men born with reason, but deftitute of the grace of God, have not been guilty of? Our first parents are an inftance fufficient to fhew us what reafon, in its greatest perfection, when left to itself, will end in; namely, in the deftruction of those that trust to it. And will any man on earth pretend to govern himself by reafon better than they did?

And if a person who had fuch excellent notions of juftice and temperance as that prince had, who first debauched the wife, and then murdered the husband; if two fuch fucceeding crimes could gain upon him, notwithftanding his knowledge, experience, and the commands of God to the contrary, who afterwards will pretend, that reason, natural confcience, honour, or any thing but the Spirit of God, can fecure a man's innocence?

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In fhort; there is nothing fo wicked, nothing fo base, difhonourable, or destructive, that one man is guilty of, but another is by nature capable of being fo.

And though this will look ftrange to one who finds in his breaft a perfect abhorrence for fome vices, and fuppofes he should die rather than be guilty of them; yet he may perhaps change his thoughts, when he confi

ders

des that there are few people who, in many inftances, do not come to be in love with fins, which once in their lives they had a hearty diflike to.

The fcriptures have given us feveral very noted examples of this:-Am I a dog, faid Hafael to the prophet, that ever I should do fuch vile things as you speak of? And yet for all this abhorrence, he did thofe very wicked actions. Though I die with thee, yet will I not deny thee in any wife, faid St. Peter; and after all, being left for one moment to himself, to make that promise good, you know how it ended.

Now these things are written for our example, that we may fee what poor, weak creatures we are by nature; that we may learn not to value ourselves, not to trust in our own reafon or strength, or in any thing but the living God; for if he once defert us, we are undone for ever."

For as we have no power of ourselves to do any thing that is good; as we have no power of ourselves to refift temptations, and that evil Spirit who goes about like a roaring lion, feeking whom he may devour; fo fhall we have no power of ever returning to fober reafon, of ever repenting of our fins, or of qualifying ourselves for future happiness.

For those who, by open and avowed profanenefs, by living in hypocrify, or in a continued state of wickedness, have forced God

to

to leave them to themselves, fuch perfons are proof against all those means which God makes ufe of to reduce mistaken men.

The word of God, how powerful foever it be, cannot convince one who will never hear it with seriousness; the examples of good men will have no effect upon one who has ufed himself to defpife them; the judgments of God upon the wicked will make no impreffions upon one who has accustomed himfelf to call them mere accidents; nay, miracles themselves, though they are called for by unbelievers, and are indeed a fure fign that God is prefent with thofe that work them i his name, even miracles themselves are not fufficient to convert an obftinate finner, whofe affections are to be changed, as well as his judgment, which miracles cannot effect:-a remarkable inftance of which we have in Acts iv. 16; where the Jews cwn, that indeed a notable miracle had been done by the apostles, as was manifest to all Jerufalem, and we (fay they) cannot deny it: why then, fure they received their teftimony:-very far from it! But instead of that, they threatened and commanded them to fpeak no more, or teach in the name of Chrift.

Nothing could be more unreasonable than this, or more effectually fhew the difficulties men lay themselves under of being reformed, when once they have made themselves inca

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pable

pable of judging betwixt good and evil, by along courfe of wickednefs.

One need not use more words to convince any thoughtful man, that as there is nothing upon earth which can give greater fatisfaction to the foul of man, than the affurance of being under the care and protection of God; fo there is no eftate fo truly terrible as that of a man's being abandoned of God, and left to himself.

By what steps and means men bring themfelves into this fad eftate, is what we now come to confider: They did not like to retain God in their knowledge; that is, they did not endeavour to keep up fuch a fenfe of God in their minds as was neceffary to secure his favour and protection; but they depended upon themselves, their own reafon, and strength; they neglected his word, and the cautions therein contained; they did not fear his threatenings, nor think upon his promises; they did not ask his help, nor give him thanks for the common mercies they enjoyed. And this is the way that all who are ruined bring deftruction upon themselves.

Most people, at least in the beginning of their days, feel in their fouls an averfion for many vices they fee in others:-Thus they think it will always be with them; this makes them lefs careful of their ways; by degrees they grow more careless; this makes them more wicked; and wickedness being countenanced

countenanced by multitude of examples, they grow bold, and fearless of what may come hereafter.

During this time, the Spirit of God strives to reduce them; for God speaketh once, yea twice, yet man perceiveth it not; whom if they refuse to hear, and to repent, and turn to God, God will at last give them up to themselves, and to the government of those evil spirits, whose business and whofe pleasure it is, to bring to destruction all those who put themfelves out of God's protection.

Now, that this is truly the cafe of wicked men, that this is matter of fact, and not arguments only to frighten people, is plain from hence:-Ask a man who is going to fuffer for his villainies, whether ever he fufpected it would come to this, that he should do fuch things as would bring him to an untimely end? Ask the spendthrift who wants bread, whether he dreamt of fuch a change? In short; let every finner afk himself, (and then we shall all be convinced) let us all ask ourselves, whether, by giving way to our appetites, we have not done fuch things as fome time we abhorred, and never feared our being guilty of them?

Now this confideration furnisheth us with an account of those horrid crimes, which are but too frequently committed, and which even human nature startles at. For one man to murder another who never injured him; for

a woman