3. Partly by the effects — internal, external, eternal.
[1.] Internal; gifts and graces languish for want of employment: 1 Thes. v. 19, ' Quench not the Spirit.' Thomas his omission made way for his unbelief, John xx. 24.
[2.] External ; it bringeth on many temporal judgments. God put by Saul from being king for an omission : 1 Sam. xv. 11, 'It repenteth me for setting up Saul to be king, for he hath not done the thing that I commanded him ;' forbearing to destroy all of Amalek. For this he put by Eli's house from the priesthood: 1 Sam. iii. 13, 'I will judge his house for ever, because his sons made themselves vile, and he re- strained them not.' Eli's omission is punished as well as his sons' commission, yet it was not a total omission. Compare 1 Sam. ii. 23- 25, 'And lie said unto them. Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil dealings by all this people ; nay, my sons, for it is no good report that I hear of you ; ye make the Lord's i)Cople to transgress : if one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him ; but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat for him ? Notwithstanding they hearkened not to the voice of their father.' His admonition was grave and serious, yet it was not enough. All Israel knew their sin before ; Eli took upon him to rei)rove them secretly, whereas the fact was open, and he should have put them to open shame : and then his rebukes were mild and soft ; he should have frowned upon them, punished them, but his fondness would not permit that.
[3.] Eternal, here in the text : ' Cast the unprofitable servant,' &c. These sins ChrlsL will mainly inquire after at the day of judgment; and ver. 42, 43 of this chapter, and Mat. vii. 19, 'Every tree that
VeR. 30.] SERMONS UPON MATTHEW XXV, 13
bringeth not forth good fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire;' though not bad or poisonous fruit. By all these arguments it appear- eth that sins of omission may be great sins.
Thirdly, That some sins of omission are greater that others. All are not alike, as the more necessary the duties, the more faulty the omission : Heb. ii. 3, ' How shall we escape if we neglect so great sal- vation?' 1 Cor. xvi. 22, ' If any man love not the Lord Jesus Christ, let him be anathema maranatha.' Not if a man hate, but if he love not, &c. These are peccata contra remedium, as others contra officium. By other sins we make the wound, by these we refuse the plaster. Again, if the omission be total : Jer. x, 25, ' Call not on the name of the Lord;' Ps. xiv. 3, 'None seeketh after God.' Again, when seasonable duties are neglected : Mat. xxv. 44, ' When I was an. hungered 3^e fed me not;' 1 John iii. 17, 'He that hath this world's goods, and seeth his brother in need;' Pro v. xvii. 16, 'Why is there a price put into the hand of a fool?' And then when it is easy, this is to stand with God for a trifle : Luke xvi. 24, Desideravit giUtam, qui non dedii micam; Amos ii. 6, 'They sold the poor for a pair of shoes.' And when convinced of the duty : James iv. 17, ' To him that knoweth to do good, and doetli it not, to him it is sin.'
Fourthly, In many cases sins of omission may be more heinous raid more damning than sins of commission. (1.) They are the ruin of most part of the carnal world. Carnal men are often described by their omissions, ' To be without God,' Eph. iii. 12 ; Ps. x. 3, 4, ' The wicked through the pride of their heart will not seek after God ; God is not in all their thoughts ;' Jer. ii. 32, ' None stirreth up himself to seek after God.' And (2.) Partly because these are most apt to harden us more. Foul sins scourge the conscience with remorse and shame, but these bring on insensibly slightness and hardness of heart ; and therefore Christ saith, publicans and harlots shall enter into the kingdom of God before pharisees that rested in a superficial right- eousness, but neglected faith, love and judgment, Mat. xxi. 31. And (3.) Partly because omissions make way for commission of evil : Ps. xiv. 4, ' They that called not upon God eat up his people like bread.' They lie open to gross sins that do not keep the heart tender by a daily attendance upon God. If a man do not that which is good, he will soon do that which is evil, John ii. 13. Oh ! then, let us bewail our unprofitableness, that we do no more good, that we do so much neglect God, and no more edify our neighbour, so that God's best gifts lie idle upon our hands.
Fifthly, The first and main evil of sin was in the omission: Jer. ii. 13, 'My people have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters;' James i. 14, ' Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away by his own lust, and enticed.' First enticed from God, and then drawn away to sin, therefore the work of grace is to ' teach us to deny ungodliness and worldly lusts,' Titus ii. 12. By ungodliness is meant, not denying God, but neglecting God ; there our chief mischief began ; for when we do not look upon God as our chief good, then we seek happiness in the creature.