1. The man is conscious to himself that he doth evil ; therefore seeketh a veil and covering, would not have the world know it. If open sins be of greater infamy, yet secret sins are more against know- ledge and conviction. To sin with a consciousness that we do sin is a dreadful thing, James iv. 17. You live in secret wickedness, envy, pride, sensuality, and would fain keep it close ; this is to rebel against the light, and to stop the mouth of conscience, which is awakened within thee.
2. This secret sinning puts far more respect and fear upon men than God, and is palliated atheism. What, unjust in secret ! unclean in secret ! envious in secret ! disclaim against God's children in secret ! neglect duties in secret ! sensual in secret ! Oh, then, wicked wretch, thou art afraid men should know it, and art not afraid God should know it. What, afraid of the eyes of man ; and not afraid of the great God ? Thou wouldest not have a child see thee do that which God seeth thee to do. A thief is ashamed when he is found, Jer. ii. Can man damn thee ? can man fill thy conscience with terrors ? can man bid thee depart into everlasting burnings? why then, art thou afraid of man, and not of God?
3. The more secret any wickedness is, it argueth the heart is more studious and industrious about it, how to contrive it, and bring it about ; as David plotted Uriah's death. And Joshua vii. 11, ' They have stolen and dissembled also, and even put it among their own stufi".' And, Acts V. 9, ' How is it that ye have agreed together to tempt the Spirit of God ? ' In secret sins there is much premeditation and craft and dissimulation used.
Use 2. Is to show the folly of them who rather take care to hide their sins than get them pardoned.
1. God hath promised pardon to an open confession of sin : Prov. xxviii. 13, ' He that hideth his sin shall not prosper, but he that con- fesseth and forsaketh his sin shall find mercy.' He hath promised it in mercy, but bound himself to perform it in righteousness : 1 John i. 9, ' If we confess and forsake our sins, he is just and faithful to forgive
VeB. 10.] SERMONS UPOX 2 CORINTHIANS V. 71
them.' David pleadeth it : Ps. li. 3, ' Cleanse me from my secret sin, for I acknowledge my transgression.' And God doth certainly perform it to his children. When David said, ' I have sinned/ 2 Sam. xii. 13, 'against the Lord, Nathan said, the Lord hath put away thy sin, thou shalt not die.' And this he acknowledged with thankfulness : Ps. xxxii. 5, 'I said I would confess, and thou forgavest.' This is the right course which men should take, confess their sin with grief and shame and reformation ; we have not our quietus est till this be done.
2. ISi'otwithstanding all this, man naturally loveth to hide and cover his sin : Job xxxi. 33, ' If I have covered my transgression, as did Adam, by hiding mine iniquity in my bosom.' More harninum — so Junius : Hos. vi. 7, ' They like men have transgressed the covenant' It is in the Hebrew ' like Adam,' or Adam's name is mentioned, because we show ourselves to be like Adam's race by hiding and excusing our sin. First, from men we hide them, as Saul dealeth with Samuel, 1 Sam. XV. 13-15, Gehazi with Elisha, Ananias and Sapphira with Peter, Acts v. 8. They heap up sin upon sin to hide former sins ; this Cometh from their pride, joined with some degree of atheism ; they care not how deep they run into guilt, so they may avoid shame and infamy. Or else, secondly, from ourselves. A man seeketh to hide his sin from himself out of self-love, lest their carnal peace should be disturbed, and Satan letteth them alone that they may not discover the right way, how they may recover themselves out of his snares ; and out of love and affection to. sin we ' roll it as a sweet morsel in our mouth, and hide it under our tongue,' Job xx. 12, 13. They are willing to retain it still ; as Abraham was unwilling to put away Ishmael, whom he loved, Gen. xxi. 11 ; and therefore see not what we do see, loath to find them- selves in a state of wrath, or obnoxious to eternal death. Therefore we all need to pray, Ps. xix. 12, ' Keep back thy servant from pre- sumptuous sins.' There are many secret sins through ignorance, inadvertency, partiality or self-love, not taken notice of. Thirdly, from God, which is worst of all. We all desire to hide our sins, and could wish they might be unknown imto him, yea, endeavour it. Thus Adam hid himself when God came into the garden ; when he could shift no longer he transferreth his fault upon Eve, and obliquely upon God himself, Gen. iii. ; and Cain, Gen. iv., beareth it out to God, first with a plain lie, afterwards with a bold answer, ' Am I my brother's keeper ? '