4. By colloquies with God. Either by way of complaint that thou hast sinned and been ungrateful to God : Ps. Ixxiii. 22, ' So foolish was I and ignorant ; I was as a beast before thee." Lord, this hath been my brutishness, to choose outward pleasure before communion with God, and to prefer the contentments of the world before the
314 SERMONS UPON GENESIS XXIV. 63.
delights of thy presence. Go and humble yourselves, and say, Lord, I have traded with vanity, and vexed myself in unprofitable pursuits; I have lived so long in the world, and have scarce minded the end wherefore I was sent into the world ; as if I was put into the world only as leviathan in the sea, to take my fill of pleasure, and bathe my soul in carnal deliohts. Or else by way of thanksgiving, if the Lord hath taught thee better ; as David, when he had chosen the Lord for his portion, Ps. xvi. 7, 'I will bless the Lord, who hath given me counsel.' My own reason would never have taught me so much ; that is a dim light ; there were some obscure instincts to sway me to my happiness in general, but I might have groped about for the door of grace, but not have found it, but God gave me counsel. As Austin saith, Errare per me pohti, redire non potui — Lord, I could go astray of myself, but I could not return of myself ; so we could go astray fast enough out of the inclination of our own nature, but thou hast brought home a poor lost sheep on thine own shoulder ; if I had been left to the counsels of my own heart, what would have become of me!
5. By soliloquy with your own souls. Expostulate with yourselves for your former errors and follies : Rom. vi. 21, ' What fruit had ye in those things whereof ye are now ashamed ? The end of those things is death.' Why should I melt away my spirit and emasculate my soul by stooping to such low contentments ? What have I got by turning away from God, but a wound and disquiet in my conscience ? Then charge your souls, issue out a practical decree, determine with your- selves, Well, now I see it is best to cleave to God, I will choose God for my chiefest good and utmost end. Oh ! my soul, I see, with David, Ps. Ixxiii. 28, ' It is good for me to draw nigh to God.' Therefore, farewell my pleasure, that pleased my childish age. When I was a child, I did as a child ; it shall be my care now to enjoy communion with God, to be ruled by his word, to live to his glory. Those things that have intercepted the delight and contentment of my spirit, I will leave them to the men of the world.
SERMON VII.
And Isaac went out to meditate in the field at tJie even-tide. — Gen. xxiv. 63.
Secondly, I am now to propose to you another object of meditation, "which is the sinfulness of sin, an argument very necessary and practical. It is necessary in several respects. Partly to humble us ; we have low thoughts of sin, and therefore we are but slight in the matter of humi- liation. Until we understand the evil of sin sufficiently, we do not think it worthy of a tear or one hearty sigh ; but when the understand- ing is once opened, the heart is deeply affected : Ps. vi. 6, 'I am weary with my groaning ; all the night make I my bed to swim ; I water my
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coucli with my tears.' We see such filthiness in sin as cannot be washed away without a dehige of sorrow. And it is necessary partly to awaken us to a greater care and conscience. Who would adventure upon a sin that doth but know and seriously consider what it is ? Gen. xxxix. 9, ' How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God ? ' That will be the issue of such a consideration. The child will thrust his fingers into the fire that doth not know the pain of being scalded, or play with a snappish cur that hath not been bitten. Men are the more bold in adventuring upon sin because they do not know the danger. And it is necessary partly to urge us to come to Christ ; none look to the brazen serpent but those that are stung, so none regard sal- vation but those that have been stung with some remorse in their consciences for the great evil of sin ; when the poor soul feels the weight and burden of sin, then it will come to Christ. And it is necessary partly that we may more loathe ourselves when we come into the presence of God. Gracious men are most self-abhoring. Elijah covered him- self with a mantle ; Isaiah said, chap. vi. 5, 'Woe is me, for I am un- done, because I am a man of unclean lips.' Peter had such a sense of his sins that he says, Luke v. 8, ' Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord ! ' Though there was something of excess and sin in these dispositions, that is, so far as they do exclude the encouragements of the gospel, but yet there is somewhat worthy of imitation, so far as they had a deep sense of their own unworthiness.