2. At the great day of account, and last judgment : Ps. I. 21, ' I will set thy sins in order before thee ; ' and 1 Cor. iv. 5, ' He will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and will make manifest the counsels of the heart ; ' that is, every man's intentions and purposes. Then all will be laid open before men and angels.
Use 1. It teacheth us to make conscience of secret sins, whether they be sins of omission or sins of commission, or of a mixed nature, when a thing is done which for the matter is good, but a defect in the manner or end.
1. Sins of omission. Such was that Num. xxxii. 23, a shrinking
318 SERMONS UPON EPHESIANS V. [SeR. XIV.
from their duty, or not taking lot and sliare with the rest of God's; people. Many please themselves with the ])resumption of a good state before God if they do no hurt, and break not out into outrageous wickedness. Oli, but yet your condition may be dangerous if you live in the omission of any necevssary known duty. You are not troubled about it lor the present, yet in time it will make sad work in your souls : James iv. 17, ' To him that knows to do good and doetli it not, to him it is sin.' Men have, it may be, long lived in a course of neglect- ing communion with God, and conscience hath been silent, but then it rageth. Mat. vi. 6, your Father seetli what you do, or not do, in secret, and accordingly will reward or punish you.
2. Sins of commission. Let us ' renounce the hidden things of dis- honesty/ 2 Cor. iv. 2. Let no man think all is well because what he doth is concealed from men ; or allow himself in any secret known sin. No ; when you have tiie advantage of secrecy, you should keep up a constant reverence of God and his all-seeing eye : Gen. xxxix. 9, * How can I do this great wickedness, and sin against God ? ' Many times secrecy and solitariness are most obnoxious to the foulest tempta- tions ; but God is there, and that should be enough to us. The young man in the Proverbs was enticed, because it was in the twilight, in the evening, in the black and dark niglit, Prov. vii. 9, 10. Therefore such occasions should be avoided ; or if we be cast upon them, let us be the more careful and watchful.
3. Of a mixed nature,when there is not an omission of the duty, but of the sincerity. This may be seen in prayer : Kom. viii. 27, 'He that searcheth the heart knoweth what is the mind of the spirit.' In cove- nanting with God : Deut. v. 29, ' Oh, that there were such a heart in, them, that they would fear me ! ' In our whole obedience : Prov. xvi. 2, ' All the ways of a man are clean in his own eyes ; but the Lord weigheth the spirits ; ' Phil. ii. 12, ' Work out your salvation with fear and trembling.' We should consider with what heart we come into God's presence.
Use 2. Exhortation, to press you to three duties —
1. Take more care to get your sins pardoned than hidden : Prov. xxviii. 13, ' He that hideth his sin shall not prosper ; but he that confesseth and forsaketh his sin shall have mercy.' We seek to hide our sins from the world, from ourselves, and from God.
2. Study more to approve yourselves to God than to be concealed from men. Godly simplicity and sincerity will be our comfort : 2 Cor. i. 12, ' Our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simplicity and godly sincerity we have had our conversation in the world ; ' Eom. ii. 29, ' He is a Jew who is one inwardly, and circumci- sion is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter, whose praise is not of men, but of God.'
3. Humble yourselves, not only for open, but secret sins : Ps. xix. 12, ' Cleanse thou me from secret faults.' Hezekiah ' humbled himself for the pride of his heart,' 2 Chi'on. xxxii. 26 ; David for unworthy thoughts of providence. Secret filthiness is odious to God.
Helps. 1. A due sense of God's attributes ; as — [1.] His omniscience : Ps. cxxxix. 2, ' He knoweth our thoughts afar ofi".' The perfection of his nature slioweth it. If he did not know all
VeK. 13.] SERMONS UPON EPHESIANS V. 319"
things, he were not God ; something would be done in the world exempted from his providence. But it is not so : 1 Chron. xxviii. 9^ ' The Lord searcheth all hearts.'
[2.] His omnipresence. God is in all things, and through all things, and above all things: Eph. iv. 6, ' Wlio is above all, and through all^ and in you all ; ' Acts xvii. 28, ' In him we live, and move, and hava our being.'
[3.] He is our judge. How shall God judge what he knoweth not?
2. The various ways he hath to discover secret sins.