2. The certainty of its exposure —
[It is profitable to observe how often God interposes to discover the hidden iniquities of mankind. Some sins in par- ticular appear to engage him in more decided hostility against the perpetrators of them. I refer more especially to murder and adultery. The interest which the guilty persons feel in concealing their iniquity makes them as cautious as possible to prevent discovery: yet is their very caution oftentimes the cause of their detection. To such sinners we may almost universally address that solemn warning, " Be sure your sin will find you out." It not unfrequently happens that men are so harassed in their minds, as no longer to be able to conceal their guilt : like Judas, they cast back the wages of their iniquity, and court even death itself, by their own hand, or by the hand of a public executioner, as a relief from the torment of a guilty conscience. But be it so : they hide their wicked- ness from man : but can they hide it from God? Is there "any darkness or shadow of death where the workers of iniquity may
s Job xx. 12—14.
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hide themselves ? " No : if they go up to heaven, or down to hell, or flee to the remotest parts of the earth, there does God behold them, and from thence will he bring them to judgment. In that day shall the book of his remembrance be opened, and men shall see the records of their own actions. Then shall the proofs of our guilt be exhibited before the assembled universe, and we shall be unable to utter one syllable in arrest of judg- ment. O that we could realize the thoughts of that day ! What a day will it be, when the secrets of all hearts shall be exposed to view, and every hidden abomination be brought to light ! Happy, happy they, who in that day shall be fomid to have an interest in Christ, and in whom his love and mercy shall be for ever magnified ! Now since it is certain that our sins will sooner or later find us out, let us consider how we shall view them in that day : and, as we would not now commit a scanda- lous iniquity in the sight of a fellow-creature, lest he should proclaim our wickedness, so let us bear in mind that there is One, " unto whom all things are naked and opened," and who has declared that he "will bring to light the hidden things of darkness, and make manifest the counsels of the heart." Surely, however skilfully we conceal our abominations now, he will be a swift witness against us hi that day to our everlasting confusion.]
3. The awfulness of its award —
[Who does not shudder at the thought of that vengeance which was executed on Achan and his family ? Who does not see how hot the indignation of God against sin was, when the sin of one single person prevailed more to incense him against the whole nation, than the innocence of the whole nation did to pacify his wrath against the individual, and when nothing but the most signal punishment of the individual could recon- cile him to the nation to which he belonged ? Yet was all this but a faint shadow of the indignation which he will manifest in a future world. Surely we should profit from such a history as this : we should learn to dread the displeasure of the Almighty, and to glorify him now by an ingenuous confession, that he may not be glorified hereafter in our eternal condemnation.
Hear ye then, Brethren, what the weeping prophet speaks to us in the name of the Lord : " Hear ye, and give ear ; be not proud, for the Lord hath spoken. Give glory to the Lord your God, before he cause darkness, and before your feet stumble upon the dark mountains, and while ye look for light, he turn it into the shadow of death, and make it gross darkness. But, if ye will not hear, my soul shall weep in secret places for your pride ; and mine eyes shall weep sore, and run down with tears" for the destruction and misery that shall come upon youh.