But besides the guilt we have contracted through defect, consider that which has arisen fro77i deviatmns from the pre- cise Hne of duty which we should have followed. We may conceive of an arrow shot in the right line towards an object, though it fall short of the object itself: and so we may conceive of our attempts to serve God, as perfect in point of aim, though defective in force and energy. But there is a bias in our fallen nature which causes innumerable aberrations from the perfect line of duty. In duty, of whatever kind it be, the principle ought to be as pure as the light itself: but in us it never is so: somewhat of a corrupt mixture will be fomid in every thing we do. There is so much blindness in our understanding, so much perverseness in our will, and so much sensuality in our affections, that we are imperceptibly drawn aside ; our very judgment is deceived ; yea, " our mind and conscience are defiled ;" so that, when we would do good, evil is present with us ;" and, when we do, as we think, act entirely as unto the Lord, the heart-searching God beholds a mixture of self in our best motives, that serves yet further to vitiate and debase our best actions.
To all this add our actual transgressions, by thought, word, and deed, against the holy commands of God. It is still of "secret sins" only that I am speaking, and of such as may justly be called sins of infirmity. But how vast the aggregate of evil which has arisen in our hearts from the secret workings of pride, or worldliness, or impurity, or unbelief, or some other corrupt feeling of our fallen nature ! Yet not one of these has been unobserved by God, nor will one be kept out of sight in the final judgment.
Well then may we, even in this si;perficial view of our past errors and deviations, say, " Who can understand them?"]
We need therefore to cry earnestly to God to " cleanse us from them" —
[The guilt in which they involve the soul is exceeding great ; nor can it be purged away but by the atoning blood of Christ. The circumstance of their having been unobserved by us does not lessen the guilt of them, as we imagine ; but only shews how blind and ignorant we are, and how vitiated and debased that soul must be which can harbour such evils uncon- scious of their malignity, and almost of their very existence. God himself cautions us against regarding this as an extenua- tion, which, if rightly viewed, is rather an aggravation of our guilt. " Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin ; neither say thou before the angel, that it was an error ; wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands ''?" An atonement was offered by the high priests
a Eccl. V. 6.