to renounce his error : the other \Yas, filled with self-approbation a7id self -applause., thinking nothing of liis risks and dangers, if he might but help forward the utter subversion of tlie government. Take these two persons, and say, whether, not- withstanding their acts were in appearance the same, there would not be an immense difference between the measure of their criminality in the estimation of an upright judge ? There can be no doubt on this subject. Take then any other sin whatever, (for all sin is treason against the King of kings ;) and examine how far it has been voluntary, deliberate, habitual ; how far it has been against light and knowledge ; and how far it has proceeded from a heart radically averse to God and holi- ness. Let sins of omission be examined in this way, as well as sins of commission : and then the things which now are accounted light and venial, will appear hateful in the extreme, not merely as blighted " grapes of a degenerate vine," but as " grapes of Sodom, and clusters of Gomorrha :" their enormity will be felt, in proportion to the strength and fixedness of the principle from which they spring.]
2. Our general character —
[If our actions have not been openly sinful, we are ready to bless ourselves as having but little ground for shame and remorse. But if we consider " the enmity of the carnal mind against God," and view our utter want of all holy aftections, and exceeding proneness to some besetting sins, we shall see but little reason to glory over the vilest of mankind. We shall see abundant cause indeed for thankfulness to God, who by his preventing grace has restrained us from many evils into which others have run : but we shall take no credit to ourselves as better than others. If we behold bitter fruit produced by others, we shall remember that there is the root of it all in ourselves : if we see in others the streams of wickedness, we shall bear in mind, that the fountain of it all is in ourselves also. Thus, however free we may be from any flagrant enormity, w^e shall be ready to acknowledge with Paul, that " in us, that is, in our flesh, dwelleth no good thing ;" and with Job to say, " Behold, I am vile ! I repent, and abhor myself in dust and ashes." So far from indulging self-preference and self-esteem, we shall find no names more suited to us than those by which St. Paul designated his own character, " Less than the least of all saints," and " The very chief of sinners "."]
From this view of our natural corruption, we may