a house on fire ? Yet in matters relating to the soul and to eternity, no sooner is the importance of salvation felt, and ma- nifested, as it ought to be, than all who have any influence endeavour to quiet the fears, and to discourage the exertions, of the awakened soul. Could this be, if sin were viewed by them as God views it? No : the persons who thus discoun- tenance fervent piety, declare, that they see no occasion for it; that we may very well be saved without it ; and that sin has no such terrors but that a moderate degree of attention will not suffice to escape from its threatened dangers. What is this, but to " make a mock at sin?"]
That such conduct may appear in its true light, I proceed to shew,
II. The folly of it—
However much we make a mock at sin,
1. We cannot alter the nature of it —
[Sin is "that abominable thing which God hates^:" he cannot look upon it, or on those who commit it, without the utmost abhorrence^. It is, whether we will believe it or not, " exceeding sinful'^." Now we are told by the prophet, that many will " call evil good, and good evil ; and will put dark- ness for light, and light for darkness ; bitter for sweet, and sweet for bitter'." But if the whole universe should do this, would they alter the essential qualities of these things ? Would darkness cease to be darkness, and serve all the purposes of light ? or would bitter change its properties to sweetness ? So, whatever construction men may put upon sin, and however they may palliate its enormity, it will ever remain immutably the same ; a defiling, debasing, damning evil ; more to be dreaded than death itself. We may call it innocent ; but it will " bite like a serpent, and sting like an adder '^." We may roll it as a sweet morsel " under our tongue ; but it will be the gall of asps within us'."]
2. We cannot avert its consequences —
[God has said, " The wicked shall be turned into hell, and all the nations that forget God™." Now we may say to sinners, as the serpent did to Eve, " Ye shall not surely die":" but we can never separate the penalty from the offence. We may represent the transgression, whatever it may be, as small ; and may expatiate upon the goodness of God, and the impos- sibility of his visiting such an offence with such a tremendous punishment : but we shall not prevail on him to rescind his
<■ Jer. iv. 44. s Hab. i. 13. ^ Rom. vii. 13.
i Isai. V. 20. ^ Prov. xxiii. 32. > Job xx. 12 — 14.
"1 Ps. ix. 17. " Gen. iii. 4.