2. Our excuses —
[These, for the most part, when put into his scales are found lighter than the dust upon the balance. By means of them we impose upon ourselves, and upon our fellow-creatures ; but we cannot impose on him ; " he cannot be deceived :" and the very excuses which we urge with such confidence, will be rejected by him with scorn. See how strongly he has cautioned us on this head. He supposes us to have made some rash vow, and then to excuse ourselves from performing it, by saying that we were under a mistake : " Suffer not thy mouth to cause thy flesh to sin; neither say thou before the angel, that it icas an error : wherefore should God be angry at thy voice, and destroy the work of thine hands*^?" It is on this account that we so often meet with this warning ; " Let no man deceive you with vain words ;" " Be not deceived ; God is not mocked." In
g Eccl. v. 6.
truth, so far are we from satisfying him by our vain pleas, that the more confident we are of the validity of our own excuses, the more we provoke his wrath and indignation : " Thou sayest. Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn from me : behold, I will plead with thee, because thou sayest, I have not sinned ''."]
3. The disposition and habit of our minds —
[It is not so much the transient act that determines our character, as the rooted habit of the mind. This we are apt to overlook : and if we see not any glaring faults in our con- duct, we think that all is well with us. But God views us as creatures, who by the very law of our creation are bound not to live to ourselves, but unto him. He views us too as redeemed creatures, who, having been bought with the pre- cious blood of his dear Son, are bound by this further tie to " glorify him with our bodies and our spirits which are his." By this test will he try us : and according to the result of this scrutiny will he determine our eternal state. In particular, he will mark. What degree of candour there is in us whilst ex- amining our own ways ; and, W^hich is our predominant feeling, a partial desire to think our " ways clean," or an impartial desire to find out every atom of uncleanness that adheres to them. He will further notice what means we are using to ascertain the truth, and to escape from all kinds of self-delu- sion ; whether we candidly consult others who are more im- partial than we can be supposed to be ; and whether we are crying mightily to Him to search and try us. Both these are necessary ; because, whilst, on the one hand, we may too easily rest in the favourable opinion of friends, we may, on the other hand, be determinately holding fast our confidence against the judgment of friends, even whilst we are pretending to ask counsel of our God. Truly " the heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked ;" and one of the principal dis- positions that God will expect to see in us is, a holy jealousy over ourselves, and a willingness rather to die than be left under a mistaken confidence of our own purity. Where this is want- ing, there is a radical defect in the character ; a defect which, if not rectified, will exclude us from the number of true Is- raelites, whose character is, that " they are without guile."]
Address —
1. The careless worldling —
[You wiU not believe that you are wrong. But consult the Scriptures, and see. Find, if you can, one single word that sanctions a life of carelessness and indifference. To what purpose is it to be saying, " Peace, peace ! when there is no
'» Jer. ii. 35.
791.] MAN, AND god's, ESTIMATE OF MAN. 167