and serve as a foundation for self-complacency. This he supposes to be God's way, when, in fact, it is, as much as either the worldling's or the sensualist's, a way of his own : for, in all this, there is nothing of brokenness of heart and contrition, nothing of faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, nothing of devotedness to the glory of God : and, in proof that this is their own way, and not God's, it may be observed, that they will proceed no farther than will consist with their own humour, and reputation in the world : whereas, if they really intended to do God's will, they would do it in every thing, without any regard to conse- quences, or any secret reserves.
We mean not to say that there is no difference with respect to these ways ; for certainly a state of forma- lity is incomparably better than either worldliness or profaneness ; but they are all evidences of our apos- tasy from God; and any one of them will expose us to his just and heavy displeasure.
That such is indeed the state of man, is abundantly confirmed by other passages of holy writ. St. Paul proves it by a variety of citations collected together ; and infers from it, that " every mouth must be stopped, and all the world become guilty before God." St. Peter quotes the very words of the text as applicable to every individual saint before his conversion to Christ. And we are all taught to adopt them for our own use, when we say in our Liturgy, " We have erred and strayed from thy ways like lost sheep ; we have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts."
Well might we have been left to wander till we had fallen a prey to the roaring lion that seeketh to devour us. But God, in compassion to our souls, has sent his only dear Son to seek us out, and to be,
II. The means of our restoration to him —
We are apt to imagine, that, if we have not com- mitted any gross sin, we have no reason to apprehend the divine displeasure. But we should recollect that