shall not however make a formal division of our dis- course, or mark our transition from one part of it to another, but shall prosecute our subject in the precise order of the words before us.
Permit me then to observe to you, that, Men will endeavour to remedy any misfortune that has happened to them —
[" If a man have fallen, he will rise again;" he will not be contented to lie where he is, in a state of stupid indifference, but will exert himself to regain the posture that is better suited to his nature and pursuits. " If a man turn out of the wag," when prosecuting a journey of great importance, " will he not, as soon as he finds his error, return" and get into the right path ? No one can doubt what his conduct would be on such an occasion. Such is the conduct of all men in relation to temporal matters.]
But they do not act thus in reference to then- souls —
[It is undeniable, that, we " have slidden back " from God, " like a backsliding heifer " that will not submit to the yoke a
Of this we cannot but be convinced, seeing that we
violate his law in unnumbered instances, and neither can, nor will, endure its restraints11. But, "having fallen, do we strive to arise; having turned aside, do we endeavour to return?" On the contrary, have not our " backslidings been perpetual," without any serious endeavours to amend our ways ? Had our deviations from duty been only occasional, and under the influ- ence of some violent temptation, or had they been intermitted, with seasons of penitence and contrition, there would be something hopeful in our case : but we have been ' contented to continue in our devious paths, and to lie wallowing in the mire of sin.
We have even laboured to persuade ourselves that we were not so faulty as God's word represented us. We have gladly embraced any principle, that might justify this opinion ; and satisfied ourselves with any excuse, that might keep us from self-reproach. When our delusions have been pointed out, and the vanity of our excuses plainly shewn, we still have "held fast deceit," and have taken refuge again in the same lies, just as if they had never been at all exposed. The invitations and promises which have been held forth to us in the name of God, have produced no salutary effect : we have " pulled away the shoulder," and " refused to return," and " made our faces harder than a rockc."
a Hos. iv. 1G. b Rom. viii. 7. c Jer. v. 3.