But, not to confine ourselves to the licentious profligate, let us ask of the man who, whilst externally moral, is yet under the influence of evil tempers, Who ever harboured envy in his bosom, and did not find it " as rottenness in his bonesp"? Or, who ever gave way to anger, malice, revenge, and did not experience in his own soul a disquietude, that of itself was sufficient to shew the hateful character of the dispositions he indulged ?
Let us, however, pass by the positive violations of God's Law, and notice only those which, for distinction sake, I will call negative. Suppose a person to be " blameless" as Paul him- self, in relation to outward sin, but only to be lukewarm in relation to the course of life prescribed by the Gospel : sup- pose him to be observant of all " the forms of godliness, but yet destitute of its power : " will that man be happy ? No, in truth : he is wicked in God's estimation : and " there is no peace to the wicked V " Throughout his whole life," he is, and must of necessity be, " in bondage to the fear of death r :" and to speak to him of death and judgment, is to rob him of all the false peace that he enjoys.
Then I say, that even in this world " no man can eat the sour grape without having his teeth set on edge;" so indissoluble is the connexion between sin and misery ; and so irreversible is God's decree, that " it shall be ill with the wicked8."]
2. In the world to come —
[Here there may be mitigations of the pain which sin brings with it : but hereafter the misery of sinners will be unmixed and unabated to all eternity. God cautions us not to deceive ourselves with any false hopes respecting this : " Be not deceived ; God is not mocked : for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap : he that soweth to the flesh, shall of the flesh reap corruption ; but he that soweth to the Spirit, shall of the Spirit reap life everlasting*." It matters not who he be : he may be the first monarch upon earth; yet shall not his earthly dignity protect him : for God has said, that " though hand join in hand, he shall not go unpunished11." Whatever be the inequalities of God's dispensations noiv ; some suffering in consequence of the sins of other men, whilst the perpetrators of those evils escape with impunity ; in that world to which we are hastening, " every man shall bear his own burthen*," and shall " receive from God according to his works : to them who, by patient continuance in well-doing, seek for glory and honour and immortality, God will give eternal life ;
P Prov. xiv. 30. i Isai. lvii. 21. r Heb. ii. 15.
3 Isai. hi. 11. t Gal. vi. 7, 8. u Prov. xi. 21.
x Gal. vi. 5