Where do we hear persons bewailing their past iniquities, and crying mightily unto God for mercy? Say, is this common? Say, is it not uncommon ? Is it not very rare ? If you hear of two or three awakened to a sense of their undone con- dition, you are ready to congratulate the minister and the Church of God on an event so truly wonderful, and so re- plete with mercy; a sure proof, that the instances are very few, and that the knowledge of the generality is awfully unproductive.]
Is not our sin then, in this point of view, greatly
aggravated ?
[Daniel spoke of Belshazzar's knowledge as an aggrava- tion of his guilt: " Thou hast not humbled thine heart, though thou knewest all this." And is not our knowledge also a fearful aggravation of our guilt? Our blessed Lord said of the Jews, " If I had not come and spoken unto them, they had not had sin; but now they have no cloak for their sinb." And, in like manner, I may say to you, that had you been less instructed in the mind of God, you would have had less to answer for, on account of your departures from it. This is placed in a very striking point of view by the Prophet Jeremiah. He speaks of the ten tribes of Israel as having abandoned them- selves to idolatry, and as having been discarded of God on account of their wickedness: yet, when the other two tribes saw this, so far from improving it for their own spiritual good, they " turned not to the Lord with their whole heart, but feignedly." Upon which, the Lord himself said concerning them, " The backsliding Israel hath justified herself more than treacherous Judahc:" that is, great as Israel's guilt is, it is not equal to that of Judah ; because Judah has had an advantage not possessed by Israel : Judah has seen the judg- ments inflicted upon Israel, and yet has gone on impenitent : and therefore his guilt is great in proportion to the advantages which he has neglected to improve. And to the same effect our blessed Lord also has told us, that " the servant who knew not his lord's will, and did things worthy of stripes, shall be beaten with few stripes ; but the servant who knew his lord's will, and yet violated it, shall be beaten with many stripes d."]
That I may still adhere to the character of my text, let me address you, finally, in a few words, 1. Of warning — [I would not unduly magnify any advantages which have been enjoyed by you : but I may with truth say, that, accord-
b John xv. 22. c Jer. iii. G — 11. d Luke xii. 47, 48.