be of small malignity which so oppressed and overwhelmed " Jehovah's fellow ?" Of those who are now suffering the torments of the danmed, not one would dare to arraign the justice of Goct, or to say that his punishment exceeded his offence : whatever we in our present state may think, our mouths will all ])e shut, when we have juster views, and an ex- perimental sense, of the biterness of sin''.]
3. Its tendency — [We may see the proper effect of sin in the conduct of Adam, when he fled from God, whom he had been accus- tomed to meet with familiarity and joy'. He felt a conscious- ness that his soul was bereft of innocence ; and he was unable to endure the sight of Him whom he had so greatly offended. In the same manner sin affects our minds : it indisposes us for commvmion with God ; it unfits us for holy exercises : and, if a person under the guilt and dominion of it were admitted into heaven, he would be unable to participate the blessed- ness of those around him ; and Avould rather hide himself under rocks and mountains, than dwell in the immediate presence of an holy God. Annihilation would be to him the greatest favour that could be bestowed upon him ; so ti'uly does the Apostle say, that " the motions of sin do work in our members to bring forth fruit unto death''."]
Advice —
1 . Do not palliate sin —
[Though circumstances doubtless may either lessen or in- crease the guilt of sin, nothing under heaven can render it light or venial. Our temptations may be great ; but nothing can hurt us, if we do not ourselves concur with the tempter. That wicked fiend exercised all his malice against our adorable Lord ; but could not prevail, because there was nothing in him to second or assist his efforts. So neither could he over- come us, if we did not voluntarily submit to his influence. All sin therefore must be traced to the evil dispositions of our own hearts ; and consequently affords us a just occasion to humble ourselves before God in dust and ashes. If we presume to reflect on God as the author of our sin, we increase our guilt an hundred-fold : it is only in abasing ourselves that we can at all hope for mercy and forgivenesss.]
1. Do not trifle with temptation —
[We carry about with us much inflammable matter, if we may so speak ; and temptation strikes the spark which pro- duces an explosion. How readily are evil thoughts suggested by what we see or hear ; and how strongly do they fix upon
the
" Matt. xxii. 12. ' Geii. iii. S. *" Rom.vii. 5,