them to violate his most express commands. The favour of a fellow-creature is more sought than his ; and the displeasure of a poor sinful worm more dreaded than his. Even Satan himself is deemed more worthy to be obeyed than he : as our Lord has said, " Ye are of your father the devil ; and the lusts of your father ye will dod." But the will of our heavenly Father we will not do. There is no such satisfaction felt in any thing which he enjoins ; no such readiness to comply with his sacred motions in the soul. In truth, what is the whole life of an unregenerate man? is it not a state of rebellion against God? There is not a command of his which we desire to keep : there is not one which we do not violate.
Now let us try this conduct by an easy test. Suppose that a child, or a servant, treated us as we have treated God : sup- pose that, whilst he acknowledged his relation to us, he never sought to please us ; never cared however much he displeased us ; never felt any comfort in our society, but affected rather the society of our bitterest enemies; never was concerned about our honour or interests ; but would sacrifice both the one and the other at any time, without any shame or remorse — what construction should we put upon that conduct ? Should we not say that his mind was altogether alienated from us? No doubt we should : and that is the construction which God himself puts on our deportment towards him : " The carnal mind is enmity against God ; for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can bee."]
This fact is also realized, to an inconceivable de- gree—
[It would appear impossible for a man so to hate God, as that his annihilation and extinction should prove to them a source of real satisfaction : but I put it to the consciences of all, and ask, Supposing we were told, from undoubted autho- rity, that there was no God to control us, no God to inspect our ways, no God to call us to an account, and that we were at liberty to follow our own ways without any fear of a here- after, would it not, on the whole, be an acceptable report? The Psalmist says, "The fool hath said in his heart, No Godf." Now, whether we understand that as an affirmation or a wish, it equally shews what I am now contending for ; that the very existence of God is a burthen to the carnal mind ; and that the extinction of it, if it were possible, would be welcomed as a relief. In truth, we flee from him, as Adam did after the fallg, and banish him from our minds as much as possible11, and live altogether as "without him in the world'."
d John viii. 44. e Rom. viii. 7. ' Ps. xiv. 1.
* Gen. iii. 8. h Ps. x. 1. ' Eph. ii. 12.