Nor can reason devise any other excellence of this nature. Holiness and virtue are synonimous.

The Doctrine of the text then, generally expressed, is this:

THE REJECTION OF THE WORD OF GOD IS DECISIVE PROOF, THAT THOSE WHO REJECT IT ARE DESTITUTE OF VIRTUE, OR MORAL EXCELlence.

To illustrate this doctrine will be the object of the present discourse; and the illustration will be derived from three considerations.

I. The Nature of the word which is rejected:

II. The Manner in which it has been rejected:

III. The Doctrines which those who have rejected it have preferred to it.

I. The nature of the word which is rejected, strongly illustrates this doctrine.

Under this head I observe,

1. The word which is thus rejected is the law, or preceptive will, of the Creator and Ruler of all things.

As God created us, he has the highest possible property in us, and the most absolute right both to us and our services. This right can be bounded by nothing but his pleasure. Whatever is his, he has an unlimited right to dispose of as he pleases; nor can any one warrantably say to him, in this respect, What doest thou?' Hence his right to prescribe the manner in which we and all other creatures shall be employed and disposed of, is plainly supreme.

If then we refuse to render to him the obedience which he requires, in all or any of the cases or degrees prescribed by him; we are guilty of refusing to render to him that which is his own. No injustice, no fraud, no robbery, can be more palpable or extreme than this. No injustice to man can be compared with it; for nothing is man's by a right which can be compared with this right of God.

2. This law, in all its requisitions, is perfectly reasonable and just.

It is contained in the two great commands, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart,' and 'Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.'

Both these precepts are in the highest degree, and in the most obvious manner, just and reasonable; and would demand our obedience with unanswerable propriety, if the nature of the precepts only were regarded. Men, in obeying them, would act in the best manner possible for themselves; and would most promote both public and personal happiness. Nay, there is no other manner of acting which can be justly called desirable. Every departure from conformity to these precepts is of course evil, and of malignant influence on the wellbeing of the universe.

God is infinitely excellent, as well as infinitely great and awful; and on account of this excellence most clearly deserves, and most justly claims, the highest love of his intelligent creatures. Nothing more is therefore demanded by this law, than ought cheerfully to be done, if no such law existed.

3. The law of God is good, as well as just; profitable to those who obey, as well as honourable to him who is obeyed.

Obedience to this law constitutes the only real worth of rational beings; and is the sum of all those affections and their consequences, which form the internal happiness of man; the most essential and valuable part of his happiness. The true loveliness, dignity, and excellence of man is nothing, besides that state of the mind, which is exact conformity to this law. From this character, and from this alone, spring the peace and self-approbation, the internal harmony and delight, which are the proper prize of virtue;' the independent and eternal possession of every good mind.

In the same degree is the usefulness of rational beings formed. Man is useful only when he is voluntarily useful. Obedience to the law of God is all that is intended by voluntary usefulness. Love to God is the great and only source of usefulness to him in his kingdom; and love to man is the only source of voluntary beneficence to man. The love which is the fulfilling of the law,' is a vital and immortal principle of doing good to all men, both friends and enemies, at all times, and in every manner. Nor is there any real and voluntary beneficence, beside what springs from this principle. Rational beings, wholly under its influence, would form a perfect state of happiness in any world; and such beings, freed from all restraints, would, if destitute of it, create consummate misery.

SERMON XXX.

UNIVERSALITY OF SIN PROVED

BY

MAN'S REJECTION OF THE WORD OF GOD.

THE WISE MEN ARE ASHAMED; THEY ARE DISMAYED AND TAKEN: LO, THEY HAVE REJECTED The word of the LORD, AND WHAT WISDOM IS IN THEM?

THE WISE ONES ARE CONFOUNDED,

JEREMIAH VIII. 9.

THEY ARE DISMAYED, AND ENSNARED;

BEHOLD, THEY HAVE SPURNED AT THE WORD OF JEHOVAH; AND AS FOR WISDOM, WHAT IS THERE IN THEM?'

BLAYNEY'S TRANSLATION.

IN

In my last Discourse, I proposed to consider at length, the following Scriptural doctrine :-That in consequence of the apostasy of Adam, all men have sinned.

In pursuing this design I exhibited the Universality of Sin: -1. From Revelation; and-2. From Facts.

From each of these sources I adduced a series of proofs, which appeared to me to furnish a complete establishment of the doctrine. Still it will be useful to examine so important a subject in a variety of modes, and to learn in what manner other sources furnish evidence of this great Scriptural declaration. I propose therefore to illustrate the doctrine, at the

present time, from another fact; viz. the rejection of the word of God by mankind.

In the verse preceding the text, the people of Judea are exhibited as saying, in the midst of all their apostasy and wickedness, We are wise, and the law of the Lord is with us;' that is, we are holy, or virtuous; and the law of the Lord is possessed, understood, and obeyed by us; is in our hands, in our minds, and in our hearts. To this arrogant declaration the prophet replies, Lo, certainly in vain made he it; the pen of the scribes is in vain;' that is, 'To you God has given his law, or word, in vain; the false pen of the scribes hath converted it into falsehood.'* The false interpretations of the law by the scribes have changed the law itself, in the form in which they teach, and you receive it, into falsehood; and to you therefore, notwithstanding its excellence, it is in vain.'

'The wise men' themselves, he proceeds to observe in the text, are' by these means ashamed' or confounded, ' and taken' or ensnared, in their own false interpretations and reasonings on the law; and can form no consistent, no safe scheme, either of doctrine or practice. Nay, their mode of understanding and explaining the word of God is, in effect, an absolute rejection of it. Consequently there is no wisdom,' no holiness or virtue, in them.' Their rejection of the word of the Lord is a plain proof that they are totally destitute of all moral good.

What was true of these wise men or scribes, is unquestionably true of all other men in the like circumstances. To the scribes the word of God was offered, and was enjoined on them with divine authority. They disliked and rejected it. This conduct proved them to be void of holiness. In like manner it has been offered to immense multitudes of other men, who have disliked and rejected it also. The consequence follows irresistibly, that they, as well as these Israelites, are void of holiness.

Holiness is plainly the only virtue or moral excellence, the only character which can recommend intelligent beings to God. The Scriptures know of no other; and although they call this character by different names, such as holiness, righteousness, goodness, and wisdom, they still mean always the same thing.

* Blayney.

He then who refuses obedience to this law, is guilty of gross injustice to God, relinquishes all personal excellence, peace, happiness, and worth; and renouncing all voluntary usefulness on the one hand, prepares himself on the other, to become a nuisance to the universe.

4. To this obedience an endless and perfect reward is annexed.

Were the law hard in its requisitions, and obedience to it severe and distressing; yet, if crowned in the end with a reward ample and abundant, the whole of the requisitions taken together would not be unreasonable, nor undesirable. The time, during which we are here required to obey, is but a moment; the reward, on the contrary, is eternal. The hardship of obedience must therefore be transient and trifling; while the reward would be endless, and therefore immense in its value.

To obedience then, reason and wisdom direct, and urge with motives of infinite power; and from disobedience, with similar motives deter. Nothing of course can be a reason for disobedience, were our present happiness only concerned, except a disposition so depraved as to prefer sin, without a future reward, to holiness with immortal glory.

5. To disobedience a punishment is threatened, which is also endless.

Every creature who disobeys, therefore, chooses to hazard endless woe for the pleasure of disobeying, rather than to gain eternal life with the pain found, or supposed to be found, in obeying. So plainly do men choose death rather than life;' and in sinning against God, wrong their own souls.'

In this state of sin and wretchedness however, God did not leave them to perish, as they chose; but he sent his own beloved Son, the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person,' to become their atonement and Intercessor. Through his mediation he proposed to them to repent of their former disobedience, and to return to obedience, to virtue, and to his everlasting favour. On these conditions he promised to receive and bless them, notwithstanding their apostasy.

In this situation he placed them in his word; and commanded them, in what may be called a new law, a law of grace and mercy, to believe in Christ, to repent of their sins,