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7. SINNING against God implies opposition to his happiness. In every point of view God is absolutely independent of his creatures, and can derive nothing from them that can render him more glorious, more happy, or more blessed than he is necessarily in himself; and no disobedience of any of his creatures can, in the smallest degree, affect or impair his happiness. Indeed, were the doctrine of many Arminians true, That God is often disappointed in his designs, and that sinners often prevent him from doing what he would have done, his happiness would depend much on the creature, as happiness consists in having every thing agreeable to his will. But while the counsel of Jehovah stands, and he does all his pleasure, his happiness will be unaffected, by the actions of his creatures. Sin is a mortal enemy to God, and sinners under its influence act as enemies. A mortal enemy is one whom nothing less than the life of the person hated will satisfy. Sin is such an enemy to God, though it can never accomplish its aim. Wicked men have never attempted this, knowing it was in vain, yet this does not infer that sin in its very nature, has not this tendency. Every act of sin is an attempt to pull God from his throne, and deprive him of all his dominion and power. It is no less opposite to his very life and being. As there is nothing more desirable to a holy creature than God, the enjoyment of him being the consummate felicity of such a creature; so nothing can be more terrible to the sinner than God, because his wrath is his inexpressible misery. Hence he naturally wishes there were no God. "The fool hath said in his heart; No God." He cannot pursue the pleasures of sin because God stands in his way armed with vengeance to punish him; he therefore wishes that he

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either were above God, or that there were no God. We see in the death of the Son of God what sin would do if it could. God in human nature was attacked by wicked men, and crucified. They expressed their sinful rage against him by crying out, Crucify, crucify

him." Could they have extended the stroke to his divine nature, it also had fallen a sacrifice to their fury. If, then, sin directs its attack against the very life and being of God, it strikes at his happiness.

THOUGH he does not derive pleasure from his creatures, he delights in them. He takes infinite pleasure in displaying his perfections upon them, especially upon sinners, in the execution of his gracious designs. The pleasure he takes, in doing this, cannot be affected or diminished by sinners' disobedience, yet they attempt it. He took pleasure in the creation of man, a holy creature, sin defaced his beauty that God might not have pleasure in him; but the divine perfections are again displayed in the recovery of fallen man, and "God takes pleasure in his people-in them that fear him," because "they are his workmanship created in Christ Jesus unto good works." Every sin committed by the believer is an attack upon the gracious image of God in his soul, and an attempt to destroy it; but this is what God takes peculiar delight in, hence sin attempts to deprive him of that delight.

It will appear by these remarks, that the malignity of sin lies wholly in its opposition to God; and while this opposition is so universal and so great, the malignity of sin must be also very great. The discerning

believer will also see that his interest in the divine favour, instead of extenuating his sin, renders it exceedingly heinous, and that pardoning mercy does not alter its malignant nature. This ought very sensibly

to impress his heart, and excite him to much vigilance against it, and against whatever may tend to seduce him into it. But this leads me to another division of

the subject: Namely

II. To show when believers are suitably affected with their sin as committed against God.

James

1. WHEN it is accompanied with an increase of love to him. Sin is, in its very nature, enmity against God, and when the heart, in any instance, chuses sin, it is owing to the prevalence of this principle of enmity at the time. Though the leading principle in the believer is love to God, yet there are considerable remains of this natural enmity existing in his heart. These sometimes assume a superior influence over the other and lead the believer into sin. "Lust, when it hath conceived, bringeth forth sin." i. 15. This lust not only consists in a strong propensity to sin, but also in a proportional enmity against God; for the heart always hates God in the same proportion in which it loves sin. "The flesh lusteth against the Spirit." When the soul has been drawn away and enticed into sin, it proves the ascendency of lust for a time. In this case love to God will languish, and the malignity of sin will, in a great measure, be overlooked. This dismal state of the soul may be of some duration. This appears to have been David's case, in the affair of Bathsheba, until the prophet went to him.

WHEN the heart has been recovered from its insensibility, by the power of divine grace, sin is seen in its true colours, and love to God begins to revive. When Christ found the spouse in a very languishing condition, he put his hand in by the hole of the door and her bowels were immediately moved for

him. She was then anxious to admit him unsolicited and her hands dropped with myrrh, and her fingers with sweet-smelling myrrh, upon the handles of the lock. Her sin now tasted very bitter, and her soul was filled with regret at her past conduct; her love too was inflamed and urged her out in quest of its oject. Now she saw that it was no trivial crime to reject the moving solicitations of her beloved, and to exclude him from her heart; and while she has a just sense of her sin, her love is strong in proportion. "I charge you, O ye daughters of Jerusalem, if ye find my beloved, that ye tell him that I am sick of love." Song v. 2-8. On David's recovery he composed the fiftyfirst psalm, which contains an account of the view he had of his sin, and the exercise of his soul towards God. 66 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned." On a careful perusal of the psalm, it will readily appear that his love to God was great, though he does not expressly mention it, his mind being wholly occupied about the dishonour he had done to God, and the state of his own soul. He casts himself upon the love of God, which none will do without love to him. " Have mercy upon me, O God, according to thy loving-kindness." ver. 1. He prays fervently for a clean heart and a right spirit, to be washed thoroughly from his sin. This implies that love to God was again revived, and that it might still become stronger, he wishes to have the power of sin weakened, and its remaining enmity destroyed. He closes his penitential exercise with an appropriate prayer for the church and the interest of religon, which no doubt had received a wound from his sin.

AN affecting view of sin in its opposition to God cannot fail to produce an increase of love to God..

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When sin is thus seen, and the soul affected with it, it is owing to that discovery which it has of the divine excellence and beauty of God, especially his holiness and love. This is the true glass in which the deformity of sin is best seen, and in which it appears most loathsome and hateful to the believer. The excellence of God thus seen will captivate the soul in love to him; and the vileness of sin seen, will fill it with disgust. That principle which inclines us to love any object necessarily influences us to hate its opposite, and so on the contrary. "Ye that love the Lord hate evil."

Psalm xcvii. 10. God must be seen as amiable before we can love him, and sin as abominable before we can hate it. But sin cannot be seen aright until just views of God are obtained. When Isaiah saw Jehovah high and lifted up, he had also a deep sight of his own vileness; "I am a man of unclean lips, mine eyes have seen the king, the Lord of hosts." I observe

2. WHEN it makes them return to God, and seek intercourse with him. Every act of sin is a departing from God, a turning aside out of his way, and a breaking up of intercourse with him. To walk in God's law is to walk with himself, and to follow him; to sin is to forsake that law, and consequently God himself. To have nearness to God, and enjoy intercourse with him, is to experience a sense of his love, and the power of his Spirit, communicating light, vigour and joy to the soul. To commit sin is to give up with these heavenly enjoyments, and to take pleasure in iniquity. This can never be done where the opposition between God and sin is properly seen, and impressed upon the heart. When men presume to sin, they chuse their own ways in opposition to God, and depart from him; and when they return to him, it is from sin, for they receive par

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