sist a sense of guilt, which is so painful to them, and to 'find some excuse for their conduct. And what the bible says about the moral inability of sinners to love God and embrace the gospel, they zealously lay hold of, as a most plausible excuse; and they begin to plead that they cannot do what God commands them to do. For be requires them to have a good heart, which he has not given them. And now the tables are turned. Instead of blaming themselves for their moral impotency, they blame God. Instead of acknowledging that they have been idle servants, they charge God with being a hard master. They cast off blame from themselves, and fix it upon God. And instead of contending with themselves, they contend with him; which is in the highest degree criminal. Their carnal mind rises directly against God, and condemns him as the most unjust and cruel being in the universe; which is immediately sinning against God himself, with all their heart, with all their soul, with all their mind, and with all their strength. And can we conceive it possible, that they should rise in criminality and guilt, so fast in any other way, as in this? "If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him; but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall entreat for him ?" This is not only the most criminal, but the most dangerous way of sinning. It directly tends, not only to stifle convictions, but to produce despondency. For, so far as sinners can make themselves believe, that the want of a good heart is the want of a talent, and a valid excuse, they will pity themselves as in a deplorable condition, and blame God for not giving them a good heart, and threatening to cast them off for ever for the want of it. A great many guilty sinners have thrown themselves into this wretched situation, by justifying themselves, and charging God foolishly. All awakened sinners are in a critical situation, and it is extremely difficult, to guard them against the guilt and danger of justifying themselves and condemning God. The best way to guard them against this delusion, is to make them see, if pos

sible, the distinction between natural and moral inability.

5. It appears from what has been said, that no awakened sinners are under genuine convictions, until they are constrained to give up all their excuses for their negligence, impenitency and unbelief. All their excuses are founded upon their false notion of being unable to do what God has required of them, because he has not given them an heart to do it. This excuse they ought to give up, and must give up, when the commandment comes home to their conscience. "For whatsoever the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and the whole world may become guilty before God." The sinner under genuine conviction, has no self-justifying, and God condemning plea to make. His mouth is stopped, though his heart rebels. Paul owns that he was subject to such genuine convictions. "I was alive without the law once; but when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died." And the publican had no excuse to make, when he cried, "God be merciful to me a sinner:" The law, which requires a holy heart, allows of no excuse for the want of it. It is extremely dangerous for sinners to take awakenings for convictions, and a mere sense of danger for a sense of guilt. They must renounce all self-righteousness and self-justification in order to accept the unpromised mercy of God.

6. It appears from what has been said, that all sinners are equally liable to conviction. The same talents which God has given them, and required them to improve, he can turn against them, and employ as means of conviction and self-condemnation. All their intellectual powers, all their acquired knowledge, all their religious advantages, and all their easy and agreeable circumstances in life, he can turn against them, and make them feel that these things have increased their obligations to improve them, and consequently their guilt in misimproving them. Though all secure sinners employ all their talents to invent plausible ex

cuses; yet God can make them employ all their talents to discover and condemn their past stupidity, negligence and slothfulness. Though the careless and thoughtless, imagine that they can successfully plead their cause before God, yet when they come in sober earnest to justify themselves, they will find that God can condemn them out of their own mouth. How many great and learned men has God laid prostrate at his footstool? It is only to take away their groundless excuses, and they fall before him.

7. This subject now exhorts all sinners, without exception, to improve their talents which God has given them. Of these talents they cannot divest themselves. They are a part of their rational and immortal existence. And they bind them to love and serve God with a pure heart. And if they are slothful, and bury them, or pervert them, they will sink them, like talents of gold, in endless perdition. How many sinners have wished in vain to be deprived of their noble, rational and immortal talents; or to be completely annihilated rather than to feel their insupportable condemning power. You cannot turn to the right or left, with security or impunity. There is only one strait and narrow path before you. To obey God from the heart, or to be condemned and destroyed for ever. And can you hesitate a moment, what is your duty and interest? Are you secure? Awake! Are you alarmed? Condemn yourselves, and justify God, and accept of mercy.Stand no longer idle.-You must soon give to God an account of what you have done with your talents. And you do not make yourselves an heart to use the talents he has given you, to his glory, he will say in respect to every one of you, "Cast ye the unprofitable servant into utter darkness; there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth."

if

SERMON XVI.

THE HAPPINESS OF SELF-DENIAL.

LUKE, XVIII. 28, 29, 30.

Then Peter said, lo, we have left all and followed thee. And he said unto them, verily I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come, life everlasting.

THERE was no duty that Christ more frequently and plainly inculcated, than the duty of self-denial. He made it the cardinal condition of men's becoming his sincere followers. "Then said Jesus unto his disciples, if any man will come after me, let him deny himself, and take up his cross, and follow me." And when "a certain ruler asked him, saying, good master, what shall I do to inherit eternal life? Jesus said unto him, sell that thou hast, and distribute unto the poor, and thou shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. And when he heard this, he was very sorrowful, for he was very rich. And when he saw that he was very sorrowful, he said, how hardly shall they that have riches enter into the kingdom of God! For it is easier for a camel to go through a needle's eye, than for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of God. And they that heard it, said, Who then can be saved? And he said, the things which are impossible with men, are possible with God. Then Peter said, Lo, we have left all, and followed thee. And he said unto them, Verily, I say unto you, there is no man that hath left house, or parents, or brethren, or wife, or children, for the kingdom of God's sake, who shall not receive manifold more in this present time, and in the world to come life everlasting." Mark expressly says, "the self-denying man shall receive an hundred-fold now

in this time, and in the world to come eternal life." The text fully warrants us to say,

That the exercise of self-denial is productive of the highest happiness both in this life and in the life to

come.

I shall first explain self-denial, and then show that it is productive of the highest present and future happiness.

I. Self-denial is to be explained. Though it be universally allowed, that there is such a thing as self-denial; yet very different opinions are entertained concerning the nature of it, which makes it necessary to show in what it essentially consists.

In the first place, it does not consist in giving up one temporal and personal good for a greater temporal and personal good. For this is self-gratifying instead of self-denying. Any entirely selfish person would be willing to do this. Christ said to his hearers, "If ye love them that love you, what thank have ye? for sinners also love those that love them. And if ye do good to them who do good to you, what thank have ye? for sinners also do even the same. And if ye lend to them of whom ye hope to receive, what thank have ye? for sinners also lend to sinners, to receive as much again." Men are generally fond of exchanging a less personal and temporal good for a greater personal and temporal good. And though in some cases, they may feel a degree of reluctance in giving up a smaller for a greater temporal good; yet on the whole, they choose to do it, to gratify their selfishness. One man will sacrifice his property, to gratify his ambition, which he esteems a greater good. Another man will sacrifice his property to gratify his appetite, which he esteems a greater good. Another will sacrifice his property, to gratify his revenge, which he esteems a greater good. But none of these persons in these cases, exercise the least self-denial. They only give up one personal and temporal interest for what they esteem a greater perşonal and temporal good, which gratifies their selfish and corrupt hearts.