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-That this is no fanciful idea will appear from the declaration of God himself, "The fool hath said in his heart, No God!"-]

INFER

1. How desperate is the wickedness of the human heart!

[Wherefore is it that men are so full of enmity against Christ and his Father? Is it for having given us his dear Son that they hate the Father; or do they hate Christ for laying down his life for us?-Many good things has he done; for which of them do we reject him?-0 let the haters of God blush and be confounded; let them abhor themselves for all their iniquities, and abominations-]

2. What a dreadful place must hell be!

[Here the wickedness of men is restrained by the preventing grace of God-But in hell it will rage without control-How will all the miserable spirits then vent their malice! How will they gnaw their tongues and blaspheme their God?— May we never know this by bitter experience-]

3. How astonishing is the tender mercy of our God!

[One would suppose that God should feel nothing but indignation against such an ungrateful world-But behold! he "waiteth to be gracious unto them;" he sends them offers of pardon; he even intreats and "beseeches them to be reconciled to him"-0 let his goodness lead us to repentance-Let us cast away the weapons of our rebellion, and bow to the sceptre of his grace-So shall we yet be numbered among the friends of God, and be living monuments of his mercy to all eternity-]

k Ps. xiv. 1.

I Rev. xvi. 9.

m 2 Cor. v. 20.

CCCLXXXIX. THE DANGER OF NEGLECTING THE GREAT SACRIFICE.

1 Sam. ii. 25. If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him: but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall intreat for him?

THE consideration of an earthly tribunal is of great use to restrain the wickedness of ungodly men. But as there are innumerable offences which can neither be proved by human testimony, nor defined by human laws, it is necessary that men should be reminded of another

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tribunal, to which they shall be shortly summoned, and before which they shall be called to a strict account. Long before the deluge this was a topic much enforced by the preachers of religion; and Eli adverted to it, as well calculated to enforce his exhortations, and to dissuade his sons from their impieties. His sons were transgressors of no common stamp: they are justly reprobated as sons of Belial. Their father being advanced in years, the administration of the priestly office had devolved to them. This office they abused to the purposes of oppression and debauchery. The interposition of their father became highly necessary: as God's vicegerent, he should have vindicated the honour of God, and the rights of his subjects. He should have interposed, not only with parental, but judicial authority. He should not only have manifested his detestation of their lewdness and rapacity, but should have punished them with degradation. He however, either from a timidity and supineness incident to age, or from a shameful partiality for his own children, forbore to inflict the punishment they deserved; and contented himself with expostulations and reproofs. He said to them, "Why do ye such things? for I hear of your evil doings by all this people. Nay, my sons: for it is no good report that I hear; ye make the Lord's people to transgress. If one man sin against another, the judge shall judge him; but if a man sin against the Lord, who shall intreat for him?" With less hardened criminals these words might have produced a good effect: for if it be awful to be summoned before an earthly judge, how much more so to be called into the presence of God, laden with iniquities, and destitute of any advocate or intercessor!

May our minds be impressed with reverence and godly fear, while we consider the import of this admonition, and deduce from it some suitable and important observations.

The words of the text do not at first sight appear to need much explanation: but we cannot well understand the antithesis, or see the force of the interrogation, without adverting particularly to the circumstances, which occasioned the reproof. The sense is not, That, if a man

a Jude 14, 15.

violate an human law, he shall be condemned by an earthly judge; and, that if he violate the divine law, he shall be condemned by God himself: this is far short of its real import.

The sin which the sons of Eli had committed was of a peculiar nature. They, as priests, had a right to certain parts of all the sacrifices that were offered: but instead of being contented with the parts which God had allotted them, and of burning the fat according to the divine appointment, they sent their servants to strike their fleshhooks of three teeth into the pot or chaldron where the meat was seething, and to take whatsoever the flesh-hook might bring up. If they came before the flesh was put into the chaldron, they demanded it raw, together with all the fat that was upon it. If the people objected to such lawless proceedings, or reminded them that they must not forget to burn the fat, the servants were ordered to take away the meat immediately, and by force. To these enormities, the young men added others of a most malignant nature: they, who, from their office, should have been ministers of justice, and patterns of all sanctity, availed themselves of their situation to seduce the women, when they came to worship at the door of the tabernacle of the congregation. Thus they discouraged the people from even coming to the house of God, and caused them to "abhor the offering of the Lord."

Now it should be recollected that sacrifices were the instituted means of reconciliation with God: there was no other way in which any offence, whether ceremonial or moral, could be purged, but by the offering of the appointed sacrifice before the door of the tabernacle: without shedding of blood there was to be no remission.d

It should be remembered further, that these sacrifices were typical of the great sacrifice which Christ was in due time to offer upon the cross. The whole Epistle to the Hebrews was written to establish and illustrate this point. "The blood of bulls and of goats could never take away sin:" they had no efficacy at all, but as they typified him who was to "appear in this last dispensation to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself."

by Jude 16.
d Heb, ix. 22.

e Ver. 22.

e Heb. ix. 25, 26. and x. 1, 4, 14.

In causing therefore the offerings of the Lord to be thus abhorred, the young men sinned in a peculiar manner against God himself: they poured contempt upon the very means which God had provided for their obtaining of pardon and reconciliation with him. Thus they rendered their situation desperate: had they only committed some heinous offence against man, a judge, entrusted with the execution of the laws, might have arbitrated between the partics: he might have punished the delinquents, and obtained satisfaction for the injured person: and, the offenders, if truly penitent, might have brought their offering to God, and thus, through the blood of their sacrifice and the intercession of the priest, have obtained the remission of their sin. But they had sinned immediately against God himself; so that there was no third person to redress the grievance or settle the dispute. Moreover they had despised the only atonement that could be offered for them: yea, in despising the typical, they had, in fact, disclaimed all trust in the real atonement. What hope then remained for them? Having provoked God, they had no person of authority sufficient to arbitrate between them: and having rejected the only sacrifice, the only advocate, the great High Priest, they had none to make atonement for them, they had none to intercede: they must therefore be left to their fate, and reap the bitter fruits of their iniquities. In confirmation of this God declared, that "their sin should not be purged by sacrifice or offering for ever."

With this explanation we see at once the force and emphasis of the words before us. They were intended to express the exceeding heinousness of the sins that had been committed, and to deter the offenders from persisting in such fatal conduct. While they intimate the danger to which a violation of human laws will expose us, they insinuate the infinitely greater danger we incur by contemning the only means of forgiveness with God.

With the additional light which the New Testament reflects on this passage, we may see that we are as much interested in this admonition, as the very persons were, to

f1 Sam. ii. 14.

whom it was first given: for, though we have not run to their excess of riot, or caused the offering of the Lord to be so abhorred, yet we have too much disregarded the sacrifice of the Son of God. If we have not openly opposed the atonement of Christ, we have been, perhaps still are, too indifferent about it. The censure therefore in the text, how severe soever it may appear, lies in full force against us. To neglect the Saviour, is, in a most fatal manner, to sin against God: it is, at the same time, to provoke the Majesty of heaven, and to reject the only advocate, the only propitiation for sin. Hence the apostle asks with such tremendous energy, "How shall ye escape if ye neglect so great salvation?" Which question, both in import and expression, accords with that in our text, "If a man sin against the Lord, who shall intreat for him?"

In this application of the passage we are countenanced by a parallel passage in the Epistle to the Hebrews," “If we sin wilfully after that we have received the knowledge of the truth, there remaineth no more sacrifice for sins, but a certain fearful looking for of judgment and fiery indignation, which shall devour the adversaries.” Here the writer states the reason, why an apostate from the truth has nothing to expect but wrath and fiery indignation; the reason is the same as in our text; he has turned his back on the sacrifice of Christ, and there will be no other sacrifice for sin to all eternity: there is therefore no hope of salvation for him. The Apostle then adds, "He that despised Moses' law, died without mercy, under two or three witnesses: of how much sorer punish ment, suppose ye, shall he be thought worthy, who hath trodden under foot the Son of God, and hath counted the blood of the covenant, wherewith he was sanctified, an unholy thing, and hath done despite to the spirit of grace?" Thus may we ask, in reference to the text, If the infraction of human laws, when substantiated by sufficient evidence, be ever punished with the loss of life, how much more shall a neglect and contempt of Christ meet with due recompence from an holy and omniscient God?

g Heb. ii. 3.

h Heb. x. 26-29.

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