SERMON I. THE SINS OF MEN NOT CHARGEABLE ON GOD.* "Let no man say, when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man."-JAMES i. 13. THE Word of God frequently teaches us, that a principal hinderance of our embracing Christ's righteousness, is want of a due sense of our own unrighteousness. There is a stupidity in this, as unaccountable in its nature, as it is dangerous in its effects. All men are persuaded that they have broken the precepts of God's law; it might be expected, of course, they should be persuaded also, that they have deserved to suffer the penalty of it: but experience makes it evident, that it is otherwise. All men are convinced that they are sinners, but very few are convinced that they deserve to be miserable. The word of God, which searches the heart, unfolds the secret cause of this. In like manner, men are insensible of their ill-deserving; not that they absolutely deny their sins, but that they excuse them. * This sermon was preached about the year 1720, when the Author was Minister at Luss. Nor is this a new artifice; it is as ancient in the world as sin itself. It is natural for our affections to bias our judgment; and therefore, when sin has polluted the one, no wonder it should pervert the other. The first man on earth was no sooner accused, than, since he could not deny it, he strove to defend it, and heightened his guilt by a presumptuous attempt to extenuate it. We his offspring, to this day, do not more resemble him in committing sin, than in excusing it when we have done. Generally either men do not regret their sins at all, or else regret them as misfortunes rather than faults, and as deserving pity rather than punishment. Prosperous sinners scarce see the harm of sin at all; others, while they feel the harm of it redounding to themselves, lay the blame of it on something else. It were less unaccountable if men only justified or excused themselves to their fellow-creatures, their partakers in guilt. One sinner may easily find a thousand plausible answers to the upbraiding language of another sinner: for how can a man be at a loss for a defence against those who cannot accuse him without condemning themselves-he may answer them in the apostle's words-" Thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art, that judgest another for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things." But the misery of men's self-love is, that it makes them pretend to vindicate themselves, not only against the oftentimes too partial contempt of their guilty fellow-creatures, but also against the most impartial challenges of their offended Creator. When men vindicate themselves only against their |