as it were, and taken by surprise. In this cafe he exhorts the brethren "to reftore fuch an one

in the fpirit of meekeefs:" and the argument he ufeth is very remarkable; "confidering thy"felf, left, thou alfo be tempted." It farther deferves our notice, that the perfons to whom the exhortation is addreffed, are fuppofed to be " spi

ritual;" yet even to thefe he recommends compaffion and tenderness, because the violence of the temptation might in like circumftance have overcome themfelves.. "Men do not despise a thief," said the wife king of Ifrael,if he fteal to fatisfy his foul when he is hungry." In eftimating the different degrees of guilt, regard must always be had to the nature of the temptation; for according to the strength of that, the pride or perverfenefs of the finner is proportionally diminished; efpecially if it appear that he did not go forth to meet the temptation, but was really overtaken by it, in the proper fenfe of that ~ word, and hurried along with its violence, before. his mind could have freedom or leifure to reflect-and reafon upon the matter.

Having premised thefe diftinctions, we fhall now be able to discover, with greater ease and certainty, thofe peculiar ingredients which render fin prefumptuous.

Knowledge is the first. This, as I have already hinted, muft lie at the root of every prefumptuous fin.He is rather unfortunate than faulty, who, by mistake or accident, hurtėth one in the dark; but he who doth it in broad day, and with his eyes open, betrays malevolence, or wicked intention, which doth not admit of any extenuation. It was this that rendered the un

believing

believing Jews altogether inexcufable, according to that declaration of our Saviour, John xv. 22. "If I had not come and spoken unto them, they "had not had fin; but now they have no cloak "for their fin." Knowledge then being fuppofed as an effential ingredient,

The fin becomes more prefumptuous when it is the fruit of deliberation and contrivance; when the perfon ruminates and plots, and lays schemes for executing his criminal defigns. Such a tranfgreffor is defcribed, Prov. vi. 14. "Frowardness

is in his heart, he deviseth mischief continually;" and again, Pfalm xxxvi. 4. "He devifeth mischief "upon his bed; he fetteth himself in a way " is not good; he abhorreth not evil.”

that

The prefumption is farther heightened, when obftinacy is added to knowledge and deliberation; when the tranfgreffor "holdeth faft his iniquity, " and will not let it go," but rufheth forward in his wicked courfe, " even as the horse rusheth "into the battle." Such was the temper which the Jews expreffed in their answer to Jeremiah, (Jerem. xliv. 16.) As for the word which thou "haft fpoken to us in the name of the Lord, we "will not hearken unto thee, but will certainly "do whatsoever thing goeth forth out of our own "mouth." And to this obftinacy the epithet of prefumptuous is directly applied, Deuteron. i. 43. where Mofes faith, "I fpake unto you, but ye "would not hear, but rebelled against the com"mandment of the Lord, and went prefump"tuously up into the hill."

Again, if the warnings and reproofs of men be accompanied with the remonftrances of confcience, and enforced by the motions of the Holy

Spirit,

Spirit, these give a yet deeper tincture to the fmner's prefumption, and render his obftinacy ftill more criminal. With fuch guilt were the Jewish rulers directly charged by the firft martyr Stephen, Acts vii. 51. "Ye ftiff-necked, and uncircum"cifed in heart and in car, ye do always refift "the Holy Ghoft; as your father did, fo do ye.

دو

Eut the fin becomes prefumptuous in the highest degree, when, befides the remonftrances of confcience, and the strivings of the Holy Spirit, God, by fome awful difpenfations of his providence," hedgeth up the finner's way as with "thorns," and yet he will break through. Upon this account a distinguished brand of infamy is set upón Ahaz in the facred hiftory of whom it is faid, 2 Chron. xxviii. 22. "In the time of his "diftrefs did he trefpafs yet more against the "Lord;" to which is fubjoined, with a peculiar emphasis, "This is that King Ahaz," that obftinate, that incorrigible offender, who ftands on record as an awful beacon, for a warning to all fucceeding generations.Thefe, I apprehend, are the principal ingredients which render fin prefumptuous.

And from this description it will appear, that there are some fins which must always be prefumptuous, and do not admit of any palliation.

Profane fwearing is evidently of this kind. It hath no claim to pleasure, and as little to profit; the fwearer feems to be wicked from pure malice, merely for the fake of being wicked. In vain do men plead provocation for injure them who will, furely God doth them no injury; and if a fellow-creature offend them, that

.

can

can never afford a reason for affronting their Creator, who is continually doing them good. Befides, it is only one inftance of profane fwearing for which even this alleviation can be pleaded: let the first act be fuppofed involuntary, the effect of fome fudden diforder in the mind; what becomes of the next? that muft neceffarily be prefumptuous; for the repetition of fo unnatural a fin may eafily be perverted, if the perfon hath a real abhorrence of it, and ufeth any efforts to guard against it. But, alas! how many áre there who fwear alike, whether they be angry or well pleased; who imprecate damnation upon themselves out of mere wantonnefs, and make fuch horrid oaths a principal part of their familiar conversation.If any who hear me are guilty in this manner, let me prevail with them to paufe for a little, till they have seriously confidered what they are doing. It coft the Redeemer much to purchase falvation for you, not only prayers, but blood too; and dare you pray that your fouls may have no fhare in it?" This is the height of madnefs: Damnation is eafily obtained; you need not pray for it; if you apply not the remedy, you perifh of courfe: but it is not fo eafy to be faved; and muft not these imprecations, which you have just cause to fear are recorded against you, increase the difficulty, and remove you farther from the road of mercy? Think of this, O finners! before it be too late, and speedily forfake this prefump tuous fin.

Perjury is ftill more inexcufable, as it cannot even borrow the pretext of paffion or furprise;

but

but is a cool deliberate act of the most daring impiety. The perfon who fwears in judgment has not only abundance of leifure to confider what he is about to fay, but the very manner of administering an oath in all the courts I know, has fomething in it peculiarly folemn and awful, on purpose, no doubt, to ftir up confcience to perform its office, and to oblige it to be faithful. Nay, the very words of an oath in judgment, exprefs an immediate appeal to the Searcher of hearts in the tremendous character of final Judge; and confequently imply, not only the perfon's confent to accept damnation as the punishment of his falfehood, if he fhall conceal or deny what he knows to be the truth, but even a formal and folemn adjuration of God to inflict damnation upon him: which is the highest degree of prefumption that can poffibly be imagined.But though perjury be a lie with peculiar aggravations; yet there can be no lies of whatever kind, which are not prefumptuous in one degree or other, inasmuch as they always require fome exercife of invention to make them, and usually a great deal more to fupport their credit, and to keep them in countenance after they are made.

Theft muft in every cafe be prefumptuous: it is a work of time, which requires much thought and cunning to adjust the plan of operation, and no lefs addrefs, and conduct in carrying it into execution. Befides, the thief has many reftraints to break through, not only the inward conviction of the wrong done to his neighbour, but the fears of a difcovery likewife, and of that difgrace