should be spoken? Though I do not wish to bring a charge against any man, which I am not able to prove, yet I cannot help observing, that we may all, perhaps, upon a very strict inquiry, such as ought to be made in the presence of God, find reason to say,-" Lord enter not into judgment with us thy servants for our transgressions in this matter."

Again; the Apostle, describing the corruption of the human race, says" The poison of asps is under their lips." Such is the deadly hatred of some, that, by their malicious speeches, they will seize upon, and destroy, all those who have the misfortune to offend them. Of these Saint James speaks, when he says" The tongue is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison;" then it follows-" therewith bless we God even the Father, and therewith curse we men;"* for where corruption rises to such a height, the "mouth is full of cursing and bitterness." It cannot be denied, that there are persons among those, who have been baptized into the Christian faith, yea, and among those, who sometimes mix with the congregations, who assemble on the Sabbath to worship God, whose lips, when they have been excited by the least provocation to resentment, have poured forth the very language

* James iii. 7. 8.

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of hell. Do I speak to any one here of that description? to any one, who dares permit the curse to go forth from his mouth? Sinner, I must tell thee, that thy state is dangerous, and very alarming, and if thou dost not speedily repent, the vengeance, which thou hast called for on others, will fall on thine own head.

From the disposition to curse proceeds next the inclination to destroy. The feet of fallen men are "swift to shed blood." As a proof of this, let the desolations of war, which have cut off multitudes, from generation to generation, on the face of the earth, bear witness. Very few years elapse without the sword being drawn. Indeed in one nation or other, either in private tumults or in general wars, it is drawn always. I enter not into the political causes of these contests, nor am I disposed to speak of their justice or injustice: it is sufficient to my purpose to notice their frequent recurrence, which clearly evinces, that there is much evil in the world, and that men are very different from what they ought to be. As things are now, not the love of God, not the love of man for his sake, nor any general desire to do unto all men, as we would they should do unto us, prevails. No; very much the reverse of this is observable in many, for, "destruction and misery are in their ways."

To gratify pride and ambition, and to indulge the flesh with its affections and lusts, is the natural desire of the unconverted heart; and, as this gratification and indulgence cannot be enjoyed, without the depression of some, and the spoiling of others, it is not to be wondered at, that fraud and violence so often call for the interference of the civil magistrate, and will not be restrained, but by the most powerful and coercive measures. Now, all the deplorable evils, which I have mentioned, the deceit of the tongue, the venom of the lips, the cursing and bitterness of the mouth, and the murderous disposition, proceed from this, that men "have not known the way of peace," and because "there is no fear of God before their eyes. Were the religion, which the Bible inculcates, to be universally embraced, and its precepts strictly attended to, none of the foregoing evils could find a place in the world; for the design of Revelation is to make a man give up his own will, and submit himself to the influences of the divine spirit, that God may work in him to will and to do of his good pleasure: and this surrender of a man's self to the Lord should be entire; there should be no wish to follow our own pleasure in the least thing whatever, because the Commandment of Christ is, "Be ye per

fect, even as your Father, which is in Heaven, is perfect."* It is the duty of a man to act with the fear of God before his eyes, not only in religious exercises and solemn engagements, but in all the common concerns of life. "Whether ye eat, or drink, or whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."+ Think, in every business you are to undertake-Is this transaction that which God will approve? Can I, through the whole of it, keep a conscience void of offence? Is there nothing in it that can in any way be injurious to my neighbour, interrupt the peace of my soul, or prevent me from approaching the Throne of Grace with confidence? If men would take care to preserve that purity of heart, which our Saviour inculcates, and to which he annexes the blessing of enjoying the vision of God, none of those shameful vices, which are a disgrace to human nature, would be found among us; and not only the more atrocious acts of wickedness would disappear, but even the smallest disposition to commit them would be checked, and every amiable and gracious temper would supply its place. If men, I say, would take care to preserve purity of heart, matters would be thus with them-but, how stands the case? Have they been always

careful to avoid every appearance of evil? and have they constantly loved God with all their hearts, and their neighbours as themselves? I propose this inquiry, lest some, who have been happily restrained from deceit, cursing, murder, and other gross violations of the divine law, should suppose, that they are righteous enough, and arrogantly claim the favour of God, as the due reward of their obedience. But nothing was farther from the Apostle's design than this: he declares in the verses immediately preceding the text, and which were the subject of my last discourse, "We have proved," or charged, "both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; as it is written there is none righteous, no not one; there is none that understande h; there is none that seeketh after God: they are all gone out of the way; they are together become unprofitable; there is none that doeth good, no, not one; then follow the words of the text, which lead to this conclusion,

Verses 19, 20. "Now we know, that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them that are under the law, that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God; therefore by the deeds of the law shall no flesh be justified in his sight, for by the law is the knowledge of sin."