joining with our church in her confession that we have followed too much the devices and desires of our own hearts." A wise and holy Being could not have made us what we are some cause must be assigned, posterior to the creation, for all the misery we see and feel. The universality of natural evil, proves the unlimited extent of moral evil. And all moral evil originates in the heart; for out of the heart proceed evil thoughts, murders, adulteries, fornications, thefts, false witness, blasphemies.'* Have any of us been hitherto preserved from these enormous acts of sin? Let us not pride ourselves on a supposed superiority of nature, in which we differ from others. Were the ancient heathens filled with • all unrighteousness, fornication, wickedness, covetousness, maliciousness; full of envy, murder, debate, deceit, malignity; whisperers, backbiters, haters of God, despiteful, proud, • boasters, inventors of evil things, disobedient to parents: without understanding, covenantbreakers, without natural affection, implacable, • unmerciful?' And do we in our moral conduct differ from them? It is the effect of education, civilization, and restraint; not of nature. For the latent seeds of all these evils are in our hearts. If the branches have been lopt, and the fruit prevented from coming to the horrible per * Matt. xv. 19. fection mentioned by the Apostle; we have nothing whereof to glory on this account. Our thanks are due to Him, who appointed the time and bounds of our habitation, in consequence of which we were not born under those disadvantageous circumstances. The difference is not internal but extrinsical. Let it not be supposed that these awful truths are matters of doubtful disputation; for the belief of them is essential to our existence as real Christians. Unless we have within us a Divinely wrought conviction of the natural corruption of our hearts; our humiliation will be imperfect, and our confessions the language of hypocrisy ; and we cannot see the need, either of an atoning Savior or a sanctifying Spirit. Like one, who has slightly injured his skin, we shall apply a plaister of our own contrivance; instead of going with a mortal wound to the only Physician who has power to heal it. From this fatal fountain of original sin, streams of actual iniquity continually proceed: therefore it becomes us to add, we have offended against Thy holy laws.' Here it might be supposed that no difficulty would arise in bringing home the charge to every conscience: that no man, who had the ten commandments in his hand, and had ever read them with attention; especially, if he had considered them in connection with our Lord's exposition of them ;* would hesitate to acknowledge, that either in thought, word, or deed, and in respect of omission or commission, he hath broken them all. • Who can tell how oft he offendeth? Who will deny that he hath • left undone those things which he ought to have • done?' Our duty towards God is summed up in that excellent body of Divinity, the catechism of our church. Our duty towards God is to believe in • Him, to fear Him, and to love Him with all our hearts, with all our minds, with all our souls, and with all our strength,' &c. All our faculties and powers, both of body and mind, should be intirely devoted to Him without any reserve or limitation, and this in every moment we live. But this we have left undone,' more or less thro' every moment of our whole existence. Our duty towards our neighbour is to love him as ourselves, and to do to all men, as we would they • should do unto us.' Where is the perfect man? There is no such character in this our fallen world. But our iniquity has not been confined to omission; for we have done those things, which we ought not to have done.' Our conduct is marked not merely with negative, but also with positive evil. We ought not to have set up idols in our hearts; but we have loved • and served the creature more than the Crea "tor. The holy name of God ought never to have passed irreverently over our lips, nor even an idea of Him have arisen in our hearts without holy awe and supreme regard. Not a moment of His sabbath should ever have been unoccupied by sacred and grateful meditations of love to His name, and delight in His service. It would be easy to extend the catalogue of our transgressions to the second table; but a farther enlargement on the subject would swell the present essay beyond the intended limits. The conclusion of the confessional part of the form, which we are considering, is concise, but very comprehensive. There is no health,' (i.e. no spiritual health) in us.' How sad would be the state of the body, if wholly destitute of health! Behold that wretched object! The unhappy person, to whom your attention is requested, has fallen down a tremendous precipice. He has not only broken his legs and arms, though that were terrible; but he has shattered every bone in his poor mangled carcase. Your heart bleeds for him, and well it may. If his fall had not stunned him, so as to produce a temporary delirium, he would fill the air with lamentations, and mourning, and woe. O sinner, thou art the man! A complication of diseases, though but of two or three, is grievous: but what would be the situation of a man, who laboured under all the diseases at once, to which human nature is sub ject. This is the state of the soul of man: there is no health in it." The understanding is darkened; the will is perverted; the affections are carnalized; the conscience is defiled. From the sole of the feet, even unto the head, there is • no soundness in it, but wounds and bruises and • putrifying sores.'| If we have felt the truth of the preceding confession, we shall heartily join in saying, But Thou, O Lord, have mercy upon us, miserable • offenders! If a recollection of our offences has made us miserable, whither shall we go for relief from our burden? Thousands of rams, and ten • thousands of rivers of oil; our first born given for our transgression, the fruit of our bodies for • the sin of our souls' would be insufficient to obliterate one single offence. We have deserved all the threatened punishment, and must acknowledge that God would be justified in our eternal condemnation. But the question returns upon us to whom shall we go? An attempt at concealment or resistance would be equally the fruit of folly. To our offended Lord, therefore, we must make confession. But what plea shall we employ to deprecate His wrath? Shall we promise future amendment? This we cannot do ; and if we could, it would not avail to the annihilation of past criminality. There is no way left, + Is. i. 6. |