SERMON II.

THE HELPLESSNESS OF MAN.

ISAIAH lxiii. 5.

And I looked, and there was none to help; and I wondered that there was none to uphold.

No sooner had Adam sinned, than he felt the terrible consequences which sin ever brings with it.Reflect a moment upon the circumstances he was in, when now having transgressed the divine commandment, he "heard the voice of the Lord God walking in the garden." Conscience in alarm proclaimed his guilt, and prevented the accusation, "Thou hast eaten of the forbidden fruit." The curse sounded in his ears, "In the day that thou eatest thereof, thou shalt surely die." God was at hand to inflict the vengeance. What should the wretch do? He dared not stand the once beloved countenance of God. Nor did he reflect, how vain it was to think of flying from his universal presence. Foolishly he hid himself amongst the trees, till the voice of God commanded him forth. Sin instantly begets an abhorred issue in the soul, the confusion of guilt, dislike of God, and a dread of vengeance-" Adam was afraid, and hid himself."

Our God "is a consuming fire," to sinners: sin cannot endure his majesty. Sin, dishonourable to God, and apprehensive of his avenging arm, doth not like his presence. Say thou, who hast weighed the consequences of sin with any consideration, is it a light thing that thou hast dishonoured God, and provoked his wrath upon thy head? Canst thou well bear to think of him, who, strict in justice, and almighty in power, is thy enemy and avenger? Art thou not ready to act over again the sad folly of Adam; to hide thyself from God's presence; to drown the too terrible reflection in care or pleasure, till God call thee forth and will be attended to? It is well if thou hearken to that voice, though the sound of it be terrible to thy soul. Well wilt it be with thee, if in this thy day thou lay to heart the consequences of thine iniquities, while yet there is hope; if, though with trembling and astonishment, thou art made to feel the state of a sinner, that most deplorable state of being a rebel, alienated from all esteem of God and fitness for his glory, and an heir of vengeance and rejection. Then, with an interesting concern, thou wilt enter with me into this farther inquiry, Whether thou canst remove these consequences from thee; whether thou canst restore the honour thou hast taken away from the Governor of the world, bring back thy soul to a creaturelike disposition, without which thou must remain incapable of tasting spiritual happiness, or averting God's vengeance?

I must be allowed to tell you, you cannot.

This was the second point.

And, upon this particular, I shall wish to drive you to the distress of Jonah's mariners; having raised a tempest about you, to leave you without any other hopes of safety than by "casting forth into the sea" your self-confidence. You may be apt to look for security and salvation, and healing. the breach that sin hath made between God and you, by labour and repentance, purely your own. As the mariners did, you may be rowing hard to this land to save yourselves, unwilling to throw yourselves upon mercy as otherwise lost. But when you shall not be able; when you shall find that you cannot trust in any thing you can do, either to glorify God, to recover purity of heart, or to satisfy his justice; then with unwonted attention you shall consider that mighty Redeemer, who is come to restore the breach, and tenderly waits to hide, and cherish you under the covering of his healing wings.

I say, therefore, that having been found guilty of sin before the majesty of God, thereby you have dishonoured him; in such a manner alienated yourself from God, that you are unfit for his presence and glory, and have entailed an eternal curse upon But from these consequences you cannot res

you.

cue yourself.

I would engage you to observe the connexion there is between these consequences of sin. It is notorious, that the rebellion of man's will and way dishonours God as the Governor of the world. This rebellion hath destroyed all capacity of happiness in the creature with the Creator, though in him only it

is possible that a reasonable being can be blessed; while the glory of God, and the evil dispositions of man's rebellious nature, lead directly to a state of endless banishment from God's presence, and of avowed and most required punishment. Till God be glorified, till man be humbled, the separation between the Creator and creature remains; and the issue, on the one part and the other, must be man's ruin for ever. God remaining dishonoured, and man rebellious, the issue is enmity and death. If, therefore, you would compose the difference sin hath made between God and you, you must render back all the glory of which you have deprived God,―you must put on the disposition of a creature, you must satisfy the demands of infinite justice. See now how incapable you are to effect either of these. First, If you would remove the consequences of sin from you, you must render back the glory to God of which you have deprived him. I will suppose you sensible, that, by your sins and rebellion, you have dishonoured God your Maker and Governor, and that you are willing to do all in your power to render back that glory to him. I will suppose you too, with the utmost purity of heart and intcgrity of life, returned to your allegiance; and that, with such a simplicity in yourself, your constant earnest endeavour is to promote God's glory in the world, by all the influence you have upon others. But now, even in this case, you will not advance a step towards repairing the dishonour which your past sins have brought upon God. For what by such a conduct are you doing, more than your duty? or

was it not your duty to have been with God always, as I suppose you now to be? It is true, by such an humble demeanour you do not increase the debt of dishonour you are charged with; but then neither do you lessen it. Doing now as you ought, you leave the state of your former sins just as they were; nor can you hereby remove one jot of that disgrace which they have brought upon God's government. Should subjects who had violently dethroned their king, afterwards, upon better conscience, set him up again; will any man say that such a monarch hath suffered no disgrace? or that his restoration made him ample amends? No, he should not be impeached of injustice, however he might be of want of clemency, should he exercise his restored power in the punishment of such rebels. Present obedience, then, however perfect, would in nowise heal the breaches which old rebellions have made upon God's glory. But farther,

Having been undutiful yourself, have you not also been the occasion of dishonouring God in the persons of others? Your evil example, vain conversation, light and negligent carriage, have they not hurt the glory of God, by the discountenance they have put upon religion, and the encouragement they have given to vice? Now, who or where are they, to whom you have been a snare in the days of your wanton forgetfulness of your Maker? Maker? Alas! Alas! you know them not. They are even all that ever were acquainted with or saw you; at home, abroad, in all companies, you were ignorantly patronizing the cause of rebellion.

At best, you can but recollect a few