rive, when they will escape for ever beyond all the assaults of Satan, temptation and sin; and when all their present trials and conflicts, will but serve to increase the eternal weight of glory, in which they shall share with their reigning and triumphant Lord.

Be persuaded, my dear youth, to seek with unceasing diligence a vital union with this precious and all-sufficient Saviour. Without this, all your purposes and plans of avoiding even the worst of crimes, may prove abortive; or if by the good providence and restraining grace of God, you shall be preserved from scandalous and enormous sins, yet unless a living faith unite you to the Lord Jesus Christ, you will assuredly lose your souls at last, and be for ever the companions of the devil and his angels. Be very sensible of this; let it dwell constantly on your minds; let it preserve you from satisfying yourselves with an amiable exterior, or with any mere formal attention to religion. Be not satisfied till you "know in whom you have believed, and that he is able to keep that which you have committed to him, against that day."-Amen.

LECTURE XVI.

What is sin?

What was the sin whereby our first Parents fell from the state wherein they were created?

THE first subject of attention at this time, is the following very important answer in our catechism-namely, "Sin is any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God."

That we may understand correctly the nature of sin, as it is here defined, it will be of use to consider briefly, the nature of that law of which all sin is a violation. The law which sin violates is the law of God. "Whosoever committeth sin

-says the apostle John-transgresseth also the law; for sin is a transgression of the law." In defining a law generally, Hooker says "That which doth assign unto each thing the kind, that which doth moderate the force and power, that which doth appoint the form and measure of working, the same we term a law." More shortly and popularly, and with reference to moral agents, a law may be defined-a prescribed and obligatory rule of action.

The laws of God, for the government of men, have some of them been temporary and local, and some of perpetual and universal obligation. The ceremonial and judicial laws of the Jews were, during the continuance of the Mosaick economy, perfectly obligatory on that people-as much so as the precepts of the decalogue. But they were local and temporary. They never were binding on any other people beside the Jews; and not binding on them after the advent of the Messiah. They were given for a particular purpose-That purpose has been accomplished, and the Deity, the legislator who enacted, has repealed them, and they are no longer laws.

But there are other laws of God, which are of perpetual and universal obligation-These are called moral laws. But here, again, there is a distinction which deserves to be noticed. Some of these laws are technically denominated moral natural, and others moral positive. Laws naturally moral, are those which seem to derive their obligation from the very nature of things; insomuch that you cannot conceive that they should not be obligatory, while the relations exist to which they refer. Thus you cannot conceive that a rational and moral being should exist, and not be under obligation to reverence his Creator-You cannot conceive that it should be lawful for such a creature, to disregard and revile the infinitely great and good Author of his being.

On the other hand, laws positively moral, derive their obligation not from the nature of things, but solely from the explicit command of God. Thus the intermarriage of brothers and sisters, must once have been lawful; and if so, there is no natural immorality in such a connexion. But this con

nexion has been forbidden by God, from a very early period of the world; and is therefore now, a violation of a law called moral positive.

The moral law of God-or the rule of moral action for his creature man-was, no doubt, clearly written on man's heart, at his first creation-That is, he was so formed that he had a clear perception of his duty, and felt as he ought, his obligations to perform it perfectly. After the fall, this original law of moral duty, was greatly defaced and obliterated by sin. Some faint traces of it, however, seem yet to remain, in the dictates of natural conscience. But as the restoration of man was intended by God, he was graciously pleased to reveal anew his moral law, in all its extent, to his fallen creature. This was done most fully in the ten commandments, given to Moses in Mount Sinai, engraved by the finger of God on two tables of stone: and this compend, usually called the decalogue, although extremely short, is nevertheless, when taken in its spirituality, comprehensive and complete.

All the laws of the decalogue are moral natural, unless it be that part of the fourth, which relates to the portion of our time that is to be exclusively devoted to God. And indeed in this, there may be a natural fitness, with which we are not acquainted.

Short as the decalogue is, we have a summary of the moral law, which is still much more compendious, and yet entirely complete and perfect. It is this-"Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; and thy neighbour as thyself." Our Saviour declared that "on these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." Here then we have the whole moral law, as sanctioned by the lawgiver Himself, in a single sentence: and it is of unspeakable advantage to have it so expressed. It presents us with a short rule by which to ascertain our duty, and by which to discern and determine what is sinful-Sin is the transgression of this moral law.

In the original language of the New Testament, the word

for sin, auapria, (hamartia) is derived from a word whose primitive signification is, to miss the mark. This suggests as perfect and extensive an idea of sin, as perhaps can be given. The moral law holds up to us a mark, at which we are to aim, or a rule or line, to which we are to conform. Every thing which misses or falls short of this mark, or which deviates from this rule or line, is sin. Hence too, we have a clear illustration of the greatness, or aggravation of some sins, in comparison with others. All short-coming or deviation is sin; yet some defects come short, and some actions deviate, unspeakably more than others.

The answer in the catechism divides sin into two kinds"Any want of conformity unto, or transgression of, the law of God;" that is, sins of omission, and sins of commission. Some writers on the subject of moral criminality in our country, have said a good deal to prove that all sin is of a positive nature; or that it consists in an actual transgression of the divine law. But this appears to me, little more than a play upon words. It is indeed true that all guilt is positive, and that all conduct which is not conformed to the law of God, is sinful conduct. But we are abundantly taught in scripture, to make a distinction between sins of omission and sins of commission. "These things (said the Saviour) ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." Nay, if we take the scripture for our guide, as doubtless we ought, we shall find much more there said, against sins of omission, than against sins of commission. The reason of this probably is, that the guilt of actual transgression, is at once admitted and allowed by all; while many are disposed to think very little of sins of omission. It was therefore proper to inculcate the guilt and the danger of omissions, that they might not be overlooked-This was the point, or pass, which it was peculiarly necessary to guard. Hence we find, it is the tree which bore no fruit, the lamp that had no oil, the unprofitable servant that made no use of his talent, which are held up as beacons, to warn us of the danger of omitted duty. In like manner, the sentence pronounced on the wicked in

the final judgment, is made to turn entirely on omitted duties-Not a single actual transgression is charged-"I was an hungered, and ye gave me no meat; I was thirsty, and ye gave me no drink; I was a stranger, and ye took me not in; naked, and ye clothed me not; sick and in prison, and ye visited me not." So also the apostle to the Hebrews"How shall we escape, if we neglect so great salvation?" The great mass of those who hear the gospel without benefit, it is probable lay their consciences to sleep on this pillow of deception, that they have done no harm,-that they have never committed any flagrant offences; when, notwithstanding, they are manifestly living in the total and soul-ruining neglect of all the duties which they owe to God. Truly we have reason to believe, that omission and neglect will destroy a very large proportion of those who perish. They will perish because they would not repent; would not believe in Christ; would not yield themselves a living sacrifice to God.

It is however to be admitted and remembered, that in the scale of comparative malignity, sins of commission are generally greater than those of omission. To violate actively a known law, seems, in most instances, to require a greater force or hardihood of moral pravity, than to disregard the requisitions of a law. There is also in sins of commission, a greater scope for aggravation than in sins of omission. Suppose a man to omit every duty which he is capable of performing, and although it must be admitted that his guilt is inexcusably great, yet it certainly falls short of his, who is a blasphemer, a thief and a murderer. Men of great natural powers, and of extensive authority or. influence, do sometimes, by sins of commission, accumulate guilt that seems to resemble that of the fallen angels. In this view, infidel, and other licentious writers, conquerors, tyrants, and all extensive oppressors and corrupters of mankind, will be perceived to have incurred a criminality, which must fill us with horror in the contemplation.

After all, we are to remember, that it is not universally and invariably true, that sins of commission are greater than