II. To show when believers are suitably affected with the consideration of sin as against God.

III. To show whence it is that they cannot indulge themselves in the commission of sin against God. IV. To deduce some inferences for the improvement. of the subject.

I. I proceed then to consider sin, particularly in believers, as being against God.

1 THERE is in the nature of sin a contrariety to the nature of God. He is infinitely pure and holy, necessarily and perfectly free from all moral impurity. He delights exceedingly in this perfection of his nature, displays it in a very conspicuous manner, in all his works, and is very jealous of its honour. It is on this account, that he is so frequently denominated, "The Holy One." "To whom then will ye liken me, or shall I be equal? saith the Holy One." Isaiah xl. 25. He is often called the "Holy One of Israel," and the Holy One in the midst of Israel." Though he is infinitely holy, he dwells in the midst of his people, for the gracious purpose of sanctifying them, that they may be admitted into fellowship with himself; "for without holiness no man shall see the Lord." He also expects a holy obedience from them, in consequence of the gracious relation which he holds to them

as his sanctified ones.

your God am holy."

held the glory of God

"Be ye holy, for I the Lord Levit. xix. 2. Levit. xix. 2. When Isaiah be

displayed from his high throne, he heard also the voice of the Seraphims crying one to another," Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord of hosts; the whole earth is full of his glory." Isaiah vi. 3. Holiness is indeed the very name he takes to himself, and by which he makes himself known. "Thus saith the high and lofty One that inhabiteth eternity, whose

name is Holy; I dwell in the high and holy place." Isaiah lvii. 15. His name is not only himself, but the display of his excellence, or that by which he makes' himself known. Every thing, then, which he does," proclaims him to be the "Only Holy One" The law which he hath given is holy, being an expression of his holiness, and it declares what is agreeable to him, and what is hateful, as he is a holy God. All that the law requires is holiness, and what it prohibits is the opposite of holiness, or sin. When his righte ous judgments are entailed upon his enemies for their sin, they are resolved into his holiness, and are a very striking display of his holy name. Thus the church is introduced as singing a song of praise to him at the destruction of the Antichristian beast. "Who shall not fear thee, O Lord, and glorify thy name, for thou only art holy: for all nations shall come and worship before thee; for thy judgments are made manifest." Rev. xv. 4.

THIS opposition of the nature of God to sin is the reason why he hates it, and cannot allow sinners to enjoy communion with himself. "He is of purer eyes than to behold evil, and cannot look on iniquity." Wherever sin reigns in any soul, it utterly defiles that soul; and where sin is delighted in and practised, the heart fixes on that abominable thing which God's soul hateth. He declares that the sins of his people are a profanation and defiling of his holy name. "Son of man, the place of my throne, and the place of the soles of my feet, where I will dwell in the midst of the children of Israel for ever; and my holy name, shall the house of Israel no more defile, they, nor their kings, by their whoredom, nor by the carcases of their kings in their high places. In setting their threshold by my thresholds,

and their post by my posts, and the wall between me and them, they have even defiled my holy name by their abominations that they have committed." Ezek. xliii. 7, 8. The sufferings of Jesus for the expiation of sin, discover the opposition between God and it, in a very striking light. Though he had no taint of its defilement, in his soul, but was only guilty by imputation, yet he was denied sensible communion with his Father for a time. If this was done in the green tree, what shall be done in the dry? Can sinners, who are both guilty and loathsome, expect communion with a holy God? No: They are not agreed, therefore cannot walk together.

But there is

While

nothing in God to which sin is not opposed. God is love sin is enmity; he is light, sin is darkness; he is life, sin is death; he is goodness, sin is evil; he is beauty, it is deformity. It is owing to this opposition between sin and the nature of God, that he expresses himself, concerning it, to the cities of Judah, as if it pained or wounded him. "Oh, do not this abominable thing that I hate." Jerem. xliv. 4.

2. THE opposition of sin to God implies that he hath delivered to us a law, and that sin is a violation of that law. Where there is no law, there can be neither sin nor holiness. It is so among creatures. The brutal creation have no law, because they have no moral capacity, and so cannot be subjects of a law, consequently they can neither do good nor evil. If man were under no law he could not be said to obey, because obedience is doing what the law enjoins; neither could he be guil ty of sin, because sin is doing what the law prohibits, or omitting what it requires. "Where no law is," said Paul, “there is no transgression." Rom. iv. 15. And, "Sin is not imputed where there is no law." chap. v.

13. A law is the will of a superior expressing the obligations and duties of an inferior. To sin is to disobey the law, or act contrary to it. "Whosoever committeth sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the transgression of the law." 1 John iii. 4.

"There is one lawgiverTo him we owe our exisdignified place which On him too we de"In him we live, and

the

must then belong to

GOD has given us a law, The Lord is our lawgiver." tence as creatures, and also we occupy in the scale of beings. pend for every thing we enjoy. move, and have our being." It him to govern us according to his own will. All that we are, and all that we have is his, and at his disposal, and all ought to be at his service. The knowledge of his will was communicated to man at his creation, as the test of his obedience, which was gradually unfolded, until the canon of Scripture was completed. In every instance where we refuse to comply with the will of this supreme lawgiver, we are chargeable with sin, or opposing his will, by preferring our own. The redemption of sinners by Christ does not relax the obligations of the law, nor abrogate it, to believers. we make void the law through faith? God forbid. Yea, we establish the law." Rom. iii. 31. Believers have it written upon their hearts, so that "They are not without law to God, but under law to Christ." It is the same spiritual law, holy, just and good, and equally extensive in its demands. This law is a decla ration of the will of God, discovering to us what is agreeable to his nature, and which he will have us to do, in the way of obedience. There is in the human will a powerful opposition to this law, and a strong propensity to do what it forbids; while the obedience it requires lies radically in a full and unreserved choice

" Do

of the law, to do what it commands. "The carnal mind is enmity against God: for it is not subject to the law of God, neither indeed can be." Rom. viii. 7. It is owing to this enmity in the sinner, that every imagination of the thoughts of his heart is only evil continually. Much of this enmity still remains in believers, and is the spring of all those sins which they commit. This is the law in the members that wars against the law in the mind, and captivates it. This is the flesh that lusts against the Spirit. The sum of the law is, "That they love the Lord their God with all their heart." and in so far as they fall short of this they violate the law, and sin against God. After David was recovered from that insensibility into which his aggravated iniquity had brought him, and began his penitential exercise, he made genuine confession of it as against God. 66 Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight." Psalm li. 4. In another case he prays, "Be merciful to me, O God, heal my

soul, for I have sinned against thee."

3. To sin against God implics a defacing the beauty of his works. In common life, when one has executed a piece of workmanship purely for his own use, if another shall injure or destroy it,

he acts against him, and in opposition to his interest. All creatures are the work of God, but those that are formed after his own image are the most glorious and excellent. Angels and man were these gloricus works of God, pure and holy, free of any sin, full of light, and divine love. But ah! how dismal is the change which sin has introduced! These once holy angelic spirits who attended the throne of God, and shone forth with the splendor of surpassing moral excellence, are, by sinning against him, transformed into devils. What infernal enmity and malice