578 THE UNBELIEVER CONDEMNED Ess. XII.] nature, none are more prevalent than pride; and, since man is naturally proud, he is also naturally infidel. He believes not the gospel of Jesus Christ, because he is too much occupied with himself, and too well satisfied with his own wisdom and righteousness, to be capable of any just apprehension of the suitableness of that gospel to his own condition. Conceiving himself to be "rich and increased with goods," and in "need of nothing," Rev. iii. 17; he is exalted against the knowledge of God, and spurns the humiliating tidings of his own vileness, and of salvation only through a crucified Redeemer. And this condition of proud unbelief is inseparably connected with the spirit of rebellion-the spirit which determines us to be our own masters, and to reject the government of our Almighty Creator. "Be astonished, O ye heavens, at this, and be horribly afraid, be ye very desolate, saith the Lord. For my people have committed two evils: they have forsaken me the fountain of living waters, and hewed them out cisterns, broken cisterns, that can hold no water," Jer. ii. 12, 13. The lofty and rebellious spirit of the unbeliever, in the second place, is evinced by nothing more commonly or more clearly, than by his negligence of religion. The information communicated, and the proposals made to us, by Divine revelation, are, if authentic, of infinite importance; and no man can with reason deny that they are accompanied with evidences of their celestial origin, which are, at least, strong enough to demand a diligent and serious examination. But he who is actuated by "an evil Ess. XII. AS AN IMMORAL BEING. 579 heart of unbelief," is, for the most part, destitute of any regard for these matters. He passes them by : he searches not into them. Or if, in any degree, he directs his attention to the evidences of revelation, he approaches not the subject in that teachable and impartial spirit, and with that earnest desire for Divine illumination, which are absolutely essential to the comprehension and reception of Divine truth. The unbeliever is, therefore, justly condemned as an im moral being as one who sins against God- as one who is guilty of pride, rebellion, and culpable negli gence. Lastly, the evil heart of unbelief is abominable in the sight of God, and is justly condemned, because it prefers darkness to light, and because this preference has no other root than a pertinacious adherence to the corrupt and sinful condition. The infidel secretly cleaves to his iniquities, and, therefore, covets the darkness by which they are concealed. "He that believeth on him is not condemned: but he that believeth not is condemned already, because he hath not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God. And this is the condemnation, that light is come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because their deeds were evil," John iii. 18, 19. Those, therefore, who would enjoy the privileges promised to believers in the present life, and lay hold of their eternal reward in the life to come, must strive to avoid, in every respect, the character which has now been depicted. If we take a just view of our own lost condition, humble ourselves in 580 ON OBEDIENCE. [Ess. XII. the sight of God, trust in his mercy and power, and submit to his spiritual government; if we give diligent heed to the word of his truth, as well as to the evidences on which it rests; if, above all, we freely open our hearts to that pure light of heaven, which condemns for iniquity, and leads into all honour, glory, virtue, and peace-we shall never be numbered amongst those who believe not, and who, therefore, perish. Although we may be sometimes harassed with doubts, and cast down, for the trial of our faith, into mental darkness and distress, that faith will, nevertheless, be found a substantial, inherent, principle, and will never be destroyed. Finally, since faith is a moral qualification-a Christian grace-a fruit of the Spirit-and, therefore, unquestionably, a Divine gift-let us seek it where it may be found, at the throne of mercy-let us not cease to pray, that together with hope and charity, it may more and more abound in us, to our own peace, and to the glory of God our Saviour. PART II. ON OBEDIENCE. Since God is the Author of our existence, and of every mental and bodily faculty of which we are in possession; since his power and authority over us are unlimited and supreme; and since he is himself a perfect as well as an infinite Being-we cannot Ess. XII.] ON OBEDIENCE. 581 for a moment hesitate to acknowledge that he has a right to dispose of us as he pleases, and to regulate all our conduct according to his will; and our conformity to that will, although it may involve the surrender of ourselves, and of all our degenerate inclinations, is plainly nothing more than our "reasonable service." This doctrine lies at the foundation of true morality, which does not consist in our adherence to any system of human invention, however plausible or excellent it may be, but solely in obedience to the revealed will-or, in other words, to the law-of the moral Governor of the universe. Such, under a variety of forms, is the clear and frequent declaration of the book of God. In the Bible, and primarily in the Bible only, we are explicitly taught, that all our virtue and happiness depends upon our being conformed to the will of Him who is the Creator and Lord of all things, and who is holy, just, and true. While the Stoics lay the stress of their moral philosophy on the "eternal fitness of things;" the Academics, on that which may be supposed to resemble "the highest good;" and the Epicureans, on the pursuit of happiness-the sacred writers have superseded all speculation on the gabject, by declaring, that the law of God is the only true rule of life-that obedience to his law is righteousness, and the transgression of it sin. In the beginning God imparted his commandments to our first parents; and while they continued in all things to obey their Divine Master, they preserved his image in themselves, they maintained their origi 582 THE LAW OF GOD. [Ess. XII. nal character of perfect righteousness. But they were made liable to temptation, and the transgression of his laws-their first act of disobediencewas the sin which caused their own degradation, and the fall of their whole species. But, degraded as man is under the baneful influence of this mournful event, God has been pleased to bestow upon him, in all ages, those "reproofs of instruction" which "are the way of life," Prov. vi. 23. He has graciously communicated to us a law, by which we may so regulate our conduct in the world, as to obtain happiness both here and hereafter. It will, I presume, be without difficulty allowed, that these observations are in a general, yet very important sense, applicable to all men, whether they are partakers in the benefit of an outward revelation, or are left to that which is usually described as the light of nature. If we admit that mankind, without an outward revelation, are nevertheless sinners, we must also admit that mankind, without such a revelation, are nevertheless in possession of the law of God; for we are expressly told by one apostle, that "where no law is, there is no transgression," Rom. iv. 15; and by another, that "sin is the transgression of the law," 1 John iii. 4;-declarations which obviously correspond with the dictates of sound reason. The law to which I now allude, and which is universally bestowed upon men, is that light in the soul respecting right and wrong, by which the natural conscience is directed and illuminated, and to which, unless perverted by prejudice, or seared by the fatal |