as he has of the last, then the same principle that now induces him to be always alone, always either inac cessible or morose, would induce him to be always abroad, always avoiding a sight of himself by fleeing from company to company, from one dissipation to another. As, therefore, he does not obey the law that enjoins silence by his perpetual solitude, so he virtually annihilates the law that forbids dissipa tion; and here again to offend in one point is to be guilty of all.

In fine, he who offends in the manner that we have explained, he whose mind determines to sin, and who endeavours to force his conscience to approve his practice, sins against all the precepts of the law, while he seems to offend only in one point, because there is sufficient reason to believe, he will some time or other actually break those laws, which now he breaks only intentionally. Here, my brethren, I wish each of you would recollect the mortifying history of his own life, and reflect seriously on those passions which successively took place in you, and which by turns exercise their terrible dominion over all them who are not entirely devoted to universal obedience. What proceeds only from a change of circumstances, we readily take for a reformation of manners; and we often fancy we have made a great progress in holiness, when we have renounced one vice, although we have only laid aside this one to make room for another that seemed opposite to it, but which was a natural consequence of the first. What elevates you to-day into excesses of ungoverned joy, is your excessive love of pleasure. Now, it is nat

ural to suppose this excessive love of pleasure which elevates you into immoderate joy now that the objects of your pleasure are within your reach, will plunge you into depths of melancholy and despair, when you are deprived of those objects. That which induces you to-day to slumber in carnal security, is your inability to resist the first impressions of certain objects; but, if you know not how to resist to-day the impressions of such objects as lull you into security, you will not know how to resist to-morrow the impressions of other objects which will drive you to despair; and so this very principle of non-resistance, if I may so call it, which makes you quiet to-day, will make you desperate to-morrow. There is no greater security for our not falling into one vice, than our actual abstinence from another vice. There is no better evidence that we shall not practise the sins of old men, than our not committing the sins of youth. Prodigality is the vice of youth, and not to be profuse in youth is the best security that we shall not in declining life fall into avarice, the vice of old age. May one principle animate all your actions, a principle of obedience' to the laws of God! then what keeps you from haughtiness, will preserve you from meanness; what saves you from the seduction of pleasure, will preserve you from sinking under pain; what keeps you from inordinate love to an only son, while it pleased God to spare him, will keep you from immoderate disquietude, when God thinks proper to take him away. But a man, who deliberately offends in one point, not only offends intentionally against all the articles of the law: but,

it is highly probable, he will actually violate all articles one after another; because, when universal esteem for all the laws of God is not laid down as the grand principle of religious action, the passions are not corrected, they are only deranged, one put in the place of another; and nothing more is necessary to complete actual, universal wickedness, than a change of vices with a change of circumstances.

All this is yet too vague. We have, indeed, endeavoured to explain, and to prove the proposition of our apostle; but unless we enter into a more minute detail, we shall derive very little advantage from this discourse. Those of our auditors who have most reason to number themselves with such as sin deliberately, will put themselves in the opposite class. The most abandoned sinners will call their own crimes either daily frailties, or transient faults, or involuntary passions. We must, if it be possible, take away this pretext of depravity, and characterise those sins which we have named sins of reflection, deliberation, and approbation; sins which place him who commits them precisely in the state intended by our apostle; he offends in one point, and his disposition to do so renders him guilty of total and universal disobedience. This is our third part, and the conclusion of this discourse.

III. St. James pronounces in our text a sentence of condemnation against three sorts of sinners. 1. Against such as are engaged in a way of life sinful of itself. 2. Against such as cherish a favorite pas3. Against persons of unteachable disposi

sion.

tions.

1. They who are engaged in a way of life sinful of itself, are guilty of a violation of the whole law, while they seem to offend only in one point.

We every day hear merchants and traders ingenuously confess, that their business cannot succeed unless they defraud the government. We will not examine whether their assertion be true; we will suppose it to be as they say; and we affirm, that a trade which necessarily obliges a man to violate a law so express as that of paying tribute to government, is bad of itself. That disposition of mind which induces a man to follow it, ought not to be ranked either with those human frailties, transient faults, or involuntary passions, which we have enumerated, and for which evangelical abatements are reserved. This is a blow struck at legislative authority. What, then, ought a merchant to do, who is engaged in a commerce which necessarily obligeth him to violate a law of the state concerning impost? He ought to give up this commerce, and to quit a way of living which he knows is iniquitous in itself. If he cannot prevail with himself to make this sacrifice, all his hopes of being saved are fallacious.

We every day hear military men affirm, that it is impossible to wear a sword with honour, without professing to be always disposed to revenge, and to violate all laws human and divine which forbid duelling. We do not inquire the truth of the assertion, we suppose it true. We do not examine, whether prudence could not in all cases suggest proper means to free men from a tyrannical point of honour; or whether there really be any cases, in which gentle

men are indispensibly obliged, either to quit the army, or to violate the precepts that command us to give up a spirit of resentment. We only affirm, that a military man, who constantly and deliberately harbors a design of always avenging himself in certain cases is in this miserable list of sinners, who, by offending in one point, are guilty of all. We do not affirm, that he would be in this guilty condition, if he could not promise to resist a disposition to revenge in every future moment of his life; we only affirm that he is guilty of a violation of the whole law, if he do not sincerely and uprightly resolve to resist this inclination. You cannot be a christian without having a fixed resolution to seal the truths of the gospel with your blood, if it please providence to call you to martyrdom. You cannot, however, promise, that the sight of racks and stakes shall never shake your resolution, nor ever induce you to violate your sincere determination to die for religion, if it should please providence to expose you to death on account of it. It is sufficient for the tranquility of your conscience, that you have formed a resolution to suffer rather than deny the faith. In like manner, we do not affirm, that a military man is guilty of the offence with which we have charged him, if he cannot engage never to be carried away with an excess of passion inclining him to revenge; we only say, if he coolly determine always to avenge himself in certain cases, he directly attacks the authority of the lawgiver. He offendeth in one point, and he is guilty of all. If a man cannot profess to bear arms without harbouring a fixed intention of violating all laws human