XII. Cleanfe thou me from my fecret faults. MORE or less every man has two characters. In public he is defirous to appear with his best face and hangs out often the fign of virtues, which are not found within. Within too he often harbours vices, which never appear abroad. These fecret fins are of various kinds. Often they confift of bad thoughts. When these wicked intruders are immediately driven out by. an effort of reason, and religion, it is well: no harm enfues. But when they are encouraged, and make their abode, the mind is turned into a receptacle of avarice, impurity, malice, selfish. nefs, or any other darling vice, to which its propenfity leads. Against all this corruption of the heart, to which the Almighty only is privy, the Pfalmift prays. Sometimes these bad thoughts are matured into deeper fins, by being digested into wicked defigns, though ftill in fecret. Some scheme of malice is laid-fome plan of revenge-or fome train of corruption. VOL. I. A A Sometimes Sometimes they are pufhed ftill farther into actions-such as, petty frauds-commodious lies-indulgences of paffions, and appetites, and many other modes of tranfgreffion, which may be dexterously concealed from the eye of the world. All these may be ranked among our fecret fins. There is ftill another kind of fin, which may be called fecret. When an action is plausible, and the motive base, the action is finful: but it is finful only in the fecret receffes of the heart. The eye of God alone fees it. Under this head we may reckon all acts of hypocrify. The laft kind of fecret fins, I shall mention, are fuch fins, as are fecrets even to ourselves. And this perhaps was David's principal idea, when he speaks of fecret fins. Who can tell (fays he, in the words preceding the text) how oft be offendeth? cleanfe thou me from my fecret fins. And thus we pray in our litany, that God would pardon our ignorances.-That we may commit a finful action, without knowing it to be such, is certain. A furious zealot may think he does God fervice by perfecuting one of a different fect. St. Paul thought fo: but he confeffes he acted finfully, notwithstanding he acted ignorantly. He fhould have informed himself himself better; which, if his prejudice had not intervened, he might have done. Thus again, with regard to (an instance, which has lately made great noise in the world) -the flave-trade; it may be hoped, that many who defend it, are well-meaning people, and think they are right; but at the fame time if they could get rid of certain prejudices, which an attachment to party, or a love of gain, throws before their eyes, they might perhaps fee they were acting in direct contradiction to the fcripture-rule of doing to others as they would have others do to them: unless indeed they suppose, that a man's being of a different complexion difqualifies him from being an object of gofpel-precept. -Many other cafes might be mentioned; in all which we fin, if we act contrary to fuch information as God hath given us the means, and ability to obtain. I fhall conclude the fubject with obferving that we should ftrive against that temptation, which fecrecy holds out, to commit fin. We should always recollect, we are continually under the inspection of that great Being, with whom darkness and light are both alike. XIII. Every man is tempted, when he is drawn away of his own luft, and enticed.-James, i. 14. THAT is, in other words, every man is placed in a fate of trial. That we are placed in such a state, seems to admit of little doubt. We prove it from various topics, taken from the world around us-from the imperfection of every thing we fee-from the nature of man-and from the word of God. But I fhall endeavour to prove it here only by that striking connection, which fubfifts between every christian grace and its correfpondent tempt ation. Man is born into the world with paffions, and appetites, fuited to the various temptations he will have to meet with. At the fame time, to affift him in his conteft with these temptations, he is endowed with reason, and confciencewith the inftructions of God's holy word, and the promise of his divine affistance. Thus furnifhed, he launches into life; and immediately begins his fpiritual conteft. Every paffion, and appetite, 4 appetite, he finds has its correfpondent temptation to try, and purify it by refiftance. Every virtue, which the gospel enjoins, is by fome occafion brought to proof. Are we taught to love God, and have a continual fenfe of his divine prefence upon our minds? As this great prefiding power is invifible, we are strongly affaulted to put our truft in a multitude of vifible objects, which the world prefents on every fide. Are we taught in the gofpel that we have no merits of our own that can deferye eternal happinefs-and that eternal happiness is procured for us only by the death, and atonement of a Saviour? Inftead of examining the truth of fcripture, in which this doctrine is contained, (as it is certainly incumbent on us to do,) we fuffer ourselves to be tempted, and led away by defigning men, and bad books, and learn to fet up our own reason, and our own righteousness, as fufficient to inftruct and fave us. Are we taught to love our neighbour-to be benevolent, and communicate good to others? Self-love is continually working within-opposing our kind intentions, and endeavouring to draw all to itself. |