intervention of a powerful friend and benefactor more welcome, excepting (if we may once more turn the history into emblem) excepting when he comes to the soul under the terrors of guilt, or anticipating the terrors of death. But here, again, he changed their joy into an overwhelming amazement. They had just admitted the joyful hope that he would enable them to weather and escape the storm. But quite different from this; the consequence of his coming into the vessel was, that instantly there was a perfect calm, and the next moment they were miraculously brought to land. For John says, (vi. 21,) "Immediately the ship was at the land whither they went." They were overwhelmed again. This appeared to them, too much, almost, to be believed. There is more than intimated a strong censure of this feeling; and observe, by one of themselves, that is, the relater," For they considered not the miracle of the loaves, for their heart was hardened," (Mark vi. 52.) It is a charge of criminal dulness, and inaction of intellect. They would not have been so astonished, if they had properly reflected on the preceding miracle. Their having seen him exercise a power that could create, ought to have prepared them not to be amazed, to this almost incredulous degree, at the sight of a less demonstration of power.

But men are not creatures of thought and reflection. That which is connected with tumult and material magnificence, and where there is a mighty impression on the senses, strikes them as greater than a calmer phenomenon, in which thought

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and wisdom may perceive still sublimer evidence of greatness and power.

However, it ended right; for they worshipped him as "truly the Son of God," with a conviction, a solemnity, and an ardour, which we may well believe would have expected hardly less than the lightnings of Heaven to fall on any one who should have dared to deny it. He accepted, as in every such instance he did, this worship, by this solemn title. He went on land, was recognized by the people, ("straightway they knew him," that is, he was known,) and, in prosecution of his grand commission and career, proceeded to new labours, new instructions to illuminate the people, and new miracles to convince them.

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LECTURE XXVI.

SIN MANIFESTED BY THE LAW.

ROMANS vii. 13.

"That sin by the commandment might become exceeding sinful.”

IN the natural world which we inhabit, there are several grand material elements constantly presenting themselves to our senses, in their various modes, combinations, and effects. Now, these elements are good and beneficent, adapted to a vast utility and actually effecting it; that is, essentially and generally so, notwithstanding that disorders and certain special combinations among them are pernicious and destructive.

But in what we call the moral world there is an element which is absolutely, intrinsically, and wholly, and always, bad. Its very name, is, with emphasis, EVIL; we call it also vice, depravity, wickedness, and, in religious language, it is named SIN,-a name which the world has a great dislike to-partly because it is the name which GOD gives to the evil. Our calling it an element may rightly, perhaps, be excepted against, on the ground that it is not a substantive, independent thing, but merely a result,

an effect of the disorder and perversion of the human faculties and passions; we only mean that it is a mighty and permanent reality in the moral world; there is nothing that more certainly, absolutely, constantly, does exist; not earth, mountains, rocks, ocean, fire. Its existence is perceived, in some degree, by all mankind, however dull or perverted their apprehensions. They are aware there is something else than goodness in the world. A large proportion of them can perceive its quality, as an evil, when it is exhibited in its most gross and striking forms,-in great crimes, in flagrant wrongs. But to apprehend, in any due measure, its extreme malignity, in its own nature, in whatever form it may exist and operate, would seem to be a rare attainment of humanity. A full and perfect apprehension is the attainment of no man on earth. Sin infects the very judgment which is to

estimate it.

But, nothing is of more essential interest and necessity, than that there should be a clear, deep, comprehensive understanding of the quality of sin, and a strong and alarming impression of it, because fatal consequences are involved in an insensibility to that quality. For then the evil will have an unresisted power over the man. To dwell here, as penetrated by this

spirits surrounded, invaded, element, being at the same time naturally disposed to yield to its operation, and not to be aware of its quality, what can this be less than to be liable to its whole deadly effect on the soul? The man, not aware what a dreadful serpent he has to deal with,---

being easy in its presence, playing with it,-will certainly be stung, poisoned, destroyed.

But, then, in what way are men to be apprised of the quality of sin? It may be said, that all men may and must be, through the mere perceptions of common sense, in some general manner, apprised of it, by seeing what dreadful mischief sin does; how it disorders and plagues the world,-destroys happiness,―renders men "hateful and hating one another,”—causes all over the world an outcry of wrong and suffering. And, certainly, this is an inevitable instruction. They cannot but say, "an

enemy hath done this." But this will give them but a crude and limited apprehension of sin. There would be wanting still a Revealer of the dark depth of the evil. The grand effectual mean is signified in the text "by the commandment."

It is the Divine Law, amply and spiritually apprehended, that must expose the malignity of sin, -displaying the essential nature and principle of "that abominable thing," (making the true devil stand confest,) while it names or defines, generally and in detail, the things that are sin,-the practical forms which it takes in doing its mischief among the creatures of God. The Law of God.-We cannot conceive of the sovereign Creator and Governor of the world as not appointing a law to his intelligent creatures that he should be what the Epicureans accounted of their gods, perfectly careless about the world, and what may be done in it. As the Maker of creatures who are to be wholly and for ever dependent on him, he must necessarily have