a body, naturally so modified as to incline our expositor, pardon our sins, and accept our occasion. But in what sense may it be affirmed of any sin, that he who offendeth in one point, is guilty of all? The nature of the subject must answer this second question, and enable us to reject the false senses, that are given to the proposition of our apostle. It is plain, St. James neither meant to establish an equality of sins, nor an equality of punishinents. It is evident, that as sins are unequal among men, so justice requires an inequality of punishment. The man who adds murder to hatred, is certainly more guilty than he who restrains his hatred, and trembles at a thought of murder. He whose ha tred knows no bounds, and who endeavours to assuage it with murder, will certainly be punished more rigorously than the former. What, then. was the apostle's meaning? He probably had two views, a particular and a general view. The particular design might regard the theological system of some Jews, and the general design might regard the moral system of too many Christians. But, as we observed just now, St. James did not intend to restrain what he said to love. If he had a particular view to the theological system of some Jews, he had also a general view to the morality of many Christians, whose ideas of devotion are too contracted. He informs them, that a virtue, incomplete in its parts, cannot be a true virtue. He affirms, that he who resolves, in his own mind to sin, and who forces his conscience to approve vice while he commits it, cannot in this manner violate one single article of the law without enervating the whole of it. A man cannot be truly chaste without being humble, nor can he be truly humble without being chaste. For the same reason, no man can deliberately violate the law that forbids anger, without violating that which forbids avarice; nor can any man violate the law which forbids extortion, without violating that which forbids impurity. All virtues are naturally united together, and mutually support one another. The establishment of one unjust maxim author zes all unjust maxims, This is the meaning of the proposition in our text, Whosoever offendeth in one point is guilty of all.' Hitherto we have only explained the sense of our text; it remains now to be proved. The proposition of our apostle is founded on three principal reasons. He who sins in the manner now described; he whose mind resolves to sin, and who forces his conscience to approve vice, while he commits it, sins against all the precepts of the law, while he seems to sin against only one. 1. Because Some Jews, soon after the apostle's time, he subverts, as far as he can, the foundation and very likely in his days, affirmed, that of the law. 2 Because, although he may God gave a great many precepts to men not not actually violate all the articles of the that he intended to oblige them to the observ-law, yet he violates them virtually; I mean ance of all, but that they might have an opportunity of obtaining salvation, by observing any one of them; and it was one of their maxims, that he who diligently kept one cou mand, was thereby freed from the necessit of observing the rest. Agreeable to this no tion, a famous Rabbit expounds these word in Hosea, Take away all iniquity, and giv good, that is, according to the false notion *See Whitby on James li. 2. to say. h's principles lead to un actual violation of all the precepts of the law 3 Because we may presume, he who violates the w virtually, will actually violate it when it uits him to do so. Th se three reasons estalish the truth of our apostle's proposition, nd justify the sense that we have given it. he discussion of these three reasons will be he second part of our discourse. II. He who violates one precept of the law, In the manner just now described, violates all; because, first, he subverts, as far as in him lies, the very foundation of the law. This will clearly appear by a comparison of vice with error, heresy with disobedience. There are two sorts of errors and heresies; there are some errors which do not subvert the foundation of faith, and there are other errors that do subvert it. If, after I have honestly and diligently endeavoured to understand a passage of Scripture proceeding from the mouth of God, I give it a sense different from that which is the true meaning of it; if I give it this sense, not because I dispute the authority of an infallible God, but because I cannot perceive that it ought to be taken in any other sense than that in which I understand it, I am indeed in an error, but by falling into this error I do not subvert the foundation on which my faith is built. I always suppose the authority and infallibility of God, and I am ready to renounce my error as soon as I am convinced that it is contrary to divine revelation. But if, after it has been made to appear with irrefragable evidence, that my error is contrary to divine revelation, and if, moreover, after it has been made to appear that revelation came from God, I persist in my error, then, by sinning against one point,' I become guilty of all,' because, by denying one single proposition of revelation, I deny that foundation on which all other propositions of revelation are built, that is, the infallibility and veracity of that God who speaks in our Scriptures. I put in the place of God my reason, my wisdom, my tutor, my minister, whomever or whatever determines me to prefer my error before that truth, which I am convinced is clearly revealed in a book that came from heaven. if he imagine he may make any reserve in his obedience; if he says, I will submit to God, if he command me to be humble, but not if he command me to be chaste; and so on. He saps the foundation of that obedience which is due to God, considered as a lawgiver, if he imagines God is just in giving such and such a law, but not in prescribing such and such other laws; if he supposes God is just when he appoints him to educate and provide for an only son, but that he ceases to do right when he commands him to sacrifice him, addressing him in this terrifying style, Take now thy son, and offer him for a burnt-offering upon one of the mountains which I will tell thee of,' Gen. xxii. 2. He subverts the foundation of obedience to God as a father, if he supposes that God has our happiness in view in requiring us to renounce some passions, but that he goes contrary to our interests by requiring us to sacrifice some other passions, which we may suppose can never be sacrificed without sacrificing at the same time his pleasure and felicity. He who sins in this manner, attributes to the objects which induce him to sin, excellencies that can be in none but the Creator. He says, it is not God who is my master, my sovereign: it is the world, it is my company, it is my custom. He says, it is not God who is just: justice is the property of my passions, my anger, my vengeance. He says, it is not God who is the source of my true happiness: it is my gold, my silver, my palace, my equipage, my Delilah, my Drusilla. To offend in one point, in this sense, is to be guilty of all;' because it subverts the foundation on which our obedience is built. And this reason is emphatically assigned by St. James, in the verses that follow the text, Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all; for,' adds the apostle, 'he that said, Do not commit adultery, said also, Do not kill. Now if thou commit no adultery, yet if thou kill, thou art become a transgressor of the law." In like manner, there are two sorts of vices, some which do not subvert the foundation of our obedience to the laws of God, and others that do. In the first class are those sins which we have enumerated, daily infirmities, transient faults, and involuntary passions. In the second class ought to be placed those sins of deliberation and reflection, of 2. The man who offends in the manner we which we just now spoke, and which our have described, he who in his mind resolves apostle had in view. These sins strike at the to sin, and endeavours to force his conscience foundation of obedience to the laws of God. to approve of vice while he commits it, breaks What is the ground of obedience to the all the precepts of the law, because, whether divine laws? When God gives us laws, he he do actually break them or not, he breaks may be considered under either of three rela- them virtually, and intentionally. He viotions, or under all the three together; as a lates precepts of generosity, but he does not sovereign, as a legislator, as a father. Our fall into debauchery. Why? Is it because he obedience to God, considered as a sovereign, respects the divine laws which prohibit deis founded on his infinite authority over us, bauchery? No, but because, not being alike and in our obligation to an entire and un- inclined to both these vices, he enjoys less reserved submission to him. Our obedi-pleasure in excess than in avarice. Could he ence to God as a legislator is founded on his perfect equity. Our obedience to God as a father is founded on the certain advantages which they who obey his laws derive from them, and on a clear evidence that because he ordains them, they must be essential to our happiness. Now he who sins coolly and deliberately against one single article, saps these three foundations of the law. He is, therefore, guilty of a violation of the whole law. He saps the foundation of that obedience which is due to God, considered as a master, find as much pleasure in violating the laws that prohibit excesses, as he finds in violating those which forbid avarice, then the same principle that impels him now to an incessant, immoderate love of gain, would impel him to drown his reason in wine, and to plunge himself into all excesses. By violating, then, laws commanding generosity, he violates, if not actually, yet virtually, laws prohibiting debauchery. What keeps him from violating the laws that forbid clamour and dissipation, is not respect for that God who commands recollection, retreat, and silence: but he affects these, because he has less aversion to retirement and silence, than he has to noise, clamour and dissipation. Had he as much dislike of the first as he has of the last, then the same principle that now induces him to be always alone, always either inaccessible 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 dissipation; and here again to offend 'in one point' is to be guilty of all.' 6 In fine, he who offends in the manner that we have explained, he whose mind determines to sin, and who endeavors 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 natural 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 today 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 practice 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 1 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 cir cumstances. 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 characterize 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 favourite passion. 3. Against persons of unteachable dispositions. 1. They who are engaged in 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 pas sions, 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 obliges 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 dispos ed to revenge, and to violate all laws human and divine which forbid duelling. We do not ever shall be ashamed of me and of my words, inquire the truth of the assertion, we suppose of him shall the Son of man be ashamed, it true. We do not examine, whether pru- | when he shall come in his own glory, and in dence could not in all cases suggest proper his Father's, and of the holy angels, Luke ix. means to free men from a tyrannical point of 26. He that loveth father or mother, son or honour; or whether there really be any cases, daughter,' and, we may add, he that loves in which gentlemen are indispensably obliged, houses or lands, ease, riches, or honours, either to quit the army, or to violate the pre- more than me, is not worthy of me,' Matt. cepts that command us to give up a spirit of x. 37. We have summoned them by the resentment. We only affirin, that a military sacr & promises and solemn engagements, man, who constantly and deliberately har- which some of them have entered into at the bours a design of always avenging himself in table of the Lord, while they partook of the certain cases is in this miserable list of sin- significant symbols of the body and blood of ners, who, by offending in one point,' are the Saviour, to devote themselves to the glory guilty of all. We do not affirm, that he of God, and the edification of his church. We would be in this guilty condition, if he could have unveiled their hearts, and shown them not promise to resist a disposition to revenge how the artfulness of their ingenious pasin every future moment of his life; we only sions exculpated their conduct, by putting affirm that he is guilty of a violation of the specious pretexts in the place of solid reawhole law, if he do not sincerely and upright- sons. We have reproved them for pretendly resolve to resist this inclination. You can- ing, that they dare not face the danger of atnot be a Christian without having a fixed tempting to flee, when the government forresolution to seal the truths of the gospel with bade their quitting the kingdom; and now your blood, if it please Providence to call you berty is granted, for making that a reason to martyrdom. You cannot, however, promise, for staying. We have described the numer that the sight of racks and stakes shall never ous advantages of public worship'; we have shake your resolution, ner ever induce you to proved, that the preaching of the gospel is, violate your sincere determination to die for if I may speak so, the food of Christian virreligion if it should please Providence to ex- tues; and that, when people have accustompose you to death on account of it. It is suf- ed themselves to live without the public exficient for the tranquillity of your conscience, ercises of relig on, they insensibly lose that that you have formed a resolution to suffer delicacy of conscience, without which they rather than deny the faith. In like manner, cannot either be good hristians, or, what we do not affirm, that a military man is guilty are called in the world, men of honour and of the offence with which we have charged probity; we have demonstrated this assertion him, if he cannot engage never to be carried by an unexceptionable argument taken from away with an excess of passion inclining him experience, we have said, Observe that man, to revenge; we only say, if he cooly deter- who was formerly so very scrupulous of reInine always to revenge himself in certain taining the property of his neighbour; see, cases, he directly attacks the authority of the he retains it now without any scruple: oblawgiver. He offendeth in one point, and serve those parents, who were formerly so he is guilty of all.' If a man cannot profess tender o their children; see now with what to bear arms without harbouring a fixed in inhumanity they leave them to struggle with tention of violating all laws human and divine, want We have represented to them, that that prohibit duelling, even to those who re- to reside where the spirit of persecution is ceive the most cruel affronts, either the pro- only smothered, not extinguished, is to betray fession of arms or the hope of salvation must religion, by exposing the friends of it to the be given up. No man in the army can assure hazard of being martyred, without having himself that he is in a state of grace, unless any assurance of being possessed with a spirit his conscience attests, that he will avoid, of martyrdom; and we have endeavoured to with all possible circumspection, every cise convince them, that he who flatters himself in which a tyrannical point of honour renders he shall be able to undergo martyrdom, and revenge necessary; and that, if ever be be, in lives where he is liable to it, while Provi spite of all his precautions, in such a case, dence opens a way of escape, is presumptuwhen he must either resign his military em- ous in the highest degree, and exposes himployments, or violate the laws that forbid re-self to such misery as the son of Sirach venge, he will obey the law, and resign his military honours. It is too often seen, that our relation to some offenders inspires us with indulgence for their offences. This kind of temptation is never more difficult to surmount than when we are called to bear a faithful testimony concerning the state of our brethren, who refuse to sacrifice their fortune and their country to religion and a good conscience. But what relation is so near as to preoccupy our minds to such a degree as to prevent our considering the life of such a person, as it really is, bad in itself; or what pretext can be plau sible enough to author ze it? We have sounded in their ears a thousand times these thundering words of the Son of God, Who denounces, when he says, 'He that loveth To all 80 ders the grace that tears the deplorable passion from his heart as a most desirable benefit; and, even while he falls into his sin, he considers it as the greatest misfortune of his life: the other regards him as a mortal enemy who endeavours to prevail with him to renounce a passion, in the gratification of which all his happiness depends. Come out of her. my people! that ye be not partakers of her sins, and that ye receive not f her plagues, Rev. xviii. 4 They build, hey plant, they marry, they give in marriage, and thus they have abused the patience of thirty-five years, in which they have been invited to repent I ask again, what relation can be so near as to prevail with us to put this kind of life among the frailties, for Let us lay down the love of God as a which evangelical abatements are reserved. | foundation of all virtue. Let us love him Let us all, as far as providential circum-chiefly, who is supremely lovely. Let our stances will allow, follow a profession compatible with our duty. Let us do more, let us endeavour so to arrange our affairs that our professions may stimulate us to obedience, and that every thing around us may direct our attention to God. Alas! in spite of all our precautions, sin will too often carry us away; we shall too often forget our Creator, how loud soever every voice around us proclaims his beneficence to us, and his excellencies in himself. But how great will our defection be, if our natural inclinations be strengthened by the engagements of our condition! A kind of life wicked of itself is the first sort of sin of which my text says, Whosoever offendeth in one point is guilty of all.' 2. In the same class we put sinners, who cherish a darling passion. Few hearts are so depraved as to be inclined to all excesses. Few souls are so insensible to the grand interest of their salvation, as to be unwilling to do an thing towards obtaining salvation. But, at the same time, where is the heart so renewed as to have no evil disposition? And how few Christians are there, who love their salvation so as to sacrifice all to the obtaining of it? The offender, of whom we speak, pretends to compound with his law giver. Is he inclined to avarice he will say, Lord! allow me to gratify my love of money, and I am ready to give up my disposition to revenge. Is he inclined to revenge? Lord! allow me to be v ndictive, and I will sacrifice my avarice. Is he dispo ed to voluptuousness? Lord! suffer me to retain my Drusilla, and my Delilah, and my vengeance, my ambition, my avarice, and every thing else, I will sacrifice to thee. A favourite passion is inconsistent with the chief virtue of Christianity, with that, which is the life and soul of all others, I mean that love of God, which places God supreme in the heart. A jealous God will accept of none of our homage, while we refuse him that of our chief lo e. All the sacrifices that we can offer him to purchase a right to retain a darling sin, are proofs of the empire which that sin has over us, and of our fixed resolution to free ourselves from the law of him, who would be, as he ought to be, the supreme object of our love. Do not fancy, that what we have sait concerning involuntary pis sions is applicable to a darling sin, and exculpates a favourite passion. One man, whose involuntary passions sometimes hurry him away, detests his own disposition; but the other cherishes his. One makes many an ar duous attempt to correct his error: the other engages to do so; but he makes promises pass for performances, and means to get rid of the last by professing the first. One consi hearts adopt the language of the psalinist, 'Access to God is my supreme good. Whom have I in heaven but thee, and there is none upon the earth that I desire besides thee,' Ps. lxxiii. 28. 25. Let us consider and avoid, as acts of idolatry, all immoderately lively and affectionate emotions of love to creatures. Let us entertain only a small degree of attachment to objects, which at most can procure only a momentary felicity. A favourite passion is a second disposition of mind, that renders us guilty of a violation of the whole law, even while we seem to violate it only in an inconsiderable part. 3. Finally, Intractable minds are condemned in our text. Docility is a touchstone, by which a doubtful piety may be known to be real or apparent. The royal prophet describes in the fiftieth psalm such a rigid observer of the exterior of religion as we speak of; a man who has the name of God always in his mouth, and is ever talking of the holiness of his laws; a man always ready to offer whole hecatombs in sacrifice; but who has not patience to hear a representation of his duty, and an exhortation to perform it. The psalmist declares, all this appearance of devotion, if unaccompanied with docility, is useless; yea, more likely to arouse the anger of God than to obtain his favour. 'Thou wicked wretch' says he, in the name of God, to this phantom of piety, who imposes on the church by his outward appearance, and who, perhaps, imposes on himself; Thou wicked man, what hast thou to do to d clare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant in thy mouth, seeing thou hatest instruction? ver. 16. He authorizes us to use the same language to some of you. Why this assiduity at church, why this zeal on solemn festivals, why this fervour at the Lord's table, seeing you are unteachable; seeing you love none but vague maxims of vi tue and holiness; seeing you will not allow your casuist to enter into some details; seeing every man loses your favour, if he only hint at your foibles; seeing your tenderest and most faith ul friend would become suspected directly, yea, would seem in impertinent censor, the moment he should discover your faults, and endeavour to make you acknowledge and reform them? My brethren, if we love virtue, we love all the means that lead to it, and with peculiar pleasure behold them who recommend it. Nothing is more opposite to that general devotedness to the laws of God which my text prescribes, than a spirit inimical against them who have the courage to control the passions. He that turneth away his ear from hearing the law, even his prayers shall be abomination,' Prov. xxviii. 9. Whoso loveth instruc |