cepted. They all live and grow up in a world that lies in wickedness, which they naturally love; and they are fond of following the examples of the great majority of its inhabitants. The rising generation in this place have fallen upon evil times, and stand exposed to be guided and ruined by the great majority of evil-doers. They are to be pitied, instructed, and guarded, as much as possible. possible. They are not constrained, though persuaded, to follow bad examples. They are capable of seeing the distinction between right and wrong examples, and of following the right and shunning the wrong. But there is but one way to do it; and that is, to remember their Creator in the days of their youth. This way God has pointed out, and commanded them to take, as they value the happiness of their precious and immortal souls.

5. If it be criminal to follow bad examples, it must be far more criminal to set bad examples. Those who follow bad examples often act inconsiderately, and under very plausible and alluring motives; which, though they do not excuse them, yet extenuate and lessen their criminality. But those who set bad examples generally act deliberately, and with a design to deceive, seduce, and persuade others to follow them. They endeavor to make others believe that their examples are right, are reputable, and harmless. They employ their superior knowledge, superior art, and superior reputation, to persuade others, inferior to them in all these respects, to walk in the paths of the destroyer. This is an expression of the subtilty and malignity of the great deceiver, and partakes of the highest kind of criminality. Such persons do as evil things as they can; and are as wicked as they can be. They designedly exert themselves to the utmost to destroy the eternal, as well as the temporal good of their fellow men. God stigmatizes such corrupters in his word, with the highest marks of his abhorrence and detestation. What a black character has he given of Manasseh, and of Jeroboam the son of Nebat, who made Israel to sin! And the Apostle Jude gives an odious and detestable picture of corrupters. He pronounces a dreadful wo upon them. He calls them, "Clouds without water, carried about of winds; trees whose fruit withereth, twice dead, plucked up by the roots; raging waves of the sea, foaming out their own shame; wandering stars, to whom is reserved the blackness of darkness for ever." This is a peculiar description of errorists, who corrupt and deceive men by their false and pernicious sentiments, as well as by their other evil examples. Of all sinners, corrupters of the sentiments and practice of others, are the most criminal; and stand condemned to the severest marks of God's everlasting displeasure.

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6. If men are naturally disposed to follow the multitude to do evil, then every one in a state of nature has great reason to fear that he shall live and die in his present unsanctified, and impenitent state. The great majority around are in such a state, and walking together heart and hand in the broad road to destruction. This is the case of the impenitent child, the impenitent youth, and the impenitent professor. You know that God has forbidden you to follow a multitude to do evil; you know that you always have, since you can remember, followed the multitude of evil-doers; you know that you still love to follow them, and that they love to have you follow them, and are constantly persuading you, by their words and actions, to follow them. What ground then have you to hope that you shall ever leave following them, till you die, and go into a miserable eternity? I speak to you, as capable of understanding truth as well as error, and good examples as well as bad examples. And with all your knowledge, and in the face of all divine prohibitions, warnings, and admonitions, it is your present intention to follow the multitude. What, or who then, can prevent it? You will not prevent it. You will not suffer others to prevent it. It is true God can prevent it; but what reason have you to expect that he will prevent it? He has threatened to destroy you. He is able to destroy you. He can display his glory by destroying, as well as by saving you. Your belonging to the majority will not help you to turn about, but powerfully tend to hinder you. What will you say when he punishes you?

7. If men are naturally disposed to follow the multitude to do evil, not only in Europe, but in America, and not only in America, but in Massachusetts; is there not a great occasion for keeping this day of public fasting and prayer, and of keeping it sincerely? But who will or can keep this fast sincerely? The answer is plain. Not the majority, but a small minority. You are called to mix with the great majority in the duties of this day, because you have mixed with them before, in setting and following bad examples. Let each one ask himself, what have I done to bring on the present declension? Have I neglected this or that duty? Have I set, or followed, this or that bad example? You have all, serious duties to do. To repent-reform and pray.

SERMON XXVI.

THE DISPLEASURE OF GOD WITH ALL WHO ARE PLEASED WITH SIN.

ANNUAL FAST, APRIL 5, 1822.

WHO, knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death; not only do the same, but have pleasure

in them that do them. - ROMANS, i. 32.

THOUGH Paul was the especial apostle of the Gentiles, yet he did not plant the first christian church in Rome, which was the metropolis of the heathen world. But he tells them in this epistle, that by what he had heard of their faith and purity, he had been led to pray for their spiritual prosperity, and to come to them and impart to them some spiritual gift. For says he, "I am debtor both to the Greeks and to the barbarians, both to the wise and to the unwise. So as much as in me is, I am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome also. For I am not ashamed of the gospel of Christ; for it is the power of God unto salvation, to every one that believeth; to the Jew first, and also to the Greek." But as he had been hindered, and did not know how much longer he might be hindered, from coming to Rome, he determined in the mean time to write this epistle to them, in which he gives them a clearer and more extensive view of the whole gospel scheme of salvation, than they ever had opportunity of gaining. Accordingly, he begins at the very foundation of the gospel, and proves the universal and total depravity of mankind, which exposes them to the everlasting displeasure of God. And to make this appear, he describes the native character and condition of both Jews and Gentiles. He represents them all as involved in the deepest moral corruption, and as disposed both to do and to approve,

what they knew was displeasing to God. "Who knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them." The plain sense of the text may be expressed in this general observation :

That sinners are disposed not only to do things which they know are displeasing to God, but to take pleasure in seeing others do things which are displeasing to him. I shall show,

I. That sinners are disposed to do things which they know are displeasing to God. And,

II. That they also take pleasure in seeing others do things which are displeasing to him.

I. I am to show that sinners do things which they know are displeasing to God.

God has given us the history of the conduct of mankind, for more than four thousand years, from the first apostacy to the death of the last of the apostles. By this it clearly appears that they are by nature totally and universally depraved, and that their hearts are fully set in them to do things which they know are displeasing to God. They have always been capable of knowing, loving and obeying their Maker. But whenever they have discovered his will, whether by the light of nature or by the commands he has given them, they have always been naturally disposed to act in direct contrariety to it. This has been made visibly to appear by the vast variety of circumstances under which they have been placed in every age and in every part of the world. The apostle tells us in the first place, that God has condemned the heathen world for doing things which they knew were displeasing to him. He says, "The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness and unrighteousness of men, who hold the truth in unrighteousness;" that is, those who disregard and disobey the known will of God. He goes on to say, "Because that which may be known of God is manifest in them; for God hath showed it unto them. For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and godhead; so that they are without excuse: Because that when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful, but became vain in their imagination, and their foolish heart was darkened. Professing themselves to be wise, they became fools and changed the glory of the uncorruptible God into an image made like to corruptible man." And after drawing a more odious and disgusting picture of their character and conduct, he sums it up in the words of our text. "Who, knowing the judgment of God, that they which commit such

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things are worthy of death, not only do the same, but have pleasure in them that do them." After this description of the Gentiles, he gives a description of the moral corruption and criminality of the Jews. "Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art, that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself: for thou that judgest, dost the same things. But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth, against them that commit such things. And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them that do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God? Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, and knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law. Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking of the law, dishonorest thou God?" From this description of the Jews, who notwithstanding their deep depravity boasted of their superior goodness, the apostle draws a just and general conclusion. What then! are we (Jews) better than they? No, in no wise: for we have before proved, both Jews and Gentiles, that they are all under sin; as it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one. none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God. They are all gone out of the way, they are together become unprofitable: there is none that doeth good, no, not one. Their throat is an open sepulchre; with their tongues they have used deceit; the poison of asps is under their lips: whose mouth is full of cursing and bitterness. Their feet are swift to shed blood. Destruction and misery are in their ways: and the way of peace have they not known. There is no fear of God before their eyes. Now we know that what things soever the law saith, it saith to them who are under the law: that every mouth may be stopped, and all the world may become guilty before God." But what are all the world guilty of? The apostle tells us, and what he tells us is true. They are guilty of doing things which they know are displeasing to God. The heathen are guilty of doing things which they know the law of nature forbids, and therefore must be displeasing to the God of nature. The Jews are guilty of doing things which they know God forbids in his word, and therefore must be displeasing to him. And this is true of all men under the gospel, who are in a state of nature. They know that God forbids them to love themselves supremely; but they do love themselves supremely. God forbids them to love the world supremely; but they do love the world supremely. God forbids them to disobey his commands; but they do disobey them. God forbids them to hate him; but they both see and