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other hidden powers, the power of the Spirit upon the soul of man must be estimated by its effect. By its fruits it is known. And the fruits of the Spirit are manifest, which are these.r 66 Love;" the love of God and man: a desire to promote the general happiness of those around us: "Joy," a quiet, unobtrusive, cheerful disposition, not too much elated with the good things of this life: not unduly depressed with their loss. "Peace;" that peace, inwardly and deeply seated, which the world can neither give nor take away: "Long-suffering;" a temper not easily provoked to anger; ready to forgive others, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven us; "gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, temperance; against such there is no law" they are the genuine proofs, where they are found, that the Scriptures of God have been effectually addressed to the fears and to the hopes of man: that the Holy Spirit has warned and enlightened his mind; and still actuates, guides and sanctifies: and they afford a reasonable expectation, that he will in the end receive the exceeding great reward which is promised to the faithful.

Gal. v. 22.

PART III.

LECTURE X.

SECRET FAULTS.

Psalm XIX. 12.

Who can understand his errors? cleanse thou me from secret faults.

When we compare the purity and perfection of the rule of life laid down in Scripture, with the imperfect obedience, which every one must be conscious he has paid, one of the most obvious reflexions which we are led to make is, that there must be many secret faults lurking within us, which the eye of God can discover, although the eye of man cannot. When we further consider, that man is a responsible agent, responsible for his obedience to the divine law; which he can hope to render only by means of the grace of God preventing and

assisting him—that, after all the care which he may bestow to improve the means of salvation, he must still remain a humble suppliant for pardon—one of the most earnest prayers, which we shall be induced to prefer, must be a petition for that inestimable grace and mercy, to enable us to understand our errors, and to cleanse us from secret faults.

This is the train of thought, which the mind of David pursues in the nineteenth Psalm. The contemplation of the wonderful works of nature elevates his thoughts to nature's God. The consideration of the wonderful revelation of God's word leads him to expatiate, as we have seen, upon its perfection, its certainty, its equity, its purity, its integrity, its truth. He acknowledges that the statutes and judgments of the Lord are more to be desired than gold: sweeter than honey: that by them mankind is warned: and that in keeping of them there is great reward. Yet, after all these assertions, which express feelings of great thankfulness for the benefit of Divine revelation, he experiences that sinking of the heart, produced by comparing precept with practice; the commands of God, with the obedience of man: and he adds, in the words of humility and piety, "who can understand his errors? cleanse

thou me from secret faults."

Human nature is not grown less liable to err, since the days of David: and his complaint must always find a responsive feeling in every heart, that soberly reflects upon its eternal interest. Conscious, then, that it is an enquiry which deeply concerns us all, whether high, or low; rich, or poor; learned, or unlearned; let us proceed to reflect, with all seriousness, upon the important doctrine, that we have all secret faults. Let us consider how we may discover some of them; and the remedy, which the merciful dispensation of the Gospel has provided against their influence.

I. 1. The first method, by which we may obtain a knowledge that we have secret faults, is to compare the nature of God with the nature of fallen man.

The conceptions of God, which the Scriptures give us, are those of purity itself. "Behold, even to the moon, and it shineth not; yea the stars are not pure in his sight; how much less man that is a worm, and the Son of man which is a worm.' "He is of purer eyes

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than to behold evil." Yet the Almighty so pure, so holy, is the Being before whom we stand, and by whom our conduct is to be weighed. "His eyes behold, his eyelids try the children of men."

a Job xxv. 5.

b Hab. i. 13.

c Psalm xi. 4.

Now it needs no laboured argument to prove, that before the eye of a pure, perfect, all-seeing God, all men must shrink with a consciousness of deep infirmity. We have not now to learn how sin first entered into the world; nor need we to be reminded how deadly a change has passed upon our nature. If we refer to the Scriptures, we learn that in us, that is, in our flesh, dwelleth no good thing.d David will declare, respecting mankind in general, "there is none that doeth good, no not one:" and St. Paul, that "death passed upon all men, for that all have sinned." If we refer to experience, we shall receive the same instruction. We shall perceive the laws of all nations continually, but ineffectually, endeavouring to restrain the propensity to sin. We shall discover all forms of religious worship to have a reference, more or less direct, to the offering of some expiatory sacrifice, to take away guilt. We shall observe superstition urging mankind to the most irksome labours, in order to appease the Divine wrath, which they were so conscious

they merited. Tedious pilgrimages, frequent ablutions, voluntary exposure to hunger, and thirst, and cold, and nakedness, and weariness; bodily tortures of the most excruciating kind,

d Rom. vii. 18.

Rom. v. 12.

e Psalm xiv. 3. Rom. iii. 10.

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