things," are "dead" to the world, are not "covetous," are not idolaters, do not "serve mammon," do not serve "the creature more than the Creator," are not "lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God," do not "love the praise of men more than the praise of God." Whatever remaining sins they have, this is their character, their only character, then certainly their general character. And is it true after all that "nine hours out of ten," they are alive to the world, are friends of the world, are covetous, are idolaters, are servants of mammon, are lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God, are enemies of God? Then this is their general character, and by these names they ought to be called. Are they who are described as serving God and not mammon, really serving mammon and not God "nine hours out of ten?" After the Bible has declared that no covetous man shall inherit the kingdom of Christ, shall they inherit who remain covetous, "nine hours out of ten," to the day of their death? Is the good man of the Bible one who, "nine hours out of ten," differs in nothing from the wicked? Do those temples in which the Holy Ghost "dwells," contain, "nine hours out of ten," nothing but idols and enmity against God? Christians are said not to "commit sin,"* to be "dead to sin," to be "freed from sin," which is explained to mean that they do not serve sin.‡ And after all do they sin with the prevailing consent of their minds "nine hours out of ten?" They indeed have large remains of indwelling corruption and often "do that which [they] would not;" but they are allowed to plead, "It is no more I that do it but sin that dwelleth in me;"|| that is, It is no more I in my general character.

It is very apparent that men are denominated in Scripture according to their general character. For example, when our Saviour says, "Whosoever shall Rom. vi, 12, 16, 20,

* 1 John iii. 9. || Rom. vii. 20.

† Rom. vi. 2, 7, 18, 22.

deny me before men him will I also deny before my Father," he must speak of general character or Peter falls under this sentence. When the apostle says, "Whosoever hateth his brother is a murderer, and ye know that no murderer hath eternal life abiding in him," he must speak of general character or David fell from grace, and indeed all the saints daily fall. But David was not a murderer nor Peter a denier of Christ in the sense of Scripture, because such was not their general character. When it is said, "There is no condemnation to them-who walk not after the flesh but after the Spirit:-if ye live after the flesh ye shall die;"‡ the reference must be to general character or we must all exclaim, "who then can be saved?" By analogy then the declaration that "no covetous man, who is an idolater, hath any inheritance in the kingdom of Christ," must import that no Christian is covetous or idolatrous in his general character. That is, no Christian habitually loves "the creature more then the Creator."S

All then who are not the enemies of God, and of course utterly destitute of holiness, are habitually governed by supreme love to him. Or to reverse

*Mat. x. 33.

+1 John iii. 15.

Rom. viii. 1. 13.

To this conclusion the author has conceived himself driven by the word of God. Any question connected with the subject which is not decided by that arbiter, he dares not touch; for instance, whether the term love, as it is used in the Bible, includes both the disposition and the exercise, like the root and stock of a tree which go in to make one whole; how great a part of the time the Christian exercises direct love to God; how far his exercises, when God is not the immediate object of attention, may still be regarded as love to him. He will venture to say thus much. Other affections may hourly rise in the Christian's heart; other passions may occasionally take possession of his mind; other objects may frequently engross his attention: his views may often be obscured when his attention is directed to God: through the insensible influence of selfish passions he may neglect to rouse himself to discern the will of God, and by that means may omit many self-denying duties which a realizing sense of divine authority would have enforced: by the same means his attention may be drawn away from the interests of others and leave his mind to sleep over a perishing world. But in almost all these seasons let God present himself before him and fix the attention upon himself, and there is found a temper to prefer him and his interest to all other objects: there is found a heart which in the trying hour would die for the name of Jesus.

the proposition, all who are not habitually governed by supreme love to God, are his enemies and utterly destitute of holiness.

II. With this standard let us now compare the world.

If all are destitute of holiness who do not love God supremely, who are not habitually governed by this affection, will any affirm that the mass of mankind possess a holy principle? Instead of supreme habitual love, I shall prove that they do not love God at all but are his enemies.

The mass of mankind do not love God at all. It has already been proved that they who love God in the least degree are heirs of all the promises and will inherit eternal glory: of course all who are not entitled to heaven are utterly destitute of this affection. In the last lecture I cited a number of texts which asserted that natural men do not desire God, do not seek God, do not fear God, do not know God, and have no desires after Christ. In addition to all this I am now to present you with several classes of men who are expressly declared not to love God. They who hate any of their fellow men, do not love God: "If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?" The reasoning in this passage proves that there is no love to God without universal love to man; for if a single individual is excluded from our good will, the reasoning lies full against us. Again, they who withhold alms do not love God: "Whoso hath this world's goods and seeth his brother have need and shutteth up his bowels of compassion from him, how dwelleth the love of God in him?" Again, they who reject the Gospel do not love God. It was on this account that our Saviour said to the Jews, "I know you that ye have not the love of God in you." "If God were your Father ye would love me, for I proceeded forth and came from

God; neither came I of myself but he sent me."Again, they who disobey God do not love him: "He that hath my commandments and keepeth them, he it is that loveth me,-If a man love me he will keep my words. He that loveth me not keepeth not my sayings. Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you." Again, none of the wicked whom God will destroy have any love to him: "The Lord preserveth all them that love him, but all the wicked will he destroy.'

All then who either hate any of their fellow men, (in other words, lack universal love to mankind,) or withhold alms from the needy, or reject the Gospel, or habitually disobey the divine commands, or are of the class that will finally perish, or are not at present heirs of salvation, are utterly destitute of love to God. And pray will not these classes include every natural man on earth?

That natural men possess no love to God is further evident from this, that the love of God is "the fruit of the Spirit:" "The love of God is shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Ghost which is given unto us." The same truth is further evident from the consideration that the unregenerate do not love the image of God in his children. "We know that we have passed from death unto life because we love the brethren." "Every one that loveth [the brethren,] is born of God and knoweth God."‡

Thus it appears that the whole mass of natural men are entirely destitute of love to God. Here I might rest my cause. But there is proof against the world still more decisive. The whole race of natural men are his enemies. It has already appeared that there are no neutrals, that they who are not for God are against him. This, joined with the last particular, makes out full proof that the whole body of natural men are his enemies. Again, it has been

Ps. cxlv. 20. John v. 42. and viii. 42. and xiv. 21, 23, 24. and xv. 14. 1 John iii. 17. and iv. 20. 1 John iii. 14. and iv. 7.

† Rom. v. 5.

proved that all who serve mammon, who are friends of the world, who love another object supremely, are the enemies of God. And can it be doubted that these descriptions are applicable to all natural men? But I have further evidence to offer. Let us in the first place dispose of the heathen world. This great portion of the human race are expressly set down by the apostle, in the first chapter of Romans, as "haters of God." Nor did they obtain this character by being heathen, but they became idolaters because "they did not like to retain God in their knowledge." In the second place let us settle the question as it respects the Jewish world. Of this second great division of mankind our Saviour says; "They have both seen and hated both me and my Father." In the next place let us take up the question as it relates to the whole world. And what says our Saviour to this? "If THE WORLD hate you ye know that it hated me before it hated you. He that hateth me hateth my Father also." On no other principle can you account for the rancorous opposition which the world have always made to the Gospel and disciples of Christ. "Marvel not -if THE WORLD hate you.' "If they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more them of his household.-Think not that I am come to send peace on earth; I came not to send peace but a sword. For I am come to set a man at` variance against his father and the daughter against her mother; and a man's foes shall be they of his own household." "And the brother shall deliver up the brother to death and the father the child; and the children shall rise up against their parents and cause them to be put to death. And ye shall be hated of all men for my name's sake." But the apostle has put this question finally to rest by ranking all men among the "haters of God" who retain the carnal or natural heart: "The carnal [fleshly] mind is enmity, [not unfriendly, but enmity] against God; for it is not