and therefore, he rejected with contempt the offer of salvation by a crucified Redeemer. But when his understanding was under the influence of divine teaching, his views were totally changed. Hear his language:-"When the commandment came,' i. e. when it was applied to my heart in its genuine extensiveness, "sin revived"-Ithen felt sin to be alive in my soul; "and I died” to all my former expectations of salvation: and thus "the commandment, which was" originally "ordained unto life, I found to be unto death." Having observed, that the Law was not the cause of this death; but sin committed against it; and that, for this reason, sin appeared exceeding sinful, he added, as a proof of his own exposure to the 'death which the Law denounced, "For we know that the Law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin.”.

It is not my design to occupy your time, by endeavouring to ascertain whether this declaration refers to the unconverted sinner, the awakened penitent, or the humble believer. That which I have particularly in view, is the discovery of our own sinfulness, by illustrating the spirituality of the Law of God. The Law is spiritual, says our text. You all know, that, by this Law, is meant the moral Law; which was originally engraven on the heart of Adam, was afterwards published to the world on Mount Sinai, and

written by the finger of God in ten commandments, on two tables of stone. In order to give an illustration of it according to its spiritual signification, it will be proper to pay a distinct attention to its particular parts. We therefore begin with the

I. "Thou shalt have none other gods but me." Here you observe, that we are to have no God but the one, living, and true Jehovah. Now, whatever object our hearts are most fixed upon, that object is our god. Hence the glutton is said to make a god of his belly-and the coveteous man, whose heart is placed on worldly wealth, is styled an idolater. His money is his god. In this commandment, therefore, we are required to love the one Almighty Being with supreme affection-to esteem him infinitely above all created objects-to choose him as the best and only portion of our souls; and in short to love him with all our hearts, with all our minds, with all our souls, and with all our strength. Have we acted according to these requirements? Let us closely examine ourselves. To what have our hearts been most firmly attached? What, or whom have we loved with supreme affection?and what have we most decidedly chosen for our portion? If we suffer conscience to speak, must we not acknowledge that, during the greater part of our lives, we have not loved the Almighty God above every other object?

nay, must we not confess with shame, that we have set our affections on things below-have been lovers of pleasure, more than lovers of God-and have fixed our hearts more steadily upon this world than upon that gracious Being, who alone is worthy of our warmest and most devout attachment??

To have none other gods but him, implies also that we fear to offend him above all other beings that we reverence and adore him in spirit and in truth, as the only object of divine worship, that we obey all his revealed will with the utmost assiduity-submit with perfect resignation to all his dispensations-rely upon his promises with unshaken confidence, and that we act with a single eye to his glory in all our pursuits. But have we, my brethren, exercised this reverence, obedience, submission, reliance, and concern for the honour of his name? Our consciences, I am persuaded, testify that we have not. We have rather, in innumerable instances, worshipped and served the creature, more than the creator-have obeyed our own inclinations, and complied with the wishes of our fellow-creatures, in preference to yielding obedience to him-have wanted the government of our affairs to be in our own hands, instead of submitting and entrusting them to his providential management, and have sought our own glory and

not his. Thus we have made a god of ourselves, the world, and our fellow-creatures, and must confess that our offences, even against the first commandment, bring us in exceedingly guilty before God. And hence it concerns each of us to adopt the language the text." The Law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold under sin."

II. The second commandment, "Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image, or the likeness of any thing, &c." may now be considered. Such is the abhorrence in which the worship of God, by means of any image or representation is held, in every protestant country, that it seems unnecessary to refer to the external signification of this branch of duty. But if we call to our recollection the frames of mind, with which we have attended to devotional exercises, we shall be immediately convinced that we have exceedingly violated the spiritual import of this precept. How frequently, in our addresses to the Most High, have our hearts been as languid and as unconcerned, as if he were ignorant of the inward operation of our souls! And, what is this, but adopting such a method of worshipping him, as if he were no better than a dumb idol? If we offer our petitions without humility, without faith, and without fervour, we are assuredly acting towards the great Eternal Spirit, with no higher reverence, or no other sentiments

of devotion, than if he were a graven image. And is not such a conduct a gross violation of this sacred command? Most assuredly it is. We are, therefore, again compelled to plead exceedingly guilty before God, and to acknowledge the propriety of applying to ourselves individually the declaration before us, "TheLawisspiritual, but I am carnal,&c."

III. The third commandment has a very extensive meaning. To take the name of God in vain, is to make use of it in a trifling, thoughtless, unnecessary, irreverent, insincere, and profane manner. And alas! how frequently is this done! Men dare to trifle with the sacred name of the Divine Majesty, on the most frivolous and needless occasions. That name, at which devils tremble, is uppermost on every trifler's tongue. Ah! with what levity and unconcern, do the giddy multitudes thus abuse the best member that they have! What numbers are there, who are so habituated to those common exclamations, "O Lord! Good God! Lord bless me! &c."-that they scarcely know when they use them! How many introduce them into discourse, merely because it is customary to do so! And how repeatedly are appeals made to their Sovereign Judge by others, even with a view to make themselves appear more manly and fashionable! How frequently also is this command violated even in God's sacred house! In the solemn