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those who urge it? Herod loves the praife of men more than the praife of God.

He is ex

ceeding forry when he hears the request of the daughter of Herodias. But habits of fin have perverted his understanding, clouded his confcience, undermined his ftedfaftnefs, enflaved him to falfe fhame. He is perplexed by indistinct fcruples, or pretends to be perplexed by fcruples, refpecting his oath. He apprehend's that his nobles will cenfure him if he departs from his word. He immediately commiffions the executioner to behead John in the prison.

Within no long time afterwards, Herod is apprised of the wonderful actions of Jesus Chrift; and of the different opinions which men entertain concerning him. His own opinion is fpeedily formed. He concludes that John the Baptift is reftored to life. Whence is this conclufion? Whence, but from the remembrance of his guilt, which haunts him night and day, and menaces him with the fure chastisement of heaven? Overwhelmed with terror and confternation, he concludes that God has undertaken the cause of his fervant; that God has raised the murdered prophet from the grave, and has fent him again upon earth armed with the power of working the most stupendous miracles, that he

may

may avenge himself on the wretch who defpifed his reproof and fhed his innocent blood, It is John, he cries, whom I beheaded. He is rifen from the dead: and therefore mighty works do fhew forth themfelves in him! Such are the terrors of a wounded confcience!

II. Let me add fome obfervations, applicable to your own conduct, which are fuggefted by the history before us.

1. In the first place, allow not yourfelf to be entrapped into fin by the folicitations and importunities of others, not even of your friends and your nearest relations, fhould you be unhappy enough to perceive tempters among them. That you may encounter a tempter in your own family, in your children, in the hufband or the wife of your bofom, is not impoffible. You will not be urged, it may be prefumed, to procure the imprisonment or the murder of another. But were tempters ever at a lofs for grounds of temptation? If you are in poverty; may they not impel you to meliorate your condition by depredations on the property of a neighbour: to conceal from the owner that which you have found or to excite charity by exaggerated representations of your distress? Are you moving in a higher

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fphere? May they not enfnare you into сарtivity to ambition? May they not mould you into flaves of fashion? May they not tranfform you into votaries of worldly praife? May they not feduce you into the habit of fquandering in diffipation that facred talent, time, entrusted to your charge; while negligent of the glory of God, and practically carelefs of falvation, you hutry and flutter across the ftage of life, until death fuddenly fhifts the fcene, and unveils the judgements of eternity? And whether you occupy a lower or a higher ftation, may they not encourage you to over-reach an ignorant or a careless man in a contract; to revenge yourself on fome perfon who has offended you, or whom you envy, by fpreading a flanderous tale to his difadvantage; to withhold reparation from those whom you have wronged; to furrender your heart to things temporal; to live not unto God and Chrift, but unto the world and yourfelf? Stand prepared upon the watchtower. Obey the Lord Omnipotent, not man. Refift the affaults of the devil, whatever be the inftruments which he employs. Away with fear, with irrefolution, with falfe fhame. Be ftrong in the grace of Chrift. Fight the good fight of faith. Let no man deceive you with vain words: follow not a multitude to do

evil: and be not afhamed when it concerneth thy foul (c).

1

2. Remember, fecondly, that one fin naturally leads to another: that, if you indulge in small offences, you will be carried headlong into greater. You have drawn up the flood-gates: and who fhall pronounce where the torrent shall be stayed? The whole of Herod's guilt flowed from his unlawful marriage. Obferve him progreffively advancing through additional degrees of iniquity. When John rebuked him for having married his brother's wife, he disregarded the warning; but he offered no violence to the prophet, and permitted him to retire in fafety. In a fhort time, his wrath became hot; and he fent forth and laid hold on John, and bound him in prifon. Speedily afterwards he completed the measure of his crimes, and caufed the innocent man to be murdered. How frequently doth a fimilar progrefs occur! In the humbler ranks of life you fee a man beginning to be idle, and to neglect his bufinefs. This evil habit grows upon him. His time foon hangs heavy upon his hands and he fills it up at the public houfe; at first going thither fparingly, but ere long, to be

(d) 1 Tim. vi. 12. Eph. v. 6. Exod. xxiii 2. Ecclef. iv. 20.

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found there almost every day. Now drunk-
enness is added to idlenefs. These two fins
fpeedily make him poor: and he resorts to
difhoneft means of gaining money: venturing
at firft only upon petty acts of fraud and ra-
pine; but presently growing bolder in
wickedness, till juftice overtakes him, and he
finishes his days in exile or on the gallows.
The criminal of high life, in the mean time,
purfues a kindred career, but in a wider and
a more fplendid circle. He commences with
fashionable extravagance. He fteps forward
to fafhionable profligacy. He grows har-
dened through the deceitfulnefs of fin. He
becomes abandoned to selfishness, to fenfu,
ality, to depravity, to fearleffness of God.
He lives an object of deteftation; or dies by
the hand of the law, by that of a duellift,
by his own. Make your ftand through di-
vine grace against the beginnings of fin; for

you

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know not what will be the end thereof. 3. Thirdly: contemplate the inconfistency, the weakness and the corruption of human nature. Conclude not, because you have been repeatedly enabled by the Holy Spirit of God to refift a particular temptation, that you may deem yourfelf capable of refifting it always. Herod withftood for a feafon the arts and importunities of Herodias.

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