vain. He, who is thus under the dominion of sin, often goes on in the same course, from year to year, without any permanent, or effectual improvement. Occasionally, perhaps, circumstances alarm him for a time, and call forth some faint resolutions of amendment. But the chains of his adversary are bound around him too firmly to be broken by the feeble efforts of mortal hands. Too frequently his whole life is spent in a vain struggle with his powerful enemy. He may abhor his vices, but he feels unable to escape from their fascination. He may wish to avoid evil; but the evil he would not that he does. He may resolve, and re-resolve: but he too often dies, in the same condition in which he had lived.

There is scarcely a more pitiable object, than a man whose sin has thus gained the dominion over him. Yet look around, and you will see thousands who are thus led captive. Observe the victim of intemperance. Hear him, in the moments of reflection, acknowledging his weakness, with all the bitterness of self reproach: lamenting the waste of health, and character: openly confessing how sinful his course is in the sight of God: and perhaps making the most earnest, and apparently sincere, vows of amendment. Then behold him in the hour of his temptation. The season of his accustomed

indulgence arrives. His passions solicit their usual gratification. The companions of his intemperate delights surround him: he again yields to the temptation: and continues, by adding sin to sin, to treasure up to himself wrath against the day of wrath.

Believe not, that among those, who appear the most thoughtless, there are not many, who feel and deplore the bondage, in which they are restrained. But they have bound themselves to a hard master, who fails not to exact his due; and now compels them to continue in the course, into which they had at first voluntarily entered. This is the natural tendency of all sin. It mingles so insidiously with a man's ordinary pursuits, becomes by degrees so identified with his habits of life, that unless, by the grace of God, he is enabled to cast away its cords from him, he will soon find himself inextricably entangled. In proportion also to the degree of presumption, which characterizes any sin, is its power of enslaving the soul. For he, who so sins, willingly gives himself up to the consequence of that guilt. He offers his allegiance to his great adversary; and may therefore expect that his voluntary obedience should terminate in involuntary servitude.

There is also another mode, in which pre

sumptuous sin gets dominion over a man, so as to prevent his return to holiness. Even if, by the especial mercy of God, the sinner be made conscious of his danger, and desirous of escaping; he often will have wandered so far from the right course, that his return is only not impossible. Nothing is so difficult as to escape from the dominion of an unholy life. It is hard indeed, without the assistance of the Spirit of grace, to expose our folly and shame to the reproach of the world; to endure the ridicule, and scoffs of former companions, once perhaps esteemed for some qualities really amiable. They, therefore, who rely not upon that Spirit, often dare not undertake the task. They have not courage enough to encounter the perils, which a return into the path of life presents: nor power enough to oppose the irresistible authority, by which their sin, and the consequence of their sin, hold them in subjection.

2. Another fatal consequence, attending a course of presumptuous sin, is the hardness of heart, which a continuance in sin produces. Compunction and remorse are the first indications that a man is brought to a sense of his guilt and every presumptuous sin has a natural and necessary tendency to weaken this sensibility of the conscience. A change from

i

sin to godliness is represented in Scripture as one of the most difficult things in the world. "Can the Ethiopian change his skin," says Jeremiah, "or the leopard his spots? then may ye also do good, that are accustomed to do evil." Besides, as there are many, who feel and lament how powerful is the dominion, which their sins have obtained over them, so are there others, who by long continuance have acquired a still more dangerous affection for their evil courses. However certain they may be, that the end of these things is death, they still fix their principal delight upon perishing pleasures, and licentious enjoyments; until at length the mind becomes careless, and the conscience seared. In this extremity, their sin may indeed be said to have dominion over them. It destroys not only the power, but the very wish of amendment.

3. Still another consequence of continuing in presumptuous sin, is found in the judgments with which, even in this world, guilt is often visited.

We live not now, it is true, under a dispensation, in which an immediate, open act of providence often interposes, to cut short the sinner in the midst of his sin. And we are often ready enough to shut our eyes against

i Jer. xiii. 23.

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the conviction, that such signal punishment is ever awarded. But from the unerring authority of Scripture we learn, that the judgments of God are sometimes most fearfully poured out upon all sin, and upon presumptuous sins particularly. Now this surely is a consequence of presumptuous sin, which ought to terrify the most audacious. He may flatter himself that, however others be misled, his sins will not get the dominion over him, so as to prevent his return to a holy life; that his heart will not be so hardened, as to preclude his desire to amend. But who will dare to go on in open and presumptuous sin, if he once has the full conviction, that the anger of a just and all-powerful God will pursue his crimes, if not with present punishment, at least with ultimate retribution.

III. It now remains that we consider the means, which, by the divine blessing, may keep us back from presumptuous sins, so that they may not get the dominion over us. The words of David, which have suggested the danger of these sins, also supply an example of the only means, to which sinful man can have recourse. For they contain a prayer to the Almighty, that the evil consequences of presumptuous sin may be averted by the especial influence of Divine grace: "Keep back thy