gladness of heart, for the abundance of all things; therefore shalt thou serve thine enemies, which the Lord shall send against thee, in hunger, and in thirst, and in nakedness, and in want of all things; and he shall put a yoke of iron on thy neck, until he have destroyed thee." Adam would be like God, and he became like the beast that perisheth. David, proud of the number of his people, is punished with the loss of seventy thousand of them. The Jews crucify Christ to preserve their nation, and it ruins it entirely.

Use 1.-There is a God. The fool says in his heart and by his practice, there is none. But God is known by the judgments he executeth. When we see in ourselves or others, sin thus finding the sinner out, we should be confirmed in the faith of that fundamental article of all religion. And oppose it to those temptations to atheism, which the corrupt heart raises from sinners prospering so long in a sinful course.

2. There is a providence. That God is not an idle spectator, but a careful observer of human affairs. His eye is upon us at all times, in the dark as in the light; and secret sins are as open to him as those done in the face of the sun. Nothing can be hid from his sight, but every thing is open and manifest unto him. He looks on as a wituess, and as a judge, and in due time discovers his hatred of it.

Lastly, He is a just God, that will at length shew himself terrible to impenitent sinners. He will call sinners in due time to an account, and though he spare long he will not spare always. The sinner thinks that because God does bear with him long, therefore he is such a one as himself, that there is no such evil in sin as is pretended, and because sentence against an evil deed is not executed speedily, therefore the heart of the sinner is set in him to do wickedly. But God will speak to the confusion of sinners in mercy or in wrath. Amen.

[Subject continued.]

THE SINS OF SINNERS FINDING THEM OUT.

SERMON XVII.

NUMBERS XXxii. 23.

And be sure your sin will find you out.

IV. I shall now confirm the doctrine. Here consider,

1. That no man can sin without witnesses. This has been already illustrated under the third head.

2. Consider that God both can and will make sin find out the sinner. How then can the sinner escape. Many a time atrocious crimes escape among men, because such as would, cannot find them out, and such as can, will not do it. But there is neither cannot, nor will not with God in this case.

1. God can do it. For he hath every thing necessary to qualify him to find out the guilty. He is privy to the most secret wickedness. "For the eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good." See what a discovery of secret wickedness the Lord makes to the prophet, Ezek. viii. 8,-12. God sees what is in us, about us, or done by us, however it be concealed. And with God the most subtile contrivances for concealing of sin, are no better than the silly art of poor children, to turn their backs and cover their own eyes to hide themselves. The thickest covers which can be made for sin are so thin, that they hinder not the broad view of the omniscient eye. Again he never forgets, nay, he cannot forget, because of the perfection of his nature, and besides he has interposed a solemn oath in the matter. "The Lord, saith the prophet Amos, hath sworn by the excellency of Jacob, surely I will never forget any of their works." It may be long before. a process be raised before the Lord; when it is called it may get a sist and delay, through the long suffering of the Judge. But it never drops out of the records. "For the iniquity of Ephraim is bound up; his sin is hid." The Lord never forgets unpardoned iniquity.

God also hath all power to break through all opposition, which the sinner can by art or might lay in the way of his sins finding him out. For he is omniscient and omnipotent. The most subtle sinner he can outwit. "He taketh the wise in their own craftiness; and the counsel of the froward is carried headlong." The most cunning deviser he can counterwork. "He disappointeth the de

vices of the crafty, so that their hands cannot perform their enterprise." And the most powerful and stubborn sinner he can break. "He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength; who hath hardened himself against him and prospered." No counsel can avail against the Lord, "and by strength shall no man prevail, the adversaries of the Lord shall be broken in pieces; out of heaven shall he thunder upon them."

2. God will do it. For he hath said it, his truth is engaged for it. "God is not a man, that he should lie, neither the son of man, that he should repent; hath he said it, and shall he not do it." He hath solemnly said it under a protestation in the text. So that either God's truth must fail, or the sinner's sin shall find him out. "For there is nothing covered, that shall not be revealed, and hid, that shall not be known." And what art can hide what God's truth is engaged to bring to light? God says to the sinner covering his sin, as to Cain, if thou doest evil, sin lieth at the door. Like a watch-dog ready to take the criminal by the throat, whenever he stirs out at the door, and this dog though it may sleep long at the door, will rise on the sinner at length. He that covereth his sins shall not prosper.

3. It lies upon God's honour to make sin find out the sinner. Sinners getting away with their sins, run into a mistake to the dishonour of God; but God for his honour's sake, will rectify the mistake, though it will be to the sinner's cost. "These things hast thou done, says he, and I kept silence; thou thoughtest that I was altogether such an one as thyself; but I will reprove thee, and set them in order before thee." Men of honour in the world are concerned in a special manner for it, so that he that toucheth it, touches the apple of their eye. And can any think but God is very jealous for his honour. "I am the Lord; that is my name; and my glory will I not give to another, neither my praise to graven images."

The honour of God's rectoral justice, by which he governs the world, is concerned in this matter. Shall not the judge of all the earth do right? Crimes allowed to pass unpunished, reflect on the justice of those under whose jurisdiction they are. The whole world is under God's jurisdiction. And how shall it be known that the righteous Lord loveth righteousness, if sin do not sooner or later find out the sinner. And hence it comes to pass, that those who are most dear to God, their sins find them out also. "Who gave Jacob for a spoil, and Israel to the robbers? Did not the Lord, he against whom we have sinned." This, therefore, is given as the reason of God's publicly punishing David, 2 Sam. xii. 12, 13. Though God answers his people and forgives them, Yet he takes vengeance on their inventions.

This belongs also to the honour of his holiness, by which he is pure from, and hates with a perfect hatred, all iniquity. He is glorious in holiness. If he should not set a mark of his indignation against sin, one time or other, where would be the evidence of his perfect hatred of it? Do not they who join in covering sin, make themselves partakers of the guilt? And does not then the spotless holiness of God make it sure that sin shall find out the sinner. The honour also of his omniscience and providential vigilance require it. Therefore says Joshua to Achan, "My son, give I pray thee, glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him." It is the perverse reckoning of sinners upon God's long suffering and forbearance, that leads them to say, "The Lord seeth us not; the Lord hath forsaken the earth." And therefore, either sin must find out the sinner, or God will lose the glory of his omniscience. The sinner in his secret wickedness, robs God of that glory, but in open confession he restores it, thereby owning that since God knows it, it is all one as if all the world knew it, and therefore he confesseth it before the world.

It concerns also the honour of this message delivered by his servants in his name to sinners. They are commanded to tell sinners that their sins will find them out. They are to say, "Woe unto the wicked it shall be ill with him, for the reward of his hands shall be given him." And it lies on the honour of God to confirm the words of his servants which they spake on the credit of his word. Thus it is said, " And Samuel grew, and the Lord was with him, and did let none of his words fall to the ground." If sinners were not sometimes found out even in the world, men would turn atheists, and would not believe a word spoken to them in the name of the Lord.

4. History and observation afford abundant testimony to this grand truth, in the events that have appeared and do appear in the world in all ages. Many a practical commentary has providence written on our text in the shame and ruin of many a man and woman; although the brightest piece of it is reserved to be written out at the last day, when thousands of blanks that are in it shall be filled up. And,

1. As to history. What profane history, written by Christians, Jews, Mahometans or pagans, wants striking instances of this nature? But I shall confine myself to sacred history, where we have wonderful instances, first, of sins finding out sinful nations and societies. We have heard already of sins finding out the Sodomites and the Egyptians. The sinning angels wanted not wisdom to have hid their sin, if it could have been hid, nor strength to have staved off the meeting, if any such thing could have been done: but it found

them out, and put them in chains of darkness. The old world, it seems, thought the long tryst was fairly baulked. They continued in their usual courses, "Until the day that Noah entered into the ark, and knew not till the flood came and took them all away." Thus the meeting was kept. The sinful Benjamites twice shifted their sins finding them out. Hence says the prophet Hosea, referring to the history, Judges xx. "They have deeply corrupted themselves, as in the days of Gibeah, therefore he will remember their iniquity, he will visit their sins." Accordingly the third time almost razed their name out of the earth. The Jews were appointed to give their land sabbatical years, Levit. xxv. 4. But through covetousness they quite gave up the practice, and thought it was good economy and lawful gain; but ere all was done their sin found them out. "To fulfil the word of the Lord by the mouth of Jeremiah," they were kept in captivity, "Until the land had enjoyed her Sabbaths; for as long as she lay desolate she kept Sabbath, to fulfil threescore and ten years." Afterward the Jews would make their court to the Romans, by crucifying Christ, but their sin soon found them out to their destruction.

We have instances also of sins finding out particular persons. How did sin find out the first sinner Adam, who would be as God, and became as the beasts, that perish, whom no tree or bush in the garden could hide from his offended God. Cain's secret murder of his brother haunted him like a ghost, wherever he went. David's secret sins of adultery and murder, were set in the light, and proclaimed to all into whose hands the Bible comes. Nebuchadnezzar's pride, who was driven to dwell with beasts, and Herod eaten up of worms. And many other such instances of sins finding out the sinners might be mentioned.

2. As to observation. Who sees not this often accomplished on others in their sight, or hear of it by frequent reports brought to their ears. What secret wickedness is there daily breaking forth, in some place or other, and set in the light, that has been done in the dark, and perhaps has been long hid. We have this day a fresh instance of God's discovering a course of secret wickedness, that for several years has spurned all methods of bringing the matter to light.

Again, who may not observe this in the course of providence with himself. How often does God make even the thoughts of the heart to meet the sinner, that never was ripened into action, so that all may know that God searcheth the reins and hearts. God often makes sin find out the sinner, when yet he does not carry the quarrel to the streets and blaze it abroad in the world. But it is that the sin