After we are renewed, yet we are renewed but in part, indwelling sin continues in us, there is a mixture of corruption in every one of our duties, so that after we are converted, were Jesus Christ only to accept us according to our works, our works would damn us, for we can not put up a prayer but it is far from that perfection which the moral law requireth.  I do not know what you may think, but I can say that I can not pray but I sin—­I can not preach to you or any others but I sin—­I can do nothing without sin; and, as one expresseth it, my repentance wants to be repented of, and my tears to be washed in the precious blood of my dear Redeemer.

Our best duties are so many splendid sins.  Before you can speak peace to your heart you must not only be sick of your original and actual sin, but you must be made sick of your righteousness, of all your duties and performances.  There must be a deep conviction before you can be brought out of your self-righteousness; it is the last idol taken out of our heart.  The pride of our heart will not let us submit to the righteousness of Jesus Christ.  But if you never felt that you had no righteousness of your own, if you never felt the deficiency of your own righteousness, you can not come to Jesus Christ.

There are a great many now who may say, Well, we believe all this; but there is a great difference betwixt talking and feeling.  Did you ever feel the want of a dear Redeemer?  Did you ever feel the want of Jesus Christ, upon the account of the deficiency of your own righteousness?  And can you now say from your heart Lord, thou mayest justly damn me for the best duties that ever I did perform?  If you are not thus brought out of self, you may speak peace to yourselves, but yet there is no peace.

But then, before you can speak peace to your souls, there is one particular sin you must be greatly troubled for, and yet I fear there are few of you think what it is; it is the reigning, the damning sin of the Christian world, and yet the Christian world seldom or never think of it.  And pray what is that?

It is what most of you think you are not guilty of—­and that is, the sin of unbelief.  Before you can speak peace to your heart, you must be troubled for the unbelief of your heart But can it be supposed that any of you are unbelievers here in this churchyard, that are born in Scotland, in a reformed country, that go to church every Sabbath?  Can any of you that receive the sacrament once a year—­oh, that it were administered oftener!—­can it be supposed that you who had tokens for the sacrament, that you who keep up family prayer, that any of you do not believe in the Lord Jesus Christ?

I appeal to your own hearts, if you would not think me uncharitable, if I doubted whether any of you believed in Christ:  and yet, I fear upon examination, we should find that most of you have not so much faith in the Lord Jesus Christ as the devil himself.  I am persuaded that the devil believes more of the Bible than most of us do.  He believes the divinity of Jesus Christ; that is more than many who call themselves Christians do; nay, he believes and trembles, and that is more than thousands amongst us do.