transgression does, because it carries man off and away from it.  One of the Greek words for sin [Greek:  (amurtanein)] signifies, to miss the mark.  When the archer shoots at the target, he as really fails to strike it, if his arrow falls short of it, as when he shoots over and beyond it.  If he strains upon the bow with such a feeble force, that the arrow drops upon the ground long before it comes up to the mark, his shot is as total a failure, as when he strains upon the bow-string with all his force, but owing to an ill-directed aim sends his weapon into the air.  One of the New Testament terms for sin contains this figure and illustration, in its etymology.  Sin is a want of conformity unto, a failure to come clear up to, the line and mark prescribed by God, as well a violent and forcible breaking over and beyond the line and the mark.  The lack of holy love, the lack of holy fear, the lack of filial trust and confidence in God,—­the negative absence of these and other qualities in the heart is as truly sin and guilt, as is the positive and open violation of a particular commandment, in the act of theft, or lying, or Sabbath-breaking.

We propose, then, to direct attention to that form and aspect of human depravity which consists in coming short of the aim and end presented to man by his Maker,—­that form and aspect of sin which is presented in the young ruler’s inquiry:  “What lack I yet?”

It is a comprehensive answer to this question to say, that every natural man lacks sincere and filial love of God.  This was the sin of the moral, but worldly, the amiable, but earthly-minded, young man.  Endow him, in your fancy, with all the excellence you please, it still lies upon the face of the narrative, that he loved money more than he loved the Lord God Almighty.  When the Son of God bade him go and sell his property, and give it to the poor, and then come and follow Him as a docile disciple like Peter and James and John, he went away sad in his mind; for he had great possessions.  This was a reasonable requirement, though a very trying one.  To command a young man of wealth and standing immediately to strip himself of all his property, to leave the circle in which he had been born and brought up, and to follow the Son of Man, who had not where to lay His head, up and down through Palestine, through good report and through evil report,—­to put such a burden upon such a young man was to lay him under a very heavy load.  Looking at it from a merely human and worldly point of view, it is not strange that the young ruler declined to take it upon his shoulders; though he felt sad in declining, because he had the misgiving that in declining he was sealing his doom.  But, had he loved the Lord God with all his heart; had he been conformed unto the first and great command, in his heart and affections; had he not lacked a spiritual and filial affection towards his Maker; he would have obeyed.