individual of them all who does not love the sin that is destroying him, more than he loves the holiness that would save him.  Notwithstanding all the horrible accompaniments of sin—­the filth, the disease, the poverty, the sickness, the pain of both body and mind,—­the wretched creature prefers to enjoy the pleasures of sin for a season, rather than come out and separate himself from the unclean thing, and begin that holy warfare and obedience to which his God and his Saviour invite him.  This, we repeat, proves that the sin is not forced upon this creature.  For if he hated his sin, nay if he felt weary and heavy laden in the least degree because of it, he might leave it.  There is a free grace, and a proffered assistance of the Holy Ghost, of which he might avail himself at any moment.  Had he the feeling of the weary and penitent prodigal, the same father’s house is ever open for his return; and the same father seeing him on his return, though still a great way off, would run and fall upon his neck and kiss him.  But the heart is hard, and the spirit is utterly selfish, and the will is perverse and determined, and therefore the natural knowledge of God and his law which this sinner possesses by his very constitution, and the added knowledge which his birth in a Christian land and the efforts of benevolent Christians have imparted to him, are not strong enough to overcome his inclination, and his preference, and induce him to break off his sins by righteousness.  To him, also, as well as to every sin-loving man, these solemn words will be spoken in the day of final adjudication:  “The wrath of God is revealed from heaven against all ungodliness, and unrighteousness, of men who hold down ([Greek:  katechein]) the truth in unrighteousness; because that which may be known of God is manifest within them; for God hath shewed it unto them.  For the invisible things of him, even his eternal power and Godhead, are clearly seen from the creation of the world, being understood by the things that are made; so that they are without excuse, because that when they knew God. they glorified him not as God.”

3.  In the third and last place, it follows from this doctrine of the apostle Paul, as thus unfolded, that that portion of the enlightened and cultivated population of Christian lands who have not believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, and repented of sin, are in the deepest state of condemnation and perdition.

“Behold thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God, and knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law, and art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness:  an instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes:  which hast the form of knowledge, and of the truth, in the law:  thou therefore that teachest another teachest thou not thyself? thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonored thou God?”