SERMON XIII.

On the Conscience void of Offence.

ACTs, xxiv. 16.

Herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence, toward God and toward men.

THESE words were spoken by the SERMON Apostle Paul, in the course of that

manly and spirited defence which he made for himself, when accused of sedition and impiety before Felix, the Roman Governour. He vindicates himself from the charges brought against him; but boldly avows his principles, conceals no part he had acted, gives up no doctrine he had taught, and with the firm consciousness of innocence, appeals to his enemies them

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SERMON selves for the unblemished integrity of his life and character.

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To maintain always a conscience void of offence toward God and toward men is a degree of virtue to which, in its full extent none can lay claim. For who is there among the sons of men that can pretend, on every occasion, throughout his whole life, to have preserved a faultless conduct? How few days, indeed, go over our heads wherein something does not pass, in which our behaviour has not been altogether correct, or free from every offence? In the present imbecility and fallen state of human nature, he is the worthiest person who is guilty of the fewest offences towards God or towards man. But though the character referred to in the Text be not attainable by us in a complete degree, it is the character to which we must all study to approach; to come as near to it as the weakness of our nature admits; so that neither in piety towards God, nor in social duties towards men, we may be found remarkably deficient. You will observe, that this great Apostle does not boast of having fully attained to a conscience void of every offence.

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offence. His words are, that herein he SERMON exercised himself; that is, this was his object and his study, to this he formed and trained himself, to have always a conscience void of offence towards God and men. — Assuredly, there is nothing in human life, more amiable and respectable than such a character. Wherever it appears, it commands universal reverence in every station, whether high or low. It is indeed what all men would wish to gain; at least, they wish that others should believe them to possess it. Even the most corrupt look to it, from afar, with a sigh; and however obliged to condemn themselves for having fallen short of it, cannot help esteeming and respecting others who are dignified by the attainment of it. Let us then consider, first, what is implied in exercising or forming ourselves to maintain the conscience void of offence; and next, what the effects will be of having, in some degree, attained it.

I. IN exercising ourselves for this purpose our first care must be to have our conscience well informed, or properly instructed, as to

what

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SERMON what is, or is not, real ground of offence tôwards God, or towards men. Conscience is the guide, or the enlightening and directing principle of conduct; and as our Saviour has warned us, If the light which is in thee be darkness, how great will that darkness be? * If that which should guide us be itself misled, how widely must we wander astray? There are two extremes here, to each of which different sets of men are apt erroneously to incline. One set of men are apt to be minutely scrupulous about matters of smaller importance; tithing, as the Scripture describes them, mint, anise, and cumin, while they neglect the weightier matters of the law. Punctual in their observance of all the forms and ceremonies of religion, they hope by this means to compensate for allowing themselves in unlawful pleasures or unrighteous gains. Another, and perhaps a more numerous set of men err from loose casuistry in matters of moral duty. They admit the obligation they are under to virtuous practice; but they lay the whole stress of virtue on some particular good dispositions to

* Matth. vi. 23.

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which their temper inclines them. On SERMON these they highly value themselves; but breaches of other parts of duty, they are apt to consider as small and venial transgressions. They have balances of their own, in which they weigh every transgression; and if any of the offences they have committed, either against God or their neighbour, weigh light in the scale of fashion or general practice, they appear to them as scarcely any offences at all. — Both these extremes we must carefully guard against and study to regulate our conduct by the pure unsophisticated laws of God; resting our character neither on a strict observance merely of the external forms of religion, nor on a partial regard to its moral duties; but attending to all that God has required from us as men and Christians. The truth is, such errours as I have pointed out, always have their source in some corruption of the heart. It is not from inability to discover what they ought to do, that men err in practice. It is from some òblique regard to their interests or their pleasures, to their reputation or their gain, that they deviate

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