proverb-" The fathers have eaten sour grapes, and the children's teeth are set on edge." * Meaning, of course, to impeach the justice of God who punished them, as they were willing to imagine, for the sin of their forefathers: and the Prophet employs a whole chapter to refute this false saying, and the wicked blasphemy implied in it. Jeremiah reproves another saying which, it seems, was very common in his day in the mouth of the people, and which very clearly indicated the pride and blindness of their hearts. Speaking in the name of God"In thy skirts," he tells them, " is found the blood of the souls of the poor innocents. I have not found it by secret search, but upon all these." They were, in truth, "sinners before the Lord exceedingly;" grossly and notoriously guilty, especially of oppression of their weaker brethren, and perversion of judgment, and of shedding thereby innocent blood. Nevertheless, they were so well satisfied with themselves, and so totally blind to their own iniquity, that it had become a common saying with them, when they were threatened with God's vengeance, Because I am innocent, surely his anger shall turn away from me.'' But says Jehovah-" Behold I will plead with

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thee, because thou sayest I have not sinned." That is, he would show them the wickedness and the falsehood of this saying of theirs: he would convince them that indeed they were not innocent; and would have them to know besides, that their calling themselves innocent, and their trusting in their innocence, when indeed they were so flagrantly guilty, was a great aggravation of their baseness, and a great additional provocation. This is the meaning of the words. The use which I design to make of them is for correction and reproof of a like common sentiment and common saying among ourselves.

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When people are reminded of their sins now, and of God's wrath against them, and asked how they hope to be saved, the generality are wont to reply, with Israel, Because we are innocent, surely his anger shall turn from us." Or to put it into their own language--" We are sure we do no harm to any body:" meaning, to any of their neighbours; and thus it is that they hope to escape the wrath to come. It can never light upon such inoffensive harmless people as they take themselves to be. Some say this openly; and having good right, as they think, to say it, are quite at ease, and give themselves no more concern about their souls. Others, indeed, in proportion to their knowledge of the gospel, say it more guardedly, and with much evasion; but, at last, it will be found to be the real dependence of a vast multitude. They have the decency to make some acknowledgment, as the Jews in Jeremiah's time appear to have done, that they deserve God's anger in some degree; and some vague, ill-defined, and half-understood notions they have, and some fair speeches they utter by rote, about Christ, and mercy. He will supply what is lacking in themselves; but their foundation stone of hope, the strong hold of their hearts, and often the stout affirmation of their lips, comes in the end to this, and to nothing else-" We do no harm to any body;" and on this account we hope to be saved.

From the text, I shall take occasion to observe three things respecting this common saying. Considered as our plea or reason why we should be saved, it is--

I. First, a false plea. The thing is not true that we do no harm to any body.

II. Secondly, it is an insufficient plea. If it really were true, it would not avail to save us. III. Thirdly, it is a most hurtful plea. Our affirming it when it is false, and our trusting to it when it is no sufficient ground of trust, is a great offence added to all our other offences. Instead of being any better for this plea, we are much the worse for depending upon itindeed shall be utterly ruined if we go on to do so.

1. And first, I say, this plea is a false plea. If people say, We do no harm to any body," and therefore our souls shall not perish, it is not the fact which is here alleged: the fact is quite the other way. If God should say, which however he does not, Whosoever can prove that he has done no injury to his fellowcreatures, he shall have everlasting life, there - is not a man in the whole world who could get to heaven upon these terms: and such as are most confident that they could, are wont to be at least as far off as any. Let every man consult his own conscience honestly, and he will see this for himself: he will find that he has a great deal of harm which he has done to answer for.

Certainly it does a great deal of harm when "evil communications corrupt good manners;"* when parents put bad patterns before their children, and grown up persons talk in a profane and profligate manner before the young and inexperienced. The Scriptures pronounce a woe against him "who giveth his neighbour drink, and putteth his bottle unto him to make him drunken." * And certainly it does much harm whensoever a man, in any way, leads his neighbour to commit sin against God; whether he does it by tempting him to join with him in his own debaucheries, or by making a jest of his scruples of conscience, or speaking lightly of transgression as if it were a trifle. All this is harm, whether harm be maliciously intended or not-great harm, if the Bible be true, and we have souls to be lost or saved; and yet very many who will say they injure no man, are certainly very often guilty of injuring them in these ways. But upon this I will not insist at present, because this is not what people have it specially upon their minds to deny when they suppose themselves to be in a safe state, because they do no harm.

What they mean is, I suppose, that they do not wilfully and directly injure any man in his person, property, or good name.

But even this is far enough from being true. They who give themselves credit for it, very probably are not murderers, robbers, or false witnesses in the highest and grossest sense. But surely unreasonable anger, and bitterness,