SERMON V. DO THIS GREAT WICKEDNESS AND SIN AGAINST GOD.

Genesis xxxix. 9.

How then can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?

The history of Joseph, by whom these memorable words were uttered, is full of interest and instruction. He presents unto us the splendid and rare example of a person advanced, from the lowest estate, to distinction and wealth and power; and yet preserving his piety and integrity unimpaired. Not all the luxury and blandishments of a court of unbelievers could tempt him to forget that gracious almighty benefactor, by whom he had been rescued from danger, and raised to prosperity and greatness. We all know how apt are the understanding and heart of man to be captivated and corrupted by the enjoyment of earthly pomp and pleasure, under any circumstances; but especially when they are attained by a sudden and unexpected elevation. Joseph had been cruelly left by his brethren in a state of utter destitution. Taken out of the pit into which they had inhumanly cast him, he was sold as a slave to a company of people, who were passing by, and carried into Egypt; by accident, as it appeared, but really under the guidance and direction of an all-wise providence, to accomplish the wonderful purposes of His divine will.

The scriptural account of his rapid rise to favour and eminence, in this his new abode, is exceedingly striking; and shews the especial regard which the Almighty bears for His righteous and faithful servants; there is no situation of life too obscure for the notice of His all-seeing eye; none too low for Him to interpose in behalf of His people, and exalt them to usefulness and honour. “Joseph was brought down to Egypt; and Potiphar an officer of Pharaoh, captain of the guard, an Egyptian, bought him of the hands of the Ishmeelites, which had brought him down thither. And the Lord was with Joseph, and he was a prosperous man; and he was in the house of his master the Egyptian. And his master saw that the Lord was with him, and that the Lord made all that he did to prosper in his hand. And Joseph found grace in his sight, and he served him; and he made him overseer over his house, and all that he had he put into his hand.” [78]

Thus favoured and advanced, this holy man never forgot, as too many do, that gracious Being, to whose loving kindness he was indebted; instead of growing vain of his superiority, as if he had raised himself merely by his own talent or industry, he referred all his blessings to God’s bountiful providence, and rendered unto Him the return of a grateful and faithful service.

It was not long before his fidelity was put to the trial; and the manner in which he escaped the snare, that was laid for him, affords a remarkable proof not only of his integrity, but of his faith, his piety, his religion, his gratitude and love to God: the only principles upon which any dependence can be placed in the temptation of an evil hour. Joseph, when powerfully solicited to betray the confidence, and despoil the honour of his master, might have contented himself with declaring the numberless acts of kindness which he had received at Potiphar’s hand; the recompence of faithfulness which he owed for them all; or the fear of bringing upon himself disgrace and ruin, by so atrocious a crime; considerations indeed, which actually had no small influence and weight upon his mind. But he goes much further, and appeals to a higher authority, to a nobler principle; to one which was calculated to give unto every minor consideration a tenfold effect; to secure the performance of that duty, which reason and honour and conscience suggested; he appealed to his God, from the fountain of whose mercy he had derived all his benefits and blessings; and to whom therefore, his sincere unswerving obedience was unreservedly due. Like every pious and good man, he remembers and regards the human ties by which he is bound; and instances, in feeling language, the kindness and estimation of his earthly master; “Behold, my master wrotteth not (knoweth not) what is with me in the house, and he hath committed all things that he hath to my hand; there is none greater in this house than I.” [80] But then this man of God, after thus recounting the signal favour which had been shewn him by an earthly master, does not rest his duty upon saying, ‘how can I abuse the unbounded confidence reposed in me; how can I prove myself so unworthy of my lord?’ But immediately, as if it were the habitual suggestion of his mind, elevates his thoughts and affections to his master in heaven; to Him, who had put it into the heart of Potiphar thus to distinguish and bless him; to Him, by whose grace alone he had been what he had been, a faithful and dutiful servant; and by whose gracious interposition “all things had worked together for his good.” For such surpassing mercy poured down upon him from heaven, he could not bear the thought of making so base a requital; and exclaimed in the energy of his soul, “How can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?” Resting upon such a principle, the triumph of his virtue was complete; it enabled him to disregard whatever evil consequences might ensue; and to stand against the subtlest wiles of the tempter, and under circumstances of imminent peril, a noble monument of the power of religion; upright in his duty to God and man.

Much edification may the Christian gather from the narrative before us; and happy would it be for the Christian world, if the principle, here so splendidly illustrated, were in fuller operation. It might indeed be thought, that with the superior knowledge we enjoy, of the transcendent mercy and goodness of God, of the extent and bounty of His providence, as well as the riches of his grace; that, with the clear revelation of the divine will, the glorious manifestation of gospel light, to us so abundantly vouchsafed; that, taught as we have been to look upon God as our reconciled Father in Jesus Christ, as the “author and giver of every good gift” in this world, and the spring of all our blissful hopes of an inheritance in the brighter world to come; it might have been thought, under these superior advantages and means of grace, that in all the events of life, in every temptation and trial, our affections would be certainly raised, above every earthly consideration, to the high and holy God; that, when we are pressed with the solicitations of evil, it would immediately occur to our minds and enter into our hearts, how abhorrent the offence must be to that perfect and glorious Being, in whose image we are professedly recreated; how grievous to that Holy Spirit, in whom we ought to live and walk; how disgracefully and basely unworthy of those spiritual privileges, to which we have been restored; of the great mercies we have already received; and the still greater we are yet expecting, from the redemption which hath been wrought for us by the ever blessed Jesus; it might be concluded, that Christians, when tempted to injury and evil, would immediately refer the matter to the blessed word and will of their divine master, and exclaim, with a pious and grateful feeling, “how can I do this great wickedness and sin against God?”

Yet, is it not notorious, that a great, an overwhelming portion of the inhabitants of this enlightened land, are governed in a very small, if in any degree, by this pure sense of spiritual and religious obligation? Commonly, when they are solicited to sinful gratifications and pursuits, “God is not in all their thoughts:” whether they yield or not, depends partly upon the strength of their natural inclination; partly upon the light in which the sin may be regarded by the world around them; upon the extent to which it may affect their worldly reputation; upon what they may calculate to gain or lose by their conduct. The law of custom has manifestly a greater influence than the law of God; nay, what are called the rules of honour, which, in many instances, are flagrantly repugnant and opposite to the divine will, (and might rather be called the rules of dishonour,) are appealed to, in a Christian country, as the arbiters of right and wrong; while the “honour that cometh from God only” is totally disregarded and forgotten. And even of those, who are unacquainted with the precise terms of these fallacious rules, what multitudes are there, whose practice and conduct are determined by considerations merely human; who will be guided by a feeling of gratitude to an earthly benefactor, and yet have no sense or remembrance of the favour of an all-merciful God; who will be deterred from evil by the dread of offending an earthly superior, that has power only over the body, and yet possess in their hearts no fear whatever of Him, “who is able to destroy both body and soul in hell.” Where there are no better guides, no higher inducements than these, “to refuse the evil and to choose the good,” we cannot be surprised at the licentiousness and corruption, which so unhappily prevail; nor even at the flagrant and shameless commission of that calamitous sin, which Joseph rejected with such holy disdain. Against the impetuous desires and cravings of the flesh; the assiduous entreaties of wicked companions; and the beguiling charms, which Satan so well knows how to spread over all the ways and works of evil; against all these combining together, it cannot be expected, that any human motives or maxims, any earthly feelings alone, should be able successfully to stand.

Not that such motives or maxims or feelings are to be despised or disregarded; not that any just or lawful consideration, however trivial, should be overlooked, which may be instrumental, in any degree, to preserve us from evil. Far is it from being the design of the gospel, to supersede the dictates and rules of reason; the workings of conscience; or the influence of natural affection, of hope and joy and gratitude and love; the gospel purifies all these motives, and guides them aright, and directs the exercise of them into the proper channel. But even the best of them, with the sincere Christian, are as nothing when compared with his religious principle, with the faith and fear and love of God: when tempted to sin, he thinks of that Holy Being, with whom he has entered into covenant; of that gracious Redeemer, who hath endured so much for his sake, who hath brought him into the way of salvation, by whose favour he is enjoying “the life that now is, and the promise of that which is to come;” he thinks of the Holy Spirit, “by whom he has been regenerated and made a child of grace;” he would not quench that sacred flame and energy, by which his corrupt nature has been enlightened and purified; from which “all good desires, all good counsels, and all just works do proceed;” by which his soul is animated with the inspiring hope of beholding his God face to face, in perfect righteousness and everlasting glory. He loves to please, he cannot bear the thought of offending, the Lord of majesty and mercy; and looks to Him for strength in the hour of trial. The constant habit of thus lifting up, in the spirit of prayer, the thoughts and affections to God; the full and abiding persuasion of His manifold mercies to the faithful, of His terrible judgments to be executed upon the disobedient and the impenitent sinner, will always be found the surest, the only sure, preservative from sin.

And how can that man, who believes, with all his heart and soul, in the glorious revelation of the Gospel; in the miseries which he may thereby escape, and the happiness which he may attain; in the means ordained for his accomplishment of these momentous purposes; how can he fail or cease to maintain a lively remembrance of the goodness and wisdom and power of God? Will he not “set the Lord alway before him;” and under the countenance and protection of his Saviour, and in the awful presence of his Judge, will he not feel himself powerfully actuated to restrain and resist every guilty inclination, and to decline from the danger and dishonour of every evil way? “How can I do this great wickedness and sin against” my Creator, Redeemer, and Sanctifier—the Almighty God, whose I am, and whom I serve?

This reflection is also calculated to excite our attention to the duties of this holy season, [89a] prescribed by the Church for our christian improvement; the duties of self-examination and repentance. Convinced, that every wilful sin renders us unworthy of acceptance with that God, “who is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity,” let us retire into our chamber and take our private hour, and cast a searching eye over our character and life, intent upon discovering every stain and blemish; let us “see if there be any wicked way in us,” and pray fervently to be “led into the way everlasting.” [89b] Let the sinfulness of our condition by nature, the sinfulness of our thoughts and words and works, pass in review before us; nor let the soul ever rest content, till we have made our peace with God;—by an humble abasement under the sense of our undeservings; by unfeigned sorrow for the past; by a holy, steady, entire resolution, to watch more carefully, and walk more circumspectly; by laying aside “every weight, and the sin which doth so easily beset us.” [90a]

When we duly think of the long-suffering and forbearance of our offended Father; of His great mercy in “sparing us when we deserved punishment;” sparing us to repent of our faults and follies, to advance in holiness and righteousness, to further the everlasting interest of the soul; surely we shall then be penetrated with a deep sense of the divine compassion; and the goodness of God “will answer its blessed purpose and lead us to repentance.” [90b] ‘How can I persist in abusing the patience which has borne with me so long? How shall I continue to neglect any duty, which so merciful a God has commanded, for the edification and salvation of my soul? How shall I rebelliously cherish any sinful indulgence, which is opposed to His holy law; and thus forfeit my claim to that heavenly inheritance, which my Saviour has died to procure for the true believer, for the penitent and contrite in heart? How can I do less than abhor the sin, which His blood was shed to expiate and cleanse away; less, than delight and advance in the way of righteousness which He has opened to me;’ even till “I come unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ.”

Reflections, deliberations, resolutions such as these, sincerely formed and cherished, would very effectually, by divine grace, assist us in attaining that disposition of mind and heart, which might lead us habitually to raise our thoughts to God, under every circumstance, and at every time of temptation. There would thus be cast around us a sacred wall of defence; a perpetual barrier against the inroads of Satan and of sin; and if at times they should, when we are suddenly thrown off our guard, break in upon the heart and lay it waste, they would speedily be expelled, and the breach would be healed without delay. Thus we shall become more jealous over ourselves, more circumspect and watchful; we shall never feel easy, while betraying, into the hands of the enemy, the merciful and glorious work of God. With a love for His goodness, a reverence for His truth, and a fear of His judgments, abiding in the heart, we shall fly from every approach of evil, and dwell in safety beneath the shadow of His wing: “we shall be enabled to withstand in the evil day, and having done all to stand.” [92]

It is our distinguished privilege to be enlightened by the “wisdom which is from above,” to “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of His might:” God forbid that we should return to the “beggarly elements of the world,” and seek to draw our principles and strength from this polluted source. Had we never been blessed with the light of revelation, we must have been content with such means of duty, as our dark state afforded: we must have been governed and guided like the heathen, whom we now pity. But, as we are supremely favoured with the knowledge of the true God, as “our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ;” as the Holy Spirit is given to “help our infirmities;” let us, in every temptation, remember our infinite obligations to the great and merciful Jehovah, and trust in the sufficiency of His almighty power.

After thus “walking with God as friends;” having, for the sake of His friendship, struggled with our evil propensities; having despised the vanity and folly, and renounced the love of the world, we shall experience more and more, the value of His favour, and the fulness of His grace; serving Him in humble gratitude, we shall be acknowledged as His own peculiar people, and He will be our God; in all perplexities we shall find Him our guide, in all trouble our comfort and support; amid the crooked paths of vice He will “make our way plain before His face;” the “snare will be broken and we shall be delivered;” He will honour us among men; “such honour have all His saints;” and this will be an earnest of our everlasting honour in His heavenly abode, in perfect friendship and communion with Him, in that blessed place where sin and temptation will be no more, “where nothing that defileth can enter.”