e corrupted themselves, their spot is not
the spot of his children," &c.

There are none can behold their own vileness as it is, but in the sight of
God's glorious holiness. Sin is darkness, and neither sees itself, nor any
thing else, therefore must his light shine to discover this darkness. If
we abide within ourselves, and men like ourselves, we cannot wisely judge
ourselves, our dim sparkle will not make all the imperfections and spots
appear. But, if men would come forth into the presence of his Majesty, who
turns darkness into light, and before whom hell is naked,--O how base and
vile would they appear in their own eyes! Is it any wonder that the
multitude of you see not yourselves, when holy Isaiah and Job had this
lesson to learn? Isaiah gets a discovery of his own uncleanness in the
sight of God's glorious holiness, (chap. vi. 5,) which I think made all
his former light darkness. He cries out "unclean," as if he had never
known it before, and so Job, "Since I saw thee I abhorred myself in dust
and ashes." Ye hear much of him, and it doth not abase you, but if ye saw
him, ye would not abide yourselves; ye would prefer the dust you tread on
to yourselves. Ye who know most, there is a mystery of iniquity in your
hearts, that is not yet discerned, ye are but yet on the coast of that
bottomless sea of abomination and vileness. Among all the aggravations of
sin, nothing doth so demonstrate the folly, yea, the madness of it, as the
perfection, goodness, and absolute unspottedness of God. It is this that
takes away all pretence of excuse, and leaves the same nothing--no place in
which to hide its confusion and nakedness and shame. And therefore it is
that Moses, when he would convince this people of their ways, and make
them inexcusable, draws the parallel of God's ways and their ways,
declares what God is, how absolutely perfect in himself, and in his works,
who had given no cause of provocation to them to depart from him, and
then, how odious must their departing be! When both are painted on a board
before their eyes it makes sin become exceedingly sinful. When the Lord
would pierce the hearts of his people, and engrave a challenge with the
point of a diamond, he useth this as his pen,--"Have I been a wilderness
unto Israel? a land of darkness? Why say my people, We are lords, we will
come no more to thee?" Jer. ii. 31. "What iniquity have your fathers
found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walke