any a dark and dreary hour--and whose comforts had
refreshed his soul, when in the multitude of the thoughts within him
he became dispirited and perplexed. The first and great commandment
is, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart." The
psalmist loved God, and on this account he was desirous that he should
be had in reverence of all his intelligent creatures. He loved God;
he was seized with horror when he beheld myriads uninfluenced by this
principle, living in disobedience to this first commandment.

Sin is too often viewed by us merely with respect to its baneful
influence on the happiness of society. It is condemned by us, and it
is punished by us, not so much as it is the transgression of the law
of God, as it has a tendency to produce evil in the world. And hence
there are many offenders in God's sight who by their conduct cast
dishonour upon his name, who yet maintain a fair and respectable
character when weighed in the world's balance, nay, even are regarded
with reverence and esteem. We punish the murderer, the thief, the
robber, the perjured person. It is right that we should do so. The
welfare of society demands it. But do we punish the man who lives in
adultery, in drunkenness, in sensuality? Do we punish the man who is a
swearer, a gambler, a blasphemer, who habitually neglects the
sanctuary of the Lord, and does his own pleasure on the sabbath-day?
Human laws take no cognizance of these crimes. They are, however, as
dishonourable to God as others which are punished by man. They are
quite as detrimental to man's best interests; and fearful must be the
account rendered for their commission before that equitable tribunal,
where the children of men must answer for all their offences against
the majesty of heaven.

But there is a second reason why the true Christian will labour for
the conversion of others, namely, the reflection that the sinner is
ensuring his own destruction while he is at enmity against God; and
this induced Jeremiah to exclaim (ix. 1), "O that my head were waters,
and mine eyes a fountain of tears, that I might weep day and night for
the slain of the daughter of my people." How strong is the
expression--"_the slain_." The prophet knew full well the misery of
transgressing God's law. Tremendous, indeed, is the reflection, that
the path of sin inevitably leads to the regions of darkness--those
regions where there is "weeping and gnashing of teeth," where "their
worm dieth not,