to the fact of universal depravity; the remedy provided in the atonement of Christ; and the importance of availing ourselves of the great salvation freely bestowed upon the penitent and believing. I shall proceed, therefore, to consider the nature, and extent of human depravity.

I. The nature of depravity. Its essential properties are comprised in inordinate self-love, or selfishness. After the fall “ man did immediately set up himself, and the objects of his private affections, and appetites, as supreme, and so they took the place of God."* • Indeed in a slavish subjection to these, and other limited affections, which had raised their objects to the place of God * his whole depravity consisted.”+ This exclusive regard to private interest is discernible in every moral action. The natural man is influenced by the desire of his own good in all his plans and pursuits. A general admission of this truth is implied by the fact that in the ordinary transactions of life, men exact from each other verbal or written agreements as a safe-guard against the predominance of the selfish principle. That this caution is necessary is sufficiently evident from the various ways in which self-interest operates. It leads to carelessness, indolence, dishonesty, falsehood, evasion of justice. In what else can depravity consist, if not in that absorbing love of self which disregards the glory of God, and the interests of others? It will be admitted that the natural appetites and affections—I mean the essential properties with which God has created us, are innocent in themselves, and become sinful only when gratified in some unlawful form, or indulged beyond the limits of temperance which God has prescribed. When the apostle, enumerating the works of the flesh, says to the Colossians, (3. 5.) mortify therefore your members which are upon the earth; fornication, uncleanness, inordinate affection, evil concupiscence (desire,) and covetousness which is idolatry, I do not apprehend his meaning to be-divest yourselves of those desires which God for wise purposes has made a constituent part of human nature, but subdue and restrain them within lawful bounds, and employ them for his glory. “For which things' sake," he adds, viz. the gross indulgence of the sensual appetites and passions, the wrath of God cometh on the children of disobedience."

The wickedness of the heathen is represented as consisting in the worship and service of the creature more than the Creator. (Rom. 1. 25.)

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Had they loved God more than the works of his hands, that is, supremely, they might have set their affections, in a subordinate degree, innocently on earthly things. But did not a wicked confidence in their own wisdom, and the dislike of" retaining God in their knowledge," lead them

change the truth of God into a lie,” and to idolize and worship material things ? What is this but exalting self and its objects to the place of God ?

If other evidence were necessary to establish the truth that depravity consists in selfishness, or inordinate self-love, the Scriptures are decisive, for they ascribe sin in almost every form to this

A few passages will suffice. Men shall be lovers of their own selves, covetous, boasters, proud, heady, high-minded, lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God. (2 Tim. 3. 24.) The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, will not seek after God: God is not in all his thoughts. (Psa. 10. 4.) Who have said with our tongue, will we prevail; our lips are our own : who is lord over us? (Psa. 12. 4.) Which hath said, my river is mine own, and I have made it for myself. (Ezek. 29. 3.) How can ye believe which receive honour one of another, and seek not the honour that cometh from God only? (John 5. 44.) All seek their own, not the things which are Jesus Christ's. Whose end is destruction, whose god is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame,

who mind earthly things. (Phil. 2. 21 : 3. 19.) From whence come wars and fightings among you? come they not hence even of your lusts that war in your members ? (James 4. 1.)—God resisteth the proud, but giveth grace unto the humble. Submit yourselves, therefore, to God. (James 4.6,7.) Only by pride cometh contention. (Prov. 13. 10.) The pride of Israel doth testify to his face. (Hos. 5. 5.) Presumptuous are they, selfwilled, they are not afraid to speak evil of dignities. (2 Pet. 2. 10.) Through covetousness shall they with feigned words make merchandize of you. (2 Pet. 2. 3.) Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts. (Luke 16. 15.)

These and a multitude of similar passages are conclusive that selfishness is the great source of sin.

The inordinate love of our own selves is the basis of pride, contention, envy, cruelty, covetousness, obstinacy, hatred of God.

The love of money,

which is only another name for the love of self gratification, is called in the Scriptures the root of all evil. (1 Tim. 6. 10.) Certainly it has led to every species of crime. And it is obvious that hatred of God, comprising all that is awful in iniquity, must be ascribed also to predominant self-love. The desire of happiness, is a necessary incentive to moral action. And all the

enjoyment are so totally unlike, that whosoever will be a friend of the world is the enemy of God. (James 4. 4.) No man can serve two masters : for either he will hate the one and love the other; or else he will hold to the one and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon.

(Mat. 6. 24.) Negative goodness, therefore, in relation to morals and religion, is imaginary. He that is not with me is against me; and he that gathereth not with me scattereth abroad. (Mat. 12. 30.) If therefore we were guilty of no actual transgression, we should be justly punishable, if we had done no good. God requires us to employ our powers and faculties in his service, and the neglect of obedience is made the ground of final condemnation. Inasmuch as ye did it not to one of the least of these, ye did it not to me.

And these shall go away into everlasting punishment. (Mat. 25. 45.) We must necessarily then make either the world or its Creator the object of our highest regard. But the natural man worships and serves the creature, created things, more than the Creator. His love of self-gratification, therefore, will excite enmity against God, because the character, and law, and gospel of God, are directly opposed to the riches, pleasures, and honours which constitute his chosen inheritance.

It would be easy to show that a criminal degree of self-love is the cause of all the religious duties performed by men in their natural character. The