tained of the repentance and reformation of such an who has long been accustomed to do evil. The natural meaning of our text is this, That the reformation of those, who have grown old in sin is very improbable. This is the most favourable construction which can be put upon the words of the text. We know, that it is not in the power of man to make one hair white or black; much less is it in the power of the Ethiopian to change his complexion, and become white. He can no more do this, than he can create himself anew. It is not therefore to be expected, that the Ethiopian will change his skin, or the leopard put off his spots; yet according to the representation in the text, when this becomes a probable event, then, and not till then, may we expect to see those who have been long accustomed to evil, learn to do well. The truth of the doctrine then, is confirmed by the assertion in the text. In prosecuting this subject, I shall show why there is little reason to expect, that they will be reformed who have been long accustomed to sin. 1. There is but little prospect of the reformation and conversion of old sinners, because all habits, and consequently sinful ones, strengthen with time and indulgence. There is a natural propensity, in the depraved human heart, to sinful ways; which is noticed by the Psalmist, "we go astray from the womb." Mankind discover a depraved mind, as soon as they are capable of discovering any moral quality. And this wrong propensity strengthens with time and grat ification. And hence it is always easier to break in childhood, any vicious practice, than in any following period of life. A child who has had his own way, and been under no controul until he has reached man's estate, is with great difficulty, if at all, brought under subjection. The oak, which hardly any force can bend, could easily have been bent into any form when but a slender twig. The will of a little child may be easily subdued, and brought into subordination; but if he is let alone until he becomes a man, it is a wonder, if discipline does not rather serve to increase his obstinacy, than subdue it. This is manifestly true of every passion and propensity of the human heart. The drunkard's appetite is increased, and becomes insatiable by repeated indulgence. The thief by indulgence acquires such a habit of stealing, that he will take what is of no advantage to him. There is of consequence much less hope of his reformation after long practice, than there was in the commencement of his evil course. The same is true in the case of the drunkard. We do not expect to see a person, who has long indulged himself in any vice, whether drunkenness, theft, injustice, profanity, or any other, become sober, upright and virtuous. And the foundation of this calculation is this, whether we advert to it or not, that vicious propensities strengthen by indulgence. 2. Another reason why there is but little hope of the reformation of old sinners, is, that the oftener a crime is committed, the less criminal it appears to the agent. That this in fact is true, will not, I conclude, be disputed. When therefore a man first commences a thief, it is commonly with a trembling hand, and fearful heart. He considers it a great crime, and his conscience renders him extremely misérable. And hence he begins with little things, and presumes not to steal articles of great value. The crime appears to him too great; but after he has been long accustomed to this vice, he commits it, with little or no remorse of conscience; and will even venture to steal, when he is in imminent danger of detection. The reason is, the vicious habit is strengthened by indulgence, and the sense of its evil is diminished. So it is with the murderer, who has often shed the blood of the innocent; he was probably more alarmed once with the thought of premeditated murder, than he was afterward by the commission of the horrid deed. The profane swearer, the blasphemer, the sabbath breaker, and the adulterer were each shocked at the first, with his wickedness; but after the same wicked act had been often repeated it gave him but little compunction of mind. The unclean person, by the repetition of his crime, has destroyed all sense of its vileness and destructive tendency. Fornication and adultery are, in the eye of God, crimes of the deepest dye. They are numbered among those sins, which are peculiarly offensive to God; and which expose the offender to his wrath and curse. Persons may be trained up with right views of the vileness and guilt of these sins, and if they fall into them, the reflection gives them great uneasiness; but after they have continued in them for a time, they loose a sense of their guilt and danger. -- And when a person has arrived to this state of stupidity, with respect to any sin, there is but very little ground to hope for his reformation. It can no longer be expected, that the evil of his crimes should now drive him from them, when they appear nothing in comparison of what they did when he first become guilty. And this is the true reason why those, who are the most abandoned to iniquity, are the most thoughtless and secure. They have so often violated the remonstrances of conscience, that they have almost, if not altogether, lost all sense of sin and danger arising from it. And this perhaps may be assigned as the principal reason, why people are commonly less affected with sins of the heart, than with those of an open nature. There are those, who have probably indulged themselves a long time, in hatred and malice against their fellowmen, and whose conscience is quiet in such indulgence; and yet their conscience would probably be greatly alarmed should they actually take away the life of a fellow-creature, though the unerring oracles declare, "that he who hateth his brother is a murderer." And there are those, who entertain blasphemous thoughts of God, who notwithstanding would be surprised, should they express their feelings in words. The reason why conscience is alarmed in one case, and not in the other, is because they have often been guilty in one case, and not in the other. And this proves that sin is of a stupifying nature; and that the repetition of crimes serves to render them less criminal in the view of him who repeats them. Every day therefore, a person lives in sin of heart or life, the prospect lessens, that he will ever be reclaimed. greater is the probability, that it will be repeated; and for this reason there is but little reason to expect the reformation of the old sinner. The oftener a crime is committed, the 3. Another reason why the reformation of an old sinner is improbable is this.-The longer a person enjoys the light of revelation and rejects it, the less influence will it have upon his mind and heart. Truth looses its influence by being resisted. Such is the constitution of the human mind, that new, things act most sensibly upon it; and we are more deeply impressed with some interesting and important truth at first hearing than afterward. You are doubtless sensible of the truth of this observation, in some instances at least. You have probably read, or heard things, which appeared vastly interesting, and you were affect'ed with them; but when the same accounts come to be frequently repeated, they had no such influence upon your mind. The fact represented was as interesting as at first; but it did not affect you as much, though you gave full credit to the relation. And this is usually the case with regard to divine instruction. Those important and interesting truths which used to affect the mind, rouse the conscience, and awaken the affections, after being often repeated and resisted, have at length almost, if not altogether, lost their effect. The truths which revelation brings into view are most solemn and impressive, and as such should always affect the mind. Such are the instructions respecting God-his character and designs. Such are the instructions respecting the character, sinfulness and mis |