440 RvtN AND RECOVERY, &c. some things in sin which are its proper evils, that bear a resem:. blance to bodily defilements, theretbre. the same word is meta- phorically applied to the sins of the soul. But since it is but a metaphor, a figure, or impropriety of speech, it must have something literal and proper which is signified thereby: Now all that I know of, that can be called the proper evil of sin, is either relative or real, and con- sists either in the guilt or in the disorder of it. I have no idea or conception of any thing, different from these two, when I use the word defilement or pollution: And we must not abuse ourselves with scripture-metaphors and figurative words, in- stead of real ideas, nor persuade ourselves into a fancy of snore realities than there are or can be in nature. This would be to dishonour scripture instead of explaining of it. If I were to prove that these are the two only ideas in which we,find the terms of filthiness, defilement, orpollution, used in scripture, or in our best writers on sacred subjects, I might confirm it these three ways. I. If we consider the effects which arc represented to flow from the defilement of sin, they are all suchas maybe attributed either to the guilt or to the disorder of it. 1. The holy scrip- ture and our divines represent the filth or defilement of sin, as that which makes us offensive to God, as any corporeal defiled thing is offensive to ourselves. Now it is the guilt of sin that makes us offensive to the divine justice, for that is the attribute that vindicates the honour of his law, and executes the penalty upon those that have broken it, and are become guilty. And it is the disorderly nature of sin, whether in our hearts, or in our actions, that makes us offensive to the divine holiness ; for sin in this sense is a contrariety to his holy nature, to all his moral per.. tections, his complete rectitude, his goodness, and his truth : It is in this sense, God is of purer eyes than to behold iniquity; Hob. i. 13. He will not let those come into his presence with approbation, whose hearts or lives are defiled, that is, under sinful disorders. This was typified by the levitical pol- lutions of old, when some bodily defilement excluded the Is- râelites from the camp, and the tabernacle where God dwelt : He dwelt there in his majesty and justice, and threatened death to defiled persons that came near his altar, to repre- sent his punishment of the guilt of sin ; he dwelt there in his holiness, and commanded them to stand at a distance, to skew that the disorderlynature of sinmade persons unfit to converse . with God. Thus all the ceremonial pollutions of the Jews ty- pified one of these two, either the guilt of sin, or its disorder and vitiosity. 2. The defilement of sin is represented as producing shame ` and fear in the sinner in the presence of God. A.person. n for-
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