The works of the Rev. William Thom, late minister ... - waughfamily.ca

SERMONS. 99*and thus have I done. When I faw among the fy^nha goodly Babyjonifii garment, and two hundred (htkelsof filver, and a wedge of gi)ld of fifty iliekeisv/eight, then I coveted them, and took them^ and beholdthey are hid in the earth, in tlie midiL of mytent, and the f^ivcr und^r it.*' Tlie eonfeilion ij penitent; it is full j and it is frankly made : And hadthe- offence been of a private nature, and committedagainft Jofliua^ in his perfonal capacity, I make nod-o^ubt but JoHiua. would have generouily and immediatelygranted Achan a full pardon. When a perfonof any tolerable condition or character commitsan offence againft us, and afterwards comes and exprefTeshis forrow for having done fo, we are in pain,and forry to fee him make fuch a confeffion to us-,and we forgive him at once. But the offence ofAchan v/as of a public nature 5 it affecled-the churchand the commonweal.Achan had confeffed ; but further fteps were to betaken to imprefs all the congregationwith horror andwith abhorrence of the fm that had been committed.For^his purpofe, " Jofhua fent meffengers, and theyran unto the tent, and behold it was hid in his tent,and the fiiver under it. And they toolc thera," tooktlie Babylonlih garment, the wedge of gold and the" and brought them unto Jofhua, and unto allfilver,the children of Ifrael, and laid them out before theLord ;" that is, before the ark, the fymbol of God'sprefence in the camp ; ' they laid them upon" fomehigh and confpicuous place, and every one in thatgreat congregation faw them, or v/ent up to fee them,to look upon them.This, they were told, this is theaccurfed thing, this gold, this lilver, this garment^,ftolen by Achan, is the caufe that the anger of theLord is kindled againft Ifiael, that Ifraei cannot ftand .before their enemies, that they have been chafed andfraitten by the men of Ai. When the monumentsof Achan's guilt had been fufficiently infpedted, hisI 2