thyself before the Lord, when thou heardest what I spake against this place, and against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes and wept before me, I also have heard thee, saith the Lord'." In many passages of the prophetic writings, indeed, traces may be recognised of a better better feeling. Thus Jeremiah, speaking in the name of the children of Israel says, "We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us for we have sinned against the Lord our God, we and our fathers from our youth even unto this day, and have not obeyed the voice of the Lord our God2." Thus Daniel also," O Lord, to us belongeth confusion of face, to our kings, to our princes, and to our fathers, because we have sinned against thee "." And in many other places we find these holy men exhorting their brethren to repentance-not so much from fear of the punishment due to

1

2 Kings xxii. 20.

3 Dan. ix. 8.

2

Jer. iii. 25.

sin, as from a remembrance of all God's mercies and loving-kindnesses, and the shamefulness of offending so good and gracious a benefactor. Such feelings, nevertheless, belong rather to the Gospel than to the law. They were expressed by men who were blessed probably with greater light than their fellows-who had caught some upward beams from that Sun of Righteousness which was as yet below the horizon-beams to which the eyes of the supine and heedless multitude were blinded.-At all events, no such sentiments appear ever to have influenced their conduct.-They regarded not his wonders, neither kept they his great goodness in remembrance'." It was only "when he slew them, that they sought him," and remembered that "God was their strength, and that the high God was their Redeemer 2." Repentance, in fact, under the Law, fixed all its attention upon the punishment, and thought nothing of the sin. In almost every case (David,

1 Ps. cvi. 7. P. B. T.

66

2 Ps. lxxviii. 34, 35. P. B. T.

and perhaps one or two others may be exceptions) the penitent was prepared to plead, as did Jeroboam, when the hand that he had stretched out against the prophet of the Lord had withered up. "Entreat now the face of the Lord thy God, and pray for me"-for what? that the numberless sins and offences of his past life might be forgiven ?-that God would be graciously pleased to blot out the remembrance of them, and create in him a clean heart, and a right spirit ?— No!" that my hand may be restored me again '."

How different, my brethren, is the feeling which works in the repentance of the Gospel!-Fear, no doubt, may still have its share in producing it. We do not mean to say that it is to be excluded altogether from the number of Christian motives. Our God still has his terrors -and it may, and often does please him to touch the sinner's heart by these when his mercies have failed to persuade him.

1 1 Kings xiii. 6.

But still it is the lowest and most imperfect of Christian motives.-The awakened offender can proceed but very few steps in his path of penitence, before his sense of fear will be swallowed up by another feeling-a sense of shame.-The exceeding sinfulness of sin will strike him so forcibly, that the fear of God's vengeance against it, will be lost in the overwhelming conviction of the justness of that vengeance. In utter self-abasement, and entire prostration of soul, he will hear all the Lord's threatenings, and scarce feel a wish to deprecate them, while he thinks how richly he has merited their infliction.

-He himself, in short, will burn against himself to vindicate the insulted majesty of God." For behold this self-same thing that ye sorrowed after a godly sort-what carefulness it wrought in you, yea, what clearing of yourselves-yea, what indignation-yea, what fear-yea, what vehement desire-yea, what zeal-yea, what revenge 1!"

But the Gospel penitent may reach a

1 2 Cor. vii. 11.

motive yet farther removed from that of the penitent under the law. Having passed through fear and shame, he comes at last to be actuated by love, and that a perfect love, which casteth fear away.— Love is the fulfilling of the Christian law, -Love is the motive peculiarly characteristic of the Gospel; and he who acts not from it, feels not the fulness of evangelical principle.-This is the impulse which has brought to Christ, perhaps the most numerous-certainly the most acceptable class of penitents.--Observe that woman approaching the house in which she knows that Jesus sits at meat.-She has been a notorious sinner, yet fear of punishment does not urge her into the presence of the Lord;-she is much ashamed, yet it is not shame only which has placed her at Christ's feet behind him, or produced those torrents of tears, with which his feet are washed.-" I say unto thee, her sins, which are many, are forgiven, for she loved much."-When

1 Luke vii. 47.