[Nothing can be more pungent than the grief of a parent who has lost his first-born," his only son "." Yet to that is the mourning of a penitent twice compared. In either case, the soul is bowed down greatly; it is indisposed for receiving gratifications from those vanities, with which it was before amused; and loves to indulge in pensive solitude, and painful reflections. The parent's anguish indeed may be softened by the assiduities of surviving friends; and may wholly lose its pungency through the lapse of time. But nothing can mitigate the pangs of a wounded spirit, nothing silence the accusations of a guilty conscience, till "the balm of Glead," the blood of Jesus, be applied to it: nor even then will sin ever cease to be the grief and burthen of the soul.] But repentance is then only to be called evangelical, when it has immediate respect to Christ [Twice is it said in the text, that men shall mourn "for him," that is, for Christ. Not that the miseries, which Christ endured on the cross, are the proper grounds of a penitent's sorrow; but rather, it is his grief that he has so dishonoured Christ by his sins, and that he has yet again and again "crucified him afresh" by continuing in sin. Many, who are not really humbled, are concerned for their sins as having subjected them to God's displeasure; but it is the true penitent alone, who mourns for sin, as dishonouring Christ, and as counteracting all the gracious purposes of his love.] This will more fully appear by considering II. The means by which it is to be attained The effusion of the Spirit is the primary means of producing penitence in our hearts [The Holy Spirit is called "the spirit of grace and of supplication," because he is the author and giver of all grace, and because it is through his agency alone that we are able to pray. And this spirit Christ will pour out" upon us. He not only has a right to send the Holy Spirit, as being God equal with the Father, but in his mediatorial capacity he is authorized and empowered to send forth the Spirit, “having received of the Father the promise of the Holy Ghost," on purpose that he may impart to us out of his own immeasurable fulness. To him all must look for this blessing; and all may look with an assurance of obtaining it, provided they truly and earnestly desire it. The great and learned, "the house of David," must submit themselves to his influence; nor shall the b Luke vii. 12. CC Compare John xix. 37, Ezek. xvi. 63. Exod. x. 16, 17. 1 Kings xxi. 29. f John xiv. 13-17. the poorest or most illiterate of "the inhabitants of Jerusalem” be destitute of this mercy, if they will but ask it of their heavenly Father. Nor till this Spirit convince us of our sin, can any of us know our state, so as to be suitably and abidingly affected with it 1.] As a secondary mean, the Spirit turns our eyes unto a crucified Saviour [Nothing but a view of Christ as dying for us, can ever thoroughly break our obdurate hearts. But this has a powerful tendency to produce ingenuous sorrow; because, while it shews us the malignity of sin in most awful colours, it discovers to us also the remedy provided for the expiation of sin. In the one view, we are humbled by a sense of our extreme vileness; in the other, we are overwhelmed with a sense of the Redeemer's love and a combination of these two effects constitutes that ingenuous shame and sorrow, which may be denominated evangelical repentance.] We may IMPROVE this subject 1. For conviction [All acknowledge that they need repentance, and profess an intention to repent. But let not any imagine that the slight acknowledgments, and faint purposes of amendment, which are usually made on dying beds, are sufficient. If the comparison in the text be just, nothing will suffice, but a heart broken and contrite under a sense of sin. And precisely such is the view which the apostles also give of true repentance1. O that we may never rest in any thing short of such repentance, lest, instead of looking now on Christ with salutary contrition, we behold him hereafter (as we must do) with endless and unavailing sorrow *.] 2. For encouragement [Many are discouraged by reason of the hardness and obduracy of their hearts. Indeed we all feel, that notwithstanding we have so much cause to weep day and night for our sins, and are really desirous to do so, we can rarely, if ever, bring our souls to any measure of tenderness and grief. But let us look more at Christ as dying for us and not confine our attention, as we too often do, to our sins. Let us particularly beg of Christ to pour out his Spirit upon us, and then the heart of stone shall soon give way to an heart of flesh'. The Spirit of grace and of supplications will easily effect, what, without his aid, is impossible to man: and the rocky heart, once struck by him, shall yield its penitential streams through all this dreary wilderness m.] Luke xi. 13. * Rev. i. 7. h John xvi. 7, 8. i 2 Cor. vii. 11. Jam. iv. 9. 1 Ezek. xxxvi. 26. m Alluding to Numb. xx. 11. CXCVIII. CHRIST'S RESURRECTION AND GLORY. Ps. xvi. 8-11. I have set the Lord always before me: because he is at my right hand, I shall not be moved. Therefore my heart is glad, and my glory rejoiceth: my flesh also shall rest in hope. For thou wilt not leave my soul in hell; neither wilt thou suffer thine Holy One to see corruption. Thou wilt shew me the path of life: in thy presence is fulness of joy, at thy right hand there are pleasures for evermore. IF the people of God had hope only in this life, they would be in a most pitiable condition; because they are debarred by conscience from the pleasures of sin, and are exposed to a multitude of trials on account of their religion. But their views of immortality bear them up, so that the sufferings of this present time appear to them insignificant, and unworthy of any serious concern. The Psalmist penned this Psalm under some deep affliction; which, however, lost all its force as soon as ever he directed his views to the eternal world. But the words before us can scarcely be applied at all to David in his own person they are spoken by him rather in the person of Christ, whom he typically represented; and to whom, in the New Testament, they are expressly, repeatedly, and exclusively applied. In this view they are a most remarkable prophecy relating to Christ; and they declare I. His support in life In an assurance of his Father's continual aid, he was unmoved by any difficulties [Various were the trials which Jesus was called to endure; but in all he preserved a perfect equanimity. When his sufferings were fast approaching, he spake of them without any emotions of fear": when dissuaded from exposing himself to them, he was indignant at the proposal: when warned of Herod's murderous intentions, he poured contempt on his feeble, unavailing efforts: when standing before Pilate's tribunal, he witnessed a good confession; and, alike unmoved by hopes or fears, informed his judge, that the authority exercised by him, was both given, and limited by a superior power. b Matt. xvi. 22, 23. 1 power. He saw God as ever present to succour and support him; and was well assured, that as nothing could be done but according to his determinate counsel, so his aid should be all-sufficient for him. Hence in the whole of his deportment he maintained an invincible firmness, a dignified composure. At all times he acted on the principles described in such glowing colours by the prophet Isaiah, and fulfilled in the utmost extent his prophecy concerning him .] Nor need the weakest of his members fear, if they look for support from the same quarter [Many of God's people have experienced the very same support as was enjoyed by Christ. David's friends endeavoured to create in his mind desponding fears: but his confidence in an almighty protector kept him stedfast"; and determined him to preserve an undaunted spirit, however great or multiplied his trials might be. Paul also, in the view of certain and accumulated troubles, could say, "None of these things move me." Thus may every believer triumph. The man who trusts in God is in an impregnable fortress, that has salvation for walls and bulwarks. If only our eyes be opened to see clearly, we may behold ourselves, like Elisha, encompassed with chariots of fire and horses of fire; and may laugh at the impotent attempts of men or devils ".] m The more immediate scope of the prophecy is to declare 11. His comfort in death Our blessed Lord submitted cheerfully to his death in a certain expectation of a speedy resurrection [Greatly as he was oppressed and overwhelmed with sorrow, he yet restrained not his tongue" from joyful acknowledgments. His last discourses, and his intercessory prayer, abundantly testify the composure of his spirit, and the elevation of his mind. Look we for the ground of his consolation? we shall find it in those repeated expressions, "I go to my Father; Father, I come to thee" He knew that his flesh, that holy thing formed in the virgin's womb, and given for the life of the world, should never become an abomination", but that, though immured in the silent tomb, it should be raised thence, before it could corrupt and that his soul, though separate from it for a season, should soon be reunited to it, to be joint partakers of the same kingdom and glory.] Such consolation too have all his members in a dying hour t [Christ rose, not as a private individual, but as "the firstfruits of them that slept" And every one that believes in him may consider death as a sleep, and the grave as a bed whereon they rest till the morning of the resurrection. The bodies of the saints are indeed doomed to death and corruption on account of sin" but they shall be raised again, and fashioned like unto Christ's glorious body: this corruptible shall put on incorruption, and this mortal shall put on immortality. In expectation of this, the martyrs of old would not accept deliverance, that they might obtain a better resurrection and, in the hope of it, we also may put off this tabernacle with joy, knowing that it shall be reared anew in a far better form.] Connected with this hope in his death, we behold III. His prospect in eternity The state to which Jesus was to rise was a state of inconceivable and endless glory [No sooner were death and the grave vanquished by Jesus in the resurrection, and he was thereby" declared to be the Son of God with power," than the way to the regions of glory was opened to him; that way, which, with myriads of attendant angels, he trod soon afterwards, that he might receive all the fruits of his victorious death. Then sat he down at the right hand of his Father, not any more to taste a cup of sorrow, but to possess a fulness and perpetuity of unutterable joy. Blessed prospect! well might he be animated by it in the midst of all his trials; and, for the joy set before him, endure the cross, and despise the shame ".] Such too are the delightful prospects of all his saints [They see, in the death and resurrection of Christ, the way to heaven opened: and, if they look to him as the resurrection and the life, a fulness and perpetuity of joy awaits Christ's resurrection on the third day was typified by that law, Lev. vii. 17, 18. 8 1 Cor. xv. 20. "Rom. viii. 10. Acts vii. 60. Isai. lvii. 2. Heb. xii. 2. John xi. 25, 26. z Heb:xi. 35. |