Let us not fear then though earth and hell conspire against us. Let us rather adopt the triumphant language of the apostle, "Who is he that shall lay any thing to our charge? It is God that justifieth. Who is he that condemneth? It is Christ that died, yea, rather that is risen again, who also maketh intercession for us." We may rest satisfied that he is faithful, who hath promised; and that, as the heroes of old hung up their trophies in the temples of their gods, so Christ will take us to heaven as the fruit of his victories, the everlasting monuments of his power and grace. Let us then "hold fast the beginning of our confidence firm unto the end." Let us "believe in the Lord; so shall we prosper; let us be lieve his prophets; and so shall we be established."

CXCVI. OUR LORD'S COMPLAINT ON THE CROSS,

Ps. xxii. 1. My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Why art thou so far from helping me, and from the words of my roaring?

THE prophecies relating to our Lord have not only declared what works he should do, and what sufferings he should endure, but even the very words that should be uttered both by his enemies and himself Whatever reference the words of the text might have to David, there can be no doubt but that they principally relate to the Lord Jesus; and in him they received their accomplishment: when he had hung about six hours upon the cross, we are told, "he cried with a loud voice, saying, Eli, Eli, lama sabacthani? that is to say, My God, my God, why hast thou forsaken me? Perhaps he cried with a loud voice in order to shew, that his natural strength was by no means exhausted; and that his dissolution, which immediately followed, was voluntary: but he discovered also by that the intenseness of his sufferings, and fulfilled in the minutest manner the prediction before us-Waving

a Matt. xxvii. 46.

all illustration of the text as applicable to David, we shall endeavour to elucidate it as accomplished in his great antitype, and shall consider

I. The occasion of our Lord's complaint

Jesus in the hour of his extremity was forsaken of his heavenly Father

[We are not to suppose that the Godhead actually separated itself from his manhood; but that the sensible manifestation of the divine presence was withheld from him-This was necessary in various points of view-A banishment from the divine presence was part of the punishment due to sin; and therefore it must be inflicted on him who had become the surety and substitute of sinners-Occasional suspensions also of the tokens of God's love are the means whereby God perfects the work of faith in his people's hearts: and "it behoved Jesus to be made like unto us in all things:" "though he was a son, yet he must learn" the nature and the difficulty of "obedience (yea, and be made perfect too) through sufferings" Nor could he properly sympathize with us, which as our great High Priest he ought to do, unless he himself should endure the very temptations, which we, in our measure, are called to sustaino-]

But though there was good reason for it, it was a just ground of complaint

art my

[Never had he endured any thing like this before: when he said, "Now is my soul troubled, it is exceeding sorrowful even unto death," a voice was uttered from heaven, "Thou beloved Son in whom I am well pleased:" when he agonized in the garden, an angel was sent from heaven to strengthen him: but now that he was more fiercely than ever assaulted by all the powers of darkness, his heavenly Father also seemed to conspire with them, and withdrew the only consolation that remained for his support-What a dreadful aggravation of his sufferings must this have been! To cry, and even "roar" for help, and find God "far from helping him!" to have him, in whose bosom he had lien from all eternity, hide his face from him! How could he but complain?-Surely in proportion as he loved his heavenly Father, he could not but bewail the hidings of his face-]

Lest however we should form a wrong conception of our Lord's conduct, let us consider

b Heb. ii. 10, 17, 18. and v. 7-9.

c Heb. iv. 15.

II. The complaint itself

Let us not suppose that there was the smallest mixture of impatience in it

[When our Lord first undertook to stand in the place of sinners, he said, "I delight to do thy will, O God"-When the cup of God's wrath was put into his hand, he still acquiesced; and, though his human nature shrunk back for awhile from the conflict, he committed himself to God, saying, " Not my will, but thine be done"-Nor was the complaint uttered on the cross any other than what every good man, under the hidings of God's face, both may, and ought to utterd—]

It expressed the fullest confidence in God, and exhibited the brightest pattern to all his tempted people

[Not for one moment does Jesus doubt his relation to his heavenly Father, as we, alas! are too apt to do in seasons of deep affliction His repetition of that endearing name, My God, my God," shews how stedfastly he maintained his faith and confidence; and teaches us, that, "when we are walking in darkness and have no light, we should trust in the Lord, and stay ourselves upon our God"—]

We may improve the subject by considering

III. The lessons we may learn from it

There is not any part of doctrine or experience which will not receive light from this subject-But we shall content ourselves with observing from it

1. The greatness of Christ's love

[Truly the love of Christ has heights and depths that can never be explored-He knew from eternity all that he should endure, yet freely offered himself for us, nor ever drew back from his engagements: "Having loved his own he loved them. to the end"--But never shall we form any just conceptions of his love, till we behold that glory which he left for our sakes, and see, in the agonies of the damned, the miseries he endured-But when the veil shall be taken from our eyes, how marvellous will his love appear! and with what acclamations. will heaven resound!-]

2. The duty of those who are under the hidings of his face

[Our enjoyment of Christ's presence is variable, and often intermitted: but let us not on that account be discouragedLet us pray, and that too with strong crying and tears; yea,

d Ps. lxxvii. 1—3. and lxxxviii. 9, 10, 14.

let us expostulate with him, and ask, like Job, "wherefore dost thou contend with me?"-But though we say, "The Lord hath forsaken me," let us never add, like the church of old, "my Lord hath forgotten me"-If he hide himself, "it is but for a little moment, that he may gather us with everlasting mercies" Therefore let us say with Job, "Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him”—]

3. The misery of those who are not interested in his

atonement

[We see what bitter lamentation sin occasioned in him, who bore the iniquities of others, even though he knew that his sufferings would quickly end: what wailing then and gnashing of teeth will they experience, who shall perish under their own pepsonal guilt, when they shall be shut up as monuments of God's wrath to all eternity!s-Would to God that careless sinners would lay this to heart, while yet a remedy remains, and before they be finally separated from their God by an impassable gulf!—]

e Job x. 2.

f Isai. liv. 7, 8.

g Luke xxiii. 31.

CXCVII. THE MEANS OF EVANGELICAL

REPENTANCE.

Zech. xii. 10. I will pour upon the house of David, and the inhabitants of Jerusalem, the spirit of grace and of supplications: and they shall look on me whom they have pierced, and shall mourn for him, as one that mourneth for his only son, and be in bitterness for him, as one that is in bitterness for his first-born.

REPENTANCE is a subject, with which every one supposes himself to be sufficiently acquainted, but which is indeed very rarely understood. The scriptures speak of a repentance unto salvation, not to be repented of;" intimating thereby, that there is a repentance, which is not unto salvation; and which therefore itself needs to be repented of. The text in this view deserves our deepest attention, since it opens to us

I. The nature of evangelical repentance

The sorrow, produced in the heart of a true penitent, is exceeding deep

a 2 Cor. vii. 10,

[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 assiduties 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 acccusations of a guilty conscience, till the balm of Gilead," the blood of Jesus, be applied to it: nor even then will sin ever cease to 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.ee Not that the miseries, which Christ endured on the cross, are the proper grounds of a penitent's sor row; 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

He

[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. 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," un 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

b Luke vii. 12.

сс

Compare John xix. 37.

e Acts v. 31.

c Ezek. xvi. 63.

d Exod. x. 16, 17. 1 Kings xxi. 29. f John xiv. 13-17.