most of those who offer up the petition are descended from parents who have, by their vices, entailed upon them such temporal evils. Happy they who are so exempt! Let each recurrence of this prayer excite them to increased gratitude and affection to Almighty God, for having enabled their parents, by his grace, to avoid these particular sins; and let their hearts, enlarged into all the breadth and depth of Christian charity, pour forth the petition on behalf of all who are not so blessed. "Neither take thou vengeance of our sins." Vengeance, or as it is more emphatically called, revenge, is often wreaked by man upon his fellowcreatures for the most trivial offence. Many, who would think lightly of being designated as infidels, who would not feel the least aggrieved by the imputation of any defect or failing, on their part, as followers of the meek and lowly Jesus,-who care not what they are in the eyes of God,-demand blood as the only adequate reparation for a breath, a whisper, an appearance of insult upon what they call their honour, that is, their worldy reputation, their position in the eyes of men. Were God as extreme to mark whatever we do amiss towards Him, were he as stern and inexorable in demanding satisfaction for all the various sins which we commit, and which are equally, nay, in an infinitely more aggravated sense, an affront to His honour, who would not tremble at the prospect before him? For "we all, like sheep, have gone 99 66 astray; we all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God." name But he will vindicate "the honour due unto his These are his own recorded words::( Vengeance is mine, I will repay, saith the Lord." His justice is only reconciled with his mercy in Jesus Christ; all who dishonour him, dishonour the Father also, and will receive, at the great day of account, the wages of their sin, which is death. This new and living way, opened to us by Jesus Christ, being the only "sure foundation" upon which we can presume to build a hope of mercy, the Church constantly encourages her children to appeal to his blessed atonement, as in the clause of the petition which follows:-"Spare us, good Lord, spare thy people, whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood." How precious to every one, to whom his immortal soul is precious! But for that blood, the unchangeable God having once declared "the soul that sinneth it shall die,” could not spare us, vengeance must be taken upon our sins. But, "if any man be in Christ, he is a new creature: old things are passed away; behold, all things are become new. And all things are of God, who hath reconciled us to himself by Jesus Christ, and hath given to us the ministry of reconciliation. To wit, that God was in Christ, reconciling the world unto himself, not imputing * Psalm xxix. 2. their trespasses unto them, and hath committed unto us the word of reconciliation*." "For all have sinned, and come short of the glory of God: being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, whom God hath set forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins that are past, through the forbearance of God; to declare, I say, at this time, his righteousness, that he might be just, and the justifier of him which believeth in Jesust." This is our only hope, our only plea: faith in His blood is the sure and steadfast anchor of our souls; with our eyes fixed on Calvary, the Saviour's voice mingling with, and strengthening our supplications, we can do all things, hope all things, endure all things,apart from the blessed Redeemer's merits, we can do nothing, hope nothing, are nothing. O blessed Jesus, draw us nearer and nearer unto thee every day we live; enable us to choose thee, who hast so mercifully chosen us; weigh not our merits, but pardon our offences:-"Spare us, good Lord, spare thy people whom thou hast redeemed with thy most precious blood; and be not angry with us for ever!" * 2 Cor. v. 17-19. + Rom. iii. 23-26. 16 LECTURE III. From all evil and mischief, from sin, from the crafts and assaults of the devil; from Thy wrath, and from everlasting damnation, Good Lord, deliver us. By "evil and mischief" are to be understood, in this place, all those temporal calamities to which we are all, in whatever class of society, liable; such as sickness, disappointment of reasonable and becoming hopes, the persecution of enemies, the falling away of friends, or any other trouble, whether of mind or body. From all such "evil and mischief," whether of mind, body, or estate, God allows us to pray to be delivered, though everything that happens to us is of his own sovereign appointment; for in him-and only in him-we have life, and breath, and all things. At the same time, his dispensations are sometimes very trying and afflicting. Thus was David constrained to exclaim in his trouble, "The waters are come in, even unto my soul. I stick fast in the deep mire, where no ground is: I am come into deep waters, so that the floods run over me; I am weary of crying; my throat is dry: my sight faileth me for But he did not waiting so long upon my God*.” wait upon his God in vain, nor shall we; He delivered him at last, so will He us; He was a strong rock and house of defence to David against the troubles which He had for wise purposes inflicted, and which He had suffered almost to overwhelm him, so will He be to us. When once we can say, As the hart panteth after the water-brook, so panteth our soul after thee, O God; He will speak peace unto our soul, however tried and troubled, by saying, I am thy salvation. However tossed we may be upon the troubled sea of life, if we do but fly unto Him to save us, who is mighty to save, He will say to the waves of affliction, Peace, be still," and all will be bright and calm. If we trust in Him, we shall never be confounded. If we trust in God, "the God whom we serve is able to deliver us, and He will deliver ust." If we have David's faith, we shall every one of us be able to say, in even more than David's affliction, Why art thou so heavy, O my soul; and why art thou so disquieted within me? O put thy trust in God; for I will yet give Him thanks, which is the help of my countenance and my God." 66 66 Whatever "evil and mischief" God may see fit to inflict upon us, we are not necessarily to consider them as marks of His wrath; for, be we ever so wicked, there is no certainty of our being † Dan. iii. 17. * Psalm Lxix. 1-3. C |