THE solemn times of humiliation, such as Lent and Advent, are very trying times to tender consciences, and on that very account, among others, they come with a peculiar trial and difficulty to the ministers and messengers of JESUS CHRIST.

It is of course our duty, in respect of the great doctrine of Repentance, which especially belongs to such seasons, to set it forth, like every other part of the Gospel, according to the proportion of faith: that is the rule of the HOLY GHOST by St. Paul. Now you know what " proportion" means, when we talk of a picture, or a building, or any other work of man. It means that no one part is too large or too small for the rest, but that each of them is kept of the proper measure, according to the size of the whole work. In like manner, the proportion of faith is kept, when the whole of God's message is set forth as HE intended, when neither His judgments nor His mercies are forgotten; according to His own solemn declaration by Moses; that "HE forgiveth iniquity, transgression, and sin, yet will by no means clear the guilty."

Now in teaching repentance, there is of course a danger of erring on either side of this declaration. One man may speak,

or seem to speak, of God's wrath against sinners only; another only of His love and mercy to His redeemed; and even if both be fully set forth, according to their due proportions, both will not always be alike attended to. The hearers will carry away with them, too commonly, only that part of what is said which suits their own temper and frame of mind. The hardened will lay hold of whatever is said in praise of God's great and overflowing mercy; while the bruised and wounded in heart, the tender consciences, will be over-much struck by the severe and awful part of the doctrine. And thus it will too often follow, that each learner will dwell on just that portion of the instruction, which his own case did not so much require. So it is in reading or hearing the Bible: no wonder, therefore, that so it should be in men's way of receiving the instruction and advice of CHRIST'S servants; no wonder if they often seem to be unduly severe, or over-indulgent, when, perhaps, if all they said was attended to, they would be found simply to have repeated God's message. And all this is over and above the errors and imperfections they may fall into, in what they say, or in their manner of say

ing it.

This, then, is one great danger, whenever we preach, as in Lent we must preach, upon repentance; namely, that the hardened and the tender consciences will often each take to themselves what was properly meant for the other. Another difficulty we are under, lies in a difference which God's Providence seems to have made between one penitent and another.

Even sincere persons, and such as are in earnest anxious to please GOD, and obtain His pardon, through His Son, at the last day, do not all of them take alike the very plainest and most direct sayings of the Bible. Some appear, even naturally, to require more hope, more joy, more encouragement, than others. As they feel their sins more deeply, so they seem to need more direct offers of pardon. Some cannot bear doubt, it almost seems like death to them; others try to content themselves with it, as part of their ordained penance for a time; and they seem to feel, that it would be a very dangerous thing for such as they are to depend too much on feelings of assurance. Some are like the Prodigal Son, for whom it was best to set out on his long journey, and perform more or less of it, in wonder and suspense,

whether his father could ever receive him as a son again; others are like the woman who loved much, to whom our LORD said at once, "Thy sins be forgiven thee."

Now for both of these He has graciously provided, "Who is the merciful receiver of all true penitent sinners." His severe sayings, especially in the Epistles, are enough to keep down too much assurance in the one: His most compassionate dealings with penitents, both in the Old and New Testaments, are the very medicine to keep the other from despair.

Then, lest persons should make a mistake, and apply to them. selves that part of His sayings which was not intended for them, or which however, taken alone, does not suit their present condition, He graciously invites them to open their grief to His priests, and receive from them the benefit of absolution, which they are to give sooner or later, as the case may require, and which is the regular ordained mean of assured comfort to brokenhearted penitents. Indeed, it is most deeply to be wished, that such as feel themselves in care and perplexity, from any thing -they hear in the Church's public teaching, would make up their minds to speak about it, either to their own pastor, or to some other whom they can trust, in private. It seems the regular and natural way for correcting misapprehensions about their own condition. For "the priest's lips" are to " preserve knowledge," and the people are to" seek the law at his lips, for he is the messenger of the LORD of Hosts." He has also power given him, by our LORD JESUS CHRIST HIMSELF, to forgive sins in His Name, when truly repented of and forsaken. That blessed ordinance of absolution has indeed a Divine virtue, which many a wounded heart can testify, where it is received in true faith and humility, and followed by persevering obedience; a virtue to calm the troubled spirit, and enable it with hope and comfort to draw near to GoD's altar. Absolution is like the hand of the compassionate SAVIOUR laid upon a penitent's head, confirming, and applying to him in particular, the good word, "Thy sins be forgiven thee." In a word, absolution, as I said before, is the regular way to that sober assurance of pardon, which even the worst sinners may hope for, truly repenting, and confessing, and amending their ways.

But far be it from me to deny that the ALMIGHTY has not also

other ways of assuring and comforting His people, ways without number, and beyond description, ways which may not and cannot be set down in words, so that it would be exceedingly rash and presumptuous for one Christian to question another's assured hope of pardon, provided that other be really endeavouring to serve GOD and keep His commandments, and really humbling himself for what has been wrong. The danger is, where people trust to their feelings, without such real practical amendment; or to the disparagement of Church ordinances; or where they insist on such feelings, as a sure and necessary token of forgiveness; or where they are too much disquieted for want of them. In a word, humble obedience for the future is the surest sign of pardon for the past; deep, transporting, overpowering feelings, when they come in aid of this, may be thankfully received as true tokens from above; but without this, they are surely deceitful and mischievous. If men have them, they must not presume; if they have them not, they need not despair.

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Now such differences, as I have now said, there are in God's grace manifesting itself in different penitents, this requiring more encouragement than that, one more eager and hopeful than another; such differences will there naturally be, in their way keeping holy times, such as this present season of Lent. Some -will feel deeper compunction than others, will be more inclined to bodily mortification in secret, will feel more earnestly moved towards confession and showing their deeds: another sort, perhaps, at this as at other times, will have the cheerful hope or sense of pardon more thoroughly awake and alive within them: the ALMIGHTY, in His unsearchable Providence, may not have given all the same signs and tokens of love; but surely His love is with both sorts alike, provided both agree alike in trying sincerely to hate their sins, and serve their SAVIOUR with all their heart. To both sorts the holy season will be blessed, provided both keep it in the true fear of GOD.

I say "in the fear of God," that is, in awful reverence before HIM, and in a serious sense of His Presence; for that is indeed necessary for every one, whether inclined to be hopeful or downcast. No temper, no doings, can be right or safe, without a serious, earnest apprehension of our CREATOR's eye fixed upon us, of our REDEEMER watching to see what love we have to give,

in return, for His unspeakable dying love. The very reason why compunction and sorrow are rather to be encouraged in most of us, than undoubting hope, is because our nature, too fond of ease, is apt, in undoubting hope, to forget reverence and godly fear. But if men have that grace, if they are truly serious and earnest, aware of CHRIST's awful presence, and humbling themselves before it, then they may without danger be encouraged to have joy and peace in believing: they cannot then be other than strict in their conduct, sincere in their obedience, haters of their past sins: whatever courage, and hope, and confidence, go along with the true fear of GOD, is His gracious gift vouchsafed to make them more perfect and steady in their duty: it helps their repentance, instead of hurting it. Just as, on the other hand, there is such a thing as sorrow and compunction, and that for past sin, without the true faith and fear of God, a sorrow like that of Ahab or of Judas, mere dread of punishment, or sense of degradation, without love of CHRIST, or feeling of the cross, without any thought of God as an offended Father; where the heart, though it is pained, cannot properly be called broken or contrite, because it wants the true fear of GOD, it has not surrendered itself to the gracious influences of the good SPIRIT, dealing with us as with children.

What a necessary grace this serious fear of God is, at such times as this of Lent especially, you may judge from the account of our LORD's Transfiguration, part of which was read to you as our text: "There came a cloud, and overshadowed them, and they feared as they entered into the cloud." Times of solemn humiliation, like Lent, or of solemn joy, like Easter, are as that cloud, the token of God's presence; it behoves us to fear as we enter upon them.

Consider who the persons were, that had that fear upon the mount. They were the three chosen and most highly-favoured Apostles. If Peter, James, and John feared, surely we ought to fear. St. Peter, the pattern of the Church's true confession, to whom but a week before the promise had been given, "Upon this rock I will build My Church, and I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven;" he feared as he entered into the cloud; who then dare presume upon his right catholic belief and true views of doctrine, and thereupon come near to our LORD, and