gether. He to whom we pray is already our Father: He for whose sake we ask is already our Lord and our Saviour. Unless then the whole of the Gospel be a fable, or unless we know of some special term which excludes us from the compass of a free, a universal Redemption, there must be on the part of God a willingness to absolve, proportioned to the greatness of our need, proportioned to the simplicity of our faith, proportioned to the earnestness of our desire. Let not these great and precious promises pass by us like the idle wind! A day is coming when we shall greatly want them, when with bitter unavailing tears we may bewail our disregard of them. Let the prayer for forgiveness ascend this night from all our hearts! You little know the comfort of that prayer. You have known perhaps, in days when the heart was tender', what it was to turn again to a father or a mother, saying, I have sinned: you have known the sweet calm that was diffused through the whole soul by sorrow for having done wrong followed by the assurance of a human forgiveness: will you not believe that He who ordained every part of man's being, designed to show us by this example the blessedness of His own forgiveness, and the readiness with which it lies ever open for the soul that unfeignedly longs for it? It is one of those happinesses which require no time, no delay certainly, for their realization. He who really asks God's forgiveness through Christ may have it at once: and he who has once tasted it will certainly come for it again. If so be ye have tasted that the Lord is gracious', is the availing motive with us all for seeking Him yet again. And be well assured that whatever really draws us towards God draws us towards holiness: there is nothing in mercy favourable to sin: there is nothing in the doctrine of a perfect Absolution but the persuasive summons to a lifelong sanctification. 1 I Pet. ii. 3. |