by the grace of God. But the indulgence of such feelings must be fatal to the eternal interests of the soul! Every avenue of the vexed and malignant heart is barred against the approach of christian counsel and sympathy, and is inaccessible even to the promises of the word of God. The springs of mercy are poisoned at their source; and these waters of life, so refreshing and cheering to the broken heart, are all rejected as insipid or as bitter. Even reason itself is perverted, the conscience is seared, and nothing can avert the fearful catastrophe but the interposition of Him whose are the hearts of all, and who alone can guide the minds, wills, and affections of sinful men! Such are the malignant fruits of "the sorrow of the world!" It is corrupt and deadly in its nature, ruinous in is effects, and except the Lord in mercy change the heart of the rebellious sinner, infallibly "worketh death" in time and in eternity!

Widely different is that "godly sorrow" which we are, II. called more fully to consider: of this the apostle declares that it "worketh repentance to salvation not to be repented of." This "GODLY SORROW" is no imaginary nor fictitious grief, it is most painful and acute. No bereaved widow mourns for him in whom her soul delighted, no orphan child for an only parent, with deeper anguish of heart, than that with which the penitent sinner bewails his manifold offences against

God. He can feelingly adopt the language of the church, and say, "The remembrance of my sin is grievous unto me, the burthen of them is intolerable." The metaphorical descriptions of this sorrow which are found in Scripture commend themselves as faithful pictures to the convinced and contrite soul," who mourns as one mourneth for an only son, and is in bitterness as one that is in bitterness for his first-born."* Other calamities are supportable in comparison with this; for "the spirit of a man will sustain his infirmity; but a wounded spirit who can bear?" "Surely there is no sorrow like unto this sorrow;" when the heart bleeds for sin, and the spirit is broken because of iniquity. Many have tasted of David's cup of penitential grief who have not sunk like him into open transgression. The intensity of this feeling does not depend so much upon the enormity of the offence as upon the view which is taken of it by the sinner himself: hence it is that many who have been neither adulterers nor murderers, have nevertheless exclaimed with the royal penitent, "" I have no rest in my bones by reason of my sin; for mine iniquities are gone over mine head: as a heavy burden they are too heavy for me. I am troubled; I am bowed down greatly; I go mourning all the day long. I am feeble and sore broken: I have roared by reason of the disquiet

* Zech. xii. 10

Prov. xviii. 14.

ness of my heart." * Such expressions may surprise the unawakened, the thoughtless, and impenitent, but all "who know the plague of their own hearts," have felt their force, and experienced something of the sorrow of which they are descriptive.

But the apostle calls this "GODLY SORROW;" and for many obvious reasons. It is denominated godly sorrow because IT HAS GOD FOR ITS OBJECT. This is the exact meaning of the phrase; it is godly sorrow, or SORROW TOWARDS GOD; a most important characteristic of genuine grief for sin. Many a sinner appears to lament his sins, while in fact he is grieved only at the troubles in which they have involved him; he regrets not their guilt, but their consequences. The sincere penitent, on the contrary, chiefly has regard to God in his sorrow that he has offended a gracious and merciful Father, that he has exhibited ingratitude and rebellion against Him, that he has violated His holy laws, that he has sinned against so many mercies, and has justly incurred the displeasure of the Lord-these considerations are to him the fruitful sources of godly sorrow. So David mourned and bewailed himself. He had deeply and fearfully injured his fellow creatures; he had caused the death of several innocent persons, whom he had sacrificed for the gratification of his guilty passion; yet when he

* Psal. xxxviii. 3, 4, 6, 8.

reviewed his conduct, every other painful conviction was absorbed in this; Against THEE, THEE ONLY, have I sinned, and done this evil in THY SIGHT!"* We never gain a just view of sin, nor adequately comprehend its guilt, until we thus behold it as in the sight of God, and mourn because we have grieved Him, and wounded HIM; then we "sorrow towards God !"

In such sorrow there will be much tenderness and affection; IT LEADS US TO GOD; and this is another reason why it is called godly sorrow. The terrors of an affrighted conscience often drive the sinner away from God, and plunge him more deeply into sin; like his guilty parents in Paradise he strives to flee from the presence of his Maker; with Peter he cries out, " Depart from me, for I am a sinful man, O Lord!" or with the devil-" Art thou come to torment us before the time?" But the soul which is touched with godly sorrow, exclaims, "I will arise and go to my Father"-He is my Father, though I have offended Him, provoked Him, rebelled against Him, and "grieved His Holy Spirit"still He is my Father and I will go to Him. "Lord, to whom else shall I go?" Thou alone canst forgive my sin; Thou whose laws I have broken, thou whose displeasure I have incurred!" Such sorrow springs from an affectionate persuasion that "God is love"-" that He willeth not

* Psal.li. 4.

the death of a sinner, but rather that he should be converted and live:" the heart of the penitent "is directed into the love of God"-" drawn with the cords of a man, with the bands of love:"-and so is constrained to seek refuge in the infinite mercy of a reconciled God in Christ Jesus.

In such sorrow GOD DELIGHTS: He is well pleased with the humiliation and filial sadness of His wandering children. Not that He delights in putting them to grief-far otherwise! As an indulgent parent He seeks the happiness of His children; it is His will that they should walk in the light of His countenance, "encompassed with His favour as with a shield." But if they wander from Him, and sin against Him, and provoke Him by their evil deeds, He is constrained to chasten them for their good, their real and eternal happiness. And when they are softened and humbled and laid low by His rebukes, when they kiss the rod, and bless the hand that afflicts them, then the Lord their God regards them with ineffable affection; "He puts their tears in His bottle," "He registers them in His book," He says to admiring angels, " See ye, how my servants humble themselves?" "And there is joy in the presence of the angels of God." Nor is it beneath the majesty of the Almighty to stoop to such penitents; for though He is "the High and Holy One who inhabiteth eternity," yet does He condescend" to dwell also with him that is of a con