his foul! He must have been deeply affected, and "God be merciful to me a finner!"

led to cry,

THE feelings of a good man, who had been feduced into fin, and reflected upon it with deep contrition, are pathetically described by the pen of this fame perfon, in the thirty fecond pfalm; and the defcription is couched in the first person, as what himself had experienced. "When I

kept filence, my bones waxed old by reafon of my roaring all the day long. For day and night thy hand was heavy on me; my moisture is turned into the drought of fummer." There is a strong probability that his feelings on this occafion, before he confeffed his fin, and obtained a fenfe of pardon, are here expreffed. They are the fame which we should fuppofe he must feel while tormented with a fense of such enormous guilt.

III. We are to confider his temper and conduct when reproved by the prophet.

THESE are the fame which we should expect, did we know him to have been then a penitent. He was indeed taken by guile, and made to condemn himself before he perceived that he was the guilty perfon of whom the prophet complained. But had he till that time continued impenitent, it is not probable that he would, have been inftantly humbled, and immediately confeffed his fin with true contrition. It is much more probable that he would have refented the application to himself, as an affront offered to royalty, and avenged himfelf on the Lord's meffenger.

GOD hath power inftantly to change the finner's heart without previous awakenings; but this is not the method of grace. Convictions, ordinarily, if not invariably, antecede converfion, prepare for it, and lead to it.

NEITHER is this the method of grace, only with the finner at the firft great change, termed the new birth, but with the faint who falls into heinous fins, and thereby resembles the finner. When a good man yields to temptation and falls from his stedfastness, God commonly hides his face from him-for a term, and often for a confidera." ble term, he fits in darkness-is ready to give up his hope to conclude that he hath believed in vain-never loved God or hated fin-never passed from death unto life. In fine, he feels fimilar pains, and paffeth in many refpects, a fimilar change, when renewed again by repentance, as when firft made a new creature.

Do we ever fee persons who have been feduced into great and heinous fins, brought back to God, and comforted with his prefence without fenfations of this kind? We presume the instance cannot be adduced. We fhould look with a jealous eye on one who pretended to be an example of it. From the methods of grace at prefent, we may judge of them in times paft. God is the fame-fin equally his averfion, and finners alike the objects of his displeasure.

THE fuppofition that a person is one moment a hardened finner; the next a thorough penitent, pardoned, restored and comforted of God, is fo

diverfe from his common manner of treating great offenders, that it fhould not be admitted in a given cafe, without clear and ftrong evidence ; and in the cafe before us there is no evidence even circumstances have a different aspect.

No fooner was this offender reproved, than he discovered a humble penitent difpofition. He freely confeffed his fin, both to God and man, as one who had thought on his ways and repented of his tranfgreffions; which could not have been expected of one who after the commiffion of fuch crimes, remained thoughtless and fecure, till the moment when his guilt and danger were fet before him.

BUT if David was a penitent before he was visited by Nathan, why had he concealed his repentance? Why spread a veil over it and neglected to glorify God by a confeffion of his fins? Did he think it fufficient to confefs to God, and humble himself in fecret?

So fome argue, and endeavor to cover the fins of which the world knows them to be guilty. But we are far from suspecting this of David.

To break the divine law is implicitly to condemn it. "What iniquity have your fathers found in me?" To conceal forrow for fin, is in effect to justify it. Then only is God glorified by an offender, when he takes the blame and the shame of his fins on himself, acknowledging the law which he hath broken to be "holy, juft and good." Of these things, this offender could not be infenfible.

DAVID was indeed under ftrong temptation to hide his fins. He was the head of a family, feveral members of which were abandoned characters. These he had doubtlefs often reproved. He was the head of a nation, numbers of which were children of Belial. These he had called to repentance, re proved, punished. He had long profeffed religion -perhaps often declared its power to change the heart and mend the life. But if his crimes were now made public, he must appear a "finner above all who dwelt at Jerufalem !" To have his conduct known would cover him with fhame, and give great occafion to the enemy to blafpheme, and speak reproachfully."

DID these confiderations prevent him from con.. feffing his fins, and induce him to cover his tranfgreffions? They were moftly arguments for his proclaiming his repentance, had his fins been public.

By his fins he had countenanced wickednefs, and fet the example of it in a dignified ftation. By his confeffion he would condemn it, and juftify the law of God, which forbids it; and by his return to duty, do every thing then in his power, to repair the injury he had done and prevent or remove the bad effects of his example. Why then had he neglected it?

THERE was only one confideration which could excuse him-that, we apprehend, justified him. His fins in this affair were not public. It appears from several circumftances that they were kept out of fight till the prophet was fent to reprove and publish them, and his repentance of them.

JOAB knew indeed that the king wifhed the death of Uriah, It is not certain that he knew the cause. If he did, it is not probable that he had divulged it.

THAT these matters were not tranfacted openly, or generally known, may be inferred from two confiderations, namely, from Bathsheba's going into mourning for Uriah, and from Nathan's declaration, when he foretold the evils which would come on David and his family, to punish his fins on this occafion, notwithstanding his repentance. Mournings were very fhort among the Hebrews; but this adultress would not have put on mourning, or David delayed to take her to his house, to be his wife, till her mourning was ended, had this affair been public. But, that it was not fo, is put out of doubt by the language of the prophet in his address to the king-" Thou didst it fecretly."

Ir the matter was not public, the delinquent was not to be criminated because he did not make it fo. Sins committed in fecret are to be confeffed and mourned only before him who fees in fecret. Such feems to have been David's fituation from the time of his fall, till the publication of his guilt, by the prophet; during which term he felt all the horrors of confcious guilt; "God's hand lying heavy on him.”

As it pleafed God that both his fall and recovery should be made public, the prophet seems to have delivered his message before witneffes. This took away the ground of temptation longer to hide his fins, and cleared the way to a public renuncia