IV. The fourth thing propofed, was the application. Is it fo, as has been laid, that true golpel-humiliation is rooted in the believing knowledge of divine reconciliation, hence fee, 1. What are the grounds of God's controverfy, and of his being angry with the vifibie church, and of his not being pacified toward them. I mention these two from the text and context here. (1.) When that church or land does not know that the Lord is God: when they are ignorant of him, and of his being Lord; Lord of all in general, and Lord of his church in a special way: when he is not owned and acknowledged as Lord of the vineyard, but is denied in his Sovereignty and Supremacy over his church, and affronted in his Headfhip; hence it is faid, "My people are deltroyed for lack of knowledge." When Chrift is affronted openly in his fupreme Deity*, and in his fupreme Heaafhip; this cannot but be a great ground of controverly. (2.) When that church or people do not believe in him, as a God pacified and reconciled in Chrift; do not take him up, as he is revealed in his word: believe not that he is pacified in Chrift, but go about to pacify him themselves, and eítablish a righteoufnefs of their own; contriving fome other way of pacifying God, than God hath revealed: thinking to please God by their moral virtues and legal performances; and fo going off from the gofpel. 2. Hence fee what are the fruits and evidences of God's anger and controverfy with a church or land, and of his not being pacified; and, confequently, of their want of knowledge of the Lord as a pacified God in Chrift. (1.) When they are not brought to remembrance of their fin: for, when God is pacified, then they remember. Here is an evidence of God's continued anger with a church; when they do not remember their fin; are not remembring their apoftacy; are, not remembring that they and their fathers have finned, and will not remem ber the fame; will not be put in remembrance; will See this matter laid open. Vol. II. p. 466. Vol. IV. P. Vol. V. p. 108, 109. 309, 310, 311. 148. not not remember their covenant-breaking and perjury; will not remember the difhonours they have done to God When God remembers mercy to a people, then they remember their fin. When he forgets their fins, then they remember them: But, when they forget their fins, God remembers them. (2.) When they are not brought to confufion of heart for their fins; when it is not a remembring fo as to be confounded. If they barely remember, without confufion, it is as good as no remembring: when they remember, and think nothing of their fin; when they remember their fin, and yet do not remember against whom they have finned; nor remember the heinousness. of their fin, nor the aggravations thereof, nor the danger thereof, and the wrath their fins deferve, fo as to be touched to the heart, and affected before God, or confounded. "" (3.) When they are not brought to fhame or confufion of face, as well as confufion of heart: when, instead of remembring their fin with fhame, they fin without fhame, are not afhamed of their fin; but declare their fin as Sodom, and are bold in their finning; hardening their face against fhame and blufhing. When people are become fhamelefs in their finning, fhameless in their apoftacy, fhameless in their defection, fhameless not withstanding all their corruptions; yea, fhameless in going on in their fin, notwithstanding all the convictions offered. (4.) When they are not brought to filence, fo as not to open their mouth against God, and in their own vindication when they open their mouth, and fay, they are innocent, then the controverfy remains; "Thou fayeft, Because I am innocent, furely his anger fhall turn from me: behold, I will plead with thee, because thou fayeft, I have not finned," Jer. ii. 35. when they stand up in their own vindication with open mouth; instead of opening their mouth in confeffing of their fin, and in juftifying of the Lord: when they will not openly and judicially confefs their fin: when they do not confess freely, nor confefs fully, nor confefs nationally, or as a church, that they have finned; but rather open their mouth mouth in justifying themfelves, and condemning these that aim and endeavour at confeffing or witnefling against their fin. 3. Is it fo, that a foul is then truly humbled, when it apprehends God as truly pacified, and well-pleafed in Chrift Jefus? Hence fee then, the miferable cafe of fecure finners, that know not God in Chrift. They do not remember their fin against God. They fin without fhame; and they have their mouth open against God, vindicating themselves, and justifying themfelves. They glory in their fhame; they fee not their finfulness. Hence fee what is the caufe of fo little humiliation. Because there is fo little faith of the gospel of peace; unbelief, in not knowing and remembring that God is a pacified God in Chrift, is the main cause of it; therefore they do not remember their fin. They do not believe that God is at peace with them; therefore they are at war with God. Perhaps they think and fancy that he is at peace with them; but if they had the faith of it, it is impoffible they could be at peace with fin. 5. Hence fee the matchleffnefs of the grace and mercy of God, that he fhould proclaim peace with rebels, and declare himself pacified towards them, for all that they have done: and, that he fhould fend forth ambassadors, to publifh peace in his name, and commit to them the word of reconciliation, to pray you in his name to be reconciled to God, because he hath made Christ to be fin for us, a facrifice for us, thro' which he is pacified. 6. Hence fee the neceffity of preaching the gofpel of peace otherwife no true repentance, no gofpel-humiliation. People will never remember their fins, and be afhamed for them, until they hear, and know, that God is pacified toward them, for all that they have done. Golpel-doctrine is a heart-humbling and heart-foftening doctrine but, fuch is the hardening nature of legaldoctrine, that, let a man preach life to the doer of the law, and death to the tranfgreffor of it never fo much, it will only tend to harden the man's heart against God, and to fofter his rebellion and rage against God; for, The law worketh wrath." Never will a finner remember his fins, and blush or be ashamed, until he un derstand derftand that God infifts not upon the doing covenant with him, or upon the threatening covenant, denouncing wrath from Sinai: but, when God declares himfelf pacified, and when the finner hears the doctrine of free remiffion, pardon to guilty finners, and peace to rebel finers; then will he remember his fins, and be ashamed: what! is there mercy, peace, and pardon for me! Then the foul melts. 7. Hence fee what is the leading fin of the day and generation wherein we live; what is Scotland's chief fin, and the root of all our fin and rebellion, namely, unbelief, and rejecting of the gofpel of peace; not believing this report, That God is pacified in Chrift. Nothing provokes him to wrath so much, as the flighting and defpifing of his mercy. Why does not Scotland remenber their fins? Why are not they afhamed of their fins? Why will they not confefs their fins with fhame and confufion of face? Why will they not humble themfelves? Even because they do not believe in Chrift, or that God is pacified in Chrift. We have forgotten our God, and our refting.place, do not know and believe in him as a pacified God. Nothing kindles his anger fo much as the flighting of his love. Why does he appear in arms against us, but because we refufe the peace which he proclaims? Why is he arming popish powers against us*, and appearing in fury, but because we reject his favour? He may juftly let us tafte the bitterness of war, because we diftafte the fweetness of peace; the peace that he proclaims through Christ. 8. Hence fee an evidence of true gofpel-humiliation. When is a perfon truly humbled for fin? Even when the mercy of God melts him, when the love of God in Chrift fhames him for his enmity; when the view of Britain, for a confiderable time before this, had been on the very point of an open rupture with Spain: feveral acts of hoftilities had already commenced; and this year, war was openly declared by Britain against Spain, on the 23d Oct. France, ever watchful to embrace an opportunity to appear against the British nation, foon threw her felf into the fcale; at first, by making captures of many of our tips, under SpaFish colours; and at laft, by a declaration of war, in favours of the Spanish nation. God's God's being at peace, makes him at war with himself; when, in view of God's grace, he is confounded at his own ingratitude: when he begins to fear the Lord and his goodnefs; when he loves much, because much is for given him: when the grace of God, that appears to him, teaches him to deny ungodliness and worldly lufts; when the news of God's being pacified towards him, for all that he hath done, melts him more than all the flames of Sinai could; when his mouth is topt from fpeaking ill against God, because God's mouth is open in fpeaking peace to him; when the view of peace and pardon, and the fenfe of God's kindness to him, confounds him for his unkindness to God. 9. Hence fee what is the proper work of a humiliationday, namely, to remember your fin, and be afhamed. O that Scotland would remember their fia; that king and parliament would remember their fin; minifters and judicatories would remember, their fin, and be afhamed. Let every one of us remember our fin, and all that we have done. Remember the fin of your heart and nature; the fin of your youth, and follies of your non-age: remember the fin of your riper age: remember the fin that hath accompanied your calling; ye that inordinately defire to be rich, how you lye, and cheat, and fwear, and break the Sabbath: remember the fin of your holy things, of your reading, praying, hearing, communicating; remember the fins of omiffion and commiffion you are guilty of: remember, and be confounded; remember, and be afhamed, and be filent, and never open your mouth, because of your fame. 10. Hence fee, how, and in what. way, you may come to this right remembrance and due humiliation for fins. Why, the great and leading duty, in order to this humiliation, is a look to a pacified God. If you would be brought to holy fhame and confufion of face for your fin; then, O know and believe that God is pacified toward thee for all that thou haft done; that there is mercy in God toward thee. QUEST. HOW fhall I know, that God is pacified toward me? For I thought rather to have heard that God was angry at me for my fin; fince he is angry with the |