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A PATTERN FOR NATIONAL HUMILIATION [Note: For a Fast-Day—Drought, &c.]
NATIONAL humiliation is the only mean of averting national judgments: it is that which God himself has prescribed; and to which he has often given the most signal success. The repentance, and consequent deliverance of Nineveh, a heathen nation, stands as an encouragement to all the kingdoms of the earth. The instances of God’s regard to the united supplications of his people are so numerous, that it has ever been judged expedient to appoint days for general fasting and prayer, in seasons of great calamity. Surely such an appointment was never more necessary than now! To assist you in improving this solemn occasion, we shall propose to your imitation the Jews, who, in a season of grievous drought and famine, humbled themselves before God. In the words before us, we see,
I. Their humble acknowledgments—
Conscious of having merited the Divine judgments, they confessed their guilt—
And may not we justly adopt their language as our own?
[“We have sinned against God” as much as any people upon earth: “our backslidings have been very many,” and “our iniquities do indeed testify against us,” Look through the land; see what profaneness everywhere abounds! — — — We have indeed professed on many solemn fast-days to repent, and turn unto the Lord; but our humiliation has not survived the day appointed for it, nor has any national reformation been visible amongst us — — — If we enter, every one of us, into our own hearts, we may see an epitome of all that is passing in the world: we may say with the Psalmist, “My heart sheweth mo the wickedness of the ungodly [Note: Psa_36:1. Prayer-Book Translation.]” — — — What ingratitude for mercies, what impenitence under sin, what unmindfulness of God’s presence, what disregard of his word, what evil dispositions, corrupt affections, and vile propensities, may be laid to our charge! — — — Let any one say, Whether these and innumerable other sins, do not testify against him — — — We would hope that there are but few amongst us who have not resolved, and for a time endeavoured, to repent: but has not our “goodness been as the morning-cloud, or the early dew that passeth away?” Have not our “backslidings been multiplied? And could we have thought, some years ago, that we should have made so small a progress in the Divine life, or, perhaps, that we should at this day have been as far from God as ever? — — — Let us then make these acknowledgments to God with most unfeigned contrition, and lie before him in dust and ashes.]
With equal propriety also we may imitate,
II. Their mournful expostulations—
Nothing indeed can be more offensive to God than arrogant expostulations [Note: Isa_58:3.]; but nothing more acceptable than such as are presented with unfeigned humility—
Such were those with which the Jewish penitents addressed the Lord—
[The titles, by which they address the Deity, are expressive of the deepest reverence: God is indeed the hope, the only “hope of his people:” and he is their willing and all-sufficient “Saviour in the time of trouble.” Nor did they intend to question either his inclination or ability to save them; but only to say, Wilt thou be like a stranger that cares not for us; or like one, who, though mighty in himself, is yet, through perturbation of his mind, or the insuperable difficulty of the case, unable to afford succour? Similar expostulations were frequently used by David [Note: Psa_44:23-26.]; and however they may at first sight appear expressive of too great familiarity, are indeed the genuine effusions of a contrite soul—]
Let us approach our God in terms of like import—
[To whom can we look as our “Hope,” but Jehovah? and who but he has been our “Sariour in times of trouble?” But, alas! He is at present but as “a stranger in the land, or as a mighty man that cannot save.” We have cried to him, and we are not delivered; though he has graciously interposed on some occasions, yet still we are left in deep affliction; nor can we at all divine what shall be the issue of our troubles. The greater part of us too, we fear, are no less in doubt respecting the issue of their spiritual conflicts: If they June ever cried to God, their enemies yet prevail; and it is uncertain whether they shall not finally be overwhelmed by sin and Satan. With what earnestness, then, should they look to Christ, as to “the hope set before them,” and plead with him as their Saviour in this hour of need!]
But to their expostulations let us not forget to add,
III. Their fervent petitions—
The penitents before us seemed conscious as well of their unworthiness as of their impotency—
Hence, both in their petitions and their pleas, they expressed their entire reliance upon God’s grace and mercy—
[Sensible, that if God forsook them, or refused his aid, they must perish, they cried, “Leave us not!” “Do thou it” which we desire: and having no goodness or worthiness of their own to plead, they entreated him “for his name’s sake,” and because of his presence with them, and his relation to them; “Thou, O Lord, art in the midst of us, and we are called by thy name: leave us not!”]
A more excellent pattern for our imitation we cannot find—
[What can we do as a nation, if God forsake us, or withhold his powerful interposition? In vain will our fleets and armies go forth to meet the enemy, if God be not with them, to succeed their efforts. But can we plead the superior piety of our nation? Is there any thing in the land so excellent, that we can urge it with God as a ground whereon we may expect his favour? Alas! the superior light of which we boast, and the distinguished blessings which we enjoy, have greatly aggravated our national guilt: we can therefore ask nothing but mercy, for mercy’s sake. It is true, “God is still (bleased be his name!) in the midst of us;” and while our enemies have professedly cast off their allegiance to him [Note: The time of the French Revolution.], we glory in being “called by his name.” In this view we may plead his presence with us, and his relation to us; yet not in a spirit of proud boasting, but of humble and thankful acknowledgment. And the more God is honoured in the midst of us, the more may we expect a continuance of his favour towards us.
It is almost needless to observe, that, with respect to our personal necessities, we must have no other plea than that before mentioned. He must be ignorant indeed who will presume to ground his hopes upon any merit of his own; though certainly, if we belong to God, we may plead his past mercies as a ground on which we hope for the continuance and increase of them. In this manner therefore let us approach our God; and we may rest assured that our supplications shall not go forth in vain.]
Application—
[Let this day be truly set apart for the humbling of your souls before God — — — And let the pattern now set before you be not only approved, but imitated in all its parts. There is a day coming when we shall either look back upon our present humiliation with unspeakable comfort, or regret bitterly that we trifled with God and our own souls. Defer not then this necessary work. The nation, of which you are members, demands it of you. Whatever be your judgment with respect to politics, there can be no doubt but that you have contributed to augment the guilt of the nation, and are therefore bound to deprecate the judgments that are hanging over it. The salvation of your own souls too depends on your unfeigned repentance; and the sooner you turn to God in his appointed way, the sooner will you obtain a sense of his favour, and the brighter will be your prospects in the heavenly world. Let us all then turn to Christ, as the Hope of Israel, and the Saviour thereof: and however unable or unwilling to save we may have foolishly supposed him, we shall find him both “able and willing to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him.”]