By the Rev. JOHN COLQUHOUN, D.D., Leith.
(Continued from page 301.)
III.
Fourthly, The exercise of true repentance, includes shame and confusion of face before the Lord.—The remembrance of his innumerable, and heinous provocations, fills the true penitent with holy shame and blushing before God. “O my God,” says Ezra, “I am ashamed and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God; for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up unto the heavens” (Ezra ix. 6). Shame was never felt in the world, till our first parents had lost their reputation, by sinning against God. It is in consequence of a true sense of sin, and of a fiducial apprehension of pardoning mercy, that the true penitent is filled with shame, before a holy and gracious God, for the deep depravity of his nature, and the aggravated transgressions of his life. Spiritual nakedness also occasions shame. Accordingly Adam, after he had sinned, said to the Lord, “I heard thy voice in the garden; and I was afraid, because I was naked, and I hid myself” (Gen. iii. 10). Sin has taken away the comeliness of human nature. It has stripped the sinner of his beautiful garments; so that, the shame of his nakedness does appear. The believing sinner sees that, and has this great promise fulfilled to him; “That thou mayest remember, and be confounded, and never open thy mouth any more because of thy shame, when I am pacified toward thee for all that thou hast done, saith the Lord God” (Ezek. xvi. 63). Reproach causes shame. “Sin is a reproach to any people” (Prov. xiv. 34). That knowledge of sin which is by the law, may produce worldly sorrow; but it is the province of the gospel only, to paint sin in such colours, as to make the true penitent ashamed, yea, even confounded, because he does bear the reproach of his youth (Jer. xxxi. 19). A true sense especially of base ingratitude, when it is accompanied by the faith of redeeming mercy, fills him with shame: “We lie down in our shame, and our confusion covereth us; for we have sinned against the Lord our God” (Jer. iii. 25). The disappointment also of his former
hopes from sin, fills the penitent with holy shame. During his unregenerate state, he expected satisfaction and happiness, in a course of disobedience; but now that his views of sin are changed, he sees that he was all the time procuring for himself, nothing but present misery and endless destruction. His reflection upon this, fills him often with shame. Accordingly, the apostle Paul puts this question; “What fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are now ashamed? for the end of those things is death” (Rom. vi. 21). A spiritual discovery also of the pollution of his sin, fills the penitent with shame. Sin defiles, as well as deforms the soul, in the sight of God. The true penitent sees this and is ashamed. “We are all as an unclean thing,” says the ancient church, “and all our righteousnesses are as filthy rags” (Isa. lxiv. 6). And Daniel, “O Lord, righteousness belongeth unto thee, but unto us, confusion of faces, as at this day” (Dan. ix. 7).
In the fifth place, The exercise of true Repentance, implies ingenuous and unreserved confession of sin, to the glory of that God who has been dishonoured by it.—Thus Joshua exhorted Achan, “My son, give glory to the Lord God of Israel, and make confession unto him” (Josh. vii. 19). This is the way, in which the true penitent vents his godly sorrow, self-loathing, and shame. “I acknowledged my sin unto thee,” says the Psalmist, “and mine iniquity have I not hid: I said, I will confess my transgressions unto the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my sin” (Psal. xxxii. 5). If the sin has been committed in secret, confession to God in secret will suffice. If it has been a private offence, given not only to God, but to a fellow-creature, the confession is to be made not merely to God, but to that fellow-creature in private (James v. 16). If it has been a public offence, the confession should be public likewise (1 Tim. v. 20). Accordingly, David published his confession to the church (Psal. li.), and so did Paul (1 Tim. i. 13). As the secret confession, is to be made to God only; so the private and public confessions, are to be made to Him chiefly. Ingenuous confession of sin, is so necessary in the exercise of true repentance, that in Scripture it is put for the whole of repentance. Thus saith the Lord, “I will go and return to my place, till they acknowledge their offence” (Hos. v. 15). The true penitent, by his unreserved confession of his crimes,
accuses himself. With sorrow and shame, he confesses to the honour of his God and Father, that times without number, he has transgressed His holy and righteous law. “I acknowledge my transgressions,” says David; “and my sin is ever before me” (Psal. li. 3). He also condemns himself. When he looks into the holy law, and considers the infinite malignity, and demerit of his innumerable crimes, he reads his doom, and passes sentence on himself. “Father,” said the returning prodigal, “I have sinned against Heaven and before thee, and am no more worthy to be called thy son” (Luke xv. 18, 19). He sees and confesses, that he deserves, for his great, his aggravated provocations, to sink through eternity, under the overwhelming wrath of Almighty God. And he says with the afflicted church, “It is of the Lord’s mercies that I am not consumed” (Lam. iii. 22). He sees that it would have been just with God, to have punished him, considered as in himself, with everlasting destruction. Instead of covering his transgression as Adam, the true penitent knows not, where to find expressions strong enough, to set forth the extreme malignity of the very least of his crimes. He lays his hand upon his mouth, and his mouth in the dust, as being unable to declare, either the multitude of his iniquities, or the greatness of their aggravations. His confession, accordingly, is free, sincere, particular, and habitual.