humble and contrite guilt disregarded.  The judgments impending over Nineveh were suspended, when that mighty capital, at the preaching of a prophet, acknowledged its sin, and humbled itself before the Lord. [9b]

Let, then, the prayer of repentance, faith, and submission, arise to the throne of Divine grace, from the united people of the land; and, soon as the merciful object of this visitation is answered, we may humbly trust the command, as of old, will be addressed to the destroying angel, “It is enough, now stay thine hand.” [9c]  For the Almighty has himself declared, “At what instant I shall speak concerning a nation and concerning a kingdom, to pluck up, and to pull down, and to destroy it: if that nation, against whom i have pronounced, turn from their evil, i will repent of the evil that i thought to do unto them.” [9d]

May, then, this nation receive grace, in this their day of trial, to “turn from their evil,” before the Lord “allow His full displeasure to arise.”  May they learn and acknowledge, that their only hope of safety is in the mercy and long-suffering of God, who alone can preserve them from “the pestilence which walketh in darkness, and from the sickness which destroyeth in the noon-day.”  May they “offer faithfully,” and the Lord “receive acceptably,” their prayer for deliverance: “Have pity, O Lord, have pity upon Thy people, both here and abroad; withdraw Thy heavy hand from those who are suffering under Thy judgments; and remove from us that grievous calamity, against which, our only security is in Thy compassion!” [10a]  And may our gracious and long-suffering Lord be pleased to arrest in its course the pestilence, now confined to few places, and to permit it not to spread dismay and death through the towns and villages of the kingdom.

Thus far, the duty of a Christian people collectively, under Divine judgments, has been shewn; it remains to consider their duty individually; which involves the consideration of what man owes to his God, his country, his neighbour, and himself, under any general visitation of Divine Providence.  The Christian’s duty towards God, when His judgments are abroad, is a recognition of, and submission to, His chastening hand: to his country, unwearied exertion for the removal of the evils which appear to have called down the Divine vengeance: to his neighbour, friendly assistance, religious exhortation, and spiritual consolation: and to himself, through Divine grace, humiliation, repentance, amendment, and daily preparation for death and judgment.

These several duties, being all dependent upon each other, and intimately blended in their operation, may, perhaps, be not unfitly considered, as embraced by the public and private obligations of Christians under afflictive dispensations; which may be briefly stated to be—earnest prayer and incessant labour to effect a PERSONAL REFORMATION, and, as far as in them lies, a NATIONAL REFORMATION; which are proposed to be considered, as follows, more at large.

Let individuals “humble themselves under the mighty hand of God;” [11] let them acknowledge the extent of their sinfulness, and the justice of their punishment; let them confide in God’s mercy, and commit themselves to His safe keeping; let them seek for grace to reform, in their lives and conversation, whatever is at variance with the Gospel; from which, and not from the maxims of men, let them learn what is required of Christians.

Let them publicly bear testimony at once to the justice and mercy of God’s judgments, and strive earnestly to rouse the nation to a sense of its guiltiness, which has exposed it to the Divine displeasure; let them, in dependence on the blessing of Heaven, labour to eradicate all infidel and heretical opinions; to advance a reformation of public morals; and to promote a general diffusion of true religion, sound learning, and useful knowledge.

Too justly does the language of Isaiah, addressed to the rebellious and guilty house of Judah, apply to our own times: “Ah, sinful nation, a people laden with iniquity, a seed of evil-doers, children that are corrupters: they have forsaken the Lord, they have provoked the Holy One of Israel to anger, they are gone backward.” [12a]  May He, “who alone can order the unruly wills and affections of sinful men,” and convert them from the evil of their ways, “pour upon all flesh the spirit of grace and supplication;” [12b] that individual may extend, until it become national repentance, and the whole nation worship before Him.  Then will the scourge of His wrath prove the harbinger of His mercy, and we shall become a chosen people, a holy nation unto the Lord.  Then may our gracious and long-suffering God allow us, without presumption, to draw comfort from those words of favour and forgiveness, spoken to His people when humbled and contrite: “Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art my servant; I have formed thee, thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me: I have blotted out as a thick cloud thy transgressions, and as a cloud thy sins: return unto me, for I have redeemed thee.” [13a]

I.  The Christian’s duty of personal reformation under Divine judgments.

It is from the volume of inspiration—whence he derives all the light which he enjoys, as to the providence, beneficence, and love of God; whence he draws all the knowledge he possesses as to the nature of his own being, the object of his present existence, and the place of his final destination;—man must learn his duty under the Divine dispensations.  The Holy Scriptures are to the true Christian “a lamp unto his feet, and a light unto his paths.” [13b]  When pursuing his heavenward journey through this vale of tears, the prospect often appears uninviting and gloomy, the sky dark and troubled, and the way, always narrow, becomes