III.
Self-Confession.
" Offer the sacrifices of righteousness."
1. What are " sacrifices of righteousness " ? It is probable that in this Psalm they are not sacrifices which, instead of con- sisting in slaughtered animals, consist in actions which are in accordance with God's will; they are sacrifices that are offered in the right disposition, in the disposition that is in conformity with the mind of God, and not in a hypocritical spirit.
2. But whatever these words may have meant to the Psalmist, they can mean only one thing for us who live in the light of the Gospel day. When a man has contemplated the dazzling holiness of God, and in self-communion has discovered his own
' Sir Thomas Browne.
204 THE FOUR ACTS OF RELIGION
dark appalling need, and, full of trembling, turns again to the Father, he has only one resource. He must " offer the sacrifice of righteousness." Christ Jesus is our " Eighteousness." " Christ our Passover is sacrificed for us."
(1) When the Israelites brought their sacrifices, the first thing they did was to lay their hand on the victim, and mcike a confession of sin. " The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit." Let us own our shortcomings and transgressions. Let us not cloak or excuse our sins. Let us go to our chamber, and tell the Lord what we have done, pouring out our hearts before Him. Let us confess our pride and unbelief, our dishonesty, our false- hood, our disobedience to parents, our every breach of the Divine law ; whatsoever we have done amiss ; let us confess it before Him, and thus go to Him in the only way in which He can receive us, even as sinners owning our guilt.
Out of the gulf into the glory,
Father, my soul cries out to be lifted.
Dark is the woof of my dismal story.
Thorough thy sun-warp stormily drifted ! —
Out of the gulf into the glory,
Lift me, and save my story.
I have done many things merely shameful;
I am a man ashamed, my Father ! My life is ashamed and broken and blameful —
The broken and blameful, oh, cleanse and gather ! Heartily shame me. Lord, of the shameful ! To my judge I flee with my blameful.
Saviour, at peace in Thy perfect purity,
Think what it is, not to be pure ! Strong in Thy love's essential security,
Think upon those who are never secure. Full fill my soul with the light of Thy purity; Fold me in love's security.
0 Father, 0 Brother, my heart is sore aching!
Help it to ache as much as is needful ; Is it you cleansing me, mending, remaking,
Dear potter-hands, so tender and heedful ? Sick of my past, of my own self-aching — Hurt on, dear hands, with your making.
PSALM IV. 4, 5 205
Proud of the form Thou hadst given Thy vessel,
Proud of myself, I forget my donor; Down in the dust I began to nestle,
Poured Thee no wine, and drank deep of dishonour ! Lord, Thou hast broken. Thou mendest Thy vessel! In the dust of Thy glory I nestle.^
^ Give me leave to relate unto you a story out of the Turkish history, and to apply it : —
Uladislaus, the king of Hungary, having made a league with Amurath, the great Turk, and solemnly covenanted and sealed to articles thereof in the name of Christ, was afterwards persuaded to break it, and to go to war against Amurath. Being in the heat of the fatal battle at Varna, the Turk draws the articles of the league out of his bosom, and spreads them towards the crucifix which he saw in the Christian's banner, with these words : •'Now, Christ, if thou be a God, as they say thou art, revenge the wrong done unto thy name by these thy Christians, who made this league in thy name, and now have thus broken it." And, accordingly, was this wretched covenant-breach avenged with the death of Uladislaus, and almost all his army.
Should Christ spread our covenant before us, upon the same accusing terms as he spread his before Christ, what could we answer? Or, if Satan should spread our covenant before God against us, as Hezekiah did the Assyrian's letter, what could we say for ourselves in so horrid and so plain a case ? If the Lord should implead us, and speak such bitter things as these against us, " You have suffered the solemnest covenant to be thus broken, that ever was sworn unto by men: the horridest heresies and errors have grown amongst you that ever did among a nation : as glorious a church as was under heaven is thus near ruined before your eyes: and the glorious gospel that shone upon earth is almost destroyed, — and you look on ! " How could we answer, or hold up our faces before the Lord ? but how must iniquity lay her hand upon her mouth, and not be able to speak a word ! "-
(2) The main thing, however, is to bring to the Lord the, offering which He has divinely appointed and provided. There is one sacrifice of righteousness without which we cannot be accepted. We come to God by faith in Jesus Christ, we plead the precious blood of atonement, and say, " My Lord, for His dear sake who died upon the tree, receive Thy wanderer, and now be pleased to