On the contrary, the man whose heart is broken bears a very different testimony. He acknowledges that he deserves God's wrath and indignation ; and that, whatever sentence the Judge shall pass upon him, he will be fully justified as not inflicting more than his iniquities have deserved^.
Above all, the contrite person manifests a state of mind duly prepared for the reception of the Gospel. " What shall I do to be saved'?" is his cry from day to day: and, when he finds that the Gospel makes known to him a Saviour, O ! how gladly does he embrace the proffered mercy ! how thankfully does he renounce all hope in himself, and put on him the unspotted robe of Christ's righteousness ! The unhumbled sinner can hear the glad tidings of salvation without feehng any deep interest in them : but the truly contrite person regards the Saviour, as the man who had accidentally slain a neighbour regarded the city of refuge : he knows that in Christ alone he can find safety ; and he has no rest in his soul till he has fled for refuge to the hope set before him.
Thus, whilst the person that is " whole feels no need of the physician, the sick" and dying patient commits himself entirely to his care, and thankfully follows the regimen he prescribes. Well, therefore, may God approve of him, since he, and he alone, appreciates aright the gift of God's only dear Son to be the Saviour of the world.]
But it will be proper to inquire, II. In what way he will testify his approbation of it —
A person bowed down with a sense of sin is ready to fear that God will never shew mercy to one so un- deserving of it. But God promises, in our text, that,
1. " He will be nigh unto them that are of a broken heart"—
[God, being everywhere present, may be supposed to be as near to one person as another. And so he is, if we regard his essence. But there are manifestations of the Divine pre- sence, which the world at large have no conception of, but which are experienced by all who follow after God in the exercise of prayer and faith. The Apostle spoke not in his own person only, but in the person of believers generally, when he said, " Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ." We are taught to expect, that if we " draw nigh to God, he will draw nigh to us:" he will " lift up the light of his countenance upon us :" he will " shed abroad his love in our hearts : " he will enable us to cry with holy confidence, " Abba, Father;" and will " witness with our spirits that we are his."
i» Ps. 11. 4. « Acts xvi. 30.