2. Having adopted from our hearts the confession of the prophet, let us proceed to imitate the conduct of our God —
Behold what the Father did, when no other way remained for our restoration to his favour : he took all our iniquities, and laid them on the head of his own Son. Thus must we also do, if we would have them removed from our own souls. We must come, not with a few of our most heinous sins, but with all, with the entire guilt of our apostasy from God ; and, as guilty and self-ruined creatures, without help or hope in ourselves, must lay them on the head of Jesus : we must not account any so great, as to doubt whether we may transfer them to him, or any so small, as to think we can atone for them ourselves ; we must carry all to him, that we may be "justified by his blood, and be saved from wrath through him." We must resemble the penitent under the law, who, while he presented his offering that was to be sacrificed in his stead, laid his hands upon its head, and confessed over it his sins. Let us only be like-minded with God in this particular, and lay our iniquities on his dear Son, and we have nothing to fear. Our past transgressions shall be forgiven ; and our present propensities shall be healed : we shall be brought home on the shoulders of our exulting Shepherd, and shall lie down beside the clear streams, till called to follow him to his pas- tures above, where we shall be " one fold under one Shepherd" for evermore.