or to win Thy blessings:  but how often have I done right really and purely for Thy sake?  I am ashamed to think!  My only comfort, my only hope, is, that whether I love Thee or not, Thou lovest me, and hast sent Thy Son to seek and save me.  Help me now.  Save me now out of my sin, and darkness, and self-conceit.  Show Thy love to me by setting this wrong heart of mine right.  Give me a clean heart, oh God, and renew a right spirit within me.  If I be wrong myself, how can I make myself right?  No; Thou must do it.  Thou must purge me, or I shall never be clean; Thou must make me to understand wisdom in the secret depth of my heart, or I shall never see my way.  Thou must, for I cannot; and base and bad as I am, I can believe that Thou wilt condescend to help me and teach me, because I know Thy love in Jesus Christ my Lord.  And then Thou wilt be pleased with my sacrifices and oblations, because they come from a right heart—­a truly humble, honest, penitent heart, which is not trying to deceive God, or plaster over its own baseness and weakness, but confesses all, and yet trusts in God’s boundless love.  Then my alms will rise as a sweet savour before Thee, oh God; then sacraments will strengthen me, ordinances will teach me, good books will speak to my soul, and my prayers will be answered by peace of mind, and a clear conscience, and the sweet and strengthening sense that I am in my Heavenly Father’s house, about my Heavenly Father’s business, and that His smile is over me, and His blessing on me, as long as I remain loyal to Him and to His laws.’  Feel thus, my friends, and speak to God thus, and see if the dark stupefying cloud does not pass away from your heart—­see if there and then does not come sunshine and strength, and the sweet assurance that you are indeed forgiven.

But how about this old sin, which caused the man all this trouble?  He began by trying to forget it.  I think, if he be a true penitent, he will not wish to forget it any more.  He will not torment himself about it, for he knows that God has forgiven him.  But the more he feels God has forgiven him, the less likely he will be to forgive himself.  The more sure he feels of God’s love and mercy, the more utterly ashamed of himself he will be.  And what is more, it is not wise to forget our own sins, when God has not forgotten them.  For God does not forget our sins, though He forgives them; and a very bad thing it would be for us if He did, my friends.  For the wages of sin is death:  and even if God does not slay us for our sins, He is certain to punish us for them in some way, lest we should forget that sin is sin, and fancy that God’s mercy is only careless indulgence.  So God did to David.  He then told him that though he was forgiven he would still be punished, ’The Lord has put away thy sin; nevertheless, the child that shall be born unto thee shall surely die.’  Punishment and forgiveness went together.  Ay, if we will look