10. Lay thee in the dust, for this and for all thy sins. Let thy laughter be turned into heaviness; thy joy into mourning; thy senseless jollity and mirth, into sorrow and brokenness of heart. This is no time to eat and drink and rise up to play; but to afflict thy soul before the Lord. Desire of God a deep piercing sense of the enormous sins of the nation, and of thy own. Remember that great example: how when the king of Nineveh was warned of the near approaching vengeance of God, he caused it to be proclaimed, Let none taste any thing, let them not feed nor drink water. But let them be covered with sackcloth, and cry mightily to God; yea let them turn every one from his evil way; who can tell, if God will turn and repent, and turn away from his fierce anger that we perish not. Jonah iii.
11. Let them turn every one from his evil way. Cease to do evil. Learn to do well. And see that this reformation be universal: for there is no serving God by halves. Avoid all evil, and do all good unto all men; else you only deceive your own soul. See also, that it be from the heart: lay the axe to the root of the tree. Cut up, by the grace of God, evil desire, pride, anger, unbelief. Let this be your continual prayer to God, the prayer of your heart, (as well as lips) “Lord, I would believe: help thou mine unbelief! Give me the faith that worketh by love. The life which I now live, let me live by faith in the Son of God. Let me so believe, that I may love thee, with all my heart, and mind, and soul, and strength! and that I may love every child of man, even as thou hast loved us! Let me daily add to my faith courage, knowledge, temperance, patience, brotherly kindness, charity: that so an entrance may be ministered to me abundantly, into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.”
An HYMN.
REGARD, thou righteous God and true,
Regard thy weeping people’s prayer,
Before the sword our land go through,
Before thy latest plague we bear,
Let all to thee their smiter turn,
Let all beneath thine anger mourn.