against the inhabitants thereof, that they should become a desolation, and a curse, and hast rent thy clothes, and wept before me: I also have heard thee, saith the Lord. Behold, therefore, I will gather thee unto thy fathers, and thou shalt be gathered unto thy grave in peace, and thine eyes shall not see all the evil which I will bring upon this place. And they brought the king word again.

From the words of the text, as they stand connected with this part of sacred history, I propose First, to notice, in King Josiah, THE EVIDENCES

OF A CONTRITE SPIRIT.

And, secondly, The REGARD WHICH GOD IS

PLEASED TO SHEW TO SUCH A CONTRITE SPIRIT.

I. Let us notice the CONTRITE SPIRIT of King Josiah.

1. You will observe in the king a MOST AFFECTIONATE AND REVERENTIAL REGARD TO GOD'S WORD.

It came to pass, when the king heard the words of the book of the Law, that he rent his clothes. You are to distinguish such a regard as this to the word of the Lord, from the suggestions of a scrupulous conscience. A scrupulous mind torments itself with every superstitious notion which enters it. Such a conscience is to be distinguished, therefore, from a tender conscience. A tender conscience is an inestimable blessing, as we see in the text; but a scrupulous conscience does nothing

but torment a man. He has marked some omen, some tradition, some sign; and therefore he is uneasy: he has made sin, where God has made no sin: in short, he disregards what the Lord hath spoken. But this was not the case with King Josiah it was on hearing the word of the Lord that he rent his clothes: he found the standard, and he saw how far the nation and himself fell short of that standard. This is the mark of a truly humble and contrite man; that he regards the standard which God sets up, and acknowledges how far below that standard he falls.

2. It is a second proof of a contrite mind, that it SEEKS INFORMATION.

The king not only heard the words of the book, but he said, Go ye, enquire of the Lord for me, and for the people: and they went to Huldah, a prophetess. Huldah, though a woman, was in office. It pleased God to endue her with the spirit of prophecy. And she said, Thus saith the Lord, Behold, I will bring evil upon this place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even all the words of the book which the king of Judah hath read. In consequence of this denunciation, the king was willing to bow down to the word of the Lord, and accept of forgiveness in any way God was pleased to send it. How far was this spirit from that of the proud and sceptical man, who will undertake to think for himself in matters too high for him, and is unwilling to receive advice at all in God's

way! A man of such a contrite spirit as Josiah's will not only read the word of God himself, but thank God that he can hear it in any way.

3. You will observe in this contrite spirit a

BOWING DOWN TO THE CHARGE WHICH GOD BRINGS AGAINST THE MAN.

The king did not stand to reason on the matter. He did not say, "We are all born with evil dispositions. How can a man help the temper of mind which he brings into the world? the weakness of human nature will plead for the guilt of human nature." Nothing of this! He rends his clothes, in token of his astonishment and self-abhorrence and it is said, in the text, that his heart was tender, contrite, soft: it is said, that he humbled himself before the Lord, when he had heard what he had spoken; and that he not only rent his clothes-that any man may do, if he is disposed to make a show-but it is added, thou hast wept before me, A pharisee would stand and enumerate his good deeds. Josiah might have done this, for he was a man of unfeigned piety: but, on the contrary, he looks only at the defects, and follies, and corruptions of man; and, comparing them with the holiness of God, and the purity of his law, he rends his clothes and cries unto the Lord.

4. You see here a further evidence of such a state of mind, in that, instead of desponding under this view of sin, the king BETAKES HIMSELF

TO PRAYER AND SUPPLICATION.

He not only enquires, but God declares that he he had humbled himself: he had sought deliverance, and God promises that he should be heard. There is a stubborn spirit in us: it is in human nature. When any difficulty arises, we sit down in despondency. Like the sluggard, we are ready to say, "There is a lion in the streets: I cannot go out: I cannot pass: Why should I wait for the Lord any longer? But not so this man: he knew, that though he was unworthy, yet he might seek the Lord, and find him in any condition or circumstances. Instead, therefore, of falling into an obstinate and hardened state of mind, he has recourse to prayer, he makes use of means, and he waits to see whether God will be gracious or not.

These are the marks of a contrite and humble spirit, as observed in this king. There is no question but his mind was a right mind: and, therefore, he is an example to us this day.

II. We are, secondly, to remark the REGARD WHICH GOD IS PLEASED TO SHEW TO SUCH A CONTRITE SPIRIT.

By the word of the prophetess, the Lord asserts his honour and truth, and his regard to his declarations; and that he would bring evil upon the place, and upon the inhabitants thereof, even every word that he had spoken.

Men may forget God's word; but He does not

forget it. Men may say, Tush! thou, Lord, wilt not regard it; but the text shews us the contrary.

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"But," saith the Lord, though I will visit the iniquity of this people, and will demonstrate my holiness in bearing a protest against that which my soul abhorreth; when sooner or later, the sinner shall know that it is impossible for him to contend with me, and prosper; yet inasmuch as thy heart was tender when I spake, I have seen it, I have marked it. I saw thee when thou humbledst thyself before me :-an humiliation, perhaps, in private, before God; when no eye saw, but the eye of the Lord. "I heard thee and I marked thy tears," he seems to say: " and I send thee now word, that I have heard thy prayers: and I tell thee that I will gather thee unto thy fathers in peace, and thine eyes shall not see the evil which I will bring upon this place. Get, therefore, into thy chamber: shut thy doors about thee: hide thyself for a little while, till the indignation is past. I will cover thee with the shadow of my wings. Them that honour me, I will honour: thou hast honoured me, and I will put honour upon thee. Thou hast been solitary herein, but I will put public honour on thy solitary faith,"

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This is by no means, however, a solitary instance of the Lord's acting in this manner: for even when wicked Ahab humbled himself before God, he received a message that at least he himself should not be made a public example in the over