avour 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 at it rightly, David's being punished was the very sign
that God had forgiven him. Oh, believe that, my friends; face it;
thank God for it. I at least do, when I look back upon my past
life, and see that for every wrong I have ever done, I have been
punished: not punished a tenth part as much as I deserve; but still
punished, more or less, and made to smart for my own folly, and to
learn, by hard unmistakable experience, that it will not pay me, or
any man, to break the least of God's laws; and I thank God for it.
I tell you to thank God also, whensoever you are punished for your
sins. It is a sign that God cares for you, that God loves you, that
God