AN EXPOSITION OF
PSALM 119
By
Charles
Bridges
New York:
Robert Carter, 1876
First published 1827.
Digitized by Erin Bensing, 2007 Gordon College, Wenham, MA
PREFACE.
A
considerable portion of the
Sacred Volume (as the
Book
of Psalms and Canticles in the Old Testament, and
a
large part of the several Epistles in the New Testament)
is
occupied with the interesting subject of Christian Expe-
rience;
and exhibits its character, under different dispensa-
tions
of religion, and diversified with an endless variety of
circumstances,
as ever essentially the same. As the same
features
of countenance and elevation of stature have always
marked
the human species in the midst of the creation of
God;
so an identity of feature and "measure of the stature
of
the fulness of Christ" has, in all ages, and under every
shade
of outward difference, distinguished the family of
God,"
as the people that should dwell alone, and should
not
be reckoned among the nations." (Num. xxiii. 9.) This
indeed
was to have been expected. Human nature has
undergone
no change since the fall. In its unrenewed
state
it is still captivated in the same chains of sin; and,
when
renewed, it is under the influence of the same Spirit
of
grace. "That which is born of the flesh is flesh; and
vi PREFACE.
that
which is born of the Spirit is spirit." (John, iii. 6.)
The
modern believer, therefore, when employed in tracing
the
records of Patriarchal or Mosaical experience, will
mark
in the infirmities of the ancient people of God a
picture
of his own heart, "answering, as in water face
answereth
to face" (Prov. xxvii. 19) and in comparing
their
gracious exercises with his own, he will be ready to
acknowledge,—"All
these worketh that one and the self-
same
Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will."
(1
Cor. xii. 11.)
In this view, it is the object of this work
to exhibit an
Old
Testament believer in a New Testament garb, as one
"walking
in the same spirit, and in the same steps" with
ourselves
and, in bringing his features of character to
the
Evangelical standard, it is presumed, that the corre-
spondence
will be found to be complete. "Faith which
worketh
by love" (Gal. v. 6)— the fundamental distinc-
tion
of the Gospel—pervades the whole man with at
least
an implied reference to the One way
of access to God
(verses
41, 88, 132, 135), and a distinct regard alike to
the
promises (verses 25, 32, 49, 74, 169, 170), and to the
precepts
(verses 66, 166), of Divine revelation. Nor are
the
workings of this principle delineated with less accuracy.
In
all the variety of Christian feelings and holy conduct,
we
observe its operations leading the soul into communion
with
God, and moulding every part into a progressive con-
formity
to his image. When we view the "man after
God's
own heart," taking God for his portion (verse 57),
associating
with his people (verses 63, 79), and feeding
PREFACE. vii
upon
his word (verses 47, 48, 97, 111); when we mark his
zeal
for his Master's glory (verse 139); his devotedness
(verse
38) and self-denial (verse 62) in his Master's work;
when
we see him ever ready to confess his name (verses 45,
46,
115, 172), to bear his reproach (verses 23, 69, 87, 141),
and
caring only to answer it by a more steady adherence to
his
service (verses 51, 78, 157) —do we not in those linea-
ments
of character recognise the picture of one, who in
after
times could turn to the churches of Christ, and say
—"Wherefore,
I beseech you, be ye followers of me?" (1
Cor.
iv. 16.) Or can we recollect the Psalmist's insight
into
the extent and spirituality of the law of God (verse
96),
and his continual conflict with indwelling sin (verses
113,
163), awakening in him the spirit of wrestling prayer
(verses
25, 28), and confidence in the God of his salvation
(verses
114, 176); and not be again forcibly reminded of
him,
who has left upon record the corresponding history of
his
own experience—"I was alive without the law once;
but
when the commandment came, sin revived, and I died.
We
know that the law is spiritual; but I am carnal, sold
under
sin. O wretched man that I am! who shall deliver
me
from the body of this death? I thank God, through
Jesus
Christ our Lord!" (Rom. vii. 9, 14, 24, 25.) In
short,
let his instancy in prayer (verses 145-149) and praise
(verse
164) be remembered; his determined (verses 5, 36,
80)
and persevering (verses 44, 102, 112) cultivation of
heart-religion
(verses 30-32, 59, 60) and practical holi-
ness
(verses 106, 167, 168), his hungering and thirsting
viii PREFACE.
after
righteousness (verses 20, 40, 131, 174); his jealous
fear
(verse 161) and watchful tenderness (verses 11, 37,
163)
against sin, and regard for the honour of his God
(verse
39); his yearning compassion over his fellow-sinners
(verses
53, 136, 158); his spiritual taste (verses 103, 140);
his
accurate discernment (verses 98-100, 104, 129, 130);
the
"simplicity" of his dependence (verses 8, 10, 86, 116,
117),
and the "godly sincerity" of his obedience (verses
104,
128); his peace of mind and stability of profession
(verse
165); his sanctified improvement of the cross (verses
67,
71, 75); his victory over the world (verses 14, 36, 72,
127,
162); his acknowledgment of the Lord's mercy (verses
64,
65, 68); his trials of faith and patience (verses 81-83,
107,
123); his heavenly liberty in the ways of God (verses
32,
45); his habitual living in his presence (verse 168), and
under
the quickening (verses 50, 93) —restraining (verse
101)—directing
(verses 9, 24, 30, 105) —and supporting
(verses
92, 143) influence of his word —let these holy
exercises
be considered, either separately, or as forming
one
admirable concentration of Christian excellence; and
what
do we desire more to complete the portrait of a finished
servant
of God upon the Divine model? Is not this a
visible
demonstration of the power of the word, "perfecting
the
man of God, and furnishing him throughly unto all
good
works?" (2 Tim. iii. 16, 17.)
Having explained the Evangelical character
of this
Psalm,
we may notice its peculiar adaptation to Christian
experience.
It may be considered as the journal of one,
PREFACE. ix
who
was deeply taught in the things of God, long prac-
tised
in the life and walk of faith. It contains the anatomy
of
experimental religion, the interior lineaments of the
family
of God. It is given for the use of believers in all
ages,
as an excellent touchstone of vital godliness, a touch-
stone
which appears especially needful in this day of pro-
fession;
not as warranting our confidence in the Saviour,
or
as constituting in any measure our ground of acceptance
with
God: but as exciting us to "give diligence to make
our
calling and election sure" (2 Pet. i. 10), and quicken
our
sluggish steps in the path of self-denying obedience.
The
Writer is free to confess, that his main design in the
study
of this Psalm was to furnish a correct standard of
Evangelical
sincerity for the habitual scrutiny of his own
heart;
and if in the course of this Exposition, any sug-
gestion
should be thrown out, to call the attention of his
fellow-Christians
to this most important, but, alas! too
much
neglected duty, he will have reason to "rejoice in
the
day of Christ, that he has not run in vain, neither
laboured
in vain."* Never let it be supposed, that a dili-
* 'I know of no part of the Holy
Scriptures,'—remarks a pro-
found
divine—'where the nature and evidences of true and sincere
godliness
are so fully and largely insisted on and delineated as in
the
119th Psalm. The Psalmist declares his design in the first
verses
of the Psalm, keeps his eye on it all along, and pursues it to
the
end. The excellence of holiness is represented as the imme-
diate
object of a spiritual taste and delight. God's law, that grand
expression
and emanation of the holiness of God's nature, and pre-
scription
of holiness to the creature—is all along represented as
the
great object of the love, the complacence, and the rejoicing of
the
gracious nature, which prizes God's commandments "above gold,
x
PREFACE.
gent,
prayerful, probing examination of the "chambers of
imagery,"
"gendereth unto bondage." Invariably will it
be
found to establish the enjoyment of Scriptural assurance.
"Hereby we know that we are of the truth,
and shall assure
our
hearts before him." (1 John, iii. 19, with 18, 20, 21.)
As
therefore the preceptive part of the Gospel thus be-
comes
our guide in the happy path of filial obedience, our
beloved
rule of duty, and the standard of our daily progress;
we
shall learn in the use of it to depend more entirely upon
the
Saviour, fresh energy will be thrown into our prayers;
and
the promises of pardon and grace will be doubly pre-
cious
to our souls.
These views of the Divine life cannot be
found un-
friendly
to the best happiness of mankind. The Psalm
opens
with a most inviting picture of blessedness, and
describes
throughout the feelings of one, encompassed in-
deed
with trials superadded to the common lot of men,
but
yet evidently in possession of a satisfying portion—
of
a "joy, with which a stranger does not intermedle."
(Prov.
xiv. 10.) Of those, therefore, who would affix the
stigma
of melancholy to evangelical religion, we are con-
strained
to remark, that they "understand neither what
they
say, nor whereof they affirm." (1 Tim. i. 7.) The
children
of
yea,
the finest gold:" and to which they are "sweeter than the
honey
and the honeycomb."' Edwards
on Religious Affections,
Part
iii. Sect. iii. The ordinary and serious breathing of my soul'—
observes
a deeply spiritual thinker —'is such as that of the Psalm-
ist
throughout the 119th Psalm.'—Halyburton’s
Life.
PREFACE.
xi
of
that goodly land. They that have spied
the land
bring
a good report of it, and tell —"Surely it floweth
with
milk and honey, and this is the fruit of it." (Numb.
xiii.
27.) "The work of righteousness is peace; and the
effect
of righteousness, quietness and assurance for ever."
(Isa.
xxxii. 17.)
The structure of this Psalm is peculiar. It
is divided
into
twenty-two parts, according to the number of the letters
of
the Hebrew Alphabet; each part, and its several verses,
beginning
with the corresponding letter of the Alphabet.*
The
whole Psalm is in the form of an ejaculatory address,
with
the exception of the first three verses, which may
almost
be considered as a preface to the whole, and one
other
verse in the course of it, where the man of God re-
his
"hiding-place," and interrupting his communion with
God.
(Verse 115, with 113, 114.) It is not always easy
to
trace the connexion between the several verses; at least
not
beyond the several divisions of the Psalm. Probably
nothing
more was intended, than the record of the exercises
of
his own heart at different periods, and under different
circumstances.
If, however, they are not links on the same
chain,
in continuous and unbroken dependence; they may
at
least be considered as pearls upon one string, of equal,
though
independent, value. The prominent characteristic
* 'Intelligimus ideo per literas Hebræorum,
Psalmum hunc esse
digestum,
ut homo master, tanquam parvulus, et ab infantiâ per
literarum
elementa formatus, quibus ætas puerilis assuevit, usque
ad
maturitatem virtutis exerceat.'—Ambrose.
xii PREFACE.
of
the Psalm is a love for the word of God, which is brought
before
us under no less than ten different names,* referring
to
some latent and distinguishing properties of the Divine
word,
whose manifold excellencies and perfections are thus
illustrated
with much elegant variety of diction.† In many
instances,
however the several terms appear to have been
varied,
to adapt themselves to the metre; while, perhaps,
at
other times they may be promiscuously used for the
whole
revelation of God,‡ that the view of its inexhaus-
tible
fulness might thus conciliate a more attentive regard
to
its authority, and might add fresh strength to the obli-
gation
to read, believe, love, and live in it.
If the Writer may be permitted to suggest
the method,
in
which this Exposition may be best studied to advantage,
he
would beg to refer to the advice of the excellent Philip
Henry
to his children—that they should 'take a verse of
Psalm
cxix. every morning to meditate upon, and so go
over
the Psalm twice in a year:' and 'that'
—said he —
'will
bring you to be in love with all the rest of the Scrip-
* Such as way, law, judgments, words,
statutes, commandments,
precepts,
testimonies, righteousness, truth.
† Rev. T. H. Horne’s Introduction to Scripture, vol. ii. 536.
‡ As a proof of the promiscuous and
extended application of
those
terms, whose definite sense is restricted to particular parts
of
revelation—we may mark the use of the word "law" applied by
our
Saviour to quotations from the book of Psalms. Comp. John,
xv.
25; with Ps. xxxv. 16; lxix. 4; also John, x. 34; with Ps.
lxxxii.
6. Under this word—"law"— Calvin observes—'there is
no
doubt but that David comprehended the sum of all the doctrine
which
God gave to his church.' Sermons on Ps. cxix. verse 153.
Comp.
Ps. xix. 7, margin.
PREFACE. xiii
ture.'*
The Writer does not presume to suppose, that this
superficial
sketch will supply food for meditation year after
year.
Yet he ventures to hope that it may have its use, in
directing
the attention from time to time to a most pre-
cious
portion of Holy Writ; which however unfruitful it
may
have proved to the undiscerning mind, will be found
by
the serious and intelligent reader to be "profitable for
doctrine,
for reproof, for correction, for instruction in
righteousness."†
*P. Henry’s
Life, William’s Edition, p. 247.
In conformity
with
this rule, we find his godly daughter writing thus in her diary:
—1687-8,
March 9, Friday morning. I have been of late taking
some
pains to learn by heart Ps. cxix., and have made some pro-
gress
therein.' Extracted from Mrs. Savage’s
MSS. in P. Henry’s
Life—Ditto.
As an illustration of the view given by this excellent
man
of the importance of this Psalm, an Index is added to this
work
of the several matters more or less touched upon; to which,
as
well as to the texts referred to throughout the work, the reader's
attention
is invited.
† 2 Tim. iii. 16. Luther professed that he
prized this Psalm
so
highly, that he would not take the whole world in exchange for
one
leaf of it. Bishop Cowper sweetly calls it—'a holy Alphabet
—so
plain that children may understand it so rich and instructive,
that
the wisest and most experienced may every day learn something
from
it.' Added to this and other testimonies before given, we give
the
remarks of a deeply experimental and solid divine: —'I am
now'—writes
the Rev. H. Venn to one of his correspondents upon
the
point of expounding the 119th Psalm, which I never did go
through;
yet I know not any part of Scripture much more profit-
able.
In that Psalm the whole inner man is delineated, and the
several
changing frames of our poor hearts, and the several blessed
motions
and inspirations of the Holy Spirit are touched in a very
affecting
manner. This is the Psalm I have often had recourse to,
when
I could find no spirit of prayer in my own heart, and at length
the
fire was kindled, and I could pray. What has been your expe-
xiv PREFACE.
The composition of this work has been
diversified with
as
much variety as the nature of the subject would allow.
The
descriptive character of the book will be found to be
interspersed
with matter of discussion, personal address,
hints
for self-inquiry, and occasional supplication, with the
earnest
endeavour to cast the mind into that meditative,
self-scrutinizing,
devotional frame, in which the new crea-
ture
is strengthened, and increases, and goes on to perfec-
tion.
Such, however, as the work is, the Writer would
commend
it to the gracious consideration of the great
Head
of the Church; imploring pardon for what in it may
be
his own, and a blessing on what may be traced to a
purer
source: and in giving both the pardon and the
blessing,
may His holy name be abundantly glorified!*
rience
regarding this extraordinary Psalm? I know you do not
read
the Scriptures idly, and without self-application. Have you
not
found it pleasant and nourishing to your soul, and fastening
upon
your mind?'—(Life and Correspondence, p. 410.) Identical
with
this representation was the use and blessing which H. Martyn
found
in this Psalm: —'Found some devotion in learning some of
119th
Psalm.—In the evening grew better by reading Psalm 119,
which
generally brings me into a spiritual frame of mind.—My
mind
was beginning to sink into discontent at my unprofitable-
ness;
but by reading some of Psalm 119, and prayer, I recovered.'
Again
in a fretful frame —'It was not till I learnt some of Psalm
119
that I could return to a proper spirit.' Again—'The 119th Psalm
was
very solemnizing.'—See his interesting Journals, vol. i. pp. 75,
114,
118, 175, 193, 194.
* Domine Deus, qumcumque dixi de tuo,
agnoscant et tui. Siqua
de
meo, et tu ignosce et tui.'—August.
Lib. 15, de Trin.
Old
July 20th, 1827.
PREFACE TO THE SIXTEENTH EDITION.
THE Writer gratefully acknowledges the
kind indulgence,
with
which his work has been received by the Church of
Christ.
Oh! may his God and Saviour have all the glory,
while
he is humbled in thankfulness for the high privilege
of
leading his fellow-sinners into the "ways of pleasant-
ness
and peace," and ministering to the spiritual blessing
of
the family of God!
He has carefully revised the work, and
trusts that he
has
been enabled to give increased perspicuity to the
style,
and a deeper moulding of evangelical statement
to
the matter. He desired, that every page should be
lighted
up with the beam of the "Sun of Righteousness,"
who
is the glory of the Revelation of God—the Christian's
"All
in all." He has endeavoured to illustrate true re-
ligion,
as the work of the Divine Spirit, grounded on the
knowledge
of Christ, advancing in communion with Him,
and
completed in the enjoyment of Him, and of the Father
by
Him. He has also aimed to elevate the standard of
Christian
privilege, as flowing immediately from Him: by
giving
such a Scriptural statement of the doctrine of assur-
ance,
as may quicken the slothful to greater diligence in
their
holy profession, and at the same time encourage the
xvi PREFACE.
weak
and fearful to a clearer apprehension of their present
salvation.
The work has been recently translated into
German
under
the kind patronage of her Majesty the Queen Dow-
ager.
The Writer requests the prayers of his Readers, that
this
new channel of usefulness may be abundantly blessed
for
the grand object of extending the influence of vital
religion
throughout the churches.
Old
PREFACE TO THE TWENTY-SECOND EDITION.
This work—once more revised—is now
stereotyped, in
order
to reduce the price, and to open for it a wider circu-
lation.
The Writer again commends it to the blessing
of
God, desiring only that fruit may abound for His
glory,
and for the edifying of His Church.
Hinton Martell Rectory,
June 4th, 1857.
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
PART
I.
1.
Blessed are the undefiled in the way, who
walk in the law
of the Lord.
This most interesting and instructive
Psalm, like the
Psalter
itself, "opens with a Beatitude for our comfort and
encouragement,
directing us immediately to that happiness,
which
all mankind in different ways are seeking and in-
quiring
after. All would secure themselves from the incur-
sions
of misery; but all do not consider that misery is the
offspring
of sin, from which therefore it is necessary to be
delivered
and preserved, in order to become happy or
'blessed.'"*
The undefiled
character described in this verse marks,
in
an evangelical sense, "an Israelite indeed, in whom is
no
guile" (John, i. 47. Comp. Acts, xxiv. 16), not one
who
is without sin, but one who in the sincerity of his heart
can
say, "That which I do, I allow not." (Rom. vii. 15.)
As
his way is, so is his "walk" —"in the law of the Lord."
He
is "strengthened in the Lord, and he walks up and
down
in his name" (Zech. x. 12); his "ears hearing a
* Bishop Home on Ps. i. 1.
2 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
word
behind him, saying, This is the way, — walk ye in
it"—when
he is "turning to the right hand or to the left."
(Isa.
xxx. 21.) And if the pardon of sin, imputation of
righteousness
(Ps. xxxii. 1, 2, with Rom. iv. 6-8), the com-
munion
of saints, and a sense of acceptance with God
(1
John, i. 7); if protection in providence and grace
(2
Chron. xvi. 9. Job, i. 8, 10); and—finally and for
ever,
the beatific vision (Matt. v. 8), are the sealed privi-
leges
of his upright people, then there can be no doubt,
that
"blessed are the undefiled in the
way." And if tem-
poral
prosperity (Josh. i. 7, 8. 1 Tim. iv. 8. 2 Chron.
xvii.
4, 5), spiritual renovation and fruitfulness (Ps. i. 2,
3),
increasing illumination (John, vii. 17), intercourse with
the
Saviour (Ib. xiv. 23; xv. 14, 15), peace within (Verse
165.
Gal. vi. 16. Isa. xxxii. 17), and—throughout eter-
nity—a
right to the tree of life (Rev. xxii. 14), are pri-
vileges
of incalculable value; then surely "the
walk in the
law of the Lord" is "the path
of pleasantness and peace."
"Truly"—indeed
may we say — "God is good to
even
to such as are of a clean heart." (Ps. lxxiii. 1.)
But let each of us ask— What is the "way" of my
heart
with God? Is it always an "undefiled
way?" Is
"iniquity"
never "regarded in the heart?" Is all that
God
hates habitually lamented, abhorred, forsaken? "Search
me,
O God, and know my heart: try me, and know my
thoughts;
and see if there be any wicked way in me, and
lead
me in the way everlasting." (Ps. cxxxix. 23, 24.)
Again—What is my "walk?" Is it from the living
principle
of union with Christ? This is the direct — the
only
source of spiritual life. We are first quickened in
him.
Then we walk in him and after him. Oh! that
this
my walk may be steady, consistent, advancing! Oh!
that
I may be ever listening to my Father's voice—"I am
the
Almighty God; walk before me, and be thou perfect!"
(Gen.
xvii. 1.)
VERSE 2. 3
Is there not enough of defilement in the
most "undefiled
way," and enough of
inconsistency in the most consistent
walk"
to endear to us the gracious declaration of the
gospel—"If
any man sin, we have an advocate with the
Father,
Jesus Christ the Righteous?" (1 John, ii. 1.)
2.
Blessed are they that keep his
testimonies, and that seek him
with the whole
heart.
The "testimony," in the singular number, usually de-
notes
the whole canon of the inspired writings—the reve-
lation
of the will of God to mankind—the standard of
their
faith. (Comp. Isa. viii. 20.) "Testimonies"
appear,
chiefly,
to mark the preceptive part of Scripture (Verse
138);
that part, in which this man of God always found
his
spiritual delight and perfect freedom. Mark his lan-
guage:
"I have rejoiced in the way of thy
testimonies, as much
as in all riches. Thy
testimonies have I taken as an heritage
for ever; for they are
the rejoicing of my heart." (Verses 14,
111.)
Not, however, that this blessedness belongs to the
mere
outward act of obedience;* but rather to that prac-
tical
habit of mind, which seeks to know the will of God in
order
to "keep" it. This habit is under the influence of
the
promise of God, "I will put my Spirit within you, and
cause
you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my
judgments,
and do them." (Ezek. xxxvi. 27.) And in thus
"keeping the testimonies of God,"
the believer maintains the
character
of one, that "seeks him with the whole heart."
Oh!
how many seek, and seek in vain, for no other
reason,
than because they do not "seek him
with the whole
heart!" The worldling's
"heart is divided; now shall he
be
found faulty." (Hos. x. 2.) The professor "with his
mouth
shows much love; but his heart goeth after his
* "Treasure up his
testimonies."—Bp. Horsley.
4 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
covetousness."
(Ezek. xxxiii. 31.) The backslider "hath
not turned unto me with
his whole heart,
but feignedly, saith
the
Lord." (Jer. iii. 10.) The faithful, upright believer
alone
brings his heart, his whole heart, to
the Lord. "When
thou
saidst, Seek ye my face, my heart said unto thee,
Thy
face, Lord, will I seek." (Ps. xxvii. 8.) For he only
has
found an object, that attracts and fills his whole heart,
and,
if he had a thousand hearts, would attract and fill them
all.
He has found his way to God by faith in Jesus. In
that
way he continues to seek. His whole
heart is engaged
to
know and love more and more. Here alone the blessing
is
enjoyed, and the promise made good: "Ye shall seek
me,
and find me, when ye shall search for me
with all your
heart." (Jer. xxix. 13.)
But let me not shrink from the question, Do
I "keep
his testimonies" from constraint,
or from love? Surely when
I
consider my own natural aversion and enmity to the law
of
God, and the danger of self-deception in the external
service
of the Lord, I have much need to pray—"Incline
my heart to thy
testimonies. Give me understanding—save
me, and I shall keep thy
testimonies."
(Verses 36, 125, 146.)
And
if they are blessed, who seek the Lord with their whole
heart,
how am I seeking him? Alas! with how much dis-
traction!
with how little heart-work! Oh! let me "seek
his
strength" in order to "seek his face." (Ps. cv. 4.)
Lord!
search—teach—incline—uphold me. Help me
to
plead thy gracious promise—"I will give them an heart
to
know me, that I am the Lord; and they shall be my
people,
and I will be their God; for they shall
return unto me
with their whole heart." (Jer. xxiv. 7.)
3. They
also do no iniquity; they walk in his ways.
This was not their character from their
birth. Once
they
were doing nothing but iniquity. It was without mix-
VERSE
3. 5
ture,
without cessation—from the fountain-head.* Now it
is
written of them—"they do no iniquity."
Once they
walked,
even as others (Eph. ii. 2, 3. Col. i. 21), in the
way
of their own hearts—"enemies to God by wicked
works."
Now "they walk in his ways."
They are "new
creatures
in Christ; old things are passed away; behold!
all
things are become new." (2 Cor. v. 17.) This is their
highly-privileged
state—"Sin shall have no dominion over
them:
for they are not under the law, but under grace."
(Rom.
vi. 14.) They are "born of God, and they cannot
commit
sin: for their seed remaineth in them, and they
cannot
sin, because they are born of God." (1 John, iii. 9.)
Their
hatred and resistance to sin are therefore now as
instinctive,
as was their former enmity and opposition to
God.
Not, indeed, that the people of God are as "the saints
made
perfect," who "do no iniquity."
This is a dream of
perfection—unscriptural
and self-deluding. (Comp. Eccles.
vii.
20, with Job, ix. 20; Philip. iii. 12.) The unceasing
advocacy
of their Heavenly Friend evidently supposes the
indwelling
power of sin, to the termination of our earthly
pilgrimage.
The supplication, also, in the prayer of our
Lord
teaches them to ask for daily pardon and deliverance
from
"temptation," as for "daily bread." (Matt. vi. 11-
13.)
Yes—to our shame be it spoken—we are sinners
still;
yet—praised be God!—not "walking after the
course,"
not "fulfilling the desires," of sin. The acting
* "Every imagination of the thoughts
of the heart is evil—only
evil—
continually." And this "God saw"— before whom "all
things
are naked and open"—who searcheth the heart, and there-
fore
cannot be mistaken. (Gen. vi. 5.)
But lest we should conceive this to be the picture
of some
generation
of so peculiarly aggravated a character, that the awful
demonstration
of his wrath could be no longer restrained; this
testimony
is repeated by the same Omniscient Judge, immediately
subsequent
to the flood (Gen. viii. 21), and confirmed by him in
many
express declarations. (Jer. xvii. 9, 10. Matt. xv. 19.)
6 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
of
sin is now like the motion of a stone upward, violent and
unnatural.
If it is not cast out, it is dethroned. We are
not,
as before, "its willing people," but its reluctant,
struggling
captives. It is not "the day of its power."
And here lies the holy liberty of the
Gospel — not, as
some
have feigned,— a liberty to "continue in sin, that
grace
may abound" (Rom. vi. 1, 2) but a deliverance from
the
guilt and condemnation of abhorred,
resisted, yet still
indwelling, sin. When our better will
hath cast it off—when
we
can say in the sight of an heart-searching God—"What
we hate, that do we"—the
responsibility is not ours: "It is
not
we that do it, but sin that dwelleth in us." (Rom. vii.
15-20.)
Still let us inquire, is the promise of deliverance
from
sin sweet to us? (Ib. vi. 14.) And does our successful
resistance
in the spiritual conflict realize the earnest of its
complete
fulfilment? Blessed Jesus! what do we owe to
thy
cross for the present redemption from its guilt and
curse,
and much more for the blissful prospect of the glo-
rified
state, when this hated guest shall be an inmate no
more
for ever! (Rev. xxi. 27.) Oh, let us take the very
print
of thy death into our souls in the daily crucifixion of
sin.
(Rom. vi. 6.) Let us know the "power of thy resur-
rection,"
in an habitual "walk in newness of life." (Philip.
iii.
10. Rom. vi. 4, 5.)
4.
Thou hast commanded us to keep thy
precepts diligently.
We have seen the character of the Man of
God. Let
us
mark the authority of God, commanding
him to a diligent
obedience.
The very sight of the command is
enough for
him.
He obeys for the command's sake, however
contrary
it
may be to his own will. But has he any reason to com-
plain
of the yoke? Even under the dispensation, which
"gendereth
unto bondage" most encouraging were the
obligations
to obedience —"that it may be well
with them,
VERSE 4. 7
and
with their children for ever." (Deut. v. 24. Comp.
Deut.
vi. 17, 18; xxviii. 1, 2; Jer. vii. 23.) Much more,
then,
we, under a dispensation of love, can never want a
motive
for obedience! Let the daily mercies of
stir
up the question —"What shall I render unto the
Lord?"
(Ps. cxvi. 12.) Let the far richer mercies of grace
produce
"a living sacrifice" to be "presented to the Lord."
(Rom.
xii. 1.) Let "the love of Christ constrain us."
(2
Cor. v. 14.) Let the recollection of the "price with
which
we were bought," remind us of the Lord's property
in
us, and of our obligations to "glorify him in our body,
and
in our spirit, which are his." (1 Cor. vi. 19, 20.) Let
us
only "behold the Lamb of God; "let us hear his
wrestling
supplications, his deserted cry, his expiring
agonies—the
price of our redemption; and then let us ask
ourselves
— Can we want a motive?
But what is the scriptural character of
evangelical
obedience?
It is the work of the Spirit, enabling us to
obey
the truth." (1 Pet. i. 22.) It is the end of the pur-
pose
of God, who "hath chosen us in Christ before the
foundation
of the world, that we should be holy
and without
blame
before him in love." (Eph. i. 4.) It is the only
satisfactory
test of our profession. (Matt. xii. 33. John,
xiv.
15, 21.)
Then let me begin my morning with the
inquiry,
"Lord,
what wilt thou have me to do?" "Teach me thy
way,
O Lord; I will walk in thy truth; unite my heart to
fear
thy name." (Acts, ix. 6. Ps. lxxxvi. 11.) Let me
trade
with all my talents for thee: ever watchful, that I
may
be employed in thy work; setting a guard upon my
thoughts,
my lips, my tempers, my pursuits, that nothing
may
hinder, but rather everything may help me, in keeping
thy precepts diligently.
But why do I ever find the precepts to be "grievous"
to
me?
Is it not that some indolence is indulged; or some
8 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
"iniquity
regarded in my heart;" or some principle of
unfaithfulness
divides my services with two masters, when
I
ought to be "following the Lord fully?" Oh! for the
spirit
of "simplicity and godly sincerity" in the precepts of
God.
Oh! for that warm and constant love, which is the
main-spring
of devoted diligence in the service of God.
Oh!
for a larger supply of that "wisdom which is from
above,"
and which is "without partiality and without
hypocrisy!"
(
5.
Oh that my ways were directed to keep thy
statutes!
The Lord has indeed "commanded us to keep his precepts."
But,
alas! where is our power? Satan would make the
sense
of our weakness an excuse for indolence. The Spirit
of
God convinces us of it, as an incitement to prayer, and
an
exercise of faith. If, Reader, your heart is perfect with
God,
you "consent to the law that it is good;" you "delight
in
it after the inner man" (Rom. vii. 16, 22); you would
not
have one jot or tittle altered, mitigated, or repealed,
that
it might be more conformed to your own will, or allow
you
more liberty or self-indulgence in the ways of sin.
But
do you not sigh to think, that, when you aim at the
perfect
standard of holiness, you should, at your best mo-
ments,
and in your highest attainments, fall so far below
it;
seeing indeed the way before you, but feeling yourself
without
ability to walk in it? Then let a sense of your
helplessness
for the work of the Lord lead you to the throne
of
grace, to pray, and watch, and wait, for the strengthen-
ing
and refreshing influences of the Spirit of grace. Here
let
your faith realize at one and the same view your utter
insufficiency,
and your complete All-sufficiency. (2 Cor.
iii.
5.) Here behold Him, who is ever presenting himself
before
God as our glorious Head, receiving in himself, ac-
cording
to the good pleasure of the Father (Col. i. 18, 19),
VERSE
5. 9
the
full supply for this and every successive moment of
inexpressible
need. Our work is not therefore left upon
our
own hands, or wrought out at our "own charges." So
long
as "He hath the residue of the Spirit" (Mal. ii. 15),
"grace"
will be found "sufficient;"— Divine "strength
will
be made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor. xii. 9.) "With-
out
him we can do nothing" (John, xv. 5); "through him,
all
things." (Phil. iv. 13.) Even the "worm Jacob shall
thresh
the mountains," when the Lord says, "Fear not, I
will
help thee." (Isa. xli. 14, 15.)
In connecting this verse with the
preceding, how accu-
rately
is the middle path preserved, equally distant from
the
idea of self-sufficiency to "keep
the Lord's statutes," and
self-justification
in neglecting them! The first attempt to
render
spiritual obedience will quickly convince us of our
utter
helplessness. We might as soon create a world, as
create
in our hearts one pulse of spiritual life. And yet
our
inability does not cancel our obligation. Shall God
lose
his right, because sin has palsied our ability? Is not
a
drunken servant still under his master's law? and is not
the
sin which prevents him from performing. his duty, not
his
excuse, but his aggravation? Thus our weakness is
that
of an heart, which "cannot be subject to the law of
God,"
only because it is carnal, "enmity against God."*
The
obligation therefore remains in full force. Our in-
ability
is our sin, our guilt, and condemnation.
What then remains for us, but to return the
mandate
to
heaven, accompanied with an earnest prayer, that the
Lord
would write upon our hearts those statutes,
to which
he
requires obedience in his word? —"Thou
hast commanded
* Rom. viii. 7. Comp. Gen. xxxvii. 4; John,
viii. 43; v. 40;
2
Pet. ii. 14,—where the moral inability is clearly traced to the love
of
sin, or the obstinate unbelief of the heart, and therefore is in-
excusable.
The case of the heathen is traced to the same wilful
source.
(Rom. i. 20-28.)
10 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
us to keep thy statutes
diligently."
We acknowledge, Lord,
our
obligation; but we feel our impotency. Lord, help
us:
we look unto thee. "Oh that our ways
were directed to
keep thy statutes!" "Give what
thou commandest; and
then
command what thou wilt."* Now, as if to exhibit
the
fulness and suitableness of the promises of the gospel,
the
commands and prayers are returned back again from
heaven
with promises of quickening and directing grace.
Thus
does the Lord fully answer his end with us. He did
not
issue the commands, expecting that we could turn our
own
hearts to them; but that the conviction of our entire
helplessness
might cast us upon him, who loves to be sought,
and
never will be thus sought in vain. And indeed this is
a
part of the "mystery of godliness," that in proportion as
we
depend upon him who is alike, "the Lord our righteous-
ness,"
and our strength, our desire after holiness will in-
crease,
and our prayers become more fervent. He who
commands
our duty, perfectly knows our weakness, and he
who
feels his own weakness is fully encouraged to depend
upon
the power of his Saviour. Faith is then the principle
of
evangelical obedience, and the promises of his grace
enable
us for duty, at the very time that we are commanded
to
it.† In this view are brought together the supreme
authority
of the Lawgiver, the total insufficiency of the
creature,
the full provisions of the Saviour, and the all-
sufficiency
of "the God of grace." We pray for what we
want;
we are thankful for what we have; we trust for
what
is promised. Thus "all is of God." Christ "is the
Alpha
and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the first
and
the last." (Rev. xxii. 13.) Thus "grace reigns" tri-
umphant.
The foundation is laid in grace, and the head-
stone
will be brought forth with shoutings, crying, "Grace,
* "Da quod jubes, et jube
quod vis." ― Augustine.
† "Quod lex
imperat, fides impetrat."
VERSE
6. 11
grace
unto it." (Zech. iv. 7.) The Saviour's work is finished,
and
Jesus is crowned Lord of all for ever.
6.
Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have
respect unto all
thy
commandments.
The Lord expects our obedience to be not
only "diligent,"
but
universal. Willingly to dispense with the least of the
commandments, proves that we have
yet to learn the spirit
of
acceptable obedience. (Matt. v. 19.) Grace is given and
suited
for all, no less than for one of them, "that we might
walk
worthy of the Lord unto all pleasing."
(Col. i. 10.)
One
lust "regarded in the heart" is sufficient to keep
possession
for the tyrant, however others may be restrained.
Even
Herod could "do many things;" and yet his adulter-
ous
wife cherished in his bosom, too plainly proved the
sovereignty
of sin to be undisturbed. (Mark, vi. 11-20.)
Saul
slew all the Amalekites but one; and
that single ex-
ception
to universal obedience marked his unsoundness,
cost
him the loss of his throne, and brought him under the
awful
displeasure of his God. (1 Sam. xv. 12-23.) And
thus
the corrupt unmortified member brings the whole body
to
hell. (Mark, ix. 43-48.) Reserves are the canker upon
godly
sincerity. A secret indulgence —"the rolling of the
sweet
morsel under the tongue,"—"the part of the price
kept
back" (Acts, v. 1, 2)— stamps our service as a rob-
bery,
not as an offering. We may be free, sincere, and
earnest
in many parts of our prescribed duty; but this
"root
of bitterness" renders the whole an abomination.
Sincerity therefore must be the stamp of my
Christian
profession.
Though utterly unable to render perfect obe-
dience
to the least of the commandments, yet my desire
and
purpose will have respect unto them all.
I shall no more
venture
to break the least than the greatest of them; much
less
shall I ever think of attempting to atone for the breach
of
one by the performance of the rest. They are indeed
12 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
many
commandments; yet — like links in a chain — they
form
but one law; and I know who has said, "Whoso-
ever
shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point,
he
is guilty of all." (
fessor
may confine his regard to the second table (as if the
first
were ceremonial, or obsolete, or the regulation of the
outward
man was the utmost extent of the requirement,) I
would
fix my eye with equal regard to both, yet specially
marking
any command in either of them; that may appear
most
directly opposed to my besetting corruptions. Thus
walking
in the fear of the Lord," I may hope to walk "in
the
comfort of the Holy Ghost" (Acts, ix. 31); and
"hereby
shall I know that I am of the truth, and shall
assure
my heart before God." (1 John, iii. 19.)
But where, in my strictest walk, is my hope
of accept-
ance,
but in him, whose obedience has "fulfilled all right-
eousness"
(Matt. iii. 15) in my stead, and whose death "has
redeemed
me from the curse" (Gal. iii. 13) of my unright-
eousness,
when repentance, prayers, and tears, would have
been
of no avail? Yet it is only in the path of holiness
that
we can realize our acceptance. (1 John, i. 7; ii. 5;
iii.
21, 24.) The heart occupied with this world's pleasure
knows
nothing of this heavenly joy. Its brightness is
dimmed—its
freshness fades —its life withers —in the
very
breath of an unholy world. A godly assurance of the
present
favour of God must be weakened by self-indulgence,
unwatchfulness,
allowance of secret sins, or neglect of secret
duties.
"If thou return to the Almighty"—said a wise
man—"thou
shalt be built up, thou shalt put away
iniquity
far
from thy tabernacles. Then shalt thou
have thy delight
in
the Almighty, and shalt lift up thy face
unto God." (Job,
xxii.
23, 26.)
Let us then carefully examine the character
of our
assurance.
Does it rest simply and exclusively upon the
testimony
of the Gospel? Will it abide the test of the
word
of God? Is it productive of tenderness of conscience,
VERSE
7. 13
watchfulness,
and circumspection of conduct? Does it ex-
ercise
our diligence in adding grace to grace, that we may
"make
our calling and election sure," and that "an entrance
may
be ministered to us abundantly into
the everlasting
kingdom
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?" (2 Pet.
i.
5-11.) How boldly can we plead our Christian confidence
in
the path of godliness —"I have stuck
unto thy testimonies;
O Lord, put me not to
shame. Let my heart be sound in thy
statutes, that I be not
ashamed."
(Verses 31, 80.)
7.
I will praise thee with uprightness of
heart, when I shall
have learned thy righteous
judgments.
The righteous
judgments of God include the whole reve-
lation
of his word ― so called — as the rule by which he
judges
our present state, and will pronounce our final sen-
tence.
(John, xii. 48.) David's attainments here seemed
to
be as nothing. So much remained unlearned and un-
known,
that he could only anticipate the time, when
he
should have learned them. "Thy commandment"—he ex-
claims
—"is exceeding broad."
(Verse 96.) When the
Apostle,
after twenty years' acquaintance with the gospel,
expressed
it as the one desire of his heart —"That I may
know
Christ" (Philip. iii. 10-14); evidently he entertained
the
same humbling views of his high attainments, and the
same
exalted apprehensions of the value of treasures yet
unexplored,
and progressively opening before him. Thus
the
wisest saints are only students in the
Yet
whatever their learning be, it casts
them into the mould
and
spirit of their doctrine. (Rom. vi. 17.) Conceit, how-
ever,
of knowledge is the greatest enemy to knowledge, and
the
strongest proof of ignorance; so that, "if any man
think
that he knoweth anything, he knoweth nothing yet
as
he ought to know."—"He deceiveth himself." (1 Cor.
viii.
2. Gal. vi. 3.)
14 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
But what is the motive, that enlivens the
believer in
this
holy learning? Is it that he may live
upon the airy
breath
of human applause? No, rather that he may "praise
his God with uprightness
of heart."
When our mind is dark,
our
lips are sealed. But when "he opens our understand-
ings"
to "learn his judgments,"
he will next "open our lips,
and
our mouth shall show forth his praise." (Ps. li. 15;
also
verses 27, 171.) And this indeed is the end for
which
"his people are formed" (Isa,. xliii. 21); for which
they
"are called out of darkness into marvellous light."
(1
Pet. ii. 9.) This is the daily frame, in which our God
will
be glorified.* Yet must we live as well as sing his
praise.
"The praise of the upright heart
will be shown in
the
holy walk and conversation." (Ps. cxvi. 12-14.)
But let us watch, that our praise really
flows "out of
the
abundance" of what our hearts have "learned" of his
"righteous judgments." For do we not
sometimes speak of
our
Saviour with a secret lurking after self-exaltation?
May
we not really be seeking and serving ourselves in the
very
act of seeming to serve and honour him? Surely the
very
thought of the selfishness that defiles our holiest
earthly
praise, may well quicken our longings after that
world
of praise, where the flame burns active, bright, inces-
sant;
where we shall offer our sacrifices without defilement,
without
intermission, without weariness, without end. (Rev.
iv.
8.)
8. I
will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not utterly.
The resolution to "keep the Lord's statutes" is the
na-
tural
result of having "learned his
righteous judgments." But
how
happily does David combine "simplicity" of depend-
ence
with "godly sincerity" of obedience! Firm in his
* Ps. 1. 23. For an example of the uprightness of heart in the
service
of praise here alluded to, see 1
Chron. xxix. 13-18.
VERSE
8. 15
purpose,
but distrustful of his strength, instantly upon
forming
his resolution, he recollects that the performance is
beyond
his power; and therefore the next moment, and
almost
the same moment, he follows it up with prayer,
"I will keep thy statutes: O forsake me not
utterly. Oh!
beware
of self-confidence in the Christian course. We
stumble
or advance, as we lean upon an arm of flesh, or
upon
an Almighty Saviour. Temporary desertion may be
the
seasonable chastisement of spiritual wantonness. When
grace
has been given in answer to prayer, it was not duly
prized,
or diligently improved. The "Beloved"— in answer
to
solicitation —"is come into his garden:" he knocks at
the
door, but the spouse is "asleep." The answer to prayer
was
not expected, not waited for, and therefore not enjoyed;
and
the sleeper awakes too late, and finds herself forsaken
by
the object of her desire. (Cant. iv. 16, with v. 1-6.)
Again—when
we have given place to temptation (2 Chron.
xxxii.
31); when "our mountain stands strong" (Ps. xxx.
6,
7); when love for our Saviour "waxes cold," and our
earnestness
in seeking him is fainting (Cant. iii. 1-4); we
must
not be surprised, if we are left for a time to the trial
of
a deserted state.
Yet we sometimes speak of the hidings of
God's coun-
tenance,
as if it were a sovereign act, calling for implicit
submission;
when the cause should at least be sought for,
and
will generally be found, in some "secret thing" of in-
dulgence,
unwatchfulness, or self-dependence. (Job, xv. 11.)
It
was while David "kept silence" from the language of
contrition,
that he felt the pressure of the heavy hand of
his
frowning God (Ps. xxxii. 3, 4); and may not the dark-
ness,
which has sometimes clouded our path, be the voice
of
our God—"Thine own wickedness shall correct thee,
and
thy backslidings shall reprove thee; know therefore
and
see, that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast
forsaken
the Lord thy God." (Jer. ii. 19.)
16 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
But in the engagement of the Lord's
everlasting cove-
nant,
how clear is the warrant of faith!—how ample the I
encouragement
for prayer—"Forsake me not utterly!"
David
knew and wrote of the Lord's unchangeable faith-
fulness
to his people; and while he dreaded even a tem-
porary
separation from his God more than any worldly
affliction,
he could plead that gracious declaration—"Ne-
vertheless,
my loving-kindness will I not utterly take from
him,
nor suffer my faithfulness to fail." (Ps. lxxxix. 33.)
We
would not indeed make the promises of grace an en-
couragement
to carelessness: yet it is indispensable to our
spiritual
establishment that we receive them in their full,
free,
and sovereign declaration. How many fainting souls
have
been refreshed by the assurances —"For a small mo-
ment
have I forsaken thee; but with great mercies will I
gather
thee: with everlasting kindness will I have mercy
on
thee, saith the Lord thy Redeemer!" "My sheep shall
never
perish; neither shall any pluck them out of my
hand."
(Isa. liv. 7, 8. John, x. 28.) In a lowly, self-
abased,
and dependent spirit, we shall best, however, learn
to
"make our boast in the Lord;" "confident of this very
thing,
that he which hath begun a good work in us, will
perform
it until the day of Jesus Christ." (Ps. xxxiv. 2.
Philip.
i. 6.) And even if awhile destitute of sensible con-
solation,
still our language will be, "I will wait upon the
Lord,
that hideth his face from the house of Jacob; and
I
will look for him." (Isa. viii. 17.)
Great, indeed, is the danger and evil to
the soul, if we
apprehend
the Lord to have forsaken us, because
we are in
darkness;
or that we are out of the way, because we are
in
perplexity. These are the very hand-posts, that show
us
that we are in the way of his own promised leading —
painful
exercise—faithful keeping—eternal salvation: "I
will
bring the blind by a way that they knew not; I will
lead
them in paths that they have not known; I will make
VERSE 8. 17
darkness
light before them, and crooked things straight.
These
things will I do unto them, and not
forsake them."
(Isa.
xlii. 16.) Oh! the rest—the satisfaction of placing
an
implicit confidence in a covenant-keeping God!
Forsaken we may be — but not utterly. David
was for-
saken, not like Saul: (Ps.
xxx. 7; with 1 Sam. xxviii. 6,
16.)
Peter was forsaken, not like Judas
(Matt. xxvi. 75;
with
xxvii. 3-6), utterly and for ever.
What foreboding
have
you of such desertion? Is your heart willing to for-
sake
him? Have you no mournings and thirstings for
his
return? " If, indeed, you forsake him, he will forsake
you."
(2 Chron. xv. 2. Comp. 1 Chron. xxviii. 9.) But
can
you forsake him? 'Let him do as seemeth him
good
(is the language of your heart); I will wait for him,
follow
after him, cleave to his word, cling to his cross.'
Mark
his dealings with you. Inquire into their reason.
Submit
to his dispensation. If he forsakes,
beg his re-
turn:
but trust your forsaking God. "Though
he slay
me,
yet will I trust in him." (Job, xiii. 15. Isa. 1. 10. Hab.
iii.
17, 18.) Though my comfort is clouded, my hope
remains
unchanging, unchangeable—such as I would not
resign
for the glory of an earthly crown. What are these
earnest
breathings — this abiding confidence, but his own
work
in us? And can the Lord "forsake the work of his
own
hands?" (Ps. cxxxviii. 8.) Sooner should heaven and
earth
pass, than the faithful engagements of the gospel be
thus
broken.*
* Augustine's paraphrase of this verse is
beautifully illustrative
of
the believer's conflict in a state of temporary desertion. "O
Lord,
if—lest I should be proud, and should 'say in my prosperity,
I
shall never be removed'—it pleaseth thee to tempt me, yet forsake
me
not over-long;" that is, if thou hast thus forsaken me, that I
may
know how weak I am without thy help, yet "forsake me not
utterly," lest I perish. I
know that of thy good-will thou hast given
me
strength; and if thou turnest away thy face from me, I shall
forthwith
be troubled. "O forsake me not, that I perish not."
18 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
PART II.
9.
Wherewithal shall a young man cleanse his
way? by taking
heed thereto according to
thy word.
Why is the young man so especially called to cleanse his
way? Because God justly
claims the first and the best.
And
is it not a most affecting proof of the alienation of the
heart
from God, that the youth of man ― the bloom and
freshness
of his mind—"his first love"—should naturally
be
devoted to the service of sin? Ever since fallen man
"begat
a son in his own likeness," "the imagination of
man's
heart has been evil from his youth." (Gen. v. 3;
viii.
21.) For "who can bring a clean thing out of an
unclean?"
(Job, xiv. 4.) And never does the heart utter
the
cry, "My Father! thou art the guide of my youth"
(Jer.
iii. 4), until the misery of wandering without a guide
has
been painfully felt. And even when Divine grace has
awakened
the desire to return homewards, the habit of
wandering
from God, and the long-cherished pollutions of
sin,
seem to form an almost invincible barrier to progress.
The fearful power of "youthful
lusts," and the madness
with
which the heart is hurried into forbidden indulgences,
give
solemn weight to the inquiry, "Wherewithal
shall a
young man cleanse his
way?"
And the answer is ready.
Let
him "take heed thereto according to
thy word." Thus
did
Joseph (Gen. xxxix. 9), and Daniel with his young
companions
(Dan. i. 8-20; iii. 12-18), "cleanse
their way"
in
the defilement of an heathen atmosphere. It was pro-
VERSE
9. 19
bably
the recollection of this purifying efficacy of the word,
that
induced the venerable Beza to mention in his will,
among
his chief matters of thankfulness to God, the mercy
of
having been called to the knowledge of the truth at the
age
of sixteen; thus, during a course of more than seventy
years'
walk with God, "escaping the pollutions of the
world
through lust." But the "way can
only be cleansed"
by
the cleansing of the heart; for how can a corrupt foun-
tain
"send forth" other than "bitter waters?" (
11,
12.) "Out of the heart are the issues of life." Hence
the
urgent need to cry—"Create in me a clean heart, O
God,
and renew a right spirit within me." (Prov. iv. 23.
Ps.
li. 10.)
How precious, therefore, is the word of God, as the
means
of this cleansing operation! When our Saviour had
been
setting forth himself as "the way, the truth, and the
life,"
and exhibiting the high privilege of union with him-
self,
"Now," he adds, "ye are
clean, through the word which
I have spoken unto you." (John, xiv. 6;
xv. 1-3.) This is
"the
truth," which he pleaded with his Father as the
means
of our sanctification. (Ib. xvii. 17.) This sets out
our
purifying hope. (1 John, iii. 3.) Here are the pro-
mises,
by which we "cleanse ourselves from all filthiness
of
flesh and spirit, perfecting holiness in the fear of God."*
Thus
is restored to man that golden "crown"—the stamp
of
his Maker's holiness— which "fell from his head when
he
sinned." (Lam. v. 16, with Gen. i. 27; Eph. iv. 24.)
But oh! how does the recollection force itself
upon us,
* 2 Cor. vii. 1. Comp. 2 Pet. i. 4.
Augustine's recorded account
of
his own conversion furnishes a striking illustration of this sub-
ject.
Confessions, books, viii., ix. The substance of it may be
found
in Milner's Church History, vol. ii. 353-356. See Dr. Owen's
valuable
work on the Spirit for a most instructive use made of
it,
as throwing light upon the doctrine of conversion. Book iii.
chap.
vi.
20 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
that
our way wants daily cleansing! so
defiled are our ac-
tions,
our thoughts, our motives,—nay more, our prayers
and
services. Let us then "take heed
according to the word
of God"— specially
thankful for its heavenly light, which
guides
us to the "Fountain, that is opened for sin and for
uncleanness."
(Zech. xiii. 1.) Let us also, under the same
Divine
light, seek for the daily sanctifying influence of the
Spirit
of God. "Who can understand his
errors? Cleanse
thou me from secret
faults."
(Ps. xix. 12.) "Cleanse the
thoughts of my heart by
the inspiration of thy Holy Spirit."
(Prayer-Book.)
10.
With my whole heart have I sought thee; O
let me not
wander from thy
commandments.
Attention to the word, however important
(ver. 9), can
never
be practically effective without earnest prayer. Indeed
this
is the character of the Lord's people, "a generation of
seekers" (Ps. xxiv. 6);
and yet how much do we lose of the
comfort
of our religion, and obscure the glory of our pro-
fession,
by neglecting to bring "our whole
heart" to this
work!
When sin is vigorous, and our spiritual affections
are
dull, and various hindrances combine in prayer, at this
crisis
strong faith is needed to overcome and to persevere.
But
here the soul too commonly yields to the difficulty,
and
contents itself either with heartless complainings, or
with
just sufficient exertion to quiet the voice of conscience,
and
produce a delusive peace within. But the Lord will
not
be found thus. His promise is not to such seekers as
these;
and if we are satisfied with this state, we must look
for
a very scanty measure of spiritual success, accompanied
with
the total absence of spiritual enjoyment. In a far
different
spirit David could appeal—"With my
whole heart
have I sought thee." And this
assurance, instead of pro-
ducing
self-confidence, will, so far as it is genuine, invari-
VERSE
10. 21
ably
show itself in a prayerful acknowledgment of our
weakness
—"O let me not wander from thy
commandments."
Yet
the feeblest desire and attempt to seek the Lord is
the
Spirit's rising beam in the heart, a "day of small
things"
not to be "despised." (Zech. iv. 10.) It is distin-
guished
from every other principle by the simplicity of its
object—"This
one thing I do. One thing have I de-
sired
of the Lord; that will I seek after." (Philip. iii. 13.
Ps.
xxvii. 4.) My God! my Saviour! with my
whole
heart have I sought thee. "The desire of my
soul is to thy
name,
and to the remembrance of thee. With my soul
have
I desired thee in the night; yea, with my spirit
within
me will I seek thee early." (Isa. xxvi. 8; 9.)
When the soul is thus conscious of
"following the
Lord
fully," there is a peculiar dread of
wandering. In a
careless
or half-hearted state, wanderings are not watched,
so
long as they do not lead to any open declension. Secret
prayer
will be hurried over, worldly thoughts unresisted,
waste
of time in frivolous pursuits indulged, without much
concern.
Not so, when the heart is fully in
pursuit of its
object.
There is a carefulness, lest wandering thoughts
should
become habitual. There is a resistance of the first
step,
that might lead into a devious path. The soul re-
members
the "wormwood and the gall" (Lam. iii. 19),
"the
roaring lion," and the devouring wolf; and in the
recollection
of the misery of its former wandering, dreads
any
departure from the Shepherd's fold. This blessed
state
of mind the flock of Christ should cherish with godly
jealousy.
Yet let it be remembered, that daily progress in
the
heavenly walk is not maintained by yesterday's
grace.
Humble
and dependent prayer must fetch in a fresh supply
continually—"O let me not wander from thy commandments."
Lord,
I feel my heart so prone to wander. My affections
are
often scattered to the ends of the earth. "Unite my
heart
to fear thy name." (Ps. lxxxvi. 11.) Concentrate
22 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
every
thought, every desire, in thyself, as the one object
of
attraction.'
11
. Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I
might not sin
against
thee.
What an aggregate of guilt and misery is
comprehended
in
this short word "sin"—the greatest curse that ever
entered
the universe of God, and the parent of every other
curse!
Its guilt is aggravated beyond the conception of
thought.
Injury to a
Its
power is misery wherever it extends —in the family—
in
the world. In eternity its power is unrestrained. Some-
times
the death-bed scene casts a fearful gleam of light
upon
"the worm that never dieth, and the fire that never
shall
be quenched" (Mark, ix. 44): but experience only
can
develope its full-grown horrors. How supremely im-
portant
therefore is the object of our preservation from sin!
and
how wisely adapted are the means to the end! That
word—which the man of God
had just before mentioned
as
the guide to the cleansing of the way
(Verse 9)—he hides
within his heart—not for concealment,
but for security
(Matt.
xxv. 25; Ps. xl. 10; with Exod. xxv. 21; Job,
xxii.
22), that it may be ready for constant use. (Josh. i. 8.)
It
is not therefore a mere acquaintance with the
word, that
will
avail us. There must be a cordial assent — a sound
digestion
— a constant respect. It must be to us the rule
that
we would not transgress—the treasure that we are
afraid
to lose. (Matt. xiii. 44.) Often indeed Satan shuts
out
its entrance. He "catches away that which was sown."
Too
often, again, it is "withered or choked" in the soil. But
"the
honest and good heart" "hides
it, keeps it, and brings
forth
fruit with patience, unto perfection." (Luke, viii. 15,
with
the whole parable.) Here it "wells richly in all
wisdom"
(Col. iii. 16), the storehouse, as occasion requires;
VERSE
11. 23
a
principle of holiness; a covering from sin. In this view
it
is recommended by one who had well acquainted himself
with
its valuable uses: "My son, let them not" (the
Divine
precepts) "depart from thine eyes; keep sound
wisdom
and discretion. So shall they be life unto thy soul,
and
grace to thy neck. Then shalt thou walk in thy way
safely,
and thy foot shall not stumble." (Prov. iii. 21-24.
Comp.
Prov. ii. 10-15.) David also gives us the same
experience:
"By the word of thy lips I have kept me
from
the paths of the destroyer." (Ps. xvii. 4.) And it
was
probably this recollection, combined with a sense of
continual
danger, that suggested the prayer —"Order my
steps
in thy word; and let not any iniquity have dominion
over
me." (Verse 133.)
The value of the word is inestimable, as our means of
walking
with God in the hurry, business, and temptation
of
the day. The Psalms furnish precious materials for
ejaculatory
prayer; the promises, food for comfort (Verses
50,
92); the rules, such light in perplexity (Verse 105.
Prov.
iii. 5, 6); the instruction, such solid matter for
godly
conference (Col. iii. 16)— all operating for one end
—a
preservation from sin. Being from the
word—a mani-
festation
of the Saviour's love—what a keeping of the
heart!
what a quickening motive! How seasonable in
worldly
temptation is the warning of the word hid
in the
heart,
"No man, having put his hand to the plough, and
looking
back, is fit for the
61,
62.) So in the spiritual conflict, let this word—"Him
that
cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out," be hid in
the heart—what a preservation is
it against unbelief!
(John,
vi. 37.) Take the word to the
unbelieving believer
(if
the expression may be allowed), alarmed by ridicule or
persecution—"If
the world hate you, ye know that it hated
me
before it hated you." (John, xv. 18.) Fearing that he
shall
never hold out to the end; "I will never leave thee
24 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
nor
forsake thee." (Heb. xiii. 5.) Trembling lest his sins
should
rise up to his condemnation―"The blood of Jesus
Christ
the Son of God cleanseth from all sin." (1 John, i.
7.)
And then as to duties: Let his Saviour's word
rebuke
his
indolence and unwatchfulness—"What! could ye not
watch
with me one hour? Watch and pray, that ye enter
not
into temptation." (Matt. xxvi. 40, 41.) Hide in the
heart
the sorrowful story of his agony in the garden, and
his
death on the cross, that "sin may appear yet more
exceeding
sinful."
But how is the word to gain entrance into hearts like
ours?
How shall it be "hid" in so
unkindly a soil? No
power
of man surely can plant it there. The Holy Spirit's
Almighty
agency must be diligently sought; for in pro-
portion
as we are filled with his gracious influence shall we
be
armed, as was our Master, for the effectual resistance of
our
spiritual temptations. (Comp. Luke, iv. 1-12.)
Lastly, connected with this subject, mark the Christian's
character —"In whose heart
is my law." (Isa. li. 7.) His
security—"None
of his steps shall slide." (Ps. xxxvii. 31.)
His happiness—"O how I love thy
law." (Verse 97.)
His victory—"The word of God
abideth in him, and he
hath
overcome the wicked one." (1 John, ii. 14; with Eph.
vi.
17.) All infallibly provided by the covenant promise,
"I
will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in
their
hearts." (Jer. xxxi. 33.) Oh! let us not then shrink
from
a close contact with the word, though
the cost may be
the
cutting off a right hand for the saving of the life. There
is
no better test of our security, than our willingness to
come
to the searching light of the word.
(Comp. John, iii.
20,
21.)
12. Blessed
art thou, O Lord: teach me thy statutes.
"Praise is comely for the
upright." (Ps. xxxiii. 1, 2.)
VERSE
12. 25
It
is at once their duty and their privilege. But what does
its
highest exercise amount to, when placed on the ground
of
its own merit? We clothe our ideas with magnificence
of
language, and deck them out with all the richness of
imagery;
and perhaps we are pleased with our forms of
praise.
But what are they in his sight beyond the offering
of
a contemptible worm, spreading before its Maker its own
mean
and low notions of Divine Majesty? If a worm were
to
raise its head, and cry—'O sun! thou art the source of
light
and heat to a widely-extended universe'—it would,
in
fact, render a higher praise to the sun, than we can ever
give
to our Maker. Between it and us there is some pro-
portion—between
us and God none. Yet, unworthy as
the
offering confessedly is, he will not despise it. Nay,
more,
instead of spurning it from his presence, he has
revealed
himself as "inhabiting the praises of
xxii.
3); thus intimating to us, that the service of praise
is
"set forth in his sight as incense;" and at the same
time,
that it should be the daily and unceasing exercise of
one
at his own home.
The true character of praise, however,
depends entirely
upon
the state of the heart. In the contemplative philo-
sopher
it is only cheerless, barren admiration: in the believer
it
becomes a principle of comfort and encouragement. For,
can
he forget the revelation, which his God has given of
himself
in the gospel of his dear Son; how it divests every
attribute
of its terrors, and shines before us in all the glory
of
his faithfulness and love? The ascription of praise—
"Blessed art thou, O Lord," frames
itself therefore into
the
prophet's song―"Who is a God like unto thee, that
pardoneth
iniquity, and passeth by the transgression of the
remnant
of his heritage? He retaineth not his anger for
ever,
because he delighteth in mercy." (Mic. vii. 18.)
Truly then he is "blessed" in himself, and delights to
communicate
his blessedness to his people. Hence we are
26
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
emboldened
to ask for continual "teaching in
his statutes,"*
in
the truths which he has revealed, and the precepts which
he
has enjoined; that we may "be followers of him, as dear
children,"
and "walk with him in love." (Eph. v. 1, 2.)
The
practical influence, however, of Divine light, con-
stitutes
its peculiar privilege. Man's teaching puffeth up
—
God's teaching humbleth. Man's teaching may lead us
into
error as well as into truth — God's teaching is "the
unction
from the Holy One, by which we know all things."
(1
John, ii. 20.) Man's teaching may make us more
learned
— God's teaching makes us more holy. It persuades,
while
it enlightens. It draws the heart, inclines the will,
and
carries out the soul to Christ. (John, vi. 44, 45.) The
tried
character of God encourages us to look for his teach-
ing—
"Good and upright is the Lord; therefore will he
teach
sinners in the way." (Ps. xxv. 8.) Our warrant is
especially
confirmed in approaching him as our covenant
God
— "Lead me in thy truth, and teach
me; for thou art
the God of my salvation. Teach me to do thy
will: for thou
art my God." (Ps. cxliii.
10.)
Reader! do you desire to praise your God?
Then learn
to
frequent the new and living way, "by which alone you
can
offer your sacrifice acceptably." (Heb. x. 20; xiii. 15.
1
Pet. ii. 5.) And while engaged in this holy service,
inquire,
surrounded as you are with the means of instruc-
tion,
what progress you are making in his
statutes. Seek to
have
a deeper acquaintance with the character of God.
Seek
to be the vessels of honour and glory, into which he
is
pouring more and more continually, "until they be filled
with
all the fulness of God." (Eph. 19.) Value the
unspeakable
blessing of Divine teaching, by which you learn
to
live the life, and begin the blessedness
of God.
*
The same acknowledgment and plea are made in verses 64, 68.
VERSE
13. 27
13.
With my lips have I declared all the judgments
of thy
mouth.
We have seen the word hid in the heart: now we see it
poured
forth from the lips. The Lord has taught
us his
statutes; now we declare these judgments of his mouth.
But
who
can declare them with unction and
power, save those
who
are taught of God? Now we are
introduced to the high
and
honourable privilege of becoming a witness for our
Saviour!
(Philip. ii. 16.) Our opportunities of service are
our
talents, and we trade with a large increase; for "to
every
one that hath shall be given, and he shall have
abundance."
(Matt. xxv. 29.) But—"our lips are our
own"
(Ps. xii. 4)—is the proud language of the world.
Blessed
be God; "we know that we are not our own."
(1
Cor. vi. 19.) Most gladly do we acknowledge, that he,
who
fashioned our lips, has the best claim to their service.
And
when he has added to the claim of creation the right
of
purchase (1 Cor. vi. 20), what further constraining can
we
need, to induce the consecration of all that we are, and
all
that we have, to his glory!
This is a family obligation — to declare the judgments of
God's mouth. Thus did Abraham
obtain a blessing for his
children.
(Gen. xviii. 19.) Heavenly blessings are the gra-
cious
reward of thus honouring our God. (Deut. xi. 18-21.)
This
also is the material of our general intercourse — fruit-
ful
in spiritual results. Thus did Andrew bring Peter
(John,
i. 40-42), and the women of
bours
(John, iv. 29, 30), to Jesus. What might we not do
for
our fellow-sinners, if our intercourse with them was the
overflowing
of a heart full of love; guided by a single de-
sire
to glorify our Saviour, and to edify his Church! Fearful,
indeed,
is the guilt of sinful silence; and those, who thus
prove
their unfaithfulness to God, may well tremble at his
awful
denunciations. And yet it is possible to be bold in
28
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
speech
for God, when in the closet, the family, or the world,
our
consciences justly convict us of insincerity: "Thou
that
teachest another, teachest thou not thyself?" (
ii.
21.) Let us seek, therefore, to have our hearts "filled
with
the Spirit" (Eph. v. 18, 19); otherwise ours will be
"the
talk of the lips, which tendeth only to penury."
(Prov.
xiv. 23; with x. 19.)
This subject illustrates the character of the Lord's peo-
ple
—"The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and
his
tongue talketh of judgment" (Ps. xxxvii. 30); their
resolution —"My mouth shall
show forth thy righteousness
and
thy salvation all the day; for I know not the numbers
thereof"
(Ps. lxxi. 15); their prayer—"O
Lord, open thou
my
lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise" (Ps.
li.
15); their blessing —"The lips
of the righteous feed
many.
A wholesome tongue is a tree of life." (Prov. x. 21;
xv.
4.) The example of the Saviour, here as everywhere,
is
our perfect and encouraging pattern: "I have preached
righteousness
in the great congregation; Lo! I have not
refrained
my lips, O Lord, thou knowest." (Ps. xl. 9, 10;
with
Luke, iv. 16-22.) In this spirit of their Master, the
Apostles
awed their persecutors into forbearance: "We
cannot
but speak the things which we have seen and heard."
(Acts,
iv. 20.)
How sinful is it to employ our lips for any
but the
Lord!
Yet not less sinful is our reluctance to employ them
for
him! Surely the day, when perhaps we have been fluent
in
worldly conversation, and yet have neglected our oppor-
tunities
of speaking a word for him, must be considered a
lost
day! Is there not much cause for watchfulness, prayer,
and
self-denial; lest our silence should deny him, whom by
every
obligation we are bound to confess? If our inability
to
bear a testimony for our Lord is not painful to us (Comp.
Ps.
xxxix. 1, 2; Jer. xx. 9), must we not suspect, if not
the
sincerity, at least the strength, of our attachment to
VERSE
14. 29
his
precious name? and we can do no better than retire into
our
closets with the prayer of contrition—"Enter not into
judgment
with thy servant, O Lord." (Ps. cxliii. 2.)
14.
I have rejoiced in the way of thy
testimonies, as much as
in all
riches.
How natural is it to be speaking of that
which is our
delight!
The man of God was always declaring the
Lord's
judgments, because they were his rejoicing. There is indeed
a
real joy in despising earthly joys. "How sweet"—said
Augustine,
referring to the period of his conversion —"was
it
in a moment to be free from those delightful vanities, to
lose
which had been my dread; to part with which was now
my
joy!"* More satisfying is the believer's rejoicing in the
way of God, than that of the miser
in his untold riches.
(Verses
72, 127.) Here he may safely say to his soul,
"Soul,
thou hast much goods laid up for many years; take
thine
ease." And these are the only riches within the reach
of
all. If we are poor in this world, it is the Lord's pro-
vidence.
If we are poor in grace, it is our own fault. It
is
because we have despised our Lord's "counsel to buy of
him
gold tried in the fire, that we may be rich." (Rev. iii.
18.)
And what is this enriching portion?—"Things
* "Quas amittere metus erat, jam
dimittere gaudium fuit."—
Aug.
Confess. Book ix. Never man in his unregenerate state, by
his
own confession, more strongly illustrated the truth of our Lord's
declaration,
"Whosoever committeth sin is the servant of sin."
(John,
viii. 34; with 2 Pet. ii. 19.) He describes himself actually
as
"wallowing in the mire," with as much delight, as if he were
rolling
himself in a bed of spices, or perfuming himself with the
most
precious ointment. ("Volutare in cæno, tanquam cinnamonis
et
unguentis pretiosis.") Yet when the word pierced his heart, and
brought
a new bias and taste into his soul, how delightfully was his
language
changed in the recollection of his past "excess of riot!"
"Quam
suave est istis suavitatibus carere!"
30
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
present
or things to come" (1 Cor. iii. 22); something
enjoyed,
and much more expected: the mercies of eternity
added
to the blessings of time; the riches of both worlds
—all
assured to him by the covenant of grace "in the way
of the Lord's
testimonies."
Is it not then most strange, that,
with
such treasure in possession and in prospect, the child
of
God should be so careless in increasing his store, and in
confirming
his own interest in it? But the riches of
God's
testimonies have this peculiar
property, that they cease to
rejoice
the heart, when they are not uppermost there. Have
there
not been times, when we have actually rejoiced in the
accession
of some worldly good, or the accomplishment of
some
worldly desire, more than in this heavenly treasure?
What
then do we count our riches? To
thrive in grace, or
in
the world? To be rich towards God, or for our own in-
dulgence?
But though we would rejoice in the testimonies, and would
not,
for all this world can afford, lose a verse or a letter of
our
Bibles, yet we cannot be satisfied with a general interest.
Many
texts— doctrinal, practical, or experimental —have
been
specially sealed by the Divine Spirit upon our hearts.*
This
or that promise—yea, all the land of promise, as much
as
I can set my foot upon—is mine. From these precious
testimonies, shall we not increase
our little stock, until we
have
apprehended the full enjoyment of the whole if in-
deed
the fulness of that which is called "unsearchable"
(Eph.
iii. 8) can ever be, in this life at least, completely
enjoyed?
But it is not so much in the Lord's
testimonies, as "in
the way of them," that David
rejoiced—the way to God, of
which
they testify (John, xiv. 6 with v. 39); "the way
of
holiness" (Isa. xxxv. 8), in which they lead—the narrow
way
of the cross — so contrary to our natural desires and
* "This is my scripture"— Origen
used to say of such texts.
VERSE
15. 31
inclinations,
that none but the true sheep of Christ can
ever
enter, or continue in it. Who that walks in these
ways will fail to find them,
in duties no less than in privi-
leges,
"paths of pleasantness and peace?" Our happiness
is
not withered, but flourishing. "Thus saith the Lord,
Stand
ye in the ways, and see, and ask for the old paths,
where
is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall find
rest
for your souls." (Jer. vi. 16.)
15.
I will meditate in thy precepts, and have
respect unto
thy ways.
Our rejoicing
in the testimonies of God will naturally flow
in
an habitual meditation in them.
(Verse 97. Ps. i. 2.)
The
thoughts follow the affections. The carnal man can
never
be brought to this resolution. Having no spiritual
taste,
he has no ability for spiritual meditation.
Indeed
many
sincere Christians, through remaining weakness and
depravity,
are too often reluctant to it. They are content
with
indolent reading: and, with scarcely a struggle or a
trial,
yield themselves up to the persuasion, that they are
unable
sufficiently to abstract their minds for this blessed
employment.
But let the trial prove the work. Persever-
ance
will accomplish the victory over mental instability,
and
the spiritual difficulty will give way to prayer, "Lord!
help
me." The fruitfulness of this employment will soon
be
manifest. Does it not "stir up the gift of God that is
in
us" (2 Tim. i. 6), and keep the energies of the heart in
a
wakeful posture of conflict and resistance? Besides this,
it
is the digestive faculty of the soul, which converts the
word
into real and proper nourishment: so that this revolv-
ing
of a single verse in our minds is often better than the
mere
reading of whole chapters." Thy words were found,
and
I did eat them; and thy word was unto
me the joy and
32
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
the
rejoicing of my heart."* Thus the mind becomes the
instrument
of faith and love—of joy and strength.
But this meditation not only includes the
stated times
of
thought, but the train of holy thoughts, that pass
through
the mind during the busy hours of the day. This
maintains
an habitual flow of spiritual desires, and excites
the
flame of love within, till at length the Psalmist's reso-
lution
becomes the inwrought habit of our minds—"I will
meditate in thy precepts."
Can we want a subject for meditation, if
indeed the
salvation
of Jesus has been made known to our souls?
While
musing upon the glorious theme, does not "the fire
burn"
(Ps. xxxix. 3 and comp. xlv. 1) within, as if our
hearts
were touched with a live coal from the altar of God?
Chide
then, believer, thy dull and sluggish spirit, that
suffers
the precious manna to lie ungathered upon the
ground,
that is slow to entertain these heavenly thoughts;
or
rather that heavenly guest, whose peculiar office it is
to
"help our infirmities" (Rom. viii. 26), and especially
to
"take of Christ's, and show it unto us." (John, xvi.
14,
15.)
The exercise, however, of this, as of every
other duty,
may
prove a barren form, that imparts neither pleasure nor
profit.†
Let each of us then ask—'What distinct experi-
mental
benefit have I received from the word? Do I en-
* Jer. xv. "Meditation is that
exercise of mind, whereby it
recalls
a known truth, as some kinds of creatures do their food, to be
ruminated
upon, until the nutritious parts are extracted, and fitted
for
the purposes of life."—Bishop
Horne on this verse.
† "If a chapter be read with the eye
merely, while the mind
remains
inattentive, and the book be shut as soon as the chapter
is
finished, and thus, what has been read immediately escape the
memory;
what is there to surprise, if, after the whole Bible has
been
several times read through, we discover in ourselves no in-
crease
of piety and devotion?" ― Professor
Francke.
VERSE
16. 33
deavour
to read it with prayerful meditation, until I find
my
heart filled with it?
But this communing with the word is not for
contem-
plation,
but for practice. (Josh. i. 8.) By meditating
on
God's precepts, we learn to have respect unto his ways—care-
fully
"pondering the path of our feet," that we "turn not
aside."
(Prov. iv. 26, 27.) "Thy
loving-kindness is before
mine eyes; and I have
walked in thy truth."
(Ps. xxvi. 3.)
"My
foot," saith Job, "hath held his steps; his ways have
I
kept, and not declined. Neither have I gone back from
the
commandment of his lips; I have esteemed
the words of
his mouth more than my
necessary food."
(Job, xxiii. 11, 12.)
16.
I will delight myself* in thy statutes: I
will not forget
thy
word.
As delight
quickens to meditation (Verses 14,
15), so
does
the practical habit of meditation
strengthen the prin-
ciple
of delight. In the enjoyment of this
delight, the
Christian
(however small his attainments may be) would
rather
live and die, than in the pursuit, and even in the
possession,
of the most satisfying pleasures of a vain and
empty
world. But if it be a real "delight
in the Lord's
statutes," it will be
universal — when they probe the secret
lurking-places
within, and draw out to the full light the
hidden
indulgences of a heart that is yet carnal (see
vii.
14; 1 Cor. iii. 1, 3); when they call for the entire
crucifixion
of every corrupt inclination, and the unreserved
surrender
of all to the self-denying service of our God. This
spirit
is very different from the delight of
the hypocrite,
which
is rather to "know," than to do, the "ways of his
God"
(Isa. lviii. 2); and, therefore, which is satisfied with
* "I will solace and recreate
myself."—Ainsworth. A beau-
tiful
illustration of the refreshment of the word, when the mind is
tired
out with the toilsome encumbering cares of the world.
34
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
outward
conformity, with little or no desire to "understand
the
errors" of his heart, that he might be "cleansed from
secret
faults." (Ps. xix. 12.) The spring of our obedience
will
therefore prove its sincerity; and the reality of our
love
will be manifested by its fruitfulness and active cheer-
fulness
in our appointed sphere of duty.
We may also observe here an evidence of
adoption.
Obedience
is not a burden, but a delight. The
servant may
perform the statutes of God, but
it is only the son who
"delights in them." But what—we may
ask —is the spring it
of
adoption? It is "the Spirit of the Son sent into our
hearts,
whereby we cry, Abba, Father." (Gal. iv. 6.) It is
because
we are at peace with God through Jesus Christ;
because
the statutes are the message of
reconciliation through
him,
that they become delightful to those, who are par-
takers
of this great salvation. "The spirit of adoption,"
therefore,
as the principle of delight, is the spring of accept-
able
obedience in the Lord's service.
And surely those who are serving him in
this happy
filial
walk, are not likely to "forget his
word." As the eye
is
continually turned to the object of its affection, so the
eye
of the soul, that has been fixed with delight
on the ways
of
God, will be habitually resting upon them. As one of
the
wise heathens observed—'I never yet heard of a covet-
ous
old man, who had forgotten where he had buried his
treasure.'*
The reason is abundantly evident. His heart
is
in it. And this explains the forgetfulness of the ungodly
or
the formalist. They have no delight in
the statutes. And
who
is not glad to forget what is
distasteful? But if we
"have
tasted that the Lord is gracious"— if we have found
a
treasure "in the way of his testimonies"—we cannot
forget the sweetness of the
experience, or where to go to
refresh
ourselves with the repetition of it.
* "Nec vero quenquam senem audivi
oblitum quo loco thesau-
rum
obruisset."—
VERSE 16. 35
Forgetfulness of the
word
is, however, to the Christian, a
source
of continual complaint, and sometimes also of most
distressing
temptation. Not that there is always a real
charge
of guilt upon the conscience. For, as
what
quaintly observes—'Grace makes a good heart-
memory,
even where there is no good head-memory.' But
means
must be used, and helps may be suggested. Watch-
fulness
against the influence of the world is of the first
importance.
How much of the good seed is choked by the
springing
thorns! (Matt. xiii. 22.) If our hearts are ever
refreshed
with spiritual delight, we should be as cautious
of
an uncalled-for advance into the world, as of exposing an
invalid's
susceptible frame to a damp or an unhealthy
atmosphere.
Whatever warmth has been kindled in spi-
ritual
duties, may be chilled by one moment's unwary rush
into
an unkindly clime. We would also recommend in-
creasing
attention to the word, as the means of its preserv-
ation
(Heb. 1)—the exercise of "faith," without which
it
will "not profit" (Ib. iv. 2)—the active habit of love,
bringing
with it a more habitual interest in the statutes
(Verse
15) — all accompanied with unceasing prayer for the
gift
of the Holy Spirit, made the express subject of promise
for
this purpose. (John, xiv. 26.) Under his heavenly teach-
ing
and recollection, what delight will
be found in the statutes!
what
blessed remembrance of his word! And what a happy
spirit
is this delight and remembrance of the word—the affec-
tions
glowing—the memory pondering—the presence and
manifestation
of truth keeping the heart in close commu-
nion
with God! "O Lord God, keep this for
ever in the
imagination
of the thoughts of the heart of thy people, and
prepare
their hearts unto thee." (1 Chron. xxix. 18.)
36
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
PART
III.
17.
Deal bountifully with thy servant, that I
may live, and
keep thy word.
This prayer appears to have been much
upon David's
heart,
and in its substance and object it is again repeated.
(Verse
77.) Nor does he fail to acknowledge the answer
to
it. (Verse 65. Comp. Ps. xiii. 6; cxvi. 7, 8.) The be-
liever,
like David, is a man of large expectations. As
regards
himself—his own daily provocations and back-
slidings
—he cannot stand upon his own ground. But
when
he brings with him the name, the blood, the inter-
cession
of Jesus; as soon could God deny his own beloved
Son,
as resist the supplication of those who present this all-
prevailing
plea. (John, xvi. 23, 24.) Nay—is he not his
own
gift to his children, as the pledge of every other gift?
(Rom.
viii. 32.) And what other pledge can they need, to
encourage
them to draw nigh with the largest desire, and
the
most heavenly expectation? We may, indeed, be too
bold
in our manner of approach to God;* but we cannot be
too
bold in our expectations from him. Standing as we do
upon
such high and sure ground, it is equally dishonourable
to
him, and impoverishing to ourselves, to ask only a little
* A beautiful example of reverential
approach, and of the accep-
tance
manifested, is given in Abram's history (Gen. xvii. 3), and is
in
some degree illustrated by the private records of Luther.—Note
on
verses 147, 148.
VERSE
17. 37
of
him. Rather let us, according to his own command,
"open
our mouths wide; and he will fill them." (Ps. lxxxi.
10.)
Rather let us expect that he will deal—not only
favourably—but
bountifully with his servants—that, as "our
God,
he will supply all our need according to his riches in
glory
by Christ Jesus." (Philip. iv. 19.)
And, indeed, the most experienced believer
cannot forget,
that
he is in himself still the same poor, weak, empty, help-
less
creature as at first. Nothing, therefore, short of a boun-
tiful
supply can answer his emergency. And such a supply
is
always at hand. The act of prayer increases the power
to
pray. The throne of grace is a well, which no power or
malice
of the Philistines can stop up. (Comp. Gen. xxvi. 15.)
We
need not say, "We have nothing to draw with, and
the
well is deep." (John, iv. 11.) Faith will enable us
"with
joy to draw out of this well of salvation." (Isa. xii. 3.)
Let
us bring our empty vessels, until "there is not a vessel
more."
(Comp. 2 Kings, iv. 3-6.) Yes—believer—there
is
indeed a bountiful supply of grace—of every kind— suited
to
every want—grace to pardon—grace to quicken—grace
to
bless. Oh! see, then, that you come not empty away.
Remember—who
it that pleads before the throne. Re-
member—that
the grace you need is in his hand. From
eternity
he foreknew your case. He laid your portion by.
He
has kept it for the time of need; and now he only waits
for
an empty vessel, into which to pour his supply. He is
ready
to show you, how infinitely his grace exceeds all
thoughts—all
prayers—all desires—all praises.
And say—what has been the fruit of your
pleading,
waiting
expectancy at "the throne of grace?" Have you
not
returned thence with a fresh spring of devotedness in
his
service, with every selfish thought forgotten in the
desire,
that you "may live, and keep his word?" Nothing
touched
or moved your reluctant heart, but the appre-
hension
of bountiful redeeming love. This makes obedience
38
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
easy—delightful—natural—in
a manner unavoidable. It
constrains"
(2 Cor. v. 14) to it. The man now lives
not
the animal life of appetite—not the sensual life of
vanity
and pleasure—but the only life that deserves the
name.
He lives singly, supremely "to him that died for
him,
and rose again." (2 Cor. v. 15.) He "lives, and keeps
his word." His motto and
character now is, "To me to
live
is Christ." (Philip. i. 21. Comp. Acts, xiii. 36.) He
values
life only by his opportunities of serving his God.
(Philip.
i. 20.) The first archangel knows not a higher
object
of existence. And how encouraging the reflection,
that
in this glorious object the meanest servant in the
household
of God is an equal participant with the most
blessed
inhabitant of heaven!
18.
Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold
wondrous things
out of thy
law.
In order to keep God's word, must we not pray to un-
derstand
it? What then is the prayer? Not—give me
a
plainer Bible—but open mine eyes to
know my Bible.
Not—show
me some new revelations beside the law—but
make
me behold the wonders of the law.
David had acquired
in
the Divine school "more understanding than all his
teachers"
(Verses 99, 100); yet he ever comes to his God
under
a deep sense of his blindness. Indeed those who
have
been best and longest taught, are always the most
ready
to "sit at the feet of Jesus" (Luke, x. 39), as if they
had
everything to learn. It is an unspeakable mercy to
know
a little, and at the same time to feel that it is only a
little.
We shall then be longing to know more, and yet
anxious
to know nothing, except as we are taught of God.
There
are indeed in God's law things so wondrous, that
"the
angels desire to look into them." (1 Pet. i. 12.) The
exhibition
of the scheme of redemption is in itself a world
VERSE
18.
39
of
wonders. The display of justice exercised in the way of
mercy,
and of mercy glorified in the exercise of justice, is a
wonder,
that must fill the intelligent universe of God with
everlasting
astonishment. And yet these "wondrous
things"
are
hid from multitudes, who are most deeply interested in
the
knowledge of them. They are "hid," not only from
the
ignorant and unconcerned, but "from the wise and
prudent;
and revealed" only "to babes" (Matt. xi. 25) —
to
those who practically acknowledge that important truth,
that
a man "can receive nothing, except it be given him
from
heaven." (John, iii. 27.) External knowledge is like
the
child spelling the letters without any apprehension of
the
meaning. It is like reading a large and clear print
with
a thick veil before our eyes. Oh! how needful then
is
the prayer—'Unveil;'*—"Open thou
mine eyes: "let the
veil
be taken away from the law, that I may understand it;
and
from my heart, that I may receive it!
But do not even Christians often find the
word of God
to
be as a sealed book? They go through their accus-
tomed
portion, without gaining any increasing acquaint-
ance
with its light, life, and power, and without any distinct
application
of its contents to their hearts. And thus it
must
be, whenever reading has been unaccompanied with
prayer
for Divine influence. For we not only need to have
our
"eyes opened to behold"
fresh wonders, but also to give a
more
spiritual and transforming (2 Cor. iii. 18) perception
of
those wonders, which we have already beheld.
But are we conscious of our blindness? Then
let us
hear
the counsel of our Lord, that we "anoint our eyes
with
eye-salve, that we may see." (Rev. iii. 18.) The re-
collection
of the promises of Divine teaching is fraught
with
encouragement. The Spirit is freely and abundantly
promised
in this very character, as "the Spirit of wisdom
* "Revela oculos meos. Velamen detrahe
oculis meis."—Poli
Synopsis. Margin, "Reveal."
Comp. 2 Cor. iii. 14-16.
40
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
and
revelation in the knowledge of God." (Eph. i., 17.) If,
therefore,
we desire a clearer insight into these "wondrous
things" of revelation—if
we would behold the glorious
beauty
of our Immanuel—if we would comprehend some-
thing
more of the immeasurable extent of that love, with
which
"God so loved the world, as to give his only-begotten
Son"
(John, iii. 16), and of that equally incomprehensible
love,
which moved that Son so cheerfully to undertake our
cause
(Heb. x. 5-7), we must make daily, hourly use of
this
important petition—"Open thou mine
eyes."
19.
I am a stranger in the earth: hide not
thy commandments
from me.
Such is the condition of the child of God—a stranger
in the earth! This confession,
however, from a solitary
wanderer
would have had little comparative meaning. But
in
the mouth of one, who was probably surrounded with
every
sort of worldly enjoyment, it shows at once the vanity
of
"earth's best joys," and the heavenly tendency of the
religion
of the Bible. This has been ever the character,
confession,
and glory of the Lord's people.* We "would
not
live always" (Job, vii. 16); and gladly do we hear the
warning
voice, that reminds us to "arise and depart, for
this
is not our rest." (Mic. ii. 10.) And was not this
especially
the character, not of David only, but of David's
Lord?
Born at an inn (Luke, ii. 7)—not "having where
to
lay his head" (Matt. viii. 20)— suffering hunger (Ib.
xxi.
18)—subsisting upon alms (Luke, viii. 3)—neglected
by
his own (John, i. 11)—he "looked for some to take
pity,
but there was none, and for his comforters, but he
found
none" (Ps. lxix. 20)—might he not justly take up
the
confession—"I am a stranger in the
earth?"
* Abraham, Gen. xxiii. 4. Jacob, Gen.
xlvii. 9: David, Ps.
xxxix.
12. All, Heb. xi. 13.
VERSE
19. 41
This verse exhibits the Christian in many
most inter-
esting
points of view; distant from his proper home (Heb.
xi.
9, 10)—without a fixed residence (1 Chron. xxix. 15)—
with
no particular interest in the world (Philip. iii. 20)—
and
submitting to all the inconveniences of a stranger
on
his
journey homewards. (Acts, xiv. 22. Heb. x. 34.) Such
is
his state! And the word of God includes all that he
wants—a
guide, a guard, a companion—to direct, secure,
and
cheer his way. "When thou goest, it shall lead thee;
when
thou sleepest, it shall keep thee; and when thou
awakest,
it shall talk with thee." (Prow. vi. 22.) Most
suitable
then is the stranger's prayer—"Hide not thy com-
mandments from me." Acquaintance
with the word of God
supplies
the place of friends and counsellors. It furnishes
light,
joy, strength, food, armour, and whatever else he
may
need on his way homewards.
The pilgrim-spirit is the pulse of the
soul. All of us
are
travelling to eternity. The worldling is at home in
the earth—a pilgrim only by
restraint. His heart would
say—"It
is good for me to be here. Let God dispose of
heaven
at his pleasure. I am content to have my "portion
in
this life." (Ps. xvii. 14. Comp. Luke, vi. 24; xii. 19,
20;
xvi. 25.) The child of God is a stranger
in the earth.
Heaven
is the country of his birth. (Gal. iv. 26.) His
kindred
(Eph. 15)—his inheritance (Eph. i. 3, 11, 6.
Matt.
xxv. 34)—his Saviour (John, xiv. 3. Col. iii. 1) —
his
hope (Philip. iii. 20)—his home (2 Cor. v. 1-6)—all is
there.
He is "a citizen of no mean city," of "the heavenly
affection
no less than in character. How cheering is the
thought,
that "here we have no continuing city," if in heart
and
soul we are "seeking one to come!" (Heb. xiii. 14.)
We
know, indeed, that we cannot—we would not—
call
this world our home, and that it is far better to be
without
it, than to have our portion in it. But do we
42
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
never
feel at home in the earth, thus
forgetting our proper
character,
and our eternal prospects? Do we always live,
speak,
and act as "strangers in the earth;"
in the midst of
earthly
enjoyments sitting loose to them, as if our treasure
was
in heaven? Does our conversation in the society of
the
world savour of the home, whither we profess to be
going?
Is the world gaining ascendancy in our affection?
Let
the cross of
plation
— the ground of our constant "glorying;" and the
world
will then be to us as a "crucified" object. (Gal. vi.
14.)
And lastly, let us not forget, that we are looking
forward,
and making a progress towards a world, where
none
are strangers—where all are children of one family,
dwelling
in one eternal home. "In our
Father's house,"
said
our gracious Head, "are many
mansions: I go to pre-
pare a place for you." (John, xiv. 2.)
20.
My soul breaketh for the longing that it
hath unto thy
judgments at all
times.
This intense desire and affection is the
Christian's
answer
to his prayers—Open thou mine eyes—Hide
not thy
commandments from me. For who that is
conversant with
this
blessed revelation but longs to be
filled with it? In
contrasting
this glow with the
brighter
dispensation, "neither cold nor hot" (Rev. iii. 15):
which
state, we may ask, most nearly resembles our own?
Observe
also, not only the fervour, but the steady uni-
formity,
of this religion. It was not a rapture, but a habit;
constant
and uniform; "at all times."
With us such en-
joyments
are too often favoured seasons, happy moments;
alas!
only moments—why not days, and months, and
years?
The object of our desires is an inexhaustible
spring.
The longing of the soul can never
over-reach its
object.
The cherished desire, therefore, will
become the
VERSE 20. 43
established
habit—the element in which the child of God
lives
and thrives.
This uniformity is the most satisfactory
test of our
profession.
Often are the judgments prized in
affliction,
when
all other resources fail: or under a pang of conscience
when
the terror of the Lord is frowning upon the sinner.
(Isa.
xxvi. 16.) But the excitement wears off, and the
heart
returns to its hardness. Often also the impulse of
novelty
gives a strong but temporary impression. (John,
v.
35.) This is very different from the Christian, whose
study
is stretching out its desires at all times; finding the
judgments a cordial or a
discipline, a support or a preserva-
tion,
as his need may require.
Not less important is this habit, as the
test of the
soul's
prosperity. We are not satisfied with occasional
intercourse
with a beloved friend. His society is the life
of
our life. We seek him in his own ways, where he is
used
to resort. We feel the blank of his absence. We
look
out for his return with joyous anticipation. Now, is
this
the picture of our soul's longing for
communion with
Jesus?
We may feel his loss, should the stated seasons
of
prayer fail in bringing him near to us. But do we long
for
him at all times? Do we "wait
for him in the way of
his judgments," where he is wont
to be found? (Isa. xxvi. 8
lxiv.
5.) And when spiritual exercises are necessarily
exchanged
for the occupations of the world, do we seize the
leisure
moment to catch a word — a glimpse —a look? Is
not
the heart dumb with shame in the recollection of the
cold
habit of external or occasional duty?
But whence this low ebbing of spiritual
desire? Do
we
live near to the throne of grace? Have we not neg-
lected
prayer for the influence of the Spirit? Have we
not
indulged a light, vain, and worldly spirit, than which
nothing
more tends to wither the growth of vital religion?
Or
have not the workings of unbelief been too faintly
44
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
resisted?
This of itself will account for much of our
dulness;
since the rule of the kingdom of grace is, "Ac-
cording
to your faith be it unto you." (Matt. ix. 29.)
Grace
is, indeed, an insatiable principle. Enjoyment, in-
stead
of surfeiting, only serves to sharpen the appetite.
Yet
if we are content to live at a low rate, there will be no
sensible
interest in the consolation of the Gospel. We
know,
desire, and are satisfied with little; and, therefore,
we
enjoy but little. We live as borderers on the land,
instead
of bearing our testimony: "Surely it floweth with
milk
and honey; and this is the fruit of it."
(Num. xiii. 27.)
This
is not the thriving, the cheerfulness, the adorning of
the
Gospel. It is rather the obscuring of the glory of our
Christian
profession, and of the happiness of its attendant
privileges.
Let not the fervour of desire here
expressed be con-
ceived
to be out of reach; nor let it be expected in the
way
of some sudden manifestation or excitement. Rather
let
us look for it in a patient, humble, and persevering
waiting
upon the Lord. We may have still to complain
of
coldness and wanderings. Yet strength to wait will be
imperceptibly
given: faith will be sustained for the con-
flict;
and thus "our souls will make their boast in the
Lord,"
even though an excited flow of enjoyment should
be
withheld. One desire will, however, tread upon another,
increasing
in fulness, as the grand object is nearer our
grasp.
At all events, let us beware of resting
satisfied with
the
confession of our lukewarmness to our fellow-creatures,
without
"pouring out our heart before the Lord." There
is
a fulness of grace in our glorious Head to "strengthen
the
things that remain, that are ready to die," as well as
at
the beginning to "quicken" us when "dead in trespasses
and
sins." Abundant, also, are the promises and encou-
ragements
to poor, dry, barren souls,—"I will heal their
VERSE
21. 45
backslidings;
I will be as the dew unto Israel: he shall
grow
as the lily, and cast forth his roots as Lebanon."
(Hos.
xiv. 4-6.) For what purpose are promises such as
these
given, but that they may be "arguments," wherewith
to
"fill our mouth," when in the contrition of faith we again
venture
to "order our cause before God?" And "will he
plead
against us with his great power?" No; but "he
will
put his strength in us" (Job, xxiii. 4-6); and we
shall
yet again "run the way of his commandments"
(Verse
32) with an enlarged heart.
21.
Thou hast rebuked the proud that are
cursed, which do err
from thy
commandments.
Let the histories of Cain (Gen. iv. 5,
13-16), Pharaoh
(Exod.
xiv. 15-31), Haman (Esth. vii. 7-10), Nebuchad-
nezzar
(Dan. iv. 29-33), and Herod (Acts, xii. 21-23),
exhibit
the proud under the rebuke and curse of
God. He
abhors
their persons (Prov. vi. 16, 17), and their offerings
(Luke, xviii. 11, 12, 14); he " knows
them afar off" (Ps.
cxxxviii.
6); "he resisted them" (1 Pet. v. 5; with
Prov.
iii. 34); "he scattereth them in the imaginations
of
their hearts." (Luke, i. 51.) Especially hateful are they
in
his sight, when cloaking themselves under a spiritual
garb;
"They say, Stand by thyself, come not near to me;
for
I am holier than thou: these are a smoke
in my nose, a
fire that burneth all
the day."
(Isa. lxv. 5; with Luke, xviii.
11.)
Most of all, is this sin an abomination in his own
beloved
people. David (2 Sam. xxiv. 1-15) and Hezekiah
(2
Kings, xx. 12-18. 2 Chron. xxxii. 31) are instructive
beacons
in the church, that they, least of all, must expect
to
escape his rebuke—"Thou wast a God that forgavest
them;
though thou tookest vengeance on their
inventions."
(Ps
xcix. 8.) "Now they call the proud
happy." (Mal.
iii.15.)
But will they be counted so, when they shall be
46 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
manifestly
under the curse of God; when "the
day of
the
Lord shall be upon them to bring them low," yea, to
"burn
them in the oven" of "his wrath?" (Isa. ii. 12-17.
Mal.
iv. 1.)
Pride probably influences all, that "do err from the Lord's
commandments;" yet doubtless
"the Righteous Judge" will
make
an infinite difference between errors of
infirmity and
obstinate
wilfulness. (Ps. xix. 12; with xcv. 10.) The
confession
of the man of God, "I have gone astray like a
lost
sheep" (Verse 176)—is widely different in character 4
from
the subjects of this awful rebuke and
curse. "Thou
hast trodden down all
them that err from thy statutes; for
their deceit is
falsehood."
(Verse 118.)
We
wonder not at this expression of the mind of God
concerning
pride. There is no sin more abhorrent to his
character.
It is as if we were taking the crown from his
head,
and placing it upon our own. It is man making a
god
of himself—acting from himself, and for himself. Nor
is
this principle less destructive to our own happiness. And
yet
it is not only rooted, but it often rears its head and
blossoms,
and bears fruit, even in hearts which "hate and
abhor"
its influence. It is most like its father, the Devil,
in
serpentine deceitfulness. It is always active—always
ready
imperceptibly to mix itself up with everything. When
it
is mortified in one shape, it rises in another. When we
have
thought that it was gone, in some unexpected moment
we
find it here still. It can convert everything into
nourishment,
even God's choicest gifts —yea, the graces
of
his Spirit. Let no saint, therefore, however near he
may
be living to God, however favoured with the shillings
of
his countenance —consider himself beyond the reach of
this
temptation. Paul was most in danger, when he
seemed
to be most out of it; and nothing but an instant
miracle
of grace and power saved him from the "snare of
the
Devil." (See 2 Cor xii. 7.) Indeed, the whole plan of
VERSE 21. 47
salvation
is intended to humble the pride of man, by ex-
hibiting
his restoration to the Divine favour, as a free gift
through
the atoning blood of the cross. How hateful,
therefore,
is proud man's resistance to this
humbling doc-
trine
of the cross, and the humbling requisitions of the life
of
faith flowing from it! This makes the sure "founda-
tion"
of the believer's hope, "a stone of stumbling" to the
unbeliever's
ruin. (Rom. ix. 32, 33. 1 Pet. ii. 7, 8.) As
regards
also the means of salvation—how can pride lift up
his
head in the view of the Son of God, "taking upon him
the
form of a servant," that he might bear the curse of man?
(Philip.
ii. 5-8.) "Behold, the soul that is lifted up is not
upright
in him." (Hab. ii. 4.)
But can a sinner—can a saint—be proud?—one that
owes
everything to free and sovereign grace — one that has
wasted
so much time— abused so much mercy— so grieved
the
Spirit of God—that has a heart so full of atheism—
unbelief—
selfishness? Nay, the very pride itself should
be
the matter of the deepest daily humiliation. Thus the
remembrance
of it may, under Divine grace, prove an effec-
tual
means of subduing it in our hearts. We shall overcome
corruption
by its own working, and meet our adversary with
his
own weapons. And if this cursed principle be not wholly
destroyed,
yet the very sight of its corruption, deepening
our
contrition, will be overruled for our spiritual advancement.
O blessed end intended by the Lord's
dealings with us!
to
"humble and to prove us"—"to know," and to make
us
know "what was in our heart, that he might do us good
at
the latter end!" (Deut. viii. 2, 16.) Let us not frustrate
his
gracious intentions, or build again the things which
he
would have destroyed. May we love to lie low—lower
than
ever—infinitely low before him! Lord! teach us
to
remember, that "that which is highly esteemed among
men,
is abomination in thy sight." (Luke, xvi. 15.) Teach
us
to bless thee, for even thy sharp and painful discipline
48
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
which
tends to subjugate this hateful pride of our hearts
before
our Saviour's cross!
22.
Remove from me reproach and contempt; for
I have kept
thy
testimonies.
The proud
under the rebuke of God are usually distin-
guished
by their enmity to his people. They delight to
pour
upon them "reproach and contempt,"
with no other
provocation
given, than that their keeping the
testimonies of
God
condemns their own neglect. (Heb. xi. 7.) This must,
however,
be counted as the cost of a decided, separate,
and
consistent profession. Yet it is such a portion as
Moses
valued above all the treasures of the world (Heb. xi.
24-26);
yet it is that reproach, which our
Master himself
"despised,"
as "reckoning it not worthy to be compared
with"
"the joy that was set before him." (Heb. xii. 2.)
For
did he bear his cross only on the way to Calvary? It
was
laid for every step in his path; it met him in every
form
of suffering, of "reproach and
contempt." Look then
at
him, as taking up his daily cross in breathing the
atmosphere
of a world of sin, and "enduring the contradic-
tion
of sinners against himself." (Heb. xii. 3.) Mark him
consummating
his course of "reproach and contempt,"
by
suffering
"without the gate;" and can we hesitate to "go
forth
unto him without the camp, bearing his reproach?"
(Heb.
xiii. 12, 13.)
The trial, however—especially if cast upon
us by those
whom
we have loved and valued, or by those whom we
wish
to love and value us—proves most severe; and the
spreading
our case, after David's example, before the Lord,
is
the only preservation from faintness—"Remove
from me
reproach and contempt."
Perhaps "contempt" is more hard to bear than "re-
proach." Even our enemies
think of us so much better
VERSE
22. 49
than
we deserve, that it strikes with peculiar poignancy.
Yet
when the submissive prayer of deprecation (see verse
134)
is sent us; doubtless some answer— and that
the right
answer—will
be given; and whether the "reproach"
be
removed, or "grace"
vouchsafed "sufficient" to endure it
(2
Cor. xii. 8, 9), the issue will prove alike for the glory of
God,
and the prosperity of our own souls.
But let us beware of that "way of
escape" in returning
to
the world, which the insincere are ever ready to pursue.
They
dare not act according to the full conviction of their
consciences:
they dare not confront their friends with the
avowal
of their full determination to form their conduct by
the
principles of the word of God. This is hard—this is
impossible.
They know not the "victory that overcometh
the
world" (see 1 John, v. 4, 5), and, therefore, cannot bear
the
mark upon their foreheads —"These are they, which
follow
the Lamb whithersoever he goeth." (Rev. xiv. 4.)
Far
better, however, will be the heaviest weight of "re-
proach and contempt," than any such
endeavour to remove
it from ourselves. The
desire to escape the cross convicts
the
heart of unfaithfulness, and makes way for tenfold
difficulties
in our path. Every worldly compliance against
the
voice of God is a step into the by-path, which deviates
wider
and wider from the strait and narrow way, brings
discredit
upon our professions, proves a stumbling-block in
the
way of the weak, and will cause us, if not actually to
come
short, at least to "seem to come
short, of the promised
rest."
(Heb. iv. 1.)
But is the weight of the cross really
"above that we
are
able to bear?" He that bore it for us will surely
enable
us to endure it for him, and, upheld by him, we
cannot
sink. It is a sweet exchange, by which the burden
of
sin is removed, and bound to his cross; and what remains
to
us is the lighter cross of "reproach
and contempt,"—the
badge
of our discipleship. (Matt. xvi. 24.) lf, then, we
50
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
have
the testimony of our consciences, that in the midst of
the
persecuting world we "have kept his
testimonies" (Verses
61,
69, 87, 95, 110), here is our evidence of adoption, of
our
Father's special love, of the indwelling, comforting,
supporting
Spirit. (John, xiv. 15-18, 21-23.) Here, then,
is
our warrant of hope, that the overwhelming weight will
be
removed from us; and that we shall be
able to testify to
our
Master's praise in the Churches of God, that "his yoke
is
easy, and his burden is light." (Matt. xi. 30.)
23.
Princes also did sit and speak against
me; but thy servant
did meditate in thy
statutes.
David might well give his testimony to
"the words of
the
Lord," that they were "tried words" (Ps. xii. 7, Prayer-
book
translation); for perhaps no one had ever tried then
more
than himself, and certainly no one had more experience
of
their faithfulness, sweetness, and support. Saul and
his
"princes might indeed sit and speak
against him;" but
he
had a resource, of which they could never deprive him-
"Not
as the world giveth, give I unto you." (John, xiv. 27.)
As
our blessed Master was employed in communion with
his
Father, and delighting in his work at the time when
the
"princes did sit and speak against
him" (John, xi. 47,
54-57);
so, under similar circumstances of trial, this faith-
ful
servant of God, by meditation in the Lord's
statutes, ex-
tracted
spiritual food for his support (comp. Ps. xciv.
19-22);
and in this strength of his God he was enabled
to
"suffer according to his will, and to commit the keeping
of
his soul to him in well-doing, as unto a faithful Crea-
tor."
(1 Pet. iv. 19.)
The children of Israel in Egypt (Exod. i.
10), Daniel
in
Babylon (Dan. vi. 4), and the disciples of Christ in the
early
ages of the Church (Matt. x. 17, 18. Acts, iv. 27-29),
have
severally found "this same affliction to be accomplished
VERSE
24. 51
in
themselves." God is pleased to permit it, to show "that
his
kingdom is not of this world" (John, xviii. 36), to wean
his
people from earthly dependencies, and to bring out
before
the world a more full testimony of his name. (Matt.
x.
18.) One other reason is suggested by this verse—to
make
his word more precious by the experience of its
sustaining
consolation in the conflict with the power of the
world.
Often, indeed, from a want of a present application
of
the word, young Christians especially are in danger of
being
put to rebuke by the scorner's sneer. The habit of
scriptural
meditation will realize to them a
present God,
speaking
"words of spirit and life" to their souls. The
importance,
therefore, of an accurate and well-digested
acquaintance
with this precious book cannot be too highly
estimated.
In the Christian's conflict it is "the sword of
the
Spirit" (Eph. vi. 17), which, if it be kept bright by
constant
use, will never be wielded without the victory of
faith.
Such powerful support does it give against fainting
under
persecution, that the good soldier may ever be ready
to
thank God, and to take courage. (Acts, xxviii. 15.)
Christ
has left it, indeed, as the portion of his people-
"In
the world ye shall have tribulation;" counterbalanced,
however,
most abundantly, by the portion which they enjoy
in
him—"In me ye shall have peace."* If, therefore,
the
one-half of this portion may seem hard, the whole
legacy
is such as no servant of Christ can refuse to accept,
or
indeed will receive without thankfulness.
24.
Thy testimonies also are my delight, and
my counsellors.
What could we want more in a time of
difficulty than
comfort
and direction? David had both these blessings.
* John, xvi. 33. See the beautiful
illustration of this whole
declaration—Acts, xvi. 22-25.
52
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
As
the fruit of his "meditation in the
Lord's statutes," in
his
distress they were his "delight;"
in his perplexity they
were
his "counsellors." He would
not have exchanged his
delight for the best joys of
earth (Verses 14, 97, 103, 127;
with
Ps. iv. 7.) And so wisely did his counsellors direct
his
course, that, though "princes sat and spoke against him,"
they
"could find none occasion nor fault." (1 Sam. xviii. 14.
Ps.
ci. 2; with Dan. vi. 4, 5.) The testimonies of God
were
truly "the men of his counsel."
(Margin.) He guided
his
own conduct by the rules laid before him in the book
of
God, as if he were having recourse to the most expe-
rienced
counsellors, or rather as if the prophets of his God
were
giving the word from his mouth. (Comp. 2 Sam. vii.
4,
5; also xvi. 23.) Thus the subject as well as the
sovereign,
had his counsel. On one side was Saul and his
counsellors
(Verse 23)—on the other side, David and the
testimonies of his God. Which, think we, was
better fur-
nished
with that "wisdom which is profitable to direct?"
Subsequently
as a king, David was constrained to make
"the testimonies of his God his counsellors"
(Deut. xvii.
18-20);
and, probably, to his constant regard to their
voice
he owed much of his earthly prosperity.*
In such a dark world as this, beset with
temptation at
every
turn, we pre-eminently need sound and wise counsel.
But
all of us carry an evil counsellor
within us, and it is
our
folly to listen to his voice. (Prov. xxviii. 26.) God
has
given us his word as a sure counsellor, and "he that
hearkeneth
to its counsel is wise." (Prov. xii. 15.)
Now, do we value the privilege of this
heavenly counsel?
Every
improvement must increase our delight
in it; a heart-
less
interest shuts out this blessing. But those who make
the word their delight will always find it their counsellor.
* 2 Sam. viii. 6, Compare also his dying
and most en-
couraging
advice to Solomon on this subject, founded, doubtless,
upon
the recollection of his own experience. 1 Kings, 3.
VERSE
24. 53
Yet
a mere cursory reading will never realize to us its holy
delight
or counsel. It must be brought home to our own
experience,
and consulted on those trivial occasions of every
day,
when, unconscious of our need of Divine direction, we are
too
often inclined to lean to our own counsel. The Christian
is
a man of faith, every step of his way. And this habitual
use
and daily familiarity with the testimonies of God will
show
him the pillar and the cloud (Num. ix. 15-23), in all
the
dark turns of his heavenly road. The word will be to
him
as the "Urim and Thummim" (Num. xxvii. 21)—an
infallible
counsellor.
Sometimes, however, perplexity arises from
the conflict,
not
between conscience and sinful indulgence (in which
case
Christian sincerity would always determine the path),
but
between duty and duty. When, however, acknowledged
obligations
seem to interfere with each other, the counsel of
the
word will mark their relative importance, connexion,
and
dependence: the present path in providence: the
guidance
which has been vouchsafed to the Lord's people
in
similar emergencies; and the light which the daily life
of
our Great Exemplar exhibits before us. The great con-
cern,
however, is to cultivate the habit of mind, which falls
in
most naturally with the counsel of the word. "Walking
in
the fear of the Lord" (see Ps. xxv. 12, 14), in a simple
spirit
of dependence (Ps. xxv. 4, 5, 9; cxliii. 8), and torn
away
from the idolatry of taking counsel from our own
hearts,
we cannot materially err; because
there is here a
suitableness between the
disposition and the promise—a watch-
fulness
against the impetuous bias of the flesh; a para-
mount
regard to the glory of God, and a meek submission
to
his gracious appointment. If the counsel, however,
should
not prove infallible, the fault is not in the word, but
in
the indistinctness of our own perception. We want not
a
clearer rule, or a surer guide, but a more single eye. And
if,
after all, it may not mark every precise act of duty (for
54
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
to
do this, even the world itself "could not contain the
books
that should be written"), yet it determines the
standard
to which the most minute acting of the mind
should
be brought (1 Cor. x. 31. Col. iii. 17); and the
disposition,
which will reflect the light of the will of God
upon
our path. (Matt. vi. 22, 23.)
But let it be remembered, that any want of
sincerity in
the
heart (1 Sam. xxviii. 6. Ezek. xiv. 2-4)—any allow-
ance
of self-dependence (Prov. iii. 5, 6), will always close
the
avenues of this Divine light and counsel. We are often
unconsciously
"walking in the light of our own fire, and
in
the sparks that we have kindled" (Isa. l. 11.) Perhaps
we
sought, as we conceived, the guidance of the Lord's
counsel,
and supposed that we were walking in it. But, in
the
act of seeking, and as the preparation for seeking, did
we
subject our motives and inclinations to a strict, cautious,
self-suspecting
scrutiny? Was the heart schooled to the
discipline
of the cross? Was "every thought brought
into
captivity to the obedience of Christ?" (2 Cor. x. 5.)
Or
was not our heart possessed with the object, before
counsel
was sought at the mouth of God? (Jer. xlii.) Oh!
how
careful should we be to walk warily in those uncertain
marks
of heavenly counsel, that fall in with the bias of our
own
inclination! How many false steps in the record of
past
experience may be traced to the counsel of our own
hearts,
sought and followed to the neglect and counsel of
God
(Josh. ix. 14. Isa. xxx. 1-3); while no circumstance of
perplexity
can befall us in the spirit of humility, simplicity,
and
sanctity, when the counsel of the Lord will fail!
An undue dependence upon human counsel
(Isa. ii. 22),
whether
of the living or the dead, greatly hinders the full
influence
of the counsel of the word. However valuable
such
counsel may be, and however closely it may agree with
the
word, we must not forget, that it is not the word—
that
it is fallible, and therefore must never be resorted to
VERSE
24. 55
in
the first place, or followed with that full reliance, which
we
are warranted to place on the revelation of God. On
the
other hand, what is it to have God's word as our
"Counsellor?" Is it not to have
himself—"the only wise
God?"
When our Bibles, in seasons of difficulty, are
searched
in a humble, prayerful, teachable spirit, we are as
much
depending upon the Lord himself for counsel, as if
we
were listening to an immediate revelation from heaven.
We
want not a new revelation, or a sensible voice from
above,
for every fresh emergency. It is enough, that our
Father
has given us this blessed "word as a light to our
feet,
and a lamp to our path." (Verse 105. Comp. Prov.
vi.
23.)
Let me then inquire—What is the counsel of
God, that
speaks
directly to myself? If I am an unawakened sinner,
it
warns me to turn from sin (Prov. i. 24-31. Ezek. xxxiii.
11);
it invites me to the Saviour (Isa. lv. 1. John, vii. 37);
it
directs me to wait upon God (Hos. xii. 6). If I am a
professor,
slumbering in the form of godliness, it shows me
my
real condition (Rev. iii. 17); it instructs me in the all-
sufficiency
of Christ (Rev. iii. 18), and cautions me of the
danger
of hypocrisy (Luke, xii. 1). If through grace I
am
made a child of God, still do I need my Father's coun-
sel
to recover me from perpetual backsliding (Jer. iii. 12,
13),
to excite me to increased watchfulness (1 Thess. v. 6.
Rev.
iii. 2), and to strengthen my confidence in the fulness
of
his grace (Isa. xxvi. 4), and the faithfulness of his love
(Heb.
xii. 5, 6). Ever shall I have reason for the grate-
ful
acknowledgment—"I will bless the Lord, who hath
given
me counsel." (Ps. xvi. 7.) And every step of my
way
would I advance, glorifying my God and Father by
Confiding
in his counsel unto the end: "Thou shalt guide
me
with thy counsel, and afterwards receive me to glory."
(Ps.
lxxiii. 24.)
56
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
PART IV.
25.
My soul cleaveth unto the dust; quicken
thou me according
to thy word.
Sin is no trifle to a child of God. It
is his heaviest sor-
row.
Thus David―thus the Great Apostle found it.
(Ps.
xxxviii. 4. Rom. vii. 24.) And where is the believer
who
has not full sympathy with their complaints? To
have
a soul cleaving to the dust, and not
to feel the trouble,
is
the black mark of a sinner, dead in sins—dead to God.
To
"know the plague of our own heart" (1 Kings, viii.
38),
to feel our misery, to believe and to apply the remedy
(Rom.
vii. 24, 25), is the satisfactory evidence of a child
of
God. Dust is the portion of the world, and they wish
for
no better. But that the soul of the man of God should
continually
cleave to the dust, is most strange
and humbling.
And
yet such is the influence of his evil nature— such the
power
of self-will and self-indulgence—such the regard to
human
praise, and cherishing of self-admiration, that were
it
not that he "abhors himself" for the very dust that
cleaves to him, he would
question the existence of a renew-
ing
change. He knows what he ought to be. He has
tasted
the blessedness of "mounting upward on eagles'
wings."
(Isa. xl. 31.) But every attempt to rise is hindered
by
the clogging weight that keeps him down. It is, how-
ever,
the cleaving of his soul that is so
painful—not occa-
sional,
but constant—not like the bird of the morning that
descends
for a moment, and then soars his upward flight;
VERSE
25. 57
but
it seems as if, like the "serpent —dust was to be his
meat"
(Isa. lxv. 25); as if the spiritual, heaven-born soul
was
to sink and grovel below. And then, as the dust of
the
summer-road blinds the eye, and obscures the prospect:
how
does this earthliness of soul darken the view of the
Saviour,
dim the eye of faith, and hide the glorious pros-
pects
which, when beheld in the clear horizon, enliven the
weary
pilgrim on his way!
But this complaint is the language of
conflict and
humiliation—not
of despondency. Mark the believer
carrying
it to the Lord—'Here I lie in the dust, without
life
or power. Oh! thou Saviour, who "earnest that I
might
have life, and that I might have it more abundantly"
(John,
x. 10)— Quicken me: Breathe into me
thine own
life,
that I may rise from the dust, and cleave to thee.'
This
cry for quickening grace is the exercise of faith. We
have
a covenant to plead. Faith is the hand that takes
hold
of the promise —"according to thy
word." Can this
word
fail? "Sooner shall heaven and earth pass away,
than
one jot or one tittle pass" from the engagements of a
covenant-keeping
God. "He is faithful that hath pro-
mised."
(Heb. x. 23; with Luke, xxi. 33.) The man who
takes
hold of this plea, is "a Prince who has power with
God,
and prevails." (Gen. xxxii. 28.)
But how different is the character of the
mere pro-
fessor!
ready probably to make the same confession, yet
without
humiliation, without prayer, without faith. No-
thing
is more common than to hear the complaint— '"My
soul cleaveth unto the
dust."
The world has such power over
us
— we are so cold — so dead to spiritual things:' while,
perhaps,
the complaint is never once brought with wrestling
supplication,
but rather urged in indolent self-complacency,
as
an evidence of the good state of the heart before God.
Yet
it is not the complaint of sickness, but an application
to
the physician, that advances the recovery of the patient.
58
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
We
do not usually expect to better our condition, by
mourning
over its badness, or merely wishing for its im-
provement.
Nor is it the confession of sin, but the appli-
cation
to the Great Physician, that marks genuine con-
trition
before God. That confession which evaporates in
heartless
complaints, belongs not to the tenderness of a
renewed
heart. But the utterance of genuine prayer is the
voice
of God's own "Spirit making intercession for us;"
and
then, indeed, how cheering the encouragement, that he
"that
searcheth the hearts, knoweth what is the mind of
the
Spirit, because he maketh intercession for the saints
according
to the will of God!" (Rom. viii. 26, 27.) Some
are
ready to give up or delay their duty, when they have
been
unable to bring their heart to it. Thus does "Satan
get
advantage of us" by our "ignorance of his devices."
Quickening grace is not the ground
or warrant for duty.
Indisposition
to duty is not our weakness, but our sin —
not
therefore to be indulged, but resisted. We must mourn
over
the dulness that hinders us, and diligently wait for
the
'help we every moment need.' God keeps the grace
in
his own hands, and gives it at his pleasure, to exercise
our
daily dependence upon him. (Philip. ii. 12, 13.) The
acting
of grace strengthens the habit. Praying helps to
pray.
If the door is closed, "Knock, and it shall be
opened."
(Matt. vii. 7, 8.) Assuredly it will not long be
shut
to him, who has faith and patience to wait until it be
opened.
Now let me sift the character of my
profession. Is it
an
habitual, persevering, overcoming conflict with sin? Do
I
not sometimes indulge in fruitless bemoanings of my
state,
when I had far better be exercising myself in vigorous
actings
of grace? If I find "my soul
cleaving to the dust,"
am
I not sometimes "lying on my face" (Josh. vii. 10
when
I ought to be "taking heaven by violence " (Matt.
xi.
12), by importunate petitions for quickening
grace? Are
VERSE
26. 59
my
prayers invigorated by confidence in the word of God?
Oh!
let me remember that "they that wait upon the
Lord"
shall shake off the dust to which
they have cleaved
so
long, and "shall mount with wings like eagles" (Isa.
xl.
31), to take possession of their heavenly home.
O Lord, make me more deeply ashamed, that
"my soul
should cleave to the
dust."
Breathe upon me fresh influence
from
thy quickening Spirit. Help me to
plead thy word of
promise;
and oh! may every fresh view of my sinfulness,
while
it prostrates me in self-abasement before thee, be
overruled
to make the Saviour daily and hourly more pre-
cious
to my soul. For defiled as I am in myself, in every
service
of my heart, what but the unceasing application of
his
blood, and the uninterrupted prevalence of his inter-
cession,
give me a moment's confidence before thee, or pre-
vent
the very sins that mingle with my prayers from sealing
my
condemnation? Blessed Saviour! it is nothing but
thy
everlasting merit, covering my person, and honouring
my
sacrifice, that satisfies the justice of an offended God,
and
restrains it from breaking forth as a devouring fire, to
consume
me upon my very knees.
26.
I have declared my ways, and thou
heardest me; teach me
thy
statutes.
A beautiful description of the "simplicity
and godly
sincerity"
of the believer's "walk with God!" He spreads
his
whole case before his God, "declaring
his ways" of sin-
fulness
(Ps. li. 3), of difficulty (Ps. v. 8; xxvii. 11), and
of
conduct. (Ps. cxliii. 8, 10; lxix. 5.) And, indeed, it is
our
privilege to acquaint our Father with all our care and
need,
that we may be pitied by his love, and guided by his
counsel,
and confirmed by his strength. Who would not
find
relief by unbosoming himself to his Father? This
60
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
showing
of ourselves to God — declaring our ways
of sin
before
him without guile―is the short and sure way of
rest.
"Thou heardest me." "When I
kept silence, my bones
waxed
old through my roaring all the day long." (Ps.
xxxii.
3.) While the voice of ingenuous confession was
suppressed,
cries and lamentations were disregarded. It
was
not the voice of the penitent child; and, therefore,
where
was the sounding of his father's bowels, and of his
mercies
towards him?" (Isa. lxiii. 15.) But now, on the
first
utterance of confession from his lips, or rather on the
first
purpose of contrition formed in his heart; "while he is
yet
speaking" (Dan. ix. 20), the full and free pardon, which
had
been signed in heaven, comes down with royal parental
love
to his soul—"I said, I will confess my transgression
unto
the Lord; and thou forgavest the iniquity of my
sin."
(Ps. xxxii. 5. 2 Sam. xii. 13. Comp. Jer. iii. 12, 13.)
Oh!
what cannot he testify of the more than parental
tenderness,
with which "his transgression is forgiven, and
his
sin covered!" (Comp. Ps. xxxii. 1; Luke, xv. 18-22;
Prov.
xxviii. 13.) And yet, how necessary to the free
declaration of our ways is an acquaintance with
the way of
forgiveness!
Had not our great "High Priest passed into
the
heavens," how awful would have been the thought, that
all
things were naked and opened unto the eyes of him
with
whom we have to do!" We could only then have "co-
vered
our transgressions as Adam, by hiding our iniquity
in
our bosom." (Job, xxxi. 33.) But now, even though
"our ways" are so defiled, so
crooked that we cannot but
abhor
ourselves," on account of them, we are yet encouraged
"boldly"
to "declare" them all
before God, with the assur-
ance
of finding present acceptance, and seasonable grace.
(Heb.
iv. 13-16.)
And now, having found the happy fruit of
this sincere
and
child-like spirit, then follows the obligation of walking
VERSE
26. 61
worthy
of this mercy. (Ps. lxxxv. 8.) Hence our need of
the
prayer for continual teaching. The
same heavenly
guidance,
that brought us into the way of return, we need
for
every successive step to the end—"Teach me thy way,
O
Lord: I will walk in thy truth." (Ps. lxxxvi. 11.) "I
have declared my" ignorance, my
sinfulness, and my whole
experience
before thee, looking for thy pardoning mercy,
thy
teaching Spirit, and assisting grace, "And
thou hast
heard me." O continue to me
what thou hast been, and
teach me more of thyself?
The hypocrite may pray after his manner.
But he
never
thus opens his heart, and "declares his ways" beneath
his
God. And are we sincere in our dealings with him?
How
often do we treat our Almighty Friend as if we were
weary
of dealing with him! And even when we do "de-
clare our ways" before him, are
we not often content to
leave
the result as a matter of uncertainty? We do not
watch
for the answer to our prayer. It will come in the
diligent
exercise of faith, but not perhaps in our way. We
may
have asked for temporal blessings, and we receive
spiritual.
(Matt. ix. 2.) We may have "besought" deli-
verance
from trial, and we receive "grace sufficient" to
bear
it. (2 Cor. xii. 8, 9.) But this is the Lord's wise and
gracious
answer—thou heardest me. And how
sweet are
those
mercies, which come to us manifestly marked with
this
inscription — "Received by prayer!" They are such
encouragement
to pray again. (Ps. cxvi. 1, 2.) It is not
our
inevitable weakness (Rom. vii. 21), nor our lamented
dulness
(Mark, xiv. 38, 40), nor our abhorred wanderings
(Verse
113), nor our opposed distractions (Ps. lxxxvi. 11,
last
clause), nor our mistaken unbelief (Mark, ix. 22, 24);
it
is not any—no, nor all these—that can shut out prayer.
If
"iniquity" is not "regarded in our heart," we may always
hear
our Saviour's voice, "Verily, verily, I say unto you,
Whatsoever
ye shall ask the Father in my name, he will
62 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
give
it you. Hitherto have ye asked nothing in my name.
Ask,
and ye shall receive, that your joy may be full."*
27.
Make me to understand the way of thy
precepts; so shall
I talk of thy wondrous
works.
Mark the reiterated cries of the man of God
for hea-
venly
light, Teach me thy statutes—make me to
understand
the way of thy precepts. The need and the
encouragement
for
these cries is equally manifest. Who has ever been
known
to understand the way of himself? And
to whom
—walking
in a well-ordered conversation —has the Lord
ever
failed to show it? (See Ps. l. 23.) A man, untaught
by
the Spirit of God, may be able to criticise, and even
clearly
to expound, much of the word of God. But such
a
prayer as this has never ascended from the heart; the
necessity
of it has never been felt. And, doubtless, from
this
neglect of prayer have arisen those floating fancies and
false
and unscriptural doctrines, which crude, unexercised
minds
have too hastily embraced. Instead of humbly and
simply
asking, "Make me to understand"—men
too often
"lean
to their own understanding," and are "vainly puffed
up"
by their fleshly mind, "not holding
the Head." (Col. ii.
18,
19.) Such men may obtain loose fragments of spiritual
knowledge;
but they will not be in the faith, "grounded
and
settled." (Col. i. 23.) They never know when they
are
upon safe ground; and being "unlearned and unstable,
* John, xvi. 23, 24. Every way worthy of
that great man,
and
a most instructive illustration of Christian sincerity, was the
resolution
of President Edwards: 'Resolved to exercise myself in
this
all my life long, viz., with the greatest openness to declare my
ways to God, and lay open my soul
to him—all my sins, tempta-
tions,
difficulties, sorrows, fears, hopes, desires, and everything, and
every
circumstance, according to Dr. Manton's twenty-seventh ser-
mon
on the cxix. Psalm.' Resol. 65. Extracted from his Diary.
Works, vol. i. 16.
VERSE
27. 63
they
wrest the Scriptures"— except the sovereign grace
of
God interpose—"unto their own destruction." (2 Pet.
iii.
16.)
Never must we forget, that teaching from
above is
indispensable
to a right knowledge of the most simple
truths.
Ignorance and prejudice pervert the understand-
ing.
"Spiritual things can only be spiritually discerned."
(1
Cor. ii. 14.) Divine doctrines can only be apprehended
by
Divine light. (Ps. xxxvi. 9.) But under heavenly
teaching,
the deeper and more mysterious truths (so far as
they
are needful to be understood) are manifested with the
same
clearness, as the more elementary doctrines: "Eye
hath
not seen nor ear heard, nor have entered into the
heart
of man, the things which God hath prepared for
them
that love him. But God hath revealed them to us
by
his Spirit. Now we have received—not the spirit of
the
world, but the Spirit which is of God,
that we might know
the things that are
freely given to us of God." (1 Cor. ii. 9,
10,
12.)
Wondrous, indeed, is the spiritual
revelation in the
knowledge
of himself; including "the hope of his calling;
—
the riches of the glory of his inheritance in his saints; —
the
exceeding greatness of his power" manifested to, and
wrought
in, his people;—no other or less than that "which
he
wrought in Christ, when he raised him from the dead."
(Eph.
i. 17-20.) In the understanding of the way, we
would
be progressing until the new man "grows up into
the
measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ." ( Eph.
iv.
13.) The smallest attainment in this knowledge is (as
the
great day will fully declare) of infinitely greater value
than
the highest intelligence in the field of earthly science.
But how important is it to grow in this
knowledge!
(2
Pet. iii. 18.) Theoretical attainment is at a stand.
Spiritual
and practical knowledge is always advancing.
Little,
indeed, comparatively, is necessary for salvation.
64 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
But
much for comfort and stedfastness—much also for
the
clear discernment of that narrow way of
the precepts so
difficult
to trace, and when traced so difficult to maintain.
Not
less important is it to keep the object in constant
view.
Why do I desire to understand that way?
That I
may
commend it to others—that I may talk of
thy won-
drous works. Abhorred be the
thought of indulging in a
self-complacent
view of my attainments! But oh! let my
God
be more admired by me, and glorified in me. (Gal. i. 24.
Matt.
v. 16.) And may I advance both myself and others
in
his obedience and praise!
Often do we complain of restraint in
religious conver-
sation.
But the prayer—Make me to understand
while I
talk—will bring "a live
coal to our lips" from the altar
of
God—"Our mouths will then speak out of the abun-
dance
of the heart" (Matt. xii. 34), and "minister grace
to
the hearers." (Eph. iv. 29.) Humility, teachableness,
simplicity,
will bring light into the understanding, influence
the
heart, "open the lips," and unite every member that
we
have in the service and praise of God.
28.
My soul melteth for heaviness; strengthen
thou me accord-
ing unto thy
word.
Is this David. "whose heart is as the
heart of a lion,
here
utterly melting?" (2 Sam. xvii.
10. Comp. Josh. vii. 5;
Ps.
cvii. 26.) But the sorrows, as the joys of the spiritual
man
— dealing immediately with the Infinite and Eternal
God
— are beyond conception. (See Job, xxxiv. 29.) Ordi-
nary
courage may support under the trials of this life; but
when
"the arrows of the Almighty are within us, the poison
thereof
drinketh up our spirit." (Job, vi. 4. Comp. Prov.
xviii.
14.) How, then, can the Christian's lot be so envi-
able,
when their souls thus melt for heaviness? But this,
be
it remembered, is only "for a season." There is a
VERSE
28. 65
"needs-be"
for it, while it remains: and in the end it
"will
be found unto praise, and honour, and glory." (1 Pet.
i.
6, 7. Comp. Ps. xxx. 5.) Never, perhaps, are their
graces
more lively, or the ground of their assurance more
clear,
than in these seasons of sorrow. They complain,
indeed,
of the diversified power of indwelling sin. But
their
very complaints are the evidence of the mighty
working
of indwelling grace. For what is it but the prin-
ciple
of faith, that makes unbelief their burden? What
but
hope, that struggles with their tears? What but love,
that
makes their coldness a grief? What but humility,
that
causes them to loathe their pride? What but the
secret
spring of thankfulness, that shows them their un-
thankfulness,
and shames them for it? And, therefore, the
very
depth of "that heaviness which melts their souls" away,
is
the exhibition of the strength of God's work within, up-
holding
them in perseverance of conflict to the end. Would
not
the believer then, when eyeing in his heaviest moments
the
most prosperous condition of the ungodly, say—"Let
me
not eat of their dainties?" (Ps. cxli. 4.) Far better,
and,
we may add, far happier, is godly sorrow than worldly
joy.
In the midst of his misery, the Christian would not
exchange
his hope in the gospel—though often obscured
by
unbelief, and clouded by fear— for all "the kingdoms
of
the world, and the glory of them." "If the heart know-
eth
his own bitterness, a stranger doth not intermeddle
with
his joy."* Yet the bitterness is keenly felt. Sin
displeases
a tender and gracious Father. (Ps. li. 4.) It
has
"pierced" the heart that loves him (Zech. xii. 10);
and
shed the blood that saves him. It grieves (Eph. iv.
* Prov. xiv. 10. "A good man lying on
his bed of sickness, and
being
asked, Which were the most comfortable days that he ever
knew?
cried out―O give me my mourning
days; give me my
mourning
days again, for they were the joyfullest days that ever
I
had."—Brookes, Works.
66
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
30)
the indwelling Comforter of his soul. God expects to
see
him a mourner; and he feels he has reason enough to
mourn
— "My soul melteth for heaviness."
But this cry of distress is sometimes that
of the child
under
his Father's needful chastisement. The world is
dethroned,
but not extirpated, in the heart. Much dross
is
yet to be removed. The sources of the too attractive
earthly
joy must be embittered: and now it is that the
discipline
of the cross forces the cry— "My
soul melteth for
heaviness." Yet in the midst
of heaviness, the child of God
cannot
forget that he is loved —that he is saved; and the
recollection
of this sovereign mercy makes his tears of
godly
sorrow, tears of joy.
But this melting heaviness has not wrought its work,
until
it has bowed us before the throne of grace with the
pleading
cry of faith—Strengthen thou me! For
do we
stand
by the strength of our own resolutions or habits of
grace?
Unless the Lord renew his supply from moment
to
moment, all is frail and withering. But what burden
or
difficulty is too great for Almighty strength? "Fear
not,
thou worm Jacob; thou shalt thresh the mountains,
and
beat them small." (Isa. xli. 14, 15.) And especially is
our
success assured, when the plea is drawn, as it is repeat-
edly
in this Psalm (Verses 25, 41, 58, &c.)—according
to
thy word. For what does that
word assure us?—"As thy
days,
so shall thy strength be." (Deut. xxxiii. 25.) "Will
he
plead against me"— said Job—"with his great power?
No;
but he will put strength in me." (Job, xxiii. 6.) Thus
David
found it in his own case: "In the day when I cried,
thou
answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength
in
my soul." (Ps. cxxxviii. 3.) Thus also to the Apostle
was
the promise given and fulfilled: "My grace is sufficient
for
thee; for my strength is made perfect in weakness."
(2
Cor. xii. 9.) And is not "the God of Israel" still "he
that
giveth strength and power unto his people" (Ps.
VERSE
28. 67
lxviii.
35)? still the same "faithful God, who will not
suffer
them to be tempted above that they are able, but
will
with the temptation also make a way to escape, that
they
may be able to bear it?" (1 Cor. x. 13.)
When we are most sensible of our utter
helplessness,
and
mast simple in our reliance upon Divine strength,
then
it is, that the "soul melting for
heaviness," is most
especially
upheld and established. "Heaviness in
the heart
of
man maketh it stoop; but a good word maketh it glad."
(Prov.
xii. 25.) And how reviving is that "good word"
of
the Gospel, which proclaims the Saviour anointed to
"give
the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness"
(Isa.
lxi. 3), and gifted with "the tongue of 'the learned,
that
he might know how to speak a word in season unto
him
that is weary!" (Isa. 1. 4.) And no less encouraging
is
it to view Him "melting for heaviness" (Ps. xxii.
14)—
"sore
amazed, and very heavy" under the accumulated
weight
of imputed guilt; learning by this bitter discipline,
"in
that he himself suffered being tempted, to succour them
that
are tempted." (Mark, xiv. 33; with Heb. ii. 18.) Yet
was
he, like his faithful servant, strengthened
according to
his Father's word, in the moment of his
bitterest agony, by
the
agency of his own creation. (Luke, xxii. 43; with 2 Cor.
xii.
8, 9.) And this faithful support, vouchsafed to the
Head,
is the seal and pledge of what every member in
every
trouble will most assuredly enjoy. "As the suffer-
ings
of Christ abound in his people, so their consolation
also
aboundeth by Christ." (2 Cor. i. 5.) The blessed
word
will supply all their need—life for their quickening,
light
for their direction, comfort for their enjoyment,
strength
for their support—"Strengthen thou
me according
unto thy word."
Lord, may I ever be kept from
despondency—regard-
ing
it as sinful in itself, dishonourable to thy name, and
weakening
to my soul; and though I must "needs be
68
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
sometime
in heaviness through manifold temptations," yet
let
the power of faith be in constant exercise, that I may
be
able to expostulate with my soul—"Why art thou
cast
down, O my soul? and why art thou disquieted
within
me? hope thou in God: for I shall yet praise
him,
who is the health of my countenance, and my God."
(Ps.
xlii. 11.)
29.
Remove from me the way of lying; and
grant me thy law
graciously.
Every deviation in principle and conduct
from the strait
and
narrow path, is a way of lying. Every traveller in the
way "feedeth on the
ashes" of his own delusion. (Isa. xliv.
20.)
Does it seem a marvel, that the man of God should
deprecate
so earnestly the influence of gross sin? "The
brand
plucked out of the fire" retains a susceptibility of
the
fire. The oldest Christian in the family of God might
at
any moment of unwatchfulness be captivated by the chain
of
his former sins. Might not the recollection of past
compliances
with this shameful sin (1 Sam. xxi. 13; xxvii.
10)
naturally have suggested the prayer—Remove
from me
the way of lying? But even in the profession
of the Gospel,
should
we "be removed from him that called us into the
grace
of Christ unto another gospel" (Gal. i. 6); should
erroneous
doctrines find a place in our system; and—as
the
natural consequence of doctrinal errors — should any
inconsistency
be marked in our practice; should there be
any
allowed principles of sinful indulgence, self-righteous-
ness,
conformity to the world, or shrinking from the daily
cross—then,
indeed, will the prayer naturally flow from
our
hearts—Remove from me the way of lying.
Most justly are ways such as these called
"ways of
lying." They promise
what it is impossible, in the nature
of
things, that they can ever perform: and prove to their
VERSE 29. 69
deluded
followers, that "they that observe lying vanities,
forsake
their own mercy." (Jonah, ii. 8.) We can be at no
loss
to trace these "ways," to
their proper source;—to
him,
who, "when he speaketh a lie, speaketh of his own:
for
he is a liar, and the father of it." (John, viii. 44.) A lie
was
his first—alas! too successful—instrument of tempt-
ation,
by which he "beguiled Eve through his subtlety"
(Gen.
iii. 1-6; with 2 Cor. xi. 3), and still does he pursue
the
same deadly work throughout the world lying under his
sway,
beguiling the blinded "children of disobedience"
(Rev.
xii. 9; with 2 Cor. iv. 4. Eph. ii. 2), into the awful
deception
of mistaking their God, and into the blind choice
of
preferring "broken cisterns" to "the fountain of living
waters."
(Jer. ii. 13.)
The
gracious knowledge of the law is the only means of
the
removal of this evil way. David, as a
king, had it
written
by him. (Deut. xvii. 18, 19.) He wished it written
on
him—not the book only before his eyes, but stamped on
the
heart. The external knowledge is the common benefit
of
all. The gracious knowledge is the
covenant-blessing of
the
Lord's people (Heb. viii. 10)—the only effective prin-
ciple
of holiness. The law is still what it was—an enemy
to
the ungodly—forcing a hateful light upon their con-
science;
but a delight to the servant of God—framing his
will,
and directing his conduct. Thus truth extirpates
lying. Christ reigns instead
of Belial.
Thus also we are enabled to "keep our
hearts"—those
leading
wanderers, that mislead the rest. (Prov. iv. 23.)
For
wherever we see wandering eyes, wandering feet, and a
wandering
tongue, all flow from a heart, that has taken its
own
liberty in wandering from God. But with the law as
our
rule, and the Spirit as our guide, we shall be directed
and
kept in a safe and happy path.
Grant
me thy law graciously. Grant me a
clearer per-
ception
of its holy character—a more sensitive shrinking
70 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
from
transgressing it—a more cordial approval of its spirit
—a
more entire conformity to its directions.
30.
I have chosen the way of truth: thy
judgments have I laid
before me.
Only two ways lie before us for our choice—"the way
of lying," and "the way of truth." God by the light
of his
word
guides us into one— Satan by his temptations allures
us
into the other. The way of lying is
the natural choice
of
man. The choice of the way of truth
is the Lord's work
in
the hearts of his people—the seal of his special eternal
love.
His teaching shows us the way (Ps.
xxv. 4; xxxii.
8.
Isa. xlviii. 17); and his grace enables us to "choose" it
(Ps.
cx. 3. Isa. xliv. 3-5). And who in his subsequent
course
has ever found reason to alter his first determination?
Does
Mary regret her "choice of the good part?" (Luke,
x.
42.) One whose solid and reflecting judgment was not
likely
to make a rash or hasty choice, tells us, of the outset
of
his course— "What things were gain to me, those I
counted
loss for Christ." The experience of twenty years
—instead
of bringing matter for repentance— only con-
firmed
him in his choice: and he repeats his determination
with
increasing energy of expression; "Yea,
doubtless, and
I count all things but
loss
for the excellency of the know-
ledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord." (Philip. iii. 7, 8.) In the
same
spirit one of the ancient fathers expresses himself:
If
I have any possessions, health, credit, learning—this
is
all the contentment I have of them—that I may have
something to despise for
Christ, who comprises in his own per-
son all and every thing
that is most desirable."*
The connexion of this verse with the
preceding well
illustrates
the bias of the believer's heart. His experience
*
"Totus desiderabilis, et totum desiderabile."—Greg. Naz.
Orat. i.
VERSE
30. 71
of
the deceitfulness of sin, Satan, and his own heart, stirs
up
the prayer —"Remove from me the way
of lying." But
his choice is expressed in this
verse —"I have chosen the way
of truth." The sincere
desire to have "the way of lying re-
moved from us," is a clear
evidence, that we have already
"chosen the way of truth:" that
"the spirit of truth hath
guided
us to him" (John, xvi. 13, 14), who is indeed "the
way of truth"— the true and
only "way to God!" (John,
xiv.
6) And of all ways that could be set before the
Christian,
this is the way he would "choose"
—as bringing
most
glory to his God, exalting the Saviour, honouring the
Spirit of God, and securing the salvation of his own
soul.
Whatever
becomes of me — the Christian would feel — I
would
have no other way than this. Yea, though I should
perish,
I would abide in it. So transcendant is the dis-
covery
of the glory of God—scarcely less clear than the
glory
of heaven itself!'
The practical pathway, however, is often
rugged—
always
narrow. We may have to encounter not only the
reviling
of an ungodly world, but even the suspicions of our
brethren,
who may not always understand our motives.
Yet
if our heart is upright with God, "none of these things
will
move us. Our choice is made, and we are prepared
to
abide the cost." (Luke, xiv. 28. Acts, xx. 24.)
But that our choice may be daily established,
let us not
forget
the treasury of our life, light, and grace. Let us lay
the "judgments of God before us." For we
have always
some
new lesson to learn— some new duty to perform—
some
new snare to avoid. We must therefore walk by
rule
(see Gal. vi. 16; iii. 16,)—as under the eye
of
a jealous God, who enlightens and cheers our path—
Under
the eye of the ungodly, who "watch for our halting"
—under
the eye of weak Christians, who might be stum-
bled
by our unsteady walk—under the eye of established
72
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
Christians,
who will be yet further established by the tes-
timony
of our consistent profession. The Gospel affords
all
the material for this strict and accurate walk. All is
given
that is needed. The obedience that is enjoined is
secured.
"God working in us" (Philip. 12, 13. Isa.
xxvi.
12), enables us to work for him; and while we are
humbly
looking for further supplies, and diligently improv-
ing
what has been already bestowed, he is pledged by pro-
mise
to assist (Isa. xli. 10. Zech. x. 12), as we are bound
by
duty to obey.
What then—let me inquire—is the choice
which I
have
made? I would remember that it is for eternity.
And
if, through the grace that has first chosen me, "I
have chosen the way of
truth,"—is
the effect of this choice
daily
visible in a life and conversation well ordered accord-
ing
to the word of God? If it is good to "hide that word
in
my heart" (Verse 11), as a safeguard against sin; it is
good
also "to lay it before" my
eyes, as the chart to guide
my
course— the model to direct my work — the support to
uphold
my weakness. (Josh. i. 8.)
31.
I have stuck unto thy testimonies; O
Lord, put me not to
shame.
We have just seen the choice of the man of God, and
the
rule by which he acted upon it. Now we see his per-
severance—first choosing the way —then sticking to it. While
lie
complained of "his soul cleaving to the dust" (Verse
25),
he
would yet say— I have stuck unto thy
testimonies. Thus
did
he illustrate the apostle's delineation of the Christian's
two
hearts (as a converted African expressed it), "I delight
in
the law of God after the inward man; but I see another
law
in my members, warring against the law of my mind, and
bringing
me into captivity to the law of sin, Which is in my
VERSE
31. 73
members.
So then with the mind I myself serve the law
of
God; but with the flesh the law of sin."* In the midst,
however,
of the most painful conflicts, the child of God
holds
fast his confidence. He feels that he hates the sin
that
he commits, and loves the Saviour, whom, in spite of
himself,
he dishonours; so that, with all his sins and un-
worthiness,
he fears not to put in his claim among the
family
of God.
But, reader, seriously ask yourself—How did
you be-
come
a Christian? Was it by birth and education, or by
choice?
If indeed by grace you have been enabled to
"choose the way of truth," then be
sure you firmly stick, to it;
or
better, far better, that you had not made choice of it at
all.
"No man having put his hand to the plough, and
looking
back, is fit for the kingdom of God. If ye continue
in
my word, then are ye my disciples indeed. It had been
better
for you not to have known the way of righteousness,
than,
after you had known it, to turn from the holy com-
mandment
delivered unto you." (Luke, ix. 62. John, viii.
31.
2 Pet. ii. 21.) Yet, praised be God for the security of
perseverance!
He that enabled you to "put your hand to
the
plough" will keep it there in the habit of faith, firm
and
stedfast. "The Lord will perfect that which concern-
eth
you." (Ps. cxxxviii. 8.)
* Rom. vii. 22, 23, 25. Thus does Augustine
graphically describe
this
conflict in his own mind—'The new will which began to be in
me,
whereby I would love thee, O my God! the only certain sweet-
ness,
was not yet able to overcome my former will, confirmed by
long
continuance. So my two wills, the one old, the other new;
the
one carnal, the other spiritual, conflicted between themselves,
and
rent, my soul by their disagreement.. Then did I understand
by
my own experience what I had read, how the "flesh lusteth
against
the spirit, and the spirit lusteth against the flesh." I was
myself
on both sides, but more in that which I approved, than in
that
which I condemned, in myself, because for the most part I
suffered
reluctantly what I did willingly.'— Confess.
Book viii. ch. 5.
Comp.
Rom. vii. 15-20.
74
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
Yet this "cleaving to the Lord"
(Acts, xi. 23), can
only
be maintained by unceasing conflict. The length and
weariness
of the way (Numb. xxi. 4), and the slowness of
your
progress, are sources of constant and harassing trial.
Revert,
then, to the ground of your original choice.
Was
it
made under the Lord's light and direction? This reason
may
well bind you to "stick to"
it. For are not the ways of
God
as pleasant—is not Christ as lovely—is not heaven
as
desirable—as at the beginning? Nay—have you not
even
more reason to adhere to your choice,
than you had to
make
it? It was formed before at least you could fully
know
for yourself. Now "you have tasted" (1 Pet. ii. 3)
—you
have the seal of experience. Is not the crown more
joyous
in the nearer prospect?
Backslider! "has God been unto you a
wilderness,
and
a land of darkness" (Jer. ii. 31), that you virtually
give
your testimony after trial,—'Satan is the better mas-
ter,
and I will return to him?' The world is the happiest
path;
and I will walk in it. This is, indeed, choosing a
murderer
in the stead of a Father—"forsaking the foun-
tain"
for the "broken cistern." (Jer. ii. 13.) Oh! must
there
not be repentance in this path? May that repent-
ance
come before it be too late! Ponder who it was, that
befriended
you in the moment of an awful extremity, and
snatched
you as "a brand from the burning." Ponder the
endearing
proofs of his love—condescending to become a
man—"a
man of sorrows" (Isa. liii. 3), and to die in the
agony
of the cross, bearing for you the eternal curse of
God.
(Gal. iii. 13.) And does not gratitude remind you
what
returns of faithful service are due from a creature so
infinitely
indebted to him? Surely the stedfast persever-
ance
with which his heart clave to his costly work (comp.
Matt.
xvi. 23; Luke, xii. 50; Heb. xii. 2, 3), may serve
to
put to shame your unsteadiness in "sticking
to his tes-
timonies."
VERSE
32. 75
Believer! you are determined to abide by your
choice
—but
not in your own strength. Remember him, who one
hour
declared, that he would sooner die with Christ than
deny
him; and the next hour denied him with oaths and
curses.
(Matt. xxvi. 35, 74.) Learn, then, to follow up
your
resolution with instant prayer—"O Lord,
put me not
to shame." Leave me not to
myself, lest I become a shame
to
myself, and an offence to thy Church. "I will keep thy
statutes.
O forsake me not utterly." (Verse 8.) Depend-
ence
upon the Lord, in a deep sense of our weakness, is the
principle
of perseverance. Never will he shut out the
prayer
of his faithful servant. He hath promised—"My
people
shall never be ashamed" (Joel, ii. 27); and there-
fore,
taking firm hold of his promise, you may "go on
your
way rejoicing."
32. I will run the way of thy commandments,
when thou shalt
enlarge my
heart.
A glowing picture of the Christian's
delight in the
ways
of God! If we "have chosen the way
of God's com-
mandments," and have been
able to "stick unto" this
way,
surely
we shall wish to "run in it"
with constancy and
cheerfulness.
We shall want to mend our pace. If we
walk,
we shall long to "run."
There is always the same
reason
for progress, that there was for setting out. Neces-
sity,
advantage, enjoyment, spur us on to the end. What-
ever
progress we have made, we shall desire to make more;
go
on praying and walking, and praying that we
may
walk with a swifter motion; we shall be dissatisfied;
Yet
not discouraged—"faint, yet pursuing." (Judg. viii. 4.)
Now
this is as it should be. This is after the pattern of
the
holy Apostle:—"Brethren, I count not myself to have
apprehended:
but this one thing I do; forgetting those
things
which are behind, and reaching forth unto those which
76 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
are
before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the
high
calling of God in Christ Jesus." (Philip. iii. 13, 14.)
But
the secret as well as the pattern of Christian progress
is—looking
beyond the Apostle, and the "so great cloud
of
witnesses, with which we are encompassed"—and "look-
ing
unto Jesus." (Heb. 1, 2.) Faith is the principle
of
life, and supplies the daily motion of life; directing
our
eye to him as "the Author," until he "becomes the
Finisher,"
of our faith. This is at once our duty, our pri-
vilege,
our happiness, and our strength. This is the
point,
at which we begin to run; and we "so run, that we
may
obtain." (1 Cor. ix. 24.)
But let us more distinctly mark the medium
through
which
this spiritual energy flows—an enlarged
heart. With-
out
this influence how could we run this way
of God's com-
mandments? Such is the extent and
latitude of the course
(see
verse 96), that a straitened heart is utterly inadequate
to
carry us through. There must be large treasures of
knowledge,
in order that from a rich "treasure-house the
good
things" may pour out abundantly. (See 1 Kings, iv.
29;
with Matt. xii. 35.) For indeed spiritual "knowledge"
is
the principle of "multiplied grace." (2 Pet. i. 2. Comp.
Col.
i. 10.) Scriptural truths, divinely fixed in the under-
standing,
powerfully influence the heart. Christian pri-
vilege
also greatly advances this important end. In season
of
depression we are "so troubled, that we cannot speak.
(Ps.
lxxvii. 4.) We cannot pour out our hearts, as at
other
times, with a large measure of spirit and life. But
when
"we joy in God, having received the atonement"
(Rom.
v. 11), the spirit is invigorated, as with oil on the
wheels,
or as "with wings to mount" (Isa. xl. 31) on high
in
the service of praise.
Very different, however, is this enlargement of heart from
enlargement
of gifts. Fluency of utterance is too often
fearfully
separated from the spiritual life, and utterly un-
VERSE
32. 77
connected
with delight in the way of God's
commandments.
It
is expression, not feeling—counterfeit grace—public,
not
secret or personal, religion. The yoke of sin is not
broken,
and the self-deceiver will be found at last among
the
deluded throng of gifted hypocrites, "punished with
everlasting
destruction from the presence of the Lord."
(Matt.
vii. 22, 23 with 2 Thess. i. 9.)
Indeed the spiritual principle is far too
little realized.
At
the commencement of the course, conscious guilt
straitens
the approach to the throne of grace. Unbelief
imprisons
the soul. And even when the deliverer is known,
who
"sets at liberty them that are bruised" (Luke, iv. 18),
still
the body of death with all its clogging burden and con-
finement
presses down the soul. Unbelief also continues
to
work, to narrow the conceptions of the gospel, and by
the
painful recollections of the past, to bring in distrust,
distance,
and bondage. And most painful is this restraint.
For
the soul, which is but beginning to see how desirable is
the
favour of God, feels also an earnest desire to honour
him.
And to him who—having fully "tasted that the
Lord
is gracious"—asks, "What shall I render unto the
Lord?"
(Ps. cxvi. 12), this remaining influence of "the
spirit
of bondage" is more afflicting, than perhaps was a
greater
measure of it in a less enlightened stage of his
way.
Still, however, this legal spirit pursues him. His
comforts,
ebbing and flowing, according as he is dissatisfied
or
satisfied with his Christian progress, clearly evince a
secret
"confidence in the flesh," greatly hindering that
"rejoicing
in Christ Jesus," which so enlarges
the heart.
(Philip.
iii. 3, 12-14.)
Thus by the shackles of sin, unbelief, and
self-right-
eousness,
we are indeed sore let and hindered in running
the
race set before us.' (Collect for Advent.) The light
is
obscured. Faith loses sight of its object. What
otherwise
would be a delight becomes a weariness. Obe-
78
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
dience
is irksome; self-denial intolerable; the cross heavy.
The
heart is, as it were, "shut up, and it cannot get forth."
(Ps.
lxxxviii. 8.) Faith is so low: desires are so faint;
hopes
so narrow, that it seems impossible to make progress.
Frequent
defeats induce despondency. The world is resorted
to.
Sin ensnares and captivates. Thus "we did run well;
but
we have been hindered." (Gal. v. 7.)
This sad evil naturally leads us to inquire
for the remedy.
The
case is backsliding, not apostasy. The remedy there-
fore
is in that engagement, which embraces
a wider expanse
of
light, and a more full confidence of love. We find that
we
have not been "straitened" in God, but "in our own
bowels."
If then the rich fool thought of enlarging his
barns,
when his stores had increased upon him (Luke, xii.
16-19),
much more should we "enlarge the place of our
tent,"
that we may make more room for God, encourage
larger
expectations, if we would have more full manifest-
ations
of him. Let not the vessels fail, before the oil stays.
(See
2 Kings, iv. 6.) Continually let the petition be sent
up
—"Oh that thou wouldest bless me indeed, and enlarge
my
coast!" (1 Chron. iv. 10.) Whatever cause we have
cry
out —"My leanness, my leanness!" (Isa. xxiv. 16) —
still
let us, in the exercise of faith and prayer, be waiting
for
a more cheerful ability to love, serve, and praise. Let
us
be restless, till the prison-doors are again opened, and
the
command is issued to the prisoners—"Go forth: and
to
them that are in darkness — Show yourselves. They
shall
feed in the ways, and their pastures shall be in all
high
places." (Isa. xlix. 9.) Who knoweth but the Lord
will
once more shine upon us; once more unloose our fetters,
and
renew our strength?
But again and again must we be reminded
that every
motion
must begin with God. (Prov. xvi. 1.) I
will run—
but
how? not in my own strength, but by "the good hand
of
my God upon me" (Ezra, vii.. 9), delivering and enlarging
VERSE
32. 79
my heart. He does not say—I will
make no efforts, unless
thou
work for me; but if thou wilt enlarge—I
will run.
Weakness
is not the plea for indolence, but for quickening
grace.
"Draw me"—saith the Church—"we will run
after
thee." (Cant. i. 4.) Effectual calling will issue in
running. (Comp. Ps. cx. 3; Isa.
lv. 5.) "Where the Spirit
of
the Lord is, there is liberty." The secret of Christian
energy
and success is a heart enlarged in
the love of God.
Let me then begin betimes—make haste —keep
straight
on—fix
my eye on the mark—"endure unto the end." I
may
yet expect in the joy of blessed surprise to exclaim-
"Or
ever I was aware, my soul made me like the chariots
of
Ammi-nadib." (Cant. vi. 12.) Godly sorrow had made
me
serious. Now let holy joy make me active. "The joy
of
the Lord is my strength" (Neh. viii. 10); and I am
ready,
under the power of constraining love (2 Cor. v. 14),
to
work and to toil —to run without weariness—to "march
onward"
without fainting;* not measuring my pace by my
own
strength, but looking to him who "strengtheneth with
all
might by his Spirit in the inner man." (Eph. iii. 16.)
Happy fruit of wrestling prayer and
diligent waiting on
God!
Joy in God, and strength to walk with him, with
increasing
knowledge of him, increasing communion with
him,
and increasing confidence in him.
* Isa. xl. 31, "march onward."— Bishop Lowth’s Version.
80 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
PART V.
33.
Teach me, O Lord, the way of thy
statutes; and I shall
keep it unto the
end.
WE need no instruction in the way of
sin. That has
been
our way, ever since Adam "sought out his own in-
vention."
(Eccles. vii. 29. Isa. liii. 6.) The ungodly "de-
sire
no knowledge of the way of God's statutes."
(Job, xxi.
14.)
The heart leads the judgment, and "their heart is
enmity
to the law of God." (Rom. viii. 7.) But for a child
of
God, this is a prayer for constant use. The outward
revelation
is of no avail without the inward teaching. The
Divine
Instructor must interpret and apply his own rule.
However
plain the word may be, the darkness must be re-
moved
from the understanding. Light will not show an
object,
except the faculty of sight be given. A blind man
cannot
see at noonday. We know nothing spiritually,
except
as we are taught of God. The more we are taught,
the
more we feel our need of teaching, and the more press-
ing
will be our cries for this invaluable blessing. The
blind
man must be led in the plainest and most direct, as
well
as in the more difficult and rugged paths. And thus
do
we need the shining of light from above—not only in
the
"deep things of God" — but for the reception of the
most
elementary truths. Amid yet we want not this know-
ledge
for its own sake—to feed pride or speculation—but
for
its practical influence. For of what avail is the dis-
VERSE 33. 81
covery
even of important truth, if we be not moulded
into
its likeness, and constrained "into the obedience of
faith?"
The connexion of every thought with Christian
practice,
here directed to its proper end, is a most striking
proof
of the Divine origin of the statutes.
The most clear
instructions
for the regulation of our conduct flow from
single
sentences or expressions in these "statutes;"
and
this
clearly proves an infinite wisdom in their distribution,
a
reference in the eternal mind to every detail of practical
duty,
and a Divine power and unction, applying the word
to
the several circumstances of daily conduct. For, indeed,
what
mind but the mind of God could have comprehended
in
so small a compass such a vast system of instruction?
In
this view, therefore, the Lord's teaching becomes the
spring
of obedience. For how can we "keep"
a way, which
we
do not understand? And who was ever "taught
the
way of the Lord's
statutes,"
who had not his heart con-
strained
and directed by their spiritual beauty and sweet-
ness?
In this path we realize union with the Saviour
(1
John, iii. 24); "the love of God is perfected in us"
(Ib.
ii. 5); and our confidence is established before God
(Ib.
iii. 21).
The object nearest to the believer's heart,
and which
causes
him many an anxious—and too often many an un-
believing
thought—is the grace of perseverance. Now the
Lord's
teaching is the principle of
perseverance. It is "the
light of life" (John, i. 4;
viii. 12), enlightening the mind,
and
quickening the heart. Under this influence, therefore,
we
live ― we endure—we cannot fail of keeping the way
unto the end. (1 John, ii. 27.) Thus
the end crowns the
work.
For with this blessing of perseverance, is sealed to
us
the hope of victory over our spiritual enemies, and the
participation
of our Saviour's glory. (Rev. ii. 26-28.)
Confidence,
indeed, without prayer and dependence upon
82
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
our
glorious Head, is most daring presumption. But that
"well-ordered
and sure covenant," which "is all our salva-
tion,
and all our desire," engages for our continuance
"the way of the Lord's statutes."
"I will put my fear in
their hearts, that they
shall not depart from me. I will put
my law in their inward
parts, and write it in their hearts and
I will be their God, and
they shall be my people." (Jer. xxxii.
40;
xxxi. 33; with 2 Sam. xxiii. 5.)
34.
Give me understanding, and I shall keep
thy law; yea, I
shall observe it with my
whole heart.
'He that is his own teacher'—says
Bernard—and one
greater
than Bernard (Prov. xxviii. 26), has a fool for his
master.'
Man cannot teach what he does not know; and
of
God, and of his law, he knows nothing. Therefore the
beginning
of wisdom is a consciousness of ignorance, a dis-
trust
of our own understanding, and the heartfelt prayer-
"Give me understanding." The
spiritual understanding is the
gift
of Jesus Christ. (1 John, ii. 20; v. 20.) He directs
us
to himself, as its fountain—"I am the light of the
world;
he that followeth me shall not walk in darkness,
but
shall have the light of life." (John, viii. 12; also xii.
46.)
This understanding differs from mere
intellectual dis-
cernment
or speculative knowledge. It is the spring of
spiritual
activity in our walk with God (See Col. i. 9, 10);
so
that our obedience is not outward and reluctant, but
filial
delight and wholeness of heart:—we desire not only
to
keep the law of God to the end, but
every day to the end-
"with our whole heart."— Such are
our obligations towards
him,
that we ought to study very accurately the character
of
our walk with him; always remembering that service
without
the heart—the whole heart—is hateful in his sight
(Isa.
i. 11-15. Hos. x. 2. Acts, v. 1-10); and that what is
VERSE
34. 83
now
wilfully withheld, will gradually draw away the rest in
apostasy
from him. Now are we seeking more "engaged-
ness
of heart" for him? Then will this prayer be a suit-
able
expression of our need, and the utterance of a humble,
resolute
petitioner. It is not, however, enough, that we
have
once received, unless we are constantly receiving. We
must
ask, that we may receive but after we have received,
we
must ask again. Yet is this prayer never offered up,
until
the soul has in part received what it is here seeking
for.
The natural man is "wise in his own conceit," and
has
therefore no idea of his need of Divine teaching.
But we must not be satisfied with even a
clear appre-
hension
of the doctrines of the Bible, and of the "truth as
it
is in Jesus." "Give me
understanding"—'not only that
I
may believe these doctrines, but that I may keep
and
observe them.' In every path of duty, this cry is repeated,
with
an importunity, that is never wearisome to the ears of
our
gracious Father. And in how many unnoticed in-
stances
has the answer been vouchsafed, when some clear
and
heavenly ray has darted unexpectedly into the mind, or
some
providential concurrence of unforeseen circumstances
has
disintangled a path before intricate and involved, and
marked
it before us with the light of a sunbeam! How
many
whispers of conscience! how many seasonable sug-
gestions
in moments of darkness and perplexity, may the
observant
child of God record, as the answer to this needful
prayer!
"Whoso is wise, and will observe these things,
even
they shall understand the loving-kindness of the
Lord."
(Ps. cvii. 43.) Nor will our growth in spiritual
understanding fail to evidence itself
in the steady consistency
of
a well-ordered conversation! "Who is a wise man, and
endued
with knowledge among you? Let him show out of
a
good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom."
(Jam.
iii. 13.) If then knowledge is valuable according to
its
usefulness, one ray of this practical knowledge—the
84
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
result
of prayer for heavenly teaching—is more to be
prized
than the highest attainments of speculative religion
—flowing
from mere human instruction.
35.
Make me to go in the path of thy
commandments; for
therein do I delight.
We are equally ignorant of the path of God's command-
ments, and impotent to go in it. We need therefore double
assistance.
Our mind must be enlightened; our hearts
constrained;
else our knowledge of this humbling path
would
make us shrink from it. But under the complete
influence
of Divine grace, when understanding has
been given
to
discern the beauty of it, the soul's warmest desire is
fixed
upon it. Conscious helplessness looks upward—Make
me to go: and he who said to the
paralytic—"Arise, take up
thy
bed, and go unto thy house," speaks the same word of
quickening
life and power to the soul "giving
heed," "ex-
pecting
to receive something of him." (Matt. ix. 6; with
Acts,
iii. 4, 5.) It is delightful to acknowledge of this
work,
that "all is of God"—that "it is he that worketh
in
us both to will and to do of his good pleasure." (2 Cor.
v.
18. Philip. ii. 13.) To him only can it belong. For
since
the natural inclination "is not subject to the law of
God,
neither indeed can be" (Rom. viii. 7), Almighty
power
must introduce a new and active bias—"Turn thou
me,
and I shall be turned." (Jer. xxxi. 18.)—"Make me to
go in the path of thy
commandments."
But even when brought into this path, still we want
accelerated
motion to run with increasing alacrity. We
want
to take "the Lord God for our strength; and he shall
make
our feet like hinds' feet, and he shall make
us to walk
upon
the high places." (Hab. iii. 19.) The path,
indeed, is
uninviting
to the eye of sense. This distorted vision brings
all
its difficulties into full view; hiding all its counter-
VERSE
35. 85
balancing
enjoyments. Let us, however, exercise that
"faith,"
which is the substance of things hoped for, the
evidence
of things not seen." (Heb. xi. 1.) Let us exhibit
our
proper character, "walking by faith, and not by sight"
(2
Cor. v. 7), and our discernment of unseen things will be
more
clear, and our enjoyment of them more permanent.
The
prayer will then be with increasing earnestness—
"Make me to go in the path of thy
commandments."
But we must not be content with walking in
this way;
we
must seek to "delight in
it." Delight is the marrow of
religion.
"God loveth a cheerful giver" (2 Cor. ix. 7), and
accepts
obedience, only when it is given, not when it is
forced. He loves the service
of that man, who considers it
his
highest privilege to render it, and whose heart rejoices
in
the way, "as a giant to run his race." (Ps. xix. 5
cxii.
1.) Fervent prayer and cheerful obedience mark the
experience
of the thriving Christian. As a true "child of
Zion,
he is joyful in his king" (Ps. cxlix. 2); he loves his
service,
and counts it "perfect freedom"—the rule of love,
mercy,
and grace.
But is the self-condemned penitent
distressed by this
description
of a child of God? He cannot find the same
marks
in himself; and he too hastily concludes, that he
does
not belong to the heavenly family; not considering,
that
his very grief is caused by his love to, and "delight in"
that
way in which he is so hindered, and in which lie daily
prays—"Make me to go." It was, probably,
the same sense
of
weakness and inability, "to go in
the path of God's com-
mandments," which urged
David's prayer; and if it urges
yours,
poor trembling penitent—if it sends you to a throne
of
grace, you will, ere long, receive an answer of peace, and
"go
on your way rejoicing."
This delight
in the path is not only following the "man
after
God's own heart;" but it is the image of David's
Lord,
and our forerunner in this path. He could testify
86
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
to
his Father—"I delight to do thy will, O my God"
(Ps.
xl. 8; with Heb. x. 7); and to his disciples—"I have
meat
to eat that ye know not of. My meat is to do the
will
of him that sent me, and to finish his work." (John, iv.
32,
34.) And as a proof of the intenseness of his delight he
could,
to their great amazement, "go before them" (Mark,
x.
32) to Jerusalem, unappalled by the "baptism" of blood
which
awaited him; yea, even "straitened" with the un-
quenchable
ardour of his love, "until it was accomplished."
(Luke,
xii. 50.)
36.
Incline my heart unto thy testimonies,
and not to
covetousness.
But what "makes us to go in the path of God's command-
ments?" The force of his
Almighty love effectually inclines
the
will, as with a Divine touch. The day of his power, in
which
he makes us willing, is a time of love. "I drew
them"
— saith he—"with cords of a man, and with bands
of
love." (Ps. cx. 3. Ezek. xvi. 8. Hos. xi. 4.) Every man,
who
is conscious of the counteracting bias within, will
deeply
feel the need of this prayer—"Incline
my heart."
The
native principle of man draws him to his own self—
to
his own indulgence—pleasure—covetousness—assuming
a
thousand forms of gratifying self, at the expense of
love
to God. Few but are ready to condemn this principle
in
others, while perhaps it may be their own "easily-
besetting
sin." When the mind is grasping after the world,
as
if it were our portion, we have the greatest reason to
"take
heed" to our Lord's admonition, and beware of
covetousness"
(Luke, xii. 15). When we invest earthly
gratifications
with any inherent excellency—virtually
putting
them in the place of God—then will be a season
for
special supplication—Incline my heart
unto thy testi-
monies, and not to
covetousness.
VERSE
36. 87
There
is probably no principle so opposed to the Lord's
testimonies. It casts out the
principle of obedience, since
the
love of God cannot co-exist with the love of the world
(1
John, ii. 15); and the very desire to serve Mammon is
a
proof of unfaithfulness to God. (Matt. vi. 24.) We
mark
the deadly influence in direct breaches of the law of
God.
Balaam, in the indulgence of this propensity, set his
will
in mad contradiction to God (Num. xxii. 15-21.
2
Pet. ii. 14-16); Ahab was tempted to murder (1 Kings,
xxi.
1-13); David, to murder and adultery (2 Sam. xi.
2-17);
Achan, to steal (Josh. vii. 21); Judas, both to
steal
from his fellows, and to betray his Master (John, xii. 6.
Matt.
xxvi. 14-16); Gehazi and Ananias to lying. (2 Kings,
v.
20-26. Acts, v. 1-8.) And besides—what is the matter
of
common but painful observation — how much of the good
seed
of the kingdom, that was springing up with the pro-
mise
of a plentiful harvest, has this weed of rank luxuriance
"choked,
that it has become unfruitful!"* Our Lord's
parables,
therefore (Luke, xii. 16-21; xvi. 14, 19, &c.)—
his
providence (Matt. vi. 25-31)—his promises (Ib. verse
33.
Ps. xxxiv. 9, 10. Isa. xxxiii. 15, 16. 1 Pet. v. 7)
his
terms of discipleship (Matt. xvi. 24; xix. 27-29. Luke,
xiv.
33)—his counsels (1 Cor. vii. 29-31. Philip. iv. 5)—
his
own example of poverty and renunciation of this world's
comfort
(Matt. viii. 20)— all are directed against this
destructive
principle. The power of the love of Christ
delivered
Matthew (Matt. ix. 9) and Zaccheus (Luke, xix.
1-10)
from its influence, and "inclined
their hearts to the
testimonies of God." And has not
faith still the same power
to
turn the heart from the world, from sin, from self, to
Christ?
Learn, then, to rest upon the promise of his love
(Heb.
xiii. 5), and to delight in his testimonies.
Earthly
cares
will be cast upon him, and earthly prospects will lose
*Mark, iv. 19.—The example of the rich
young man, Matt.
xix.
21, 22, Demas, 2 Tim. iv. 10.
88
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
their
splendour.* This life of faith—living in union with
a
heavenly Saviour, involves the only effective principle of
resistance.
Those who are risen with Christ will be tem-
perate
in earthly things, "setting their affections on things.
above."
Such — such alone — will "mortify the members
that
are upon the earth —evil concupiscence, and covetous-
ness, which is idolatry." (Col. iii. 1-5.)
We desire to sit loose to our earthly
comforts. Are
we
enabled to check our natural discontent with the Lord's
dealings
with us, and to restrain our eagerness to "seek
great
things for ourselves" (Jer. vi. 13), by the recollection
of
his word—"Seek them not?" (Jer. xlv. 5.)
Let us not forget, that the
inclination—even if it is
not
brought into active and perceptible motion, is fatally
destructive
of the life of religion. "They that will
be rich†
fall
into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish
and
hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and
perdition."
Awful warning to professors!—"The love of
money
is the root of all evil; which while some have
coveted
after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced
themselves
through with many sorrows." (1 Tim. vi. 10.)
A
most important exhortation to the people of God! —
"But
thou, O man of God, flee these things, and follow
after
righteousness." (Ib. verse 11.) If the Lord loves
you,
he will not indeed lose you; but unless you "take
heed,
and beware of covetousness," he will not spare you.
In
the midst, therefore, of temptation without, and a world
of
sin within, go onwards, with the pilgrim's (1 Pet. ii. 11)
prayer
indelibly fixed on your heart —"Incline
my heart
unto thy testimonies,
and not to covetousness."
* Comp. Luke, xii. 15, with parallel
verses, 16-21.
† Oi[
boulomenoi ploutein. 1 Tim. vi. 9.— The
very inclination to
be
rich is alienation from him, who by just right claims the
supreme
undisputed whole—"My son, give me thine heart." (Prov.
xxiii.
26.)
VERSE
37. 89
37.
Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity;
and quicken
thou me in thy
way.
So strongly does the man of God deprecate
temptation
to
self-indulgence, that he prays to be kept at the greatest
possible
distance from it. That his heart may
not be inclined
to it: he desires that his eyes may be turned away from
beholding it. Keeping the eye is a
grand means of "keeping
the
heart." (Num. xv. 39. Job, xxxi. 1.) Satan has so
infused
his poison into all the objects around us, that all
furnish
fuel for temptation: and the heart — naturally
inclined
to evil, and hankering after vanity—is stolen away
in
a moment. Vanity includes "all
that is in the world—
the
lust of the flesh, the lust of the eye, and the pride of
life."
All is sin, "because it is not of the Father, but is
of
the world." (1 John, ii. 16.) Of all that belongs to
earth
—"the preacher, the son of David"— standing on the
vantage-ground,
and having taken within his view the
widest
horizon of this world's excellency, has pronounced his
judgment
—"Vanity of vanities, saith the preacher, vanity
of
vanities! all is vanity." (Eccles. i. 1, 2; also ii. 11,
xii.
8.) We have just mentioned "the lusts of other things
choking"
many a promising profession. Our
Lord's solemn
caution
to his own disciples implies their injury to a sin-
cere profession "Take heed to
yourselves, lest at any time
your
hearts be overcharged with surfeiting and drunken-
ness,
and cares of this life; and so that day come upon
you
unawares." (Luke, xxi. 34.) Some, indeed, seem to
walk,
as if they were proof against temptation. They ven-
ture
to the very edge of the precipice, under a vain assurance
that
no danger is to be apprehended. But such a confidence
is
upon the brink of a grievous fall. (Prov. xvi. 18.) The
tender-hearted
child of God, trusting in the promise, that
"Sin
shall not have dominion over him" (Rom. vi. 14),
90
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
knows
that he can only enjoy the security of it, while he is
shrinking
from every occasion of sin. He "hates even the
garment
spotted by the flesh" (Jude, 23); and, remember-
ing
how often his outward senses have ministered to the
workings
of his weak and treacherous heart (see Prov. xxiii.
33;
Josh. vii. 21), he continues in prayer —"Turn away
mine eyes from beholding
vanity!"
Probably the recollection of the
circumstance of his
own
sin (2 Sam. xi. 2), would to the end of his life remind
David
of his special need of this prayer. Yet who that is
conscious
of his own weakness and corruption, will find the
prayer
unsuitable to his circumstances of daily temptation?
But
we must watch as well as pray. For as watchfulness
without
prayer is presumption, so prayer without watchful-
ness
is self-delusion. To pray that "our
eyes" may be
"turned from vanity," without "making
a covenant with.
our
eyes" (Job, xxxi. 1), that they should not behold it, is
life
"taking fire in our bosoms," and expecting "not to
be
burnt" (Prov. vi. 27, 28), because we have prayed that
we
might not be burnt. If we pray not to be "led into
temptation,"
we must "watch that we enter not into it."
(Comp.
Matt. vi. 13; with xxvi. 41.) The sincerity of
our
prayer will be proved by the watchfully avoiding the
circumstances
and occasions of temptation. The fear of
sin
will manifest itself by a fear of temptation to sin.
"The
knife will be put to the throat, if we be given to
appetite."
(Prov. xxiii. 2.) We shall be afraid of the wine
sparkling
in the glass. (Verses 31, 32.)
But
where is the harm of beholding vanity,
if we do not
follow
it? When Eve beheld the forbidden
fruit, perhaps
she
did not think of taking it: and when she took it, she
did
not think of eating it: but the beginning of sin "is as
the
letting out of water," whose progress once opened, beats
down
all before it. (Gen. iii. 6; with Prov. xvii. 14.) And
who,
after our "beguiled mother," has not found the eye
VERSE 37. 91
an
inlet to sin?* When Bunyan's pilgrims were obliged
to
pass through Vanity Fair, beset on every side with
temptations
and allurements, they stopped their eyes and
ears,
and quickening their pace, cried—"Turn
away mine
eyes from beholding
vanity!"
A striking reproof to us, who
too
often loiter and gaze, until we begin to covet those
vanities,
to which, as Christians, we "are dead!" (See
iii.
2, 3.)
Is it asked—What will most effectually
"turn my eyes
from vanity?" Not the
seclusion of contemplative retire-
ment
— not the relinquishment of our lawful connexion
with
the world; but the transcendent beauty of Jesus un-
veiled
to our eyes, and fixing our hearts. This will "turn
our eyes from vanity" in its most
glittering forms. The
sight
of the "pearl of great price" (Matt. xiii. 46) dims
the
lustre of the "goodliest pearls" of earth; at once
deadens
us to the enticements of the world, and urges us
forward
in the pursuit of the prize. And is not this our
object?
It is not enough, that through special mercy I
am
preserved from temptations. I want to be quickened
to
more
life, energy, delight, and devotedness in
the way of my
God. The secret of
Christian progress is simplicity and
diligence.
"This one thing I do,—
forgetting the things
that
are behind, and reaching forth to those things that are
before;
I press towards the mark, for the prize of the high
calling
of God in Christ Jesus." (Philip. iii. 13, 14.) The
Spirit
leaves no wish in the heart for beholding
vanity. The
World
with all its flowery paths, is a dreary wilderness;
and
Christ and heaven are the only objects of desire—"He
that
shutteth his eyes from seeing evil, he shall dwell on
high;
his place of defence shall be the munitions of rocks;
* Lot's wife, Gen. xix. 26; Shechem, xxxiv.
2; Potiphar's wife,
xxxix.
7; Achan, Josh. vii. 21; Samson, Judg. xvi. l . Even the
man
after God's own heart, 2 Sam. xi. 2. Comp. Prov. vi. 25; Matt.
v.
28; 2 Pet. ii. 14.
92 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
bread
shall be given him, his water shall be sure. "Thine
eyes shall see the King
in his beauty: they shall behold the land
that is very far off." (Isa. xxxiii.
15-17.) Precious pro-
mises
to those, that flee from temptation, and desire to walk
in
the ways of God!
38.
Stablish thy word unto thy servant, who
is devoted to thy
fear.
Often—instead of being quickened in, the
way—I am
fainting
under the pressure of unbelief. What then is my
resource?
Only the word of promise. Lord! seal— stablish
thy word unto thy
servant—devoted
as I am — as I would be
—
to thy fear. If "the fear of the Lord is the beginning
of
wisdom" (Ps. cxi. 10)—a "treasure" (Isa. xxxiii. 6)-
a
"strong confidence" (Prov. xiv. 26)—"a fountain of
life"
(Verse 27)—how wise—how rich—how safe—how
happy—is
he that "is devoted to" it!
"Blessed" indeed!
is
he—with the favour of his God (Ps. xxxiii. 18), the
secret
of his love (Ps. xxv. 14), the teaching of his grace
(Verse
12), and the mercy of his covenant. (Ps. ciii. 17.),
The
promises of the Old Testament are generally connected
with
the fear of God, as in the New Testament they are,
linked
with faith. But in truth, so identified are these two:
principles
in their operation, that the faith, by which we
apprehend
the forgiveness of God, and the privileges of his
kingdom,
issues in a godly, reverential, filial fear. (Ps.
cxxx.
4. Comp. Jer. xxxiii. 8, 9; Hos. iii. 5; also Heb.
xii.
28.) To be devoted to this fear,
completes the character:
of
a servant of God—the highest honour
in the universe—
the
substantial joy of heaven itself. (Rev. vii. 15; xxii. 3.)
It
is an obedience of choice, of reverence, and of love.
"Joining
himself to the Lord, to serve him, and to love:
the
name of the Lord—to be his servant." (Isa. lvi. 6.)
'Yes,
gracious Lord, I had rather be bound than loosed.'
VERSE
38. 93
I
only wish to be loosed from the bonds of sin, that I might
be
bound to thee for ever. My heart is treacherous; lay
thine
own bonds upon me. "O Lord, truly I am thy ser-
vant:
thou hast loosed my bonds" (Ps. cxvi. 16); I am
"devoted to thy fear." Is this my
desire, my mind, my de-
termination,
my character? Then let me plead my title to
an
interest in the promises of the word—rich and free,
"exceeding
great and precious" (2 Pet. i. 4),—all mine
yea
and amen in Christ Jesus" (2 Cor. i. 20); let me
plead,
that every word may be "established" in my victory
over
sin, advancing knowledge of Christ, experience of his
love,
conformity to his image, and, finally, in my preserv-
ation
in him unto eternal life.
But how far has the fear of God operated with me as a
safeguard
from sin (Gen. xxxix. 9. Neh. v. 15. Prov. xvi. 6),
and
an habitual rule of conduct? (Prov. xxiii. 17.) David's
confidence
in the promises of God, far from lessening his
jealousy
over himself, only made him more "devoted
to the
fear" of God. And if my
assurance be well grounded, it
will
ever be accompanied with holy fear; the influence will
be
known by "standing more in awe of God's word" (Verse
161);
having a more steady abhorrence of sin, and a dread
of
"grieving the Holy Spirit of God." Thus this filial
fear
produces a holy confidence; while confidence serves to
strengthen
fear: and their mutual influence quickens de-
votedness
to the work of the Lord.
It is interesting to remark, that the
Christian privilege
of
assurance is not confined to the New Testament dis-
pensation.
David's pleading to have the "word of
his God
established unto him,"* was grounded
upon the tried founda-
tions
of faith. And this direct act of faith, as it regards
God
in Christ, his engagements and his promises, cannot
* Mark this petition drawn out by David
into a full pleading
with
his God, 2 Sam. vii. 25, 28, 29. The expression also of the
same
confidence will afterwards be noticed. Verse 49.
94 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
be
too confident. The promises are made to the whole
Church,
that we might each look for our part and interest
in
them. God loves to have his own seal and hand-writing
brought
before him. "Put me in remembrance"— saith
he:
"let us plead together." "He cannot deny himself."
(Isa.
xliii. 26. 2 Tim. ii. 13.)
Very cheering is it to mark, how the Lord stablishes his
word in our own experience.
Every day he is fulfilling
some
promise, and a word made good at one time encou-
rages
our confidence for another. (2 Cor. i. 10. 2 Tim. iv.
17,
18. Comp. Matt. xvi. 9.) The word performed in
part
is an earnest of the whole, assuring us of the time,
when
we shall acknowledge his faithfulness, "who perform-
eth
all things for us." (Ps. lvii.
2.) Thus, as the word is
eternally
stablished on the foundation of the
Divine engage-
ments
(Heb. vi. 17, 18), its certainty is sealed to our own
conviction.
Our confidence is established, that if he has
spoken
a word, he may be trusted for that word.
This, then, is the exercise and the power
of faith.
bring
wants. I bring thy word of promise. Stablish the
word unto thy servant. Thou hast bought me
with a pre-
cious
price; thou hast made me thine: thou hast subdued
my
heart to thyself, so that it is now "devoted
to thy fear."
Whatsoever,
therefore, thy covenant has provided for my
sanctification,
my humiliation, my chastisement, my present
and
everlasting consolation—"Stablish
this word:" let it
be
fulfilled in me; for I am "thy
servant, devoted to thy fear."
39.
Turn away my reproach which I fear: for
thy judgments
are good.
There is a reproach, which we have no cause to fear, but
rather
to glory in. It is one of the chief privileges of the
Gospel
(Matt. v. 10-12. Comp. Philip. i. 29)— the hon-
ourable
badge of our profession. (Acts, v. 41; xxiv. 5
VERSE
39. 95
xxviii.
22. Heb. xiii. 13. 1 Pet. iv. 12-16.) But it was
the
"reproach" of bringing
dishonour upon the name of
his
God, that David feared,* and
deprecated with most
anxious,
importunate prayer. The fear of this reproach
is
a
practical principle of tender watchfulness and circum-
spection,
and of habitual dependence upon an Almighty
upholding
power. "Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe"
(Verse
117),—will be the constant supplication of one, that
fears
the Lord, and fears himself. We do not, perhaps,
sufficiently
consider the active malice of the enemies of the
gospel,
"watching for our halting" (Jer. xx. 10); else
should
we be more careful to remove all occasions of "re-
proach" on account of
inconsistency of temper or conver-
sation.
None, therefore, that feel their own weakness, the
continual
apprehension of danger, the tendency of their
heart
to backslide from God, and to disgrace "that worthy
name
by which they are called" (James, ii. 7), will think
this
prayer unseasonable or unnecessary —"Turn
away my
reproach which I fear."
Perhaps also the conflicting Christian may
find this a
suitable
prayer. Sometimes Satan has succeeded in be-
guiling
him into some worldly compliance, or weakened his
confidence,
by tempting him to look to himself for some
warrant
of acceptance (in all which suggestions he is aided
and
abetted by his treacherous heart): and then will this
"accuser
of the brethren" turn back upon him, and change
himself
"into an angel of light," presenting before him a
black
catalogue of those very falls, into which he had sue-
* 2 Sam. xii. 14. We find Saul strongly
deprecating this re-
proach—"I have sinned; yet honour me now, I pray thee, before
the
elders
of my people, and before Israel." (1 Sam. xv. 80.) But how
different
the principle in these two instances under a similar trial!
The
one tremblingly alive, that the name of God might not be re-
proached
through his shameful fall. The other earnest only to
secure
his own reputation.
96 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
cessfully
led him. Bunyan does not fail to enumerate
these
"reproaches," as amongst
the most harassing assaults
of
Apollyon. In his desperate conflict with Christian, he
taunts
him with his fall in the Slough of Despond, and
every
successive deviation from his path, as blotting out
his
warrant of present favour with the King, and blasting
all
hopes of reaching the celestial city. Christian does not
attempt
to conceal or palliate the charge. He knows it is
all
true, and much more besides! but he knows that this
is
true also—"Where sin abounded, grace hath much
more
abounded." "The blood of Jesus Christ the Son of
God
cleanseth from all sin." (Rom. v. 20. 1 John, i. 7.)
Believers!
In the heat of your conflict remember the
only
effective covering. "Above all,
taking the shield of
faith,
wherewith you shall be able to quench all the fiery
darts
of the wicked." (Eph. vi. 16.) Do you not hate the
sins,
with which you have been overtaken? Are you not
earnestly
longing for deliverance from their power? Then,
even
while the recollections of their guilt and defilement
humble
you before the Lord, take fresh hold of the gospel,
and
you shall "overcome by the blood of the Lamb." (Rev.
xii.
9-11.) Victory must come from the cross. And the
soul
that is directing its eye thither for pardon, strength,
and
consolation, may sigh out the prayer with acceptance
—"Turn away my reproach which I fear."
But how deeply is the guilt of apostasy or
backsliding
aggravated
by the acknowledgment, which all are con-
strained
to make —"Thy judgments are good!"
How affect-
ing
is the Lord's expostulation with us! —"What iniquity
have
your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from
me,
and have walked after vanity, and are become vain
O
my people! what have I done unto thee, and wherein
have
I wearied thee? testify against me. I have not caused
thee
to serve with an offering, nor wearied thee with in-
cense."
(Jer. ii. 5. Mic. vi. 3. Isa. xliii. 23.) No, surely
VERSE
40. 97
we
have nothing to complain of our Master, of his work, or
of
his wages: but much, very much, to complain of our-
selves,
of our unwatchfulness, neglect, backsliding; and
to
humble ourselves on account of the consequent reproach
upon
our profession.
Never, however, let us cease to cry, that
all the reproach
which we fear on account of our
allowed inconsistencies of
profession,
may, for the Church's sake, be "turned
away
from us." Meanwhile,
"let us accept it as the punishment
of
our iniquity" (Lev. xxvi. 41); and, in the recollection of
the
goodness of the Lord's judgments,
still venture to hope
and
look for the best things to come out of it from our
gracious
Lord.
40.
Behold, I have longed after thy precepts;
quicken me in
thy
righteousness.
Behold! An appeal to the heart-searching
God—
"Thou
knowest that I love" (Comp. John, xxi. 17) thy
precepts! The heartfelt
acknowledgment of their goodness
naturally
leads us to long after them.* The
professor longs
after the promises, and too
often builds a delusive—because
an
unsanctifying — hope upon them. The believer feels it
to
be his privilege and safety to have an equal regard to
both
— to obey the precepts of God in
dependence on his
promises,
and to expect the accomplishment of the promises,
in
the way of obedience to the precepts.
The utmost extent
of
the professor's service is the heavy yoke of outward con-
formity. He knows nothing of an
"inward delight and longing
after them." Of many of them
his heart complains,—"This
is
a hard saying: who can hear it?" (John, vi. 60.) The
Christian
can give a good reason for his delight even in the
most
difficult and painful precepts. The
moments of
* Compare the same acknowledgment, Rom.
vii. 12, connected
with
similar delight, v. 22.
98
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
deepest
repentance are his times of sweetest "refreshing
from
the presence of the Lord."* Whatever be the plea-
sure
of indulgence in sin, far greater is the ultimate
enjoyment
arising out of the mortification of it.† Most
fruitful
is our Saviour's precept, which
inculcates on his
followers
self-denial and the daily cross. (Luke, ix. 23.)
For
by this wholesome discipline we lose our own perverse
will;
the power of sin is restrained, the pride of the heart
humbled;
and our real happiness fixed upon a solid and
permanent
basis. So that, whatever dispensation some might
desire
for breaking the precept without
forfeiting the pro-
mise,
the Christian blesses God for the strictness, that
binds
him to a steady obedience to it. To him it is grievous,
not
to keep it, but to break it. A longing
therefore after
the precepts, marks the character of
the child of God: and
may
be considered as the pulse of the soul. It forms our
meetness
and ripeness for heaven.
There are indeed times, when the violence
of tempt
ation,
or the paralysing effect of indolence, hides the move-
ments
of the "hidden man of the heart." And yet even
in
these gloomy hours, when the mouth is shut, and the
heart
dumb, before God —"so troubled, that it cannot
speak"
(Ps. lxxvii. 4)—even then, acceptable incense is
ascending
before the throne of God. We have a powerful
intercessor
"helping our infirmities"— interpreting our de-
sires,
and crying from within, "with groanings that cannot
be
uttered" (Rom. viii. 26); yet such as, being indited by
our
Advocate within, and presented by our Advocate above
* Acts, iii. 19. Luther says the practice
of repentance was ever
sweeter
to him, after hearing the expression of an old divine—'This
is
kind repentance, which begins from the love of God.'
†See David's lively expression of
gratitude—first to his God—
then
to the instrument employed by him — (Abigail) in restraining
him
from the gratification of most unjustifiable revenge. — 1 Sam.
xxv.
32, 33.
VERSE
40. 99
(Heb.
ix. 24. Rev. viii. 3, 4), are cheering earnests of
their
fulfilment. "He will fulfil the desire of them that
fear
him: he also will hear their cry, and will save them."
(Ps.
cxlv. 19.)
These longings
might seem to betoken a vigorous ex-
ercise
of grace. But shall I be satisfied, while the most
fervent
desires are so disproportioned to their grand object
—so
overborne by the corruption of the flesh (Rom. vii.
18-24)—and
while a heartless state is so hateful to my
Saviour?
(Rev. iii. 16.) Idle confessions and complaints
are
unseemly and unfruitful. Let me rather besiege the
mercy-seat
with incessant importunity (Matt. xi. 12),—
'Quicken me in thy righteousness.' I
plead thy righteous-
ness—thy righteous promise
for the reviving of my spiritual
life.
I long for more lively apprehensions of thy spotless
righteousness. Oh! let it invigorate
my delight, my obe-
dience,
my secret communion, my Christian walk and con-
versation.'
Such longings, poured out before the
Lord for
a
fresh supply of quickening grace, are
far different from
"the
desire of the slothful, which killeth him" (Prov. xxi.
25),
and will not be forgotten before God." Delight thy-
self
in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of thine
heart."
(Ps. xxxvii. 4.) O for a more enlarged expectation,
it
and a more abundant vouchsafement of blessing; that we
may
burst forth and break out, as from a living fountain
within
(John, iv. 14; vii. 38), in more ardent longings
for
the Lord's precepts!
But it may be asked—What weariness in, and
reluc-
tance
to duties, may consist with the principle and exercise
of
grace? Where it is only in the members, not in the
mind—where
it is only partial, not prevalent—where it
is
only occasional, not habitual — where it is lamented and
resisted,
and not allowed—and where, in spite of its influ-
ence,
the Christian still holds on in the way of duty—
"grace
reigns" in the midst of conflict, and will ultimately
100
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
and
gloriously triumph over all hindrance and opposition.
But
in the midst of the humbling views of sin that present
themselves
on every side, let me diligently inquire — Have
I
an habitual "hungering and thirsting after righteous-
ness?" And since, at
the best, I do but get my longings
increased,
and not satisfied; let the full satisfaction of
heaven
be much in my heart. "As for me, I will behold
thy
face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I
awake,
with thy likeness." (Ps. xvii. 15.)
And what an expectation is this to pretend
to! To
think
what the infinitely and eternally blessed God is—
and
what "man is at his best estate" (Ps. xxxix. 5); then
to
conceive of man—the worm of the dust—the child of sin
and
wrath — transformed into the likeness of God—how
weighty
is the sound of this hope! What then must its
substantiation
be? If the initial privilege be
glorious
(2
Cor. iii. 18), what will the fulness be! (1 John, iii. 2.)
Glory
revealed to us! transfused through us! becoming
our
very being! To have the soul filled — not with evan-
escent
shadows—but with massive, weighty, eternal glory!
(2
Cor. iv. 17.) Worlds are mere empty bubbles, com-
pared
with this, our sure, satisfying, unfading inheritance.
VERSE
41. 101
PART VI.
41.
Let thy mercies come also unto me, O
Lord; even thy
salvation, according to thy
word.
A
prayer of deep anxiety—large
desire—simple faith!
It
is a sinner—feeling his need of mercy—yea, mercies—
abundant
mercy (Ps. li. 1)—mercies for every moment—
looking
for them only in the Lord's salvation—to be dis-
pensed
according to his word. Out of Christ
we know only
a
God, of justice and holiness. In Christ we behold "a just
God,
and yet a Saviour" (Isa. xlv. 21); and in "his sal-
vation mercy and truth are met
together; righteousness
and
peace have kissed each other." (Ps. lxxxv. 9,10. Comp.
Rom.
iii. 26.) Therefore general notions of mercy
without
a
distinct apprehension of salvation have
their origin in
presumption,
not in warranted faith. For can there be any
communication
of mercy from an unknown God? Can
there
be any intercourse with an angry God? "Acquaint
now
thyself with him, and be at peace; thereby good shall
come
unto thee" (Job, xxii. 21)—"The
Lord's mercies, even
his salvation."
Can we conceive the moment, when this
prayer is not
suited
to us? How can we be at any moment safe or
happy
without the spirit of it? To walk as a saved sinner,
"accepted
in the Beloved," conformed to his image, devoted
to
his service, sealed for his kingdom—this is, or should
be,
the sunshine of every day. Let this prayer live in the
heart.
Carry continually to the Lord the cry for all his
102 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
mercies—specially for that,
which is the seal and crown of
them
all — his salvation.
This prayer, however, is peculiarly
suitable to the be-
liever,
longing to realize that which sometimes is clouded
to
his view — his personal interest in the Lord's
salvation
It
must come to me; or I shall never
come to it. I want
not
a general apprehension —I am not satisfied with the
description
of it. Let it come to me—Let thy mercies
be
applied,
so that I can claim them, and rejoice in them! I
see
thy salvation come to others. Who
needs it more than
I?
Let it come also unto me. "Look thou upon me, and be
merciful unto me, as thou usest to do to
those that love thy
name.
Remember me, O Lord, with the favour that
thou
bearest unto thy people; O visit me with thy
salvation; that
I
may see the felicity of thy chosen, that I may rejoice in
the
gladness of thy nation, that I may glory with thine
inheritance."
(Verse 132. Ps. cvi. 4, 5.)
Now, are we seeking the assurance of this salvation?
Are
we waiting to realize its present power, saving us from
sin—
Satan―the world — ourselves — and "blessing us
with
all spiritual blessings in Christ Jesus?" Should a
trial
of faith and patience be ordained for us, yet in the end
we
shall find an enriching store of experience from his
wise
dispensations. That he has kept us from turning our
backs
upon his ways, when we had no comfort in them;
that
he has upheld us with his secret supplies of strength
—is
not this the work of his own Spirit within, and the
pledge
of the completion of the work? That he has ena-
bled
us, against all discouragements, to "continue instant
in
prayer," is surely an answer to that prayer, which in our
apprehensions
of it, had been cast out. That in waiting
upon
him, we have found no rest in worldly consolation, is
an
assurance, that the Lord himself will be our soul-satis-
fying
and eternal portion. And who is there now in the
sensible
enjoyment of his love, who does not bless that
VERSE
42. 103
Divine
wisdom, which took the same course with them that
has
been taken with us, to bring them to these joys? When
did
a weeping seed-time fail of bringing a joyful harvest?
(Ps.
cxxvi. 5, 6.)
But let not the ground of faith be
forgotten —According
to thy word,— that it shall come
fully—freely—eternally—
to
him that waiteth for it. (Ps. xxxiii. 22. Comp. ver.81.)
"Thou
meetest him that rejoiceth and worketh righteous-
those
that remember thee in thy ways." (Isa. lxiv. 5.)
Many,
indeed, are satisfied with far too low a standard of
spiritual
enjoyments. It is comfortless to live at a dis-
trace
from our Father's house, when we might be dwelling
in
the secret of his presence, and rejoicing in the smiles of
his
love. But let us not charge this dishonourable state
upon
the sovereignty of the Divine dispensations. Let us
rather
trace it to its true source—want of desire—want
of
faith—want of prayer—want of diligence. What infi-
nite
need have we of heavenly influence! What gracious
encouragement
to seek it! The way was blocked up—
mercy
has cleared the path, opened our access—"The
golden
sceptre is always held out." (Esth. v. 2.) Earnest
prayer
will bring a sure answer. The blessing is unspeak-
able.
Let thy mercies—thy salvation, come unto
one, O Lord.
42.
So shall I have wherewith to answer him
that reproacheth
me; for I trust in
thy word.
What is the salvation which he had just
been speaking
of?
The whole gift of the mercy of Gods redemption
from
sin, death, and hell —pardon, peace, and acceptance
with
a reconciled God — constant communication of spiri-
tual
blessings—all that. God can give, or we can want; all
that
we are able to receive here, or heaven can perfect
hereafter.
Now if this comes to us—comes to our
hearts
―surely
it will furnish us at all times with an
answer to him
104 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
that reproacheth us. The world casts upon
us the reproach
of
the cross. "What profit is there that we have walked
mournfully
before the Lord of Hosts?" (Mal. iii. 14.) What
is
there to counterbalance the relinquishment of pleasure,
esteem,
and worldly comfort? The mere professor can give
no
answer. He has heard of it, but it has never come to
him. The believer is ready
with his answer, 'I have found
in
the Lord's salvation pardon and
peace—"not as the
world
giveth"—and such as the world cannot take away,
Here,
therefore, do I abide, finding it my
happiness not to
live
without the cross, and testifying in the midst of
abounding
tribulation, that there are no comforts like
Christ's
comforts.' This was David's answer,
when family
trials
were probably an occasion of reproach.
"Although
my house be not so with
God, yet he hath made with me an
everlasting covenant,
ordered in all things and sure: for this is
all my salvation and all
my desire."
(2 Sam. xxiii. 5.)
But there is a far heavier reproach than that of the
world—when
the grand accuser injects hard thoughts of
God
— when he throws our guilt and unworthiness — our
helplessness
and difficulties, in our face. And how severe
is
this exercise in a season of spiritual desertion! Except
the
believer can stay his soul upon "a God that hideth
himself,
as still the God of Israel, the Saviour" (Isa. xlv.
15),
he is unprepared with an answer to him
that reproacheth
him. Such appears to have
been Job's condition (Job, vi.
vii.
ix.), and Heman's (Ps. lxxxviii.), not to speak of many
of
the Lord's most favoured people, at different stages of
their
Christian life. Most important, therefore, is it for
us
to pray for a realizing sense of the
Lord's mercies — even
of his salvation—not only as necessary
for our peace and
comfort—
but to garrison us against every assault, and to
enable
us to throw down the challenge —"Rejoice
not against
me, O mine enemy; when I
fall, I shall arise; when I sit in
darkness, the Lord shall
be a light unto me."
(Mic. vii. 8.)
VERSE
42. 105
Free
grace has saved me—an unspotted righteousness
covers
me—an Almighty arm sustains me—eternal glory
awaits
me. Who shall condemn? "Who shall separate
us
from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus our Lord?"
(Rom.
viii. 33-39.)
Now, for this bold front to our enemies,
nothing is
wanted
beyond the reach of the weakest child of God. No
extraordinary
holiness—no Christian establishment in ex-
perience—nothing
but simple, humble faith—For I trust
in thy word. Faith makes this
salvation ours, in all its
fulness
and almighty power: and, therefore, our confidence
in the word will make us "ready
always to give an
answer
to every one that asketh us a reason of the hope
that
is in us, with meekness and fear." (1 Pet. iii. 15.)
"No
weapon that is formed against thee shall prosper;
and
every tongue that riseth against thee in judgment,
thou
shalt condemn. This is the heritage of the servants
of
the Lord; and their righteousness is of me, saith the
Lord."
(Isa. liv. 17.)
But how often is our Christian boldness
paralysed by
our
feeble apprehensions of the salvation of
God! Clear
and
full evangelical views are indispensable for the effective
exercise
of our weighty obligations. Any indistinctness
here,
from its necessary mixture of self-righteousness and
unbelief,
obscures the warrant of our personal interest, and
therefore
hinders the firm grasp of Almighty strength.
Coldness
and formality also deaden the power of Christian
boldness.
Much need, therefore, have we to pray for a
realized
perception of the freeness, fulness, holiness, and
privileges
of the Gospel. Much need have we to use our
speedy
diligence, without delay; our painful diligence,
without
indulgence: our continual diligence, without wea-
riness;
that we be not satisfied with remaining on the
skirts
of the kingdom that it be not a matter of doubt,
whether
we belong to it or not; but that, grace being
106
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
added
to grace, "so an entrance may be ministered to us
abundantly,
into" (2 Pet. i. 5-11) all its rich consolations
and
everlasting joys.
43.
And take not the word of truth utterly
out of my mouth;
for I have hoped in thy
judgments.
For the sake of the church and of the
world, no less
than
for our own sakes, let us "give diligence" to clear
up
our interest in the Gospel. The want of personal assu-
rance
is not only a loss in our own souls, but a hindrance
to
our Christian usefulness. Hence our efforts are often
powerless
in parrying off the attack of him that
reproacheth
us, as well as to "strengthen
the weak hands, and confirm
the
feeble knees" (Isa. xxxv. 3) of our brethren. The
charge
of hypocrisy, or the want of the "constraining"
principle
of "the love of Christ," stops the utterance of
the word of truth, and obscures our
character as a "saint of
God"
(Ps. cxlv. 10-12), and "a witness" for his name.
(Isa.
xliii. 10.) Justly, indeed, might he punish our un-
faithfulness,
by forbidding us any more to speak in his name.
And
therefore the dread of this grievous judgment, and the
mourning
over precious lost opportunities, stirs up the
prayer—'Take not the word of truth utterly out of my
mouth'
—
Not only take it not out of my heart;
but let it be ready
in
my mouth for the confession of my
Master.'
This valuable prayer may preserve us from
denying
Christ.
Too apt are we to allow worldly intercourse, habits,
and
conversation without a word of restraint. Let the
whole
weight of Christian responsibility be deeply felt—
faith
in the heart, and confession with the mouth (Rom. x.
9,
10)— the active principle, and the practical exercise.
Should
we be content with the dormant principle, where
would
be the Church—the witness for God in the world?
Shall
we shrink from the bold confession of Him, who
VERSE
43. 107
"despised
the shame of the cross" for us? (Heb. xii. 2.)
Would
not this imply distrust of our own testimony—the
word of truth?
It does indeed need wisdom to know when, as
well as
what,
to speak. There is "a time to keep silence," and
"the
prudent shall keep silence in that time." (Eccles. iii.
7.
Amos, v. 13.) But is it our cross to be "dumb with
silence?"
And when we "hold our peace, even from good,"
is
our "sorrow stirred —our hearts hot within us — the fire
burning"?
(Ps. xxxix. 2, 3.) Nay —is not the plea of bash-
fulness
or judicious caution often a self-deluding cover for
the
real cause of restraint—the want of
the personal appre-
hension
of the Lord's mercy? "I believed, and therefore have
I
spoken." (2 Cor. iv. 13.) Oh! let not the word of truth be
taken
utterly out of our mouth. A
stammering confession is
better
than silence. If we cannot say all we want of, or for
our
Saviour, let us say what we can. 'God's servants are
very
sensible of the infinite value of the least atom of what
belongs
to him.'* And a word spoken in weakness may
be
a word of Almighty power, and a present help to some
fainting
spirit. In our connexion with the world, many
occasions
will unexpectedly occur, if the heart be but
wakeful
and active to improve them. The common topics
of
earthly conversation often furnish a channel for hea-
venly
intercourse, so that our communications with the
World
may be like Jacob's ladder, whose bottom rested
upon
the earth, but the top reached unto the heavens.†
* Correspondence
of the Rev. J. T. Nottidge (Seeleys) —a most
valuable
treasure of experimental religion, p. 350.
† Gen. xxviii. 12. Why do I make any of my
visits to any of
my
neighbours, or countenance their visits unto me? Lord, I
desire
to let fall something, that may be for the good of the com-
pany;
even, that more may be known of thee, and done for thee,
for
what passes in it. And when I propose to ingratiate myself
unto
any people by the civilities of conversation, it shall be, that I
may
gain thereby the better advantages to prosecute purposes upon
108 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
And
oh! what a relief is it to the burdened conscience,
to
stammer out, if it be but a few words for God, even
though
there be no sensible refreshings of his presence!
Yet
if we would speak for him with power and acceptance,
it
must be out of the "good treasure and abundance
of
the heart." (Matt. xii. 34.) For it is only when "the
heart
is inditing a good matter, speaking of the things
touching
the King, that the tongue is as the pen of a
ready
writer." (Ps. xlv. 1, 2.)
But let us take up this petition as the
expression of
the
Christian's exercises with his God. 'That word utterly'
—
observes an eminently-tried believer — 'though it seems
to
be beneath the notice of the mind, when one has got
very
low, is in reality one of the most blessed words in this
most
blessed book. How often, when I have formerly been
upon
the brink of giving up all for lost, and of saying—
"Evil,
be thou my good"—the thought has perhaps struck
me,
that, while I am struggling between despondency and
rebellion,
and too hard, too cold, too discouraged to look
up
to him, the blessed Redeemer is pitying the struggle of
my
soul; and it has kept me where I was, led me to put
off
despair at least till to-morrow; and then before to-
morrow
I have seen something of the grace and glory of
the
Gospel.'
What then is the advice, which this man of
God gives
from
his own experience? When you are most deeply
deploring
your sins, never fail to thank the Lord, or at
least
to think how you would thank him, if you dared lift
up
a face overwhelmed with shame and defeat, that he has
not taken away his truth utterly; that he has left you
clinging
to some twig of hope, instead of leaving you to
them.
In conversation, I would especially lay hold on all advan-
tages
to introduce as much as I can of a lovely Christ into the
view
of all that I come near unto.'—Cotton
Mather, Student and
Pastor, pp. 74, 75.
VERSE 44. 109
find—what
thousands who look outwardly very calm—
have
found—the depth of the precipice of despair.'*
The
Psalmist's prayer here is the same confidence of
faith,
that was expressed in the preceding verse—For
I
have hoped in thy
judgments,
an acceptable spirit of approach
to
God, and an earnest of the revival of life and comfort in
the
Lord's best time and way.
44.
So shall I keep thy law continually for
ever and ever.
The heaping up of so many words in this
short verse,
appears
to be the struggle of the soul to express the vehe-
mency
of its longings to glorify its Saviour. And, indeed,
the
Lord's return to us, unsealing the lips of the dumb,
and
putting his word again into their mouth,
brings with it
a
fresh sense of constraining obligation. This fresh occu-
pation
in his praise and service is not only our present
privilege,
but an antepast of our heavenly employment,
when
the word will never more be taken out of
our mouth,
but
we shall "talk of his wondrous works" (Verse 27) "for
ever and ever." The defects in
the constancy and extent of
our
obedience (as far as our hearts are alive to the honour
of
God) must ever be our grief and burden; and the pros-
pect
of its completeness in a better world, is that, which
renders
the anticipation of heaven so delightful. There
we
shall be blest with suitable feelings, and therefore be
enabled
to render suitable obedience—even one unbroken
consecration
of all our powers to his work. Then "shall
we keep his law
continually for ever and ever." Once ad-
mitted
to the "throne of God," we "shall serve him day
and
night in his temple" (Rev. vii. 15)—without sin—
without
inconstancy — without weariness—without end!
We
speak of heaven; but oh! to be there! To be engaged
* Nottidge, ut supra, pp. 350, 351.
110 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
throughout
eternity in the service of love to a God of love!
In
one day's continuance in the path of obedience even
here,
in the midst of the defilement which stains our
holiest
services, how sweetly do the moments roll away
But
to be ever employed for him, in that place, where
"there
shall in no wise enter anything that defileth" (Rev.
xxi.
27)—this gives an emphasis and a dignity to the hea-
venly
joy, which may well stamp it as "unspeakable and
full
of glory." (1 Pet. i. 8.) May we not then encourage
the
hope, that the Lord is making us meet for heaven, by
the
strength and constancy of our desires to keep
the laws
of God? And is it not evident,
that heaven itself can
afford
no real delight to one, who feels the service of God
on
earth to be irksome? He stands self-excluded by the
constitution
of his nature, by the necessity of the case.
He
has no heart for heaven, no taste for heaven, no capa-
city
for enjoyment of heaven—"He that is unjust, let him
be
unjust still; and he that is filthy, let him be filthy
still;
and he that is righteous, let him be righteous still;
and
he that is holy, let him be holy still." (Rev. xxii. 11.)
Heavenly, gracious Father! who and what are
we, that
our
hearts should be made the unworthy recipients of thy
grace?
that our will should be subdued into "the obedience
of
faith?" and that we should be permitted to anticipate
that
blessed period, when we shall "keep
thy law continually,
for ever and ever?" May this
prospect realize the happiness
of
our present obedience! May He, who has "bought us
with
a price" for his glory, reign in our hearts, and live
upon
our lips; that each of us may have his mark upon
our
foreheads—the seal of his property in us, and of our
obligation
to him —"Whose I am, and whom I serve!"
(Acts,
xxvii. 23.)
VERSE
45. 111
45.
And I will walk at liberty: for I seek thy
precepts.
Not only perseverance but liberty, is the fruit of the
Lord's
mercy 'to our souls—not the liberty of sin —to do
what
we please—but of holiness—to do what we ought;
the
one, the iron bondage of our own will;* the other, the
easy
yoke of a God of love. It was a fine expression of a
heathen
—"To serve God is to reign."† Certainly in this
service
David found the liberty of a king. The
precepts of
God were not forced upon
him; for he sought them." More
to
be desired than gold, yea, than much fine gold; sweeter
also
than honey, and the honey-comb." (Ps. xix. 10.)
The
way of the Lord, which to the ungodly is beset with
thorns
and briers, is the king's highway of liberty.
The
child
of God walks here in the gladness of his heart and
the
rejoicing of his conscience. Even in "seeking
these pre-
cepts," there is "liberty" and enlargement of heart;
a na-
tural
motion, like that of the sun in its course, "going
forth
as a bridegroom, and rejoicing as a strong man to
run
a race." (Verse 5.) What must it be then, to walk
in
the full enjoyment of the precepts! "Where
the Spirit
of
the Lord is, there is liberty." "They shall sing in the
ways
of the Lord,"— for "how great is his goodness; how
great
is his beauty!" (2 Cor. iii. 17. Ps. cxxxviii. 5.
Zech.
ix. 17.)
* 'I am bound,' said Augustine—'not with
another man's iron,
but
with my own iron will. I gave my will to mine enemy, and he
Made
a chain, and bound me with it.'— Confess.
viii. 6.
† 'In regno vivimus. Deo servire est
regnare.'—Seneca.
When
the female martyr Agatha was upbraided, because, being
descended
of an illustrious parentage, she stooped to mean and
humble
offices— 'Our nobility'— she replied—'lies in this; that
we
are the servants of Christ.'―Bishop
Sumner’s Evidences, pp.
359,
360.
112 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
Are we then obeying the precepts as our duty, or "seek-
ing" them as our
privilege? Do we complain of the strict-
ness
of the law, or of the corruption of the flesh? Are the
precepts of our own hearts our
burden? Is sin or holiness
our
bondage? The only way to make religion easy, is to
be
always in it. The glow of spiritual activity, and the
healthfulness
of Christian liberty, are only to be
found in
the
persevering and self-denying pursuit of every track of
the
ways of God—"If ye continue in my word, then are ye
my
disciples indeed: and ye shall know the truth, and the
truth
shall make you free. If the Son, therefore, shall make
you
free, ye shall be free indeed." (John, viii. 31, 32, 36.)
To
have the whole stream of all our thoughts, actions, mo-
tives,
desires, affections, carried in one undivided current
towards
God, is the complete and unrestrained influence of
his
love upon our hearts.
Let but our eyes be opened, our judgments
clearly ex-
ercised,
our consciences suffered to speak; and this point
is
clear — Sin is slavery (John, viii. 34)— Holiness is
liberty.
The sinner may live in bonds with as much delight
as
if he was in his element. He may seem even to himself
to
be at large, while in fact be is "shut up, and cannot
come
forth." For such is the tyranny under which he is
bound,
that he cannot help himself; and (to use the con-
fession
of a heathen) while 'he sees and approves better
things,
he follows the worse.'* Every sin is a fresh chain
of
bondage (Tit. iii. 3), under the check of a cruel master.
On
the other hand—the Lord's commands—as he himself
declares,
and all his servants testify—are "for our good
alway."
(Deut. vi. 24. Matt. xi. 29, 30. Comp. 1 John, v.
3.)
His 'service is perfect freedom.' (Liturgy.) The life
of
liberty is to be under the bonds of holy love and duty.
* "Video meliora,
proboque;
Deteriora sequor."—Media in Ovid.
VERSE
45. 113
(Luke,
i. 74, 75. Comp. Ps. cxvi. 16.) Let the trial be
made
of two Masters; conviction must follow.
True it is, that the corrupt and rebellious
inclinations
will
"lust" (Gal. v. 17) to the end. But as long as in-
dulgence
is denied, conflict excited, and the constant en-
deavour
maintained to "bring every thought into captivity
to
the obedience of Christ" (2 Cor. x. 5), our liberty is
established,
even where it is not always enjoyed. Every
fresh
chain, by which we bind ourselves to the Lord, makes
us
more free.* While, then, they that "promise us liberty
are
themselves the servants of corruption" (2 Pet. ii. 19),
let
us live as the children of God — the heirs of the king-
dom
— grateful — free — blood-bought souls—remembering
the
infinite cost at which our liberty was purchased, and
the
moment of extreme peril when we were saved. When
the
flesh was weak, and the "law weak through the flesh"
(Rom.
viii. 3), and no resolution of ours could break us
from
the yoke of sin—then it was that "Christ both died,
and
rose, and revived, that he might be the Lord both of
the
dead and living" (Ib. xiv. 9), "delivering us from
the
hand of our enemies, that we might serve him without
fear."
(Luke, i. 74.) And then indeed do we "walk at
liberty,"
when we "break the bands" of all other lords
asunder,"
and consecrate ourselves entirely to his precepts.
"O Lord our God, other lords beside thee have
had dominion
over us; but by thee
only will we make mention of thy name."†
* "Jugum Christi non deterit, sed
honestat colla."— Bernard.
† Isa. xxvi. 13. An incident in the history
of ancient Rome
may
furnish an illustration of that full liberty and entireness of
heart,
which forms the act of acceptable surrender to the Lord.
When
the people of Collatia were negotiating an unconditional
capitulation
to the Romans, Egerius, on the part of the Romans,
inquired
of the ambassadors—'Are the people of Collatia in their
own
power?' When an affirmative answer was given, it was next
inquired
—'Do you deliver up yourselves—the people of Collatia-
114
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
46.
I will speak of thy testimonies also
before kings, and will
not be ashamed.
"Liberty in walking" in the
Lord's ways will naturally
produce
boldness in speaking of them. Compare the con-
duct
of the three unshaken witnesses for the truth before
the
Babylonish monarch. (Dan. iii. 16-18.) Mark the dif-
ference
of the spirit displayed by the Apostles, and espe-
cially
by Peter, before and after the day of Pentecost:
Look
at Stephen before the council (Acts, vi. 15), and Paul
before
Felix (Acts, xxiv.), Festus (Acts, xxv.), and Agrippa
(Acts,
xxvi.). "God had not given to them the spirit of
fear
but of power, and of love, and of a sound mind." (2
Tim.
i. 7.) Hear the great Apostle testifying of himself—
"I
am ready to preach the gospel to you that are at Rome
also"—
at the metropolis of the world, in the face of all
opposition
and contempt, and at the imminent hazard of
my
life—"For"—says he—"I am not ashamed of the gospel
of Christ." (Rom. i. 15,
16.) In the same determination of
soul,
he exhorts his dear son in the faith—"Be
not thou
ashamed of the testimony of our
Lord, nor of me his pri-
soner."
(2 Tim. i. 8.) To how many does "the fear of man
your
city, your fields, your waters, your boundaries, your temples,
your
utensils, all your property, divine and human, into my power,
and
the power of the Roman people?' 'We
surrender all.' And
so,'
said he, 'I accept you.'—Livy,
Book i. Such may my surrender
be
to the Lord! Disentangled from every other yoke, under no
bonds
that ought to bind me, Lord, I offer myself, and all that
belongs
to me, without exception or reserve, at thy feet. "But
who
am that I should be able to offer so willingly after this sort?
For
all things come of thee, and of thine own have I given thee."
1
Chron, xxix, 14,
* Contrast Matt. xxvi. 56, 69, 75; with
Acts, ii. iii. iv. v. We
can
scarcely believe that the same persons are alluded to. But
the
explanation of the difficulty had been given by anticipation.
(John,
vii. 39.)
VERSE 46. 115
bring
a snare?" (Prov. xxix. 25.) Many a good soldier
has
faced the cannon's mouth with undaunted front, and
yet
shrunk away with a coward's heart from the reproach
of
the cross, and been put to blush even by the mention
of
the Saviour's name. Far better—the Son of Man
"strengthening
you"— to brave the fiery furnace, or the
den
of lions in his service, than like Jonah, by flinching
from
the cross, to incur the sting of conscience and the
frown
of God. (Dan. iii. 16-18; vi. 16-22, with Jonah, i.
1-15.)
Professing Christians! Are we ready to bear
our tes-
timony
for Jesus, against the sneer and ridicule of the un-
godly?
We are not likely to "be brought before
kings and
rulers
for the Son of Man's sake." (Luke, xxi. 12. Mark,
9.)
Yet no less do we need Divine help and strong
faith
in withstanding the enmity of a prejudiced relative or
scornful
neighbour. Young people! you are perhaps in
especial
danger of being ashamed of your Bible, your reli-
gion,
your Saviour. You may be brought under the snare
of
the "fear of man," and be tempted to compromise your
religion,
and to sacrifice your everlasting all from a dread
of
"the reproach of Christ." But remember him, who for
your
sake "before Pontius Pilate witnessed a good con-
fession"
(1 Tim. vi. 13); and shall the dread of a name
restrain
you from sharing his reproach, and banish the
obligations
of love and gratitude from your hearts? Have
you
forgotten, that you once owned the service of Satan?
and
will you not be as bold for Christ, as you were for him?
Were
you once "glorying in your shame; "and will you now
be
ashamed of your glory? Oh! remember who hath said,
"Whosoever
shall be ashamed of me and of my words, in
this
adulterous and sinful generation, of him also shall the
Son
of Man be ashamed, when he cometh in the glory of
his
Father with the holy angels." (Mark, viii. 38.) Think
116 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
much
and often of this word. Think on this day. Think
on
the station of "the fearful and unbelieving" on the left
hand
on that day. Think on their eternal doom (Rev.
xxi.
8). What is a prison, compared to hell? What need
to
pray and tremble! If you are sincere in your deter-
mination,
and simple in your dependence, then will the.
"love
of Christ constrain you" (2 Cor. v. 14), not to a cold,
calculating,
reluctant service; but to a confession of your
Saviour,
bold, unfettered, and "faithful even unto death."
(Rev.
ii. 10.) Every deviation from the straight path
bears
the character of being ashamed of Christ.
How much
have
you to speak in behalf of his testimonies,
his ways, his
love!
When in danger of the influence of "the fear of
man,"
look to him for strength. He will give to you, as he
gave
to Stephen—"a mouth and wisdom, which all your
adversaries
shall not be able to gainsay or resist." (Luke,
xxi.
15, with Acts, vi. 10.) Thus will you, like them,
be
strengthened "to profess a good profession before many
witnesses."
(1 Tim. vi. 12.)
47.
And I will delight myself in thy
commandments, which, I
have
loved.
It is but poor comfort to the believer to
be able to talk
well
to others upon the ways of God, and even to "bear
the
reproach" of his people, when his own heart is cold,
insensible,
and dull. But why does he not rouse himself
to
the active exercise of faith—"I will
delight myself in
thy
commandments?" That which is the burden of the
carnal
heart is the delight of the renewed soul. The former
"is
enmity against God: and therefore is not, and cannot
be,
subject to his law." (Rom. viii. 7.) The latter can
delight in nothing else. If the
gospel separates the heart
from
sinful delights, it is only to make
room for delights of
VERSE 47. 117
a
more elevated, satisfying, and enduring nature.* Satan,
indeed,
generally baits his temptations with that seductive
witchery,
which the world calls pleasure. But has he
engrossed
all pleasure into his service? Are there no
pleasures
besides "the pleasures of sin?" Do the ways
of
the Lord promise nothing but difficulty and trial? What
means
then the experience of him, who could "rejoice in
them,
as much as in all riches," and who "loved them
above
gold, yea, above fine gold?" (Verses 14, 127.) The
"fatted
calf" of our Father's house is surely a most gainful
exchange
for "the husks" of the "far country." ( Luke,
xv.
13-24.) The delights of holiness go deeper than sensual
pleasures.
(Ps. iv. 7.) The joy of the saint is not that
false,
polluted, deadly joy, which is all that the worldling
knows,
and all that he has to look for: but it flows spon-
taneously
from the fountain of living waters, through the
pure
channel of "the word of God, which liveth and abideth
for
ever." Nay, so independent is it of any earthly spring,
that
it never flourishes more than in the desolate wilder-
ness,
or the sick-bed solitude; so that, "although the fig-
tree
shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines,
yet
we will rejoice in the Lord, we will joy in the God of
our
salvation." (Hab. iii. 17, 18.) Men of the world see
what
religion takes away, but they see little of what
it
gives;† else would they reproach —not our folly—
but
their own blindness. "Thus saith the Lord God,
Behold,
my servants shall eat, but ye shall be hungry;
* 'Delectationes non amittimus, sed
mutanaus'— was the ex-
pression
of one of the ancients. 'I live a voluptuous life'— said the
excellent
Joseph Alleine to his wife —'but it is upon spiritual
dainties,
such as the world know not, and taste not of.'
† Cyprian, in one of his epistles (ad
Donat.), mentions the great
difficulty
he found in overcoming the false view of the gloom of
religion—little
suspecting that the cause of the gloom was in him-
self—not
in the gospel. But this is explained, Matt. vi. 23.
118 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
behold,
my servants shall drink, but ye shall be thirsty;
behold,
my servants shall rejoice, but ye shall be ashamed;
behold,
my servants shall sing for joy of heart, but ye shall
cry
for sorrow of heart, and shall howl for vexation of
spirit."
(Isa. lxv. 13, 14.)
The love and complacency of the soul first
fixes on the
commandments. Then how natural is
the flow of delight in
them! even at the very time that
we are "abhorring our-
selves
in dust and ashes" for our neglect of them; and
God
never has our hearts, until something of this delight is
felt
and enjoyed. But do we complain of the dulness of
our
hearts, that restrains this pleasure? Let us seek for
a
deeper impression of redeeming love. This will be the
spring
of grateful obedience and holy delight. Let us turn
our
complaints into prayers, and the Lord will quickly turn
them
into praises. Let us watch against everything, that
would
intercept our communion with Jesus. Distance from
him
must be accompanied with poverty of spiritual enjoy-
ment.—"They shall be abundantly satisfied with the
fatness
of thy house: and thou
shalt make them drink of the river of
thy pleasures. For with
thee is the fountain of life: and in
thy light shall we see
light."
(Ps. xxxvi. 8, 9.)
48.
My hands also will I lift up unto thy
commandments,
which I have loved: and I will meditate in thy
statutes.
David seems at a loss for expressions
adequately to set
forth
the fervency of his love and delight in the ways and
word
of God. Here we find him lifting up his
hands
with
the gesture of one, who is longing to embrace the
object
of his desire with both hands and his whole heart.
(See
Ps. lxiii. 4; cxliii. 6.) Perhaps also in lifting
up
his hands unto the
commandments,
he might mean to express
his
looking upward for assistance to keep them, and to live
in
them. (See Ib. xxviii. 2.) But how humbling this
VERSE
48. 119
comparison
with ourselves! Alas how often from the
neglect
of this influence of the Spirit of God, do our "hands
hang
down," instead of being lifted up,
in these holy
ways!
We are too often content with a scanty measure
of
love: without any sensible "hungering and thirsting
after
righteousness;" neither able to pray with life and
power,
nor to hear with comfort and profit, nor to "do
good
and communicate" with cheerfulness, nor to meditate
with
spiritual delight, nor to live for God with zeal and
interest,
nor to anticipate the endurance of the cross with
unflinching
resolution—the soul being equally disabled
for
heavenly communion and active devotedness. Shall we
look
for ease under the power of this deadening malady?
Let
us rather struggle and cry for deliverance from it. Let
us
subscribe ourselves before God as wretched, helpless,
and
guilty. He can look upon us, and revive us. Let us
then
"take hold upon his covenant," and plead that he
will
look upon us. Let us "put him in remembrance" of
the
glory of his name, which is much more concerned in
delivering
us out of this frame, by his quickening grace,
than
in leaving us, stupid, corrupt, and carnal in it. Pro-
fessor!
awake: or beg of the Lord to awaken you! For
if
your cold sleeping heart is contented with the prospect
of
a heaven hereafter, without seeking for a present fore-
taste
of its joy, it may be a very questionable matter
whether
heaven will ever be yours.
Delight, however, will exercise itself in
an habitual
meditation in the
statutes.
(See Ps. i. 2.) The breathing
of
the heart will be—"Oh, how love I
thy law! it is my medi-
tation all the day." (Verse 97.) It
is in holy meditation on
the
word of God, that all the graces of the Spirit are mani-
fested.
What is the principle of faith, but the reliance of
the
soul upon the promises of the word? What is the
sensation
of godly fear, but the soul trembling before the
threatenings
of God? (Verse 120.) What is the object of
120 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
hope,
but the apprehended glory of God? What is the
excitement
of desire or love, but longing, endearing con-
templations
of the Saviour, and of his unspeakable bless-
ings?
Hence we can scarcely conceive of the influence of
grace
separated from spiritual meditation on the word. It
is
this which, under Divine teaching, draws out its hidden
contents,
and exhibits them to the soul, as the objects
upon
which the principles and affections of the Divine life
are
habitually exercised. Not that any benefit can be ex-
pected
from meditation, even upon the word of God, as an
abstract
duty. If not deeply imbued with prayer, it will
degenerate
into dry speculative study. Without some dis-
tinct
practical application, it will be unedifying in itself,
and
unsatisfactory for its important ends—the discerning
of
the mind of God, and feeding upon the rich provision of
the
Gospel.
Why then is the Bible read only—not meditated on?
Because
it is not loved. We do not go to it,
as the hungry
man
to his food, as the miser to his treasure. The loss is
incalculable.
Our superficial knowledge has no practical
influence.
It is only as we "search," that we "know it for
our
good." (Job, v. 27.)
Let it then be a matter of daily inquiry.
Does my
reading
of the word of God furnish food for my soul, matter
for
prayer, direction for conduct? Scriptural study, when
entered
upon in a prayerful spirit, will never, like many
other
studies, be unproductive. The mind that is engaged
in
it, is fitly set for bearing fruit; it will "bring forth
fruit
in due season." (Ps. i. 2, 3.) Meditation kindles love,
as
it is the effect of love, "While I was musing, the fire
burned."
(Ps. xxxix. 3.) "Whoso looketh into the perfect
law
of liberty, and continueth therein, this man is blessed
in
his deed." (Jam. i. 25.) But let us take heed, that the
root
of religion in the soul is not cankered by the indul-
gence
of secret sin. The largest supply of Christian ordi-
VERSE 48. 121
nances
will fail to refresh us, except the heart be kept right
with
God in simplicity of faith, love, and diligence in the
service
of Christ.
Come then, Christian, let us set our hearts
to a vigor-
ous,
delighting devotedness to the statutes of
our God. "It
is
not a vain thing for us; because it is our life." (Deut.
xxxii.
46, 47.) But to regard some of the
words only
would
be to obey our own will, not God's. Let us lift
up
our hands to them all. How shadowy is the joy
of specu-
lative
contemplation, if it does not draw the heart to prac-
tical
exercise! Let faith return our obligations in the full
apprehension
of the Lord's mercy. And then will love
constrain
us to nothing less than "a living sacrifice" (Rom.
xi.
22, 30, xii. 1) to his service. If the professor sleeps in
notional
godliness, let us employ our active meditation
in
searching
for the mine that lies not on the surface, but
which
never fails to enrich diligent, patient, persevering
labour.
(Prov. ii. 4, 5.)
122 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
PART VII.
49.
Remember the word unto thy servant, upon
which thou
hast caused me
to hope.
What is faith? It is hope upon God's word. The warrant
of
faith is therefore the word. The
object of faith is he
that
causeth us to hope. He has not
forgotten—he cannot
forget,
his word. But he permits—nay,
commands his
servants to remind him of it
(Isa. lxii. 6. M. R.) in order
to
exercise their faith, diligence, and patience. Often
indeed,
"hope deferred maketh the heart
sick." (Prov. xii
12.)
But it is not needless delay (Hab. ii. 3)—not igno-
rance of the fittest time (Isa. xxx. 18)—not
forgetfulness
(Ps.
cxi. 5)—not changeableness (Mal. iii. 6)—not weak-
ness.
(1 Sam. xv. 29.) Meanwhile, however, constantly
plead
the promise—Remember the word unto thy
servant.
This
is the proper use of the promises, as "arguments
wherewith
to fill our mouths, when we order our cause
before
God." (Job, xxiii. 4.) When thus pleaded with
the
earnestness and humility of faith, they will be found
to
be the blessed realities of unchanging love.
Now—have not circumstances of Providence,
or the
distinct
application of the Spirit, made some words of God
especially
precious to your soul? Such words are thus
made
your own, to be laid up against some future time of
trial,
when you may "put your God in remembrance"
(Isa.
xliii. 26) of them. Apply this exercise of faith to
such
a word as this—"Him that cometh unto me, I will in
VERSE
49. 123
no
wise cast out." (John, vi. 37.) Then plead your in-
terest
in it as a coming sinner —"Lord, I
hope in this thy
word." "Thou hast caused me to hope" in it.
"Remember
this word unto thy
servant."
Thus is prayer grounded upon
the
promise, which it forms into a prevailing argument,
and
sends back to heaven; nothing doubting, but that it
will
be verified in God's best time and way.*
Take another case; God has engaged himself
to be the
God
of the seed of believers. His sacramental ordinance
is
the seal of this promise. (Gen. xvii. 7, 10, with Acts, ii.
38,
39.) The believer brings his child to this ordinance,
as
the exercise of his faith upon the faithfulness of God.
Let
him daily put his finger upon this
promise, Remember
the word unto thy
servant, upon which thou hast caused me to
hope. This is, as Augustine
said of his mother, 'bringing
before
God his own hand-writing.' Will he not remember
his word? Faith may be tried,
perhaps long tried. "But
he
abideth faithful. He cannot deny himself." (2 Tim.
ii.
13.) Faith trusts —not what the eye sees, but what
the
word promises.
Again— Have we ever found God's word hoped on, a
covering
and strength against besetting sin? This will
surely
be an encouragement to cry under the same tempt-
ation
—Remember thy word. "He who hath
delivered, doth
deliver,
and will even to the end deliver." (2 Cor. i. 10.)
He
"hath done great things for us." And is not this an
earnest
of continued mercy? "Because thou
hast been my
help, therefore under the
shadow of thy wings will I re-
joice."
(Ps. lxiii. 7.) Thus may we confidently receive a
* We may observe Jacob making precisely
this use of the word
of
promise to great advantage, at a time of personal extremity.
Gen.
xxxii. 9, 10, 12; with xxxi. 3, 13; xxviii. 13-45. Was not
this
in fact pleading—Remember the word unto
thy servant, upon,
which thou hast caused
me to hope?
Comp. also verse 38 of this
Psalm.
124 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
promise
as the distinct message to our soul, when we are
conscious
of a readiness to receive the whole word as the
rule
of our life. And does it not set an edge upon prayer,
to eye a promising God, and to consider his
promises—not
as
hanging in the air, without any definite direction or
meaning,
but as individually spoken and belonging to
myself
as a child and servant of God? This
is the expe-
rience and comfort of the life of faith. This unfolds
the
true
secret of living to God; ending at last with the
honourable
death-bed testimony—"Behold, this day I am
going
the way of all the earth: and ye know in all your
hearts
and in all your souls, that not one thing hath failed
of
all the good things, which the Lord your God spoke
concerning
you; all are come to pass unto you; and not
one
thing hath failed thereof." (Josh. xxiii. 14.)
50.
This is my comfort in my affliction; for
thy word hath
quickened
me.
David was encouraged to plead the word of
promise in
prayer,
from the recollection of its comfort in
his affliction,
For
the man of God is not exempted from affliction, but
he
is comforted in it with God's comforts, flowing from the
fountain-head.
And truly no comforts are like God's com-
forts,
and there are none beside his. (Ps. xciv. 19. 2 Cor.
i.
3, 4.) They are indeed strong consolations, both in their
foundation
and their influence (Heb. vi. 18); supporting—
not
only in the prospect, but under the actual pressure of
trouble,
and fully proportioned to the need of the most
sinking
calamity. (2 Cor. i. 5.) Never therefore are we
left
unsupported in such a time, or called to drink a cup of
unmingled
tribulation. In the moments of our bitterest
sorrow,
how are we compelled to stand amazed at the ten-
derness,
which is daily and hourly exercised towards us!
We
have always some word exactly suited to our affliction,
VERSE
50. 125
and
which we could not have understood without it; and
"a
word" thus "spoken in due season, how good is
it!"*
One
word of God, sealed to the heart, infuses more sensible
relief,
than ten thousand words of man. When therefore
the word assures of the presence
of God in affliction (Isa.
xliii.
1, 2); of his continued pity and sympathy in his most
severe
dispensations (Exod. iii. 7, 16); and of their cer-
tain
issue to our everlasting good (Rom. viii. 28); must not
we
say of it, This is our comfort in our
affliction? How does
the
Saviour's love stream forth from this channel on every
side;
imparting life, refreshment, strength to those, who
but
for this comfort would have "fainted"
(Ps. xxvii. 13),
and
"perished in their affliction!" (Verse 92.) This in-
deed
was the end, for which the Scriptures were written
(Rom.
xv. 4); and such power of consolation have they
sometimes
administered to the afflicted saint, that tribula-
tion
has almost ceased to be a trial, and the retrospect has
been
the source of thankful recollection.
But first the word becomes life—then comfort. And
those only, who have felt the quickening power of the word,
can
realize its consolations. Be thankful, then, Reader, if,
when
dead in sins, it "quickened you"
(Jam. i. 18. 1 Pet.
* Prov. xv. 23. 'I will show you a
privilege that others want,
and
you have in this case. Such as are in prosperity, and are filled with
earthly
joys, and increased with children and friends; though the
Word
of God, is indeed written for their instruction, yet to you who
are
in trouble, and from whom the Lord hath taken many children,
and
whom he hath otherwise exercised, there are some chapters,
some
particular promises in the word of God, made in an espe-
cial
manner, which would never have been yours, so as they now
are,
if you had had your portion in this world like others. It is no
small
comfort, that God hath written some scriptures to you, which
he
hath not to others. Read these, and think God is like a friend,
who
sendeth a letter to a whole house and family, but who speaketh
in
his letter to some by name, that are dearest to him in the house.'
—Rutherford’s Letters.
126 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
i.
23); and, when sunk in trouble, once and again it has
revived
you. (Verses 81, 82.) Yet think not, that it is any
innate
power of its own, that works so graciously for you,
No.
The exhibition of the Saviour is the spring of life and
consolation.
It is because it "testifies of him" (John, v,
39),
"the consolation of Israel" (Luke, ii. 25)—"afflicted
in
all our afflictions" (Isa. 9)—and never failing to
uphold
with "grace sufficient for us." (2 Cor. xii. 9.) It
is
not, however, the word without the Spirit, nor the Spirit
generally
without the word; but the Spirit by the word—
first
putting life into the word (John, vi. 63), and then by
the
word quickening the soul. The word then is only the
instrument.
The Spirit is the Almighty agent. Thus the
work
is the Lord's; and nothing is left for us, but self-
renunciation
and praise.
51.
The proud have had me greatly in
derision; yet have I not
declined from thy
law.
The scorn of an ungodly world is one of the
afflictions,
which
realize to us the comfort of the word. And this is a
trial,
from which no exemption is to be expected—"All
that will live godly in
Christ Jesus
shall suffer persecution."
(2
Tim. iii. 12. Comp. 1 Cor. iv. 13.) Not even David—
though
a king — a man of wisdom and prudence, and there-
fore
not likely to give unnecessary offence; and whose
character
and rank might be expected to command respect
—not
even was he shielded from the derision of
the proud
on
account of the profession and service of his God. (Ps.
xxxv.
15, 16; cxxiii. 3, 4.) Thus it ever was and ever
will
be. Faith in the doctrine of Christ, and conformity
to
the strict commandments of the gospel, must expose us
to
the taunts of the unbeliever and the worldling. Yet
where
the heart is right with God, the derision
of the
proud, instead of forcing us
to decline from the law of
VERSE
51. 127
God, will strengthen our
adherence to it. David answered
the
bitter derision of Michal with a
stronger resolution to
abide
by his God—"I will yet be more vile than thus."
(2
Sam. vi. 20-22.) He counted it his glory, his duty, his
joy.
None, however, but a believer knows what it is to bear
this
cross: and none but a real believer can bear it. It is
one
of the touchstones of sincerity, the application of which
has
often been the means of "separating the precious from
the
vile," and has unmasked the self-confident professor to
his
own confusion. Oh! how many make a fair profession,
and
appear "good soldiers of Jesus Christ," until the hour
of
danger proves them deserters, and they reap only the
fruits
of their self-confidence in their own confusion!
It is, therefore, of great importance to
those who are just
setting
out in the warfare, to be well armed with the word
of
God. It kept David stedfast amidst the derision
of
the proud; and it will keep young
Christians from being
frightened
or overcome by the sneer of an ungodly world.
But
that it may "dwell in us richly in
all wisdom" (Col.
iii.
16), and be suited to our own case, it will be well, under
circumstances
of reproach, to acquaint ourselves with the
supporting
promises and encouragements to suffer for
righteousness'
sake.* Above all, the contemplation of the
great
sufferer himself—meeting this poignant trial in
meekness
(Ps. xxii. 6-8. 1 Pet. ii. 23), compassion, and
prayer
(Luke, 34), — will exhibit a refuge from
the
storm, and a shadow from the heat, when the blast
of
the terrible ones is as the storm against the wall." (Isa.
xxv.
4.) The mere professor knows not this refuge; he
possesses
not this armour; so that when "affliction or
* Such as the benediction of the Saviour,
Luke, vi. 22, 23, con-
firmed
by the recorded experience of the Lord's most favoured ser-
vants,
the Apostles—Acts, v. 41: Paul especially, 2 Cor. xii. 10;
Col.
i. 24—the disciples of Thessalonica, 1 Thess. i. 6,—the Hebrew
Christians,
Heb. x. 34.
128 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
persecution
ariseth for the word's sake, immediately he is
offended."
(Mark, iv. 17.)
Christian! be satisfied with the
approbation of your
God.
Has he not adopted you into his family, stamped
you
with his image, assured you by his Spirit, sealed you
for
his kingdom? And is not this "honour that cometh
from
God only" enough—far more than enough—to
counterbalance
the derision of the proud? Think of
the day,
when
"the rebuke of the people shall be taken away from
off
all the earth," when "he will confess their name before
his
Father, and before his angels," when "the saints shall
judge
the world," when "the upright shall have dominion
over
them in the morning." Can we be Christians, if this
sure
prospect does not infinitely more than compensate for
all
"the hard speeches, which ungodly sinners have spoken
against
us?" (Isa. xxv. 8. Rev. iii. 5. 1 Cor. vi. 2. Ps.
xlix.
14. Jude, 14, 15.)
Thus—blessed be God—the weapons of our
warfare
are
drawn from the Divine armoury; and therefore depend-
ing
on the grace, and following the example, of Jesus, we
suffer,
as the way to victory—the road to an everlasting
crown.
52.
I remembered thy judgments of old, O Lord;
and have
comforted
myself.
The Lord's dealings with his people were a
frequent
subject
of meditation to the Psalmist (Ps. lxxvii. 5, 11,
12;
cxliii. 5), and now were they his present support under
"the
scourge of the tongue." (Job, v. 21.) Evidently they
are
put upon record for the encouragement of future gene-
rations.
(Ps. xliv. 1-3; lxxviii. 3-8; cv. 5, 6; cxlv. 4.
Joel,
i. 3.) We are ready to imagine something peculiar
in
our own case, and to "think it strange concerning the
fiery
trial which is to try us, as though some strange thing
VERSE
52. 129
happened
unto us. But when we remember the Lord's
judgments of old, with his people, we comfort ourselves in
the
assurance, that "the same afflictions are accomplished
in
our brethren, that have been in the world" (1 Pet. iv.
12;
v. 9); and that "as the sufferings of Christ have
abounded
in them, so their consolation also abounded by
Christ."
(2 Cor. i. 5.) They also encountered the same
derision of the proud, and always experienced
the same
support
from the faithfulness of their God. We do not
sufficiently
consider the mercy and gracious wisdom of God,
in
occupying so much of his written word with the records
of
his judgments of old. One class will
pay a prominent
attention
to the preceptive, another to the doctrinal, parts
of
revelation— each forgetting that the historical records
comprise
a full and striking illustration of both, and have
always
proved most supporting grounds of consolation to
the
Lord's people. The important design in casting so large
a
portion of the small volume of Revelation into an his-
torical
form, is every way worthy of its author. "What-
soever
things were written aforetime, were written for our
learning;
that we through patience and comfort of
the
Scriptures might have hope"
(Rom. xv. 4); and how ad-
mirably
adapted the means are to the end, the diligent
student
in the Scripture field will bear ample witness.
Wilfully,
therefore, to neglect the historical portion of the
sacred
volume, from the idea of confining our attention to
what
we deem the more spiritual parts of scripture—would
show
a sad deficiency of spiritual apprehension, and deprive
ourselves
of the most valuable instruction, and most
abundant
comfort. This neglect would exclude us from
one
eminent means of increasing "patience," in the example
of
those "who through faith and patience inherit the pro-
mises;"
of receiving "comfort," in the experience of the
faithfulness
of God manifested in every age to his people:
and
of enlivening our "hope," in marking the happy issue
130 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
of
the "patience of the saints," and the heavenly support
administered
unto them.* So far, therefore, are we from
being
little interested in the Scriptural records of past ages,
that
it is evident that the sacred historians, as well as the
prophets,
"ministered not unto themselves, but unto us
the
things which are now reported." (1 Pet. i. 12.)
Let us select one or two instances as
illustrative of this,
subject.
Why were the records of the deluge, and of the
overthrow
of the cities of the plain, preserved, but as ex-
hibitions to the church, that "the
Lord"—the Saviour of
Noah,
the eighth person, and the deliverer of just Lot—
"knoweth
how to deliver the godly out of temptations,
and
to reserve the unjust unto the day of judgment
to
be punished?" (2 Pet. ii. 5-9.) What a source of
comfort
then to the tempted people of God is the remem-
brance of these
judgments of old!
Take again the wonder-
ful
history of the overthrow of the Egyptians, and the
consequent
deliverance of God's ancient people. How
often
does the church recollect this interposition as a
ground
of assurance, that under similar circumstances of
trial,
the same illustrious displays of Divine faithfulness
and
love may be confidently expected! She looks back
upon
what the "arm of the Lord hath done in ancient
days,
and in the generation of old," as the pattern of what
he
ever would be, and ever would do, for his purchased
people.
(Isa. li. 9-11.) Thus also God himself recalls
to
our mind this overthrow and deliverance as a ground
of
present encouragement and support—"According
to the
days of thy coming out
of the land of Egypt
will I show
unto
him marvellous things" (Mic. vii. 15)—and
Church
echoes back this remembrance in the expression
her
faith, gratitude, and expectation for spiritual blessing.
* In this view, the recollection of the
Lord's judgments of old
puts
a new song into the mouth" of the Church, of "thanks-
giving
unto her God." Isa. xxv. 1-4.
VERSE
53. 131
"He will subdue our iniquities, and thou wilt cast all their
sins into the depths of the sea." (Verse
19.) Such is the
interesting
use that may be made of the historical parts of
Scripture!
Such is the comfort to be derived
from the
remembrance of the
Lord's judgments of old! And is not
the
recollection of his judgments of old
with ourselves, pro-
ductive
of the same support? Does not the retrospect of
his
dealings with our own souls serve to convince us, that
"all
his paths are mercy and truth?" (Ps. xxv. 10.) The
assurance
is therefore warranted alike by experience and
by
Scripture—"We know that all things work together
for
good to them that love God, to them who are the
called
according to his purpose." (Rom. viii. 28.)
53.
Horror hath taken hold upon me,* because
of the wicked
that forsake
thy law.
The remembrance
of the Lord's judgments of old, while it
brings
comfort to his people as regards
themselves, stirs up
a
poignancy of compassionate feeling for the ungodly. And
indeed
to a feeling and reflecting mind, the condition of the
world
must excite commiseration and concern! A "whole
world
lying in wickedness" (1 John, v. 19)! lying therefore
in
ruins! the image of God effaced! the presence of God
departed!
Horror hath taken hold of me! to see the
law
of
Him, who gave being to the world, so utterly forsaken!
So
much light and love shining from heaven in vain! The
earthly
heart cannot endure that any restraint should be
imposed
much less that any constraint, even of
love,
should
be employed to change its bias, and turn it back to
its
God. Are you then a believer? then you will be most
* 'A burning horror hath seized me.'—Ainsworth. 'Faintness
and
dejection of mind hath seized me.'— LXX.
132 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
tender
of the honour of the law of God. Every stroke at
his
law you will feel as a stroke at your own heart. Are
you
a believer? then will you consider every man as your
brother;
and weep to see so many of them around you,
crowding
the broad road to destruction, and perishing as
the
miserable victims of their own deceivings. The pros-
pect
on every side is, as if God were cast down from his
throne,
and the creatures of his hand were murdering their
own
souls.
But how invariably does a languor
respecting our own
eternal
interest affect the tenderness of our regard for the
honour
of our God; so that we can look at the
wicked that
forsake God's law, with comparative
indifference! Awful
indeed
is the thought, that it ever can be with us a small
matter,
that multitudes are sinking! going down into per-
dition!
with the name of Christ—under the seal of baptism
—partakers
of the means of gospel grace—yet perishing!
Not,
indeed, that we are to yield to such a feeling of horror,
as
would paralyse all exertion on their behalf. For do we
owe
them no duty—no prayer —no labour? (Acts, xvii.
16-18.)
Shall we look upon souls hurrying on with such
dreadful
haste to unutterable, everlasting torments; and
permit
them to rush on blinded, unawakened, unalarmed!
If
there is a horror to see a brand
apparently fitting for the
fire,
will there not be a wrestling endeavour to pluck that
brand
out of the fire? Have we quite forgotten in our
own
case the fearful terrors of an unconverted state—the
Almighty
power of wrath and justice armed against us —
the
thunder of that voice—"Vengeance belongeth unto
me,
I will recompense, saith the Lord?" (Heb. x. 30;
with
Deut. xxxii. 35.) Oh! if the love of the Saviour and
the
love of souls were reigning with more mighty influence
in
our hearts, how much more devoted should we be in our
little
spheres of labour! how much more enlarged in our
VERSE 54. 133
supplications,
until all the kingdom of Satan were subject
to
the obedience of the Son of God, and conquered by the
force
of his omnipotent love!
But if the spirit of David, renewed but in
part, was
thus
filled with horror in the
contemplation of the wicked,
what
must have been the affliction — what the intensity of
his
sufferings, "who was holy, harmless, undefiled, separate
from
sinners" (Heb. vii. 26)—yea, "of purer eyes than to
behold
iniquity" (Hab. i. 13. Comp. Ps. v. 5)—during
thirty-three
years of continued contact with a world of sin!
What
shall we say of the condescension of his love, in
wearing
"the likeness of sinful flesh" (Rom. viii. 3)—
dwelling
among sinners — yea, "receiving sinners, and
eating
with them!" (Luke, xv. 2.)
Blessed Spirit! impart to us more of
"the mind that
was
in Christ Jesus," that the law of God may be in-
creasingly
precious in our eyes, and that we may be "ex-
ceedingly
jealous for the Lord God of Hosts!" Help us
by
thy gracious influence to plead with sinners for God,
and
to plead for sinners with God!
54.
Thy statutes have been my songs in the
house of my pil-
grimage.
Come, Christian pilgrim, and beguile your
wearisome
journey
heavenward by "singing the Lord's song in this
strange
land." (Ps. cxxxvii. 4.) With the
statutes of God
in
your hand and in your heart, you are furnished with a
song
for every step of your way—"The Lord is my shep-
herd;
I shall not want. He maketh me to lie down in
green
pastures: he leadeth me beside the still waters. He
restoreth
my soul: he leadeth me in the paths of righteous-
ness
for his name's sake. Yea, though I walk through the
valley
of the shadow of death I will fear no evil; for thou
art
with me; thy rod and thy staff, they comfort me.
134 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
Thou
preparest a table before me in the presence of mine
enemies:
thou anointest my head with oil; my cup runneth
over.
Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the
days
of my life; and I will dwell in the house of the Lord
for
ever." (Ps. xxiii.) How delightfully does this song
bring
before you Him, who having laid down his life for
you,
engages himself as your Provider, your Keeper, your
Guide,
your faithful and unchangeable Friend! Such a
song,
therefore, will smooth your path, and reconcile you
to
the many inconveniences of the way; while the recollec-
tion
that this is only the house of your
pilgrimage and
not
your home; and that "there remaineth a rest for the
people
of God" (Heb. iv. 9), will support the exercise of
faith
and patience to the end. How striking the contrast
between
the wicked that forsake the law, and
the Christian
pilgrim, who makes it the
subject of his daily song, and
the
source of his daily comfort! Yes, these same statutes,
which
are the yoke and burden of the ungodly, lead the
true
servant of the Lord from pleasure to pleasure; and,
cherished
by their vigorous influence, his way is made easy
and
prosperous. Evidently, therefore, our knowledge and
delight
in the Lord's statutes will furnish a decisive test
of
our real state before him.
But it is important to remember that our
cheerful song
is
connected with a pilgrim-spirit. Never forget that we
are
not at home (2 Cor. v. 6); only happy strangers on
our
passage homewards. Here we have no settled habita-
tion
(Heb. xiii. 14)—no rest. We are looking for a better
country
(Heb. xi. 10,14-16): and as we look, we are seek-
ing
for it. Our "hearts are in the ways of it." (Ps. lxxxiv.
5.)
Every day advances us nearer to it. (Rom. xiii. 11.) In
this
spirit the statutes of the Lord will be
our song. Here
are
the deeds of conveyance—our title made sure to an
estate—not
small, of little account, or of uncertain interest
—but
"an inheritance" of incalculable value, made over
VERSE
54. 135
to
us. (1 Pet. i. 3-5.) Here we have sure direction—
such
as cannot mislead us (Verse 105)— for the attainment
of
it. Here we are stimulated by the examples of our
fellow-pilgrims,
who have reached their home (Heb. vi. 11,
12);
and as we follow their track, many are the cordials
by
the way, and home brightens in the nearer prospect.
What
reason have we then every moment to guard
against
the debasing, stupifying influence of the world,
which
makes us forget the proper character of a pilgrim!
And
what an habitual conflict must be maintained with
the
sloth and aversion of a reluctant heart to maintain our
progress
in the journey towards Zion! Reader! have you
entered
upon a pilgrim's life? Then what is your solace
and
refreshment on the road? It is dull, heavy, wearisome,
to
be a pilgrim without a song. And yet
it is only the
blessed
experience of the Lord's statutes,
that will tune our
song. "If therefore you
have tasted that the Lord is
gracious"
(1 Pet. ii. 3); if he has thus "put a new song
into
your mouth" (Ps. xl. 3), oh! do not suffer any care-
lessness
or neglect to rob you of this heavenly anticipation.
And
that your lips be not found mute, seek to maintain a
lively
contemplation of the place whither you are going—
of
Him who as your "forerunner is for you entered" (Heb.
vi.
20) thither—and of the prospect, that, having "pre-
pared
a place for you, he will come again, and take you to
himself;
that where he is, there you may be also." (John,
xiv.
2, 3.) In this spirit, and with these hopes before you,
you
may take up your song―"O God, my heart is fixed:
I
will sing and give praise. I will bless the Lord at all
times—his
praise shall continually be in my mouth." (Ps.
cviii.
1; xxxiv. 1.) Thus may you go on your pilgrimage
singing
in the ways of the Lord" (Ps. cxxxviii. 5), and
commencing
a song below, which in the world of praise
above,
shall never, never cease. (Rev. iv. 8.)
136 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
55.
I have remembered thy name, O Lord, in
the night, and
have kept thy
law.
How did this man of God live in the
statutes of God
In
the day they were his pilgrim song—in the
night his
happy
meditation. (Ps. lxiii. 5, 6.) And, truly, if we can
ever
spend the waking moments of the night with God,
"the
darkness is no darkness with us, but the night shineth
as
the day." Many a tried believer has found this cordial
for
the restlessness of a wakeful night more restorative to
the
quiet and health of his earthly frame, than the most
sovereign
specifics of the medical world. "So he giveth
his
beloved sleep." (Ps. cxxvii. 2.) And if in any night
of
affliction we feel the hand of the Lord grievous to us,
do
we not find in the remembrance of the
Lord a never-
failing
support? What does our darkness arise from, but
from
our forgetfulness of God, blotting out for a while the
lively
impressions of his tender care, his unchanging faith-
fulness,
and his mysterious methods of working his gracious
will?
And to bring up as it were from the grave, the
remembrance of God's
name, as
manifested in his promises,
and
in the dispensation of his love; this is indeed the
"light
that is sown for the righteous" (Ps. xcvii. 11), and
which
"springeth up out of darkness." (Ps. cxii. 4.) It is
to
eye the character of the Lord as All-wise to appoint,
Almighty
to secure, All-compassionate to sympathize and
support.
It is to recollect him as a "father pitying his
children"
(Ps. ciii. 13); as a "friend that loveth at all
times"
(Prov. xvii. 17), and that "sticketh closer than a
brother."
(Ib. xviii. 24.) And even in those seasons of
depression,
when unwatchfulness or indulgence of sin have
brought
the darkness of night upon the soul, though the
remembrance of the name
of the Lord
may be grievous, yet
it
opens the way to consolation. It tells us, that there is
VERSE
55. 137
a
way made for our return; that "the Lord waiteth, that
he
may be gracious" (Isa. xxx. 18); and that in the first
step
of our return to our Father, we shall find him full of
mercy
to his backsliding children. (See Luke, xv. 20-24.)
Thus,
though "weeping may endure for a night, joy com-
eth
in the morning." (Ps. xxx. 5.)
Study the Lord's revelation of his own
name; and what
more
full perception can we conceive of its support in the
darkest
midnight of tribulations?" And the Lord de-
scended
in the cloud, and stood with him (Moses), and pro-
claimed
the name of the Lord. And the Lord passed by
before
him, and proclaimed—The Lord, the Lord God,
merciful
and gracious, long-suffering, and abundant in
goodness
and truth, keeping mercy for thousands, forgiving
iniquity,
transgression, and sin, and that will by no means
clear
the guilty." (Ex. xxxiv. 5-7.) Can we wonder that
such
a name as this should be exhibited as a ground of
trust?
"The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the
righteous
runneth into it and is safe." "They that know
thy
name will put their trust in thee." (Prov. xviii. 10. Ps.
1x.
10.) Even our suffering Lord appears to have derived
support
from the remembrance of the name of the
Lord in
the night of desertion—"O my
God, I cry in the day-time,
and
thou hearest not; and in the night-season, and am not
silent.
But thou art holy, O thou that inhabitest the praises
of
Israel!" (Ps. xxii. 2, 3.) And from the experience of
this
source of consolation, we find the tempted Saviour
directing
his tempted people to the same support—"Who
is
among you that feareth the Lord, that obeyeth the voice
of
his servant, that walketh in darkness, and hath no light?
him
trust in the name of the Lord, and
stay upon his God."
(Isa. l. 10.)
The main principles of the Gospel are
involved in this
remembrance of the
Lord's name.
Memory is the store-
house,
in which the substance of our knowledge is treasured
138 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
up.
Recollections without faith are
shadowy notions. But
we
have confidence that our God in himself—and as en-
gaged to us―is all that the Bible declares him
to be.
How
vast then are our obligations to his dear Son—the
only
medium, by which his name could be known or remem-
bered—"who hath" so
"declared him!" (John, i. 18; also
xiv.
6. Matt. xi. 27.) And here is the spring of practical
religion.
We shall keep his law when we remember his
name. A sense of our
obligations will impel us forward
in
diligence, heavenly-mindedness, and self-devotedness in
our
appointed sphere. Obedience will partake far more of
the
character of privilege than of duty, when an enlightened
knowledge
of God is the principle of action.
56. This I had, because I kept thy precepts.
How is it, believer, that you are enabled
to sing of
the Lord's statutes—and to remember his name? This you
have, because you keep
his precepts.
Thus you are able to
tell
the world, that in keeping his "commandments there is
great
reward" (Ps. xix. 11),—that the "work of righteous-
ness
is peace; and the effect of righteousness, quietness,
and
assurance for ever." (Isa. xxxii. 17.) Christian! let
your
testimony be clear and decided—that ten thousand
worlds
cannot bestow the happiness of one day's devotedness
to
the service of your Lord. For is it not in this path
that
you realize fulness of joy, in "fellowship with the
Father,
and with his Son Jesus Christ?" "He that hath
my commandments, and keepeth them, he it is that loveth
me;
and he that loveth me shall be loved of my Father;
and
I will love him, and will manifest myself
to him—my
Father
will love him; and we will come unto
him, and make
our
abode with him." (John, xiv. 21, 23, with 1 John, i. 3,
4;
iii. 24.) If you were walking more closely with God
in
"the obedience of faith," the world would never dare to
VERSE
56. 139
accuse
religion as the source of melancholy and despondency.
No
man has any right to the hope of happiness in a world
of
tribulation, but he that seeks it in the favour of his God.
Nor
can any enjoy this favour, except as connected, in the
exercise
of faith, with Conformity to the will, and delight in
the
law, of his God. Thus not only are the "statutes of
the
Lord right," but they "rejoice the heart." (Ps. xix. 8.)
There
is a sweetness and satisfaction in the work, as well
as
a good flowing out of it—a current as well as a con-
sequent
privilege—cheering the soul in the act of exercise,
just
as the senses arc regaled at the very instant with the
object
of their gratification.
But let us remark how continually David was
enriching
his
treasury of spiritual experience with sonic fresh view of
the
dealings of God with his soul: some answer to prayer,
or
some increase of consolation, which he records for his own
encouragement,
and for the use of the Church of God. Let
us
seek to imitate him in this respect; and we shall often be
enabled
to say as he does—This I had,—this
comfort I
enjoyed—this
support in trouble—this remarkable mani-
festation
of his love—this confidence I was enabled to
maintain—it
was made my own, because I kept thy pre-
cepts.
This
I had—not, this I hoped for. He speaks of "the
promise
of the life that now is"—that by which God clears
away
the charge,—"It is vain to serve him; and what profit
is
it, that we have kept his ordinances?" (Mal. iii. 14.)
Nor
is it any boasting of merit, but only an acknowledg-
ment
of the gracious dispensation of his God. Such a re-
ward
for such poor service, can only be undeserved "mercy,"
(Ps.
lxii. 12. Gal. vi. 16), having respect, not to the wor-
thiness
of the work, but to the faithfulness of the promise.
Perfect
keeping, according to the legal requirements, there
cannot
be. (Gal. iii. 10.) Evangelical perfection, in aiming
140 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
at
the mark, and constantly pressing onward towards it,
there
may be. (Phil. iii. 12-15.)
How important therefore is it—in the
absence of this
Christian
confidence—to examine, —"Is there not a cause?,
and
what is the cause? Have not "strangers devoured
my
strength; and I knew it not?" (Hos. vii. 9.) Is the
Lord
"with me as in months past?" (Job, xxix. 2), —with
me
in my closet?—with me in my family? — with me at
my
table?— with me in my daily employments and inter-
course
with the world? When I hear the faithful people
of
God telling of his love, and saying—This
I had; must
I
not, if unable to join their cheerful acknowledgment, trace
it
to my unfaithful walk, and say—This I had
not, because
I
have failed in obedience to thy precepts; because I have
been
careless and self-indulgent; because I have slighted
thy
love; because I have "grieved thy Holy Spirit," and
forgotten
to ask for the "old paths, that I might walk,
therein,
and find rest to my soul?" (Jer. vi. 16.) O let
this
scrutiny and recollection of our ways realize the con-
stant
need of the finished work of Jesus, as our ground of
acceptance,
and source of strength. This will bring heal-
ing,
restoration, increasing devotedness, tenderness of con-
science,
circumspection of walk, and a determination not to
rest,
until we can make this grateful acknowledgment our
own.
At the same time, instead of boasting that our own
arm,
our own diligence, or holiness, "have gotten us" into
this
favour, we shall cast all our attainments at the feet of
Jesus,
and crown him Lord of all for ever.
VERSE 57. 141
PART
VIII.
57.
Thou art my portion, O Lord; I have said
that I would
keep thy
words.
Man, as a dependent being, must be
possessed of some
portion.
He cannot live upon himself. It must, however,
be
not only good, but his own good—something that he
may
lay claim to as his own. It must also be a large por-
tion,
because the powers and capacities to be filled are
large.
If he has not a satisfying portion, he is a wretched
empty
creature. But where and how shall he find this por-
tion?
"There be many that say, Who will show us any
good?
Lord! lift thou up the light of thy countenance
upon
us." (Ps. iv. 6.) And then the goodness of the
Lord,
in having offered himself as the portion of an un-
worthy
sinner! So that we can now lay claim to him, as
having
wholly and fully made himself over to us, and having
engaged
to employ his perfections for our happiness! "I
will
be thy God." (Jer. xxxi. 33.) Surely every good is
centered
in the chief good—the fountain of all blessings,
temporal,
spiritual, eternal. What, then, is the folly,
madness,
and guilt, of the sinner, in choosing his "portion
in
this life" (Ps. xvii. 14): as if there were no God on the
earth,
no way of access to him, or no happiness to be found
in
him? That such madness should be found in the heart
of
man, is a most affecting illustration of his departure from
God.
But that God's own "people should
commit these
142 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
two
evils—forsaking the fountain of living waters, and
hewing
out for themselves broken cisterns"—this is the
fearful
astonishment of heaven itself. (Jer. ii. 12, 13.)
But we cannot know and enjoy God as our portion, ex-
cept
as he has manifested himself in his dear Son. And
in
the knowledge and enjoyment of him, can we envy those
who
"in their lifetime receive their good things" (Luke,
xvi.
25; vi. 24), and therefore have nothing more to expect?
Never,
indeed, does the poverty of the worldling's portion
appear
more striking, than when contrasted with the enjoy-
meat
of the child of God (Comp. Ps. xvii. 14, 15), —
"Soul"—
said the rich fool —"thou hast much goods laid
up
for many years." But God said—"This night thy soul
shall
be required of thee." (Luke, xii. 19, 20.) Augustine's
prayer
was—"Lord, give me thyself!"* And thus the be-
liever
exults —"Whom have I in heaven but thee? and
there
is none upon earth that I desire but thee. Return
unto
thy rest, O my soul. The Lord himself is the portion
of
mine inheritance and of my cup. Thou maintainest my
lot.
The lines are fallen to me in pleasant places; yea, I
have
a goodly heritage. I will bless the Lord, who hath
given
me counsel." (Ps. lxxiii. 25; cxvi. 7; xvi. 5-7.)
Elsewhere
the believer makes this confession to himself
—"The
Lord is my portion —saith my soul."
(Lam. iii. 24.)
Here,
as if to prove his sincerity, he "lifts up his face
unto
God." (John, xxi. 17. Job, xxii. 26.) "Thou art my
portion, O Lord." And surely the
whole world cannot weigh
against
the comfort of this Christian confidence. For it is
as
impossible, that his own people should ever be
poverished,
as that his own perfections should moulder
away.
But a portion implies, not a source of ordinary
pleasure,
but of rest and satisfaction, such as leaves nothing
else
to be desired. Thus the Lord can
never be enjoyed,
* "Da mihi te,
Domine."
VERSE
57. 143
even
by his own children—except as a portion—not
only
above
all, but in the place of all. Other objects indeed
may
be subordinately loved: but of none but himself must
we
say—"He is altogether lovely."
(Cant. v. 16.) "In all
things
he must have the pre-eminence" (Col. i. 18)—one
with
the Father in our affections, as in his own subsistence.
(John,
x. 30.) The moment that any rival is allowed to
usurp
the throne of the heart, we open the door to dis-
appointment
and unsatisfied desires.
But if we take the Lord as our portion, we must take
him
as our king. I have said—this is my
deliberate
resolution,—that I would keep thy words. Here is the
Christian
complete — taking the Lord as his portion,
and
his
word as his rule. And what energy for holy devoted-
ness
flows from the enjoyment of this our heavenly portion!
Thus
delighting ourselves in the Lord, he gives us our
heart's
desire (Ps. xxxvii. 4); and every desire identifies
itself
with his service. All that we are and all that we
have,
are his; cheerfully surrendered as his right, and
willingly
employed in his work. Thus do we evidence our
interest
in his salvation; for "Christ became the author of
eternal salvation unto
all them that obey him." (Heb. v. 9.)
Reader! inquire—was my choice of this
Divine portion
considerate,
free, unreserved? Am I resolved that it shall
be
stedfast and abiding? that death itself shall not
separate
me from the enjoyment of it? Am I ready to
receive
a Sovereign as well as a Saviour? (See Acts, v. 31.)
Oh!
let me have a whole Christ for my portion!
Oh! let
him
have a whole heart for his possession. Oh! let me
call
nothing mine but Him.
'The heart touched with the loadstone of
Divine love:
trembling
with godly fear, yet still looking towards God
by
fixed believing—points at the love of election. He
that
loves may be sure he was loved first. (1 John, iv. 19.)
He
that chooses God in Christ for his delight and portion,
144 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
may
conclude confidently, that God has chosen him to enjoy
him,
and be happy in him for ever.'*
58.
I entreated thy favour with my whole
heart; be merciful
unto me according to
thy word.
Delight in the Lord as our portion, naturally
leads us
to
entreat his favour as
"life" (Ps. xxx. 5), and "better
than
life" (Ps. lxiii. 3), to our souls. And if we have
said that we would keep
his words,
we shall still entreat his
favour — to strengthen and
encourage us in his way. We
shall
entreat it with our whole hearts, as
though we felt
our
infinite need of it, and were determined to wrestle
for
it in Jacob's spirit—"I will not let thee go, except
thou
bless me." (Gen. xxxii. 26.) If we have known what
unspeakable
happiness it is to be brought into the favour
of
God "by the blood of Christ" (Eph. ii. 13); and if by
"him
also we have access unto that grace wherein we
stand"
(Rom. v. 1, 2), how shall we prize the sense of
Divine
favour, the light of our Father's
countenance! We
shall
never be weary of this source of daily enjoyment. It
is
to us as the light of the sun, which shineth every day
with
renewed and unabated pleasure. We "joy in God,
through
our Lord Jesus Christ, by whom we have now re-
ceived
the atonement." (Rom. v. 11.) Mercy, however, is
the
source of that favour which we entreat;
and the word
is
the warrant of our expectation—Be merciful
unto us
according to thy word. As sinners, we need
this favour.
As
believers, we entreat it in the
assurance that praying
breath,
as the breath of faith, will not be spent in vain.
Any
indulged indolence, or neglect, or unfaithfulness—
relaxing
our diligence, and keeping back the whole
heart
from
God—will, indeed, never fail to remove the sunshine
* Leighton on 1 Pet. i. 2.
VERSE 59. 145
from
the soul. But the blood of Christ still opens the way
of
return to the backslider, even though he may have
wandered,
as it were, to the ends of the earth. For "if
from thence thou shalt seek the
Lord thy God, thou shalt
find
him, if thou seek him with all thine
heart and all thy
soul." (Deut. iv. 29.)
"A whole heart" in seeking
the
Lord,
is the seal of the Lord's heart in returning to us—
"I
will rejoice over them" —saith he —"to do them good;
and
I will plant them in this land assuredly, with
my whole
heart, and with my whole
soul."
(Jer. xxxii. 41.)
Reader! if you are a child of God, the favour of God
will
be to you the "one thing needful." In other things,
you
will not venture to choose for yourself; "for who
knoweth
what is good for man in this life?" (Eccles. vi.
12.)
But in this choice you will be decided. This grand,
incomparable
desire will fill your heart. This will be to
you
as the portion of ten thousand worlds. Nothing will
satisfy
besides.
You may, indeed, be a child of God without
the enjoy-
ment
of the blessing; but not so, if you be content to be
without
it. If the wise sovereignty of our God is pleased
to
withhold it, still the child in submission will entreat it.
Much
more, when it is withdrawn in righteous chastening
of
carelessness or folly, will the cry be reiterated upon the
ground
of the covenant—Be merciful unto me according to
thy
word. (Ps. lxxxix. 30-33.)
59. I thought on my ways, and turned my feet
unto thy
testimonies.
The Psalmist's determination, lately
mentioned, to keep
God's word, was not a hasty
impulse, but a considerate re-
solve,
the result of much thinking on his
former ways of sin
and
folly. How many, on the other hand, seem to pass
through
the world into eternity without a serious thought
146 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
on their ways! Multitudes live for
the world—forget
God
and die! This is their history. What their state is,
is
written as with a sunbeam in the word of truth—"The
wicked
shall be turned into hell, and all the
nations that
forget God." (Ps. ix. 17.)
When "no man repenteth him
of
his wickedness, saying, What have I done?"
(Jer. viii.
6)—this
banishing of reflection is the character and ruin
of
an unthinking world. Perhaps one serious thought
might
be the new birth of the soul to God — the first step
of
the way to heaven. For when a man is arrested by the
power
of grace, he is as one awaking out of sleep, lost in
solemn
and serious thoughts —'What am I?* where am
I?
what have I been? what have I been doing? I have a
soul,
which is my everlasting all —yet a soul without a
Saviour—lost—undone.
What is my prospect for its
happiness?
Behind me is a world of vanity, an empty void.
Before
me a fearful unknown eternity. Within me an
awakened
conscience, to remind me of an angry God, and a
devouring
hell. If I stay here, I perish; if I go forward,
I
perish; if I return home to my offended Father, I can
but
perish.' (Comp. 2 Kings, vii. 4.) The resolution is
formed;
'"I will arise" (Luke, xv. 18), and fight my way
through
all difficulties and discouragements to my Father's
house.'
Thus does every prodigal child of God "come to
himself;"
and this his first step of return to his God (Verse
17)
involves the whole work of repentance. The wanderer
thinks on his ways, and
turns his feet unto the testimonies of his
God; witnessing, to his
joyful surprise, every hindrance
removed,
the way marked with the blood of his Saviour,
and
his Father's smiles in this way welcoming his return
homeward.
This turn is the practical exercise of a
genuine
faith; and "because he considereth, and turneth away from all
* How utterly unmeaning was the celebrated
aphorism of
antiquity—'Know
thyself'—until explained and illustrated by the
light
of Revelation!
VERSE
59. 147
his
transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely
live—he
shall not die." (Ezek. xviii. 28.)
But this considerate exercise is needed,
not only upon
the
first entrance into the ways of God,
but in every suc-
cessive
step of our path. It will form the habit of daily
"communion
with our own heart" (Ps. iv. 4); without
which,
disorder and confusion will bewilder our steps.
Probably
David did not know how far his feet had back-
slidden
from the ways of his God, until this
serious con-
sideration
of his state brought conviction to his soul— so
imperceptible
is the declining of the heart from God! Nor
is
it a few transient thoughts or resolutions, that will effect
this
turn of the heart to God. A man may
maintain a
fruitless struggle to
return to God for many years in sincerity
and earnestness; while
the simple act of faith in the power and
love of Jesus will at
once bring him back.
Thus, while
"thinking on his ways," let him walk
in Christ as the way
of
return—and he will walk in the way of God's
testimonies
with
acceptance and delight. In this spirit of simplicity,
he
will listen to the first whisper of the convincing voice
of
the Spirit, which marks the early steps of return from
secret
declension from God. (See Isa. xxx. 21.) He will
also
thankfully accept the chastening rod, as the Lord's
appointed
instrument of restoring his wandering children to
himself.
For so prone are they to turn their feet
away
like
the Lord— so continually are they "turning aside
like
a deceitful bow" (Ps. lxxviii. 57) — and so deaf are
they,
from the constitution of their sinful nature, to the
ordinary
calls of God; that, in love and tender faithfulness
to
their souls, he is often constrained, by the stroke of his
heavy
hand, to arrest them in their career of thoughtless-
and
turn them back to himself. Most suitable then
for
such a state is the prayer of Basil — 'Give me any
Cross,
that may bring me into subjection to thy cross; and
save
me in spite of myself!'
148 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CX1X.
60.
I made haste, and delayed not, to keep
thy commandments.
A superficial conviction brings with it a
sense of duty,
without
constraining to it. Men stand reasoning and
doubting,
instead of making haste. But a sound
conviction
sweeps
away all excuses and delays. No time will be lost
between
making and performing resolutions. Indeed, in a
matter
of life and death—of eternal life and eternal death
(see
Deut. xxx. 15-19)—the call is too clear for debate, and
there
is no room for delay. Many a precious soul has been
lost
by waiting for "a more convenient season" (Acts, xxiv,
25)—
a period, which probably never arrives, and which the
wilful
neglect of present opportunity provokes God to put
far
away. To-day is God's time. To-morrow ruins thou-
sands.
To-morrow is another world. "To-day—while
it is,
called to-day; if ye will hear his
voice" (Heb. iv. 7)—"make
haste, and delay not." Resolutions,
however sincere, and con-
victions,
however serious, "will pass away, as the morning
cloud
and as the early dew" (Hos., vi. 4. Comp. xiii. 3),
unless
they are carefully cherished, and instantly improved.
The
bonds of iniquity will soon prove too strong for the
bonds
of your own resolutions; and in the first hour of
temptation,
conviction left to chance to grow, will prove as
powerless
as the "seven green withs" to bind the giant
Samson.
(Judg. xvi. 7-9.) If ever delays are dangerous,
much
more are they in this concern of eternity. If there-
fore
convictions begin to work, instantly yield to their
influence.
If any worldly or sinful desire is touched, let
this
be the moment for its crucifixion. If any affection is
kindled
towards the Saviour, give immediate expression to
its
voice. If any grace is reviving, let it be called forth
into
instant duty. This is the best—the only—expedient
to
fix and detain the motion of the Spirit now striving in
the
heart: and who knoweth but the improvement of the
VERSE
60. 149
present
advantage may be the moment of victory over diffi-
culties
hitherto found insuperable, and may open the path
to
heaven with less interruption, and more steady progress?
It is from the neglect of this haste that convictions
often
alternately ebb and flow so long, before they settle
in
a sound conversion. Indeed the instant movement—
making haste, and delaying
not—marks
the principle of
the
spiritual life. This was the prodigal's resolution, no
sooner
formed than in action. He said—"I will arise, and
go
to my father—and he arose, and came
to his father. "
(Luke,
xv. 18-20.) When Matthew heard the voice—
"Follow
me—he left all, rose up and followed
him." (Luke,
v.
27, 28. Comp. Matt. iv. 18-22.) When Zaccheus was
called
from the top of the sycamore-tree —"Make
haste, and
come
down, for to-day I must abide at thy house—he
made
haste, and came down, and received him joyfully."*
Ah! as you prize a hope for eternity; as
you wish to
"flee
from the wrath to come," and to "flee for refuge to
the
hope set before you"— beware of smothering early con-
victions.
They may prove the first dawn of eternal day
upon
the soul — the first visit of the quickening Spirit to
the
heart. Guard them with unceasing watchfulness.
Nourish
them with believing prayer. "Exercise" them
unto
practical "godliness." (1 Tim. iv. 7.) "Quench not
the
Spirit." (1 Thess. v. 19.) Let not the spark be ex-
tinguished
by opposition of the world. Let it not expire
for
want of the fuel of grace. Let it not lie dormant or
inactive.
"Stir up the gift of God which is in thee." (2
6.)
Every exercise, every motion, adds grace to
grace,
and increases its vigour, health, and fruitfulness. The
more
we do, the more we find we can do. The withered
hand,
whenever stretched forth in obedience to the Saviour's
word,
and in dependence on his grace, will never fail of a
* Luke, xix. 5, 6. Comp. also the example of
Paul, Gal. i. 15, 16.
150 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
supply
of spiritual strength. (Mark, iii. 5.) Every succes-
sive
act strengthens the disposition, until a continual suc-
cession
has formed the ready and active habit of godliness.
Thus
the Lord works in setting us to work. Therefore
think—determine—turn—make haste, and delay not; and
we
wish you God speed "we bless you in the name of
the
Lord." (Ps. cxxix. 8.)
Professor! did you realize eternity, would
you hover as
you
do between heaven and hell? If you were truly alive
and
awake, no motion would be swift enough for your de-
sire
to "flee from the wrath to come"—to "flee for refuge
to
lay hold on the hope set before you." (Matt. iii. 7. Heb.
vi.
18.) If ever God should touch your heart to feel the
heavenly
sweetness of communion with him, will there be
no
regret, that the privilege was not sooner sought and en-
joyed?
Had I betaken myself earlier to a hearty
interest
in
the ways of God, how much more knowledge, experience,
and
comfort should I have attained! how much more honour
should
I have brought to God! how much more profit
my
fellow-sinners! Remember, every day of carnal plea-
sure
or lukewarm formality is a day lost to God—to your
own
happiness —to eternity.
A word to the believer— Have you any doubts
to clew
up,
any peace to regain in the ways of the Lord? - Make
haste to set your heart to
the work. Make haste to the
blood
of atonement. Be on the watch to "hear the Shep-
herd's
voice"(John, x. 27), even if it be the voice of reproof!
Promptness
is a most important exercise of the habit of
faith.
Delay brings guilt to the conscience. The blessing
of
conviction―the comfortable sense of acceptance—the
freedom
of the Lord's service—is sacrificed to sloth and
procrastination.
The work that is hard to-day will be
harder
still to-morrow, by the resistance of this day's con-
victions.
A greater cost of self-denial, a heavier burden
of
sorrow, and increasing unfitness for the service of God,
VERSE
61. 151
will
be the issue of delay. Be continually
therefore look-
ing
for some beam of light to descend, and some influence
of
grace to flow in upon you from your exalted Head. A
simple
and vigorous faith will quickly enliven you with
that
love, delight, rejoicing in the Lord, readiness to work,
and
cheerfulness to stiffer, which will once again make the
ways
of God "pleasantness and peace" to your soul.
61.
The bands of the wicked have robbed me;
but I have not
forgotten thy
law.
Are we not too apt to cull out the easy
work of the
Gospel,
and to call this love to God? Whereas true love
is
supreme, and ready to be at some loss, and to part with
near
and dear objects, knowing that he "is able to give
us
much more than" we lose for him. (2 Chron. xxv. 9.
Comp.
Job, xlii. 10-12.) Our resolution to keep
his com-
mandments will soon be put to the
test. Some trial to the
flesh
will prove whether we flinch from the cross, or study
to
prepare ourselves for it. Few of us, perhaps, have lite-
rally
known this trial of David. (See 1 Sam. xxx. 1-3.)
But
the lesson to be learnt from his frame of mind under
it,
is of great importance to all who profess to have their
"treasure
in heaven." It teaches us, that only exercised
faith
will sustain us in the time of trouble. This faith
will
enable us instantly to recollect our heavenly portion,
and
to assure our interest in it, in a remembrance of
the
law of our God. Had David forgotten God's
law, no
other
resource of comfort opened before him. But it was
ready—substantiating
to his mind "the things that were
not
seen and eternal." (2 Cor. iv. 18. Heb. xi. 1.) Look
again
at the Apostle's deliberate estimate of this very trial
―not
only bearing his loss, but absolutely forgetting it in
the
enjoyment of his better portion —"Yea, doubtless, and
I
count all things but loss for the excellency of the know-
152 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
ledge
of Christ Jesus my Lord, for whom I have
suffered the
loss of all things; and
do count them but dung, that I may win
Christ." (Phil. iii. 8.)
The temper of mind under such trials as
this, serves
indeed
most clearly to discover the real bent of the heart.
If
we are in possession of a spiritual and heavenly portion,
we
shall bear to be robbed by the bands of
the wicked, and
yet,
"hold fast our profession." David, under this calamity,
encouraged
himself in the Lord his God." (1 Sam. xxx. 6.)
Job,
under the same visitation, "fell upon the ground, and
worshipped."
(Job, i. 13-17, 20.) The blessings, indeed,
we
lose, are but as a feather compared with the blessings
which
we retain. The Providence of God is an abundant,
support
for his children. Their prospects (not to speak of
their
present privileges) effectually secure them from ulti-
mate
loss, even in the spoiling of their worldly all. (See
Mark,
x. 29, 30.) Thus the early Christians suffered the
bands of the wicked to
rob them
— nay ―"they took joyfully
the
spoiling of their goods; knowing in
themselves, that
they had in heaven a
better and an enduring substance." (Heb
x.
34.) We have, indeed, little reason to be frightened
from
religion by the anticipation of its trials. The exchange
of
the world for God, and of the service of sin for the ways
of
heaven, leaves no room for regret in life, in death, or in
eternity.
The Christian's darkest hour is ten thousand
times
brighter than the brightest day of the ungodly. The
hope
of the crown will enable us to bear the cross, and to
realize
its sanctifying support as a matter for unbounded
praise.
But how desolate are the poor votaries of
the world in
the
hour of trouble! Ignorant of the all-sufficiency of the
refuge
of the gospel; instead of being driven to it by the
gracious
visitations of God, they would rather retreat into
any
hiding-place of their own, than direct their steps back-
ward
to him. Their circumstances of distress are most
VERSE 61. 153
intensely
aggravated by the sullen rebellion of the heart,
which
refuses to listen to those breathings of the Saviour's
love,
that would guide them to Himself, as their sure,
peaceful,
and eternal rest! (See Matt. xi. 28.) Would that
we
could persuade them to cast their souls in penitence and
faith
before his blessed cross! (1 Pet. v. 7.) The burden
of
sin, as Bunyan's pilgrim found, would then drop from
their
backs. And this burden once removed other bur-
dens,
before intolerable, would be found comparatively light;
nay—all
burdens would be removed in the enjoyment of
the
Christian privilege of casting all,—sin— care — and
trouble,
upon Jesus. Contrast the state of destitution
without
him, with the abundant resources of the people of
God.
We have a double heaven—a heaven on earth, and
a
heaven above—one in present sunshine—the other in
"the
city, which hath no need of the sins" (Hey. xxi. 23)
—where
our joys will be immediate—unclouded—eternal.
Thus
our portion embraces both worlds. Our present
"joy
no man taketh from us" (John, xvi. 22); and we
have
"laid up treasures in heaven," where the bands of the
wicked can "never break
through, nor steal." (Matt. vi. 20.)
Christian! does not your faith realize a
subsistence of
things
not seen? The only realities in the apprehension
of
the world are "the things that are seen, and are tem-
poral."
Your realities are "the things that are not seen,
and
are eternal." (2 Cor. iv: 18.) Then, remember—if
you
be robbed of your earthly all, your
treasure is beyond the
reach
of harm. You can still say —"I have all, and abound."
(Phil.
iv. 18; also 2 Cor. vi. 10.) You can live splendidly
upon
your God, though all is beggary around you. You
confess
the remembrance of the law of your God to be your
unfailing
stay—"Unless thy law had been my
delights, I
should then have
perished in my affliction." (Verse 92.)
154 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
62.
At midnight I will rise to give thanks
unto thee: because
of thy righteous
judgments.
Another exercise of sacred pleasure is the
ways of the
Lord!
His portion was always satisfying to this holy man,
and
he was daily feeding upon it with fresh delight. There
was
no occasion for the painful restrictions and mortifica-
tions
of a monastery to oblige him to self-denying ob-
servances.
Much less was there any desire, by these
extraordinary
services, to work out a righteousness of his
own,
to recommend him to the favour of God. His dili-
gence
in this heavenly work was the spontaneous effusion
of
a heart "filled with the Spirit." (Eph. v. 18.) Pre-
senting
the morning and the evening service "seven times
a
day" (See verses 147, 148, 164), was not enough for
him;
but he must rise at midnight to
continue his song of
praise.
These hours sometimes had been spent in over-
whelming
sorrow. (See Ps. lxxvii. 3, 4.) Now they were
given
to the privileged employment of praise. (Ps. xlii. 8.
Comp.
Job, xxxv. 10.) Indeed it seems to have been his
frequent
custom to stir up his gratitude by a midnight
re-
view
of the Lord's daily manifestations of mercy. (Ps.
cxxxix.
17, 18.) A most exciting example—especially
for
the child of sorrow, when "wearisome nights are ap-
pointed
to him," and he "is full of tossings to and fro
unto
the dawning of the day!" (Job, vii. 3, 4.) Thus "let
the saints be joyful in
glory; let them sing aloud upon their
beds." (Ps. cxlix. 5.)
We observe this Christian enjoy-
ment
under circumstances of outward trial. When "at
midnight—their
feet made fast in the stocks―Paul and
Silas
prayed, and sang praises to God"
(Acts, xvi. 24, 25):
they gave thanks,
because of his righteous judgments.
We often complain of our want of
spirituality in the
Divine
life — how much our body hinders the ascent of the
VERSE 62. 155
soul
heavenwards—how often drowsiness overcomes our
evening
communion with our God; the "weakness of the
flesh"
overpowering the "willingness of the Spirit."
(Matt.
xxvi. 41.) But, after making all due allowances
for
constitutional infirmity, how far are we "instant in
season
and out of season" in the mortification of the
flesh?
Cor. ix. 27.) Do we earnestly seek for a heart
delighting
in heavenly things? The more the flesh is
denied
for the service of God, the more we shall be elevated
for
the enjoyment, and realize the privilege of the work:
and
instead of having so often to mourn that our "souls
cleave
unto the dust" (Verse 25), we shall "mount up-
wards
with eagles' wings" (Isa. xl. 31), and even now by
anticipation,
take our place before "the throne of God and
the
Lamb." Such is the active influence of self-denial in
exercising
our graces, and promoting our comfort! Oh!
how
much more fervent would be our prayers— how much
more
fruitful in blessings—were they enlivened with more
abundant
delight in the 'angelic work of praise!' (Baxter.)
The
theme is always before us. The subject of the heavenly
song
should constantly engage our songs on earth—Jesus
and
his love—the "worthiness of the Lamb that was slain"
—his
"power, and riches, and wisdom, and strength, and
honour,
and glory, and blessing." (Rev. v. 12.) Midnight
wakefulness
would be far sweeter than slumber; yea, night
itself
would be turned into day, did the judgements
of God,
as
manifested in the glory of the Saviour, thus occupy our
hearts.
(See Rev. xv. 3, 4.) Lord! tune my heart to thy
Praise,
and then no time will be unseasonable for this
blessed
employment. Time thus redeemed from sleep will
be
an antepast of the unwearied service of heaven. (Rev.
iv.
8.)
156 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
63.
I am a companion of all them that fear
thee, and of them
that keep thy
precepts.
Those that love the Lord's service
naturally associate
with
kindred spirits—with those that fear him,
and keep his
precepts. These two features
identify the same character
(Comp.
Ps. ciii. 17, 18): as cheerful obedience is always
the
fruit of filial fear. These then are
the Lord's people;
and
union with him is in fact union with them. Some-
times
the society of the refined and intelligent of this world
may
be more congenial to our natural taste. But ought
there
not to be a restraint here? Ought not the Christian
to
say —"Surely the fear of God is not in this place" (Gen.
xx.
11)? and "should I love them that hate the Lord?"
(2
Chron. xix. 2.) Let those of us, who live in close, and
to
a certain degree necessary, contact with the world,
subject
their hearts to an evening scrutiny on this subject.
Has
the society of this day refreshed my soul, or raised
my
heart to spiritual things? Has it promoted a watchful
temper?
Or has it not rather "quenched the spirit" of
prayer,
and restrained my intercourse with God? To meet
the
Christian in ordinary courtesy, not in
unity of heart, is a
sign
of an unspiritual walk with God. Fellowship with
God
is "walking in the light." "Fellowship one with
another"
is the natural flow. "The communion of saints"
is
the fruit and effect of communion with God. (See
1
John, i. 3-7.)
The calls of duty, or the leadings of
Providence, may
indeed
unavoidably connect us with those, who "have no
fear
of God before their eyes." Nor should we repel them,
by
religiously affecting a sullen or uncourteous habit. (See
1
Pet. iii. 8.) But such men, whatever be their attractions,
will
not be the companions of our choice. Fellowship with
them
is to "remove the ancient landmark" (Prov. xxii.
VERSE
63. 157
28);
to forget the broad line of separation between us and
them;
and to venture into the most hazardous atmosphere.
If
indeed our hearts were ascending, like a flame of fire,
with
a natural motion heavenwards, and carrying with them
all
in their way, the choice of the companions
of our pil-
grimage
would be a matter of little importance. But so
deadening
to our spirit is the conversation of the men of
this
world (however commanding their talents, or interest-
ing
their topics), that even if we have been just before
enlivened
by the high privilege of communion with God,
the
free and self-indulgent interchange of their society will
benumb
our spiritual powers, and quickly freeze them again.
To
underrate therefore the privileged association with
them that fear God, is to incur—not only a
most awful
responsibility
in the sight of God; but also a most serious
hazard
to our own souls.
If then we are not ashamed to confess
ourselves Christ-
fans,
let us not shrink from walking in fellowship with
Christians.
Even if they should exhibit some repulsive
features
of character, they bear the image of him, whom
we
profess to love inexpressibly and incomparably above
all.
They will be our companions in our
eternal home;
they
ought therefore to be our brothers now. How sweet,
and
holy, and heavenly, is this near relation with them in
our
common Lord! Shall we not readily consent to his
judgment,
who pronounced "the righteous to be more
excellent
than his neighbour?" (Prov. xii. 26.) "Iron
sharpeneth
iron." (Ib. xxvii. 17.) If then "the iron be
blunt,"
this will be one of the best means of "whetting the
edge."
(See Eccles. x. 10.) The most established servants
of
God gladly acknowledge the sensible refreshment of this
union
of heart. (Comp. 1 Sam. xxiii. 16. Ps. xvi. 3. Acts,
xxviii.
15. Rom. i. 11, 12. 2 Cor. vii. 6, 7.) It is marked
in
the word of God as the channel of the communication
of
heavenly wisdom (Prov. xiii. 20)—as a feature in the
158 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
character
of the citizens of Zion (Ps. xv. 1, 4. Comp. xvi.
3,
and especially 1 John, iii. 14)―and as that disposition,
which
is distinguished with manifest tokens of the Saviour's
presence
(Luke, xxiv. 15, 32); and which the great day
will
crown with the special seal of his remembrance. "They
that feared the Lord spake often one to
another; and the
Lord
hearkened, and heard" it;
"and a book of remem-
brance was written before him for them that feared the
Lord,
and that thought upon his name. And they shall
be
mine, saith the Lord of
Hosts, in that day when I make up
my
jewels." (Mal. iii. 16, 17.)
64.
The earth, O Lord, is full of thy mercy:
teach me thy
statutes.
What full provision is made for man's
happiness! The
first
creation was full of mercy. God knew
that he had
created
a being full of want. Every faculty wanted some
suitable
object, as the source of enjoyment in the gratifica-
tion—of
suffering in the denial; and now has he charged
himself
with making provision for them all—so perfect,
that
no want is left unprovided for.
But what a picture does the earth now
present on every
side—
a world of rebels! yet a world full of
the mercy of
the Lord! "O Lord, how
manifold are thy works! in
wisdom
hast thou made them all. The earth is full of thy
riches.
The eyes of all wait upon thee, and thou givest
them
their meat in due season. Thou openest thine hand,
and
satisfiest the desire of every living thing." (Ps. civ.
24;
cxlv. 15, 16.) And how does the contemplation of
the
Lord's mercy in providence encourage
our faith, in
the
expectancy of spiritual privileges! "O Lord! thou
preservest
man and beast. How excellent is thy loving-
kindness,
O God! therefore the children of men
put their
trust
under the shadow of thy wings. 'They shall be
VERSE
64. 159
abundantly
satisfied with the fatness of thy house; and thou
shalt
make them drink of the river of thy pleasures." (Ps.
xxxvi.
6-8.) As thou dost largely bestow thy blessings
upon
all creatures according to their nature and condition,
so
I desire the spiritual blessings of the lively light of thy
law
and word, which are fitting and convenient for the
being
and happiness of my soul.'* As an ignorant sinner,
"what
I see not, teach thou me." (Job, xxxiv. 32.) Teach
me thy statutes; that which thou hast
appointed, as the
way
of duty, and the path to glory—that path which I am
utterly
unable to discover, or when discovered, to walk in,
without
the help of thy grace. And indeed the hearts of
his
people are the vessels, into which the Lord is continually
pouring
more and more of himself, until they shall "be
filled
with all the fulness of God." (Eph. iii. 19.) Every
good,
according to its character and degree, is diffusive.
And
thus the goodness or mercy of God
pervades his
whole
universe—natural— plentiful—free—communica-
tive.
(Verse 68.)
Yet none but a believer will understand how
to use the
plea
which is here employed The mercy that
he sees on
every
side, is to him a pledge and earnest of that mercy,
which
his soul needs within. The world indeed in its pre-
sent
fallen state, when seen through the medium of pride
and
discontent, exhibits a picture of misery, not of mercy;
and
only ministers occasion for complaint against the
Creator.
But the believer—feeling the infinite and eternal
* Diodati. 'It is worthy of special notice,
how often and in
what
varied connexions, David in this Psalm prays to be taught
the
statutes of God, though he seems to have been more intimately
acquainted
with the sacred oracles, as then extant, than almost any
other
man; but he knew that Divine teaching alone could enable
him
rightly to understand the Scriptures, and to apply general rules
to
all the variety of particular cases, which occurred in the course
of
his life.'— Scott.
160 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
desert
of sin— cannot but know, that the lowest exercise of
goodness
in God is an act of free undeserved mercy.
No
wonder
then that he sees mercy in
everything—in every
part
of the universe of God — a world full of
mercy.
The
very food we eat, our raiment, our habitations, the
contrivances
for our comfort, are not mere displays of good-
ness,
but manifestations of mercy. Having
forfeited all
claim
upon the smallest consideration of God, there could
have
been no just ground of complaint, had all these bless-
ings
been made occasions of suffering, instead of comfort and
indulgence.
Indeed is it not a marvel, that when man—full of mercy
—is
lifting up his hand against his God—employing against
him
all the faculties, which his mercy
gave and has pre-
served—that
God should be so seldom provoked to strike
by
their aggravated provocations? What multitude —what
weight—what
variety of mercy cloth he still shower upon
us!
Even our hair, though seemingly so unimportant, the
seat
of loathsome, defiling, and even mortal disease—is
the
object of his special care. (Matt. x. 30.) All the limbs
of
the body, all the faculties of the mind, all the affec-
tions
of the heart, all the powers of the will: keeping us
in
health, and capable of acting for our own happiness—
how
does he restrain them from those exercises or move-
ments
which might be fatal to our happiness!
And then the question naturally recurs—and
to a
spiritual
mind will never weary by its recurrence—Whence
flows
all this mercy? Oh! it is delightful
indeed to answer
such
an inquiry—delightful to contemplate him, "in
whom"
we are not only "blessed with all spiritual bless-
ings"
(Eph. i. 3); but who is also the medium, through
which
our temporal comforts are conveyed to us. How sweet
to
eye these mercies, as bought with the most precious
blood
that ever was known in the world, and to mark the
print
of the nails of our crucified Friend stamped upon the
VERSE 64. 161
least
of them! We allow it to add a relish to our enjoy-
ments,
that we can consider them as provided by some
beloved
friend; and should not our mercies be doubly sweet
in
remembrance of that munificent Friend, who purchased
them
for us so dearly; who bestows them upon us so richly;
yea,
who gives himself with them all?
Have we heard of this mercy of God? And do
we feel
the
need of it for ourselves — for every moment? Then let
us
apply to the throne of grace in the free and open way of
acceptance
and access. Let us go to the King (as Ben-
hadad's
servants to the king of
in
the spirit of self-condemnation and faith. Our accept-
does
not depend (as in the case referred to) upon
a
"peradventure;" but it rests upon the sure word of pro-
mise — "Him that cometh to me, I will in no wise cast out."
162 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
PART IX.
65.
Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, O
Lord, according
unto thy word.
THERE
is a time for all things in the believer's experience
—
for confession, prayer, and praise. This Psalm mostly ex-
presses
the confessions and prayers of the man of God—
yet
mingled with thankful acknowledgments of mercy,
He
had prayed—"Deal bountifully with
thy servant." (Verse
17.)
Perhaps here is the acknowledgment of the answer
to
his prayer—Thou hast dealt well with thy
servant, O
Lord, according unto thy
word.
And who among us has
not
daily reason to make the same acknowledgment? Even
in
those trials, when we have indulged hard thoughts of
God,
a clearer view of his judgments, and a more simple
dependence
upon his faithfulness and love, will rebuke our
impatience
and unbelief, and encourage our trust.* Sub-
sequent
experience altered Jacob's hasty view of the Lord's
dealings
with him. In a moment of peevishness, the re-
collection
of the supposed death of a beloved son, and the
threatened
bereavement of another, tempted him to say
* If all the sad losses, sicknesses,
infirmities, grief,
heaviness,
and inconstancy of the creature, be expounded to be, as
I
am sure, they are, the rods or the jealousy of a Father in heaven
contending
with all your lovers on earth, though there were millions
of
them, for your love, to fetch it home to heaven, single, unmixed;
you
will forgive (if we may use that word) every rod of God, and
"let
not the sun go down upon your wrath" against any messenger
of
your afflicting and correcting Father.'—
VERSE
65. 163
"All these things are against me."
(Gen. xlii. 36.) At a
brighter
period of his day, when clouds were beginning to
disperse,
we hear that "the spirit of Jacob revived:
And
Jacob
said, It is enough; Joseph my son is
yet alive, I will
go
and see him before I die." (Gen. xlv. 27, 28.) And
when
his evening sun was going down almost without a
cloud,
in the believing act of "blessing the sons of" his
beloved
"Joseph" (Heb. xi. 21), how clearly does he
retract
the language of his former sinful impatience! —
"God,
before whom my fathers, Abraham and Isaac, did
walk—the
God which fed me all my life long unto this
day—the Angel which redeemed me from all evil,
bless the
lads!"
(Gen. xlviii. 15, 16.) This surely was in the true
spirit
of the acknowledgment — Thou hast dealt
well with thy
servant, O Lord,
according unto thy word.
And how is it that any of us have ever harboured
a
suspicion
of unbelief? Has God in any one instance falsified
his
promise? Has "the vision" failed to come at the end?
Has
it ever "lied?" (Hab. ii. 3.) Has he not "confirmed
his
promise by an oath," "that we might have two im-
mutable
things" as the ground of "strong
consolation?"
(Heb.
vi. 17, 18.) Any degree less than the
full credit that
he
deserves, is admitting the false principle, that God is a
man,
that he should he, and the son of man, that he should
repent.
It weakens the whole spiritual frame, shakes our
grasp
of the promise, destroys our present comfort, and
brings
foreboding apprehensions of the future. Whereas,
if
we have faith and patience to wait,—"in the mount the
Lord
shall be seen." (Gen. xxii. 14. See Scott in loco.)
"All
things" may seem to be "against us," while at the
very
moment, under the wonder-working hand of God,
they
are "working together for our good." (Rom. viii. 28.)
When
therefore we "are in heaviness through manifold
temptations,"
and we discover a "needs-be" for it all; and
164 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
"the
trial of faith is found unto praise and honour and
glory"
(1 Pet. i. 6, 7)—when we are thus reaping the fruit
ful
discipline of our Father's school (Heb. xii. 11), must we
not
put a fresh seal to our testimony — Thou
hast dealt well
with thy servant, O Lord? But why should we
delay on,
acknowledgment
till we come out of our trial? Ought
not
to give it even in the midst of our "heaviness?",
Faith
has enabled many, and would enable us, to "glorify
God
in the fires" (Isa. xxiv. 15); to "trust" him, even
when
"walking in darkness, and having no light" (Ib. l.
10);
and, even while smarting under his chastening rod, to
acknowledge,
that he has dealt well with us.
But if I doubt the reasonableness of this
acknowledg-
ment,
then let me, while suffering under trials, endeavour
to
take up different language. 'Lord, thou hast dealt ill
with
thy servant; thou hast not kept thy word.' If in a
moment
of unbelief my impatient heart, like Jacob's, could
harbour
such a dishonourable suspicion, my conscience,
would
soon smite me with conviction—'What! shall I;
who
am "called out of darkness into marvellous light"—
shall
I, who am rescued from slavery and death, and brought
to
a glorious state of liberty and life, complain? Shall I
who
have been redeemed at so great a price, and who have
a
right to "all the promises of God in Christ Jesus'
(2
Cor. i. 20), and who am now an "heir of God, and joint
heir
with Christ" (Rom. viii. 17), murmur at my Father's.
will?
Alas, that my heart should prove so foolish, so weak
so
ungrateful! Lord! I would acknowledge with thank-
fulness,
and yet with humiliation, Thou hast dealt
well
with thy servant,
according unto thy word.' But how sin-
fully
do we neglect these honourable and cheering acknow-
* Verses 71, 75. "In everything (therefore including affliction)
by
prayer and supplication, with
thanksgiving," &c. Philip. iv. 6.
Comp.
also 1 Thess, v. 18.
VERSE 66. 165
ledgments!
Were we habitually to mark them for future
remembrance,
we should be surprised to see how their
numbers
would multiply. "If we should count them, they
are
more in number than the sand." (Ps. cxxxix. 18.) And
truly
such recollections—enhancing every common, as well
as
every special mercy—would come up as a sweet savour
to
God "by Christ Jesus." (Heb. xiii. 15.) "Bless the
Lord,
O my soul, and all that is within me,
bless his holy
name
and forget not all his benefits." (Ps. ciii. 1, 2.)
66.
Teach me good judgment and knowledge; for
I have believed
thy commandments.
If the perception of the Lord's merciful
dealings with
my
soul is obscure— Teach me good judgment and knowledge.
Give
me a clear and enlarged apprehension, that I may be
ready
with my acknowledgment—"All the
paths of the
Lord are mercy and truth." (Ps. xxv. 10.)
Or even with an
enlightened
assurance of his wise and faithful dispensations,
still
would I urge this petition before him, as needful for
every
step of my path. Indeed this prayer illustrates the
simplicity
and intelligence of Christian faith—always de-
siring,
asking, and expecting the most suitable blessings.
For
what blessings can be more suitable to an ignorant
sinner,
than good judgment and knowledge:
knowledge of
ourselves,
of our Saviour, of the way of obedience—and
good judgment, to apply this
knowledge to some valuable
end?
These two parts of our intellectual furniture have a
Most
important connexion and dependence upon each other.
Knowledge is the speculative
perception of general truth.
Judgment is the practical
application of it to the heart
and
conduct. No school, but the school of Christ—no
teaching,
but the teaching of the Spirit—can ever give
this
good judgment and knowledge. Solomon asks
it for
himself
(1 Kings, iii. 9)—Paul for his people. (Phil. i.
166 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
9,
10. Col. i. 9.) Both direct us to God as the sole foun-
tain
and author.*
We cannot fail to observe a very common
defect in
Christians;
— warm affections connected with a blind or
loose
judgment. Hence, too often, a lightness in religion,
equally
unsteady in profession and in practice — easily
satisfied
with a narrow compass in the vast field of Scrip-
ture,
instead of grasping a full survey of those truths,
which
are so intimately connected with our Christian
establishment
and privilege. Much perplexing doubt, dis-
couragement;
and fear; much mistaken apprehension of
important
truth, much coldness and backsliding of heart
and
conduct, arises from the want of an accurate and full
apprehension
of the scriptural system.
This prayer has a special application to
the tender
sensitive
child of God. The disease of his constitution is
too
often a scrupulous conscience—one of the most active
and
successful enemies to his settled peace and quietness.†
* Prov. ii. 6. 1 Cor. i. 5. 2 Tim. i. 7. It
is recorded of one of
the
Reformers, that, when he had well acquitted himself in a public
disputation,
a friend begged to see the notes, which he had been
observed
to write, supposing that he had taken down the arguments
of
his opponents, and sketched the substance of his own reply.
Greatly
was he surprised to find that they consisted simply of these
ejaculatory
petitions — 'More light, Lord,—more light,—more
light!'
How fully was the true spirit of prayer compressed in
these
short aspirations! Could they fail of success? "If any of
you
lack wisdom, let him ask of God, who giveth to all men liberally.
and
upbraideth not; and it shall be given him."
Jam. i. 5. Green-
ham,
being asked his judgment of some important matters, an-
swered—'Sir,
neither am I able to speak, nor you to hear; for we
have not prayed. I may, indeed, talk,
and you may answer, as natural
men:
but we are not now prepared to confer as children of God.'—
Works, p. 19.
† 'Scruple,' as Bishop Taylor justly
observes—'is a little stony
in
the foot. If you set it on the ground, it hurts you. If you hold
it
up, you cannot go forward. It is a trouble, when trouble is over
VERSE 66 167
The
faculty of conscience partakes, with every other power
of
man, of the injury of the fall; and therefore, with all its in-
telligence,
honesty, and power, it is liable to misconception.
Like
a defect of vision, it often displaces objects: and, in
apparently
conflicting duties, that which touches the feeling,
or
accords with the temper, is preferred to one, which, though
more
remotely viewed, really possessed a higher claim.
Thus
it pronounces its verdict from the predominance of
feeling,
rather than from the exercise of judgment—more
from
an indistinct perception of the subject presented to
the
mind, than from a simple immediate reference "to the
law
and testimony." Again —matters of trivial moment
are
often insisted upon, to the neglect of important prin-
ciples.
(Col. ii. 18.) External points of offence are more
considered,
than the habitual mortification of the inward
principle.
Conformity to the world in dress and appearance
is
more strongly censured than the general spirit of world-
liness
in the temper and conduct of outward
non-conformists;
while the spirit of
separation from the world (which may exist
in a somewhat wider
range of Christian liberty, than the narrow
perception of some
professors has conceived. See 1 Cor. viii.
4,
7), is totally disregarded. Thus are non-essentials con-
founded
with fundamentals—things indifferent with things
unlawful,
from a narrow misconception of what is directly
forbidden
and allowed.* Conscience, therefore, must not be
trusted
without the light of the word of God and most
a
doubt, when doubts are resolved; a little party behind the hedge,
when
the main army is broken and cleared: and when conscience,
is
instructed in its way, and girt for action, a little trilling reason,
or
an absurd fear, hinders it from beginning the journey, or pro-
ceeding
in the way, or resting at the journey's end.'—Duet. Dub.
Book
i. chap. vi. See Calvin's lively description of scrupulosity,
Institutes,
Book iii. c. xix. § 7-11. See also Scott's Continuation
of
Milner, iii. 503.
* 'Measuring actions by atoms is the way,
not to govern, but,
to
disorder conscience.'—Bishop Taylor, ut supra.
168 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
important
is the prayer— Teach me good judgment and
knowledge.
The exercises of this state of feeling are
both endless
and
causeless. In the well-intended endeavour to guard
against
a devious track, the mind is constantly harassed
with
an over-anxious inquiry, whether the right path is
accurately
discovered; and thus at once the pleasure and
the
progress of the journey are materially hindered. The
influence
therefore of this morbid sensibility is strenuously
to
be resisted.. It renders the strait way more strait. It
retards
the work of grace in the soul. It is usually con-
nected
with self-righteousness. It savours of, and tends to
produce,
hard thoughts of God. It damps our cheerfulness
in
his service, and unfits us for the duty of the present
moment.
What however is more than all to be deprecated,
is,
that it multiplies sin; or, to speak more clearly, it
superinduces
another species of sin, besides the actual trans-
gression
of the law of God. For opposition to the dictates
of
conscience in any particular is sin, even though the act
itself
may be allowed by the law of God. We may there-
fore
sin in the act of doing good, or in obedience to the
liberty
and enjoyment of the gospel, as well as in the
allowed
transgression of the law. Indeed, under the
bondage
of a scrupulous conscience, we seem to be entangled
in
the sad necessity of sinning. The dictates
of conscience,
even when grounded upon
misconception, are authoritative.*
Listening
to its suggestions may be sinning against "the
liberty,
wherewith Christ has made us free," and in which
* See Rom. xiv. 14. "To him that esteemeth anything to be un-
clean (though "clean"
by the express appointment of God. Acts, x.
9-13.
1 Tim. iv. 3-5, and only "unclean"
therefore by the misconcep-
tion of conscience)
"to him it is unclean"—i. e.—he must
not touch it,
upon the ground of
conscience—though
the gospel allowed the use of
it,
and it was an infringement of Christian liberty to abstain from
it.
Thus did his ignorance make to himself an occasion of sin.
VERSE
66. 169
we
are commanded to "stand fast." (Gal. v. 1, with iv.
9,
10.) No human authority can free from its bonds.
Resistance
to its voice is disobedience to God's vicegerent,
and
therefore, in a qualified sense at least,
disobedience to
God
himself. And thus it is sin, even when that which
conscience
condemns may be innocent. (Comp. Rom. xiv.
20-23.)
The evil of a scrupulous conscience may
often be traced
to
a diseased temperament of body, to a naturally weak or
perverted
understanding, to the unfavourable influence of
early
prejudice—to a want of simple exercise of faith, or
perception
of the matters of faith. In these cases faith
may
be sincere, though weak; and the sin, such as it is, is
a
sin of infirmity, calling for our pity, forbearance, prayer,
and
help. In many instances however, wilful ignorance,
false
shame that will not inquire, or a pertinacious ad-
herence
to deep-rooted opinion, is the source of the disease.
Now
such persons must be roused, even at the hazard of
wounding
the conscience of the more tenderly scrupulous.
But
as the one class decidedly sin, and the other too fre-
quently
indulge their infirmity, the excitement will pro-
bably
be ultimately useful to both. Both need to have
the
conscience enlightened; and to obtain "a right judg-
ment
in all things"—by a more diligent "search in the
Scriptures"—by
"seeking the law at the mouth of the
Priest"*—and,
above all, by earnest prayer with the
Psalmist—
Teach me good judgment and knowledge.
Thus
they
will discern between what is imperative, and what is in-
different
between what is lawful, and what is expedient. If
"Whatsoever
is not of faith is sin," then the only prospect
of
the removal of the doubt will be increase of faith—that
is,
a more full persuasion of the Divine warrant and in-
* Mal. ii. 7. See the example of the primitive church. Acts,
xv.
1,
2.
170 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
struction.
(Rom. xiv. 5; with 23.) "Howbeit there is not in
every
one this knowledge" (1 Cor. viii. 7): yet the exhor-
tation
speaks alike to all—"Grow in grace, and in the know-
ledge
of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ." (2 Pet. iii.
18.)
Indeed the most favourable symptoms of scrupulosity
(except
where the disease originates in external causes)
partake
of the guilt of wilful ignorance; because none can
be
said sincerely to ask for good judgment
and knowledge,
who
do not diligently improve all means of obtaining it.
If
therefore, the scrupulous shrink from honestly seeking
the
resolution of their difficulties in private conferences
(where
they are to be had) with Ministers or experienced
Christians,
so far they must be considered as wilfully
ignorant.
We would indeed "receive them," "bear with
their
infirmities" (Rom. xiv. 1; xv. 1), and encourage
them
to expect relief from their hard bondage in the way
of
increasing diligence, humility, and prayer. While their
minds
are in doubt concerning the path of duty, their
actions
must be imperfect and unsatisfactory. Let them
therefore
wait, inquire, and pray, until their way be made
plain.
This done, let them act according to their con-
science,
allowing nothing that it condemns, neglecting
nothing
which it requires. The responsibility of error
(should
error be eventually detected) will not be—the too
implicit
following of the guidance of conscience—but the
want
of due care and diligence for its more clear illumi-
nation.
Generally, however, the rule will apply — "If thine
eye
be single, thy whole body shall be full of light."*
But,
besides the scrupulous conscience, the
imperfectly
* Matt. vi. 22. Comp. Prov. xxiv. 5. For a
similar view of this
case,
see Baxter’s Christian Directory,
Book i. chap. ii . The
sacrifices
appointed for sins of ignorance under the law (Lev. iv.),
mark
God's sense of this ease: while the frequent breaches of
Christian
unity and forbearance arising from it may well justify this
extended
consideration of it.
VERSE
66. 171
enlightened conscience presents a case equally
to be depre-
cated.
Often does it charge to a sinful source those in-
cessant
variations of feelings, which originate in bodily
indisposition,
or accidental influence of temptation. Sins
of
infirmity are confounded with sins of indulgence: occa-
sional
with habitual transgressions of duty. Only a part
of
the character is brought under cognisance: and while
short-comings
or surprisals are justly condemned: yet the
exercise
of contrition, faith, love, and watchfulness, is passed
by
unnoticed. Thus the gospel becomes the very reverse
of
the appointment of its gracious Author. (Comp. Isa. lxi.
3.)
It brings ashes for beauty, mourning for the oil of
joy,
and the spirit of heaviness for the garment; of praise.
If
this evil is "not a sin unto death," it is "a sore evil
under
the sun," which may often give occasion for the
prayer—
Teach me good judgment and knowledge;
that, in
the
simplicity of faith, I may be blessed with a tender con-
science,
and be delivered from the bondage of a scrupulous,
and
from the perplexity of an unenlightened, conscience.
Let
my heart never condemn me where it ought not. Let
it
never fail to condemn me where it ought.
But, alas! the perception of our need of
this good
judgment and knowledge, is far too indistinct
and uninflu-
ential.
We need to cry for these valuable blessings with
deeper
earnestness, and more diligent and patient waiting
upon
God. Divine wisdom is a treasury, that does not
spend
by giving; and we may ask to be enriched to the
utmost
extent of our wants, "in full assurance of faith."
But
this faith embraces the whole revelation of God—the
commandments as well as
the promises.
And thus it becomes
the
principle of Christian obedience. For can we believe
these commandments to be as they are
represented —"holy,
just,
and good," and not delight in them? (Rom. vii. 12,
with
22.) "In those is continuance"— said the prophet
and
we shall be saved." (Isa. lxiv. 5.) Convinced of their
172 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
perfection,
acknowledging their obligations, loving then;
and
living in them, we shall "come to full age" in the
knowledge
of the Gospel, and, "by reason of use have our
senses
exercised to discern both good and evil." (Heb. v. 14.)
67.
Before I was afflicted I went astray; but
now have I kept
thy word.
The teaching
of good judgment and knowledge will lead us
to
deprecate, instead of desiring, a prosperous state. But
should
the Christian, by the appointment of God, be thrown
into
the seductive atmosphere, he will feel the prayer that
is
so often put into his lips, most peculiarly expressive of
his
need —"In all time of our
wealth—Good Lord, deliver
us!" (Litany.) A time
of wealth is indeed a time of special
need.
It is hard to restrain the flesh, when so many are
the
baits for its indulgence. Such mighty power is here
given
to the enemy, while our perception of his power is fear-
fully
weakened! Many and affecting instances are recorded
of
the hardening of the heart even of the Lord's people,
in
the deadening influence of a proud and worldly spirit.*
But
the fate of the ungodly is written as with a sunbeam
for
our warning—"When Jeshurun waxed fat, he kicked
—I
spake unto thee in thy prosperity; but thou saidst, I
will
not hear." (Deut. xxxii. 15. Jer. xxii. 21.) But how
awful
will be the period, when the question shall speak to
the
conscience with all the poignancy of self-conviction —
"What
fruit had ye then in those things whereof ye are
now
ashamed?" What is the end of this flowery path?
"Death!"
(Rom. vi. 21.) "Surely thou didst set them in
slippery
places: thou castest them down into destruction.
How
are they brought into desolation as in a moment!
* The histories of David; 1 Chron. xxi.
1-4; Solomon, 1 Kings,
xi.
1-8; Uzziah, 2 Chron. xxvi. 10; and Hezekiah, 2 Chron. xxxii.
23-32,
will readily occur to the mind.
VERSE
67. 173
They
are utterly consumed with terrors" (Ps. lxxiii. 18,
19);
"the prosperity of fools shall destroy them." (Prov.
i.
32.)
Our Saviour's allotment for his
people—"In the world
ye
shall have tribulation" (John, xvi. 33. Acts, xiv. 22.
1
Thess. iii. 3)—marks not less his wisdom than his love.
This
is the gracious rod, by which he scourges back his
prodigal
children to himself. This is the wise discipline,
by
which he preserves them from the poisoned sweetness of
carnal
allurements, and keeps their hearts in a simple
direction
towards himself, as the well-spring of their ever-
lasting
joy. With all of them this one method has been
pursued.
All have been taught in one school. All have
known
the power of affliction in some of its varied forms of
inward
conflict or outward trouble. All have found a time
of
affliction a time of love. All have given proof, that the
pains
bestowed upon them have not been in vain. Thus
did
Manasseh in affliction beseech "the Lord, and humble
himself
greatly before the Lord God of his fathers."
(2
Chron. xxxiii. 12. Comp. Dan. iv. 36, 37.) Thus also
in
afflictions the Lord "heard Ephraim bemoaning him-
self"
(Jer. xxxi. 18, 19); and beheld Israel "seeking him
early"
(Hos. v. 15; vi. 1, 2), and the forlorn wandering
child
casting a wishful, penitent look towards his Father's
house,
as if the pleasures that had enticed his heart from
home,
were now embittered to the soul. (Luke, xv. 16, 17.)
And thus the Christian can give some
account of the
means,
by which his Father is leading and preparing him
for
heaven. Perhaps he did not at first see the reason.
(See
Heb. xii. 11.) It was matter of faith, not of con-
sciousness.
But in looking back, how clear the path, how
valuable
the benefit, Before I was afflicted, I
went astray:
but now have I kept thy
word. I
never prized it before. I
could
indeed scarcely be said to know it. I never under-
stood
its comfort, until affliction expounded it to me.
174 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
never
till now saw its suitableness to my case.' But what
an
heightened aggravation of guilt, when these especial
mercies
fail of their gracio s end— when vanity, worldli-
ness,
and sin still reign with uncontrolled sway! Ah!
when
sinners are unhumbled "under the mighty hand of
God"
— when they are afflicted, and not purged by afflic-
tion—when
it is said of them —"They received not cor-
rection"
(Zeph. iii. 2)—it seems the forerunner of that
tremendous
judgment—"Why should ye be stricken any
more?"
(Isa. i. 5.)
Heavenly Father! keep thy poor, weak,
erring child from
this
fearful doom. Let not that measure of prosperity,
which
thou mayest be pleased to vouchsafe, prove my curse,
But
especially let every cross, every affliction which thou
art
pleased to mingle in my cup, conform me more to my
Saviour's
image, restrain my heart from its daily wander-
ings,
endear thy holy ways and word to my soul, and give
me
sweeter anticipations of that blessed home, where I
shall
never wander more, but find my eternal happiness in
keeping
thy word.
68.
Thou art good, and doest good: teach me
thy statutes.
The blessed effects of chastisement, as a
special instance
of
the Lords goodness, might naturally
lead to a general
acknowledgment
of the goodness of his character and dis-
pensation.
Judging in unbelieving haste, of his provi-
dential
and gracious dealings, feeble sense imagines a frown,
when
the eye of faith discerns a smile, upon his face; and
therefore
in proportion as faith is exercised in the review
of
the past, and the experience of the present, we shall be
prepared
with the ascription of praise—Thou art
good.
This
is indeed the expression (Heb. xi. 6)— the confidence
Nah.
i. 7)—the pleading (Ps. xxv. 7; lxxxvi. 3)—of
faith.
It is the sweet taste of experience—restraining the
VERSE
68. 175
legality
of the conscience, the many hard and dishonourable
thoughts
of God, and invigorating a lively enjoyment of
him.
Indeed this is the true and genuine character of
God.
He is good (Ps. xxxiv. 8, with Mic. vii. 18)— He is
goodness.
Good in himself—good in his essence—good
in
the highest degree. All the names of God are compre-
hended
in this one of Good.* All the acts of
God are
nothing
else but the effluxes of his goodness distinguished
by
several names according to the object it is exercised
about.
When he confers happiness without merit, it is
grace.
When he bestows happiness against merit, it is
mercy.
When he bears with provoking rebels, it is long-
suffering.
When he performs his promise, it is truth.
When
he commiserates a distressed person, it is pity. When
he
supplies an indigent person, it is bounty. When he
succours
an innocent person, it is righteousness. And
when
he pardons a penitent person, it is mercy. All summed
up
in this one name— Goodness. None so communicatively
good
as God. As the notion of God includes goodness, 'so
the
notion of goodness includes diffusiveness. Without
goodness
he would cease to be a Deity; and without dif-
fusiveness
he would cease to be good. The being good is
necessary
to the being God. For goodness is nothing else
in
the notion of it but a strong inclination to do good, either
to
find or to make an object, wherein to exercise itself,
according
to the propension of its own nature; and it is an
inclination
of communicating itself, not for its own interest,
but
for the good of the object it pitcheth upon. Thus God
is
good by nature; and his nature is not without activity.
* The revealed "goodness" of God
made to Moses in answer
to
his prayer—I beseech thee, show me thy glory" — shows it to
be
not a single attribute, or a display of any particular feature of
the
Divine character, but rather the combined exercise of all his
perfections.
Exod. xxxiii. l 8, 19; with xxxiv. 5-7.
176 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
He
acts consistently with his own nature— Thou
art good
and doest good.'*
How easily is such an acknowledgment
excited towards
an
earthly friend! Yet who has not daily cause to com-
plain
of the coldness of his affections towards his God?
It
would be a sweet morning's reflection to recollect some
of
the innumerable instances, in which the goodness of God
has
been most distinctly marked, to trace them in their
peculiar
application to our own need; and above all to mark,
not
only the source from which they come, but the channel
through
which they flow. A view of covenant love does
indeed
make the goodness of God to shine with inexpres-
sible
brightness "in the face of Jesus Christ" (2 Cor. iv.
6);
and often when the heart is conscious of backsliding,
does
the contemplation of this goodness
under the influence
of
the Spirit, prove the Divinely appointed means of "lead-
ing
us to repentance." (Rom. ii. 4.) Let us therefore wait
on,
even when we see nothing. Soon we shall see, where
we
did not look for it. Soon we shall find goodness
un-
mingled—joy
unclouded, unspeakable, eternal.
Meanwhile, though the diversified
manifestations—the
materials
of our happiness, in all around us, be countless
as
the particles of sand, and the drops of dew; yet without
heavenly
teaching they only become occasions
of our deeper
misery
and condemnation. It is not enough that the Lord
gives—he
must teach us his statutes. Divine
truths can
only
be apprehended by Divine teaching.
The scholar, who
has
been longest taught, realizes most his need of this
teaching,
and is most earnest in seeking it. Indeed, "the
earth
is full of the goodness of the Lord," yet we may be
* Charnock’s
Works, vol. i. 581, 585, 588. For another ex-
quisite
view (parallel, in some degree identical, with Charnock) of
this
'perfecting perfection, which crowns and consummates all the
rest,'—see
Howe’s Works, 8vo. edit. 1822,
viii. pp. 107-114.
VERSE 69. 177
utterly
ignorant of it. The instances of goodness in the
shape
of a cross, we consider to be the reflection on it.
Nothing
is goodness in our eyes, that crosses our own
inclination.
We can hardly bear to hear of the cross,
much
less to take it up. We talk of goodness, but yield
to
discontent. We do not profess to dislike trial — only
the
trial now pressing upon us—any other cross than this
that
is, my will and wisdom rather than God's. Is there
not,
therefore, great need of this prayer for Divine teaching,
that
we may discern the Lord's mercies so closely crowded
together,
and make the due improvement of each? Twice
before
had the Psalmist sent up this prayer and plea.
(Verses
12, 64. Comp. Ps. xxv. 8.) Yet he seems to make
the
supplication ever new by the freshness and vehemency
of
his desires. And let me ever make it new by the remem-
brance
of that one display of goodness, which casts every
other
manifestation into the shade—"God so loved the
world,
that he gave his only-begotten Son." (John, iii. 16.)
This
constitutes of itself a complete mirror of infinite
and
everlasting goodness — the only intelligent display of
his
goodness—the only manifestation, that prevents from
abusing
it. What can I say to this—but Thou art
good,
and doest good? What may I not then
expect from thee!
'"Teach me thy statutes." Teach me
the Revelation of
thyself.—
Teach me the knowledge of thy Son. For "this
is
life eternal, that I might know thee, the only true God,
and
Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent."' (John, xvii. 3.)
69.
The proud have forged a lie against me;
but I will keep
thy precepts with my whole
heart.
If the Lord does us good, we must expect Satan to do
us
evil. Acting in his own character, as a "liar and the
father
of it" (John, viii. 44), he readily puts it into the
hearts
of his children to forge lies against
the children of
178 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
God!
But all is overruled by the ever-watchful care and
providence
of God, for the eventual good of His church.
The
cross frightens the insincere, and removes them out
of
the way; while the stedfastness of his own people mar-
vellously
displays to the world the power and triumph of
faith.
A most delightful source of encouragement in this
fiery
trial is, to take off the eye from the objects of sense,
and
to fix it upon Jesus as our pattern, no less than our
life.
For every trial, in which we are conformed to his
suffering
image, supplies to us equal direction and support.
Do
"the proud forge lies against us?"
So did they against
him.
(Comp. Matt. xxvi. 59-61.) "The disciple is not
above
his master, nor the servant above his lord. It is
enough
for the disciple, that he be as his master, and the
servant
as his lord. If they have called the Master of the
house
Beelzebub, how much more shall they call them of
his
household?" (Matt. x. 24, 25.) "Consider
him, therefore,
that endured such
contradiction of sinners against himself, lest
ye be wearied and faint
in your minds."
(Heb. xii. 3.)
But is it always lies that are forged against us? Is
there
no worldliness, or pride, or inconsistency in temper
and
walk, that opens the mouths of the enemies of the
gospel,
and causes "the way of truth to be evil spoken
of?"
(2 Pet. 2.) Do they not sometimes "say all manner
of
evil" against some of us, for Christ's sake; yet alas! not
altogether
"falsely"? (See Matt. v. 11); "Woe unto the
world,
because of offences! for it must needs be that
offences
come; but woe to that man, by whom the offence
cometh!"
(Matt. xviii. 7.) If, however, the reproach of
the
world be "the reproach of Christ," "let us hold fast
the
profession of our faith without wavering; for he is
faithful
that promised." (Heb. x. 23.) Insincerity of heart
can
never support us to a consistent and persevering
endurance
of the cross. A heart divided between God
and
the world will ever be found faulty and backsliding.
VERSE
70. 179
(Comp.
Hos. x. 2 Jer. iii. 10.) Wholeness of
heart in the
precepts of God adorns the Christian
profession, awes the
ungodly
world, realizes the full extent of the Divine pro-
mises,
and pours into the soul such a spring-tide of enjoy-
ment,
as more than counterbalances all the reproach, con-
tempt,
and falsehood, which the forge of the great enemy
is
employing against us with unceasing activity, and re-
lentless
hatred. Yet forget not, believer, that these proofs
of
the malicious enmity of the proud must often be received
as
the gentle stroke of your Father's chastisement. Let
the
fruits of it, then, be daily visible in the work of mortifi-
cation—in
the exercise of the suffering graces of the gos-
pel—in
your growing conformity to his image—and in a
progressive
meetness for the world of eternal uninterrupted
love.
70.
Their heart is as fat as grease; but I
delight in thy
law.
An awful description of the hardened state
of the proud
forgers of lies! Yet not of their state
only, but of every
sinner,
who stands out in wilful rebellion against God. The
tremendous
blow of almighty justice has benumbed his
heart,
so that the pressure of mountains of sin and guilt
is
unfelt! The heart is left of God, "seared with a hot
iron"
(1 Tim. iv. 2), and therefore without tenderness
"past
feeling" (Eph. iv. 19) unsoftened by the power of
the
word: unhumbled by the rod of providential dispensa-
tions,
given up to the heaviest of all spiritual judgments!
But
it is of little avail to stifle the voice of conscience, un-
less
the same power or device could annihilate hell. It will
only
"awake out of sleep, like a giant refreshed with wine"
(Ps.
lxxviii. 66. P. T.), and rage with ten-fold interminable
fury
in the eternal world, from the temporary restraint,
180 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
which for a short moment had benumbed its
energy. Wil-
ful
resistance to the light of the gospel, and the strivings
of
the Spirit, constrained even from a God of love the mes-
sage
of judicial abandonment—"Make the heart of this
people
fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes
lest
they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and
understand
with their heart, and convert, and be healed,"
(Isa.
vi. 9, 10.) Who then among us will not cry—From
hardness of heart, and
contempt of thy word and command-
ment, Good Lord! deliver
us!
(Litany.) Tenderness is the
first
mark of the touch of grace, when the heart becomes
sensible
of its own insensibility, and contrite on account of
its
own hardness. 'Nothing'—said Jerome, in a letter to a
friend—'makes
my heart sadder, than that nothing makes
it
sad.' But when "the plague of our own heart" begins
to
be "known." (1 Kings, viii. 38), and becomes a matter of
confession,
humiliation, prayer; the promise of "a new
heart"
is as life from the dead. (Ezek. xxxvi. 26.) The
subject
of this promise delights in God's law;
and this
amidst
the sometimes overwhelming power of natural cor-
ruption,
gives a satisfactory witness of a change "from
death
unto life."
Christian! can you daily witness the
wretched condition
of
the ungodly, without the constraining recollection of
humiliation
and love? What sovereign grace, that the
Lord
of glory should have set his love upon one so vile!
(Eph.
ii. 4, 5.) What mighty power, to have raised my
insensible
heart to that delight in his law,
which conforms
me
to the image of his dear Son! (See Ps. xl. 8.) Deeply
would
I "abhor myself:" and gladly would I acknowledge,
that
the service of ten thousand hearts would be a poor re-
turn
for such unmerited love. What, oh, "what shall I
render
to the Lord!" (Ps. cxvi. 12.)—Prayer for them who
are
still lying in death—praise for myself quickened from
VERSE
71. 181
death.
But what can give the vital breath, pulse, feeling,
and
motion? "Come, from the four winds, O breath;
and
breathe upon the slain, that they may live." (Ezek.
xxxvii.
9.)
Let us apply, for the purpose of daily
self-examination,
this
description of the heart, either as given up to its na-
tural
insensibility, or as cast into the new mould of de-
light in the law of God. Such an examination
will prove
to
us, how much even renewed souls need the transforming,
softening
influences of grace. "The deceitfulness of sin
hardens
the heart" (Heb. iii. 13) to its original character,
as fat as grease, unfeeling, incapable
of impression,
without
a Divine touch. O Lord, let not my heart be
unvisited
for one day, one hour, by that melting energy
of
love, which first made me feel, and constrained me
to
love.
71.
It is good for me that I have been
afflicted; that I might
learn thy
statutes.
If I mark in myself any difference from the
ungodly—
if
I can feel that my natural insensibility is yielding to the
influence
of grace—if I am enabled to "delight
in God's
law," which before I
had neglected as a "strange thing"
(Hos.
viii. 12), if this softening transformation (Job, xxiii.
16)
has been wrought in the school of affliction; let me
thankfully
acknowledge—It is good for me that I have
been
afflicted. None indeed but the
Lord's scholars can know
the
benefit of this school and this teaching. The first
lessons
are usually learned under the power of the word
Pricking
and piercing the heart; yet issuing in joyous
good.
(Acts, ii. 37-47; xvi. 27-34.) All special lessons
afterward
will probably be learned here. (See Job, xxxvi.
8-10).
'I never'—said Luther—'knew the meaning of
God's
word, until I came into affliction. I have always
182 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
found
it one of my best schoolmasters.'* This teaching
distinguishes
the sanctified from the unsanctified cross,
explaining
many a hard text, and sealing many a precious
promise
—the rod expounding the word, and the Divine
Teacher
effectually applying both.
Indeed, but for this discipline we should
miss much of
the
meaning and spiritual blessing of the word. For how
can
we have any experimental acquaintance with the pro-
mises
of God, except under those circumstances for which
the
promises are made? When, for example, but in the
day
of trouble, could we understand the full mercy of such
a
gracious word, as—"Call upon me in
the day of trouble:
I will deliver thee, and
thou shalt glorify me?"
(Ps. 1. 15.)
And
how much more profitable is this experimental learn-
ing
than mere human instruction! When, therefore, we
pray
for a clearer apprehension and interest in the blessed
book,
and for a deeper experience of its power upon our
hearts
we are, in fact, often unconsciously supplicating
for
the chastening rod of our Father's love. For it is the
man
"whom the Lord chasteneth," that he "teacheth out
of
his law."† Peter, indeed, when on the mount of trans-
* On another occasion, referring to some
spiritual temptation
on
the morning of the preceding day, he added to a friend (Justin
Jonas),
'Doctor, I must mark the day; I was yesterday at school.'
Milner, v. 484. In one of his works, he
most accurately calls
affliction
'the theology of Christians —theologium Christianorum.'
To
the same purport is the testimony of a learned French divine
and
tried saint of God—'I have learned more divinity'— said Dr.
Rivet,
confessing to God of his last days of affliction—'in these ten
days
that thou art come to visit me, than I did in fifty years before.
Thou
hast brought me to myself. "Before I was afflicted I went
astray,"
and was in the world; but now I am conversant in the
school
of God; and he teacheth me after another manner than all
those
doctors, in reading whom I spent so much time'—Middle-
ton’s Biog. Evan. iii.
248.
†Ps. xciv. 2. The use of the word paideia in the acceptation
VERSE
71. 183
figuration,
said, "It is good for us to be
here. Let us
build
here three tabernacles." Here let us abide, in a
state
of comfort, indulgence, and sunshine. But well was
it
added by the sacred historian—"Not knowing what he
said."
(Luke, ix. 33.) The judgment of David was far
more
correct, when he pronounced, that it was
good for
him that he had been
afflicted.
For so often are we con-
victed
of inattention to the voice of the Lord— so often do
we
find ourselves looking back upon forsaken Sodom, or
lingering
in the plain, instead of pressing onward to Zoar
(Comp.
Gen. xix. 17-23), that the indulgence of our own
liberty
would shortly hurry us along the pathway of de-
struction.
Alas! often do we feel the spirit of prayer to
be
quenched for a season by "a heart overcharged with
the
cares of this life" (Luke, xxi. 34)— or by the over-
prizing
of some lawful comfort—or by a temper incon-
sistent
with our Christian profession—or by an undue
confidence
in the flesh. And at such seasons of back-
sliding,
we must count among our choicest mercies the
gracious
discipline, by which the Lord schools us with the
cross,
that we may learn his statutes.
After all, however, this must be a paradox
to the unen-
lightened
man. He can only "count it" all grief—not "all
joy—when he falls into
divers temptations." (James, i. 2.)
His
testimony is—It is evil—not it is
good—for me that I
have been afflicted. And even God's
children, as we have
before
remarked, do not always take up this word while
smarting
under the rod. The common picture of happiness
is
freedom from trouble, not, as Scripture describes it (Job,
of
chastening (LXX. in this verse, and Heb. xii. 5) is remarkable,
as
describing literally the instruction, by which a child is trained
to
the acquisition of useful knowledge, which, however, not being
generally
effected without chastening, accounts for the use of the
Word,
to mark the discipline which usually attends instruction.
184 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
v.
17), the portion of trouble. Yet how true is God's
judgment,
when it is the very end of affliction to remove
the
source of all trouble (Isa. xxvii. 9), and consequently to
secure
— not to destroy — solid happiness! We must how-
ever
determine the standard of real good by its opposition,
not
its accordance — to our own fancy or indulgence. The
promise
of "every good thing" may be fulfilled by a plen-
tiful
cup of affliction. (Ps. xxxiv. 10, 19.) Present evil
may
be "working together for" ultimate "good." (Rom,
viii.
28. Comp. Jer. xxiv. 5.) Let God take his own way
with
us. (Jer. xxix. 11. John, xvi. 6, 7.) Let us inter-
pret
his providences by his covenant (Gen. xxxii. 10-12)
—his
means by his end (Jam. v. 11) —and instead of
fainting
under the sharpness of his rod, we shall earnestly
desire
the improvement of it.
Are you, then, tried believer, disposed to
regret the
lessons
you have already learned in this school? Or have
you
purchased them at too dear a cost? Do you grieve
over
the bleedings of a contrite heart, that have brought
you
under the care of the healing physician? Or could
you
by any ether way have obtained so rich a knowledge of
his
love, or have been trained to such implicit obedience to
his
will? As Jesus, "though he were a Son, yet learned
he
obedience by the things which he suffered" (Heb. v. 8);
so
may we "rejoice, inasmuch as we are partakers of his
sufferings"
(1 Pet. iv. 13), and be thankful to learn the
same
obedience, as the evidence and fruit of our conformity
to
him.
The Lord save us from the greatest of all
afflictions,
an
affliction lost! (Comp. 1 Kings, xiii. 33; 2 Chron.
xxviii.
22.) "Be thou instructed, O Jerusalem, lest my
soul
depart from thee; lest I make thee desolate, a land
not
inhabited." (Jer. vi. 8.) He that being often re-
proved,
hardeneth his neck, shall suddenly be destroyed,
VERSE
72. 185
and
that without remedy." (Prov. xxix. 1.) A call to
tremble
and repent, to watch and pray, and "turn to him
that
smiteth us!" (Isa. ix. 13.)
Oh! is there one of that countless throng
surrounding
the
everlasting throne, who has not sung—"It
is good for
me that I have been
afflicted?"
"And one of the elders
answered,
saying unto me, What are these which are
arrayed
in white robes? and whence came they?
And
said
unto him, Sir, thou knowest. And he said unto me,
These
are they which came out of great
tribulation, and have
washed
their robes, and made them white in the blood of
the
Lamb." (Rev. vii. 13, 14.)
72.
The law of thy mouth is better unto me
than thousands
of gold and
silver.
Well might David acknowledge the benefit of
affliction,
since
he had thus learned in, God's statutes something
that
was
better to him than thousands of gold and
silver. This
was
indeed an enlightened judgment for one to form,
who
had so small a part of the law of God's
mouth, and
so
large a portion of this world's treasure. And yet, if we
study
only his book of Psalms to know the important uses
and
privileges of this law, and his son's book of Eccle-
siastes,
to discover the real value of paltry gold
and silver
(Eccles.
v. 9-20; vi. 1, 2), we shall, under Divine teach-
ing,
be led to make the same estimate for ourselves. Yes,
believer,
with the same, or rather with far higher delight
than
the miser calculates his thousands of
gold and silver,
do
you tell out the precious contents of the
law of your God.
After
having endeavoured in vain to count the thousands
In
your treasure, one single name sums up their value-
"the
unsearchable riches of Christ." (Eph. iii. 8.) Would
not
the smallest spot of ground be estimated at thousands
of gold and silver, were it known to
conceal under its sur-
186 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
face a mine of inexhaustible treasure? This it
is that
makes
the word so inestimable. It is the field of the
"hidden
treasure." "The pearl of great price" (Matt
xiii.
44-46) is known to be concealed here. You would
not,
therefore, part with one leaf of your Bible for all the
thousands of gold and
silver.
You know yourself to be in
possession
of the substance—you have found all besides to
be
a shadow. "I lead"— saith the Saviour—"in the Way
of
righteousness, in the midst of the paths of judgment;
that I may cause them that
love me to inherit substance; and I
will fill their
treasures."
(Prov. viii. 20, 21.) The grand
motive,
therefore, in "searching the Scriptures," is because
"they
testify of Christ." (John, v. 39.) A sinner has but
one
want — a Saviour. A believer has but one desire—
to
"know and win Christ." (Phil. iii. 8-10.) With
"single
eye," therefore, intent upon one point, he studies
this
blessed book." With unveiled face he beholds
in
this glass the glory of the Lord" (2 Cor. iii. 18): and
no
arithmetic can compute the price of that, which
now
unspeakably better to him than the
treasures of the
earth.
Christian! bear your testimony to your
supreme delight
in
the book of God. You have here opened the surface of
much
intellectual interest and solid instruction. But it
the
joy that you have found in the revelation of the Sa-
viour,
in his commands, in his promises, in his ways, that
leads
you to exclaim, "More to be desired are they than
gold,
yea, than much fine gold!" (Ps. xix. 10.) Yes, in-
deed—every
promise — every declaration — centering in
him,
is a pearl and the word of God is full of these pre-
cious
pearls. If then they be the richest who have the best
and
the largest treasure, those who have most of the word
in
their hearts, not those who have most of the world in
their
possession—are justly entitled to this pre-eminence.
"Let
then the word of Christ dwell in us richly
in all wis-
VERSE
72. 187
dom."
(Col. iii. 16.) For those who are rich in this heavenly
treasure
are men of substance indeed.
True—this is a correct estimate of the
worth of God's
law—better than this world's treasure. But
is it better to
me? Is this my decided choice?
How many will incon-
siderately
acknowledge its supreme value, while they yet
hesitate
to relinquish even a scanty morsel of earth for an
interest
in it! Do I then habitually prefer this
law of God's
mouth to every worldly
advantage? Am I ready to forego
every
selfish consideration,* if it may only be the means of
uniting
my heart more closely to the Book of God? If
this
be not my practical conviction, I fear I have not yet
opened
the mine. But if I can assent to this declaration
of
the man of God, I have made a far more glorious dis-
covery
than Archimedes; and therefore may take up his
expression
of joyful surprise—'I have found it! I have
found
it!' What? That which the world could never
have
given me—that of which the world can never de-
prive
me.
Yet how affecting is it to see men poor in
the midst of
great
riches! Often in the world we see the possessor of
a
large treasure—without a heart to enjoy it—virtually
therefore
a pauper. Oftener still in the Church do we see
professors
(may it not be so with some of us?) with their
Bibles
in their hands — yet poor even with the external
interest
in its "unsearchable riches." Often also do we
observe
a want of value for the whole law or
revelation of
God's
mouth. Some parts are highly honoured to the de-
preciation
of the rest. But let it be remembered that the
* A Jewish Rabbi, when induced by the
prospect of a lucrative
situation
to fix his settlement in a place where
there was no syna-
gogue, is said to have
resisted the temptation by the recollection of
this
verse. Poli Synopsis—in loco. A reproof to Christians, who,
in
choosing "the bounds of their habitation," have not always eyed
their
Master's rule, Matt. vi. 33.
188 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
whole
of Scripture" is given by inspiration of God and
therefore profitable" for its appointed
end. (2 Tim. iii. 16,
17.)
Oh! beware of resting satisfied with a scanty treasure.
Prayer
and diligence will bring out not only "things new,"
but
the "old" also with a new and brighter glow. Scraping
the
surface is a barren exercise. Digging into the bowels
is
a most enriching employ. No vein in this mine is yet
exhausted.
And rich indeed shall we be, if we gather only
one
atom of the gold each day in prayerful meditation.
But
as you value your progress and peace in the ways of God
—as
you have an eye to your Christian perfection—put
away
that ruinous thought—true as an encouragement to
the
weak (Zech, iv. 10), but false as an excuse to the sloth-
ful
(Prov. xiii. 4)—that a little knowledge is sufficient to
carry
us to heaven.
And— Lord—help me to prize the law as coming from
thy mouth. (1 Thess. ii. 13.) Let
it be for ever written
upon
my heart. Let me be daily exploring my hidden
treasures.
Let me be enriching myself and all around me
with
the present possession and interest in these heavenly
blessings.
VERSE
73 189
PART
X.
73.
Thy hands have made me and fashioned me:
give me
understanding, that I may learn thy
commandments.
In the vast universe of wonder, man is
the greatest won-
der—the
noblest work of God. A council of the Sacred
Trinity
was held respecting his creation—"God said, Let
us
make man in our image, after our likeness." (Gen. i. 26.)
Every
part of creation bears the impress of God. Man—
man,
alone—bears his image, his likeness. Everywhere we
see
his track—his footsteps. Here we behold his face.
What
an amazing thought, that the three Eternal sub-
sistents
in the glorious Godhead, should have united in
gracious
design and operation towards the dust of the earth!
But
thus man was formed— thus was he raised out of his
parent
dust, from this low original, to be the living temple,
and
habitation of Divine glory—a Being full of God. The
first
moment that he opened his eyes to behold the light
and
beauty of the new-made world, the Lord separated him
for
his own service, to receive the continual supply of his
own
life. His body was fitted as a tabernacle for his soul,
"curiously
wrought" by the hand of God; and all its parts
and
"members written in this book, which in continuance
were
fashioned, when as yet there was none of them." Most
naturally
therefore does the contemplation of this "perfec-
tion
of beauty" raise the adoring mind upward—"I will
praise
thee; for I am fearfully and wonderfully made;
marvellous
are thy works; and that my soul knoweth right
190 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
well."
(Ps. cxxxix. 14-16.) Thy hands have made
me and
fashioned me.
Could we suppose that man was formed to
eat, to sleep,
and
to die— that, after taking a few turns upon the grand
walk
of life, he was to descend into the world of eternal
silence,
we might well ask the question of God―"Where-
fore
hast thou made all men in vain?" (Ps. lxxxix. 47,)
But
the first awakening of man from his death-like sleep
enlightens
him in the right knowledge of the end of his
creation.
If I am conscious of being the workmanship of
God,
I shall feel my relationship to him, and the respon-
sibility
of acting according to it. I would plead then this
relation
before him in asking for light, life, and love. I
cannot
serve thee as a creature, except I be made a new
creature.
Give me a spiritual being, without which my
natural
being cannot glorify thee. Thou hast indeed
"curiously
wrought" my frame but sin has marred all.
Make
me thy spiritual "workmanship, created in Christ
Jesus."
(Eph. ii. 10.) Give me understanding―spiritual
knowledge,
that I may learn thy commandments―"Renew
a
right spirit within me." (Ps. li. 10.)
But the natural man feels no need of this
prayer. No,
he
is puffed up in his own wisdom. He cannot receive the
Divine
testimony, which levels him, while he "understand-
eth
not," with "the beasts that perish" (Ps. xlix. 20),
and
tells him, that he must "become a fool, that he may
be
wise." (1 Cor. iii. 18.) But should he ever know his
new
state of existence, he will offer up this prayer eagerly
and
frequently and every step of his way heavenward he
will
feel increasing need of Divine "wisdom and spiritual
understanding."
How does the song of heaven remind us of
this end of
our
creation!—"Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory,
and
honour, and power! for thou hast created all things
and for thy pleasure
they are,
and were created." (Rev. iv.
VERSE
74. 191
11.)
In harmony with this song we must acknowledge,
that
the "Lord hath made all things for himself" (Prov.
xvi.
4)—that he "created all things for his glory." (Isa.
xliii.
7.) And the recollection that he "created us by
Jesus
Christ" (Eph. iii. 9. Col. i. 16. John, i. 1-3), brings
before
us the grand work of redemption, and the work of
the
new creation consequent upon it. He who created us
in
his own image, when that image was lost, that he might
not
lose his property in us, put a fresh seal upon his natural
right,
and "purchased us with his own blood." Oh! let
us
not be insensible to this constraining motive to learn his
commandments. "Ye are not your
own, for ye are bought
with
a price; therefore glorify God in your body and in
your
spirit, which are God's." (1 Cor. vi. 19, 20.)
74.
They that fear thee, will be glad when
they see me: because
I have hoped in thy
word.
How cheering is the sight of a man of God!
How re-
freshing
his converse! How satisfactory and enlivening is
the
exhibition of his faith! The goodness of God to one
becomes
thus the joy and comfort of all. What an excite-
ment
is this to close communion with our God, that the
light
which we thus receive will shine on those around us!
What
a comfort will it be even in our own hour of temp-
tation,
that the hope, which we may then be enabled to
maintain
in the word of God, shall prove the stay, not only
of
our own souls, but of the Lord's people! Many a
desponding
Christian, oppressed with such fears as this —
"I
shall one day perish by the hand of Saul" (1 Sam.
xxvii.
1)—when he hears of one and another exercised in
the
same trials, and who have hoped in God's
word, and
have
not been disappointed, will be glad when
he sees them.
Thus
David recorded his conflicts, that we may not despair
of
our own; and his triumphs, that "in the name of our
192 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
God
we might set up our banners." (Ps. xx. 5.) "I had
fainted,
unless I had believed to see the goodness of the
Lord
in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord, be of
good
courage, and he shall strengthen thine heart: wait, I
say,
on the Lord." (Ps. xxvii. 13, 14.) Thus also, under
affliction,
he was comforted with the thought of comforting
others
with the history of his own experience —"My Soul
shall make her boast in
the Lord: the humble shall hear thereof,
and be glad. O praise
the Lord with me, and let us magnify
his name together. He hath put a new song
in my mouth,
even
praise unto our God. Many shall see it, and fear, and
shall
trust in the Lord. Bring my soul out of prison, that
I
may praise thy name; the righteous shall compass me
about,
for thou shalt deal bountifully with me." (Ps. xxxiv
2,
3, P. T.; xl. 3; cxlii. 7. Comp. also lxix. 30-32.)
In this view, the believer, who has been
"sifted in the
sieve"
of temptation, without the least "grain" of faith
or
hope "falling upon the earth" (Amos, ix. 9), stands
forth
as a monument of the Lord's faithfulness, to
strengthen
the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees,
and
to say to them that are of fearful heart, Be strong, fear
not."
(Isa. xxxv. 3, 4.) Those that are "fearful, and of
little
faith," are glad when they see him.
They "thank
God"
for him, and "take courage" (Acts, xxviii. 15) for
themselves.
What a motive is this to keep us from de-
spondency;
that, instead of destroying by our unbelief, those
who
are already "cast down," we may enjoy the privilege
of
upholding their confidence, and ministering to their com-
fort!
And how should the weak and distressed seek for
and
prize the society of those, who have been instructed by
the
discipline of the Lord's school!
Believer! what have you to tell to your
discouraged
brethren
of the faithfulness of your God? Cannot you put
courage
into their hearts, by declaring that you have never
been
"ashamed of your hope?" Cannot you tell them
VERSE
75. 193
from
your own experience, that Jesus "is for a foundation-
stone,
a tried stone, a sure foundation?" (Isa. xxviii. 16.)
Cannot
you show them, that, because he has borne the bur-
den
of their sins, he is able to "bear their griefs, and to
carry
their sorrows" (Isa. liii. 4)? that you have tried him,
and
that you have found him so? Oh! be animated to
know
more of Christ yourself let your hope in him be
strengthened,
that you may cause gladness in the hearts of
those
that, see you; so that, "whether
you be afflicted, or
whether
you be comforted, it may be for their consolation
and
salvation." (2 Cor. i. 6.)
But, O my God! how much cause have I for
shame,
that
I impart so little of thy glorious light to those around
me!
Perhaps some poor trembling sinner has
been glad
when he saw me, hoping to hear
something of the Saviour
from
my lips, and has found me straitened, and cold, and
dumb.
Oh! that I may be so "filled with the Spirit," so
experienced
in thy heavenly ways, that I may invite "all
that
fear thee to come to me," that I may "declare what
thou
hast done for my soul" (Ps. lxvi. 16) so that, "when
men
are cast down, they may say, There is lifting up."
(Job,
xxii. 29.)
75.
I know, O Lord, that thy judgments are
right, and that
thou in faithfulness hast
afflicted me.
This is the Christian's
acknowledgment—fully satisfied
with
the dispensation of God. This is his confidence—
so
invigorating to his own soul—so cheering to the church.
The
Lord's dealings are called his judgments—not
as having
judicial
curses, but as the acts of his justice in the chasten-
lug
of sin. (1 Pet. iv. 17.) Perhaps also —as the ad-
ministration
of his wise judgments in their measure and
application.
(Jer. x. 24. Comp. Isa. xxvii. 8.) But here
is
not only the confession of the Lord's general judgment,
194 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
but
of his especial faithfulness to
himself. And this he
knew—not
from the dictates of the flesh (which would have
given
a contrary verdict), but from the testimony of the
word
(Deut. xxxii. 4), and the witness of his own experi.
ence.
(Verse 137; cxlv. 17.) It could not be doubted,
much
less denied—'I know, O Lord, that thy
rules of pro-
ceeding
are agreeable to thy perfect justice and wisdom;
and
I am equally satisfied, that the afflictions that thou
hast
laid upon me from time to time, are only to fulfil thy
gracious
and faithful promise of making me eternally happy
in
thyself.' Blessed fruit of affliction! when we can thus
"see
the end of the Lord, that the Lord is very pitiful, and
of
tender mercy"— that his "thoughts towards us are
thoughts
of peace, and not of evil!" (Jam. v. 11. Jer. xxi
11.)
"The patience and faith of the saints" teach this
difficult
but most consoling lesson, in deciphering the mys-
terious
lines in God's providence.
The child of God under the severest
chastisement must
acknowledge
justice. Our gracious reward is always more
—our
"punishment always less, than our iniquities de-
serve."
(Ezra, ix. 13. Comp. Job, xi. 6.) "Wherefore
should
a living man complain?" (Lam. iii. 39.) In trouble
he
is indeed—but not in hell. If he complain, let it be of
none
but himself, and his own wayward choice. I
know, O
Lord, that thy judgments
are right—
and who can doubt the
wisdom?
Who would charge the operator with cruelty, in
cutting
out the proud flesh, that was bringing death upon
the
man? Who would not acknowledge the right
judgment
of
his piercing work? Thus, when the Lord's painful work
separates
us from our sin, weans us from the world, and
brings
us nearer to himself, what remains for us, but thank-
fully
to acknowledge his righteousness and truth? Un-
belief
is put to rebuke; and we, if we have indulged
suspicion
"that God hath forgotten to be gracious," must
confess,
"This is our infirmity." (Ps. lxxvii. 7-10.)
VERSE
75. 195
This assurance of the Lord's perfect
justice, wisdom,
and
intimate knowledge of our respective cases, leads us to
yield
to his appointments in dutiful silence. Thus Aaron,
under
his most afflictive domestic calamity, "held his
peace."
(Lev. x. 1-3.) Job under a similar dispensation
was
enabled to say—"The Lord gave, and the Lord hath
taken
away: blessed be the name of the Lord!" (Job, i.
21.
Comp. ii. 10.) Eli's language in the same trial was,
"It
is the Lord; let him do what seemeth him good."
(1
Sam. iii. 18.) David hushed his impatient spirit—"I
was
dumb; I opened not my mouth, because thou didst it."
And
when Shimei cursed him, he said, "Let him alone;
let
him curse; for the Lord hath bidden him." (Ps. xxxix.
9.
2 Sam. xvi. 11, 12.) The Shunamite, in the meek resig-
nation
of faith, acknowledged—"It is well." (2 Kings, iv.
26.)
Hezekiah kissed the rod, while it was smiting him to
the
dust —"Good is the word of the Lord which thou hast
spoken."
(Isa. xxxix. 8.) Thus uniform is the language
of
the Lord's people under chastisement—I
know, O Lord,
that thy judgments are
right.
But the confession of justice may be mere
natural con-
viction.
(Exod. ix. 27. Judges, i. 7. 2 Chron. xii. 6.) Faith
goes
further, and speaks of faithfulness.
David not only
acknowledges
God's right to deal with him as he saw fit,
and
even his wisdom in dealing with him as he actually had
done,
but his faithfulness in afflicting—not
his faithfulness
though he afflicted—but in afflicting him; not as if it were
consistent
with his love, but as the very fruit of his love. It
is
not enough to justify God. What abundant cause is there
to
praise him! It is not enough to forbear to murmur.
How
exciting is the display of his
faithfulness and love!
Yes—the
trials appointed for us are none else than the
faithful
performance of his everlasting engagements. And
to
this cause we may always trace (and it is our privilege
196 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
to
believe it, where we cannot visibly
trace it) the reason of
much
that is painful to the flesh. (Ps. lxxxix. 30-32.
Deut.
viii. 16. Comp. Ps. cvii. 43.) Let us only mark its
gracious
effects in our restoration* — instruction (Verse
71,
and texts),—healing of our backslidings (Hos. ii. 6,
7,
14), and the continual purging of sins (Isa. xxvii. 9,
xlviii.
10. Zech. xiii. 9. John, xv. 2)— and then say— 'Is
not
the faithfulness of God gloriously
displayed?' The
Philistines
could not understand Samson's riddle—how
"Meat
could come out of the eater, and sweetness out of
the
strong." (Judg. xiv. 14.) As little can the world com-
prehend
the fruitfulness of the Christian's trials; how his
gracious
Lord sweetens to him the bitter waters of Marah
(see
Exod. xv. 23-25), and makes the cross not so much
the
punishment as the remedy of sin. He finds therefore
no
inclination, and he feels that he has no interest in having
any
change made in the Lord's appointments, revolting as
they
may be to the flesh. He readily acknowledges that
his
merciful designs could not have been accomplished in
any
other way; while under trials many sweet tokens of
love
are vouchsafed, which, under circumstances of outward
prosperity,
could not have been received with the same
gratitude
and delight.
You
that are living at ease in the indulgence of what
this
poor world can afford, how little does the Christian
envy
your portion! How surely in some future day will
you
be taught by experience to envy his! The world's
riches
are daily becoming poorer, and its pleasures more
tasteless;
and what will they be, and how will they appear,
when
eternity is at hand! Whereas affliction is the special
token
of our Father's love (Heb. xii. 6. Rev. iii. 19), con-
formity
to the image of Jesus, and preparation for his ser-
* Verse 67, and texts referred to on that
verse.
VERSE
76. 197
vice
and kingdom. It is the only blessing that the Lord
gives,
without requiring us to ask for it.* We receive it,
therefore,
as promised, not as threatened; and when the
"peaceable
fruits of righteousness,"† which it worketh in
God's
time and way, spring up in our hearts, humbly and
gratefully
will we acknowledge the righteousness
of his
judgments, and the faithfulness of his corrections.
76.
Let, I pray thee, thy merciful kindness
be for my comfort:
according to thy word unto thy
servant.
What! does the Psalmist then seek his
comfort from
the
very hand that strikes him? This is genuine faith,
"Though
he slay me, yet will I trust in him." (Job,
xiii.
15.) The very arm that seems to be uplifted for my
destruction,
shall be to me the arm of salvation.
Several of the preceding verses have spoken
of affliction.
(Verses
67, 71, 75.) The Psalmist now prays for alle-
viation
under it. But of what kind? He does not
"beseech
the Lord, that it might depart from him."
(2
Cor. xii. 8.) No. His repeated acknowledgments of
the
supports vouchsafed under it, and the benefits he had
derived
from it, had reconciled him to commit its measure
(Jer.
x. 24) and continuance to the Lord. All that he
needs,
and all that he asks for, is, a sense of his merciful
kindness upon his soul. Thus he
submits to his justice in
accumulated
trials, and expects consolation under them,
solely
upon the ground of his free favour. Indeed, it is
hard
to hold on under protracted affliction without this
* Philip. i. 29. Lord Bacon remarks, that
'prosperity is the
blessing
of the Old Testament, adversity is the blessing of the
New,
which carries the greater benediction, and the clearer revela-
tion
of God's favour.'—Essay on Adversity.
†Such as patience, experience, hope—the
work of tribulation.
xii.
11; with Rom. v. 3-5.
198 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
precious
support. Patience may restrain murmuring―
but
a sense of love alone keeps from fainting. Holiness
is
our service—affliction is our exercise—comfort
is our
gracious
reward. All the candles in the world, in the
absence
of the sun, can never make the day. The whole
earth,
in its brightest visions of fancy, destitute of the
Lord's
love, can never cheer nor revive the soul. Indeed,
it
matters little where we are, or what we have. In the
fulness
of refreshing ordinances, unless the Lord meets us,
and
blesses us with his merciful kindness for
our comfort,
it
is "a thirsty land, where no water is." Absalom might
as
well have been at Geshur as at Jerusalem, so long as
he
"saw not the king's face." (Comp. 2 Sam. xiv. 23, 24.)
Nothing
that the Lord "gives us richly to enjoy" will
satisfy,
if this source of refreshment be withheld. The
worldling's
inquiry is—"Who will show us any good?"
The
Christian forms his answer into a prayer—"Lord!
lift
thou up the light of thy countenance upon me." (Ps,
iv.
6.) Let thy merciful kindness be for my
comfort. This
gives
the enjoyment of every real good, and supplies the
place
of every fancied good. It is a blessing that never
cloys,
and will never end: and every fresh taste quenches
the
thirst for earthly pleasures. "Whosoever drinketh of
this
water"― saith our Divine Saviour —"shall thirst
again.
But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall
give
him shall never thirst!" (John, iv. 13, 14.) "Delight
thyself
in the Lord; and he shall give thee the desires of
thine
heart." (Ps. xxxvii. 4.)
But, Reader, do you wish to realize this
comfort?
Then
seek to approach your God by the only way of access.
Learn
to contemplate him in the only glass in which a
God
of love is seen —"in the face of Jesus Christ."
(2
Cor. iv. 6. Comp. John, xiv. 6.) Guard against look-
ing
for comfort from any other source. Beware especially
of
that satisfaction in creature-cisterns which draws you
VERSE 76. 199
away
from "the fountain of living waters." (Jer. ii. 13.)
Learn
also to prize this comfort supremely, and not to be
content
without some enjoyment, or even with a scanty
measure
of enjoyment; but rather let every day's refresh-
ment
be made a step for desiring and attaining renewed
and
sweeter refreshment for to-morrow. Some, however,
appear
to look at David's experience, as if at
present they
could
hardly expect to reach its happiness: and so they go
on
in a low, depressed, and almost sullen state, refusing
the
privileges, which are as freely offered to them as to
others.
But such a state of mind is highly dishonourable
to
God. Let them earnestly plead their interest in the
word
of promise —According to thy word unto
thy servant.
Let
them lay their fingers upon one or all of the promises
of
their God. Let them spread before the Lord his own
handwriting
and seals; and their Saviour hath said-
"According
to your faith be it unto you."* "The king
* Matt. ix. 29. The writer cannot forbear
indulging himself
with
a transcript of the prayer of Monica, Augustine's mother, as a
beautiful
example of this earnestness and simplicity of faith in
pleading
the promises of the word— 'Lord, these promises were
made
to be made good to some, and why not to me? I hunger;
I
need; I thirst; I wait. Here is thy hand-writing in thy word;
and
in the last sacrament, I had thy seal affixed to it. I am resolved
to
be as importunate till I have obtained, and as thankful afterwards,
as
by thy grace I shall be enabled; being convinced that I am
utterly
lost and undone, if thou hearest not the desires of the
humble:
and if thou dost hear and grant, I am so well acquainted
with
myself and with my own heart, that I have nothing to glory in;
but
I shall wholly glory in the Lord; and I do resolve and believe,
that
I shall to all eternity celebrate and magnify the riches of thy
grace.
Thy promises are the discoveries of thy purposes, and
Vouchsafed
as materials for our prayers; and in my supplications
I
am resolved every day to present and tender them back to thee;
and
if thou wilt have regard to them, and appear to be a "God of
truth
to my soul; a poor creature, that hath long feared to burn
in
hell for hypocrisy, will be secured and made happy for ever. I
am
resolved to wait upon thee, and to cast down my soul upon thee
200 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
is
held in the galleries" (Cant. vii. 5; also, vi. 5); and, if
he
should "make as though he would go farther," he is
willing
that we should "constrain him, saying, Abide with
us."*
No veil now but the veil of unbelief need hinder us
from
seeing an unclouded everlasting smile of merciful
kindness upon our heavenly
Father's reconciled face. Only
let
us see to it, that he is the first, the habitual object of
our
contemplation, the satisfying well-spring of our de-
light—that
he is the one desire, to which every other is
subordinate,
and in which every other is absorbed.
Lord
Jesus! I would seek for a renewed enjoyment in
thy merciful kindness. I would not forget,
that it was
this
that brought thee down from heaven—that led thee
to
endure the death of the cross—that has washed me in
thy
precious blood— that visits me with many endearing
tokens
of thy love. Oh, let all my days be spent in the sense
of
this merciful kindness for my comfort,
and in rendering
to
thee the unworthy returns of grateful, filial service.
77.
Let thy tender mercies come unto me, that
I may live;
thy law is my delight.
Sin is no light trouble to the man of God.
Mercy,
therefore,
is to him no common blessing. Never can he
have—never
can he ask, enough. Hence his repeated
cries.
Mercy brought him out of sin and misery. Mercy
keeps
— holds him on assures him to the end. (Ps.
cxxxviii.
8.) Every blessing comes in the way of mercy.
in
this way; and thou hast assured me, thou art a "God of Judg-
ment."
Thou didst promise in judgment. Thou knewest
thou didst in making such promises; and thou
wilt be a "God of
Judgment;"
thou knowest when and where to make them good;
and
thou hast pronounced—"Blessed are they that wait for thee."
On
thee I will wait, and for this blessing I will hope and look.'
* Comp. Luke, xxiv. 28, 29; with Gen.
xxxii. 20-29. Comp. the
invitation
given, Cant. iv. 10, instantly accepted, v. 1.
VERSE
77. 201
(Ps.
cxxxvi. 23-25.) The most careful walker according
to
the gospel rule (Gal. vi. 16), needs mercy. The elect
are
"vessels of mercy" (Rom. ix. 23)—filled up to the
brim
with mercy. The crown of glory at last is received at
the
hands of mercy. (Matt. xxv. 34.)
The distinguishing character of God is,
that his mercies
are
tender mercies (Ps. li. 1; lxxix.
8)—a father's pitying
(Ps.
ciii. 13)—yearning mercies. (Hos. xi. 8. Jer. xxxi.
20.)
When his returning prodigal expected probably up-
braiding
looks, if not a frown of banishment, how did these
tender mercies bury, not only his
sins, but also his very con-
fessions
in the depths of the sea, and welcome him without
a
cloud to his forsaken home! (Comp. Luke, xv. 20-24.)
The
same tender considerations put away
from his children
all
anxiety respecting "what they shall eat, or what they
shall
drink, or wherewithal they shall be clothed. (Matt. vi.
25-34.)
As a Father he also "chasteneth" (Deut. viii. 5)
them—"he
suffereth their manners" (Acts, xiii. 18) —he
"spareth
them, as a man spareth his own son that serveth
him"
(Mal. iii. 17); and, finally, he determineth respecting
each
of them by an act of sovereign power —"Thou shalt call
me,
My Father, and shalt not depart from me." (Jer. iii.
19.)
In a yet more endearing character he speaks—"As
one
whom his mother comforteth, so will I
comfort you.
They
may forget; yet will I not forget thee." (Isa. lxvi.
13.;
xlix. 15.)
Yet have we no just apprehension of these tender mer-
cies, unless they come unto us. In the midst of the wide
distribution,
let me claim my interest. Let them come
unto
me. (Verse 41.) Praised be
God! the way is open to me.
The
mere report is unfruitful. I cannot speak of them
with
glow and unction. The application of them is life-
not
the mere breathing of spiritual existence, but the life
of
my life—the living principle of devotedness and enjoy-
ment—living
to and for God in every form and sphere, in
202 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
every
hour and action of the day; my feebleness becoming
strength
in the Lord; "walking up and down in his name."
(Zech.
x. 12.) This truly is "reigning in life" (Rom. v.
17);
rising to more of its honour and dignity, and reaching
forth
to more of its excellence and happiness.
But let us not lose sight of the abundant
overflowing
spring,
from which our life is maintained. "In Christ was
life"
(John, i. 4); and he "came that we might have life,
and
that we might have it more abundantly." (John, x. 10.)
There
can be, therefore, no exercises of life without a vital
union
to Christ—the source of life. Shall we then give
up
the hope of believing in Christ, till we feel the influence
of
this spiritual principle? This would be indeed like re-
fusing
to abide in the vine, till we could bring forth fruit;
whereas
the branch, while separated from the vine, must
ever
be fruitless and withered. (John, xv. 4-6.) We
must
receive life from
Christ, not bring it to him. Faith implants
us
in him; and "Christ dwelling in the heart by faith" be-
comes
the life of the soul, animating it in the ways of God.
(Comp.
Gal. ii. 20, with Ezek. xxxvi. 27.)
This life, therefore, will manifest itself
in delight in
God's law. We shall not be
satisfied to live upon the mere
surface
of the gospel (which is barren and unproductive, as
any
other surface, in spiritual usefulness), but we shall
search
into its hidden treasures, and draw forth its real life
and
consolation. This "delight"
will furnish a plea for our
use
at the throne of grace. If this is the fruit and acting
of
the life of thine own implanting, Lord cherish it. Let
me
live by the influence of thy tender
mercies. I venture
to
plead my delight in thy law, as an evidence of my adop-
tion
into thy family. And, therefore, I would renew my
plea
and my petition—Let thy tender mercies
come unto me,
that
my life may be not only existence, but enjoyment—
the
beginning, the earnest, of the everlasting life and bliss
of
heaven.'
VERSE
78. 203
78.
Let the proud be ashamed: for they dwelt
perversely with
me without a cause: but I will meditate
in thy precepts.
The prophecy with which God himself
condescended to
open
the history of the church, has ever since been in the
course
of accomplishment. (Gen. iii. 15. Comp. Rev. xii.
17.)
"Enmity between the seed of the serpent and the
seed
of the woman," has been the prevailing character and
course
of the world. "An unjust man is an abomination
to
the just; and he that is upright in the way is abomina-
tion
to the wicked." (Prov. xxix. 27.) David, however,
prayed
for the confusion of his enemies—not in a vindic-
tive
spirit, as if thirsting for their destruction; but as open-
ing
the way for his own more free service of God (Verse
134),
and as a chastening, that might eventually turn to
their
salvation—"Fill their faces with shame, that they
may seek thy name, O
Lord!"
(Ps. lxxxiii. 16.) That his
prayer
was the expression of his tender compassion, rather
than
of resentful feeling, is sufficiently evident from his
affectionate
weeping concern for their immortal interests.
(Verses
53, 136, 158.) Prayers of the same deprecating
character
dropped from the lips of the gentle and compas-
sionate
Saviour (Ps. lxix. 21-23): while the objects of his
awful
deprecations were interested in the most yearning
sympathies
of his heart. (Comp. Matt. xxiii. 37.) A re-
gard
also for the honour of God dictated this prayer.
David
knew that the malice of his enemies against him was
only
the working of their enmity against God; that it was
not
so much him that they hated and persecuted, as God
in
him. And therefore as a servant of God he could ap-
peal―
"Do not I hate them, O Lord, that hate thee? and
am
not I grieved at those that rise up against thee? I
hate them with perfect
hatred; I count them mine enemies."
(Ps.
cxxxix. 21, 22.) The followers of a despised Saviour
204 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
must
indeed expect to be sorely distressed with the perverse-
ness of the proud. But when, like their
Master, they can
testify
that it is without a cause (Ps. xxxv.
19 lxix. 4,
with
John, xv. 25), how cheering are their Master's words!
"Blessed
are ye, when men shall revile you, and persecute
you,
and shall say all manner of evil against you falsely for
my
sake. Rejoice, and be exceeding glad for great is
your
reward in heaven." (Matt. v. 11, 12.)
And
have you, reader, been exercised with trials from
an
ungodly world? Has the derision of the proud, or the
slight
or ill-treatment of the ungodly, never excited re-
vengeful
feelings within? Have you always been enabled
to
set your Saviour's example before you, and "in patience
possessing
your soul," to refer your cause to your Almighty
Friend?
"O Lord, I am oppressed, undertake for me."
(Isa.
xxxviii. 14. Comp. Ps. cxl. 12, 13.) Remember, he
has
engaged to take up your cause—"Shall not God avenge
his
own elect, which cry day and night unto him, though
he
bear long with them? I tell you that he
will avenge them
speedily." (Luke, xviii. 7,
8.)
But learn in the hour of trial where to go,
and what to
do.
Go to the word of God for direction and support.
Meditate in his precepts. There is often a hurry
of mind
in
times of difficulty, which unhinges the soul from the
simple
exercise of faith. But habit brings practice, and
steadiness,
and simplicity, enabling us most sweetly to fix
our
hearts upon the word of God, and to apply its directions
and
encouragements to the present exigency. Our enemies
fight
against us with an arm of flesh. We resist them
with
the armour of the word of God. And how inestimably
precious
is the armour, refuge, strength, and consolation,
here
provided for us against every effort to disturb our
peace,
"or separate our hearts from the love of God, which
is
in Christ Jesus our Lord!"
VERSE
79. 205
79.
Let those that fear thee turn unto me,
and those that have
known thy
testimonies.
As the believer finds trouble from the
world, he prays
that
he may find help from the Lord's people. The very
sight
of our Father's family is cheering. It brings not
only
fellowship but help. For the wise distribution of
gifts
in the body—each having his own gift—was or-
dained
for the mutual help and sympathy of the several
members.
(1 Cor. xii. 7. Eph. iv. 15, 16.) It is painful
therefore
to see Christians often walking aloof from each
other,
and suffering coldness, distance, differences and
distrust
to divide them from their brethren. Who
then
will not pray, that he, who has the hearts of all
his
people in his hand, would turn the hearts
of those that
fear him and know his
testimonies,
unto their brethren? It
was
the honour of Mordecai, that he was "accepted of the
multitude
of his brethren." (Esth. x. 3.) In the primi-
tive
church, "Demetrius had good report of all men, and
of
the truth itself " (3 John, 12); and the members of the
church
generally "did eat their meat with gladness and
singleness
of heart; praising God, and having favour
with
all the people." (Acts, ii. 46,
47.) 'Then,' as Chrysostom
exultingly
exclaims, 'the Church was a little heaven.'
Then
they could say to each other—"Behold, how good
and
pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!"*
and
even their Heathen neighbours were awed and con-
* Ps. cxxxiii. 1. Most truly catholic was
the rule of the ex-
cellent
Philip Henry, and most consistently exemplified in his
Christian
conduct, determining 'in those things, in which all the
people
of God are agreed, to spend my zeal; and as for other things
about
which they differ, to walk according to the light God hath
given
me, and charitably to believe others to do so too.'—Life,
Williams' Edition, p. 127.
206 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
strained
into the confession—"See how these Christians
love
one another."
Alas! that our Jerusalem should no longer
exhibit the
picture
of a "city compact together" (Ps. cxxii. 3)— that
so
many "walls of partition" should separate brother from
brother,
so that our Zion has very rarely been exhibited in
her
"perfection of beauty," when "the multitude of them
that
believed were of one heart and of one soul." (Ps. l. 2,
with
Acts, iv. 32.) Prejudice and misconception divided
Job
from his friends. (Job, vi. 29.) Want of forbearance
cankered
the union of the members of the church of Rome
(Rom.
xiv., xv. 1-7), and even prevailed to separate chief
friends
— Paul and Barnabas. (Acts, xv. 37.) Diversity of
sentiment
injured the influence of brotherly love at Corinth.
(1
Cor. i. 10-12.) And thus it has been in every successive
age
of the church so that the full answer to the Redeemer's
prayer,
and the grand display to the world of the Divine
original
of the gospel, is yet to be manifested. (John,
xvii.
21.) But as "the communion of saints" was the
peculiar
feature of primitive Christianity, and ever since
has
formed an article of her faith; in proportion as we
return
to the primitive standard, we shall hold closer
fellowship
with each other—as "members of one body"
(1
Cor. xii. 12-27)—"considering one another, to provoke
unto
love and to good works" (Heb. x. 24)—"bearing one
another's
burdens" (Gal. vi. 2; v. 13); —and "receiving
one
another, as Christ also received us, to the glory of
God."
(Rom. xv. 7.)
Want of Christian self-denial presents the
main hin-
drance
to this "keeping the unity of the spirit in the bond
of
peace." But—admitting that some of the brethren are
"weak
in the faith" in comparison with ourselves—are we
then
to be 'rolling endlessly the returning stone,'* ob-
truding
always the same stumbling-offence upon them?
* Morning Exercises, Oct. 1682.
VERSE
79. 207
(Rom.
xiv. 1.) We are "not to please ourselves" in com-
pelling
them to adopt our views; but rather to "receive
them,
and bear their infirmities." (Rom. xv. 1.) Accursed
be
that charity, that is preserved by "the shipwreck of
faith!"
But though scriptural truth must never be denied,
there
are times when it may be forborne. The Apostle
"knew
and was persuaded of the Lord Jesus, that there
was
nothing unclean of itself" (Rom. xiv. 14); yet he
would
rather allow even the misconception of conscience,
until
clearer light should be given, than endanger the unity
of
the church. Liberty must give place to love; and for
himself,
he would rather restrain himself from lawful in-
dulgence,
than hazard the safety of a weaker brother, or
turn
from one that loved his Saviour. (Rom. xiv. 15, 16.
1
Cor. viii. 13. Comp. Phil. iii. 15, 16.) Wherever, there-
fore,
in the judgment of Christian charity, we discover
those
"that love our Lord Jesus Christ in sincerity" (Eph.
vi.
24. Comp. 1 John, iii. 14), we must be ready to give
them
our very hearts, to view them as brethren, as one with
ourselves,
and to welcome them with brotherly love, as those
whom,
with all their infirmities, Jesus "is not ashamed to
call
his brethren." (Heb. ii. 11, 12.) We must be ready to
turn to them, as those that fear God, and have known his
testimonies.
And does not the believer's anxiety for the
company and
assistance
of the Lord's people rebuke Christian professors,
who
are far too closely linked to the society of the world?
Surely,
if the lovely attraction of many of its most avowed
votaries
can compensate for the absence of their Saviour's
image,
they can have but little relish for that heavenly
enjoyment,
which unites the children of God together in
close
and hallowed communion with God. And do we not
see
a proof of the deteriorating influence of this worldly
spirit,
in their readiness to feel disgust at the infirmities of
the
real brethren of the Lord, and to neglect the image of
208 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
Christ
in them, from the unsightliness of the garb, which
may
sometimes cover it?
But
let us mark the completeness of the Christian,
combining
the fear with the knowledge of God. Know-
ledge
without fear would be self-confidence. Fear without
knowledge
would be bondage. But the knowledge of
his
testimonies, connected with an acquaintance with his ways,
moulds
the character of men of God into the spirit of love;
and
qualifies them, "as fathers" (1 John, ii. 13, 14) in the
gospel,
to counsel the weak and inexperienced. Should we,
however,
be excluded from the privilege of their inter-
course;
or should they be prevented from turning
unto us;
may
it not be the appointed means of leading us to a more
simple
dependence on Divine teaching and grace, and to a
more
blessed anticipation of our Father's house in heaven,
where
all will be harmony, peace, and love?' We shall
carry
truth and the knowledge of God to heaven with us;
we
shall carry purity thither, devotedness of soul to God
and
our Redeemer, Divine love and joy, if we have these be-
ginnings
here, with whatsoever else of permanent excel-
lence,
that hath a settled, fixed seat and place in our souls
now:
and shall there have them in perfection. But do you
think
we shall carry strife to heaven? shall we carry anger
to
heaven? Envyings, heart-burnings, animosities; shall
we
carry these to heaven with us? Let us labour to divest
ourselves,
and strike off from our spirits everything that
shall
not go with us to heaven, or is equally unsuitable to
our
end and way, that there may be nothing to obstruct
and
hinder our "abundant entrance" at length into the
everlasting
kingdom.'*
* Howe’s
Works, vol. iv. 126, 127—'It will be
one of the felici-
ties
of heaven,' (as Milner sweetly remarks upon the prejudices
subsisting
between Bernard and the supposed heretics of his day),
'that
saints shall no longer misunderstand each other;—Milner’s
History of the Church, iii. 384.
VERSE
80. 209
80.
Let my heart be sound in thy statutes,
that I be not
ashamed.
The perverseness
of the proud will be sure to put them
to
shame. (Verse 78.) As the
preservative from this shame,
David
prays therefore for a sound heart ―
filled with solid
principle—delivered
into the mould of the word (Rom.
vi.
Gr.)—like the sacrifices of the law―entire for God.
(Lev.
xxii. 22, 23. Comp. Mal. i. 8.) Often had he prayed
for
Divine teaching (Verses 12, 33, 64, 68)―now he begs
for
soundness in the Lord's statutes. How
many "have
made
shipwreck of faith and of a good conscience" (1 Tim.
i.
19), from an unsound heart! Ignorant of the spirituality
of
God's requirements, and resting in an outward obedience,
they
falsely conceive themselves to be "alive without the
law"
(Rom. vii. 9), and "touching the righteousness that
is
of the law, blameless." (Phil. iii. 6.) Others go a little
beyond
the surface; while the want of "simplicity and
godly
sincerity," of brokenness of heart, love to the Sa-
viour,
and dependence upon his grace, sooner or later dis-
covers
to their eternal confusion, that "the root of the
matter
is" not "in them." "Their root shall be as
rottenness,
and their blossom shall go up as dust. Their
goodness
is as a morning cloud, and as the early dew it
goeth
away." (Isa. v. 24. Hos. vi. 4. Comp. Matt. xiii. 20,
21.)
An unsound professor, like beautiful fruit, may attract
the
careless eye; but a more narrow inspection will show a
worm
at the core, which has spoiled nearly to the surface.*
Such
religion is only a shrivelled mass of inactive formality
a
dead image of a living thing.
Alas! how common is it to profess to take
Christ for a
* 'Quæ splendent in conspectu hominis,
sordent in conspectu
judicis.'
Comp. Luke, xvi. 15. 1 Sam. xvi. 7.
210 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
Saviour,
while the heart is evidently worshipping Mammon
as
its God!— constrained— not inclined—to the Lord's
statutes!
How possible is it to be "carnally-minded" in
the
daily routine of spiritual exercises! How important
is
the recollection, that no change of place, of company, or
of
circumstances, can of itself effect a change of heart!
"Saul
among the prophets" was Saul still; with "another
heart"
(1 Sam. x. 9-12) indeed, but not a new heart. Sin
was
restrained, but not crucified. He "went out," there-
fore,
as one of his progenitors, "from the presence of the
Lord"
(Gen. iv. 16), and perished, a miserable apostate from
the statutes of his God. Will
profession—knowledge-
gifts
— feelings — privileges — avail for a sound
heart?
Need
we speak of Judas a follower—nay, even, an
apostle
of Jesus Christ—living in a familiar intercourse with
his
Lord—yet with all his privileges — all his profession,
"gone
to his own place" (Acts, i. 25)—the melancholy
victim
of his own self-deceitfulness? Need we allude to
Balaam—"the
man whose eyes were open—which heard
the
words of God—which saw the vision of the Almighty"
—who
could in the ken of his eye mark the goodliness of
the
Lord's inheritance, and even in the distant horizon
catch
a glimpse of "Jacob's star and sceptre," and yet
"loved the wages of unrighteousness?"
(Numb. xxiv. 2-5,
17.
2 Pet. ii. 15.) Need we bring to the mind's eye
Ananias
and Sapphira? (Acts, v. 1-10.) Alexander (Acts,
xix.
33, 34, with 1 Tim. i. 20; 2 Tim. iv. 14) and Demas
(Col.
iv. 14. Philem. 24, with 2 Tim. iv. 10)—and others
of
like stamp—all of whom once shone as stars (Rev. xii.
4)
in the firmament of the church — need we speak of the
end
of these men, to give energy to the prayer―Let my
heart be sound in thy
statutes?
How fearful the thought of being "a
branch in the
true
vine" only by profession! to be "taken away" at
length—"cast
forth as a branch—withered—gathered-
VERSE
80. 211
cast
into the fire—burned!" (John, xv. 2, 6.) It is in the
inner
man that hypocrisy sets up its throne; whence it
commands
the outward acts into whatever shape or form
may
be best suited to effect its purpose. The upright
Christian
will therefore begin with calling in the help and
light
of God to ascertain the soundness of his
heart. "Search
me,
O God, and know my heart; try me, and know my
thoughts;
and see if there be any wicked way in me."
(Ps.
cxxxix. 23, 24.) Can there be a true and solid work,
where
there is a professed change of heart, and no mani-
fested
change of temper and conduct? Can that heart,
which
is found upon inquiry to be earthly—unprofitable
under
the power of the word (Heb. vi. 8)—"regarding"
secret
"iniquity" (Ps. lxvi. 18)— seeking bye-ends of praise
(2
Kings, x. 16), reputation (John, xii. 43), or gain (John,
vi.
26. 1 Tim. vi. 5)—and for the attainment of these ends
shrinking
from the appointed cross — can that heart
be
sound in the Lord's
statutes?
Impossible.
But, on the other hand, do you find that
your trust in
God
is sincere, your desire towards him supreme, your
obedience
to him entire? Prize those evidences of sound-
ness of heart. Thank God for them.
They are the work-
ings
of his mighty Spirit in your heart—perhaps the
answer
to the prayer which that same Spirit had indited,
Let my heart be sound in
thy statutes.
Diligently improve
all
the means of grace for keeping your heart in a vigorous
state.
Be daily—yea, continually— abiding in the vine,
and
receiving life and health from its fulness. (John, xv.
4,
5.) Be much conversant with the word of God — loving
it
for itself—its holiness—its practical influences. Be
chiefly
afraid of inward decays—of a barren, sapless notion
of
experimental truth; remembering, that except your pro-
fession
be constantly watered at the root, "the things that
remain
in you will be ready to die." (Rev. iii. 2.) Specially
"commune
with your own heart." Watch it jealously,
212 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
because
of its proneness to live upon itself—its own graces
or
fancied goodness (a sure symptom of unsoundness)
instead
of "living by the faith of the Son of God." Ex-
amine
your settled judgment, your deliberate choice, your
outgoing
affections, your habitual, allowed practice; ap-
plying
to every detection of unsoundness the blood of
Christ,
as the sovereign remedy for the diseases of a "de-
ceitful
and desperately wicked heart."
But it may be said—will not these exercises
of godly
jealousy
hinder our Christian assurance? Far from it.
They
will form an efficient preservative from carnal security.
They
will induce increasing tenderness, activity, and cir-
cumspection,
in our daily walk; and thus, instead of re-
tarding
the enjoyment of our heavenly privilege, they will
settle
the foundation of a peaceful temperament. (Verse 6.
1
John, iii. 20, 21.) It is a light and
careless frame, that is
the
real hindrance to confidence. An unsound professor
knows
nothing of the true spirit of adoption—nothing of
that
holy familiarity, with which a child of God unbosoms
himself
to his heavenly Father; and if he preserves an
empty
name in the church, he will be put to
shame before
the
universe of God. (Comp. Dan. xii. 2. Luke, xii. 1, 2.)
But
the sound heart is connected with
"a hope that maketh
not
ashamed"―the full blessing of scriptural confidence.
For
the heart is made sound by the
"sprinkling of the
blood
of Christ;" and when thus "sprinkled from an evil
conscience,"
we "have boldness" to "draw near"—yea,
even
to "enter into the holiest,"—"in full assurance of
faith."
(See Heb. x. 19-22.) Blessed privilege of access
and
communion with our reconciled God! Every moment
endears
the Saviour to our souls, and enlivens the hope of
his
glorious coming, as the joyful consummation of all the
prospects
of faith—"Herein is our love made perfect, that
we may have boldness in
the day of judgment."
(1 John,
iv.
17.)
VERSE
81. 213
PART
XI.
81.
My soul fainteth for thy salvation; but I
hope in thy
word.
The salvation of the Gospel was the
constant object of
faith
and desire to the Lord's people under the old dispen-
sation.
Long had the church triumphed in the glowing
anticipation,
as if in the full possession of the promised
blessing
―"It shall be said in that day, Lo, this is our
God;
we have waited for him, we will be glad and rejoice
in
his salvation. I will greatly rejoice in the Lord; my
soul
shall be joyful in my God; for he hath
clothed me with
the
garments of salvation; he hath covered me with the
robe
of righteousness; as a bridegroom decketh himself
with
ornaments, and as a bride adorneth herself with her
jewels."
(Isa. xxv. 9; lxi. 10.) And as it was the joy of
their
living moments, so was it the support and consolation
of
their dying hours. "I have waited for thy salvation,
O
Lord!" (Gen. xlix. 18), was the expression of the dying
patriarch's
faith. And how cheering were the last words
of
this "sweet Psalmist of Israel," whose soul was now
fainting for God's salvation, even in his dark and
foreboding
family
prospect!" Although my house be not so with
God,
yet hath he made with me an everlasting covenant,
ordered
in all things and sure: for this is all
my salvation,
and
all my desire, although he make it not to grow."
(2
Sam. xxiii. 5.) Good old Simeon, in the break of the
gospel-day,
was ready to "depart in peace, for his eyes had
214 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
seen
God's salvation." (Luke, ii. 28-30, also 25.) And
shall
not we, under this heavenly influence, naturally appro-
priate
these feelings of ancient believers to ourselves?
What
interpreter but experience will be needed to explain
them?
The uneasiness felt by any interruption of our en-
joyment,
will show the soul to be fainting for this
salvation.
Nothing
will satisfy but the Saviour. The tempting offer
of
"all the kingdoms of the world, and the glory of them,"
will
fail in attraction. Still the cry will be —"Say unto my
soul,
I am thy salvation. (Ps. xxxv. 3.) Let
thy mercies
come also unto me, O
Lord; even thy salvation, according to
thy word." (Verse 41.)
As the lowest expectant of this salvation,
am not I
richer
than the sole possessor of this world's portion? And
therefore
if the Lord hides his face, I would look to no other
quarter;
I would stay by him, and "wait on him," though
days
and months and years may pass away, "until he have
mercy
upon me." (Ps. cxxiii. 1, 2. Comp. Isa. viii. 17. Mic.
vii.
9.) My soul fainteth for his salvation:
and—pressing to
my
lips the fullest cup of earth's best joy—my heart would
burst
with despair of satisfaction, "but" that "I hope in
his word." (Ps. cxxx. 5.)
"By this hope I am saved."
(Rom.
viii. 24.) In "the patience of hope" (1 Thess. i. 3)
I
am resolved to wait until the last moment, lying at the
footstool
of my Saviour. I am looking for the "assurance
of
this hope" (Heb. vi. 11)—when, in the joyous anticipa-
tion
of eternity, and with "the earnest of" the heavenly
"inheritance"
in my soul, I shall echo the voice of my
coming
Saviour—"Even so come, Lord Jesus." (Rev.
xxii.
20.)
Oh, how precious and important a part of
our armour is
Hope!
As a "helmet" (Eph. vi. 17. 1 Thess. v. 8), it has
"covered
our head in the day of battle" from many a "fiery
dart
of the wicked." In times of darkness —when the rest-
less
foe hides the prospect from the eye of faith, and the
VERSE
81. 215
child
of God can scarcely, if at all, mount up and sing—
even
then hope remains, and lights a taper in moments dark
as
the chamber of the grave —"Yet
the Lord will command
his
loving-kindness in the day-time; and in the night-
season
his song shall be with me, and my prayer unto the
God
of my life." (Ps. xlii. 8.) And when the afflicted,
tempest-tossed
soul is trembling at the prospect of impend-
ing
danger— at this moment of infinite peril, Hope holds
out
the "anchor sure and stedfast" (Heb. vi. 19); so that
in
the awful crisis, when "deep calleth unto deep, and all
the
waves and billows are going over us" (Ps. xlii. 7), most
unexpectedly
"an entrance is ministered unto us abun-
dantly," in the Lord's
best time, into our desired haven. (2 Pet.
i.
11. Ps. cvii. 30.) And it is this hope alone that sustains
us.
Were we to conceive of God according to the notions
of
our own hearts, we should give way to most unbeliev-
ing
patience. But the Divine character—as it shines forth
in
the word with such love and wisdom, such tenderness and
grace—invigorates
our hope. The strength of the strong-
est
of God's people proves but small, when afflictions press
heavily,
and expected help is delayed. But though the soul
fainteth, it cannot fail. We
depend not on what we see or
feel,
but on what the word promises. If God
has engaged,
it
must be fulfilled, be the difficulties—nay, impossibilities
—what
they may. Fixed, therefore, upon this sure foun-
dation,
with our father Abraham, "against hope" from what
We
see, "we believe in hope" from what God has promised.
(Rom.
iv. 18.) Thus the word is faith's sure venture for
eternity—stamped
with such a marvellous, mysterious im-
pression
of Divine glory and faithfulness, and communicat-
mg
such Divine power and refreshment, that the believer
cannot
but produce his experience of its efficacy for the
support
of his tempted brethren —"I had fainted, unless I
had
believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of
the
living. Wait on the Lord: be of good courage, and he
216 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
shall
strengthen thine heart: wait, I say, on the Lord."
(Ps.
xxvii. 13, 14.)
82.
Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying, When
wilt thou com-
fort
me?
Though the believer may be enabled, in the
habitual
working
of faith, to sustain his hope in the word,
yet "hope
deferred
maketh the heart sick." (Prov. xiii. 12.) Still,
Christian,
as you value the promise, trust the assurance.
Do
not be discouraged by present appearances. The sun-
shine
is behind the cloud. "The vision is for an appointed
time;
though it tarry, wait for it." (Hab. ii. 3.) "The
Lord
is not slack concerning his promise," but we are hasty
in
looking for it. (Comp. 2 Pet. iii. 9, with Isa. v. 19;
xxviii.
16.) The failing of our eyes is the
impatience of the
will,
"limiting God" (Ps. lxxviii. 41)
to our own time,
ways,
and means. Faith may be exercised in not seeing his
reasons—not
being able to harmonize his promises with his
providences,
or his outward dispensations with his Divine
perfections.
(Jer. xii. 1.) But let us leave this to him, and
be
"still, and know that he is God." (Ps. xlvi. 10.) We
shall
find in the end, that perseverance in waiting has
turned
to double advantage; and that even when the pre-
sent
answer to prayer, and also sensible comfort and accept-
ance
have been withheld; yet that important blessings
have
been accomplished, and the merciful purposes vouch-
safed
in bringing the wayward will into more entire sub-
jection
to himself. Yes—the blessing will be so much the
sweeter,
from being vouchsafed in the Lord's best time.
Waiting
time—whatever weariness may attend it—is pre-
cious
time, and not a moment of it will be lost. The Lord
secretly
upholds faith and patience, so that every step of
feeble
perseverance in the way brings with it unspeakable
delight.
Even while our eyes fail for the
fulfilment of the
VERSE
82. 217
word, peace is found in
submission and joyful expectation;
and
instead of a time of hardness, indolence, or carelessness,
the
Lord's return is anticipated the more intensely, as his
absence
had been felt to be the most painful trial. For as
well
might the stars supply the place of the sun, as outward
comforts,
or even the external duties of religion, supply to
the
waiting soul the place of an absent God.
Never, however, let us forget, that the
real cause of
separation
between God and a sinner is removed. The
way
of access is opened by the blood of Jesus (Heb. x.
19,
20); and in this way we must be found waiting, until
he
look upon us. Here will our cry—"When
wilt thou
comfort me?" be abundantly
answered; and though the
sovereignty
of God be exhibited in the time and measure of
his
consolations, yet the general rule will be—"According
to
your faith, be it unto you." (Matt. ix. 29.)
But if unbelief clouds our comfort, turn
the eye more
simply
to the "word" as testifying
of Jesus. Here alone
is
the ground of comfort; and the more confidently we ex-
pect,
the more patiently we will look. Nor shall we ever
look
in vain. Sin will be rebuked (Ps. lxxxix. 30-32).
But
restoration and acceptance are assured. We shall ob-
tain—not
the spurious comfort of delusion—but those
wholesome
comforts, founded upon the word of promise, and
connected
with contrition, peace, love, joy, and triumph.
The
gospel shows hell deserved, and heaven purchased—
thus
combining conviction and faith. Indeed, conviction
without
faith, would be legal sorrow; as assurance without
conviction
would be gospel presumption. Paul's experience
happily
united both. Never was man at the same moment
more
exercised with conflict, and yet more established in
assurance.
(Comp. Rom. vii. 14-25; viii. 33-39.) Thus
may
we maintain our assurance as really
in wrestling trou-
ble
as in exulting joy; honouring the Lord by an humble,
patient
spirit—in Bernard's resolution—'I will never come
218 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
away
from thee without thee'—in the true spirit of the
wrestling
patriarch—"I will not let thee go, except thou
bless
me." (Gen. xxxii. 26.)
But we sometimes seem to go "mourning
without the
sun"
(Job, xxx. 28),—"shut up, and we cannot come
forth"
(Ps. lxxxviii. 8),—straitened in our desires and ex-
pectations—doing
little for the Lord—with little enjoy-
ment
in our own souls, and little apparent usefulness to the
Church.
At such seasons it is our clear duty and privilege
to
"wait upon the Lord, that hideth his face from the
house
of Jacob, and to look for him."
(Isa. viii. 17.) "He
waiteth
that he may be gracious. He is a God of Judg-
ment;
and blessed are all they that wait for him."* He
waits—not
because he is reluctant to give, but that we
may
be fitted to receive.
83.
For I am become like a bottle in the
smoke, yet do I not
forget thy
statutes.
What an affecting picture of misery! Not
only were
his
patience and hope—but his very body—"dried up" by
long-continued
affliction. (Prov. xvii. 22.) This is he, who
in
the prime of youth was " ruddy and of a beautiful coun-
tenance,
and goodly to look to" (1 Sam. xvi. 12),—now
shrivelled
up like a bottle of skin (Josh. ix.
4. Matt. ix. 17),
hung
up in the smoke! Such is the mark
that the rod of
* Isa. xxx. 18. Thou mayest seek after
honours, and not
obtain
them; thou mayest labour for riches, and yet remain poor;
thou
mayest dote on pleasures,' and have many sorrows. But our
God,
of his supreme goodness, says—Who ever sought me, and
found
me not? Who ever desired me, and obtained me not? Who
ever
loved me, and missed of me? I am with him, that seeks for
me.
He hath me already, that wisheth for me; and he that loveth
me,
is sure of my love. The way to come to me, is neither long nor
difficult.'—
Augustine.
VERSE 83. 219
"chastening"
leaves on the body of humiliation.* The
soul
is strengthened—the body withers—under the stroke.
What might naturally have been expected to
have been
the
result of this lengthened exercise? Saul, under pro-
tracted
trial, resorted to the devil for relief. (1 Sam. xxviii.
6,
7.) An infidel nation took occasion from thence to throw
off
the yoke. (Mal. iii. 13, 14, with ii. 17.) Even a good
man,
under a few hours' trial, murmurs against God—nay,
even
defends his murmuring. (Jonah, iv. 7-9.) How did
this
man of God behave? When his soul was
fainting, his
hope in the word kept him from sinking.
(Verse 81.) Under
the
further continuance of the trial, the same recollection
gives
him support—yet do I not forget thy
statutes. (Comp.
Verses
51, 61, 109, 141; xliv. 17-19.)
Now— Christian— do not expect a new way to
heaven
to
be made for you. Prepare for the cross. It may be—
as
with David—a heavy, long-continued burden, and,
should
it come—look on it as your appointed trial of faith,
and
your training discipline for more enduring conflicts. And
remember
that your determined resolution rather to pine
away
in affliction, than "make a way of escape" by sin — is
the
proof of the reality of his own grace in you, and of his
faithful
love towards you. Think how honourably he manifests
your
relation to Christ, by causing "his sufferings to abound
in
you," and making you "bear in your body the marks of
the
Lord Jesus." (2 Cor. i. 5. Gal. vi. 17. Comp. 1 Pet.
iv.
13.) And do you not thus realize, as you could not other-
wise
do, the sympathy of our High Priest, who was himself
"a
root out of a dry ground, having no form nor comeliness,
and
no beauty that he should be desired—despised and re-
jected
of men" (Isa. liii. 2, 3) to the end? Oh, what a
* Ps. xxxix. 11. Comp. xxxi. 12; cii. 3.
The history of Job:
xxx.
30. The woeful misery of the church: Lam. iv. 8; v. 10.
The
sufferings of the Saviour: Ps. xxii. 15. Isa. lii. 14.
220 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
supporting
cordial to his afflicted people is the sympathy of
this
suffering, tempted Saviour! (Heb. iv. 15; ii. 18.)
But to look at David, under his
long-continued trials,
preserving
his recollection of the Lord's statutes—what
a
striking
evidence of the presence of his God, and the sus-
taining
power of his word! If we then—blessed with much
larger
Scriptures than he — fail in deriving from them the
same
support, it can only be, that we do not search them in
a
dependent, prayerful, and humble spirit—that we do not
simply
look for the revelation of Christ; to mark his glory,
and
to increase in the knowledge of Him. (John, v. 39.)
In
this spirit we should have more to say of the comfort of
remembering
the Lord's statutes; and of their
upholding
influence,
when all other stays were found as "the trust in
the
shadow of Egypt—shame and confusion." (Isa. xxx.
1-3.)
Job's history strikingly illustrates both
the trial and its
sanctified
results. When "scraping himself with a potsherd,
and
sitting down among the ashes,"—the temporary victim
of
Satanic power—he might well have taken up the com-
plaint,
I am become like a bottle in the smoke.
But when
in
this hour of temptation he was enabled to resist the
tempter
in the person of his own wife, and commit himself
with
implicit resignation into the hands of his faithful God,
"What!
shall we receive good at the hand of God, and
shall
we not receive evil?" (Job, ii. 7-10)—was not this
the
confidence,— Yet do I not forget thy
statutes?
This confidence is indeed an encouraging
seal of the
Lord's
love to our souls. For we never should
have re-
membered
his statutes, had he not written his
covenant
promises
upon our hearts. (Jer. xxxi. 31-34.) And how
much
more honourable to our God is it than the desponding
complaint—"The
Lord hath forsaken me, and my God hath
forgotten
me!" (Isa. xlix. 14.) Let us watch then against
VERSES
84, 85. 221
a
proud sullenness under every little trial— such as the
coldness
of friends, the unkindness of enemies, or our
Father's
providential dispensations. How sinful to allow
hard
thoughts of him, whose name and character, "with-
out
variableness or shadow of turning," is "Love!" A
steady
trust in the long and wearisome seasons of tribula-
tion,
is indeed "to glorify God in the fires." (Isa. xxiv. 15.)
Nothing
honours him so much as this enduring, overcoming
faith,
persevering in despite of opposition, in destitution of
all
outward prospects of relief. It is when "against hope
we
believe in hope, not staggering at the promise of God
through
unbelief," that we are "strong in faith, giving
glory
to God." (Rom. iv. 18-20.)
84.
How many are the days of thy servant? When wilt thou
execute judgment on them that
persecute me?—
85.
The proud have dipped pits for me, which
are not after
thy
law.
Though a steady confidence in severe and
protracted
exercise
may enable us, not to forget the statutes;
yet we
shall
hasten to carry our complaint before him. How
many
are the days of thy
servant?—my
days of affliction under the
"fury
of the oppressor." To complain of
God is dishonour-
able
unbelief. (Jonah, iv. 1-3.) To complain to God is
the
mark of his "elect, which cry day and night unto him,
though
lie bears long with them." (Luke, xviii. 7, with
Ps.
vi. 3; xiii. 1, 2.) Christians! study this instructive
pattern;
and, when exposed to the lawless devices of the
proud, forget not your
hiding-place. God in Christ is your
stronghold,
"whereunto you may continually resort. He
hath given commandment
to save you."
(Ps. lxxi. 3.) Your
trial
has done its appointed work, when it has brought you
to
him; and inclined you, after your blessed Master's ex-
ample,
instead of taking the vengeance into your own hands,
222 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
to
commit yourself and your cause "to him that judgeth
righteously."*
'And this,' as Archbishop Leighton excel-
lently
observes, is the true method of Christian patience
that
which quiets the mind, and keeps it from the boiling
tumultuous
thoughts of revenge; to turn the whole matter
into
God's hands; to resign it over to him, to prosecute
when
and as he thinks good. Not as the most, who had
rather,
if they had power, do for themselves, and be their
own
avengers: and, because they have not power, do offer
up
such bitter curses and prayers for revenge unto God, as
are
most hateful to him, and differ wholly from this calm
and
holy way of committing matters to his judgments.
The
common way of referring things to God is indeed
impious
and dishonourable to him, being really no other
than
calling him to be a servant and executioner of our
passion.
We ordinarily mistake his justice, and judge of
it
according to our own precipitate and distempered minds.
If
wicked men be not crossed in their designs, and their
wickedness
evidently crushed, just when we would have it,
we
are ready to give up the matter as desperate; or at
least
to abate of those confident and reverent thoughts of
Divine
justice which we owe him. However things go,
this
ought to be fixed in our hearts, that he that sits in
heaven
judgeth righteously, and executes that his righteous
judgment
in the fittest season.'
Usually the Psalmist is expressing his love
for the law.
Here
he is complaining against his enemies; yet still im-
plying
the same spirit, that the pits, which the
proud dug for
him (Ps. xxxv. 7), were not after God's law. The martyr's
cry
under the altar shows the acceptance of this complaint
(see
Rev. vi. 9-11); "seeing it is a righteous thing with
God
to recompense tribulation to them that trouble" his
people,
"and to them that are troubled rest." (2 Thess. i.
* 1 Pet. ii. 23, and Archbishop Leighton on
the passage.
VERSE
86. 223
6,
7.) Some of us indeed have known but little of "cruel
mockings"
(Heb. xi. 36) and bitter persecutions.
Let such
be
thankful for the merciful exemption from this "hard-
ness"
(2 Tim. ii. 3): but let them gird on their armour for
the
conflict. Let none of us, in the determination to "live
godly
in Christ Jesus," expect to escape "persecution."
(2
Tim. iii. 12.) Let us "count the cost" (Luke, xiv. 28)
of
suffering for Christ, whether we shall be able to abide it.
For
the mere spiritless notions, or for the unenlivened forms
of
religion, of which we have never felt the power, nor
tasted
the sweetness, it would be little worth our while to
expose
ourselves to inconvenience. But if we understand
the
grand substantials of the gospel—if we are clearly
assured
of their reality, practically acknowledge their in-
fluence,
and experimentally realize their enjoyment, we
shall
dare the persecuting malice of the proud
in defence of
a
treasure dearer to us than life itself. Should we, how-
ever,
be too rich to part with all for Christ, or too high in
the
estimation of the world to confess his despised followers,
it
will be no marvel, or rather a marvel of mercy, if he
should
sweep away our riches, and suffer the
proud to dig
pits for us. To make this world
"a wilderness or a land of
darkness"
to us, may be his wisely-ordained means to turn
us
back to himself as our portion, to his word as our sup-
port,
to his people as our choice companions, and to heaven
as
our eternal rest.
86.
All thy commandments are faithful: they
persecute me
wrongfully; help thou
me.
In the lengthened duration of trials, the eyes fail with
looking upward, the voice of prayer
grows faint, and in a
moment
of weakness, the faithfulness of God is almost
questioned,
as if we should go mourning to the very end of
our
days. It is at such a season that he who delights to
224 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
"comfort
them that are cast down" (2 Cor. vii. 6), realizes
to
the view of faith the unchangeable faithfulness
of his
commandments with respect to his
people. In this recollec-
tion
we can "look up and lift up our heads," and "go on
our
way," if not "rejoicing," yet at least with humble ac-
quiescence;
assured, that in the perseverance of faith and
hope,
we shall ultimately be "more than conquerors through
him
that loved us." (Rom. viii. 37.)
Many Old Testament histories beautifully
illustrate the
reward
of this simplicity of faith in temporal emergencies.*
When
Asa's "hands were made strong by
the hands of the
mighty God of Jacob," "his bow abode in strength." (Gen.
xlix.
24.)
When at a subsequent period he "trusted
in man, and
made flesh his arm, and
his heart departed from the Lord"
(Comp.
Jer. xvii. 5-8), he became, like Samson,
"weak, and as
another man." (Judg. xvi. 7,
with 2 Chron. xvi. 7.) So true
is
it, that no past communications of Divine strength can
stand
in the stead of the daily habit of dependence upon
the
Lord, without which we are utterly helpless, and are
overthrown
in every conflict. Our best prosperity, there-
fore,
is to leave our cause in his hands, looking upward in
the
simplicity of wretchedness for his help: 'All
thy com-
mandments are faithful;
they persecute me wrongfully; help
thou me. Wretched and forlorn I
am; but thy truth is my
shield.'
Believer! This is your only posture of
resistance.
Should
you enter the field of conflict without this "shield
of
faith," some crevice will be found in your panoply,
through
which a "fiery dart" will inflict a poisonous
wound."
(Eph. vi. 16.) But how can faith be exercised
without
a distinct acquaintance with the object of faith?
We
cannot repose trust in, or expect help from, an unknown
* The examples of Asa, 2 Chron. xiv. 10-12,
and Jehoshaphat,
2
Chron. xx. 1-30, may be referred to.
VERSE
87. 225
God—an
offended God, whom every day's transgression
has
made our enemy. There must, then, be reconciliation,
before
there can be help. Those, therefore, who are unre-
conciled
by the death of Christ, cry for help to a God, who
does
not hear, accept, or answer, them. But when Christ
is
known as "the peace," and the way of access to God,
what
instance can there be of trial or difficulty, when our
reliance
upon the Lord will fail? Not indeed that we shall
always
return from the throne of grace with the wished-for
relief.
For too often we bring our burden before the Lord,
and
yet through distrust neglect to leave
it with him. Oh!
let
us remember, when we go to Jesus, that we go to a tried,
long-proved,
and faithful friend. Dependence upon him
is
victory. "The good fight" is the fight "of faith."
(1
Tim. vi. 12.) We are best able to resist our enemy upon
our
knees; and even such a short prayer as this—Help
thou
me—will bring down the
strength of Omnipotence on our
side.
But we might as well expect to crush a giant with a
straw,
as to enter the spiritual conflict with weapons of
carnal
warfare. Every trial realizes experimentally the
help
of a faithful Saviour. He does indeed deliver glori-
ously;
and leaves us nothing to do, but to "stand still,"
wonder,
and praise. "Fear ye not, stand still, and see the
salvation
of the Lord, which he will show to you to-day;
for
the Egyptians, whom ye have seen to-day, ye shall see
them
again no more for ever." (Exod. xiv. 13.)
87.
They had almost consumed me upon earth;
but I forsook,
not thy
precepts.
And why did they not quite consume him? Because
"the
eyes of the Lord run to and fro throughout the whole
earth,
to show himself strong in behalf of them, whose
heart
is perfect toward him." (2 Chron. xvi. 9.) "Surely
the
wrath of man shall praise thee; the remainder of wrath
226 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
shalt
thou restrain." (Ps. lxxvi. 10.) And why have not
our
spiritual enemies consumed us upon earth?
"Satan
hath
desired to have us, that he may sift us as wheat."
But—saith
the Saviour—"I have prayed for you,
that your
faith fail not." (Luke, xxii. 31,
32.) "My sheep shall never
perish
neither shall any pluck them out of my hand."
(John,
x. 28.) Stedfastness of profession is the evidence of
the
life of faith: grounded upon this security, the more we
are
shaken, the more we shall hold fast. Neither long-
continued
distress (Verse 83), nor determined opposition,
will
turn us from the ways of God. We would rather
forsake all that our heart held
dear upon earth, than the
precepts of our God. With
whatever intensity of affection
we
love father and mother (and the influence of the Gospel
has
increased the sensibilities of relative affection), we re-
member
who hath said—"He that loveth father and mother
more
than me, is not worthy of me." (Matt. x. 37.) Un-
like
the deluded professor (Matt. xiii. 21), we have counted
the
cost of the "tribulation and persecution" of the Gospel;
and
the result has only served to confirm our love and ad-
herence
to our heavenly Master. Shall not we find in
heaven
—nay, do not we find in the gospel— a far better
portion
than we lose? (Matt. xix. 29.)
When, therefore, we are tempted to neglect the precepts,
or
when we fail to live in them, and to delight in them, let
us
each bring our hearts to this test: 'What would I take
in
exchange for them? Will the good-will and approba-
tion
of the world compensate for the loss of the favour of
God?
Could I be content to forego my greatest comforts,
to
"suffer the loss of all things" (Phil. iii. 8), yea, of life
itself
(Acts, xx. 24), rather than forsake one of the ways of
God?
When I meet with such precepts as link me to the
daily
cross, can I throw myself with simple dependence upon
that
Saviour, who has engaged to supply strength for what
he
has commanded?' How often in times of spiritual
VERSE
88. 227
temptation,
if not of temporal danger, they had
almost con-
sumed us upon earth! but "in the mount" of difficulty
"the
Lord
has been seen."* Oh! let each of us mark our road
to
Zion with multiplied Ebenezers, inscribed Jehovah-jireh,
Jehovah-nissi. (Exod. xvii. 15.)
"By this I know thou
favourest
me, because mine enemy doth not triumph over
me.
And as for me, thou upholdest me in mine integrity,
and
settest me before thy face for ever." (Ps. xli. 11, 12.)
What a fine testimony of the upholding
grace of God!
How
could a helpless believer stand against such an appal-
ling
array? Yet it is a great, but a true word, suitable for
a
babe in Christ, as well as for an Apostle—"I can do all
things
through Christ that strengtheneth me." (Phil. iv.
13.)
Yes, I can "wrestle even against principalities and
powers"
of darkness, if I be "strong in the Lord, and in
the
power of his might." (Eph. vi. 10-12.)
88.
Quicken me after thy loving-kindness: so
shall I keep the
testimony of thy
mouth.
We need continual quickening to maintain our stedfast—
ness
in the precepts. "God, who is
rich in mercy, for his
great
love wherewith he loved us, even when we were dead
in
sins, hath quickened us, together
with Christ." (Eph. ii.
4,
5.) But without daily quickening after
the same loving-
kindness, "the things which
remain will be ready to die."
For
every breath of prayer, Divine influence must flow—
"Quicken us, and we shall call upon thy name."
(Ps. lxxx.
18.)
For the work of praise, without the same influence
we
are dumb.—"Let my soul live, and it
shall praise thee."
(Verse
175.) For the exercise of every spiritual grace,
there
must be the commanding voice of our Divine Head
* 'In the mount the Lord shall be seen, or
shall appear,'
Jehovah-jireh. (Gen. xxii. 14.)—Scott, in loco.
228 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
—"Awake, O north wind; and come, thou south:
blow upon
my garden, that the
spices thereof may flow out." (Cant. iv.
16.)
Thus is the creature laid in the dust, and all the
glory
is given to God. "Not that we are sufficient of our-
selves
to think anything as of ourselves; but our sufficiency
is
of God." (2 Cor. iii. 5.)
Why is it, then, that at one time we spring
to duty as
the
joy of our life; while at other times the soul is so
chained
down under the power of corruption, that it
scarcely
can put forth the feeblest exercise of life? The
source
of our life is the same; —"Hid with Christ in God."
(Col.
iii. 3.) But the power of the flesh hinders its every mo-
tion.
(See Gal. v. 17.) Such a spiritual sloth has benumbed
us
— such backwardness to prayer, and disrelish for heavenly
things!
These are sins deeply humbling in themselves, and
aggravated
by the neglect of the plentiful provision laid up
in
Christ, not only for the life, but for the peace, joy, and
strength
of the soul. Nothing but indolence or unbelief
straitens
our supplies. Oh! stir up the prayer for quicken-
ing influence, and we shall
be rich and fruitful. Sometimes
also
self-confidence paralyzes our spiritual energy. We
expect
our recovery from a lifeless state by more determined
resolutions,
or increased improvement of the various means
of
grace. Let these means indeed be used with all dili-
gence,
but with the fullest conviction that all means, all
instruments,
all helps of every kind, without the influence
of
the Spirit of grace, are dead. "It is the Spirit that
quickeneth;
the flesh profiteth nothing." (John, vi. 63.)
These records of David's prayers strikingly
mark the
intensity
of his desire to live to God. Every decay of
strength
and activity was, as it were, death to him, and
awakened
his reiterated cries. Do we desire to keep
the
testimony of his mouth? Do we mourn over our
short-
comings
in service? Oh! then, for our own sake, for the
Lord's
sake, and for the church's and the world's sake, let
VERSE
88. 229
our
petitions be incessant each one for himself—'Quicken
me— Quicken this slothful
heart of mine. Enkindle afresh
the
sacred spark within, and let me be all alive for thee.'
Let
faith be kept alive and active at the throne of grace,
and
all will be alive; our obligation will be deeply felt,
and
practically acknowledged.
The title here given to the directory of
our duty— the
testimony of God's mouth—adds strength to our
obligations.
Thus
let every word we read or hear be regarded as coming
directly
from the mouth of God. (Comp. Judg.
iii. 20.)
What
reverence, what implicit submission does it demand!
May
it ever find us in the posture of attention, humility,
and
faith, each one of us ready to say—"Speak, Lord, for
thy
servant heareth!" (1 Sam. iii. 9, 10.)
230 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
PART XII.
89.
For ever, O Lord, thy word is settled in
heaven. 90. Thy
faithfulness is unto all
generations; thou hast established
the earth, and it
abideth.
91. They continue this day
according to thine
ordinances, for all are thy servants.
The Christian extends his survey far
beyond the limits of
his
individual sphere. His view of the operations of God
in
creation enlarges his apprehensions of the Divine attri-
butes,
and especially that of unchanging faithfulness.
In-
deed,
the very fact of a creation in ruins—a world in
rebellion
against its Maker, failing of the grand end of
existence,
and yet still continued in existence — manifests
his faithfulness unto
all generations.
(Gen. viii. 22.) How
different
is the contemplation of the Christian from that of
the
philosopher! His is not a mere cold, speculative ad-
miration,
but the establishment of his faith upon a clear
discovery
of the faithfulness of God. Thus he
stays his soul
upon
the assured unchangeableness of the Divine word—
"Concerning thy testimonies, I have known of
old, that thou hast
founded them for ever.
Thy word is true from the beginning:
and every one of thy
righteous judgments endureth for ever."
(Verses
152, 160.) How striking is the contrast between
the
transient glory of man's goodliness, and the solid foun-
dation
of all the promises, hopes, and prospects of the
children
of God!—"The grass withereth, and the flower
fadeth
but the word of our God shall stand for ever.'
(Isa.
xl. 6-8. Comp. 1 Pet. i. 24, 25.) "Unbelief" is the
VERSES
89-91. 231
character
of our "evil hearts." (Heb. iii. 12.) Man chooses
his
own measure and objects of faith; he believes no more
than
he pleases. But it is a fearful prospect, that the
threatenings
of God rest upon the same solid foundation
with
his promises. "Heaven and earth shall pass away:
but
my word shall not pass away." (Comp. Luke, xxi.
28-33.)
Need we any further proof of his faithfulness? Look
at
the earth established by his word of
power. (Ps. xxxiii. 9.
Heb.
i. 3.) See how "he hangeth it upon nothing"
(Job,
xxvi.
7), as if it might fall at any moment;—and yet it is
immoveably
fixed (Ps. xxiv. 2; xciii. 1; civ. 5; cxlviii. 6)—
it abideth (Eccles. i. 4)— and with
all its furniture, continueth
according to his
ordinances.
This—though the scoff of the
infidel
(2 Pet. iii. 4) —is the encouragement to Christian
faith.
It is at once a token of his covenant with nature,
that
"while the earth remaineth, seed-time and harvest,
and
cold and heat, and summer and winter, and day and
night,
shall not cease" (Gen. viii. 22); and an emblem of
his
covenant with the seed of David, that he "will not cast
them
off for all that they have done." (Jer. xxxi. 35, 36;
xxxiii.
20, 21, 25, 26.) Thus every view of the heavens —
yea—
every time we set our foot on the earth (Isa. liv. 9,
10)—
shows the unchangeableness of his everlasting cove-
nant,
and the security of the salvation of his own people.
In this vast universe, all are his servants. "The stars
in
their courses"— "fire and hail, snow and vapours, stormy
wind—fulfil
his word. He sendeth forth his command-
ment
upon earth: his word runneth very swiftly." (Judg.
v.
20. Ps. cxlviii. 8; cxlvii. 15. Comp. Job, xxxvii. 12.
Isa.
xlviii. 13.) Man—the child of his Maker (Deut.
xxxii.
6) —"created in his image" (Gen. i. 27; v. 1)—
destined
for his glory (Isa. xliii. 7)—is the only rebel and
revolter.
Most affecting is the appeal, that his own Father
and
God is constrained to make concerning him—"Hear,
232 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
O
heavens, and give ear, O earth; for the Lord has spoken.
I
have nourished and brought up children, and they have
rebelled
against me!" (Isa. i. 2.)
Is not then the universe of nature a
parable of grace
setting
out on every side in every view — a cheering
display
of the faithfulness of God? (Ps.
lxxxix. 2.) If his
providence
fails not, will the promise of his covenant dis-
appoint
us? Why should he change? Does he see or
know
anything now, that he has not foreseen and foreknown
from
eternity? What more sure ground of salvation than
the
unchangeableness of God? (Mal. iii. 6. Heb. vi. 17,
18;
vii. 21-25.) If I can prove a word to
have been
spoken
by God, I must no more question it than his own
Being.
It may seem to fail on earth; but it is
for ever
settled in heaven. The decrees of the
kings of the earth,
"settled"
on earth, are exposed to all the variations and
weakness
of a changing world. They may be revoked by
themselves
or their successors, or they may die away. The
empty
sound of the "law of the Medes and Persians that
altereth
not" (Dan. vi. 8), has long since been swept away
into
oblivion. But while "the word settled" on earth
has
"waxed old like a garment," and perished; the word
settled in heaven— is raised above all
the revolutions of the
universe,
and remaineth as the throne of God— unshaken
and
eternal; exhibiting the foundation of the believer's
hope
and of the unbeliever's terror to be alike unalterably
fixed.
But we also remark the foreknowledge as
well as the
faithfulness of God. From the
eternity that is past, as well
for
the eternity that is to come, thy word is
settled in hea-
ven. Before this fair
creation was marred, yea, before it
was
called into existence, its ruin was foreseen, and a remedy
provided.
"The Lamb was slain from the foundation of
the
world" (Rev. xiii. 8), and fore-ordained before (1 Pet.
i.
20) that æra. Coeval with this period, a people "were
VERSE
92. 233
chosen
in him" (Eph. i. 4), and for ever
the word was settled
in heaven.—"All that the
Father giveth me shall come to
me." (John, vi. 37.)
For the establishment of the Re-
deemer's
kingdom upon earth "the decree is declared;"
however
earth and hell may combine against it—"Yet
have
I set my king upon my holy hill of Sion." (Ps. ii. 6-8.)
And
what a blessed encouragement in the grand work of
bringing
back "the lost sheep of the house of Israel"
(Matt.
xv. 24), and those "other sheep" with them,
"which
are not of this fold" (John, x. 16) is it, that we
do
not depend upon the earnestness of our prayers, the
wisdom
of our plans, or the diligence of our endeavours;
but
upon "the word" for ever settled in heaven! —"The
Redeemer
shall come to Zion, and unto them that turn
from
transgression in Jacob, saith the Lord.
As for me,
this
is my covenant with them, saith the Lord—My Spirit
that
is upon thee, and my words which I have put in thy
mouth,
shall not depart out of thy mouth, nor out of the
mouth
of thy seed, nor out of the mouth of thy seed's seed,
saith the Lord, from
henceforth, and for ever." "I have sworn
by
myself, the word is gone out of my mouth
in righteousness,
and
shall not return,— That unto me every
knee shall bow,
every
tongue shall swear." (Isa. lix. 20, 21; xlv. 23.)
92.
Unless thy law had been my delights, I
should then have
perished in mine
affliction.
The support of the word is as sure as its
basis—and
that
in the time when other supports sink—in affliction.
David—like
his great prototype—was a man of affliction
(Ps.
cxxxii. 1),— sometimes ready to perish—always
kept
up
by the law of his God. How many a
false professor has
been
tried and cast by this hour of affliction!
But he
who
has been sifted by temptation—who has "endured
the
hardness" of persecution, as a "good soldier of Jesus
234 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
Christ"
(2 Tim. ii. 3),—and who is ready rather to be
"consumed upon earth" (Verse 87),
than to shrink from his
profession—this
is he whom his Master "will lift up, and
not
make his foes to rejoice over him." (Ps. xxx. 1.) It is
the
established rule of the kingdom—"Them that honour
me
I will honour." (1 Sam. ii. 30.) " Because thou hast
kept
the word of my patience, I also will keep thee from
the
hour of temptation, which shall come upon all the world,
to
try them that dwell upon the earth." (Rev. iii. 10.)
The
law of God opens to us a clear interest in every
perfection
of his Godhead—every engagement of his cove-
nant.
What wonder then, that it brings delights,
which the
world
can never conceive, when bowed down with accumu-
lated
affliction? However the believer's
real character may
be
hidden from the world, the hour of trial abundantly
proves,
both what the law can do for him, and
what a lost
creature
he would have been without it. In affliction,
friends
mean well; but of themselves they can do nothing.
They
can only look on, feel, and pray. They cannot "speak
to
the heart." This is God's prerogative (Isa. xl. 2. Hos,
ii.
14, Margin): and his law is his
voice.
But for this support, Jonah probably would
have pe-
rished in his affliction. In the belly of the
fish, as "in the
belly
of hell," he appears to have recollected the experience
of
David under deep and awful desertion; and in taking
his
language out of his mouth, as descriptive of his own
dark
and terrific condition, a ray of light and hope darted
upon
his dungeon-walls.* Indeed it is a mystery, how a
sinner,
destitute of the support and comfort of the word of
God,
can ever uphold himself in his trials. We marvel not,
that
often "his soul should choose strangling, and death,
rather
than his life." (Job, vii. 15. Comp. 2 Cor. vii. 10.)
* Jonah, ii. 3; with Ps. xlii. 7. The
phraseology in the LXX.
is
identical, as if it were a clear and distinct recollection of the
Psalmist's
expressions, when describing his own state of desertion.
VERSE 92. 235
But in order to derive support from the
law, it must be
our delights* —yea—that it may be our delights it must
be
the matter of our faith. For what solid delight,
can we
have
in what we do not believe? (Ps. xxvii. 13.) Must it
not
also be our joy in prosperity, if we would realize its sup-
port
in affliction? For this, how
ineffectual is the mere
formal
service! Who ever tasted its tried consolations in
the
bare performance of the outward duty? It must be
read
in reality; it will then be taken as a cordial. Let it
be
simply received, diligently searched, and earnestly prayed
over;
and it will guide the heavy-laden to Him, who is
their
present and eternal rest.† The tempest-tossed soul
will
cast anchor upon it.—"Remember the
word unto thy ser-
vant, upon which thou
hast caused me to hope." (Verse 49.)
One
promise applied by the Spirit of God is worth ten
thousand
worlds. And each promise is a staff—if we have
but
faith to lean upon it— able to bear our whole weight
of
sin, care, and trial.
Is then affliction
our appointed lot? If "man is born"
—
and the child of God twice born—"to trouble, as the
* 'Delights '—instar omnium—instead of all
manner of de-
lights.
† Matt. xi. 28. It was the speech of a holy
man—after God
had
made this precious text the messenger to open his dungeon of
spiritual
distress, and bring him into the light of inward joy—that
be
had better be without meat, drink, light, air, earth, life, and all,
than
without this one comfortable Scripture. 'If one single pro-
mise'—as
Gurnal sweetly remarks in giving this story― 'like an
ear
of corn rubbed in the hand of faith, and applied by the Spirit
of
Christ—can afford such a full satisfying meal of joy to the
hunger-bitten,
pining soul; oh, what a price can we set upon the
whole
field of Scripture, which stands so thick with promises every
way
as cordial as this!'— Gurnal on
Eph. vi. 17. Well might
Luther
say—'I have covenanted with my Lord, that he should not
send
me visions, or dreams, or even angels. I am content with this
one
gift of the Scriptures, which abundantly teaches and supplies
all
that is necessary both for this life and that which is to come.'
236 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
sparks
fly upward" (Job, v. 7),—how important is it to lay
in
a store of supply from this inexhaustible treasury,
against
the time when all human support will fail! Sup-
plied
hence with heavenly strength, we shall be borne up
above
the weakness and weariness of the flesh. And as
the
riches of this storehouse are "the riches of Christ"
(Eph.
iii. 8. John, v. 39), let those parts be most familiar
to
us,* which mark his person (Isa. liii. 1, 2), his cha-
racter
(Ib. verse 9), offices (verses 4, 5, 12), life (verse 3),
sufferings
(verses 7, 8), and death (verse 9), resurrection
and
glory (verses 10, 12), together with the promises, en-
couragements,
and prospects directly flowing from this
blessed
subject—and oh! what a treasure-house shall we
find,
richly furnished with every source of delight, and
every
ground of support!
93.
I will never forget thy precepts; for
with them thou hast
quickened me.
An admirable resolution! the blessed fruit
of the quick-
ening
power of the word in his deep affliction.
He had be-
fore
acknowledged this supernatural efficacy—"Thy word
hath quickened me." (Verse 50.) Now
he more distinctly
mentions
it, as the instrumental only— not the
efficient
— cause—With them thou
hast quickened me.
Had the
power
been in the word, the same effect would have imme-
diately
and invariably followed. Nor should we have been
constrained
to lament the limited extent of its influence.
How
many, Christian, shared with you in the outward
privileges;
but perhaps unto none was the life-giving
blessing
vouchsafed, save unto yourself—the most unlikely
—the
most unworthy of all! (Comp. Luke, iv. 25, 26.)
* Such as Isa. liii. which, in the compass
of a single chapter
sketches
out his whole history. See the text.
VERSE
93. 237
Thus
does "God work in us both to will and to do"—not
according
to any prescribed law, but "of his
good plea-
sure." (Philip. ii.
13.) The grace therefore is not from, but
through, the means. Almighty God is the
source of the
life.
The word is the instrument—yet so "quick" (Heb.
iv.
12), so melting (Jer. xxiii. 29), so attractive (Matt. xi.
28),
that we might ask, out of what rock was that heart
hewn,
that is proof against its power? Yet while the
pre-
cepts work nothing without
the agents (1 Cor. iii. 7) they
are
the ordinary course, by which the Lord
quickeneth whom
he will. (John, v. 21. Rom. x.
17.)
And do not we find them still lively
channels of re-
freshment?
Surely, then, we will hold to our purpose of
not forgetting the
precepts.
The leaves of the word of God
are
the leaves of the tree of life, as well as of the tree of
knowledge.
They not only enlighten the path, but they
supply
life for daily work and progress. "The words that
I
speak unto you"—said Jesus—"they
are spirit, and they
are life" (John, vi. 63):
so that the times when we have
been
most diligent in our meditation and obedience to the
precepts, have been uniformly
the seasons of our most holy
consolation.
Men of the world, however, with accurate
recollections
of
all matters, connected with their temporal advantage,
are
remarkably slow in retaining the truths of God. They
plead
their short memories, although conscious that this
infirmity
does not extend to their important secular en-
gagements.
But what wonder that they forget the
precepts,
When
they have never been quickened with them never
received
any benefit from them? The word of God is not
Precious
to them: they acknowledge no obligation to it:
they
have no acquaintance with it. It has no place in
their
affections, and therefore but little abode in their
remembrance.
But this resolution is the language of
sincerity, not of
238 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
perfection.
The child of God is humbled in the conscious
forgetfulness of the
Lord's precepts.
And this conscious-
ness
keeps his eye fixed upon Jesus for pardon and accept-
ance:
while every fresh sense of acceptance strengthens
his
more habitual remembrance. Then, as for his natural
inability
to preserve an accurate recollection of Divine
things—let
him not estimate the benefit of the word by
the
results in the memory, so much as by the impression
upon
the heart. The word may have darted through the
mind,
as a flash of lightning, that strikes and is gone; and
yet
the heart may have been melted, and the passing flash
may
have shed a heavenly ray upon a dubious path. If
the
heart retains the quickening power, the precepts
are
not forgotten, even though the memory
should have failed
to
preserve them.
But whatever word of conviction, direction,
or en-
couragement,
may have come to us, affix this seal to it—
I will never forget thy
precepts.
It may be of signal use in
some
hour of temptation. The same Spirit that breathed
before
upon it may breathe again; if not with the same
present
sensible power, yet with a seasonable and refreshing
recollection
of past support.
94.
I am thine; save me; for I have sought
thy precepts.
What a high and honourable character is
stamped upon
the
meanest believer! He is the Saviour's unalienable
property
(1 Cor. iii. 23), his portion (Deut. xxxii. 9), the
"workmanship"
(Eph. ii. 10) of his hand, the purchase
of
his blood (Ps. lxxiv. 2. Acts, xx. 28. 1 Cor. vi. 19, 20),
the
triumph of his conquering love. (Isa. liii. 10-12.
Luke,
xi. 21, 22.) He is given to him by his Father
(John,
vi. 37; x. 29; xvii. 6-11)—"preserved in him,
and
called." (Jude, 1.) The evidence of his character is
found
in seeking the Lord's precepts.
"Whom we serve"
VERSE
94. 239
will
prove "whose we are." (Acts, xxvii. 23.) "His ser-
vants
ye are, to whom ye obey." (Rom. vi. 16.) "Know
that
the Lord hath set apart him that is godly for him-
self."
(Ps. iv. 3.) "The carnal mind is not subject to the
law
of God, neither indeed can be. So then they that are
in
the flesh" cannot seek the Lord's
precepts. (Rom. viii.
7,
8.) A new and spiritual bias, therefore, is the visible
stamp
and seal of the Lord's interest in us.
True it is, that our Divine Saviour can
never be robbed
of
his property—that his people are saved in him, beyond
the
reach of earth and hell to touch them. Yet are they
dependent
still—always sinners—every day's provocation
making
them more sinners than before; needing, therefore,
from
day to day, fresh power, fresh keeping, and, above all,
fresh
cleansing and acceptance. But what a powerful plea
for
mercy may we draw from the Lord's interest in us!
Will
not a man be careful of his children, his treasure, his
jewels?
'Such am I. (Heb. ii. 13. Exod. xix. 5. Mal.
iii.
17.) Thy sovereign love hath bought me—made me
thine
(Isa. xliii. 3, 4)—I am thine; save me.
Thou hast
saved
me; "thou hast delivered my soul from death; wilt
thou
not deliver my feet from falling?" (Ps. lvi. 13.)
Save
me from the love of sin, from the daily guilt and
power
of sin; from the treachery of my own foolish heart:
from
all this, and all besides, which thou seest ensnaring
to
my soul. If I am not thine, whence this desire, this
endeavour
to seek, thy precepts? What mean my
pri-
vileged
moments of communion with thee? What mean
the
yet unsatisfied desires after a conformity to thine
image?
Lord, I would humbly plead thine own act, thy
free
and sovereign act, that made me thine. Save
me,
because
thou hast brought thy salvation near to me, and
sealed
me thine. I need mercy to begin with me; mercy
to
accompany me; mercy to abide with me for ever. I
am thine; save me.'
240 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
And what irresistible energy does it give
to our plead-
ing,
that this was the sole purpose, that brought down the
Son
of God from Heaven! "I came down"—said he
"from
heaven, not to do mine own will, but the will of him
that
sent me. And this is the Father's will
which hath sent
me, that of all which he
hath given me I should lose nothing."
(John,
vi. 38, 39.) Of this purpose he was enabled to tes-
tify
at the conclusion of his work —"Those
that thou gavest
me I have kept, and none
of them is lost, but the son of per-
dition." (John, xvii. 12;
xviii. 9.)
But some cry for salvation, who neglect duty, and thus
make
void their plea. Can we make our interest good, by
seeking his precepts? Is it the way in which
we love to
walk?
Then let us not desist from our plea before God,
until
our heart listens to the voice of love, centering every
blessing
of creation, redemption, and heavenly calling, in
the
privilege of adoption—"Thus saith the Lord, that
created
thee, O Jacob, and he that formed thee, O
Fear
not, for I have redeemed thee: I have called thee by
thy
name; thou art mine. Thou art my servant;
O
thou
shalt not be forgotten of me. I have blotted out, as
a
thick cloud, thy transgressions; and as a cloud thy sins."
(Isa.
xviii. 1; xliv. 21, 22.) I have regarded this thy plea.
I
have heard this thy prayer—I am thine,
save me.*
95.
The wicked have waited for me to destroy
me; but I will
consider thy
testimonies.
Am I, as a believer, safe as the Lord's
property, and in
the
Lord's keeping? Yet must I expect that the
wicked,
the
ungodly, as the instruments of Satan, will not cease
to
distress me. The Psalmist had before alluded to this
* The same plea is urged in prayer, Ps.
cxliii. 12; lxxxvi. 2.
Margin.
Comp. also verse 125.
VERSE
95. 241
trial,
as driving him to his refuge. (Verses 78, 87. Comp.
verses
114, 115.) And, indeed, this is the constant cha-
racter
of the believer's walk—enduring the enmity of the
ungodly,
and seeking his refuge in the word of God—in
that
hiding-place of safety to which the word directs him.
How
striking is the proof of, the irreconcileable variance
between
God and the world—the world encouraging all
that
is contrary to God, and persecuting his image in his
people!
Yet the word opens to us a sure defence. If our
"soul
is among lions" (Ps. lvii. 4), cannot we testify to
the
astonishment of the world——"My God hath sent his
angel,
and hath shut the lions' mouths, that they have not
hurt
me?" (Dan. vi. 22.) We hear indeed the roaring of
the
winds and waves; but we hear also the voice hushing
the
storm to rest—"Peace, be still." (Mark, iv. 39.)
The experience of this trial and support
beautifully
illustrates
the promise—"He that believeth shall not
make
haste." (Isa. xxviii. 16.) He whose hope is firmly
fixed
on that "tried corner-stone," which God himself
hath
"laid in Zion as a sure foundation"—"shall not be
greatly
moved;" nay—he "shall not be moved"* at all,
by
the wicked waiting for him to destroy him.
In the hour
of
difficulty, instead of perplexing himself with succes-
sive
expedients for his safety (sought more from human
contrivance,
than from asking counsel at the mouth of
God)
he "possesses his soul in patience," and calmly
commits
all events to the Lord. Such a man "shall not
be
afraid of evil tidings! his heart is fixed, trusting in the
Lord."
(Ps. cxii. 7.) This trust is grounded on the word
of
God, revealing his power and all-sufficiency, and withal
his
goodness, his offer of himself to be the stay of the soul,
commanding
us to rest upon him. People wait on I know
* Ps. lxii. 2, 6. His confidence increased
in the recollection
of
his support—"I shall not be greatly moved—I shall not be
moved."
242 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
not
what persuasions and assurances; but I know no other
to
build faith on but the word of promise. The truth and
faithfulness
of God opened up his wisdom, and power, and
goodness,
as the stay of all those that, renouncing all other
props,
will venture on it, and lay all upon him. "He that
believes,
sets to his seal that God is true:" and so he is
sealed
for God; his portion and interest secured. "If you
will
not believe, surely ye shall not be established."'*
But it is the considering of the Lord's testimonies
that
draws out their staying support. The soul must be
fixed
upon them, as "tried words, purified seven times in
the
fire." (Ps. xii. 7. P. B. Trans.) And in this frame,
I will, under all distresses,
all circumstances of trial,
or
even of dismay, consider thy testimonies.
I will con-
sider the faithfulness of
those blessed declarations —
"There
shall not an hair of your head perish. Touch not
mine
anointed." (Luke, xxi. 18. Ps. cv. 15.) "He that
toucheth
you, toucheth the apple of mine eye." (Zech.
ii.
8.) With this armour of defence, I shall not be afraid,
even
should I hear the "evil tidings," that the wicked
have waited for me, to
destroy me.
Or even should I be
destroyed,
I know that thy testimonies cannot
fail—that
my
rock is perfect—"that there is no unrighteousness in
him"
(Ps. xcii. 15); and therefore, "though a host should
encamp
against me, my heart shall not fear; though war
should
rise against me, in this will I be confident." (Ps.
xxvii.
3.) Whether, then, I am delivered from the
wicked,
and
live, "I live unto the Lord;" or whether I fall into
their
snare, and "die—I die unto the Lord" (Rom.
xiv.
8); for I will consider thy testimonies,
assured that
all
thy purposes shall be accomplished concerning me, as
thou
hast said—"I will never leave thee, nor forsake
thee."
(Heb. xiii. 5.) "Thou wilt keep him in perfect
* Leighton’s
Sermon on Ps. cxii. 7.
VERSE 96. 243
peace,
whose mind is stayed on thee, because he trusteth
in
thee." (Isa. xxvi. 3.)
96.
I have seen an end of all perfection; but
thy command-
ment is exceeding broad.
A deeper insight into the Lord's testimonies is the
sure
result of considering them. Weigh
them in the
balances
against this world's excellency; the world and
the
word — each with all its fulness. Of the one perfection
we see an end—of the other —none.
This world is a
matter
of experience and observation. We have
seen an
end—not of some—but of all its perfection. It wants
sufficiency.
It stands us in no stead in the great emer-
gencies
of affliction — death—judgment—eternity. It
wants solidity in its
best substance.
"In its wisdom is
grief!"
(Eccles. i. 18.) All its delicacies and indulgencies
—after
having, like the King of Jerusalem, "not with-
held
the heart from any joy"—all end in the verdict of
disappointment—"Behold!
all was vanity and vexation
of
spirit!" (Eccles. ii. 10, 11.) Its
continuance is but for
a moment. The soul is born for
eternity. Therefore it
must
have a portion to last as long as itself. But the
world,
with its lusts and fashions, passeth away. (1 John,
17.)
All that it can offer is a bubble—a shadow. In
its
best riches, honours, and pleasures—in the utmost that
its
perfection can yield—in its height
and prime of enjoy-
ment—what
is it in itself—what is it able to do for us?
"All
is vanity." (Eccles. i. 2. 1 Cor. vii. 31.) And yet
such
is the alienation of the heart from God, that it is
first
tried to the very uttermost, before any desire to
return
homeward is felt or expressed. And even then,
nothing
but the Almighty power of God can bring the
sinner
back. He would rather perish in his misery, than
"return
to his rest."
244 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
Now contrast with the emptiness of the
world the
fulness
of the commandment of God. Our whole
duty to
our
God, our neighbour, and ourselves, is here laid open
before
us — commanding without abatement, and forbidding
without
allowance—making no excuse for ignorance
frailty
or forgetfulness—reaching not only to every species
of
crime, but to everything tending to it. This is per-
fection, of which we never see an end. Every fresh view
opens—not
the extent—but the immensity of the field
and
compels us at length to shut up our inquiries with the
adoring
acknowledgment— Thy commandment is
exceeding
broad. Its various parts form
one seamless piece; so that
no
particle can be separated without injury to the whole.
As
all the curtains of the tabernacle connected by taches
and
loops, made but one covering for the ark, and the
loosening
or disjunction of the smallest point disannulled
the
fitness of the whole; so it belongs to the perfection of
the commandment, that "whosoever
shall keep the whole
law,
and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all."
(Jam.
ii. 10, 11.) The spirituality of its requirements
equally
illustrates its Divine perfection. An
angry look
is
murder (Matt. v. 21, 22. Comp. 1 John, iii. 15); an
unchaste
desire is adultery (Matt. v. 27); the "stumbling-
block
of iniquity" (Ezek. xiv. 7)—"covetousness" (Eph.
v.
5)—in the heart is idolatry; the thought (Prov. xxiv.
9.
Comp. xxiii. 7) as well as the act—the first conception
of
sin, as well as the after-commission—brings in the ver-
dict
— Guilty —Death.
Can we, then, endure the sight of its exceeding
breadth? Yes — for the commandment of the gospel
(John,
vi. 28, 29. 1 John, iii. 23) is equally broad,
and
covers
all. (Rom. iii. 22.) We know who hath stood in
our
place — who hath satisfied Sinai's unalterable require-
ments,
and borne its awful curse. (Gal. iv. 4, 5; 13.)
Broad as it may be, the love
which hath fulfilled it is
VERSE
96. 245
immeasurable.
As a covenant, therefore, it has now lost
its
terrors. As a rule, we love it for its extent, and for its
purity;
for the comprehensiveness of its obligations, and
for
the narrowness of its liberty for indulgence; nor would
we
wish to be subject to a less severe scrutiny, or a more
lenient
administration.
Reader! if you have learnt the exceeding breadth and
spirituality
of the law (the first lesson that is taught and
learnt
in the school of Christ), your views of yourself and
your
state before God will be totally changed. Before,
you
were "thanking God" in your heart, "that you were
not
as other men are." Now you will be "smiting upon
your
breast, saying—God be merciful to me a sinner!"
(Luke,
xviii. 9-13.) Before, perhaps, you might have
thought
yourself, "touching the righteousness which is
of
the law, blameless." Now you will glory in your new
and
more enlightened choice —"What things were gain
to
me, those I counted loss for Christ." (Philip. iii. 6, 7.)
Once
you considered yourself "alive," when you were really
dead.
Now that "the commandment is come" in its
heart-searching
spirituality and conviction to your soul,
you
"die" (Rom. vii. 9) that you may live. Blessed
change
from the law to the gospel—"from death to life!"
"I
through the law am dead to the law, that I might live
unto
God." (Gal. ii. 19.)
Such is the effect of the transition from a
legal to an
evangelical
ground. Before, we were reckless of sin, and
therefore
reckless of the gospel. As the one fell lightly
upon
our conscience, the other held a light estimation in
our
judgment. While we had no disturbance from the
law,
we had no delight in the gospel. But nod that
we
see in the true mirror, we are at once alarmed and
enlightened.
Praised be God! we now take the true
estimate—we
degrade to the uttermost righteousness by
works—we
exalt to the uttermost righteousness by faith.
In
the one we see pollution—in the other perfection.
246 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
PART
XIII.*
97.
O how love I thy law! it is my meditation
all the day.
Mark the man of God giving utterance to
his feelings of
heavenly
delight—expressing most, by intimating that
he
cannot adequately express what he desires. He seems
unable
to restrain his acknowledgments of Divine influence
springing
up in his heart — O how love I thy law!
This
experience
is most distinctive of a spiritual character.
The
professor may read, and understand, and even externally
obey
the law; but the believer only loves
it; and he lives
in
it, as if he could not live without it; To the professor it
is
a task imposed to satisfy conscience; "the veil upon the
heart"
(2 Cor. 15) darkens all his spiritual apprehen-
sion,
and consequently excludes spiritual delight. To the
child
of God, it is food and medicine, light and comfort—
yea,
"life from the dead." The law of precept in the
word
is a "law of liberty" (Jam. i. 25)—a law of love—
in
his heart. His former obedience was the bondage of
fear.
But how different is the effect of constraining love!
He
now delights to view it in every lineament. He dwells
upon
every feature with intense enjoyment. Before, it was
his
confinement—his chain. Now, it is his liberty—his
ornament.
He is not what he was—"Old things are passed
away:
behold, all things are become new." (2 Cor. v. 17.)
* 'I enjoyed a solemn seriousness in
learning mem in the 119th
Psalm.'
-Martyn’s Journals, vol. p. 191.
VERSE
97. 247
Think what good reason there is to love the law. It is
the
epistle of our most beloved friend—not to be slighted,
but
to be placed in our bosom, nearest our hearts. It sets
out
that relief, without which the conscience would have
been
tortured by the never-dying worm. (2 Cor. v. 19.)
There
is more of glory—more of God—in this, than in
any
other manifestation of his name. (Ps. cxxxviii. 2.
Eph.
iii. 10. 2 Tim. i. 10.) It has ever been the mirror,
that
has reflected Christ to his church. The spiritual eye
discerns
him in every part.* Now— Reader — do you
search
for him in his law? Do you love his law, be-
cause
it "testifies of him?" Do you pray for his Spirit,
that
his law may guide you to him? This is the evidence
that
you have "turned unto the Lord, when the veil is
taken
away," and you "with unveiled face
behold in this
glass
the glory of the Lord." (2 Cor. iii. 15-18.) Then if
you
do love his law, you will love the
whole of it—its
obligations
as well as its privileges. You will love it at
all times (Verse 20), even when
it is thwarting your own
will
and way. The whole law is light and love— wisdom
and
faithfulness.
* John, v. 30. 'Were I to enjoy Hezekiah's
grant, and to have
fifteen
years added to my life, I would be much more frequent in
my
applications to the throne of grace. Were I to renew my
studies,
I would take my leave of those accomplished triflers—the
historians,
the orators, the poets of antiquity—and devote my atten-
tion
to the Scriptures of truth. I would sit with much greater
assiduity
at my Divine Master's feet, and desire to "know nothing
save
Jesus Christ and him crucified." This wisdom, whose fruits
are
peace in life, consolation in death, and everlasting salvation
after
death—this I would trace—this I would seek—this I would
explore
through the spacious and delightful fields of the Old
and
New Testament.' Such was the testimony of one, who had
cultivated
the classic fields with no inconsiderable success, and
who
above most men had enriched his soul with the glorious
treasures
of the word of God—whose praise is in all the churches
as
the author of 'Theron and Aspasia.'
248 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
But love
of the law fastens the soul to the beloved object,
It is my meditation all
the clay.
(Ps. i. 2.) When you
cannot
have it in your hand, it will be found, if indeed
your
soul is in a prosperous state, "hid in your heart."
There
it is kept as your most precious treasure; while
you
live upon it with unwearied appetite as your daily
bread,
and exercise yourself in it as your daily rule. Oh,
how
worthy is it of all the love of the warmest heart!
The
deepest students are most humbled for their want of
suitable
enlargement.
But this heavenly spirit can only be
grounded upon a
sense
of reconciliation. Can an unreconciled sinner be in-
terested
in the law, in every page of which he
reads his own
condemnation?
This explains the enmity of the ungodly.
(Comp.
1 Kings, xxii. 8.) But the cultivation of this
spirit
upon the ground of the gospel is a
most important
principle
of the Christian stedfastness, the want of which
has
been the source of fearful delusion (See 2 Thess. ii.
10,
11); and in the exercise of which we shall realize a
deeper
insight and more spiritual discernment of Scrip-
tural
truth. Warm affections will be far more influential
than
talent, or mere external knowledge.
This habit of love and holy meditation will
spread its
influence
over our whole character. It will fill our hearts
with
heavenly matter for prayer, diffuse a sweet savour over
our
earthly employments, sanctify the common bounties of
Providence
(1 Tim. 4, 5), realize the presence of God
throughout
the day, command prosperity upon our lawful
undertakings
(Ps. i. 3. Comp. Josh. i. 7, 8), and enlarge
our
usefulness in the church. (1 Tim. iv. 15.) Thus the
man
of God is formed in his completeness, symmetry, and
attraction
— such as the world is often constrained secretly
to
admire, even where the heart is unready to follow.
Lord! implant in my heart a supreme love to thy
law. Write it upon my heart
— even that new law, "the
VERSES 98-100. 249
law
of the Spirit of life in Christ Jesus." (Rom. viii. 2.)
May
I love it so, that I may be always meditating upon it,
and
by continual meditation yet more enlarging my love
and
delight in it! So let it prove an ever-springing source
of
heavenly enjoyment and holy conversation!
98.
Thou through thy commandments hast made
me wiser
than mine enemies; for they are ever with
me. 99.
I
have more understanding than all my
teachers: for thy
testimonies are my meditation. 100. I understand more
than the ancients, because I keep thy
precepts.
What a fruitful harvest did David reap from
his glow-
ing
love, and "daily meditation on the
law of God!" He
became
wiser than his enemies in "subtlety"
(Prov. i. 1,
4)—than all his teachers in doctrine—than the ancients in
experience.
Yet he is not speaking of his extraordinary
gifts
as a prophet, but of his knowledge gained by ordinary
means.
Nor is he here boasting of his own attainments:
but
commending the grace of God in and towards him
—Thou through thy commandments hast made me
wiser.
(Prov.
ii. 6. Jam. i. 17.) How much more wisdom does
the
persecuted believer draw from the word of God, than
his
persecutors have ever acquired from the learning of
this
world! Those, however, who have been effectually
taught
of God, need to be daily taught of
him. While
they
rest upon their God, and seek counsel in his word,
they
are wise indeed; yet when they trust to their own
Wisdom,
and turn to their own counsel, they become a
bye-word
and occasion of offence by their own folly. Was
David
wiser than his enemies or his teachers,
when he dis-
sembled
himself before Achish (1 Sam. xxvii.)—or when
he
yielded to the indulgence of lust (2 Sam. xi.)—or when
in
the pride of his heart he numbered the people? (2 Sam.
250 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
xxiv.)
Alas! how often do even God's children befool
themselves
in the ways of sin!
But how did David attain this Divine wisdom?
Not
by
habits of extensive reading—not by natural intelli-
gence—but
by a diligent meditation in the
testimonies.*
In
order to avail ourselves, however, of this means — a
simple reception of the
Divine testimony is of absolute import-
ance. We can never obtain
that assurance of the certainty
of
our faith, which is indispensable to our peace, or resist
the
influence of unenlightened teachers,
or the long-
established
worldly maxims of the ancients, except by
en-
tire submission to the
supreme authority of Scripture. Many
sincere
Christians—especially at the outset of their course
—are
much hindered—either by the scepticism of others,
or
of their own minds; or from their previous habit of
studying
the Bible in the light of carnal wisdom, or in
dependence
upon human teaching. Such need special
prayer
for humility of mind and simplicity of faith.
Under
this gracious influence they will discern that path
to
glory, which in infinite condescension is made so plain,
that
"the wayfaring men, though fools, shall not err
therein,"
and the unlearned believer, who has the word
before
his eyes, in his heart, and in his life, shall become
"perfect,
thoroughly furnished unto all good works." (Isa.
xxxv.
8. 2 Tim. iii. 17.)
In our Christian progress, David's habit of
scriptural
meditation will prove of essential
service. For while those
who
"confer with flesh, and blood" cannot have their coun-
sellors
always at hand; we, seeking our wisdom from the
word
of God, have the best Counsellor ever
with us,
teaching
us what to do, and what to expect. Obedience
also,
as well as meditation, directs our way. David found
* This was bound upon him as a king. Deut.
xvii. 18, 19.
VERSES
98-100. 251
understanding, because
he kept the precepts.
And David's
Lord
has pointed out the same path of light: "If any
man will do God's will,
he shall know of the doctrine." (John,
vii.
17.) "Thou meetest him that
rejoiceth, and worketh
righteousness—those that
remember thee in thy ways." (Isa.
lxiv.
5. Comp. John, xiv. 21-23.) Thy ways truly are
ways
of light, joy, and love!
Now let us turn in, and inquire—What is our
daily
use
of the word of God? Are we satisfied with a slight
looking,
or do we seek an intimate acquaintance with it!
Is
its influence ever present—ever practical? Do we
prize
it as a welcome guest? Is it our delightful com-
panion
and guide? Oh! meditate in this
blessed book.
"Eat
the word," when you "have found it and it will be
unto
you the joy and rejoicing of your heart." (Jer. xv. 16.)
The
name of Jesus—its great subject—will be more pre-
cious—your
love will be inflamed (Ps. xxxix. 3)—your
perseverance
established (Verses 23, 95)— and your heart
enlivened
in the spirit of praise. (Ps. lxiii. 5, 6.) Thus
bringing
your mind into close and continual contact with
the
testimonies of God, and pressing out
the sweetness from
the
precious volume, it will drop as from the honeycomb,
daily
comfort and refreshment upon your heart.*
* Thus Luther recommends us to pause at any
verse of Scrip-
ture
we choose, and to shake, as it were, every bough of it; that, if
possible,
some fruit at least may drop down to us. Should this
mode'—he
remarks—'appear somewhat difficult at first, and no
thought
suggest itself immediately to the mind capable of affording
matter
for a short ejaculation; yet persevere, and try another and
another
bough. If your soul really hungers, the Spirit of God will
not
send you away empty. You shall at length find in one, and
that
perhaps a short verse in Scripture, such an abundance of
delicious
fruit, that you will gladly seat yourself under its shade,
and
abide there, as under a tree laden with fruit.'
252 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
101.
I have refrained my feet from every evil
way, that I
might keep thy word.
David's wisdom was of a practical—not of a
merely
intellectual
or speculative—character. It taught him to
"keep the Lord's precepts;" and in
order to this, to re-
frain his feet from
every evil way.
And will not advancing
wisdom
show itself by increasing tenderness of conscience
and
carefulness of conduct? The professor is afraid of
hell;
the child of God—of sin. The one refrains
from
the
outward act—the other seeks to be crucified to the
love
of sin. Observe not only the practice, but the motive
—
that he might keep the word. Shall we
not "abhor that
which
is evil," that we might "cleave to that which is
good"
(Rom. xii. 9)—"abstaining from all appearance of
evil"
(1 Thess. v. 22), lest unconsciously we should be
drawn
into the atmosphere of sin—"hating even the gar-
ment
spotted by the flesh" (Jude, 23)—fearing the infec-
tion
of sin worse than death? But how fearful the danger
of
self-deception! What need to entreat the Lord to "see
if
there be any wicked way in us?" (Ps. cxxxix. 24.) Oh!
for
the large supply of grace and unction, to maintain an
upright
walk before a heart-searching God; to "keep our-
selves
from our iniquity" (Ps. xviii. 23); and in depend-
ence
upon the promises, and in the strength of the gospel,
to
"perfect holiness in the fear of God!" (2 Cor. vii. 1.)
But how awful to hear men talk of keeping the word in
a
loose and careless profession! For how can it be kept,
if
the heart has not felt its holiness? For this is its
beautiful
peculiarity; that, in order to keep
it, there must
be
a separation from sin. The two things are incompatible
with
each other. The two services are at variance at every
point;
so that the love of sin must be cast out, where the
love
of God is engrafted in the heart. Yet so strongly are
VERSE
101. 253
we
disposed to every evil way, that only
the Almighty
power
of grace can enable us to refrain from
one or
another
crooked path. Often is the pilgrim (yea, has it
not
too often happened to ourselves?) held back by a tem-
porary
ascendancy of the flesh—by a little license given to
sin—or
by a relaxed circumspection of walk. At such
seasons,
the blessed privilege of keeping the word
is lost.
We
are sensible of a declining delight in those spiritual
duties,
which before were our "chiefest joy." And "is
there
not a cause?" Have we not provoked our gracious
God
by harbouring his enemy in our bosom —nay more—
by
pleading for its indulgence? Has not "the Holy
Spirit
been grieved" by neglect, or by some worldly com-
pliance:
so that his light has been obscured, and his com-
forting
influence quenched? No consolations, consistent
with
the love and power of sin, can ever come from the
Lord.
For the holiness of the word of God cannot be
either
spiritually understood, or experimentally enjoyed,
but
in a consistent Christian walk. And yet, such is the
true
blessedness of the word, that the very expectation of
keeping
it may operate as a principle of restraint from
every
evil way.
Is there any bondage in this restraint from
sin? Oh,
no!
Sin is slavery; and therefore deliverance from it is
"perfect
freedom." There is indeed a legal
restraint much
to
be deprecated, when the conscience is goaded by sins of
omission
or of wilfulness; and the man, ignorant of, or
imperfectly
acquainted with, the only way of deliverance,
hopes
to get rid of his burden by a more circumspect walk.
But
not till he casts it at the foot of the cross, and learns
to
look wholly to Jesus his deliverer, can he form his re-
solution
upon safe and effectual grounds. Oh, may I
therefore
seek to abide within a constant view of Calvary!
Sin
will live everywhere but under the cross of Jesus.
Here
it withers and dies. Here rises the spring of that
254 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
holiness,
contrition, and love, which refreshes and quickens
the
soul. Here let me live: here let me die.*
Blessed Lord! thou knowest that I desire to
keep
thy word. Prepare my heart to
receive and to retain it.
May
I so "abide in Christ," that I may receive the sanc-
tifying
help of his Spirit for every moment's need! And
while
I rejoice in him as my Saviour, may I become daily
more
sensible of every deviation from the straight path!
May
my eye guide my feet! "Looking to Jesus," may
I
have light and grace! And may daily grace be given
to
refrain my feet from every evil way, that
I may keep thy
word!
102.
I have not departed from thy judgments;
for thou hast
taught me.
If I
have refrained my feet from sin—if I
have not
departed from God's
judgments—to
him be all the glory.
Oh,
my soul! art thou not a wonder to thyself? So prone
to
depart—to be carried away by uncertain notions—by
the
oppositions of Satan—by the example or influence of
the
world—how is it, that thou art able to hold on thy
way?
Because the covenant of the Lord engages thy per-
severance,—"I
will put my fear in their hearts, that they
shall not depart from me." (Jer.
xxxii. 40. Comp. xxxi. 33.
1
John, ii. 27.) While conscious of my own corrupt bias
to
depart, let me humbly and thankfully own the work of
Divine
teaching. Man's teaching is powerless in advancing
the
soul one step in Christian progress. The teaching from
* 'When I am assaulted by some wicked
thought, I then betake
me
to the wounds of Christ. When my flesh casteth me down, by
the
remembrance of my Saviour's wounds, I rise up again. Am I
inflamed
with lust? I quench that fire with the meditation of
Christ's
passion. Christ died for us. There is nothing so deadly,
that
is not cured by the death of Christ.'—Augustine.
VERSE
102. 255
above
is "the light of life." (John, viii. 12. Comp. Eph.
v.
14.) It gives not only the light, but the principle to
make
use of it. It not only points the lesson, and makes
it
plain: but imparts the disposition to learn, and the
grace
to obey. So that now I see the beauty, the pleasant-
ness,
the peace, and the holiness of the Lord's
judgments,
and
am naturally constrained to walk in them. Oh, how
much
more frequent would be our acknowledgment of the
work
of God, did we keep nearer to the Fountain-head of
life
and light! (Ps. xxxvi. 9.) How may we trace every
declension
in doctrine and practice —all our continual
estrangement
from the Lord's judgments—to
following our
own
wisdom, or depending upon human teaching! "Trust-
ing
in man," is the departing of the heart from the Lord.
(Jer.
xvii. 5.) I never shall depart from sin by the in-
fluence
of human persuasion. I never shall depart from
the
Lord, so long as I have the witness in my heart—
Thou teachest me.
Reader! what has been your habit and
progress in
the judgments of God? Have you been careful
to avoid
bye-paths?
Has your walk been consistent, steady, ad-
vancing"
in the fear of the Lord, and in the comfort of
the
Holy Ghost?" (Acts, ix. 31.) If there has been no
allowed
departure from the ways of God, it has been the
blessed
fruit of "ceasing from your own wisdom" (Prov.
xxiii.
4), and the simple dependence upon the promise
"written
in the prophets—And they shall be all taught of
God."
And how delightfully does this heavenly teaching
draw
your heart with a deeper sense of need and comfort
to
the Saviour! For, as he himself speaks, "Every man
therefore that hath
heard, and hath learned of the Father,
cometh unto me." (Isa. liv. 13,
with John, vi. 45.) Remem-
ber—it
was no superior virtue or discernment that has
restrained
your departure from God, but — Thou hast
256 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
taught me the way to come to God;
the way to abide in
him—Christ
the way—Christ the end. And his teach-
ing
will abide with you. (1 John, ii. 24, 27.) It will win
you
by light and by love, and by a conquering power
allure
your heart with that delight in his judgments, and
fear
of offending against them, that shall prove an effectual
safeguard
in the hour of temptation. Watch the first step
of
departure,—the neglect of secret prayer,—the want of
appetite
for the sincere word—the relaxing of diligence—
the
loss of the savour of godliness. Be careful therefore
that
the teaching of the Lord be not lost upon you.
Inquire
into your proficiency in his instructive lessons.
And
do not forget to prize his teaching rod—that loving
correction,
of which David had felt the blessing (Verse 67),
and
which he so often uses, to keep his children from
departing from his
judgments.
Lord! do thou lead me by the hand, that I
may make
daily
progress in thy judgments. Restrain
my feet from
perpetual
backsliding." All human instruction will be
ineffectual
to keep me from departing from thy
judgments,
except
thou teachest me. Neither grace received, nor ex-
perience
attained, nor engagements regarded, will secure
me
for one moment without continual teaching from thyself.
103.
How sweet are thy words unto my taste!
yea, sweeter
than honey to my
mouth.
None but a child of God could take up this
expression.
Because
none besides has a spiritual taste. The exercises
of
David in this sacred word were delightfully varied. Its
majesty
commanded his reverence. (Verses 129, 161.) Its
richness
called forth his love. (Verses 72, 127. Ps. xix. 10.)
Its
sweetness excited his joy. Its holy light, keeping his
heart
close with God (Verse 102), naturally endeared it to
VERSE
103. 257
his
soul.* How barren is a mere external knowledge of
the
Gospel! The natural man may talk or even dispute
about
its precious truths. But he has never tasted them
—at
least not so as to relish and feed on them. The
highest
commendation cannot explain the sweetness
of honey
(Prov.
xxiv. 13, 14) to one who has never tasted it. Thus
nothing
but experience can give a spiritual intelligence.
But
what we have really tasted, we can warmly commend
—"Oh!
taste and see that the Lord is good." (Ps. xxxiv.
8.)
Having once tasted of his Divine goodness, the
sweetest
joys of earth will be insipid, distasteful, and even
bitter.
Do we ask —what is it that gives this
unutterable
sweetness
to the word? (Ps. xix. 10. Job, xxiii. 12.) Is
it
not that name, which "is as ointment poured forth?"
(Cant.
i. 3.) Is it not "the savour of the knowledge of
Christ"
(2 Cor. 14), that revives the soul in every page
with
the breath of heaven? For can the awakened sinner
hear,
that "God so loved the world, that he gave his only-
begotten
Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not
perish,
but have everlasting life" (John, iii. 16)—and not
be
ready to say—How sweet are thy words unto
my taste!
yea, sweeter than honey
unto my mouth?
Can the weary
soul
listen to the invitation to "all that labour and are
heavy-laden"
(Matt. xi. 28. Comp. Prov. xvi. 24); and
not
feel the sweetness of those
breathings of love? Who
can
tell the sweetness of those precious words to the con-
flicting,
tempted soul — displaying the Divine sovereignty
in
choosing him, the unchanging faithfulness in keep-
ing
him, and the Almighty power of the Divine will
in
the gift of eternal life? (John, x. 28.) And
how
can
the believer hear his Saviour "knock at the door" of
* Verse 102. Thrice in one short Psalm does
he stir up his
habit
of praise of the word, and of the God who gave it. See Ps.
lvi.
4, 10.
258 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
his
heart, calling him to fresh communion with himself
(Rev.
iii. 20): and not turn to him with the ardent ex-
citement
of his love—"All thy garments smell of myrrh,
and
aloes, and cassia, out of the ivory palaces, whereby
they
have made thee glad!" (Ps. xlv. 8.)
But are there not times, when we gather no sweetness
from
the word? It is with the spiritual, as with the
natural
food—a want of appetite gives disgust, instead of
sweetness
and refreshment. An indolent reading of the
word
without faith—without desire—without application
—or
with a taste vitiated by contact with the things of
sense—
deadens the palate—"The full soul loatheth an
honeycomb:
but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is
sweet."
(Prov. xxvii. 7.)
But how melancholy is the thought of the
multitudes,
that
hear, read, understand the word, and yet have never
tasted
its sweetness! Like Barzillai, they have no sense
to
"discern between good and evil." (2 Sam. xix. 35.)
Full
of the world, or of their own conceits—feeding on
the
delusive enjoyments of creature-comforts—nourishing
some
baneful corruption in their bosoms (See 1 Pet. ii.
1,
2) — or cankered with a spirit of formality — they have no
palate
for the things of God; they are "dead in trespasses
and
sins." But how sweet is the word
to the hungering and
thirsting
taste! We eat, and are not satisfied.
We drink,
and
long to drink again. "If so be we have tasted that
the
Lord is gracious, as new-born babes" we shall "desire
the
sincere milk of the word, that we may grow thereby."
(1
Pet. ii. 2, 3.) We shall take heed of any indulgence of
the
flesh, which may hinder the spiritual enjoyment, and
cause
us to "loathe" even "angels' food" as "light
bread."
(Ps.
lxxviii. 25. Num. xxi. 5.) Instead of resting in our
present
experience of its sweetness, we shall be daily
aspiring
after higher relish for the heavenly blessing.*
* "Castæ
delieiæ meæ cunt Scripturæ tuæ."-Augustine.
VERSE
104. 259
And
will not this experience be a "witness in ourselves"
of
the heavenly origin of the word? For what arguments
could
ever persuade us that honey is bitter, at the moment
when
we are tasting its sweetness? Or who could con-
vince
us that this is the word, of man, or the imposture of
deceit,
when its blessed influence has imparted peace,
holiness,
joy, support, and rest, infinitely beyond the
power
of man to bestow? But let this enjoyment—as the
spiritual
barometer— the pulse of the soul— accurately
mark
our progress or decline in the Divine life. With
our
advancement in spiritual health, the word will be
increasingly
sweet to our taste: while our
declension will
be
marked by a corresponding abatement in our desires,
love,
and perception of its delights.
104.
Through thy precepts I get understanding:
therefore I
hate every false
way.
The Psalmist having spoken of the pleasure,
now
speaks
of the profit— of the word — the teaching con-
nected
with its sweetness. (Prov. ii. 10, 11; xvi. 21.)
Before,
he had mentioned the avoiding of sin in order to
profit
(Verse 101)—now, as the fruit of profit. So closely
are
they linked together. Man's teaching conveys no un-
derstanding— God's teaching not
only opens the Scriptures,
but
"opens the understanding to understand them," and
the
heart to feel their heavenly warmth of life. (Comp.
Luke,
xxiv. 45, 32.) Thus having learned "the principles
of
the doctrine of Christ," we shall "go on to perfection"
—"growing
in grace, in the knowledge of Christ." (Heb.
vi.
1. 2 Pet. iii. 18.) Many inconsistencies belong to the
young
and half-instructed Christian. But when through
the precepts he gets
understanding,
he learns to walk more
uniformly
and steadily, abiding in the light.
In this spirit
and
atmosphere springs up a constant and irreconcileable
260 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
hatred of every false
way; as
contrary to the God he
loves.
These ways will include a thousand devious paths
—all
meeting in one fearful end—often discovered too
late.
(Prov. v. 11. Matt. xxv. 11, 12.) In doctrine can
we
too much turn away from the thought of putting any-
thing—the
Church, ordinances, repentance, prayers—in the
place
of Jesus—another "foundation" in the stead of that
which
God himself "laid in Zion?" Oh, for spiritual under-
standing to hate this
false way
with a deadly hatred! What
think
we of the ways of the sinful world—so long trusted
to
for happiness—yet so delusive? The sinner thinks
that
he has found a treasure, but it proves to be glittering
trash—burdensome
instead of enriching—only leaving
him
to the pain of disappointed hope. Rightly are such
ways
called false ways; and of those that
tread in them, it
is
well said—"This their way is their folly." (Ps. xlix. 13.)
Strewed
they may be with the flowery "pleasures of sin."
But
they are "hard" (Prov. xiii. 15) in their walk, and
ruinous
in their end. (Matt. viii. 12. Philip. iii. 19.) In-
quire
of those, whose past wanderings justly give weight
and
authority to their verdict —'What is your retrospective
view
of these ways?' Unprofitableness. 'What
is your
present
view of them?' Shame. 'What prospect for
eternity
would the continuance in them assure to you?'
"Death."
(Rom. vi. 21.) Let them then be not only
avoided
and forsaken, but abhorred; and let every devi-
ation
into them from the straight path, however pleasing,
be
"resisted" even "unto blood." (Heb. xii. 4.)
But let me ask myself, Have I detected the false ways
of
my own heart? Little is done in spiritual religion, until
my
besetting sins are searched out. And let me not be
satisfied
with forbearance from the outward act. Sin may
be
restrained, yet not mortified; nor is it enough that I
leave
it for the present, but I must renounce it for ever. Let
me
not part with it as with a beloved friend, with the hope
VERSE 104. 261
and
purpose of renewing my familiarity with it at a "more
convenient
season" (Acts, xxiv. 25): but let me shake it
from
me, as Paul shook off the viper into the fire (Acts,
xxviii.
5), with determination and abhorrence. What!
can
I wish to hold it? If through the
precepts of God I
have got understanding, must not I listen to
that solemn,
pleading
voice, "Oh! do not this abominable thing that
I
hate?" (Jer. xliv. 4.) No, Lord: let me "pluck it out"
of
my heart, "and cast it from me." (Matt. v. 29.) Oh,
for
the high blessing of a tender conscience! such as
shrinks
from the approach, and "abstains from all ap-
pearance
of evil" (1 Thess. v. 22); not venturing to tam-
per
with any self-pleasing way; but hating
it as false,
defiling,
destructive! I have marked the apple of my eye
—that
tenderest particle of my frame—that it is not only
offended
by a blow or a wound; but that, if so much as an
atom
of dust find an entrance, it would smart, until it had
wept
it out. Now such may my conscience be — sensitive
of
the slightest touch of sin—not only fearful of resisting,
rebelling,
or "quenching the Spirit," but grieving for
every
thought of sin that grieves that blessed Comforter
—that
tender Friend! To hate every false way,
so as to
flee
from it, is the highest proof of Christian courage. For
never
am I better prepared to "endure hardness as a good
soldier
of Jesus Christ" (2 Tim. ii. 3), than when my con-
science
is thus set against sin. Would not I then submit
to
the greatest suffering, rather than be convicted of un-
faithfulness
to my God?
Lord! turn my eyes, my heart, my feet, my
ways, more
and
more to thy blessed self. Shed abroad thy love in my
heart,
that sin may be the daily matter of my watchfulness,
grief,
resistance, and crucifixion.
262 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
PART XIV.
105.
Thy word is a lamp unto my feet, and a
light unto my
path.
THE
nightly journeys of Israel were guided by a pillar of
fire
(Exod. xiii. 21, 22)—directing not only their course,
but
every step and movement. (Numb. ix. 15-23.) Thus
is
our passage in a dark and perilous way irradiated by the
lamp and light of the
word.
But except the lamp be lighted
—except
the teaching of the Spirit accompany the
word, all
is
darkness—thick darkness. Let us not then be content
to
read the word without obtaining some light from it in
our
understanding — in our experience—in our providen-
tial
path. Did we more habitually wait to receive, and
watch
to improve the light, we should not so often com-
plain
of the perplexity of our path. It would generally
determine
our steps under infallible guidance: while in the
presumptuous
neglect of it—like Israel of old (Numb. xiv.
44,
45)—we are sure to come into trouble.
Yet it may sometimes be difficult to trace
our light to
this
heavenly source. A promise may seem to be
applied to
my mind, as I conceive,
suitable to my present need. But how
may
I determine, whether it is the lamp of the word; or
some
delusive light from him, who can at any time, for the
accomplishment
of his own purpose, transform himself
"into
an angel of light?" Or if a threatening be im-
pressed
upon my conscience, how can I accurately dis-
tinguish
between the voice of "the accuser of the brethren,"
VERSE
105. 263
and
the warning of my heavenly guide? Let me mark the
state
of my own mind. If I am living in the indulgence
of
any known sin, or in the neglect of any known duty—
if
my spirit is careless, or my walk unsteady; a consoling
promise,
being unsuitable: to my case, even though it
awakened
some excitement of joy, would be of doubtful
application.
The lamp of God under the circumstances
supposed, would rather reflect
the light of conviction than
of
consolation. For, though God as a Sovereign may speak
comfort
when and where he pleases; yet we can only ex-
pect
him to deal with us according to the prescribed rules
of
his own covenant; chastening, not comforting, his back-
sliding
people. (Comp. Ps. lxxxix. 30-32.) In a spirit of
contrition,
however, I should not hesitate to receive a word
of
encouragement, as the lamp of God to
direct and cheer
my
progress; being conscious of that state of feeling, in
which
the Lord has expressly promised to restore and guide
his
people. (Comp. Isa. lvii. 18.) Let me also inquire
into
the terms and character of the promise. When he
"that
dwelleth in the high and holy place," engages to
dwell
"with him also that is of a contrite and humble
spirit"
(Isa. lvii. 15); any symptoms of tenderness and
humility
would naturally lead me to consider this word of
promise,
as sent by my kind and watchful Father, to be
a lamp unto my feet, and
a light unto my path.
Again — a distinct and experimental view of
the Sa-
viour
in his promises, endearing him to me, and encourag-
ing
my trust in his faithfulness and love—this is manifestly
light
from above. (Comp. 2 Cor. i. 20.) Or if the pur-
pose
of the promise answers any proper end—to excite or
to
encourage to any present duty connected with he pro-
raise;
I cannot doubt, but the lamp of the Lord
is directing
my
path.
For example—when the promise was given to
Joshua,
"I
will not fail thee, nor forsake thee" (Josh. i. 5); he
264 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
could
not misconstrue "a word" so "fitly spoken" "in a
time
of need." And when the same promise was sub-
sequently
given to the Church, the application was equally
clear,
as a dissuasive from inordinate attachment to the
things
of time and sense, and an encouragement to entire
dependence
upon the Lord. (Heb. xiii. 5.)
Further— The practical influence of the
word will also
enable
me clearly to distinguish the light of heaven from
any
illusion of fancy or presumption. The effect of an
unconditional promise of deliverance given to
the Apostle
in
a moment of extremity, was exhibited in a diligent use
of
all the appointed means of safety. (Acts, xxvii. 24, 31.)
An
absolute promise of prolonged life
given to Hezekiah
when
lying at the point of death, produced the same prac-
tical
result, in a scrupulous attention to the means for his
recovery.
(Isa. xxxviii. 5, 21.) Upon the warrant of a
general
promise of Divine protection, Ezra and the Jews
"fasted,
and besought their God for this." (Ezra, viii. 21-
23.)
Now in these and other instances, the power of the
word,
working diligence, simplicity, and prayer, evidently
proved
its sacred origin. An assurance of safety proceed-
ing
from another source, would have produced sloth, care-
lessness,
and presumption and therefore may I not pre-
sume
the quickening word in darkness and perplexity, to be
the
Lord's lamp unto my feet, and light unto my path, "to
guide
my feet into the way of peace?"
Let me apply the same test to the
threatenings of the
word.
Their influence, meeting me in a watchful and humble
walk
with God, should at once consider as the suggestion
of
the great enemy of the soul, ever ready to whisper dis-
trust
and despondency to the child of God. But in a self-
confident,
self-indulgent state, I should have as little hesi-
tation
in marking an alarming word to be the
light of the
word of God. It would be well for
me at such a time to be
exercised
with fear (Comp. 1 Cor. ix. 27); not as arguing
VERSE
106. 265
any
insecurity in my state; but as leading me to "great
searchings
of heart," to increasing watchfulness, humiliation,
and
prayer. "The commandment is a lamp, and the law
is
a light: and reproofs of instruction are the ways of life."
(Prov.
vi. 23.) Oh, that I may be enabled to make use of
this
lamp to direct every step of my
heavenly way!
Whence then—it may be asked—the various
tracks
even
of the sincere servants of God? Though there is clear
light
in the word, yet there is remaining darkness in the
most
enlightened heart. There is no eye without a speck,
no
eye with perfect singleness of vision — consequently
without
some liability to error. There is light for the
teachable—not
for the curious; —light to satisfy faith
—not
cavilling. Add to this the office of the ministry—
the
Lord's gracious ordinance for Christian instruction
(Mal.
ii. 7) and establishment (Eph. iv. 11-14); not to
enslave
(2 Cor. i. 24. 1 Pet. v. 3), but to direct (2 Cor.
xiii.
10. Eph. iv. 13. 1 Thess. iii. 10) the judgment in the
light
of the word. To honour this ordinance is therefore
the
path of light. To neglect it, is the exposure to
all
the evils of a wayward will and undisciplined judgment.
(2
Tim. iv. 3, 4.)
Lord! as every action of the day is a step
to heaven, or
hell—Oh!
save me from ever turning my face away from
the
path, into which thy word would guide me. Enable
me
to avail myself of its light, in the constant exercise of
faith,
prudence, and simplicity.
106.
I have sworn, and I will perform it, that
I will keep thy
righteous
judgments.
The blessing of the guidance of the Lord's
word natu-
rally
strengthens our resolution to walk in its path. And
as
if a simple resolution would prove too weak, the Psalmist
strengthens
it with an oath. Nay more, as if an oath was
266 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
hardly
sufficient security, he seconds it again with a firm
resolution—I have sworn, and I will perform it. 'There
shall
be but one will between me and my God and that
will
shall be his, not mine.' Some timid Christians, under
a
morbid sense of their own weakness, would shrink from
this
solemn engagement. And some, perhaps, may have
burdened
their consciences with unadvised or self-dependent
obligations.*
Still, however, when it is a free-will offering,
it
is a delightful service, well-pleasing to God. Such it
was
in the days of Asa, when "all Judah rejoiced
at the oath:
for they had sworn with
all their heart, and sought him with their
whole desire; and he was
found of them."
(2 Chron. xv. 12-
15.)
Vows under the law were both binding and acceptable.
(Numb.
xxx. 1. Deut. xxiii. 21-23.) Nor are they less
so—in their spirit at least—under "the
perfect law of
liberty."
A holy promise originating in serious consider-
ation,
and established by a more solemn obligation, so far
* It is related of Mr. Pearce, by his
excellent biographer, that
at
the period of the first awakening of his mind—'having read
Doddridge's
Rise and Progress of Religion,' he determined formally
to
dedicate himself to the Lord in the manner recommended in the
seventeenth
chapter of that work. The form of a covenant there
drawn
up he also adopted as his own; and that he might bind him-
self
in the solemn and affecting manner, signed it with his blood.
But,
afterwards, failing in his engagements, he was plunged into
the
greatest distress, and almost into despair. On a review of his
covenant,
he seems to have accused himself of pharisaical reliance
upon
the strength of his resolutions, and, therefore, taking the
paper
to the top of his father's house, he tore it into small pieces,
and
threw it from him to be scattered by the wind. He did not,
however,
consider his obligation to be the Lord's as thereby nullified;
but
feeling more suspicious of himself, he depended solely upon the
blood
of the cross.'—Fuller's Life of Pearce, pp. 3, 4. This instance
must
be considered, not as an example of the entangling nature of
covenant
engagements, but as an illustration, by way of contrast, of
the
enlightened deliberation and simplicity with which they should
ever
be undertaken. See some admirable remarks on this subject
from
Newton's pen. Life of Grimshawe, pp. 16-18.
VERSE
106. 267
from
being repugnant to the liberty of the gospel, appears
to
have been enjoined by God himself;* nay, his people are
described
as animating each other to it, as to a most joyous
privilege
(Jer. 1. 4, 5); as a renewed act of faith and daily
dedication.
Yet we would warn the inconsiderate Christian
not to
entangle
his conscience by multiplied vows (as
if they were
—like
prayer—a component part of our daily religion);
nor
by perpetual obligation—whether of
restraint or of
extraordinary
exercises; nor by connecting them with
trifles
—thus
weakening the deep solemnity of the purpose.
Christian
simplicity must be their principle. Our engage-
ments
to God must be grounded on his engagements to us.
His
faithfulness—not ours (Contrast Matt. xxvi. 35)—
must
be our confidence. There is no innate power in these
obligations;
and except they be made in self-renouncing
dedication,
they will only issue in despondency and deeper
captivity
in sin.
But the inconsiderateness of the unwary is
no legiti-
mate
argument against their importance. If Jephthah was
entangled
in a rash and heedless vow (Judg. xi. 35), David
manifestly
enjoyed the "perfect freedom" of the "service"
of
his God, when "binding his soul with a bond" equally
fixed,
but more advised, in its obligation. (Ps. cxvi. 12-
14.)
And have we, with "the vows of God upon us"
(Ps.
lvi. 12), baptismal vows—perhaps also confirmation
or
sacramental vows—found our souls brought into
bondage
by these solemn engagements? Does not a
humbling
sense of forgetfulness suggest sometimes the
need
of a more solemn engagement? And may we not
thus
secure our duty without being ensnared by it? Have
not
covenanting seasons often restrained our feet from
devious
paths, and quickened our souls in his service?
Daily,
indeed, do we need "the blood of sprinkling" to par-
* Isa. xix. 21. Comp. also Isa. xliv. 5,
and Scott on this verse.
268 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
don
our innumerable failures, and the Spirit of grace to
strengthen
us for a more devoted obligation. (Gen. xxxv.
1,
with xxviii. 20-22. Comp. 2 Pet. i. 9.) But yet in de-
pendence
upon the work and Spirit of Christ, often have
these
holy transactions realized to us a peace and joy, that
leads
us to look back upon such times and seasons of
favoured
enjoyment. "If," therefore, "we sin" in a "per-
petual
backsliding" (Jer. viii. 5) from these engagements,
it
is still our privilege without presumption to believe, that
"we
have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the
righteous;
and he is the propitiation for our sins." (1 John,
ii.
1, 2.) And as for necessary grace, there is One who
hath
said —"My grace is sufficient for thee" (2 Cor. xii. 9);
and
that One has given no less a proof of his interest in
us,
than by dying for us. May we not therefore trust, that
he
will "perfect that which concerneth us" (Ps. cxxxviii.
8);
that he will "work all our works in us" (Isa. xxvi.
12)—"to
will and to do of his good pleasure?" (Phil.
ii.
13.)
Perhaps however "a messenger of
Satan" may "buffet
us."
"Thou past broken thy bond; now will it be worse
with
thee than before." But did not Jesus die for sins of
infirmity,
and even of presumption? Does every failing annul
the
marriage covenant? So neither does every infirmity or
backsliding
dissolve our covenant with God. Was our
faithfulness
the basis of this covenant? Rather, does not
"the
blood of this covenant" (Heb. xiii. 20) make con-
stant
provision for our foreseen unfaithfulness? And does
not
our gracious God overrule even our backsliding to
establish
a more simple reliance upon himself, and a more
circumspect
and tender walk before him?
But let us take a case of conscience. A
Christian has
been
drawn away from a set season of extraordinary devo-
tion
by some unforeseen present duty, or some unlooked-
for
opportunity of actively glorifying God. Has he then
VERSE
107. 269
broken
his obligation? Certainly not. It was, or
ought to
have been, formed with an implied
subserviency to paramount
duty.
It cannot, therefore, be impaired by any such pro-
vidential
interference. Yet let it not be a light matter to
remove
a free-will offering from the altar. Let godly care
be
exercised to discover the subtle indulgence of the flesh
in
the service of God. Let double diligence redeem the
lost
privilege of more immediate and solemn self-dedication.
In
guarding against legal bondage, let us not mistake the
liberty
of the flesh for the liberty of the Gospel. Let us be
simple
and ready for self-denying service; and the Lord our
God
will not fail to vouchsafe "some token for good."
"Come"
then, my fellow-Christian, "and let us join
ourselves
to the Lord in a perpetual covenant, never to be
forgotten"
(Jer. 1. 5) by God: never to be forsaken by us.
Let
each of us renew our surrender—"O Lord, truly I am
thy
servant;" I offer myself to thee: "Thou hast loosed
my
bonds" (Ps. cxvi. 16); oh! bind me to thyself with
fresh
bonds of love, that may never be loosed. Glad
am
I that I am anything—though the meanest of all;
that
I have anything —poor and vile as it is—capable of
being
employed in thy service. I yield myself to Thee with
my
full bent of heart and will, entirely and for ever; asking
only,
that I may be "a vessel for the Master's use."
(2
Tim. ii. 21.)
107.
I am afflicted very much: quicken me, O
Lord, according
to thy
word.
It would seem, that this holy saint's
covenanting sea-
son
was a time of deep affliction: while
his determined
resolution
to keep God's word of obedience, gave
boldness
to
his pleading, that God would perform his word of pro-
mise
— Quicken me, O Lord, according to thy
word. And this
is
our high privilege, that we are permitted to pour our
270 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
troubles
into the ear of One, who is able perfectly to enter
into,
and to sympathize with us in them; "who knoweth
our
frame" (Ps. ciii, 14), who hath himself laid the afflic-
tion
upon us (Ps. xxxix. 9): yea, more than all, who in
"all
our affliction is" himself "afflicted" (Isa. xxxix. 9)
and
who "suffered being tempted, that he might be able
to
succour them that are tempted." (Heb. ii. 18.) There
are
none—not even those most dear to us—to whom we
can
unbosom ourselves, as we do to our heavenly Friend.
Our
wants, griefs, burdens of every kind — we roll them all
upon
him, with special relief in the hour of affliction. An
affecting
contrast to those who are indeed afflicted
very
much; whose souls, "drawing
near unto death," and know-
ing
no refuge, are ready to burst with their own sorrows,
"the
sorrow of the world"— unmitigated—unrelieved
"working
death!" (2 Cor. vii. 10.)
There is a "needs-be" (1 Pet. i.
6, 7) for the afflictions
of
the Lord's people. The stones of the spiritual temple
cannot
be polished or fitted to their place without the
strokes
of the hammer. The gold cannot be purified with-
out
the furnace. The vine must be pruned for greater
fruitfulness.
(John, xv. 2.) The measure of discipline
varies
indefinitely. But such is the inveteracy of fleshly
lusts,
that very much affliction may often
be the needful
regimen.
(2 Cor. xii. 7.) Yet will it be tempered by one,
who
knows the precise measure (Job, xxxiv. 23), who can
make
no mistakes in our constitutions, and whose fatherly
pity
will chasten "not for his pleasure, but for our profit."
(Ps.
ciii. 13, 14. Heb. xii. 10.) And need we speak of the
alleviations
of our trials, that they are infinitely dispro-
portioned
to our deserts (Ezra, ix. 13)—that they are
"light,
and but for a moment," compared with eternity
(2
Cor. iv. 17)—that greater comfort is vouchsafed in the
endurance
of them, than we even ventured to anticipate from
their
removal (2 Cor. xii. 8-10)—that the fruit at the end
VERSE 107. 271
more
than balances the trials themselves? (Deut. viii. 15,
16.
Jer. xxix. 11.) Need we say —how richly they ought
to
be prized, as conforming us to the image of our suffer-
ing
Lord (1 Pet. iv. 13); how clearly we shall one day read
in
them our Father's commission, as messengers of love
and
how certainly "the end of the Lord" will be "that
the
Lord is very pitiful and of tender mercy?" (Jam. v. 11,
with
Job, xlii. 10-12.)
Perhaps affliction—at least very much affliction—may
not
be our present lot. Yet it is our duty, and wisdom, as
the
good soldier in the time of truce, to burnish our armour
for
the fight. "Let not him that girdeth on his harness
boast
himself as he that putteth it off. Because the wicked
have
no changes, therefore they fear not God." (1 Kings,
xx.
11. Ps. lv. 19.) The continual changes in Christian
experience
may well remind us of the necessity of "walk-
ing
humbly with God," that we may not, by an unprepared
spirit,
lose the blessing of the sanctified cross. How many
of
the Lord's dear children may bear Ephraim's name—"For
God hath caused me to be
fruitful in the land of my affliction!"
(Gen.
xli. 52.) Sometimes they are so conscious of the pre-
sent
good, that they dread affliction leaving
them, more, pro-
bably,
than the inexperienced professor dreads its coming.
But great affliction is as hard to bear as
great prosperity.
Some
whose Christian profession had drawn out the esteem
of
others—perhaps also their own complacency—have
shown
by "faintness in the day of adversity their strength
to
be small" (Prov. xxiv. 10. Comp. Jonah, iv. 5-9), and
themselves
to be almost untaught in this school of dis-
cipline—shaken,
confused, broken. Special need indeed
have
we under the smart of the rod, of quickening
grace to
preserve
us from stout-heartedness or dejection. We think
tine
could bear the stroke, did we know it to be paternal, not
judicial.
Have we, then, "forgotten the exhortation which
speaketh
unto us as unto children?" Do
"we despise the
272 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
chastening
of the Lord? 'Quicken me, Lord, that
I may be
preserved
in a humble, wakeful, listening posture, to hear
and
improve the message of thy blessing of the sanctified
cross.'
Do we "faint, when we are rebuked of him?"
(Heb.
xii. 5.) "Quicken me, O Lord,"
that I sink not
under
the "blow of thy hand." (Ps. xxxix. 10; xxxviii.
1-3.)
Thus will this Divine influence save us from the
horrible
sin of being offended with God in our fretting
spirit.
We shall receive his chastisement with humility
without
despondency, and with reverence without distrust
hearkening
to the voice that speaks, while we tremble
under
the rod that strikes: yet so mingling fear with con-
fidence,
that we may at the same moment adore the hand
which
we feel, and rest in mercy that is promised. (Mic.
vii.
8, 9.) Our best support in the depths of affliction is,
prayer
for quickening according to thy word! and which of the
exercised
children of God has ever found one jot or one tittle
of
it to fail? "Patience working experience, and expe-
rience
hope, and hope making not ashamed," in the sense of
"the
love of God shed abroad upon the heart by the Holy
Ghost
which is given unto us" — all this is the abundant
answer
to our prayer, "Thou which hast showed me great
and
sore troubles, shalt quicken me again,
and shalt bring
me
up again from the depths of the earth. Thou shalt
increase
my greatness, and comfort me on every side."
(Rom.
v. 3-5, with Ps. lxxi. 20, 21.) Nothing will bear
looking
back to with comfort, like those trials, which
though
painful to the flesh, have tended to break our
spirit,
mould our will, and strengthen the simplicity of
our
walk with God.
108.
Accept, I beseech thee, the free-will
offerings of my mouth,
O Lord: and teach me thy
judgments.
As the first-fruits of his entire
self-devotion to the
VERSE
108. 273
Lord
(Verse 106); as the only sacrifice he could render in
his
affliction; and as an acknowledgment of his answered
prayer
for quickening grace (Verse 107), behold this faith-
ful
servant of God presenting the free-will
offerings of his
mouth for acceptance. Such he knew to be an
acceptable
service.
For the sacrifices of the Old Testament were not
only
typical of the One sacrifice for sin, but of the spiritual
worship
of the people of God. (Comp. Ps. li. 16, 17. Mal.
iii.
3, with Philip. iv. 18. Heb. xiii. 15, 16. 1 Pet. ii. 5.)
To
those who are interested in the atonement of Jesus,
there
needeth "no more sacrifice for sin." That which is
now
required of us, and in which we would delight, is to
"take
with us words, and turn to him, and say unto him
—
Take away all iniquity, and receive us graciously; so will
we
render the calves of our lips."
(Hos. xiv. 2.)
No offering but a free-will offering is
accepted. Such
was
the service under the law (Num. xxix. 39. Deut. xvi.
10.
2 Chron. xxxi. 14. Amos, iv. 5): such must it be
under
the gospel. (Rom. xii. 1. 2 Cor. v. 14, 15; viii. 5.)
Yet
neither can this offering be accepted, until the offerer
himself
has found acceptance with his God. "The Lord
had
respect," first to the person of "Abel," then "to his
offering."
(Gen. iv. 4, 5.) But if our persons are covered
with
the robe of acceptance—if the "offering up, of the
body
of Jesus Christ once for all" has "perfected" us be-
fore
God (Heb. x. 10, 14): however defiled our services may
be,
however mixed with infirmity, and in every way most
unworthy;
even a God of ineffable holiness "beholds no
iniquity"
(Num. xxiii. 21) in them. No offering, is so
pure
as to obtain acceptance in any other way; no offering
so
sinful as to fail of acceptance in this way. Most abun-
dant,
indeed, and satisfactory is the provision made in heaven
for
the continual and everlasting acceptance of our polluted
and
distracted services—"Another angel came, and stood
274 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
at
the altar, having a golden censer; and there was given
unto
him much incense, that he should offer it, with the
prayers
of all saints, upon the golden altar which was
before
the throne. And the smoke of the incense, which
came
with the prayers of the saints, ascended up before
God
out of the angel's hand." (Rev. viii. 3, 4.) With such
a
High Priest and Intercessor, not only is unworthiness dis-
missed,
but boldness and assurance of faith is encouraged.
(Heb.
iv. 14-16; x. 21, 22.)
But, as we remarked, it was a free-will offering that we
here
presented——the overflowings of a heart filled with
love.
No constraint was necessary. Prayer was delight-
ful.
He was not forced upon his knees. Let me seek
fellowship
with him in presenting my free offering
before
my
God. Does not he love it? (2 Cor. ix. 7.) Does not
his
free love to me deserve it? (Eph. ii. 4, 5.) Did not
my
beloved Saviour give a free-will offering
of delight
and
of joy? (Ps. xl. 8. Heb. xii. 2.) And shall not
his
free-flowing love be my pattern and my principle?
(2
Cor. v. 14, 15.) Shall his offering be free for me, and
mine,
be reluctant for him? Shall he be ready with his
blood
for me, and I be backward with my mouth for him?
O
my God, work thine own Almighty work—make me
not
only living, but "willing in the
day of thy power."
(Ps.
cx. 3.) Let the stream flow in the full tide of affec-
tionate
devotedness. Blessed Jesus! I would be thine, and
none
other's. I would tell the world, that I am captivated
by
thy love, and consecrated to thy service. Oh, let me
"rejoice for that I offered willingly."
Great grace is it, that
he
is willing to accept my service. For what have I to
offer,
that is not already "his own?" (1 Chron. xxix. 9,
14,
17.) But let me not forget to supplicate for further
instruction―
'Teach me thy judgments, that I may
be
directed
to present a purer offering; that by more distinct
VERSES 109,
110. 275
and
accurate knowledge of thy ways, my love may be en-
larged,
and my obedience more entire, until. I "stand per-
fect
and complete in all the will of God."' (Col. iv. 12.)
109.
My soul is continually in my hand, yet do
I not forget
thy law. 110. The wicked have laid a snare for me: yet
I erred not from thy
precepts.
Precarious health, or familiarity with
dangers, may
give
peculiar emphasis to the phrase—My soul
is continually
in my hand. (Comp. Judg. xii. 3.
Job, xiii. 14.) David,
in
his early public life, was in constant apprehension from
the
open violence (Comp. 1 Sam. xix. 5; xxviii. 21) and
the
secret machinations (1 Sam. xviii. 10, 11; xix. 9, 10)
of
his bitter enemy.* Hunted down "as a partridge in the
mountains"
(1 Sam. xxvi. 20), and often scarcely escaping
the
snare which the wicked laid for him.
(1 Sam. xviii. 10;
xix.
11-17); at one time he could not but acknowledge-
"there
is but a step between me and death" (1 Sam. xx. 3);
at
another time he was tempted to say, "I shall now perish
one
day by the hand of Saul." (1 Sam. xxvii. 1.) Sub-
sequently
the hand of his own son was aimed at his throne
and
his life. (2 Sam. xv. 13, 14; xvii. 1-3.) Yet could
no
peril shake his undaunted adherence to the
law and pre-
cepts of God. (Verse 87.)
What was the life of Jesus upon earth?
Through the
enmity
of foes —various, opposite, yet combined (Luke,
xxiii.
12)—his soul was continually in his hand.
Yet how
wonderful
was his calmness and serenity of mind, when
surrounded
by them all, like "lions" in power, "dogs" in
cruelty,
wolves in malice! (Ps. xxii. 16, 20, 21, with
Isa.
liii. 7.) A measure of this spirit belongs to every
* The men of Keilah, 1 Sam. xxiii. 11, 12.
The Ziphites, Ib.
xxiii.
19; xxvi. 1.
276 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
faithful
disciple—not natural courage, but "the spirit of
power,"
as the gift of God (2 Tim. i. 7), enabling him in
the
path of the precepts "to
withstand in the evil day, and
having
done all, to stand." (Eph. vi. 13.)
Let us again mark this confidence,
illustrated in the
open
trials of the servants of God. Mark the Apostle,
when
"the Holy Ghost witnessed to him in every city,
that
bonds and imprisonment awaited him. None of
these
things"— said he—"move me. I am ready not to
be
bound only, but also to die at Jerusalem for the name
of
the Lord Jesus." (Acts, xx. 23, 24; xxi. 13.) He
could
look "tribulation, or persecution, or peril, or sword,"
in
the face; and, while he carried his soul
continually in his
hand, in true Christian
heroism, in the most exalted tri-
umph
of faith, he could say in the name of himself and his
companions
in tribulation—"Nay, in all these things we
are
more than conquerors." Nothing could make him
flinch.
Nothing could turn him back. Nothing could
wring
the love of the service of his God out of his heart.
His
principle was found invincible in the hour of trial—
not,
however, as a native energy of his heart, but "through
him that loved him." (Rom. viii. 37.)
Did he not speak
and
live in the spirit of this fearless confidence—Yet do I
not forget thy law? Daniel's history again
shows the utter
impotency
of secret devices to produce apostasy in the
children
of God. When the wicked, after many
an in-
effectual
attempt to "find occasion or fault," were driven
to
lay a snare for him in "the law
of his God" (Dan. vi.
5),
this noble confessor of the faith continued to "kneel
upon
his knees three times a-day, and prayed and gave
thanks
before his God, as he did afore-time."
(Verses 6-10.)
The
den of lions was far less fearful in his eyes than one
devious
step from the straight and narrow path. (Comp.
Luke,
xii. 4, 5.) Sin was dreaded as worse than a thou-
VERSES 109,
110. 277
sand
deaths. He surely then could have said— Yet
I erred
not from thy precepts.
But how striking must it have been to
David, in his
imminent
peril, to have seen the "counsel of Ahithophel"
—regarded
as oracular, when employed in the cause of
God—now,
when directed against the church, "turned to
foolishness!"
(Comp. 2 Sam. xvi. 23, with xv. 31; xvii.
14)
—an instance, only "one of a thousand," of the ever-
watchful
keeping of the Great Head and Guardian of his
Church.
(Isa. xxvii. 3.) Thus does he over-rule the de-
vices
of the enemy for the establishment of his people's
dependence
upon himself. "The wrath of man praiseth
him"
(Ps. lxxvi. 10), and he "taketh the wise in his own
craftiness."
(Job, v. 3, with 1 Cor. iii. 19.)
But the day of difficulty is a
"perilous time" in the
church."
Many shall be purified, and made white, and
tried."
(Dan. xii. 10.) Have we been able to sustain the
shock
in a steady adherence to the law and
precepts of God?
(Verses
51, 69. Rev. ii. 10.) This is indeed the time,
when
genuine faith will be found of inestimable value.
In
such a time, David experienced the present blessing of
having
chosen the Lord for his God. When clouds began
to
gather blackness, and surrounding circumstances to the
eye
of sense engendered despondency — faith realized All-
sufficient
support; and "David encouraged himself in the
Lord
his God." (1 Sam. xxx. 6.) And is not David's
God
"our God, the health of our countenance" (Ps. xlii.
11),
the guide of our path (Ps. xlviii. 14), the God of our
salvation?
(Ps. lxviii. 20.) Oh, let us not rest, till his
confidence
becomes ours—"What time I am afraid, I will
trust
in thee." (Ps. lvi. 3.)
But the cross, which proves and establishes
the
Christian,
sifts the unsound professor as chaff. Nothing
but
this solid principle of faith can resist
either the per-
secution
(Matt. xiii. 20, 21) or the snare. (1
Kings, xiii.
278 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
11-19.)
Many desire conformity to Christ and his people
in
everything but in their cross. They would attain their
honour
without the steps that led them to it. Dread this
flinching
spirit. Reject it— as did our Lord—with in-
dignation.
It "savoureth not of God." It is the voice of
Satan
(Matt. xvi. 22, 23), who would promise a pillow of
carnal
ease under our heads—a path of roses under our
feet—but
a path of slumber, of delusion, and of ruin.
The time of special need is at hand with us
all, when
we
shall need substance and reality for our support—the
true
confidence of a living faith. Those who have never
felt
the nearness of eternity, can have but a faint idea of
what
we shall need in the hour when "flesh and heart
fail"
(Ps. lxxiii. 26), to fix a sure unshaken foot upon
"the
Rock of ages." "Watch, therefore," for ye know
not
(Mark, xiii. 35, 36) how soon ye may be ready to say,
My soul is in my hand, quivering on the eve
of departure to
the
Judge. "Let your loins be girded about, and your
lights
burning! and ye yourselves like unto men that wait
for
the Lord, when he will return from the wedding that
when
he cometh and knocketh, they may open unto him
immediately. Blessed are those
servants, whom the Lord,
when
he cometh, shall find watching; verily I say unto
you,
that he shall gird himself, and make them to sit
down
to meat, and will come forth and serve them."
(Luke,
xii. 35-37.)
111.
Thy testimonies have I taken as an
heritage for ever, for
they are the rejoicing of
my heart.
'Precious Bible: what a treasure!' The testimonies of
God—the declaration of his
will in doctrine—obligation
—and
privilege! David had felt their value, as the stay
of
his soul in shaking and sifting trial. (Verses 109, 110.)
But
how did he claim his interest in them? Not by pur-
VERSE
111. 279
chase,
or by merit, it was his heritage. As
a child of
Abraham,
he was an "heir according to promise." (Gal.
iii.
29.) They—all that is contained in
them, "the Lord
himself,"
the sum and substance of all, "was the portion
of
his inheritance." (Ps. xvi. 5.)
Man looks at his heritage.
This
land—this estate—or this kingdom is mine.' The
child
of God looks round on the universe—on both worlds
—on
God himself with his infinite perfections—and says,
"All
things are mine." (1 Cor. iii. 21, 22.) My title is
more
sure than to any earthly heritage.
Every promise is
sprinkled
with "the blood of the everlasting covenant,"
as
the seal of its blessings, and the pledge of their per-
formance.
But not only are they my heritage;— by my own intel-
ligent
choice I have taken them to be so. A
blessing is it
to
have them. But the blessing of blessings is to have
them
made good—applied—sealed—made my own;
so
that,
like the minor come to age, I take possession of my
heritage, I live on it, I live
in it, it is my treasure, my por-
tion.
If a man is known by his heritage,
let me be known
by
mine. Let it "be known and read of all men," that
I
count not the world my happiness, but that I take my
Bible,
'Here is my heritage. Here I can live
royally—
richer
upon bare promises than all the treasures of earth
could
make me. My resources never fail when all besides
fail.
(Hab. iii. 17, 18. Ps. lxxiii., 26.) When all earthly
heritage
shall have passed away, mine endureth for
ever.'
(1
Pet. i. 24, 25.)
Let me not then entertain a low estimate of
this pre-
cious
heritage. "Heirs of
promise" are entitled to "strong
consolation."
(Heb. vi. 17, 18.) What belongs to a "joint-
heir
with Christ," interested in the unchanging love of
Jehovah
from eternity, but the language of triumphant
exultation?
(Rom. viii. 17-34.) The first view, as it
passed
before my eyes, was the rejoicing of my
heart; and
280 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
never
could I be satisfied, till I had taken it
as my soul-
satisfying
and eternal portion.
Need we then entreat you, believer, to show
to the
world,
that the promises of your heritage
are not an empty
sound—that
they impart a Divine reality of support and
enjoyment—and
that an interest in them habitually
realized
is a blessed, a heavenly portion? Should your
heart,
however, at any time be captivated by the transient
prospect
before your eyes: should you be led to imagine
some
substantial value in this world's treasures — you will
have
forgotten the peculiar pre-eminence of your heritage
—its
enduring character. But what are the gaudy follies
—the
glittering emptiness of this passing scene, in com-
parison
with, your heavenly prospects, or even of your pre-
sent
sources of enjoyment!
We can readily account for the affecting
indifference
with
which "the men of the world" barter away these
treasures,
as Esau did his birthright, for very trifles.
(Heb.
xii. 16. Gen. xxv. 29-34.) They have no present
interest
in them. "They have their portion in this life.
They
have received their consolation." (Ps. xvii. 14. Luke,
vi.
24.) But, oh! how soon, having spent their all, will
they
"begin to be in" infinite, eternal "want!" (Luke,
xv.
14.) Yet, having no interest in this heavenly heritage,
they
can have no pleasure in surveying it. If, therefore,
conscience
imposes upon them the drudgery of casting
their
careless eye over it, what wonder if they should find
nothing
to enliven their hopes, or to attract their hearts?
What
communion can worldly hearts hold with this hea-
venly
treasure? What spiritual light, as the source of
heavenly
comfort, can penetrate this dark recess? As well
might
the inhabitant of the subterraneous cavern expect
the
cheerful light of the sun, as the man, whose eyes and
heart
are in the centre of the earth, enjoy the spiritual
perception
of an interest in the heritage of the
people of
VERSE
112. 281
God.
If, however, the darkness and difficulties of the
word
are pleaded in excuse for ignorance; let those in-
dolent
triflers confess, how small a portion of that per-
severing
devotedness, which has been employed in gather-
ing
together the perishing stores of this world, has been
given
to search into this hidden mine of unsearchable
riches!
O my soul, if I can lay claim to this
blessed heri-
tage, I envy not the miser
his gold! Rather would I
adore
that grace, which has "made me to differ" from
him;
and given me a far happier and far richer heritage.
But
let me be daily enriching myself from this imperish-
able
store; so that, poor as I am in myself, and seeming
to
"have nothing," I may in reality be "possessing all
things."
(2 Cor. vi. 10.) Let the recollection of the rich
heritage
of light, comfort, peace, and strength, furnished
in
the word, be my abundant joy: and bind my heart to
a
closer adherence to its obligations, and to a more habitual
apprehension
of its privileges.
112.
I have inclined mine heart to perform thy
statutes alway,
even unto the end.
The Psalmist had just been rejoicing in his
privileges.
He
now binds himself to his obligations — and that
not for
a
day—but even to the end. Observe
where he begins his
work—not
with the eye—the ear—the tongue—but
with
the heart, "for out of the heart are the issues of life."
(Prov.
iv. 23.) And yet this inclining of the
heart to the
Lord's statutes is as much the work of
God as to create a
world;
and as soon could "the Ethiopian change his skin,
or
the leopard his spots," as we could "do good, who are
accustomed
to do evil." (Jer. xiii. 23.) David was very
far
from meaning, that any act of his own power could
turn
the channel of his affections out of their natural
282 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
course.
But prayer, such as he had often poured out
(Verses
36, 37), sets every principle of the soul in action,
and,
in dependence upon the Holy Spirit, he inclines
his
heart. Thus we do what we do;
but God enables us,
'preventing
us, that we may have a good will, and work-
ing
with us, when we have that good will' (Art. X.)—not
working
without or against us, but in us — through us—
with
us—by us. His preventing grace makes the first
impressions,
and his assisting grace enables us to follow.
(Jer.
xxxi. 18.) Weak indeed are our purposes, and
fading
our resolutions, unsupported by Divine grace. Yet
renewing
strength is given to the "waiting" Christian,
even
to "mount up on eagles' wings, to run without weari-
ness,
and to walk without fainting." (Isa. xl. 31.) Con-
scious
as we are, that "without Christ we can do nothing,"
it
is no less true, that we "can do all things through
Christ
which strengtheneth us." (John, xv. 5, with Phil.
iv.
13.) Let us exercise, then, the grace already given,
in
dependence upon a continued supply; and turning to
him
with freedom and delight, we shall incline
our hearts
with
full purpose to perform his statutes
alway, even unto the
end. This is God's way of
quickening the dead soul to life
and
motion; alluring it by an inexpressible sweetness, and
at
the same moment, by an invincible power, drawing it to
himself.
Every step indeed to the end will be a
conflict with in-
dwelling
sin, in the form of remaining enmity, sloth, or
unbelief.
But how encouraging is it to trace every tender
prayer,
every contrite groan, every spiritual desire, to the
assisting,
upholding influence of the "free spirit of God!"
(See
Rom. viii. 26. Ps. li. 12.) The continual drawing of
the
Spirit will be the principle to perseverance. The same
hand
that gave the new bias for a heavenward motion will
be
put forth to quicken that motion even unto the end.
'I
can hardly hold on,'—the believer might say,—'from one
VERSE
112. 283
step
to another.' How can I then dare to hope, that I
shall
hold on a constant course — a daily conflict unto the
end? But was it not
Almighty power that supported the
first
step in your course? And is not the same Divine
help
pledged to every successive step of difficulty? Doubt
not,
then, that "He is faithful that hath promised" (Heb.
x.
23): dare to be "confident of this very thing, that He
which
hath begun a good work in you, will perform it
until
the day of Jesus Christ." (Philip. i. 6.) And in this
confidence
go on to "work out your salvation with fear and
trembling
for it is God which worketh in you both to will
and
to do of his good pleasure." (Philip. ii. 12, 13.)
284 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
PART XV.
113.
I hate vain thoughts, but thy law do I
love.
THE
fall of man has misplaced his affections. Love was
originally
made for God and his law;—hatred, for sin.
Now
man loves what he ought to hate (John, iii. 19. Rom.
i.
32; vi. 12), and hates what he ought to love. (Job,
xxi.
14. Ps. xiv. 1. Rom. viii. 7.) The work of Divine
grace
is to restore the disordered affections to their proper
centre,
and to bestow them on their right object; — hating
vain thoughts, and
loving the law of God.
Few think of the
responsibility
of their thoughts; as if they were too trifling
to
be connected with any solemn account. The enlightened
soul,
however, learns to make a conscience of his thoughts.
Here
is the seminal principle of sin. (Gen. vi. 5. Prov. xxiii.
7;
xxiv. 9.) How must a radical remedy be applied?
Vain
thoughts are the natural produce of the unrenewed
heart,
and of the yet unrenewed part of the believer's heart.
Who
that "knows the plague of his own heart," and the
spirituality
of the Christian walk with God, does not con-
stantly
complain of their baneful influence? The child of
God
longs that his "every thought may be brought into
captivity
to the obedience of Christ." (2 Cor. x. 5.) But
he
"sees another law in his members, warring against the
law
of his mind;" so that "when he would do good, evil
is
present with him." (Rom. vii. 21, 23.) When he would
"attend
upon the Lord without distraction" (1 Cor. vii.
35);
many times, even in a single exercise, does he forget
VERSE
113. 285
his
sacred employment. Sin seems to enter into every
pore
of his soul; and a cloud of vain thoughts
darkens
every
avenue to communion with God. He would gladly
say,
"My heart is fixed, my heart is fixed" (Ps. lvii. 7);
but
he finds his affections wandering, as "the eyes, of the
fool,
in the ends of the earth" (Prov. xvii. 24), as if there
were
no object of Divine attraction to his soul. We do
not
hear the worldling, or indeed the servant of God in his
worldly
employments, complaining of this burden. He
can
bring to deep, important, and anxious concerns of this
world,
all that intensity and fixedness of attention which
the
emergency may demand. Indeed, the wily adversary
would
rather assist than hinder this concentration of mind,
as
diverting the soul from the far more momentous and in-
teresting
subjects of eternity. But never do the "sons of
God
come to present themselves before the Lord," except
"Satan
comes also among them." (Job, i. 6.)
Vain
thoughts are his ceaseless hindrances to our spi-
ritual
communion with God. Are we aware of the sub-
tlety,
and therefore the peculiar danger, of this tempta-
tion?
We should instinctively start from an enticement
to
open transgression. The incursion of defiling or blas-
phemous
thoughts would be such a burden, that we should
"have
no rest in our spirit," while they remain undisturbed
within
us. But perhaps neither of these temptations are
so
formidable as the crowd of thoughts of every kind, in-
cessantly
running to and fro in the mind; the indulgence
of
which, though not actually sinful in itself, yet as
effectually
restrains the soul from intercourse with God, as
the
most hateful injections. These are "the little foxes,
that
spoil the tender grapes." (Cant. ii. 15.) Nay—the
thoughts
may be even spiritual in their nature, and yet vain
in
their tendency; because unsuitable to the present frame,
and
calculated, and indeed intended by the great enemy, to
divert
the mind from some positive duty. Who has not
286 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
felt
a serious thought upon an unseasonable subject, and
an
unseasonable time, to be in its consequences a vain
thought—the secret impulse of
the false "angel of light"
(2
Cor. xi. 14), dividing the attention between two things,
so
that neither of them may be wholly done, done to any
purpose,
done at all?* If at any time "iniquity has
been
regarded in the heart;" if the world in any of its
thousand
forms has regained a temporary ascendancy; or
if
lusting imaginations are not constantly "held in" as
"with
bit and bridle;" these vain thoughts,
ever ready to
force
their entrance, will at such seasons "get an advan-
tage
of us." Restless in their workings, they keep no
sabbaths:
and can only be successfully met by a watchful
and
unceasing warfare.
It may indeed be sometimes difficult, in
the midst of
this
continual trial, to maintain a clear sense of adoption.
But
this is the distinctive mark of Christian sincerity:—
Do
we cordially hate them, as exceedingly sinful in the
* Greenhorn (one of the most valuable of
the Puritan writers
upon
experimental subjects) used to bring distractions of mind to
this
test —"If they brought any past sin to mind for his humiliation,
or
any comfort to excite his thankfulness, or any instruction suit-
able
to the present moment—he took them to be of God. But if
they
drew off his mind from present duty
to rove after other subjects,
he
suspected their source, and girded himself to prayer for in-
creasing
steadiness of application to the matter in hand." See his
Works,
folio, p. 23. Being asked to account for distractions in holy
meditations,
he said—"It was either want of preparation and sanc-
tifying
the heart by prayer before we set upon so holy an exercise,
and
therefore a rebuke from the Lord for our 'presumption in being
bold
to work upon holy matters in our own strength'—or else a
dependence
upon a general purpose of thinking good, or restraining
evil,
without fastening our minds upon some particular object, but
rather
ranging up and down,' leaving some part of our mind and
meditation
void for other matters, without wholly and seriously
setting
on a thing propounded. When any complained to him of
blasphemous
thoughts, he would say—'Do not fear them, but
abhor
them.'"
VERSE
113. 287
sight
of God (Prov. xxiv. 9), hurtful to our own souls
(Cant.
ii. 15, and Scott, in loco) and contrary
to our new
nature?
(Rom. vii. 22.) If we cannot altogether prevent
their
entrance, or eject them from their settlement, are we
careful
not to invite them, not to entertain them, not to
suffer
them to "lodge within us?"
(Comp. Jer. iv. 14.)
This
active hatred is a satisfactory proof
that they are not
so
much the natural suggestion of the heart, as the injec-
tions
of the enemy of our peace. They are at least so
directly
opposed to our better will and dominant bias, that
we
may say, "If I do that I would not, it is no more I
that
do it, but sin that dwelleth in me." (Rom. vii. 20.)
Our
affliction and conflict with them prove that they dwell
with
us—not as welcome guests, or as the family of the
house—
but as "thieves and robbers." Their indulgence
constitutes our sin. Their indwelling may
be considered
only as our temptation. They supply, indeed,
continual
matter
for watchfulness, humiliation, and resistance yet
so
far as they are abhorred and resisted, they are rather
our
infirmities than our iniquities, and leave no stain of
actual
guilt upon the conscience. An increasing sense of
the
sinfulness of sin, and of the extent of duty, will indeed
show
their deeper aggravations and more persevering oppo-
sition.
Still, however, even while we groan under their
defiling,
distracting influence, in our best services, we may
assure
our confidence in him, who "spareth us, as a man
spareth
his own son that serveth him" (Mal. iii. 17), and
who
will gather up the broken parts of our prayers with
merciful
acceptance.
But the subjugation of this evil—even
though we be
secured
from its condemnation—is a matter of the deepest
concern.
Forget not— oh, may the impression be indelible!
—that
it was for these vain thoughts that
the Saviour was
nailed
to the cross. Here lies the ground of self-loathing
—the
quickening principle of conflict and exertion. Let the
288 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
heart
—the seat of this evil disease—be continually washed
in
the cleansing blood of Calvary; for until the corrupt
fountain
be cleansed, it must ever "send forth bitter
waters."
(Comp. 2 Kings, ii. 19-22. Jer. iv. 14.) Let it
be
diligently "kept" (Prov. iv. 23), and carefully filled, so
that
it may be a "good treasure bringing forth good
things."
(Matt. xii. 35.) Let there be the continued ex-
ercise
of that "watchfulness" "which is unto prayer"
(Matt.
xxvi. 41), combined with an unflinching adherence
to
plain and obvious duty. Let the temptation to desist
awhile
from services so polluted, that they appear rather to
mock
God than to worship him, be met on the onset with
the
most determined opposition. Once admit this sug-
gestion,
and our active enemy will pour in successive
incursions
of vain thoughts into our perplexed
and yielding
minds,
to turn us back step by step in our attempts to
approach
God. If, therefore, we cannot advance as we
could
wish, let us advance as we can. If a connected train
of
thought or expression fails us, let us only change—not
surrender—our
posture of resistance; substituting sighs,
desires,
tears, and "groanings"—for words, and casting
ourselves
upon our God in the simple confidence of faith,
"Lord,
all my desire is before thee, and my groaning is not
hid
from thee. Thou tellest my wanderings: put thou my
tears
into thy bottle: are they not in thy book?" (Ps.
xxxviii.
9; lvi. 8.) It is far better to wander in
duty
than
from it. For if any duty be neglected
on account of
the
defilement that is mingled with it, for the same reason
we
must neglect every other duty, and,
as the final con-
sequence,
the worship of God would be abolished from
the
earth.
Much of our successful warfare, however,
depends upon
an
accurate and well-digested acquaintance with our own
hearts—upon
a discovery of the bias of the mind in our
unoccupied
moments, and of the peculiar seasons and cir-
VERSE
113. 289
cumstances
that give most power to temptation. This once
known,
set a double watch against those doors, by which
the
enemy has been accustomed to find his most convenient
and
unobstructed entrance.
But we must not forget the effective means
suggested
by
David's experience—the love of God's law.
Here rises
the
native enmity against God—not as the Creator, but
the
Law-giver—and therefore against his law as the dic-
tate
of his will. (Rom. viii. 7.) Here, then, is the power
of
grace subduing this enmity. Not only I fear, and there-
fore
through fear I keep, but I love thy law.
And 'He
that
loves a holy law'— remarks an excellent old writer-
'cannot
but hate a vain thought.'* For if the law be the
transcript
of the image of God, the thoughts affectionately
drawn
out towards him must naturally fix the image of the
beloved
friend upon the mind, and by a sweet constraint
fasten
down the thoughts to Divine contemplation. Are
we
then ever winged with an elevating love to the Saviour?
And
do we not find our hearts start out from their worldly
employments
with frequent glances and flights towards the
object
of our desire? And will not this communion of
love
gradually mould the soul into a fixed delight, exciting
our
hatred, and strengthening our
resistance of every sinful
affection?
Thus, as love to the law stirs up the
powers of
the
renewed man, "spiritual wickedness" will be abhorred,
conflicted
with, and overcome.
Yet these defilements will remain to die
with the last
breathings
of the old man; which, though crucified indeed
and
expiring, will struggle with fearful strength and un-
abated
enmity to the end. And let them remain, as humbling
mementos
of our unclean nature, "shapen in iniquity, and
conceived
in sin" (Ps. li. 5); and as enlivening our anti-
cipations
of that blessed place, where "shall in no wise
* Steele’s
Antidote against Distractions.
290 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
enter
anything that defileth" (Rev. xxi. 27); where vain
thoughts, and whatever beside
might "separate between
us
and our God," will be unknown for ever. Meanwhile
let
them endear to us the free justification of the Gospel;
let
them lead us daily and hourly to "the fountain opened
for
sin and for uncleanness" (Zech. xiii. 1); and enhance
in
our view that heavenly intercession, which provides
for
the perfect cleansing and accepting of services even
such
as ours.
Blessed contemplation! Jesus prays not for
us, as we
do
for ourselves. His intercession is without distraction
—without
interruption. If we are then so dead, that we
cannot,
and so guilty, that we dare not, pray, and so wan-
dering
in our vain thoughts, that our
prayers appear to be
scattered
to the winds, rather than to ascend to heaven
if
on these accounts combined, we "are so troubled, that
we
cannot speak" (Ps. lxxvii. 4): yet always is there One
to
speak for us, of whom "a voice from heaven" testified
for
our encouragement, "saying—This is my beloved Son,
in
whom I am well pleased." (Matt. iii. 17.) With such
hopes,
motives, and encouragements, let us "continue
instant
in prayer" (Rom. xii. 12), until we
pray, and that
we may pray. Let us supplicate our
Lord with restless
importunity,
that his omnipotent love would take hold of
these
hearts, which every moment sin and Satan seem
ready
to seize. At the same time, conscious of our hatred
of
every interruption to his service, and of the simplicity of
our
affection to his holy law, let us hold fast that con-
fidence
before him, which will issue in perfect peace and
established
consolation.
114.
Thou art my hiding-place, and my shield;
I hope in
thy word.
We have seen the unremitting vigilance of
the enemy
VERSE
114. 291
pursuing
the man of God in his secret retirement with
painful
distraction. See how he runs to his
hiding-place.
Here
is our main principle of safety—not our strivings or
our
watchfulness, but our faith. Flee instantly to Jesus.
(Ps.
cxliii. 9. Prov. xviii. 10.) He is the sinner's hiding-
place, "the
man,"—that wondrous man, "in whom dwelt
all
the fulness of they Godhead bodily." (Isa. xxxii. 2.
ii.
9.) Yes, Jesus exposed himself to the fury of "the
tempest,"
that he might become a hiding-place,
for us. The
broken
law pursued with its relentless curse—'The sinner
ought
to die'—But thou art my hiding-place,
who hast "re-
deemed
me from the curse of the law, being made a curse
for
me." (Gal. iii. 10, 13.) "The fiery darts" pour in on
every
side: but the recollection of past security awakens my
song
of acknowledgment—"Thou hast been a strength to
the
poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, a refuge
from
the storm, a shadow from the heat, when the blast of
the
terrible ones is as a storm against the wall." (Isa. xxv.
4.)
Our hiding-place covers us from the
power of the world.
"In
me"—saith our Saviour—"ye shall have peace. Be of
good
cheer! I have overcome the world." (John, xvi. 33.)
Helpless
to resist the great enemy, our Lord brings us to
his
wounded side, arid hides us there. We "overcome him
by
the blood of the Lamb." (Rev. xii. 11.) To all accusa-
tions
from every quarter, our challenge is ready—"Who
shall
lay anything to the charge of God's elect?" (
33,
34.) From the fear of death, our hiding-place
still
covers
us. "Jesus through death hath destroyed him that
had
the power of death." (Heb. ii. 14, 15.) Against the
sting
of this last enemy, a song of thanksgiving is put
into
our mouth—"O death! where is thy sting? O grave!
Where
is thy victory? Thanks be to God, which giveth
us
the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ.' (1 Cor. xv.
55,
57.) Thus is "the smoking flax," which the malice of
Satan
strives to extinguish, not "quenched;" nor is "the
292 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
bruised
reed," which seems beyond the hope of restoration,
"broken."
But the completeness of our security is
graphically
portrayed—Thou art my hiding-place, to cover from
danger,
—my shield (Gen. xv. 1. Ps. iii. 3; v.
12. Comp. Eph.
vi.
16), also to protect me in it. Either I shall be kept
from
trouble, that it shall not come; or in trouble, that it
shall
not hurt me. The hiding place alone
would be im-
perfect
security, as being limited to one place. But my
shield is moveable, wherever
be the point of danger or
assault.
I can "quench the dart" that is aimed at my
soul.
But a hiding
place implies also secrecy. (Ps. xxxi. 20.)
And
truly the believer's is "a hidden life" (Col. iii. 3), be-
yond
the comprehension of the world. He mixes with them
in
the common intercourse of life. But while seen of man,
he
is dwelling "in the secret of the Lord's tabernacle" (Ps.
xxvii.
5), safe in the midst of surrounding danger, guarded
by
invincible strength. (Isa. xxvi. 1.) Often, indeed, must
the
world be surprised at his constancy, amidst all their
varied
efforts to shake his stedfastness. They know not
"the
secret of the Lord, which is with them that fear him."
(Ps.
xxv. 14.) And never could he have had a just con-
ception
of the all-sufficiency of his God, until he finds it
above
him, around him, underneath him, in all the fulness
of
everlasting love — his hiding-place, and
his shield. Thus
in
the heart of the enemy's country "he dwelleth on high,
and
his place of defence is the munitions of rocks." (Isa.
xxxiii.
16.)
But are we acquainted with this hiding-place? How
have
we discovered it? Are we found in it, and careful to
abide
in it? Within its walls "that wicked one toucheth
us
not." (1 John, v. 18.) Yet never shall we venture
outside
the walls unprotected, but his assault will give us
some
painful remembrance of our unwatchfulness. And then
VERSE
115. 293
do
we prize our shield, and run behind
it for constant secu-
rity.
Remember, every other hiding-place
"the waters will
overflow."
(Isa. xxvii. 16, 17.) Every other shield is a
powerless
defence. Surely then the word which
has dis-
covered
this security to us, is a firm warrant for our hope.
And,
therefore, every sinner, enclosed in the covert of love,
will
be ready to declare—I hope in thy word.
115.
Depart from me, ye evil-doers; for I will
keep the com-
mandments of my God.
Safe and quiet in his hiding place, and behind his
shield.
David
deprecates all attempts to disturb his peace—Depart
from me, ye evil-doers. He had found them to
be opposed
to
his best interests; and he dreaded their influence in
shaking
his resolution for his God. Indeed such society
must
always hinder alike the enjoyment and the service of
God.
"Can two walk together, except they be agreed?"
(Amos,
iii. 3.) And can we be "agreed," and walk in fel-
lowship
with God, except we be at variance with the princi-
ples,
the standard, and conduct of a world that is "enmity
against
him?" (Comp. Matt. vi. 24. Jam. iv. 4.) Not
more
needful was the exhortation to the first Christians
than
to ourselves—"Save yourselves from this untoward
generation."
(Acts, ii. 40.) True fellowship with God
implies
therefore a resolute separation from the ungodly.
Secure
in the hiding-place, and covered with
the shield of
our
covenant God, let us meet their malice, and resist their
enticements,
with the undaunted front of "a good soldier
of
Jesus Christ." (2 Tim. ii. 3.)
Not that we would indulge morose or ascetic
seclusion.
We
are expressly enjoined to courtesy and kindness (1 Pet.
iii.
8); to that wise and considerate "walk towards them
that
are without" (Col. iv. 5), which "adorns the doctrine
of
God our Saviour" (Tit. ii. 10), and indeed in some in-
294 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
stances
has been more powerful even than the word itself
(Comp.
1 Pet. iii. 1, 2), to "win souls to Christ." But when
they
would tempt us to a devious or backsliding step
when
our connexion with them entices us to a single act
of
conformity to their standard, dishonourable to God, and
inconsistent
with our profession—then must we take a
bold
and unflinching stand—Depart from me, ye
evil-doers:
for I will keep the
commandments of my God.
This resolution gives no countenance to the
self-delu-
sive
notion of maintaining an intimate connexion with
professed
evil-doers, for the kind purpose of
recommending
our
religion to their acceptance — a scheme, which requires
a
rare degree of caution and simplicity to attempt without
entangling
the conscience; and which, for the most part
at
least, it is to be feared, is only a specious covering for
the
indulgence of a worldly spirit. If the men of the world
are
to be met and their society invited, for the accom-
plishment
of this benevolent intention, it must be upon the
principle
of the Lord's command to his prophet—"Let
them
return unto thee: but
return not thou to them." (Jer. xv. 19.)
The
amiable desire to "please our neighbour" is limited to
the
single end, that it should be "for
his good to edification."
(Comp.
Rom. xv. 2.) And whenever this end and restric-
tion
has been overlooked, it is sufficiently evident that
self-gratification
has been the moving principle: and that
the distinctive mark of
the Christian character—bearing the
cross, and confessing
the name of our Divine Master—has
been obscured.
Sometimes, however, in the struggle of
conscience, an
apprehension
of danger, is not altogether forgotten, and the
question
is asked, with some trembling of spirit—"How
far may I conform to the
world, without endangering the loss of
my religion?" But, not to
speak of the insincerity and
self-deception
of such a question, it would be better an-
swered
by substituting another in its place —"How
far
VERSE
115. 295
may I be separate from
the world, and yet be destitute of the
vital principle?" Scrutinize, in
every advancing step toward
the
world, the workings of your own heart. Suspect its
reasonings.
Listen to the first awakened conviction of
conscience.
Though it be only a whisper, or a hint, it is
probably
the indication of the Divine will. And never
forget,
that this experiment of worldly conformity, often
as
it has been tried, has never answered the desired end.
However
this compromise may have recommended
ourselves,
no
progress has been made in recommending
our Master;
since
his name — whether from unwatchfulness or cowardice
on
our part, or from the overpowering flow of the world on
the
other side —has probably in such society scarcely passed
over
our lips with any refreshment or attentiveness. Indeed,
so
far from commending our religion by this accommoda-
tion,
we have succeeded in ingratiating ourselves in their
favour,
only so far as we have been content to keep it out
of
sight; while at the same time, our yielding conformity
to
their taste, and habits, and conversation, has virtually
sanctioned
their erroneous standard of conduct; and tended
to
deceive them with the self-complacent conviction, that
it
approaches as near to the Scriptural elevation, as is
absolutely
required. The final result, therefore, of this
attempt
to recommend the Gospel to those who have
no
"heart for it," is — that our own consciences have
been
ensnared, while they retain all their principles un-
altered.
It must surely be obvious, that such a
course is plainly
opposed
to the revealed declarations of Scripture, and bears
the
decisive character of unfaithfulness to our Great Master.
We
might also ask, whether our love to the Lord can be in
fervent
exercise, while we "love them that hate him?"
(2
Chron. xix. 2)— whether our hatred of sin can be active
and
powerful, while we can find pleasure in the society of
those,
whose life "without God in the world" (Eph. ii. 12),
296 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
is
an habitual, wilful course of rebellion against him?*,
whether
we can have any deep or experimental sense of our
own
weakness, when thus venturing into temptation?,
whether
by unnecessary contact with the world, we can
expect
to "go upon hot coals," and our "feet not be
burned?"
(Prov. vi. 28) — or, in fact, whether we are not
forgetting
the dictates of common prudence in forsaking
the
path of safety for a slippery, but more congenial path?
Is
no harm to be anticipated from a wilful, self-pleasing
association?
Is it likely to be less dangerous to us than
it
was to an Apostle (Matt. xxvi. 51, 69-75)? or, because
we
conceive ourselves to have more strength, shall we use
less
watchfulness, and show more presumption?
But,
supposing Scripture not to determine the path of
duty
with infallible certainty; let this line of conduct be
subjected
to the impartial scrutiny of our own hearts, and
of
the effects, whether neutral or positively detrimental,
which
have resulted from it to ourselves, or to the church.
Have
we not felt this fellowship with evil-doers
to be an
hindrance
in keeping the commandments of our God?
If it
has
not always ended in open conformity to their maxims;
or
if, contrary to our apprehensions, it does not appear to
sanction
their principles, yet have we realized no deadening
unfavourable
influence? Has the spirit of prayer sustained
no
injury in this atmosphere? Have we never felt the
danger
of imbibing their taste,—the spirit of their con-
versation
and general conduct; which, without fixing any
blot
upon our external profession, must insensibly estrange
our
best affections from God! And have we never consi-
dered
the injury of this worldly association to the Gospel
in
weakening by an apparent want of decision "on the
Lord's
side" (Comp. Exod. xxxii. 26. Judg. v. 23. Matt.
* Who are the wicked, but those that forget
God? Ps. ix. 17;
x.
4.
VERSE 115. 297
xii.
30), the sacred cause which we are pledged to support;
and
obscuring the spiritual character of the people of God
as
a distinct and separate people? (Comp. Numb. xxiii. 9.
John,
xvii. 16.) In a providential connexion with evil-doers,
we
go safely in the spirit of humility, watchfulness, and
prayer;
and this connexion, felt to be a cross, is not likely
to
prove a snare. ( Ps. cxx. 5, 6.) But does not union of
spirit
with them, to whom David says, with holy deter-
mination—Depart from me,—and to whom David's Lord
will
one day say— "Depart!" (Matt. xxv. 41)—prove a
want
of fellowship with his spirit, and an essential unfit-
ness
for communion with the society of heaven? The
children
of this world, can have no more real communion
with
the children of light, than darkness has with light.
(2
Cor. vi. 14.) A great is the difference between the
Christian
and the world, as between heaven and hell—as
between
the sounds, "Come, ye blessed," and, "Depart, ye
cursed."
(Matt. xx . 34, 41.) The difference, which at
that
solemn day will be made for eternity, must, therefore,
be
visibly made now. They must depart from us, or we
from
God. We ca not walk with them both. 'Defile-
ment'—as
Mr. Cecil remarks—'is inseparable from the
world.'*
We cannot hold communion with God, in the
spirit
of the world and, therefore, separation from the
world,
or separation from God, is the alternative. Which
way—which
company—is most congenial to our taste?
Fellowship
will be component part of our heavenly hap-
piness.
(Heb. xii. 2-24.) Shall we not then walk on
earth
with those, with whom we hope to spend our eternity,
that
our removal hence may be a change of place only, not
of
company? May we have grace to listen to our Father's
voice
of love—"Wherefore, come out from among them, and
be
ye separate, saith the Lord; and touch not the unclean
* Cecil’s
"Remains."
298 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
thing:
and I will receive you, and will be a Father to you,
and
ye shall be my sons and daughters, saith the Lord
Almighty."
(2 Cor. vi. 17, 18.)
116.
Uphold me according unto thy word, that I
may live
and let me not be ashamed of my
hope.
Lest the Psalmist should seem to have been
self-con-
fident
in his rejection of the society of the ungodly, and
his
determination to adhere to his God here, as on former
occasions,*
mindful of his own weakness, he commits him-
self
to the upholding grace of God. He
does not content
himself
with commanding the evil-doer to depart.
He
pleads
for his God to come to him. He wants not only
the
hindrances to be removed, but the vouchsafement of
present
supporting grace. Such is our urgent continual
need!
Every circumstance has its temptation. Every
change
of condition is specially trying—and what is he in
himself?
unstable as water! Indeed the highest Arch-
angel
before the throne stands only as he is upheld by the
Lord,
and may unite with the weakest child in the Lord's
family
in the acknowledgment,—"By the grace of God I
am
what I am."† Much more, therefore, must I, pressed
on
every side with daily conflict and temptation, and con-
scious
of my own weakness and liability to fall, "come to
the
throne of grace," for "grace to help in time of need."
(Heb.
iv. 16.) My plea is the word of promise—according
to thy word—"as thy days, so
shall thy strength be."
(Deut.
xxxiii. 25.) "Fear thou not"—is the language of
* Verses 8, 31. The same frame is
marked—Ps. xvii. 4, 5.
† 1 Cor. xv. 10. Comp. 2 Pet. ii. 4.
'Man's wisdom is to seek
His strength in God alone;
And e'en an angel would be weak,
Who trusted in his own.'— Cowper: Olney Hymns, iii.74.
VERSE
116. 299
my
upholding God for I am with thee; be not dis-
mayed,
for I am thy God: I will strengthen thee: yea, I
will
help thee: yea, I will uphold thee with the right hand
of
my righteousness." (Isa. xli. 10.) Blessed be the good-
ness
that made the promise, and that guides the hand of
my
faith, as it were, to fasten upon it!
But why do I need the promise? why do I
plead it?
but
that I may live that I may know that
life, which is
found
and enjoyed "in the favour" of God? (Ps. xxx. 5.)
Nothing
seems worth a serious thought besides; nothing
else
deserves the name. And therefore new life—"life
more
abundantly" (John, x. 10)—let it be the burden of
every
prayer—the cry of every moment. Thus upheld by
the
Lord's grace, and living in his presence, I hope to feel
the
increasing support of my Christian hope. Though I
have
just before expressed it in God's word—though
I
have
"made my boast in the Lord," as my
hiding-place and
my shield (Verse 114), yet
conscious helplessness leads me
earnestly
to pray— Let me not be ashamed of my hope.
Yes—Jesus is the sinner's hope—"the
hope set be-
fore"
his people, to which they "flee for the refuge" of
their
souls. And well may our "hope " in him be called
an
anchor of the soul, sure and stedfast." (Heb. vi. 18,
19.)
How does the distressed church plead with the
hope
of Israel, and put her God in
remembrance of this his own
name
(Jer. xiv. 8), that she might not be
ashamed of her
hope! And how does she—with
every member of her
body—
eventually learn by this pleading, to say in the
confidence
of faith— "I know whom I have
believed!" (2 Tim.
i.
12.) And is there not a solid ground for this confidence?
Is
not the "stone that is laid in Zion for a foundation," a
"tried
stone?" Has it not been tried by thousands and
millions
of sinners nay, more, tried by God himself, and
found
to be "a sure foundation?" (Isa. xxviii. 16.) Yet
still,
that I may "hold fast the beginning of my confidence,"
300 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
and
"the rejoicing of my hope, firm unto the end" (Heb.
iii.
6, 14), I must persevere in prayer—Uphold
me according
unto thy word.
David, when left to his own weakness, was ashamed of
his hope:—"I said in my
haste, I am cut off from before
thine
eyes." (Ps. xxxi. 22.) At another time, when upheld
in
a season of accumulated trial, "he encouraged himself
in
the Lord his God." (1 Sam. xxx. 6.) Thus I see
"wherein
my great strength lieth," and how impotent I
am,
when left to myself. What a mercy, that my salva-
tion
will never for a single moment be in my own keeping!
what
need have I to pray to be saved from myself! How
delightful
is the exercise of faith in going to the Strong
for
strength! The issue of my spiritual conflicts is cer-
tain.
He who is the author, will ever be the upholder, of
the
"hidden life" in his people. It is a part of his own
life,
and therefore can never perish. The Tempter himself
will
flee, when he marks the poor, feeble, fainting soul,
upheld according to the
word of his God,
and placed in
safety
beyond the reach of his malice. (See 1 Pet. i. 5.)
Not,
however, that, as I once supposed, my weakness will
ever
be made strong; but that I shall daily grow more
sensible
of it, shall, stay myself more simply upon infinite
everlasting
strength; and "most gladly shall I glory in
my
infirmities, that the power of Christ may rest upon
me."
(2 Cor. xii. 9.)
117.
Hold thou me up, and I shall be safe; and
I will have
respect unto thy statutes continually.
Such is my sense of need and peril, that my
only refuge
lies
in "continuing instant in prayer." (Rom. xii. 12.) I
must
send up one cry after another into my Father's ear
for
the support of his upholding grace.
For not only the
consciousness
of my weakness, but the danger of the slip-
VERSE
117. 301
pery
path before me, reminds me, that the safety of every
moment
depends upon my upholding faithful
God. The
ways
of temptation are so many and imperceptible—the
influence
of it so appalling—the entrance into it so deceit-
ful,
so specious, so insensible —my own weakness and un-
watchfulness
so unspeakable—that I can do nothing but
go
on my way, praying at every step—Hold thou
me up, and
I shall be safe. Often, indeed, can I
remember, when "my
feet
were almost gone, my steps had well-nigh slipped"
(Ps.
lxxiii. 2): that I have been enabled to record—"Thy
mercy,
O Lord, held me up." (Ps. xciv. 18.)
How beautiful is the picture given of the
church of old!
"Who
is this that cometh up from the wilderness, leaning
upon her Beloved?" (Cant. viii. 5.)
This state of depend-
ence
was familiar to the Psalmist, and aptly delineates his
affectionate,
though conflicting, confidence. "My soul fol-
loweth
hard after thee: thy right hand upholdeth me."
(Ps.
lxiii. 8.) The recollection of the care of his God, from
his
earliest life, supplied encouragement for his present
faith,
and matter for unceasing praise—"By
thee have I been
holden up from the womb; thou art he that took
me out of
my
mother's bowels: my praise shall be continually of thee."
(Ps.
lxxi. 6.) We cannot wonder, then, that this confi-
dence
should sustain his soul in the contemplation of the
remaining
steps of his pilgrimage, and his prospects for
eternity.
"Nevertheless"— saith he—"I am continually
with
thee: thou hast holden me by thy
right hand. Thou
shalt guide me with my counsel, and
afterwards receive me
to
glory." (Ps. lxxiii. 23, 24.) And, indeed, the more lively
my
spiritual apprehensions are, the more I shall realize the
Lord
by the operations of his grace as well as of his pro-
vidence,
"compassing my path and my lying down" (Ps.
cxxxix.
3); lest any hurt me, keeping me night and day."
(Isa.
xxvii. 3.)
Is it inquired—how the Lord holds up his people in
302 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
this
slippery path? "Of the fulness of Jesus they all
receive,
and grace for grace" (John, i. 16); so that "the
life
which they now live in the flesh, they live by the faith
of
the Son of God." (Gal. ii. 20.) And, therefore, if I am
upheld,
it is by the indwelling of the Spirit, who supplies
from
his infinite fountain of life all the strength and sup-
port
I need throughout my dangerous way. By his Divine
influence
the dispensations of Providence also become the
appointed
means of drawing and keeping me near to my
God.
If, therefore, prosperity is endangering my soul,
and
strengthening my worldly bonds, may I not trust to
the
ever-watchful kindness of the Lord, to keep me low,
and
not to suffer me to be at ease in my forgetfulness?
If
the pleasures of sense, if the esteem of the world, or the
good
report of the church, are bringing a bewitching snare
upon
my soul, my God will lead me into the pathway of
the
cross—in the "valley of humiliation."
Here, then, is the secret of an unsteady
walk—the
neglect
of leaning upon an Almighty arm! How fearfully
is
the danger of self-confidence unveiled! Standing by my
own
strength, very soon shall I be made to feel, that I
cannot
stand at all. No "mountain" seemed to "stand
stronger"
than Solomon's: yet when he became the very
"fool"
that he describes—"trusting in his own heart"—
how
quickly was it removed! (Comp. Ps. xxx. 6, 7. 1 Kings,
xi.
1-10. Prov. xxviii. 26.)
Peter thought in the foolishness of his
heart, that he
could
have walked upon the water unsupported by the arm
of
his Lord: but a moment's sense of weakness and danger
brought
him to his right mind: "and, beginning
to sink, he
cried, saying—Lord! save
me!"
(Matt. xiv. 28-30.) Well
would
it have been for him, if his deliverance at that
moment
of peril had effectually rebuked his presumption.
We
should not then have heard from the same lips that
language
of most unwarranted self-confidence: "Although
VERSE
117. 303
all
shall be offended, yet will not I:—if I should die with
thee,
I will not deny thee in any wise." (Mark, xiv. 29, 31.)
Poor
deluded disciple! thou art on the brink of a grievous
fall!
(Prov. xvi. 18.) Yet was he held up
from utterly
sinking.
"I have prayed for thee"—said
the gracious Saviour
—"that thy faith fail not." (Luke,
xxii. 31, 32.) And thus
held
up by the same faithful intercession of my powerful
friend
(whose prayers are not weak as mine, "nor will he
fail
or be discouraged" (Isa. xlii. 4) by my continual back-
slidings),
"I" too—though in the
atmosphere of danger,
in
the slippery path of temptation, shall be
safe—safe from
an
ensnaring world—safe from a treacherous heart―safe
in
life—safe in death—safe in eternity. Thus does an
interest
in the covenant encourage—not presumption—
but
faith, in all its exercises of humility, watchfulness,
diligence,
and prayer in this appointed way does the Lord
securely
"keep the feet of his saints."
Let me not, then, forget, either my
continual liability
to
fall if left to myself, or the faithful engagements of my
covenant
God, to "keep me from falling." While I recol-
lect
for my comfort, that I "stand by faith," still is the
exhortation
most needful—"Be not high-minded, but fear."
(Rom.
xi. 20.) "By faith I stand," as it concerns God;
by
fear as it regards myself. As light is composed of
neither
brilliant nor sombre rays, but of the combination
of
both in simultaneous action, so is every Christian grace
combined
with its opposite, "that it may be perfect and
entire,
wanting nothing." Hope, therefore, combined with
fear,
issues in that genuine, evangelical confidence, in which
alone
I can walk safely and closely with God. Let, then,
the
self-confident learn to distrust themselves, and the
fearful
be encouraged to trust their Saviour; and in each
let
the recollection of grace and help vouchsafed "in time
of
need," lead to the stedfast resolution—
I will have respect
unto thy statutes continually. However self-denying
they
304 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
may
be in their requirements: however opposed in their
tendency
to "the desires of the flesh and of the mind," I
take
my God as the surety of my performance of them;
and
I desire to love them as the rule of my daily conduct,
and
the very element of heavenly happiness to my soul.
118.
Thou hast trodden down all them that err
from thy sta-
tutes: for their deceit is falsehood. 119. Thou puttest away
all the wicked of the earth like dross;
therefore I love thy
testimonies.
The Psalmist's determination to keep the statutes of God
was
strengthened by marking his judgments on those that
erred from them. And thus the Lord
expects us to learn
at
their cost. (Ps. lviii. 10, 11. Isa. xxvi. 9. Zeph. iii. 6, 7.)
The
cheerful, grateful respect to his
statutes marks also a
difference
of character indicative of a difference of state.
"His
saints are in his hand, or sitting down at his feet"
(Deut.
xxxiii. 3); his enemies are trodden down
under his
feet
in full conquest (Ps. cx. 1. Comp. Josh. x. 24), and
disgraceful
punishment. (2 Kings, ix. 33. Mic. vii. 10.
Mal.
iv. 3.) His own people he has exalted to be "heirs
of
God, and joint-heirs with Christ." (Rom. viii. 17.)
Even
now "he hath made them to sit together in heavenly
places
in Christ Jesus;" and shortly will they "be a crown
of
glory in the hand of the Lord, and a royal diadem in the
hand
of their God" (Eph. ii. 6. Isa. lxii. 3. Comp. Matt.
xiii.
43); while the ungodly are put away like
dross from
the
precious gold." Reprobate silver shall men call them,
because
the Lord hath rejected them." (Jer. vi. 30.) The
same
difference he makes even in chastening—upholding
his
own children under the scourging rod, lest they faint;
but
"breaking the wicked with a rod
of iron, and dashing
them
in pieces." (Isa. lvii. 16-18, with Ps. ii. 9.)
This separation has been from the beginning;
in his
VERSES 118, 119. 305
conduct
to the first two children of men (Gen. iv. 4, 5.
Heb.
xi. 4); and in his selection of Enoch (Gen. v. 22-24.
Heb.
xi. 5), Noah (Gen. vii. 1), and Abraham (Gen. xii.
1-3),
from the world of the ungodly, "as vessels of honour,
meet
for the Master's use." (2 Tim. ii. 21.) In after ages,
he
made Egypt "know, that he put a difference between
the
Egyptians and Israel." (Exod. xi. 7.) They were his own
"people,
that should dwell alone," and not "be reckoned
among
the nations" (Numb. xxiii. 9)—a people, whom he
had
"formed for himself, that they should show forth his
praise."
(Isa. xliii. 1.) And the same difference he has
made
ever since, between his people and the world—in
their
character (1 John, v. 19)—their way (Prov. xv. 9)
—
their exercises of mind (Rom. viii. 5)—their services
(Prov.
xv. 8)—their privileges (Prov. iii. 32, 33)—and
their
prospects. (Dan. xii. 2.) At the day of judgment, the
separation
will be complete—final—everlasting. "When
the
Son of Man shal1 come in his glory, and all the holy
angels
with him, then shall he sit upon the throne of his
glory;
and before him shall be gathered all nations; and
he
shall separate them one from another, as a shepherd
divideth
his sheep from the goats. And he shall set the
sheep
on his right and, but the goats on the left; and
these
shall go away into everlasting punishment; but the
righteous
into life eternal." (Matt. xxv. 31-33, 46. Comp.
iii.
12; xiii. 30. Mal. iii. 16-18.)
But mark the character—They err from God's statutes
—
not in their minds, through ignorance; but "in their
hearts"
(Ps. xcv. 10 Comp. verse 21) through obstinacy.
They
do not say, 'Lord, we know not,' but,
"We desire not
the knowledge of thy ways." (Job, xxi. 14.)
It is not frailty,
but
unbelief; not want of knowledge, but love of sin—
wilful,
damnable. Justly, therefore, are they stamped as
the
wicked of the earth, and marked out
as objects of the
306 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
Lord's
eternal frown—expectants of the "vengeance of
eternal
fire."
And is not this a solemn warning to those
"that forget
God"—that
"they shall be turned into hell" (Ps. ix. 17);
to
"the proud"—that in "the day that shall burn as an
oven,
they shall be as stubble" (Mal. iv. 1);—to the
worldly—that
in some "night" of forgetfulness, their
"souls
will be required of them" (Luke, xii. 19, 20. Dan.
v.
30); —to the "hypocrites in heart"—that they "are
heaping
up wrath?" (Job, xxxvi. 13.) Thus does the eye
of
faith discern through the apparent disorder of a world
in
ruins, the just, holy, and wise government of God.
"Clouds
and darkness are round about him; righteousness
and
judgment are the habitation of his throne." (Ps. xcvii,
2.)
If the wicked seem to triumph, and
the righteous to be
trodden
down under their feet, it shall not be always so.
"The
end" (Rom. vi. 21) and "wages of sin is death."
(Ib.
23.) "The ungodly shall not stand in the judgment,
nor
sinners in the congregation of the righteous." (Ps. i. 5.)
How awful, then, and almost desperate their
condition!
Their deceit is falsehood; "deceiving and
being deceived"
(2
Tim. iii. 13) —perhaps given up to believe their own
lie—perhaps
one or another "blessing themselves in their
own
heart," saying, 'I shall have peace, though I walk
in
the imagination of my own heart, to add drunkenness
to
thirst.'" (Deut. xxix. 19.) 'What, then, is our duty?
Carnal
selfishness says, Be quiet—let them alone'— that
is—"Destroy
them by our" indolence and unfaithfulness,
"for
whom Christ died." (Comp. Rom. xiv. 15.) But
what
does Scripture, conscience, nay more,—what does
common
humanity say? "Cry aloud, spare not." (Isa.
lviii.
1.) Awake the sleepers —sound the alarm, "Now is
the
accepted time—the day of salvation" (2 Cor. vi. 2)!
the
moment to lift up the prayer, and stretch forth the
VERSE
120. 307
hand
for plucking the brands out of the fire. (Zech. iii. 2.
Jude,
23.) Tomorrow, the door may be shut, never to be
opened
more. (Matt. xxv. 10.)
How awful the judgment of being put away like dross!
Look
at Saul (1 Sam. xxviii. 5-25), when put away —
going
out, to harden himself in the sullen pride of de-
Hear
the fearful doom of Israel—"Son of man,
the
house of Israel is to me become dross;
all they are brass,
and
tin, and iron, and lead, in the midst
of the furnace; they
are
even the dross of silver. Therefore saith the Lord God
—Because
ye are all become dross, behold,
therefore I will
gather
you into the midst of Jerusalem, as they gather silver,
and
brass, and iron, and lead, and tin into the midst of the
furnaces
to blow the fire upon it, to melt it; so will I
gather
you in mine anger and in my fury; and I will leave
you
there, and melt you." (Ezek. xxii. 18-20.) But how
should
this justice of the Lord's proceedings endear his
statutes to us! It is such a
sensible demonstration of his
truth,
bringing with it such a close conviction of sovereign
mercy
to ourselves—not less guilty than they! Add to
this
— If he were less observant of sin — less strict in its
punishment
as a transgression of his word— we should
lose
that awful display of the holiness of the word, which
commends
it supremely to our love—"Thy word is very
pure;
therefore thy servant
loveth it."
(Verse 140.)
120.
My flesh trembleth for fear of thee; and
I am afraid of
thy
judgments.
The justice of God is a tremendously awful
subject of
contemplation,
even to those who are safely shielded from
its
terrors. The believer, in the act of witnessing its
righteous
stroke upon the wicked of the earth, cannot for-
bear
to cry out —My flesh trembleth for fear
of thee.* Thus
* 'A thrilling horror curdles my skin.' The
thing cannot be
poetically
expressed without periphrasis.—Bishop Horsley.
308 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
did
the holy men of old tremble, even with a frame ap-
proaching
horror, in the presence of the Divine judgments.
David
trembled at the stroke of Uzzah, as if it came very
near
to himself (2 Sam. vi. 6-9). "Destruction
from God"
saith
holy Job —"was a terror to me: and by reason
of his highness I could
not endure."
(Job, xxxi. 23.) Such
also
was the Prophet's strong sensation—"When
I heard,
my belly trembled; my
lips quivered at thy voice: rottenness
entered into my bones." (Hab. iii. 16.
Comp. Jer. iv. 19.
Dan.
iv. 19.) And thus, when God comes to tread
down
and put away his enemies for the
display of the holiness of
his
character, and to excite the love of
his people—those
that
stand by, secure under the covert of their
hiding place
(Verse
114)—cannot but "take up their parable and say
—Alas!
who shall live, when God doeth this!" (Numb.
xxiv.
23.) The children of God reverence their Father's
anger.
They cannot see it (such is his "terrible Majesty!"
Job,
xxxvii. 22) without an awful fear; and this trembling
at
his judgments upon the ungodly covers them from the
heavy
stroke. Those that refuse to tremble shall be made
to
feel, while those that are afraid of his
judgments shall be
secure.
"Only with thine eyes shalt thou behold, and see
the
reward of the wicked." (Ps. xci. 8.) "I trembled in
myself,"
said the prophet, "that I might rest
in the day of
trouble." (Hab. iii. 16.)
Even the manifestations of his
coming
"for the salvation of his people" are attended with
all
the marks of the most fearful terror— as if his voice
would
shake the earth to its very foundation—"Thou didst
cause
judgment to be heard from heaven—the earth feared
and
was still: when God arose to judgment, to
save all the
meek, of the earth."*
To mark this trembling as the character of the child of
* Ps. lxxvi. 7-9. See the effect of a
manifestation of the glory
of
the Saviour to the Evangelist, for the purpose of special consola-
tion
and support. Rev. i. 17, 18. Comp. also Dan. x. 8-17.
VERSE
120. 309
God,
we need only contrast it with the ungodly scoffing,
"Where
is the God of judgment? Where is the promise
of
his coming? The Lord will not do good, neither will he
do
evil." (Mal. ii. 17. 2 Pet. iii. 4. Zeph. i. 12.) Thus
do
men dare to "run upon the thick bosses of his bucklers"
(Job,
xv. 26), instead of trembling for fear of
him! This
"stoutness
against the Lord" (Mal. iii. 13), excites the
astonishment
of the hosts of heaven; so discordant is it to
their
notes of humble praise—"Who shall not
fear thee, O
Lord,
and glorify thy name; for thy judgments
are made
manifest!"
(Rev. xv. 4.) Such is the special acceptance
of
this trembling spirit, that some
shadow of it obtained a
respite
even for wicked Ahab (1 Kings, xxi. 27-29), and a
pardon
for the penitent Ninevites (Jonah, iii. 5-10); while
its
genuine "tenderness of heart" screened Josiah from
the
doom of his people (2 Chron. xxxiv. 27), and will ever
be
regarded with the tokens of the favour of this terrible
God.
"To this man," saith he, "will I look, even to him
that
is poor, and of a contrite spirit, and that trembleth
at
my word." (Isa. lxvi. 2,
5.)
Believers in Christ! rejoice in your
deliverance from
that
"fear which hath torment." (1 John, iv. 18.) Yet
cherish
that holy reverential fear of the character and
judgments
of God, which will form your most effectual
safeguard
"from presumptuous sins." (Ps. xix. 13.) The
very
supposition, that, if God had not engaged himself to
you
by an unchangeable covenant, his fearful judgments
Would
have been your eternal portion, is of itself sufficient
to
mingle the wholesome ingredient of fear with the most
established
assurance. What! can you look down into
the
burning bottomless gulf beneath your feet, without the
recollection—If
I were not immoveably fastened to the
"Rock
of Ages" by the strong chain of everlasting love,
this
must have been my abode through the countless ages
of
eternity. If I had not been thus upheld by the grace,
310 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
as
well as by the providence, of God, I might have dropped
out
of his hand, as one and another not more rebellious
than
I have fallen, into this intolerable perdition! O God!
my flesh trembleth for
fear of thee; and I am afraid of thy
judgments.*
Thus the dread of the judgments of God is not necessarily
of
a slavish and tormenting character. "His saints" are
called
to "fear him" (Ps. xxxiv. 9); and their fear, so far
from
"gendering unto bondage," is consistent with the
strongest
assurance (Comp. Hab. iii. 16, with 17, 18);
nay,
even is its fruit and effect. (Heb. xii. 28.) It is at
once
the principle of present obedience (Ib. xi. 7), and of
final
perseverance. (Ib. iv. 1.) It is the confession of weak-
ness,
unworthiness, and sinfulness, laying us low before
our
God. It is our most valuable discipline. It is the
"bit
and bridle" that curbs the frowardness of the flesh,
and
enables us to "serve God acceptably," in the remem-
brance,
that, though in love he is a reconciled Father,
yet
in holiness he is "a consuming fire." (Ib. xii. 29,
with
28.)
Now, if we are under the influence of this
reverential
awe
and seriousness of spirit, we shall learn to attach a
supreme
authority and consideration to the least of his
commands.
We shall dread the thought of wilfully
offending
him. The fear of grieving him will be far more
operative
now, than was the fear of hell in our unconverted
state.
Those who presume upon their gospel
liberty, will
* How striking was H. Martyn's experimental
apprehensions
of
this subject! 'In prayer in the evening I had such near and
terrific
views of God's judgments upon sinners
in hell, that my flesh
trembled for fear of them. The
passages of God's holy word, that
proved
the certainty of hell-torments, were brought to me in such
a
way as I never before felt. I flew trembling to Jesus Christ, as
if
the flames were taking hold of me! Oh! Christ will indeed save
me,
or else I perish.'— Journals, vol. i.
382.
VERSE
120. 311
not,
probably, understand this language. But the humble
believer
well knows how intimately "the fear of the Lord"
is
connected with "the comfort of the Holy Ghost" (Acts,
ix.
31. Comp. Matt. xxviii. 8), and with his own steady
progress
in holiness, and preparation for heaven.
312 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
PART XVI.
121.
I have done judgment and justice: leave
me not to mine
oppressors. 122. Be surety for thy servant for good: let
not the proud oppress me.
There is something very solemn in the
reflection, that God
has
set up a Vicegerent in the heart—an internal Judge,
who
takes cognizance of every thought, every emotion,
every
act—determining its character, and pronouncing its
sentence.
This tribunal tries every cause without respect
to
persons, time, place, or any circumstances, that might
seem
to separate it from other cases under the same juris-
diction.
No criminal can escape detection from defect of
evidence.
No earthly power can hinder the immediate ex-
ecution
of the sentence. The sentence then, of this awful
Judge,
whether "accusing or excusing" (Rom. ii. 15), is
of
infinite moment. The ignorant expression—'Thank God,
I
have a clear conscience!' is used alike by the self-
righteous
and the careless. The awakened sinner, however,
pleads
guilty to its accusations, and knows not how to
answer
them. Blessed be God for the revelation of his
gospel,
which proclaims the blood of Jesus — sprinkling the
conscience
— silencing its charges — and setting before the
sinner
the way of peace! And now through Jesus,
"the
new
and living way" of access to God, conscience, sitting
on
the throne—speaks peace and acceptance; and though
sins
of infirmity will remain, defiling every thought, desire,
and
act; yet, like the motes on the face of the sun in the
VERSES 121, 122. 313
clearest
day, they have little or no influence to obstruct the
shining
of the cheerful light upon the heart. (See Heb. x.
19-22.)
The clearing of conscience is however
connected with
Christian
integrity. "If our heart condemn us
not, then have
we confidence toward God." (1 John, iii.
21.) This "tes-
timony
of conscience" has often been "the rejoicing"
(2
Cor. i. 12) of the Lord's people, when suffering under
unremitted
reproach or proud oppression. They
have been
enabled
to plead it without offence in the presence of their
holy,
heart-searching God*—nay, even when in the near
prospect
of the great and final account, they might have
been
supposed to shrink from the strict and unerring scru-
tiny
of their Omniscient Judge. (Isa. xxxviii. 1—3.)
But observe the influence of this testimony
upon our
spiritual
comfort. David was at this time under persecu-
tion—no
new trial to a child of God (1 Pet. iv. 12. 2 Tim.
iii.
12) and one that will never cease, so long as Satan has
instruments
at his command. But see the blessing which
conscious
uprightness gave to his prayers: I have
done
judgment and justice:
leave me not to mine oppressors. Can
my
heart and conscience respond to this appeal? Then may
I
plead my cause before God, Leave me not
to my oppressors.
Let not the proud
oppress me.
Plead my cause with them.
Let
my righteousness be made known. Let it be seen,
that
thou "wilt not leave me in their hand, nor condemn
me
when I am judged. Let integrity and uprightness pre-
serve
me: for I wait on thee." (Ps. xxxvii. 33; xxv. 21.)
But
if any deviation from the exact rule of righteousness
between
man and man (Matt. vii. 12) has been allowed—
if
the world charge me as ungodly, because they have proved
me
unrighteous—then let me not wonder, that "the con-
* Samuel-1
Sam. xii. 3-5. Nehemiah— xiii.
14, 22. Job —
x.
7. David—Ps. vii. 3-6; xviii.
20-24; xxvi. 1-6. Paul—Rom.
ix.
1; and the Apostles—1 Thess. ii.10.
314 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
solations
of God shall be small with me" (Job, xv. 11.
Comp.
Ps. lxvi. 18); nor let me expect a return of the Lord's
cheering
manifestation, until the Achan has been removed
from
the camp (Josh. vii. 10-15), and by confession to God
(Ib.
19), and reparation to man (Luke, xix. 8), I have "given
glory
to the Lord God of Israel."
But let not this appeal be thought to
savour of Phari-
saical
pride. He pleads not merit. He only asserts his
innocence—the
righteousness of his cause—not of his
person.
Though upright before man, he ever felt himself
a
sinner before God. The highest tone of conscious inte-
grity
is therefore consistent with the deepest prostration of
evangelical
humility. The difference is infinite between the
proud
Pharisee and the upright believer. The Pharisee
makes
the appeal with undisturbed self-complacency and
self-righteous
pleading. The believer would ever accom-
pany
it with the Publican's prayer for mercy. (Luke, xviii.
9-13.)
Instantly—in a deep conviction of need,—he
appends
the supplication—Be surety for thy
servant for good.*
The
keen eye of the world may possibly not be able to
affix
any blot upon my outward profession; but, "if
thou,
Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall
stand?"
(Ps. cxxx. 3.) The debt is continually accumu-
lating,
and the prospect of payment as distant as ever. I
might
well expect to be left to my oppressors,
until I should
pay
all that was due (Matt. xviii. 34) unto my Lord. But
behold!
"Where is the fury of the oppressor?" (Isa. li.
13.)
The surety is found—the debt is paid—the ransom
is
accepted—the sinner is free! There was a voice heard
in
heaven —"Deliver him from going down to the pit: I
have
found a ransom." (Job, xxxiii. 24.) Yes, the Son of
God
himself became "surety for a stranger," and "smarted
* Comp. Ps. xxvi. 11; Neh. xiii. 22; with
14— a bold testimony
of
integrity presented in the character of a sinner.
VERSES 121, 122. 315
for
it." (Prov. xi. 15.) At an infinite cost—the cost of
his
own precious blood— he delivered me from mine
oppressors — sin — Satan — the
world — death — hell. "It
was
exacted: and he answered." (Isa. liii. 7. Bp. Lowth.)
As
Judah in the place of Benjamin, he was ready to stand
in
my stead before his Father —"I will be surety of him:
of
mine hand shalt thou require him." (Gen. xliii. 9.) As
Paul
in the stead of Onesimus, he was ready to plead, be-
fore
the same tribunal—"If he hath wronged thee, or oweth
thee
aught, put that on mine account; I will repay it."
(Philem.
18, 19.)
Let this subject be ever present to my
mind. Well in-
deed
was it for me, that Jesus did not "hate suretyship."
(See
Prov. xi. 15, last clause.) Had he refused the vast
undertaking,
how could I have answered before the bar of
God?
Or had he undertaken only for those who loved him,
again
should I have been left without a plea. But when
as
my surety he has brought me under his
yoke, and made
me
his servant, I can plead with
acceptance before his
throne,
Be surety for thy servant for good,*
— for the good,
which
thou knowest me to need—my present and eternal
deliverance
from my proud oppressors. And do not I need
such
a surety every moment? And need I be told how
fully
he has performed the Surety's part? So that I may
boldly
say—"Who is he that condemneth? it is Christ that
died.
It is Christ that lives. There is therefore now no
condemnation
to them that are in Christ Jesus." (Rom.
viii.
33, 34, 1.),
* Comp. Isa. xxxviii. 14, where the same
words are used in the
original,
"Be surety." "Undertake for me." The same plea is
urged—"Let not the proud oppress me."
"O Lord, I am oppressed;
undertake." The same frame
of conflict is marked —"Mine eyes
fail for thy salvation," verse 123,
"Mine eyes fail with looking
upward."
316 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
123.
Mine eyes fail for thy salvation, and for
the word of thy
righteousness.
And do thine eyes, tried believer, begin to fail?
So
did
thy Redeemer's before thee. He, whom thou hast been
recollecting
as thy Surety, when he stood in thy
place,
burdened
with the intolerable load of thy sin —bearing the
weighty
strokes of Infinite justice upon his soul— he too
was
constrained to cry out, "Mine eyes fail, while I wait
for
my God." (Ps. lxix. 3. Comp. xxii. 1-3.) Listen, then,
to
thy deserted Saviour counselling his deserted people;
"gifted
with the tongue of the learned, that he should
know
how to speak a word in season to you that are
weary"—"Who
is among you that feareth the Lord, that
obeyeth
the voice of his servant; that walketh in darkness,
and
hath no Light? Let him trust in the name of the
Lord,
and stay upon his God." (Isa. 1. 4, 10.)
That our
Surety will plead for our good,
doubt not. Yet
"the
vision is for an appointed time." (Hab. ii. 3.) "But
shall
not God avenge his own elect, which cry day and
night
unto him, though he bear long with them?" (Luke,
xviii.
7, 8.) Salvation—a gift of such
comprehensive and
enduring
blessing—is it not worth the waiting trial?
Wonderful
is that arrangement, by which the word of grace
is
made the word of righteousness! God
hath bound himself
to
us by his promises of grace, which are not, Yea and
nay,
but "Yea and amen" (2 Cor. i. 20)—under his own
hand
and seal. Who that has tried them, but will "set
to
his seal that God is true?" (Josh. xxiii. 14, with John,
iii.
33.) Cheering indeed is the thought, that, amidst the
incessant
changes in Christian experience, our hope is un-
changeably
fixed. We may not indeed always enjoy it;
but
our salvation does not depend upon our present enjoy-
ment
of its consolation. Is not the blessing as certain—
VERSE
123. 317
yea—is
not our assurance of an interest in it as
clear, when
we
are brought to the dust under a sense of sin, as if we
were
"caught up into the third heaven" in a vision of
glory?
In a season of desertion, therefore, while
we maintain a
godly
jealousy over our own hearts, let us beware of a mis-
trustful
jealousy of God. Distrust will not cure our wound,
or
quicken us to prayer, or recommend us to the favour of
God,
or prepare us for the mercy of the Gospel. Com-
plaining
is not humilty. Prayer without waiting is not
faith.
The path is plain as noon-day. Continue to believe
as
you can. Wait on the Lord. This is the act of faith,
depending
on him — the act of hope, looking for him — the
act
of patience, waiting his time—the act of submission,
resigned
even if he should not come. Like thy Saviour, in
his
"agony" of desertion, "pray more earnestly." (Luke,
xxii.
44.) Condemn thyself for the sins of which thou art
asking
forgiveness. Bless him for his past mercy, even if
thou
shouldest never taste it again. Can he frown thee
from
his presence? Can he belie his promise to his wait-
ing
people? (Isa. xxx. 18; xlix. 23.) Impossible! Nay!
while
he has taken away the sensible apprehensions of his
love,
and in its room has kindled longing desires for the lost
blessing;
is not this to show himself — if he be "verily a
God
that hideth himself"—yet still
"the God of Israel, the
Saviour?" (Isa. xlv. 15.)
Though he delays his promise,
and
holds us as it were in suspense; yet he would have us
know,
that he has not forgotten the word of his
righteousness.
But
this is his wise and effectual mode of trying his own
gift
of faith. And it is this "trial of
faith"—and not faith
untried—that will be "found
to praise, and honour, and
glory
at the appearing of Jesus Christ." (1 Pet. i. 7.)
The full consolation of the Gospel is
therefore the fruit
of
patient, humble waiting for the Lord, and of earnest
desire,
conflicting with impatience and unbelief, and at
318 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
length
issuing in a state of child-like submission and de-
pendence.
The man who was here expressing his longing
expectation
for God's salvation, was evidently, though un-
consciously,
in possession of the promise. Nor would he
at
this moment have exchanged his hope, clouded as it was
to
his own view, for all "the pleasures of sin," or the riches
of
the world. Although at this moment he appeared to be
under
the partial hidings of his Father's countenance, yet it
is
important to observe, that he was not satisfied, as an in-
dolent
professor, to "lie upon his face" (Josh. vii. 10) in
this
sad condition. His "eyes failed with
looking upward"
—stretched
up with earnest expectation to catch the first
rising
rays of the beaming Sun of Righteousness. He
knew,
what all Christians know, who walk closely with
God,
that his perseverance in waiting upon God, would
issue
in the eventual fulfilment of every desire of his
heart.*
But can we assuredly plead the word of his righteousness
for
the anticipation of the object of our desire? Have we
always
an express promise answering to our expectations,
"putting
God in remembrance" (Isa. xliii. 26) of his
word?
Possibly we may have been asking not "according
to
his will" (1 John, v. 14. Jam. iv. 3), and therefore may
have
"charged God foolishly" (Job, i. 22), as if he had
been
unfaithful to his word, when no engagement had been
* Foxe tells us of Mr. Robert Glover,
martyr at Coventry, two
or
three days before his death, overwhelmed with the prospect of
martyrdom,
and mentioning to a friend his earnest supplication for
the
light of God's countenance, yet without any sense of comfort.
His
darkness continued up to the period of his arriving within
sight
of the stake, when suddenly his whole soul was so filled with
consolation,
that he could not forbear clapping his hands, and crying
out
— 'He is come!—he is come!' He appeared to go up to heaven
in
a chariot of fire, exhibiting little or no sensibility of his cruel
death.
Was not this the word of his
righteousness to one, whose eyes
failed in looking for it.—Foxe’s Acts and Monuments, 1555.
VERSES 124,
125 319
pledged: when we had no warrant to build upon
from
the word of his
righteousness.
If, however, our petition
should
be found to be agreeable to his word of promise,
and
faith and patience hold on in submission to his will,
we
must not, we cannot, suppose, that one tittle that we
have
asked will fail. Whether the Lord deliver us or not,
prayer
and waiting will not be lost. It is a blessed posture
for
him to find us in, such as will not fail to ensure his
acceptance,
even though our request should be denied. An
enlivening
view of the Saviour is in reserve for us; and
the word of
righteousness
will yet speak—"This is the rest,
wherewith
ye may cause the weary to rest: and this is the
refreshing."
(Isa. xxviii. 12, also xxx. 15.) To every
passing
doubt and rising fear, oppose this word
of his
righteousness.
But let me bring my own heart to the test.
Am I
longing
for the manifestation of God? Surely if I am
content
with what I already know, I know but very little
of
the unsearchable depths of the love of Christ; and I
have
abundant need to pray for more enlarged desires, and
a
more tender enjoyment of his Divine presence. If faith
is
not dead, yet it may have lost its conquering and quick-
ening
vigour. Let me then exercise my soul in diligent,
careful,
patient waiting upon God, equally removed from
sloth
and frowardness — and I shall yet find the truth of
that
consoling word of his righteousness—"Light
is sown for
the
righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart."*
124.
Deal with thy servant according unto thy
mercy, and
teach me thy statutes. 125. I am thy servant; give me
understanding, that I may know thy
testimonies.
A
sense of mercy, and the privilege of Divine teaching,
* Ps. xcvii. 11. The same plea under
similar circumstances
of
conflict is urged, Ps. cxliii. 1.
320 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
were
the earnest of the Lord's salvation, for which the eyes
of his servant were
failing,
and for which he was waiting in
dependence
upon the sure word of his righteousness.
And
indeed
these two wants daily press upon every servant
of
God
as matter for earnest supplication. Both are in-
timately
connected. A deeper sense of mercy
will bind us
more
strongly to his statutes (Ps. cxvi.
12-14); while a
more
spiritual teaching in the statutes
will humble us in a
sense
of sin, and consequent need of mercy.
(Jer. xxxi. 19.)
As
it respects the first—if there is a sinner upon the
earth,
who needs the special mercy of God,
it is his own
servant. For as the Lord sees
abundantly more excellence
in
his feeblest desire, than in the professor's most splendid
external
duties; so he sees far more sinfulness and provo-
cation
in the workings of his sin, than in the palpably de-
fective
services of professors, or in the open transgression
of
the wicked of the earth. Let him
scrutinize his motives,
thoughts,
and affections, even in his moments of nearest
and
happiest approach unto his God; and he will find such
defilement
cleaving to every offering, with all the aggra-
vations
of mercy, light, and knowledge, vouchsafed, that
the
confession of his soul, when comparing himself with his
fellow-sinners,
will be, "Of whom I am chief." (1 Tim. i.
15.)
And therefore, as a servant of God, I
can only come
before
him upon the ground of mercy. For my
best per-
formances
I need an immeasurable world of mercy—par-
doning—saving—everlasting
mercy; and yet by the blood
of
Jesus I dare to plead—Deal with thy
servant according
unto thy mercy.
But then I am ignorant as well as guilty;
and yet I
dare
not pray for teaching—much and hourly
as I need it,
until
I have afresh obtained mercy. These two blessings
lead
me at once to the foundation of the gospel—in the
work
of Christ, and the work of the Spirit—mercy
flowing
from
the blood of the Son (Eph. i. 7)—teaching
from the
VERSES 124,
125. 321
office
of the Spirit. (John, xiv. 26; xvi. 13.) Mercy
is the
first
blessing, not only in point of importance, but in point
of
order. I must know the Lord as a Saviour, before I can
go
to him with any confidence to be my teacher. But
when
once I have found acceptance for my petition —Deal
with thy servant
according unto thy mercy—my way will be
opened
to enlarge my petition—yea, once and again to
repeat
it —Teach me thy statutes. Give me
understanding, that
I may know thy
testimonies—that
I may know with in-
telligent
conviction; walk, yea, "run in the way of thy com-
mandments"
(Verse 32) with "an enlarged heart." For
let
me never forget, that I am "redeemed from the curse"
only—not
from the service "of the law" —yea, redeemed
from
its curse, that I may be bound to its service. (Gal.
ii.
19. Luke, i. 74, 75.) And does not my especial rela-
tion
to my God as his servant, furnish me
with a plea for
his
acceptance? (Verse 94. Ps. cxliii. 12.) For when this
earth
is full of his Mercy"—much more may I, as be-
longing
to his house, plead for the special mercy of his
teaching (Verse 64)—his own
covenant promise (Heb. viii.
10)—so
needful for his servant, who desires
to know, that
he
may do, his will. (Verses 33, 34; lxxxvi. 11; cxliii.
8,
10.)
But if I am the Lord's servant, how did I become so?
Time
was (let me be ashamed and confounded at the re-
membrance
of it) when I was engaged for another master,
and
in another service. (Rom. vi. 16, 20. Tit. iii. 3.) But
his
sovereign grace called me from the dominion of sin—
from
the chains of Satan— from the bondage of the world,
and
drew me to himself. "His I am—and him I serve."
(Acts,
xxvii. 23.) His service is my highest privilege: his
reward
of grace is my glorious hope. "If
any man serve
me," saith my Master,
"let him follow me: and where I am,
there shall also my
servant be. If any man serve me, him will
my Father honour." (John, xii. 26.)
As his servant, there-
322 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
fore,
I cast myself with confidence upon his mercy,
and
expect
to be dealt with according to that mercy.
Nay,—
shall
be denied nothing that I "ask according to his will."
For
he has condescended to call me — not his
servant, but
"his
friend" (John, xv. 15)—yea more, to call himself
"my
brother." (John, xx. 17. Heb. ii. 11, 12.)
Lord! thou hast showed me this great favour
and grace,
to
make me thy servant. I would be thine for ever. I love
thy
service too well to wish to change it; yet must I mourn
over
my dulness, my backwardness in doing thy will, and
walking
in thy way. Oh! teach me thy statutes
more
clearly,
more experimentally! Give me
understanding to
discern
their heavenly sweetness and their holy liberty, that
I
may live in a more simple and devoted obedience to
them,
until I come to see thy face, and to be thy
servant in
thy
heavenly temple, "no more to go out."*
126.
It is time for thee, Lord, to work; for
they have made
void thy law.
If I desire a more spiritual understanding of the reve-
lation
of God, how can I but mourn to witness its awful
neglect
and contempt? It seems as if the ungodly not only
sin
against it, but that they would drive it out of the world.
(Exod.
v. 2. Ps. xii. 4.) They make it void—denying
its
power
to rule, to annul its power to punish. Oh! let us
* Rev. 15; iii. 12. The annals of the
Reformation furnish
a
beautiful record of George of Anhalt—a godly young prince, of
twelve
years old. 'He put up constant and fervent prayer to God,
beseeching
him to bring his heart under the power of the truth;
and,
often, in the privacy of his cabinet, he exclaimed with tears—
Deal with thy servant
according to thy mercy, and teach me thy statutes.
His
prayers were answered. Under strong conviction, and con-
strained
to action on it, he fearlessly ranged himself on the side
of
the gospel.'—D’Aubigné’s History of the Reformation, Book v.
ch.
vi.
VERSE
126. 323
cherish
that distinguishing feature of the Lord's people,
"sighing
and crying for all the abominations of the land"
(Ezek.
ix. 4); so that we cannot hear or see the name of
God
dishonoured, without feeling as for our Father's
wounded
reputation.* Can we suffer the men of the world
quietly
to go on their course? Must we not throw in our
weight
of influence, whatever it may be, to stem the flowing
torrent:
and when (as, alas! is too often the case) all
efforts
are unavailing, carry the cause to the Lord—"It
is
time for thee, Lord, to work?"
This pleading does not
contradict
the law of love, which requires us to love, pray
for,
and to bless our enemies (Matt. v. 44); for the Lord's
people
are not angry for their own cause, but for his.
David
had no regard to his own honour, but to God's law.
He
had not injured his enemies. "He had laboured to
overcome
their evil with good." (Ps. xxxv. 11-14.) He
* What a Christian ought to feel under
these circumstances, let
us
learn from the following extract of the diary of the saintly
Martyn.
Upon hearing at Shiraz, in the course of his disputations,
some
reproach of his Saviour's name, he writes thus — 'I was cut
to
the soul by this blasphemy. In prayer I could think of nothing
else
but that great day, When the Son of God shall come in the
clouds
of heaven "taking vengeance on them that know not God,"
and
convince men of all their hard speeches which they have spoken
against
him.' (We might also think that this verse was upon his
mind
at this moment.) Mirza Seid Ali perceived that I was con-
siderably
disordered, and was sorry for having repeated the verse,
but
asked, what it was that was so offensive? I told him, that I
could
not endure existence, if Jesus were not glorified; that it
would
be hell to me, if he were to be always thus dishonoured. He
was
astonished, and again asked the reason why. 'If any one pluck
out
your eyes,' I replied, there is no saying why you feel pain. It
is
feeling. It is because I am one with Christ, that I am thus
dreadfully
wounded.' On his again apologizing, I told him, 'that
I
rejoiced at what had happened, inasmuch as it made me feel
nearer
the Lord than ever. It is when the head
or heart is struck,
that every member feels
its membership.'—Martyn’s Life, p. 420, 8vo.
edition.
324 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
had
often wept for their sins (Verses 136, 158), and prayed
for
their conversion. (Ps. lxxxiii. 16.) But all was in vain.
Now,
Lord, take the rod in thine own hand. "It is time
for thee, Lord, to work,"'
This was true zeal—zeal of the
Spirit,
not of the flesh. How gracious is our God in per-
mitting
his servants thus to plead with him, and as it
were,
to give him no rest, until (Isa. lxii. 7) "he shall
arise,
and work," and sit upon the
throne of the kingdoms
of
the earth!
But why does he not break out with some
overpowering
manifestation
of his power? They are "his sword and
rod"
for the chastening of his people (Ps. xvii. 13, 14.
Isa.
x. 5, 6), to discipline their watchfulness into constant
exercise.
(Ps. lix. 11.) They are the trial of their faith
believing
the Lord's justice against apparent inconsistency
(Ib.
lxxiii. 16-18); and of their patience—"waiting the
set
time of deliverance." (Rev. xiii. 10.) Thus they
become
a profitable ministry for the church—and this
valuable
end accomplished, God works his work upon them
(Isa.
x. 12), and "will avenge his own elect speedily."
(Luke,
xviii. 8.)
Meanwhile — waiting for this "little
while," let us
"live
by faith," Let us be found on the Lord's side.—
labouring
for sinners—pleading with their hardness and
rebellion
in our Master's name, and for our Master's sake.
Let
all the weight of personal exertion and influence, con-
sistent
example, and wrestling supplication, be concentrated
in
"coming to the help of the Lord against the mighty."
(Judg.
v. 23.) Let us see to it, that if we cannot do what
we
would, we do what we can. (Mark, xiv. 8.) And if at
last
we be overborne by the torrent of ungodliness, we shall
find
our refuge and rest in pleading with our Lord for the
honour
of his name—Remember this, that the enemy
hath
reproached, O Lord, and
that the foolish people have blas-
phemed thy name. (Ps. lxxiv. 18, also
10, 11, 22.) "His
VERSE
126. 325
Spirit
shall not always strive with man." (Gen. vi. 3.)
Often,
when he has seen it time for him to work,
have
his
judgments made the earth to tremble. "Sodom and
Gomorrah"
have "known the power of his anger," and are
"set
forth for an example, suffering the vengeance of eter-
nal
fire." (Jude, 7.) And when his time
to work is fully
come,
what is all the resistance of earth and hell, but as
"setting
the briars and thorns against him in battle?"
"I would"—saith he —"go through them. I would burn them
together." (Isa. xxvii. 4.)
A word—a frown— a look—is
destruction.
"He is wise in heart, and mighty in strength.
Who
hath hardened himself against him, and hath pros-
pered?"
(Job, ix. 4.) Or "who hath resisted his will?"
(Rom.
ix. 19.)
But what shall we say of that stupendous
work of his
hand,
by which—when men had made void his law—when
no
restrictions could bind, no forbearance win them—when
he
"saw that there was no man, and wondered that there
was
no intercessor, therefore his arm brought
salvation unto
him, and his
righteousness, it sustained him." (Isa. lix. 16.)
Surely,
if we could conceive the hosts of heaven to have
taken
up this expression of ardent concern for the glory of
God,
It is time for thee, Lord, to work—they
could little
have
thought of such a work as this—they
could never
have
conceived to themselves such an unlooked-for, com-
bined
display of power, justice, and mercy. To set at
nought
then this work—is it not to refuse all hope—all
remedy?
To persist in making void the law
after so mag-
nificent
an exhibition of Almighty working —
must it not
expose
the transgressors to reap the fruit of their own
obstinacy,
and to prepare to meet him as their Judge,
whom
they refuse to receive as their Saviour? Nor must
they
wonder, if the Lord's people, with a holy indignation
against
sin, and a fervent zeal for his glory, should appeal
to
his faithfulness for the fulfilment of his judgments—It is
time for thee, Lord, to
work: for they have made void thy law.
326 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
127.
Therefore I love thy commandments above
gold; yea,
above fine gold.
Therefore
I love thy commandments. Yes—shall they
not
have double valuation in mine eyes, for the scorn and
reproach
which the world cast upon them? They count
them
dross—I love them above gold—yea, above
fine gold.
This
hope, confidence, and idol of the worldling (Job, xxxi.
24),
the love of which has been the ruin of thousands (1
Tim.
vi. 9, 10) —is not the commandment of
God more to
be
desired than it? (Ps. xix. 10.) "The merchandize of
it
is better than the merchandize of silver, and the gain
thereof
than fine gold. It is more precious than rubies:
and
all the things thou canst desire are not to be compared
unto
it." (Prov. iii. 14, 15.) Here has the Lord unlocked
to
us his golden treasure, and enriched our souls with "the
unsearchable
riches of Christ."
This image brings the miser before us. His
heart and
treasure
are in his gold. With what delight he counts it!
with
what watchfulness he keeps it! hiding it in safe cus-
tody,
lest he should be despoiled of that which is dearer
to
him than life. Such should Christians be: spiritual
misers:
counting their treasure, which is above
fine gold;
and
"hiding it in their heart,"* in safe keeping, where the
great
despoiler shall not be able to reach it. Oh, Chris-
tians!
how much more is your portion to you than the
miser's
treasure! Hide it; watch it; retain it. You need
* Verse 11. Augustine tells us of himself,
that while a Manichee,
he
slighted the Scripture for the plainness of its style, which
appeared
to him (from a false standard of criticism) not to be
compared
with the dignity of Ciceronian eloquence. ('Visa mihi
est
indigna scriptura quam Tullianæ dignitati compararem.'— Con-
fess.
lib. iii. cap. 5.) But after his blessed acquaintance with Christ,
though
Tully was still read with pleasure, yet this thing alone—
said
he— abated his former interest, that the
name of Christ was not
there. Lib. iii. cap. 4.
VERSE
127. 327
not
be afraid of covetousness in spiritual things: rather
"covet
earnestly" (1 Cor. xii. 31) to increase your store;
and
by living upon it, and living in it, it will grow richer
in
extent, and more precious in value.
But have I through Divine grace been
enabled to with-
draw
my love from tie unworthy objects which once pos-
sessed
it: and to fix it on that which alone offers satisfac-
tion?
Let me attempt to give a reason to myself of the
high
estimation in which I hold it, as infinitely transcend-
ing
those things, which the world venture their all—even
their
temporal happiness — to obtain. Therefore
I love the
commandments of God
above gold: yea, above fine gold—
because,
while the world and my own heart have only com-
bined
to flatter me, they have discovered to me my real
state,
as a self-deceived (Rom. vii. 9), guilty (James, ii.
10),
defiled (Rom. vii. 14) sinner before God: because they
have
been as a "schoolmaster to bring me to Christ" (Gal.
iii.
24)—the only remedy for sin, the only rest for my
soul.
I love them; because they have often
supplied whole-
some
reproofs in my wanderings, and plain directions in my
perplexity.
I love them; because they restrict me
from
that
which would prove my certain ruin; and because in
the
way of obedience to them the Lord has "accepted me
with
my sweet savour." (Ezek. xx. 41. Comp. Isa. lxiv. 5.)
Should
I not love them? Can gold, yea, fine gold, offer to
me
blessings such as these? Can it heal my broken heart?
Can
it give relief to my wounded spirit? Has it any peace
or
prospect of comfort for me on my death-bed? And
what
cannot—what has not—what will not—the precious
word
of God do at that awful season of trial? O my God,
I
would be deeply ashamed, that I love thy
commandments
so
coldly—that they are so little influential upon my con-
duct
—that they so often give place to objects of compara-
tive
nothingness in thy sight. O that my heart might be
wholly
and habitually exercised in them, that I may find
328 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
the
"work of righteousness to be peace, and the effect of
righteousness,
quietness, and assurance for ever!" (Isa.
xxxii.
17.)
128.
Therefore I esteem all thy precepts
concerning all things
to be right: and I hate every
false way.
The general contempt of religion acts upon
the Christ-
ian's
judgment no less than upon his affections. Is
wickedness
breaking loose to make void the law?
Therefore
he esteems it to be right. His judgment—instead
of being
shaken—is
more determined. How beautiful is it to see
the
leaven of grace pervading the whole man! In the
fervour
of his heart he loves the commandments
even above
fine gold; but yet his "love
will abound yet more and
more
in knowledge and in all judgment."
(Philip. i. 9.) His
is
an intelligent and universal regard
to them—esteeming
all the precepts
concerning all things to be right. This con-
stitutes
his separate and exclusive character. He is readily
known
from the thoughtless worldling. But his difference
from
the professor, though really as marked in the sight
of
God, is far less perceptible to general observation.
Consisting
more in the state of heart, than in any external
mark
of distinction, it is often only within the ken of that
eye,
whose sovereign prerogative it is to "search the heart"
(Jer.
xvii. 10), and to "weigh the spirits." (Prov. xvi. 2.)
Many profess to esteem the precepts to be right, so far as
they
inculcate the practice of those moral virtues, of which
they
may present some faint exhibition, and demand the
abandonment
of those sins, from the external influence of
which
they may have been delivered. But when they begin
to
observe the "exceeding breadth of the commandment"
(Verse
96)—how it takes cognizance of the heart, and
enforces
the renunciation of the world, the crucifixion of
sin,
and the entire surrender of the heart unto God; this
VERSE
128. 329
searching
touchstone separates them from the church, and
exposes
to open day the brand of hypocrisy upon their
foreheads.
"Herod did many things."
(Mark, vi. 20.)
And
so the enemy still will allow a partial subjection to
the
precepts. But—as he well knows—one
sin holds us
his
captive as well as a thousand. The wilful contempt of
one
precept is the virtual rejection of
all. All, therefore—
not
many —is the Christian's word. He
fails in some—
yea,
in all—but all are the objects of his supreme regard
—every
duty, and every circumstance and obligation of
duty
(Luke, i. 6)— the evangelical as well as the moral
precepts—teaching him to
renounce himself in every part
(his
sins as a source of pleasure, and his duties as a ground
of
dependence): and to believe in the Son of God as the
only
ground of hope. (1 John, iii. 23; John, vi. 29.) He
never
complains of the strictness of the precepts!
—but he
is
continually humbled in the recollection of his noncon-
formity
to them. Every way, however pleasing
to the
flesh,
that is opposed to the revealed will of God, is hated,
as
false in itself, and false to his God. This "godly sin-
cerity"
will apply to every part of the Christian Directory.
So
that any plea for the indulgence of sin (as if it ad-
mitted
of palliation, or was compensated by some surplus
duty,
or allowed only for some temporary purpose) or any
wilful
shrinking from the universality of
obedience—blots
out
all pretensions to uprightness of heart. If holiness be
really loved, it will be loved for
its own sake; and equally
loved and followed in
every part.
(2 Cor. vii. 1.) By this
entire
"approval of things that are excellent," we shall
"be
sincere and without offence unto the day of Christ."
(Philip.
i. 10.)
O my soul, canst thou abide this close test?
Hast thou
as
much regard to the precepts, as to the privileges, of the
Gospel?
Is no precept evaded, from repugnance to the
cross
that is entailed to it? Is no secret lust retained?
330 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
Art
thou content to let all go? If my hatred of sin is
sincere,
I shall hate it more in my own house than abroad.
I
shall hate it most of all in my own heart. Here lies
the
grand seat of hypocrisy. And therefore may the great
Searcher
of hearts enable me to search into its depths I
May
I take the lamp of the Lord to penetrate into its
dark
interior hiding-places of evil! May I often put the
question
to my conscience, What does the Omniscient
Judge
know of my heart?' Perhaps at the time that
the
Church holds my name in esteem, the voice of con-
science,
as the voice of God, may whisper to me—"That
which
is highly esteemed among men is an abomination
in
the sight of God." (Luke, xvi. 15.) Some false way,
yet
undetected within, may keep me lifeless and un-
fruitful
in the midst of the quickening means of grace.
Let
me look into my house—my calling—my family
my
soul; and in the course of this search how much matter
will
be found for prayer, contrition, renewed determination
of
heart, and dependence upon my God! "O
that my ways
were directed to keep thy
statutes! I will keep thy statutes; O
forsake me not utterly." (Verses 5, 8.)
And oh! let my
spirit
be wounded by every fresh discovery of sin. Let my
soul
bleed under it. But specially and
instantly let me
apply
to the "fountain opened for sin and for uncleanness."
Here
let me wash my soul from the guilt of sin, and regain
my
peace with God. And to him, who opened this foun-
tain,
let me also repair for a large supply of spiritual
strength.
May his power and grace sharpen my weapons
for
the spiritual conflict, until every secret iniquity is over-
come,
and for ever dispossessed from my heart!
And just as sin, besides its guilt, brings
its own misery;
so
does this whole-hearted purity carry with it its own
happiness.
Can I forget the time, when, under Divine
grace
and teaching, I made a full presentment of myself
(See
Rom. xii. 1), when I began to estimate myself as an
VERSE
128. 331
hallowed,
devoted thing —sacred— set apart for God?
Was
not this the first sunshine of my happiness? Nor
was
this offering made with momentary excitement, notional
intelligence,
forced acquiescence, or heartless assent. My
judgment
accorded with the choice of my heart. All was
right
in his precepts. All that was
contrary to them was
abominable.
And will not this form the essence of the
happiness
of heaven, where every aspiration—every motion
—every
pulse of the glorified soul—in the eternity of life
—will
bear testimony to the holiness of the service of God?
(Rev.
xv. 3, 4.)
332
EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
PART XVII.
129.
Thy testimonies are wonderful: therefore
doth my soul
keep
them.
Can the mere professor make this
acknowledgment? He
knows
only the letter—the shell, which excites no interest.
Yet
hidden from his eye is an unsearchable depth, which
will
make the believer a learner to the end of his life.
Even
he, who "was caught up into paradise, and heard
unspeakable
words, which it is not lawful for a man to
utter"
(2 Cor. xii.4), was brought to this adoring contem-
plation—"O
the depths of the riches both of the wisdom
and
knowledge of God!" (Rom. xi. 33.) Every way in-
deed
is this revelation worthy of him, the first letter of
whose
name is "Wonderful." (Isa. ix. 6.) It lays open to
the
heaven-taught soul what "eye hath not seen, nor ear
heard,
neither hath entered into the heart of man." (1 Cor.
ii.
9.) Think of the Creator of the world becoming a
creature—yea,
"a curse for man." (John, i. 1-3, 14, with
Gal.
iii. 13; Philip. ii. 6-8.) Think of man—guilty and
condemned—made
just with God by a righteousness not
his
own. (Rom. iii. 19-22.) Think of God bringing out
of
the ruinous fall more glory to himself, and more happi-
ness
to man, than from his former innocence—in the
display
of his mercy—the glory of his justice, and the
investment
of sinners—not, as before, with a creature's
righteousness,
security, and reward, but with his own
righteousness
(Jer. xxiii. 6. 1 Cor. i. 30), guardianship
VERSE
129. 333
(John,
vi. 39; x. 28. Col. iii. 3, 4), and glory. (John, xvii.
21-24.
Rev. iii. 21.) Think how "the way into the holiest
of
all" is thus "made manifest." (Heb. ix. 8, with x. 19,
20.)
Think how abounding grace is the death as well as
the
pardon of sin (Rom. v. 20, with vi. 1-6)—the present
as
well as the everlasting life of the soul. (John, iv. 14
vi.
57; xiv. 6, 19.) These are among the stupendous
discoveries
of the sacred book, that bow the humble and
reflecting
mind to the confession—Thy testimonies
are won-
derful! Let us therefore join
with the Apostle, in "bowing
our
knees to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ"
—that
we "might be able to comprehend with all saints"
(for,
blessed be God! the privilege is common to all his
people)
"what is the breadth, and length, and depth, and
height:
and to know the" unsearchable "love of Christ "
(Eph.
iii. 14, 18, 19), "in whom are hid all the treasures
of
wisdom and knowledge." (Col. ii. 3.)
And how delightful is the recollection of
these testi-
monies being our "heritage forever!" (Verse 111.) For
they
are not less wonderful in their practical
fulness, than
in
their deep unfathomable mysteries of love. Such is the
infinite
enlargement of this "heritage," that he who fore-
knew
every thought that would find an entrance into the
minds
of his people, has here secretly laid up seasonable
direction
and encouragement for every, even the most
minute
occasion and circumstance of need. Here, again, is
wrapped
up, in words fitted by wisdom to receive the reve-
lation,
all that intercourse between God and man, through-
out
all ages of the Church, which is treasured up in the
vast
unsearchable depository of the Divine mind and pur-
pose.
Can we then forbear repeating the exclamation—Thy
testimonies are
wonderful!
But it is not enough, to adore the fulness
of Scripture:'*
* 'Adoro plenitudinem Scripturarum' was the
exclamation of
Tertullian—
'in which posture of holy admiration,' — said the
334 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
we
must seek to imbibe and exhibit its practical influence,
Holy
admiration of the testimonies will
kindle spiritual de-
votedness
to them—Therefore doth my soul keep them.
The
stamp
of Divine authority upon them, while it deepens our
reverence,
commands our steady and cheerful obedience.
To
keep them is our privilege, no less than our obligation;
and
in this path we shall delight to persevere to the end.
But
how affecting is the thought of the mass, who look
at
these wonders with a careless or unmeaning eye, uncon-
scious
of their interesting import! They pass by the door
of
the treasury, hardly condescending to look aside into
it:
or only taking a transient glance, which comprehends
nothing
of its inexhaustible stores. "I have
written to
them "—saith the
Lord—"the great things of my law:
but
they are counted as a
strange thing."
(Hos. viii. 12.) But far
more
wonderful is it, that we, enlightened, in answer to
deeply-learned
and pious Dr. Owen—'I desire my mind may be
found
while I am in this world.'
'What do I not owe to the Lord for
permitting me to take a part
in
the translation of his word? Never did I see such wonders, and
wisdom,
and love, in the blessed book, as since I have been obliged
to
study every expression; and it is a delightful reflection, that
death
cannot deprive us of the pleasure of studying its mysteries.'
—Martyn’s Life, p. 271. The same
testimony was given by a
kindred
spirit employed in the same work. Shortly before his
death,
Dr. Buchanan, giving to a friend some details of his laborious
revisions
of his Syriac Testament, suddenly stopped, and burst
into
tears. On recovering himself—he said—'I am not ill, but I
was
completely overcome with the recollection of the delight which
I
have enjoyed in this exercise. At first I was disposed to shrink
from
the task as irksome, and apprehended that I should find even
the
Scriptures pall by the frequency of this critical examination.
But
so far from it, every fresh perusal seemed to throw fresh light
on
the word of God, and to convey additional joy and consolation
to
my mind.' 'How delightful'—observes his biographer—'is the
contemplation
of a servant of Christ thus devoutly engaged in his
heavenly
Master's work, almost to the very moment of his transition
to
the Divine source of light and truth itself!'
VERSE
129. 335
prayer
(See verse 1), with "the Spirit of wisdom and
revelation"
(Eph. i. 17, 18)— should often be so indifferent
to
the mysteries of redeeming love here unfolded before us,
and
should experience so little of their practical influence!
Oh!
let the recollection of our indolence, and want of con-
formity
to them, never cease to humble us. Let us not
enter
into the testimonies, as a dry task,
or an ordinary
study
but let us concentrate our minds, our faith, humi-
lity,
and prayer, in a more devoted contemplation of them.
Every
such exercise will extend our view of those parts,
with
which we had conceived ourselves to be competently
acquainted:
opening a new field of wonders on every side,
far
beyond our present contracted apprehensions.*
And can any joy be imagined so sublime as
the adoring
contemplation
of this revelation? It reflects even to angels
a
new and glorious manifestation of their God. (Eph. iii.
10.)
It engages their every faculty with intense admira-
tion
and delight. (See 1 Pet. i. 12.) And while they
behold
and worship with self-abasement, their obedience is
lively.
"With twain he" (the seraph before the throne)
"covered
his face, and with twain he covered his feet, and
with twain he did fly." (Isa. vi. 2.)
Thus may we study
the
same lessons, and with the same spirit. May our con-
* Augustine found this so experimentally
true, that he tells us,
that
though he should with better capacity and greater diligence
study
all his lifetime, from the beginning of his childhood to
decrepid
age, nothing else but the Holy Scriptures; yet they are
so
compacted and thickly set with truths, that he might daily learn
something
which before he knew not.'—Aug.
Epis. To this truth
the
late venerable Antistes Hess set his seal at the age of eighty-
six,
when he informed a young missionary to the Jews, that for
seventy
years the word of God had been the daily object of his
unremitting
researches: and that still he discovered in it new
traces
of the mysterious love and wisdom of God."—Jewish Expo-
sitor.
Nov. 1825.
336 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
templation
humble us in the dust, and animate us in the
service
of our God! Thy testimonies are wonderful:
there-
fore doth my soul keep
them.
130.
The entrance* of thy words giveth light:
it giveth
understanding to the
simple.
'So "wonderful are thy testimonies," gracious God,' that
even
by touching as it were only their threshold, the en-
trance of thy words
giveth light and understanding unto my
heart.
The study commenced in simplicity and prayer,
opens
an entrance to the first dawning light of the word
into
the soul often only sufficient to make darkness
visible,
but still "shining more and more unto the perfect
day."
(Prov. iv. 18.) Indeed all the spiritual light known
in
this dark world has flowed from the word, forcing its
entrance,
like the beams of the sun, upon the opening eyes
of
"a man that was born blind." It is a most striking
instance
of Divine condescension, that this word — so
wonderful
in its high and heavenly mysteries—should yet
open
a path so plain, that the most unlearned may find
and
walk in it. (Isa. xxxv. 8.) Indeed the
entrance of the
word into unintellectual and
uncultivated minds, often
gives
an enlargement and elevation of thought, which is
the
earnest of the restoration of man to his original glory,
when
doubtless every mental as well as spiritual faculty
was
"filled with all the fulness of God." (Eph. iii. 19.
Comp.
Col. iii. 10.) So astonishing is the power of this
heavenly
light, that from any one page of this holy book,
a
child, or even an idiot, under heavenly teaching, may
draw
more instruction than the most acute philosopher
could
ever attain from any other fountain of light! Nay
* "Opening."—Ainsworth.
VERSE
130. 337
—he
may acquire a more intelligent perception of its con-
tents,
than the student, untaught by the Spirit of God,
who
may have devoted to its study the persevering indus-
try
of many successive years. For very possible is it to
be
possessed of all the treasures of literature, and yet to
remain
in total ignorance of everything that is most im-
portant
for a sinner to know.* The Apostle's paradox
unfolds
the secret, "If any man among you seemed to be
wise
in this world, let him become a fool, that he may be
wise."
(1 Cor. iii. 18.) We do not mean to disparage
human
wisdom; but it is the pride of wisdom,
so opposed
to
the simplicity of the gospel, which prevents us from
"sitting
at the feet of Jesus, and hearing his word." It
makes
the teacher instruct in "the words of man's wisdom,"
rather
than in the knowledge of "Christ and him cruci-
fied"
(Comp. 1 Cor. ii. 1-4), and hinders the learner from
receiving
Christ in the light and love of the truth.
It is painful to remember how much light
may be
shining
around us on every side, without finding an entrance
into
the heart. "The light shineth in darkness; and the
darkness
comprehended it not."† Not only the pride of
human
reason, but the love of sin, shuts out the light:
*'A very extraordinary thing'—said one—'if
I, who have read
the
Bible over and over in the original languages, have studied it day
and
night, and have written criticisms and comments on it—a very
extraordinary
thing, that I should not be able to understand that
meaning
in the Scripture, which is said to be so plain, that a "way-
faring
man, though a fool, should not err" in the discovering of it.'
And
so it is extraordinary, till we open the Bible; and there we see
the
fact explained. The man who approaches the word of God in
his
own wisdom shall not find, what the "fool" will discover under
the
teaching of Divine wisdom. " For it is written, I will destroy
the
wisdom of the wise, and will bring to nothing the understanding
of
the prudent"—"God hath chosen the foolish things of the world
to
confound the wise."— Cecil’s
Remains.
† John, i. 5, "Apprehended it
not."—Scott. "Admitted
it
not."—
Campbell.
338 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
"Men
love darkness rather than light, because
their deeds are
evil." (John, iii. 19,
20.) And thus because "the eye is
evil,
the whole body is full of darkness:" and "if the light
that
is in them is darkness, how great is that darkness!"
(Matt.
vi. 23.) Most awful is the view given us of the
conflict
between the contending powers of light and dark.
ness
—"The god of this world blinding the eyes of them
that
believe not, lest the light of the
glorious gospel of Christ,
who is the image of God,
should shine unto them,"—the
Almighty
God resisting his hateful influence, and "shining
into
the hearts" of his people, "to
give the light of the know-
ledge of the glory of
God in the face of Jesus Christ." (Comp.
2
Cor. iv. 4-6.) How necessary is it to watch vigilantly
against
the pride that "rebels against the light" (Job,
xxiv.
13), and the indifference that neglects to cherish it!
How
much more entrance would have been
given to the
word,
and consequently how much clearer would have been
the
diffusion of light in the soul, were
we as earnest and
diligent
in secret prayer for heavenly teaching, as we are
accustomed
to be in the public hearing of the word!
But the enthusiast is not satisfied with
the light of the
word.
The delusion of his own heart dreams of a light
within
— an immediate revelation of the Spirit, independent
of
the word. It cannot however be safe to separate the
light
of the Spirit from the light of the word. The word
indeed
moves in subserviency to the Spirit; but the light
of
the Spirit is nowhere promised separate from the word.
If
it does not always guide directly by the word; yet it is
only
manifested in the direction of the word. The word is
in
the matter, if not in the mode; and though the Spirit
may
by immediate light direct us to any path of duty, yet
it
is invariably to that path, which had been previously
marked
by the light of the word. Thus the Spirit and the
word
conjointly become our guide—the Spirit enlightening
and
quickening the word — and the word evidencing the
VERSE
130. 339
light
of the Spirit. Nor will their combined influence ever
leave
the church of God, until she has joyfully and com-
pletely
entered into Immanuel's land, where she shall need
no
other light, than that of the glory of God, and of the
Lamb,
which shall shine in her for ever. (See Rev. xxi. 23.)
But — Reader — rest not satisfied with whatever
mea-
sure
of light may have been hitherto vouchsafed. Seek
that
the word may have "an entrance ministered unto you
abundantly." The most
advanced believer is most ready to
acknowledge,
how much of the word yet remains unex-
plored
before him.* Cultivate the disposition of simplicity
—the
spirit of a "little child" (Matt. xviii. 3)— willing
to
receive, embrace, submit to, whatever the revelation of
God
may produce before you. There will be many things
that
we do not understand; but there is nothing that we
shall
not believe. "Thus saith the Lord"—is sufficient
to
satisfy reverential faith. To this spirit the promise of
heavenly
light is exclusively made. "The testimony of the
Lord
is sure, making wise the simple. The
meek will he
guide
in judgment; the meek will he teach
his way." (Ps.
xix.
7; xxv. 9.) It is beautiful to see a man like Solomon,
endued
with enlarged powers of mind (1 Kings, iv. 29-34)
acknowledging
himself to be a little child (1 Kings,
iii.
7), afraid of trusting in his own light; and seeking in-
struction
from above. But never will an unhumbled mind
know
the benefit of this Divine instruction. To such a
student,
the Bible must ever be a dark book; since its very
design
is to destroy that disposition which he brings to
the
inquiry. That knowledge, therefore, which is unable
to
direct our way to heaven—nay, which by closing the
avenues
of spiritual light, obstructs our entrance thither,
is
far more a curse thin a blessing. Far more glorious is
the
simplicity of the word than the wisdom of the world.
* See the testimonies adduced in the notes
on the preceding
verse.
340 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
"In
that hour, Jesus rejoiced in spirit, and said, I thank
thee, O Father, Lord of
heaven and earth, because thou hast
hid these things from
the wise and prudent, and hast revealed
them unto babes: even
so, Father, for so it seemed good in thy
sight." (Luke, x. 21.)
131.
I opened my mouth, and panted; for I
longed for thy
commandments.
When the "wonderful" character of God's "testimonies"
is
apprehended; and when their entrance has
given light to
the soul; something far beyond
ordinary affection and
desire
is excited. A thirsty man — burning with inward
heat
on a sultry day, opening his mouth, and
panting for
some
alleviation of his thirst—is a fine image of the child
of
God intensely longing for the attainment of his object.
Or,
if we suppose before us the man nearly exhausted by
the
heat of his race, and opening his mouth,
and panting to
take
in fresh breath to renew his course; so would the
believer
"rejoice," like the sun, to "run his" heavenward
"race."*
He cannot satisfy himself in his desires. The
motions
of his soul to his God are his life and his joy. It
is
a spring of perpetual motion beating within—perpetual,
because
natural—not a rapture, but a habit—a principle,
having
indeed its faintings, and its sickness, but still re-
turning
to its original spring of life and vigour. It seems
as
if the soul could never draw in enough of the influences
of
the spiritual life. Its longings are insatiable — as if the
heart
would "break with" (Verse 20) the overpowering
strength
of its own desires; until at length, wearied with
the
conflict, the believer opens his mouth,
and pants to fetch
in
a fresh supply of invigorating grace. He enjoys "a
little
reviving" (Ezra, ix. 8) in his Lord's commandments;
* Ps. xix. 5. For another illustration, see
Job, xxix. 23.
VERSE 131. 341
enjoying
the Lord himself as his well-spring of refreshment.
(See
on Verse 20.)
Hear the man of God elsewhere giving, or
rather at-
tempting
to give, expression to his pantings
—"As the
hart
panteth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul
after
thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for thee; my flesh
longeth
for thee in a dry and thirsty land where no water
is.
I stretch forth my hands unto thee; my soul thirsteth
after
thee as a thirsty land." (Ps. xlii. 1; lxiii. 1; cxliii. 6.)
Thus
did Job open his month, and pant.
"O that I knew
where
I might find him! that I might come even to his
seat!"
(Job, xxiii. 3.) And the church—pouring out her
heart
before the Lord —"With my soul have I desired thee
in
the night; yea, with my spirit within me will I seek
thee
early." (Isa. xxvi. 9.)
same
intenseness of his own desire—"Not as though I had
already
attained, either were already perfect; but I follow
after,
if that I may apprehend that for which also I am
apprehended
of Christ Jesus. Brethren, I count not my-
self
to have apprehended; but this one thing I do; for-
getting
those things which are behind, and reaching forth
unto
those things which are before, I press towards the
mark
for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ
Jesus."
(Philip. iii. 12-14.) But amidst all these exam-
ples,
and infinitely beyond them all—behold
the ardour of
our
blessed Master in his work. Such was the panting
of
his
heavenly desire, that, when "wearied with his journey,"
and
"sitting at Jacob's well," he forgot even his natural
want
for his thirsty frame, in the joy of the conversion of
a
lost sinner to himself. (John, iv. 6,31-34.)
And thus must our affections be fully engaged.*
The
* Be always displeased with what thou art,
if thou desirest to
attain
to what thou art not: for where thou hast pleased thyself,
there
thou abidest. But if thou sayest—'I have enough'—thou
perishest.
Always add—always walk—always proceed. Neither
stand
still, nor go back, nor deviate.'— Augustine.
342 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
soul
must be kept open to heavenly influence; so that,
when
the Lord touches us with conviction, inclines our
hearts
to himself, and constrains us to his service, we may
be
ready to "exercise ourselves unto godliness" (1 Tim.
iv.
7), in receiving, cherishing, and improving the heavenly
longing after his
commandments;
and may open our mouths,
and pant for more advanced
progress in them. We look
not
so much to the quantity, as to the activity of faith;
always
at work, stirring up a holy fire within, for the
utmost
stretch of human attainment: like men of large
projects
and high determinations, still aspiring to know
more
of God, both in the enjoyment of his love, and in
conformity
to his will. And shall we be ashamed of these
feelings?
Shall we not rather be deeply humbled, that we
know
so little of them—encouraged, if we have any spring-
ing
of them—alarmed, if we be utterly destitute of their
influence?
Shall we not be opening our mouth, and
panting,
when
any new path of service is opened before us? For if
we
are content to be strangers to this longing
after God—
this
readiness for duty; what else can be expected, but
"sliding
back from the Lord by a perpetual backsliding?"
(Jer.
viii. 5.) Growing in sin, declining in love, and
gradually
relinquishing the habit of prayer, we shall
shortly
find little attaching to us but the empty name—
Christianity without
Christ.
The world will despise these
exercises
as enthusiasm, the distemper of a misguided
imagination.
But is it— can it be—otherwise than a
reasonable
service" (Rom. xii. 1) as well as a bounden
obligation,
to give up our whole desires to him, who is
alone
worthy of them? There can be no evidence of their
sincerity,
unless they are supreme.
But let union with Christ, and the life
flowing from
him,
be the constant spring of this holy ardour. Thus
shall
I enjoy a more habitual influence of his love—that
all-constraining
principle, which overcomes all my com-
VERSE
132. 343
plaints
of coldness and deadness of heart, and fills me with
pantings and longing in his service. But am
I ready to
shrink
from this elevated standard? If my heart is draw-
ing
back, let me force it on. Let me lay my command, or
rather
God's command, upon it. Let conscience do its office,
until
my heart is brought into actual and close contact
with
this touchstone of my spiritual prosperity. What
then—let
me ask myself—is the pulse of my desires after
spiritual
things? What exercises of grace do I find in
them?
What improvement of grace do I derive from
them?
Do I pant, thirst, long, after the
enjoyment of
heavenly
pleasure? Do I mourn over, and conflict with,
that
indolence and indifference, which so often hinders my
race?
Oh! let me be found a frequent suppliant at the
throne
of grace; bewailing my dulness, yet "stirring up"
my
faith "to lay hold on" (Isa. lxiv. 7) my God, seeking
promises,
a more intense appetite for its enjoyments, and a
for
larger views of the Gospel, a warmer experience of its
more
devoted attachment to its service. Surely such de-
sires
will issue in the confidence of faith. "My soul shall
be satisfied as with
marrow and fatness."
(Ps. lxiii. 5.)
132.
Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto
me, as thou
usest to do unto those that love
thy name.
The highest ardency of holy desire is no
ground of satis-
faction
before God. Nor does the believer in his most ele-
vated
moments forget his proper character—always a sin-
ner—needing
mercy every moment—in every duty. His
prayer
for mercy therefore suitably follows his exalted ex-
pression
of love—Look thou upon me, and be
merciful unto me.
Mercy
is indeed secured to him beyond the power of earth
and
hell to despoil him of it; but the comfortable sense of
this
mercy is vouchsafed only according to the earnestness
of
his desires, and the simplicity of his faith. And this is
344 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
indeed
a blessing, with which no earthly source of satisfac-
tion
can compare. (Ps. iv. 6, 7.) What are all the riches
of
the world without it, but splendid poverty, as little able
to
supply the place of Jesus in the soul, as the magnificent
array
of the starry firmament is to compensate for the ab-
sence
of the sun? It is night with the child of God,
Egyptian
night—"darkness which may be felt" (Exod. x.
21),
until his Sun appear to chase away his gloom—until
his
Lord hear his cry—Look thou upon me, and
be merciful
unto me!
To have this portion of those that love the name of God,
is,
then, the grand object. To have our offering, as Abel's
was
(Gen. iv. 4), accepted with God—to walk as Enoch
walked
(Gen. v. 24), with God—to commune with him as
Abraham
(Gen. xviii. 17-33) and Moses (Exod. xxxiii. 11.
Deut.
xxxiv. 10) were privileged to do—to be conformed
with
the holy Apostle (Philip. iii. 10. Gal. ii. 20) to the
death
of Christ—in a word, to be interested in all the pur-
chase
of a Saviour's blood—"this is the heritage of the
Lord's
servants"— this is the "one thing that we have de-
sired
of the Lord, and are seeking after" (Ps. xxvii. 4),―
"this,"
with the dying Psalmist, "is all our salvation, and
all
our desire." (2 Sam. xxiii. 5.) "Remember me then,
O
Lord, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people;
O
visit me with thy salvation; that I may see the good of
thy
chosen: that I may rejoice in the gladness of thy na-
tion;
that I may glory with thine inheritance." (Ps. cvi.
4,
5.)
And yet, alas! how often has the power and
deceitful-
ness
of sin cast us into so lifeless a state, that we are not
only
living without the enjoyment of this portion, but at
rest
without it; scarcely knowing or caring whether the
Lord
look on us or not? Can we wonder, that our holy,
jealous
God, should "hide himself " (Isa. lvii. 17), and "go
and
return to his place?" (Hos. v. 15.) His next mani-
VERSE
133. 345
festations
will probably be in the way of sharp conviction,
making
us to feel our distance, our coldness, our barren-
ness:
awakening us to search into the cause and, in the
contrast
of our sad condition with those who are walking
in
his favour, again bringing forth the cry — Look
thou upon
me, and be merciful unto
me, as thou usest to do unto those that
love thy name. The prayer of
humility, earnestness, and
perseverance,
though it may be tried awhile, will surely
never
be forgotten. (Comp. Isa. xxx. 18; Hab. ii. 3.) If
therefore
we cannot yet "sing in the ways of the Lord"
(Ps.
cxxxviii. 5), yet let us not cease to mourn after him,
till
he look upon us, and "satisfy us
with his mercy." (Ps. xc.
14.)
And oh! let us remember that there is but one way
through
which one gracious look, or one expression of ten-
der
mercy, can visit our souls. Let our eyes and heart then
be
ever fixed on Jesus. It is only in this his "beloved"
Son
that the Lord can look upon us, so as
not to "behold
iniquity
in us." But we "are complete in him." (Comp.
Num.
xxiii. 21; Eph. 6; Col. ii. 10.) Here then let us
wait;
and when this our prayer has received its answer in
the
Lord's best time—whether it be in "the goings of our
God
in the sanctuary" (Ps. lxviii. 24), or in the more se-
cret
manifestation (Matt. vi. 6. John, xiv. 21-23) of his
love—
Christians, "arise, and shine." (Isa. lx. 1.) Let it
be
known, that you have been on the mount with God, by
the
lustre of your face, the adorning of your profession,
before
the world.
Lord! since our looks to thee are often so
slight, so
cold,
so distant, that no impression is made upon our
hearts;
do thou condescend continually to look
upon us
with
mercy and with power. Vouchsafe us such a look, as
may
touch us with tenderness and contrition, in the remem-
brance
of that sin, unbelief, and disobedience, which pierced
the
hands, the feet, the heart of our dearest Lord and Sa-
viour.
(Comp. Luke, xxii. 61.) Oh! for that contrite
346 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
spirit,
in which we shall enjoy the look of
thy special favour!
(Isa.
lxvi. 2.) Oh! for a glimpse of thy love, that will put
our
spiritual enemies to shame! (Ps. lxxxvi. 17.) Oh! for
that
sunshine of thy countenance, which brings present sal-
vation
to our souls! (Ps. lxxx. 19.)
133.
Order* my steps in thy word; and let not
any iniquity
have dominion over me.
To expect the favour of the Lord without an
habitual
desire
of conformity to his image, is one among the many
delusions
of a self-deceiving heart. It is the peculiar cha-
racter
of the Christian, that his desires are as earnest for
deliverance
from the power as from the guilt of sin. Hav-
ing
therefore prayed for acceptance, he now cries for holi-
ness.
For even could we conceive the Lord to
look upon
him with a sense of his
favour, he would still feel himself
a
miserable creature, until he has received an answer to his
prayer—Let not any iniquity have dominion over me.
But it is often difficult to distinguish
the power of tempt-
ation
from the prevalence of sin, and thus precisely to ascer-
tain,
when iniquity may be said to have dominion over us.
Is
it not however the influence of temptation—not acting
upon
the mind, but admitted with consent into the heart?
It
is this actual consent of the will, obtained by the deceit-
fulness
and solicitations of sin, that marks its real dominion.
Light,
knowledge, and conscience, may open the path of
holiness;
but while the will —the sovereign power in the
soul—dissents,
the reigning power of sin continues undis-
puted.
Much care, however, much singleness, and a most
jealous
scrutiny of the springs of action, are required, accu-
rately
to determine the bias of the will, and consequently
the
dominion of iniquity. The perplexed,
conflicting soul
*
"Set straight my steps." LXX. "Firmly direct."—Ainsworth.
VERSE
133. 347
may
mistake the rebellion for the dominion of iniquity —its
continued
impression upon the heart for its ruling sway.
On
the other hand, a constrained opposition of conviction
may
present some hopeful symptoms of deliverance, while
the
dominant principle is still unshaken. The present re-
solution
to any particular act of sin may be weakened,
while
the love and habit of it remained unaffected. Sin is
not
always hated, when it is condemned, or even forsaken;
nor
are duties always loved in the act of their performance.
The
opposition to sin, which the awakened superficial pro-
fessor
considers as his evidence of uprightness of heart, is
often
only the unavailing resistance of a natural enlight-
ened
conscience to the ruling principle of the heart. The
light
and power of conscience may do much in condemning
every
known sin, and in restraining from many; in illus-
trating
every known duty, and insisting upon the external
performance
of many; while yet the full dominion of
iniquity
is
undisturbed. Were not Ahab and Judas as completely
under
his dominion after their repentance
as they were be-
fore?
(1 Kings, xxi. 27; xxii. Matt. xxvii. 3-5.) Did
not
Balaam, with all his knowledge—and the young ruler,
with
all his natural loveliness and semblance of sincerity,
"lack
that one thing"—a heart delivered from the domi-
nion of its own iniquity? (2 Pet. ii. 15. Mark,
x. 21, 22.)
Yet
it is not occasional surprisals, resisted workings, ab-
horred
lust, nor immediate injections of evil and blas-
phemous
thoughts; but only the ascendancy of sin
in the
affections, that proves its
reigning power. The throne can
admit
but of one ruler; and therefore, though grace and
iniquity may and do co-exist
within, they cannot be co-
partners
in one sovereignty. Yet forget not that every
sinful
indulgence is for the moment putting
the sceptre into
the
hands of our worst enemies. The setting up of an
usurper
is the virtual dethronement of the rightful sove-
348 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
reign.
The subjection to sin is therefore the rejection of
Christ.
How inestimably precious is the thought,
that deliver-
ance
from this cursed dominion is
inseparably connected
with
a state of acceptance with God! The man who enjoys
the
unspeakable blessing of pardoned iniquity, is he "in
whose
spirit there is no guile." (Ps. xxxii. 1, 2.) He has
a
work done within him, as well as for him. His Saviour
is
a whole Christ — "made of God
unto him Sanctifica-
tion"
and complete "Redemption" as well as "Righteous-
ness."
(1 Cor. i. 30.) He comes to the cleansing fountain
(Zech.
xiii. 1), as the double cure of his iniquity—equally
effectual
to wash from its power, as from its guilt.
But let us duly estimate the value of
David's preserva-
tion.
He had been used to "hide the word in his heart,"
as
his safeguard against sin (Verse 11), and from his own
experience
of its power he had recommended it to the espe-
cial
attention of the young. (Verse 9.) Yet the recollec-.
tion
of his continual forgetfulness and conscious weakness,
leads
him to turn his rule into a matter of prayer—Order
my steps in thy word;—implying, that if his steps were not
ordered, from want of their
keeping, iniquity would regain
its
dominion. And who of us have not
daily need of this
ruling
discipline? Without it, all is disorder. Our scat-
tered
affections need to be "united" in one central principle
(Ps.
lxxxvi. 11), under the direction of the
word. The uni-
versal
influence of this rule also is so important. The word
not
only cheers our path, but orders our
steps. (Verse 105;
xvii.
4; xix. 11. Prov. vi. 23.) Every act—every duty—
are
as steps in the heavenward path—guarding us from the
devious
paths on either side, beset with imperceptible dan-
ger,
and spread with the fowler's snare. And what a blessed
path
would this be for us, if we had singleness and simpli-
city
always to "look right on, and straight before us!"
VERSE
133. 349
(Prov.
iv. 25) But alas! we are often only
half-roused
from
our security. The word is forgotten; or there is an
unreadiness
to receive its Divine impressions. Our own
wisdom
is consulted: and, "or ever we are aware," iniquity
regains
a temporary dominion over us.
Now I would ask myself ― What do I
know of this
godly,
careful walk? Am I frequently during the day
looking
upward to my heavenly guide; and then looking
into
his word as my direction in the way; and lastly con-
sidering
my heart and conduct, whether it is ordered
in the
word? The man, who has "the
law of God in his heart,"
alone
possesses the security, "that none of his steps shall
slide."
(Ps. xxxvii. 31.) When I take therefore a step
into
the world, let me ask ― Is it ordered
in God’s word,
which
exhibits Christ as my perfect example; so that,
walking
after him, and following in his steps, I may be able
to
frame my temper and habits according to this unsullied
pattern?
But let us mark, how fully is this prayer
warranted by
the
special promise of the Gospel ― "Sin
shall not have domi-
nion over you; for ye
are not under the law, but under grace."
(Rom.
vi. 14, with 12.) The law stirred up sin, and gave
it
increased power; while it left us to our unassisted exer-
tions
to subdue it. We watch, pray, and strive against it;
yet,
alas! it mocks our efforts ― rages, yea, tyrannizes more
than
ever. (Ib. vii. 8. 1 Cor. xv. 56.) But it is the cross of
Calvary,
that have the child of God his first view of sin, that
first
made him loathe it, that first enabled him to contemplate
a
holy God without fear, and even with confidence. This ―
this
alone ― subdues his pride, rebellion, enmity, selfishness.
In
him that hung there we trust as an Almighty con-
queror;
and we are made ourselves "more than conquerors
through
him that loved us." (Rom. viii. 37.) His very
name
of Jesus (Matt. i. 21) marks his office, his crown, his
glory. Here therefore ― not in doubts and
fears ― not in
350 EXPOSITION OF PSALM
CXIX.
indolent
mourning for sin—here lies the appointed means
of
present relief— the only hope of final victory. Iniquity,
even
when subdued, will struggle to the last for dominion:
but
looking to and living on Jesus, we have the victory
still.
The more clear our view of Jesus, the more complete
is
our victory. Supplies of continual strength will ever be
vouchsafed
to restrain the dominion of iniquity,
and even to
"keep
under" its daily risings; except as they may be
needful
for the exercise of our graces, and be eventually
overruled
for the glory and praise of our faithful God.
134.
Deliver me from the oppression of man: so
will I keep
thy precepts.
"Many are the afflictions of the
righteous" (Ps. xxxiv.
19),
from external as well as from internal enemies—not
only
from their own iniquity, but from the oppression of man.
Yet
"man is only the Lord's hand and sword" (Ib. xvii.
13,
14), and he can only move under the overruling guid-
ance
of our Father's wisdom and love. Not indeed that the
believer
would (except in submission to the will of God)*
desire
his deliverance from this trouble on
account of per-
sonal
pain and distress: but he sometimes finds peculiar
circumstances
of trial an unavoidable hindrance in the ser-
vice
of his God. And his conviction sends him to the
throne
of grace: and there he never makes interest in vain.
"He cries unto the Lord because of the
oppressors: and he
sends a Saviour, and a
great one: and he delivers him." (Isa.
xix.
20.)
The power of faith is indeed Omnipotent.
Mountains
are
removed from their place, or they become "plains be-
fore"
it (Matt. xxi. 21, 22. Zech. iv. 7); or the "worm"
is
enabled to "thresh them, and beat them small, and make
* See the example of David. 2 Sam. xv. 25,
26; and of David's
Lord,
Luke, xxii. 42.
VERSE
134. 351
them
as chaff." (Isa. xli. 14, 15.) Often is the Christian
strengthened
to overcome the most formidable opposition,
and
to "profess a good profession before many witnesses"
(1
Tim. vi. 12), who are "watching for his halting." (Jer.
xx.
10.) The grace of Christ will make the hardest duty
easy;
and the love of Christ will make the sharpest trials
sweet:
yet, where in the continued exercise of faith the
obstacles
to conscientious service remain unmoved (as, for
instance,
a child of God restrained in the fetters of a worldly
family
from a free and avowed obedience), we may lawfully
pray
that the providence of God would deliver
from the op-
pression of man, that we
might keep his precepts.
A time of deliverance, as well as a time of persecution,
has
proved a season of extraordinary prosperity in the
church
of God. When "the Churches had rest
through-
out
all Judea and Galilee and Samaria," they "were edi-
fied; and walking in the
fear of the Lord, and in the com-
fort
of the Holy Ghost, were multiplied."
(Acts, ix. 31.)
And
thus in individual experience, whatever be the benefit
of
persecution, yet the weariness of a long-protracted con-
flict
is often more than flesh and blood can bear; and which
he
who "knoweth our frame" (Ps. ciii. 14), will not refuse
to
look upon, and remove, in answer to the prayers of his
afflicted
people. (Ps. cxxv. 3. 1 Cor. x. 13.) At the same
time,
our proneness, self-indulgence, and our natural in-
clination
to shrink from discipline—as needful as our food
require
this prayer to be presented with exceeding cau-
tion
and self-jealousy. There is a great danger, lest, in
our
eagerness to escape from the difficulties of our path, we
should
lose the most important benefit intended by them.
We
must therefore accompany the petition for deliverance
with
a sincere purpose to keep God's precepts.
(Luke, i.
74.)
For how many have exposed the unsoundness of
their
own hearts, when the supplication has been heard,
the
deliverance granted, and the promise of obedience been
forgotten!
352 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
Fellow-Christian!
have your circumstances of trial ever
dictated
this prayer? How then have you improved your
liberty,
when the answer has been vouchsafed? Has the
"way
of escape made" for you been kept in grateful re-
membrance?
(Comp. 2 Chron. xxxii. 22-25, with Ps. ix.
13,
14.) Has the effect of your deliverance
been visible in
an
increasing love and devotedness to the Lord's service?
Oh!
let a special Ebenezer be set up to mark this special
achievement
of prayer. (1 Sam. vii. 12.) Let the mercy
be
connected with the sympathy of our "faithful and merci-
ful
High-Priest, who being himself touched with the feel-
ing
of your infirmities," has pleaded for your succour and
release.
(Heb. iv. 15; ii. 17, 18.) And be encouraged
henceforth
to tread the ways of God with more firmness and
sensible
stay, "having your feet shod with the preparation
of
the Gospel of peace." (Eph. vi. 15.) But remember—
the
blessing of the cross is lost, if it does not issue in a
song
of praise—if we have not taken it up as a token
of
fatherly love. At all times the safest and shortest way
to
peace, is to let God use his own methods with us; to
live
the present moment to him in the situation he has
placed
us; not dreaming of other circumstances more fa-
vourable
to our spiritual prosperity; but leaving ourselves,
our
difficulties, our discouragements, in his hands, who
makes
no mistakes in any of his dispensations—but who
orders
them all, that they "may turn to our salvation,
through
our prayer, and the supply of the Spirit of Jesus
Christ."
(Philip. i. 19.)
135.
Make thy face to shine upon thy servant;
and teach me
thy statutes.
If the Lord deliver us from the oppression of man, and
"make
even our enemies to be at peace with us" (Prov.
xvi.
7) still, if we are in spiritual health, we shall be rest-
less
and uneasy, until he make His face to shine
upon us.
VERSE
135. 353
And
in the Scripture revelation of God, "dwelling between
the
cherubims" (2 Kings, xix. 15. Ps. xcix. 1. Ezek. x.
1-5),
and therefore on the mercy-seat (Exod, xxv. 17-22,
with
Rom. iii. 25)— with the "rainbow," the emblem of
"the
covenant of peace"—"round about
the throne" (Rev. iv.
3),
as if to invite the access of sinners from every quarter
—have
we not full warrant to plead—"Thou
that dwellest
between the cherubims, shine forth; stir up thy strength,
and
come
and save us? Turn us again, O God; and cause
thy
face to shine, and we shall be
saved." (Ps. lxxx. 1-3.) Others
we
see eagerly asking, "Who will show us any good?"
Alas!
they will discover in the end, that they have "spent
their
money for that which is not bread, and their labour
for
that which satisfieth not." (Isa. lv. 2, with Ps. iv. 6.)
The
believer's incessant cry is— Let me see "the King's
face."
(Comp. Prov. xvi. 15.) This is a blessing worth
praying
for. It is his heart's desire, his present privilege,
and
what is infinitely better — his sure and everlasting joy,
"They shall see his face." (Rev.
xxii. 4.)
It is both important and interesting to
mark the repeti-
tions
— always new — in this beautiful Psalm. David had
just
before prayed, "Look thou upon me,
and be merciful
unto me." (Verse 132.)
Perhaps another passing cloud had
darkened
his sky. Again he darts up the same prayer,
Make thy face to shine
upon thy servant.
Such cries in the
mouth
of this holy servant of God, must have been most
hopeless
petitions—nay, the expression of the most daring
presumption—had
he not been acquainted with the only
true
way of access to God, joyfully led to renounce every
other
way, and enabled diligently to improve this accept-
able
approach to his God. Indeed whatever obscurity may
hang
over the question relating to the faith of the Old
Testament
believers, their confidence at the throne of
grace
shows them to have attained a far more distinct
perception
of Christian privilege, through the shadowy
354 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
representations
of their law, than is commonly imagined.
Else
how could they have been so wrestling and persever-
ing
in their petitions; overcoming the spirit of bondage,
and
breathing out the spirit of adoption in the expression
of
their wants and desires before the Lord? The prayers
of
the Old Testament church are not more distinguished
for
their simplicity, spirituality, and earnestness, than for
their
unfettered, evangelical confidence. When they ap-
proached
the footstool of the Divine Majesty, with the
supplications—Make thy face to shine upon thy
servant,—Thou
that dwellest between
the cherubims, shine forth—it was as if
they
had pleaded ―'Reconciled Father—
thou that sittest upon
a throne of grace, look
upon us —Abba, Father, be gracious
to us!'
Many, however, seem to despise this
child-like confi-
dence.
They go on in heartless complaining and uncertain
apprehensions
of their state; as if doubting was their life,
and
as if they might rest upon the presumption, that the
shining of God's face
upon them
is not indispensable to their
salvation.
But will they then be content to "be saved,
yet
so as by fire," instead of having an "entrance ministered
unto
them abundantly into the everlasting
kingdom of our
Lord
and Saviour?" (Comp. 1 Cor. iii. 15; 2 Pet. i. 11.)
Is
it enough for them to be just alive,
when "the things
that
remain," from want of being duly cherished, "are
ready
to die?" If they can be safe without a conscious in-
terest
in the favour of God, can they be so without the
desire
for it? Is not this assurance attainable? Is it not
commanded?
(See 2 Cor. xiii. 5; Heb. vi. 11; 2 Pet. i. 10.)
Is
it not most desirable? This cold contentment clouds the
integrity
of their profession. For God's real people are
living
habitually either in spiritual enjoyment, or in rest-
less
dissatisfaction. Their dark seasons are times of wrest-
ling
supplication (Ps. lxxxviii. 1-3; cxxx. 1, 2)— seasons
of
deep humiliation (Lam. iii. 20-22. Mic. vii. 9), tender-
VERSE
135. 355
ness
of spirit (Lam. iii. 31-40), and constant waiting upon
God
(Ps. xl. 1-3; cxxx. 5, 6. Isa. viii. 17; 1. 10), until he
makes his face to shine
upon his servants.
They can dispense
with
ordinary comforts. But it is death to be without
him.
"All their springs are in him." They estimate
their
happiness by the shining—and their
misery by the
clouding—of his face. This is the true principle
of assur-
ance,
even if this most important blessing be not sensibly
enjoyed.
How then stands the case between us and God?
From
ourselves
originates the mist, which darkens the shining.
(Isa.
lvii. 17.) His sovereign free grace blots the cloud
away.
(Isa. xliv. 22.) We raise the mountains of separa-
tion.
(Isa. lix. 2.) The Almighty power of our great
Zerubbabel
removes them. (Zech. iv. 7.) To ourselves
then
be all the shame. To him be all the praise!
But
how may we realize more constant sunshine?―
Apart
from the hindrances just alluded to, others are
mainly
to be found in mistaken or contracted views of the
Gospel.
Hence, therefore, the value of enlarged apprehen-
sions
of the Gospel of the grace of God—of its fulness,
satisfying
every claim, and supplying every want—of its
freeness,
unencumbered with conditions, and holding forth
encouragement
to the most unworthy—of its holiness, re-
straining
the sinful hindrances to enjoyment—and of its
security,
affording permanent rest in the foundations of the
covenant
of grace. The life of faith will thus be maintained
in
more full contemplation of Jesus, and renewed reliance
upon
him; and walking in closer communion with him, our
hope
will be enlivened with the constant sense of recon-
ciliation
and love.
We need not wonder at the Psalmist's
persevering de-
termination
to seek the shining of the Lord's face.
This
high
privilege is connected no less with the Christian's
public
usefulness than with his personal enjoyment. For
356 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
who
is most likely to win others to the love of the Saviour,
and
to the service of God—to enliven the drooping soul,
or
to recover the backslider? Is not he, who lives most
in
the sunshine of the Gospel, and who therefore has most
to
tell of its heavenly joy? But you say, 'My heart,
alas!
is so cold and barren, my affections so languid, my
desires
so faint, my sky so often clouded. I do not forget
that I am a child; but a
child in disgrace
is too often my
dishonourable
character and wretched condition.' Then
exercise
your faith in going where David was wont to go.
As
a penitent child, "Arise and go to your Father" ―
only
acknowledge your iniquity" (Jer. iii. 13)—tell your
complaint
before him—resort much and often to him; be
importunate;
be patient; plead the name (John, xiv. 13,
14)
and merits of Jesus; and you will not, you cannot
plead
in vain; you will once more walk happily, holily, as
well
as confidently, in the light of your Father's countenance.
And
in marking more carefully his gracious dealings with
your
soul, you will be kept from formality, hardness, and
despondency.
But we cannot expect this shining, save in the paths of
God
(John, xiv. 21-23. Isa. lxiv. 5. Gal. vi. 16); and he
who
looks for comfort, while careless of duty, is only the
victim
of his own delusions. Well, therefore, does the
child
of God—longing for higher enjoyment, and learning
more
of his own ignorance, add this petition — Teach
me thy
statutes. And he that taught us
this petition, will himself,
according
to his promise, be our teacher in the way of holi-
ness.
(Ezek. xxxvi. 27.) And if, under his teaching, in
the
pathway to glory—our God makes his face
to shine upon
us, what more want we to
beguile the toil and weariness of
the
way? And if one beam of his countenance, though
but
dimly seen through this sinful medium, exceeds the
glories
of ten thousand worlds—what will it be to live
under
the perpetual cloudless shining of his
face!
VERSE
136. 357
Believer! does not this prospect invigorate
every step
of
your journey? Your Lord is at hand. Soon will he
appear
to gladden with his inexpressible smile every soul
that
is in readiness for him. Oh! seek to realize his ap-
proach,
and with holy aspirations and joyful expectancy
respond
to his welcome voice. "He which
testifieth these
things saith, Surely I
come quickly: Amen. Even so, come,
Lord Jesus!" (Rev. xxii. 20.)
136.
Rivers of waters run down mine eyes,
(Comp. Jer. ix. 1;
xiv. 17; Lam. ii. 18) because they keep not thy law.
If the Lord teaches us the privileges of his statutes, he
will
teach us compassion for those who keep
them not. This
was
the mind of Jesus. His life exhibited one, whose
"heart
was made of tenderness." But there were some
occasions,
when the display of his compassion was peculiarly
striking.
Near the close of his life, it is recorded, that,
"when
he was come near, and beheld the city"—"beautiful
for
situation, the joy of the whole earth" (Ps. xlviii. 2)
but
now given up to its own ways, and "wrath coming
upon
it to the uttermost," he "wept over it." (Luke, xix.
41.
Comp. Matt. xxiii. 37, also Mark, iii. 5.) It was then
a
moment of triumph. The air was rent with hosannahs.
The
road was strewed with branches from the trees, and all
was
joy and praise. (Comp. Luke, xix. 36-40.) Amid all
this
exultation, the Saviour alone seemed to have no voice
for
the triumph—no heart for joy. His omniscient mind
embraced
all the spiritual desolation of this sad case and
he
could only weep in the midst of a solemn triumph.
Rivers of waters run
down mine eyes, because they keep not
thy law.
Now a Christian, in this as in every other
feature, will
be
conformed to the image of his Lord. His heart will
therefore
be touched with a tender concern for the honour
358 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
of
his God, and pitying concern for those wretched sinners,
that
keep not his law, and are perishing
in their own trans-
gressions.
Thus was "just Lot" in
Sodom "vexed with the
filthy conversation of
the wicked."
(2 Pet. ii. 7, 8.) Thus
did
Moses "fall down before the Lord, as at the first, forty
days
and forty nights; he did neither eat
bread nor drink
water; because of all
their sins which they had sinned, in, doing
wickedly in the sight of
the Lord to provoke him to anger."
(Deut.
ix. 18, 19.) Thus also Samuel, in the anticipation
of
the Lord's judgments upon Saul, "grieved
himself, and
cried unto the Lord all
night."
(1 Sam. xv. 11, 35.) Ezra,
on
a similar occasion, in the deepest prostration of sorrow,
rent his garment and his
mantle, and plucked off the hair of
his head and of his
beard, and sat down astonied until the
evening sacrifice." (Ezra, ix. 3,
4.) And if David was now
suffering
from the oppression of man (Verse
134), yet his
own
injuries never drew from him such expressions of over-
whelming
sorrow, as did the sight of the despised law of
his
God.
Need we advert to this tender spirit, as a
special cha-
racteristic
of "the ministers of the Lord?" Can they fail
in
this day of abounding wickedness—even within the
bounds
of their own sphere —to hear the call to "weep be-
tween
the porch and the altar?" (Joel, ii. 17.) How in-
structive
is the posture of the ancient prophet—first
pleading
openly with the rebellion of the people—then
"his
soul weeping in secret places for their pride!" (Jer.
xiii.
17.) Not less instructive is the great apostle—his
"conscience
bearing witness in the Holy Ghost to his great
heaviness and continued
sorrow in his heart for his brethren,
his kinsmen according to
the flesh."
(Rom. ix. 1-3.) In re-
proving
transgressors, he could only write to them, "Out of
much affliction and
anguish of heart with many tears" (2 Cor.
ii.
4), and in speaking of them to others, with the same
tenderness
of spirit, he adds —"Of whom I tell
you even weep-
VERSE 136. 359
ing." (Phil. iii. 18.
Comp. Acts, xx. 19.) Tears were
these
of Christian eloquence no less than of Christian
compassion.
Thus uniformly is the character of God's
people repre-
sented—not
merely as those that are free from,
but as
"those that sigh and that cry for all the
abominations that be
done in the midst of the
land."
They— they alone — are
marked
out for mercy in the midst of impending, universal
ruin.
(Ezek. ix. 4.) The want of this spirit is ever a tea-
ture
of hardness and pride—a painful blot upon the pro-
fession
of the gospel. (1 Cor. v. 2.) How wide the sphere
presenting
itself on every side for the unrestrained exercise
of
this yearning compassion! The appalling spectacle of
a
world apostatized from God, of multitudes sporting with
everlasting
destruction—as if the God of heaven were "a
man
that he should lie" (Num. xxiii. 19), is surely enough
to
force rivers of waters from the
hearts of those who are
concerned
for his honour. What a mass of sin ascends as
a
cloud before the Lord, from a single heart! Add the
aggregate
of a village—a town— a country— a world!
every
day—every hour—every moment—well might the
rivers of waters rise to an overflowing
tide, ready to burst
its
barriers. We speak not of outward sensibility (in which
some
may be constitutionally deficient, and the exuberance
of
which may be no sign of real spiritual affection), but we
ask—Do
we lay to heart the perishing condition of our
fellow-sinners?
Could we witness a house on fire, without
speedy
and practical evidence of our compassion for the
inhabitants?
And yet, alas! how often do we witness
souls
on the brink of destruction—unconscious of danger,
or
bidding defiance to it—with comparative indifference!
How
are we Christians, if we believe not the Scripture
warnings
of their danger? or if, believing them, we do not
bestir
ourselves to their help? What hypocrisy is it to
pray
for their conversion, while we are making no effort to
360 EXPOSITION OF PSALM XIX.
promote
it! Oh! let it be our daily supplication, that
this
indifference concerning their everlasting state may give
place
to a spirit of weeping tenderness; that he may not
be
living as if this world were really, what it appears to be,
a
world without souls; that we may never see the sabbaths
of
God profaned, his laws trampled under foot, the ungodly
"breaking
their bands asunder, and casting away their
cords
from them" (Ps. ii. 3), without a more determined re-
solution
ourselves to keep these laws of our God,
and to plead
for
their honour with these obstinate transgressors. Have
we
no near and dear relatives, yet "lying in wickedness—
dead
in trespasses and sins?" To what blessed family,
reader,
do you belong, where there are no such objects of
pity?
Be it so—it is well. Yet are you silent? Have
you
no ungodly, ignorant neighbours around you? And
are
they unwarned, as well as unconverted? Do we visit
them
in the way of courtesy or kindness, yet give them no
word
of affectionate entreaty on the concerns of eternity?
Let
our families indeed possess, as they ought to possess,
the
first claim to our compassionate regard. Then let our
parishes,
our neighbourhood, our country, the world, find a
place
in our affectionate, prayerful, and earnest consideration.
Nor let it be supposed, that the doctrine
of sovereign
and
effectual grace has any tendency to paralyze exertion.
So
far from it, the most powerful supports to perseverance
are
derived from this source. Left to himself —with only
the
invitations of the Gospel—not a sinner could ever
have
been saved. Added to these—there must be the
Almighty
energy of God—the seal of his secret purpose
—working
upon the sinner's will, and winning the heart
to
God. Not that this sovereign work prevents any from
being
saved. But it prevents the salvation from being in
vain
to all, by securing its application to some. The in-
vitations
manifest the pardoning love of God; but they
change
not the rebel heart of man. They show his
VERSE 136. 361
enmity;
yet they slay it not. They leave him without
excuse;
yet at the same time—they may be applied
without
salvation. The moment of life in the history of
the
saved sinner is, when he is made willing in the day
of
the Lord's power" (Ps. cx. 3)—when he comes—he
looks—he
lives. It is this dispensation alone that gives
the
Christian labourer the spring of energy and hope.
The
palpable and awful proofs on every side, of the
"enmity
of the carnal mind against God," rejecting alike
both
his law and his Gospel, threaten to sink him in de-
spondency.
And nothing sustains his tender and com-
passionate
interest, but the assurance of the power of God
to
remove the resisting medium, and of his purpose to ac-
complish
the subjugation of natural corruption in a count-
less
multitude of his redeemed people.
The same yearning sympathy forms the life,
the pulse,
and
the strength of Missionary exertion, and has ever dis-
tinguished
those honoured servants of God who have
devoted
their time, their health, their talent, their all, to
the
blessed work of "saving souls from death, and cover-
ing
a multitude of sins." (Jam. v. 20.) Can we conceive
a
Missionary living in the spirit of his work—surrounded
with
thousands of mad idolaters, hearing their shouts, and
witnessing
their abominations, without a weeping spirit?
Indignant
grief for the dishonour done to God —amaze-
ment
at the affecting spectacle of human blindness—de-
testation
of human impiety—compassionate yearnings over
human
wretchedness and ruin—all combine to force tears
of
the deepest sorrow from a heart enlightened and con-
strained
by the influence of a Saviour's love.* This, as
* 'My God! I feel the mournful scene;
My bowels yearn o'er dying men;
And fain my pity would reclaim,
And snatch the fire-brands from the
flame.
362 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
we
have seen, was our Master's spirit. And let none
presume
themselves to be Christians, if they are destitute
of
"this mind that was in Christ Jesus" (See Philip. ii.
4-8);
if they know nothing of his melting compassion
for
a lost world, or of his burning zeal for his heavenly
Father's
glory.
Oh, for that deep realizing sense of the
preciousness of
immortal
souls, that would make us look at every sinner
we
meet as a soul to be "pulled out of the fire," and to
be
drawn to Christ; —which would render us willing to
endure
suffering, reproach, and the loss of all, so that we
might
win one soul to God, and raise one monument to
his
everlasting praise! Happy mourner in Zion! whose
tears
over the guilt and wretchedness of a perishing world
are
the outward indications of thy secret pleadings with
God,
and the effusion of a heart solemnly dedicated to the
salvation
of thy fellow-sinners!
But feeble my compassion proves,
And can but weep, where most it loves;
Thine own all-saving arm employ,
And turn these drops of grief to joy.'
VERSES 137, 138. 363
PART XVIII.
137.
Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright
are thy judg-
ments. 138. Thy testimonies that thou hast commanded,
are righteous, and very faithful.
The advancing Christian learns to adore
the awful perfec-
tions
of his God, and to acknowledge his righteous cha-
racter
and government, even when "his ways are in the
sea,
and his paths in the great waters." (Ps. lxxvii. 19.)
"Clouds
and darkness are round about him righteous-
ness
and judgment are the habitation of his throne." (Ps.
xcvii.
2. Comp. Deut. xxxii. 4.) We have already brought
out
the unvarying testimony of his people to the righteous
character
of his afflictive dispensations. (Verse 75.) Even
from
haughty Pharaoh was a similar acknowledgment ex-
torted.
(Exod. ix. 27.) Adonibezek also, under the blow
of
his hand, cried out—"As I have done, so God hath re-
quited
me." (Judg. i. 7. Comp. 2 Chron. xii. 6.)
Yet in this path, "we walk by faith,
not by sight."
(2
Cor. v. 7.) Often in Providence "his
footsteps are not
known."
(Ps. lxxvii. 19.) We cannot trace the reasons of
the
Divine mind. We must wait and see the "end of the
Lord,"
when the disjointed pieces shall be compacted into
one
complete texture and frame-work. "At evening time
there
shall be light." (Zech. xiv. 7.) Much
more in the
dispensation of grace do we hear the
voice,—"Be still, and
know
that I am God." (Ps. xlvi. 10.) Doubtless he could
give
his grace to all as well as to some. Yet none have a
364 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
claim
upon him. "Is it not his to do what he will with his
own?"
"Nay, but, O man, who art thou that repliest
against
God?" "Shall not the Judge of all the earth do
right?"
(Matt. xx. 15. Rom. ix. 20. Gen. xviii. 25.) Thus
much
is plain—enough to silence cavil, and justify God—
grace
is freely offered to all. Man's own will rejects it, and
leaves
him without excuse. (Matt. xxiii. 37. John, v. 40.)
Effectual
grace is withheld from none, but those who de-
serve
that it should be so. None are forced to sin. None
are
condemned without guilt. Therefore when we stand
upon
the ocean's brink, and cry—"Oh, the depth!" (Rom.
xi.
33) are we not constrained to the adoring acknow-
ledgment—Righteous art thou, O Lord, and upright are
thy
judgments? And if this be our
praise, even while "we see
but
as through a glass darkly, and know but in part," how
much
more, in the world of uncloudy day, when we shall
see
"face to face, and know even as we are known" (1 Cor.
xiii.
12)—shall we sing with reverential joy "the song of
the
Lamb— Great and marvellous are thy works, Lord God
Almighty!
just and true are thy ways, thou King
of saints!"
(Rev.
xv. 3.)
The young Christian, however, less able to
grasp these
deeper
apprehensions, exercises himself chiefly in his more
engaging
perfections of long-suffering, goodness, and love.
It
is therefore a satisfactory evidence of growth in grace,
when
our habitual contemplation of God fixes upon our
minds
the more full and awful displays of his character;
and
we gather from thence an increase of light, peace,
humility,
and consolation. But the cross of Calvary har-
monizes
to our view at once the most appalling and the
most
encouraging attributes. Though his own declaration
—that
"he will by no means clear the guilty" (Exod.
xxxiv.
7)— seemed to present an insurmountable barrier
to
the purpose of mercy; yet, rather than the glory of a
God
of love should be obscured, or his righteous law
VERSES 137, 138. 365
should
be mitigated, "he spared not his own Son" (Rom.
viii.
32); he "made him, who knew no sin, to be sin for
us."
(2 Cor. v. 21.)
And do not we naturally argue from his
nature to his
testimonies? If he be righteous, nothing unrighteous can
come
from him. His testimonies, therefore,
are his lively
image—like
himself—righteous and very faithful—re-
quiring
nothing impossible—nothing unsuitable—perfect
love
to God and man (Matt. xxii. 37-39)—"our reason-
able
service" (Rom. xii. 1), no less our privilege than our
duty
to render. None that are blessed with a spiritual
apprehension
of their nature, and are conformed and framed
to
them will hesitate in setting their seal to the inscrip-
tion—"The judgments of the Lord are true and
righteous
altogether." "The law is holy, and the commandment holy,
and
just, and good." (Ps. xix. 9.
Rom. vii. 12.)
But let us take care to exhibit the
practical influence
of
our contemplations of the character and government of
God.
The unconverted—far from understanding or sub-
scribing
to our acknowledgment—complain, "The
ways of
the Lord are not equal." "My punishment is greater than I
can bear." (Ezek. xviii.
25. Gen. iv. 13.) And so opposed
are
the righteous judgments of God to the
perverseness of
corrupt
nature, that even with the child of God there is
much
murmuring within, that needs to be stilled—much
repining
to be hushed—much impatience to be repressed―
many
hard thoughts to be lamented, resisted, and banished.
Did
we believe more simply, how much more joy would
there
be in our faith, and readiness in our submission!
How
clearly would our experience "show, that the Lord is
upright;
he is our rock, and there is no unrighteousness
in
him!" (Ps. xcii. 15.) "In returning" then "and rest
shall
we be saved; in quietness and confidence shall be
our
strength." (Isa. xxx. 15.) In the submissive acknow-
ledgment
of the Lord's dispensations, "our peace" will
366 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
flow
as a river" (Isa. xlviii. 18); more deep and extensive
as
it approaches the ocean, and fertilizing our souls with
abundant
spiritual peace and enjoyment.
139.
My zeal hath consumed me; because mine
enemies have
forgotten thy
words.
Such was David's high estimation of the testimonies of
his God, that his spirits were consumed with vehement
grief
in witnessing their neglect. He could bear that his
enemies should forget him; but his zeal could not endure,
that
they should forget the words of his God.
Zeal is a
passion,
whose real character must be determined by the
objects
on which it is employed, and the principle by which
it
is directed. There is a true and a false zeal, differing as
widely
from each other, as an heavenly flame from the
infernal
fire. The one is fervent, disinterested affection,
expanding
the heart, and delighting to unite with the
whole
empire of God in the pursuit of a good, which all
may
enjoy without envious rivalry. The other is a selfish,
interested
principle, contracting the heart, and ready to
sacrifice
the good of mankind, and even the glory of God,
to
its own individual advantage. (Matt. xxiii. 15. Gal. vi.
12,
13.) Were its power proportioned to its native ten-
dency,
or were it to operate extensively in an associated
body,
it would end in detaching its several members each
from
their proper centre; in disuniting them from each
other;
and, as far as its influence could reach, crumbling
the
moral system into discordant atoms. Too often does
this
baneful principle exemplify itself in the Church—
either
in an obstinate opposition to the truth of the gospel
(John,
xvi. 2. Rom. x. 2, 3. Gal. i. 13, 14. Philip. iii. 6),
or
in a self-willed contention for its own party. (Gal. iv.
17.)
"This wisdom descendeth not from above: but it is
earthly,
sensual, devilish." (Jam. iii. 15.) How much also
VERSE
139. 367
of
that misguided heat, that spends itself upon the exter-
nals
of religion (Matt. xv. 1, 2; xxiii. 25), or would "call
fire
down from heaven" in defence of fundamental truths,
may
be found among us, exposing its blind devotees to our
Master's
tender rebuke —"Ye know not what manner of
spirit
ye are of!" (Luke, ix. 54, 55.)
Often also do we see a distempered,
counterfeit zeal,
disproportioned
in its exercise, wasting its strength upon
the
subordinate parts of the system, and comparatively
feeble
in its maintenance of the vital doctrines of Christ.
(Rom.
xiv. 1-6.) Thus it disunites the Church by adher-
ence
to points of difference, instead of compacting the
Church
together by strengthening the more important
points
of agreement. Often again, by the same process
in
practical religion, are the "mint, anise, and cummin,"
vehemently
contended for; "while the weightier matters
of
the law" (Matt. xxiii. 23) are little regarded.
Widely different from this fervour of
selfishness is that
genuine
zeal, which marks the true disciple of our Lord.
Enlightened
by the word of God, and quickened into ope-
ration
by the love of Christ, it both shines and warms at
the
same moment. It is indeed the kindled fire of heavenly
love,
exciting the most heavenly desires and constant efforts
for
the best interests of every child of man, so far as its
sphere
can reach; and bounded only by a consistent regard
to
the general welfare of the whole. Thus earnest and
compassionate
in its influence, awakened to a sense of the
preciousness
of immortal souls, and the overwhelming
importance
of eternity, it is never at a loss to discover an
extended
sphere for its most vehement and constraining
exercises.
While it hates the sins that pass on every side
before
its view, it is all gentleness to the sinner; and would
gladly
weep tears of blood over those who are deaf to the
voice
of persuasion, could such tears avail to turn them
from
their iniquity. But, knowing all human unassisted
368 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
efforts
to be insufficient, it gives to the world its protest
against
the abominations, which it is too feeble to prevent;
and
then hastens to the secret chamber to pour out its
wrestling
desires in the tenderness of our Master's inter-
cession—"Father,
forgive them! for they know not what
they
do." (Luke, xxiii. 34.)
Such was the zeal of the ancient Lawgiver,
whose spirit,
though,
as it regarded his own cause, "meek
above all the
men which were upon the
face of the earth"
(Num. xii. 3, 13),
"waxed hot" (Exod. xxxii. 19) on
witnessing the grievous
dishonour
done to his God during his absence on the mount.
At
the same time (as if most clearly to distinguish the
holy
burning from the heat of his own spirit) how fervently
did
he plead his people's cause in secret before his God, as
he
had manifested his concern for the honour of his God
before
the congregation! (Exod. xxxii. 30-32.) Surely
he
could have taken up this language —My
zeal hath con-
sumed me; because mine
enemies have forgotten thy words.
Burning
with the same holy flame, the great Old-Tes-
tament
Reformer bore his testimony against the universal
prevalence
of idolatry; making use of the arm of temporal
power
(1 Kings, xviii. 17-40), and of the yet greater power
of
secret complaint (1 Kings, xix. 10), to stem the torrent
of
iniquity. The same impulse in later times marked the
conduct
of the Apostles: when, "rending their clothes,
and
running in among" a frantic multitude of idolaters,
by
all the power of their entreaties "they
were scarcely able
to restrain the people,
that they had not done sacrifice unto
them." (Acts, xiv.
13-18.) On another occasion the great
Apostle,
forgetting "the goodly stones and buildings"
that
met his eye at Athens—found "his
spirit stirred in
him, when he saw the
city wholly given to idolatry." (Acts,
xvii.
16.) In another city "was he pressed in spirit"
(Acts,
xviii. 5) by the intensity of his interest for the
souls
of his fellow-sinners and his Master's work.
VERSE 139. 369
Yet this is not a heat that wastes itself
without a pro-
portionate
object. The truth of God is the grand object.
Not
one atom of its dust shall be lost. For its funda-
mentals
all consequences must be hazarded (Gal. ii. 5)
—yea,
life itself—if need be— sacrificed. (Acts, xx. 24.
Philip.
ii. 17. Rev. xii. 11.) Nor does this fervour expend
itself
in strong impulses that wear out without fruit. It is
a
constant affection in "a good thing." (Gal. iv. 18.) Nor
is
it an undisciplined burst of warm feeling, but a sober
controlled
exercise of Christian judgment. The Apostle
—with
his inexpressible abhorrence of idolatry—yet re-
mained
in the midst of it for two, perhaps three, years,
faithfully
employed in his Master's work; yet waiting
for
the fittest time of open protest against Diana's worship.
(Acts,
xix. 10; xx. 20, 21.) So admirably was "the spirit
of
power and love" disciplined by "the spirit of a sound
mind."
(2 Tim. i. 7.)
But, "compassed about, as we are, with
so great a
cloud
of witnesses" (Heb. xii. 1), let us yet turn aside
to
look unto One greater than them all— to One, whose
example
in every temper of Christian conduct affords equal
direction
and encouragement. Jesus could testify to his
Father—"The zeal of thine house hath eaten me up."
(Ps.
lxix.
9, with John, ii. 17; Isa. lix. 17.) He was ever ready
to
put aside even lawful engagements and obligations, when
they
interfered with this paramount demand. (Luke, ii. 49.)
Yet
was his zeal tempered with a careful
restraint from
needless
offence. Rather would he work a miracle (Matt.
xvii.
24-27), and retreat from publicity (John, vi. 15),
than
seem to give occasion to those that might desire it.
And
if we bear the stamp of his disciples, without rushing
into
offence in the waywardness of our own spirits, and while
rejoicing
to have our own "names cast out as evil" (Luke,
vi.
22. Acts, v. 41), we shall at the same time be tender of
any
reflection on the name of our God, as on our dearest
370 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
friend
and benefactor. We shall feel any slight of his
honour
as sensitively as a wound to our own reputation;
nor
shall we hesitate to thrust ourselves between, to
receive
on ourselves any strokes that may be aimed at his
cause.
(Ps. lxix. 9. Rom. xv. 3. Comp. Ps. lxxxix. 50, 51.)
This
combined spirit of self-denial and self-devotedness
kindles
the flame, which "many waters cannot quench,
neither
can the floods drown." (Cant. viii. 7.) 'I could not
bear'—said holy Brainerd—'any desertion or spiritual conflict,
if I could but have my
heart burning all the while within me
with love to God, and
desire for his glory.'
* It is indeed a
delightful
exercise to "spend and be spent" in the service
of
Him, who for our sakes was even consumed by the fire
of
his own zeal. (Luke, xii. 50.)
However, the surest evidence of Christian
zeal is, when
it
begins at home, in a narrow scrutiny, and "vehement
revenge"
against the sins of our own hearts. (Comp. 2 Cor.
vii.
11; Rev. iii. 19.) Do we mourn over our
own for-
getfulness of God's
words?
Are we zealous to redeem the
loss
to our Saviour's cause from this sinful neglect? And
do
we plainly show, that our opposition to sin in the un-
godly
is the opposition of love? And is this love manifested
to
the persons and souls of those, whose doctrines and prat-
tice
we are constrained to resist, and in a careful restraint
from
the use of unhallowed "carnal weapons" in this spi-
ritual
"warfare?" (See 2 Cor. x. 4; Jam. i. 20.)
Perhaps the weak, timid child of God may be
saying,
I
can do nothing for my God. I suffer his
words to be
forgotten, with little or no
success in my efforts to prevent
it.'
Are you then making an effort? Every work done in
faith
bears fruit to God and to his church. You may not
see
it. But let your secret chamber witness to your zeal:
and
the Lord "will not be unrighteous to forget your
* Brainerd’s
Diary. Edwards’ Works, iii. 107.
VERSE 140. 371
work
and labour of love." (Heb. vi. 10.) He will even
strengthen
you for your dreaded conflict in the open con-
fession
of his cause—"For he hath chosen the
weak things
of the world to confound
the things that are mighty." (1 Cor.
i.
27.) Or, should peculiar trials restrain the boldness of
your
profession, you may be found in the end to have made
as
effectual a resistance to the progress of sin by your
intercession
before God, as those who have shown a more
open
front in the face of the world.
140.
Thy word is very pure: therefore thy
servant loveth it.
The Psalmist's love for the law of his God may account
for
the zeal he felt on account of its
general neglect.
All
other systems of religion (or rather of "philosophy
falsely
so called") allure their disciples by the indulgence
of
carnal lust or self-complacent pride. The
word of God
outweighs
them all in its chief excellence—peculiar to
itself—its
purity. "Every word is very pure
(Prov. xxx. 5.
Ps.
xix. 8)— tried to the uttermost" in the furnace, and
found
to be absolutely without dross.* Its promises are
without
a shadow of change or unfaithfulness. Its pre-
cepts
reflect the holy image of their Divine Author. In a
word,
it contains truth without any mixture of error for
its
matter'†— Therefore thy servant loveth it.
'No one but a true servant of God can
therefore love it,
because
it is pure; since he who loves it
must desire to be
like
it, to feel its efficacy, to be reformed by it.'‡ The
unlettered
believer cannot well discern its sublimity;
but
he
loves it for its holiness. The mere
scholar, on the other
hand,
admires its sublimity—but the secrets
which it re-
veals
(such as the pride of the natural heart struggles to
* Prayer Book translation.—Comp. Ps. xii.
6.
†Locke. ‡.
Bishop Horne in loco.
372 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
conceal)
forbid him to love it. (See John, iii. 20.) Its
purity,
which is the matter of love to the one, excites
enmity
in the other. From "the glass" which shows him
"his
natural face"—his neglected obligations—his fear-
fully
self-deluded state—and his appalling prospects—he
turns
away in disgust. The indulgence of sin effectually
precludes
the benefit of the most industrious search into
the
word of God. The heart must undergo an entire re-
newal—it
must be sanctified and cleansed, yea, be "bap-
tized
with the Holy Ghost" (Matt. iii. 11), before it can
discern,
or—when it has discerned—can love, the purity
of
the word of God.
Witness the breathings of Brainerd's soul in
this holy
atmosphere—'Oh, that my soul were holy, as he is holy!
Oh, that it were pure,
even as Christ is pure; and perfect, as
my Father in heaven is
perfect! These I feel are the sweetest
commands in God's book,
comprising all others.'
* 'Oh, how
refreshing'— exclaims the beloved
Martyn —'and supporting
to my soul was the
holiness of the word of God! Sweeter
than the sweetest
promise at this time, was the constant and
manifest tendency of the
word, to lead men to holiness and the
deepest seriousness.'†
The valuable end for which we "desire
this word" is,
"that
we may grow thereby" (1 Pet. ii. 2)—grow in purity
of
heart and conduct; learning to shrink from the touch
of
sin; "cleansing ourselves from all filthiness of flesh and
spirit,
and perfecting holiness in the fear of God." (2 Cor.
vii.
1.) Our "esteem" for it—"more
than our necessary
food" (Job, xxiii.
12)—will be in proportion to our growth
in
grace, an evidence of this growth, and a constant spring
of
holy enjoyment.
An additional excitement to love its purity is the ex-
hibition
of that purity embodied in our
perfect pattern, in
* Edwards’
Works, iii. 171. †Martyn’s Life, pp. 206, 207.
VERSE
141. 373
Him,
who was "holy, harmless, undefiled,
and separate from
sinners." (Heb. vii. 26.)
For the habit of "beholding the
Saviour"
with the eye of faith "in the glass of the word,"
conforms
us to his image. (Comp. 2 Cor. iii. 18.) But be
it
ever remembered, that its holiness can have no fellowship,
and
communicate no life, except in its own atmosphere.
Oh,
for a larger influence of the Spirit of God upon our
souls,
that we may enjoy the purifying delights of the
word
of God; that we may live in it, live by it to
the
glory of our dear Redeemer, and to the edification of
his
Church!
141.
I am small and despised; yet do not I
forget thy precepts.
Evidently David did not love the word for selfish gain.
Small and despised was his condition, when
the Lord first
looked
on him. (1 Sam. xvi. 11.) It was also the reproach,
which
in the height of his glory he endured for the name
of
his God. (2 Sam. vi. 20.) Yet—stripped
and destitute
as
he might be—did he not forget his
precepts. The re-
membrance
of his God was a cheering encouragement to
his
faith in his lowly condition (1 Sam. xvii. 34-36); and
no
less his support in the far greater trials of his prosperity.
Thus
habitually did he realize the unspeakable privilege of
an
ever-present God!
The objects of the Lord's sovereign choice
(Exod. xix. 5),
whom
he has stamped as a "peculiar treasure unto him
above
all people," and whom at the day of his appearing
lie
will bring forth as the "jewels" (Mal. iii. 17) of his
crown—are
most frequently in their worldly condition
Cor.
i. 27-29. Jam. ii. 5)— always in the eyes of the
world
(1 Cor. iv. 9-13), and in their own estimation
(Ps.
xl. 17. 1 Cor. xv. 9. Eph. 8)—small and
despised.
And
yet pride and hypocrisy in the natural heart will
sometimes
assume this character for selfish ends. This
374 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
language
of humility is not unfrequently in the mouth of
the
professor, to enable him to maintain "a name to live"
in
the church of God. But are those who call themselves
small and despised willing to be taken at
their word? Are
they
content to be despised by those,
whose esteem this
"voluntary"
spurious "humility" was meant to secure?
Do
they really believe themselves to be what they profess
—false,
vile, mean, deceitful creatures? Have they any
experimental
knowledge of the depth of inner wickedness,
that
God could open door after door in "the chamber
of
imagery" to confound them with the sight of greater,
and
yet "greater abominations!" (Ezek. viii. 5-15.) When,
therefore,
they "take the lowest place," do they feel it to
be
their own place? Or does not the
language of self-
abasement
mean in the eyes of God—'Come, see how
humble I am?'
Christian! think not these self-inquiries
unnecessary
for
the cautious scrutiny of thine own heart. A self-
annihilating
spirit before men, as well as before
God;—to
*'Many hypocrites make great pretences to
humility as well
as
other graces. But they cannot find out what a humble speech
and
behaviour is, or how to speak and act, so that there may be.
indeed
a savour of Christian humility in what they say or do. That
sweet
humble air and mien is beyond their art, being not "led by
the
Spirit," or naturally guided to a behaviour becoming holy
humility
by the vigour of a lowly spirit within them. And there-
fore
they have no other way, but to be much in declaring that they
are
humble, and telling how they were humbled to the dust at such
and
such times, and abounding in very bad expressions about them-
selves,—such
as I have a dreadful wicked heart,'—'Oh! this
cursed
heart of mine,' &c. Such expressions are very often used—
not
with a heart broken—not with the tears of her that "washed
Jesus's
feet with her tears,"—not as "remembering and being con-
founded,
and never opening their mouth because of their shame
when
God is pacified" (Ezek. xvi. 63); but with a light air, or
with
pharisaical affectation.'— Edwards
on Affections, part iii.
sect.
vi.
VERSE
141. 375
feel
small and despised, when we have a
reputable name in
the
Church—is a rare attainment—a glorious triumph
of
victorious gracer—usually the fruit of sharp affliction.
This
was the spirit of Brainerd—that meek and lowly
disciple
of his Master, who would express his astonishment
that
any one above the rank of "the beasts that perish"
could
condescend to notice him.* But if we are small
and
despised, in the estimation of
men, let us think of "Him,
whom
man despiseth—Him whom the nation abhorreth."
(Isa. xlix. 7. Comp. Ps. xxii. 6.) Never was
such an in-
stance
of magnanimity displayed, as when Pilate brought
out
the blessed Jesus, arrayed in the mockery of royalty,
and
with the blood streaming from his temples: and said,
"Behold
the man!" (John, xix. 5.) Then was there a
human
being, sustaining himself in the simple exclusive
consciousness
of the favour of God, against the universal
scorn
of every face. This was independence—this was
greatness
indeed. With such a pattern before our eyes,
and
such a motive touching our hearts, we may well ac-
count
it "a very small thing, that we
should be judged of
man's
judgment." (1 Cor. iv. 3.) What upheld "the man
Christ
Jesus," will uphold his servants also. "He com-
mitted
himself to him that judgeth righteously." (1 Pet.
ii.
23.) Must we not desire to "know the fellowship of
his
sufferings"—yea, to rejoice in the participation of
them?
(Philip. iii. 10. 1 Pet. iv. 13.)
Christian! dost thou love to be low, and
still desire to
be
lower than ever? Small and despised
as thou art in thine
* God feeds me with crumbs. Blessed be his
name for any-
thing!
I felt a great desire, that all God's people should know how
mean,
and little, and vile I am, that they might see I am nothing,
that
so they might pray for me aright, and not have the least
dependence
upon me. I could not bear to think of Christians
or
showing me any respect. I saw myself exceedingly vile and un-
worthy;
so that I was, ashamed that any one should bestow any
favour
upon me, or show me any respect.'—Brainerd’s
Diary.
376 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
own
eyes, and in the eyes of the world, "thou art precious
in
the eyes of Him," who gave a price "for thy ransom"
—infinitely
more precious than "Egypt, Ethiopia, and
Seba"
(Comp. Isa. xliii. 3, 4, with Acts, xx. 28), and who
will
suffer "none to pluck thee out of his hands." (John,
x.
28.) Many may rebuke thee; many may scorn thee;
even
thy brethren may treat thee with contempt; yet thy
God,
thy Redeemer, will not depart from thee, will not
suffer
thee to depart from him; but will put his Spirit
within
thee, and bring forth his precepts to thy remem-
brance,
that thou mayest keep them, and many a sweet
supporting
promise for thy consolation. Therefore "fear
not,
thou worm Jacob; I will help thee,
saith the Lord, and
thy
Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel." (Isa. xli. 14.)
142.
Thy righteousness is an everlasting
righteousness, and thy
law is the
truth.
The Psalmist in the midst of his trials
could not for-
get the precepts, while he maintained so
just a perception of
their
exalted character. His mind at this time seems to
have
been filled with the contemplation of the righteous
government
of God. He therefore repeats his adoration
(Comp.
Verse 137), not as applied to any particular in-
stance,
but as distinguishing the general character of his
administration
from everlasting.
But on whom is this government appointed to
rest?
Think
of our Immanuel—the human brow encircled with
Divine
glory—the crucified hands wielding the sceptre of
the
universe — Him, whom they mocked as the King of
the
Jews, seated on his own exalted throne — "King of
kings,
and Lord of lords!" "The
government is upon his
shoulder: and of the
increase of his government and peace
there shall be no end." (Isa. ix. 6, 7.)
How delightful to
join
Jehovah himself in the ascription of praise—"Thy
VERSE
142. 377
throne, O God, is for
ever and ever; a sceptre of righteousness
is the sceptre of thy
kingdom!"
(Ps. xlv. 6. Heb. i. 8.) How
glorious
also to praise that everlasting
righteousness—the
ground
on which the administration of his church is
framed—which
Jesus "brought in," and "which is unto
all
them that believe" (Dan. ix. 24. Rom. iii. 22); which,
when
once clothed with it, is our infinite glory and reward!
"Every
ordinance of man" is connected only with time.
The
Divine government has a constant reference to eternity,
past
and to come. "And I heard"—said
the enraptured
disciple
—"the angel of the waters say; Thou
art righteous,
which art, and wast, and
shalt be; because thou hast judged
thus." (Rev. xvi. 5.)
Every instance, therefore, of his
righteous
administration, is that display of the Divine cha-
racter
which constrains the adoration of heaven. "One
cried
to another, and said, Holy, holy, holy,
is the Lord of
hosts: the whole earth
is full of his glory."
(Isa. vi. 3.)
His
law —"the manifestation of his righteousness"—is
the
truth. "Thy word is true from the
beginning! and every
one of thy righteous
judgments endureth for ever." (Verse 160.)
This truth
is the law of righteousness, which Jesus bound
himself
to "fulfil" (Matt. iii. 15)—to which he "came to
bear
witness" (John, xviii. 37), and for which he com-
mended
his people to his Father as the means of their
sanctification
(John, xvii. 17); for what else is holiness,
but
the influence of truth, digested and
practically em-
bodied
in the life and conduct? There may be fragments
of
truth elsewhere found— the scattered remnants of the
fall.
There may be systems imbued with large portions of
truth deduced from this law. But here alone is it found
perfect—unsullied.
How carefully, therefore, should we
test,
by this standard, every doctrine—every revelation
(1
Thess. v. 21. 1 John, iv. 1); receiving with implicit
subjection
all that is conformed to it (Acts, xvii. 11, 12);
rejecting
with uncompromising decision whatever will not
378 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
abide
the fiery trial. (Isa. viii. 20. Gal. i. 8, 9.) Most
careful
also should we be to preserve its unadulterated
simplicity.
(2 Cor. ii. 17; iv. 2.) Even the most seem-
ingly
trifling infusion of fundamental error is the grain
of
poison cast into the food, and making it "a savour of
death
unto death." Such was the error of the Galatian
Church—"another
gospel, yet not another" (Gal. i. 6, 7)
—not
deserving the name—not putting ordinances
in the
stead of Christ (an error too gross to
beguile a Christian
profession),
but what is far more subtle, and equally
destructive,
mixing them with Christ; thus
impairing the
integrity
of the foundation, paralyzing the springs, poison-
ing
the sources of life, yea, converting life itself into death.
(Gal.
iv. 9-11; v. 1-4.) Let this church stand out as a
beacon
to our own—as a much-needed warning to each of
her
members.
But in a more general view, let us adore
the Divine re-
velation,
as bearing so full an impress of a "God that can-
not
lie"—of a "covenant ordered in all things" beyond
human
contrivance, "and sure" beyond the possibility of a
change.
(Tit. i. 2. 2 Sam. xxiii. 5.) How many dying testi-
monies
have sealed the truth of the precious promises!
Joshua
(Josh. xxiii. 14), Simeon (Luke, ii. 25-29), and a
"cloud
of witnesses with which we are compassed about"
(Heb.
xii. 1), have "set to their seals that God is true".
(John,
iii. 33)—that "all the promises of God are in Christ
Jesus
yea and amen" (2 Cor. i. 20)— that "all are come to
pass
unto them, and not one thing has failed thereof."
Equally
manifest is the truth of his threatenings. Hell is
truth
seen too late. Those on the right hand and those
on
the left, at the great day of God, will combine their
testimony
to the declaration of the "Faithful and True
Witness"
(Rev. iii. 14)—"Heaven and earth shall pass
away,
but my words shall not pass away." (Matt. xxiv. 35.)
VERSE
143. 379
143.
Trouble and anguish have taken hold on
me: yet thy
commandments are my
delights.
Christian! expect not unmixed sorrow or
uninterrupted
joy
as your present portion. Heaven will be joy without
sorrow.
Hell will be sorrow without joy. Earth presents
to
you every joy min led with grief—every grief tempered
comprise
the whole of your trials. Like the great apostle,
with
joy. To be a counted small and despised
does not
you
must expect not only trouble without,
but anguish with-
in.
(2 Cor. vii. 5; i. 8.) Others may not have it. (Ps. lv.
19;
lxxiii. 3-5.) But your Saviour engages—"You shall."
(John,
xvi. 33. Comp. Acts, xiv. 22; 1 Thess. iii. 3; 2 Tim.
iii.
12; Rev. vii. 14.) To all his people he has not meted
out
the same measure. Some have rebuke. Some have a
scourge.
But all have the cross, and this a daily cross
(Luke,
ix. 23)— not a single or an occasional trial — but a
life
of trial—constant contradiction to the will—constant
mortification
of the flesh. And this takes hold of us.
We
cannot
escape from it. Should we wish to escape it? This
discipline,
as Luther observes in his own way (and who was
a
better calculator in this school?), 'is more necessary for
us,
than all the riches and dignities of the whole world.'
And
the exercise of faith and patience in the endurance will
bring
more honour to God and profit to ourselves than a
life
of ease and indulgence. The instruction of the rod de-
livers
us from its curse, and brings a substantial and enrich-
ing
blessing. (Ps. xciv. 12.)
But how precious is the sympathy of Jesus
—"in all
things
made like unto his brethren"— enduring trouble
and
anguish inconceivable to human
apprehension, "that he
might
be a merciful and faithful High Priest to succour
his
tempted people!" (Heb. ii. 17, 18.) How does it lift
up
our head amid the billows, when in communion with our
380 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
Lord
we can call to mind, that his sorrow was for the sake
of
his dear purchased people; that they might drink their
lighter
cup bereft of its bitter ingredients!
The Psalmist did not find that the Lord
afflicted him to
leave
him in misery, but rather to increase his happiness.
The precepts which he
had not forgotten
(Verse 141), were
now
his delights. The scriptural records
of the trials of the
Lord's
people bear similar abundant testimony to the inex-
haustible
resources of support in the Book of God: and
they
are written for our learning, "that we through patience
and
comfort of the Scriptures might have hope." (Rom. xv.
4.)
The child of God, whose thoughts are habitually
occupied
in the word, will always find it to be his food and
light,
his joy and strength; witnessing within, the presence
and
power of God, even where its sensible comfort may not
be
enjoyed.
But specially is affliction the time, that
unfolds the
delights of the word (Verse 92), such as
more than coun-
terbalances
the painful trouble and anguish of
the flesh.
Such
cheering prospects of hope and deliverance does it set
forth!
Such mighty supports in the endurance of trial
does
it realize! Truly the experimental power of the word
in
keeping the soul alive—much more than this—cheer-
ful—sustained—established
(Deut. viii. 3. Matt. iv. 4)—
is
there any blessing like this—the fruit of the cross?
Can
we mourn over that cross, that brings so gainful a
harvest?
The bitterness of the cross then best realizes the
delights of the
commandments.
But never does the believer
more
"rejoice in tribulation," than when the trouble and
anguish which take hold
of him,
is for the love he bears to
the
name of his dear Lord. (Acts, v. 41.) Persecution for
his
sake, far from appalling him, only endears his service
to
his heart. It is in his eyes — "not
a penalty endured,
but a privilege conferred," "to suffer for his name's sake."*
* Phil. 29. One of the witnesses for the
truth, when impri-
VERSE
143. 381
But contrast the condition of the child of
God and the
follower
of the world, in the hour of affliction. The one in
the
midst of his troubles drinks of the fountain of all-suf-
ficiency;
and such is his peace and security, that, "in the
floods
of great waters they shall not come nigh unto him."
(Ps.
xxxii. 6.) The other, "in the fulness of his sufficiency,
is
in straits." (Job, xx. 22.) David could look upward,
and
find the way of escape in the midst of his trouble: but
for
Saul, when trouble and anguish took hold
of him, no source
of
comfort opened to his view. "God was departed from
him,
and was become his enemy." (1 Sam. xxviii. 15, 16.)
It
was therefore trouble without
support, anguish with-
out
relief—trouble and anguish; such as
will at length
take hold of them that forget God,
when nothing will be
left,
but the unavailing "cry to the mountains and the hills
to
fall upon them, and cover them." (Rev. vi. 16.) Thanks
be
to God for deliverance from this fearful prospect!
Thanks
for the hope of unfading delights,
when earthly
pleasures
shall have passed away! The first sheaf of the
heavenly
harvest will blot out the painful remembrance of
the
weeping seed-time which preceded it. (Ps. cxxvi. 5, 6.)
The
first moment of heaven will compensate for all the
troubles and anguish of earth; and these
moments will last
throughout
eternity. "Say ye to the righteous,
it shall be
well with him" (Isa. iii. 10)— eternally well.
soned
for conscience' sake in Queen Mary's persecution of the
Church,
is said to have thus written to a friend—'A prisoner for
Christ!
What is this for a poor worm? "Such honour have" not
"all
his saints." Both the degrees which I took in the University
have
not set me so high, as the honour of becoming a prisoner of
the
Lord.' Philpot, again, could say of his prison — 'In the judg-
ment
of the world we are in hell; but I find in it the sweet con-
solations
of heaven.' So holy Bradford—'My prison is sweeter
to
me than any parlour, than any pleasure I have had in all my
life.'
382 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
144.
The righteousness of thy testimonies is
everlasting: give me
understanding, and I shall live. (Comp. verses 137,
138.)
What deep —weighty—impressive thoughts were
ex-
ercising
the Psalmist's mind! He had just marked the
happy
influence of the testimonies upon the
believer's heart.
Now
he again recurs to their righteousness
—as the Divine
administration—not
subject to the incessant variations of
the
human standard— but everlasting — of
unalterable obli-
gation
— binding us unchangeably to God, and God to us.
His
creatures can virtually "make them
void" by their rebel-
lion
(Verse 126); but they cannot change their character,
or
shake their foundation. Nay—themselves shall be the
instruments
of their fulfilment. Every word shall be esta-
blished
either by them as his obedient servants, or in and
upon
them as rebel transgressors. What solemn weight
therefore
is due to this Divine standard! It seems now to
be
trampled under foot; but its righteousness,
inflexible in
its
demands, and unalterable in its obligations —will ere
long
assert its sovereignty over the world, when every other
standard
shall have passed away. It will be the rule of
the
Divine procedure at the great day of decision. When
the
"great white throne" is set up — when "the dead,
small
and great, stand before God, and the books are
opened,
and another book is opened, which is the book of
life;"
and the dead are judged out of those things which
were
written in the books, "according to
their works" (Rev.
xx.
11, 12)—the acknowledgment will be made through-
out
the universe of God—The righteousness of
thy testimonies
is everlasting. How glorious is the
confidence of being dealt
with
in that great day upon an everlasting
foundation of
righteousness! (Acts, xvii. 31.)
But this view of the Divine righteousness and everlasting
obligation
of the testimonies, naturally
suggests the prayer
VERSE
144. 383
for
a more spiritual, enlightened, and experimental acquaint-
ance
with them. Often before had the petition been sent
up.
(Verses 33, 34, 73.) But who can cry too often or too
earnestly?
One ray of this understanding is of
far higher
value
than all the intellectual or speculative knowledge in
the
world. (Jer. ix. 23, 24.) If its first dawn exhibits the
infinite
difference between light and darkness —if prayer
for
it implies a measure already received, still— Give me
understanding —will be the cry—not of
the "little child"
whose
spiritual perception is just opening—but of the
"father
who has known Him that is from the beginning."
(1
John, ii. 13, 14.) Let me know the holiness of thy tes-
timonies—their extent—their
perfection—their intimate
connexion
with every part of my daily walk—with the
restraint
of my inclination, the regulation of my tem-
per,
the direction of every step of my path. And indeed
the
more devoutly we study them, the more shall we feel
our
need of supplication for Divine teaching, to give us
more
adoring and thankful views of the government of
God,
and to subjugate our cavilling disposition to the hum-
bling
influence of faith.
The principle of spiritual and eternal life
flows from the
enlightened
perception of the testimonies of God. Give
me
understanding, and I
shall live.
For "this is life eternal, that
we might know thee, the
only true God, and Jesus Christ whom
thou hast sent." (John, xvii. 3.)
His testimonies are the re-
velation
of himself. If then we "have an unction from the
Holy
One, and know all things" (1 John, ii. 20), our know-
ledge
of them will become more spiritual in its character,
more
experimental in its comforts, and more practical in its
fruits.
And thus, 'the life of God in the soul' will invi-
gorate
us for higher attainments in evangelical knowledge,
and
more steady advancement in Christian holiness. But
how
infinitely do we live below the full privilege of know-
ing
God in his testimonies! Christians of
a Scriptural
384 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
standard
are "forgetting those things which are behind, and
reaching
forth unto those things which are before. Let us
therefore,
as many as be perfect, be thus minded." (Philip.
iii.
13, 15.)
And then— what will it be at the great
consummation
when
our God of love will have put his last hand to his
glorious
work; when the mark of all our aims — the term
of
all our hopes and desires — all that we have so long
laboured
for—so earnestly panted after—so restlessly pur-
sued—when
all shall be attained? Then indeed we shall
live
a life worthy of the name — not as now under the sha-
dowed
glimmerings—but under the immediate full-eyed
glory
of his light and love; having escaped for ever the
deadliest
of all dangers—sin—the very deadliness of death
itself.
VERSES 145, 146. 385
PART
XIX.
145.
I cried with my whole heart; hear me, O
Lord, I will
keep thy statutes. 146. I cried unto thee; save me and
I shall keep thy testimonies.
This is indeed the "pouring out of
the soul before the
Lord"
(1 Sam. i. 15), a beautiful and encouraging pic-
ture
of a soul wrestling with God, in a few short sentences,
with
as much power and success as in the most continued
length
of supplication. Brief as are the petitions, the
whole
compass of language could not make them more com-
prehensive.
Hear me. The whole heart is engaged
in the
cry.
Save me—includes a sinner's whole
need—pardon, ac-
ceptance,
access, holiness, strength, comfort, heaven, all in
one
word—Christ. Save me—from myself,
from Satan, from
the
world, from the curse of sin, from the wrath of God.
This
is the need of every moment to the end. I
cried unto
thee.—What a mercy to know
where to go! The way of
access
must have been implied, though not
mentioned, in
these
short ejaculations. Hear me—must have
been in
the
name of the all-prevailing Advocate. Save
me—
through
Him, whose name is, Jesus the Saviour. A mo-
ment's
interruption of our view of Jesus casts for
the time
an
impenetrable cloud over our way to God, and paralyzes
the
spirit of prayer. Prayer is not only the sense of guilt,
and
the cry of mercy, but the exercise of faith. When I
come
to God, I would always bring with me the blood of
Christ—my
price—my plea in my hand. He cannot cast
386 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
it
out. Thus am I "a prince, that hath power with God,
and
prevail." (Gen. xxxii. 28.) Here is the warrant to
believe,
that my God does, and will hear me.
Here is my
encouragement
to "look up" (Ps. v. 3)—to be "watching
at
his gate" (Prov. viii. 34)—like the cripple at the "beau-
tiful
gate of the temple (Acts, iii. 2-5), expecting to re-
ceive
somewhat of him." Not a word of such
prayer is lost.
It
is as seed —not cast into the earth, exposed to hazard
and
loss (Matt. xiii. 3-7)—but cast into the bosom of
God—and
here —as in the natural harvest, "he
which
soweth bountifully,
shall reap also bountifully." (2 Cor. ix. 6.)
The
most frequent comers are the largest receivers—always
wanting—always
asking—living upon what they have,
but
still hungering for more.
With many, however, the ceremony of prayer
is every-
thing,
without any thought, desire, anxiety, or waiting for
an
answer. These slight dealings prove low thoughts of
God,
and deep and guilty insensibility;—that the sense of
pressing
need is not sharp enough to put an edge upon the
affections.
But are none of God's dear children, too, who
in
days past never missed the presence of God, but they
"sought
it carefully with tears"—now too easily satisfied
with
the act of prayer, without this "great object of it—
the enjoyment of God?" Perhaps you
lament your de-
* 'The
great object in prayer should constantly be the enjoyment of
God; and however inadequate
the believer's conceptions may be,
yet
he has a distinct idea of his object; so distinct, that you can
never
impose upon a real saint, by offering him something else in
the
room of it. He knows what he wants; and he knows that
this
or that is not the thing which he wants:— Augustine,
Epistle
121.
In the same epistle he very judiciously
recommends the use of
short
and quick ejaculations (like these under consideration),
rather
than long protracted supplications. unless the mind be in a
fervent
frame; in which case the petitions, as he justly observes,
may
be indefinitely prolonged, without incurring the censure
implied
in Matt. vi. 7.
VERSES 145,
146. 387
ficiencies,
your weakness in the hour of temptation, your
indulgence
of ease, your unfaithfulness of heart. But is
your
cry continually ascending with your whole heart?
Your
soul would not be so empty of comfort, if your mouth
were
not so empty of prayer. The Lord never charges
presumption upon the frequency or
extent of your supplica-
tions;
but he is often ready to "upbraid
you with your
unbelief" (Mark, xvi. 14),
that you are so reluctant in your
approach,
and so straitened in your desires—that you are
so
unready to receive what he is so ready to give—that
your
vessels are too narrow to take in his full blessing—
that
you are content with drops, when he has promised
"floods,"—yea
"rivers of living water" (Isa. xliv. 3. John,
vii.
38),— and above all, that you are so negligent in
praising
him for what you have already received.
We must not lightly give up our suit. We
must not
be
content with keeping up the duty, without keeping up
continued
instancy in prayer" (Rom. xii. 12) in our
duty.
This alone preserves in temptation. Satan strikes
at
all of God in the soul. Unbelief readily yields to his
suggestions.
This is the element in which we live—the
warfare
of every moment. Will then the customary de-
votion
of morning and evening (even supposing it
to be
sincere) suffice for such an emergency?
No. The Christ-
ian
must "put on the whole armour of God;"
and buckle on
his
panoply with unceasing "prayer and watchfulness in
the
Spirit."* If his heart be dead and cold, let him rather
cry
and wait (as Luther was used to do, till it be warm
and
enlivened. The hypocrite, indeed, would be satisfied
with
the barren performance of the duty. But the child
* Eph. vi. 13-18. 'The violence of
temptation stupifies,'— said
Luther
on one occasion, speaking of his own experience,—'that I
cannot
open my mouth. As soon as ever it pleases
God that I can lift
up my heart in prayer,
and make use of Scriptural expressions, it ceases
to prevail.'— Milner, vol. v. p. 484.
388 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
of
God, while he mourns in the dust —"Behold I am vile!"
(Job,
xl. 4; also xlii, 5, 6)—still holds on, though some-
times
with a cry, that probably finds no
utterance with his
lips
(Exod. xiv. 15. 1 Sam. i. 13. Neh. 5), that vents
itself
only with tears, or "groanings that cannot be
uttered."
(Rom. viii. 26.) And shall such a cry
fail to
enter
into the ears of the Lord of Sabaoth? The
Lord
hath heard the voice of
my weeping. Lord, all my desire is
before thee; and my
groaning is not hid from thee. (Ps. vi. 8;
xxxviii.
9.)
But why is the believer so earnest for an
audience? —
why
so restless in his cries for salvation? Is it not, that
he
loves the statutes of his God; that
he is grieved on
account
of his inability to keep them; and that he longs
for
mercy, as the spring of his obedience? Hear
me; I
will keep thy statutes.
Save me: and I shall keep thy tes-
timonies — a most satisfactory
evidence of an upright heart.
Sin
can have no fellowship with the statutes.
As saved
sinners,
they are our delight.
Lord! thou knowest how our hearts draw back
from
the
spiritual work of prayer: and how we nourish our un-
belief
by our distance from thee. Oh, "pour upon us this
Spirit
of grace and supplication." "Teach us to pray"
(Luke,
xi. 1)— even our hearts—our whole hearts—to
cry unto thee. Give us the privilege
of real communion
with
thee—the only satisfying joy of earth or heaven.
Then
shall we "run the way of thy commandments, when
thou
shalt enlarge our hearts." (Verse 32.)
147.
I prevented the dawning of the morning,
and cried: I
hoped in thy word. 148. Mine eyes prevent the night-
watches, that I might meditate in thy word.
The Psalmist here brings before us not only
the fer-
vency,
but the seasons, of his supplication. Like Daniel,
VERSES 147,148. 389
he
had set times of prayer—"three times a-day." (Ps.
lv.
17, with Dan. vi. 10.) Yet did not this frequent
exercise
satisfy him, without an habitual "waiting all the
day
upon his God." (Ps. xxv. 5.) Prayer was indeed his
meat,
and drink, and breath. "I give
myself unto prayer."*
His
sketch of the "blessed man delighting in the law of
his
God, and"— as an evidence of this delight—"medi-
tating
therein day and night" (Ps. i. 2)—unconsciously
furnished
an accurate picture of himself. For early and
late
was he found in the work of God; preventing
the
dawning of the morning for prayer, and again the night-
watches, that he might
meditate in the word.
But to look
above
the example of David to David's Lord—surely "it
was
written" most peculiarly "for our learning," that
Jesus—after
a laborious Sabbath — every moment of
which
appears to have been spent for the benefit of sin-
ners;
and when his body, subject to the same infirmities,
and
therefore needing the same refreshment with our
own,
seemed to require repose—"in the
morning, rising up
a great while before
day, went out and departed into a solitary
place, and there prayed." (Mark, i.
21-35.) On another
occasion,
when intensely engaged in the service of his
church,
and about to lay her foundation in the choice of
her
first ministers, did his eyes prevent the
night-watches.
"He continued all
night in prayer to God." (Luke, vi. 12-16.)
So long as the duty only of prayer is known, we shall be
content
with our set seasons. But when the
privilege is felt,
we
shall be early at work, following it closely morning and
night.
(Ps. v. 3; lxxxviii. 13. Isa. xxvi. 9.) While, how-
ever,
family and social exercises are refreshing—while
* Ps. cix. 4. 'But I prayer,' Heb.—all over
prayer—always
ready
for prayer—at all seasons, besides the frequency of set times
of
communion—one, whose life is a continual prayer—"prayer
without
ceasing."―1 Thess. v. 17.
390 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
"the
tabernacles of the Lord are amiable" in our view,
and
we delight to "wait at the posts of his doors" (Ps.
lxxxiv.
1. Prov. viii. 34); yet it is the lonely, confidential
intercourse
with our God—"the door shut" — the Church
as
well as the world excluded —that makes our closest walk
with
God. (Matt. vi. 6.) Secret prayer is most
likely to be true
prayer. At least there
is no true prayer without it. It was the
"garden"
prayer—separate even from his own disciples —
that
brought special support to the fainting humanity of
Jesus.
(Luke, xxii. 41-43.) And if he needed this perfect
retirement,
whose affections were always fixed upon their
centre,
what must be our own need, whose desires are so
unstable
and languishing! And how cheering is his sue-
couring
sympathy, knowing as he does experimentally the
heart
of a secret, earnest pleader! Such, doubtless, were
David's
cries—penetrating no ear, but his
Father's—yet
delightful
incense there. (Ps. lvi. 8. Prov. xv. 8. Ps. cxli
2.
Cant. ii. 14.)
But to see the King of Israel, with all his
urgent re-
sponsibilities,
"sanctifying" such frequent daily seasons
"with
the word of God and prayer"—how does it expose
the
insincerity of the worldling's excuse, that the pressing
avocations
of the day afford no time for the service of God!
It
is not, that such men are busy, and have no time for
prayer;
but that they are worldly, and have no heart to
pray.
The consecrated heart will always find time for secret
duties,
and will rather, as David, redeem it from sleep, than
lose
it from prayer.*
* Most instructive is the example of Mr.
Cadogan, as recorded
by
his admirable biographer: 'Feeling strongly that he must walk
with
God in secret at any rate; when he had company, he would
often
retire from them into his study, rather than omit his accus-
tomed
waiting upon his God. Often has be been found there, when
most
of the family were gone to rest, surprised on his knees by the
VERSES 147,
148. 391
And does not the uniform experience of the
Lord's
people
warrant the remark— how much our vital spirituality
depends
upon the daily consecration of the first
fruits of our
time to the Lord? How often
are opportunities for heavenly
sons
free from interruption, when our God expects to hear
communion
during the day unavoidably straitened! But
the night watches and the dawning of the morning afford sea-
from
us, and when "the joy" of "fellowship with him"
will
be "our strength" (Neh. viii. 10) for active service,
and
our preservation from many a worldly snare. What a
standard
of enjoyment would it be, with our last thoughts
in
the night watches, to leave as it
were our hearts with him,
and
to find them with him in the morning, awaking as with
our
hearts in heaven! Surely the refreshments of our
visits
to him, and his abidance with us, will often constrain
us
to acknowledge — "Truly our
fellowship is with the
Father, and with his Son
Jesus Christ."
(1 John, i. 3.) The
thoughts
of God were clearly the first visitors to David's
waking
mind (See Ps. cxxxix. 17, 18); and to this may
be
ascribed his habitual success in realizing his presence
throughout
the day. The lukewarmness and our want of
spiritual
enjoyment may often be traced to that morning
indolence
(which the zeal of the ungodly (Exod. xxxii. 6.
Isa.
v. 11. Mic. ii. 1) might put to shame), which not only
throws
the business of the day into confusion, but also
consumes
the time in self-indulgence or trifling, which
should
have been given to sacred intercourse. For — not
to
speak of the seasonableness of the early hours for devo-
tion—the
very exertion made to overcome "this lust of
domestic
who usually took care of the house.'—Cecil’s
Life of
Cadogan.
Perhaps in an observation once made to an
excellent minister
the
importance of the truth may furnish an apology for the quaint-
ness
of the dress—'If you did not plough in your closet, you would
not
reap in the pulpit.'
392 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
the
flesh, "and to steal a march upon the demands of the
world,
is an exercise of self-denial, honourable to God,
"that
shall in no wise lose its reward." No remembrance
of
the past will be so refreshing at a dying hour, as the
time
redeemed for communion with God.
And, even should there be no actual
enjoyment, at least
let
us honour God by expectancy. I hoped in
thy word.*
There
can be no exercise of faith in the neglect of prayer;
but
the ground of faith, and that which gives to it life,
hope,
and joy, is the view of God in his word as
a promising
God. Therefore when his
encouragement,
let us seek it in his covenant. To hope
in his word is to build up
ourselves upon "our most holy
faith"
(Jude, 20), and to lay all our desires, all our cares,
* One of Melanethon's correspondents
describes Luther thus—
'I
cannot enough admire the extraordinary cheerfulness, constancy,
faith,
and hope of the man in these trying and vexatious times. He
constantly feeds these gracious affections by
a very diligent study
of
the word of God. Then not a day passes,
in which he does not
employ in prayer at
least three of his very best hours. Once I happened
to
hear him at prayer. Gracious God! what spirit and what faith
is
there in his expressions! He petitions God with as much
reverence,
as if he was in the Divine presence; and yet with as
firm
a hope and confidence, as he would address a father or a
friend.
'I know'— said he—'thou art our Father and our God;
and
therefore I am sure thou wilt bring to nought the persecutors
of
thy children. For shouldest thou fail to do this, thine own
cause,
being connected with ours, would be endangered. It is
entirely
thine own concern. We, by thy providence, have been com-
pelled
to take a part. Thou therefore wilt be our defence.' Whilst
I
was listening to Luther praying in this manner at a distance, my
soul
seemed on fire within me, to hear the man address God so like
a
friend, and yet with so much gravity and reverence; and also to
hear
him, in the course of his prayer, insisting upon the promises
contained
in the Psalms, as if he was sure his petitions would be
granted.'—Milner’s History, vol. v. p. 565. Again referred to in
Scott’s Continuation, vol. i. p. 77. Was
not this an illustration
of
David's confidence — I hoped in thy words?
VERSE
149. 393
all
our weights, and burdens, upon a solid, unsinking
foundation.
Well, therefore, were David's night-watches employed in
meditation in the word. For, in order to stay
ourselves upon
it
in time of need, it must occupy our whole study, thought,
and
desire. Instability of faith arises from a want of fixed
recollection
of the promises of God. This superficial habit
may
suffice for times of quietness; but amid the billows of
temptation
we can only cast "anchor sure and stedfast" in
an
habitual and intelligent confidence upon the full, free,
firm
promise of the word. Let it therefore be the food of our
meditation,
and the ground of our support, when our suit
seems
to hang at the throne of grace without any tokens of
present
acceptance. Often will it lift up our fainting
hands,
and supply strength for fresh conflict, and the
earnest
of blessed victory. The ground is always sure for
faith.
May the Lord ever furnish us with faith enough for
our
daily work, conflict, consolation, and establishment!
149.
Hear my voice according to thy
loving-kindness: O Lord,
quicken me according to thy
judgment.
In the eyes of the world, David appeared
"in all his
glory,"
when seated on his throne, and surrounded with
the
magnificence of his kingdom. But never did he appear
so
glorious in the sight of God, as when presenting himself
as
a suppliant before the mercy-seat, seeking an audience of
the
King of kings, only to send up reiterated cries for
quickening
grace. And do I not need the same grace every
moment,
in every duty? Does not "the gift of God within
me"
need to be daily "stirred up?" (2 Tim. i. 6.) Are not
the
"things that remain" often "ready to die?" (Rev. iii.
2.)
Then hear my voice, O Lord; quicken me.
But to urge my suit successfully, I must
"order my
cause
before God;" I must "fill my mouth with argu-
394 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
ments."
(Job, xxiii. 4.) And if I can draw a favourable
plea
from the character of my Judge—if I can prove that
promises
have been made in my behalf, these will be most
encouraging
earnests of a successful issue. Now David
had
been so used to plead in cases of extremity, that ar-
guments
suited to his present distress were always ready
at
hand. He now pleads with God for quickening
grace,
on
the ground of his own loving-kindness and
judgment. Can
he
"deny himself?"
And with what "full assurance of
faith" (Heb. x. 22),
may
I ask to be heard on account of that
transcendant
proof
of loving-kindness manifested in the
gift of God's dear
Son—(John,
iii. 16)—not only as his chiefest mercy, but
as
the pledge of every other mercy —(See Rom. viii. 32) —
and
manifested too at the fittest time—(See Gal. iv. 4)
according to his
judgment,—after
the inefficiency of the
power
of reason (Comp. 1 Cor. i. 21), and the sanctions of
the
law (Comp. Jer. xxxi. 31-33), to influence the heart,
had
been most clearly displayed! And what a plea is it to
ask
for quickening influences, that this
is the very end for
which
this gift of loving-kindness was
vouchsafed (John, x.
10.
1 John, iv. 9), and that the gift itself is the channel,
through
which the quickening life of the Godhead is im-
parted!
(1 John, v. 11.) Could I ask for this grace on
any
other ground than loving-kindness?
All ground of
fitness
or merit is swept away. (Ezek. xxxvi. 32.) On the
footing
of mercy alone, can I stand before him. (Eph. ii.
7.
Tit. iii. 4.) And how is my faith enlivened in retracing
the
records of my soul from the beginning—how he "be-
trothed"—(Hos.
ii. 19)—how he "drew—me with loving-
kindness!" (Jer. xxxi. 3.)
May I not then cry—"Oh!
continue
thy loving-kindness?" (Ps.
xxxvi. 10.) And not
less
full is my conviction of his judgment, in dealing wisely
and
tenderly with me, according to his infallible perception
of
my need. Left to my own judgment—often should I
VERSE 150,
151. 395
have
prayed myself into evil, and asked what it would have
been
my curse to have received. (Ps. cvi. 15.) But I have
learned,
that the child must not be guided by his own will,
but
by his father's better mind— not the patient by his
own
humour, but by the physician's skill. Truly, even the
Lord's
corrections have been in judgment!
(Jer. x. 24.) And
in
the thankful remembrance of them my confidence for the
time
to come is established! Gladly will I "set to my
seal,"
that "the Lord is a God of judgment;"
and that
"blessed are all they that wait for him."
(Isa. xxx. 18.) He
knows
not only what grace is needed, but at what time.
Not
a moment sooner will it come; not a moment later
will
it be delayed. "As thou wilt, what thou wilt, when
thou
wilt"—is the expression of faith and resignation,
with
which all must be committed to the Lord, waiting for
the
end in humility, desire, expectation. And if in plead-
ing
my suit for a hearing according to his
loving-kindness,
my
poor, polluted, lifeless petitions should find no liberty of
approach;
may I be but enabled to direct one believing
look
to "the Lamb that is in the midst of the throne!"
(Rev.
v. 6), and I will not doubt that my feeblest offering
shall
come up as a memorial before God.
150.
They draw nigh that follow after mischief:
they are far
from thy law. 151. Thou art near, O Lord: and all thy
commandments are truth.
The imminent danger in which David was
living (Ps.
lvii.
4) quickened his cries to his God. Often does the
Lord
permit this pressing trial! Seldom, but in ex-
tremity,
are our graces brought to their full exercise.
Confidence
is then shaken from man, and established in
God.
(2 Cor. i. 9.) For now it is that we enjoy our God as
* Thomas à Kempis.
396 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
a
very present help in trouble" (Ps. xlvi. 1), and that our
dependence
on his commandment is a true and solid founda-
tion
of comfort to our soul. An awful character is indeed
drawn
of the ungodly — They are far from God's
law — and
that
not from ignorance, but from wilful enmity. This is
God's
witness against them (Ps. 1. 17. Comp. Prov. i. 22,
25,
29) and they are not ashamed to consent, that this
"witness
is true." No wonder, therefore, that those, that
are
far from God's law, should draw nigh to follow after
mischief.* But if they draw nigh, the Lord is nearer
still.
"I
am thy shield" (Gen. xv.
1)—saith he to his dis-
tressed
child — who echoes back the promise in the cheer-
fulness
of faith—"Thou art my hiding-place,
and my shield:
I hope in thy word." (Verse 114.)
Elisha knew the power
of
this shield, when he quelled the alarm of his terrified
servant.
He beheld them draw nigh that follow
after mis-
chief. But the eye of faith
assured his heart; and when
"the
Lord opened the eyes of the young man," he too was
enabled
to testify—Thou art near, O Lord!
(Comp. 2 Kings,
vi.
14-17.)
*'He cannot brook the child, that hateth
the father; he cannot
mind
the servant, that careth not for the master. If ye were of
the
world, the world would love you; ye should dwell quietly.
There
would be no griefs, no molestation, if the devil dwelt in you
(which
God forbid). He would not stir up his knights to besiege
your
house. . . . . But because Christ dwelleth in you (as he does
by
faith); therefore stirreth he up his first-begotten son, the world,
to
seek how to disquiet you, to rob you, to spoil you, to destroy;
and
perchance your dear Father, to try to make known to you and
the
world, that ye are destinate to another dwelling than here on
earth,
to another city than man's eyes have seen at any time, hath
given,
or will give power to Satan or to the world to take from you
the
things which he hath lent you; and by taking away, to try your
fidelity,
obedience, and love towards him (for ye may not love them
above
him) as by giving that ye have, and keeping it, he hath
declared
his love towards you.'—Bradford’s
Epistles—Fathers of
the English Church, vol. vi. pp. 58, 59.
VERSES 150,
151. 397
But near as the Lord is to his people as
their outward
shield,
is he not yet nearer still, as dwelling in their hearts?
Here
is "his temple" (2 Cor. vi. 16), his desired habita-
tion
—like Zion of old, of which he said —"This is my
rest
for ever; here will I dwell, for I have desired it."
(Ps.
cxxxii. 13, 14, with Eph. ii. 22.) This is the dwell-
ing,
which, once possessed of its Divine Inhabitant, will
never
be left desolate.
Our spiritual enemies, like David's
persecutors, are ever
present
and active. The devouring "lion" (1 Pet. v. 8),
or
the insinuating "serpent" (Rev. xii. 9), is nigh to follow
after mischief; and so much the more
dangerous, as his
approaches
are invisible. Nigh also is a tempting, en-
snaring
world: and nearer still a lurking world within,
separating
us from communion with our God. But in turn-
ing
habitually and immediately to our stronghold, we can
enjoy
the confidence— Thou art near, O Lord.
Though
"the
High and Lofty One, whose name is Holy" (Isa. lvii.
15);
though the just and terrible God, yet art thou made
nigh
to thy people (Col. i. 20), and they to thee (Eph. ii.
13),
"by the blood of the cross." And thou (lost manifest
thy
presence to them in "the Son of thy love."
Indeed
to the Son himself, the nearness of his Father's
presence
was a source of consolation and support, when
they drew nigh, that
followed after mischief "He is near"—
said
he —"which justifieth me: who will
contend with me?
let us stand together.
Who is mine adversary? Let him come
near to me. Behold! the
Lord God will help me: who is he
that shall condemn me?
Lo they all shall wax old as doth a
garment: the moth, shall
eat them up."
(Isa. 1. 8, 9.) "Be-
hold," said he to his
affrighted disciples, as his hour drew
near—"the hour cometh, yea is now come, that ye
shall be
scattered every one to
his own, and shall leave me alone: and
yet I am not alone,
because the Father is with me." (John,
xvi.
32.) And thus his people in earthly desolation flee to
398 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
the
promises of their God; and in the recollection of his
faithful,
ever-present help, "set to their seal," that all his
commandments are truth. The mischief intended
for them
only
proves, that "Thou, Lord, wilt bless the righteous;
with
favour wilt thou compass him as with a shield."
(Ps.
v. 12.)
But may the Lord not only be brought near in our in-
terest
in him, but may we be kept near in
communion with
him!
Let our hearts be sacred to him. Let us be most
careful
to watch against any strangeness with this beloved
Friend,
and to cultivate a growing cordiality and closeness
in
our walk with him. If our character is formed by the
society
in which we live, what "treasures of wisdom and
knowledge"
should we find, what a spirit of unbounded
love
should we imbibe — by a nearer and more constant
intercourse
with him; willing as he is to impart himself
freely,
inexhaustibly unto us! In a backsliding state, we
must
expect to lose this heavenly nearness.
(Cant. v. 2-6.)
In
a state of darkness, it is the exercise of faith, to believe
that
unseen he is near; and the practical
influence of faith
will
lead us to speak, and pray, and think, and praise, "as
seeing
him who is invisible." (Heb. xi. 27.) In a state
of
enjoyment, let us anticipate the time when he will be
ever
near to us.
"And I heard a great voice out of
heaven, saying, Be-
hold!
the tabernacle of God is with men, and he will dwell
with
them, and they shall be his people, and God himself
shall
be with them, and be their God." (Rev. xxi. 3.)
152.
Concerning thy testimonies, I have known
of old, that
thou hast founded them for
ever.
The "truth of the commandments," which the Psalmist
had
just asserted, was an everlasting
foundation. He stated
it
not upon slight conviction. But he knew it—and that
VERSE
152. 399
not
recently—but as the result of early consideration—he
had known it of old. It is most important
to have a full
certainty
of the ground of our faith. How else can we
have
that "good thing—a heart established with grace?"
(Heb.
xiii. 9)— how "continue in the faith grounded and
settled?"—how
be kept from being "moved away from the
hope
of the gospel?" (Col. i. 23.) Praised be God! We
feel
our ground to be firm. As God is the same, so must
his testimonies be. (Ps. lxxxix. 34
cxi. 7-9.) We cannot
conceive
of his promising without performance, or threat-
ening
without effect. (Num. xxiii. 19.) They are therefore
expressly
revealed as a firm foundation, in express contrast
with
this world's fairest promise. (Isa. xl. 1-8.)
But let us mark this eternal basis of the testimonies.
The
whole plan of redemption was emphatically founded
for
ever. The Saviour "was foreordained before the foundation
of the world." (1 Pet. i. 20.
Comp. Rev. xiii. 8.) The
people
of God are "chosen in Christ before
the world began!"
(Eph.
i. 4. 2 Tim. i. 9.) The great Author "declares
the
end from the beginning" (Isa. xlvi. 9,
10), and thus clears
his
dispensations from any charge of mutability or contin-
gency.
Every event in the church is fixed, permitted, and
provided
for—not in the passing moment of time, but in
the
counsels of eternity. All God's faithful engagements
with
his people of old are founded for ever
upon the oath
and
promise of God—the two "immutable things, in which
it
is impossible for God to lie." (Heb. vi. 16-18.) May
we
not then "have strong consolation" in venturing every
hope
for eternity upon this rock? nor need we be dismayed
to
see all our earthly stays, "the world, and the lust, and
the
fashion of it—passing away" before us. (1 John, ii.
17;
1 Cor. vii. 31.) Yet we are most of us strangely
attached
to this fleeting scene, even when experience
and
Divine teaching have instructed us in its vanity:
and
it is not until repeated proofs of this truth have
400 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
touched
us very closely in the destruction of our dearest
consolations,
that we take the full comfort of the enduring
foundation
of God's testimonies, and of the
imperishable
character
of their treasure.
Now let me realize the special support of
this view in
a
dying hour: I am on the borders of an unknown world;
but
"my hope maketh not ashamed" (Rom. v. 5) at the
moment
of peril it is as "an anchor of the soul, sure and
stedfast;"
and in the strength of it I do not fear to plunge
into
eternity. "I know whom I have believed, and am per-
suaded
that he is able to keep that which I have committed
to
him against that day." (2 Tim. i. 12.) I know—not
his
sufficiency merely, but his All-sufficiency.
I know his
conquering
power over the great enemies of my soul. I
know
that he has "spoiled the principalities and powers"
(Col.
ii. 15) of hell, of the strength to triumph over his
ransomed
people. I know also, that he is "the Lord; he
changeth
not" (Mal. iii. 6); his word changeth not; his
testimonies
abide the same: I have known of old, that
he
has founded them for
ever.'
Thus we look for the removing
of
those "things which are shaken, as of things that are
made,
that those things which cannot be shaken may re-
main."
(Heb. xii. 27.) The scoffer may say,—"If the foun-
dations
be destroyed, what can the righteous do?" (Ps. xi.
3.)
Let God himself give the answer— "Lift up your eyes
to the heavens, and look
upon the earth beneath: for the hea-
vens shall vanish away
like smoke, and the earth shall wax old
like a garment, and they
that dwell therein shall die in like
manner; but my salvation
shall be for ever, and my righteous-
ness shall not be
abolished."
(Isa. li. 6.)
VERSE 153.
401
PART
XX.
153.
Consider mine affliction, and deliver me:
for I do not
forget thy
law.
Another note of the child of sorrow!
Hated by the world
(John,
xv. 19)—vexed by his restless enemy (Job, i. 7.
Luke,
xxii. 31. 1 Pet. v. 8)—chastened by his God (1 Cor.
xi.
32. Heb. xii. 10, 11)—burdened with his "body of
death"
(Rom. vii. 24; viii. 23) —what else can he do but
cry—Consider mine affliction! How manifestly
is this world,
not
our rest, but our exercise for rest! Well is it that our
"days
are few," when they are so "evil." (Gen. xlvii. 9.)
But
how could we hold on as we do, had we not our
Saviour's
pitying heart and Almighty help? The want of
this
sympathy was the overwhelming sorrow, that well-nigh
"broke
his" sorrowing "heart"—"I
looked for some to take
pity, but there was
none; and for comforters, but I found none."
(Ps.
lxix. 20. Comp. xxii. 11.) This depth of trial com-
bined
with every other part of his unknown sufferings to
make
him "such an High Priest as became
us" (Heb. vii. 26),
"touched with the feeling of our infirmities"
(Heb. iv. 15);
considering our
afflictions:
and, "in that he himself hath suf-
fered being tempted,
able to succour them that are tempted."
(Heb.
ii. 18.) With what sympathy did he consider
the
affliction of his people in
Egypt!—"I have surely seen the
affliction of my people
which are, in Egypt, and I know their
sorrows." (Exod. iii. 7,
also ii. 25.) At a subsequent pe-
riod—"his soul was grieved for the misery of
Israel" (Judg. x.
402 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
16)—a
cheering example of that compassionate interest,
with
which "in all his people's
afflictions he is afflicted." (Isa.
lxiii.
9.) Well may his people take encouragement to pray,
Consider mine affliction. "Now, therefore,
let not all the
trouble
seem little before thee, that hath come
upon us." (Neh.
ix.
32. Comp. Ps. cxxxii. 1.)
Yet is he not only sympathizing to consider, but mighty
to
deliver, "Who is this
glorious" conqueror with his
"dyed
garments" of victory—"travelling in the greatness
of
his strength? I that speak in righteousness ― mighty to
save." (Isa. lxiii. 1.)
Such did the noble confessors in
Babylon
(Dan. iii. 17, 25-28)—such did Daniel in the den
of
lions (Dan. vi. 23, 27)—find him, fully justifying their
unwavering
confidence in his love and power. And what
age
of the Church has been wanting in testimony, that
"the
Lord knoweth how to deliver the godly
out of tempt-
ations"
(2 Pet. ii. 9), and that "he that hath delivered,
doth
deliver, and will even to the end deliver?" (2 Cor. i.
10.)
The consciousness that we do not forget
his law, is our
plea,
that he would consider our affliction,
and deliver us;*
and
is of itself an evidence, that the affliction has performed
its
appointed work. Let me then expect in mine affliction
the
fulfilment of his gracious promise —"Because he hath
set
his love upon me, therefore will I
deliver him; I will set
him
on high, because he hath known my name. He shall
call
upon me, and "I will deliver him: I
will be with him in
trouble; I will deliver
him, and honour him."
(Ps. xci. 14, 15.)
In
the midst of my trials I would prepare my hymn of praise
for
his kind consideration and faithful deliverance —"I will
be
glad and rejoice in thy mercy: for thou hast considered
my trouble; thou hast known my
soul in adversities, and hast
not
shut me up into the hand of the enemy; thou hast set
my
feet in a large room!" (Ps. xxxi. 7, 8.) Let me then
* The same plea is often urged in this
Psalm, verses 94, 173, 176.
VERSE 154. 403
remember
my affliction, only as it may be the
means of
increasing
my acquaintance with my tender and Almighty
friend.
Poor and afflicted as I may be, let me be more poor
and
afflicted still, if I may but have fresh evidence that he
"thinketh
upon me" (Ps. xl. 17) —that he considers
my
affliction, and in his own
gracious time and way will de-
liver
me.
154.
Plead my cause, and deliver me; quicken
me according
to thy
word.
Oppressed as the Psalmist appeared to be by
the weight
of
his affliction, he is at no loss
where to apply for help.
He
carries his righteous cause to him, who "stilleth the
enemy
and the avenger" (Ps. viii. 2)—"Plead my cause,
O
Lord, with them that strive with me: fight against them
that
fight against me. Take hold of shield and buckler,
and
stand up for my help. Draw out also the spear, and
stop
the way against them that persecute me; say unto my
soul,
I am thy salvation." (Ps. xxxv. 1-3.) Thus must we
throughout
our warfare maintain "the patience of hope"
(1
Thess. i. 3), waiting for the Lord, "until he plead our
cause,
and execute judgment for us." (Mic. vii. 9.) If
there
is an accuser to resist (Zech. iii. 1. Rev. xii. 10), "we
have an advocate" to plead (1 John, ii. 1), who could tes-
tify
of his prevailing acceptance in the court of heaven,
"Father,
I thank thee, that thou hast heard me. And I
knew
that thou hearest me always." (John, xi. 41, 42.) Our
Redeemer
does indeed plead our cause
successfully for our
deliverance; when but for his
powerful advocacy we must
have
stood speechless in the judgment—helpless, without
any
prospect of acceptance. Awful indeed was the cause
which
he had to manage. Our adversary had the law on
his
side. We could not deny the charge, or offer satisfac-
tion.
We could neither "stand in the judgment," nor flee
404 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
from
the impending wrath. But at that moment of infi-
nite
peril, our cause was pleaded by a "Counsellor" (Isa.
ix.
6), who never was nonsuited in court, who brought irre-
sistible
pleas, and produced satisfaction that could not be
denied.
The voice of deliverance was heard in
heaven—
"Deliver them from going down to the pit: I
have found a
ransom." (Job, xxxiii.
24.) This ransom is no less than
the
price of his own "precious blood," "shed for many for
the
remission of sins" (1 Pet. i. 19. Matt. xxvi. 28), a
ransom,
which has merited and obtained eternal deliverance
(Heb.
ix. 12) for his people, and which still pleads for the
expiation
of the guilt, which attaches to their holiest ser-
vices,
and defiles their happiest approaches to their God.
When
therefore Satan accuses me: yea, when my own
heart
condemns me, I may look upward to my heavenly
Advocate—Plead my cause, and deliver me.* "O
Lord, I
am
oppressed; undertake for me. Thou wilt answer, O
Lord,
my God."†
Poor trembling sinner! take courage.
"Your Re-
deemer
is strong—he will thoroughly plead your cause"
(Jer.
1. 34), and leave no charge unanswered. But you say
How
know I that he speaks for me?' Yet if not for
you,
for whom does he speak? Who needs an advocate
more
than you? He pleads indeed nothing favourable of
*'The word translated "deliver me," is taken from the
office
of
a redeemer or next of kin amongst the Israelites, to whom it
belonged
to redeem the inheritance, or ransom the person of his
impoverished
or enslaved relative: and also to be his patron and
defender
against injustice and oppression, and the avenger of his
blood,
if lie was slain.'—Scott. The use
therefore of this word in
the
original in this verse, naturally points the believer's attention
to
him, who indeed is near of kin to him, and has combined all the
offices
of the ancient redeemer in his one beloved person; and
therefore
at once illustrates and warrants the view that is here
given
of the passage.
† Isa. xxxviii. 14. Ps. xxxviii. 15. Margin
and P. T.
VERSE 154. 405
you;
but much, very much for you. For he
pleads the
merit
of his own blood, "that taketh away the sin of the
world
" (John, i. 29)—even that great sin of "unbelief,"
of
which his Spirit is now "convincing" you (John, xvi. 8,
9.
M. R.); and which you are now made to feel, lament,
and
resist, as the bitterest foe to your peace. And does he
not
"ever live to make intercession for you?" Why then
hesitate
to apply the certain and consoling inference, that
"he
is able to save to the uttermost?"
(Heb. vii. 25.) Why
discouraged
by the sight of sin, temptation, backsliding,
difficulty,
and fear, arising before you on every side when
after
you have taken the most extended view of the pros-
pect
of sorrow, this one word "uttermost"
goes beyond it?
If
you feel it hard to believe, send up your cry—"Help
thou
mine unbelief." (Mark, ix. 24.) Only do not dis-
honour
him by wilful despondency and do not add the
sin
of disobedience, in delaying this moment to come to
him.
After all, however, even while exercising
faith in our
heavenly
Advocate, we must mourn over our sluggishness in
his
service. Well, therefore, do we accompany our pleading
for
deliverance with the supplication— Quicken me! Every
moment's
perseverance depends upon this Divine supply.
Blessed
be God for the sure warrant of expectation—Ac-
cording to thy word! Here we shall receive
not only the
living
principle, but its lively operation; not only the fire
to
kindle the lamp, but the oil to feed the flame. For he
that
is our Advocate to plead for us, and
our Saviour to
deliver us, is also our quickening Head, filled with "the
residue
of the Spirit" to "revive his work." "Thou hast
ascended on high, and
hast received gifts for men: yea, for the
rebellious also, that
the Lord God might dwell among them."
(Ps.
lxviii. 18.) Do we therefore want a heart to pray, to
praise,
to believe, to love? Let us only look to an ascended
Saviour,
sending down the life-giving influence from above,
406 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
as
the purchase of his blood, and the fruit of his intercession.
Thus
will our hope be enlivened, our faith established, and
the
graces of the Spirit will abound to the glory of our God.
155.
Salvation is far from the wicked; for
they seek not thy
statutes.
How striking the contrast!—how awfully
destitute
the
condition! They have no one to consider
their affliction
—no
one to deliver them—no one to plead their cause.
Indeed,
all the misery that an immortal soul is capable of
enduring
throughout eternity is included in this sentence
—Salvation is far from the wicked. The
full picture of it
is
drawn by our Lord himself, "The rich man died, and
was
buried; and in hell he lifted up his
eyes, being in torments,
and seeth Abraham afar
off, and Lazarus in his bosom." (Luke,
xvi.
22-24.) The present enjoyment of salvation
is far
from the wicked. "There is no
peace, saith my God, to the
wicked."
(Isa. lvii. 21.) Their common employments are
"sin."
(Prov. xxi. 4.) Their "sacrifice is an abomination."
(Prov.
xv. 8.) Their life is "without Christ, having no
hope,
and without God in the world." (Eph. ii. 12.) But
who
can tell the curse of eternity, with this salvation
far
from them? To be eternally shut
out from God—from
heaven!
To be eternally shut in with the enemies of God,
and
the heirs of hell! Fellow-Christians —look from what
ye
have escaped—what ye were, when "ye were sometimes
afar
off,"—what ye would have been now and for ever, had
ye
not" in Christ Jesus been made nigh by the blood of
Christ"
(Eph. ii. 13): and then "if you hold your peace,
the
stones will immediately cry out" against you. (Luke,
xix.
40.)
But whence this inexpressibly awful condition
of the
wicked? Is not salvation offered to them? Are they shut
out
from hope, and sternly refused an interest in the cove-
VERSE
155. 407
nant?
Oh! no; it is their own doing, or rather their own
undoing.
Would they but seek the ways of God,
they might
plead
for deliverance; yea, they might have
a prevailing
Advocate
to plead their cause, and deliver them.
But now
salvation is far from
them,
because "they are far from God's
law." (Ps. lxxiii.
27.) It does not fly from them; "but
they
fly from it. Every act is a stride of mind, more or
less
vigorous in departure from God. Nay — such is their
pride,
that "they will not even seek his
statutes." (Ib. x. 4.)
They
"desire not the knowledge of his ways." They say
to
God—"Depart from us" (Job, xxi. 14); God, therefore,
will
say to them, "Depart from me." (Matt. vii. 23; xxv.
41.)
They say to Christ, "We will not have this man to
reign
over us;" He will say of them, "Those mine ene-
mies,
that would not I should reign over them, bring
hither,
and slay them before me." (Luke, xix. 14, 27.) It
is
not then so much God that punishes them, as they that
punish
themselves. Their own sin—the necessity of the
case—punishes
them. They "will not come to Christ,
that
they might have life" (John, v. 40): "so that they
are
without excuse"—die they must. (Matt. xxiii. 37, 38.)
But who are the wicked? Alas! this is a melancholy
question,
as involving within its sphere so much that passes
for
amiable, virtuous, and lovely, in the estimation of the
world.
Not to speak of those, whose name is broadly
written
upon their foreheads; it includes "all that forget
God"
(Ps. ix. 17), however blameless their moral charac-
ter,
or their external Christian profession. It is deter-
mined
upon immutable authority—it is the decree of our
eternal
Judge—"If any man have not the Spirit of Christ,
he
is none of his" (Rom. viii. 9); and if none of his, then
it
follows in unavoidable consequence, that salvation
is far
from him.
Oh! could we but persuade such of their
awful state.
Oh!
could we awake them from their death-like, deadly
408 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
sleep
— slumbering on the brink of ruin! on the borders
of
hell! But they are closed up in their own self-esteem,
or
in the favourable comparison drawn between themselves
and
many around them; forgetting that the rule, by which
they
will be judged, is not the world's standard of moral
rectitude,
but the statutes of a holy, heart-searching God;
forgetting
too, that all may be decency without, while all
is
corruption within. Let them test their hearts by an
honest
and prayerful scrutiny of the statutes;
and while
they
must confess themselves guilty before God, a sense of
danger
would awaken the hearty cry for salvation (Acts,
xvi.
30) which would not then be far from them.
(See Ps.
lxxxv.
9.) For "the Lord is nigh unto all them that call
upon
him, to all that call upon him in truth. He will
fulfil
the desire of them that fear him; he also will hear
their
cry, and will save them." (Ps.
cxlv. 18, 19.)
O thou Almighty Spirit, whose power is
alone able to
"turn
the hearts of the disobedient to the wisdom of the
just"
(Luke, i. 17), "raise up thy power, and come among
us;"
"rend the heavens, and come down" (Isa. lxiv. 1);
rend
the hearts of sinners, of the ungodly, the moral, the
naturally
amiable, the self-righteous. "Fill their faces
with
shame, that they may seek thy name, O Lord." (Ps.
lxxxiii.
16.)
156.
Great are thy tender mercies, O Lord;
quicken me ac-
cording to thy
judgments.
It is most cheering to pass from judgment
to mercy—
from
the awful state of the wicked, to
adore the mercies of
God to his own people. We
were naturally no better than
they.
The most eminent saved sinner looks on himself
with
wonder—"Is not this a brand plucked out of the
fire?"
(Zech. iii. 2.) Never will he lose the remembrance
—"Who
maketh thee to differ?" (1 Cor. iv. 7.) To mercy
VERSE 156. 409
—
rich mercy alone—we trace the distinction between those
that
are "quickened," and those that remain "dead in tres-
passes
and sins." (Eph. ii. 1, 4, 5.)
But let us mark the features of this mercy. How great
in
extent! Estimate its greatness by the
infinite debt
which
it blots out (Isa. xliii. 22-25; i. 18) —the eternal
ruin
from which it saves (Ps. lxxxvi. 13)—the heavenly
crown
to which it raises. (Rev. i. 5, 6.) Trace it to the
mind
of God—that first eternal purpose of mercy, which
set
us apart for his glory. (Eph. i. 4-6.) Mark it in that
"time
of love," when his mercy rescued
us from Satan, sin,
death,
and hell, and drew us to himself. (Ezek. xvi. 6-8.)
As
soon might we span the arch of heaven, as fully grasp
the
greatness of his mercy. (Ps. ciii.
11. Isa. lv. 8, 9.) And
then
how tender is it in its exercise!
Such was the first
beam
of mercy that "visited us." (Luke, i. 78.) Such has
been
the continued display. So natural, as from a Father.
(2
Cor. i. 3. Ps. ciii. 13.) So yearning, "as one whom his
mother
comforteth!" (Is. lxvi. 13.) Such a multitude of
those
tender mercies! The overflowing
stream follows us
through
every step of our wilderness-journey. The blessing
"compasses
us about," abounds towards us, keeps us sted-
fast,
or restores us when wandering, and will preserve us
to
the end. Happy are we—not in the general perception
—not
in the hearsay report (John, iv. 42)— but in the
experimental
enjoyment of it. "Bless the Lord, O my
soul,
and all that is within me, bless his holy name." (Ps.
ciii.
1-3.) But what poor returns have we made for this
infinite
love! Surely the petition for quickening
grace suits
us
well. This was the constant burden of David's prayer.
For
he was not like many professors, who can maintain
their
assurance in a lower and careless walk. No, he was
a
believer of a very high standard; desirous not only of
proving
his title to the blessing, but of living in its habitual
and
active enjoyment.
410 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
Often as this petition has been brought
before us, in
the
course of this Psalm, it is too important ever to be
passed
over. Let us at this time use it for the purpose of
individual
self-inquiry. In what respects do I need quick-
ening grace? Are my views of
sin, and especially of the
sin
of my own heart, slight and superficial? Do they fail
in
producing humility, abasement, tenderness of conscience,
circumspection
of conduct? If it be so— Quicken me, O
my God! Does my apprehension
of a Saviour's love serve
to
embitter sin to me? to crucify sin in me, to warm and
enliven
my heart with love to him, and zeal in his service?
If
I am convicted of coldness to such a Saviour, and slug-
gishness
in such a service, I need to pray— O
Lord,
quicken me! And how do I find it
with regard to prayer
itself?
Are not my prayers general— unfrequent — wan-
dering?
Is not my service too often constrained, a
forced
duty, rather than a privilege and delight? O
Lord,
quicken me!
Yet many Christians, through a mistaken
perception,
know
not when they have received the blessing. They
have
looked for it in strong and sensible excitement; and
in
defect of this they sink into despondency. Whereas the
solid
influence is independent of sensations, and consists in
a
tender sensibility of sin, a spiritual appetite for the gospel,
active
energy in Christian duties, and continual progress in
heavenly
exercises. But under no circumstances must the
evil
of a dead and drooping state be lightly thought of;
obscuring
as it does the difference between the believer and
the
worldling, or rather between the believer and the form-
alist.
O believer, you have great need to carry your com-
plaint
again and again unto the Lord! 'Quicken
me —
quicken me—according to
thy judgments—according
to those
gracious
promises, which are the method of thy proceedings,
and
the rule of thy dispensations of grace.' You cannot
be
too earnest to welcome the breathings of the Spirit, or
VERSE
157. 411
too cautious, that your indolence resists not his Divine
impression.
When he quickens you with his influence, do
you
quicken him with your supplications—"Awake,
O north
wind; and come, thou
south: blow upon my garden, that the
spices thereof may flow
out."
(Cant. iv. 16.) Persuade — en-
treat—constrain
his stay. Enlivened by his energy, how
happy,
and in your own sphere how useful, a member of the
Church
of Christ you may be found! Your soul will be
invigorated—your
graces strengthened—and your affec-
tions
elevated—in humble, cheerful, steady dependence
upon
the Saviour, and in daily renewed devotedness to his
service.
The more the spiritual life is thus "exercised
unto
godliness, the more delightfully will you realise the
active
service and everlasting praise, which will constitute
the
perfection of heavenly enjoyment." (Rev. xxii. 3, 4;
iv.
8.)
157.
Many are my persecutors and mine enemies;
yet do I not
decline from thy
testimonies.
David's experience is common to us all. Many, indeed,
are our persecutors and
enemies.
This is a solemn cost. Let
those
who are setting out in the Christian course count it
well. From neglect of our Lord’s rule of Scriptural
cal-
culation
(Luke, xiv. 28-33), many seem to begin well;
but
they have been "hindered" (Gal. v. 7; iii. 3)—they
turn
back; they are zealous but inconsiderate; warm-
hearted,
but ignorant of themselves, their work, and their
resources.
They were allured at first, perhaps, by an in-
terest
in the Gospel—some delusive excitement of love to
the
Saviour —the picture of the paths of "pleasantness
and
peace" (Prov. iii. 17), or the joys of heaven. The
cross
was out of sight, and out of mind. But this promise
of
ease and happiness was no less foolish and unwarrant-
able,
than that of a soldier, utterly forgetful of his profes-
412 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
sion,
and who should promise himself peace at the very
time
that he was called out to the wars. Surely, if like
God's
ancient people, we begin our road in sunshine, it is
well
to be provided against the storms, which will soon
overtake
us. (Exod. xv. 1 xvi. 1-3.) We would say
therefore
to all — specially to sanguine beginners — Let
your
course be commenced with serious consideration, and
zealous
self-scrutiny. Beware of hasty determinations.
See
to it, that your resources are drawn, not from your
own
resolutions, or from the sincerity and ardour of your
love;
but from the fulness that is treasured up in Jesus
for
your present distress. Feel every step of your way by
the
light of the sacred word. If you expect Christian con-
sistency
to command the esteem of an ungodly world, you
have
forgotten both your Master's word and example (John,
xv.
20); and you will soon be ready to exclaim—Many
are my persecutors, and
mine enemies.
For if their hostility
is
not always active, the enmity "is not dead, but sleep-
eth."
If, however, their unexpected surprisals and inve-
teracy
should daunt you in the conflict, you are again
forgetting
the word of cheering support in the most awful
crisis—"My grace is sufficient for thee; for my
strength is
made perfect in weakness." (2 Cor. xii. 9.)
Thus the word
of
God will be "the armour of righteousness on the right
hand
and on the left." (2 Cor. vi. 7.) Presumption is cast
down,
self-confidence is humbled, and the trembling sim-
plicity
of dependence upon an Almighty arm is upheld and
honoured.
Count then upon the difficulties that beset
the heavenly
path.
You will never pluck the Rose of Sharon, if you are
afraid
of being pricked by the thorns which surround it.
You
will never reach the crown, if you flinch from the
cross
in the way to it. Oh! think of the honour of bear-
ing
this cross. It is conformity to the Son of God. Let
the
mind be deeply imbued with the remembrance of his
VERSE
157. 413
daily
cross of suffering and reproach; and we shall gladly
"go forth without the camp, bearing his
reproach," yea—even
"rejoicing, if we are counted worthy to
suffer shame" (Heb.
xiii.
13. Acts, v. 41) with him and for him. Indeed, what
is
our love, if we will not take up a cross for him? How
can
we be his followers, without his cross? (See Matt. xvi.
24.)
How can we be Christians, if we are not confessors
of
Christ before a world that despises his Gospel?
But a steady, consistent profession is no
matter of
course.
The crown is not easily won. Many are our
per-
secutors, and our
enemies.
Persecution, to the false pro-
fessor,
is an occasion of apostasy (Matt. xiii. 20, 21); to the
faithful
servant of Christ, it is the trial of his faith (1 Pet.
i.
6, 7), the source of his richest consolations (Matt. v. 10-
12.
Acts, xiii. 50-52. 1 Pet. iv. 12-16), the guard of his
profession
(Matt. x. 16. Phil. ii. 14-16), and the strength
of
his perseverance. (Acts, xx. 22-24.) It drives him to
his
God. He casts himself upon his Saviour for immediate
refuge
and support; and the quickening
influence, which he
had
just been seeking, enables him to say—Yet
do I not
decline from thy
testimonies.
Thus did the great Apostle, at
the
time, when his persecutors were many,
and human help
even
from his friends had failed him, maintain an unshaken
confidence
in the service of his God—"At my first answer"
—he
tells us —"no man stood with me, but all men for-
sook
me. Notwithstanding, the Lord stood with
me, and
strengthened me." (2 Tim. iv. 16,
17.) David himself often
acknowledged
the same principle of perseverance under
similar
trials —"Lord, how are they increased that trouble
me!
Many are they that rise up against me. Many
there
be, which say of my soul, There is no help for him in
God.
But Thou, O Lord, art a shield for me; my
glory, and
the lifter-up of my
head. O God the Lord, the strength of my
salvation, thou hast
covered my head in the day of battle."
(Ps.
iii. 1-3; cxl. 7.)
414 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
But have we never taken a devious path in declining
from the Lord's
testimonies,
to escape the appointed cross?
Do
we never shrink from "the voice of him that reproacheth"
and
blasphemeth, by reason of the enemy and the avenger?
Can
we always in the integrity of our heart appeal to an
Omniscient
God—"All this is come upon us; yet
have we
not forgotten thee,
neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant;
our heart is not turned
back, neither have our steps declined
from thy way: though
thou hast sore broken us in the place of
dragons, and covered us
with the shadow of death?" (Ps. xliv.
16-19.)
This profession is not the foolish confidence of
boasting;
but the fulfilment of the covenant promise—"I
will
put my fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart
from
me." (Jer. xxxii. 40.) So beautifully does the pro-
mise
of perseverance connect itself with the duty of per-
severing!
And so clearly in this, as in every other way,
does
the "wrath of man" ("howbeit he meaneth not so,
neither
doth his heart think so") "praise God." (Comp.
Isa.
x. 7, with Ps. lxxvi. 10.) How glorious is the display
of
the power of his grace in the constancy of his people! like
the
rocks in the ocean, immoveable amidst the fury of the
waves;
like the trees of the forest, "rooted and stablished"
by
every shaking of the tempest! Must not the world, in
witnessing
the total defeat of their enmity against the Lord's
people
(or rather its eventual results in their increased
prosperity),
be constrained to confess to the honour of God,
"Surely there is no enchantment against
Jacob, neither is there
any divination against
Israel: according to this time it shall
be said of Jacob and of
Israel—What hath God wrought!"
(Num.
xxiii. 23.)
158.
I beheld the transgressors, and was
grieved; because they
kept not thy
word.
We shall not tire in listening to this
repeated expres-
VERSE
158. 415
sion
(Comp. Verses 53, 136) of the Psalmist's tenderness
for
the honour of God. No trouble from his many
perse-
cutors and enemies came so near to his
heart, as the sight
of
the dishonour and contempt of God's word. The glory
of
God was dearer to him than life. O that every recol-
lection
of this tried servant of God might deepen the special
mark
of acceptance (See Ezek. ix. 4-6) upon our too cold
and
indifferent hearts! Our joys and sorrows are the pulse
of
the soul. A fellowship with the joys of angels over re-
penting
sinners (Luke, xv. 10) will be accompanied with
bitterness
of godly sorrow over the hardness and impeni-
tency
of those, who keep not the word of God.
But even here we need much and earnest
prayer, in order
to
obtain a clear perception of our real principles. Sin is so
subtle
in its nature and workings, that it insinuates itself
into
our holiest desires, and often so far interweaves itself
into
the graces of the Spirit, as greatly to mar their beauty,
and
obstruct their operations. How often is zeal for the
honour
of God mingled with the unhallowed fire of our own
spirit!
(See Luke, ix. 54, 55.) True zeal is indeed a pre-
cious
fruit of the Spirit. Its other name is love —active,
self-denying,
compassionate love for sinners. 'Let me
never
fancy I have zeal' —said a Christian of a
very high order—
'till my heart overflows with love to every
man living'* If then
we
are really under its holy influence, we shall lose no oppor-
tunity
of active exertions on behalf of wretched transgressors:
and
the limits of our zeal will be only the limits of a fallen
world.
Especially within our own sphere shall we employ
all
our labours and pains to stem the tide of unrighteous-
ness
—"saying unto the fools—deal not foolishly —How
long,
ye simple ones, will ye love simplicity? Turn ye,
turn
ye, why will ye die?" (Ps. lxxv. 4. Prov. i. 22. Ezek.
xxxiii.
11.)
* Martyn’s
Life, p. 192.
416 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
But the fervency of zeal will express
itself in something
more
difficult than personal service. We can often warn
and
plead with transgressors, when we are sinfully back-
ward
in sending up sighs and cries on their behalf; and in
presenting
these poor lepers by faith to that great and good
Physician,
whose "power present to heal" (Luke, v. 17)
has
been so abundantly manifested. This is indeed zeal of
rare
attainment through our own unbelief. But it brings
its
own rich blessing to the soul; because it is the zeal of
the
compassionate Jesus who, though he looked round on
sinners
with anger, "being grieved for
the hardness of their
hearts"
(Mark, iii. 5), did not forget to plead on their be-
half
— "Father, forgive them; for they
know not what they
do." (Luke, xxiii.
34.) It was the zeal and love of him,
who
so identified his Father's interest with his own, that he
endured
the reproaches cast upon him in his bosom, (Ps.
lxix.
9, 20, with Rom. xv. 3.) And should not the mem-
bers
feel, when the Head is wounded? Should not we con-
sider
every dishonour done to Jesus as a shaft piercing our
own
breast? Can we bear to behold all
around us united in
a
conspiracy against the honour, and—if it were possible—
against
the life, of our dearest friend and benefactor, and not
be
painfully grieved?* Yet genuine grief must begin with
our
own heart—"all of us mourning, every one for his ini-
quity."
(Ezek. vii. 16.) The wickedness of others will stir
up
the conviction within our own conscience —"I do re-
member
my faults this day." (Gen. xli. 9.) And when once
we
begin the enumeration, where shall we end? Who
can
understand his errors?
Cleanse thou me from secret faults.
* Celerinus, in Cyprian's Epistles,
acquaints a friend with his
great
grief for the apostasy of a woman through fear of persecution,
which
afflicted him so much, that at the feast of Easter (the queen
of
feasts in the Primitive Church) he wept night and day, and
resolved
never to know a moment's delight, till, through the mercy
of
God, she should be recovered.
VERSE
159. 417
Enter not into judgment
with thy servant."
(Ps. xix. 12;
cxliii.
2.)
159.
Consider how I love thy precepts; quicken
me, O Lord,
according to thy loving-kindness.
Love
for the precepts, such as this Psalm describes, is a
distinguishing
characteristic of a child of God. The
trans-
gressors neither love the precepts, nor desire quickening grace
to
keep them. For though "not grievous" (1 John, v. 3)
in
themselves, they are too strict, too humbling for the un-
renewed,
proud, worldly heart. (Comp. Jer. vi. 10.) Love
therefore
to them—not being the growth of the natural
man
— must be "a plant which our heavenly Father hath
planted,"
a witness of the Spirit of adoption, and the prin-
ciple
of Christian devotedness. And how encouraging is
the
recollection of the Lord's readiness to consider
how we
love his precepts! "I know Abraham, that he will command
his
children and his household after him, and they shall keep
the
way of the Lord, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham
that
which he hath spoken of him." (Gen. xviii. 19.) Thus
also
did he challenge "the accuser of the brethren," to "con-
sider his servant Job, that
there is none like him in the
earth,
a perfect and an upright man, one that feareth God,
and
eschewed evil." (Job, i. 8.)
But while love of the precepts realizes the full confidence
of
the Lord's consideration, the
consciousness of its imper-
fection
and scanty measure will always prevent us from
urging
it as the ground of acceptance. Christian! you
know
not — or at least you allow not — the proud boast
"God,
I thank thee, that I am not as other men are."
(Luke, xviii. 11.) No, rather—your constant
cry to the
end
is — Quicken me. Your plea is not merit, but mercy.
Not
that you deserve to be helped—because you
love the pre-
cepts: but you desire and
trust to be helped—according to
418 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
thy loving-kindness. And what must be the loving-kindness
of
a God of infinite love! Only do not sit still, and wait for
the
breezes of his love. Rather call to the "north wind to
awake,
and to the south wind to blow" (Cant. iv. 16), to fill
your
sails, and urge you on. God—his word, his works, his
perfections,
his holiness; Jesus —his pity, his love, his grace
—is
your delight, your chief delight; yet how infinitely is it
below
the scriptural standard of privilege, attainment, and
expectation!
Under the painful influence of straitened
desires and
heartless
affections, how refreshing is it to mark the springs
of
life flowing from the loving-kindness of
the Lord! Yes,
indeed
—he is the overflowing spring of his church. Every
mercy
is his grace. Every holy suggestion is his influence.
Even
the passing thought that our Christian progress pro-
ceeds
from our own resources, opens the door of fearful de-
parture
from God. And yet such is the self-deceitfulness of
the
heart, that, in the very act of professing to "rejoice in
Christ
Jesus," the Omniscient eye traces a "confidence in
the
flesh." (Philip. iii. 3.) The real
dependence is on the
mountain
that stands strong," not on "the favour that
makes"
it so. (Ps. xxx. 7.) Even our first father, in his
original
unimpaired strength, could "not quicken
his own
soul."
(Ps. xxii. 29.) Can we wonder that the fallen nature,
even
though partially upheld by Divine power, is changeable
and
unstable? The most advanced Christian needs the
supply
to the end, as much as he did in his first stage of
infantine
weakness. And will he not continue to need it
throughout
eternity, in every exercise of adoring service, as
well
as for his active existence?
But when we ask for this quickening, are we expecting,
as
we ought to be, a large answer to our prayer? (Ps. lxxxi.
10.)
Or are we "limiting" our God (Ib. lxxviii. 41), by
the
scanty apprehensions of our poor faith? Remember he
is
glorified—not in possessing, but in dispensing his gifts.
VERSE
160. 419
(John,
xvi. 13.) If we really expect his blessing, can we
be
satisfied without it? It is not our unworthiness, but our
unbelief,
that stops the current. (Matt. xiii. 58. Mark, vi.
5.)
Would that we gave him full credit for his exuberant
flow
of free, rich, ceaseless mercy!
Blessed Jesus! we plead thy promise to be filled. (Matt.
v.
6.) We have life from thee; but give it us "more abund-
antly" (John, x. 10)—as
much as these houses of clay—
as
much as these earthen vessels — can contain. Our taste
of
thy love, and our knowledge of its unbounded fulness,
encourage
our plea to ask thee still for more — Quicken
us
according to thy
loving-kindness.
Often as the Psalmist had
repeated
this prayer for quickening grace,* it was not a
"vain repetition." (Comp. Matt. vi.
7.) Each time was it
enlivened
with faith, feeling of necessity, and ardent affec-
tion:
and should we, in the consciousness of our weakness
and
coldness, offer it a hundred times a-day, it would never
fail
of acceptance.
160.
Thy word is true from the beginning: and
every one of
thy righteous judgments endureth
for ever.
The "loving-kindness and the truth of God" were two
heavenly
notes, on which "the sweet Psalmist of Israel"
loved
to dwell†—his "loving-kindness"
in giving, and his
"truth" in fulfilling—his gracious
promises. Indeed the
displays
of his truth—whether to his Church collectively,
*Nine times is this petition urged, verses
25, 37, 40, 88, 107,
149,
154, 150, 159.
†See his character described —"Good and upright is the Lord,"
Ps.
xxv. 8—and mark these perfections pleaded in their combined
connexion
with his purposes of grace—"Thou wilt perform the
truth to Jacob, and the
mercy to Abraham"—"mercy" in the original
grant
—"truth" in the subsequent
ratification and performance.
Mic.
vii. 20. Comp. Luke, i. 72, 73.
420 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
or
to his people individually—have always been every way
worthy
of himself. Often has his word seemed on the eve
of
being falsified, clearly with the design of a brighter and
more
striking display of its faithfulness. The very night
previous
to the close of the four hundred and thirty years,
Israel
was, to all human appearances, as far from deliver-
ance
as at any former period. But "the vision was for an
appointed
time" (Hab. ii. 3): nothing could hasten, nothing
could
delay it; for "it came to pass at
the end of the four hun-
dred and thirty years,
even the self-same day it came to pass,
that
all the hosts of the Lord went out from the land of
Egypt."
(Exod. xii. 41.) At a subsequent period, the family
of
David appeared upon the point of extinction; and it
seemed
as if the promise of God would fall to the ground.
But
to exhibit the word of God (Comp. 2
Sam. vii. 16), as
true from the beginning, a providential, and
almost a miracu-
lous,
interference was manifested. When Athaliah destroyed
all
the seed-royal of the house of Judah, Joash was stolen
away,
put under a nurse, hid in the house of the Lord six
years,
and in God's appointed time brought forth to the
people
as the fulfilment of the express promise
of God—"Be-
hold! the king’s son
shall reign, as the Lord had said of the
sons of David." (2 Chron. xxii.
10-12; xxiii. 3.) "Whoso
is
wise, and will observe these things, even they shall under-
stand
the loving-kindness of the Lord." (Ps. cvii. 43.)
And thus have many of his own people been
tempted in
seasons
of despondency to "charge God foolishly." (Job,
i.
22.) But who of them has not afterwards, in some un-
expected
deliverance, "set to his seal"— Thy
word is true
from, the beginning? (Gen. xlii. 36, with
xlviii. 15, 16.)
"The
Lord shall judge his people, and repent himself for
his
servants, when he seeth that their power
is gone, and there
is none shut up or left." (Deut. xxxii.
36. Comp. 2 Kings,
xiv.
26, 27.) And how do these recollections put to shame
the
suggestions of unbelief, and strengthen our confidence
VERSE
160. 421
in
the prospect, or even in the present endurance, of "mani-
fold
temptations!"
The full acknowledgment of the truths of
God's word is
the
ground of all our peace and comfort. The believing
reception
of the testimony opens to us a free access to God.
(Eph.
iii. 12.) We stand before him self-condemned, and yet
we
believe that "there is no condemnation." (Rom. iii. 19;
viii.
1.) "The Spirit beareth witness" to and "with our
spirits,"
that "this God is our God for ever and ever"—
unto
death" (Rom. viii. 16. Ps. xlviii. 14), in death (Ps.
lxxiii.
26), and through eternity. (Rev. xxi. 3.) In this
simplicity
of rest upon the testimony, we go to our God, like
Abraham,
in sensible helplessness, but in assured confidence,
"strong
in faith, giving glory to God." (Rom. iv. 19, 20.)
Many,
however, have been so used to indulge the pride
of
their own reasonings, that they scarcely know how to read
the
Book of God without cavilling. If they believe while it
is
in their hands, they are not prepared to give a reason of
their
faith. They have ventured into conflict with the
enemy
with unproved armour, and so have been shaken and
troubled.
Or perhaps their faith does not reach the
whole tes-
timony: and therefore, being
partial only it is not genuine.
For
if we do not give full credence to all, we do not give
true
credence to any. We do not receive it on the authority
of
God, but only so far as our reasoning can explain it, or
our
will may approve it. What need then have we to pray
for
a teachable simplicity of faith—not asking— 'What
thinkest
thou?' but —"How readest thou?"
In this spirit
we
shall hold our anchor on solid ground; and should we
again
be "tossed with the tempest," we shall look to him,
who
stilleth the storm, and there shall be "a great calm."
(Mark,
iv. 39.) Confidence simply built upon the word of
God,
will endure the storms of earth and hell.
Yet we may loosely believe all, while we
practically be-
422 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
lieve
none. The generalities of truth have no influence
without
an individual application. The summary look of
acquiescence
will miss all the solid blessings of a reverential
and
experimental faith. But to find— as the woman of
Samaria
found— that 'it is all true,' — because it answers
to
our convictions, our wants, and our feelings (John, iv. 29)
to
know that the promises are true, because they have been
fulfilled
in us—this is tasting, feeling, handling— this is
indeed
blessedness— this makes the word unspeakably pre-
cious
to us —"a treasure to be desired." (Prov. xxi. 20.)
To
have the witness in ourselves that "we have not followed
cunningly
devised fables," but that it is "a faithful saying,
and
worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into
the
world to save sinners " (1 Tim. i. 15) — this is indeed
"life
from the dead." Oh! how should we seek thus to
receive
the word "with much assurance!" (1 Thess. i. 5.)
The
Israelites were not satisfied with inquiring respecting
the
manna —"What is this?" (Exod. xvi. 15, margin), or
with
discovering that it had descended from heaven; but
they
gathered it each for himself, and fed upon it as their
daily
bread. Nor will it be of any avail to us to prove be-
yond
contradiction, and to acknowledge with the fullest
assurance,
the truth of God's word, unless we thus embrace
it,
and live upon it as our heavenly portion. Faith alone
can
give this spiritual apprehension—"He
that believeth,
hath the witness in
himself."
(1 John, v. 10.) But if the word
be
the truth of God from the beginning,
it must be eternal
truth
in its character and its results; like its Great Author
in
every particular— enduring for ever.
"For ever, O Lord,
Thy word is settled in
heaven; thy faithfulness is unto all gene-
rations." (Verses 89, 90.)
Here is the rock of my confidence.
How
could I rest my hope on any salvation, that did not
proceed
from the primary, unchangeable, eternal mind?
What
assurance could I have elsewhere, that the grand plan
VERSE
160. 423
might
not be defeated by some unexpected combination?
Whereas
every act of reliance in his faithfulness establishes
more
firmly his title to my confidence, and strengthens the
soul
into a habit of intelligent, vigorous faith.
Lord! give unto us that "precious
faith," which makes
the
acknowledgment of the truth of thy word
from the begin-
ning, and its endurance for ever, the spring of
continual life
and
consolation to our souls.
424 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
PART XXI.
161.
Princes have persecuted me without a
cause: but my heart
standeth in awe of thy
word.
So contrary are the principles of God and
the world!
God
chastens his people for their sin (Isa. xxvii. 9); the
world
persecutes them for their godliness. (John, xv. 19.)
So
it has been from the beginning (Gal. iv. 29), and will
continue
to the end. (2 Tim. iii. 12.) David had before
mentioned
his persecutors as many. (Verse 157.)
Now he
tells
us, that they were, like those of David's Lord, the
princes of the earth. (Verse 23.
1 Sam. xviii. 8, 28, 29, with
Ps.
ii. 2. 1 Cor. ii. 8.) In both cases, however, was it con-
fessedly
without cause. (1 Sam. xxiv. 17; xxvi. 21. John,
xv.
25. Matt. xxvi. 59, 60. Comp. Dan. vi. 4, 5.) Had it
been
with cause, it would have been his
shame. (Verse 39.
1
Pet. ii. 20; iii. 17; iv. 15.) Now it was his glory. (Verse
46.
2 Sam. vi. 22. Matt. v. 10-12. 1 Pet. iv. 14.) In the
former
case it would have been his own —here it was his
Master's
— cross.
His awe
of God's word was the gracious restraint to his
own
spirit. (1 Sam. xxiv. 6.) And this godly fear has always
marked
the people of God. Witness Joseph (Gen. xxxix. 9),
Moses
(Heb. xi. 27), Nehemiah (Neh. v. 15), and the Jews
(Ezra,
ix. 4; x. 3), and the three Babylonish captives.
(Dan.
iii. 16-18.) Josiah also obtained a special mark of
acceptance.
(2 Chron. xxxiv. 26, 27.) For the man "that
trembleth at God's word," whether he be
found on the throne
VERSE
161. 425
or
on the dunghill, is the man, "to whom the Lord will
look."
(Isa. lxvi. 2.) And certainly where, as with David,
the
wrath of princes and the wrath of God
are weighed
against
each other; who can doubt, but that it is better to
incur
the persecution of men by a decided adherence to the
word
of God, than the wrath of God by declining from it?
Our Saviour, "knowing what was in
man," had clearly
fore-warned
and fore-armed his disciples against these diffi-
culties.
(Luke, xii. 11, 12.) The trial at the first onset
proved
too hard for them; Peter's heart stood in
awe of the
persecuting princes, and in a moment of
temptation he dis-
owned
his Master (Matt. xxvi. 69-75): but when "the
Spirit
of power" (2 Tim. i. 7) was poured from on high,
such
was the holy awe, in which himself
and his brethren
stood of God's word, that they declared, in
the face of the
whole
council—"Whether it be right in the sight of God
to
hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. We
ought
to obey God rather than men." (Acts, iv. 19, 20;
v.
39.) 'I fear God,'— Colonel Gardiner used to say—
'and
I have nothing else to fear.'
Indeed the spirit of adoption—the
Christian's distin-
guishing
character and privilege—produces an awe
of God;
a
dread of sinning against the tenderest Father, of grieving
the
dearest Friend. And this awe of God
will naturally
extend
to his word; so that we shall be more
tenderly afraid
of
disregarding its dictates, than the most faithful subject
of
breaking the law of his beloved Sovereign. There is no-
thing
slavish or legal in this fear. It is the freedom and
the
holiness of the Gospel, the very soul of religion; the
best
preservative of our joys and privileges; and the best
evidence
of their scriptural character. We shall find, with
David,
this principle a valuable safeguard against the richest
allurements,
or the more powerful reproach of men, to go
"beyond
the word of the Lord to do less or more." (Numb.
xxii.
18.)
426 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
But what must be the state of that heart,
where the
word
of the great God—the Creator and Judge of the earth
—commands
no reverence! Could the sinner hear a voice
from
heaven, addressed distinctly to himself, would he dare
to
reject it? Yet "we have a more sure word, whereunto
we
do well that we take heed" (2 Pet. i. 19); that we re-
ceive
it with silent awe, bow before it with the most un-
limited
subjection, and yield ourselves entirely to its holy
influence.
But if it does not stand infinitely higher in our
estimation
than all—even the best—books of man,
we have
no
just perception of its value, nor can we expect any com-
munication
of its treasures to our hearts. The holiness of
God
is stamped upon its every sentence.* Let us then
cherish
an awe of his word—"receiving
it"—not as a com-
mon
book, "not as the word of men, but as it is in truth,
the
word of God" (1 Thess. ii. 13), in the true spirit of Cor-
nelius
and his company —"Now therefore are we all here
present
before God, to hear all things that are commanded
thee
of God."†
*The Jews' frontispiece to their great
Bible is Jacob's ex-
pression
of fear and astonishment upon his vision of God at Bethel
—"How
dreadful is this place! This is none other but the house
of
God, and this is the gate of heaven!" 'So ought we,'—as Dr.
Owen
remarks upon this—'to look upon the word with a holy awe
and
reverence of the presence of God in it.'
'I would advise you all, that come to the
reading or hearing of
this
book, which is the word of God, the most precious jewel, and
most
holy relic that remained upon earth, that ye bring with
you
the fear of God, and that ye do it with all due reverence, and
use
your knowledge thereof, not to vain glory of frivolous disputa-
tion,
but to the honour of God, increase of virtue, and edification
both
of yourselves and others.'— Cranmer’s
Judgment of Scripture,
p.
20.
†Acts, x. 33. On this particular, a hint
from a heathen may
not
be unworthy of our remark. "Ehud said to Eglon, I have a
message
from God unto thee. And he arose out of
his seat." Judg.
iii.
20.
VERSE
162. 427
162.
I rejoice at thy word, as one that
findeth great spoil.
The awe
in which we should stand of God's word, so
far
from hindering our delight in it, is, as we have just
hinted,
the most suitable preparation for its most happy
enjoyment.
(Ps. cxii. 1. Acts, ix. 31.) In receiving every
word
of it as the condescending message from him, before
whom
angels veil their faces, we shall rejoice
at it, as one
that findeth great spoil. Often had David found great spoil in
his
many wars;* but never had his greatest victories
brought
him such rich spoil, as he had now
discovered in
the
word of God. The joy in this treasure
(like that of the
church
at the advent of Christ (Isa. ix. 3), described by this
figure)
evidently implied no common delight. If then the
saints
of old could so largely enrich their souls from their
scanty
portion of the word; must not we, who are favoured
with
the entire revelation of God, acknowledge — "The lines
are
fallen unto us in pleasant places; yea, we have a goodly
heritage?"
(Ps. xvi. 6.)
This expressive image may remind us, that
the spoils of
this precious word are not to be gained
without conflict:
Here
"the kingdom of heaven suffereth violence." Our na-
tural
taste and temper revolt from the word.
Our indolence
indisposes
for the necessary habitual effort of prayer, self-
denial,
and faith. But still "the violent do
take the king-
dom
by force." (Matt. xi. 12.) No pains are lost—no
struggle
is ineffectual. What great spoil is
divided as the
fruit
of the conflict! What abundant recompense is in re-
serve
for the "good soldier of Jesus Christ," who is deter-
mined,
in Divine strength, to "endure hardness" (2 Tim.
ii.
3), until he overcomes the reluctance of his heart for the
* At Ziklag―1 Sam. xxx.19, 26-31.
From the children of
Ammon―2
Sam. xii. 30
428 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
spiritual
duty? It is not a sudden flash, or impression upon
the
imagination; but the conqueror's joy in spoiling the field
of
conflict — solid and enriching. Sometimes indeed (as in
the
Syrian camp, 2 Kings, vii. 8), we find
the spoil unexpect-
edly.
Sometimes we see the treasure long before we can
make
it our own. And when we gird ourselves to the con-
flict,
paralyzed by the weakness of our spiritual perceptions
and
the power of unbelief; many a prayer, and many a sigh,
is
sent up for Divine aid, before we are crowned with vic-
tory,
and as the fruit of our conquest, joyfully appropriate
the
word to our present distress.
But from a cursory, superficial reading of
the word of
God,
no such fruit can be anticipated. When therefore the
flesh
or the world have deadened our delight, and taken
from
us this great spoil, should we not
arm ourselves for
repossession
of it? Should we be unaffected by our loss?
Oh,
then, since there are such treasures found and enjoyed
in
this field of conflict, let us not lose our interest in them
by
the indulgence of presumption, heartlessness, or despon-
dency.
Before we attempt to read, let us cry to the Lord,
under
the sense of utter helplessness to perform one spiritual
act,
for his powerful help and Almighty teaching. Then
we
shall persevere with unconquerable and unwearied vigour,
and
not fail to share in the blessed spoil of victory, views of
a
Saviour's dying love—an interest in the precious bless-
ings
of the cross —great spoil—"unsearchable
riches."
(Eph.
iii. 8.)
163.
I hate and abhor lying: but thy law do I
love.
We can neither stand in awe of God's word, nor re-
joice at it, unless we abhor all contrary ways. And here
lies
the spiritual conflict. For so opposed are our natural
affections
to the character and will of God, that we love
what
God hates, and we hate what God loves. Our new
VERSE
163. 429
principle
and bias, however, as directly falls in with the
dictates
of God's law, as before we have revolted from it.
Lying is now hated and abhorred as contrary to "a
God
of
truth; "and the law is now loved, as the reflexion of his
image,
and the manifestation of his will. David had before
prayed
to have "lying ways removed from him,"
and a love
for
the law of God imparted. (See Verse 29.) His utter
detestation
shows, that these ways had been removed,
and a
renewed
inclination to the law granted to him.
To have avoided
lying, and to have practised the law,
might
have been sufficient for the regulation of his out-
ward
conduct. But his was the religion of
the heart—
not
meant only to control his actions; but to renew his
habits,
motions, tempers, and taste. He would not there-
fore
only refrain from lying, or manifest a disinclination
to
it — he must hate and abhor * it as hell itself. Nor
was
external conformity, or approval of the
law, his standard:
he
must love it. If sin was counted
common, fashionable,
venial,
profitable, or pleasant; if contempt was cast upon
the
law of God— this stopped him not. Every sin,
though
only a hair's breadth deviation from the rule, was
in
his eyes hateful, defiling, damning. He would "resist
unto blood, striving against
it." (Heb. xii. 4.) Every act,
desire,
and habit of conformity, with whatever shame it
might
be attended, was his delight. Such, Christian, should
be
our standard. Lord! humble us in the daily sense of
deviation
and defect. Vouchsafe to us larger desires,
growing
conformity to thy perfect rule.
Well had it been for Eve and for her
children, had she
*Under this hated and abhorred lying he intended to include
—not
only those more or less deviations from truth, of which he
had
himself been guilty (with Ahimelech, 1 Sam. xxi. 2—twice
with
Achish, 1 Sam. xxi. 13; xxvii. 10), but as before remarked,
whatever
in any shape, or degree, is inconsistent with the truth of
God.
Comp. on verse 29.
430 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
turned
from the tempter's lie with this strong determina-
tion.
(Gen. iii. 4-6.) But—"Ye shall not
surely die"
has
from that fatal moment been a most effectual instru-
ment
in captivating unwary souls. So plausible is it in
itself,
so agreeable to our natural inclinations, that it is
readily
cherished, even where the first contact with tempta-
tion
assures the wretched victims, that its "deceit is false-
hood." But they do not hate and abhor it: they do not flee
from
it, as a concern for the honour of God and their own
safety
would lead them; and therefore justly are they
"given
up to believe it" (2 Thess. ii. 11) as the fruit of
their
delusion, and the punishment of their unfaithfulness.
Oh!
if we are ever tempted by the flattery and allurements
of
the world, let us only mark the opposition of their
standard,
taste, maxims, and pursuits to the truth of God,
and
we shall turn away with hatred and
abhorrence.
The "overseers of the purchased flock"
(Acts, xx. 28)
of
Christ—yea, all "who earnestly contend for the faith
which
was once delivered unto the saints" (Jude, 3) will
anxiously
watch any deterioration of doctrine or principle
—
any deviation from the simplicity of the Gospel, and
brand
it as a lie. "I have not written unto you"— said
the
venerable Apostle, "because ye know
not the truth; but
because ye know it, and
that no lie is of the truth. Who is
a
liar, but he that denieth that Jesus is the Christ?"
(1
John, ii. 21, 22.) How does the great Apostle teach
us
to look at the adulteration of the
doctrine of grace before
referred
to (Page 367)—a system not of faith, but of fear
—not
of joy, but of slavish awe —not of confidence, but of
doubt—palsying
the springs of life: withering, blighting,
chilling
the glow of love; "entangling again the free-born
children
of God in a yoke of bondage!" (Gal. iv. 31; v. 1.)
The
champion of the faith would not tolerate it for a
moment.
(Gal. ii. 4, 5.) And he bids his people hate
and
abhor it, even though from an
angel's mouth, as the be-
VERSE
163. 431
guiling
lie of the great "corrupter"
of the church. (Gal. i.
8,
9, with 2 Cor. xi. 2-4.) Equally would he have us
abhor the licentious
abuse of the gospel
flowing from the same
source—"Shall
we continue in sin, that grace may
abound?
God forbid!" (Rom. vi. 1, 2.)
After all, however, this verse must include
an abhor-
rence of the literal sin of lying in all its forms. A lie is so
gross
a sin, that we might be disposed to spiritualize this
expression,
rather than to analyse some of the plausible
shapes,
in which the sin may be detected in our own pro-
fession.
Exaggeration, a false gloss, a slight deviation
(hardly
perceptible) from the straight line, excuses made
to
one another, which we durst not make to God, want
of
accuracy in relating what we hear—all these are
forms
of lying to be shunned, hated and abhorred by the
man,
who is really "walking in the light, and having fel-
lowship
with God" (1 John, i. 5-7), as much as the more
palpable
falsehoods, with which the world abounds, which
it
excuses, and even boasts of.
Believer! would you have your hatred and abhorrence
of
every kind of lying yet further deepened?
Would you
summon
every passion of the soul—"indignation, vehe-
ment
desire, zeal, revenge" (2 Cor. vii. 11)— against it?
Then
learn to abhor it, not only as your enemy, but as
God's.
(Comp. Ps. cxxxix. 21, 22.) Pray that the arrow
of
conviction may be dipped in the blood of Christ; and
then,
however deep and painful be the wound, it cannot
be
mortal. Mortal indeed it will be to the sin, but healing
to
the soul. Pray that your hatred of
sin may flow from a
sense
of reconciliation; for never will it be so perfect, as
when
you feel yourself sheltered from its everlasting curse.
(Compare
Ezek. xvi. 63; xx. 43.) To lie before your
Saviour
as his redeemed sinner, and to wash his feet with
your
tears of contrition, will be your highest and happiest
privilege
on this side heaven. In this spirit and daily
432 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
posture
you will most clearly manifest the inseparable con-
nexion
of hatred of lying ways with a love for the law of
God.
164.
Seven times a-day do I praise thee,
because of thy right-
eous
judgments.
David had just spoken of his fear, joy, hatred, and love.
He
now expresses his love in praise. And indeed it is the
mixture
of praise with prayer, that makes this Psalm so
complete
an exhibition of Christian experience. Early and
late,
and habitually throughout the day, have we seen this
man
of God "give himself to prayer."*
But his "spirit of
supplication,"
in strict conformity with the Apostolical
rule,
was ever mingled "with thanksgiving."† Indeed, self
love
— the sense of want—may prompt us to pray. But
love
to God is the spirit of praise. The neglect, therefore,
of
this service is robbing God, no less than ourselves. Not
that
he needs it, but that he deserves and desires it. Not
that
it brings any merit to us, but that it strengthens our
dependence,
and elevates our love. If then we feel it to
be
"good (Ps. xcii. 1), comely (Ps. xxxiii. 1), and pleasant"
(Ps.
cxxxv. 3; cxlvii. 1), it will be as needless to define its
frequency,
as to prescribe the limit of our service to a be-
loved
friend, to whom our obligations were daily increasing.
The
casuistry of love would answer all the entangling
scruples
of a bondage system. We should aim at living
in
praise (Ps. xxxiv. 1; lxxi. 8, 14. Luke, xxiv. 53), as the
element
of our souls, the atmosphere of our enjoyment, our
reward
more than our duty—that which identifies our
interest
with heaven, and forms our meetness for it.
Young
Christians indeed sometimes unwarily bring
*See on Verses 147, 148.
†Philip. iv. 6. Seven times. Comp. Prov. xxiv. 16.
VERSE 164. 433
themselves
into "bondage," in forcing their consciences to
a
frequency of set tithes for duty, interfering with present
obligations,
or pressing unduly upon the weakness of the
flesh.
Our rule of service, though not measured by our
indolence,
yet should be accommodated to those legitimate
daily
engagements, which, when "done as to
the Lord"
(Col.
iii. 23; Eph. vi. 7; v. 20. Heb. xiii. 15), form as real
and
necessary a part of our religion, as the more spiritual
sacrifices
of prayer and praise. To observe any particular
time
(beyond the Sabbath, and the "morning and evening
sacrifice")
because it is the time—however wearied
our spirits
may be, or however
immediate obligations may interfere—is to
forget
the weighty instruction of one well qualified to speak,
"Bodily exercise profiteth little"
(1 Tim. iv. 8). Rather
let
us "go, and learn what that meaneth—I
will have
mercy, and not sacrifice." (Hos. vi. 6,
with Matt. ix. 13;
xii.
7.) Growth in grace will, however, gradually mould
our
profession into habitual intercourse with God. As
our
views become more solid and settled, each duty of the
day
will find its proper place, our services will become more
free,
and our obedience more evangelical.
But the formalist considers seven times a-day—to be
an
infringement of the sacred canon—"Be
not righteous
overmuch." (Eccles. vii.
16.) He pays his customary service
twice
a-day; he says his prayers and his praises too; and
his
conscience slumbers again. And alas! there are times
of
slumber, when we little differ from him. Oh! let us be
alarmed
at every symptom of such a state, and "find no
rest
to our spirit," until we have regained some measure of
this
frame of hearty and overflowing praise. If there be a
heavenly
nature, there must be a heavenly work. Tongue
and
heart should be set on fire by love. Thus we will go
to
our work, whatever it may be, and sing at it.
But the Christian sometimes feels, that he
has no heart,
and—he
almost fears—no right to praise. Having no
434 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
sensible
token of love to call him forth, his harp "hangs
upon
the willows;" nor does he care to take it down, even
to
"sing one of the Lord's songs in this strange land."
(Ps.
cxxxvii. 2, 4.) But how many have found with Bunyan
—'When
I believe and sing, my doubting ceases!' "Meat
cometh
out of the eater,"— cheering rays out of the darkest
cloud.
Endeavour therefore to bring to mind some spiritual,
or
even temporal, mercies. Or, if recollection fails you,
open
your Bible; turn to some subject of praise, such as
the
song of the Angels at the birth of our Saviour (Luke,
ii.
13, 14), or the song of the Redeemed to the honour of
the
Lamb. (Rev. v. 12.) Have you no part or interest in
it?
Do you not need the Saviour? Can you be happy
without
Him? Then inquire, and feel, and try, whether
you
cannot give "thanks unto God for his unspeakable
gift."
(2 Cor. ix. 15.) Peradventure, your notes may rise
into
praise, and in the excitement of praise, prayer will
again
mingle itself with its wonted enjoyment. It is your
sinful
folly to yield to that continual depression, which
unfits
you for the exercise of your duties and your privileges.
How
fully do our Liturgical services elevate and sustain the
ascent
of the soul heavenward! Language better ad-
apted
for strengthening its feeble aspiration will not readily
be
found; consecrated as it is in the remembrance of its
acceptable
use by a throng of the Lord's favoured people
during successive generations, now united to
the general
assembly
above, and worshipping with everlasting accept-
ance
"before the throne of God and the Lamb."
The Lord's righteous judgments in his word are a con-
stant
matter for praise. Such light, food, and comfort!
Such
a stronghold of God! Such a firm hope to anchor
on!
Such a clear rule to walk by! Truly the distin-
guishing
favour of this gracious gift stirs up the song—
"Praise ye the Lord." (Ps. cxlvii.
19, 20; lvi. 10.) Add
to
which—the righteous judgments—his
decrees and decla-
VERSE
165. 435
rations
respecting his Church —occupied the Psalmist's
midnight"
(Verse 62), as well as his daily, song. "O
Lord, thou art my God"—said the
enraptured prophet in
the
name of the Church—"I will exalt
thee, I will praise
thy name; for thou hast
done wonderful things; thy counsels of
old are faithfulness and
truth."
(Isa. xxv. 1.) Inscrutable
indeed
they may sometimes appear; and opposed to our
best
prospects of happiness; yet the language of faith in
the
darkest hour will be—"We know that all things work
together
for good to them that love God, to them who are
the
called according to his purpose." (Rom. viii. 28.) But
neither
seven times a-day, nor "seventy
times seven," will
satisfy
us in heaven. Then our song—even "the song of
Moses
and the Lamb"—will still be "the Lord's righteous
judgments" (Rev. xv. 3, 4;
xvi. 7); and for this ever "new
song"
the harps of God. will never be unstrung, and never
out
of tune, throughout an eternity of praise. (Rev. iv. 8.)
But
a moment, and we shall be engaged in this heavenly
employ—no
reluctancy of the spirit—no weariness of the
flesh.
Every moment is hastening on this near, this cheer-
ing,
this overwhelming glorious—prospect. Blessed be
God!
165.
Great peace have they which love thy law,
and nothing
shall offend them.
Here is the happiness of a child of God
summed up in
one
word—peace. Looked at with an eye of
sense, slighted
by
the world, and often chastened with "the rod of afflic-
tion,"
he is an object of pity. But look at him with the eye
of
faith—he loves the law of his God,
and his heritage is
peace. Every feature of the
covenant bears some resem-
blance
to its nature; full of grace, peace, and love. Two
of
the agents are fitly represented by the lamb and the dove
—emblems
of peace. The tendency of its principles "is
436 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
first
pure, "then peaceable."
(Jam. iii. 17.) Its present en-
joyment
and privilege is peace—great peace.
(Isa. xi. 6-9.
Comp.
ii. 4.) Its end will be universal, eternal peace. (Ps.
xxxvii.
37. Rom. ii. 10.)
Christian!
have you not discovered the connexion of
peace with love for the
law—the
whole revealed will of God?
Looking
at it as the law of truth — was not
its disturbance
of
your peace of self-satisfaction and self-delusion the first
step
to the attainment of solid peace? You
learned to see
yourself
as God sees you. Every fresh view humbled you
more
deeply. Your dissatisfaction exercised you in an an-
xious
and diligent search for true peace.
And then, looking
at
it again as the "law of faith"—here
is your ground of
peace
laid open. Your way to God is clear—your accept-
ance
free —your confidence assured your communion
heavenly.
"Being justified by faith, you have peace with
God
through our Lord Jesus Christ;" yea —you are "filled
with
peace, all peace in believing."
(Rom. v. 1, 10, 11; xv. 13.)
And
have you not equal reason to love this
law, as a law
of obedience? Here is your question
answered —"Lord!
what
wilt thou have me to do?" (Acts, ix. 6.) Let "this
word
dwell in you richly in all wisdom;" and it will be your
daily
directory of life and conduct. You will "delight in it
after
the inner man." (Rom. vii. 22.) Walking in the light
of
it, you will go on to the full enjoyment of peace.
"Tak-
ing"
cheerfully your Saviour's "yoke upon you, and learn-
ing
of him, you will" ever "find rest unto your soul." "All
his
paths are peace." (Matt. xi. 29. Prov. iii. 17.)
Professor!
what do you lose by your indulged indifference
to
the law of God? Conscience tells you,
that you are a
stranger
to this peace—this great peace. A
secret root
of
idolatry cankers the principles of peace. Notions will
not
bring it. Nothing but vital godliness—the love
for
God's law—"the truth
received in the love of it"—will
realize
the blessing.
VERSE
165. 437
Young
Christian! be not disheartened, though your love
to the law be so weak,
interrupted, clouded, that some-
times
you fear that you have no love at all. Do you not
mourn
over its coldness? Do you not desire to love? Seek
to
know more of the constraining influence of the love of
Christ.
If your chariot-wheels now, like those of the
Egyptians,
drive heavily, you will then move, like the cha-
riots
in the prophet's vision, "upon wheels and upon wings."
(Comp.
Ex. xiv. 25, with Ezek. i. 15, 23.) At least you
are
on the way to peace. Stir up the habit of diligent faith;
be
active—be more earnest in dependence on the Lord.
Soon
will he visit you with his cheering sunshine (Mal. iv. 2),
and
bless you with his heavenly peace.
"The Lord is your
shepherd:"
and dwelling near the shepherd's tent, "you
shall
not want." (Ps. xxix. 1; lxxxv. 8; xxiii. 1.) Nothing
comes
to you without his appointment; and whatever he
takes
away was only what he had first given, and leaves you
nothing
but to say—"Blessed be the name of the Lord!"
(Job,
i. 21.) Whatever he lays upon you is infinitely less
than
you deserve, and with the fatherly design "to do you
good
at the latter end." (Deut. viii. 16.) Whatever he
gives
you is peace, great peace—"perfect peace" (Isa.
xxvi.
3): and though at best, as to its actual
enjoyment, it
is
only a chequered gift, linked with "this world's tribula-
tion"
(John, xvi. 33); yet, as the earnest of that "peace
into
which the righteous shall enter, when taken away from
the
evil to come" (Isa. lvii. 1, 2), it is an incalculable
blessing.
The stedfastness of our profession is a
most important
fruit
of this blessing—Nothing shall offend
them.* The
daily
cross (Mark, x. 21, 22), the humbling doctrine (John,
vi.
60, 65, 66), the fiery trial (Matt. xiii. 21)—which, by
offending the professor, detect the unsoundness
of his heart
*'To them is no stumbling-block.'—Ainsworth.
438 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
these
are the principles of strength and consolation to the
faithful
lover of God's law. Those "had
no root in them-
selves,"
who were stumbled by "tribulation or persecution."
(Mark,
vi. 17.) Hence there was no love in
their hearts;
consequently
no peace in their experience, and no
stability
in
their course. The frequency of such cases in a day of
profession
is a most painful subject of observation. A course
of
religion, commenced under the impulse of momentary
excitement,
is like a "reed shaken by the wind." The first
breath
of the storm beats down all resolutions, that were not
formed
upon the conviction of utter helplessness, and in
entire
dependence upon Divine grace. (Comp. John, xv. 5;
2
Cor. xii. 9.) Light without love ends
in fearful ruin.
(2
Thess. ii. 10-12.) Genuine love to the
law alone keeps
the
soul—a love of no common character — a devoted, per-
severing
attachment. The claim of the law is above every
other.
Every thing —even life itself —if need be—must
be
sacrificed for it. (Rev. xii. 11.) And when it has been
thus
embraced on a fair calculation of its cost, from a deep
sense
of its value, and with a spiritual perception of its
character
and application to our necessities—there
will be
no stumbling-block.
Indeed genuine love will prove our safeguard
against all
grounds of offence. The doctrine of the
total depravity of
man
is objected to: but love to the law of
God, moulding
our
minds into its heavenly impression—will remove all
ground
of offence. The pride of man's wisdom revolts
from
the doctrine of the cross, and the freeness of the grace
of
God. But we love it as a part of the law of faith. It
suits
our case. It answers our need, and therefore here
also
nothing offends us. Thus, whatever be
the hindrance—
whether
from Satan or himself—whether from the enmity
of
the world, or the inconsistencies of the church—the be-
liever,
while he mourns over these things, is not
offended at
them,
or at the Gospel through them. He has learned a
VERSE
166. 439
more
Scriptural standard, and to exercise a more discrimi-
nating
judgment. Love to the law of God
enables him, in-
stead
of being " tossed to and fro" in doubtful perplexity,
to
"make straight paths for his feet." (Heb. xii. 13, with
Prov.
iv. 25-27.) If his cross be grievous, he seeks from
the
Lord a quiet spirit and thus, "in patience possessing
his
soul," he finds "the yoke easy, and the burden light."
(Luke,
xxi. 19. Matt. xi. 30.) His difficulties exercise and
strengthen
his faith, and add fresh testimony to the faith-
fulness
of the promise. Whether therefore his way be dark
or
light, his soul is at peace. In the enjoyment of his Sa-
viour's
love, he has the witness in his own heart, that "the
work
of righteousness"—of love to the law
of his God―
"shall
be peace; and the effect of righteousness quietness
and
assurance for ever." (Isa. xxxii. 17.)
166.
Lord, I have hoped for thy salvation, and
done thy com-
mandments.
The great
peace connected with the love of God's law,
is
at once the fruit of faith, and the motive of obedience.
And
the enjoyment of it leads the man of God to give re-
newed
expression to his faith and devotedness. "Faith,
which
worketh by love" (Gal. v. 6), is no less the charac-
teristic
of the Old, than of the New Testament, Church.
For
mark here the principle and the object of faith—I have
hoped for thy salvation—and the practical
influence of faith
—I
have done thy commandments. "Walked
not believers
always
in the same spirit? Walked they not in the same
steps?"
Faith is the exercise of the soul in a
sense of need, in
desire,
and in trust. Faith goes to God on the ground of
the
promise; hope in the expectation of
the thing promised.
Thus
hope implies the operation of faith. It
appropriates
to
itself the object of faith. The power to take hold of the
440 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
promises
of faith, and to stay our souls upon their "ever-
lasting
consolation," is the energy of "a good hope through
grace"—such
as "maketh not ashamed." (2 Thess. ii. 16.
Rom.
v. 5.) Conscious unworthiness may give a trembling
feebleness
to the hand of faith; but the feeblest apprehen-
sion
of one of the least of the promises of the gospel assures
us
of our interest in them all. Why may we not set all the
fulness
of the covenant before the weakest as well as before
the
strongest believer, and proclaim to both with equal
freedom
the triumphant challenge —"Who shall
lay any-
thing to the charge of
God's elect? Who is he that con-
demneth?" (Rom. viii. 33,
34.) Every believer is alike
interested
in the gospel of grace. "There is no difference"
in the righteousness of the gospel, which is
"the righteous-
ness
of God"—nor in the imputation of
it, which is "unto
all and upon all," nor in the subjects—which is them that be-
lieve —nor in the means of its application, which
in all cases
is
"by faith of Jesus Christ,"—nor in the need of the blessing —
"All have sinned" without
difference. All therefore are
justified
without difference. (Rom. iii. 22, 23.) The only
difference
regards the strength or weakness of
the faith, by
which
the righteousness is more or less distinctly appro-
priated,
and its consequent blessings enjoyed. No soul,
however,
can sink into perdition, that grasps the promise of
Christ
with the hand of faith, be that hand ever so weak
and
trembling; though if the promise did not hold us more
firmly
by its unchangeableness, than we hold it by our
faith,
who could ever attain the blessing?
Not that our interest in the Gospel is
transient or
uncertain.
For though the perception of it may be often
interrupted,
yet is it not still in the Bible, in the covenant
of
God, in the heart of God? And is it not constantly re-
newed
in the exercise of faith? The repetition of the same
act
of faith is therefore equally necessary every successive
moment,
as at the first moment of our spiritual life. What-
VERSE
166. 441
ever
be our standing in the Gospel, faith will always realize
to
the end the same hope for God's salvation.
Indeed the
neglect
of the cultivation of its habitual exercise materially
weakens
its operation in great emergencies. Let it then
be
regarded as the breathing of the soul. Let it be con-
stantly
exercised in the daily occasions of need; and we
shall
enjoy its clear light and active influence upon occa-
sions,
where its special energy is required.
Now is not this sometimes your experience?
You are
distressed
by an unsuccessful struggle with wandering, de-
filing
imaginations. You know the promise, and the re-
medy.
But "the shield of faith" has been laid by. You
have
therefore to seek it, when you want it at hand for the
present
moment; and thus you lie powerless, at a distance
from
the cure, instead of being able to bring your sin at
once
to Jesus Lord, this is my trouble; this is the
"plague
of my hear;" "but speak the word only, and thy
servant
shall be healed."' (Matt. viii. 8.) Thus the indo-
lent
neglect of the quickening principle greatly impairs its
powerful
energy, and the "confidence and rejoicing of hope"
(Heb.
iii. 6, 14) flowing from it. If "the life in the flesh
is"
not "a life of faith on the Son of God," no solid rest or
acceptance
can be known.
But on what ground is this hope for the Lord's salvation
built?
On his faithfulness, not on our sincerity; on his
promises,
not on our frames; on his unchangeableness, not
on
our constancy. (Heb. vi. 17, 18.) It is built, not on
the
work of grace in us, but on the work of Christ for us;
a
work which has satisfied every claim, provided every secu-
rity,
and pledged all the Divine perfections on our behalf;
a
work so finished and complete, that all the difficulties of
salvation
on the part of God are removed; and the sinner,
finding
no hindrance in the way but himself,
is warranted,
though
covered with guilt and defilement, to apply for full,
442 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
immediate,
and unconditional forgiveness. What then hin-
ders
the instant reception of the privilege, but disbelief of
the
record? It is this which dares to "make God a liar"
(1
John, v. 10); which therefore must not, as is too often
the
case, be lamented as an infirmity (except indeed in cases
of
constitutional weakness); but watched, prayed against,
and
resisted, as a deep and aggravated sin. The present
enjoyment
of the blessing is indeed often marred by looking
at
the fruits of faith (contrition,
love, diligence, &c.) as
prerequisites
for believing, instead of looking to the
object
of faith, to put away our sin,
and to produce these fruits in
us.
This not only binds our sin upon us,
but robs God of
his
honour; and, whilst it restrains his blessing on our
souls,
reflects upon his wisdom and grace, who has laid the
foundation
of a sinner's hope on his own dear Son (Isa.
xxviii.
16), irrespective of any warrant of faith in himself.
We
want to be enlivened with sensible comfort, as
a
ground for our believing
in Christ; or,
if we look for it from
faith,
it is from faith as an act (in which
respect it is no
more
a proper ground for comfort than any other grace,)
instead
of looking for it from the object of
faith. Thus we
not
only lose the peace and joy we are seeking, but we lose
it
by our mistaken way of seeking it.
The
fulness of Christ, and the promises of God in him,
are
the only basis of a full assurance of salvation: and this
basis
is equally firm at all times, and under all circum-
stances.
"Ye are complete in him."
(Col. ii. 10.) Your title
at
this moment is as perfect, your interest as secure, as ever
it
will be at the day of "the
redemption of the purchased
possession." (Eph. i. 14.)
Awakened sinner! let not then a
sense
of unworthiness paralyze your faith. As a guilty
sinner,
you are invited. As a willing sinner, you are wel-
come.
As a believing sinner, you are assured. Why hesitate
then
to "lay hold on eternal life?" Is it presumption in
VERSE
166. 443
the
drowning man to attempt to swim to the rock of safety?
Why
then should not the sinking soul cast itself upon the
"Rock
of Ages?" Lord, I have hoped for thy
salvation.
Believer!
"Behold!" saith your Lord, "I come quickly;
hold
that fast which thou hast, that no man take thy crown."
"Hold
fast your confidence and the rejoicing of your hope."
(Rev.
iii. 11. Heb. iii. 6.) This is of no trifling importance.
An
established confidence ought to result from, and to wit-
ness
to, your interest in the Lord's salvation.* For with-
out
it, you have no relief from the spirit of bondage; no
enlargement
in duties; no enjoyment of privileges; no
growth
in grace, and in the knowledge of the Saviour;"
no
honoured usefulness in the Church of God. "The things
which
remain will be ready to die." (Rev. iii. 2.) Rest not,
then,
satisfied with an occasional gleam of light and joy,
while
your horizon is overcast with doubts and fears.
Waste
not time in heartless complaints, that would be far
better
employed in a vigorous habit of faith. Live above
frames
and feelings upon this glorious truth ―'Christ has
undertaken for me.' He lives, and reigns,
and pleads for
every
sinner that trusts in him. Exercise your dependence
upon
him in importunate and persevering supplication.
"Give
all diligence —at all times—in all ways, private
and
public—"instant in season and out of season." Thus
"an
entrance into" the joy, peace, and glory of " the ever-
lasting
kingdom of our Lord and Saviour, will be richly
ministered
unto you." (2 Pet. i. 5-11.) You shall be re-
leased
from the prison-house of despondency, and shall
breathe
the free atmosphere of adoption and heavenly
love.
But remember, that this "assurance of
hope," even in
its
weakest and lowest influence, is a practical principle-
I have done thy commandments. Every man that hath
this
* See Heb. iii. 6. Whose house are we—if we, &c. ib. 14.
444 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
hope
in him purifieth himself, even as he is pure." (1 John,
iii.
3.) All obedience that springs not from this source is of
a
low and legal character; the fruit of self-will, self-right-
eousness,
self-sufficiency. Evangelical obedience can only
flow
from Evangelical faith and hope. Love to Christ
catches
fire from the perception of his love to us. Without
this
perception, all is weariness, toil, and travail of soul in
his
service; duty, not privilege; constraint, not delight;
conscience,
not love. Hence the most assured believers
will
be the most devoted servants of their Master. "The
joy
of the Lord"—"the joy of faith," of acceptance, of com-
munion—"is
their strength." (Neh. viii. 10.) They live
by
faith; and as they believe, they love; they deny them-
selves;
they lay themselves out for their Master's work;
they
conquer all that opposes their progress.
We cannot, therefore, do his commandments without a
hope for his salvation. For only in proportion
as we have
assured
our title to the promises of the Gospel, can we
take
hold of them, plead them, or experience their support.
When
therefore our hope is indistinct, we are almost left
to
our own unassisted resources; and our course will pro-
bably
end in "perpetual backsliding." Active
devotedness
flows from assured
acceptance.
(See 1 Cor. x v. 58.) Where
there
is no certainty, there can be little love, little de-
light,
little diligence. Let us walk in sunshine, and we
shall
work cheerfully and honourably for God. (Comp. Isa.
vi.
6-8.)
Keep then the eye fixed on Christ as the ground, and
on
obedience as the evidence, of our hope. Thus will our
own
confidence be more established; and others, beholding
in
us the power of our Christian hope, will be led to say
—"We
will go with you, for we have heard that God is
with
you."*
* Zech. viii. 23. We conclude with giving a
full and Scriptural
view
of the principles and character of Christian assurance. That
VERSES
167, 168. 445
167.
My soul hath kept thy testimonies; and I
love them
exceedingly. 168. I have kept thy precepts and thy testi-
monies: for all My ways are before thee.
Those only who have hoped in the Lord's salvation can
express
this joyful delight in his precepts.
The Christian
a full sense of
acceptance with God grounded upon the Divine testimo-
nies is attainable—there can be no doubt.
The "covenant ordered in
all
things and sure"—(2 Sam. xxiii. 5) offers ample warrant for the
most
assured confidence. The promises of this covenant are full,
free,
multiplied; adapted to all possible diversity of cases; attested
by
the oath and seal of God for this declared end—"the full assu-
rance
of hope," and the "strong consolation" of his people. (Heb.
vi.
11-18.) The instructions of our Lord and his Apostles had the
same
blessed purpose in view. (John, xv. 11; xvi. 33. 1 John, v.
13.)
The design and efficacy of his atonement, as contrasted with
the
weakness of legal Services, was, to make his people "perfect
as pertaining to the
conscience."
(Heb. ix. 9; with x. 14.) Under
both
dispensations has this sense of appropriation and conscious
security
been maintained. (Job, xix. 25. Ps. xviii. 1. Cant. ii. 16;
vii.
10; with 2 Tim. i. 12. 1 John, iv. 16; v. 19, 20.) Its basis is
ground
common to all. (Rom. viii. 35, 38, 39; with 31-34.) The
want
of it is evidently reproved. (2 Cor. xiii. 5.) Exhortations are
given
to press forward to it. (Heb. vi. 11. 2 Pet. i. 10.) Faith
(Eph.
i. 13. Heb. vi. 17, 18), Obedience
(Isa. xxxii. 17; xlviii.
17,
18; lxiv. 5. John, xiv. 21-23. 1 John, ii. 3-5; iii. 24), The fear
of God (Ps. xxv. 14), Love (1 John, iii. 14, 18-21; iv. 12), Dili-
gence (Heb. vi. 11. 2 Pet. i.
5-11), Perseverance (Hos. vi. 3), on
our part, Affliction (Zech. xiii. 9), The gift of the Spirit (Rom.
viii.
16. 1 John, iii. 24; iv. 13) on God's
part—are the means of its
attainment.
Active devotedness (Isa. vi. 1-8), Support in tempta-
tion (Job, xix. 21-25), in suffering (2 Tim. i. 12), and in the prospect
of eternity (2 Cor. v. 1. 2 Tim.
iv. 6-8), are its blessed results.
It
is evidently, therefore, our Father's will, that his children's
complete
acceptance should not be with them a matter of present
uncertainty.
He intends, not only that they should reach heaven
at
last, but that heaven should commence on earth in a state of
conscious
security and peace; not only that they
should have eternal
life, but that they
should know that they have it. (1 John, v. 13.) The
446 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
does
not acknowledge the popular separation of duty and
privilege,
according as it may be constraint or indulgence
to
his inclination. Every part of his walk identifies these
gospel,
instead of forbidding this privilege, warrants, produces, and.
establishes
it; for the conviction of the professor, the excitement of
the
slumbering, and the encouragement of the weak.
Yet we must not so identify assurance with
faith, as to conclude
all
that are destitute of it to be unbelievers. It springs indeed from
faith,
and can grow upon no other root. All the practical principles
connected
with it are the fruits of faith. "The promise of the
Spirit,"
by whom the privilege is applied, "is received by faith."
(Gal.
iii. 14.) The want of assurance also is, in fact, a want of
faith.
It is the soul seeking "confidence in the flesh," instead of
"rejoicing
in Christ Jesus." The revolting view of its own sin,
unconnected with the
covering of the atonement, produces despondency
instead
of assurance. Whereas, on the other hand, a clear appre-
hension
of the doctrines of the Gospel is always a ground for the
exercise
of faith, and a means of establishing Christian confidence.
And yet, unless we separate between the principle and the con-
scious interest in the
objects
of faith, we shall, in a spirit of evan-
gelical
self-righteousness, rest our salvation, not upon faith as a
means
of laying hold of Christ, but upon some feeling or sensation
of
our own mind. Besides, the Old Testament saints occasionally
lost
their consciousness of the Divine favour—that
is, their assurance
(Job,
xiii. 24; xix. 11. Ps. xiii. 1; xxxi. 22; lxxvii. 7-9; lxxxviii.
7,
14-16): while "the root of the matter,"—the root of faith—was
still
"in them." With the disciples, while they were engrafted by
faith, as living branches of
the true vine, the privilege of assurance
was prospective. (John, xv. 1-5; with
xiv. 20.) Faith, as a means
of
salvation, does not seem necessarily
to imply an appropriating
interest in the Gospel. (John, i. 49, 50.
Acts, viii. 37. Rom. x. 9. 1
John,
v. 1.) The Apostles exhort to assurance
those "who had
obtained like precious
faith
with them." (2 Pet. i. 1-10.) They write
to
sincere believers, that they might be
assured believers; plainly dis-
tinguishing
between believing unto life and
"knowing that we have
life;" and defining
assurance to be rather the strengthened
exercise,
than the essential
principle, of faith.
(1 John, v. 13.) They separate
again
between faith as the result of hearing, and the sealing of the
Spirit,
i. e. assurance—as the consequence of
faith (Eph. i. 13); as
also
between "the things that are freely
given to us of God," and our
knowledge or perception
of them by the Spirit of God. (1 Cor. ii. 12.)
VERSES 167,
168. 447
terms
of distinction. If it is his duty, it
is no less his
privilege, to love the precepts. Nothing holds him to
them
—nothing
enables him thoroughly to keep them,
but love.
And
is our knowledge off these free gifts always distinct? Have we
no
part in them, till we have fully cleared up our interest in them?
And
does the right of the heir depend upon his consciousness of the
validity
of his title? The "command" instantly
to "believe on the
name
of Jesus Christ," indeed as binding upon us all, as any part
of
the Decalogue. (John, vi. 28, 29. 1 John, iii. 23.) But as faith is
the
means of obtaining forgiveness (Acts,
x. 43; xiii. 38, 39; xxvi. 18)
—if
it be supposed to imply a persuasion of
forgiveness, it would in-
volve
the absurdity of believing that we are
accepted, that we may be
accepted. Thus forgiveness would
be made to precede faith, instead
of
being the result of it. Again—as faith is the instrument by which
we
are engrafted into Christ (John, xv. 4), and brought into this
state
of acceptance, we must have faith, before we can be in this
state—consequently
before we can have assurance that we are
in it.
Faith
therefore must be supposed separable from, and antecedent to,
assurance.
Thus also—if assurance be correctly defined—"knowing
whom we have believed" (2 Tim. i.
12)—consciousness supposes the
previous
exercise of faith on its object—that is—faith preceding
assurance.
Nor do many of the exercises of faith
recorded in the Gospels
exhibit
distinct marks of assurance. Sense of need, desire, use of
the
appointed means, and a spirit of dependence, mainly charac-
terized
the applicants for the Saviour's mercy. Doubts of his will-
ingness
(Matt. viii. 2, 3) or his ability (Mark, ix. 22) often mingled
themselves
with the sincere workings of faith. Our Lord himself
seemed
to consider the centurion's case as an exception. (Matt.
viii.
8-10.) Seldom did dependence amount to certainty;
and
appropriation was generally rather
the result than the principle of
the
application.
"The assurance of faith"—as it
properly respects a dependence
upon the record—is indeed the essential
principle of Christian life.
But
"the assurance of hope"—a
conscious interest in the record—the
real privilege of
assurance―seems
to be a distinct and separable idea.
The
truth of the record—"Him that cometh
unto me I will in no wise
cast
out"—may be implicitly received; yet a consciousness of com-
ing
or having come, may be much obscured by negligence, self-
righteousness,
indistinct perception of the acts of faith, or the power
of
unbelief in some of its various forms. Consequently, there will
448 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
All
resolutions, vows, covenants, would be as ineffectual to
bind
him, as the green withs to fasten the giant. (Judg.
xvi.
7-9.) David had not done the commandments
from
be
doubt of an interest in the record—a want
of assurance. For the
Bible
is not the "Lamb's book of life," the register of the elect of
God.
No man can, therefore, bring from thence a direct testimony
for
his personal salvation. His character, not his name, is in the
record.
The declaration is—"He that
believeth" not any particular
individual mentioned by
name—"shall
be saved." No man is com-
manded
in the first instance to believe that Christ died for him indi-
vidually, but for such as he is—for
the unworthy, the guilty, the
condemned,
the perishing. This is the warrant of his own applica-
tion,
the event of which will—ultimately, if
not immediately—be ap-
propriation
and assurance.
We are deeply convinced, that a lowered
exhibition of this pre-
cious
doctrine and inestimable privilege has greatly deteriorated the
standard
of Evangelical religion. The objections against it are
founded
in ignorance or misconception. Instead of savouring
of
presumption, it is the very
principle of humility. It is the reception
of
the Divine testimony without reasoning or
disputation. Whereas
doubting
may be justly considered (to use an anomalous term)
proud humility. For does
not the doubt on account of our unworthi-
ness, imply a secret
dependence on worthiness as a ground of accept-
ance? Nor again does
assurance militate against the influence of godly
fear, which was never meant
to impair the certainty of our faith, but
to
guard us against carnal security and self-confidence. We work
out
our salvation "with fear and
trembling," upon the ground of
assur-
ance—that is—upon the appropriating
confidence in God "working
all our works in us." (Phil. ii. 12,
13. Isa. xxvi. 12.) The assured
hope
of the gospel is the principle, not
the hindrance, of godly fear.
(Heb.
xii. 28.) Indeed we must consider this doctrine, scripturally
stated,
to be the life of present privilege, and the spring of practical
devotedness.
Where, therefore, it is defectively set forth, or scarcely
set
forth at all, or guarded with an over-anxious care against abuse;
the
privilege is but little known, and the springs of active love are
weak
and uncertain. And thus believers too often, in a languid and
highly
sinful state of unbelief, acquiesce in a feeble exercise of this
vital
principle, indolently yielding up all effort for a vigorous and
healthy
habit of faith. They go about their duties, like an expiring
person
about his work; agitated about the business of the moment;
while
the desirableness of health and strength, the Physician and
VERSES 167,
168. 449
constraint;
but his soul kept them; yea, he loved them ex-
ceedingly. (Verses 48, 97, 127.)
Indeed, the bias of the
new
nature to keep the precepts is as
prevalent, as that of
the
remedy, are given up in despondency. Their case is perfectly
recoverable
by due attention to the appointed means, and to the
real
nature and symptoms of their disease. Yet they sit down to
the
miserable and degrading conclusion, that their powers are para-
lyzed;
and though they may preserve the notion of spiritual life,
and
the hope of salvation at last; yet they think they must be con-
tent
to be feeble, comfortless, and unprofitable.
Much injury has also arisen from restricting
this privilege to a
higher
order of Christians, or to a more full maturity of Christian
experience.
Many defraud themselves of the sure and warranted
comfort
of the gospel, by not aiming at a more simple dependence
upon
the record. They acknowledge confidence to be their duty,
and
they look forward to some indefinitely future day, when they
shall
enjoy it as their happiness. But does not the apostle place
this
privilege at the very threshold of the gospel, when he wrote to
"little
children—because their sins were forgiven them for Christ's
name's
sake?" (1 John, ii. 12.) And ought we not, after the inspired
pattern,
to "desire every one to give diligence," in pressing towards
this
mark? (Heb. vi. 11, 12.) It is undoubtedly the equal and com-
mon
right of every member of the family—the youngest as well as
the
oldest—according to the terms of the covenant of grace. Un-
belief,
sloth, or backsliding, may for a while preclude the enjoyment
of
it. But our gracious Lord has linked it to the first, no less than
to
the latter, exercises of faith; to its most trembling, as well as its
most
collected, act. (Acts, xiii. 38, 39.) Indeed the first genuine
act
of faith is at least as strenuous as any subsequent act; and per-
severance
in this act, where the hand is trembling, is often the
characteristic
of the greatest decision, courage, and maturity. No-
thing
therefore stands in the way of our consolation, if we do not
"beguile"
ourselves "of our reward by a voluntary humility." No-
thing
shall exclude us, if we do not exclude ourselves.
Serious errors, however, prevail as to the
nature and ground of
this
privilege. Not unfrequently is it identified with warm and sen-
sible
excitement, connected at least as much with the bodily as the
spiritual
temperament, and of course subject to all the variations of
this
temperament. Now this is the assurance of feeling. The true
blessing
is the assurance of faith, often without, and even in despite
of,
feeling. (Job, xiii. 15. Isa. l. 10.) The Christian confidence is-
450 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
the
old nature to break them. Once the believer would
have
wished the law of God blotted out of the universe, or
at
least exchanged for a more indulgent dispensation. But
"I
know"—not what I feel—or what I have felt, but—"whom I
have
believed." (2 Tim. i. 12.) It is grounded, not upon spiritual
sensation
within, but upon the person, work, and office of the Sa-
viour
set out in the testimony. (Heb. x. 19-22.) Grounded upon
this
rock—unlike its counterfeit, its influence is steady and power-
fully
effective. We would not indeed have a religion without feel-
ings.
The glow of the affections is the choicest joy of life. But a
religion
grounded upon feeling, is a religion of delusion. And the
intelligent,
self-observant Christian learns to distrust his feelings,
the
more they are excited. Else will they "corrupt" him insen-
sibly
"from the simplicity that is in Christ" into a subtle spiritual
self-righteousness.
Perhaps also another mistake in the nature
of assurance may
sometimes
obscure the apprehension. The sincere Christian, in-
tent
solely on "working out his salvation," feels a repugnance to
any
doctrine, which, but in appearance, seems contradictory to this
unquestionable
and constant duty. He does not clearly apprehend
the
distinct views, which we ought always to maintain, of the Sa-
viour
and of ourselves in the great business. Hence he feels an
inconsistency
between a due and abiding sense of his utter weak-
ness
and unworthiness, and between being "strong in the Lord," and
accepted
in his love. He does not realize the connexion between
self-distrust
and rejoicing confidence in the Lord. But he who was
most
bold in the expression of his own personal assurance, was not
less
clear in the acknowledgment of his weakness and liability to
fall,
except as the Lord kept him humble, diligent, and persevering.
(2
Tim. i. 12; with 1 Cor. ix. 27.)
Upon the whole then it appears, that all
should be exhorted to
assurance;
nor should the youngest be satisfied without the attain-
ment
of it. Many realize it at a very early stage of experience. And
where
they fall short of it, it is not from defect in the object, or in
the
warrant, but in the mean. It is offered to all. All are invited to it.
And
were it not for the obstacles I have mentioned, most would at-
tain
it in greater degree, and at an earlier period. But too often the
testimony—which is the sole ground of the privilege
—is not re-
ceived
and appropriated with that simplicity, which brings with it
"joy
and peace in believing." (See Acts, viii. 5, 8, 39; xvi. 31-34;
1
Thess. i. 6.)
VERSES 167,
168. 451
now
that it is written in his heart, even its restraint is
delightful
to him and as he gains a closer intimacy with
it,
and a clearer discernment of its spirituality, he loves it
We cannot, however, absolutely identify
faith and assurance.
Adoption
into the family of God "by faith" (Gal. iii. 26) does not,
as
we conceive, depend upon, nor is it in all cases connected with,
consciousness
of this relation. A child may be fully assured of his
interest
in the family, and title to the patrimony. But while an
infant—when
his relation and interest were as complete as at any
subsequent
period—he had no such consciousness. And thus many
of
the dear children of God have no consciousness that they are so;
yet
they cry, they long, they walk, or they try to walk, as children;
and
so they evince that they are children. Or, (to use another
illustration)
we may have light sufficient to distinguish objects, and
to
guide us on our way: while yet we do not see clearly, and there-
fore
cannot possibly be conscious that we see clearly. What judg-
ment,
we may also ask, must we form of those distressing cases of
constitutional
infirmity, the characteristic of which is, not so much
positive
unbelief, (though the symptoms may present a mixture of
this
principle) as a want of mental power (often sudden and unac-
countable),
to apprehend the objects of faith in any distinct gospel
relation?
They cannot be seen in their true light and bearing.
The
spiritual optics, though not destroyed, are greatly obscured; so
that
the eye of sense and natural conscience fills the retina of con-
templation
with its own false views. This is a very different case
from
spiritual indolence, or want of laboriously distinct statement—
that
is—where the view of the elementary materials is clear, and
wants
only the exercise of industry in the arrangements of them.
This
is the state of a person in a swoon, not of a corpse. The
principle
of life is no, extinct, though the consciousness of it is
wholly
wanting, and may continue so for some time.
If, again, assurance be the essential
principle of faith, then faith
can
never be conceived in an imperfect state, or connected with any
variation
of growth or declension, or of spiritual intelligence. All
that
are destitute of it, must also be in a state of unbelief. We have
therefore
to account for the strange anomaly of unbelievers, "know-
ing
the plague of their own hearts," hating sin, separate from the
world,
and renewed in heart, temper, life, and conduct. For such
unquestionably,
are many, who, though kept in bondage by their
doubts
and fears, and far from having attained a conscious interest
in
Christ, are yet (upon this supposition) bringing forth the fruits
of
faith upon the root of unbelief! Is not this a stumbling to the
452 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
exceedingly. Not one, indeed, of
the precepts or testimonies
does
he keep as he ought, and as he
desires; but there is
not
one of them that he does not delight in, and most
anxiously
desire to fulfil. Thus every feature of the
Divine
image is inwrought in the soul, beautiful in its
place
and proportion; and all other graces grow in con-
nexion
with love to the testimonies.
Nor let our consciousness of daily failures
restrain this
strong
expression of confidence. The most humble be-
liever
need not hesitate to adopt it 'as an evidence of
grace,
not as a claim of merit.'* This frequent repe-
tition†
marks the godly jealousy of the man of God,
mindful
of his own self-deceitfulness and manifold infirmi-
unconverted?
Is it not rather "despising" than cherishing "the
day
of small things?" Is it not breaking rather than binding up
the
"bruised reed?" Let us pray for faith to receive and to exhibit
"the
fulness of the blessing," "the high calling," and consequent
responsibilities;
but let us not shut the "little ones" out of the
camp.
Like Jacob of old, and after the pattern of a more wise and
tender
shepherd than he, we must "gently lead those that are with
young."
(Gen. xxxiii. 13,14. Isa. xl. 11.)
The Scripture seems therefore fully to
warrant the distinction
prevalent
among the Puritan divines—that assurance is 'necessary
to
the Christian—for his well-being, not for his being;' for his con-
solation
and establishment, not for his salvation. For our own
part—though
we would not scruple to say—"He that believeth not
shall
be damned" (Mark, xvi. 16), we dare not say,— 'He that is not
assured
shall be damned.' There can indeed be no-peace without
some
conscious liberty to call God our own. And to be satisfied
without
the exercise of freedom, is alike to rob God and ourselves.
Yet let not the trembling believer conclude
too hastily against
himself
from the want of this assurance. Diligence and dependence
will
ensure the blessing. Let him remember, when he prays for
stronger
faith, to act the faith that is given, and expect the strength
to
be vouchsafed, not in yielding to the natural impossibility, but in
the
endeavour to believe. ( See Mark, iii. 1-5.) In this practical
"obedience
of faith," ere long will he record his profession of confi-
dence—"I
know whom I have believed." (2 Tim. i. 12.)
*Bishop Horne.
†Thrice in these three successive verses.
VERSES 167,
168. 453
ties,
and "giving" careful "diligence to make his
calling
and election sure." (2 Pet. i. 5-10.) David
knew
himself to be a poor sinner; but he was conscious of
spirituality
of obedience, exceeding love to the
word, and an
habitual
walk under the eye of his God—the evidences of
a
heart (often mentioned in the Old Testament*) "perfect
with
him." 'Christ alone kept the old law, and he enables
us
to observe the new.'†
The active love to the word should be
cultivated on the
principle
of our public walk before God. We must not
study
the Scripture merely for our present gratification,
or
to furnish materials for our Christian intercourse. We
ought
rather, from every step in the history of Christ, as
well
as from the more finished course of instruction in the
Epistles,
to be gathering some help to "set the Lord
always
before us" (Ps. xvi. 8)—realizing the interest that
he
takes in us, and his presence with us as our Father,
Governor,
Teacher, Comforter, Friend.
Now, let us ask― Do our souls thus keep the Lord's
testimonies habitually,
perseveringly? Does conscience
testify
that, with all our defects and sinful mixture, they
are
uppermost in our minds; that our love rises above the
worldly
rules of expediency, prudence, or the example of
those
around us (the too common measurement of scanty
obedience)—
as if it could never burn with sufficient fer-
vour
in his service, "who loved us, and gave himself for
us?"
(Gal. ii. 20.) Why, then, should we shrink from
*Compare verse 1. Margin; 2 Chron. xv. 17;
xvi. 9; 2 Kings,
xx.
3. The import of the term is limited and explained by the word
"upright"
united with it. (Job, i. 8. Ps. xxxvii. 37.) The Scripture
use
of the word perhaps refers rather to our desires than our at-
tainments
( Comp. Phil. iii. 13-15), and in general seems to mark
Christian
maturity, as contrasted with the weakness of the babe,
and
the inexperience of the young man in Christ. (Comp. the use
of
the same word teleioj
in l Cor.
ii. 6; xiv. 20. Heb. v. 14.)
†Bishop Horne.
454 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
this
acknowledgment of "simplicity and godly sincerity?"
If
we are ready to own, that "without Christ we can do
nothing;"
that his Spirit "has wrought all our works in
us"
(Isa. xxvi. 12, with John, xv. 5); that "by the grace of
God
we are what we are" (1 Cor. xv. 10); that our hope of
acceptance
is grounded only upon the finished
work on the
cross—why
should we refuse to confess the grace of God
in
us? Yet we must not forget, that allowed unfaithful-
ness,
neglect of secret prayer, impurity of motive, or any
"iniquity
regarded in the heart"—though they will not
loosen
the ground of our hope—will obscure the comfort
of
our Christian confidence. How beautiful is that princely
spirit,
which will not serve the Lord "of that which doth
cost
us nothing" (2 Sam. xxiv. 24); that not only longs
for
holiness as the way to heaven, but loves heaven the
better
for the holy way that leads to it, and for the perfect
holiness
that reigns there eternally!
But never let us lose sight of the
recollection, that all
our ways are before God! that every act, every
thought,
every
desire, every word, is registered by conscience as his
viceregent,
and laid up in his book of remembrance! Well
would
it be for us, if we walked less before men, and more
before God; if in secret, in business,
at home and abroad,
we
heard the solemn voice—"I am the
Almighty God:
walk before me, and be
thou perfect."
(Gen. xvii. 1.) We
may
be unreproveable in the sight of men, while it is a
mere
artificial walk, grounded upon base external prin-
ciples
— a "walking after the flesh"— not before God.
Even
the engagements of active duty may be the subtle
snare
of the great enemy to divert us from intense per-
sonal
religion, and to spoil the hidden walk of communion
with
God, by concentrating the mind upon a more public,
and,
apparently, a more useful walk. Thus too often the
vital
principle of religion sinks into a stated formal habit.
"Walking
with God" (Gen. v. 24; vi. 9) is the secret
VERSES 167,
168. 455
spring
of the Christian. "Walking before God" is the
manifestation
and the exercise of the hidden principle. For
in
all things, private as well as public, the most trivial as
well
as the most weighty, to have our eye fixed in dutiful
reverence
upon the Omniscient, Omnipresent eye of Jeho-
vah
—what solemnity would it give to our whole beha-
viour!
what influence would it have upon our public
professions,
our general conversation, our secret duties!
We
should be energetic in "serving our own generation
by
the will of God" (Acts, xiii. 36); and yet, while walk-
ing
before men, should be truly "walking before God"—
all our ways before him, "done" in
his sight, "as to him"
(Eph.
vi. 7), and accepted in his favour.
When, therefore, I am about to venture upon
any line
of
conduct, let me consider the watchful eye, that pierces
into
the deepest recesses of my thoughts, and brings, as it
were,
to daylight, my principles, my motives, and my ends.
Above
all, let me ever recollect, that he, before
whom are
all my ways, is he that hung upon
the cross for my sins.
Let
me then walk, as if he were standing before me in all
the
endearing obligations of his love. Oh, do not I owe
him
sacrifice for sacrifice, heart for heart, life for life?
Then
surely I cannot be dead, insensible, sluggish in
keeping his precepts. I cannot forbear to
show this practical
proof
of my love to him. (John, xiv. 15.) Let not, then,
the
fear of legality make me neglect this privilege of
"keeping
the commandments" of my beloved Master and
Lord.
Let me live under the solemn recollection―
"Thou,
God, seest me" (Gen. xvi. 13, with John, i. 48);
and
in the joyful assurance—"Thou, God, lovest me"
(Jer.
xxxi. 3, with John, xiii. 1); and his ways will be to
me
holiness, happiness, heaven.
456 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
PART XXII.
169.
Let my cry come near before thee, O Lord;
give me
understanding, according to thy word. 170. Let my
supplication come before thee: deliver me
according to
thy word.
We mark David here, where he always
loved to be, a sup-
plicant
at the throne of grace. Many had been his cries
and. supplications. His petition now
is—that they may
come near before his
Lord.
Oh, that our wants of every
moment
were felt with the same pressure, and carried to
the
Lord with the same faith, earnestness, humility, and
perseverance!
Richness of expression, and fluency of
utterance,
are the mere shell and shadow of prayer. The
life
of prayer is the cry of the heart to
God. The elo-
quence
of prayer is its earnestness. The power of prayer
is
that, which cometh not from education, or from the
natural
desire of the man; but that "which is from above"
—"the
spirit of supplication"—"the spirit of adoption."
The
urgency of present need calls for instant prayer. The
soul
is at stake; the enemy is within the walls, perhaps
within
the citadel. Oh, what a privilege to know, that we
have
a "strong habitation, whereunto we may continually
resort;"
to be able to remind the Lord—"Thou
hast given
commandment to save me:
for thou art my rock and my for-
tress!" (Ps. lxxi. 3.)
But then we must see that our cry comes before—comes
near before—the Lord; that nothing blocks up
the way, or
interrupts
the communication. If we are believers, the
VERSES 169, 170. 457
way
is open: "the middle wall of partition is broken
down."
Oh, let us be excited to greater nearness of com-
munion
—"Having boldness to enter into the holiest by
the
blood of Jesus, by a new and living way, which he hath
consecrated
for us, through the veil, that is to say, his
flesh"
(Heb. x. 19, 20), why should we be backward to
come?
Had we not seen the way marked by this blood of
sprinkling,
we should (if we have had any sight into our own
hearts)
no more have dared to take one step into the awful
presence
of God, than to rush into the devouring flame.
If
in a moment of extremity, we had felt that we must
pray
or perish, we should have had no boldness to open our
mouth
before God, such less to expect that our supplica-
tion would come near
before him,
had we not been "made
nigh
by the blood of Christ." (Eph. ii. 13.) But what an
amount
of privilege is it, that this way to God is always
open;
that, as members of Christ, we stand in the sight
of
God as pure as Christ is pure; that we have not only
access,"
but "access with confidence;"*—
yea, with the
same
confidence as the Son of God himself! For the
Father
is never weary of delighting in his dear Son, or in
those
who are one "with him. If he, therefore, takes our
names
into the holy place; if he offer sacrifice and incense
for
us, and sprinkle us with his blood, we "are complete in
him"
(Col. ii. 10) "in him," therefore, let us "glory."
(Isa.
xlv. 25.) "Having an High-priest over the house
of
God; let us draw near with a true heart, in full assur-
ance
of faith." (Heb. x. 21, 22.)
But where we fee1 as if we did not, could
not, reach the
throne
of grace, "is there not a cause?" Our distance
from
God must be traced to a deeper origin than the
dulness
and insensibility of our hearts. The real difficulty
of
prayer, and indeed the actual inability to pray, arises in
*Eph. iii. 12. Either had "access"
to the King—but not
"with
confidence."—iv. 16.
458 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
many,
and probably in most, cases, from an indistinct per-
ception
of the way of access. We must admit this, not
only
in those who are totally ignorant of Christ, but also
in
the cases of weak, unestablished, or negligent Christians.
Through
ignorance of the fulness and freeness of the gospel
in
the one, and indulgence of sin or secret unwatchfulness
in
the other, the way of access (only perceptible by the eye
of
faith) becomes obscured, the desire faint, the spiritual
strength
weakened. And instead of the acknowledgment
—"The
Lord hath heard the voice of my supplications"
(Ps.
vi. 9), we have the mournful complaints—"My soul
cleaveth
to the dust—oh, that I were as in months past!"
(Verse
25. Job, xxix. 2.) It must be so; for prayer with-
out
faith is a heartless ceremony in the spirit of bondage.
That
which gives to it life and acceptance is the believing
apprehension
of Christ. (Heb. iv. 14-16; x. 19-22.) The
ignorant
and self-righteous may find it a matter of course
(as
easy as it is fruitless) to bow their knee in the form of
prayer.
But the light that darts in upon the awakened
conscience
reveals something hitherto unknown of God
and
of themselves, and shows the ground of confidence,
for
a self-condemned sinner, to be a matter of the deepest
mystery,
and most, amazing difficulty. Such a confidence,
however,
God has laid open to us. We cannot honour
him
more than by making use of it. All that come in
the
name of Jesus are welcome. Why, then, penitent
sinner,
should not you be welcome? The throne of grace
was
raised for sinners such as you. You cannot want
larger
promises or a better plea. You come, not because
you
are worthy, but because you are bid, to come. Take
the,
command and lay it upon your conscience. Christ is
your
only way to God. Faith is the act and exercise of
coming
to Christ. Faith, therefore, will bring you to
God,
if you have not hitherto come; or restore you to God,
if
you have wandered from him.
VERSES 170,
171. 459
But there may be a secret departure from
God even in
the
engagement of active service, or in the exercises of
social
religion. For if these duties are substituted for
secret
communion with God, "the things that remain in
us
will be ready to die" (Rev. iii. 2); ordinances will fail
to
enrich; Christian fellowship will bring no refreshment;
and
the soul, while blessed with the abundance of means
of
grace, "in the fulness of its sufficiency will be in straits."
(Job,
xx. 22.) Indeed, if our affections and feelings are
moved
in social exercises, and are cold and insensible when
we
are alone with God, it is a bad symptom of our state.
What,
then, do we know of the comforts of the closet?
Do
we pray, because we love to pray, or only because our
consciences
constrain us to the duty? Does the Lord
mark
those secret transactions with himself, that manifest
our
hearts to be really drawn to him? Is it any pressing
business
of our soul's salvation that brings us to God?
Are
our services enlivened with spiritual manifestations of
Christ?
It is possible long to continue in the outward
course
of duty: and yet not one of our prayers
to come near
before the Lord. We have not come in
the appointed way;
and,
therefore, we have not really come at all. Or if the
name
of Christ has been affixed to our prayers, it has been
as
a component part of a formal system, not as an exercise
of
dependence in seeking acceptance with God.
But it may be, that we have backslidden
from God, in
a
habit of indulged coldness or wilful iniquity. Now if
we
would expect "the candle of the Lord again to shine
upon
our heads, and his secret to be upon our tabernacle"
(Job,
xxix. 3, 4), we must rest satisfied with nothing short
of
the full restoration of our privileges. We must return
to
the Lord with deepened contrition in his appointed way,
and
wait for him to look upon us, and once more to let our
supplication come near before
him. He
had "gone, and re-
turned
to his place, till we acknowledged our offence, and
460 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
sought
his face" (Hos. v. 15); and he is now sitting on
a
"throne of grace, waiting that he may be gracious."
(Isa.
xxx. 18.) Again and again, therefore, let us fall
down
at his feet, and never cease to pray, until we feel
that
our cry and supplication come near before
him, and
spiritual
understanding of our case, and deliverance from our
danger,
are vouchsafed. As a God of wisdom and yearning
mercy,
we may trust him to "perform all things for us."
(Ps.
lvii. 2.) Let him then judge for the time and means
of
our deliverance. Only let it be according to his own word
of
faithfulness, and we "shall yet praise him." (Ps. xlii. 11.)
It
is beautiful to observe the oil of the Psalmist's faith
feeding
the flame of his supplication. Every petition is
urged
upon the warrant of a promise—according
to thy word.
The
promises were the very breath of his supplication;
exciting
his expectation for a favourable answer, and exer-
cising
his patience, until the answer should come. Though
in
possession of so comparatively small a portion of the
blessed
book, he seemed always to find a word for the
present
occasion; always able to show to his God his own
hand
and seal. Alas! sometimes, with the whole word of
God
before us, we are at a loss to appropriate one of its
innumerable
promises to the present emergency. Yet with
all
our contracted views of the covenant, still our interest
in
it is not denied. Such is the condescension of our tender
Father,
that he accepts even the stammering language of
faith
in his children! The cry "Abba, Father"—'though'
(as
Luther sweetly expresses it) it is but a cry; yet it
doth
so pierce the clouds, that there is nothing else heard
in
heaven of God and his angels.'* And how delightful is
*Luther on Gal. iv. 6. And again—'This
little word, Father,
conceived
effectually in the heart, passeth all the eloquence of
Demosthenes,
Cicero, and of the most eloquent rhetoricians that
ever
were in the world. This matter is not expressed with words,
but
with groanings; which groanings cannot be uttered with any
words
of eloquence, for no tongue can express them.'
VERSE 171. 461
the
thought that God's elect— as they will shortly be
gathered
a countless multitude around the heavenly throne
(Rev.
vii. 9)—so do they now hold spiritual communion
with
each other, while "they cry day and night" (Luke,
xviii.
7) before their Father's throne of grace! True it is
—we
understand not one another's tongues. Yet does our
loving
Father understand us all. Nor do our different
dialects
cause any confusion in heaven—rather do they
unite,
and form one cloud of incense, ascending with con-
tinual
acceptance and delight in his presence. Ineffable is
the
delight, with which our Beloved enjoys that communion
with
his people, "which he purchased with his own blood"
—"O
my dove, that art in the clefts of the rocks, in the
secret
places of the stairs, let me see thy
countenance, let me
hear thy voice; for
sweet is thy voice, and thy countenance is
comely." (Cant. ii. 14,
also iv. 11.)
171. My lips
shall utter praise, when thou hast taught me thy
statutes.
How happy is it to bring to God a heart as,
large in
praise
as in prayer! The answer of the supplication for
spiritual understanding
and deliverance naturally
issues in
the
sacrifice of praise. Guilt had sealed David's lips;
while
living in sin, and restrained alike the utterance of
praise
and prayer. But when awakened to a sense of his
sin,
how earnest were his cries!—"Restore unto me the
joy
of thy salvation. O Lord, open thou my lips; and
my
mouth shall show forth thy praise." (Ps. li. 12, 15.)
And
if guilt or unbelief has made us dumb, his petitions
will
tune our hearts to the "songs of Zion." When the
Lord has taught us in
his statutes the
revelation of himself,
as
having given his dear Son for us and to us, "the tongue
of
the dumb is made to sing." (Isa. xxxv. 6.) "Thanks
be
to God for his unspeakable gift!" (2 Cor. ix. 15.)
462 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
And do I not remember "the time
of love," when I first
knew
myself to be "a brand plucked out of the fire"— a
redeemed
sinner — a pardoned rebel—destined for a seat on
the
throne of God—indulged with a taste, and assured of
the
completion, of heavenly bliss? This was a work worthy
of
God—a work, which none but God could have wrought.
What
mercy is this! Everlasting!
Unchangeable! Let me
cast
myself daily upon it; yea, let me bury myself in it!
What
gratitude is demanded! My lips shall
utter praise,
now that he has taught
me his statutes.
"O Lord, I will praise
thee;
though thou wast angry with me, thine anger is
turned
away, and thou comfortedst me." (Isa. xii. 1.)
Again—I seemed to have sunk beyond all
help. No
means,
no ministers, no providences, could reach my ex-
tremity.
All were "physicians of no value" (Job, xiii. 4),
tried
and tried again: but tried in vain. But "in weak-
ness"
thoroughly felt, "strength was made perfect." (2
Cor.
xii. The threatening clouds were dispersed; the
breaches
were healed; the veil of unbelief was rent. " The
right
hand of the Lord hath brought mighty things to
pass."
(Ps. cxviii. 16. Prayer-book version)— "He hath
both
spoken unto me, and himself hath done it" (Isa.
xxxviii.
15), and it is "marvellous in our eyes." (Ps. cxviii.
23.)
Let my stammering lips utter praise.
What a dis-
play
of power! It is the spark preserved
in the ocean
unquenched,
the drop in the flames unconsumed; the
feather
in the storm unshaken. "Who is a God like unto
thee?
Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us; but unto thy
name
give glory." (Mic. vii. 18. Ps. cxv. 1.)
And again—I was perplexed in a dark and
bewildered
path.
Every dispensation appeared to frown upon me.
One
dark hour had blotted out all the recollections of my
former
comforts; and it was as if I never could, never
should,
rejoice again. But little did I think how the Lord
was
"abounding towards me in all wisdom and prudence"
VERSE
171. 463
(Eph.
8)—how his arrows were sharpened with love—
how
he was "humbling me, and proving me, to know what
was
in my heart" (Deut. viii. 2) and in the moment of
chastening
was speaking to me—"I know the thoughts
that
I think towards you, thoughts of peace, and not of
evil,
to give you an expected end."
(Jer. xxix. 11.) What a
display
of "wisdom!" My lips shall utter praise; for if I
"should
hold my peace, the stones would immediately cry
out."
(Luke, xix. 40.)
The thought of what I was before my
conversion—
what
I have been since—what I am now, overwhelms me
with
shame and with praise. "Lord, how is it, that thou
shouldst
have manifested thyself to me, as thou hast not
unto
the world?" "Who am I, O Lord God, that thou
hast
brought me hitherto?" And how much more "that
thou
hast spoken of thy servant for a great while to come!"
(2
Sam. vii. 18, 19.) For thou hast prepared for me a
happy
eternity in thy unclouded presence. Should not
then
my praise be bubbling up, as from a fountain (Ps. xlv.
1.
M. R.) —pouring forth, as from a rich treasure-house?
(Matt.
xii. 34.) Should not my instrument, if not always
employed,
be always kept in tune? (Ps. lvii. 7; cviii. 1.)
Forward
we may be in prayer. But how backward we are
in
praise! Self-love may constrain the one. Only the
love
of God will quicken the other. And yet ought we not
to
be more touched in receiving mercies, than we were in
asking
for them? In the one case we only knew them by
testimony
or report. In the other we know them by our
own
experience. We hear of one, who had much forgiven,
and
who "loved much." (Luke, vii. 47.) And surely the
more
sin pardoned—the more mercies received—does not
God
justly expect of us more love in the heart—more
utterance of praise from
the lips?
And yet who of us are fit to praise, except those whom
God has taught? The "new
song" ill accords with the old
464 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
heart.
God vouchsafes his grace for the praise of his grace.
(Eph.
i. 12. 1 Pet. ii. 9.) Ought not we then to glory in
our
Saviour—a privilege as high as to enjoy him—nay—the
very
means of increasing our enjoyment of him, in the active
excitement
of our love, and every grace for his sake? Let
not
the enemy rob me, as too often he has done, of my high
privilege.
Let me prize secret prayer. Let me be separated
from
an ensnaring world. Let me dread separation from my
God;
and if ever estranged from him, let me never rest,
until,
by "receiving the atonement," always presented and
accepted
on my behalf, I once more walk in the light of his
countenance.
Let me then fix the eye of my faith, weak and
dim
as it may be, constantly upon Jesus. He must do all
for
me, in me, by me; he must teach me
more and more of
the
statutes of my God, that my heart may
be delightfully
engaged
with my lips in uttering his praise.
172.
My tongue shall speak of thy word; for
all thy com-
mandments are righteousness.
To speak of God and for him, will be the
desire and de-
light
of him, whose heart and lips have been taught to
utter praise. Yet alas! how seldom
is "our conversation
seasoned
with grace!" (Col. iv. 6.) So much of this poor
world's
nothing! So little of Jesus! 'If only five minutes
can
be redeemed for prayer, for Scripture, or for thought;
let
it be seized as an inestimable jewel. If we can pass five
minutes
less in foolish or ensnaring company, secure the
advantage.'*
If vain words are flowing up from the bottom,
look
on the restraint that represses them from our lips as a
triumphant
mercy. This active energy of Christian dis-
cipline
will communicate a fragrance to our conversation,
most
acceptable to our beloved Lord (Cant. iv. 11); and
* Nottlidge’s Correspondence, p. 350.
VERSE
172. 465
will
make our "lips" enriching (Prov. x. 20), feeding
(Prov.
x. 21), and instructive (Prov. xv. 7) to his church.
And
truly when we see how hardly men judge of him, how
they
count his "commandments grievous," and his ways
"unequal"
(Ezek. 25), it will be delightful to bear
our
testimony, that all his commandments are
righteousness;
restraining
the power of sin, and conforming the soul to
his
image.
"Lord, open thou my lips, that my tongue may speak of
thy word." Honour me, O my
God, by helping me to show,
that
all thy commandments are righteousness.
In our own
atmosphere,
and our own spirit, how often do we pour out
our
words without waiting on the Lord for unction and
power;
speaking of the things of God without his presence
and
blessing! Were we living fully in the atmosphere and
breathing
of prayer, enriched with habitual meditation in
the
word; how much more fluent would our tongue be to
speak of his word "to the use of
edifying!" (Eph. iv. 29,
with
Col. iii. 16.) It would be made really our own, known
experimentally;
and then how cheering, how enlivening
the
conversation of the man of God! His "light so shines
before
men, that" then are constrained to "glorify his Fa-
ther
which is in heaven." (Matt. v. 16.)
Perhaps, Believer; supposed inability, natural bashful-
ness,
or want of seasonable opportunity, may restrain your
lips.
But under the most unfavourable circumstances
something
may generally be said or done in the service of
God.
And whilst it is well carefully to watch against the
"talk
of the lips; which tendeth only to penury" (Prov. xiv.
23);
beware, lest, through the scrupulous tenderness of
conscience,
"Satan get advantage" to shut the mouth of
the
faithful witnesses of God, and thus to weaken that
cause,
which it is your first desire to support.* Guard then
* It was an excellent saying of Archbishop
Usher, when in the
society
of his friends—'A word of Christ before we part.'
466 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
against
the influence of unbelief. Bring your weakness
and
inability daily to the Lord. Let any dreaded incon-
sistency
of profession be searched out, examined, and la-
mented
before him, and opposed in dependence on his
grace;
but never let it be made a covering for indolence,
or
supply fuel for despondency. Consider how your in-
terest
in a Divine Saviour makes your way open to bring
all
your wants to him. Be encouraged therefore to ask for
the
Spirit of God to guide your lips: that a poor weak
sinner
may be permitted to "show forth the praises of
Him,"
who is surrounded with all the Hosts of Heaven.
When however our silence has arisen from
the too feeble
resistance
of our natural carelessness and indolence, the
recollection
of many important opportunities of glorifying
our
Saviour, lost beyond recall, may well excite the prayer,
"Deliver
me from blood-guiltiness, O God; and my tongue
shall
sing aloud of thy righteousness." (Ps. li. 14.) Oh!
to
have the preciousness of souls deeply impressed upon
our
hearts! Oh! for that compassionate love, that would
never
suffer us to meet a fellow-sinner without lifting up
our
hearts to God on his behalf: without making an effort
to
win his soul to Christ, and manifesting an earnest desire
for
his salvation! What loss is there to our own souls in
these
neglected opportunities of blessing the souls of others!
For
never do we receive richer fruit to ourselves, than in
the
act or endeavour to communicate to others. The heart
becomes
enlarged by every practical exercise of Christian
love.
Yet much simplicity, much unction from above,
much
tenderness of heart, much wisdom combined with
boldness—is
needed in our daily conversation, that we may
"make
manifest the savour of the knowledge of Christ in
every
place" (2 Cor. ii. 14); and especially, that our very
desires
to bring sinners to the Gospel may proceed, not
from
a goading conscience, much less from pride and vain-
glory;
but from the pure source of love to Christ and to
VERSE 173. 467
our
fellow-sinners. For even if we are as "full of matter"
as
Elihu (Comp. Job, xxxii. 18-20) was, nothing will be
said
for God—nothing, that will "minister grace to the
hearers,"
unless the influence of the Divine Spirit fills our
hearts
(Comp. Eph. v. 18, 19), as "a well of water, spring-
ing
up into everlasting life" (John, iv. 14)— a blessing to
all
around us.
173.
Let thy hand help me: for I have chosen
thy precepts.
David, having engaged himself to a bold
profession of
his
God, now comes to seek his needful supply of help. Let
thine hand help me. And if we may
"come to the throne of
grace,"
that we may find "grace to help in
time of need"
(Heb.
iv. 16), when should we not come? For is not every
moment
a "time of need," such as may quicken us to flee
to
the "strong tower," whither "the righteous runneth,
and
is safe?" (Prov. xviii. 10.) Besieged without; be-
trayed
within; "wrestling against flesh and blood," and yet
not
against flesh and blood" only (Eph. vi. 12): disput-
ing
every inch of ground, yet often discouraged by the
little
ground we seem to gain; surely we need all the help
of
Omnipotence to sustain us in the tremendous conflict.
We
may plead our choice of his precepts,
in looking for his
help. (Verse 94.) David had
before "taken the testimonies
of
God as his heritage" (Verse 111) —including all the pre-
cious
promises of the Gospel, extending to every necessity
of
time, and to every prospect of eternity. He now con-
fesses
his obligation, in choosing the precepts—a
happy
choice,
the influence of the Spirit upon his heart. (See
Ezek.
xi. 19, 20.)
This choice is the distinctive mark of the
Lord's people
(Isa.
lvi. 4)— the exercise of a well-instructed and deliber-
ate
judgment; prompt obedience in the simplicity of faith.
It
is the choice of all the precepts—no
other than the volun-
468 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
tary
acknowledgment of our Baptismal obligations. Many
carnal
suggestions offer themselves the moment that the
purpose
is forming into the choice. "The things that were
gain
to us," and which now must be "counted loss for
Christ"
(Philip. iii. 7), (should we allow their weight in the
balance
at this crisis) will bring much hesitation and per-
plexity.
Conferences "with flesh and blood" are most
subtle
hindrances to Christian determination. (Comp.
Gal.
i. 16.) 'What will the world say? If I go too far,
I
shall give offence; I shall lose all my influence, and blast
all
my prospects of eventual benefit to those around me.'
The
apprehension also of losing the affection and of in-
curring
the displeasure of those whom my heart holds dear,
is
most fearful. And then this sacrifice is too costly to
make;
that pleasure too hard to resign. Such thoughts—
the
injections of the tempter—are ever at the door; and
even
when effectual resistance is offered, the struggle is
most
severe. But it is such a mighty help in this conflict,
when
one desire has taken sole possession of the heart-
"Lord,
what wilt thou have me to do?" (Acts, ix. 6)—
when
we are so crucified to worldly influence, whether of
pleasure,
profit, fear, or esteem, as to be ready to act upon
the
resolution—"Wherefore henceforth know we no man
after
the flesh." (2 Cor. v. 16.) Now
the heavenly beauty
of
the religion of the gospel breaks in upon us.
Experience of our own weakness, and of the
great power
of
the world, is gradually preparing us for victory over it.
We
shall then most specially find our happiness in losing
our
own will; and our Master's cross will be a delightful
burden;
like wings to a bird, or sails to a ship; assisting,
instead
of retarding, our course. The more we trust to his
help
and guidance in everything, the more we shall be able
to
do, and the more delightful will his service be to us.
The want of a determined choice is the
secret of the
halting
profession that prevails among us. A compromise
VERSE
173. 469
is
attempted with the world. "The offence of the cross"
begins
to "cease." A middle path of serious religion is
marked
out, divested of what is called needless offensiveness.
But
the religion that pleases the world will never be ac-
ceptable
with God; nor can the religion that pleases God,
be
ever accommodated to the inclination of the world. Oh!
we
shall do well to consider, whether the way of the Lord's
precepts may not be found too
hard, too strait, too unfre-
quented;
whether we are prepared to brave the pointed
finger
and whispered scoff of the ungodly, and perhaps the
mistaken
opposition of beloved friends. (Comp. Luke, xiv.
26.)
Often has the profession of Christ been hastily taken
up
and relinquished. (Comp. Matt. viii. 19, 20.) He that
wishes
to abide by it, must daily learn this lesson—"With-
out me ye can do nothing" (John, xv. 5):
and in conscious
helplessness,
he will often breathe the cry— Let thine
hand
help me.
Nor is this petition needful only in the
first determina-
tion
of this choice. In the growing and more decided con-
viction
of its superior happiness, and in the daily endeavour
to
live in it, we shall find increasing need for the same
acknowledgment
of helplessness, and the same cry for sup-
mighty
energy. The thought that we are entering upon
port.
Dependence is a principle of deep humility and
the
work in the Lord's strength is a great stay. Blessed
indeed
is that helplessness, that makes us lie in the bosom
of
our Saviour, supported and cherished! Blessed be God
for
the "help laid" for us "upon one that is mighty" (Ps.
lxxxix.
19); so that our insufficiency and all-sufficiency are
visible
at one glance: and "when we are" most "weak,
then
are we" most "strong!" (2 Cor. xii. 10.) "They
that
war against thee shall be as nothing, and as a thing
of
nought. For I the Lord thy God will hold thy right
hand,
saying unto thee, Fear not, I will help
thee."*
* Isa. xli. 12, 13. Comp. the whole
passage, verses 10-16.
470 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
174.
I have longed for thy salvation, O Lord;
and thy law is
my delight.
Before we close this Psalm, let us dwell
once more
upon
this word—salvation. Common as is its
use, to the
believer
it has a constant freshness and an infinite meaning.
Do
we wonder at his longing for it? Look at its fulness—
including
all the mercy of the everlasting covenant. Look
at its ground—that work of Calvary's
cross once "finished"
(John,
xix. 30), and leaving nothing to be filled up or im-
proved;
standing out in all its glorious completeness; con-
straining
the admiration, and encouraging the confidence,
of
the chief of sinners; but wholly disclaiming all assist-
ance
from the most eminent saint. Look at its
simplicity
—not
keeping the sinner aloof from the Saviour, not hedg-
ing
up or bewildering the open freeness of his path, but
bringing
to him immediate peace and joy in resting upon
the
great atonement of the gospel. (See Acts, ii. 37-47;
viii.
5-8, 39; xvi. 31-34. 1 Thess. 6.) Mark
its unchange-
ableness—independent of and
above all frames and feel-
ings,
so that, while "walking in darkness" we can "stay
upon
our God" (Isa. 1. 10), expecting salvation even from
the
hand that seems ready for our destruction (Job, xiii.
15);
leaving it to our heavenly Father to frown or to smile,
to
change as he pleaseth from the one to the other; and
looking
at every aspect of his countenance, as only a dif-
ferent
arrangement of the same features of ineffable pater-
nity;
and the different, suitable, and seasonable expression
of
unchangeable covenant love.
Is not this an object for the longing of the soul, that
feels
its own pressing wants, and sees in this salvation an
instant
and full supply? This longing marks
the character
of
evangelical religion — not merely duty,
but delight. The
mind
wearies in the continued exertion for
duty; but it
VERSE 174. 471
readily
falls in with delight. Duties become
privileges,
when
Christ is their source and life. Thus every step of
progress
is progress in happiness. The world's all to the
believer
is really nothing. It presents nothing to feed the
appetite,
or quench the thirst, of an immortal soul. Indeed
the
creatures were commissioned to withhold consolation,
until
every desire was concentrated in the single object.
"Thou,
O God, art the thing that long for" (Ps. lxxi. 4,
P.
T.); until the sinner has found rest in the answer to his
prayer
— "Say unto my soul, I am thy
salvation." (Ps. xxxv.
3.)
And now he enjoys his earthly comforts, "as not
abusing
them" (1 Cor. vii. 31), because he loves them as
God
would have them loved, and longs for his
salvation
above
them all. This is true religion; when the Lord of
all
occupies that place in the heart, which he fills in the
universe—
There he is "All in all."
Here the believer
cries—"Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is
none
upon earth that I desire
beside thee."
(Ps. lxxiii. 25.) Oh,
what
a privilege is it to have him in heart, in thought, and
in
view; to be rejoicing in his presence; and to be longing
for
a more full conformity to his image, and for a more
lively
enjoyment of his love! If this be but earth, what
must
heaven be! 'This longing is a
satisfactory evidence
of
the work of God. (See Neh. i. 11.) It exercises the soul
in
habitual contemplation of the Saviour, in nearer com-
munion
with him, and supreme delight in his law.
Such
desires
will be unutterably increased, and infinitely satisfied
in
the fruition of his glorious Godhead.'*
But the Lord often brings this charge
against his pro-
fessing
people—"Thou hast left thy first
love," (Rev. ii.
4.)
The principle is not dead, but the energy is decayed.
Human
nature is prone to apostasy. Slumber uncon-
sciously
steals upon the soul. Faith is not in habitual
ex-
ercise.
The attraction of the Saviour is not felt. His
* Collect for Epiphany.
472 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
love
is not meditated upon. The soul is satisfied with
former
affections to him. There is little heart to labour
for
him. The means of communion with him are slighted.
The
heart naturally becomes cold in spiritual desires, and
warm
in worldly pursuits; and too often without any smit-
ings
of conscience for divided love.
Some professors indeed consider this
declension of affec-
tions
to be a matter of course. The young convert is sup-
posed
to abound most in love, and, as he advances, his fer-
vour
gradually subsides into matured judgment. Those
indeed,
who "have no root in themselves," lose their lively
affections,
and their religion with them. (See Matt. xiii.
20,
21.) But surely the real principle of
love cannot
decay;
that is, our esteem of God cannot be lowered: our
longing for his
salvation
cannot languish; our delight in its
enjoyment
cannot diminish, without guilt and loss to our
souls.
He claims our love (See Prov. xxiii. 26), and it is
most
unreasonable to deny him his own. He is the same,
as
when we first loved him. Then we thought him worthy
of
our highest love. Do we now repent of having loved
him
so much? Have we found him less than our expect-
ations?
Can we bestow our heart elsewhere with stricter
justice,
or to better advantage? Do not all the grounds
of
our love to him continue in full force? Have they not
rather
increased every day and hour? What would an in-
dulgent
husband think of incessant and increasing atten-
tions
repaid with diminished affection? Oh! let us be
ashamed
of our indolence, and "remember" the times when
our
longings for his salvation were more
intense; when
our
communion with him was more heavenly; when we
were
ready to labour and suffer for him, and even to die to
go
home to his presence. Let us "repent" with deeper
contrition,
and "do our first works" (See Rev. ii. 5): never
resting
till we can take up afresh the language of delight —
I have longed for thy
salvation, O Lord.
VERSE
174. 473
Some, however, of the Lord's dear children
are distressed
in
the conscious coldness of their spiritual affections. But
if
it be a mark of the decay of grace to "lose our first love,"
it
is at least a mark of the truth of grace to mourn over
this
loss. There is always a blessing for those "that hun-
ger
and thirst after righteousness." (Matt. v. 6.) These
restless
desires are the beating pulse of the hidden life;
and
if there be not always a sensible growth of desire and
enjoyment,
there may be (as with the trees in winter)
growth
at the root, in a more fixed habit of grace and love,
in
a deeper spirit humility, and in a more established
self-knowledge
and simplicity. Yet the shortest way of
peace
will be to look off from our longing for
this salvation,
to the salvation itself. (See Heb. xii. 2, Gr.)
For nothing
is
more desecrating to this great work—nothing is more
paralyzing
to its saving power, than the incorporating with
it
the admixture of our own experience as the ground of
hope.
The most Christian feelings must find no place at
the
foundation. Indeed their continual variation renders
them,
especially in the hour of temptation, very uncertain.
Yet
amid all these fluctuations, Christ may always be safely
trusted.
While therefore our coldness humbles us before
him,
let not brooding despondency cover his precious cross
from
view. Let not our eyes be so filled with tears of con-
trition,
as to obscure the sight of his free and full salva-
tion.
"Looking" singly "unto Jesus" as our peace and
our
life, is at once our duty, our safety, and the secret prin-
ciple
of our daily progress heavenward. We shall but
realize
the perception of our own emptiness in the contem-
plation
of his unbounded fulness.
But the connexion between longing for salvation, and
delight in the law, is at least an
incidental evidence, that
right
apprehensions of salvation must be
grounded upon
the
word or law of God; and that a
religion of feeling is
self-delusion.
Our delight is not only in his love, but in
474 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
his law. And so practical is
Christian privilege, that
longing for salvation will always expand
itself in habitual
delight in the law: which in its turn will
enlarge the desire
for
the full enjoyment of salvation. All
spiritual desire
therefore,
that is not practical in its exercise, is impulse,
excitement;
not, as in this man of God, the religion of the
heart;
holiness, delight.
Would that this beautiful Psalm might
quicken us to
be
followers of him, who evidently knew so much of the
heavenly
joys of religion! Why should we not, why do we
not
determine to know as much of God as we can? Why
are
our longings for his salvation so
transient and so few?
The
religion of thousands who bear the name is of a very
different
stamp; empty instead of solid; withering instead
of
profitable; insipid instead of delightful. If there be
any
exercise, it is only "the door turning upon hinges"
(Prov.
xxvi. 14), movement without progress. The head
is
stored with knowledge, but there is no unction in the
heart,
"ever learning, and never able to come to the know-
ledge
of the truth." (2 Tim. iii. 7.)
But the soul that really longs shall "not be ashamed of
its
hope." Even to taste the present fruits (though it be
but
a taste) in a sense of reconciliation, liberty of access,
a
beam of the love of Jesus in the heart, is unutterable
enjoyment.
It strengthens the soul for endurance of trials,
and
for a devoted, self-denying, obedient service. But there
are
heights and depths of Divine love yet unexplored. (Eph.
iii.
18, 19.) He who has vouchsafed large apprehensions of
them
to others, "is rich in mercy to all
that call upon him."
(Rom.
x. 12.) The fountain of everlasting love is ever
flowing,
ever full; and he who commands us to "open our
mouths
wide," has promised—"I will fill them." (Ps. lxxxi.
10.)
After all, however, the grand consummation is the
object,
to which these longings for salvation
stretch with
full
expansion. The fulness (Eph. iii. 19) and likeness of
VERSE
175. 475
God
(Ps. xvii. 15; Phil. iii. 20, 21); the complete and
everlasting
deliverance from sin (Rom. viii. 23; 2 Cor. v.
1-8);
the glorious "manifestation of the sons of God"
(Rom.
viii. 19-21); the coming of the Lord. (Rev. xxii.
20.)
Then—not till then—will they be fully and eter-
nally
satisfied. Praised be God! "Now is our salvation
nearer
than when we believed."*
Lord of all power and might! create in our
souls a
more
intense longing for thy salvation,
and a more fervent
delight in thy law. And as our longings for thy salvation
increase,
oh! nail us to the door-posts of thy house, that we
may
be thy happy servants for ever!
175.
Let my soul live, and it shall praise
thee; and let thy
judgments help me.
There must be life, in order to praise.
For how can
the
dead speak? Yet is it as natural for the living
soul
to
praise, as for the living man to
speak. And is not the
life
that the Psalmist is now praying for, the salvation
for
which
he was longing? The taste that he has
received
makes
him hunger for a higher and continued enjoyment;
not
for any selfish gratification, but that he might employ
himself
in the praise of his God. Indeed, the
close of this
Psalm
exhibits that pervading character of praise which
has
been generally remarked in the concluding Psalms of
this
sacred book.† Yet he alone is fitted for this heavenly
* Rom. xiii. 11. This salvation has been
the object of the
hopes,
the desires, and longing expectation of the faithful, from
Adam
to this hour; and will continue so to be, until he, who hath
already
visited us in great humility, shall come again in glorious
majesty,
to complete our redemption, and take us to himself:—
Bishop Horne. Comp. also Scott
in loco.
† Verses 164, 171, 172. The last six Psalms
are for the most
part
throughout the breathings of praise. They were probably
written
at the close of life, and may be considered as striking in-
476 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
exercise,
of whom it has been said—"This my son was
dead,
and is alive again." (Luke, xv. 24.) And how will
he,
who has "looked to the hole of the pit whence he was
digged"
(Isa. li. 1), who has been awakened to a sight of
that
tremendous gulf, from which he is but "scarcely
saved"
(1 Pet. iv. 18), long to give utterance to the effu-
sions
of a praising heart! How will he cry for the quick-
ening
influence of "the Lord and Giver of life," to stir
him
up to this delightful privilege! Praise springs from
prayer—Let
my soul live, and it shall praise thee.
When
the
breathing of life into our souls enlivens our services, we
become,
in the noblest sense, "living souls." (Gen. ii. 7.)
Too often, however, the consciousness of
inconsistency,
carelessness,
and unspirituality, damps our song. But let
every
recollection of our sin be accompanied with an humble
yet
assured confidence in the Lord's pardoning grace. The
abominations
of a desperately wicked and unsearchably de-
ceitful
heart may well lead us to "abhor ourselves in dust
and
ashes." (Job, xlii. 6.) Yet in the lowest depths of
abasement,
the Saviour's blood, applied to the conscience,
"cleanseth
from all sin." (1 John, i. 7.) He who once
"passed
by us, and saw us polluted in our blood, and said
unto
us, when we were in our blood, Live" (Ezek. xvi. 6)
—still
"holdeth our souls in life" (Ps. lxvi. 9) covering
our
daily infirmities, and maintaining our everlasting
acceptance
before God.
But while the song of praise dwells on our lips for life
thus
freely given, let us guard against all hindrance to its
growth
and influence. For if the life within waxes low,
praise
will be dull and heartless. But when the assured
dications
of a soul ripening for glory. As the perfumes of Arabia
Felix
are said to exhale their odours in the neighbouring provinces;
so
it is no marvel, if, as "the sweet Psalmist of Israel" drew near
to
the happy country, he should have inhaled its atmosphere of
praise.
VERSE
176. 477
believer
cries with acceptance—Let my soul live,
and it
shall praise thee—see how his spirit
kindles with holy fire
—"Blessed
be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ,
which according to his abundant mercy hath be-
gotten
us again unto a lively hope by the resurrection of
Jesus
Christ from the dead!"* The work of praise is
then,
that he continues his cry for the daily renewal of
his
spiritual life, that he may return to this sweet antepast
of
heaven — Let my soul live. And,
indeed, this life—the
more
it is known, the more will it form the constant matter
for
prayer. For what besides makes existence tolerable to
a
child of God? The mere actings of a sickly pulsation
can
never satisfy him. Considering how much nearer he
might
live to God than he has yet known; he longs for
more
vigorous influence of the Divine principle. In his
most
active enjoyments, his insufficiency for this sacred
work
presses upon him, and stirs up petition for help―
Let thy judgments help
me.
Give me such an enlightened
apprehension
of thy word, of thy character, and of thy
perfections
as the God of my salvation, as may furnish
abundant
matter of unceasing praise, so that my daily
exercise
may be—"Giving thanks always for all things
unto
God and the Father, in the name of our Lord Jesus
Christ."
(Eph. v. 21.)
176.
I have gone astray like a lost sheep:
seek thy servant;
for I do not forget thy
commandments.
The
natural disposition to wander from the fold is con-
* 1 Pet. i. 3. 'It is sufficient for
me'—said Luther—triumph-
ing
in the very heat of conflict ― 'that I have a precious Redeemer
a
powerful High Priest—my Lord Jesus Christ. I will praise
him
as long as I have breath. If another will not join me in praising
with
me, what is that to me?'—D’Aubigné’s
History of the Re-
formation,
Book iv. ch. i.
478 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
stant
ground for prayer for the help of the
Lord's judgments,
to
give us clearer light and preserving principles. Yet our
need
of this safeguard opens to us a most humbling truth.
Who
can gainsay the testimony from the mouth of God—
that
"all we like sheep have gone astray?"
(Isa. liii. 6.) But
how
afflicting is the thought, that this should not only he
the
description of a world living without God, but the con-
fession
even of God's own people! And yet where is the
child
of God that does not set his own seal with shame to
the
confession― I have gone astray like
a lost sheep? "Who
can
understand his errors?" If he be not found, like
Peter,
in the open path of wandering; yet has he not need
to
cry—"Cleanse thou me from secret faults?" (Ps. xix.
12.)
Is he never led away by sense, fancy, appetite? If
the
will be sincere, how far is it from being perfect! And
only
a little yielding, a little bending to the flesh, giving
way
to evil—who knoweth what may be the end of this
crooked
path? Who knoweth what pride, waywardness,
earthliness,
may be working within, even while the gracious
Lord
is strengthening, guiding, comforting his poor stray-
ing sheep? That they should ever
wander from privileges
so
great, from a God so good, from a Shepherd so kind!
What
can induce them to turn their backs upon their best
Friend,
and sin against the most precious love that was
ever
known, but something that must, upon reflection, fill
them
with shame! The blame is readily cast upon the
temptations
of Satan, the seductive witcheries of the world,
or
some untoward circumstances. But whoever deals with
himself
must trace the backsliding to his own heart—
"This
is my infirmity." (Ps. lxxvii.
10.) And have we
replaced
what we have wilfully yielded up, with anything
of
equal or superior value? May it not be asked of us —
"What
fruit had ye in those things, whereof ye are
now
ashamed; for the end of those things is death."
(Rom.
vi. 21.)
But there is no enjoyment while distant
from the be-
VERSE
176. 479
loved
fold. It is as impossible for the child of God to be
happy,
when separated from his God, as if he were in the
regions
of eternal despair. He has not lost—he cannot
wholly
lose—his recollection of the forsaken blessing. In
struggling,
weeping faith, he cries — Seek thy
servant. 'I
cannot
find my way back:* the good Shepherd must seek
me.
Once I knew the path: but now that I have wan-
dered
into bye-paths, I am no more able to return, than I
was
to come at first. I have no guide but the Shepherd
whom
I have left.' How cheering, then, is his office cha-
racter!—"Behold
I, even I, will both search my sheep,
and
seek them out: as a shepherd seeketh out his flock in
the
day that he is among his sheep that are scattered; so
will
I seek out my sheep, and will deliver them out of all
places
where they have been scattered in the cloudy and
dark
day" (Ezek. xxxiv. 11, 12.) Cannot I set my seal
to
his faithful discharge of his office—"He restoreth my
soul?"
(Ps. xxiii. 3)
If I want further encouragement to guide my
steps
homeward,
let me think of his own description of tender
faithfulness,
and compassionate yearnings over his lost
sheep;
not showing it the way back to the fold, and
leaving
it to come after him: but "laying it upon his
own
shoulders, and bringing it home:" all upbraidings
forgotten;
all recollection of his own pains, swallowed up
in
the joy, that he hath "found the sheep which was lost."
(Luke,
xv. 4-6.) Let me remember the express commis-
sion,
that brought the Shepherd from heaven to earth,
from
the throne of God to the manger, and thence to the
garden
and cross, "to seek and to save that which was
lost."
(Luke, xix. 10.) Let me see upon him the especial
mark
of "the Good Shepherd, giving his life for the sheep."
(John,
x. 11.) Let me observe this sacrifice, as
covering
* 'Domine, errare potui; redire non potui'—
was Augustine's
true
and humbling confession.
480 EXPOSITION OF PSALM CXIX.
the
guilt of my wanderings, and opening my way to return
—yea,
drawing me into the way. (Isa. liii. 5, 6.) Surely then,
I
may add to my contrite confession the prayer of confidence
—seek thy servant. I cannot forbear to
plead, that though
a
rebellious prodigal, I am still thy
servant, thy child: I
still
bear the child's mark of an interest in thy covenant.
Though
a wanderer from the fold, I do not forget
thy com-
mandments. Nothing can erase thy
law, which was "written
in
my mind and inward parts" (Jer. xxxi. 33) by the finger
and
Spirit of God, as an earnest of my adoption, as the
pledge
of my restoration. What man writes is easily
blotted
out; what God writes is indelible. Let me then
be
humbled and self-abased. But let me not forget my
claim—what
has been done for me. Thus, again, I hope
to
be received as a "dear" and "pleasant child" (Ib. verse
20);
again to be clothed with "the best robe," to be wel-
comed
with fresh tokens of my Father's everlasting love
(Luke,
xv. 22, 23), and to be assured with the precious
promise
—"My sheep shall never perish, and none shall
pluck
them out of my hand." (John, x. 28.)
Such, Christian reader, would be the
application we
should
make of this verse to ourselves; and such a peni-
tent
confession of our backslidings, united with a believing
dependence
on the long-tried grace and faithfulness of our
God,
would form a suitable conclusion to our meditations
on
this most interesting Psalm. We would unite the pub-
lican's
prayer with the great Apostle's confidence; and, while
in
holy brokenness of heart we would wish to live and die,
smiting
upon our breast, and saying, "God be merciful to
me
a sinner" (Luke, xviii. 13): the remembrance of our
adoption
warrants the expression of assurance—"I know
whom
I have believed, and am persuaded that he is able
to
keep that which I have committed to him against that
day."
(2 Tim. i. 12.) Yet, as it regards the experience of
David,
is there not something striking, and we had almost
VERSE 176. 481
said,
unexpected, in the conclusion of this Psalm? To
hear
one, who has throughout been expressing such holy
and
joyful aspirations for the salvation of his God, such
fervent
praises of his love, that we seem to shrink back
from
the comparison with him, as if considering him
almost
on the verge of heaven—to hear this "man after
God's
own heart," sinking himself to the lowest dust,
under
the sense of the evil of his heart, and his perpetual
tendency
to wander from his God, is indeed a most in-
structive
lesson. It marks the believer's conflict sustained
to
the end: ―the humility, and yet the strength, of his con-
fidence
the highest notes of praise combining with the
deepest
expressions of abasement—forming that harmony
of
acceptable service, which ascends "like pillars of
smoke"
(Cant. iii. 6) before God. And thus will our
Christian
progress be chequered, until we reach the re-
gions
of unmixed praise, where we shall no longer mourn
over
our wanderings, no longer feel any inclination to err
from
him, or the difficulty of returning to him—where we
shall
be eternally safe in the heavenly fold, to "go no
more
out." (Rev. iii. 12.) For He that
sitteth on the
throne shall dwell among them: they shall hunger
no more, neither thirst any more: neither shall the
sun light on them, nor any heat. For the Lamb which
is in the midst of the throne shall feed them, and
shall lead them unto living fountains of waters: and
God shall wipe away all tears from their eyes."
(Rev.
vii. 15-17.)
INDEX. 483
Aaron's
resignation, 195 Arguments in prayer, 95, 199, 239,
Abba,
Father, 460 242, 394
Acceptance,
273, 344 Asa,
example of, 224
Access,
way of, 26, 212, 2 7, 312, 457 Ashamed of Christ, 114
―
importance of know- Assurance, 12, 102, 212, 354, 442, 444-
ing, 457 452 n.
―
known to Old Testa- ― known to Old Testament
ment believers, Preface vi. 353 believers, 93, 359:
Acknowledgment
of God's faithful- ― loss of, sad effects, 105,
443
ness, 162, 193 ―
how maintained, 12, 355,
―
righteous- 444
ness, 363, 376 Attainments, humble view of, 13
Actings
of faith habitual, 441 Augustine,
his conflicts, 73 n. 111 n.
Activity,
spiritual, 75 ―conversion,
19 n. 29 n.
Adoption,
spirit of, 34, 425, 460, 480 ― prayers, 10 n. 142 n.
Advantage
of religious vows. See 479
n.
Vows. ― view of prayer, 386 n.
Advocacy
of Christ. See Jesus Christ. ― quotations from, Pre-
Afflictions,
blessings of, 172, 182, 193 face
xiv. n. 17 n., 123, 218 n. 254 n.
―
comfort in, 124, 136, 151, 258 n. 326 n.
270, 379 ― Scripture
fulness, view
―
confidence in, 218 of, 335 n.
―
lost, 184 Authority
of the word. See Word.
―
protracted, 219 Awful state of the wicked. See
Wicked.
―
submission under, 195 ― world. See World.
―
support of the word under.
See Word. Backsliding, 150
―
teaching of, 182 ― guilt of, 73, 96
―
gracious uses of, 196 ― loss from, 140
―
worldly, 152, 235, 270, 380 ―
return from, 149
Agatha,
martyr, 111 n. Bacon,
Lord, quoted, 197 n.
Ahithophel,
277 Balaam
referred to, 210
Ainsworth
referred to, 33 n. 336 n. Baptism, infant, an exercise of
faith,
346 n. 437 n. 123
Alleine,
Joseph, quoted, 117 n. Basil's
prayer, 147
Ambrose
quoted, Preface xi. n. Baxter,
quoted, 155
Anhalt,
Prince George of, 322 n. Baxter's
Christian Directory referred
Answers
to prayer, 61, 166 n. to, 170 n.
Apostasy,
guilt of, 96 Believers cautioned, 75
Apostles,
conduct of, 114, 368 ―
despised by the world, 373
Application
of the word to our case, Believer's character, 92, 238
30, 95, 122 ―
comfort, in affliction. See
Archimedes,
187
Affliction.
484 INDEX.
Believer's
condition, 304, 305 Christians. See
Believers.
―
confession of Christ, 28, 105, ―
love of early, 205, 206
114, 465 ― their trials,
152
―
confidence, 75, 192, 193, Chrysostom quoted, 205
241, 298, 313, 479 Cicero
quoted, 34
―
conflicts, 56, 64, 68, 73, 284, Circumstances
of temptation. See
285, 478 Temptation.
―
cross, 48, 126, 129, 177, 411 Cleansing power of the
Word. See
―
delight in the word, 29, Word.
235, 326, 328, 371, 377, 380, 429 Cleaving to God, 72, 226, 413
―
encouragement. See En- Collatia, people of, their surrender
to
couragement. the
Romans, 114 n.
―
liberty in the ways of Comfort of the word, 124
God, 75, 79, 111 —— source of, 198
―
love of the brethren, 156, Coming of Christ,
believer looking
205 for,
212, 357, 475
―
need of mercy, 320, 322 Compassion to sinners,
132, 357, 361,
―
persecutions, 48, 126, 178, 409, 414
203, 223, 411, 424 Condition
of the believer. See Be-
―
plea for mercy, 239, 313 liever.
―
portion, 141, 278 Confession
of Christ. See Believer.
―
praises. See Praise. ― comfort of, 107
―
prayers. See Prayer. ― young persons
―
preciousness in sight of encouraged
to, 115
God, 376 Confidence,
Christian. See Believer.
―
prospects, 153 ― distinguished
from pha-
―
resolutions, 266 risaical,
314
―
security, 226, 241 ― in dying hours,
213, 214,
―
stedfastness, 74, 221, 412, 275, 392,
400
436 ―
excitement to, 191
―
trials of faith, 215, 316 Conflict, spiritual. See
Believer.
―
walk, 454 Conformity to the
world, 293
Bernard
quoted, 82, 113 n. 217 ― danger of,
Beza
referred to, 19 157,
294
Bondage,
spirit of, 433 ― deceitful-
Boston
quoted, 35 ness
of, 294
Bradford's
Epistles, 396 n. Confusion of enemies,
prayer for, 203,
―
referred to, 381 n. 222,
323
Brainerd's
Life, 370, 372, 375 n. Conscience, 312
Brookes'
Works, quotation from, 65 n. ―
scrupulous, 168, 267, 458
Buchanan,
Rev. Dr., referred to, 334 n. ― seared, 179
Bunyan
quoted, 91, 96, 153, 934 ―
unenlightened, 171
Consideration, 146
Cadogan,
Life of, 390 n. ― God's, of his people,
Calvin,
on Ps. cxix. quoted, Preface
417
xii. n. Contrition,
sweetness of, 66, 67, 98
Calvin's
Institutes referred to, 167 n. Conversation, daily, 42, 107
Campbell
referred to, 337 n. ― religious, 64, 107, 192
Cecil
quoted, 297, 337 Conversion
of Jews, 233
Character
of God. See God. ― the world, 233
―
His Judgments. Convictions,
immediate attention to,
See Judgments. 148
―
His Testimonies. Corruption
of nature, 5, 18
See Testimonies. ― from youth, 18
484b INDEX.
Characteristics
of Psalm cxix., Pre- Counsel of Christ. See Jesus Christ.
face vii.-xiv. ― the word, 52
Charnock
quoted, 175, 176 Covenant of grace,
emblem of, 231
Choice
of the Gospel, 70, 467 Covetousness, 87, 326
―
cost counted, 412 ― danger
of, 86, 326
―
help in making, 468 ―
mortification of, 88
―
of Mary, 70 Cowper, Bp. quoted,
Preface xiii. n.
―
of Paul, 70, 151 ― W.
quoted, 298 n.
INDEX. 485
Cranmer
quoted, 426 n. Difference
between God's people and
Creation
of man, 189 the
world, 297, 304-307
―
end of, 190 Diodati
quoted, 159
―
new, on heart, 5 Divine
teaching, 27, 39, 62, 73, 159,
―
works of, 231 176
Cross
taken up. See Believer. ― by affliction, 182,
―
of Christ. See Jesus Christ. 194
―
power of, 253 ― blessings of, 254
Curse
of sin, 22 Dominion of sin. 346
Cypriau's
Epistles quoted, 117 n. Dying hour, confidence in. See Con-
416 n. -fidence.
― preparation for,
275
Danger,
temporal, 275
―
of pride, 45 Early Christians. See
Christians.
―
prosperity, 172 ― rising,
389
―
self-confidence, 302 Edwards'
(Pres.) resolution, 62 n.
―
walking in our own light, ― view of false humility, 374
n.
54
―
on Psalm cxix., Preface ix. n.
―
worldly conformity. See Ejaculatory prayer,
instances of, 166
Conformity. n.
386 n.
Daniel
in Babylon, 18, 50, 388, 389 Eli's resignation, 195
―
snare laid for, 276 Elijah's
zeal, 368
―
his stedfastness, 2761 Elisha's faith, 396
D'Aubigné,
History of Reformation, Emblem of the covenant of grace, 231
322 n. 477 n. Emptiness of
the world, 243
David,
character of, Preface vii. viii. Encouragement of the believer, 241
―
awe of God's word, 323, 425 ― to confession of Christ,
―
concern for God's honour, 95 115
―
dying advice to Solomon, 52 n. ―
under the cross, 57
――
consolations, 213 ―
under deadness to
―
fear of temptation, 89 prayer, 58
―
life endangered, 275 ― under defilement of
―
persecutions, 50, 424 sin, 2
―
praises, times of, 154, 433 ― under desertion. See
―
prayer, habit of, 389, 393 Desertion.
―
promise secured, 419 ― to spiritual desire, 99
―
submission, 183, 195 ― to love of the
bre-
―
support in trial, 191, 219, 373 thren, 156
―
wisdom, 249 ― under failure of me-
Deadness
in prayer, 228 mory, 238
Deceitfulness
of worldly conformity. ―
to perseverance, 81,
See Conformity. 282
Defilement,
encouragement under, 2 ―
under power of sin, 66
Delight,
spiritual, 85, 470
― to praise, 434
―
in the ways of God, 33, 97, ― to return to God, 478,
116, 134 479
―
in the word of God. See ―
under vain thoughts,
Believer. 286
Deliverance
from trial, 350 End of creation. See
Creation.
―
vain thoughts, 288 Enemies,
prayer for confusion of. See
―
of children of Israel, 130, Confusion.
420 Enmity
to the people of God, 203,
Deluge,
record of, 130 241, 397
Desertion,
state of, 15 ― overruled for
good, 178, 415
INDEX. 485b
―
causes of, 15 Enthusiasm, 338
―
encouragement under, 17, Error of heart, 21, 243
316 Eternity, nearness of, 278
―
Jesus Christ, in state of. Evangelical religion,
happiness of,
See Jesus Christ. Preface
vii. 117
Desire,
spiritual, 42, 99, Example of
Jesus Christ. See Jesus.
―
hindrances to, 43, 99, 339, 343 Excitement to Christian confidence.
―
object of, 213 See
Confidence.
486
INDEX.
Expectations
of faith, 37, 77 Grace, power of, 7
Experience
of Old Testament be- ―
quickening. See Quickening.
lievers, Preface iii.-v., 92, 93, 353 ― seasonable, 393
―
identical with New Tes- Gracious uses of
affliction. See Af-
tament, Preface iii.-v., 93, 439 fliction.
Experience
of Jacob. See Jacob. Greenhorn referred to,
166 n. 286 n.
―
of Job. See Job. Gregory
Nazianzen quoted, 70 n.
―
of Jonah. See Jonah. Grimshawe's
Life referred to, 266 n
―
of Paul. See Paul. Gurnall
quoted, 235 n.
Extension
of the kingdom of Christ,
233 Habitual
actings of faith, 441
Halyburton's Life quoted,
Preface x. n.
Faith,
acting of, 122, 440, 449 n. Happiness of religion, Preface vii.
117
―
ground of, 232 Harmony of
Scripture, 8
―
practical principle, 440, 444 Hatred of sin, 260, 329,
429
―
trembling, 440 Heart,
tender, 180
―
trials of. See Trials. ― sound,
209, 210
―
in the commandments, 171 Heaven, service of, 110,
377, 435
―
in God's promises, 162, 199 n. Helps to memory, 35
―
of Old Testament believers, Henry, Philip, catholic
rule of, 205 n.
Preface iii., 92, 353 ―
views of Ps. cxix.,
Faithfulness
of God. See God. Preface
xiii.
False
humility. See Humility. Hervey quoted, 247 n.
—
ways, 260, 329. See Lying. Hess, Antistes, referred
to, 335 n.
—
zeal. See Zeal. Hezekiah's
resignation, 195
Favour,
sense of, 144, 197, 248. See Hiding of the word in the heart. See
Assurance. Word.
―
benefit of, 356 Hiding-place,
Jesus Christ. See Jesus
―
means of obtaining, 355 Christ.
Fear
of God, 92 Hindrances to the
light of the Gospel,
―
consistent with assur- 334
ance, 93, 427 ― to
love of the brethren,
―
fruit of assurance; 93, 214, 206
445 n. ― to
prayer, 457
―
of the judgments of God, ― to progress, 78, 168
307, 308 History of
the Bible, importance of,
Fellowship,
Christian, 156, 205 129
―
worldly. See Conformity. Holiness of the word.
See Word.
First
love, loss of, 471 ― delights of, 117
Forbearance,
Christian, 203 Hope, Christian, 214
Foreknowledge
of God. See God. ―
fruit of faith, 440
Forgiveness
of God. See God. ― practical principle, 443
Foundation
of the word of God. See ―
in God's salvation, 440
Word. ― in
God's word, 122, 215, 293, 392
Francke,
Professor, quoted, 32 n. ―
Jesus Christ the Christian's,
Free-will
offerings, 273 299
Fulness
of Scripture. See Word. Horne, Bp., quoted, 1,
32 n. 371, 452,
453, 475 n.
Galatian
churches, error of 430 Horne, Hartwell, quoted,
Preface
Gardiner,
Colonel, referred to, 425 xii.
Glover,
Martyr, referred to, 318 Horsley, Bishop, quoted,
3, 307 n.
God,
his character, 363 Howe quoted,
176 n. 208
――
faithfulness, 162,194, 221, 230 Humility, 13
――
foreknowledge, 232, 399 ― false, 374
486b INDEX.
――
forgiveness, 60 Hypocrisy,
11, 209, 329
――
goodness. 174
――
mercy, 158, 200, 321 Identity
of experience of Old and
――
righteousness, 3a, 364, 377 New Testaments. See
Experience.
――
ways, 194, 364 Illumination,
Divine. See Teaching.
―
the portion of his people, 141 Inability, moral, 8
Good
conscience. See Conscience. Indifference to the wonders of the
Grace,
growth in, 372 Bible, 353
INDEX. 487
Indwelling
sin. See Believer's Con- Judgments of God, subjects of
praise,
flicts. 130,
131, 154, 155, 434
―
encouragement under.
See Encouragement. Keeping
the testimonies, 3, 4, 7, 334,
Infidelity,
preservation against, 250, 388, 445
421 Kingdom
of Christ, extension of, 233
Integrity,
Christian, 211 "Know thyself!" 146 n.
Intercession
of the Spirit, 98 Knowledge, spiritual,
165, 166. See
Interest,
personal, in Christ, 101 Understanding.
―
in the promise. See Pro-
mises. Law
of God, encouragement to keep,
Isaiah
liii. 236 n. 109,
110
Israel,
children of, their deliverance ―
knowledge of the, 69
from Egypt, 130, 420 ―
love to, 202, 246, 417,
438, 445
Jacob's
dying hour, 213 ― spirituality of, 187,
244,
―
experience, 162 328
―
faith in the promises, 123 n. Leighton quoted, 143,
222, 241
Jephthah's
vow, 267 Liberty of the ways of God, 109
Jerome
quoted, 180 Lies against the people of God,
178
Jesus
Christ, advocacy of, 273, 287, Life, spiritual, 201, 202, 383, 475
290, 303, 385, 397, 403, 456 Light
of the Spirit, 28
―
government of, 367 ―― word, 262, 336
Jesus's
compassion for sinners, 357, ―
danger of walking in our own,
368, 416 54
―
conflicts, 67, 275, 316 ― hindrances to, 337
―
counsel, 316 Litany referred to,
172, 180
―
delight in his work, 86, 342 Liturgy referred to, 434
―
example, 28, 86, 115 128, 178, Livy quoted, 114 n.
204, 275, 349, 369, 373, 389, 398 Locke quoted, 371
―
perseverance, 74 Love of the
brethren. See Believer.
―
prayers, 203, 389, 416
―― law. See Law.
―
preaching, 28 ― constraining,
38, 438
―
reproach, 51, 127, 178, 375 Luther quoted, Preface
xiii. n. 98 n.
―
sufferings, 49, 219, 401 235 n. 251
n. 477 n.
―
support, 67, 137, 397387 ―
resistance of temptation,
―
sympathy, 219, 270, 379, 401 387
n.
―
zeal, 369, 416 ― in the school of
affliction,
Jesus
Christ, the Christian's hiding- 182, 379
place, 292 ― supplication,
spirit of, 387 n.
―
hope, 299 392 n.
―
portion, 141 392 Lying ways, 68, 429
―
shepherd, 478 ― origin
of, 69
―
surety, 314 ― resistance
of, 131
Jewish
Expositor quoted, 335 n.
―
Rabbi, 187 n. Man,
creation of. See Creation.
Jews,
conversion of, 233 ― redemption of.
See Redemption.
―
reverence for the word of God, Manton, Dr., referred to, 62 n.
426 n. Martyn,
H., quoted, Preface xiv. n.
Joash,
his history, 420 246
n. 310 n. 323 n. 334 n. 372 n. 415
Job's
affliction, 152, 220 Martyrs referred to, 381
n.
―
conflicts, 341 Mary's
choice, 70
―
resignation, 195, 220 Mather,
Cotton, quoted, 107, 108
―
stedfastness, 220 Matt. xi.
28, 235 n.
INDEX. 487b
Jonah's
experience, 219, 23l Meditation, 119, 202,
248, 393
Joseph
referred to, 18, 424 Memory, encouragement
under weak-
Josiah
referred to, 424 ness of, 34
Judas
referred to, 210 ― helps to, 35
Judgment,
good, the gift of God, 165 Mercy of God. See God.
Judgments
of God, 193, 325, 395 ― believer's
need of, 321
―
executed upon the ― great, 409
ungodly, 304, 325 ―
tender, 154, 228
488 INDEX.
Middleton
quoted, 182 n. Peter's determination to
confess
Midnight
employment and support, Christ, 425
405
―
self-confidence, 302
Milner
quoted, 182 n. 208 n. 387 n. Philpot referred to, 381 n.
392 n. Pilgrim's
song, 133
Minister,
Christian, character of, 358 ―
spirit, importance of, 40
Misery
of sin, 22 Pleasures of
sin contrasted, 117
Missionaries'
encouragements, 233 Poor, religion of, 336
Money,
love of, 88, 326 Portion of the people of God, 141
Monica's
prayer, 199 n. Praise, 25, 433, 461
Moral
inability. See Inability. ― acceptableness of, 25
Morning
Exercises referred to, 206 — encouragement to, 434
Mortification
of the flesh, 155 ― poverty of, 25
―
subjects of, 434
Name
of God revealed, 137 ― world of, 435
―
support to Jesus from. Prayer, 385, 458
See Jesus Christ. ―
answers to, 61, 166
―
support to the people of — dulness, reason of,
395, 410
God from, 136 ― ejaculatory,
166, 386
Nature,
corruption of, 5, 19 — object of, 386 n.
—
renewal of, 5 — seasons of, 389, 433
Nearness
of eternity, 278 ― secret, 459
―
of God to his people, 396 ― example of Jesus in. See
Jesus
――
support to Jesus from. Christ.
See Jesus Christ. —
temptation resisted by, 387 n.
Night
season, comfort for, 136 Preciousness of the
believer. See Be-
Nottidge,
Rev. J. T. quoted, 107, 108, hover.
464 Pride,
hateful to God, 45, 203
―
spiritual, temptation to, 46
Obedience,
Christian, 7 Princes, persecution of, 50, 424
―
happiness of, 138 Progress,
Christian, 75
―
obligations to, 7 Promise of
Spirit. See Spirit.
Offerings,
free-will. See Free-will ―
tender heart. See Heart.
Offerings. Promises,
interest in, how distin-
Origen
quoted, 30 n. guished, 262
Owen,
Dr., referred to, 19 n. 334 n. ―
pleading in prayer, 122, 199
426 n. Prospects
of believer. See Believer.
Prosperity, danger of,
172
Paul,
his boldness for Christ, 114 Psalm xxiii. quoted, 133
―
choice of the Gospel, 70, 151 ― cxix. its evangelical
character,
—
Christian experience, Preface vii. Preface vii. viii.; its
adaptation to
—
fervency of spirit, 75, 341 Christian
experience, ix.-xi.; its
—
pride, temptation to, 46 structure,
xi. xii.; how it may be
—
stedfastness, 276 best
studied with advantage, xii.-
—
tenderness of spirit, 358 xiv.
—
zeal, 368
Peace
of the gospel, 435 Quickening grace, 9, 57, 99, 227,
391,
Pearce,
life of, 266 n. 405,
410, 419
People
of God. See Believer. ― power of the word,125, 236
Perfection,
Christian, 452
Persecution.
See Believer. Rabbi, Jewish, 187 n.
―
comfort under, 222, 379 Record of trials of
God's people, 282
―
how to abide, 127 Redemption,
work of, 191, 325, 332,
Perseverance
desired, 81 399
488b INDEX.
―
encouragement to, 75, Religion, evangelical,
happiness of,
82, 282 Preface
vii. 117
―
importance of, 74 ― of poor. See
Poor.
―
secured, 282, 414 Religious
conversation. See Conver-
―
test of, 276 sation.
Personal
interest in the gospel. See Reproach. See Jesus Christ.
Interest. ― of
the cross, 48
Peter's
denial of Christ, 425 ― of sin, 95
INDEX. 489
Resistance
of temptation. See Tempt- Spiritual understanding. See Under-
ation. standing.
Respect
to the word. See Word. Spirituality of the law.
See Law.
Reverence
of the word. See Word. State of the wicked. See Wicked.
Righteous
character of God. See God. ―
world. See World.
―
testimonies of God, 365, Stedfastness of the
believer. See Be-
377, 382 liever.
―
ways of God, 193 Steele's
Antidote to Distractions
Rising
early, 389 quoted,
289
Rivet,
Dr., referred to, 182 n. Stranger, character of Christ
as. See
162 n. ―
Christians, 40
Structure of Psalm cxix., Preface xi.
Salvation,
what it is, 103, 470 xii.
―
neglect of, 325 Submission
to the word of God, 421
―
object of desire, 101 Sumner's,
Abp., Evidences quoted,
―
personal interest in, 102 111 n.
―
work of. See Redemption. Sufferings of Jesus
Christ. See Jesus
Samson
referred to, 196 Christ
Saul
referred to, 210, 219, 381 Support vouchsafed to
Jesus Christ
Savage,
Mrs., Preface xiii. n. under
suffering. See Jesus Christ.
Scott
referred to, 159 n. 167 n. 227 n. ―
to people of God under trouble,
337 n. 392 n. 404 n, 475 n. 270
Scriptures,
Holy. See Word of God. ― from the Word of God. See
Scrupulous
conscience. See Con- Word.
science. Surrender of all, 269. 274
Seared
conscience. See Conscience. Suretyship of Jesus Christ. See
Jesus
Season
of prayer. See Prayer. Christ.
Seasonableness
of grace. See Grace. Sweetness of the word. See Word.
Security
of the people of God. See
Believer. Taylor, Bp.
quoted, 160 n. 167 n.
Self-dedication,
266, 273, 274 Teaching of God. See Divine Teach-
Self-denial,
155, 207 ing.
Self-examination,
Preface ix. ― prayers for, 26, 38, 59, 60,
80,
Seneca
quoted, 111 n. 82, 165, 174
Sense
of favour. See Favour. Temptation, circumstances of, 89
Servant
of God, character of, 92 ― resistance of, 90, 220,
―
privilege of, 321, 413 286
n. 387 n.
Service
of heaven. See Heaven. ― watchfulness in,
90
Shadrach
referred to, 18, 424 Tender conscience. See
Conscience.
Simplicity,
Christian, 15 ― heart, promise of. See Heart.
Simeon
referred to, 213 ― mercies of God.
See Mercy.
Sin,
aggravation of, 22 Tertullian
quoted, 333
―
conflict with. See Believer. Testimonies of God,
what, 3, 365, 377,
―
curse of, 22, 179 382
―
dominion of, 347 ― obedience
required to, 445
―
misery of, 22 ― preciousness of,
29, 278,
―
pleasure of, 116 280
―
hateful to the people of God, 329, Thomas à Kempis quoted, 395
429 Thoughts,
vain. See Vain.
Sincerity,
godly, 11, 329 Threatenings of the word, how to
Sorrow,
godly, 65 hear,
264
―
worldly. See Affliction. Treasures
of heaven and earth, 185,
Spirit,
intercession of, 98 186
INDEX. 489b
―
light of. See Light. Trials of
faith, 196, 215, 219, 316, 380
―
promise of, 63 ― of the world,
152
Spiritual
activity. See Activity. ― deliverance from, 350
―
bondage, 433 Truth of
God's word. See Word.
―
desire. See Desire. ― of
Gospel, 377
―
life. See Life.
―
light. See Light. Unbelief
rebuked, 162
―
pride. See Pride. Unchangeableness
of God. See God.
490 INDEX.
Undefiled
way, 1 Word of God, authority of, 249,
420,
―
privileges of, 2 421
Understanding,
spiritual, 186, 250, ――
cleansing power of, 18,
257, 353, 383 372
Unenlightened
conscience. See Con- Word, delight of believer. See Be-
science. liever.
Ungodly,
duty to, 416 ― foundation of,
230, 396
Upholding
grace, 298 ― fulness of, 62,
81, 334
Usher,
Archbishop, quoted, 465 n. ― harmony of, 8
― hid in the
heart, 22
Vain
thoughts, 285 ― holiness of,
252, 255, 372, 377
―
distress of, 286 ― hope of
believer. See Hope.
―
encouragement under, ― light of. See Light.
288 ―
names of, Preface xii.
Vanity
of the world, 89, 187 ― quickening power. See Quick-
―
resistance to, 91 ening.
Venn,
Rev. H., quoted, Preface ― reverence of, 227, 424
xiii. n.
―
riches of, 326
Vows,
religious, 266 ― support of, 122,
220, 234, 378,
―
advantages of, 267 380
―
evangelical character of, 269 ― sweetness of, 249
― truth of, 398,
418, 420
Waiting
faith. See Trials of Faith. ―
wonders of, 38, 334, 335 n.
Walking
before God. See Believer. Works of creation. See Creation.
Watchfulness,
importance of, 89 ― new creation, 5, 189
Ways
of God, liberty of. See
―― pleasures of, 117 tion.
―
of lying. See
Lying.
―
compassion due to, 306, 360
Weariness
and duties consistent with
― emptiness of, 187, 243, 321
grace, 99 Worldly
conformity. See Conformity.
Wholeness
of heart, 4, 20, 144, 179. ―
sorrow. See Affliction.
See Integrity.
Wicked,
character of, 369, 407 Young Christian
encouraged, 437
―
compassion due to. See
―― warned, 412, 432
Compassion. ― persons
addressed, 115
―
condition of, 304, 406, 408 Youth, corruption of
heart from. See
Wisdom,
spiritual. See Understand- Corruption.
ing.
Word
of God, its application to our Zeal, Christian, 324, 366, 389, 416
need, 30, 125 n. ― false,
366
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