Psalm 12:4

“Who is Lord over us?”

That “the world lies in wickedness,” is a truth generally acknowledged. But it is by the more heinous acts alone that men in general estimate the wickedness around them; whereas in order to form a correct judgment, they should mark the alienation of heart from God which is observable, not in gross sinners only, but in the more moral and decent part of mankind. A spirit of independence pervades all ranks and orders of men; and though all do not live in the same measure of open rebellion against God, all concoct a standard of their own, to which to conform their lives; and, in reference to all beyond it, they say, as those in my text, “Who is Lord over us?” To illustrate this, I will show,

I. The atheism of the heart.

Whether there are any who really believe there is no Supreme Being, I think, may well be doubted; since there is not an ignorant savage who does not imagine that there is some Being superior to himself, and some Being that takes cognizance of his deportment. But a secret atheism abounds in every place; insomuch, that all who are yet in a state of nature will ask, “Who is Lord over us?”

1. Who is Lord over us, to inspect our ways?

That this is the sentiment of the unregenerate heart is evident, from the declaration which is made in another Psalm, which the Apostle quotes as applicable to every man, “He has said in his heart, God has forgotten; he hides his face; he will never see it.” And again, “He has said in his heart: You will not require it! Psalm 10:11; Psalm 10:13.”

If people were sensible of the divine presence, and that God marks every motion of their hearts—could they give such a license as they do to sin, or commit it with so little fear? No! If only their sins are hidden from the eyes of men, they are satisfied; and that which was erroneously imputed by Eliphaz to Job, is really fulfilled in them, “Yet you say: ‘What does God know? Does he judge through such darkness? Thick clouds veil him, so he does not see us as he goes about in the vaulted heavens.’ Job 22:13-14.”

2. Who is Lord over us, to order our paths?

This is strongly exemplified in our text. “They say: With our tongue will we prevail; our lips are our own; Who is Lord over us?” It is painful to observe with what daring impiety men will “cast God’s Words behind them, Nehemiah 9:26.” Declare to them the commands of men, and they will have an ear to hear; but speak to them of the commands of God, and they reject it with scorn! They reply, in heart at least, if not in word also, “As for the word that you have spoken unto us in the name of the Lord, we will not hearken unto you; but we will certainly do whatever goes forth out of our own mouth! Jeremiah 44:16-17.” Pharaoh, it is true, was hardened beyond the generality of men; but his answer to Moses is still that of the generality among ourselves, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice? I know not the Lord; neither will I obey his voice! Exodus 5:2.”

3. Who is Lord over us, to supply our needs?

Whatever be the needs of an ungodly man, he will look to himself, or to the world, to supply them. He has no idea that God is observant of them, or will humble himself so low as to regard them. Now, this is a part of that same disposition which we have before noticed; and is no other than a denial of God. Job says, “If I have made gold my hope, or said to the fine gold, You are my confidence; this would be an iniquity to be punished by the Judge; for then I would have denied the God who is above, Job 31:24; Job 31:28.”

4. Who is Lord over us, to call us to an account for our sins?

Men imagine that what is past is all forgotten, and that they shall never hear of it any more. This is what the Psalmist so justly reproves, “They say: “The LORD does not see; the God of Jacob pays no heed.” Take heed, you senseless ones among the people; you fools, when will you become wise? Does he who implanted the ear not hear? Does he who formed the eye not see? Does he who disciplines nations not punish? Does he who teaches man lack knowledge? The LORD knows the thoughts of man; he knows that they are futile! Psalm 94:7-11.”

Elihu, also, conceiving it to be indulged by Job, utters a similar rebuke, “Although you say you shall not see him—yet judgment is before him! Job 35:14.”

Now, though in none of these particulars, perhaps, will men deny in words the interposition of Heaven; yet, in their hearts, they so far disbelieve it, that they act without any reference to it, and live, practically at least, as “atheists in the world! Ephesians 2:12.

Let me, however, proceed to show you,

II. The folly of atheism.

Foolish in the extreme is this atheistic disregard of God. For,

1. Your atheism will not alter the state of things.

We may deny the agency, or even the existence, of God; but He will exist, and act too, in despite of us. We cannot reverse the order of created things; how, then, can we affect the Creator himself? He will sit on his throne, notwithstanding us; and will mark our conduct, and record it in the book of his remembrance; and call us into judgment for it, whether we choose to acknowledge it or not.

Now, if by denying these things we could change the course of them, then there would be some reason for our conduct; but when we can alter nothing, but only deceive our own souls, it is little short of madness to continue in unbelief.

In truth, we would call it madness if any man were to pursue such conduct in reference to earthly things. Suppose a man were to deny the tendency of bodies to gravitate towards the center of the earth, and the power of fire to burn; and, in support of his opinions, were to leap down a precipice, or thrust his hand into the fire—would we be at any loss how to designate that conduct? Yet it would not be a whit more foolish than to go on in sin, on the presumption that God does not mark, or will not judge, the thoughts and actions of men! In this case, precisely as in the other, we only rush on to our perdition!

2. Your atheism will not alter the outcome of things.

We may declaim on the injustice of God, in consigning men to everlasting misery for the sins of time; or we may deny that there is any such place as Hell. But it shall surely be the abode of the wicked, whether we will believe it or not.

To judgment we shall be called;

by our works we shall be judged;

God’s sentence shall be according to justice;

nor shall we be able to withstand it.

All that we do by our present unbelief is only to insure that very doom which now we presume to deny. Then shall we find, that there is a Lord over us; and that we can neither elude nor withstand his power!

If now we admit the truth of these things, we may avert the misery with which we are threatened, and secure the happiness which is offered to us; but if we persevere in an atheistic denial of them, nothing remains for us, but to learn from experience what we will not learn from reason or the Word of God.

Let me CONCLUDE with answering the question which is thus presumptuously proposed.

Do you ask, “Who is Lord over us?”

I answer, The Lord Jesus Christ is; and “he has sworn, that unto him every knee shall bow, and every tongue confess! Isaiah 45:23.” O that you would now submit yourselves unto him!

What would he not do for you?

What judgments would he not avert?

What blessings would he not communicate?

Remember that “He is God, and there is no other! Isaiah 45:22.” Whatever you may imagine, you can never “prevail” against him. As for “your lips being your own;” nothing that you have is your own. You are the work of God’s hands; and he has a right to every power that you possess. Take him, then, as your Lord; and yield yourselves to him as his subjects; and then you may very safely ask, “Whom have I to fear?” Beloved, reject this Lord, and none can save you! Give yourselves up to him, and “none can harm you! 1 Peter 3:13.”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 11:1-7

“In the LORD I take refuge. How then can you say to me: “Flee like a bird to your mountain. For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart. When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them. The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence, his soul hates. On the wicked he will rain fiery coals and burning sulfur; a scorching wind will be their lot. For the LORD is righteous, he loves justice; upright men will see his face.”

(The three first verses of the Psalm should be read as one continued speech, and then the force and spirit of the passage is made clear.)

The Psalms are a rich repository of experimental knowledge! David, at the different periods of his life, was placed in almost every different situation in which a believer, whether rich or poor, can be placed; and in these heavenly compositions, he delineates all the workings of his heart. He introduces, too, the opinions and conduct of the various people who were accessary either to his troubles or his joys; and thus sets before our eyes a compendium of all that is passing in the hearts of men throughout the world.

When he penned this Psalm, he was under persecution from Saul, who sought his life, and hunted him “as a partridge upon the mountains.” His timid friends were alarmed for his safety, and recommended him to flee to some mountain where he had a hiding-place; and thus to conceal himself from the rage of Saul. But David, being strong in faith, spurned the idea of resorting to any such cowardly expedients, and determined confidently to repose his trust in God.

Thus in this Psalm we see, in a contrasted view,

I. The counsels of unbelief.

Unbelief always views the dark side of a question; and not only keeps out of view those considerations that should animate and encourage the soul, but suggests others which are most injurious to its welfare:

1. Unbelief magnifies the difficulties we have to encounter.

Doubtless the dangers which encompassed David were great and imminent; the arrows with which his enemies sought to kill him, were already on the string, pointed at him, as it were, and needing only to be drawn, in order to pierce him to the heart! The foundations also of law and justice were so entirely subverted under the government of Saul, that there was nothing to prevent the wicked from executing their murderous plots.

But still there is no sufficient ground for that desponding question, “What can the righteous do?” Methinks the question under any circumstances is not only unbelieving, but atheistic; for if there is a God, and that God is a hearer of prayer, the question would rather be, ‘What can the righteous not do?’

Let us look at an instance or two, as a specimen of what a godly man may do, even when, according to human appearance, the circumstances may be most desperate.

The whole army of Israel is appalled at the sight of one gigantic warrior; yet a young stripling, with his sling and stone, destroys the giant, and puts to flight the whole army of the Philistines.

Again, at a period when idolatry so prevailed in Israel, that Elijah thought himself the only worshiper of Jehovah in the whole land, one righteous man stems the torrent, destroys the priests of Baal, and demolishes all his temples and altars throughout the country.

But another instance of singular importance is that of Oded in 2 Chronicles 28:9-15; who, by his own unaided expostulation, liberated two hundred thousand captives, and constrained their victorious enemies not only to restore them to their homes without injury, but to treat them with a tenderness truly parental.

Shall anyone, after such instances as these, and many others that might be mentioned, ask, “What can the righteous do?” We should remember, that, as “with God all things are possible,” so “all things are possible to him who believes” Yes, “if we have faith only as a grain of mustard-seed, we may root up trees or mountains, and cast them into the depths of the sea.”

2. Unbelief prompts to the use of unfitting expedients.

However it might be proper for David to use prudential cautions, and not to put himself directly into the hands of Saul, it did not befit him to “flee as a bird to his mountain,” just as if he had no refuge in his God. His duty was to repose a confidence in God, and to expect assuredly the accomplishment of all God’s promises towards him, in spite of all the efforts of his most malignant enemies. But such is constantly the voice of unbelief; it bids us not wait God’s time, but contrive some way for ourselves, lest perhaps God should have forgotten his engagements, or not be able to fulfill them.

Thus it operated in Rebecca. She knew that God had designed the blessings of the birthright for Jacob, her younger son; but when she saw that Isaac’s intention was in the space of an hour or two to give them to Esau—she conceived that the Divine purpose would be frustrated, if she did not instantly interpose for its accomplishment. To what a system of falsehood and treachery she had recourse, is too well known to need any recital; but it is a striking instance of the tendency of unbelief.

Just so, who does not feel this tendency in his own heart? Who has not at some unhappy moment sought, by dissimulation or concealment, to avoid the cross, which a more faithful confession of the Savior would have brought upon him? But to use any indirect means either to avoid an evil or to obtain a good, is a certain proof of an unbelieving heart; for, “He who believes will not make haste.”

In the noble reply of David to his friends, we behold,

II. The dictates of faith.

It is the peculiar province of faith to “see Him who is invisible;” and in all situations to have respect to God:

1. As an Almighty Sovereign.

Mark the answer which David, with holy indignation, gives to his timid advisers, “How then can you say to me: Flee like a bird to your mountain? When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?”

This is my answer to all such vain fears, “The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne!” What plots can men or devils form, which God does not see? Or what can they attempt to execute, which God cannot defeat? He who sits m the heavens “laughs them to scorn.” “He disappoints the devices of the crafty, so that they cannot perform their enterprise;” yes, “he takes the wise in their own craftiness.”

It is not possible to find a more beautiful elucidation of this subject than that which is recorded in the history of Elisha. When the king of Syria was warring against Israel, behold, all his plans were made known to the king of Israel; and were thereby defeated. But how were these secrets made known? Was it by treason? No! God revealed to Elisha the things which the king of Syria spoke in his bed-chamber. The king of Syria determined therefore that he would kill Elisha, and sent an army to encompass the city wherein Elisha was. Elisha’s servant, just like David’s friends, cried, “Alas, my master! What shall we do?” But, when God opened his eyes, he saw the whole surrounding atmosphere filled with horses of fire and chariots of fire; and soon afterwards he saw the whole Syrian army smitten with blindness, and led by the prophet into the very heart of their enemy’s country! 2 Kings 6:8-20.

Just so, all the saints are watched over by an Almighty Power; and under his protection they are safe.

2. As a righteous Judge.

It may be that God sees fit to let the enemies of his people prevail over them. But their success is only for a moment; the time is near at hand when the apparent inequality of these dispensations will be rectified; when God, as “a righteous Judge, will recompense tribulation to those who trouble us; and to us who are troubled, rest.” He narrowly inspects “His eyelids test” as people narrowly inspecting some very minute object, almost close their eyelids, to exclude every other object, not the actions only, but the dispositions also, of men, in order to render unto them according to their works!

“The wicked his soul hates!” And in due time “he will rain upon them snares, fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest!” even as he did upon Sodom and Gomorrah. Yes, “this shall be the portion of their cup;” and they “shall drink it to the very dregs!”

On the other hand, “He loves the righteous, and beholds them with delight;” and reserves for them a weight of glory proportioned to all that they have done and suffered for him.

The believer is persuaded of all this—whom then shall he fear? He knows that no weapon formed against him can prosper, unless Infinite Wisdom has ordained that it shall. He knows that no evil can be allowed to approach him which shall not be recompensed a hundred-fold even in this life; and much more in that world where God himself will be the unalienable portion of all his people!

How these views compose the mind may be seen throughout all the Sacred Records. See Psalm 7:10-17; Psalm 27:1. And these views will always be realized in proportion to our faith.

ADDRESS.

1. Those who meet with opposition in their Christian course.

You are tempted perhaps by Satan, and by timid friends, to “put your light under a bushel,” instead of causing it to “shine before men for the glory of your God.” But you should say as Nehemiah, “Shall such a man as I flee?” No! My Savior shunned not the cross for me; and, God helping me, I will gladly take up my cross and follow him!

Beware how you listen to flesh and blood, or attempt to reconcile the services of God and mammon. To “follow the Lord fully” is the only true way to present peace and everlasting happiness.

2. Those who are ready to faint by reason of spiritual conflicts.

It is surely an arduous task to “wrestle with all the principalities and powers of Hell;” but, “if God is for you, then who can be against you?” Do not, because of some occasional darkness, say, “My way is hidden from the Lord, and my judgment is passed over from my God.” But know that your God is infinite both in wisdom and power; and that he is engaged to keep all who trust in him! Isaiah 40:27-29.

Reject then with indignation the unbelieving suggestions of your great adversary; and, if for a moment he prevails against you, chide yourselves for your cowardice, as David did, “Why are you cast down, O my soul; and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God! Psalm 42:11.”

Consider the force of our Lord’s reproof to Martha, “Did I not say unto you, that, if you would believe, you would see the glory of God? John 11:40.” The same then he says to us. Let us therefore “never stagger at his promises through unbelief, but be strong in faith, giving glory to God.” Let David’s confidence be ours also, “But let all who take refuge in you be glad; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield! Psalm 5:11-12.”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 10:11, 13

“He says to himself, ‘God has forgotten; He covers his face and never sees!'”

“Why does the wicked man revile God? Why does he say to himself: He won’t call me to account?”

The thoughts of God respecting the nature and malignity of sin, are widely different from those which are entertained in the hearts of natural men. Men consider themselves as innocent if their outward conduct is not grossly reprehensible, and what they cannot justify in their actions they mitigate under lenient expressions. But God notices the very frame and dispositions of the heart! He clearly and infallibly interprets the language of men’s thoughts. He declares that the wickedness of their actions proceeds from the atheism in their hearts, Psalm 14:1.

Thus, in the Psalm before us, he reveals the secret motives by which the wicked are actuated, verses 2, 4, 6, 11, and puts the right construction on their thoughts verse 13.

Let us consider,

I. The ground of the natural man’s expostulations.

Were all the lineaments of man’s contempt of God to be drawn, we would scarcely ever finish the dreadful portrait!

We make light of:

the Father’s authority,

the Son’s sin-atoning sacrifice,

the Spirit’s influence in regeneration.

Every office they sustain, every attribute they possess, every relation they bear to us—we disregard and dishonor. We . . .

overlook God’s providence,

are unmindful of his Word,

neglect his ordinances,

and despise his people.

But, waving all other points, we fix our attention on that mentioned in the text, namely: Our virtual denial of God’s punitive justice.

Men evidence by their lives, that they think God will not require an account of their sin.

1. Their impenitence for their past sins shows it.

They do not humble themselves for sin, or seek after a Savior; and what is the language of this, but, “God does not regard, nor will require an account of their sin?”

2. Their unconcern about forsaking sin in the future, shows it.

They indulge all their evil habits, rush carelessly into temptations, listen to no admonitions, seek not God’s aid, and even stifle their convictions! Does not this say, “Sin may be indulged with impunity, God will not require an account of their sin!”

Know then that this thought, or language of their hearts, is a contempt of God himself!

It is a contempt of God’s holiness.

Instead of regarding him as an infinitely Holy Being, Isaiah 6:3. Hebrews 1:13—it supposes him to be such a one as ourselves! Psalm 50:21.

It is a contempt of God’s justice.

The Scripture speaks of God as just, Deuteronomy 32:4—but this intimates that he is indifferent about the execution of his laws, Zephaniah 1:12.

It is a contempt of God’s wisdom.

The contriving of the plan of redemption was the greatest effort of divine wisdom; but this declares that the devising of it was superfluous, and that an attention to it is unnecessary.

It is a contempt of God’s mercy.

God in infinite mercy offers us salvation through his Son, Isaiah 55:1-2—but this is a determinate refusal of his gracious offers.

Such is the construction which God himself puts upon it, 1 Samuel 2:30. Romans 2:4.

II. The expostulation itself.

The question in our text is manifestly an indignant expostulation. I ask then,

1. What assurance has any man that God will not require an account of their sin?

Supposing it possible or even probable, who can be certain of it? What folly then must it be to continue in sin through hopes of impunity; when the mistake, if it is one, will be irrevocable, and the consequence of it irremediable! We are bound, in common prudence, to choose the safer side!

2. Has not God clearly said that he will require an account of their sin?

The testimonies to this effect are most indubitable, 1 Corinthians 6:9. John 3:3. Can we suppose that God will falsify his Word? Numbers 23:19. 2 Timothy 2:13.

3. Has not God in many instances, already required an account of their sin?

Have not individuals, companies, cities, nations, the whole world, yes, man in Paradise, and angels in Heaven, been made monuments of divine vengeance? Jude verse 6 and 7. Why may he not manifest his indignation against us also?

4. Will not the account be dreadful, if God will require an account of their sin?

No heart can conceive the terrors of the final judgment. Who, in his right mind, would risk the loss of Heaven, and the suffering of Hell?

5. Can any power or policy of men prevent God’s requiring an account of their sin?

Let us first avert death from our bodies, or provide an answer to Job’s question, Job 9:4, “Who has hardened himself against God and prospered?” Not earth and Hell combined can prevent the punishment of one sinner! Proverbs 11:21.

APPLICATION.

Let us see how deeply we have been involved in this guilt. If our outward actions have been correct, still have we, to an incalculable amount, committed sin by our very thoughts!

O let us flee for refuge to the hope set before us! Happy am I to declare that there is a way wherein a person may not only think this in his heart, but express it with his lips. If we believe in Christ, God will never require sin at our hands, Acts 13:39; and to express it, so far from pouring contempt on God, will greatly honor him. God is not more honored by anything than the humble confidence of a believer, Romans 4:20. Let us all therefore lay our sins on the head of the true scape-goat, so shall they never be required of us in the day of judgment, Micah 7:19.

Charles Simeon

Psalm 10:4-5

“In his pride the wicked does not seek him; in all his thoughts there is no room for God. His ways are always prosperous; he is haughty, and your judgments are on high, out of his sight; he sneers at all his enemies.”

Pride, when manifested in a flagrant manner, universally excites disgust! So hateful it is, when divested of the subtle garb in which it is generally clothed. But though all hate pride when it appears in others—few are sensible how much it reigns within their own bosoms. In our converse with man, this evil disposition is ready to show itself on every occasion; but in our conduct towards God, it is the fruitful parent of habitual neglect, and atheistical contempt. This is affirmed in the passage before us, in which we may notice,

I. The state of the wicked.

It is not easy to conceive a more humiliating description of their character than that given us by the Psalmist:

“In his pride the wicked does not seek him.”

God invites them to seek his face, and promises that he will be found by them; but they cannot be prevailed upon either by promises or threats. They will seek with eagerness an earthly object that may make them happy; but they account God unworthy of any notice or regard! Job 35:10.

“In all his thoughts there is no room for God.”

It is astonishing to what a degree men often banish God from their minds! They will pass days, months, and even years, without one reverential thought of him—unless when they are alarmed by some awful providence, or awakened by some faithful reproof; and then, unless the grace of God prevents them, they will cast him out of their minds again as soon as possible, and drown their thoughts in business or sin, Job 21:14-15.

They account God’s ways, as far as they know them, to be grievous.

When urged to devote themselves to God in sincerity and truth, they conceive that such a state is unattainable, or, at least, incompatible with the common duties and offices of life. They call the indulgence of their lusts, liberty; and the exercise of vital godliness, an intolerable bondage! Every part of the divine life is irksome to them, and that too, not occasionally, but always, without any change or intermission.

The judgments of God are far above them, out of their sight!

By the “judgments” of God we understand his Word and works. Now these are not only out of their sight in some particulars (for in some respects they are incomprehensible even to the most enlightened saints) but they are altogether foolishness unto the wicked, 1 Corinthians 2:14. When the mysteries of redemption are opened, they are esteemed by the wicked as “cunningly-devised fables;” and when the marvelous interpositions of Providence are insisted on, they are ready to exclaim, with Ezekiel’s hearers, “Does he not speak parables? Ezekiel 20:49.”

“As for all their enemies, they sneer at them.”

If God himself threatens them as an enemy, they disregard his threats. The denunciations of his wrath are deemed by them unworthy of any serious attention. They even puff at them with contempt and disdain. They quiet all their fears, saying, like them of old, “Tush, God shall not see us; neither will the Almighty regard it, Psalm 94:7.” “I am safe, even though I am following the desires of my own stubborn heart! Deuteronomy 29:19.”

In order to account for this state of things, let us trace it to,

II. The real source of their wickedness.

We might trace this practical atheism to men’s ignorance and unbelief; but the Psalmist suggests to us the true ground and occasion of it—it all arises from the pride of their hearts!

Men are too good, in their own estimation, to need God’s mercy.

They will confess that they are not altogether so good as they might be; but they do not think they deserve God’s wrath and indignation. Why then should they trouble themselves to ask for mercy at his hands, when they are in no danger of suffering his judgments?

They are also too strong, in their own estimation, to need his aid.

They imagine that they can repent when they please, and that, whenever they resolve, they can easily carry their resolutions into effect. If they thought that “without God they could do nothing,” and that “he must give them both to will and to do,” and that “God must grant them repentance”—then there would be reason for imploring his assistance; but, when they acknowledge no such dependence upon God, why should they seek his aid?

Moreover, they are too wise, in their own estimation, to need the teachings of his Spirit.

They see, perhaps, their need of a revelation to discover to them the mind and will of God; but, when that is once given, they are not conscious that they need a spiritual illumination to truly understand the truths contained in it. They suppose their reason to be as sufficient for the investigation of spiritual, as of carnal things; and under that persuasion, they consider all application to God for the teachings of his Spirit, as enthusiastic and absurd.

Finally, they are too happy, in their own estimation, to need the divine presence.

They are occupied with carnal pleasure, and wish for nothing beyond it. If only they can have the undisturbed indulgence of their appetites—it is, to them, all the Paradise they desire. As for the light of God’s countenance, and the manifestations of his love—they know not what is meant by such things; they suppose that they exist only in the pretensions of hypocrites, and the conceits of fanatics.

In short, like those of Laodicea, they possess such an imaginary sufficiency within themselves, that they have no need of God at all! “They say, ‘I am rich; I have acquired wealth and do not need a thing.’ But you do not realize that you are wretched, pitiful, poor, blind and naked!” Revelation 3:17. And hence it is that they have no desire to have God in all their thoughts.

INFERENCES.

1. How astonishing is the depravity of human nature!

If all are not equally addicted to gross sins—then all are equally “without God in the world! Ephesians 2:12.” All have a “carnal mind that is enmity against God! Romans 8:7.” Alas! What a picture of human nature! Let “every mouth then be stopped, and all the world become guilty before God! Romans 3:10-12; Romans 3:19.”

2. How great is the change that takes place in conversion!

The state of a converted soul forms a perfect contrast with that of the wicked. “Old things pass away, and all things become new.” Let all then ask themselves, Am I now devoting myself to God, as once I did to the world; and despising the world, as once I despised God? This is indeed “a new creation! 2 Corinthians 5:17.”

3. How necessary is conversion in order to an enjoyment of Heaven!

There must be within ourselves a fitness for Heaven before we can enjoy it, Colossians 1:12. Do not let those then who banish God from their thoughts, and cast off his yoke, suppose that they could be happy in Heaven, even if they were admitted there. If they would find happiness in God forever, they must somewhat attain in this world a conformity to his image, and a delight in his commandments.

Charles Simeon

Psalm 9:17

“The wicked shall be turned into Hell, and all the nations that forget God!”

The most eminent saints are represented in Scripture as weeping over the ungodly world. Nor would this exercise of compassion be so rare, if we duly considered how great occasion there is for it. The words before us are a plain and unequivocal declaration from God himself respecting the doom which awaits every impenitent sinner. May God impress our minds with a solemn awe as we consider them.

I. Who does God regard as being wicked?

If we consult the opinions of men, we shall find that they differ widely from each other in their ideas of moral guilt, and that they include more or less in their definition of wickedness, according to their own peculiar habits of life; every one being careful so to draw the line that he himself may not be comprehended within it. But God does not consult our wishes, or accommodate his Word to our partial regards; he denominates all them wicked, who “forget” him. Doubtless there are degrees of guilt, but:

1. God regards all those as wicked in his sight, who are heedless of his Word.

God’s Word ought to be written on our hearts, and to be the invariable rule of our conduct. It should be our constant inquiry, What is my duty? What does God command me in his Word? But if this is no part of our concern, if our inquiry is continually: “What will please myself? What will advance my interests? What will suit the taste of those around me”—then are we not wicked? Do we not in all such instances rebel against God, and become, as it were, a god unto ourselves? Yet who among us has not been guilty in these respects?

2. God regards all those as wicked in his sight, who are forgetful of his benefits.

Every day and hour of our lives we have been laden with mercies by a kind and bountiful Benefactor. And should not God’s mercies to us, have excited correspondent emotions of gratitude in our hearts? Yes, should they not have filled our mouths with praises and thanksgivings? But what shall we say to that greatest of all mercies—the gift of God’s dear Son to die for us? Has not that deserved our devoutest acknowledgments? What then if we have passed days and years without any affectionate remembrance of God? What if we have even abused the bounties of his providence, and poured contempt upon the riches of his grace? What if we have “trodden under foot the Son of God, and done despite to the Spirit of grace?” Are we not then wicked? Do we account such ingratitude a trivial offence, when exercised by a dependent towards ourselves?

3. God regards all those as wicked in his sight, who are unmindful of his presence.

God is everywhere present, and every object around us has this inscription upon it, “You see me O God!” Now it is our duty and privilege to walk with God as his friends, and to set him before us all the day long. But, suppose we have been unmindful of his presence, and have indulged without remorse those thoughts, which we could not have endured to carry into practice in the presence of a fellow-creature; suppose we have been careless and unconcerned even when we were assembled in God’s house of prayer; suppose that, instead of having him in all our thoughts, we have lived “without him in the world”—then are we not wicked? Is it necessary to have added murder or adultery to such crimes as these in order to constitute us wicked? Does God judge thus, when he declares that those who are thus without God, are at the same time “without hope? Ephesians 2:12.”

While we rectify our notions respecting the people that are wicked, let us inquire,

II. What will be the final doom of the wicked?

The word “Hell” sometimes imports no more than the grave; but here it must mean something far more awful; because the righteous go into the grave as well as the most vile.

Hell is a place of inconceivable misery.

Men in general do not wish to hear this place so much as mentioned, much less described, as the portion of the wicked. But it is better far to hear of it, than to dwell in it! And it is by hearing of it that we must be persuaded to avoid it! 2 Corinthians 5:11. Our Lord represents it as a place originally formed for the reception of the fallen angels; and very frequently labors to deter men from sin by the consideration of its terrors, Luke 12:5. Mark 9:43-48. And who that reflects upon that “lake of fire and brimstone,” where the wicked “dwell with everlasting burnings,” and “weep, and wail, and gnash their teeth,” without so much as the smallest hope of deliverance from it, and where “the smoke of their torment ascends up forever and ever;” who that considers what it must be to have the devils for our companions, and to have the vials of God’s wrath poured out upon us, without intermission and without end—who that considers these things, must not tremble at the thought of taking up his eternal abode in that place?

Yet Hell must be the portion of all who forget God.

Now scoffers make light of eternal torments, and sneer at the denunciations of God’s wrath. But before long they will call out “to the mountains and the rocks: Fall on us and hide us from the face of Him who sits on the throne and from the wrath of the Lamb!” However reluctant they are to obey the divine mandate, “Depart from Me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels!” they must be “turned into Hell” with irresistible force, and with fiery indignation!

Their numbers will not at all secure them against the threatened vengeance; though there are whole “nations,” they will not be able to withstand the omnipotent arm of God; nor will they excite commiseration in his heart; neither will their misery be the less because of the multitudes who partake of it. For instead of alleviating one another’s sorrows with tender sympathy, they will accuse one another with the bitterest invectives.

The power and veracity of God are pledged to execute this judgment; and sooner shall Heaven and earth be annihilated, than one jot or tittle of his Word shall fail!

INFERENCES.

1. How awful is the insensibility in which the wicked are living!

Men seem as careless and indifferent about their eternal interests as if they had nothing to fear; or as if God had promised that the wicked would be received into Heaven! But can they set aside the declaration that is now before us? Or do they suppose it is intended merely to alarm us; and that it shall never be executed upon us? “Is God then a man that he should lie, or a son of man that he should repent?” O that they would awake from their delusive dream, and flee from the wrath to come!

2. How just will be the condemnation of the wicked in the last day!

Many think it a harsh thing that so heavy a judgment should be denounced merely for forgetting God. But is this so small an offence as they imagine? Is it not rather exceedingly heinous? Does it not imply the basest ingratitude, the most daring rebellion, yes, a great degree even of atheism itself? And shall not God visit the wicked for these things, and be avenged on such transgressors as these? Shall they be at liberty to abuse God’s mercies—and God not be at liberty to suspend the communication of his blessings? Shall they despise and trample on God’s laws—and God not be at liberty to assert their authority? Shall they say to God, “Depart from us, we do not desire the knowledge of your ways!” And shall God be accused of injustice if he says to them, “Depart from me, you who are cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels! Matthew 25:41.” But if they will dare to open their mouths against him now, the time is shortly coming, when they will stand self-convicted, and sell-condemned.

3. How marvelous are the patience and the mercy of God!

God has seen the whole race of man departing from him, and blotting out, as much as they could, the remembrance of him from the earth. His authority, his love, his mercy—are, as it were, by common consent banished from the conversation and from the very thoughts of men. Yet, instead of burning with indignation against us, and “turning us all quickly into Hell,” he bears with us, he invites us to mercy, he says, “Deliver them from going down into the pit; for I have found a ransom! Job 33:24.”

O that we might be duly sensible of his mercy! O that we might flee for refuge to the hope set before us! If once we are cast into Hell, we shall never obtain “one drop of water to cool our tongues!” But “this is the accepted time;” the Lord grant that we may find it also, “the day of salvation!”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 9:10

“Those who know your name will put their trust in you; for you, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

In reading the Holy Scriptures, we should not be satisfied with inquiring into their sense and meaning, but should mark very particularly the character of God, as set forth in them. In the sacred volume, the portrait of Jehovah, if I may so express myself, is drawn, as it were, at full length; so that, as far as such weak creatures as we, are able to comprehend his Divine Majesty, we may form correct notions respecting him.

Few people ever enjoyed better opportunities for discovering his real character than David, who was favored with such ample manifestations of God’s power and grace. On what occasion he wrote this Psalm, we know not. It is clear that he wrote it subsequent to his bringing up of the ark to Mount Zion, and before he had vanquished all the surrounding nations. But from all that he had seen and known of God, he gives this testimony respecting him, “Those who know your name will put their trust in you; for you, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.”

For the elucidating of these words, I will endeavor to show:

I. What the knowledge of God’s Name imports.

1. God’s name imports, not merely a knowledge of the different names by which he is called, but a knowledge of him in his own essential perfections.

He was pleased to reveal himself to Moses in express terms, declarative of all his glorious perfections, “Then the LORD came down in the cloud and stood there with him and proclaimed his name, the LORD. And he passed in front of Moses, proclaiming, “The LORD, the LORD, the compassionate and gracious God, slow to anger, abounding in love and faithfulness, maintaining love to thousands, and forgiving wickedness, rebellion and sin. Yet he does not leave the guilty unpunished! Exodus 34:5-7.” But he had previously placed Moses in a cleft of the rock in Horeb, Exodus 33:19-23; which rock was a very eminent type of Christ; and I doubt not but that this was intended to show that in Christ alone, God could be so viewed by fallen man. It is in Christ alone that all these perfections unite and harmonize; and in Christ alone can God be called “a just God and a Savior! Isaiah 45:21. Romans 3:26.”

Now, to apprehend God aright, we must have a view of him as revealed in the person of his Son, who is “the image of the invisible God, Colossians 1:15,” the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, Hebrews 1:3.” It is in Christ’s face alone that all the glory of God shines forth! 2 Corinthians 4:6.

2. God’s name imports a knowledge of him in all his diversified dispensations.

A view of God’s dispensations is particularly marked in my text, as necessary to a just estimate of his character, “Those who know your name will put their trust in you; for you, Lord, have not forsaken those who seek you.” In truth, it is from the history of God’s dealings with his people, far more than from any abstract descriptions of him in the sacred writings, that we learn to estimate his character aright. When did he ever forsake one who sought him? “When did he ever say to any, Seek my face in vain, Isaiah 45:19.” Never did he reject one mourning penitent, or abandon one who humbly and steadfastly relied upon him. His compassion to the penitent, and his fidelity to the believing soul, have never failed. From the beginning of the world has he been, in these respects, “without variableness or shadow of turning, James 1:17.”

This we learn from the Prophet Samuel, “The Lord will not forsake his people, because it has pleased him to make you his people, 1 Samuel 12:22.” True, he may chastise his people for their offences; but yet he will not utterly forsake them, Psalm 89:30-36. He may even “forsake them for a time; but he will surely return to them in tender mercy,” at the appointed season, Isaiah 54:7-8. His assertions on this head are as strong as it is possible for language to express. He has said to every believing soul, “I will never leave you; I will never, never forsake you! Hebrews 13:5.”

Now, it is a view of God’s character in these respects, illustrated and confirmed by his actual dispensations; it is this, I say, which properly constitutes “the knowledge of his name.”

Having ascertained what this knowledge is, I proceed to show,

II. How a saving knowledge of God will manifest its existence in the soul.

1. A saving knowledge of God will lead that person to renounce all false confidences.

Man, while ignorant of God, is always leaning on an arm of flesh. See God’s ancient people—how continually were even they, notwithstanding all their advantages, trusting in the creature, rather than in God. To Egypt or Assyria they looked in their troubles, rather than to their heavenly protector! Isaiah 31:1. Hosea 5:13; Hosea 7:11. Indeed, there was nothing on which they would not rely, rather than on God, Isaiah 22:8-11. But, when they were made sensible of their folly, and had discovered the real character of God, they instantly renounced all these false confidences, saying, “Assyria cannot save us; we will not mount war-horses. We will never again say ‘you are our gods’ to what our own hands have made, for in You the fatherless find compassion! Hosea 14:3.”

This same proneness to creature-confidence is found among ourselves. Who does not, at first, rely on . . .

his own wisdom to guide him,

his own strength to support him, and

his own goodness to procure for him acceptance with God?

But, in true conversion we learn where alone our hope is to be placed, even in “God, who works all our works in us, Isaiah 26:12,” and “in Christ, who of God is made unto us wisdom, and righteousness, and sanctification, and redemption, 1 Corinthians 1:30.”

This was the effect of conversion in Paul, who accounted all his former attainments to be but “loss for Christ, and desired to be found in Christ, not having his own righteousness, which was of the Law, but the righteousness which was from God by faith in Christ, Philippians 3:7-9.” And the same effect invariably follows from a discovery of God as reconciled to us in Christ Jesus.

2. A saving knowledge of God will lead that person to rely solely upon God.

Yes, indeed, “those who know his name will trust in him.”

See in David the confidence which such knowledge inspires, “The Lord is my shepherd; I shall not want, Psalm 23:1.”

See him when he goes forth against Goliath, “You come against me with sword and spear and javelin, but I come against you in the name of the LORD Almighty, the God of the armies of Israel, whom you have defied. This day the LORD will hand you over to me, and I’ll strike you down and cut off your head. Today I will give the carcasses of the Philistine army to the birds of the air and the beasts of the earth, and the whole world will know that there is a God in Israel! 1 Samuel 17:45-46.”

See him when all around him were reduced to despair, “In the LORD I take refuge. How then can you say to me: “Flee like a bird to your mountain. For look, the wicked bend their bows; they set their arrows against the strings to shoot from the shadows at the upright in heart. When the foundations are being destroyed, what can the righteous do?” The LORD is in his holy temple; the LORD is on his heavenly throne. He observes the sons of men; his eyes examine them. The LORD examines the righteous, but the wicked and those who love violence his soul hates!” Psalm 11:1-4.”

David’s deliberate sentiment, on all occasions, was this, “I lift up my eyes to the hills—where does my help come from? My help comes from the LORD, the Maker of heaven and earth. He will not let your foot slip—he who watches over you will not slumber; indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep. The LORD watches over you—the LORD is your shade at your right hand; the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night. The LORD will keep you from all harm—he will watch over your life; the LORD will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore! Psalm 121:1-9.”

“What, then, shall we say in response to this? If God is for us, who can be against us? He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things? Who will bring any charge against those whom God has chosen? It is God who justifies. Who is he that condemns? Christ Jesus, who died—more than that, who was raised to life—is at the right hand of God and is also interceding for us. Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? As it is written: “For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.” No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord! Romans 8:31-39.”

I say that there is nothing more severely reproved, throughout the inspired volume, than unbelief and distrust; nor is there anything more highly commended than faith! Jeremiah 17:5-8.

What, then, is my advice to all?

To every one among you I say,

1. Study the Holy Scriptures.

From human writings you may learn something of God; but from the Scriptures alone can you acquire such a knowledge of God as it is your privilege and your duty to possess!

In reading the Scripture, mark God’s every perfection as displayed in his dealings with the men. If you notice facts alone—then you will read Scripture to little purpose. It is his glory, as beaming forth throughout the whole sacred volume, which you are chiefly to contemplate. If your mind is habituated to contemplate God’s glory—then you can never lack a ground of consolation or of confidence in any state to which you may, by any possibility, be reduced.

2. Follow the examples of the Scripture saints.

In comparing the character of those who profess Christianity with that of the saints recorded in holy writ, one would be tempted to think that they were of a different species, and belonging to two different worlds; for really, if we heard of people inhabiting one of the planets, they could not differ more widely in their opinions and habits, than the nominal Christian differs from the Scripture saints!

What, for instance, were Paul’s opinions? “I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus, my Lord.”

And what were Paul’s habits? “To me, to live is Christ, and to die is gain.” “Forgetting the things which are behind, and reaching forth unto those that are before, I press toward the mark for the prize of the high calling of God in Christ Jesus.”

Compare this with the great mass of professing Christians around us, and say what resemblance there is between them. Truly, if we will serve God aright, we must be followers of the Apostle, even as he was of Christ.

As for the world’s judgment, we are not to regard it. We must approve ourselves to God; and both put our trust in him and serve him, as those who know they shall be judged by him in the last day. If we follow the footsteps of the flock, then we shall be numbered among the sheep of Christ, and dwell in his fold forever and ever!

Charles Simeon

Psalm 7:11-13

“God is a righteous judge; and God is angry with the wicked every day! If he does not turn back, He will sharpen His sword; He bends His bow and makes it ready. He also prepares for Himself instruments of death; He makes His arrows into fiery shafts!”

David begins Psalm 97 with, “The Lord reigns; let the earth rejoice!”

David begins Psalm 99 with, “The Lord reigns; let the earth tremble!”

Either exhortation is suitable, according to the people who are more especially addressed.

The godly may well rejoice, that He whom they serve, has all things at his command!

Well may the ungodly tremble, that He whom they offend is able to vindicate the honor of his insulted Majesty!

To the oppressors and oppressed—this truth is of equal importance.

The oppressed David, reflecting on it with delight, said, “My defense is of God, who saves the upright in heart, verse 10.”

But the oppressor may expect this Almighty Being to espouse the cause of his people, and to execute upon their enemies the vengeance which they deserve.

I. In the words before us we see the conduct of God in his moral government here on earth.

The righteous are the objects of Gods tender care.

The Jews were governed by judges for above four hundred years, Acts 13:20; and the term “judging” was used as importing government and protection. In this sense David uses it in another Psalm, where he says, “O let the nations be glad, and sing for joy; for You shall judge the people righteously, and govern the nations upon earth! Psalm 67:4.”

Now, there is not any benefit which the most wise or powerful earthly monarch can bestow on his subjects, which God will not impart to his obedient people. Particularly will he shield them from every oppressor, and keep them safely under the shadow of his wings. His care of Abraham and the Patriarchs, in all their pilgrimages, and in all their perils, well illustrates this; as does more especially his constant and miraculous interposition on the behalf of David, amidst the bitter persecutions of the unrelenting Saul. The deliverances given to God’s saints of old are still continued to his Church and people; though, from their being less visible, they are, for the most part, overlooked. But God is still “a wall of fire round about them! Zechariah 2:5;” and “whoever touches one of them, touches the apple of His eye! Zechariah 2:8.”

The wicked, on the contrary, are the objects of God’s merited displeasure.

He is not indifferent about the actions of men, as too many suppose. He marks the conduct of the wicked; and “he is angry with them every day.” Of course, we are not to suppose that God really feels those strong emotions which we call anger and wrath; such expressions are applied to him only in a figurative sense, in order to teach us what will be his responses towards us. But we do right to use the language of Scripture; and, in conformity with that, I say, that he views with indignation the impiety of those who cast off his fear, and walk after the imagination of their own hearts.

Whether their actions are more or less decent in the eyes of the world, it makes but little difference in God’s eyes, so long as they live to themselves, instead of unto him. He looks for them to repent, and “turn to him;” and for this event he waits with much patience and forbearance, “not willing that any of them should perish, but that they all should come to repentance and live.”

If they would turn to him, he would lay aside his anger in an instant, and receive them into his arms of mercy. But, while they continue impenitent, he meditates nothing but to display towards them his merited indignation. With a view to their punishment, “he whets his sword, and bends, with an unerring hand, his bow for their destruction.” Could we but see with the eye of faith, we would behold the arrow, now already on the string, pointed at their hearts; and nothing remaining, but that the string be loosed from his hand, to bring them down, and to cast them into everlasting perdition!

For them, too, he is preparing the instrument of death, even of everlasting death; as it is written, “Tophet is ordained of old; for the King it is prepared; he has made it deep and large; the pile thereof is fire and much wood; the breath of the Lord, like a stream of brimstone, does kindle it Isaiah 30:33.” Happy would it be if a thoughtless world would consider this; for, whether they will reflect upon it or not, “Their condemnation has long been hanging over them, and their destruction has not been sleeping! 2 Peter 2:3.”

II. God’s equitable judgement will be rendered visible to all in his judicial proceedings at the last day.

Then will God approve and reward the righteous.

Here on earth they are traduced, and loaded with all manner of obloquy; but there, “He, that tries the hearts and thoughts, Psalm 7:9,” will appear in their behalf, and vindicate them from the calumnies with which they have been aspersed. He will bear testimony to those secret principles of faith and love whereby they were enabled to live to his glory; and then shall “their righteousness shine forth as the noon-day.”

All that they did for him in this world was misinterpreted, as proceeding from pride, or vanity, or hypocrisy—but he will acknowledge them as “Israelites in whom was no deceit;” and, in the presence of their now prostrate enemies, he will exalt them to thrones and kingdoms for evermore!

But God will then consign the wicked to merited shame and punishment.

It is remarkable that the day of judgment is called, by Peter, “the day of the perdition of ungodly men, 2 Peter 3:7.” Yes, here on earth, for the most part, they escaped punishment; but there they shall all, without exception, meet a just reward. Wherever they have fled to hide themselves, “his right hand shall find them out;” and to his attendant angels he will say, “Bring here those who were my enemies, who would not have me reign over them, and slay them before me!”

Hear how God contemplates the judgments that await them, “It is mine to avenge; I will repay. In due time their foot will slip; their day of disaster is near and their doom rushes upon them! Deuteronomy 32:35.” “As surely as I live forever, when I sharpen my flashing sword and my hand grasps it in judgment, I will take vengeance on my adversaries and repay those who hate me. I will make my arrows drunk with blood, while my sword devours flesh: the blood of the slain and the captives, the heads of the enemy leaders!” Deuteronomy 32:40-42.”

It is true that these judgments have a primary reference to this world; but they show how inconceivably awful must be the vengeance which he will execute on the ungodly in the world to come! Who can think of these judgments and not tremble? For “who knows the power of his anger?” and “who can dwell with everlasting burnings?”

Application.

1. See the importance of ascertaining your real character before God.

If you will inquire who the wicked are, to whom this fearful doom will be assigned—you will scarcely find one who thinks that they are wicked; all hope that they are in a better state. But God will not judge us by the standard which we have fixed for ourselves, but by that which he has established for us in his Law and in his Gospel.

To what purpose, then, will you deceive yourselves now, when you will so soon be undeceived, and reap the bitter fruits of your folly? O! turn to the Lord without delay; and never rest until you are soundly converted.

2. See the blessedness of having God for your friend.

If God is your enemy—then the whole world cannot protect you from his avenging arm! But if God is your friend—then who, or what, can really harm you? As for man, he cannot touch a hair of your head without God’s permission; and if he is allowed to assault you for a time—then you shall have an ample recompense in the eternal world. Realize the idea that God is governing the world, and will judge it in the last day; and then you need not fear what all the confederate hosts of earth and Hell can do against you!

Charles Simeon

Psalm 5:11-12

“Let all who put their trust in You, rejoice; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”

David, in speaking of the persecutions which he endured from Saul, represents them as accompanied with every species of malignity on the part of his oppressors, “There is no faithfulness in their mouth; their inward part is very wickedness; their throat is an open sepulcher; they flatter with their tongue.” This character we should have been disposed to limit to the agents of Saul; but Paul teaches us to consider it as descriptive of human nature generally, and to apply it, without exception, to every man in Romans 3:13.

The fact is, that human nature is the same in all ages and places; and if it was so corrupt while under the immediate government of God himself, much more may it be expected to manifest similar corruption under circumstances less favorable for its control. Doubtless, to be reduced to a level with such abandoned men is very humiliating; but it is consoling to know, that if, on the one hand, we resemble them by nature—then we, on the other hand, are partakers of all David’s privileges, as soon as ever we are renewed by divine grace. Under his great and accumulated trials, he was often filled with a holy and unutterable joy in God; and such joy is our portion also, if, like him, we place our confidence in God. This is expressly asserted in our text, in which we behold,

I. The character of “the righteous”.

“Let all who put their trust in You, rejoice; let them ever sing for joy. Spread your protection over them, that those who love your name may rejoice in you. For surely, O LORD, you bless the righteous; you surround them with your favor as with a shield.”

In delineating this, the generality of people would refer to only those actions which had respect to men. But this would give a very partial and inadequate view of the subject. The truth is that a man’s character is to be estimated, not so much by his actions towards men, as by the habit of his mind towards God. I do not mean to say that actions are not necessary to evince the truth and excellence of the internal principle; for the principle that is unproductive of holy fruit is of no value—it is a hypocritical pretense, a mere delusion. But actions, though good in themselves, as prayers and alms-givings, may proceed from a wicked principles, and, instead of being acceptable to God, may be perfectly odious in his sight. Hence the righteous are described by characters that admit of no doubt:

1. They trust in God.

The righteous have a view of God providence, as ordering all things both in Heaven and earth. They know assuredly, that not even a sparrow falls to the ground without his special permission. They see that both men and devils are but as instruments in God’s hands; and that, however unconscious they may be of any over-ruling power, they do, in fact, fulfill the will of Almighty God. Hence, whatever is done, they receive it as from God; and whatever is devised against them, they feel themselves secure in his hands. They know that, without him, “no weapon that is formed against them can prosper;” and that, through his gracious care, “all things shall work together for their eternal good.”

David was exposed to the most imminent dangers through the malice of Saul; but “he encouraged himself in the Lord his God,” and committed all his concerns to him. Just so, the true saint, whoever he may be, flees to God as a sure refuge, and hides himself under the shadow of his wings; assured that, when so protected, no enemy can assault him, no evil find access to him.

In the grace of God also, they trust as well as in his providence. They are well assured, that there is no hope for them in themselves, either as it respects the obtaining of reconciliation with God, or the fulfilling of his holy will.

On the mercy of God, therefore, and on the merits of their Savior, they rely for pardon and acceptance; and to the Lord Jesus they look for such supplies of grace, as their necessities require. Renouncing all confidence in themselves, they go forward, saying, “In the Lord I have righteousness and strength.”

2. They love God.

They behold his glorious perfections, particularly as displayed in the Son of his love, “who is the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person;” and with holy admiration they prostrate themselves before him, saying, “How great is his goodness! How great is his beauty!” They also contemplate with wonder and gratitude, the love which he has shown to them in choosing them from before the foundation of the world, to be the monuments of his grace, and in imparting to them such supplies of his Spirit as are made effectual for their salvation! It is well said, that “to those who believe, Christ is precious.” Yes, “his very name is as ointment poured forth; and to hear and speak of him is the most delightful employment of their souls.

Now, I say, these are the characteristic virtues of the righteous; and these are the graces which are of supreme excellence in the sight of God. It is evident, that by the exercise of these dispositions God is more honored than in all the external acts that can ever be performed; because he himself is the object on whom they terminate, and whose glory they promote!

In immediate connection with these dispositions is,

II. Their blessedness.

1. Who are so joyful as the godly?

“Let them rejoice,” says the Psalmist, yes, “let them ever shout for joy.” This is their privilege; this is their duty; the very command of God himself is, “Rejoice in the Lord always! Again I say, Rejoice!” “Rejoice evermore; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

It is true that there are seasons for humiliation, as well as for joy; but it is true also, that though, in the experience of the worldling, there is a direct opposition between the two feelings, so that they cannot exist together; they may in the saint be called forth into simultaneous exercise and harmonious operation. Indeed, there is no sublimer joy than that which arises out of penitential sorrow, and is tempered by contrition. The very posture of the glorified saints in Heaven bears testimony to this; for they fall on their faces before the throne, at the very time that they sing aloud “to Him who loved them, and washed them from their sins in his own blood!” But you will particularly notice what is said, “They rejoice in Him;” it is not in themselves, but in Him alone, “in whom all their fresh springs are found.”

2. Who has such ground for joy as the godly?

They are already under the care and protection of their God, “who defends them” from the assaults of all their enemies, and who has pledged himself to be their Protector even to the end; as David says, “You, Lord, will bless the righteous; with favor will you compass him, as with a shield.” There is, in another Psalm, a remarkable expression, which beautifully illustrates this, “You will hide them in the secret of your presence.” The believer, when sensible of God’s presence with his soul, has an assurance of his protection, as much as if he saw with his bodily eyes the whole heavens filled with chariots of fire, and horses of fire, for his defense. He then realizes in his mind the idea that God is a wall of fire round about him; and that whoever shall think to scale it will not only fail, but perish in the attempt! Truly, to feel one’s self thus in the very bosom of our God is a joy which the stranger neither understands or possesses!” It is “a joy that is unspeakable and full of glory!”

APPLICATION.

Seek to be truly “righteous.” Do not forget wherein that character primarily consists. Seek to know God, to trust in him, and to love him:

to know him as revealed to us in his Gospel;

to trust in him as a Covenant-God and Savior;

and to love him with all your heart, and mind, and soul, and strength.

Let a sense of his presence with you be your chief joy, and every action of your life be performed for his glory! So will you be preserved from every enemy, and your blessedness be a foretaste of Heaven!

Charles Simeon

Psalm 4:6

“Many are asking, ‘Who will show us any good?’

Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD.”

Self-sufficiency pertains to God alone—he alone is not dependent on any other person or thing or circumstance for his own happiness. The creature must of necessity be dependent, and must derive its happiness from some other source outside of himself. The angels around the throne are blessed only in the fruition of their God. Man, of course, is subject to the same necessity of seeking happiness in something extraneous to himself; but sadly, through:

the blindness of his understanding,

the perverseness of his will,

and the corruptness of his affections

—he seeks happiness in the creature rather than in the Creator. Hence the universal inquiry spoken of in our text, “Who will show us any good?” But there are some whose minds are enlightened, and whose desires center in their proper object; and who, in answer to the proposed inquiry, reply, “Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD!”

To illustrate the wisdom of their choice, we will consider more at large,

I. The world’s inquiry.

A desire for happiness being natural, this inquiry is of necessity universal.

From infancy to youth, from youth to manhood, from manhood to old age, the inquiry is continued: Who will show us any good? Who will show us anything wherein our minds may repose, and find the largest measure of satisfaction? Agreeably to this universal sentiment, all prosecute the same object, in the ways wherein they think themselves most likely to attain it.

The merchant seeks it in his business, and hopes that in due time he shall find it in the acquisition of wealth.

The soldier looks for it in the laurels of victory, the acquisition of rank, and the applause of men.

The traveler searches for it in foreign lands, in expectation that he shall possess it in an expansion of mind, and in those elegant acquirements, which shall render him the admiration of the circle in which he moves.

The politician conceives he shall find it in the possession of power, the exertion of influence, and the success of his plans.

The philosopher imagines that it must surely be found in his diversified and laborious researches.

The religious devotee follows after it with confidence in cloistered seclusion, in religious contemplation, and in the observance of ceremonies of man’s invention.

Others pursue a widely different course.

The voluptuary follows after his object in a way of sensual gratification, and in the unrestrained indulgence of all his appetites.

The gambler desires the excitement of his feelings in another way; and hopes, that, in the exultation arising from successful chance, and from sudden gain—he shall enjoy the happiness which his soul pants after.

The miser, on the other hand, will neither risk, nor spend more than he can avoid; but seeks his good in an accumulation of riches, and a conceit that he possesses what shall abundantly suffice for the supply of all his future needs.

We might pursue the subject through all the different departments of life; but sufficient has been said to show that all are inquiring after good.

It is indeed true, that many seek their happiness in evil, as the drunkard, the robber, and all other transgressors of God’s laws. But no man seeks evil as evil; he seeks it under the idea of good, and from the expectation that the evil things which he does will, on the whole, most contribute to his happiness.

This inquiry after happiness is in itself commendable, and proper to be indulged.

The brute creation are directed by instinct to things which are conducive to their welfare; but man must have his pursuits regulated by the wisdom and experience of others, to whom therefore he must look up for instruction. But it is much to be regretted that the generality inquire rather of the ignorant than of the well-instructed, and follow their passions rather than their reason. If men would but go to the Holy Scriptures, and take counsel from God, they would soon have their views rectified, and their paths directed into the way of peace.

To such inquiries we proceed to state,

II. The believer’s answer.

The believer’s answer comes not from his head merely, but from his heart. There he has a fixed and rooted principle which tells him, that true happiness is to be found in God alone; so that, despising in comparison all other objects, he says, “Let the light of your face shine upon us, O LORD!” “In your favor is life,” and “your loving-kindness is better to me than life itself.”

That a sense of the Divine favor is the best and greatest good, will appear from the following considerations:

1. A sense of being in God’s favor, gives a zest to all other good.

Let a man possess all that the world can bestow:

the greatest opulence,

the highest honors,

the kindest friends,

the dearest family,

his happiness will after all be very contracted, if he does not also have the light of God’s countenance lifted up upon him. But let him be favored with the Divine presence, and he will taste, not the comfort merely that is in the creature, but God’s love in the creature. This will be like the sun shining on beautiful scenery, every object of which receives a ten-fold beauty from his rays; while the spectator himself, revived with its cheering influence, has his enjoyment of them exceedingly enhanced.

Here David, amidst all his elevation to dignity and power, found his happiness, Psalm 21:1-6; and here alone, whatever else we may enjoy, can it be truly found, Psalm 144; in the close of which, David corrects, as it were, what he had said in the two preceding verses.

2. A sense of being in God’s favor, supplies the place of all other good.

Let a person be destitute, not only of the fore-mentioned comforts, but also of health, and liberty, and ease—yet he will, in the light of God’s countenance, find all that his soul can desire! Behold Paul and Silas in prison, with their feet in the stocks, and their backs torn with scourges! Are they unhappy? No! they sing; they sing aloud at midnight; and what is it that thus enables them to rise above all the feelings of humanity? It is their sense of the Divine presence, and of his blessing upon their souls.

In like manner may the poorest and most destitute of all the human race exult, if only the love of God is shed abroad in his heart; he may adopt the language of Paul, and speak of himself “as having nothing, and yet possessing all things! 2 Corinthians 6:10.”

3. A sense of being in God’s favor, paves the way to all other good.

Earthly blessings may come alone; but the favor of God brings along with it every other blessing that God can bestow! Even earthly things, as far as they are needful, “are added to those who seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness;” and we need scarcely say what peace, and joy, and love, and holiness in all its branches, are brought into the soul in communion with a reconciled God. We may confidently say with Paul, “All things are yours, if you are Christ’s, 1 Corinthians 3:21-23.”

4. A sense of being in God’s favor, will never weary.

There is no earthly gratification which may not be enjoyed to satiety; but who was ever weary of the Divine presence? In whom did a sense of God’s pardoning love ever excite disgust? A man “in a fullness of earthly sufficiency may be in straits, Job 20:22. Proverbs 14:13;” and it frequently happens that the rich have less comfort in their abundance, than the poor in their more scanty pittance. But “the blessing of the Lord makes rich, and adds no sorrow with it, Proverbs 10:22;” the man who possesses it has not his enjoyment lessened by repetition or repletion; but, on the contrary, has his capacities enlarged, in proportion as the communications of God’s favor are enlarged towards him.

5. A sense of being in God’s favor, will never end.

Whatever we possess here, we must soon bid farewell to it; whether our enjoyment is intellectual or corporeal, it must soon come to an end. But the favor of God will last forever, and will then be enjoyed in all its inconceivable fullness, when death shall have deprived us of every other enjoyment. “In God’s presence there is a fullness of joy; and at his right hand there are pleasures for evermore! Psalm 16:11.”

ADDRESS.

1. Those who are seeking happiness in the things of time and sense.

We ask the votaries of this world whether they have ever found that permanent satisfaction in earthly things which they once hoped for? Has not the creature proved itself to be “a broken cistern that can hold no water?” Is not Solomon’s testimony confirmed by universal experience, that “all is vanity and vexation of spirit!” If this then is true, why will you not avail yourselves of that information, and go for all your comforts to the fountain-head? “Why do you spend your money for that which is not bread, and your labor for that which cannot satisfy? Hearken diligently unto me; and eat that which is good; and let your soul delight itself in fatness, Isaiah 55:2.”

O let the blessing which the priests of old were authorized to pronounce, be the one object of your desire:

“May the Lord bless you

and protect you.

May the Lord smile on you

and be gracious to you.

May the Lord show you His favor

and give you His peace.” Numbers 6:24-26.

We will thus venture beforehand to assure you that you shall never seek for it in vain. After other things you may inquire, and labor in vain; but the man that looks to God, as reconciled to him in Christ Jesus, and desires above all things his favor, shall never be disappointed of his hope!

2. Those who are seeking their happiness in God.

Professing, as you do, that God is a sufficient portion—the world will expect to find that you are superior to it; and that you live as citizens and expectants of a better country. Thus it was that the saints of old lived, Hebrews 11:9-10; and thus must we live, even as our blessed Lord himself set an example for us. If the world hears you inquiring: Who will show me any good? and then sees you seeking it in the vanities of time and sense—will they not say that religion is an empty name, and that it can no more satisfy the soul than their vanities can do? O give no reason for any such sentiment as this! but let it be seen that in having God for your portion, you have a good, which none can estimate but those who possess it, and which the whole world are unable either to diminish or augment! “Whom have I in Heaven but you? And earth has nothing I desire besides you. My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever!” Psalm 73:25-26.

Charles Simeon

Psalm 4:4-5

“Stand in awe, and do not sin. Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still. Selah. Offer the sacrifices of righteousness, and trust in the LORD.”

In the Psalms of David there is a great diversity:

some being expressive of his own experience, and abounding in petitions or thanksgivings, as the occasion required;

others being simply historical, for the information of the Church;

others prophetic of Christ and his kingdom in the world;

and others again being merely instructive, for the benefit of mankind.

Of this last kind is the Psalm before us; in which, after declaring the comfort he had found in God, and offering a petition for the continuance of it (verse 1), he reproves those who derided religion, and sought happiness in the world (verse 2). He assures them, that God is the friend and portion of all who seek him (verse 3); and recommends them to seek him in a befitting manner (verses 4-5); and from his own experience attests, that no increase of worldly prosperity can ever afford them so rich a recompense as His presence (verses 6-7), in which all who enjoy it find perfect rest (verse .

As there is no certainty respecting the occasion on which it was written, we may take the text in a general view, and found upon it a general exhortation. Nor will there be any occasion for an artificial arrangement of it, because the different parts of the exhortation lie in an easy and natural order, and may be most profitably noticed as they arise in the text.

Beware, then, of sin! Or, as the text expresses it, “Stand in awe, and sin not”.

Certainly sin ought to be an object of extreme fear and dread; we can never “stand in awe” of it too much.

See the devastation which sin has done in the world, how it has deformed the whole face of nature, and more especially the soul of man, which was originally made in the image of God himself!

See what was necessary for the expiation of sin! Could nothing but the blood of God’s co-equal, co-eternal Son make an atonement for it—and shall it appear a light matter in our eyes? Go and take a new of the Savior in Gethsemane and on the cross; and then say, whether sin is not a formidable evil!

Or go down to the regions of Hell where myriads of our unhappy fellow-creatures are suffering the penalty due to their sin, and then announce to us your opinions respecting it.

One glimpse of sin, in its true character, would be abundantly sufficient to convince you that death, in its most terrific shapes, has no terror in comparison with sin!

How, then, should you “stand in awe of it,” even when presented to you in its most flattering dress! What if men tell you that it is harmless, and will bring no painful consequences with it? Will you listen to their delusions? Will you, through fear of their derision, or from a hope of their favor—give way to sin, and subject yourselves thereby to the wrath of an offended God? O! sin not, either in a way of commission, or of omission! And if a fiery furnace, or a den of lions, be set before you as the only alternative with sin—then do not hesitate to choose death in its most tremendous forms, rather than accept deliverance on the condition of committing any willful transgression!

That you may not be unwittingly offending God, be careful to live in habits of daily self-examination.

“Meditate in your heart upon your bed, and be still.” People, at the moment that they are acting, are not always able to form a correct estimate of their conduct; they are blinded by self-love, and deceived by a partial view of the things in which they are engaged; and often find, on reflection, that they have reason to be ashamed of actions which, at the time of doing them, they conceived to be right.

Not only did Paul, in his unconverted state, err, when “he thought he ought to do many things contrary to the name of Jesus,” but all the Apostles of our Lord erred in matters which, at the time, appeared to them to be highly commendable.

Who can doubt but that Peter, when he dissuaded his Lord from submitting to his approaching sufferings, and when he cut off the ear of Malchus, took to himself credit for his zeal and love? And that afterwards, when accommodating himself to the wishes of his Jewish brethren, in requiring from the Gentiles the observance of the Law, he supposed himself to be actuated by a condescending regard to the prejudices of his less-instructed brethren? Yet, on all these occasions he acted a part most displeasing to God, and was no other than an agent of the devil himself!

In like manner, when James and John would have called fire from Heaven, to consume a Samaritan village, they “little knew what spirit they were of.” And all the Apostles, when they joined with Judas in condemning the extravagance of her who poured a box of ointment on their Master’s feet, imagined that their regard for the poor was highly seasonable and praiseworthy.

And It is probable that Thomas, too, considered his pertinacity, in requiring more substantial proofs of his Lord’s resurrection, far preferable to the less cautious credulity of his fellow Apostles.

Thus it is, more or less, with all of us. We need reflection; we need instruction; we need to have the film removed from our eyes; we need a more thorough knowledge of the motives and principles by which we are actuated. Things may be substantially right—yet wrong in the time and manner in which they are carried into effect. Or they may be essentially wrong, and yet, through the blindness of our minds, appear to us highly commendable.

This is particularly the case with many who spend their time in doing things which do not belong to them, while they overlook and neglect the duties which are proper to their calling. We are not to set one table of the Law against the other; or to trample upon acknowledged duties for the purpose of augmenting what we may imagine to be our religious advantages.

Doubtless, where unreasonable men reduce us to the alternative of offending God or man, we must make our stand against the usurped authority, and be content to bear the consequences; but if we were more willing to exercise self-denial for the Lord’s sake, we would find that the path of duty would in many instances be more clear, and that we should on many occasions have less ground for self-reproach.

Let us, then, at the close of every day, honestly review the events in which we have been engaged, and the dispositions we have exercised; and, not content with examining ourselves, let us beg of God to search and try us, and to show us whatever there has been in our conduct that was sinful, or erroneous, or defective; so that we may be humbled for the past, and be more observant of our duty for the future.

Yet must we not so lean to the side of contemplation as to become remiss in action.

We are to “offer,” and that with ever-increasing diligence, “the sacrifices of righteousness.” We are all “a holy priesthood, who are to offer up spiritual sacrifices, which are acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.”

Under the Law, there was a great variety of sacrifices; some for humiliation and others for thanksgiving. But, under the Gospel, everything becomes a sacrifice, when it is done for God, and presented to him in the name of his dear Son.

Doubtless the first offering which we are to present to God is our own heart! 2 Corinthians 8:5. Without that, no other sacrifice can come up with acceptance before him. But, when we have presented ourselves to him as “a living sacrifice, Romans 12:1,” there is not any service which we can offer, which will not be pleasing in his sight. Let us then abound in every good work, and seek to “be filled with all the fruits of righteousness, which are, by Jesus Christ, to the glory and praise of God.”

The duties of the closet demand our attention in the first place; for, if they be neglected, nothing can go well; the soul will be left to its own resources, and will of necessity fall a prey to sin and Satan.

Then come the duties of our place and station, whether in social or civil life. To neglect these, is to sin grievously against God, and to bring great disgrace upon religion. Every person in the family has his proper office, which he is bound to fill, not from necessity only, but for the honor of his God. While the husband is engaged in his proper labor, the wife is to be superintending the concerns of her family; and is to be discharging her duties with care and diligence.

The time that can be spared from these more appropriate, avocations may well be devoted to the service of the public, in any line that may be thought most conducive to the welfare of mankind. But it is possible for men to be so engaged in cultivating the vineyards of others, as to neglect their own. And this, in the present day especially, when so much time is consecrated to the maintenance of religious or benevolent societies, is a danger to which many are exposed. Care must be taken that none who are entitled to our services be neglected; and that, while some rejoice in what we do, none have reason to complain of what we leave undone. The public assemblies, too, must not be neglected; they are the appointed means of honoring God, and of bringing his blessing on our own souls. In a word, our duties both to God and man are to be harmoniously and diligently performed; and it must be the labor of all, according to their respective abilities, to “abound in every good word and work.”

But, in whatever way our own efforts are directed, we must “put our trust in the Lord”.

It is to his grace alone that we must be indebted for strength.

To his mercy must we look for acceptance before him.

On his truth and faithfulness must we rely for our ultimate reward.

Of ourselves we can do nothing. In vain will be all our efforts to escape from sin, or to fulfill our duty, if God does not “strengthen us with might by his Spirit in our inward man.”

We must look to God to “work all our works in us;” “all our fresh springs must be in him.” To rely simply on God is the only way of being really strong; as the Apostle says, “When I am weak, then I am strong;” and the more entire our reliance is on him, the more will his strength be perfected in our weakness.

At the same time, we must bear in mind how exceedingly defective our best services are; and must renounce all hope in “our own righteousness, as being in itself no better than filthy rags.” If Paul, with all his transcendent excellencies, “desired to be found in Christ, not having his own righteousness, but that which is from God by faith in Christ,” much more must we do so, whose righteousness falls so far short of his. Our constant and grateful acknowledgment must be, “In the Lord I have righteousness and strength.” Yes, “in the Lord must all the seed of Israel be justified, and in him alone must they glory.”

Yet we must not imagine that our services shall go unrewarded; for, though our works shall not go before us to Heaven, to supersede the office of a Savior, “they shall follow us, to attest our love to him, and shall be acknowledged by him as worthy of a gracious recompense.” Not even a cup of cold water given to one of his disciples shall lose its reward. God would even consider himself as “unrighteous, if he were to forget our works and labors of love, which we have showed towards his name.” Be assured, therefore, that he will bring forth, at the last day, whatever you have done for him, and will both acclaim and recompense it before the assembled universe.

Here, then, you have abundant encouragement to exercise yourselves with all diligence in the preceding duties of fear and vigilance, of piety and trust. And know, that the more you endeavor to approve yourselves to God, the more shall you be approved by him in the day of judgment.

Charles Simeon