Psalm 35:13-14

“When they were ill, I put on sackcloth and humbled myself with fasting. When my prayers returned to me unanswered, I went about mourning as though for my friend or brother. I bowed my head in grief as though weeping for my mother.”

The precepts of Christianity are so pure and exalted, that all attempt to perfectly obey them must be vain. This is particularly the case with respect to the conduct which is to be observed towards those who injure us. To merely forgive them, is not sufficient. We must not only forbear to avenge ourselves upon them, but must do good to them, and act towards them with most unbounded benevolence, “I say unto you,” says our Lord, “Love your enemies; bless those who curse you; do good to those who hate you; and pray for those who despitefully use you and persecute you.” But this duty is by no means impractical; for even under the Law it was practiced to an astonishing extent by David, who labored to the uttermost, not only “not to be overcome by evil, but to overcome evil with good.”

Scarcely anything could exceed the bitterness of Saul towards his servant David; yet when David had him altogether, and as it would seem by a special intervention of Providence, in his power, he would neither hurt him himself, nor allow him to be hurt by others; nay more, when either Saul, or any of those who joined with him in his relentless persecution of an unoffending servant, were stricken with any disease by God himself, so far from rejoicing at it, or even being unconcerned about it, David laid it to heart, and set himself by fasting and prayer to obtain for them a removal, or at least a sanctified improvement of their sufferings; in a word, he felt for them as if they had been his dearest friends, or his most honored relatives.

While this conduct of David evinced the height of his attainments in relation to a forgiving spirit, it showed how justly he estimated the condition of a man oppressed with sickness, and at the same time destitute of the consolations of genuine religion, and unprepared to meet his God.

This is a subject deserving of peculiar attention; for, in truth, it is very seldom viewed as it ought to be, even by religious men. Slighter feelings of sympathy are common enough; but such as are described in our text are rarely experienced. To excite them in all our hearts, we shall show,

I. How much the sick stand in need of our compassion.

Ungodly men, whether in health or sickness, are in a truly pitiable condition; for “they are walking in darkness, and ignorant of where they are going,” while they are on the very brink and precipice of the bottomless abyss of Hell! But in sickness they are peculiar objects of our compassion; for,

They are then bereft of all that they before enjoyed.

The pleasures of society, the sports of the field, the amusements of the theater or the ball, and even the researches of science, have now lost their relish. They have neither strength nor spirits for such employments. Even the light itself, which is so cheering to those in health, is almost excluded from their chamber, because of their inability to endure its splendor.

Nor have they any substitute to repair their loss.

Those who were their companions in pleasure, have no taste for those things which alone would administer comfort in this trying hour. They may make from time to time their complimentary inquiries, but they cannot sympathize with the afflicted, and, by participation, lighten their burdens. If they come to visit their friend, they have nothing to speak of but vanity, nothing that can strengthen his weak hands, or sustain his troubled mind. “Miserable comforters are they all, and physicians of no value!”

Nor does the sick person himself find it so easy to turn his mind to heavenly things as he once imagined. When immersed in the world, he supposed that it would be time enough to think of eternity when he should be laid aside by sickness; and he concluded that in that season he should feel no difficulty in turning his mind to heavenly contemplations; but he now finds that this is a very unfavorable season for such employment, and that pain or lassitude unfit him for them. He cannot collect his mind; he cannot fix it with any energy on things to which it has been a stranger; and the feelings of the body almost incapacitate him from attending to the concerns of the soul. Thus, however he may abound in worldly wealth and honor—he is a poor, destitute, unhappy being!

But the distress of sick people is greatly aggravated, if poverty is added to all their other trials.

A poor man in a state of health is as happy as his richer neighbors; but when he falls into sickness, his condition is very pitiable. He is unable to procure the aid which his disorders call for; yes, he cannot provide even the necessities of life. His family, deprived of his earnings, fall into extreme poverty. The little comforts which they have hitherto had for clothing by day and for rest by night, now are sold one after another to supply food for the body, or are pledged never more to be redeemed. Cold, hunger, and nakedness, greatly aggravate the pressure of their disorders; and the miseries of a dependent family are an overwhelming addition to the weight already insupportable. The resources which might somewhat alleviate the sorrows of one in opulence, are wholly lacking to the poor; so that, if they have not the consolations of religion to support them in their sickness, they are objects of the deepest commiseration.

Let us then consider,

II. What is that measure of compassion which we ought to exercise towards them.

If we consider only the temporal distress of the sick, our sympathy with them should be deep.

It is not sufficient to express a few words of commiseration, and to send a little relief; we should feel for them as for ourselves; and bear a part of their burdens in our heart, no less than in our purse. It was in this way that Job exercised this amiable disposition, “Did not I weep for him who was in trouble? Was not my soul grieved for the poor? Job 30:25.” And it is in this way that we also must fulfill the law of Christ, Galatians 6:2. Romans 12:15.

But more especially should we feel this from a regard for their souls.

As pious as David was, we can have no doubt but that in his griefs for Saul and Doeg, he had respect to their spiritual, as well as their temporal, condition. And this accounts for the strong feelings expressed in our text. He knew in what a fearful state they would be found, if they should die impenitent; and therefore, to obtain for them, if possible, a deliverance from such a heavy judgment—David fasted, and prayed, and clothed himself with sackcloth, and pleaded with God in their behalf, just as if they had been his dearest friends or relatives. He forgot all the injuries which they had done to him, and were daily heaping upon him, from a persuasion that they did infinitely greater injury to their own souls, than it was possible for them to do to him. The thought of the danger in which they were of perishing forever, quite overwhelmed him, so that he was bowed down, and as it were inconsolable, on their account.

Now this is precisely the state in which our minds should be towards people on a bed of sickness, whether they are rich or poor, friends or enemies. Their souls should be precious in our eyes; and we should exercise towards them that very same love which filled the bosom of our Lord Jesus Christ, “who, though he was rich—yet for our sakes became poor, that we through his poverty might be rich! 2 Corinthians 8:9.”

Nor let it be thought that this is proper for ministers only, or for those who have nothing else to occupy their time. David was accustomed to scenes of blood, and occupied day and night with the laborious duties of a military General; yet he blended the feelings of sympathy and compassion with the intrepidity and ardor of a man of war. In like manner should we, however high our station, or numerous our engagements, find time and inclination for all the offices of Christian love.

That we may be stirred up to such benevolence, let us contemplate,

III. The benefit that will accrue from it to our own souls.

Our exertions, however great, may not always prosper in the way we would wish.

We fear that Saul and Doeg were but little profited by the sympathy of David. And we also may abound in visiting the sick, and see but little fruit of our labor. Indeed, much of the fruit which we think we see, proves only like the blossom that is soon nipped by the frost, and disappoints our expectations. Not that our labor shall be altogether in vain. We are persuaded, that if we labor with assiduity and tenderness to benefit the souls of men, God will make some use of us. Like Isaiah, we may have occasion to say, “Who has believed our report?” yet, like him, we shall have in the last day some to present to the Lord, saying, “Here am I, and the children you have given me.” “The bread that we have cast upon the waters shall, in part at least, be found after many days.”

But our labor shall surely be recompensed into our own bosom.

So David found it; his fastings and prayers, if lost to others, were not lost to himself, “they returned into his own bosom.”

And thus it will be with us. The very exercise of love, like the incense which regales the offerer with its fragrances, is a rich recompense to itself. Moreover, every exercise of love, even to our enemies, strengthens the habit of love in our souls, and thereby transforms us more and more into the Divine image. And may we not say, that exercises of love will bring God himself down into the soul?

We appeal to those who are in the habit of visiting the chambers of the sick, whether they have not often found God more present with them on such occasions than at any other time or place? Have they not often, when they have gone with coldness, and even with reluctance, to visit the sick, received such tokens of God’s acceptance, as have filled them with shame and self-abhorrence, for not delighting more in such offices of love?

But, if even here on earth so rich a recompense is given, what shall we receive hereafter, when every act of love will be recorded, acknowledged, recompensed; and not even a cup of cold water given for the sake of Christ, shall lose its reward? Little as we think of such actions, (and little we ought to think of them as done by ourselves) our God and Savior regards them with infinite delight, and will accept every one of them as done unto himself! “I was sick and in prison, and you visited me.” Let all then know, if they thus invite the sick, the lame, the blind, to participate with them in their temporal and spiritual advantages, “they shall be recompensed at the resurrection of the just, Luke 14:14. Hebrews 6:10.”

ADDRESS.

1. The poor.

We have represented you as in some respects under great disadvantages in a time of sickness; but in other respects the advantage is altogether on your side. The friends of the rich are almost uniformly bent on keeping from them all those who would seek to benefit their souls.

But if a benevolent Christian does get access to you in your sickness and poverty, he begins at once to instruct you in the things that belong to your everlasting peace. Thus all the treasures of redeeming love are opened to you, while they are studiously withheld from the rich; and all the consolations of the Gospel are poured into your souls, while even a taste of them is denied to thousands, either through their own contempt of Christ, or through the blindness and prejudice of ungodly friends.

Know then, that if on account of your lack of temporal comforts we compassionate your state, we rather commend you on the advantages you enjoy for your immortal souls. God has said, that “he has chosen the poor of this world to be rich in faith and heirs of his kingdom;” and therefore we call upon you to take this into your estimate of your condition, and to adore God for having chosen better for you, than you would have chosen for yourselves.

2. Those who engage in visiting the poor.

This is a good and blessed office, in the conscientious discharge of which, religion in no small degree consists, James 1:27. Abound then, as far as your situation and circumstances will admit of it, in this holy work; but take especial care that you perform it in a proper spirit. If you would have those whom you visit to weep, you yourself must be filled with compassion, and weep over them. This is a state of mind which an angel might envy. Never did Jesus himself appear more glorious, not even on Mount Tabor, than when he wept at the grave of Lazarus! John 11:35. Nor does God ever delight in his people more than when he sees them abounding in acts of love to men for their Redeemer’s sake! Matthew 6:4. Only see to it that you “draw out not your purse only, but “your souls” also to the afflicted, and God will recompense it into your bosom a hundred-fold! Isaiah 58:10-11.

3. The congregation at large.

In order to administer relief to any extent, considerable funds are necessary; and where any measure of benevolence exists, it will be a pleasure to contribute towards the carrying on a work of such incalculable importance. When Paul went up to confer with the Apostles at Jerusalem, they added nothing to his knowledge of the Gospel, “only they desired that he should remember the poor; the same which I also (says he) was forward to do, Galatians 1:10.” To you then would we recommend the same benevolent disposition; and we pray God that there may be in you the same readiness to cultivate it to the uttermost. All may not have time or ability to do much in instructing and comforting the poor; but all, even the widow with a single mite, may testify their love to the poor, and their desire to advance the good work in which a select number are engaged. Even those who are “in deep poverty, may abound unto the riches of liberality! 2 Corinthians 8:1-4.” Let all then “prove the sincerity of their love to Christ” by their compassion to his poor members, 2 Corinthians 8:8; and let them know, that “even a cup of cold water given for his sake shall never lose its reward!”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 35:3

“Say unto my soul: I am your salvation!”

Suspense is extremely painful to the human mind, and the more so in proportion to the danger to which we are exposed. David experienced this in a very high degree. In the Psalm before us, he appears to have been greatly agitated with fear on account of the number and malignity of the enemies who sought his ruin, and were exulting in the expectation of his speedy fall. Seeing no hope for himself in the efforts of his adherents, he betook himself to prayer, and with most earnest importunity implored that help from his Creator, which the creature was unable to afford. And as it was with an armed host that he was beset, he addressed the Lord under the character of a mighty warrior, to stand forth in his defense, “Contend, O LORD, with those who contend with me; fight against those who fight against me. Take up shield and buckler; arise and come to my aid. Brandish spear and javelin against those who pursue me. Say unto my soul: “I am your salvation! Psalm 35:1-3”

I. This last petition I propose to consider, as offered by David himself.

Nothing could exceed the bitterness of David’s enemies.

If we mark the diversified expressions in this Psalm, we shall have some idea of the danger to which he was exposed. Saul having determined if possible to destroy him—his subjects of every description leagued together to execute Saul’s will. “False witnesses rose up, and laid to David’s charge things which he knew not;” and, in confirmation of their accusations, declared that they were eye-witnesses of the acts imputed to him, verse 11, 21. Among the number of these were many on whom he had conferred the greatest obligations, verse 12, and to whom he had given no just occasion of offence, verse 19. “They devised deceitful matters against him, verse 20;” “they hid a net for him, and dug a pit for his soul, verse 7.” To encourage one another in their odious work, “they winked with their eye, verse 19;” and, when they thought they had prevailed against him, “they rejoiced in his adversity, verse 15;” and “magnified themselves against him, verse 26,” and “said in their hearts, Ah! so would we have it; we have swallowed him up! verse 26.” The very despicables, encouraged by the example of their superiors, gathered themselves together against David, and tore him incessantly; while hypocritical mockers in their feasts, (pretending to more humanity,) yet “gnashed upon him with their teeth, verses 15, 16.” In a word, all classes of the community lay in wait for his soul, verse 4, and, like lions prowling for their prey, sought to destroy and to devour him, verses 17, 25.

Under these circumstances David cried to God for help.

The particular expression in our text is worthy of notice, especially as showing what thoughts the Psalmist entertained of God. He believed that God was able to deliver him, however powerful his enemies might be. He knew, that if God was for him, then “no weapon that was formed against him could prosper.” Nor did he doubt the goodness of God, as willing to hear and answer his petitions, and to afford him the protection which he so earnestly desired.

But that which chiefly demands our attention is David’s persuasion of the condescension of the Most High, in that he prayed, nor merely for deliverance, but for such an assurance of it to his soul, as should calm all the tumult of his mind, and fill him with perfect peace.

Now this was the sure way to succeed in prayer. Nothing so secures the interposition of God in our behalf, as the magnifying of him in our hearts, “Those who honor him, he will honor.” If we limit his mercies, he will limit his gifts. If we doubt his power or willingness to help, he will withhold such displays of his mercy as he would otherwise have given, Matthew 13:58. On the other hand, if we are steadfast in believing expectations of his mercy, we shall have such discoveries of his glory as an unbelieving heart has no conception of! John 11:40. We should never forget that there is nothing too great to ask of God. We never can “open our mouth, so wide, but he will fill it! Psalm 81:10;” nor can we ever be more enlarged in our petitions towards him, than he will be in his communications towards us, 2 Corinthians 6:11-13.

II. The petition in our text is still more deserving of attention, as suited to us.

Imminent as David’s dangers were—they are not to be compared with those to which we are exposed.

David’s enemies might be eluded, intimidated, vanquished; but those with which the soul of every sinner is encompassed can never be eluded, never be overcome.

Sin is a deadly foe that seeks to destroy every man!

Sin lies in wait for us—to allure, to deceive, to ruin us!

Sin clothes itself in subtle array.

Sin comes with a friendly aspect.

Sin bids us to fear no harm. Sin tells us, “We shall have peace, though we yield to its fascinations! Deuteronomy 29:19.”

But sin is no sooner committed, than it is registered in the book of God’s remembrance, and will come forth at a future period as a swift witness against all whom it has deceived!

From man, sin may be hidden; and even by those who have committed it, it may be forgotten. But “it hunts the wicked man to overthrow him! Psalm 140:11;” and though it does not immediately seize the sinner as its prey, “be sure your sin will find you out! Numbers 32:23.” And like a millstone about his neck, sin will surely sink him into everlasting perdition! James 1:14-15.

The law of God also follows with its curses, all who have transgressed its commands, Galatians 3:10. It is inexorable. The law is a creditor that cannot be satisfied, or appeased. It will take the sinner by the throat, saying, “Pay me what you owe me!” and, when we cannot discharge our debt, “it will listen to no entreaties, but will cast us into prison, until we have paid the uttermost farthing!” God himself appealed to his people of old respecting this, “My words and my statutes, which I commanded my servants the prophets, did they not take hold of your fathers? And they returned, and said, Like as the Lord Almighty thought to do unto us, according to our ways, and according to our doings—so has he dealt with us, Zechariah 1:6.” Of the six hundred thousand men who came out of Egypt, how many entered into Canaan? None, except Joshua and Caleb; who “had followed the Lord fully.” Against all the rest a sentence of death was denounced in the very first year of their sojourning in the wilderness; and at the close of the forty years a minute inquiry was instituted; and not one was found alive! Numbers 14:28; Numbers 29:35-38.

So it will be found in the last day, that of all the threatenings in the book of God, not one has fallen to the ground; and that, of all who mourned not over their transgressions of the law, not one escaped the vengeance of his God. God has said:

“The soul that sins, it shall surely die! Ezekiel 18:4.”

“Their foot shall slide in due time! Deuteronomy 32:35.”

“They shall all be turned into Hell, even all the nations that forget him! Psalm 9:17.”

“He will rain upon them snares, fire and brimstone, and a horrible tempest; this shall be the portion of their cup! Psalm 11:6.”

God himself has declared these things, and whether we will believe it or not, his law shall be thus honored, and his justice shall be thus magnified, on every impenitent transgressor! He already is he “whetting his sword for the execution of his vengeance upon them; and soon will he make his arrows drunk with their blood! Deuteronomy 32:41-42.”

There is yet another adversary, who is lying in wait for our souls, and, like a roaring lion, going about, seeking to devour us—and that is Satan; nor can we have any conception of the wiles and devices to which he has recourse, in order to accomplish his malignant purpose. Even in Paradise he prevailed to ensnare and ruin our first parents; and the same temptations he puts in our way, assuring us, that, in following his counsel, we shall have unqualified pleasure, and blessedness without alloy. He is in Scripture compared to “a fowler, Psalm 91:3; and, like a fowler, he spreads his nets, and allures us by temptations suited to our appetites, and by the example of sinners whom he has already ensnared, and whom he makes use of to decoy us.

We see nothing but the promised gratification; and while one or another invites us to participate his supposed joys, we flock to him, “without considering that it is for our life! Proverbs 7:23.” Thus it is that the drunkard, the whoremonger, the adulterer is ensnared! He thinks of nothing but his pleasure; but the fowler who lays the snare, foresees and knows the end. Having succeeded in “taking us alive, 2 Timothy 2:26,” he “keeps us in peace, Luke 11:21,” and does all he can to hide from us our bondage. But he knows that those who now yield to his solicitations as a tempter, will soon experience his power as a tormentor!

Another enemy also that is confederate against us, is death. He is waiting every moment to execute his commission against us; well knowing, that the instant he can inflict the stroke he desires, all hope of our deliverance is at an end forever. He has his eye steadily fixed on people of every age and station; and the instruments he has at his command are as numerous as the sands upon the sea-shore! When Death comes in his more visible and gradual assaults, he contrives to hide his ultimate designs, and to divert the minds of the sufferers from the thoughts of a hereafter. As the avenger of sin, Death entered into the world, Romans 5:12; and in the same character he is daily sweeping millions from the earth; and in malignant triumph Death is bearing his unhappy victims to the tribunal of their God.

Hell too combines with all the rest, and is opening wide its jaws to receive its destined prey. What the prophet said respecting the king of Babylon, may be said to every impenitent sinner under Heaven, “Hell from beneath is moved for you, to meet you at your coming! Isaiah 14:9.” As in that instance “it stirred up the chief ones of the earth, and raised up from their thrones all the kings of the nations” to exult over the fallen monarch, so those people who were once our partners in sin, or whom by our example we hardened in their iniquities, will all come forth to meet us, that they may in the midst of all their own torments have the malignant pleasure of beholding and of aggravating ours.

It is said, that in the last day “the angels will bind up sinners in bundles to burn them;” and for this end, no doubt, that those who have been associates in wickedness may, by their mutual execrations, augment each other’s misery to all eternity. For this all Hell is waiting!

We are told indeed respecting the Rich Man, who lifting up his eyes in torments, desired that a messenger might be sent to his five surviving brethren, to “warn them, lest they also should come into the same place of torment;” but this was not from any love to them, but from self-love; knowing as he did by bitter experience, how greatly his own sufferings would be increased by the reproaches of those whom by his influence and example he had so contributed to destroy!

Know then, beloved, that if David was in danger from the thousands who sought his life—then you are in ten thousand times more in danger:

from sin, which deceives you;

from the law, which denounces its curses against you;

from Satan, who arms all the hosts of Hell against you;

from Death, that is ever waiting to cut you down; and

from Hell, that is already yawning to swallow you up!

Say then, whether David’s petition is not altogether suited to our state?

To whom will you go for salvation, if not to the Lord Jesus Christ? Will you look to any efforts of your own? Can you ever cancel the guilt of sin? Can you ever satisfy the demands of God’s law? Can you ever vanquish Satan and all the powers of darkness? Can you ever overcome death and Hell, so that they shall lose all their terrors, and have no power over you?

The hope of any such thing is altogether vain and impossible!

If the whole world combined to aid you, they could effect nothing. “Though hand joined in hand” throughout the globe, “no sinner in the universe could go unpunished! Proverbs 12:21.”

None can ever blot out one single sin, but He who made atonement for sin by the blood of his cross.

None can silence the demands of God’s law, but He who endured its penalties, and obeyed its precepts, in order that he might “bring in an everlasting righteousness,” and “make us the righteousness of God in him.”

None can “bruise Satan under our feet,” but He who “triumphed over him upon the cross,” and in his ascension “led captivity itself captive.”

None can divest Death and Hell of their terrors, but “He who has the keys of both, and opens so that none can shut, and shuts so that none can open.”

Go then to him for it in David’s words, “Lord, say unto my soul, I am your salvation.” Offer this petition humbly; offer it earnestly; offer it in faith. Never, from the foundation of the world, did Jesus cast out one who came to him in sincerity and truth. If you plead with him in faith, then all these enemies shall be subdued before you; and all your sorrows shall be turned into joy. See, in the prophecies of Isaiah, what your state shall then be, “You will say in that day: I will give thanks to you, O LORD, for though you were angry with me, your anger turned away, and you comforted me. Surely God is my salvation; I will trust, and will not be afraid, for the LORD God is my strength and my might; he has become my salvation! Isaiah 12:1-2.” Here you see that he will not only give you the deliverance you desire, but the assurance of it also, saying to your soul, “I am your salvation.”

Beloved brethren, think what blessedness you will then enjoy. See it in David, “My soul, wait only upon God; for my expectation is from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; He is my defense; I shall not be moved. In God is my salvation and my glory; the rock of my strength, and my refuge is in God Psalm 62:5-7.” He then encourages you to follow his example, “Trust in him at all times, you people; pour out your hearts before him; God is a refuge for us! Psalm 62:8.” This is the very advice which I would give also, “Pour out your hearts before him, and trust in him.” For what happiness can you possess in this world, while your soul, your immortal soul, is in such imminent danger? If you were only, like David, encompassed with armed hosts that were seeking to destroy you, you would be full of alarm and terror; and can you enjoy a moment’s ease, while it is doubtful whether in the space of a few days you shall not lie down in everlasting burnings? I beg you to awake from your security; and “give neither sleep to your eyes nor slumber to your eyelids,” until you have a good and well-founded hope, that Jesus is your Savior, and until you are enabled to say with Paul, “He has loved me, and given himself for me!”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 34:18

“The Lord is near unto those who are of a broken heart; and saves such as are of a contrite spirit.”

The objects of God’s favor are very frequently designated by the exalted title of “The righteous;” “The eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous;” “Many are the afflictions of the righteous;” “Those who hate the righteous shall be desolate, verses 19, 21.” But, a person of a humble spirit finds it difficult to assume to himself this character, because of the innumerable imperfections of which he is conscious; and, consequently, he is backward to claim the promises assigned to it. But the terms whereby the Lord’s people are characterized in our text are such as the most humble may appropriate to themselves without boasting; and whatever is promised to them under that character, they may regard as their legitimate and assured portion.

The words before us will naturally lead me to show,

I. What is that contrition which the Lord approves.

There is a brokenness of heart which God does not approve, because it proceeds altogether from worldly sorrow, Proverbs 15:13. But that brokenness of heart that which is associated with contrition for sin, is truly pleasing in his sight.

Let us more distinctly see what the contrition here designated is.

It is called a broken heart and contrite heart. It is founded altogether in a sense of one’s sin, and in a consciousness of deserving God’s wrath on account of sin! It is, however, no light sense of sin, but such a one as David had, when he said, “My iniquities are gone over my head; as a heavy burden, they are too heavy for me! Psalm 38:4;” “My iniquities have taken such hold upon me, that I am not able to look up; they are more than the hairs of my head; therefore my heart fails me! Psalm 40:12.” Nor is it merely on account of the penalty annexed to transgression that they are so oppressed, but on account of its hateful nature, as defiling and debasing their souls. Hence they “loath themselves,” as vile, and base, and filthy, and abominable! Ezekiel 36:31. Yes, to their dying hour do they retain this humiliating sense of their own corruptions, notwithstanding they have a hope that God is pacified towards them; and even the more on account of that very mercy which they have experienced at his hands, Ezekiel 16:63.

Shall it be thought that such a sense of sin can befit those only who have been guilty of some flagrant enormities? I answer: It befits the most moral person upon earth, no less than the most abandoned sinner. I do not say that the moral and the immoral are upon a perfect level, either in the sight of God or man; for, beyond all doubt, all are hateful to God in proportion to the greatness and multitude of their iniquities; but there is no person so virtuous, but that he needs to be humbled before God in dust and ashes.

Let any man, however virtuous, look back upon his past life, and see how far he has been from God, and how entirely he has lived for himself. Let him consider how little sense he has had of his obligations to God, especially for all the wonders of redeeming love; and how often he has “done despite to the Holy Spirit,” in resisting his sacred motions, and in deferring that great work which he knew to be necessary for the salvation of his soul. We quite mistake if we think that guilt attaches only to flagrant immoralities; the living without God in the world is the summit and consummation of all guilt; and where is the man who must not plead guilty to that charge? I suppose that no one will be found to arrogate to himself a higher character than that of Job, who, according to the testimony of God himself, was “a perfect and upright man;” yet even Job, when led into just views of himself, exclaim, “Behold, I am vile!” “I repent therefore, and abhor myself in dust and ashes! Job 40:4; Job 42:6.”

This is the contrition which God approves.

This, however unamiable it may appear in the eyes of men, is most pleasing in the sight of God. And well it may be so; for it honors God’s Law. The man who is not thus abased before God, declares, in effect, that there is no great evil in disregarding God’s Law, and that there is no occasion for those who have transgressed it to be ashamed. But the truly contrite person who loathes himself for his iniquities, acknowledges that “the Law is holy, and just, and good,” and that every transgression of it is a just ground for the deepest humiliation.

Moreover, the contrition here spoken of, justifies God’s denunciations against sin. The unhumbled sinner says, in effect, God will not execute judgment; nor have I any cause to tremble for his displeasure; and if he were to consign me over to perdition on account of my sins—then he would be unmerciful and unjust!

On the contrary, the man whose heart is broken bears a very different testimony. He acknowledges that he deserves God’s wrath and indignation; and that, whatever sentence the Judge shall pass upon him—he will be fully justified as not inflicting more than his iniquities have deserved! Psalm 51:4.

Above all, the contrite person manifests a state of mind duly prepared for the reception of the Gospel. “What shall I do to be saved? Acts 16:30” is his cry from day to day; and, when he finds that the Gospel makes known to him a Savior, O! how gladly does he embrace the offered mercy! How thankfully does he renounce all hope in himself, and puts on the unspotted robe of Christ’s righteousness!

The unhumbled sinner can hear the glad tidings of salvation without feeling any deep interest in them; but the truly contrite person regards the Savior, as the man who had accidentally slain a neighbor regarded the city of refuge; he knows that in Christ alone he can find safety; and he has no rest in his soul until he has fled for refuge to the hope set before him!

Thus, while the person that is “whole feels no need of the physician, the sick” and dying patient commits himself entirely to his care, and thankfully follows the regimen he prescribes. Well, therefore, may God approve of him, since he, and he alone, appreciates aright the gift of God’s only dear Son to be the Savior of sinners.

But it will be proper to inquire,

II. In what way God will testify his approbation of a broken and contrite heart.

A person bowed down with a sense of sin is ready to fear that God will never show mercy to one so undeserving of it. But God promises, in our text, that,

1. God will be near unto those who are of a broken and contrite heart.

God, being everywhere present, may be supposed to be as near to one person as another. And so he is, if we regard his essence. But there are manifestations of the Divine presence, which the world at large have no conception of, but which are experienced by all who follow after God in the exercise of prayer and faith. The Apostle spoke not in his own person only, but in the person of believers generally, when he said, “Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” We are taught to expect, that if we “draw near to God—then he will draw near to us;” he will “lift up the light of his countenance upon us;” he will “shed abroad his love in our hearts;” he will enable us to cry with holy confidence, “Abba, Father;” and will “witness with our spirits that we are his.”

Is anyone disposed to ask, “How can these things be?” “How is it that God will manifest himself to his people, and not unto the world?” This is the very question which one of the Apostles put to our Lord; who, in reply, confirmed the truth he had asserted; saying, “If any man loves me, he will keep my words; and my Father will love him; and we will come unto him, and make our abode with him, John 14:21-23.”

2. God will save those who are of a broken and contrite heart.

Many are their fears in relation to their final blessedness; but “God will never allow so much as one of his little ones to perish.” The contrite in particular he will save; for “he looks upon men; and if any say, I have sinned, and perverted that which was right, and it profited me not—then God will deliver his soul from going into the pit, and his life shall see the light, Job 33:24; Job 33:27-28.” Their temptations maybe many; but “He will not allow them to be tempted above that they are able; but will with the temptation make also for them a way to escape, that they may be able to bear it, 1 Corinthians 10:13.” However numerous or potent their enemies may be, “he will deliver them out of the hands of all, Luke 1:74,” and “make them more than conquerors over all, Romans 8:37.” In a word, “He will save them with an everlasting salvation; nor shall they be ashamed or confounded world without end! Isaiah 45:17.”

But the text leads me rather to show you,

III. What present encouragement the very existence of a broken and contrite heart affords to those in whom it is found.

The contrition which has been described above, is the fruit and effect of God’s love to the soul.

“The Lord is near unto those who are of a broken heart, and saves such as be of a contrite spirit.” There is no work of divine grace more difficult than this! The taking away of the stony heart, and the giving a heart of flesh, is a new creation; and manifests as clearly the operation of Omnipotence as the universe itself. It is the very beginning of salvation in the soul. A person under a deep sense of sin is apt to imagine that God will not have mercy upon him; but his very contrition is a proof and evidence that God has already imparted to him his grace.

What a reviving consideration is this to the humble penitent! God is near you; he is in the very act of saving you. Why, then, are you cast down? Why are you “saying, The Lord has forsaken and forgotten me?”

Does the greatness of your guilt horrify you?

Who showed you your sins?

Who opened your eyes to see your sins?

Who softened your heart to hate your sins?

Who disposed you to condemn yourself for your sins, and to justify your God? Is this your own work, or the work of any enemy?

Does not the very nature of the work itself constrain you to say, “He who has wrought me to this self-same thing, is God!”

It is also the pledge and foretaste of your eternal inheritance.

Would God have done such things for you, if he had designed ultimately to destroy you? Judges 13:23. These are only as the first-fruits, which sanctified and assured the whole harvest. He has expressly told us, that the gift of his “Spirit is a pledge of our inheritance, until the redemption of the purchased possession, Ephesians 1:13-14. See the whole of these assertions confirmed, Psalm 91:14-16; Psalm 145:18-19.”

You are aware what a pledge is; it is not only a pledge of future blessings, but the actual commencement of them in the soul. And, if you will survey the heavenly inhabitants, you will find that this very abasement of their souls before God is a striking feature in their character, and a grand constituent of their bliss. They all, with lowliest self-abasement, fall on their faces before the throne of God; while, with devoutest acclamations, they ascribe salvation to God and to the Lamb, Revelation 5:8-10. Learn, then, to view all your feelings in their proper light; so shall you “from the eater bring forth meat, and from the strong shall bring forth sweet.”

Let me not, however, conclude without addressing a few words:

1. To those in whom a broken and contrite heart is not found.

You, alas! have no part or lot in the blessedness which is prepared for the broken in heart. Look at the Pharisee and the Publican; the one was filled with self-delight, on account of his own imagined goodness; while the other dared not even to lift up his eyes to Heaven, on account of his own conscious unworthiness. But it was the latter, and not the former, who found acceptance with God. Just so, in all similar characters shall the same outcome be realized, as long as the world shall stand!

Humble yourselves, therefore, whoever you are; for in that way alone, have you any hope that God shall lift you up, James 4:7-8.

2. To those who are dejected by reason of their great sinfulness.

Forget not, I beseech you, for what end the Lord Jesus Christ came into the world. Was it not to bind up the broken heart; and to give to those who “mourn in Zion, beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness! Isaiah 61:1-3 and Luke 4:18.” And, if the greatness of your past sins appears to be an obstacle in your way, has he not told you, that “where sin has abounded, his grace shall much more abound! Romans 5:20-21.” Yield not, then, to desponding thoughts, nor limit the mercy of your God; but know assuredly, that he will “heal the broken in heart, Psalm 147:3,” and that all who come unto the Savior heavy-laden with their sins, shall be partakers of his promised eternal rest! Matthew 11:28.

Charles Simeon

Psalm 34:11-16

“Come, my children, listen to me; I will teach you the fear of the LORD. Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies. Turn from evil and do good; seek peace and pursue it. The eyes of the LORD are on the righteous and his ears are attentive to their cry; the face of the LORD is against those who do evil, to cut off the memory of them from the earth.”

To enlighten a dark world, and to guide wanderers into the paths of peace and holiness—is the most glorious office that can be committed to a human being!

So at least David thought; for though he was well qualified to teach men the science of music (in which he eminently excelled), or the art of war (in which he was a great proficient), or the principles by which states and kingdoms should be governed, he considered none of those employments comparable to that of instructing men in the principles and practice of true religion. As a prophet of the Lord, (for at the time the Psalm was written, he was not yet exalted to the throne of Israel,) he regarded all, to whom he had access, as his children; and was anxious, as a loving parent, to gain their attention, that he might instill into their minds those truths which he himself felt to be of supreme importance. He wished in particular to show them, what we also are desirous to point out to you:

I. Wherein the fear of the Lord consists.

The fear of the Lord is such a reverential regard to him as inclines us to walk in all things according to his revealed will, and to approve ourselves to him:

1. In our words.

“Out of the abundance of the heart the mouth will speak;” and every evil that is in the heart will betray itself by the tongue. Truly the tongue is justly called an unruly member; like a helm of a ship, it is but a small matter; but it boasts great things. It is declared by God himself to be “a world of iniquity,” “a fire, setting in flames the course of nature, and itself set on fire by Hell.” So untameable is it, that the man who bridles it on all occasions is pronounced to be “a perfect man;” while, on the other hand, the man who has no command over it, however religious he may imagine himself, or be thought by others—is a self-deceiver, whose religion is vain! See James 3:2-8.

It is therefore with great propriety that David specifies the control of the tongue as the first evidence of the fear of God, “Whoever of you loves life and desires to see many good days, keep your tongue from evil and your lips from speaking lies.”

Not only must all profane talk and all impure communications be forborne, but everything that is false and deceitful, or corrupt in any way whatever. Every proud, angry, passionate, revengeful word must be suppressed, whatever may be the provocation to utter it. All calumny, detraction, uncharitableness, tale-bearing, must be avoided, and “the law of truth and of kindness be continually on the lips.” God has said, that “of every idle word we must give account in the day of judgment,” and that “by our words we shall be either justified or condemned;” and therefore the fear of the Lord must of necessity cause us to “take heed to our ways, that we sin not with our tongue.”

2. In our actions.

Sin is “that abominable thing which God hates;” and it should be universally and irreconcilably hated by us, “We must depart from evil, and do good.” Whatever evil we may have been most tempted, and most accustomed, to commit—that is the evil against which we must most watchfully guard, and from which we must most resolutely depart.

On the other hand, we must be occupied in doing good. The doing of good should be the great business of life; first, the doing good to our own household; then to all our neighbors; then to the Church of God at large. The devising of good, and the executing of good, and the uniting with others in the good devised by them, and the stirring up all around us to do good according to their opportunities and ability. This is a life worthy of a Christian, and necessarily flowing from the fear of God. If we truly fear God, we shall “abhor that which is evil, and cleave (be glued) to that which is good,” and “be fruitful in all the fruits of righteousness which are by Jesus Christ to the glory and praise of God!”

3. In our whole temperament.

A peaceful, loving spirit will characterize every child of God. “God is love;” and all his children will resemble him in this glorious attribute. True it is, that it is not always possible to be at peace, because some are so wicked and unreasonable that they will take occasion even from our very peacefulness, to injure us the more. Hence Paul says, “If it is possible, as much as lies in you, live peaceably with all men.” Whether we succeed or not, our constant aim and effort must be for peace. For the preservation of it we should account no sacrifice too great; and we should be as studious to promote it among others, as to preserve it with ourselves. If we see an unkind spirit prevailing any where, we should endeavor to extinguish the fire, and not, by countenancing it, add fuel to the flame. The evil of contention is so great that no one who possesses heavenly wisdom will engage in it himself, or encourage it in others, James 3:13-18. If we fear the Lord indeed, our constant labor will be to “keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

While explaining thus wherein the fear of the Lord consists, the Psalmist points out,

II. The importance of cultivating the fear of God in our own hearts.

As for those who had no concern about their souls, David did not expect them to hearken to such self-denying lessons as he endeavored to inculcate; but to those who desired true blessedness in this world and the next, he gave the advice which we have already considered, verse 12. To enforce his advice, he assured them of,

1. God’s favor to those who fear him.

“The eyes of the Lord,” says he, “are upon the righteous, and his ear is open to their cry.” Not a moment are they out of his sight, nor for a moment is he inattentive to their prayers.

Are they in danger? He will protect them, and cause his angel to encamp around them, that no enemy may approach to hurt them, verse 7.

Are they in need? He will supply them with all that is needful for them. “The lions that could prey upon them shall want and suffer hunger; but they shall lack nothing that is good,” for body or for soul, for time or for eternity! verse 9, 10.

Are they in trouble? He will assuredly in due time interpose to deliver them. They may have many troubles; but he will deliver them from all, the very instant they have accomplished their destined office, verse 17, 19. He sends the trials needed to purify them from their dross; and he sits by the furnace, ready to bring them out, in the proper season, “purified as gold.”

Are they longing for his presence here, and his glory hereafter? He will “be near unto their souls” in this world, and will save them in the Lord Jesus Christ with an everlasting salvation in the world to come! verse 18.

In a word, there shall be an infinite distance between them and others; for they shall enjoy all the richest blessings of redemption, while those who cast off the fear of God shall be left inconsolably and forever desolate! verse 21, 22. What inducements are here to seek that holy disposition of mind inculcated in our text!

2. God’s indignation against those who do not fear him.

God does not merely withhold his blessings from the ungodly, but actually becomes their enemy. He does not only turn his face from them, but sets his face against them, “he walks contrary to those who thus walk contrary to him.” Hear how indignantly he speaks to those who profess to reverence him, but in fact dishonor him by their conduct, “Why do you call me Lord, Lord, and do not obey the things which I say? Luke 6:46.” Yes, he declares that whatever profession of religion they may make, they shall never enter into his kingdom, “Not every one who says unto me, Lord, Lord, shall enter into the kingdom or Heaven, but he who obeys the will of my Father who is in Heaven Matthew 7:21.” He intimates, that in the day of judgment there will be many who will confidently claim Heaven, as it were, on account of their zeal and success in his service; but that, forasmuch as they were destitute of all these holy dispositions, he will not acknowledge them as his, but bid them to depart accursed into everlasting fire! Matthew 7:22-23. In a word, God declares that by their fruits only shall they be known either in this world or the next, Matthew 7:18-20.

It must however be remembered, that though the exercise of these holy dispositions is pleasing and acceptable to God—it is not meritorious in itself; nor can it found a claim for our justification before God. A reward, it is true, will be given us; but it is “a reward of grace, and not of debt.” It is in Christ only that we can have a justifying righteousness; nevertheless our works will be regarded as the evidences of our faith; if our faith operates in the way above mentioned, we shall be acknowledged as Christ’s redeemed people; but if it does not, it will be considered as dead; and we shall be cast out as hypocrites and self-deceivers!

Now allow a word of exhortation.

1. We entreat of you to labor for practical piety.

There are many professors of religion who love to hear of the privileges of the Lord’s people, but not to hear of their duties. They call such duties, legal—but they neither understand what legality is, nor what the Gospel is. Legalism is a leaning, either in whole or in part, to the works of the law to justify us before God; and if we encouraged that, we might justly be regarded as abandoning and subverting the Gospel of Christ! But, when we teach people to fear the Lord, and, from a desire to please Christ, and from a dread of his displeasure, to approve themselves to God in the whole of their life and conduct—we do only what the Apostles of our Lord also did; for Peter quotes the very words of our text in the precise way in which we have insisted upon them, 1 Peter 3:10-12; and therefore we are sure that an attention to them befits us under the Gospel.

We further say, that the people who set themselves up for judges in this way, are ignorant also of the Gospel. The Gospel consists of two parts, doctrine and practice, just as a house consists of a foundation and a superstructure. But who would choose a place for his habitation that has a foundation indeed, but neither walls nor roof? Or who would call such a structure a house? So doctrines, however sound, will not answer the ends of the Gospel. Nor can mere doctrines be properly called the Gospel, unless they stand connected with good works as issuing from them, and built upon them.

The doctrines are the foundation; the good works are the superstructure; and then only are the doctrines available for our salvation, when they operate to the production of universal holiness. This is the account which our blessed Lord himself gives of his Gospel; and he alone is truly wise, who embraces and builds upon it in this view, Matthew 7:24-27.

2. We entreat of you to cultivate a child-like spirit.

We have addressed you as “children;” though there may be many present who are “young men and fathers,” yet must we say, that an advance towards Christian maturity will always be manifested by a proportionate growth in humility. Our blessed Lord told his Apostles, that whoever among them most fully attained the tempers and dispositions of a “little child—the same would be the greatest in the kingdom of Heaven.” Let your growth then be seen in this way; then, whatever is taught to you, it will be “received with meekness, as an engrafted word, able and effectual to save your souls.” Indeed without this humility of mind no man can have that “honest and good heart,” which alone will nourish the seed that is sown in it, and enable it to “bring forth fruit unto perfection.”

To those who are really young in age, a teachable spirit is indispensable to their improvement. O let such listen to the voice of their teachers with humility and gratitude! Let them especially also look unto the Holy Spirit of God, to apply the Word unto their hearts; and let them “not be hearers only of the Gospel, but doers of it also,” lest the privileges they enjoy lead only to the deceiving and ruining of their own souls!

Charles Simeon

Psalm 34:8

“Taste and see that the Lord is good!

Blessed is the man who trusts in him!”

There is, in the minds of many, a prejudice against experimental religion, insomuch that the very name of Christian experience is an object of reproach.

But, what is repentance, but a sense of sorrow on account of sin?

And what is faith, but a resting of the soul on God’s promised mercy in Christ?

And what is love, but a going forth of the soul in kindly affections towards God and man?

The heart is the proper seat of genuine religion, “My son,” says God, “give me your heart;” and, to imagine that we can have hopes and fears, joys and sorrows, excited in the soul—and yet not possess any consciousness of such feelings, is a mere delusion.

I do not mean to decry those exercises of the mind which are purely intellectual; for they are necessary in their place. But it is not in mere intellectual pursuits that genuine piety consists; they may lay the foundation for piety; but there must be a superstructure of holy affections, before the edifice of genuine piety can be complete.

This is intimated in the words before us; in which it will be proper to notice,

I. The experience recommended.

That “the Lord is good,” will admit of no doubt.

This is seen throughout all the works of Creation; every one of which bears the stamp and character of wisdom and love.

Nor is the goodness of God less visible in the dispensations of Providence; for, though we see them very partially, and are constrained to wait the outcome of events in order to form a correct judgment respecting them—yet, from what we have seen, who can but acknowledge that “God is good to all, and that his tender mercy is over all his works?”

But most of all God’s goodness appears in the great mystery of redemption. Who can reflect on that stupendous act of mercy, the giving of his only-begotten Son to die for us, and to bear our sins in his own body on the tree? Who can reflect on the sending of his Holy Spirit to instruct and sanctify us, and on the providing for his people an inheritance, incorruptible and undefiled, and never-fading, reserved for them in Heaven? Who, I say, can take ever so slight a survey of these wonders, and not say with the Psalmist, “O how great is your goodness, which you have laid up for those who fear you; which you have wrought for those who trust in you before the sons of men, Psalm 31:19.

Let us, then, “taste and see how good the Lord is”.

A man who had been immured all his days in a dungeon would have no conception of the radiance of the sun, in comparison with that which he would acquire by being subjected to the action of its meridian rays; nor will a person who has merely heard, and read of God’s goodness be able to form an estimate of it, in comparison with what he would after having had “the love of God shed abroad in his heart by the Holy Spirit.”

In the one state he might say, “I have heard of you by the hearing of the ear;” but, on his transition from it, he might add, “Now my eye sees you!” This is what I would wish respecting you; I would wish all “the goodness of God to pass before you,” if not in visible splendor and in audible sounds—yet in a way perceptible to the organs of faith.

But how is this to be attained? I answer: As Moses was put into the cleft of the rock, that he might be capable of sustaining the manifestations of God’s glory, Exodus 33:18-19—so you must “be found in Christ;” and then you shall behold all “the glory of God shining forth in his face!”

That we may be stirred up to seek this experience, let us notice,

II. The blessedness resulting from an experimental tasting of the goodness of God.

A just view of God’s goodness will lead us to trust in him.

“Those who know your name,” says David, “will put their trust in you,” They will go to him with:

all their guilt to be pardoned,

and all their corruptions to be mortified,

and all their needs to be supplied.

Those who know him not, are ever prone to limit either his power or his willingness to save; but those who have “tasted how gracious he is, 1 Peter 2:3,” will commit to him their every concern, and trust him for body and for soul, for time and for eternity.

And need I ask, whether people so doing shall be “blessed?”

Truly it is not in the power of language to declare the full extent of their blessedness. What tranquility possesses their minds! It is well said, that “their peace surpasses understanding,” and their “joy is unspeakable and full of glory.”

As conscious as they are of their ill-desert—they nevertheless feel assured of mercy through the blood of sprinkling.

As sensible as they are of a “body of sin and death,” and almost sinking under its weight—they yet can say, “Thanks be to God, who gives us the victory through our Lord Jesus Christ!”

Knowing by bitter experience, also, the power and subtlety of Satan, they yet anticipate a final victory over him, and doubt not but that he shall soon be forever “bruised under their feet.”

As for death, they have learned to number it among their treasures, 1 Corinthians 3:22; and they look forward to a habitation infinitely better than any that this world can afford, even to “a house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens.”

In every view that can be conceived, these people are blessed; as indeed the whole Scripture testifies; but more especially does David assure us of it, when, in a solemn appeal to God himself, he says, “O Lord God Almighty, blessed is the man who trusts in you! Psalm 84:12.”

ADDRESS.

Are there any among you who doubt the blessedness of true religion?

I am sure that you have never had any just experience of it. And what would you yourselves say to anyone who should presume, under such circumstances, to judge of earthly things? Would you not reply, you are incompetent to judge, for you never tasted of the matter? So, then, I say to you, Go first and taste whether God is good to those who seek him. If you can truly say:

that you have sought him with deep penitential sorrow, and he has shut up his affections of compassion from you;

that you have prostrated yourselves at the foot of the cross, and the Lord Jesus has spurned you from his foot-stool;

and that you have truly and unreservedly given yourselves up to God, and he has denied you the assistance of his grace;

that, while you have thus turned with your whole heart to God, and retained no allowed sin within you, God has cast out your prayer, and refused to be gracious unto you

—only then I will allow you to be judges in this matter.

But where is the man that will dare to stand up and say to the Lord Jesus Christ, ‘You have declared that you would “on no account cast out any who came to you;” but you have falsified your word in reference to me, and allowed me to seek your face in vain?’ No! There never yet existed an occasion for such a reproach, nor ever shall, as long as the world shall stand.

I say, then, that those who doubt the blessedness of true religion are in darkness even to this very hour, and “speak evil of the things which they understand not.” And, if they pretend that they have endeavored to taste whether God were good, and found him not to be so—then I hesitate not to say, that the fault has not been in God, but in themselves, in that their taste has been vitiated, and their souls rendered incapable of spiritual discernment.

To those who have “tasted that the Lord is gracious,”

I would say, Do not be satisfied with a taste. God invites you to “eat and drink abundantly! Song of Solomon 5:1,” until you are even “satisfied with his goodness, Jeremiah 31:14.” Such is your privilege, as David has declared, “How excellent is your loving-kindness, O God! Therefore shall the children of men put their trust under the shadow of your wings; they shall be abundantly satisfied with the fatness of your house; and you shall make them drink of the river of your pleasures! Psalm 36:7-8.”

And be careful that you do not become “weary of the Lord.” We read of some, who, having “tasted of the heavenly gift, and been made partakers of the Holy Spirit, and having tasted the good Word of God, and the powers of the world to come—yet so fell away, as never to be renewed unto repentance, Hebrews 6:6.” Beware, lest that ever befit your state. Beware, lest you so “crucify the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame.”

If men who have never tasted of his grace commit iniquity, they bring no particular disgrace upon religion. But if you, who profess godliness, openly sin—then you cast a stumbling-block before the world; who conclude, from what they see in you, that there is not a sufficiency of love in Christ to make you blessed, or of grace to make you holy. I beg you—bring not such dishonor upon him, or such guilt upon your own souls; but so “acquaint yourselves with him, that you may be at peace;” and so delight yourselves in him, that “your souls may be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, while you are praising him with joyful lips! Psalm 63:5.”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 34:6

“This poor man cried; and the Lord heard him, and saved him out of all his troubles!”

It is of great advantage to have transmitted to us the experience of God’s saints; because in them we see exhibited, as it were, before our eyes, what we ourselves are authorized to expect. David, in this Psalm, records his deliverance from the hands of Achish, king of Gath; who, there was every reason to fear, would have either put him to death or delivered him into the hands of Saul, if God had not mercifully interposed to prevent it. As for the means which David had recourse to, in order to deceive Achish, I am not prepared either to justify or condemn them, 1 Samuel 21:13-15. To feign himself to be insane before Achish, was surely a very humiliating measure. But, whether it was strictly correct or not, God was pleased to make use of it for the deliverance of his faithful servant from the danger to which, by fleeing to Gath, he had exposed himself; and David, in this Psalm, commemorates this gracious interposition, and records it for the benefit of the Church in all future ages.

Let us consider the text,

I. As a grateful acknowledgment.

It is not necessary to confine our attention to the immediate occasion of the words, since David uses nearly the same expression in reference to mercies received during the rebellion of Absalom, Psalm 3:3-4 with the title of that Psalm.

Throughout the whole of his life, David received marvelous mercies at the hands of God.

His temporal deliverances were great on numberless occasions, from the persecutions of Saul; the assaults of enemies; and the rebellion of Absalom; but from all his troubles God had saved him; and for this salvation he did well to offer to God his most grateful acknowledgments, 2 Samuel 22:1-7.

But what shall I say of the spiritual mercies given to him? These were beyond measure great, inasmuch as his terrors were sometimes of the most overwhelming nature, Psalm 6:1-6; Psalm 40:12; Psalm 42:7; and his sins, of almost unparalleled enormity Psalm 25:11. But from all of these had God delivered him, in answer to his prayers; and for these merciful interpositions he most humbly and most thankfully adores his God, Psalm 40:1-3.

And have not we also innumerable mercies, both temporal and spiritual, to acknowledge?

True, in respect of temporal afflictions, none of us can bear any comparison with him. But still there are few of us who have not experienced some deliverances; and there is not one who has not reason to bless God, with all possible ardor, for his forbearance, at least, if not also for his pardoning love! Let us call to mind the various interpositions of our God in times of sickness, or trouble, or danger. But more especially, it ever we have cried to God under a sense of our sins, and an apprehension of God’s wrath, and have obtained mercy at his hands, what thanks should we also render to him for such marvelous mercies! Methinks if we do not call upon all that is within us to bless his holy name, “the very stones will cry out against us.”

But David intended these words to be considered, also,

II. As an instructive record.

The whole preceding part of the Psalm shows that it was written by him with this view. “I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD; let the afflicted hear and rejoice. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together. I sought the LORD, and he answered me; he delivered me from all my fears. Those who look to him are radiant; their faces are never covered with shame. This poor man called, and the LORD heard him; he saved him out of all his troubles! Psalm 34:1-6.”

Behold, then, how plainly it instructs us:

1. That there are no troubles so great, but God is able to deliver us from them.

Neither our temporal nor our spiritual troubles can well exceed those of David; yet, if he was saved from his troubles, why may not we be saved from ours? “Has God’s ear become heavy, that it cannot hear; or is his hand shortened, that he cannot save? Isaiah 59:1.” We must on no account limit either the power or the mercy of our God; but “be strong in faith, giving glory to his name, Romans 4:20.”

2. That there are no troubles so great, but God will deliver us from them in answer to our prayers.

Who ever heard of any instance wherein God said to a man, “Seek my face in vain?” Jonah was heard from the bottom of the sea; and David, as it were, from the very gates of Hell. Manasseh, too, was heard, and accepted, after all his great and aggravated crimes! 2 Chronicles 33:12-13. Let none, then, despond, whatever his trouble may be, or whatever his guilt may be; but let all be assured, that if their faith be only as a grain of mustard-seed, it shall prevail, to the casting of all the mountains, whether of difficulty, or of sin, into the very depths of the sea! Matthew 17:20.

3. That answers to prayer, so far from puffing up a man with pride, will invariably humble and abase him.

Who is it that here designates himself by this humiliating appellation, “This poor man?” It is David, “the man after God’s own heart.” But did not God’s mercies to him puff him up? Quite the reverse. He never was more humble than when most honored by his God. And so it was with Jacob in the Old Testament, Genesis 32:10-11; and with the Apostle Paul in the New. If ever there was a man more highly honored than others, it was the Apostle Paul; yet he still continued to account himself “less than the least of all saints, Ephesians 3:8,” yes, and as “the very chief of sinners, 1 Timothy 1:15.” Just so will divine grace operate on us also. People imagine, that if we profess to have received special answers to prayer, and to have obtained the forgiveness of our sins, we must, of necessity, be elated with pride. But the very reverse of this was the effect produced on the minds of Job, and of the prophet Isaiah, who only loathed themselves the more in proportion as they were honored by their God, Job 42:5-6 and Isaiah 6:5; and thus it will be with every real saint; he will account himself “poor” even to his dying hour, and will be ever ready to “prefer others in honor before himself, Romans 12:10. Philippians 2:3.”

If, then, this retrospective view of God’s mercies is so sweet on earth, then:

1. What must it be the very instant we arrive at the gates of Heaven!

At the moment of our departure from the body, we shall have a complete view of all God’s dealings with us, whether in his providence or grace. And if here our partial views of these things fill us with such joy and gratitude—then what will a full discovery of them do? As to any undue elevation of mind, on account of the mercies given to us, it will produce a directly contrary effect; for all the glorified saints cast their crowns at the Savior’s feet, and prostrate themselves before him, and sound no other name than his! Revelation 5:8-10.

And there they will have their salvation altogether complete! No further “trouble” to all eternity will they experience; for “all tears shall be wiped away from their eyes forever! Revelation 7:14-17.” Oh! look forward to that day with holy delight; and let the foretastes of it, which you here enjoy, stimulate your exertions to honor God, and to obtain a fitness for the blessedness that awaits you.

2. How earnest should you be in commending to others the Redeemer who saved you!

The Psalmist sets the example for you, “Come and listen, all you who fear God; let me tell you what he has done for me. I cried out to him with my mouth; his praise was on my tongue. Praise be to God, who has not rejected my prayer or withheld his love from me! Psalm 66:16-20.” Thus must you do also.

Do not be content to go to Heaven alone. Tell to those around you the efficacy of prayer; and extol the Savior, as “able to save to the uttermost, all who come unto God by him.” Thus will you fulfill the design of David in transmitting his experience to future ages; while you confirm his testimony, by your acknowledgment that God is still as gracious as ever, and an unchangeable Friend to all who come to him in his Son’s name

Charles Simeon

Psalm 34:1-3

“I will extol the LORD at all times; his praise will always be on my lips. My soul will boast in the LORD. Glorify the LORD with me; let us exalt his name together!”

A sense of gratitude to God for his mercies will ever abide in some measure on the soul of a true believer. But there are special occasions whereon he is so impressed with the Divine goodness, that he feels as if he never could forget it, and as if he would have the whole creation join with him in his devout acknowledgments. This was the frame of David’s mind, when, by feigning himself mad, he had escaped out of the hands of Achish, who would probably have put him to death, or delivered him into the hands of Saul, his blood-thirsty persecutor. Compare 1 Samuel 21:10 to 1 Samuel 22:1, with the title of this Psalm.

In discoursing on David’s words, we shall notice,

I. David’s determination to praise God.

The ungodly love to boast about themselves.

Ungodly men love to boast about themselves. There is no unsaved man who has not some imaginary excellencies whereof to brag. If they possess any natural endowment either of mind or body, they are forward to bring it into notice, and to arrogate some praise to themselves on account of it.

One values herself upon her beauty,

another boasts of his strength or courage,

another prides himself in his wealth,

another displays his wit, or mental acumen.

Rather than pass unnoticed, the ungodly will boast of their iniquities and excesses; yes, (strange to say!) of iniquities they have not committed, and of excesses to which they have never arrived.

The godly, on the other hand, “boast in the Lord”.

They know, by bitter experience, that in themselves dwells no good thing. They have done nothing but what furnishes matter for the deepest humiliation. But they see in God multitudinous matters to excite their devoutest adoration. Whether they contemplate:

the perfections of God’s nature,

or the works of his hands,

or the wonders of his providence,

or the riches of his grace—

they are filled with wonder and astonishment; and, pouring contempt on all created excellencies, they exclaim, “Who is like You O God—majestic in holiness, awesome in glory, working wonders!” Exodus 15:11

The Psalmist was the more induced to praise God in a public manner, from a consideration of:

II. The effect David hoped to produce by this means.

He did not expect any particular benefit to accrue to the proud.

The proud, alas! are disgusted with even the mention of God’s name, provided it is with reverence and love; nor do they ever speak of him themselves, unless it is to profane his name in oaths and curses. Their aversion to hear of him increases according to the degree in which he is honored. They will allow us to speak somewhat of God as he is manifested in creation; but they do not like to be told of his sovereign love in redemption. They will bear to hear a little of God (though but little) in his works of providence; but they cannot endure to hear one syllable of his gloriously rich and sovereign grace. If we utter but a word expressive of admiration and love on account of his condescension in revealing himself to our souls, we forfeit at once all title to respectability, and become in their eyes the most contemptible of beings. They would be less offended with curses and blasphemies and the grossest obscenity, than with one such an expression of love to God.

But David hoped that to the godly, his adorations would afford matter of sincere joy.

The godly are not so free from pride, but that flattery sometimes finds access to their hearts, and proves a gratification to their unwary minds. But in their better seasons, when their airy dreams have vanished, and they obtain juster views of themselves, they most sincerely loath and abhor themselves, and desire that God alone should be exalted. To be told of their own goodness is nauseous and unpalatable; but to hear the praises of their God and Savior—this is delightful to their souls! It is this that endears to them the ministers of God; he who with the clearest evidence and richest unction exhibits to their view the glory and excellency of their God, will be regarded as their best friend; and every one who in sincerity labors to fulfill this office, will be “esteemed by them very highly in love for his work’s sake.”

To stir up within ourselves a similar disposition, let us consider,

III. David’s exhortation to join with him in this blessed design.

David calls on all of us to unite with him in praising and adoring God; and his exhortation may well serve as an application to the foregoing subject. We ask then:

1. Is not extolling God a reasonable employment?

Let anyone call to mind the excellencies of God as they are described in Scripture, and then say whether it is not reasonable that we should exalt his name. But more particularly, let the wonders of redemption be surveyed (O wonders inexpressible, and surpassing all comprehension!); let the thought of God’s co-equal, co-eternal Son, becoming man, of his dying upon the cross, of his living again to make intercession for us in Heaven; let the thought of this being done to deliver our souls from damnation, and to restore us to the favor of our offended Father; let this, I say, dwell upon the mind, and we shall see at once the reasonableness of this duty, and the utter unreasonableness of passing one day or one hour without renewed expressions of gratitude and thanksgiving.

2. Is not extolling God a delightful employment?

Poor indeed is the mirth of this world, when compared with the joy of praising God. This is the work of all the glorified saints and angels, “they rest not day or night, saving, Holy, holy, holy, is the Lord God Almighty!”

And if this be the employment of Heaven, what must such an exercise be to us, but a Heaven upon earth? It is indeed a foretaste of Heaven, as all who have ever engaged in it are constrained to acknowledge; nor, if we were always thus engaged, would any trouble or sorrow be able to molest us; our very afflictions would rather give energy to our souls, and enlarge at once our subjects of praise, and our disposition to abound in it.

3. Is not extolling God a necessary employment?

It is grievous on such a subject as this to insinuate anything of an alarming nature; but, if men will not be “constrained by love,” then we must endeavor to “persuade them by the terrors of the Lord.”

God declared to his people of old, that, if they would not serve him with joyfulness and gladness of heart for the abundance of all things which he had so liberally bestowed upon them, they would endure all the curses denounced in his law, Deuteronomy 28:45; Deuteronomy 28:47. With how much greater force does this threatening come to us, if we neglect to praise him for the infinitely greater benefits he has conferred on us! We ourselves feel indignant if great and acknowledged virtues is despised, or eminent favors are disregarded. And shall God ever look with delight on those who are blind to his excellencies, and insensible of his mercies? Whatever we may imagine to the contrary, none shall ever join the celestial choir above, whose hearts have not been tuned to sing God’s praise below!

Charles Simeon

Psalm 33:18-22

“Behold! The eyes of the LORD are on those who fear him, on those whose hope is in his unfailing love, to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine. We wait in hope for the LORD; he is our help and our shield. In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.”

In the Psalms of David, we do not look so much for the peculiarities of the Gospel, as for general views of God’s providence and grace. But let them not be undervalued on that account; for the very use of evangelical truth is to bring us into a state of reconciliation with God, that we may have a richer and more intimate enjoyment of him in all his dispensations toward us.

The words before us declare the interest which God takes in his peculiar people; and, in unfolding them to your view, I will endeavor to show:

I. God’s care for his people.

The manner in which our attention is called to this subject clearly shows the vast importance of it, “Behold! The eye of the Lord is on those who fear him.”

Two things in particular we are here called to notice:

1. The description given of God’s redeemed people.

Never can we sufficiently admire the goodness of God in giving to us such descriptions of his people as will enable every upright soul to discern his own character, and to number himself among them. Were they designated by such terms as would comprehend only those of higher spiritual attainments, the less spiritual among them would be driven to despair. But when, as in the text, the lowest terms are used, even such as mark the very babes in Christ, every member of Gods family is encouraged, and emboldened to claim the privileges to which a relationship to God entitles him.

There is not in God’s family “a new-born babe” who does not “fear” him.

All of God’s redeemed family regard him as a mighty Sovereign, whom they are bound to obey.

All desire to serve him, and greatly dread his displeasure.

All account his favor as their supreme felicity.

All desire so to approve themselves to him, that they may be accepted by him in the last day.

Yet, it is not on their good dispositions that they found their hopes, and much less on their actual attainments. They are sensible of their short-comings and defects, even in their very best duties; and are conscious, that, if God were to enter into judgment with them on the footing of strict justice, they must inevitably and eternally perish. They therefore renounce, utterly, all claims upon the justice of God, and “hope altogether in his mercy,” in his mercy as revealed to them in the Gospel.

“Behold,” now, you who are of a doubtful or desponding mind; Are you not ready to leap for joy, when you find that people of these low spiritual attainments may claim relationship to God, and assure themselves that they are savingly interested in his paternal care?

2. The particular interest which God takes in his redeemed people.

His eye is over them at all times! It is over the whole creation indeed, as we are told in the preceding context, “The Lord looks from Heaven; he beholds all the sons of men; from the place of his habitation he looks upon all the inhabitants of the earth, verse 13, 14.” But on his redeemed people his eye is fixed with a more especial interest; namely, ” to deliver them from death and keep them alive in famine!” Or, in other words, to preserve them from all dangers, and to supply their every need.

In relation both to their souls and bodies, they are exposed to continual and most imminent dangers:

Disease or accident may at any moment consign them over to the grave.

Satan, that roaring lion, goes about seeking daily and hourly to devour their souls.

On every side the world also assaults them with its temptations.

While their own inbred corruptions are ever watching for an opportunity to betray them into the hands of their great Adversary.

But God’s eye is ever over them, to counteract the devices of their enemies, and to uphold them in his everlasting arms. He will never allow one of them to “be plucked out of his hands.”

Their needs too, whether temporal or spiritual, he will supply. He may allow them to be reduced to great straits, even as Israel was, when they had come out of Egypt. But sooner shall manna be given them from the clouds, and water from the rock, than they be left to perish; for his express promise to them is, that provision shall accompany his protection; and that, while “their place of defense is the munition of rocks, bread shall be given them, and their water shall be sure, Isaiah 33:16.” “While they seek first the kingdom of God and his righteousness, all needful things, whether of a temporal or spiritual nature, shall surely be added unto them! Matthew 6:33.”

But, before you take to yourselves the full comfort of these declarations, it will be proper for me yet further to show:

II. What your feelings towards God should be.

The truly upright, even of the lowest class, can say, with David, “We wait in hope for the LORD.” If you are indeed of the number of his people, then:

1. You wait upon God in a way of humble trust.

The language of your heart is, “He is our help and our shield!” But is it thus indeed? Are you going to him from day to day, as sinners who stand in need of mercy? and are you crying to him continually for “grace to help you in every time of need?”

I do not ask whether you are free from assaults; but, whether they drive you to him for aid? It is supposed that you have enemies to conflict with, and trials to sustain; else you would not need to be looking out for a shield to protect, or for help to support, you. But do you so realize the watchful care of God, as to renounce all hope in the creature, and to rely on him alone for all your needs? If you truly “fear him,” and truly “hope in his mercy,” you cannot but make him your refuge, and commit to him your every care!

2. You wait upon God in a way of confident expectation.

The Psalmist, having such a Protector and such a Helper, anticipates a successful outcome to all his trials; and declares, that the very trust which he reposes in God is at once the ground and measure of his expectations from God, “In him our hearts rejoice, for we trust in his holy name. May your unfailing love rest upon us, O LORD, even as we put our hope in you.” And shall this be thought too bold an assertion? It is not more bold than true; for God has repeatedly pledged his Word, that “none of those who trust in him shall be desolate, Psalm 34:22.” Nay more, on every occasion we may consider him as saying to us, “According to your faith it shall be unto you, Matthew 8:13; Matthew 9:29.”

His conduct towards Abraham clearly shows us how he will act towards all who believe in him. Abraham is tried as never any man was; he is bidden to offer up in sacrifice his only son Isaac, in and through whom all the promises of God were to be fulfilled. The holy man proceeds to execute the divine command, assured, that though Isaac were already reduced to ashes on an altar, God both could, and would, raise him up again, and fulfill in him all that he had promised. Accordingly, Isaac was given to him, as it were, from the dead; and was made the instrument of raising up to Abraham that “seed, in whom all the nations of the earth were to be blessed.”

Just so, in proportion as our expectations are enlarged, shall be God’s exertions in our favor. If only we can say with David, “Truly my soul waits upon God; from him comes my salvation; He only is my rock, and my salvation, and defense;” then we may, with assured confidence, add with him, “I shall not be moved! Psalm 62:1-2; Psalm 62:5-6.”

And now let me ask,

1. What evidence have you that you are the Lord’s?

Do you answer to the character here given of his people, “fearing him” above all, and “hoping in his mercy” alone? Do you evince that that is indeed your character, by waiting upon him continually, and expecting at his hands his offered benefits? Examine well the habit of your minds from day to day; for it is of such only that it can be said, His eye is “over them for good! Deuteronomy 30:9.”

But far different is the state of those who fear him not; for “the face of the Lord is against those who do evil, to cut off the remembrance of them from the earth! Psalm 34:15-16.”

I again say, and rejoice to say, that, though your attainments reach no further than holy fear and humble hope—the Lord will look upon you with tender and paternal love; but, if these graces are not rooted in your hearts—then you have yet to learn what it is to receive the grace of God in truth.

2. What would be your state, if God’s mercy to you should be measured by your regards for him?

The apostle John prayed for Gaius, that “his bodily health might prosper, as his soul prospered, 3 John, verse 2.” And are you prepared to pray with David, “Let your mercy, O Lord, be upon me, according as my hope is in you!” Truly, were this God’s rule of acting towards us all, the greater part of us would never taste of his mercy to all eternity. But, thanks he to God! he is sovereign in the exercise of his mercy, being “often found by those who sought him not, and made known to those who inquired not after him.”

Yet let us not presume on this; for, if he shows mercy to any, he will assuredly bring them to the state described in our text, and both put his “fear in their hearts,” and “make them to abound in hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 32:11

“Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!”

There is in this world, as there will also be in the eternal state, an inconceivable distance between the righteous and the wicked. The Psalmist tells us, that “many sorrows shall be to the wicked;” and so we find it to be, from universal experience. For, where is there an ungodly man:

Who does not feel within him an aching void, which the world can never fill?

Whose mind is not agitated with tormenting passions, which prove a source of disquiet both to himself and to those around him?

Who feels not a consciousness of unpardoned guilt; and a dread of that tribunal, before which he is shortly to appear?

On the other hand, the Psalmist assures us, that “the man who trusts in the Lord is encompassed with mercy all around;” he is blessed:

in the favor of his God,

in the subjugation of his passions,

in the exercise of all holy affections,

and in the prospect of everlasting felicity.

Hence he adds, “Rejoice in the LORD and be glad, you righteous; sing, all you who are upright in heart!”

That we may enter into the spirit of his words, I will endeavor to set before you,

I. The character here addressed.

“The righteous” are delineated in the Scriptures, sometimes by one mark, and sometimes by another mark. The character here assigned them is peculiarly worthy of our consideration, because it is such as the most ungodly man upon earth must, in theory at least, approve. The world unites in applauding integrity, as exercised towards man; but here we shall be led to view it as exercised towards God.

Now, “the upright” man is one:

1. Whose desire after God is supreme.

Nothing ought to stand in competition with God; we should love him with all our heart, and mind, and soul, and strength. More especially should we pant after God as reconciled to us in Christ Jesus, “counting all things but loss for the knowledge of him!” and saying, with the Psalmist, “Whom have I in Heaven but you? and there is none upon earth that I desire beside you! Philippians 3:8. Psalm 73:25.”

2. Whose trust in God is undivided.

No man, who has not been taught of God, can conceive how difficult it is to divest ourselves of self-righteousness and self-dependence. These evils cleave more closely to us than the flesh to our bones! When we think that we are freed from them, we shall still find the workings of them in our hearts. But the truly upright person “renounces all confidence in the flesh, Philippians 3:3;” and, like the Apostle, “desires to be found in Christ, not having his own righteousness, which is of the Law, but the righteousness which is of God by faith in Christ.” He considers “all fullness as treasured up in Him” for the use of his people; and from His fullness he desires to receive all the supplies which he stands in need of, whether of “wisdom, or righteousness, or sanctification, or redemption.”

3. Whose devotion to God is unreserved.

The upright has given up himself as a living sacrifice to Christ, Romans 12:1. He would not have any lust unmortified; nor would he retain anything that would stand in competition with his duty to Jesus. Even life itself is regarded as of no value, in comparison with Christ, and the glory of his name.

Anything less than this is hypocrisy; but to possess these marks of an upright man is to be “an Israelite indeed, and without deceit.”

To these people I will now address,

II. The exhortation.

To rejoice in the Lord is your high privilege. Let me, then, exhort you to rejoice in Him:

1. On account of what God has already done for you.

Here I might speak of “the sorrows” from which you are delivered, and of the mercies with which you are encompassed; but I will rather confine myself to that peculiar blessing given to you, the being made “upright before God.”

Who among men has ever attained this character by any power of his own? None! Whoever possesses it, must say, “Now it is God who has made us for this very purpose, 2 Corinthians 5:5.”

Consider, then, how great a blessing this is! In comparison with it, crowns and kingdoms would be of no value. For this gift, therefore, you should praise and adore your God with your whole hearts, yes, and shout for joy with your whole souls.

2. On account of what God has engaged to do for you.

Would you have stability in life? He has promised it in his blessed word, “The righteous shall hold on his way; and he who has clean hands shall wax stronger and stronger! Job 17:9.

Would you have peace in death? This, also, he has engaged to give, “Mark the perfect man, and behold the upright; for the end of that man is peace! Psalm 37:37.”

Would you have glory in eternity? This, also, shall be your assured portion at the right hand of God! Psalm 15:1-2; Psalm 24:3-6.

Is not here, then, abundant cause for joy and thanksgiving? Truly, “if you hold your peace, the very stones will cry out against you.”

3. On account of God’s sufficiency to fulfill all his engagements.

Whom has Jesus ever allowed “to be plucked out of his hands?”; There is in him no lack of power, “He is able to keep you from falling, and to present you faultless before the presence of his glory with exceeding joy!” Nor is he changeable in will; for “he is the same yesterday, today, and forever.” “Of those whom the Father has given him, he never has lost any,” nor ever will.

Address,

1. To those who do not possess this character, I would say: Seek to attain it!

Do not be satisfied with integrity towards man, but seek to have an upright heart towards God. Let there be no hypocrisy harbored within you. See to it:

that your desire after God is really supreme;

that your trust in Christ be altogether unmixed with any measure of hope or confidence in yourselves;

and that your devotion to him be without reserve.

Cease not, until you have in your own hearts and consciences an evidence that you are thus given up to God; and then may you claim at his hands, the blessings which he has promised to the upright in heart, Psalm 112:2.

But do not deceive your own souls. Rest not in false appearances of any kind; but beg of God to make you altogether what he himself will approve.

2. To those who possess this character, I would say: Live in the enjoyment of your privilege.

It is your privilege to “rejoice even with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” Do not be satisfied with a low and drooping state of mind. Live near to God, and let your fellowship with him be more intimate and more abiding. It is not his will that your graces should languish, or your joys be at a low ebb. He would rather that your soul, through a sense of his presence, should be ever shouting for joy!

See the state of the Church as drawn by the prophet, Isaiah Isaiah 12:4-6; see it as drawn by David also, Psalm 98:4-9; and let your present life be, as God would have it, a pledge and a foretaste of the heavenly bliss!

Charles Simeon

Psalm 32:1-6

“Blessed is he whose transgressions are forgiven, whose sins are covered. Blessed is the man whose sin the LORD does not count against him and in whose spirit is no deceit. When I kept silent, my bones wasted away through my groaning all day long. For day and night your hand was heavy upon me; my strength was sapped as in the heat of summer. Selah Then I acknowledged my sin to you and did not cover up my iniquity. I said, “I will confess my transgressions to the LORD”—and you forgave the guilt of my sin. Selah Therefore let everyone who is godly pray to you while you may be found; surely when the mighty waters rise, they will not reach him.”

To have the experience of David in all the diversified conditions of life faithfully submitted to us, is an advantage for which we can never be sufficiently thankful. There was scarcely any trouble, either of a temporal or spiritual nature, which he was not called to endure, and under which he has not stated to us the workings of his mind. We are accustomed to hear of his sins and his penitence, his sorrows and his joys.

But there is one particular frame of mind, in which he continued for many months, which we are apt, for the most part, to overlook, or to pass by with a mere transient observation; I mean, his state of impenitence and hardness of heart after the commission of his sin in the matter of Uriah. But this is an exceedingly profitable point of view in which to behold him, because of the general tendency of sin to harden the heart; and to see how he obtained peace at last is also of great advantage, inasmuch as it will show us how we may obtain peace, even after the commission of the greatest transgressions.

When David wrote this Psalm he had regained that blessed state from which he had fallen; and he here records, for the instruction of the Church in all future ages,

I. What true blessedness consists in.

A man who has no prospects beyond this present world, will seek happiness in the things of time and sense. But “a man’s life consists not in the abundance of the things that he possesses.” We are immortal beings, and are hastening to a state, where a period will arrive, at which our present existence, even though it should have been continued a thousand years, will have been only as the twinkling of an eye.

In that state either blessedness or misery awaits us, according as we enter upon it under the guilt of our former sins, or with our sins forgiven. We may justly say, therefore, that true blessedness consists, as our text informs us, in having our sins forgiven.

To elucidate this topic, let us consider the blessing here spoken of:

1. As a non-imputation of sin.

Who that is in the smallest degree conscious of the number and heinousness of his transgressions, and of the awful punishment due to him on account of them, must not regard it as an unspeakable mercy to have them all blotted out from the book of God’s remembrance? What in the whole universe can in his estimation be compared with this? If he could possess the world, yes, if he could possess ten thousand worlds—what comfort would the acquisition give him, if he had the melancholy prospect of being speedily plunged into the bottomless abyss of Hell?

If there were a large company of condemned criminals, some rich and noble, others poor and ignoble, and one of the lowest of them had received the king’s pardon while all the rest were left for execution; who among them would be accounted the happiest?

How much more then, when the death to which unpardoned sinners are consigned is an everlasting death in the lake that burns with fire and brimstone!

No one who reads the parable of the Rich Man and Lazarus, and sees the termination of their respective states, can for a moment hesitate to pronounce Lazarus, with all his miseries and privations, far happier in a sense of reconciliation with his God; than the rich worldling in the enjoyment of all his pomp and luxury!

2. As a positive imputation of Jesus’ righteousness.

In the words of David we should not have seen the doctrine of imputed righteousness, if Paul had not expressly told us that that doctrine was contained in them. He tells us in Romans 4:6-8, that in these words “David describes the blessedness of the man unto whom God imputes righteousness without works, saying, “Blessed are they whose iniquities are forgiven, and whose sins are covered; blessed is the man to whom the Lord will not impute sin.”

Now this idea goes much farther than mere forgiveness; forgiveness exempts from punishment; but an imputation of the Redeemer’s righteousness to us insures to us an eternal blessedness in glory! 2 Corinthians 5:21. O how blessed must that man be who is clothed in the unspotted robe of Christ’s righteousness, and can, on the footing of that righteousness, claim all the glory and felicity of Heaven! He may look forward to death and judgment, not only without fear but with holy confidence and joy, assured, that in God’s sight he stands “without spot or blemish.”

Who, we would ask, can be blessed, like the man who has been begotten to a living hope, that in and through Christ, there is reserved for him an incorruptible, and undefiled, and never-fading inheritance in Heaven?

3. As a renovation of soul consequent on reconciliation with God.

Sin is pardoned, and righteousness is imputed, purely through the free grace of God to the chief of sinners, without any good works performed by them. Mark the expressions, “the ungodly,” “without works,” Romans 4:5-6—yet no pardoned sinner is left in an unholy state; on the contrary, he is “renewed in the spirit of his mind;” “a new heart is given unto him;” and he is made “an Israelite indeed, in whom is no deceit.” If this were not the case, pardon itself could not make him happy. A soul under the dominion of sin could not be happy, even if it were in Heaven; sin would eat at his vitals, as does a canker. It is the restoration of the soul to the Divine image that constitutes a very principal part of its felicity; for when we are “holy, as God is holy,” then we are happy, as God is happy.

We must be careful however not to confound those different sources of blessedness. Paul was so jealous on this head, that when quoting the words of our text, be omitted these at the close of it, lest anyone should imagine that our sanctification were in any respect the ground of our justification before God. Sanctification is the fruit and consequence of our having received a justifying righteousness; and, though it in no respect procures our reconciliation with God in the first instance, (for that is procured solely through faith in Christ,) yet it is as inseparably connected with justifying faith, as good fruit is with a good tree; nor can the soul be blessed in a sense of the Divine favor, until it has this evidence of its acceptance with him.

But David proceeds to inform us,

II. How he himself attained unto blessedness.

For a long time he was altogether destitute of blessedness.

Partly through stoutness of heart, and partly through unbelief, he for a long time refused to humble himself for his heinous iniquities. But was he happy during that period? Hear his own representation of his state and feelings, “When I kept silence, my bones waxed old, through my roaring all the day long; my moisture was turned into the drought of summer.”

The state of an impenitent sinner is fitly compared to the troubled sea, which cannot rest, but incessantly casts up mire and dirt. “There is no peace, says God, to the wicked.”

We have a striking elucidation of this point in the history of Judas and of Peter. Both of them had sinned grievously; but Peter, through the influence of faith, repented; while Judas, under the influence of unbelief, sought refuge in suicide from the accusations of his own mind.

Thus it is with many who are haunted with a sense of guilt, but will not abase themselves before God; they “roar all the day long;” and “howl upon their beds, like dogs; but they do not cry unto God from their inmost souls, Hosea 7:14.” Hence they can find no rest, or peace; and often precipitate themselves into the torments of Hell, to get rid of the torments of a guilty conscience. Ignorant people impute this despairing state to religion; but it is the lack of religion that produces this despair! It is the lack of true contrition that causes their guilt so to prey upon their minds. “God’s hand is heavy upon them,” because they will not humble themselves before him; and the longer they continue to defy God, the more may they expect to feel the pressure of his righteous indignation See Psalm 38:1-8; Psalm 102:3-7.

At last through penitence, David attained this blessed state.

“He at last acknowledged his sin, and confessed his transgressions unto the Lord;” and then God, who delights in mercy, spoke peace unto his soul. The transition was indeed surprisingly rapid, for he only said, “I will confess my transgressions,” and instantly God forgave the iniquity of his sin! See 2 Samuel 12:13.” Doubtless God saw the sincerity of his heart; he not only saw that David mourned over his past offences, but was determined through grace to give himself up wholly and unreservedly to the Lord; and therefore he would not delay to restore to him the light of his countenance, and the joy of his salvation.

We have a beautiful instance of this rich display of mercy in the parable of the Prodigal Son; as also in the converts on the day of Pentecost; and in the jailer, Acts 16:34. And similar displays of mercy may we ourselves hope for, if only we humble ourselves before him, and seek to be clothed in the Redeemer’s righteousness; for “he is rich in mercy unto all who call upon him!”

Having stated thus his own experience, David proceeds to tell us,

III. What improvement we should make of it.

Unspeakably encouraging is the record here given to us. We should take occasion from it:

1. To seek the Lord for ourselves.

“The godly” will make their prayer unto God; and the ungodly also should do it. If any man ever had reason to despair, David had, after having so grievously departed from his God. But he cried unto the Lord, and obtained mercy at his hands.

Shall the ungodly then say, “My sins are too great to be pardoned?” Or shall “the godly,” after the most horrible backslidings, sit down in despair, and say, “There is no hope?” No; the example of David absolutely forbids this. At the same time it shows the folly of delaying repentance; for there is no peace to the soul in an impenitent state; neither here nor hereafter can we be happy in any other way than that which God has marked out for us.

If penitential sorrow if painful, it never corrodes like impenitent obduracy; there is in it a melting of soul that participates of the nature of holy joy; and, if “weeping endures for a night, then joy is sure to come in the morning.” If then we would be truly blessed, let us flee to Christ as the Refuge set before us; he is “the Lord our Righteousness;” and the vilest sinner upon earth shall find his “blood able to cleanse from all sin,” and his righteousness sufficient to clothe our souls, so that the “shame of our nakedness shall never appear.” But let us take care,

2. To seek him while he may be found.

There is “a time wherein he may be found” by every one of us; and a time wherein he may not be found. This is a solemn truth; but it is attested by many passages of Holy Writ, “O that you had known, even you, at least in this your day—the things that belong unto your peace!” said our Lord to Jerusalem, “but now they are hidden from your eyes!” God may, and does, “give over many to a reprobate mind,” and to final impenitence, “So I gave them up.”

But if you have the least desire of mercy, we are warranted to say, “Now is the accepted time, now is the day of salvation.” O then improve the present hour, “Seek the Lord while he may be found; call upon him while he is near.” “If you cover your sins, you cannot prosper; but if you confess and forsake them, you shall find mercy.” “If you say that you have no sin—then you deceive yourselves; but if you confess your sins—then he is faithful and just to forgive you your sins, and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness.”

Charles Simeon