Psalm 39:4-5

“Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life. Behold, you have made my days a mere handbreadth; the span of my years is as nothing before you. Truly every man at his best state is altogether vanity. Selah”

There is nothing more painful to a pious mind than to see how generally religion is neglected and despised. A godly man delights to speak of the things which are nearest to his heart; but he is often constrained to be silent, lest he should only induce the people whose welfare he would promote, to blaspheme God, and to increase thereby their own guilt and condemnation. Gladly would he benefit all around him; but in many cases he perceives that the very attempt to do so would be to “cast pearls before swine.” In tenderness to them therefore, as well as from a regard to his own feelings—he imposes a restraint upon himself in their presence, and “refrains even from good words,” though it is a pain and a grief to him to do so.

Such was David’s situation when he penned this Psalm. He was grieved to think that rational and immortal beings, standing on the very verge of eternity, should act so irrational a part; and not finding vent for his feelings among men, he poured them out before God in the words which we have just read; and entreated God that, however careless others were about the concerns of eternity, he might be more deeply and abidingly impressed with them.

Wishing that your minds may be suitably affected with this all-important subject, I will set before you,

I. David’s estimate of man’s present state.

David acknowledges that he himself could form but a very inadequate notion respecting it.

Speculatively indeed he knew well enough, that man’s days are but few at all events, and quite uncertain as to their continuance; but the deep, and practical, and influential sense of it he had not in any degree equal to its importance; nor could he impress it on his own soul, without the powerful assistance of God’s Holy Spirit. Hence he poured forth this earnest petition to his God, “Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life!”

It is thus with us also. Speculatively, the most ignorant among us has as perfect a knowledge of the subject as the most learned; but practically, no one knows it, unless he have been taught of God; and even those who have “heard and learned it from the Father,” need to be taught it more deeply from day to day.

That children do not reflect upon it, we do not wonder, because of the vanity of their minds, and their almost entire lack of serious consideration. But when people are grown to maturity, we might well expect them to feel so obvious a truth. They see that multitudes are cut off at their age; and they know that with the termination of the present life, all opportunities of preparing for eternity must cease; yet they not only do not lay these considerations to heart, but they will not hear of them, or endure to have them presented to their view.

Nor are those who are more advanced in life at all more thoughtful on this subject. Engaged in worldly business, and occupied in providing for their families, they put the thoughts of eternity as far from them as they did amidst the more pleasurable pursuits of youth. And even when they attain to old age, they are as far from realizing the expectations of death and judgment as ever. They know, in a speculative way, that they are nearer to the grave than they were in early life, and that they may at no distant period expect a change. But still these views are no more influential on their minds than they were at any former period of their lives.

A condemned criminal, who has but a few days to live, feels that every hour brings him nearer to the time appointed for his execution; but not so the man who is bowed down with years; the very habit of living puts at an indefinite distance the hour of death; and days and months pass on without ever bringing at all nearer to his apprehensions the time of his dissolution.

Even the sick labor under the same mental blindness. They attend to the fluctuations of their disorder; and one single symptom of convalescence does more to remove the expectation of death from them, than many proofs of augmented debility do, to bring it home to their feelings with suitable apprehensions; they are still buoyed up with hopes from the skill of their medical attendant, when all around them see that they are sinking fast into the grave! Whatever is a man’s age or state, it is God, and God alone, who can make him thoroughly to know and feel how frail he is.

Nevertheless the view here given to us is truly just.

The life of man is so short, as to be really “nothing before God.” The comparison with it to “a hand-breadth” is peculiarly deserving of our attention; because by that image every man has, placed as it were before his eyes, “the measure of his days;” he cannot look upon his hand without calling to mind how frail he is, and how soon his present state of existence must come to an end. Let him divide his life into the periods of youth, manhood, and old age; and let him in his own apprehension divide his measure also; and it will bring to his imagination, in a very forcible way, the truth which he is so backward to contemplate.

A great variety of other images are used in Scripture to convey this truth:

Life is compared to a weaver’s shuttle which flies quickly through the loom, Job 7:6-7.

Life is compared to a ship, which soon passes away, and leaves no trace behind it.

Life is compared to an eagle, which, with the rapidity of lightning, hastens to its prey, Job 9:25-26.

But the image in our text is more striking than them all; because, while it is peculiarly simple, it is also practical. Not that any image is sufficient to paint the shortness and uncertainty of life in its true colors; for “before God, with whom one day is as a thousand years, and a thousand years as one day, 2 Peter 3:8,” life is absolutely “as nothing.”

As far as words can describe the state of man, truly the Psalmist has done it in our text. “Man is vanity;” not only vain, but vanity itself! “Every man” is so; not only the poor and ignorant, but the rich and learned; as it is said, “Surely men of low degree are vanity, and men of high degree are a lie; to be laid in the balance, they are altogether lighter than vanity! Psalm 62:8.”

And this they are “in their best state;” even in the vigor of youth, and in the midst of all the pleasures and honors that their hearts can wish.

And they are so “altogether,” both in mind and body; for their body is “crushed before the moth;” and in respect of their mind, they are, as far as spiritual things are concerned, “like the wild donkey’s colt.” This description may appear exaggerated; but it is true! Yes, truly things are so, whether we will believe it or not; and if any deny it, our answer is, “Let God be true; but every man a liar.”

Such being the real state of man, I will endeavor to show you,

II. The vast importance of being duly impressed with the reality of the shortness and uncertainty of life.

It was the lack of this knowledge that made the adversaries of David so proud and contemptuous; and it was from a conviction of these truths that David was led so deeply to bewail their infatuation.

1. A due consideration of the shortness and uncertainty of life would be of infinite service to diminish our anxieties about the things of time.

We would think but little of our pleasures, or riches, or honors, if we considered how short a time they would continue, and that they may all vanish, together with life itself, the very next hour! There are examples in abundance, in every age and place—to show the extreme vanity of all that the world calls good and great. It is not in the Bible alone that we see those who promised themselves years wherein to enjoy their newly-acquired wealth—cut short and called in an instant to their great account. We see it continually before our eyes, that the messenger of death is sent to many, who think of their end as little as any of us can do; and the sentence, “You fool! This night shall your soul be required of you!” is executed without any previous notice or expectation.

If it is thought that still, if not in their own persons—yet in their heirs—they enjoy the things for which they have labored; I answer, that they are often deprived of those very heirs, on whose aggrandizement they had set their hearts; and are constrained to leave their wealth to others who are comparatively strangers to them! Moreover, supposing their destined heir to succeed to their wealth—they little know what effect it may have upon him, and whether he may not dissipate it all in a tenth part of the time that it took them to amass it! Solomon mentions this as a very great drawback upon human happiness, “I hated all the things I had toiled for under the sun, because I must leave them to the one who comes after me. And who knows whether he will be a wise man or a fool? Yet he will have control over all the work into which I have poured my effort and skill under the sun. This too is meaningless! Ecclesiastes 2:18-19.”

It is probable that Solomon saw how weak his son Rehoboam was; and certainly, of all the instances that ever occurred of the vanity of human grandeur, this is the greatest; for Solomon’s head was scarcely laid in the grave, before ten of the tribes out of the twelve revolted from his son, and, instead of being his subjects, became his rivals and enemies! 1 Kings 12:16; 1 Kings 12:19. And in the space of five years afterwards, all the treasures with which Solomon had enriched both his own house and the temple of the Lord, were taken away by an invading enemy; and bronze shields were made by his son to replace the golden shields with which the temple had been adorned, 1 Kings 14:25-27.

How strongly does this illustrate those words of David which immediately follow my text! “Surely every man walks in a vain show; surely they are disquieted in vain; he heaps up riches, and cannot tell who shall gather them!”

Assuredly, all our feelings, whether of hope or fear, whether of joy or sorrow, whether for ourselves or others, would be moderated, if only the thought of the transitoriness and uncertainty of human affairs were once duly impressed upon our minds.

“What I mean, brothers, is that the time is short! From now on:

those who have wives should live as if they had none;

those who mourn, as if they did not;

those who are happy, as if they were not;

those who buy something, as if it were not theirs to keep; those who use the things of the world, as if not engrossed in them.

For this world in its present form is passing away! 1 Corinthians 7:29-31.”

The one thought of how “transient everything in this world is,” would produce in us, if not an indifference to the concerns of time—yet at least a moderation in our regard for them! 1 Corinthians 7:29-31.

2. A due consideration of the shortness and uncertainty of life would be of infinite service to augment our diligence in preparing for eternity.

Who that considered the uncertainty of life, would defer the concerns of his soul, which are of more importance than ten thousand worlds! It were rather to be expected that such a one would give neither sleep to his eyes nor slumber to his eyelids, until he should have secured, beyond a possibility of doubt, the favor of his God. One would think that every hour spent in any other pursuit should be grudged by him; and that, whatever efforts were made to divert his attention to any other subject, he should say with Nehemiah, “I am doing a great work, and cannot come down! Nehemiah 6:3.”

With what care, under such impressions, would a person read the Word of God!

With what humility would he attend divine ordinances!

With what strong crying and tears would he present his supplications at the throne of grace!

How, in all that he did, would he resemble those who contended in the Olympic games—running, wrestling, fighting as for their very life! The man with the avenger of blood close at his heels would not exert himself more to reach the city of refuge, than such a one would in “fleeing from the wrath to come!” It is only those who promise themselves days and months to come, who can sleep at their post, and dream of more convenient seasons, which may never arrive, James 4:13-14.

In this view then I cannot too earnestly entreat you to offer, each of you for yourselves, the prayer of David, “Show me, O LORD, my life’s end and the number of my days; let me know how fleeting is my life!” And I beseech you to get his estimate of human life so engraved on your hearts, that you may walk under the influence of it to the last hour of your lives! In a word, My heart’s desire and prayer to God for every one of you is, that you may be so wise as to make the most of your time!

“Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom!” Psalm 90:12

Charles Simeon

Psalm 38:1-9

“O LORD, do not rebuke me in your anger or discipline me in your wrath. For your arrows have pierced me, and your hand has come down upon me. Because of your wrath there is no health in my body; my bones have no soundness because of my sin. My guilt has overwhelmed me like a burden too heavy to bear. My wounds fester and are loathsome because of my sinful folly. I am bowed down and brought very low; all day long I go about mourning. My back is filled with searing pain; there is no health in my body. I am feeble and utterly crushed; I groan in anguish of heart. All my longings lie open before you, O Lord; my sighing is not hidden from you!”

It will be of great use to us through life to treasure up in our minds the dealings of God with us on some particular occasions. As his care over us in our difficulties may well call for “a stone of remembrance, which shall be called our Ebenezer,” so his merciful attention to us at the first commencement of our humiliation before him, may well be written in indelible characters upon our hearts. The Prophet Jeremiah, looking back to some season of peculiar distress, records his experience in terms of lively gratitude, Lamentations 3:1-4; Lamentations 3:12-13; Lamentations 3:17-21.

In like manner, David opens to us all his views and feelings when he sought the Lord after a season of darkness and distress; and he tells us that this Psalm was written by him “to bring to remembrance” the troubles he then endured, and the tender mercies of God towards him.

From the part we have just read, we shall be led to consider,

I. David’s distress.

This was exceeding great. Let us notice,

1. The source and cause of David’s distress.

He traces it to sin as its proper cause, verses 3, 4, 5; and sin is the true and only source of all trouble. Sin is an object of God’s abhorrence; and wherever it exists unlamented and dominant, he will visit it according to its desert. In whoever sin is found, whether he be a king on his throne, or a beggar on a dunghill, he will make no difference, except indeed to punish it in proportion to the light that has been resisted, and the aggravations with which it has been committed. Doubtless the sins of David were of most transcendent enormity, and therefore might well be visited with peculiar severity; but we must not imagine that his are the only crimes that deserve punishment; disobedience to God, whether against the first or second table of the Law, is hateful in his sight, and will surely subject us to his “hot displeasure”.

2. The extent and depth of of David’s distress.

David’s soul was overwhelmed with a sense of God’s wrath. “God’s arrows” pierced his inmost soul; and his hand was heavy upon him, and “pressed him sorely.” His iniquities, which, when they were yet only committed in desire and purpose, appeared light, now were an insupportable burden to his soul; insomuch that “he roared by reason of the disquietness of his heart.” Here then we see what sinners may expect in this life. Truly such experience as this is little else than a foretaste of Hell itself!

But David’s body also was afflicted with a grievous disease, which had been sent by God as an additional mark of his righteous indignation verses 3, 5, 7. And no doubt, if we could certainly discover the reasons of the Divine procedure, we should often see diseases and death inflicted as the chastisement for sin! 1 Corinthians 11:30. David viewed his disorders in this light; and those, without any additional load, were heavy to be borne; but, when added to the overwhelming troubles of his soul, they almost sunk him to despair. Let those who think lightly of sin, view this monarch in the state above described, and say, whether sin, however “sweet in the mouth—is not as the the gall of asps within us! Job 20:12-14;” yes, assuredly, it will sooner or later “bite like a serpent, and sting like an adder!”

But in the midst of all this trouble, he makes mention of,

II. David’s consolation.

While deeply bemoaning his sin, he was assured that God was privy to all the workings of his soul, beholding his desires, and hearing all his groans. Now this was a great consolation to him, because he well knew,

1. That God, in the groanings of a penitent, recognizes the voice of his own eternal Spirit.

Groans are the natural expressions of inward pain and anguish; and when they arise from a sense of sin, groans are indications of a penitent heart. But no pious disposition is found in man until it is planted there by the Holy Spirit. God is “the Author of every good and perfect gift,” and must “give us to will, no less than to do” whatever is acceptable in his sight.

As for groanings on account of sin, they are more especially said to be the fruits of the Spirit, who thus “helps our infirmities, and enables us to express those feelings which are too big for utterance, Romans 8:26.” To man such inarticulate sounds would convey no distinct idea; but God understands them perfectly, because “he knows the mind of the Spirit;” and he delights in them, because it is in this way that “the Spirit makes intercession for us,” and because these very intercessions are “according to the will of God, Romans 8:27.”

What a consolatory thought is this to one that is overwhelmed with a sense of sin! “He knows not what to pray for as he ought;” and perhaps the load upon his spirit disables him for uttering what his unembarrassed judgment would dictate; but he recollects that God needs not anyone to interpret to him our desires; he understands a sigh, a tear, a look, with infallible certainty; he sees all the self-loathing and self-abhorrence that is contained in such expressions of the penitent’s feelings; and in answer to them, he will “do for us exceeding abundantly above all that we can ask or think!”

2. That to such expressions of penitence, all the promises of God are made.

It is not to the fluent tongue, but to the contrite heart, that pardon and peace are promised. “To this man will I look,” says God, “even to him who is poor and of a contrite spirit,” “to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones, Isaiah 57:15; Isaiah 66:2.” “He will fulfill, not the requests only, but the desire also, of those who fear him,” and “of those who hope in his mercy.” If only we look unto him we shall be lightened,” yes, we shall be saved with an everlasting salvation, Psalm 102:17; Psalm 102:19-20. Isaiah 45:17; Isaiah 45:22.” The publican who dared not so much as lift up his eyes unto Heaven, but smote on his bosom, and cried,” God be merciful to me a sinner!” went down to his house justified, when the self-applauding Pharisee was dismissed under the guilt of all his sins.

Now this is an unspeakable consolation to the weary and heavy-laden sinner. Had he to look for grounds of worthiness, or even for any considerable attainments, in himself, he would be discouraged; but finding that the invitations of God are made to him as wretched, and miserable, and poor, and blind, and naked, and that the promises are suited to him in that state, he comes to the Lord Jesus Christ, and finds rest and peace unto his soul.

From this view of the Psalmist’s experience we see,

1. What an evil and bitter thing sin is!

“Fools will make a mock at sin,” and represent it as a light and trivial thing; but let anyone look at David in the midst of all the splendor of a court, and say, what is sin—which could so rob him of all earthly pleasure, and bring such torment upon his soul! Was that a light matter? If we will not be convinced by such a sight as this, we shall learn it by sad experience in the eternal world, where the worm that will prey upon our consciences shall never die, and the fire that shall torment our bodies shall never be quenched. O that we might be instructed, before it is too late!

2. What an enviable character is the true Christian, even when viewed under the greatest disadvantages.

We cannot conceive a Christian in circumstances less enviable than those of David in the passage before us. Yet compare him with an ungodly or impenitent man under the most favorable circumstances that can be imagined, and ask:

Whose views are most just?

Whose feelings are most rational?

Whose prospects are most happy?

With the ungodly, “God is angry every day!”

On the godly, he looks with pleasure and delight.

The joys of the godly will soon terminate in inconceivable and everlasting misery!

The sorrows of the ungodly will soon terminate in endless and unspeakable felicity! Luke 16:19-26 and Isaiah 35:10.

The sinner in the midst of all his revellings has an inward witness of the truth of our Lord’s assertion, “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted.”

3. Of what importance it is to attain just views of the character of God.

If God is viewed merely as a God of all mercy—then we would never repent us of our sins.

But if God is viewed as an inexorable Judge—then we shall be equally kept from penitence by despair.

But let God be seen as he is in Christ Jesus, a “God reconciling the world unto himself, and not imputing their trespasses unto them”—then let him be acknowledged as “a just God and a Savior,” and instantly will a holy fear spring up in the place of presumption, and hope dispel the baneful influence of despondency.

Know then, Beloved, that this is the very character of God as he is revealed in his Gospel. He is “just, and yet the justifier of those who believe in Jesus;” he is to the impenitent indeed “a consuming fire;” but, “if we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness!” Let the groaning penitent then look up to him with cheerful hope; yes, with assured confidence, that God will not despise even the lowest expressions of penitential sorrow; however “bruised the reed may be, the Lord Jesus will not break it; nor will he quench the smoking flax,” though there is in it but one spark of grace, and a whole cloud of corruption; never did he yet “despise the day of small things;” “nor will he ever cast out the least or lowest that come unto him.” Only come to him in faith, and “according to your faith it shall be done unto you!”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 37:31

“The law of his God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.”

The blessedness of the righteous is a favorite subject with the sweet singer of Israel; several of his Psalms are occupied with it throughout; and often in a way of immediate contrast with the state of the ungodly. As far as respects the outward appearance indeed, the advantage is often on the side of the wicked verse 1; but on a fuller view of their respective states, there will be found the most abundant cause to encourage the saints even in their lowest condition, so infinitely superior is their lot to that of the most prosperous of ungodly men! verse 16.

The ungodly, walking after the imagination of their own hearts, have “their way dark and slippery,” so that, sooner or later, they are sure to “fall” and “perish, Psalm 35:6-8 with verse 13-15, 20;” but the “righteous,” having their minds intent upon true wisdom, “are preserved, while the seed of the wicked are cut off, verse 28, 30.” “The law of God is in his heart; none of his steps shall slide.”

From these words we shall be led to show:

I. The character of the righteous.

“The law of God is in his heart.” It was not there by nature; for though it was originally inscribed on the heart of Adam in Paradise, Genesis 1:27, and traces of it are yet to be found on the hearts even of the benighted heathen, Romans 2:15—yet is it so far effaced from the heart of the natural man, that he neither does nor will yield any subjection to it, Romans 8:7. But,

God has engraved His Law on the hearts of the righteous.

The express promise of God to all who embrace the new covenant is, “I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts, Jeremiah 31:33.” And this promise he fulfills, through the all-powerful operation of his Holy Spirit upon their souls. As he caused Moses to come up to him on Mount Horeb with tablets of stone, on which with his own finger he wrote the law, so he causes the believing penitent to come up to him with his heart of stone; and then, exchanging it for a heart of flesh, he inscribes upon it his law, even, as the Apostle says, upon the fleshy tablets of his heart, Ezekiel 36:26-27 with 2 Corinthians 3:3. We are told respecting all the Lord’s people, that they are “predestined to be conformed to the image of Christ, Romans 8:29;” and in this their conformity to him pre-eminently appears; that, as He could say, “I delight to do your will, O my God. Yes, your law is within my heart! Psalm 40:8.” And as he was typically represented by the ark in which the law was deposited, Deuteronomy 10:2; Deuteronomy 10:5, so these have the law treasured up in their souls; and they delight in it, as their ever-faithful monitor, and infallible directory, Psalm 1:2. From the time that it is deposited there, they regard it solely, constantly, and without reserve. Formerly the opinions of men, or the dictates of flesh and blood, formed their rule of action; now no inquiry is made, but, “What says the Lord?”; Nor is it on great emergencies only that this inquiry is instituted, but at all times and on all occasions; Nor are consequences any longer regarded. If a furnace or den of lions be prepared as the recompense of fidelity, he says, “None of these things move me;” I shall “hearken unto none but God” himself.

This forms his distinguishing character.

Others have the law of God in their head, and frequently in their mouth also—but the true Christian alone has it in his heart. There may be among the ungodly as comprehensive a knowledge of theology as of any other science, if taken in a mere speculative view; but this is widely different from a spiritual apprehension of God’s law, and a conformity of mind and will to it; this pertains to him only who has it written on his heart by the Spirit of God; for so the prophet informs us, “Hearken unto me, you that know righteousness, the people in whose heart is my law, Isaiah 51:7.” To know, in a speculative way, how a sinner is to be made righteous before God, will consist with the grossest impiety; but the having of God’s law in the heart infallibly designates, and proves, us the people of the Lord.

There is in this respect the same difference between the nominal and the real Christian as there was formerly between different adherents to the Mosaic law. “All were not Israel who were of Israel, Romans 9:6.” The proudest Pharisees would “bind the law of God upon their hands, and wear it as frontlets between their eyes;” but the godly alone fulfilled the true intent of that ordinance, by “laying up God’s Word in their heart and in their soul, Deuteronomy 11:18.” So now “He is not a Jew who is one outwardly, neither is that circumcision which is outward in the flesh; but he is a Jew who is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart; in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of man, but of God, Romans 2:28-29.”

In other words, he only is truly righteous, who can say with Paul, “I delight in the law of God after my inward man;” and amidst all the temptations of the flesh, “with my mind I serve the law of God, Romans 7:22; Romans 7:25.”

In connection with their character, we are led to contemplate,

II. The security of the righteous.

“None of their steps shall slide.” Of this they may be assured; for a stability is, and shall be, given them, that shall preserve them amidst all temptations; a stability arising:

1. Partly, their security stems from the godly character which they possess.

“The law of God being in their hearts,” they will not unnecessarily venture themselves in slippery places. How many fall a prey to the tempter by presuming upon their strength, when, like Joseph, they should rather have fled from the scene of temptation! It is by going fearlessly to the utmost verge of what is lawful, that thousands perish! The inquiry of a truly pious soul will not be, “Is this thing lawful?” But, “Is it beneficial also?” And, if the place, or scene, or gratification is calculated, either in itself or in its circumstances, to ensnare his soul, he will keep at a distance from it; for, while he is praying daily to God, “Lead us not into temptation,” he accounts it folly and impiety to rush unnecessarily into temptation of his own accord. This cautious deportment tends greatly to the preservation of the godly, and to “keep them from defiling their garments” in this polluted world! Revelation 3:4.

Moreover, they are looking to this law to direct their steps. They “have hidden it within their hearts, on purpose that they may not sin against God, Psalm 119:11;” but to what purpose have they deposited it there, if they do not consult it? or “with which shall they cleanse their way, but by taking heed thereunto according to God’s Word, Psalm 119:9.” Whatever then they are solicited to do, they bring it to this touchstone, and try it “by the law and the testimony.”

If they do not find the precept clear, they hesitate; and, if they do not find the footsteps of Christ and his Apostles, they pause. They know, that “whatever is not of faith is sin Romans 14:23;” and, until they can see their way clear, and be “thoroughly persuaded in their own mind,” they will not proceed, Romans 14:5; lest they lay a stumbling-block in the way of others, and bring guilt upon their own souls, 1 Corinthians 8:11-13.

I may add further, that they will pray unto God to guide them. They know their privilege; they know that God has said, that, if they call upon him for direction, “they shall hear a word behind them,” saying, “This is the way; walk in it;” when without such a direction “they would have turned to the right hand or to the left, Isaiah 30:21.” They therefore in every difficulty betake themselves to prayer; and experience the truth of that promise, “The meek he will guide in judgment; the meek he will teach his way, Psalm 25:9.”

2. Principally, their security stems from the care and fidelity of God.

God has promised that “he will keep the feet of his saints, 1 Samuel 2:9,” and that “none of their steps shall slide;” and this promise he does, and will, fulfill. He fulfills it to them in a variety of ways. He “takes them, as a mother does her little child, by their hand, and guides them in their way, Hosea 11:3.”

And when they are weak, “he strengthens them with might in their inward man, Ephesians 4:16. Colossians 1:11.”

And when they would otherwise fall, he upholds them with his own almighty arms; agreeably to that express promise which he has given them, “Do not fear; for I am with you. Do not be dismayed; for I am your God. I will strengthen you; yes, I will help you; yes, I will uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness! Isaiah 41:10.” Thus is fulfilled that promise which is contained within a few verses of our text, “The steps of a godly man are ordered by the Lord; though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with his hand, verse 23, 24.” We may wonder whence it is that the people of God in all ages have been enabled to maintain their steadfastness in such trying circumstances; but the true reason is to be found in that inviolable engagement which God has entered into, that “they shall hold on their way, and that their hands shall wax stronger and stronger! Job 17:9.” This promise he has fulfilled to them, giving them “strength according to their day, Deuteronomy 33:25,” and enabling them “to do all things through his strength communicated to them, Philippians 4:13.”

Hence then we may observe:

1. Why it is that so many professors of religion dishonor their high and holy calling.

It is a melancholy fact, that many who profess godliness are a disgrace to their profession; and by their falls they bring the very truth of God into disrepute. But why is it that their walk is so inconsistent? Is it from any lack of power or fidelity in God to keep them? No! It arises from this—that they have taken up a profession upon false and insufficient grounds; they have got the law in their heads, and in their mouths, but have never truly received it into their hearts! None will show more zeal for the tenets they have embraced than they, or talk more fluently respecting them; but they have never been “cast into the mold of the Gospel.” Their opinions have been altered; but their hearts are unchanged; or, if changed at all, it is only in that they have adopted the mental lusts of pride and conceit, and false confidence—in the place of the carnal lusts of worldliness and impurity. It may be, they have added the former to the latter, affecting only the concealment of former evils, and not the utter extirpation of them. What then is to be expected from such people, but that they will dishonor their profession? From such roots nothing can be hoped for, but bitter fruits!

But let not the blame be cast upon the gospel. “They have a name to live, but they are dead.” If ever they had received the law of God into their hearts, it would have produced its due effect upon their lives; and not upon the outward deportment only, but on every temper and disposition of their minds.

True religion is, and must be, the same in all ages; if it transformed the saint-s of other days into the image of their God in righteousness and true holiness—then it will do so still; and, if the conduct of any who profess it be unworthy of their high calling, let the blame attach where it ought, not on religion, but on those who make a hypocritical profession of it. Only let the law be in the heart, and we have no fear of the fruits that will appear in the life.

2. How inseparable is the union between duty and privilege.

The self-depending formalist who dreads the mention of privilege, and the Antinomian professor who hates the mention of duty, are equally remote from the truth of God. Depend on God we must; for it is He who must work all our works in us. And obey his law we must; for “without holiness no man shall see the Lord.” Neither can supersede the other.

To the Antinomian then I say, “Let the Word of God abide in you; and let it dwell in you richly in all wisdom.”

And to the formalist I say: Look unto God to begin, and carry on, the whole work of grace in your hearts; for without Him you can do nothing.

Let both of you know, that both confidence in God, and obedience to Him, are necessary; it is only by a reliance on Him that you can obtain strength for obedience; and it is only by obedience that you can prove the sincerity of your faith and love.

But while to those who would lean to either extreme I would say, “What God has joined, let no man put asunder,” I would most affectionately encourage the true Christian to expect all that God has promised. Your difficulties may be great, and your conflicts severe; but “your Redeemer is mighty;” and He who bought you with his blood, regards you as his purchased possession, and will allow “none to pluck you out of his hands.” He has promised to carry on and perfect his work in your hearts; and what he has promised, he is able also to perform. Only be careful to know and do his will; and He will bear you up in his everlasting arms, and “preserve you blameless to his heavenly kingdom.”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 37:23-24

“The steps of a godly man are ordered by the Lord; and He delights in his way. Though he falls, he shall not be utterly cast down; for the Lord upholds him with his hand.”

That Almighty God, the Creator of Heaven and earth, should regard one rather than another among the sinners of mankind, appears incredible; and for anyone to imagine himself to be among those who are pre-eminently favored by God, would be judged a height of arrogance, to which scarcely anyone of a sound mind could be supposed to have attained.

But the Holy Scriptures are extremely clear, and full, and definite upon this point. God condescends to notice with peculiar kindness those who walk uprightly before him; while he beholds with indignation and abhorrence those who, whether openly or in secret, rebel against him. To establish this is the great scope of this Psalm, wherein the states of the godly and of the ungodly are contrasted with each other in this respect. From the words which I have just read, we shall necessarily be led to notice:

I. The special interest which God takes in his redeemed people.

“He orders their steps”.

In the marginal translation, it is said that a godly man’s steps are “established” by the Lord. The fact is, the Lord so orders them, that they may be established. The very first work of the Lord in his people, is, to bring them to Christ, and to “establish them in Christ, John 6:44; John 6:65 and 2 Corinthians 1:21.” Until this is done, they never take any step that can effectually bring them to Heaven. When that is done, then they are enabled to “walk in Christ, Colossians 2:6,” and, by strength derived from him, to advance in righteousness and true holiness.

“He delights in their ways”.

True, their ways are far from perfect; and, if God were to be “extreme to mark what is done amiss,” no man living could stand before him. But God looks rather at the principle from whence their actions proceed, and at the end for which they are done—than at the perfection of the actions themselves; and when he sees that their actions proceed from love, and are done for the glory of his name—he cannot but feel delight, both in the people themselves, and in the works they perform; even as a parent delights in the services of a loving and duteous child, not considering so much the excellence of the act, as the disposition manifested in the performance of it.

On another ground, too, Jehovah delights in the ways of his people, namely, because they are “the fruits of his Spirit” working in them, Galatians 5:22-23. In this view there is not an act that they perform, which is “not pleasing and acceptable in his sight, Hebrews 13:16. 1 Peter 3:4. Philippians 1:11.”

“He upholds them with his hand”.

Notwithstanding the grace given unto them, they are yet weak and frail, so that “still in many things they sin, James 3:2;” and, if left to themselves, they would eternally perish. “There is not a righteous man on earth who does what is right and never sins, Ecclesiastes 7:20.” But in this the righteous differ from the wicked, that, notwithstanding the godly fall, yes, and “fall seven times—they rise again; while the wicked, in their falls, are left to perish! Proverbs 24:16.” The Lord Jesus Christ has engaged for them that “none shall ever pluck them out of his hands! John 10:28-29.” And this is fulfilled to every one of them, insomuch, that “of those whom the Father in his everlasting covenant gave unto his Son, not one ever was, or shall be, lost! John 17:12.” They all, in their respective generations, are “kept by the power of God through faith unto everlasting salvation! 1 Peter 1:5.”

These truths can never be abused, if we consider, on the other hand,

II. What return God looks for from his redeemed people.

Doubtless it is God who alone can give men “either to will or to do that which is good”; but, as the
Articles of our Church express it, “He worketh in us, that we may will; and then worketh with us, when we have that good will.”; Though all good proceeds from God—yet he expects a reciprocity on our part. “Continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose!” Philippians 2:12-13

1. We must cheerfully obey his will.

We take no step by constraint. We are free agents in all that we do. True it is that God draws us; but he draws us, not as stocks and stones, but “with the cords of a man, and with the bands of love! Hosea 11:4.” If we would have our ways pleasing to God, we must seek to please him; and if we would have our “steps ordered and established by him,” we must consult his revealed will, and commit ourselves to the guidance of his Holy Spirit. He has promised, that, in circumstances of difficulty, “we shall hear a word behind us, saying: This is the way—walk in it; when we should otherwise be turning to the right hand or to the left, Isaiah 30:21;” and this promise we must plead in prayer, until, by some way which God shall devise, we see, as it were, the pillar and the cloud going before us, and experience that direction which our necessities require.

2. We must simply depend on God’s care.

“It is not in man who walks to direct his steps.” A little infant does not more need to be carried in its mother’s arms, than we need the continual support of God! But he promises that “his everlasting arms shall be underneath us! Deuteronomy 33:27,” and that we shall be “carried as lambs in the bosom of our Lord Isaiah 40:11.”

But in order to this, we must renounce all confidence in our own powers, and say, “In the Lord I have righteousness and strength Isaiah 45:24.”

If, like Peter, we depend on ourselves—then we shall fall; but, if we cry habitually to him, “Hold me up, and I shall be safe Psalm 119:117,” we shall be strengthened with might by his Spirit in our inward man, and be enabled to “do all things through Christ strengthening us, Philippians 4:13.”

The weaker we are in ourselves, the stronger we shall be in him, 2 Corinthians 12:10; and, though we are “sifted by Satan” with his utmost efforts, Luke 22:31, “not so much as the smallest grain shall ever fall upon the earth, Amos 9:9.” For “it is not the will of our Father that one of his little ones should perish! Matthew 18:14.”

Address,

1. To the self-confident and secure.

Where do you find in the Holy Scriptures anyone of these promises made to you? Where has God engaged to “order your steps,” or declared himself “delighted with your ways?” Or where has he assured you that your falls shall not be unto death? Not one word is there in all the inspired volume that can serve as a foundation of hope to you, while you are leaning to your own understanding, or depending on an arm of flesh! On the contrary, there is nothing but perdition denounced against you, Jeremiah 17:5-6.

Beloved brethren, do but contrast with your condition the states of God’s believing and obedient people; and you will see, that they alone are blessed, whose hearts are upright, and “whose God is the Lord.”

2. To the fearful and disconsolate.

Many, under a sense of their great infirmities, are ready to fear, that, notwithstanding all that God has spoken for their encouragement, they shall come short at last. But, if only you really desire to please and serve God—then see how full and suitable are the promises of God to you, “So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand! Isaiah 41:10.”

Are you weak? God says, “I will strengthen you.”

Are you apprehensive that nothing less than Omnipotence can administer sufficient aid? God adds, “I will help you.”

Are you still alarmed because there is something yet left for you to do? God adds, I will take the whole matter into my own hands, and “altogether uphold you with the right hand of my righteousness.”

“Be strong, then, in faith, giving glory to God;” and “you shall not be ashamed or confounded, world without end!”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 37:3-6

“Trust in the LORD and do good; dwell in the land and enjoy safe pasture. Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the LORD; trust in him and he will do this: He will make your righteousness shine like the dawn, the justice of your cause like the noonday sun.”

It might be supposed that God, the righteous Governor of the universe, would in this world distinguish his people from his enemies by his visible dispensations towards them; but he does not; he allows “all things to come alike to all, Ecclesiastes 9:1-2.” This is often a stumbling-block to the righteous, who are apt to be discouraged, when they see the prosperity of the wicked, and are themselves suffering all manner of adversity. David was at one time greatly dejected, or rather, I should say, offended, at this very thing; and was led to imagine that he had served God for nothing, Psalm 73:1-14. To guard us against such mistaken views of providence, and against the feelings which they are accustomed to excite in the bosom, he wrote this Psalm. That we may not repine at the success of evil-doers, he teaches us to consider how short their triumph is, and how awful will be their end. He then, in the words of our text, instructs us,

I. What we are to do for God.

It is here taken for granted that we have many difficulties to contend with. But instead of being discouraged by them, our duty to God is:

1. To go on steadily in God’s service.

“Trust in the Lord, and do good.” It should be an established principle in our hearts, that duty is ours, and outcomes are God’s. We should attend to our own concerns, and leave God to his.

Now beyond all doubt our great concern is to prosecute and “finish the work which God has given us to do.” We should not merely attend to good works in general, but consider what is that particular “good” which God is calling us to do; perhaps it is to exercise meekness and patience; or perhaps to put forth fortitude and firmness. In the event of persecution for righteousness’ sake, these graces must be cultivated with more than ordinary attention, and be called into action in a more than ordinary degree. We are not to be perplexing our minds with inquiries how we may avert the storm which is gathering around us, but be solely careful not to be shaken either in our principles or conduct, or in any respect to dishonor that God whom we profess to serve. Without this fidelity in the path of duty, all trust in God will be a delusion; but, combined with it, our trust in him is a most pleasing and acceptable service.

2. To seek our happiness in God’s presence.

Fidelity itself would not be acceptable, if it proceeded from a principle of slavish fear—we must regard God as a Father, and “delight ourselves in him.” It is not a low measure of spirituality that we should aim at; we should aspire after such an enjoyment of God as David himself spoke of, when he said, “I will go unto God, my exceeding joy! Psalm 43:4.” In order to this, we should meditate upon all his glorious perfections, and especially on those perfections as displayed and magnified in the work of redemption. O! what wonders of love and mercy may we see in our incarnate, our redeeming God! In the contemplation of these we should exercise ourselves day and night, until the fire kindle in our bosoms, and we burst forth in acclamations and hosannahs to our adorable Emmanuel. Say, you who have ever been so occupied, whether such “meditations be not sweet;” and whether “your souls have not been satisfied as with marrow and fatness,” when you have been so employed?

3. To commit our every concern to God’s disposal.

Our duty in this respect may not unfitly be illustrated by the confidence which passengers in a ship place in a skillful pilot and an able commander. They trust their persons and their property to the pilot without any anxious cares or painful apprehensions. Conscious of their own incapacity to navigate the ship, they presume not to interfere in the management of the vessel, but leave the whole concern to those whose province it is to conduct it. Whatever storms may arise, they look to him who is at the helm to steer the vessel to its destined port.

Thus does the believer commit his way unto the Lord. To God he looks as ordering every thing for his good; yes, as having, if we may so speak, a community of interest with him, and as pledged to bring him in safety to the harbor where he would be. If any anxious thought arises, he checks it; and “casts all his care on Him, who cares for him.” This we should do in reference to every concern whatever. In relation to temporal things, we should have no more anxiety than the birds of the air, which exist from day to day on the bounty of their Creator! Matthew 6:25-34. And even in reference to the soul, the same entire confidence must be placed in God, who has engaged to carry on and perfect in his people the work he has begun, Philippians 1:6. Let us not however be misunderstood to say, that we are to put away a jealous fear of ourselves; that we must retain even to the end of our lives. But an unbelieving fear of God, as either unable or unwilling to save us, we must cast it off with abhorrence, and “be strong in faith, giving glory to God.”

The promises annexed to these several injunctions show,

II. What God will do for us.

Truly he will do exceeding abundantly for us above all that we can ask or think.

1. God will supply our needs.

Great and urgent they may be, even like those with which Israel was oppressed on different occasions in the land of Canaan; but God will interpose for us in the hour of need, so that “truly we shall be fed.” Under the pressure of their troubles, many Jews deserted their own land, and sought for security or plenty among their heathen neighbors; thus they rather fled from trouble, than looked to God, as they should have done, to relieve them from it. We must not act thus; we must not desert our post because of difficulties which we meet with in it; but must expect from God all those supplies of grace and strength which we stand in need of. “He who believes, will not make haste;” he will not presently despond, because he sees not how his needs are to be supplied; but will remember, that, as “the earth, and the fullness thereof, is the Lord’s,” so there is all fullness of spiritual blessings also treasured up for him in Christ, and he will look to Christ for daily communications, according as his necessities may require. The Lord did not give to Elijah a store of provision that should suffice for months to come, but sent him bread and meat twice a day by the ministration of ravens, and afterwards a daily supply from the widow’s cruse.

In the same manner will he impart a sufficiency of temporal and spiritual blessings to all who trust in him; and “according to their day, so their strength shall be.” “The soul that trusts in Him shall lack no good thing.”

2. God will fulfill our desires.

If our desires were after the things of time and sense, we might expect to have them withheld from us; but if our desires are, as the believer’s are, after God himself—then we shall never be disappointed; on the contrary, the more earnest and enlarged our desire is, the more certain we are that God will fulfill and satisfy it. The more “wide we open our mouth,” the more assured we are that “he will fill it!” “He will fulfill the desire of those who fear him; he also will hear their cry, and will help them.”

Do we desire increasing “views of his glory? He will put us into the cleft of the rock, and make all his goodness to pass before our eyes! Exodus 33:18-23.”

Do we desire a more intimate and abiding communion with him? He will “come and dwell in us, and walk in us, and be altogether our God, 2 Corinthians 6:16.”

Do we desire a more entire conformity to him? He will “transform us into his image from glory to glory,” by the sanctifying influence of his Holy Spirit. 2 Corinthians 3:18.

There shall not be a thing that we can ask, but he will give it to us, if only it will be conducive to our spiritual and eternal welfare, John 15:7 and 1 John 5:14-15 with Psalm 21:1-2.

3. God will give a happy outcome to all our concerns.

There may be many difficulties in our way, and such as shall be to all appearance insurmountable; but He who made a path through the Red Sea, will remove them all in due time. Whatever in his wisdom he sees to be best for us, “he will bring it to pass.” We may labor under many discouragements by reason of calumnies which are circulated respecting us. The world may represent us as enthusiasts that “turn the world upside down,” as deceivers that are seeking some base ends of our own, as abettors of sedition, and enemies to civil government. In a word, they may speak of us as “the filth of the earth, and the off-scouring of all things;” but God will not leave us to sink under these reproaches; he will sooner or later appear for us, and “make our righteousness to shine forth as the noon-day.” We shall have “good report to pass through, as well as evil report;” and our very demeanor under our persecutions shall carry conviction to the minds of many, that we are indeed the sons of God, Matthew 27:54. At all events, if not before, at least at the day of judgment, our reproach shall be rolled away, and “we shall shine forth as the sun in the kingdom of our Father! Matthew 13:43.”

Reflections.

1. See what they lose, who are ignorant of God.

All that is implied either in the precepts or the promises of our text is altogether unknown to those who do not experience the power of saving religion in their hearts. Whatever burdens they have, are borne upon their own shoulders; they know not what it is to cast them upon the Lord. Hence, when oppressed with heavy trials, they faint and sink under them; and for lack of the consolations and supports of religion, they frequently meditate, and sometimes also carry into execution, the awful act of suicide.

O that men did but know what provision there is made for them in the Gospel of Christ! In, and with Christ—there is all that we can need, for body or for soul, for time or for eternity. Only let us seek:

to be washed in his sin-atoning blood,

to be renewed by his Spirit,

and to live altogether by faith in him;

and we shall find such rich supplies, such heavenly consolations, such a fullness of all spiritual and eternal blessings—as shall far surpass all that the carnal eye has ever seen, and all that the carnal imagination has ever conceived! 1 Corinthians 2:9.

2. See what they enjoy, who live near to God.

Contemplate the state of those who are now in Heaven; how free from care, and how completely happy in the fruition of their God! Such in a measure may our state be even in this present world. Those who believe in Christ are privileged to rejoice in him, yes, and many do “rejoice in him, with joy unspeakable and full of glory.”

By committing themselves, and all their concerns, to him, “their very thoughts, which are naturally as fluctuating as the wind, are established! Proverbs 16:3.”

O believers, live not below your privileges; carry everything to your adorable Savior, and expect from him all that infinite love can give, and all that Omnipotence can effect! “All things are yours, if you are Christ’s;” even “death itself, as well as life, is among your treasures! 1 Corinthians 3:21-23;” and soon shall all the glory and felicity of Heaven be your unalienable and everlasting possession!

Charles Simeon

Psalm 36:10

“O continue your loving-kindness unto those who know you, and your righteousness to the upright in heart!”

David, in all his troubles, “encouraged himself in the Lord his God.” He was in great trouble at the time he wrote this Psalm; but whether from the persecutions of Saul, or the rebellion of Absalom, is not certain. But his views of God were exceeding grand, “Your love, O LORD, reaches to the heavens, your faithfulness to the skies. Your righteousness is like the mighty mountains, your justice like the great deep. O LORD, you preserve both man and beast. How priceless is your unfailing love! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights. For with you is the fountain of life; in your light we see light! Psalm 36:5-9.”

To this God David commits his cause; and, in behalf of himself and all his persecuted associates, prays, “O continue your loving-kindness unto those who know you, and your righteousness unto the upright in heart!”

The same petition will every faithful minister urge in behalf of himself and his people, under a full assurance that “all their fresh springs are in God! Psalm 87:7;” and if ever they are saved at all, that God himself must “work all their works in them, Isaiah 26:12.” In this view, I will endeavor to show you,

I. What need, we all have of the blessing here implored.

The term “righteousness,” in the Old Testament, is of very extensive meaning. In my text it imports “goodness,” and, as joined with “loving-kindness,” must be understood to mean, a continuance of God’s tender and watchful care even to the end.

Of God’s tender and watchful care, all people, whatever their attainments are, stand in need.

Of the unbelieving and ungodly I am not at present called to speak; but rather of “those who know God, and are upright before him.” Now all of these, without any exception, “offend God in many things,” and, “if God were extreme to mark what is done amiss, must perish.” From gross and willful transgressions they may be free; but “who can say, His heart is clean?” How many sins are committed there, which no eye but God’s beholds!

But, waving sins of commission, how greatly do we offend in a way of omission! See how “exceeding broad are the demands of God’s Law.” Our duties to God, our neighbor, and ourselves—who can be said perfectly to know them all; and much less to do them.

But, waving these also, let us mark only our sins of defect.

We do really love God; but do we love him “with all our heart, and all our mind, and all our soul, and all our strength?”

We love our neighbor, too; but do we love him with the same intenseness, and constancy, and activity “as ourselves?”

We believe in Christ also; but is our habit of dependence on him, and communion with him, like that of “a branch united to the vine?”

We devote ourselves to his service; but are all our faculties and powers, both of mind and body, put forth into action, as if we were running a race, or fighting for our lives?

Let us look at our very best services, whether in public or in private. Our prayers, for instance:

Are our confessions accompanied with that brokenness of heart which we ought to feel?

Are our petitions urged with that importunity which God requires?

Are our thanksgivings presented with that ardent gratitude which God’s mercies, and especially the great blessings of redemption, call for at our hands?

I must say, that the grossest iniquities of the ungodly do not, in my apprehension, more strongly mark our alienation from God, than do the very prayers and praises of the godly; so exceeding cold are they, and unsuited to our state as redeemed sinners!

We need, therefore, the continuance of God’s tender mercies to us yet daily, as much as ever we did in our carnal and unregenerate state!

And what would we do, if God should withdraw his tender and watchful care from us?

What would our “knowledge of God” avail us, or even our own “integrity?” Satan prevailed over our first parents, even in Paradise; how, then, could we withstand his power, if God should deliver us up into his hands?

In point of knowledge and integrity, David was as eminent as any of the Scripture saints; yet you all know what happened when once he was left to the workings of his own heart.

Hezekiah was perhaps not inferior to him; yet, when “God left him, to try him, that he might see all that was in his heart,” Hezekiah also fell, and brought upon himself and his posterity the sorest judgments! 2 Chronicles 32:31.

Who then among us could hope to stand, if God should withhold his loving-kindness from us, or suspend for a moment the communications of his grace?

We need, then, all of us to entreat of God to “continue his loving-kindness to us!” You all know how a rope, or line, or thread, is formed, by adding fresh materials continually, until it shall have attained its destined length. In reference to this, the prophet represents the ungodly as “drawing out iniquity as cords of vanity, and sin as a cart-rope, Isaiah 5:18,” that is, by constant additions even to their dying hour. And precisely thus we need, that God who has begun a good work in us, should carry it on even to the end, by drawing out, and imparting to us, such communications of his grace as our necessities require, until we have attained that measure which in his eternal counsels he has ordained, and we be fully “fit for our Master’s use.”

Seeing, then, that we all need this blessing, let me show you,

II. On what grounds all “who know God, and are upright before him,” are authorized to expect God’s tender and watchful care.

The petition in my text was offered under a full assurance that it would be granted; for David had scarcely uttered it before he saw, by faith, the answer given, “There,” says he, “are the workers of iniquity fallen; they are cast down, and shall not be able to stand.” And we also may expect that it shall be answered to all who offer it in faith.

1. We may expect God’s continued care, since it is assured to us by the promises of God.

Numberless are the promises which God has made to us respecting the continuance of his love towards all whom, according to his sovereign will, he has chosen to be the objects of it.

David, in another Psalm, says, “The Lord will not cast off his People, neither will he forsake his inheritance, Psalm 94:14.” And again, “From everlasting to everlasting the LORD’s love is with those who fear him, and his righteousness with their children’s children—with those who keep his covenant and remember to obey his precepts! Psalm 103:17-18.”

In fact, the whole Scripture testifies that God will perfect that which concerns his people, Psalm 138:8; and that, having loved them, he will love them to the end! John 13:1. Taking, therefore, these promises, we may spread them before the Lord, in full assurance that they shall be fulfilled; and in the language of David we may say to God, “O LORD, hear my prayer, listen to my cry for mercy; in your faithfulness and righteousness come to my relief! Psalm 143:1.”

2. We may expect God’s continued care, since it is assured to us by the intercession of Christ.

The apostle John has said, “If any man sins, we have an Advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous, and he is the atoning sacrifice for our sins! 1 John 2:1-2.” Yes, were it not that the Lord Jesus Christ lives to intercede for us in Heaven, it could not be but that God’s displeasure must break forth against us on ten thousand occasions! But he prevails for us, as Aaron prevailed for Israel of old, through his unwearied intercessions. To this Peter was indebted, when he denied his Lord with oaths and curses. Had not our blessed Lord interceded for him, that his faith might not fail—then he, in all probability, would have perished as Judas did, Luke 22:31-32. In this view, a greater stress is laid on the intercession of Christ than even on his death, “Who is he who condemns? It is Christ who died; yes, rather, that is risen again, who is even at the right-hand of God, who also makes intercession for us! Romans 8:34.” We are encouraged to believe that “Christ is able to save to the uttermost all that come unto God by him, seeing he ever lives to make intercession for us! Hebrews 7:25.” Put then your cause into the Savior’s hands; and beg of him to pray to the Father for you,” and you cannot but succeed, “for the Father hears Jesus always!”

3. We may expect God’s continued care, since it is assured to us by the honor of God himself.

God from all eternity entered into covenant with his dear Son in our behalf, engaging, that “Yet it was the LORD’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the LORD makes his life a guilt offering, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the LORD will prosper in his hand! Isaiah 53:10.” This covenant our blessed Lord has fulfilled on his part, having taken our nature, and “borne our sins in his own body on the tree.” And while yet he was upon earth, he made this a ground of his petitions, and a ground also of his expectations, in behalf of his people, “I pray for them. I am not praying for the world, but for those you have given me, for they are yours. All I have is yours, and all you have is mine. And glory has come to me through them. I will remain in the world no longer, but they are still in the world, and I am coming to you. Holy Father, protect them by the power of your name—the name you gave me—so that they may be one as we are one. While I was with them, I protected them and kept them safe by that name you gave me. None has been lost except the one doomed to destruction so that Scripture would be fulfilled. “I am coming to you now, but I say these things while I am still in the world, so that they may have the full measure of my joy within them. I have given them your word and the world has hated them, for they are not of the world any more than I am of the world. My prayer is not that you take them out of the world but that you protect them from the evil one! John 17:9-15.” Then he adds, what insures to us the completion of his desires, “Father, I want those you have given me to be with me where I am, and to see my glory, the glory you have given me because you loved me before the creation of the world! John 17:24.”

Now I ask, Is not here abundant ground to expect God’s continued care of his people? May we not from hence “be confident, that He who has begun a good work in us will perform it unto the day of Jesus Christ? Philippians 1:6.” Yes, surely; and therefore when David, under the influence of unbelief, had entertained a fear, “Will the Lord cast off forever? will he be favorable no more? Is his mercy clean gone forever? does his promise fail for evermore? Has God forgotten to be gracious? has he in anger shut up his tender mercies?” he corrected himself, and with conscious shame exclaimed, “This is my infirmity! Psalm 77:7-9.” We may be sure that God’s covenant shall stand. In the 89th Psalm it is declared, again, and again, and again, in terms the most express that can be imagined! Psalm 89:28-37; and therefore we may be assured that for his own name and honor sake “he will keep his people by his own power through faith unto salvation, 1 Peter 1:5;” as it was said by Samuel, “The Lord will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased him to make you his people! 1 Samuel 12:22.”

“He is a God that changes not; and therefore we neither are, nor shall be, consumed! Malachi 3:6.” We shall be living witnesses for him to all eternity, that “his gifts and calling are without repentance, Romans 11:29.”

APPLICATION.

1. Seek to answer to the character here described.

If you “know not God,” you can have no claim upon him; nor, “unless you are upright in heart,” have you any reason to hope that he will ever look upon you with satisfaction. You must “have your hearts right with God,” if ever you would be approved of God. Seek, then, to know God as reconciled to you in Christ Jesus; and beg of him so to “put truth in your inward parts,” that he may acknowledge and commend you as “Israelites indeed, in whom is no deceit.”

2. Implore the blessings from God which you so greatly need.

You need God’s blessings, all of you, and will need them to your dying hour! It is from God that you have received all that you possess. Never would you have known him, if he had not opened the eyes of your understanding, and revealed himself to you, Compare Galatians 4:9 with Philippians 3:12. And never would your heart have been upright before him, if he, of his own sovereign grace, had not “given you a new heart, and renewed a right spirit within you.” It is to Him, then, you must look to carry on the work within you. “No hands but His who laid the foundation of his spiritual temple within you, can ever finish it! Zechariah 4:9.” “He alone who has been the author of your faith, can ever complete it, Hebrews 12:2.”

3. While you seek these blessings for yourselves, implore it them earnestly for others also.

So did David, under all his trials; and so should you. It is our privilege and our duty to intercede for one another; parents for their children, and children for their parents; ministers for their people, and people for their ministers. And, O! what happiness should we enjoy in our respective families, and in the Church of God, if we were all partakers of these blessings! It is said in the very words before my text, “With you is the fountain of life; and in Your light shall we see light;” and no doubt, in proportion as the blessings of salvation flow down into our souls—we shall be blessed in ourselves, and blessings to all around us!

Charles Simeon

Psalm 36:9

“With you is the fountain of life; in your light shall we see light!”

By a sober consideration of Scripture metaphors we obtain a more full and comprehensive knowledge of divine truth, than could easily be obtained from the most labored discussions. Besides, the ideas suggested by them strike the mind so forcibly, that they cannot fail of making a deep and lasting impression. Let us but notice the rich variety of figures whereby God is set forth in the passage before us, and we shall be filled with admiring and adoring thoughts of his goodness.

The Psalmist, illustrating the loving-kindness of his God, represents him:

first under the image of a hen gathering her chicks;

then as an opulent host feasting his guests with the richest dainties;

and then, in a beautiful climax, he compares him to the sun.

In our text there is no confusion of metaphor, as there would be if the former part referred to a fountain, and the latter to the sun. It is the sun alone that is spoken of; for that is the fountain both of light and life; and in discoursing upon it, we observe, that,

I. Christ is an inexhaustible source of all spiritual good.

Christ may be considered as peculiarly referred to in the metaphor before us.

It is in Christ alone that the perfections mentioned in the foregoing verses are combined, verse 5, 6. It is in him alone that God unites justice with mercy, Romans 3:26, or adheres, in faithfulness, to his covenant engagements, 2 Corinthians 1:20. Besides, it is in this view that Christ is set forth throughout all the sacred oracles, by prophets, Isaiah 60:1. Malachi 4:2, by Apostles John 1:4; John 1:9. Luke 2:32. 2 Peter 1:19, and more especially by himself, John 8:12; John 12:46. We may well therefore apply to him the comparison before us; and we shall find it admirably descriptive of his real character.

Christ is to the spiritual world, what the sun is to the material, world.

The sun is “the fountain of light and life” to this lower world. When that is withdrawn, the earth is left in darkness, the vegetable world decays, and myriads of animals are secluded in a state of torpor. But when it returns in its brightness, it both dispels the darkness, and restores to nature her suspended powers.

Thus, where Christ has not shined, universal darkness and death prevail. But when he arises on the soul—he enlightens it, and infuses into it a principle of life, Ephesians 2:1, whereby its faculties are made capable of spiritual exertions; and it is rendered “fruitful in all the fruits of righteousness to God’s praise and glory”.

We have abundant encouragement to seek his influence, since,

II. Those who live in communion with him shall surely participate in his blessings.

As the sun shines in vain to him who secludes himself in a dungeon, so, unless we come forth to “Christ’s light, we cannot possibly behold his light.” But if we view him as we ought, we shall then attain:

the light of knowledge,

the light of comfort,

the light of holiness,

the light of glory.

1. Our minds shall be enlightened with divine knowledge.

By the light of the sun we behold the objects around us; and by the light of Christ we discern the things belonging to our peace. In his face all the glory of the Godhead shines, 2 Corinthians 4:6. Colossians 1:15, insomuch that he who has seen him, has seen the Father also, John 14:9. Nor is there any one subject relating to salvation which does not receive its clearest illustration from him.

2. Our souls shall be enriched with heavenly comfort.

The consolation we derive from other sources is unsubstantial; and the things which promise us most happiness, often prove only a fleeting meteor, or a delusive vapor.

But a sight of Christ, of his fullness, his suitableness, his all-sufficiency—affords a ground of comfort, as firm as the rocks, and as lasting as eternity! 2 Corinthians 1:5.

3. Our hearts shall be “renewed in righteousness and true holiness”.

Nothing produces such effects as a sight of Christ! We may hear the law proclaimed in all its terrors, and yet experience no abiding change. But a God-given view of Christ as crucified for us will:

break the most obdurate heart, Zechariah 12:10

raise the most desponding soul, 1 Peter 1:3

inspire the selfish with unbounded love, 1 John 3:16

and fill the mourner with unutterable joy! 1 Peter 1:8.

In a word, it will change a sinful man into the very image of his God and Savior 2 Corinthians 3:18.

4. The light of glory itself shall also be enjoyed by us.

Christ is the one source of happiness to all the hosts of Heaven! Revelation 21:23.

To behold his beauty,

to taste his love,

to celebrate his praises

—this is their employment, this is their supreme felicity! Revelation 5:8-13. Such too is the occupation, such the happiness of every true believer—he has a pledge of Heaven in his soul that, in due season, he shall receive the consummation of all his wishes in the immediate vision of his Savior’s glory, and the everlasting fruition of his love! Ephesians 1:13-14 and 1 John 3:2.

Inferences:

1. How great is the folly of seeking happiness in the creature!

Created things, in comparison with Christ, are no more than a broken cistern to a fountain, Jeremiah 2:13; or than a star in comparison with the meridian sun. Let us then seek our happiness in Christ, and in him alone. In him, as in the sun, there is a fullness and a sufficiency for all! Colossians 1:19. And to him all may have access, if they will not obstinately immure themselves in impenitence and unbelief, Ephesians 5:14. Let us not then “kindle sparks for ourselves, or walk in the light of our own fires, Isaiah 1:11,” but “come forth to his light,” and “walk in it” to the last hour of our lives! John 12:35-36.

2. How unspeakable is the blessedness of knowing Christ!

If we could conceive ourselves in a region where a winter’s midnight was perpetuated; and then be transported in idea to a climate, where noontide light, and spring beauty, were uninterruptedly enjoyed—then we might have some faint image of the change effected by the knowledge of Christ, 1 Peter 2:9, Truly the Christian is in Goshen, Exodus 9:26; Exodus 10:22-23. Or if, for a little moment he is in darkness, there arises up a light unto him in the midst of it, Psalm 112:4, and his darkness becomes as the noon-day, Isaiah 58:10. And, in a little time “his sun shall no more go down; but his Lord shall be unto him an everlasting light, and his God shall be his glory! Isaiah 60:19-20.” O that this may be the constant pursuit, and the happy attainment of us all!

Charles Simeon

Psalm 36:7-8

“How excellent is your loving-kindness, O God! Both high and low among men find refuge in the shadow of your wings. They feast on the abundance of your house; you give them drink from your river of delights!”

The more we know of man—the more shall we see the folly of trusting in an arm of flesh. But, the more we are acquainted with God—the more enlarged will be our expectations from him, and the more unreserved will be our confidence in his power and grace. David had found by bitter experience, that no dependence could be placed on the protestations of Saul. But David had a Friend, in whose protection he could trust; and in the contemplation of whose character he could find the richest consolation, while his views of man filled him with nothing but grief and anguish. Having expatiated upon God’s perfections, as contrasted with the deceitfulness and depravity of man, David bursts forth into a rapturous admiration of his love.

His words furnish us with an occasion to consider the loving-kindness of God, in the precise view in which it is exhibited in our text,

I. The loving-kindness of God, as a subject for adoring gratitude.

Wherever we turn our eyes, we behold the most astonishing displays of God’s love.

Every work of Creation,

every dispensation of Providence,

every effort of Grace,

exhibits him to us in the most endearing view.

But most of all must we admire the wonders of redemption. This is the work whereby God commends his love to us, Romans 5:8. This is the one subject of adoration to all the saints in glory, Revelation 5:11-14. No sooner was it declared in the incarnation of Christ, than multitudes of the heavenly host began a new song, singing “Glory to God in the highest! Luke 2:13-14.” Yes, from that moment have they been occupied in exploring the mysteries of God’s loving-kindness, 1 Peter 1:12.

So unsearchable are its heights and depths, that no finite understanding can fully comprehend, nor will eternity suffice to unfold, all the wonders contained in it, Ephesians 3:18-19. “How excellent then is your loving-kindness, O God!”

II. The loving-kindness of God, as a ground for implicit confidence.

This is not a speculative subject, but is influential in the hearts of all that give it a due measure of their attention. It is this which encourages sinners to approach their God with confidence. In the view of this, no guilt appals, no trial depresses, no grief dejects. Whatever we lack of pardon, peace, or strength, one thought suffices to support the soul, “he who spared not his own Son, but delivered him up for us all, how shall he not with him also freely give us all things! Romans 8:32.”

This is the genuine and legitimate use which we are to make of the loving-kindness of God, Psalm 9:10.

We are to go to him as to a Father, confessing our faults, Luke 15:18-19.

We are to to follow him as our Guide in all our ways Hebrews 11:8.

We are to to commit ourselves to him as our King, without fear, knowing that he will either extricate us from all trouble, Daniel 3:17, or overrule it for our good, Philippians 1:19-20. 1 Peter 4:19.

III. The loving-kindness of God, as a pledge of all imaginable blessings at his hands.

There is nothing which can conduce to our happiness either in time or eternity, which we are not warranted to expect at God’s hands—provided we contemplate, and be suitably impressed with, the excellencies of his love.

The priests of old feasted their families with the offerings which belonged to them by virtue of their office, Numbers 18:11. Now to our great High-Priest belong all the glory and blessedness of Heaven; and every member of his family is privileged to partake with him. In his house he spreads his feast, Isaiah 25:6, and says to his dear children: Come and drink abundantly, O beloved! Song of Solomon 5:1, and let your souls delight themselves with fatness, Isaiah 55:2. And who can declare what “abundant satisfaction” their souls feel while feeding on the promises of his Word, and the communications of his love; or how enviable is the state of those who are thus highly privileged, Psalm 65:4. Surely if we taste this promised blessing, Jeremiah 31:14, we may well desire rather to be door-keepers in his house, than to enjoy the splendor of an earthly court! Psalm 84:10.

But there are still sweeter fruits of God’s love to be enjoyed in Heaven. There flows a river, which gladdens that holy city, the new Jerusalem, Psalm 46:4, and fills with unspeakable delight every inhabitant of those blissful mansions! There is a fullness of joy, emanating from the fountain of God, and filling with God’s own blessedness every soul according to its capacity, Revelation 22:1 and Psalm 16:11. Of this shall every one be “made to drink;” and, drinking of it, shall thirst no more forever! Psalm 17:15.

APPLICATION.

Let the love of God in Christ Jesus be our meditation all the day.

Let it lead us to trust in him both for body and soul.

Let a sense of it shed abroad in our hearts, be the one object of our desire, Psalm 27:4. and delight, Philippians 3:8.

Charles Simeon

Psalm 36:6

“Your judgments are a great deep!”

We little think how highly privileged the lowest Christian is above all the sages of antiquity. The greatest philosophers of Greece and Rome were unable to account for the existence of moral evil upon earth, or to see through the disorder and confusion which it has produced throughout the world. But the servant of the Lord is instructed to trace everything to an All-wise and Almighty Power, who brings light out of darkness and order from confusion, and overrules everything for the glory of his own name. To this Divine Being, the child of God has recourse in all his difficulties, and in the contemplation of Him finds comfort under the sorest trials.

David, under the persecutions of Saul, was reduced to the greatest extremities; but, after complaining of the subtlety of his implacable enemy, “he encouraged himself in the Lord his God,” who was able to accomplish his own gracious designs, not only in opposition to this powerful adversary, but by the very means which Saul was using to defeat them.

The word “judgments” has, in Scripture, many different significations. As used in my text, we may consider it as comprehending both the Word and the works of God. In illustration, therefore, of our text, we may observe that :

I. God’s judgments are a great deep, as displayed in his Word.

The whole of Revelation is a mystery. But, that we may not be led over too wide a field, we will confine our attention to two points:

1. Our fall in Adam.

This is a fact to which the whole Scripture bears witness, “In Adam all died. 1 Corinthians 15:22;” and “by the offence of one, judgment came upon all men to condemnation, Romans 5:17-18.”

Now, that Adam should himself be drawn into sin, circumstanced as he was, perfect in his nature, and supplied with everything which his soul could desire, is astonishing. But it is a fact that he did commit sin, and brought upon himself God’s righteous indignation.

That in his sin all his posterity should be involved, is a yet deeper mystery; for which it would be impossible for us to account, if God had not plainly and unequivocally revealed it. That the world is full of sin, is obvious to the most superficial observer. That the very nature of man is corrupt, is also evident. No one who has ever marked the dispositions of an infant can entertain a doubt that the very nature of man is altogether corrupt! Psalm 51:5.

But was man first created in such a state? Can we conceive of a holy Being forming, in the first instance, such unholy creatures? Human wisdom is altogether lost, and confounded, while occupied on this mysterious subject. But God has explained it to us in his Word. He has told us, what, when revealed, is a self-evident truth, that “no man can bring a clean thing out of an impure thing, Job 14:4.” He has told us, also, what we could never have imagined or conceived, that the very guilt of Adam is transmitted to us, because he was not a private and isolated individual, but the head and representative of all his descendants; so that we come into the world, not only corrupt creatures, but “children of wrath! Ephesians 2:3.”

Now say, whether this be not “a great deep.” Who can comprehend it? Who is not lost in astonishment at the contemplation of it?

2. Our recovery by Jesus Christ.

That there should be a possibility of restoring man to the divine favor, is what no finite intelligence could ever have conceived! Not one of the fallen angels ever was restored; nor could the restoration of man, it might be thought, have ever been compatible with the honor of our offended God. But God contrived a way, wherein he might be “just, and yet the justifier of sinful men! Romans 3:26.” For this end he gave his only-begotten Son:

to stand in our place,

to bear our sins,

to “make reconciliation for our iniquities,

and to bring in an everlasting righteousness,” wherein we might stand accepted before our God!

Well might the Apostle say, “Great is the mystery of godliness! 1 Timothy 3:16.” Who can contemplate “God manifest in human flesh,” and dying in the place of his own sinful and rebellious creatures—and not stand amazed at this stupendous effort of love and mercy? Truly, it far “surpasses all the knowledge” whether of men or angels. And, if it were not confirmed to us by testimony that is absolutely unquestionable, we could not but regard it altogether as “a cunningly-devised fable;” so unfathomable are the depths contained in it, and so incomprehensible the love manifested in it! Ephesians 3:18-19.

II. God’s judgments are a great deep, as manifested in his works.

1. God’s works of providence.

These also are as inscrutable as redemption itself. Who, that surveyed Joseph in all his different scenes of woe, could ever imagine where they were conducting him, or to what they would lead? Truly there is “a wheel within a wheel, Ezekiel 1:16;” and while all appears uncertainty around us, everything is working to a fixed end, even to accomplish what God himself has predicted in his Word. The smallest incidents that can be imagined are often productive of the most wonderful outcomes:

the casting of a lot, the sleepless restlessness of Ahasuerus,

the casual turning to a particular record

—to a common observer would appear as matters of trifling moment; yet on them depended the preservation of the whole Jewish people! Esther 3:7; Esther 6:1-3.

And we too, if we look back upon our past lives, may find many minute occurrences, which seemed to be of no account at the time, but which contributed in the most essential manner to influence and fix our future destinies; so that at this hour there is not one among us whose life would not serve for the illustrating of this point, and constrain him with the profoundest admiration to exclaim, “How unsearchable are God’s judgments, and his ways past finding out! Romans 11:33.”

2. God’s works of grace.

Who that had seen Paul in his unconverted state, would ever have supposed that God had designs of love towards him? Yet, when he had well near filled up the measure of his iniquities, God arrested him in his career, and made him a most distinguished monument of his mercy; insomuch that all future ages were to regard him as “a pattern,” by which the extent of God’s mercy might be estimated, and the hopes of penitents be encouraged! 1 Timothy 1:12-16.

Certainly the conduct of Onesimus towards his master Philemon must appear a very strange link in the purposes of Heaven, relative to his salvation; yet were his dishonesty and flight made use of by God as means to bring him under the ministry of Paul, and, through that, to a conversion of soul to God, and to the everlasting possession of happiness and glory! Philemon verse 15.

Not that God’s designs of mercy towards him lessened in any degree the guilt which he contracted; nor is sin of any kind the less sinful on account of the use which God may make of it for the accomplishment of his own designs; for then the murderers of our blessed Lord must have been accounted the best, rather than the most guilty, of mankind. No! Sin is a deadly evil, by whoever it is committed, and whatever it may effect. but this I say, that God both does and will accomplish his own eternal counsels, in ways which no finite wisdom could have contrived, nor any finite power have brought to a successful outcome! “Truly,” says the prophet, “you are a God who hides yourself Isaiah 45:15.”

And so, indeed, we may all say. For who can look back upon the way in which he has been brought from his youth up even to this present moment, and especially upon the way in which he has been led to the knowledge of the Savior—and not stand amazed at “the goodness and mercy that have followed him,” and at the wisdom and power that have effected such great things for him? Yes; we must all fully acquiesce in that sentiment of Zophar,

“Can you fathom the mysteries of God?

Can you probe the limits of the Almighty?

They are higher than the heavens—what can you do?

They are deeper than the depths of the grave—what can you know?

Their measure is longer than the earth and wider than the sea!” Job 11:7-9

Let us, then, learn from hence,

1. Submission to God’s will.

We may have been brought into circumstances of the most afflictive nature; but we should remember who it is that orders all things, even to the falling of a sparrow upon the ground! Men and devils may be laboring for our destruction; and God may allow them to proceed to the very utmost extremity, until, like the murderers of our Lord, they may exult in, what appears to them, the full attainment of their purpose. But God says to all of them, “Hitherto shall you come, and no farther!” It is true that “His way is in the sea, and his footsteps are not known, Psalm 77:19;” but we must never forget, that though “clouds and darkness are round about him, righteousness and judgment are the foundation of his throne! Psalm 97:2.” “What he does, you may not understand at present; but we shall understand hereafter, John 13:7;” and we may be sure that at the last we shall add our testimony to that of all his saints, “He has done all things well! Mark 7:37.”

Your way may be circuitous, and attended with great difficulties; but you will find, at last, that it was “the right way! Psalm 107:7.” It is God’s way—the way most conducive to your best interests, and most calculated to advance Hiss glory. Let us, then, wait to “see the end of the Lord, James 5:11;” and, under all circumstances, say, “It is the Lord; let him do what seems good to Him!”

2. Trust in God’s Word.

In His Word is light sufficient; there we see what God will most assuredly accomplish. There may appear to be a discordance between the Word and works of God; but they will be found to harmonize at last, “nor shall one jot or tittle of his Word ever fail.” Lay hold, then, on the promises of God; rest on them; plead them at the throne of his grace; and expect the accomplishment of them in due season.

But be not impatient under any delays, “If the vision tarries, wait for it;” assured that “it will not tarry” beyond the appointed time! Habakkuk 2:3. Never, under any circumstances, say, “All these things are against me;” because God has promised that “they shall all work together for your good! Romans 8:28.”

Conceive of a soul just liberated from the body, and from the throne of God looking back upon the way in which it has been brought there; with what admiration will it then be filled! and what praises will it pour forth on account of the dispensations which until now it was not able to unravel!

This should now be the posture of your soul. Most safely may you trust in God to the full extent of his promises; for, whatever difficulties may lie in his way, “His counsel shall stand; and He will do all his will!”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 36:1-4

“An oracle is within my heart concerning the sinfulness of the wicked: There is no fear of God before his eyes. For in his own eyes he flatters himself too much to detect or hate his sin. The words of his mouth are wicked and deceitful; he has ceased to be wise and to do good. Even on his bed he plots evil; he commits himself to a sinful course and does not abhor evil!”

The standard of morals in the Christian world is far below that which is established in the Sacred Records; and hence arises that self-justifying spirit which prevails in every place. Gross iniquities, which affect the welfare of society, are condemned; but less flagrant offences are regarded as trivial, and justified as unavoidable in this state of human existence.

The person immediately referred to in my text was Saul, who, amidst all his professions of penitence, still entertained murderous designs against the life of David. But we need not limit the words to Saul. They are, like many similar passages cited by Paul in the third chapter of his Epistle to the Romans, Romans 3:10-19, expressive of the state of our fallen nature, and universally applicable to every man. To elucidate them, I will show,

I. How great an evil sin is.

There is scarcely anything which is vile and loathsome to which sin is not compared. Let us instance this in leprosy; which may be considered as the most spreading, the most defiling, the most incurable of all disorders. In reference to this does the Prophet Isaiah speak of himself and all around him as utterly undone, “Woe is me! I am undone; I am a man of impure lips; and I dwell in the midst of a people of impure lips! Isaiah 6:5.” But, not to lay an undue stress on figures like these:

1. We must consider sin as a violation of God’s holy Law.

The Law of God is said to be “holy, and just, and good, Romans 7:12.”

The Law of God is holy, as being a perfect transcript of God’s mind and will.

It is just, as requiring nothing which does not necessarily arise out of our relation to God and to each other.

And it is good, as tending, in every instance, to the happiness of the creature, and to the honor of our Creator.

Now “sin is a transgression of this Law, 1 John 3:4;” and that very circumstance is that which renders it “so exceeding sinful! Romans 7:13.” Were the Law itself less excellent, a departure from it would be less odious; but to rebel against it, is to prefer the mind of Satan to the mind of God, and the service of the devil to the service of our God!

If we would see in what light God views it, let us go back to the time of Adam, on whose heart this Law was completely written, and see what one single transgression of it brought on him; and not on him only, but on the whole creation; and then we shall say indeed, that the evil of sin far exceeds all that language can express, or that any finite intelligence can conceive!

2. We must consider sin as a contradiction to God’s blessed Gospel.

To obviate the effects of sin, God sent his only dear Son into the world; that he might “put away the guilt of sin by the sacrifice of himself, Hebrews 9:26;” and that by the operations of his Holy Spirit he might repress sin’s power, and “destroy the works of the devil, 1 John 3:8.” But sin contravenes all his merciful intentions and defeats all his gracious purposes.

Now, let us suppose that the Lord Jesus Christ were now at this time to come into this assembly; and that, instead of receiving him with all that admiring and adoring gratitude that would befit us—we were to rise up against him, and beat him down, and trample him under foot; and that, on his exhibiting the wounds once made for us on Calvary, and yet bleeding for us—we were to regard his blood as an accursed thing, and seize him, and nail him to a cross, and load him with our execrations until we saw him dead before our eyes!

What would be thought of us? Yes, in a moment of reflection, what would we think of ourselves? Yet that is what sin does, and what all of us do whenever we commit sin; for so has the Apostle said, that “we tread under foot the Son of God, and count the blood of the Covenant an unholy thing, and do despite to the Spirit of his grace! Hebrews 10:29.” Yes, “we crucify the Son of God afresh, and put him to an open shame! Hebrews 6:6.”

It is no wonder, then, that God, when dissuading us from the commission of sin, addresses us in those pungent terms, “O, do not that abominable thing which I hate! Jeremiah 44:4.”

But instead of our regarding sin with the abhorrence it deserves, I am constrained to show you,

II. What great indulgence sin meets with at our hands.

View the generality of men.

So far from abhorring sin, they love it, they delight in it, and, to use the strong expression of Scripture, “they wallow in sin, even as a sow wallows in the mire! 2 Peter 2:22.”

In fact, sin is the very element in which men live. Look all around you—I speak not of those who “run into every excess of riot;” though they, alas! are very numerous, and, for the most part, “glory in their shame;” but I speak of the great mass of the community, the rich, the poor, the old, the young. Whom among them do you find regulating themselves according to God’s holy Law? Who has not a standard of his own, such as custom and fashion have prescribed? And who is not satisfied with conforming to that, without ever once thinking of God’s Law, or so much as desiring to approve himself to God? Truly, “the world lies in wickedness,” and under the dominion of the Wicked one! 1 John 5:19. Ephesians 2:2.

But, passing by these, behold the more decent part of the community.

Doubtless there are many who are more decorous in their conduct, and more observant of a form of godliness. But I ask, even in reference to them, How many of them do really view sin as God views it? That some enormous evils are abhorred, I readily acknowledge; but they are such only as, by a kind of common consent, are stamped with general reprobation.

As for sin, as sin, and as a departure from God’s holy Law—do not the many:

hear it, without offence;

and see it, without disgust;

and harbor it, without remorse?

Let these questions sink down into your ears. Carry them home with you, as tests of your real state before God. Bring them home to your conscience, and give an answer to them as before God. You well know, that if anyone loaded our parents with deep and unmerited disgrace, he would soon excite our indignation.

You know, also, that the sight and smell of a putrid carcass would create in us a loathing which we could scarcely endure. Nor need you be told, what feelings of remorse would follow the commission of murder.

But sin, whether heard or seen or felt—begets in us no such painful emotions.

To abhor sin, and “abhor ourselves” for the hidden workings of it in our souls, as holy Job did, Job 40:4; Job 42:6—we know nothing of this response to sin.

To “loath ourselves” as hateful and abominable on account of it, Ezekiel 36:31, so as to “blush and be confounded before God,” and scarcely to “dare to lift up our eyes to Heaven” on account of our conscious vileness, Luke 18:13—is a state of mind to which we are utter strangers; unless on account of some great iniquity, which, if known, would expose us to indelible disgrace.

To abhor sin merely on account of its intrinsic hatefulness, and its offensiveness to God—is an attainment very rare, and even in the best of men very weak and imperfect. I think, then, that every one of us may consider himself as condemned in my text, and may take shame to himself as bearing that humiliating character, “he does not abhor evil!”

See, then:

1. How little there is of true holiness among us.

Of the saints of old it was said, “They could not bear those who were evil, Revelation 2:2;” whereas we can “find pleasure in their society, Romans 1:32,” and, provided they wrap up their jests in elegant allusions and witty turns, we can join with them in laughing at thoughts, which, if delivered in coarser language, we would condemn; we even “set ourselves in an evil way,” showing no aversion to “have fellowship in the works of darkness, which we ought rather with decided boldness to reprove, Ephesians 5:11.” How unlike we are to David, who says, “Rivers of waters run down my eyes, because men keep not your Law, Psalm 119:136.” Indeed, brethren, we should see and mourn over our great defects; and, instead of indulging self-complacent thoughts on account of our not being so bad as others, should rather smite on our bosoms with conscious guilt, and humble ourselves before God as “the very chief of sinners!”

2. How greatly we need the provisions of the Gospel.

I have before said, that, to remedy the evils which sin has brought into the world, God has sent his only dear Son to make atonement for us, and his Holy Spirit to renew us after the divine image. And now I ask you: Whether anything less than this would have sufficed? What could you have done to expiate your own guilt? Or how could you ever, with such polluted hearts as yours, have attained a fitness for Heaven? You might as easily have built a world out of nothing, as have effected either of these things.

Nor is there any difference between one man and another in these respects. One may differ from another in respect of outward sin; but in respect of alienation of heart from the holy Law of God, and an utter incapacity to restore ourselves to his favor—all are on a perfect level. I entreat you, then, all of you without exception, to “wash in the Fountain opened for sin and for impurity, Zechariah 13:1,” and to cry mightily to God for the renewing influences of his Holy Spirit, so that you may have your past iniquities forgiven, and be “created anew after the divine image in righteousness and true holiness! Ephesians 4:24.” Then will you be brought to that state which every true Christian must attain, “abhorring that which is evil, and cleaving to that which is good, Romans 12:9;” and then will God be glorified in you, both in this world and in the world to come! 2 Thessalonians 1:10.

Charles Simeon