Psalm 150:6

“Let everything that has breath praise the Lord!”

Greatly diversified has David’s experience been, as depicted in the Book of Psalms. Sometimes we find him bowed down under a sense of sin, and sometimes sunk almost in the depths of despondency. But here we view him elevated as on Mount Tabor, and breathing, as it were, the very atmosphere of Heaven. It would seem as if all the concluding Psalms had been penned at the close of life, when his soul was altogether ripened for glory. In all the five last Psalms he speaks the language of praise. Every one of them begins and ends with Hallelujah, that is, “Praise the Lord.” In the Psalm before us, short as it is, he repeats his exhortation no less than thirteen times. O that he might not repeat it in vain! O that we might “drink into his spirit,” and be transported, like him, with love and gratitude, with adoration and thanksgiving!

Be it known, that:

I. God deserves praise from those whom he has made.

What perfection of God is there, which, if duly contemplated, is not a fit subject for praise? His goodness, his mercy, his loving-kindness, his truth, and his faithfulness, call for the loudest praises of all his creatures. The same we may say of his justice too; for though to ungodly men it is a formidable attribute—yet to the creation at large it has a bright and favorable aspect, inasmuch as it is adverse to nothing but what is hostile to the interests of the whole intelligent creation.

But contemplate God in the person of his Son.

Think of him as assuming our nature, and expiating our sins by his own blood upon the cross, and as becoming the living Head of all his believing people—and, finally, as engaged to “perfect that which concerns them,” and to preserve them blameless to his heavenly kingdom.

Think of him, I say, in all that he has done and suffered for a ruined world, and in all that he has engaged to do for those who trust in him, and then say, whether the tongues of men and angels are sufficient to declare his goodness, or whether eternity itself will suffice to utter all his praise, Psalm 106:2. Surely it is well and justly said, that “his name is above all blessing and praise! Nehemiah 9:5.”

II. There is not “a thing that breathes” which has not abundant occasion to praise him.

We speak not of irrational beings (though they do praise him according to their ability;) but of “man, into whose nostrils God originally breathed the breath of life, Genesis 2:7.” Of all people without exception we say, that they have reason to praise their God. This is true of,

1. Those who are yet in heathen darkness.

Innumerable are the blessings which they enjoy. The constitution of their bodies and the faculties of their souls are fit subjects for adoration and thanksgiving. The various blessings provided for the maintenance and support of man, call also for the most grateful acknowledgments, Acts 14:17. There is no man whose comforts do not far exceed his deservings.

2. Those who enjoy the light of Scripture Revelation.

Unspeakable are the blessings with which they are favored. The revelation given to the Jews was dark and shadowy; yet that is spoken of as an inestimable benefit conferred upon them, Deuteronomy 4:8. Nehemiah 9:13-14; what thanks and praise then should we render unto God for the clearer light of his Gospel! O, what wonders of love and mercy are there revealed! How plain is the instruction there given to all who desire to have their feet guided into the way of peace! Whoever perishes for lack of knowledge now, must confess that his desert of condemnation is beyond measure aggravated, John 3:19, and that his destruction arises solely from his contempt of offered mercy.

3. Those who are brought to a saving knowledge of Christ.

What thanks can you ever render to the Lord for the benefits which he has conferred on you?

Think of the extent and magnitude of those blessings.

Think how entirely you owe them to the sovereign grace of God.

Think what a difference is hereby put between you and others, not in this world only, but also in the world to come; and not for time only, but for eternity!

Will not the very stones cry out against you, if you are silent? Methinks your every thought should be adoration and your every word be praise!

We shall need no farther inducement to praise our God, if only we reflect that,

III. The more we abound in sincere praise and worship, the more exalted will our happiness be.

What employment have we for our breath, that can be compared with this? Doubtless there is much happiness in social converse; but this is nothing in comparison with that which is enjoyed in converse with our God. The language of prayer is delightful to every humble soul; but the language of praise is an anticipation and foretaste of Heaven itself! In Heaven there is no other employment, nor will there be to all eternity! Revelation 5:13. It is not possible for a man to be otherwise than happy while he is blessing and praising God. This is not an occupation in which a mind discontented or disconsolate can engage; there must of necessity be peace, and love, and gratitude, and joy. Yes, in proportion as the praise is ardent, there must be, as the foundation of it, an admiring, an adoring, an overwhelming sense of the Divine goodness!

APPLICATION.

Do not let any of you say, ‘This employment is not for me.’ It is the duty of “everything that has breath.” There is no creature in the universe so afflicted, but he has encouragement to pray, and scope for praise. Some have an idea that nothing but sighing and mourning are suited to their condition; and that the voice of praise and thanksgiving is for those only who have attained a fuller assurance of their acceptance with God. But they might as well say, that gratitude was not their duty, as, that they were not called upon to express their gratitude in the language of praise. Know, brethren, that “whoever offers God praise, glorifies him;” and, his desire is, that every mourning soul should “put off his sackcloth, and gird him with gladness.”

I would not discourage sincere humiliation; for I well know that it should ever be an associate of our sublimest joys; but this I would say to all: That Christ came to “give unto them the oil of joy for mourning, and the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness;” and that, in the experience of this, they shall approve themselves “trees of righteousness, the planting of the Lord, in whom he will be glorified.”

To every creature then, without exception, whether high or low, rich or poor, old or young, I would say with David in a foregoing Psalm, “Praise the name of the Lord! Psalm 148:11-13.” Yes, fill your heart with grateful praise! “Hallelujah, Hallelujah!”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 149:4-7

“For the LORD takes delight in his people; he crowns the humble with salvation. Let the saints rejoice in this honor and sing for joy on their beds. May the praise of God be in their mouths and a double-edged sword in their hands, to inflict vengeance on the nations and punishment on the peoples.”

The world is ready to account those weak and enthusiastic who abound in the exercise of spiritual duties; but there is nothing in the universe that more accords with the dictates of reason, than such a state. If God have not given us sufficient grounds to love and serve him, then we may doubt whether the supreme affection of our souls is due to him. But we need go no further than the text in order to justify the warmest expressions of our love to him, and the most unreserved dedication of all our powers to his service.

The exhortations in the text are full of energy; and they are founded on God’s love to us. In order therefore to be duly sensible of their force, we must consider:

I. God’s kindness to us.

This is expressed both by the internal regard which he bears towards us, and by the outward manifestations of it to our souls.

1. God loves his people.

He esteems them as “his peculiar treasure, Exodus 19:5.” Those who fear God are considered as “his people,” in contradistinction to those who belong to Satan, “You belong to your father, the devil, and you want to carry out your father’s desire! John 8:44.”

He has delight in their persons, notwithstanding all their vileness; for he views them as “complete in Christ, Colossians 2:10.”

When they are mourning and weeping for their extreme sinfulness, he looks on them with heartfelt complacency, Isaiah 66:2. Jeremiah 31:18; Jeremiah 31:20, and delight, Proverbs 11:20.

Even when they are doubting his love towards them, he marks them as the objects of his tenderest affection and incessant care, Isaiah 49:14-16.

He takes delight also in their services.

Their prayers are his delight, Proverbs 15:8;
their tributes of praise are esteemed his glory, Psalm 50:23;
their alms are a sacrifice with which he is well pleased, Hebrews 13:16;
their every grace is in his sight of great price, 1 Peter 3:4.
Their holy purposes, though not allowed by him to be carried into effect, are noticed by him with approbation, 1 Kings 8:18-19;
nor are even their fainter inclinations, 1 Kings 14:13, or their transient thoughts, Malachi 3:16, allowed to pass without a suitable reward.

2. He makes them lovely.

The distinguishing characteristic of the Lord’s people is, that they are “meek;” their hearts being humbled, their proud impetuous passions are hushed to silence. These the Lord “beautifies with salvation” now.

The lion becomes a lamb, Isaiah 11:6;
instead of the brier and thorn, the fir and myrtle-tree spring up, Isaiah 55:13;
and even blood-thirsty murderers become humble and loving saints, Acts 2:23; Acts 2:41-47.

The very countenances of God’s people often bear a visible mark of the change wrought in them; so that we may almost literally say, “They have the mark of the Lamb on their foreheads! Revelation 22:4.”

There is a beautiful symmetry discernible in all their conduct. “The beauty of the Lord their God is upon them, Psalm 90:17;” and as that consists, not in the exercise of any one perfection, but in a union and harmony of all, however opposite to human appearance; so their beauty is seen, not in the exercise merely of meekness or fortitude, of fear or confidence—but in the just temperament, and combination, of every Christian grace. In a word, they are renewed after God’s image, Ephesians 4:24; and have the change carried on from one degree of glory to another by the Spirit of the Lord, 2 Corinthians 3:18.

But in an infinitely higher degree will they be beautified, when their salvation shall be complete. Then they shall have no remains of sin or corruption; their bodies shall be made like unto Christ’s glorious body, Philippians 3:21; their souls also shall be without spot or blemish as truly as his, Ephesians 5:27; arrayed in the robes of his perfect righteousness, and adorned with a crown of glory, Revelation 6:11; Revelation 7:14. 2 Timothy 4:8; they shall shine forth above the sun in the firmament forever and ever! Daniel 12:3. Matthew 13:43.

And when Christ himself shall come in his glory, he will be admired in them, and glorified in them, 2 Thessalonians 1:10.

After viewing the obligations we owe to God, we cannot but be prepared to hear,

II. Our duty to God.

There is a correspondence between the mercies we receive from God—and the service which he requires at our hands.

Does he take delight in us? We should delight ourselves in him.

Does he exert himself to beautify us? We should labor to glorify him.

1. We should ever delight in God.

Those who God has set apart for himself as “his people,” and rendered “meek” after the example of Jesus—are properly called “his saints.” And though men scoff at that name, and make it a term of reproach, they whom God has honored with it, have reason to rejoice and glory in such an honorable appellation. With them, praise should be . . .
the subject of their thoughts,
the language of their lips,
the very element in which they breathe, Psalm 33:1.

It is their privilege as well as their duty to rejoice in the Lord, to rejoice in him evermore, Philippians 4:4, to rejoice in him with joy unspeakable and full of glory, 1 Peter 1:8.

When they rise in the morning, their praise should ascend up as incense; yes, when they are lying “upon their beds,” they should have their waking thoughts occupied with God, and “sing aloud” for joy.

Nor should they be contented with the solitary expressions of their love to God; they should commend him to others, and stir up all around them to magnify his name. Such was the delightful employment of the Psalmist, Psalm 63:3-6; Psalm 96:1-4; and such a devotedness of soul to God is no other than our reasonable service, Romans 12:1.

2. We should fight the Lord’s battles.

The Jews were to approve their love to God by extirpating his enemies among the heathen. There are enemies also with whom he requires us to contend; but “the weapons of our warfare are not carnal;” it is not our fellow-creatures that we are called to destroy, but “the lusts that war in our members.” The world, the flesh, and the devil, are our enemies, and God’s. Against them we vowed eternal enmity; nor are we ever to sheathe the sword until they are all put under our feet. God has prepared for us a divine panoply—an armor of heavenly temper, Ephesians 6:13-17. Clad with this, we must “go forth continually conquering, and to conquer.” We must “fight a good fight,” and “war a good warfare, 1 Timothy 1:18; 1 Timothy 6:12,” and “endure hardship as good soldiers of Jesus Christ, 2 Timothy 2:3.”

Thus fighting and singing must be joined together; for “the joy of the Lord is our strength, Nehemiah 8:10;” and then shall we be most victorious, when we go forth to battle singing the praises of our God! 2 Chronicles 20:21-23.

Address,

1. Those who rest satisfied with a mere formal religion.

What suitableness is there in such a state to the temporal mercies we receive at God’s hands?

If he calls us to holy joy—should we be cold or lukewarm?

If he commands us to maintain a continual warfare—should we yield ourselves willing captives to our enemies, or make a truce with them for a moment?

Be it known, that whatever the world may think of such a lukewarm state, God utterly abhors it! Revelation 3:16.

2. Those who profess to serve and enjoy God.

Glorious indeed is the salvation to which you are called; and well may you rejoice in it! But oh! be careful also to “walk worthy of it, Ephesians 4:1.” If you profess that God has delight in you, take care that you are also adorned and beautified with his divine image. If you rejoice and glory in God, take care also that the sword is ever in your hand, to cut off whatever is displeasing in his sight! Matthew 18:7-9. Beware also lest you decline from the happy state to which you have been brought; beware lest, by cowardice or sloth, you rob your soul of its beauty and happiness, and make him your enemy, who desires nothing so much as to show himself your friend, Isaiah 63:10.

Charles Simeon

Psalm 149:2

“Let the people of Zion be joyful in their King!”

It appears somewhat strange that a religion coming from Heaven, and purporting to make men happy, should almost universally be considered as a source of melancholy, and as destructive of all personal and social comfort. But it may be easily accounted for. The gospel calls men from the pleasures of sin, and promises them sublimer pleasures in its stead. But unregenerate men, knowing nothing of spiritual joy; they have no idea that any such thing exists; whereas the carnal joys which they are to sacrifice, have afforded them many a delicious feast!

Hence, until, through faith in the divine records, they feel the bitterness of sin, or taste the felicity of God’s chosen people, they will and must suppose, that they are called to relinquish what is substantial, and to grasp a shadow. But the saints of old have invariably attested, that religion’s ways are ways of pleasantness and peace; and David, who was no incompetent judge of this matter, exhorts every subject of the Redeemer’s kingdom to rejoice in Zion’s King. We shall,

I. Explain his exhortation.

Who are the people of Zion?

Not every man by nature, seeing we are “children of wrath, Ephesians 2:3.” Not any man by education, since it is beyond the power of man to convey to others such principles and dispositions, as are necessary to bring them into that near relation to the Church of God, 1 Corinthians 3:7. John 1:13. We must be born from above, through the influence of God’s Word and Spirit, 1 Peter 1:23; and until a supernatural change has been wrought on all the faculties of our souls by God himself, whatever we may profess to be, we are, beyond a doubt, aliens from the commonwealth of Israel, 2 Corinthians 5:17. John 3:5.

Who is their King?

It is to Christ alone that this name belongs, Zechariah 9:9. He is indeed the King of all the earth, and has the whole creation under his control. But, in this sense many are his subjects who despise his person and hate his government. Whereas over Zion he reigns by the most cordial consent of all his redeemed people, there not being so much as one who does not know him, love him, serve him, and desire the very thoughts of his heart to be subjected to his law. On the other hand, he . . .
affords them his protection,
supplies their every need, and
makes them victorious over all their enemies.

What is their duty towards him?

It is not sufficient that they yield obedience to his will, as slaves to a tyrant whom they fear. They must:
love his person,
delight in his commands,
be zealous for his glory,
and rely humbly on his care.

In a word, they must rejoice in him. This is essential to the Christian character, Philippians 4:4; Philippians 3:3; and, if we attain not to this spirit, we are more inexcusable than the Jews, and liable to a heavier doom, Deuteronomy 28:45; Deuteronomy 28:47.

We do not say indeed that the children of Zion are never to mourn; for mourning is both introductory to joy, and consistent with it; yes, it is even a very necessary ingredient of that joy, which we ought to feel in the contemplation of Christ’s character and offices; and the more fervently we love him, the more deeply shall we lament, that our love and joy are so disproportioned to his worth.

The several parts of the exhortation being explained, we shall,

II. Enforce it.

Here each part that has been explained, suggests a powerful argument for rejoicing in Christ. Consider:

1. The duty itself.

What can be more pleasant? It is not to any painful duty that we are called, but to rejoice, and to have all the faculties of our souls engaged in the very employment of Heaven. What can be more reasonable? If the gospel furnished us with no grounds of joy, or were as empty and unsatisfying as the world, it would be unreasonable to expect any happiness to flow from it; but it sets before us innumerable occasions of joy; and not only permits, but enjoins, us to bear our part in the felicity of God’s chosen people. Shall we not then obey the call?

2. The object in whom we are to rejoice.

This is none other than our adorable Emmanuel, who combines in himself all the perfections of the Godhead, and all the excellencies of the most spotless manhood.

Moreover, the love he has manifested towards his subjects, is such as infinitely surpasses our highest conceptions; he assumed our nature, and died for us, while we were in actual rebellion against him! And what a delightful sway does he exercise over them! So light and easy is his yoke, that there is not one of his laws, no, not one, which may not be summed up in this: Be happy! What rewards too does he bestow, not on a few favorites only, but on all his subjects! There is not one of them whom he does not make a king like unto himself, and place upon a throne like unto that on which he himself is seated at the right hand of God, Revelation 1:6. John 14:3. Shall we refuse to rejoice in such a King as this?

3. The people who are called upon to rejoice.

If this exhortation were addressed to the people of this world, they might reply: “We know him not; we see no beauty in him for which he is to be desired; nor have we cause to expect anything at his hands but wrath and fiery indignation; how then shall we rejoice in him?”

But the redeemed know that “he is fairer than ten thousand, and altogether lovely;” they have experienced the virtue of his blood to purge a guilty conscience, and the efficacy of his grace to sanctify a polluted heart.

For them, he makes continual intercession in the presence of God.

For them, he every moment exercises his almighty power.

For them, he is coming shortly to judge the world, that he may take them to himself, to behold his glory, and participate in his blessedness, forever and ever! Shall they then be reluctant to comply? Surely, if they be, “the very stones must cry out against them! Luke 19:40.”

ADDRESS.

1. To those who have never yet rejoiced in Christ.

What relation can you have to Zion? How can it be said of you, This man was born in her? Psalm 87:5-6. And what excuse can you urge before God? Your ignorance of Christ? This is your sin, and not your excuse. He is willing to make you happy under his government, if you will submit yourselves unto him. “Kiss him” then, in token of your reverence and subjection, “lest he be angry, and you perish forever! Psalm 2:12.”

2. To those who are going on their way rejoicing.

Take care that you make Christ, and not your own frames or feelings, the object and ground of your joy. And guard against pride, self-confidence, and sin of whatever kind, knowing that such things will vitiate and destroy all the happiness of the soul. David’s advice must ever be attended to, “Rejoice with trembling! Psalm 2:11.”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 148:14

“A people near unto Him.” KJV

The Psalmist, enrapt in ecstasy, is here calling upon the whole creation to praise God. He addresses himself to all creatures in Heaven and in earth, rational and irrational, animate and inanimate—to render to their Creator that honor of which they are capable.

Last of all he addresses “the saints,” “whom God has exalted with peculiar honor,” to abound in this duty; to which, indeed, they are called far more than even the angels themselves. The angels may well magnify his name, for forming them so holy, for making them so happy, and especially for preserving them from falling; when myriads of other angels, as high and holy and happy as themselves, fell from their first estate, and plunged themselves into irretrievable and endless woe! But the fallen angels cannot speak of Redeeming Love. They know nothing of pardon; of pardon bought with blood; and that blood the blood of God’s co-equal, co-eternal Son. They know nothing of a righteousness wrought out for them by God in their own nature; and hence it is observable, that, in Heaven, while the redeemed “stand round about the throne,” “the angels stand round about the elders,” and consequently at a greater distance from their God.

This was intimated by the admission of the children of Israel into the courts of the Temple; while no Gentile, of whatever rank, or under any pretext whatever, was admitted there, except into the court especially assigned to them. This was intended to shadow forth that spiritual nearness to God which his saints alone can either enjoy or conceive. They alone, of all men, answer to the description given in the text.

I. The saints are near to God by relation.

God has from eternity “chosen them in Christ Jesus,” and “predestined them to the adoption of sons by Jesus Christ to himself! Ephesians 1:4-5.” In due season he called them by his Word, and begat them by the incorruptible seed, the Word of God; so that they are actually “partakers of the divine nature, 2 Peter 1:4;” and are, in the most strict and comprehensive sense, “sons and daughters of the Lord Almighty.” He has yet further united them by faith to his only-begotten Son; so that they are become one with him, one in nature, “members of his body, even of his flesh and of his bones, Ephesians 5:30;” yes, and one spirit with him too; for “he who is joined to the Lord is one spirit with him, 1 Corinthians 6:17.”

Of all this, not one syllable can be spoken by the world at large; it is all the peculiar and exclusive privilege of the saints; who, from having been “strangers and foreigners, like others, have been made fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God, Ephesians 2:19.”

II. The saints are near to God by choice.

It is certainly true, that “they have not chosen God; but God, in the first instance, chose them, John 15:16.” It is true, also, that they have been “drawn by the Father” himself to the state in which they stand John 6:44. They have, however, been drawn, not as stocks and stones, but “with the cords of a man, and with the bands of love, Hosea 11:4;” and they have been made “a willing people in the day of God’s power Psalm 110:3.”

They no more serve God by compulsion, than they served Satan. They were free agents in their former state; and they are so still. They come to God in Christ, and “offer up their whole selves to him as living sacrifices, holy and acceptable to God as a reasonable service, Romans 12:1.” They wish to be entirely and altogether his, “sanctified wholly unto him in body, soul, and spirit, 1 Thessalonians 5:23.” Were it in their power, they would have “every thought of their hearts captivated to the obedience of Christ! 2 Corinthians 10:5.”

All this, they would account perfect freedom; it is the freedom and felicity of Heaven; and every approach to it they regard as a Heaven upon earth. Could they attain their perfect wish, every true Christian would be ever with Jesus, and altogether like Him; being as holy as He is holy; and as perfect as He is perfect!

In consequence of this choice, they are also near to him,

III. The saints are near to God by habit.

They live as ever in his presence, and as “seeing Him who is invisible, Hebrews 11:27.” When they lie down to rest, they commit themselves altogether to his care. “When they wake in the morning, they are still with him, Psalm 139:18,” and he is present to their minds. With him they hold sweet converse, not only in the stated seasons of prayer, but throughout the day. They “set him always before them;” and “whether they eat or drink, or whatever they do—they do it to the glory of his name.” “In him they live and move and have their being.” They “walk with him, even as Enoch did, Genesis 5:24;” consulting him in all their doubts, relying on him in all their difficulties, and receiving both good and evil at his hands.

So intimate and continued is their fellowship with him, that “they dwell in God, and God in them; they are one with him, and he with them, John 6:56; John 14:23.” In a word, “Christ lives in them,” and “is their very life;” so that it is “no longer they that live, but Christ who lives in them;” so entirely do “they live the life which they now live in the flesh, by faith in the Son of God, who has loved them, and given himself for them! Galatians 2:20.” To them, in a measure is the Paradisiacal state restored; so that “they walk altogether, as it were, in the light of God’s countenance, Psalm 89:15.”

Improvement.

1. What cause, then, have the saints for gratitude!

Have you been brought to this blessed state? Then remember in what state you once were! You were once as far from God as any of the human race are at this hour; and you would have been as far from him as Hell itself, with an impassable gulf between you, if he had not mercifully interposed by the blood of his Son, and the operations of his Spirit, to prevent it! Ephesians 2:13.

When, therefore, you look at lost men, and see the difference which Divine Grace has made between you, say, ‘Why me, Lord? Why me?’ You cannot but see that “some are taken, and others left, Matthew 24:40-41;” and you can trace this to no cause but the sovereign grace of God!

Are you then saved? O! admire and adore the grace of God; and let your adoration be such as is observed among the heavenly hosts; they “fall upon their faces,” while they sing! Revelation 7:11. Do likewise; let there be no self-preference or self-delight in you; but let God be magnified, and your souls be abased in the dust!

2. What cause have they, too, for shame!

It is surprising that people thus highly favored should ever be found at a distance from God! But the very holiest of men have hearts “bent to backslide from God,” and to “start aside, even as a deceitful bow, Hosea 7:16; Hosea 11:4.” Who among you, brethren, is not sensible of this? You can know little of your own hearts, if you do not see it; and little of God’s grace, if you do not bitterly lament it. Ah! be ashamed, that ever your desires after God should languish, or your delight in him abate. Stir up yourselves, brethren, and beg of God to quicken you; that you may correspond fully with the description in my text, and be at all times “a people near to him.” See how he complains of you in relation to this matter, “O that my people had hearkened unto me, and Israel had walked in my ways! I would soon have subdued their enemies, and turned my hand against their adversaries. I would have fed them also with the finest of the wheat; and with honey out of the rock would I have satisfied them! Psalm 81:13-14; Psalm 81:16.”

Yes; you cannot but know why it is that your strength is so small, and that your consolations are so few. It is altogether owing to your not walking more closely with God; for, if you were near to him, as you should be, your souls would overflow with all manner of good; according to that promise which he has given, “The faithful man shall abound with blessings! Proverbs 28:20.”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 147:12-14

“Extol the LORD, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion, for
he strengthens the bars of your gates,
and blesses your people within you.
He grants peace to your borders,
and satisfies you with the finest of wheat.”

[Thanksgiving Sermon for Peace, written January 18, 1816. It is not to be supposed that the same circumstances will ever occur again; and therefore the first intention of the author was to omit them altogether. But he conceives that the statement of them may serve to show, how any other existing circumstances may be, not unprofitably, stated, when the occasion shall call for it.]

The common habit of mankind is to rest in the gift, and forget the Giver. But we should make the gifts of God a ladder, as it were, whereby to ascend to him; and take occasion from every blessing he communicates, to magnify and adore that bounty from which it proceeds. Nor should we be so engrossed with our personal mercies, as to overlook those which are national.

The pious Jews thought they could never sufficiently praise their God for his mercies given to Israel. The theme that beyond all delighted them was, to recount the wonders of love and mercy which their nation had experienced from their first coming out of Egypt even to the day wherein they lived.

Who was the author of this Psalm we do not know; but it seems evidently to have been written after the return of the Jews from the Babylonian Captivity, and most probably in the times of Nehemiah, who rebuilt the wall of Jerusalem, and dedicated it to God with sacrifices and songs of praise, Nehemiah 12:27; Nehemiah 12:43. Certainly God’s interpositions for that people exceeded all that ever he did for any other nation; but next to Israel, methinks, we of this country may adopt the language at the close of this Psalm, “He has not dealt so with any nation, verse 20.” Let us consider,

I. The grounds here stated for praise to God.

We forbear to enter on the Jewish history for the elucidation of our text; intending rather to confine ourselves to the mercies which we are at this time called to commemorate.

Behold then what the Lord has done for us!

1. Behold the protection which God has given to us.

“God strengthens the bars of your gates!”

Every country in Europe, except our own, has suffered from the ravages of war. Yet we, with our vast extent of coast, assailable from every port in Europe, and with every power in Europe at one time leagued against us, have been preserved from invasion; notwithstanding we were, far beyond any other nation, the objects of envy and hatred to our most powerful foe; and notwithstanding the immense preparations that were made by him for our destruction.

But God has truly “strengthened the bars of our gates,” so that they could not be forced; or rather “he himself has been a wall of fire round about us,” so that not even any serious attempt has been made to invade our land. Other nations far less accessible than ours have been made scenes of most dreadful devastation, [Russia in 1812]; but with respect to us, such a restraint has been imposed on our enemies, that they could never carry into execution their cruel projects, Psalm 124:1-8.

2. Behold the blessings with which God has loaded us.

“God blesses your people within you!”

He has blessed us with increase, so that, notwithstanding the ravages of war, our population has greatly increased. With union of sentiment he has blessed us to an extent almost unprecedented in our history. The whole nation has been fully convinced, that the war was both just and necessary, and that it was carried on, not for the gratifying of ambition, but for security and independence.

With a patient endurance of all the burdens occasioned by the war, all ranks and orders among us have also been greatly blessed. It could never have been conceived that such contributions could have been raised without exciting the most grievous complaints; but they have been paid with liberality and cheerfulness from one end of the land even to the other.

With a respect for religion also we have been blessed beyond any former period of our existence as a nation. The societies that have sprung up, in the very midst of war, for the diffusion of the Holy Scriptures throughout the world, for the conversion of both Jews and Gentiles to Christ, for the instruction of the rising generation, and for the promotion of piety in every possible way, have far exceeded all that had arisen during whole centuries before.

Truly these things abundantly show how greatly God has blessed us; insomuch that we may say, like Israel of old, “He has not dealt so with any nation! verse 20.”

3. Behold the restoration of peace in our borders.

“He grants peace to your borders.”

With only two short intervals, the war has continued twenty-five years; and now at last we are favored with a peace, which, we hope and trust, will be of long continuance. It is not such a peace as has been often made, a peace no better than an armed truce; but one which our enemy will scarcely venture to violate, seeing that all Europe is leagued together for its preservation. To say that it is a favorable peace, is to disparage it altogether; for it infinitely surpasses all that our most optimistic or ambitious statesmen of former days ever ventured to desire. It has left us too in a state of elevation, prosperity, and power, which our country never before attained. And we have the happiness to say, it is universal, in India, no less than in America and Europe.

Now has the happy time come when, “They will beat their swords into plowshares and their spears into pruning hooks. Nation will not take up sword against nation, nor will they train for war anymore. Every man will sit under his own vine and under his own fig tree, and no one will make them afraid, for the LORD Almighty has spoken! Micah 4:3-4.”

4. Behold the abundant provision which God has made for our needs.

“God satisfies you with the finest of wheat!”

When an extraordinary plenty was predicted by the prophet Elisha in Samaria, the answer given him by the chief courtier was, “Behold, if the Lord would make windows in Heaven, might this thing be? 1 Kings 7:1-2.” In other words, “The thing is impossible.”

In the same strain would anyone have replied, if the existing state of things had been predicted as to be accomplished among us. But behold, we are, contrary to all reasonable expectation, so “filled with the finest of the wheat,” that the very cheapness of it creates a general embarrassment; and this singular phenomenon exists, that the only subject of complaint heard in the nation at this time is, that God has been too good to us, and has overwhelmed us, as it were, with his superabundant kindness and bounty. The promise made to Israel has been almost literally fulfilled to us; he has given us such abundance, that “we have scarcely room to receive it! Malachi 3:10.”

Such being the circumstances of our country at this day, let us consider,

II. Our duty arising from them.

Every blessing which God bestows, whether on nations or individuals, calls for a suitable tribute of praise and thanksgiving. Such a tribute are we at this time called to pay, “Praise the Lord, O Jerusalem; praise your God, O Zion!”

In order that we may discharge this debt for so many mercies:

1. Let us view the hand of God in our multiplied mercies.

As “war and pestilence and famine are judgments sent of God,” so peace and all other national blessings are the gifts of his gracious providence. “There is neither good nor evil in a city, but it proceeds from God.” Especially must he be viewed in all those great mercies which have been given to us. Israel of old had not more abundant reason for the acknowledgments made by them, than we ourselves to adopt their strains! See Psalm 124:1-8. We are but too apt to be looking to second causes, and to be giving to the creature the honor that is due to God alone. But let us be on our guard against this, lest we turn every blessing that has been bestowed upon us into a curse!

2. Let us duly appreciate the value of our multiplied mercies.

It is not easy for us, who have seen so little of the calamities of war, to estimate in any measure aright, either the protection we have experienced, or the peace which has terminated all our dangers. But, if we could go over a field of battle where myriads of the dead and dying are strewed upon the ground; if we could traverse whole provinces which have been desolated by fire and sword, where countless multitudes are reduced to the utmost possible distress and misery by their pitiless enemies; if we could see with what rapid strides pestilence and famine are following in the train of war—then methinks we should need no exhortation to gratitude for the blessings we now enjoy.

True it is that spiritual blessings are of incalculably greater importance; and if we could say, that we had been protected from the incursions of sin and Satan; that we had been “blessed with all spiritual blessings in heavenly things in Christ Jesus;” that we had been brought to a state of peace with God and in our own consciences; and that we enjoyed in rich profusion the bread of life—we should then have more abundant cause for praise.

But we must not forget that our temporal blessings, especially when compared with the troubles which we might have been at this time enduring, have a most favorable aspect on our spiritual welfare; and that the more spiritual we are, the more disposed we shall be to acknowledge God’s kindness towards us, wherever it has been displayed.

We must remember, too, that, as members of the great body of the nation, we are called to bless God for our national mercies. Now national mercies are of a temporal nature; no nation, as a nation, participates in spiritual blessings, any further than the mere external enjoyment of them; individuals alone have the grace of God in their hearts; and therefore, as members of the national body, we are bound, in whatever capacity we have received God’s mercies, in that capacity, as far as possible, gratefully to requite them.

3. Let us render unto God the tribute our multiplied mercies demand.

“Praise” is surely the least that we can render for such accumulated blessings; and this, as is observed in the Psalm before us, is “both lovely and pleasant! verse 1.”

Behold how Moses adored God for the deliverance of Israel from the Egyptian hosts, Exodus 15.

See how David makes every distinct blessing a subject of distinct acknowledgment, and no less than twenty-six times in as many short verses ascribes everything to the free and everlasting mercy of his God! Psalm 136. See particularly verse 1, 2, 3, 26. And as David elsewhere calls on every rank and order of society to discharge that debt to God, Psalm 135:19-21; Psalm 150:1-6, so in our text both “Jerusalem and Zion,” both priests and people, are called upon to praise the Lord. Yes, the Psalm both begins and ends with this just requirement, “Praise the Lord; praise the Lord.” Let every one among us then stir up his soul to this blessed work; and “let all that is within us bless his holy name.”

Let us not however rest in acknowledgments, however devout. There is a more substantial way in which we are bound to praise him, that is, in our lives, “by giving up ourselves to his service, and by walking before him in holiness and righteousness all our days!” This is the union which God himself prescribes, “Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God–this is your spiritual act of worship! Romans 12:1.”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 147:11

“The Lord takes pleasure in those who fear him, in those who hope in his mercy!”

In the Psalms of David we have innumerable exhortations to praise our God. At the same time, we have innumerable grounds of praise set before us. In the Psalm before us we are told how abundant he is in mercy both to the Church and to the whole creation; and that, while there is nothing of created excellence that merits his regard, verse 10, “he takes pleasure” in those who manifest the very smallest symptoms of a new creation within them.

The words of my text are, in this view, worthy of peculiar attention. In them we see,

I. How low God stoops to the objects of his favor.

Had he spoken of himself as noticing angels—it would have been a wonderful mark of his condescension and grace; for “he humbles himself when he beholds the things that are in Heaven, Psalm 113:6,” and “charges even his angels with folly, Job 4:18.”

But the people whom he speaks of here, as objects of his favor, are of the lowest possible order of saints. In point of regard for God, they rise no higher than “fear;” and in point of confidence in God, they go not beyond a “hope in his mercy.”

What can be lower than the mere “fear” of God?

A person destitute of this has not the smallest evidence whatever of the divine approbation. He cannot have it. A man without the fear of God is a decided enemy to God; and God is, and must be, an enemy to him.

A person, the very instant he is born of God, must of necessity fear to offend him, and endeavor, by a holy conformity to his will, to please him. After having made a progress in the divine life, he will attain to higher exercises of grace; but in this the lowest state of conversion, God will regard him as an object of his favor.

And what lower attainment can we conceive, than a mere “hope in his mercy?”

This supposes that a man feels himself a sinner, justly liable to God’s wrathful indignation. It supposes, too, that he despairs of ever being able to do anything that shall conciliate the divine power! He sees and feels that he must entirely cast himself on the mercy of God in Christ Jesus. At the same time, he sees that there is a sufficiency for him in Christ; a sufficiency in his death to atone for all sin; and a sufficiency in his righteousness, to justify all who shall be clothed in it before God. With these views, he indulges a hope that even he may obtain mercy at God’s hands; and on God’s mercy he casts himself without reserve; determining, if he perishes, to perish at the foot of the cross, imploring mercy of God for Christ’s sake.

Lower than this we cannot go; for if a person has not attained to this, he has not entered into the fold of Christ. He may be an outward-court worshiper; but on the threshold of God’s sanctuary he has not so much as once set his foot.

Yet, as low as their condition is, the text informs us,

II. How high God soars in his regards towards them.

Had it been said that God would look with pity and compassion upon such feeble worms, it would have displayed in him a most astonishing extent of condescension and grace. But we are told, not that he will show favor to them, and accept them, but that “he takes pleasure” in them. Yet how can this be conceived? What can he ever see in them, that shall afford him pleasure? However little we may be able to conceive it, he does “take pleasure” in them.

1. God takes pleasure in looking upon them.

He himself draws this very character, and says, “To this man will I look, even to him who is of a broken and contrite spirit, and who trembles at my word! Isaiah 57:15; Isaiah 66:2.” If it is asked, What can he find in them to engage his regards? I answer, What can a mother behold in a new-born infant to engage her affections? The child, though so weak and helpless, is hers, a partaker of her nature, and an heir of her inheritance; and therefore she feels an intensity of interest in the child, and finds in the sight of it an exquisite delight!

2. God takes pleasure in answering their prayers.

A mother understands the cry of her child, and needs no further incentive to fulfill its desires. In the same way, God, too, understands the sigh, the groan, the very look of his children, and will grant to them whatever they can desire, provided it is really conducive to their good. “Even before they call, he will answer; and while they are yet speaking, he will hear! Isaiah 65:24.”

3. God takes pleasure in administering to all their needs.

All Heaven, as it were, shall be at their command, Jeremiah 31:20 with Psalm 34:10. In the aid that he affords, God will exert himself effectually, even “with his whole heart and his whole soul, Jeremiah 32:41;” and in the bestowment of his blessings, he will rejoice over the beloved object with such a joy and delight as God alone can feel, Zephaniah 3:17.

Are you, then, my brethren, partakers of this character?

Consider who it is that “has made us for this very purpose, 2 Corinthians 5:5;” and endeavor to “render to him according to the benefits he has conferred on you.” Do not say, ‘My attainments are so small, that they call for shame and sorrow, rather than for joy.’ For “God does not despise the day of small things, Zechariah 4:10;” neither must you despise it. Methinks the least that I can ask of you is this; If “God takes such pleasure” in you, then you must also take pleasure in him. The more you “delight yourselves in him,” the more assuredly shall you grow in everything that is good, until you have attained “the full measure of the stature of Christ.”

Is there one among you who is not of this character!

What pleasure can God ever take in you? Can he look with delight on a rebellious man that does not “fear him,” or on a self-righteous man that does not “hope in his mercy?” Impossible! for you counteract all the designs of his grace, and run, as it were, upon the thick bosses of his buckler, in your opposition to him. In such a state as this, what can you be but objects of his wrathful indignation, left for a season to fill up the measure of your iniquities, and to perish under an accumulated weight of misery!

Let me, then, entreat you to seek the graces which are here specified. Beg of God, for Christ’s sake, to “put his fear in your hearts;” and cast yourselves upon his mercy in Christ Jesus, “hoping even against hope.” Then, notwithstanding your deservings, you shall not perish, but have in yourselves an experience of that truth which God has revealed for the comfort and support of all his people, “that the blood of Jesus Christ his Son cleanses from all sin!”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 147:5-7

“Great is our Lord, and great is his power! His wisdom is infinite! The LORD sustains the humble but casts the wicked to the ground. Sing to the LORD with thanksgiving; make music to our God on the harp.”

A saving acquaintance with God is the one object which we should seek after; since by that alone can we ascertain the extent of our guilt and danger; or be brought to accept the salvation offered us in the Gospel. In the passage before us we have a glorious representation of him; and if we view him aright, our souls will be filled with unutterable peace and joy.

Let us consider,

I. The character of God as here declared.

1. God is here set before us in his essential attributes. He is a God of inconceivable power, and of infinite wisdom.

View him in the works of creation, and see what a union of these two perfections is displayed both in Heaven and earth.

Behold God’s inconceivable power, and of infinite wisdom in all the works of providence, upholding everything in its order, and accomplishing for everything all that is necessary for its well-being.

Behold God’s inconceivable power, and of infinite wisdom, above all in his works of grace. Well is the Gospel called the “wisdom of God and the power of God! 1 Corinthians 1:24.”

Truly when man had fallen after the example of angels, it seemed impossible but that he must also share their doom. But infinite wisdom devised a way whereby mercy might be extended to sinners in perfect consistency with the rights of justice; and the inconceivable power of God has carried into effect that plan, “laying help for us upon One that was mighty,” and opening, through the sacrifice of his only-begotten Son, a way of acceptance with him. 1 Timothy 1:15.

Had either of these perfections existed in him without the other, his power would have been an object of terror only, and his wisdom might have been exercised for us in vain. But their united exercise renders him a fit object for our most ardent love and unbounded trust!

2. God is here set before us in his dealings with mankind.

“The humble” are objects of his peculiar care. But under this name we do not comprehend those who are naturally of a calm and placid disposition; but those who are humbled under a sense of sin, and abased before God as deserving his wrath and indignation! Isaiah 61:1.

Now such as these “he lifts up,” speaking peace to their souls, and causing their hearts to overflow with joy, Isaiah 61:3; If there were but one such person in the universe, God would search him out, Isaiah 66:2; and “raise him up out of the dust to set him among princes, and to make him inherit a throne of glory, 1 Samuel 2:8.”

On the other hand, “the wicked,” who hold fast their wickedness and refuse to humble themselves before him, “he will cast down to the ground,” and consign over to everlasting perdition, Psalm 9:17. He will assuredly, and in all cases, carry into effect that determination which he has so often announced to us, of “abasing the proud, and exalting those who humble themselves before him! Isaiah 2:11.

Let us now proceed to mark,

II. The effect which this view of God should produce upon us.

In this view should every living soul rejoice.

1. The wicked themselves.

What a ground of joy should it be to them, that they are not, as they well might have been, already shut up in Hell, but that they have still an opportunity of embracing the salvation which infinite wisdom has devised; and almighty power is ready to impart! To every such person I say, Compare your state with those whose day of grace has closed, and, amidst all your sorrows for your past sins, bless and adore and magnify your God, that it is yet “the day of salvation” to you! 2 Corinthians 6:2, and that you have yet One following you with that blessed assurance, “Him who comes unto me, I will never cast out”.

2. The humble in particular.

Well does the Psalmist say to you, “Sing unto the Lord with thanksgiving; sing praise upon the harp unto our God.”

Do but think what a Protector you have, even one who is infinitely wise to discover all that your great adversary is plotting for your destruction; and infinitely powerful to shield you from his fiercest assaults! Surely you may adopt the triumphant language of Paul, Romans 8:35-39, since, however weak you are, God has engaged to “perfect his own strength in your weakness”.

Think too what a Friend you have, who will “supply your every need out of the fullness that is in Christ Jesus,” and employ all his wisdom and all his power for the enriching and comforting of your souls.

Lastly, think what a Rewarder you have, who has provided for you on earth whatever his infinite wisdom has judged best, and his almighty power can impart to make you happy; while in Heaven is reserved for you an eternity of inconceivable and unutterable bliss!

I say then to you especially, “tune your harps to sing the praises” of your redeeming God; and live in the habitual and delightful anticipation of the blessedness that awaits you in the eternal world!

Charles Simeon

Psalm 146:7-8

“He upholds the cause of the oppressed and gives food to the hungry.
The LORD sets prisoners free,
the LORD gives sight to the blind,
the LORD lifts up those who are bowed down,
the LORD loves the righteous.”

As David was a very eminent type of Christ, so was he inspired to prophesy of Christ; and, if we look no further than to the passages quoted out of the Psalms in the New Testament, we shall find that he wrote as fully and as minutely respecting the Messiah, as any other prophet whatever, not excepting even Isaiah himself.

He described his person as God and man, Psalm 8:4 with Hebrews 2:6 and Psalm 110:1 with Luke 20:42. or Psalm 45:6 with Hebrews 1:8.

He declared the whole of his work;

his first covenant engagements with the Father, Psalm 40:6-7 with Hebrews 10:6-7;

his incarnation, Psalm 8:5 with Hebrews 2:7;

together with his active obedience Psalm 69:9 with John 2:17;

and his unparalleled sufferings unto death, Psalms 22, 69 with all the accounts in the Gospels.

He foretold his resurrection, Psalm 16:10 with Acts 2:27; and ascension Psalm 68:18 with Ephesians 4:8;

his session at the right hand of God Psalm 110:1 with Acts 2:35;

and his final appearance to judge the world, Psalm 102:26-27 with Hebrews 1:12.

He proclaimed also his offices:
as a prophet, Psalm 78:2 with Matthew 13:35,
priest, Psalm 110:4 with Hebrews 7:17,
and king, Psalm 2:6 with Hebrews 1:5.

We do not indeed find the Psalm that is before us expressly cited in the New Testament; but the whole of it so accords with what is elsewhere spoken respecting him. Compare Isaiah 42:6-7; Isaiah 35:5 with John 9:32 and Matthew 11:3-5, and the very words of the text are so descriptive of what Christ himself declared to be the great end of his mission, Isaiah 61:1-3 with Luke 4:18; Luke 4:21.

N. B. The foregoing passages are cited only for the satisfaction of the reader, and not with a view to their being incorporated with the discourse. Nevertheless they would form the substance of a profitable discourse on Acts 2:25. (“David speaks concerning him;”) in which it might be shown how copiously and how minutely David speaks of the Messiah, that we can feel no hesitation in interpreting it as relating to Christ.

In this beautiful description then of our Lord’s compassion to man, we may observe:

I. Its boundless extent.

The calamities with which the human race are afflicted are very numerous; nor is there any trouble which the Lord will not either remove or sanctify, if we call upon him. But as the remedying of our spiritual maladies was the principal end of his coming, we shall direct our attention more immediately to them. In the words before us then we may notice his regards:

1. To the blind and willing slaves of sin.

The world at large are in bondage to their lusts, and to that wicked one who leads them captive at his will; and they are shut up under a sentence of condemnation for their numberless violations of the law of God! Galatians 3:23. Yet, so blind are they to their real state, that they cannot see, and will not believe it. Their cunning adversary has undertaken to be their guide, but has led them into the heart of the enemies country, and, if mercy do not interpose, into the very jaws of destruction! Alluding to 2 Kings 6:18-21.

But the Lord Jesus is not an unconcerned spectator of their misery; he is ready to weep over them as over the murderous Jerusalem; and even while they reject him, he “would gladly gather them, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings.”

He would give them an eye-salve, whereby they should be enabled to see clearly, Revelation 3:18.

He would cause their chains to fall off, and would say to them, go forth, and show yourselves, Isaiah 49:9 with Acts 5:18-20.

Yes, so desirous is he to exercise mercy towards them, that nothing but a determined rejection of his grace can involve them in final ruin.

2. To penitents “bowed down” under a sense of sin.

Whatever be the afflictions under which we groan, we may carry them all to him, with an assured expectation of sympathy and support, since he is at all times “a strength to the poor, a strength to the needy in his distress, Isaiah 25:4.”

But if sin is our burden,
if a sense of guilt lies heavy on our conscience,
if our indwelling corruption is to us as a putrid carcass from which we cannot get loose, and which causes us to loath and abhor ourselves

—then we need not fear but that our Lord will soon come to our help. “He will never break a bruised reed or quench the smoking flax, but will bring forth judgment unto victory.” The sighs and groans of a contrite soul will surely enter into his ears, and call forth his almighty aid. He may indeed for wise purposes allow the pressure to be heavy and of long continuance, Psalm 38:2; Psalm 38:4; Psalm 38:6; Psalm 38:8; Psalm 38:21-22; Psalm 142:6-7, insomuch that the weeping penitent may be ready to say, “The Lord will not hear, neither will the Almighty regard me;” but at the fittest season he will interpose to revive the drooping spirit, and to “make the bones which he has broken to rejoice.” “He will take the beggar from the dunghill to set him among the princes! 1 Samuel 2:7-8.”

3. To “the righteous” who are delivered from the power of sin.

They are justly deemed “righteous,” who, in the habit of their minds, and the general tenor of their lives, are devoted to God. Allowed sin, of whatever kind it were, would exclude us from this number, and mark us as children of the devil! 1 John 3:8. But if we are really clothed with the Redeemer’s righteousness, and “walking not after the flesh, but after the Spirit,” we need not fear to take to ourselves this honorable appellation, Romans 8:1. And if this character is ours, the Lord loves us, not merely as he does sinners in general, with a love of pity, but with a love of delight, “he rejoices over us with joy, he rests in his love, he rejoices over us with singing! Zephaniah 3:17.”

There is not any blessing which our souls can need, but God in his love will bestow it. We do not say, That he will forbear to chasten us (for that would be a mark of hatred rather than of love, Hebrews 12:6-8.) but, that he will deal with us in all things as a wise and tender parent, administering to us such things, in such a measure, at such a time, and in such a manner, as his unerring wisdom knows to be best for us.

But we cannot rightly appreciate the Savior’s love, unless we notice particularly:

II. Its unremitted exercise.

Long before David existed in the world, our Lord had shown forth all his love to his people in the wilderness; nor did he ever leave that ungrateful nation without abundant tokens of his regard.

In the days of his sojourning on earth, his whole life was spent in doing good to the most indigent and most unworthy.

Nor has he yet suspended the exercise of his grace; he still manifests his regard to his redeemed people, and effects his purposes towards them,

1. By his providence.

Wonderful are the ways whereby he accomplishes his own eternal counsels. The histories of Joseph and his family, and of Esther and the captive Jews, give us an insight into the things which are yet daily passing in the world.

Many events appear to us casual and trifling; but the truth is that not one is casual, not one is trifling. Every minute circumstance is ordered by the Lord, and forms a link in the chain of his unerring providence. Not a hair of our head falls, but by his appointment! It remains our duty to mark his dispensations with care, and improve them with diligence.

Let any whose eyes have been opened, or whose souls have been liberated from spiritual bondage, look back and see the way by which they have been brought to the enjoyment of these mercies; and they shall find such a mysterious chain of causes and effects as will furnish them with matter of astonishment to all eternity!

2. By his grace.

It is not said in the text that the Lord had done or should do those particular things ascribed to him; but he is spoken of as actually doing them; so that there is no day, no hour, wherein he is not engaged in this blessed work. He makes his Word effectual at this time, no less than formerly, “to turn men from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God.”

At this time also he heals the wounded spirit, and sheds abroad his love in the hearts of his faithful people. What if his Word has not as much energy as in the days of the Apostles? or his Spirit is not poured out in such an abundant measure? “Has he forgotten to be gracious, or, in anger, shut up his tender mercies?” Surely there are many in these days, who can say, I was once in bondage, but now enjoy liberty; I was blind, but now see; I was bowed down under a heavy load of temptation and corruption, but my strength has been renewed like the eagle’s; I once had no idea what was meant by the sealing of the Spirit, or the witness of the Spirit, but I have now received such tokens of my Savior’s love, as have assured my mind, that my “Beloved is mine, and I am his.”

Let it be known then that Christ is still communicating his blessings to his church, and that it is both our duty and our privilege to enjoy them.

INFERENCES.

1. How great is the folly and wickedness of those who neglect Christ!

If our maladies were of a bodily nature, and relief were offered to us—would we not be deemed insane if we despised it? And, if our benefactor had put himself to great expense and trouble to procure us that relief, would our contempt of him be thought a light offence? The application of this to our state is obvious.

But let the energetic language of the text be marked; why does the Psalmist no less than four times repeat the name of Christ? Is it not the more effectually to call our attention to him? And does not this in a very pointed manner reprove the sin of neglecting him? If then we would not greatly multiply our own sorrows, and rush on blindly to everlasting destruction, let us seek to experience his offered mercies, and to become the objects of his unalterable love.

2. How little reason is there for anyone to entertain desponding fears!

The state of those who are immured in dungeons under a sentence of condemnation, or are deprived of the faculty of vision, may be justly considered as desperate in the extreme, and as representing in very gloomy colors the condition of men’s souls.

But there is nothing impossible with God; our adorable Savior is both able and willing to effect deliverance; and, if, like the woman in the Gospel, we have been bowed down under a spirit of infirmity for eighteen, or eighty, years, Luke 13:11-12, one word of his can instantly release us. And, if once we are savingly interested in his righteousness, and renewed in the spirit of our minds, there is not anything which we may not expect from him; if once he loves us, he will love us to the end, John 13:1. Let none then say, There is no hope; but let us entertain worthy thoughts of our almighty Deliverer; for, however much our expectations of mercy may be raised, we can never be disappointed, if we put our trust in him.

Charles Simeon

Psalm 146:5

“Blessed is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God!”

How exalted was the frame of the Psalmist’s mind at the time he penned these words! “Praise the Lord. Praise the Lord, O my soul. While I live I will praise the Lord! I will sing praises unto my God while I have any being! verse 1, 2.” Who that reads these words does not envy him, and desire to be like him? But how shall we attain this heavenly frame? How did he acquire it? He had been contemplating the character of the Most High, and the saving interest which he himself enjoyed in the divine favor; and he records this as his decided testimony for the benefit of all future generations, “Blessed is he who has the God of Jacob for his help, whose hope is in the Lord his God!”

May the same benefit result to you, my brethren, while I,

I. Confirm his testimony.

Doubtless a carnal mind can see no blessedness in such contemplations as these; but one who is taught of God will fully accord with this inspired penman, from a conviction that the person here characterized may assure himself of two most important facts:

1. However numerous or powerful his enemies are, he can never be overcome.

Were his confidence in himself, he might soon be vanquished. Peter has manifested to us how weak the most intrepid man is, when left to himself; for, after all his boasting that he was ready to die with his Lord and Master, he denied him with oaths and curses. Nor is a person at all more secure who trusts in any created power, for
however powerful a man may be, he may not be able to afford the assistance that is needed;
or, if able, he may not be willing;
or, if willing, he may change his mind;
or, if fixed in purpose, he may be removed by death, when, of course, all his thoughts and purposes must perish! verse 3, 4.

But the man who sincerely trusts in God has an ever-present, an ever-willing, an immutable, an all-sufficient help! No confederacy, whether of men or devils, can prevail against him who sanctifies the Lord God in his heart, Isaiah 8:12-13, “There is a wall of fire round about him,” that will both afford him protection, and destroy his every assailant, Zechariah 2:5 with 2 Kings 6:16-17. He may confidently challenge the whole universe, “If God is for me, who can be against me, Romans 8:31.” Whether it is his body or his soul that is assaulted, he is equally secure, “No weapon that is formed against him,” whether wielded by men or devils, can ever prosper, Isaiah 54:17, “his God will be his shield and buckler, Psalm 18:2;” and “he shall be more than a conqueror through Him who loves him! Romans 8:37.”

2. However enlarged his expectations are, he can never be disappointed.

We cannot expect too little from man, or too much from God! God, in giving himself to us as our God, authorizes us to expect from him all that he himself can do, so far as our necessities require it. He himself says to us, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it! Psalm 81:10. We cannot open it too wide.

Take all the promises in God’s blessed Word;
take all that he has engaged for in his everlasting covenant;
take all that the Lord Jesus Christ has merited in our behalf;
take all that by any possibility we may ever need, for body or for soul, for time or for eternity;
take all the glory and blessedness of Heaven;
take the very throne and kingdom of God himself;
and put all this into one petition—and it shall all be given! Not an atom of it shall ever be lacking to the believing suppliant, so far as his soul shall be capable of enjoying it!

The believer should not be straitened in himself; for he is not straitened in his God. His hopes can never be too large; for God is both “able and willing to do for him . . .
all,
and above all,
and abundantly above all,
yes, exceeding abundantly above all,
that he can either ask or think! Ephesians 3:20.”

Such being the testimony here given us; namely, that the man whose “help” is in God can never be overcome, and whose “hope” is in God can never be disappointed! Let me,

II. Commend it to your special attention.

We suppose you all to wish for a participation of the Psalmist’s happiness. To all of you, then, I would say,

1. Seek to know the character of Jehovah, as here drawn.

We have not, in general, worthy conceptions of God, either as a God of Providence or as a God of Grace. We do not at all realize in our minds his universal agency, or the tender care which he takes of his believing people, insomuch that not a hair falls from the head of any of them without his special permission.

But see in what light the Psalmist viewed him, when he gave concerning him the testimony which we are now considering, “Blessed is he . . .
who has the God of Jacob for his help;
whose hope is in the Lord his God;
who made Heaven and earth, the sea and all that is therein;
who keeps truth forever;
who executes judgment for the oppressed;
who gives food to the hungry;
who loosens the prisoners,
and opens the eyes of the blind,
and raises those who are bowed down,
and loves the righteous,
and preserves the strangers,
and relieves the fatherless and the widow! verses 5-9.”

See all these diversified conditions; see the relief administered agreeably to the necessities of all; and then say, whether he be not happy who has this God for his help? If you had all the men upon earth engaged for your support, yes, and all the angels in Heaven too, it would be nothing in comparison with the blessings you enjoy.

Only realize the thought that every perfection of God is occupied day and night in your behalf, for the express purpose of securing and consummating your eternal happiness; and you will need nothing more to render you completely happy, amidst all the diversified scenes of this vain and troublesome world!

2. Seek to obtain a saving interest in him, as your God.

Doubtless, unless he is your God, you can derive no comfort from the consideration of his perfections; for, whatever he may be to others, to you he will be only “a consuming fire! Hebrews 12:29.”

But how shall he be made your God? There is but one way, and that is by sincere believing in the Lord Jesus Christ; for “to all that believe in Christ, is given the privilege of becoming sons of God, John 1:12;” “and if sons, then heirs, heirs of God, and joint-heirs with Christ, Romans 8:17.”

Look then, and see what a interest Christ himself possesses in the Father’s love; see all that the Father did for him; see him now sitting at the right hand of the Father, in inconceivable blessedness and glory. All this shall you also inherit together with him; for, “all things are yours, if you are Christ’s, 1 Corinthians 3:22-23.”

Will you not, then, come to Christ, and cleave unto him, and live by faith upon him? Methinks I need not urge this upon you; your own minds are already bent upon this; and you are determined, through grace, to renounce everything in comparison with Christ, and to make him “all your salvation and all your desire.”

3. Make use of God for all the ends for which he has given himself to you.

When once you can say, with David, “O God, you are my God!” then carry to this almighty Friend your every need, your every wish. Lean not at any time to your own wisdom; and undertake nothing in your own strength. Look to your God for guidance, even in the most common affairs of life; and, in all the difficulties which you may be called to encounter, “be strong in the Lord, and in the power of his might.” Remember all that he did for “Jacob, whose God he was.” And remember the promise he has made to you, “Do not fear; for I am with you; be not 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.”

What though in yourself you are only as a worm? he says to you, “Do not fear, worm Jacob; for you shall thresh the mountains, and beat them small, and make the hills as chaff, Isaiah 41:14-15.” Only make him “your help, and him your hope,” and you have nothing to fear. Let nothing, on the one hand, be deemed too great to carry to him; nor, on the other hand, account anything so small that you may engage in it without his aid. Let “Him work all your works in you, Isaiah 26:12,” and you are safe, even as if you were already before his throne; for “you are in his hands, nor shall any be ever able to pluck you thence! John 10:28-29.”

To every one, then, who really and altogether relies on God, I will address that inspired congratulation, “Blessed are you, O Israel! Who is like you, a people saved by the LORD? He is your shield and helper and your glorious sword. Your enemies will cower before you, and you will trample down their high places! Deuteronomy 33:29.”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 145:18-19

“The LORD is near to all who call upon Him, to all who call upon Him in truth. He will fulfill the desire of those who fear Him; He also will hear their cry and save them!”

One of the most endearing qualities of a monarch is, a readiness to listen to the petitions of his subjects, and to relieve, to the utmost of his power, their necessities. But no earthly potentate can be accessible to all; nor, if he were, could he supply their needs.

God alone is competent to this great task. With him there is no weariness, nor any defect either of inclination or of power. To him all may go, at all times, and under all circumstances; and, if they go to him, they shall find, by sweet experience, that “he is able to do for them exceeding abundantly above all that they can ask or think.” Hence the name given to Jehovah by the Psalmist, is this, “O you who hears prayer.” In the passage before us we are particularly led to contemplate God in this view. It is here said,

I. That God will hear the supplications of his praying people.

“The Lord is near unto all who call upon him.”

Never will he turn a deaf ear to a humble suppliant. We read not of so much as one whom the Lord Jesus turned away in the days of his flesh, provided only that he came under a deep sense of his own necessities, and a humble expectation of relief from him.

In the same way, at this time there is no difference with respect to persons; God is ready to hear “all” without exception, whether those who have long approved themselves to him as faithful servants, or those who come to him for the first time in their whole lives, “He will be near unto them,” the very instant they sincerely call upon him.

But who can declare all that is contained in this expression? As to his actual presence, God is near unto all, whether they call upon him or not. It is of the manifestations of his presence that the Psalmist speaks; and those will God grant to the souls of his faithful worshipers in a variety of ways.

He will “lift up the light of his countenance upon them;”

he will shed abroad his love in their hearts by the Holy Spirit;

he will give them the spirit of adoption, yes, and the witness of his Spirit, whereby they shall know that their prayers are both heard and answered.

We do not now speak of such testimonies as were given to Daniel, or Cornelius, but such as are promised in the prophecies of Isaiah to the church at large, “Then you shall call, and the Lord shall answer; you shall cry, and he shall say, Here I am! Isaiah 58:9.” To judge of these assurances of our acceptance, we must have experienced them in our own souls. To those who have not known them they must of necessity appear little better than the dreams of a heated imagination. But whatever the ignorant may say, “if we draw near to God, he will draw near to us, James 4:8,” and “will manifest himself unto us, as he does not unto the world, John 14:21-22.”

It is here however supposed, that we call upon him “in truth”.

Prayer must be sincere, in order to find acceptance with God. We cannot hope that it shall prevail, if it proceeds “from feigned lips.” Of what value in the sight of God can a mere formal recital of words be? “It is in vain that we draw near to him with our lips, if our hearts be far from him.” Or, supposing that we be earnest in our petitions, how can we hope that God will hear them, if we are hypocritically indulging any secret sins? David justly says, “If I regard iniquity in my heart, the Lord will not hear me.” By the prophet Isaiah, God speaks yet more strongly, “When you spread forth your hands, I will hide my eyes from you; yes, when you make many prayers I will not hear; your hands are full of blood, Isaiah 1:15 and Proverbs 21:27.” “God is a spirit, and must be worshiped in spirit and in truth, John 4:24;” and to those who so worship him, is his promise of acceptance confined, “Then shall you call upon me, and you shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And you shall seek me, and find me—when you shall search for me with all your heart, Jeremiah 29:12-13.”

To this general promise of hearing his people’s prayers, is added an assurance,

II. That God will hear them even under circumstances that may be supposed most unfavorable to their acceptance with him.

Where there have been much previous meditation, and subsequent fluency of expression, we are inclined to hope, that our prayers have entered into the ears of the Lord Almighty; but where these have been lacking, we are ready to doubt whether God will regard us at all.

But we are assured in our text that he will hear:

1. Our unpremeditated cries.

There are many occasions that arise so suddenly as to preclude a possibility of previous meditation. Such was the danger to which Jehoshaphat was exposed in the very heat of battle, when the Syrians mistook him for King Ahab, whom they were especially commanded to search out and to destroy; they had actually compassed him round about; and Jehoshaphat had only time to cry out to God; yet behold, so instantaneously did God hear and answer, that in a moment “he was helped, and his enemies were moved to depart from him, 2 Chronicles 18:30-31.”

Thus by ten thousand accidents may we be brought in danger of our lives, or by the devices of Satan be exposed to temptations that threaten to overwhelm and destroy our souls; but prayer will in an instant bring omnipotence to our aid! Look at Peter sinking in the waves; he cries, “Save, Lord; or I perish!” and, behold, the Savior instantly stretched out his hand, and saved him; and so will that Almighty Friend do to us also, whatever our difficulties or dangers are, according to that blessed promise, “It shall come to pass, that, before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear, Isaiah 65:24.”

2. Our unexpressed desires.

It is but little that any man knows of his own necessities; and even those who know most of them, are often greatly at a loss to express their needs in prayer. There are times when the best of men feel their spirit straitened, and can utter their desires only in sighs and groans. This, I say, is the case with those whose knowledge is most enlarged, and whose abilities are most eminent. How then must it be with those whose intellectual powers are small, and who have never enjoyed the advantages of a liberal education?

Will God confine his answer to their immediate requests? No. He knows the meaning of a sigh or groan, as well as if it were expressed in the most fluent language. He knows that at the very time when his people can say little else, than, “Lord, help me; God be merciful to me a sinner,” they would, if they could, expatiate upon all their needs, and pour out their souls before him in the most enlarged petitions. Hence, in his answers, he regards, not so much their words, as their needs; and enlarges the measure of his gifts in proportion to the extent of their desires. Whatever can tend to the peace of their minds or the perfection of their souls, that he imparts in rich abundance, communicating infinitely “more than they can ask or think! Proverbs 15:8 and Ephesians 3:20.”

But, as in the former case it was supposed that the person calling upon him was sincere, so here it is supposed that the person, whose unpremeditated cries he hears, and whose unexpressed desires he fulfills, does really “fear him;” for it is that principle alone that can render their desires proper to be fulfilled, or their cries to be answered. Where the fear of God genuinely reigns in a person’s heart—there God’s will and God’s glory, will alone be desired! Proverbs 11:23; and where they are the objects of our desire, however “wide our mouth is opened, God will fill it, Psalm 81:10.”

See from hence,

1. How wonderful is the condescension of God to his believing people!

What would a person, who feels his own incapacity to spread his needs before God, wish for? If God should say to him, Tell me what I shall say for your encouragement, what could the drooping sinner dictate more consoling to himself than what is spoken in our text?

Examine well in this view what God has spoken in another place; how strongly he depicts the hopeless state of the suppliant, and what effectual aid he promises to impart, Isaiah 41:17-18; and you will be prepared to estimate aright the promise in our text. Let none then give way to unbelieving fears, or be dejected because they find not in themselves all the liberty and fluency they could wish; but let the habitual desire of the soul be after God, and the bent of it is towards him on every emergency; then shall not one jot or tittle of this Word fail of its full accomplishment, Psalm 34:18.

Let me very especially direct your attention to the climax which God is pleased to use in this place, for the purpose of encouraging his tempted people, and of magnifying his mercy towards them. In every phrase of the sentence he enlarges his promise; and, at the same time, lowers, as it were, the qualifications necessary for those to whom the promises are made.

To those who “call upon him in truth,” he will “be near.” To those alone who”fear him,” and cherish, as it were, a feeble desire towards him, he will be so gracious as to “fulfill their desire.”

And lastly, if any, through the greatness of their necessities, or an overwhelming sense of their unworthiness, are unable to do more than utter a “cry,” he will listen to them—yes, and save them with an everlasting salvation.

The sigh, the groan, the tear shed in secret, shall come up with acceptance before him; even as Jeremiah’s supplication did from the low dungeon, when he said, “Do not close your ears to my cry for relief! Lamentations 3:56.”

2. What bitter self-reproach will they feel, who live and die without sincere prayer!

One of the most bitter ingredients in that cup of God’s wrath which will be put into the hands of those who perish, will be the reflection that they might have had all the glory of Heaven, if only they would have sought it in earnest prayer. When, they once experience the torments of Hell, they may cry ever so long for a drop of water to cool their tongue, but they will not be able to obtain it. How will they then curse their folly, that they neglected to cry, when they might have obtained all that they could possibly desire! The recollection of that verse, “Ask, and you shall have,” will be a dagger to their souls!

Dear friends, do but think of this in time. Think on what easy terms, if we may so speak, Heaven may be now obtained. If only you truly “fear God,” and “call upon him in truth,” you may be perfectly assured that you shall never be cast out. If God, unsolicited, gave you his only-begotten Son to die for you, what will he refuse you when you call upon him? He may delay indeed for a time to answer you; but not beyond the fittest time. “Continue constant in prayer,” then, yes, “pray and faint not;” for God cannot resist the importunity of prayer. The unjust judge complied with the widow’s request at last; and “will not God avenge his own elect, who cry day and night unto him? I tell you, that he will avenge them speedily.”

Charles Simeon