Psalm 28:7

“The Lord is my strength and my shield. My heart trusts in him, and I am helped. Therefore my heart greatly rejoices; and with my song will I praise him.”

The man of this world delights to speak of the things of this world. The man of God delights to speak of God. Each speaks out of the abundance of his own heart.

It is the very character of a true believer, that “he regards the works of the Lord and the operation of his hands,” and that he desires to magnify the Lord for all the benefits conferred upon him. No one can read the Psalms of David, without being penetrated with this thought.

What the particular affliction was from which David had recently been delivered when he penned this Psalm, we do not certainly know; but after blessing God for his condescension and grace in hearing and answering his supplications, he records, for the benefit of all future saints, his feelings in the review of the mercies given unto him.

I. In the Psalms we see what God is to the believer.

To all who trust in him, he is both:

a protector from all evil,

and a helper to all good.

This is a blessed truth, if considered only in theory.

What cannot he do, that “has the God of Jacob for his help?” To what duty may he not address himself with a full assurance that he shall be able to fulfill it?

Would he overcome the most inveterate lusts? “Through the influence of God’s Spirit he shall mortify the deeds of the body,” and “bring the very thoughts of his heart into captivity to the obedience of Christ.”

Would he attain and exercise all the graces of the Spirit? he shall do so, yes, “he shall do all things through Christ strengthening him”.

And whom does he need to fear? Surely neither men nor devils; for, what can a man do to the believer, when that man himself is crushed before the worm? As for Satan, though he has at his command all the principalities and powers of Hell, he is a vanquished enemy, and shall before long “be bruised forever under the believer’s feet!”

But this truth is yet more blessed, when it is practically experienced by the believer in his own soul.

What a zest does the believer’s own experience give to every declaration of the Inspired Volume! When, from the communications he has actually received, he can say: God is my strength and my shield! Then it is that he is prepared to enjoy these blessed truths as he ought, and to give unto God the glory due unto his name.

And here we must exhort every believer to trust in God with his whole heart. In this case he shall never be disappointed of his hope; yes rather, the more he expects, the more he shall receive; and according to his faith it shall be done unto him. Let him only be able to say with David, “My heart trusts in him;” and he shall sooner or later have reason to add, “and I am helped;” I am protected from evils, which I could not by my own wisdom or power avoid; and I am enabled to do things, for which my own strength would have been utterly insufficient. By my own experience therefore, no less than from the divine testimony, I can say, “The Lord is my strength, and my shield.”

As from David’s assertions we learn what God is to us, so from his frame of mind we may see,

II. What the disposition of our hearts towards God should be.

Certainly these exalted privileges should be received by us:

1. With joy.

Who can have reason to rejoice in comparison with the believer? Look round and see how the world at large are captured in the snare of the devil, and led captive by him at his will.

Have you no reason to rejoice when God has interposed with a mighty hand and a stretched-out arm to deliver you? When you see the dangers with which you are surrounded, have you no reason to rejoice in having such a shield as is sufficiently large to encompass you on every side, and so strong as to be impenetrable to all the fiery darts of the devil?

When you see what lusts you have to mortify, and what duties to perform—have you not reason to rejoice in having Omnipotence for your strength? O rejoice; rejoice in the Lord always! Yes, “rejoice in him with joy unspeakable and full of glory!” However “greatly your heart rejoices,” you never need be afraid of excess; let it be but the joy of a dependent being, and it cannot be too great.

2. With thankfulness.

It is your privilege to “sing in the ways of the Lord.” In Heaven the redeemed are singing praises to their God day and night; and so should you do on earth. As for David, he would “praise God day and night;” and that too with “all that was within him;” yes, and “as long as he should live.” Not content with praising God himself, he would have the sun, moon, and stars, together with everything that had life and breath, to praise him too! Psalm 145:1-7; Psalm 148:1-14. This is a state of mind worthy of a redeemed sinner; nor should we ever rest until we have attained it.

We shall conclude this subject with two inquiries:

1. Why is it that so few possess this heavenly frame?

It must be confessed that among the professors of religion, there are but few comparatively in whom the Gospel matures to this life of faith in Christ.

Some are retarded in their growth by “the cares of this life, the deceitfulness of riches, or the lust of other things, and never bring forth fruit unto perfection.”

Others are remiss in the duties of the prayer-closet, and thereby deprive themselves of those rich communications of grace and peace, which God would otherwise bestow upon them.

And others again are always poring over the evils of their own hearts, instead of contemplating the mercies of their God, and the wonders of redeeming love.

It is not at all surprising that these different characters enjoy but little of that divine unction which is imparted to those only who live in close communion with their God. But let no man impute their lack of joy to any defect in Christianity itself; they are not straitened in their God any more than David was; it is in themselves that they are straitened; and “they receive not, because they ask not.” Let them only live near unto God in the exercise of prayer and faith, and they shall find that God is the same in every age: rich in mercy, and “abundant in goodness and truth.”

2. How may we all attain this heavenly frame?

We have advantages far beyond any that David ever enjoyed. What David saw under a veil—we behold, as it were, with open face: a God incarnate, taking upon himself the entire care of all his redeemed people, standing between them and the curse of the broken law, and engaging to keep them by his own power unto everlasting salvation. For us there is “help laid upon One that is mighty!” For us there is all fullness treasured up in Christ, so that we are privileged to say, “In the Lord I have righteousness and strength! Isaiah 45:24. Isaiah 25:4.”

Let us then improve this privilege as we ought to do; let us “be strong in the grace that is in Christ Jesus,” yes, “strong in the Lord and in the power of his might.” Then may we be assured of final victory, and now, even in the midst of all our conflicts, exult as already victors, yes, as “more than conquerors through Him who loved us, and gave himself for us! Romans 8:34-39. Isaiah 26:3-4.”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 27:8

When You said, “Seek My face.”

My heart said to You, “Your face, O LORD, I will seek.”

Perhaps there are few things which more strongly characterize a child of God, than a spirit of prayer. The Lord’s faithful servants are particularly designated as “a people near unto him, Psalm 148:14;” while of the hypocrite it is pointedly asked, “Will he always call upon God? Will he delight himself in the Almighty? Job 27:10.” The invitations of God are common to all; but the way in which they are received constitutes the difference between the child of this world and the child of God.

The words before us, while they describe the experience of David, will lead me to show,

I. In what light the invitations of God are, for the most part, regarded.

God is incessantly calling men to seek his face.

He does this by his Word; in which he bids us to look to him, and call upon him, and turn to him, and lay hold upon him; and sends his ministers to invite and beseech us in his name.

He does it, also, by his providence; all that he does for us in a way of mercy, is to stimulate us to love him; and his chastisements are to awaken us to our duty, saying, “Hear the rod, and him who has appointed it.”

He does it, also, by his Spirit; for conscience is his voice within us, “his still small voice,” whereby he whispers to us, and moves us, and “strives with us,” and “draws us to himself.”

The whole creation, the heavenly bodies moving in their orbits, “the elements that fulfill his will,” the “birds which know their season,” and the beasts which acknowledge their Benefactor; the occurrences of every day, even the most common and casual, as the going to a well for water, John 4:7; John 4:10, or climbing up into a tree for the gratifying of curiosity, Luke 19:4-5—all subserve the same blessed end, to introduce us to the knowledge of his love, and to the enjoyment of his favor.

But God’s invitations are almost universally “made light of”.

Some treat them with contempt, “mocking his messengers, and despising his Words! 2 Chronicles 36:16.”

Others justify their refusal of them by a variety of excuses, like those in the parable, who “had bought a field, and must go and see it; and a yoke of oxen, which they must go to try; or had married a wife, and therefore could not come.” Every person has his excuse:

one is too old to change his ways;

another is too young to engage in such serious concerns;

another is too much occupied to be at liberty for such pursuits.

Others profess a willingness to obey the call, but never realize their intentions. They say, “I will go, Sir; but they never execute their Father’s will, Matthew 21:30;” they will, like Ezekiel’s auditors, approve what they hear, but will never give themselves truly and unreservedly to God, Ezekiel 33:31-32.

Let us now proceed to show, on the contrary,

II. The light in which the invitations of God ought to be regarded.

David’s example is precisely that which we should follow. There was in his bosom a chord in perfect unison with that which the finger of God had touched, and that vibrated to the touch. Thus, when God says to all the sinners of mankind, “Seek my face,” there should be in every one of us a responding chord, in perfect harmony with the divine command; and we should, every one of us, reply, “Your face, Lord, will I seek.”

1. We should seek God with a grateful sense of his condescension and grace.

How amazing is it that such a proposal should originate with God; and that Jehovah should “stand at the door of our hearts, and knock” there for admittance! If a permission only had been granted to us to seek his favor, methinks it should have been embraced with all imaginable earnestness; for sure enough, if such an imitation were sent to those who are now in Hell, it would not be treated with indifference there! But it is not a mere permission that we receive; it is a call, an invitation, an entreaty; and should we “make light of that?” No! We should turn unto our God with our whole hearts, and avail ourselves, without delay, of the opportunity that is thus afforded to us.

2. We should seek God with a ready acquiescence in his appointed way.

God tells us, that it is in Christ alone that he can accept us; and that we must come to him through Christ, pleading the merit of his blood, and relying altogether on his sin-atoning sacrifice. And shall this appear to us a hard saying? Shall this be deemed too humiliating for our proud hearts to submit to? Shall we not bless God, that he has given us a Savior who shall mediate between him and us, and, like “a Mediator, Job 9:33,” lay his hand on both, in order to our reconciliation? Surely we should not hesitate a moment to humble ourselves before him, to acknowledge our desert of his wrathful indignation, and to implore his mercy in the name of his dear Son.

3. We should seek God with a determination of heart that nothing shall ever keep us from him.

Things there are, without number, which would keep us in bondage, and detain us from our God. But we should be on our guard against them all; and determine to break through every obstacle that the world, the flesh, and the devil, can place in our way!

For, what can the world do, either by its allurements or its terrors, to counter-balance the loss of God’s favor?

As for the flesh, neither its weakness nor its corruptions should discourage us in our way to God.

Nor should the devil, with all his wiles and all his devices, be allowed to divert us from our purpose, or to retard us in our way.

We should have our hearts bent upon sincerely coming to Christ. Every object under Heaven should be subordinated to that. Other duties, doubtless, should be performed in their place; but to obtain God’s favor should be our first concern; and life itself, in comparison with that, should be of no value in our eyes.

ADDRESS.

God calls you now, my brethren, by my voice; and says to every one of you, “Seek my face.” O that you knew the day of your visitation! O that you now viewed this mercy as you will most unquestionably view it before long! For, whether you wind up in Heaven or in Hell, be assured that the divine favor will appear to you no light concern.

I would that now the Psalmist’s determination were adopted by every one of you. Tell me, I beg you, whether the resolution be not wise; tell me whether it is not necessary. Tell me whether, if you continue to decline God’s invitation until the door of Heaven is finally closed against you—that you will not curse your folly with an anguish that will exceed your utmost conceptions, and bewail to all eternity the conduct you now pursue.

I say, then, to every one of you, “Seek after God; seek him instantly, without delay; seek him while he may be found, and call upon him while he is near;” for the time is quickly coming when your day of grace shall be closed, and “God will swear in his wrath that you shall never enter into his rest!”

On the other hand, assure yourselves, that, “if you seek him, he will be found by you,” and you shall live forever with God in glory!

Let every one of you, therefore, now go home, and put the matter to a trial. See whether God will not be gracious unto you; see whether he will not answer your prayers, and fulfill your desires, and “do exceeding abundantly for you above all that you can ask or think. I speak with confidence; for, from the beginning of the world to this hour. “He never said to any, Seek my face in vain!”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 27:4

“One thing I have desired of the Lord, and that will I seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple.”

Most of the saints recorded in the Holy Scriptures were eminent for some particular grace:

in Abraham, faith was chiefly conspicuous;

in Job, patience;

in Moses, meekness;

in Elijah, faithfulness and fearlessness.

In respect of devotion, David seems to have surpassed all others.

Of none have we such ample and minute accounts, in relation to this matter, as we have of him.

His public addresses to God,

his private communion with him,

the inmost recesses of his heart when in his closet or upon his bed—

are all laid open to us.

On this account the Psalms are pre-eminently useful to all who wish to cultivate a devout spirit, and to maintain a close walk with God. The expression before us may serve as a specimen of the whole.

In discoursing upon it: I will:

I. Set before you the example of David.

The one object of David’s desire was to enjoy the ordinances of his God.

David was not of the tribe to which the priesthood exclusively belonged; yet would he gladly have possessed the privilege of the priests, in having his stated residence as near as possible to the tabernacle of his God. But though this could not be, he determined, by the constancy of his attendance there, to make it, as it were, his residence and habitation. This indeed was “the one object of his desire;” and in comparison with it there was nothing in the world that he wished for. To this he made everything subservient; even the affairs of state were not allowed so to occupy his mind as to divert his attention from the service of the sanctuary. This one object he sought, and “determined to seek it” “to the last hour of his life.” He “sought it of the Lord” too, entreating him so to order and overrule everything, that he might not be forced away from Jerusalem, or, while there, be kept away from the ordinances of his God.

If at any time he was, by the efforts of his enemies, prevented from waiting upon God, he mourned over it, and “panted after the return of those blessed seasons, even as the hunted deer pants after the water-brooks! Psalm 42:1-2.” On some occasions, his enemies, knowing how painful to him his absence from the tabernacle was, exulted over him, and said, “Where is now your God?” And so distressing to him were these impious taunts, that “tears were his food night and day on account of them, Psalm 42:3,” and they were even “as a sword in his bones, Psalm 42:10.”

At those seasons he envied the swallows, that were able to build their nests in the courts of God’s house; he envied them, I say, their proximity to the altar of his God, Psalm 84:1-4. Every day that was spent at a distance from that, seemed, as it were, to be lost to his life; so entirely was his soul wrapped up in the enjoyment of divine ordinances, and in cultivating communion with his God.

David’s desire was founded on the benefit he had derived from them.

There “he beheld the beauty of the Lord;” and there “he inquired of the Lord,” spreading before him, from day to day, his every want, his every wish. He looked through the various sacrifices that were offered there from day to day—and beheld in them the perfections of his God.

In the death of all the victims, he saw the desert of sin, and the justice of God—which had denounced death as the punishment of sin.

In the acceptance of those sacrifices he saw the goodness and mercy of God, who had appointed such offerings as means of leading the people to that Great Sacrifice, which would in due time be offered for the sins of men.

In the sprinklings and ablutions that were practiced, he beheld the holiness of God, who would accept no sinner who would not be purged from his iniquities, and be made holy after the divine image.

In the whole of the services altogether he saw “mercy and truth met together, and righteousness and peace kissing each other! Psalm 85:10.”

Here he felt encouragement to pour out his soul before God, and to ask whatever his returning necessities might require. This, to him whose trials were so great and manifold, was an unspeakable privilege. The extreme arduousness of his affairs also rendered it most desirable to him to spread all his difficulties before the Lord, and to ask counsel of him for his direction. It was true that in private he could carry his affairs to the Lord, and implore help from him; but, as the public ordinances were of God’s special appointment, and as the high-priest was the established medium of access to him, and of communications from him—he delighted more particularly to wait upon God there; so that while he received blessings in a more abundant measure from God, he might glorify God in the sight of all Israel.

Admiring, as I do, this bright example,

II. I will commend David example to your imitation.

We have far greater reason to love the ordinances of God than ever David had.

If the beauty of the Lord was visible in the Jewish worship, how much more so must it be in the ordinances of the Gospel! David beheld the perfections of his God only under types and shadows; but we behold them reflected as in a looking-glass, with transcendent brightness, and all shining with united splendor in the face of Jesus Christ! We see, not bulls and goats, but the very Son of God himself, “Jehovah’s fellow,” offered in sacrifice for the sins of men. What then must the justice be that required such a sacrifice! What the love, that gave him from the Father’s bosom to be a sacrifice! What the mercy, that spared not him, in order that we, enemies and rebels, might be spared!

So imperfectly was this mystery known under the Jewish dispensation, that all, even the most exalted prophets, were in a state of comparative darkness; but now, “the things which from the beginning of the world eye had not seen, nor ear heard, nor had it entered into the heart of man to conceive—are revealed unto us by the Spirit, 1 Corinthians 2:9-10;” so that we can truly and emphatically say, “The darkness is past, and the true light now shines, 1 John 2:8.”

John the Baptist was greater in this respect than all the prophets; because he personally saw and bore witness to Him, whom all the other prophets spoke of obscurely, and at the distance of many hundred years; but as great as John was, “the least and lowest in the Gospel kingdom is greater than he, Matthew 11:11.” In our ordinances, Jesus Christ is so fully revealed, that he may be said to be “evidently set forth crucified before our eyes, Galatians 3:1;” and at his holy table we “eat his flesh, and drink his blood,” as truly in a spiritual sense, as we do really and substantially eat the bread and drink the wine by which they are represented.

We see that through the virtue of this sacrifice God is so reconciled to us, as to “behold no iniquity in us, Numbers 23:21;” for, viewing us as clothed in the righteousness of his dear Son, he beholds us “without spot or blemish! Ephesians 5:27.” Moreover as by faith we see the Lord Jesus carrying his own blood within the veil—so we also hear him making intercession for us at the right hand of God; yes, and “out of the fullness that is treasured up in him, we receive” all the blessings that he has purchased for us!

How often are we, in the experience of these things, constrained to cry out with the prophet, “How great is his goodness! How great is his beauty! Zechariah 9:17.” And how often, in rapturous admiration of him, do we pray with the Psalmist, “Let the beauty of the Lord our God be upon us!” In truth, it is by thus “beholding as with an unveiled face the glory of the Lord, we are changed into the same image from glory to glory even as by the Spirit of the Lord! 2 Corinthians 3:18.”

Nor do we have the less advantage of David in relation to the things which we would ask from God; for we are able to inquire more explicitly and distinctly of our God than he could. He indeed might say with Moses, “Lord, show me your glory;” and God would, as in the case of Moses, “make all his goodness to pass before him, Exodus 33:18-19.” But audible sounds conveyed nothing to them, in comparison with what shall be disclosed to us by the still small voice of God’s Holy Spirit, speaking in us through the written Word. To us all the blessings of the Covenant are laid open; and, as God, when he revealed them, said, “I will be inquired of concerning these things to do them, Ezekiel 36:37.” We are at liberty to take that covenant, and spread it before the Lord, and to ask of him every distinct blessing that is contained in it. We may lay hold on every promise that we can find in the inspired volume, and plead it with God, and have it fulfilled to our souls.

Besides, we can ask in the name of Jesus Christ; which none of the prophets ever could. And with what confidence can we do that, when we reflect on the relation which exists between the Father and the Son, and the express engagement which the Father has made to answer every petition which is offered in his Son’s name, John 16:23-24; Moreover, the particular promise of the Lord Jesus to be more immediately with his people in the public ordinances, and to grant whatever any number of his congregated people shall agree to ask, Matthew 18:19-20, is a still further encouragement to us to frequent the house of God; for experience proves, that still, as formerly, “God loves the gates of Zion more than all the dwellings of Jacob, Psalm 87:2.”

We should therefore desire the ordinances no less than David did.

We should make a point of attending on all stated occasions the ordinances of our God. We should not allow any trifling matter to detain us from them; and, if we are kept from them by any means, it should fill us with grief rather than delight; and we should determine as soon as possible to remove the obstacle that deprives us of so great a blessing.

More particularly, we should keep in mind what it is that we should go there to obtain; nor ever consider the true object of the ordinances as attained, unless we be enriched with brighter views of his beauty, and more enlarged discoveries of his excellency!

We should consider too, what our more immediate necessities require; so that we may be ready to spread them all before him, and to inquire of him respecting them. Then the more enlarged our expectations of benefit from the ordinances are, the more abundant will be God’s communications of blessings to us by them. If we “open our mouths ever so wide, he will fill them! Psalm 81:10.”

Application.

1. Love to God’s ordinances is most conducive to your present happiness.

Hear the testimony of David himself, “Blessed is the man whom you chose, and causes to approach unto you, that he may dwell in your courts; he shall be satisfied with the goodness of your house, even of your holy temple, Psalm 65:4.” And with this agrees the experience of every living saint.

Hence every true believer can say, “Lord, I have loved the habitation of your house, and the place where your honor dwells, Psalm 26:8.” Or rather, the more appropriate language of his heart is, “O God, you are my God; early will I seek you; my soul thirsts for you; my flesh longs for you, in a dry and thirsty land, where there is no water; to see your power and your glory, so as I have seen you in the sanctuary! Psalm 63:1-2.”

I will leave you to judge, whether a person with such desires, and such enjoyments, is not happy. And if you are persuaded that he must be so, then seek your own happiness in this way, in which you cannot possibly be disappointed; for “he never said to any: Seek my face in vain.”

2. Love to God’s ordinances is the best preparative for Heaven.

Heaven is a place of continued exercises, for which we are now to be trained. We must now obtain a taste for heavenly employments; and in that taste real piety consists. We quite mistake if we imagine that religion consists in notions or in forms; it is a taste; a taste not formed by nature or education; but wrought in us by the Spirit of God; and the acquisition of this constitutes our fitness for Heaven.

What happiness could a soul that feels the exercises of devotion irksome; and in Heaven where the singing praises to God and to the Lamb forms the one employment of all around the throne, and will to all eternity?

If this is not the pleasure which you chiefly desire in this world—then be assured that you are not prepared to unite with saints and angels in the world to come!

If this is not your state, whatever knowledge you may possess, you are yet a lost soul; for God himself has said, that “those who are after the flesh, mind (savor) the things of the flesh; and those who are after the Spirit, desire the things of the Spirit, Romans 8:5.”

I beg you then to seek your happiness in God; and never to rest until you can say, “Whom have I in Heaven but You? There is none upon earth that I desire besides You!”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 26:8

“Lord, I have loved the habitation of your house, and the place where your honor dwells.”

Between the people of God and the men of this world, there is a much broader line of distinction than is generally imagined. In the performance of outward duties there may be but little difference; but in their motives and principles and desires, they are as far asunder as Heaven and earth; yes, I had almost said, as between Heaven and Hell!

They have altogether a different taste; the one desiring heavenly things as their most delightful occupation; while the other follow them rather by constraint, and feel themselves most in their element when they are engaged in worldly company and in carnal pursuits.

The faithful servant of God enjoys the testimony of his own conscience, that he has no real delight in anything but in doing God’s will, and in enjoying his presence. David, in this respect, may serve as a looking-glass, wherein every real saint may discern his own image. He could appeal to God that he had found no pleasure in worldly company and worldly pursuits; but that his delight had been altogether in communion with his God, and in the ordinances of his grace, verse 2-5.

In order to make a suitable improvement of the assertion before us, I will show,

I. The reasons which David had for so loving the house of God.

To give a full account of them would be impossible. It may suffice to specify a few of those which operated with greater force upon his mind.

1. It was the immediate residence of God.

“I have loved,” says he, “the habitation of your house, and the place where your honor dwells.” When Moses made the tabernacle, it pleased God to come down and honor it with his more immediate presence, and to manifest his glory there in the sight of all Israel, Exodus 40:34-38. There God promised, in a more especial manner, to meet his people; saying, “You shall put the mercy-seat above upon the ark; and in the ark you shall put the testimony that I shall give you; and there I will meet with you; and I will commune with you from above the mercy-seat, and from between the two cherubim which are upon the ark of the testimony, of all things which I will give you in commandment unto the children of Israel, Exodus 25:21-22.”

The same blessed privilege was given to all Israel, through the medium of their High Priest, as long as the tabernacle and the temple stood; and on numberless occasions had David reaped the benefit of this condescending and merciful appointment.

Can we wonder, then, that he should love the house of God, where he enjoyed so vast a privilege, and where such transcendent benefits were accorded to him? But we know from himself what his feelings were in relation to it, “One thing I have desired of the Lord, that I will seek after; that I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to behold the beauty of the Lord, and to inquire in his temple, Psalm 27:4.”

2. There David was enabled to worship God in the way that God himself had appointed.

Though God might be worshiped acceptably in every place—yet it was at the tabernacle alone that any sacrifice could be offered to him, or that a full access to him could be enjoyed. There alone could a sinner be sprinkled with the blood of his offering, and have the pardon of his sins thus sealed upon his soul. Hence, when David was driven from Jerusalem, and forced to take refuge in a heathen land, this was the great subject of his distress; not, that he was separated from his friends, but that he was cut off from communion with his God in the established ordinances of his worship. Hear his sad distress, “As the deer pants after the water-brooks, so my soul pants after you, O God! My soul thirsts for God, for the living God; when shall I come and appear before God? My tears have been my food day and night; while they continually say unto me, Where is your God? When I remember these things, I pour out my soul in me; for I had gone with the multitude; I went with them to the house of God, with the voice of joy and praise, with a multitude that kept holy-day …. As with a sword in my bones, my enemies reproach me, while they say daily unto me, Where is your God? Psalm 41:1-4; Psalm 41:10.”

3. There David obtained those supplies of grace and peace which his daily necessities required.

The whole book of Psalms is little else than a record of answers to his prayers. “I waited patiently for the Lord; and he inclined unto me, and heard my cry. He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings; and he has put a new song in my mouth, even praise unto our God! Psalm 40:1-3.” True, he might enjoy much of this in his own secret chamber; but it was chiefly in the house of God that he obtained these benefits. This he himself acknowledges; and he assigns it as the reason for his ardent attachment to that holy place, “How lovely are your tabernacles, O Lord Almighty! My soul longs, yes, even faints, for the courts of the Lord; my heart and my flesh cry out for the living God. Yes, the sparrow has found a house, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may lay her young; even your altars, O Lord Almighty, my King, and my God. Blessed are they that dwell in your house; they will be still praising you …. A day in your courts is better than a thousand; I had rather be a door-keeper in the house of my God, than to dwell in the tents of wickedness. For the Lord is a sun and a shield; the Lord will give grace and glory; and no good thing will he withhold from those who walk uprightly! Psalm 84:1-4; Psalm 84:10-11.”

The example before us might be amply sufficient to commend the house of God to our regard. But I must proceed to state:

II. The incomparably stronger reasons which we have for a similar desire for God’s ordinances.

The dispensation which we are privileged to enjoy is of a more liberal kind than that under which David lived.

1. Our access to God is more intimate.

David, though a prophet and a king, did not dare to enter into the most holy place, where God displayed his glory. Had he presumed to intrude himself there, he would have been struck dead upon the spot. Not even the high-priest could enter there but on one day in the year, and in the manner prescribed by God himself.

But we are permitted to come even to his very throne of grace, and to behold him on his mercy seat! Yes, the veil of the temple, at the time of our Savior’s death, was rent in twain from the top to the bottom; and from that very moment a way of access to him has been open for all the sinners of mankind, without exception.

This is the construction put on that event by an inspired Apostle, who says, “Having, therefore, boldness to enter into the holiest by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way which he has consecrated for us through the veil, that is to say, his flesh, and having a High-Priest over the house of God—let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith! Hebrews 10:19-22.” “The Holy Spirit himself,” I say, has taught us this in Hebrews 9:7-8. And is this no ground for love to divine ordinances? Methinks, the liberty thus accorded to us should produce in us a correspondent liberty of mind in approaching God, and an exquisite delight in drawing near unto him.

2. Our views of God are more clear.

Even the high-priest himself, when admitted into the sanctuary, could behold nothing but a bright cloud abiding on the ark between the cherubim.

But we have access to the true tabernacle, the Lord Jesus Christ, “in whom dwelt all the fullness of the Godhead bodily! Colossians 2:19.” “He is the image of the invisible God, Colossians 1:15,” “the brightness of his glory, and the express image of his person, Hebrews 1:3;” and “in beholding him, we behold the Father himself, John 14:9;” yes, “as with an unveiled face we behold the glory” both of the Father and the Son! 2 Corinthians 3:18. We see “God in Christ reconciling the world unto himself, 2 Corinthians 5:19,” and are enabled to call him our Father and our Friend, Galatians 4:6.

Of the attributes of God, also, we have incomparably clearer views than ever were given even to David himself. True indeed, he says that in God, “Mercy and truth are met together, righteousness and peace have kissed each other, Psalm 85:10.” But David had not such an insight into that mystery as we enjoy. The full discovery of God, as “a just God, and yet a justifier of ungodly men! Romans 3:26,” was reserved for us, under the Gospel dispensation; we see, not only mercy, but faithfulness and justice, engaged on our side, and pledged for the forgiveness of our sins, 1 John 1:9.

His purposes, too, how marvelously are they unraveled, and with what distinctness are they exhibited to our admiring eyes! Things which no eye ever saw, or ear heard, or heart conceived, under the Jewish economy—are revealed unto us by the Spirit; so that, from eternity to eternity, we can behold the designs of God unfolded:

first, as they were originally concerted between the Father and the Son in eternity past;

then as executed by Christ Jesus in his incarnate and glorified state;

and, lastly, as they will be consummated at the day of judgment.

Say, then, whether we should not delight in drawing near to God, and having our souls filled with these heavenly contemplations? If the shadow of these things so endeared the house of God to David—then what should the substance of them effect in our hearts?

3. Our communications from God are more abundant.

Doubtless David was most highly favored by the Lord; and “God was very abundant towards him, both in faith and love, 1 Timothy 1:14.” But still we cannot yield to him, no, not even to him, in the privileges we enjoy. The Holy Spirit was not then “poured out so abundantly” as he has since been upon the servants of the Lord, John 7:39. Titus 3:6. To us he is given as “a Spirit of adoption, Romans 8:15,” and as “a witness” to testify of that adoption, Romans 8:16; and as “a seal,” to mark us for the Lord’s peculiar treasure, Ephesians 1:13-14. The servile spirit of the Law is altogether banished from us, and we are “made free indeed, John 8:36.”

With what exalted views are we sometimes favored, when we behold the Lord Jesus Christ:

actually bearing our sins in his own body on the tree,

and pleading our cause at the right hand of God,

and ordering everything, both in Heaven and earth, for our welfare,

and preparing a mansion in Heaven for us, himself taking possession of it for us as our forerunner,

and shortly about to come again in his own person to invest us with all the glory he has purchased for us, even a participation of his own throne, his own kingdom, and his own glory!

What is all this, but “a pledge” of Heaven itself already begun in the soul!

Yet all this is given to us frequently under the ministry of the Word, and at the table of the Lord; insomuch that we seem caught up, as it were, into the third heavens, and scarcely know whether we are in the body or out the body, by reason of the brightness of our views, and the blessedness of our souls.

I do not mean to say that this is the experience of all, nor of any at all times; but I do say, that it is the privilege of all; and that it is our own fault if we do not actually possess it; and that the hope of gratifying our taste with these rich dainties cannot fail of endearing to us the house where this feast is provided for us! Isaiah 25:6-8.

It will now, in conclusion, be profitable to inquire,

1. Why it is that this experience is so rare.

It must be confessed that there are but few who thus delight in the ordinances of God. But why is this? Would they not be alike precious to all, if all desired to make a suitable improvement of them? The truth is, that the generality of people attend them only as a mere form, without any consciousness of the ends for which they have been appointed. What if we viewed them as our mother’s bosom, to which we as babes were invited for the nourishment of our souls? What if we came to them, “desiring the sincere and unadulterated milk of the word, that we might grow thereby! 1 Peter 2:2.” Truly we would then find such communications from the Lord Jesus, as would fill us with unutterable joy! John 4:10; John 7:37-38.

But we do not feel our need of mercy;

we have no genuine desire after the Savior;

we are content with a religion which consists in mere form, without any power.

No wonder, then, that the house of God has no charms for us. True, indeed, people may affect divine ordinances, just as they would a fine concert, on account of the eloquence of the person by whom they are administered, Ezekiel 33:31-32. Or they may set a value on them as means of fostering a pride of their own goodness, Isaiah 58:2. But as means of access to God, and as a medium of communion with him, they find no real delight in them. To enter into the experience of David, and obtain a conformity of mind to his vital religion, must be our one great and paramount concern. If once Christ becomes our supreme joy, whatever brings us near to him, and him near to us—will be “as marrow and fatness to our souls!”

2. What are the prospects of those in whom this godly experience is found.

Truly, the godly are most blessed among men. They need not envy any other people upon earth. They possess what is far superior to all the delights of sense.

View a man at the footstool of the Most High; view even the poor publican, who, through a consciousness of his own extreme unworthiness, dared not so much as to lift up his eyes to Heaven. Who that knows with what delight Almighty God beheld him, and with what pleasure he listened to his sighs, and treasured up his tears in his vial—would not think the state of his soul, and the prospects of Heaven that were before him, to be truly blessed?

The truth is, that every such person has “his sins put away from him, as far as the east is from the west;” and “his name is written in the Lamb’s book of life!” For every such person is prepared “a crown of glory, that never fades away.”

He now beholds his God by faith; and soon shall he behold him face to face.

He now draws near to God in a temple made with hands; and he shall soon commune with him in his glorious temple above!

He now pours forth his prayers and praises at such intervals as the infirmity of his nature will admit of; and he soon shall engage in praising God, without infirmity or interruption, to all eternity!

Charles Simeon

Psalm 25:14

“The secret of the Lord is with those who fear him; and he will show them his covenant.”

Of the condescension of God, mankind in general form very inadequate conceptions. His greatness is supposed to be such as not to admit of an attention to the trifling concerns of men; and because we stand at an infinite distance from him, the idea of familiar approximation to him is contemplated only as a fanatical and wild conceit. But God represents himself to us as a Father; and our blessed Lord says, “Henceforth I do not call you servants; for the servant knows not what his Lord does; but I have called you friends! John 15:15.”

Now the Lord Jesus Christ was from eternity “in the bosom of the Father, John 1:18,” and knows the Father as intimately and completely as the Father knows him, John 10:15. Matthew 11:27; and all the Father’s secrets he has made known to us John 15:15; so that we are treated by him, not with the reserve that is shown to strangers, but with the confidence that is due to people who are bound to him in the ties of the most endeared friendship.

Under the Mosaic dispensation this holy familiarity indeed was but little known. The whole economy was of a servile nature; none except the high priest having any immediate access to God; nor he, except on one day in the year; and then not without the blood of sacrifices. Yet, even under that dispensation, some were more highly favored with divine communications; insomuch that Solomon could say, “The secret of the Lord is with the righteous, Proverbs 3:32.” Under the government of the Lord Jesus Christ, the legal distinctions are removed; and all true Christians possess the same privileges as the most favored of God’s servants; so that now it may be said, in reference to them all, without exception, “The secret of the Lord is with those who fear him, and he will show them his covenant.”

In confirmation of this truth, I will endeavor to point out:

I. Some of those secrets which God reveals to his faithful people.

The whole of the divine life is a secret, from the beginning to the end; and “the joys” arising from it are such as the unbeliever cannot understand. But, to descend to particulars,

1. God gives them an insight into the great mystery of redemption.

This was “a mystery hidden from ages and generations,” yes, “hidden in God from the foundation of the world, Romans 16:25. Ephesians 3:5;” but at last it was made known to the Church by Christ and his holy Apostles, that all God’s saints might become acquainted with it, Ephesians 3:9. Colossians 1:26-27. Paul, speaking of the great truths of the Gospel, says, “It is written, Eye has not seen, nor ear heard, nor have entered into the heart of man, the things which God has prepared for those who love him. But God has revealed them unto us by his Spirit! 1 Corinthians 2:9-10.”

We must not, however, imagine, that because this mystery is revealed to the Church in the written word, we need no further revelation of it to our souls; for “the natural man receives not the things of the Spirit of God; for they are foolishness unto him; neither can he know them, because they are spiritually discerned.” Notwithstanding, therefore, the Gospel revelation is so clear in itself, we still must “receive the Spirit of God, that we may know the things that are freely given to us by God, 1 Corinthians 2:12; 1 Corinthians 2:14.”

A speculative knowledge of the Gospel may, indeed, be acquired by human instruction; but a spiritual and experimental acquaintance with it, as “the wisdom of God and the power of God,” can be attained only through the teaching of God’s Spirit, “flesh and blood cannot reveal it unto us;” it can be made known only by the Father’s revealing of it, Matthew 16:17. And that revealing, blessed be his name, is given to many. Through his tender mercy, it may be said of many, “You have an anointing from the Holy One, and you know all things! 1 John 2:20; 1 John 2:27.”

While to some, who hear the Gospel, “it is spoken, as it were, only in parables;” so that, in relation to the plainest truths of the Gospel, they are ready to exclaim, as Ezekiel’s hearers did in reference to him, “Ah, Lord God! does he not speak parables! Ezekiel 20:49.” To others “it is granted to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven, Mark 4:11;” and by the opening of their spiritual eyes “they are brought out of darkness into marvelous light.”

2. He makes them to know their own personal interest in Christ’s redemption.

We are struck with the confidence with which the inspired writers speak, in reference to their own state and the state of their brethren in the faith,

“Now are we the sons of God.”

“We know that we have passed from death unto life.”

“We know that God abides in us, by the Spirit whom he has given us.”

“We know that we are of God; and the whole world lies in wickedness.”

1 John 3:2; 1 John 3:14; 1 John 3:24; 1 John 5:19.

Now this assurance is no other than what our blessed Lord promised to his believing people, “In that day you shall know that the Father is in me, and I in you, and you in me, John 14:20.” That the believer may, by fair and rational deduction, ascertain much of his state before God—there can be no doubt but that internal manifestations are, in many cases, given to the soul, is also certain; for our Lord has promised, that “he will manifest himself unto us, as he does not unto the world;” and this promise he has explained, by saying, that “he and his Father will love us, and come unto us, and make their abode with us! John 14:21-23.”

Accordingly we find, that to many is given “the Holy Spirit,” as a witness, to “bear witness with their spirit that they are the children of God,” and, as “a Spirit of adoption, enabling them, with holy confidence, to cry, Abba, Father! Romans 8:15-16.” They have prayed to him, like the Psalmist, “Say unto my soul, I am your salvation, Psalm 35:3;” and God has answered them in the desire of their hearts, and enabled them to say, in reference to him, “O God, you are my God! Psalm 63:1.” And, in reference to the Lord Jesus Christ, “My Beloved is mine, and I am his! Song of Solomon 2:16.”

3. He shows them that every event, of whatever kind, is in some way or other working for the ultimate salvation of their souls.

They may not always see this at first; but, when more fully instructed, they learn to trust in God, assured, that though “clouds and darkness are round about him, righteousness and judgment are the basis of his throne.”

See a remarkable instance of this in the Apostle Paul. He was shut up for two full years in prison, and was thus deprived of exercising his apostolic office in his accustomed way. Such an event as this would be contemplated, by the Church at large, as a subject of unmixed sorrow. But Paul himself had far different views of it; he said, “I know that this shall turn to my salvation;” nor was he less confident that good would accrue from it, also, to the Church of God; yes, he saw, even while in bonds, the beneficial results of his imprisonment; and declared, that, instead of obstructing the progress of the Gospel, it had “tended rather to the furtherance of the Gospel,” since many had been emboldened by it to preach the Word with greater courage and fidelity! Philippians 1:12-14; Philippians 1:19.

Thus does God compose the minds of all his faithful people. They may indeed, for a season, be ready to complain with Jacob, “All these things are against me!” But he whispers in their ears, that “All things are working together for their good! Romans 8:28;” and that, eventually, they shall have as much reason to bless him for the darkest dispensations as for those which were more gratifying to flesh and blood.

Passing by many other secrets, I will proceed to set before you:

II. That more particular view of God’s covenant which is the crown and summit of them all.

From all eternity God entered into covenant with his Son; as it is said, “The counsel of peace was between them both, Zechariah 6:13.”

1. To this covenant God leads the minds of his people, as the source of all their blessings.

Certain it is, that, whatever grace has been bestowed upon us, it has been conferred, “not on account of any works of righteousness which we have done, but according to God’s purpose and grace, which was given to us in Christ Jesus before the world began! 2 Timothy 1:9.” But this is a great secret; a secret utterly unknown to the world at large; and one which not all, even of godly people, are able to receive. There is, in the minds of many, a prejudice against it, as though such an idea would necessarily puff up the mind with pride and conceit. But in truth, there is nothing in the world that so much tends to humble and abase the soul as this; for it takes from man all ground of self-preference, and leads him to give all the honor of his salvation to God alone!

Believer, how wonderful is the thought, that God, from all eternity, set his heart on you; ordained you to be born in a country where the light of Scripture shone, and where the means and opportunities of conversion should be afforded to you! How wonderful, too, that this grace, which so many receive in vain, should be made effectual for you; and that, by the operation of God’s mighty power on your soul, you should be “turned from darkness unto light, and from the power of Satan unto God!” Are you not amazed, that you should be “taken, when so many are left;” and that the Savior, who to so many millions is only “a stumbling-block and rock of offence—should be to you a sanctuary,” where you have found rest for your soul? Truly, it is a great matter if God has taught you, that “you have not chosen him—but he has chosen you, John 15:16;” that you have not loved him, or apprehended him—but you have been loved and apprehended by him! 1 John 4:10. Galatians 4:9. Philippians 3:12; that “He has loved you with an everlasting love; and therefore with loving-kindness has he drawn you! Jeremiah 31:3.” Does not the thought of this overwhelm your soul with gratitude? Are you not altogether lost in wonder, love, and praise?

2. To this covenant God leads the minds of his people, as the security for the everlasting continuance of their blessings.

This is another part of the same stupendous mystery; and blessed, indeed, are the ears that have heard this secret from the Lord, and the eyes that can discern the truth of it!

Believer, when God entered into covenant with his Son, he left it not uncertain whether any benefit should accrue from his mediation, but engaged, that “when he should make his soul an offering for sin, he should see a seed who should prolong their days, and the pleasure of the Lord should prosper in his hand.”

Then he gave you to his Son, that in you “he might see of the travail of his soul, and be satisfied.”

You were then ordained to be a jewel in his crown; and the Father engaged, when he put you into the hands of his Son, that “none should ever pluck you from them, John 10:28-29.” Times without number does the Lord Jesus speak of his people in this light, as “given to him from eternity by the Father! John 17:2; John 17:6; John 17:9; John 17:11-12; John 17:24;” and “of those who were so given him, he will lose none! John 17:12.”

What a consolation is this to you, under all your difficulties and all your conflicts—to know that “God has made with you an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure! 2 Samuel 23:5.” God himself tells us, that “he confirmed his covenant with an oath, that by two immutable things, in which it was impossible for God to lie, we might have strong consolation, who have fled for refuge to lay hold on the hope set before us, Hebrews 6:17-18.”

Rejoice, then, in this thought. Bless God for making it known to you. See how safe you are in the hands of an unchanging God. See to what it is owing that you have not been consumed already, Malachi 3:6; and what is your security, against all the wiles of Satan, and all the infirmities of flesh and blood. “Know, then, in whom you have believed; and that, as he is able to keep that which you have committed to him, 2 Timothy 1:12,” so “he will preserve you unto his heavenly kingdom! 2 Timothy 4:18.”

To improve this subject, I would further say:

1. Cultivate increasing friendship with God.

It is not to all, but to his friends only, that God imparts these heart-reviving secrets, even to those who truly “fear him.” Nor is it amidst the noise and bustle of the world that he will communicate them, but in seasons of retirement, and in the stillness of the night. It is by a still small voice that he imparts them to the sold. O let your fellowship with him be sweet and frequent! Go to him on all occasions; consult him in every emergency; listen to his voice, whether he speaks by the written word, or by his Holy Spirit. Say to him at all times, “Speak, Lord, for your servant is listening.” So “will he draw near to you, when you draw near to him;” and when you spread before him your inmost needs, “he will guide you by his counsel;” he will “lead you into all truth;” he will make known to you “the deep things of God, 1 Corinthians 2:10;” and by communications of every kind will “perfect that which concerns you, Psalm 138:8;” enabling you to “comprehend, in a measure, what none can fully comprehend: the height and depth and length and breadth of the love of Christ, and thereby filling you with all the fullness of God! Ephesians 3:18-19.”

2. Make a due improvement of the secrets which God has already imparted to you.

Treasure them up in your minds, for your support and comfort under all the trials of life. They will prove a healing balm to every wound. Like an anchor of the soul, they will keep you steadfast amidst all the storms that you may encounter in this tempestuous world! Hebrews 6:19.

But, keep them not altogether in your own bosoms. God may make use of you for the imparting of them to others, and for the sustaining and strengthening of your weaker brethren.

Yet, care is necessary, that you do not, by an indiscreet disclosure of them to those whose minds are not prepared to receive them, lay a stumbling-block before the very people whom you wish to edify. Our Lord cautions us “not to cast our pearls before swine, lest they trample them under their feet, and turn again and tear us to pieces! Matthew 7:6.” We must administer “milk to babes, and strong meat to only those who are able to digest it, 1 Corinthians 3:1-2. Hebrews 5:12-14.”

But to those who have ears to hear, it is well to speak of these things, as our Lord and his Apostles conversed of them in the way to Emmaus. Then will your hearts often burn within you; and your own souls, as well as those of your brethren, be edified in faith and love!

Charles Simeon

Psalm 25:12-13

“Who is the man that fears the LORD? He shall teach him in the way He chooses. His soul shall dwell at ease, and his descendants shall inherit the earth.”

Where, as in the Psalm before us, different verses begin with the different letters of the Hebrew alphabet, we must not look for a very strict connection between the different parts; if there is somewhat of a harmonious sentiment pervading the whole, it is as much as we have reason to expect.

The general idea that pervades this Psalm seems to be, that if (whether under the pressure of guilt or of affliction of any kind) we betake ourselves to God in prayer, and cast our care on him—then he will administer to us such consolation and support as our necessities may require. In conformity with this idea, he, throughout the former part of the Psalm, supplicates mercy for himself, and, in the words before us, he declares the blessedness of all who truly fear God.

To bring the subject more fully before you, I shall:

I. Inquire after the character that is here described.

Where shall we find a man who fears the Lord? One would suppose that, in a Christian community at least, it should be difficult to find one who did not fear God; but, strange as it may appear, the character here described is by no means common. I am anxious, however, to find a God-fearing man; because it is to him, and to him alone, that the glorious promises in my text are addressed. Assist me, then, every one of you, in this important inquiry; and descend into your own bosoms, to explore the records of conscience, and to see whether you can, in your own hearts, present before me the character I am endeavoring to find. I want to know “What man among you fears the Lord?”

1. Who is there among you that reverences God’s authority?

There can be no question whether God’s authority should be revered; for we all acknowledge him to be the Governor of the Universe, and confess that all his creatures owe submission to his will. Indeed it is the common sentiment of all, that “he is greatly to be feared, and to be had in reverence by all;” and it is obvious, that any man who disregards his authority can have no true fear of him in his heart.

2. Who is there among you that dreads God’s displeasure?

We all are sinners, and, as sinners, are liable to the displeasure of the Most High. Whether our lives have been more or less moral, we are all transgressors of God’s holy law, and all have merited his wrathful indignation; all, therefore, ought, with deep humility of mind, to fear his impending judgments. Had we never sinned, we should never have needed this kind of fear; but to fallen creatures it is absolutely and indispensably necessary.

Let me then ask: Who is there among you that mourns over his past transgressions, and implores mercy at the hands of his offended God, and seeks reconciliation with him through the Son of his love? I do not ask: Where is the person who, on some particular occasion, has wept for sin? but, Where is the person whose heart is habitually broken and contrite, so as to have no hope, no peace, but in the sin-atoning blood of Christ; and who, notwithstanding God is reconciled towards him, still loathes himself for his iniquities and abominations?

The man who had fled to a city of refuge ventured not out of the gates of the city any more (until the death of the High Priest), lest the pursuer of blood should fall upon him and destroy him. And if we, through fear of God’s displeasure, have fled for refuge to Jesus, as to the hope set before us—we shall be careful to “abide in him,” lest the sword of vengeance overtake us, and we perish.

3. Who is there among you that sincerely and unreservedly endeavors to obey God’s will?

A desire to please God cannot but be associated with a fear of his Divine Majesty. Say, then, where is the person who from day to day endeavors to ascertain his will, and labors to perform it? I am not inquiring after one who never errs; for such a character as that I could have no hope to find on earth; since “in many things we all offend;” and “there is no man that lives and never sins.” But one who labors conscientiously to approve himself to God, I may hope to find.

Search among you, brethren; see whether such a one be not to be found. I am not willing that the consolations in my text should be spoken in vain. I want to engage the attention of the person to whom they are addressed, and to pour them into the ear for which they are more especially designed. But do not too hastily obtrude yourselves, and say, ‘I am the one who fears God.’

Consider once more. Are you so studious of God’s will, and so determined to perform it, that no consideration of ease, or interest, or pleasure, can induce you to violate anyone of his commands? And, if in anything a more perfect way can be pointed out to you—are you ready to walk in it, notwithstanding any difficulties you may have to encounter, or any trials to which you may be exposed?

If there is one whose conscience bears witness to him that his state before God is such as I have described, then I have found the person for whose comfort the Psalmist made the declarations in my text, and for whose benefit I shall:

II. Unfold the benefits that are accorded to him.

Stand forth, my brother; for in the name of the Most High God I declare unto you, that:

1. You shall be taught and guided in the way that God approves.

It may be, that at present your views of divine truth are but obscure; and that you have but little capacity to comprehend the deep things of God, and but little opportunity to investigate them. Yet I say to you, in the name of the Lord, that you shall be guided into all truth, as far as shall be necessary for the welfare of your soul; and that God’s way shall be made so plain before your face, that, notwithstanding you are “a wayfaring man, and, in respect of human sciences, a fool—you shall not err therein, Isaiah 35:8.”

In particular, you shall have the Lord Jesus Christ revealed to you, as “the way, the truth, and the life;” and, “having received him” into your hearts, you shall “walk in him, rooted and built up in him, and established in the faith as you have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving, Colossians 2:6-7.”

This is the very first step to which the teaching of Almighty God will lead you; as our Lord has said, “It is written in the prophets: All your children shall be taught of God. Every one, therefore, who has heard and learned of the Father, comes unto me, John 6:45.”

In the course of your pilgrimage many difficulties will arise, wherein you will need direction from above; but God engages that in all those emergencies, “you shall hear a voice behind you, saying, This is the way, walk in it; when you would otherwise be turning to the right hand or to the left, Isaiah 30:21.” As the pillar and the cloud went before the Israelites throughout all their journeyings in the wilderness for forty years, until they arrived safe in the Promised Land—so will “God guide you by his counsel, until he has safely brought you to glory! Psalm 73:24.”

2. “Your soul shall dwell at ease”.

It may be that your former iniquities have been great and manifold; so that, unless God interposed in a more than ordinary way to support your soul, you would sink into despair. But “where sin has abounded, his grace shall much more abound;” and he will say to you, as to the woman of old, “Your sins are forgiven!” “Being justified by faith, you shall have peace with God;” and in your own conscience, even that “peace of God which passes all understanding.” It is possible, also, that you may be exposed to many trials and temptations, even such as without divine aid would utterly overwhelm you. But you shall “know in whom you have believed; and feel assured that He is able to keep that which you have committed to him, 2 Timothy 1:12,” and that “He will preserve you unto his heavenly kingdom.”

Thus, as Peter, the very night before his intended execution, though bound with chains, and doomed to a cruel death, was sleeping as serenely as if no such event had awaited him—so shall “your soul dwell at ease,” yes, “it shall be kept in perfect peace, Isaiah 26:3;” for, “if God gives quietness, then who can make trouble?” Job 34:29.

But, in the margin of our Bibles the sense of the original is more fully and literally expressed thus, “His soul shall lodge in goodness.” What a rich and glorious idea is this! The Scriptures abound in expressions of this kind; Isaiah, commending the truths of the Gospel to us, says, “Eat that which is good, and let your soul delight itself in fatness;” and David says, “My soul shall be satisfied as with marrow and fatness, while my mouth praises you with joyful lips.”

Just so, in my text he tells us that the believer’s soul shall “lodge in goodness.” Yes, truly, “God himself is the habitation” of those who fear him; his bosom is the place in which they are safely lodged, far beyond the reach of harm! Psalm 91:1; Psalm 91:9-10, and fondled with more than maternal tenderness, Isaiah 66:10-13; insomuch that God himself “rejoices over them to do them good, and rests in his love, and rejoices over them with singing, Zephaniah 3:17.”

Thus, my brother (for I am speaking to that particular individual who fears God), it shall be with you in this world; and who shall describe your lodging in the world above? Oh! the joys that await you there! How surpassing all expression or conception! The kingdom, the glory, the felicity of God himself shall be yours, even your portion, and your inheritance, forever and ever.

APPLICATION.

Now will I pause; and, from addressing you who fear God, turn,

1. To the unhappy multitude who do not fear God.

It is painful to make this distinction; but this distinction must be made. We are commanded to “separate the precious from the vile, Jeremiah 15:19;” and if we forbear to do it, God will not; He will put “a difference between those who serve him, and those who do not serve him, Malachi 3:18.”

It cannot but be known to you, that the generality, even of the Christian world, have not, in truth, “the fear of God before their eyes.” Say, beloved, did not your own consciences attest, that, in many of you at least, the marks of holy fear did not exist; or, not in such a degree as to identify you with the character described in my text?

While we spoke of those who reverenced the authority of God, and trembled at his displeasure, and made it the one object of their lives to do his will—were not many of you constrained to say, “If this be the character of those who fear God, I am forced to confess that it does not belong to me?” Then, brethren, by your own confession, you have no part in the promises annexed to that character. And, indeed, your own experience confirms this; for at this moment you cannot comprehend those mysteries of grace which are made clear to the believing soul. You have not that spiritual discernment, whereby alone you can understand and appreciate the things of the Spirit, 1 Corinthians 2:12; 1 Corinthians 2:14.

And, as for “your soul dwelling at ease,” you know nothing of it; the very thought of death and judgment is so appalling to you, that you can find no rest until you dismiss it from your mind. God himself tells us, that “you are like the troubled sea, whose waters cast up mire and dirt; and that there is no peace to the wicked! Isaiah 57:20-21.”

Will you not, then, seek to fear God? Will you not entreat him to “put his fear into your hearts,” before it is too late? I tremble at the thought of the lodging prepared for you. Oh! “who can dwell with everlasting burnings?” I beg you, brethren, realize in your minds the different states of the Rich Man and Lazarus; and “labor not for the food that perishes, but for that which endures unto everlasting life, which the Son of Man shall give unto you.”

2. To anyone who, though really fearing God, does not yet experience the full comfort of it in his soul.

It may be that such a one is here present, even one who, because he feels not yet all the consolations of true religion, is led to doubt its existence in his soul. We read of some in the primitive Church, who were “in heaviness through manifold temptations;” and, no doubt, there may be people so circumstanced among ourselves at this time.

But for such God has provided peculiar encouragement. He has stated the very case, and addressed appropriate counsel to the person under it, “Who is among you that fears the Lord, and obeys the voice of his servant, who walks in darkness, and has no light? Let him trust in the name of the Lord, and stay upon his God, Isaiah 50:10.”

Do not imagine that God has forgotten his Word, or that he will not fulfill it to you; for “not one jot or tittle of it shall ever fail.” “Light is sown for the righteous, and gladness for the upright in heart.” The grain that is sown in the earth does not rise up immediately; nor must you be discouraged, if you have some time to wait before the harvest that is prepared for you appears. “The vision may tarry; but it is only for the time appointed of your God; and then it shall come, and shall not tarry, Habakkuk 2:3.” Only wait his leisure; and you shall find in due season, that, “in every nation under Heaven, he who fears God and works righteousness shall be accepted by him!”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 25:11

“For your name’s sake, O Lord, pardon my iniquity, though it is great.”

God is a mighty Sovereign, “who does according to his own will,” “neither gives account to us of any of his matters.” We may indeed mark the traces of wisdom and goodness in everything which he does; but “his ways and his thoughts are very different from ours, and far above them.”

In the dispensations of his providence he pays no regard to the moral characters of men, but “makes the sun to shine equally upon the evil and the good.”

In the dispensations of his grace too, he is far from preferring those whom we should think he would select. He often inclines the hearts of “publicans and harlots to enter into his kingdom,” while he leaves less abandoned Religionists, Pharisees and Formalists to perish in their sins. This, if it is a humiliating truth, is also replete with comfort. If it takes away all grounds of boasting, it cuts off at the same time all occasion for despondency. If he “has a right to do what he will with his own,” the vilest person in the universe may approach him with a comfortable hope of acceptance and may address him in the language of the text.

In these words of the Psalmist we may notice,

I. David’s Confession.

David was not ashamed to confess that his sins were exceedingly great.

There is no reason to think that David in this Psalm adverts to his transgression with Bathsheba. It is probable that the Psalm was penned many years before that event. The Royal Penitent speaks rather of his indwelling corruptions. He had long been accustomed to observe the workings of his own heart, and had often besought God to search and try him to the uttermost, Psalm 139:23-24. In this way he had marked both the defects of his duties, and the evil propensities of his nature; and, from a review of all his actions, words, and thoughts, was led to acknowledge that his sin was exceeding great. Nor was this confession peculiar to him.

Holy Job, as soon as he beheld his true character, exclaimed, “Behold, I am vile! Job 40:4.”

Paul no sooner became acquainted with the purity and extent of God’s law, than he saw himself a condemned sinner, and confessed, that “in him dwelt no good thing! Romans 7:9; Romans 7:18.”

And does not a similar confession befit us also?

Let us only review our past lives, and we shall find much occasion for the deepest humiliation.

Have not many of us been addicted to open, known iniquities? And do not the consciences of such people testify against them that their sin is great?

Have not many also devoted all their time and attention to secular concerns? And will they account it a light thing thus to despise God, and idolize the world?

Have not others satisfied themselves with a formal round of duties, in which their souls were never earnestly engaged? And can they suppose that God is pleased with a mere lip-service, when their hearts are far from him?

Have not others professed godliness indeed, but walked utterly unworthy of their profession, being as proud, and passionate, as worldly too, and covetous—as those who have made no such profession? And can they suppose their sin is not great, when sinners are hardened, and God is blasphemed through their means?

But why do we speak of the profane and worldly, or the formal and hypocritical? Must not even the saints themselves blush and be confounded, when they consider how miserably they have fallen short in everything? Must they not exclaim with Paul, “O wretched man that I am!” Surely we must know little indeed of ourselves, if we do not all see how much the confession in the text is suited to our state.

When, like David, we are duly humbled under a sense of our guilt, we shall readily adopt,

II. David’s Petition.

David could not rest without imploring forgiveness at God’s hands.

He found a sense of guilt to be an intolerable burden to his soul, Psalm 38:4; and well knew that it would “eat as a canker,” until he had obtained the pardon of his sin. Hence he humbled himself before his God, and cried for mercy.

Nor shall we restrain prayer before God, if we will but consider the state of an unpardoned soul.

No words can fully express the misery of one who has all the guilt of his sins upon him!

He has no peace with God, seeing that “God is angry with him every day,” and “the wrath of God abides on him.”

He has no peace in his own conscience; for though he may drown reflection for a while in business or pleasure, he is like the troubled sea which cannot rest, but casts up mire and dirt! Isaiah 57:20.

He is also destitute of any well-founded hope for Heaven; he may buoy up himself with blind presumption; but he will feel many misgiving fears, and forebodings of evil.

He has no comfort in his afflictions; for, not having God for his friend, he cannot go to him with confidence, or obtain those refreshing consolations which strengthen and uphold the godly.

In a dying hour he is yet more wretched; if he is not insensible as a beast, how does he regret his mis-spent hours, and wish that God would prolong his state of probation!

But in the eternal world his misery is completed; he comes to the tribunal of divine justice without any mediator to reconcile him to God, or any advocate to plead his cause. Yes, the very voice which just before importuned him to accept of mercy, now bids him “depart accursed” and from that moment his doom is fixed in everlasting burnings!

Now can any man reflect on this, and not see the need of crying earnestly for mercy? Can our petitions be too earnest, or too constant, when they are the appointed, and the only means of escaping all this misery?

But in our application for mercy, we must be careful to use,

III. David’s Plea.

The Psalmist derived all his hope of mercy from God himself.

He never pleaded the smallness of his offences or the multitude of his services, the depth of his penitence, or the fervor of his petitions. He knew that name, which had long before been proclaimed to Moses, to which, as to “a strong tower, the righteous runs and is safe;” and to that he fled for refuge; from that he derived his only hope, his only plea.

Nor can we present any other plea than the name—the sacred name of Jesus.

Under the Gospel we are taught more clearly to ask in the name of Jesus, and are assured that petitions so offered shall never fail of acceptance, John 14:13-14. But it is no easy matter to offer that plea in sincerity. Perhaps there is nothing in the world more difficult. We naturally prefer any other plea that can be devised; and, even when we find that we have not in ourselves any worthiness on which we can rely, we are still averse to rest on the name of Jesus. We either deem it insufficient to procure acceptance for our prayers, or make our unworthiness a reason for declining to urge it as our plea with any confidence before God. But, unless we renounce every other hope, and rest entirely on the mediation and intercession of Christ—our prayer will never enter into the ears of our heavenly Father.

Observations.

1. The vilest of sinners has no reason to despair.

The confession, petition, and plea, which David presented at the throne of Grace—are suited to the very chief of sinners. Nor, as the subsequent experience of David proves, can there be any state in which they shall not prevail. Let none then despond. Be it so, our sins are great; but are they greater than Christ’s merits, or beyond the reach of God’s mercy? If not, let us exalt our adorable Savior; and determine, if we perish, to perish crying for mercy in the name of Jesus!

2. The most eminent saints have no ground to boast.

There never was a creature that had any righteousness of his own to plead. And if God has had mercy upon any, it was purely and entirely for his own name’s sake, Ezekiel 36:22; Ezekiel 36:32. Could we ascend to Heaven, and ask the glorified saints what had been the ground of their acceptance, they would all “cast down their crowns at the feet of Jesus,” and shout, with one consent, “Salvation to God and to the Lamb! Revelation 4:10; Revelation 7:10.” Let the saints on earth then lie low before God, and say continually, “Not unto us, O Lord, not unto us, but unto your name be the praise!”

3. People of every description must guard diligently against pride and unbelief.

Sin, of whatever kind, is both evil in itself and dangerous to us. But the consequences of pride and unbelief are peculiarly fatal. There is not any other sin which may not be forgiven, provided we seek mercy with real penitence and faith. But if we are too proud to confess our sins, and to plead the name and merits of Jesus for the forgiveness of them—then we insure and seal our own condemnation. Let us then guard against all sins; but especially against sins which rivet all our other sins upon us. So shall we obtain favor with God, and “be to him for a name and for a praise for evermore! Jeremiah 13:11.”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 25:10

“All the paths of the Lord are mercy and truth unto those who keep his covenant and his testimonies.”

It has often been observed that there is in the world an indiscriminate distribution by God, of good and evil, without any respect to men’s moral characters. And this is confirmed by Solomon, who says, “All things come alike to all, neither does any man know whether love or hatred await him.” This, however, must be understood with certain limitations and restrictions; for, as in chemical preparations one ingredient will entirely change the qualities of the thing prepared, so in the dispensations of Providence will one single ingredient wholly change their nature, while, in appearance, they remain the same.

God often sends temporal blessings to his enemies in anger, for the purpose of displaying in him the power of his wrath—as we see when he raised up Pharaoh to a throne. On the contrary, the bitterest cup that he puts into the hands of his friends is mixed with love. The eye of faith therefore will discern a most essential difference, where sense and reason can see none. It will see that however God may load the wicked with benefits, “he is angry with them every day.” It will see however he may visit the righteous with the rod, “all his paths are mercy and truth unto them.” To elucidate this truth, let us consider,

I. The character of the godly.

Among the numberless marks whereby the godly are described in Scripture, there are not any more deserving of our attention than those before us:

1. They keep God’s covenant.

The covenant here spoken of cannot be the covenant of works, because no man is able to keep that, seeing that it requires perfect and unsinning obedience. We understand it therefore as relating to the covenant of grace, wherein God undertakes to give us pardon, holiness, and glory, for the sake of his dear Son, who is the Mediator of it, and in whose blood it is ratified and confirmed. Compare Jeremiah 31:31-34 with Hebrews 8:10-12.

Now this covenant every godly person “keeps.” He embraces it gladly, being well persuaded, that if the tenor of it were not precisely what it is, he could have no hope. If the covenant required the performance of certain conditions on his part, without providing him with strength to perform those conditions, and pardon for his innumerable failures and defects—then he would sit down in despair. But seeing that the covenant is ordered in all things and sure, and that Jesus, the surety of it, has guaranteed to God the accomplishment of its demands, and to us the enjoyment of its blessings, every believer rejoices in it, and cleaves to it steadfastly with his whole heart.

2. They keep God’s testimonies.

While the believer is thus attached to the Gospel covenant, he does not relax his obedience to the law. On the contrary, whatever God has testified to be his will—that the believer labors to fulfill. He would not wish to live in sin, though he might do it with impunity; nor does he account one of the commandments grievous; but rather he esteems them all concerning all things to be right, Psalm 119:128. His complaints are not against the law as too strict, but against his own heart, as treacherous and vile. With respect to the testimonies of God, he says, with David, “I claim them as my heritage forever; yes, they are the rejoicing of my heart; they are sweeter to me than honey and the honey-comb.”

Such, in other parts of God’s Word, is the description given of the godly, Isaiah 56:4-5. Psalm 103:17-18. We should therefore inquire into our faith and practice, in order that we may ascertain our real character. For if we are harboring self-righteousness on the one hand, or hypocrisy on the other, we have no part in this covenant, nor any interest in its blessings. Whether we reject the covenant or dishonor it, we are equally destitute of grace, and equally liable to God’s eternal displeasure. To have a good evidence of our acceptance with God, we must trust as simply in the covenant as if no works were required; and be as earnest in the performance of good works, as if only works were required.

Having delineated the character of the godly, let us next consider,

II. The dealings of God towards the godly.

It might be supposed that people so pleasing to God should never suffer affliction; but the contrary is true, as appears, not only from the declarations of Scripture, Zephaniah 3:12. Psalm 34:19, but from the experience of all who have been most favored of God Job, David, Paul, and, above all, Christ himself.

1. All of God’s dealings towards the godly are in mercy.

There are no dispensations, however afflictive, which are not sent to them for good. They are all mercy in their source, their measure, their end. Whence do they spring, but from the love of God? for, “whom he loves he chastens, and scourges every son whom he receives.” They are all mercifully tempered as to their number, weight, and duration. Has there not “with every temptation been opened also a way to escape,” or “strength given according to our day, Hebrews 12:6. Deuteronomy 33:25.” And have they not all wrought for good:

to wean us from the world,

to purge away sin,

to exercise and increase our grace,

to give to us the comfort of grace bestowed,

and to God the glory of it?

Is there one of us who must not confess, “It is good for me that I have been afflicted!” And shall we not say that our light and momentary afflictions have been rich mercies, when we find what a weight of glory they have wrought out for us?

2. All of God’s dealings towards the godly are in truth.

Truth has respect to the performance of promises. Now afflictions are expressly promised as much as salvation itself, Jeremiah 30:11. When therefore they come, we should regard them as the accomplishment of God’s Word, wherein he has said, that he will withhold no good thing from us. It was in this light that David viewed them, when he said, “I know, O Lord, that your judgments are right, and that you in faithfulness have afflicted me! Psalm 119:75.” And it is in consideration of this, that we are taught to consider, not merely life with all its comforts, but even death also with all its antecedent evils, as a treasure given to us by God, 1 Corinthians 3:22.

Inferences:

1. How excellent a grace is faith!

It is faith, and faith alone, that can enable us to view God’s dispensations in this light. If we are weak in faith, we shall be easily drawn to fretfulness and murmuring; but if we are enabled to see the hand of God in our trials, they will all administer occasions of joy and gratitude. Faith is the magic potion which turns all to gold, and enables us to glory in that, which, to flesh and blood, is a source of sorrow and disquietude. Let us, then, cultivate this grace, and keep it in continual exercise; and, if anything occurs, the reasons of which we cannot immediately comprehend, let us content ourselves with saying, ‘What I know not now, I shall know hereafter.’

2. How resigned should the believer be under all his troubles!

Nothing can come to him which is not the fruit of God’s mercy and truth. Not so much as a hair can fall from his head but by divine appointment!

Believer, are you sick and in pain? God knows that health and ease would have been harmful to your soul.

Have you sustained some heavy loss? God sees, perhaps, that the thing which you have lost might have been a weight about your feet, and have retarded you in running your race.

Are you persecuted by the world, or tempted by Satan? It is a discipline whereby God is preparing you for future victories, and everlasting triumphs.

These may be mercies in disguise; but they are mercies notwithstanding; and therefore should be received with resignation, and improved with diligence.

3. How lamentable is the state of unbelievers!

While we disregard God’s covenant and his testimonies, we neither enjoy any mercy, nor have a saving interest in any promise. On the contrary, our very blessings are cursed to us, and every threatening in God’s Word is in full force against us. Moreover, our troubles are pledges of infinitely heavier calamities that shall come upon us in the eternal world! Let us, then, if we are yet in unbelief, embrace the covenant of grace, and set ourselves diligently to keep the testimonies of our God. So shall the blessings of the covenant flow down upon us, and we shall know by happy experience, that “the Lord is gracious, his mercy is everlasting, and his truth endures from generation to generation!”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 25:9

“The meek will he guide in judgment; and the meek he will teach his way.”

The necessity of a revelation from God is universally acknowledged; for no man could possibly know God’s will, unless God himself should be pleased to communicate information respecting it from above. But the necessity for any divine influence upon the soul, in order to a due improvement of a revelation already given, is not generally admitted. But we are expressly told, that “all God’s children shall be taught by him;” and both the goodness and integrity of God are pledged for the performance of the promise, verse 8. There are, however, certain qualifications which we must possess, before the offered benefits can be extended to us; and what they are, it is my intention, in this present discourse, to set before you.

Let me then state,

I. What dispositions are necessary for a reception of divine truth.

The term “meekness” is of very extensive import. But, instead of entering into the variety of senses in which the word is used, we shall find it more profitable to confine ourselves to the precise view in which it is used in the passage before us.

1. Men may be denominated “meek,” when they are sensible of their own ignorance.

Ignorant we are, whether we are sensible of it or not. The fall of man has proved no less injurious to his intellectual powers than to his heart.

“His understanding is darkened;”

“the god of this world has blinded his eyes;”

“he is alienated from the life of God through the ignorance that is in him, and because of the blindness of his heart.”

But men are unconscious of this. They feel that their powers are strong for the investigation of human sciences; and they see no reason why they should not be equally so for the comprehension of things relating to the soul. They are ready to resent any intimation of their spiritual blindness, as the Pharisees did of old, “Are we blind also? John 9:40.”

Very different is their conduct, when they are become truly “meek.” Then they perceive their lack of spiritual discernment, 2 Corinthians 2:14. They feel that no efforts of flesh and blood will suffice for the illumination of their minds! Matthew 16:17; and that they need “not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit which is from God, that they may know the things that are freely given to them of God, 1 Corinthians 2:12.”

2. Men may be denominated “meek,” when they are willing and desirous to be taught by God.

As man by nature is not sensible of his own blindness, so has he no wish to obtain a spiritual insight into the things of God. He is satisfied with a speculative knowledge; and, if he possesses that which may be apprehended by reason, and which may be attained by his own personal exertions—then he has all that he desires. All beyond that is, in his estimation, a vain conceit.

But a person who possesses a meek disposition desires to be taught of God, and to be guided into all truth. He is not contented with abiding in the outer court of the temple; but longs to be introduced within the veil, even into the sanctuary of the Most High, in order that he may behold God shining forth in all his glory, and receive from him the richest possible communications of his grace and love.

For this end, whenever he opens the inspired volume, he lifts up his heart to God, and prays, “Open my eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of your Law!” In relation to the whole work of redemption, whether as revealed in the Word, or as experienced in the soul—he desires to hear God himself, and be “taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus, Ephesians 4:20-21;” and he pleads with God that most encouraging promise, “Call upon me, and I will show you great and mighty (hidden) things, which you know not! Jeremiah 33:3.”

Such are the dispositions which characterize the people whom God will instruct.

We are next to show,

II. Whence arises the necessity for meekness.

1. There is, in the whole scope and tenor of the Gospel, a contrariety to our carnal reason.

The substitution of God’s co-equal, co-eternal Son in the place of sinners, his vicarious sacrifice, his bringing in a righteousness by the imputation of which sinners may be justified before God, and his imparting all the blessings of redemption to them, through the exercise of faith, and without any respect whatever to their works—these are truths to which carnal reason is extremely averse. They are among “those things of the Spirit which the natural man neither does, nor can, receive.”

A man may, indeed, adopt these things as his creed, and may account an opposition to them as heresy; while yet he has no spiritual acquaintance with them in his own soul. But to see the excellency of them, to love them, to delight in them, to “account all things but dung for the knowledge of them,” is an attainment which the natural man has no idea of, and which, instead of desiring, he hates. They form altogether a mystery.

Hence, until he is humbled before God, he cannot possibly comprehend these things; they are a stumbling-block to him; they are mere “foolishness” in his eyes!

2. There is, in the whole scope and tenor of the Gospel, an opposition to our depraved appetites.

The Gospel calls upon us to “mortify our members upon earth,” yes, and to “crucify the flesh with the affections and lusts;” and to such an extent does it require the subjugation of our corrupt appetites, that, if there be a thing as dear to us as a right eye, it calls upon us to pluck it out, or a thing as useful as a right hand, to cut it off.

How can such doctrines as these be received by a proud, unmortified, and unhumbled spirit? It is not possible but that there should be the utmost repugnance to them in all who feel not the value of their own souls, and desire not above all things to obtain peace with God.

In truth, the doctrines of Christianity are not a whit more offensive to the reason of the natural man, than the duties of it are to his corrupt affections; which, therefore, must be mortified, before he can acquiesce in them as good and right.

3. There is, in the whole scope and tenor of the Gospel, an inconsistency with our worldly interests.

The instant we embrace the Gospel with our whole hearts, the world will become our enemies. They hated and persecuted the Lord of glory himself; can we suppose that the disciple will be above his Lord? Or that, if they called the Master of the house Beelzebub, they will not find some opprobrious names for those also of his household? We are taught by our Lord that we must be hated by all men for his name’s sake; and that, if we will not take up our cross daily, and follow him, we cannot be his disciples. Nay more; if we are not willing to forsake all, and even to lay down our lives for him, we cannot be partakers of his salvation.

But what will an earthly mind say to this? Will not a faithful declaration of these things draw forth that reply which was given to our Lord, “This is a hard saying; who can hear it?” Many, when our Lord proclaimed these things, turned back, and walked no more with him; and this cannot but be the result with every carnal and worldly mind, when such sacrifices are required.

Hence, then, it is evident, that, unless a very great change is wrought in the heart of an unconverted man, he neither will, nor can, be in a state to receive truths to which his whole nature is so averse! If he meekly desired to do God’s will, the film would be removed from his eyes, and he would be able to appreciate the things which are set before him in the Gospel; but, until he becomes thus “meek” and docile, he will be inaccessible to the light, or rather, the light itself will only augment his blindness!

That all may be encouraged to seek these necessary dispositions, I proceed to notice,

III. The promise made to those who are possessed of them.

It has already appeared, that men, by the Fall, have suffered loss both in their intellectual and moral powers. And, in both respects, shall they be restored to a rich measure of their pristine dignity, if only they cultivate the dispositions which God requires.

1. God will “guide the meek in judgment”.

They see at present through a dense and delusive medium; and hence everything relating to God assumes, in their eyes, an odious and distorted shape. But God will rectify their views; he will enable them to discern everything in its proper colors, and to see its bearings on the welfare of the soul.

The excellency of salvation through the crucified Redeemer,

the blessedness of having all our corruptions mortified,

and the wisdom of sacrificing all our worldly interests to the welfare of the soul—

these, and all other truths connected with them, shall be brought home to the mind with an evidence which it cannot doubt, and with a power which it cannot withstand. Or, to use the expressive language of the Psalmist, “In the hidden part God shall make them to know wisdom, Psalm 51:6.”

In a word, he will bring the soul out of darkness into marvelous light; so that it shall no more call evil good, and good evil; but shall “be guided into all truth,” and shall “have the very mind that was in Christ Jesus.”

2. He will enable the meek also, to walk in his ways.

Gospel truths do not float in the minds of a genuine Christian as a mere theory or speculation—but influence their affections, their speech and their acts in a most practical way. God will, by his Word and Spirit, recover them from their wanderings, and guide their feet into the way of peace. And, if at any time they are for a moment turned aside through error of judgment, or instability of mind, he will cause them to “hear a word behind them, saying, This is the way, walk in it!” He will go before them, as he did before the Israelites in the wilderness, causing his Word to be a light to their feet and a lantern to their paths; and thus “he will guide them by his counsel, until he shall finally receive them to glory!”

Here, then, we may see,

1. Why it is that the blessings of the Gospel are so pre-eminently enjoyed by the poor.

It is a fact, that “not many wise, not many mighty, not many noble, are called;” but that “God has revealed to babes and sucklings the things which, to so great an extent, are hidden from the wise and prudent.”

The wise and great are too generally under the influence of self-sufficiency and self-dependence. They cannot bow to the humiliating doctrines of the Gospel. They will not endure to view themselves in so destitute a condition as the Gospel represents them. Hence they, almost universally, “stumble at the word, being disobedient.”

But the poor are more easily brought to see that they need instruction from above; their very incompetency to enter into deep researches of any kind gives them a comparative distrust of their own powers, in relation to the things of God. Hence they see but little to stumble at in those points which the wise and learned find most difficult to overcome; and, being more easily brought to seek instruction from God, they, in far greater numbers, are taught of God, and almost engross to themselves, as it were, the possession of his kingdom.

O, you poor ones, never repine at your lot; but rather rejoice that you are of the happy number of those whom God has chosen chiefly, though not exclusively, “to be rich in faith, and heirs of his kingdom.”

And, you rich or learned, seek to “become as little children,” and be willing to “become fools, that you may be truly wise!”

2. Why it is that there are so many falls and errors in the religious world.

People, when they have embraced the truth, are but too apt to lose the simplicity of their earlier days, and to become wise in their own conceits. Hence many of them fall into errors of divers kinds; and frequently dishonor, by their conduct, their holy profession.

Alas! alas! what a picture does the religious world present! See what controversies and animosities prevail among those who profess themselves children of one common Father! Dear brethren, dreadful is the advantage which our great adversary gains by these means.

Remember, I beg you, that your growth in grace is to be shown, not by a proud dogmatizing spirit, but by a spirit of meekness, and humility, and love. He is most acceptable to the Lord Jesus, who most resembles a little child; and he shall have the richest fellowship with God, who, with most lowliness of heart, implores his continual aid.

In reading the Holy Scriptures therefore, and under the public ministration of the Word, be careful not to lean to your own understanding, but to trust in God for the teaching of his Spirit; that “receiving the Word with meekness, as an engrafted word,” you may find it effectual to sanctify and “save your souls!”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 25:6-7

“Remember, O LORD, Your tender mercies and Your lovingkindnesses, for they are from of old. Do not remember the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions. According to Your mercy remember me, for Your goodness’ sake, O LORD.”

At what precise period this Psalm was written, is not certainly known; but probably about the time of Absalom’s rebellion. It is evident that David’s sorrows were very great, verses 16, 17; but those which appear to have pressed with the greatest weight upon his mind arose from a view of his past transgressions, and probably from that flagrant iniquity committed by him in the matter of Uriah, verses 11, 18.

His mode of pleading with God is that to which I propose, in a more especial manner, to draw your attention, because it affords an excellent pattern for us, in all our approaches to the throne of grace.

Let us notice,

I. What David desires.

He desires God to “remember the tender mercies and loving-kindnesses” with which he had favored him in times past. Now this is almost the last petition which we should have expected from a person mourning under a sense of sin, because the kindness of God to us forms one of the greatest aggravations of our sins. God himself made this the ground of his complaint against his people of old, “What could I have done more for my vineyard, that I have not done in it? And when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, it brought it forth wild grapes?” But David had a just view of God’s tender mercies; he regarded them as pledges of yet richer blessings in reserve for him; and in this view his request deserves particular attention.

God’s mercies are the fruits of his electing love.

God dispenses his blessings to whoever he will. He has a right to do so; for there is no creature in the universe that has any claim upon him. As well might the devils complain of him, for not giving a Savior to them—as any of us complain of him for not bestowing on us the grace which he imparts to others. In what he does, he consults his own glory alone; and, however rebellious man may arraign his counsels—he will be eternally glorified in all that he has done; it will all be found “to his praise and honor and glory” in “the day which he has appointed for the revelation of his righteous judgments.”

David was sensible of his obligations to God in this respect. He traced all his mercies to their proper source: the eternal counsels of God; who had given them to him, not for any righteousness of his, either seen or foreseen, but “according to his own purpose and grace, which had been given to him in Christ Jesus before the world began, 2 Timothy 1:9.” He saw that “God had loved him with an everlasting love,” and therefore with loving-kindness had God drawn him to the actual enjoyment of his favor.

In this view, God’s past mercies may be regarded as pledges of future blessings.

God is unchangeable, no less in his counsels than in his perfections, Malachi 3:6. In no respect is there with him “any variableness, or shadow of turning, James 1:17.” “His gifts and calling are without repentance, Romans 11:29.” Hence, if he remembers his former mercies, he will continue them. “He will not forsake his people for his great name’s sake, because it has pleased him to make them his people, 1 Samuel 12:22.” He has said, “I will never, never leave you; never, never forsake you, Hebrews 13:5;” so that, if we have indeed experienced his loving-kindness in our souls, we may “confidently hope that he will carry on and perfect his work within us, Philippians 1:6;” for “whom he loves, he loves to the end! John 13:1.”

Here, then, we see what was in the mind of David when he urged this petition. He had found consolation from this thought in the midst of the deepest distresses. When tempted, on one occasion, to think that “God had cast him off, and would be favorable to him no more, but had in anger shut up his tender mercies, so that his promise would fail for evermore,” he “called to mind God’s wonders of old time,” and thus composed his mind, and assured himself that his fears were groundless, the result only of “his own infirmity, Psalm 42:6; Psalm 77:6-11.”

In any troubles, therefore, which we may experience, we shall do well to look back upon God’s mercies of old, and to take encouragement from them to cast ourselves upon him, for the continuance of them.

Let us next observe,

II. What David deprecates.

Sin, in whoever it is found, is most offensive to God.

God “cannot look upon iniquity without the utmost abhorrence, Habakkuk 1:13,” both of the act itself, and of the person who has committed it. Hence, when he forgives sin, he “blots it out, even as a morning cloud, which passes away, and is no more seen, Isaiah 44:22.” God has put it altogether out of his own sight; he has “cast it behind his back, Isaiah 38:17,” “into the very depths of the sea, Micah 7:19,” from whence it shall never be brought up again.

If sin were remembered by him, he must punish it; and therefore, to those who turn unto him, and lay hold on his covenant, he promises, that “their sins and iniquities he will remember no more, Hebrews 8:12.”

On this account David deprecates the remembrance of his sins.

He specifies, in particular, “the sins of his youth,” which, though committed through levity and thoughtlessness, were displeasing to God, and must entail his judgments on the soul. Little do young people think what their views of their present conduct will be, when God shall open their eyes—whether it is in the present or the future life. They now imagine that they have, as it were, a licence to indulge in sin, and to neglect their God. They conceive, that serious piety at their age would be premature and preposterous; and that, if they only abstain from gross immoralities, they may well be excused for deferring to a later period the habits that are distasteful to a youthful mind.

But these are vain and delusive imaginations. God views their conduct with other eyes. He does not accept those frivolous excuses with which men satisfy their own minds. God sees no reason why the earlier part of life should be consecrated to Satan, and the dregs of it alone be reserved for him. He demands the first-fruits as his peculiar portion; and if the first-fruits of the field, much more the first-fruits of the immortal soul.

O! my young friends, I entreat you to reflect how different God’s estimate of your conduct is, from that which you and your thoughtless companions form; and how bitterly you will one day deprecate his remembrance of those sins, which now you pass over as unworthy of any serious consideration.

But David adverts also to the transgressions which, through weakness or inadvertence, he yet daily committed. And who among us is not conscious of manifold transgressions in his daily walk and conduct? Who is not constrained to say, “Enter not into judgment with your servant, O Lord;” “if you should be extreme to mark iniquity, O Lord, who shall stand?”

Thus, then, let us also implore God to blot out our sins from the book of his remembrance, that they may never appear against us in the day of judgment, and, “if sought for” with ever so much diligence, may never, “never be found! Jeremiah 50:20.”

Let us mark yet farther,

III. What David proposes as the rule and measure of God’s dealings with him.

David founds all his hope on the mercy of God.

Mercy is the favorite attribute of God. Mercy delights to spare the offending, and to save the penitent. It is ready to fly at the call of guilt and misery; and hastens to execute the dictates of God’s sovereign grace. Mercy demands no merit as the price of its blessings; it accounts itself richly recompensed in bringing glory to God, and happiness to man. Hence David prayed, “According to your mercy, remember me!”

When speaking of God’s interposition between him and his persecutors, he could say, “The Lord has rewarded me according to my righteousness; according to the cleanness of my hands has he recompensed me, Psalm 18:20.” But he would not presume to make his own righteousness the ground of his hope towards God. For acceptance with him, he would rely on nothing but mercy, even the mercy of God in Christ Jesus. Herein he has set us an example which we shall do well to follow; in all our addresses to the Most High God, we should adopt his prayer, and say, “Deal with your servant according to your mercy! Psalm 119:124.” There is solid ground. There the most holy of the saints must come; and there the vilest sinner upon earth may find a rock whereon to stand with confidence before God. With such a ground of hope, David could approach his God, and say, “Be merciful unto my sin; for it is great!”

From “the goodness of God, too,” David derives his only plea.

David well knew that God is most glorified in those exercises of mercy which most display his sovereignty and his grace. Hence he desired that God would have respect to his own honor, and show mercy to him for his goodness’ sake. Thus must we, also, take our arguments from the perfections of our God; and have all our hope, and plea, and confidence in him alone.

To this I will only add,

1. Let us follow the example of David.

We all have need to come to God precisely in the manner that David did. We have no more worthiness in ourselves than he. If judged by anything of our own, we can have no hope whatever. We must stand precisely on the same ground as he, and urge the very same pleas as he. Our first, and last, and only cry must be,

“Mercy, good Lord, mercy I ask;

This is the total sum;

For mercy, Lord, is all my plea:

O let your mercy come!

“Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions! Psalm 51:1.”

2. Let us take encouragement from the acceptance with God which David found.

His sins, as great as they were, were all forgiven. And when did God ever reject the prayer of faith? To whom did he ever say, “Seek my face in vain?” Read the whole of the fifty-first Psalm, and let it be a model for your supplications, day and night. Then shall your prayer come up with acceptance before God, and your seed-time of tears, issue in a harvest of eternal joy!

Charles Simeon