Psalm 138:6

“Though the LORD is on high, he looks upon the lowly, but the proud he knows from afar.”

Whatever we find in Scripture to have been God’s dealings with his people of old, the same may we expect to receive from him at this day—so far as our situation and circumstances require it. His interpositions, either in a way of chastisement or protection, may be less visible than formerly; but they are neither less certain, nor less real.

We may imagine that because we are not under a Theocracy, as the Jews were, we are not authorized to believe that the great God of Heaven and earth will interest himself about us; but in every age “his eyes are still both upon the evil and the good;” and “though he is high—yet will he have respect unto the lowly; but the proud he will behold afar off.”

In this declaration of the Psalmist we see,

I. A truth acknowledged

This part of the subject, though essential to a just view of the whole, should be passed over very briefly; the bearing of it being the main point to be insisted on.

God is high, even “the high and lofty One who inhabits eternity, whose name is Holy, Isaiah 57:15.” “Heaven is his throne, and earth is his footstool, Isaiah 66:1.” “The Heaven of heavens cannot contain him, 1 Kings 8:27.” “He dwells in light which no man can approach unto; and him no man has seen, or can see, 1 Timothy 6:16.” His greatness is displayed in all the works of creation, which sprang into existence at his command and in all the works of Providence, also, is it manifested . These are opened at great length by God himself, Job 38-41. But the bare mention of the passage will be sufficient; for “in him all things live, and move, and have their being! Acts 17:28.”

We may say, then, respecting him, that “He is great, and greatly to be feared; and that his greatness is unsearchable! Psalm 145:3.”

This truth being unquestionable, let us consider,

II. The proper bearing of God’s greatness on the different classes of mankind.

Because of the greatness of the divine Majesty, both good men and wicked, though on different principles, imagine, that he will not condescend to notice them; the good, from a sense of their own unworthiness; and the wicked, from an idea that it would derogate from God’s honor to concern himself about the affairs of men. But he will notice, and in a way suited to the characters of each,

1. “The lowly”.

As David, in reference to the temple which he desired to build, said, “Will God in very deed dwell with man on the earth?” In the same way, people under a sense of their own sinfulness are often ready to think that God will never listen to their prayer, or deign in any way to notice them, Psalm 8:4; But greatly are they mistaken; for “though the Lord is high—yet will he have respect unto the lowly.” Yes, if there were but one contrite soul in the universe, God would look through all the shining ranks of angels that surround his throne, to behold that favored object; nay, more; he would come down from the highest heavens to visit and revive him. He would even make that man’s bosom his habitation.

And though the man’s state on earth were so abject, that he had no better place whereon to rest his weary limbs than “a dunghill—yet would God raise him from thence, to set him among the princes in his kingdom, Psalm 113:4-8.” Such respect would God show him, that his every prayer would be heard, and his every desire, so far as it was for his good, be granted, Psalm 145:19. The very sighs of such a one would be as music in the ears of the Most High God; and “his every tear be treasured up in Jehovah’s vials, Psalm 56:8,” as a most valued monument of his creature’s love.

2. “The proud”.

Such are they who have no consciousness of their ill desert, no deep contrition on account of it. These, from a mistaken view of the divine Majesty, are ready to exclude Jehovah from the concerns of this lower world, as though they were beneath his notice, Zephaniah 1:12. Whereas, there is nothing great or small in the eyes of Jehovah! Nor is it any more degradation to him to attend to the concerns of the smallest insect that floats invisibly in the air, than to the affairs of the mightiest empire upon earth.

But, in fact, these people wish to be hidden from the cognizance of the Most High; they have no desire that he should inspect their hearts, or interfere in any of their concerns. But God takes notice of them and of their ways, no less than the ways of others; and records in the book of his remembrance all their proud thoughts, and their atheistical imaginations. “He knows them afar off,” with holy indignation. No access have they to him; no gracious communications from him.

“The lowly” can say, “Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ.” But not so “the proud.” They may come, like the Pharisee, to the very altar of God, to tell God how good they are; but it is the self-abasing Publican alone that goes away justified, or receives any tokens of God’s approval.

In death, too, the proud will be left, if not a prey to terror—yet at all events, without any sense of redeeming love, or any foretaste of that blessedness which is the exclusive portion of the contrite and believing soul.

And, O! what will be his reception in the eternal world? There, indeed, will God “know him afar off,” and dismiss him from his presence with that indignant reproof, “Depart from me; I never knew you, you worker of iniquity! Matthew 7:23.”

APPLICATION.

1. Look well to your own character, as before God.

It is not by your outward actions merely that you will be judged at the last day, but by the dispositions and habits of your mind. He who stands high in his own estimation will be proportionably low in God’s esteem; while the lowly will be approved of God, in proportion as he is abased in his own eyes, Luke 14:11.

The parable of the Pharisee and the Publican sufficiently evinces this. The one had made great attainments in religion, and was free from everything that could be a subject of self-reproach. While the other had shown no attention whatever to religion, and had probably committed many great evils. Yet the one, being penitent, was accepted; and the other, being unhumbled, was dismissed with utter disapprobation and abhorrence.

I would, therefore, particularly entreat you to examine to which of the two, in the habit of your mind, you are like. And I would have you also carefully to distinguish between the spirit of a creature and the feelings of a sinner; for there are many who have a consciousness of their insignificance as creatures, while they have very little sense of their guiltiness as sinners; and hence are looking for acceptance through their own works, instead of relying simply and altogether upon the Lord Jesus Christ. I say again: This will enter deeply into God’s estimate of your character at the last day; and, therefore, it must form a most essential part of your inquiry into your own state at this time.

2. Expect that God’s dealings with you will be in perfect accordance with your character.

To all eternity will the declaration in my text be fulfilled. There will be no bounds to “the respect that shall be paid to the lowly” at the day of judgment. They shall be owned by that Savior in whom they had believed; and be placed on his right hand, as distinguished monuments of his favor! To Heaven itself also shall they be exalted, as heirs of the Savior’s kingdom, and as partners of his throne forever and ever!

On the other hand, most tremendous will be the aspect of the Savior’s countenance towards the proud, impenitent, and unhumbled sinners. They have despised him, and all the wonders of his love; and now, they themselves shall be banished from his presence with righteous scorn and contempt. They were too good in their own estimation to flee to him for mercy; and now they shall have no part in his salvation, nor any other doom than what their own works have merited. Would to God that the despisers of the Gospel salvation would consider this, before it is too late! The great and glorious “God wills not the death of any sinner, but rather that he would turn from his wickedness, and live;” nor is there a creature in the universe whom he would not most gladly receive to mercy. But he will never depart from what he has spoken, that “whoever covers his sins shall not prosper; but that he who confesses and forsakes them, shall have mercy.”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 138:4-5

“All the kings of the earth shall praise you, O Lord, when they hear the words of your mouth. Yes, they shall sing in the ways of the Lord; for great is the glory of the Lord.”

In the Psalms of David, it is often not easy to find out the connection between the different parts, so as to reduce them to the form of a regular composition. The inspired writer seems on many occasions to have recorded the feelings of his soul without any particular attention to order and method; and sometimes, unconsciously as it were, to have passed from what respected his own personal concerns, to events far distant, relating to the Church of God under the reign of the Messiah.

If we suppose the Psalm before us to have been written soon after his establishment on the throne of Israel, we may regard the words of my text as expressing the satisfaction which that event would afford to all the surrounding nations, when they should hear of the wonderful events by which it had been accomplished. But it is manifest, that, if that be in any degree the import of his Words, it can never comprehend their full meaning.

Beyond a doubt, the holy man is led, from the contemplation of the mercies given to himself, to speak of those which shall be given to the whole world in the millennial age; when all the kings of the earth shall become the monuments of God’s love and mercy, and shall walk joyfully before him in obedience to his will.

From the words thus explained, I will take occasion to show,

I. The felicity of the latter day.

Here we see,

1. Of whom the Church will be composed.

Under the Jewish dispensation, it was confined almost exclusively to the descendants of Abraham and the twelve Patriarchs, or, I should rather say, to a very small remnant of them; for “they were not all Israel who were of Israel, Romans 9:6.”

And since the Gospel kingdom has been established, the true Israel have been found chiefly among “the poor, whom God has more especially chosen to be rich in faith, and heirs of his kingdom James 2:5.” As in the Apostle’s days, so at this time, “not many wise men after the flesh, not many mighty, not many noble are called, 1 Corinthians 1:26.”

But in the millennial age, people of every rank, and of every nation under Heaven, will flock to Christ, even “as doves to their windows;” as the Psalmist says, “All the ends of the earth shall remember themselves, and turn unto the Lord, and all the kindreds of the nations shall worship before him, Psalm 22:27; Psalm 86:9.” Among these, the kings and governors shall bear a most conspicuous place; all of them, instead of being found, as formerly, among the persecutors of the Lord’s people, “bringing their glory into the Church, Revelation 21:24,” and “becoming themselves her nursing-fathers, and their queens her nursing-mothers, Isaiah 49:22-23.” Nor shall this prevail among a few only; for “the kings of Tarshish and of the Isles shall bring presents to our adorable Redeemer; the kings of Sheba and Seba shall offer gifts unto him; yes, all kings shall fall down before him; and all nations shall serve him, Psalm 72:10-11.”

2. What will be the frame of their minds.

As little as the praise of our Redeemer is now heard, it will be proclaimed then by all; the praises of our God will resound in every place, and universal joy be diffused among the servants of the Lord. The noise, that is now accounted mirth, will cease; and the revelings, which are now regarded as sources and scenes of joy, will be put away as unworthy of the Christian profession. There will then be nobler sources of delight opened to the whole Christian world; and all of every rank will find their chief happiness in the service of their God.

This is the testimony of all the inspired writers; who uniformly concur in this, that it will be a season of universal joy; men everywhere “coming with singing unto Zion, and with everlasting joy upon their heads; all of them being filled with joy and gladness; and sorrow and sighing having fled away! Isaiah 35:10.”

3. What discoveries they will have of God.

No wonder their happiness will be so exalted, when God shows forth his glory in the midst of them. “Great will then be the glory of the Lord,” as displayed in the person, and work, and offices of Christ, and in the manifestations of his love to the souls of men. Yes, “when the Lord shall build up Zion, he shall appear in his glory, Psalm 102:16.” And great indeed will be the splendor of that day, “The moon will be confounded, and the sun ashamed, when the Lord Almighty shall reign in Mount Zion, and before his ancients, gloriously! Isaiah 24:23.”

Yet let us not imagine that these blessings are so reserved for future ages, as not to be enjoyed in our day. No; we are in reality as much interested in them as men can be at any period of the world; and therefore I call upon you to contemplate:

II. The felicity which we also are privileged to enjoy.

1. The word which they of the latter day will hear, is preached unto us.

The Gospel was in a measure preached to Abraham, Galatians 3:8; but how much more to us! By Christ and his holy Apostles God has made known to us his mind and will without reserve; nor have we any reason whatever to think that any addition shall ever be made to the inspired volume. Further light, indeed, will be thrown upon it, by the fulfillment of prophecy; and a more abundant effusion of the Holy Spirit will be given to men, for the comprehension of it; but the entire Gospel is given to us, as much as it ever will be to them; and, if we pray to God for the teaching of his Holy Spirit, we have no reason to doubt but that we shall be guided into all truth, even as they. Beloved brethren, you hear of a Savior, and of all the wonders of redeeming love. The salvation of Christ is set before you, in all its freeness, in all its fullness, in all its suitableness, in all its excellency and glory. The grounds of joy are made known to you, even as they were by the Apostles themselves to those to whom they ministered; so that, in this respect, it may be truly said, that “nothing that could be profitable is kept back from you,” but that “unto you is declared all the counsel of God.”

2. And have not we the same interest in it as they?

Yes, surely; and if we have been enlightened by it, we have as much reason for praise and gratitude and joy as ever they can have. Tell me, you who have been redeemed from death and Hell, and that by the blood of your incarnate God—tell me whether every feeling of your souls should not be swallowed up in joy, and every word of your lips be only praise? It is a shame to the Christian world that religion is at so low an ebb among them. Truly, brethren, the lukewarmness that reigns among the professors of the present day is highly discreditable to us, and reflects dishonor on the Gospel itself. Why are we not “singing in the ways of the Lord?” Why do we not go on our way, rejoicing, all the day long? Is it not said of true Christians, that, “though they have never seen Christ—yet, believing in him, they rejoice in him with joy unspeakable and full of glory! 1 Peter 1:8.”

I will further add,

3. Does not the Lord manifest his glory to you also?

Yes, truly, “the glory of God shines as truly as ever, in the face of Jesus Christ;” and shall be manifested unto you, even as it was in the Apostolic, or shall be in the Millennial, age, if only you will seek him with your whole hearts. Blessed be God! there are, even at this day, some at least “to whom Christ is precious;” some who behold him as “the brightness of his Father’s glory, and the express image of his person, Hebrews 1:3;” and who, “beholding his glory, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord, 2 Corinthians 3:18.”

And why should one among you remain destitute of this blessing? There is not so much as one among you all to whom Christ would not come in the most endearing manner, if you would but seek him, John 14:23. If only you would, with Moses, say, “Lord, show me your glory,” “He would make all his goodness to pass before your eyes! Exodus 33:18-19.”

To all of you, then, I would address the following requests:

1. Seek to form a right estimate of the Christian religion.

Religion is not, as too many imagine, a source of melancholy, but a fountain of unutterable joy! Proverbs 3:17. If it deprives you of carnal delights, it will give you infinitely richer and purer pleasures in their stead.

2. Endeavor to get an experimental acquaintance with it in your own souls.

Do not be satisfied with speculative views of divine truth; but get such a sense of it as shall fill your mouth with praise, and cause you to “sing in the ways of the Lord” all the day long. The command to you, as much as to any child of man, is, “Rejoice evermore; rejoice in the Lord always; and again, I say, rejoice!”

3. Labor to circulate the knowledge of it through the whole world.

Blessed be God! the higher ranks are now beginning to mingle their praises with those of the other classes of the community. The circulation of the Word of God, and the sending forth of missionaries to explain and enforce it, are now objects of solicitude to an extent that they have never been, since the days of the Apostles. Unite then, all of you, in this blessed work; and cease not, until “all the ends of the earth have seen the salvation of our God.”

Charles Simeon

Psalm 138:3

“In the day when I cried you answered me, and strengthened me with strength in my soul!”

The blessed Word of God abounds with promises, with promises of all that we can need—grace, mercy, peace, strength, victory. But will these promises be so performed, that a poor sinful man like ourselves shall be conscious of the performance of them to his own soul?

Here is the peculiar excellency of the Book of Psalms; in which we have a record of David’s own experience. We see in this book a faithful delineation of a man’s fellowship with his Maker; and, in the words which I have read, a testimony that God had fulfilled his Word, yes, and “magnified it above all his name.”

I. Let us consider David’s testimony to the compassion of his God.

David was in the habit of spreading all his needs before God.

Exceedingly had he been tried from his youth up. With such unrelenting malignity was he persecuted by Saul, that nothing but a direct interposition of God could preserve him. But he committed his cause to God in prayer. And when no hope, according to human appearances, remained to him, “he encouraged himself in the Lord his God 1 Samuel 30:6.”

And from God he received many signal answers to prayer.

Of this he testifies with much joy and gratitude. Psalm 18:4-6; Psalm 34:3-6. In my text, he particularly declares that God’s answers to his prayers had been both speedy and effectual. “In the very day that he cried, God had answered him,” when he was shut up in the city of Keilah. He had heard that Saul was coming to besiege him there; and he had reason to fear that the men of Keilah would deliver him up into the hands of Saul. On both of these points he sought information from the Lord, who knew perfectly not only what designs actually existed in the minds of men, but what would be formed under any circumstances which might occur. Here was no time for delay; nor did God delay to give him the information he desired. Thus, through the speed with which his prayer was answered, his life, together with that of his followers, was preserved, 1 Samuel 23:9-12.

Exceeding abundant, too, had been God’s gracious communications to him in answer to his prayer. Any man who was not miraculously sustained by God would have sunk under the weight of his afflictions, or at least would have availed himself of the opportunities which were repeatedly afforded him of terminating them by the death of his inveterate enemy. But, though urged to it by his own friends, he would never consent to such a method of extricating himself from his calamities, 1 Samuel 24:4-7; 1 Samuel 26:7-12. Well might he say, as in my text, “You strengthened me with strength in my soul;” for, if not strengthened in a very extraordinary degree from on high, he never could have maintained such a conduct as this.

II. Let us consider the instruction to be derived from David’s testimony.

It would be impossible in one discourse, or in many, to unfold all the important lessons that are to be learned from this testimony; I will, therefore, confine myself to two:

1. The efficacy of prayer.

O that this were duly considered! How urgent should we be at the throne of grace! Who among us should not be able to bear the same testimony with David, if, like him, we habituated ourselves to fervent and believing prayer? Never did God say to any, “Seek my face in vain.” No; he is “a God that hears prayer.” “The prayer of the upright is his delight.” And such is the efficacy of it, when poured out in faith, that, when he had determined to punish Israel for their iniquities, he forbad Moses to intercede for them; saying, “Let me alone, that I may consume them;” that is, ‘If you intercede for them, you will bind my hands, so that I cannot execute the threatened vengeance; and, therefore, let me alone, that I may be free to act.’

Be assured, brethren, that while you have a heart to pray, God has an ear to hear and answer. David succeeded by “worshiping towards God’s holy Temple verse 2;” and shall not you, if you direct your prayer to Him whom the Temple typified, even the Lord Jesus Christ? Shall it be in vain to supplicate your incarnate God, or to go to the Father in the name of his dear Son? Try it; and you shall soon have to say with David, “I will praise you with my whole heart; before the gods will I sing praise unto you; for in the day when I cried, you answered me! verse 1.”

Yes, you shall understand, by sweet experience, the truth of that promise, “It shall come to pass, that before they call, I will answer; and while they are yet speaking, I will hear! Isaiah 65:24.” Nay, more, your God will do for you not only what you ask, but “exceeding abundantly above all that you can ask or think.”

2. The use and intent of trials.

We are apt to regard trials as enemies that are greatly to be dreaded; (and, no doubt, “they are not for the present joyous, but grievous;”) but they are indeed blessings in disguise. They are often sent:
to quicken us to prayer;
to make us feel our dependence on God;
and to reveal to us the abundance of his condescension and grace.

What would David have known of God comparatively, if he had not been placed in circumstances of great difficulty, where none but God could help him, and where God, in answer to his prayers, appeared for his support? No man ever more abounded in praises than he; but they all had their foundation in the deliverances given in answer to his prayers. When, therefore, any trial comes, say with yourselves: Now God is preparing me for richer discoveries of his own glory; and if he makes me to feel my own weakness, it is only that he may “perfect his own strength in and by that weakness.” Do not fear, then, to go into any depths; since from them shall your prayer come up, even as Jonah’s did, into the ears of the Most High; and God will take you from them, to set your feet upon a rock, and to fill you with praises and thanksgivings to him for the manifestations of his love.

ADDRESS.

1. Those who restrain prayer before God.

The generality of professors know not what prayer is, but content themselves with reading or reciting a form in which they feel no interest. And of those who have on some particular occasions called upon his name, how many relapse into a cold and formal state, as though they had ceased to need the blessings which they once solicited! Alas! what enemies are both of these characters to the real welfare of their own souls! They are enemies even to their present happiness, and much more to their happiness in the world to come.

This I must say to all people of this description, “You have not, because you ask not;” nor can you ever have pardon, or peace, or holiness, or glory—in any way but in that of humble, fervent, and believing prayer. You must “open your mouth wide,” if ever you would have it “filled” with spiritual and eternal blessings!!

2. Those who can unite in David’s testimony respecting the compassion of their God.

Go on, and “pray without ceasing.” There never is a day when you cease to need a supply of spiritual good; and never shall your importunity displease your God. “Do not be straitened in yourselves, and never shall you find that you are straitened in him.” Live a life of prayer, and you shall never be disappointed of your hope, Isaiah 40:31. Be instant in prayer, and you may say with David, “Though I walk in the midst of trouble, you will revive me! verse 7.” You may add, too, with equal confidence, “The Lord will perfect that which concerns me! verse 8.” What delightful thoughts are these! and how will you “sing in the ways of the Lord, verse 5,” when your mind is so occupied!

This is the proper walk of a Christian; and every communication received from God, in answer to your prayers, shall be a pledge and foretaste of yet richer blessings in the realms of bliss!

Charles Simeon

Psalm 138:2

“You have exalted above all things your Name and your Word!”

A devout mind will never lack occasions for praising God; but there are some occasions whereon it will find peculiar liberty and enlargement. If, for instance, we have been in deep affliction; if we have had recourse to God in prayer; if we have laid hold on his promises, and pleaded them before him; and, in particular, if we have had them accomplished to our souls; this process prepares the mind, quickens it, elevates it, and so fills it, that it cannot but express its feelings in gratitude and praise.

David had, under some deep affliction, used these means for relief, and found their efficacy, “In the day when I cried, you answered me, and strengthened me with strength in my soul, verse 3.” Constrained by a sense of this great mercy, he breaks forth into this devout acknowledgment, “I will praise you with my whole heart; before the gods (that is, in the presence of all the great ones of the earth) will I sing praise unto you. I will worship towards your holy temple, and praise your name for your loving-kindness and for your truth (which, in this particular instance, you have so signally displayed;) for you have magnified your word above all your name;” and have shown that it shall infallibly be fulfilled to all who trust in it.

From these words I will take occasion to show,

I. What honor God puts upon his Word.

“You have exalted above all things your Name and your Word!” He has revealed himself in part, by his works of Creation and Providence; but far more abundantly by his Word.

1. God has given us his Word as a mirror, to reflect his glory.

“The heavens declare the glory of God; and the firmament shows his handy-work, Psalm 19:1.” “From them may his eternal power and Godhead be clearly seen, Romans 1:20.” In his providential dealings, also, is much of his wisdom and goodness exhibited. But of his perfections, generally, we can form no idea from these things; of his purposes we can know nothing. The state of the heathen world clearly attests to this; for they behold the wonders of creation and providence, as well as we, “There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard; their line is gone out into all the earth, and their words unto the end of the world, Psalm 19:3-4.”

But in the sacred volume all the glory of the Godhead shines; there we are admitted, so to speak, even to the council-chamber of the Most High; to hear the covenant entered into between the Father and the Son; the Father engaging to give to him a seed, whom he should have for his inheritance; if he, on his part, would “make his soul an offering for their sins,” and, in their nature, expiate the guilt of their iniquities, Isaiah 53:10 with Psalm 40:6-8. This mysterious transaction having taken place in the incarnation and death of the Lord Jesus Christ, we behold all the attributes of God united and harmonizing in a way that they never did, nor could, by any other means; we see justice more inexorable, than if it had executed vengeance on the whole human race; and mercy more abundant, than if it had spared the whole human race without any such atonement. There, as it is well expressed, “Mercy and truth are met together, and righteousness and peace kiss each other! Psalm 85:10.” Of this great mystery we find not a trace in the whole creation besides; but in the Word it is reflected, as in a mirror, 2 Corinthians 3:18; and shines so bright, that the very angels around the throne are made wiser by the revelation of it to the Church, Ephesians 3:10.

2. God has given us his Word as a standard, to which everything may be referred.

Of God’s will we know nothing, but from the Word, “we know neither good nor evil from all that is before us.” What God requires of us, nothing in creation or providence can inform us.

What God will do for us, we cannot ascertain.

How God will deal with us in the eternal world, we cannot learn.

But, in the sacred volume, all is written as with a sun-beam.

There is nothing which God expects us to do for him, which is not there most explicitly declared.

There is nothing which he engages to do for us, that does not form the subject of a distinct promise.

The whole of his procedure in the day of judgment is there laid open:
the laws by which we shall be judged;
the manner in which the testimony, whether against us or in our favor, shall be produced;
the grounds on which the sentence of condemnation or acquittal shall be passed.

Yes, the very state to which every person, either as acquitted or condemned, shall be consigned; all is so clearly made known, that every person, who will judge himself with candor now, may assuredly anticipate his fate. There is nothing left to conjecture.

Every man has a standard to which he may refer, for the rectifying of his judgment in every particular; so that nothing can be added, for the instruction of our minds, or the regulation of our future expectations.

3. God has given us his Word as a fountain, from whence all his blessings emanate.

Great blessings, beyond all doubt, flow down to us through the works of creation and providence; in fact, they are incessantly administering to our welfare; for “God opens his hands, and fills all things living with plenteousness.” Still, however, the benefits derived from them are only temporal; whereas those which the inspired volume imparts are spiritual and eternal—from thence we derive all our knowledge of divine truth, and all our hopes of everlasting salvation. Nor is it the knowledge only of truth that we obtain, but the operation and efficacy of it on our souls. There is in divine truth, when applied by the Holy Spirit, a power to wound, to heal, to sanctify, to save! Psalm 19:7-11.

When the Word comes to the soul with power, the stoutest heart in the universe is made to tremble. When the Word is poured out as balm, the most afflicted creature under Heaven is made to leap for joy. Look over the face of the globe, and see how many, who were once under the unrestrained dominion of sin, are now transformed into the image of their God. And then ascend to Heaven, and behold the myriads of the redeemed around the throne of God, uniting their hallelujahs to God and to the Lamb; to this state were they all brought by that blessed word, which alone could ever prevail for so great a work.

Thus it is that God has magnified his Word; and thus it is that he will magnify it to the end of time; yes, through eternity will it be acknowledged as the one source of all the blessings that shall ever be enjoyed!

Does God so honor his Word? Surely, then, we may see,

II. What honor we should put upon God’s Word.

I will here content myself with specifying only two particulars:

1. We should regulate ourselves altogether by God’s Word.

We should know no other rule, either for our faith or practice. Whatever God’s Word speaks, we should receive with the most implicit confidence. Reason must judge whether there be sufficient evidence of its divine origin; but, that once admitted, the whole must be received by faith. We are not to be sitting in judgment on God’s Word, and saying, I cannot understand how there should be three persons in the Godhead; or how the Son should become incarnate; or how the Holy Spirit should dwell in the heart of a believer; or how we should be ultimately saved by a righteousness not our own. I say, we are not called to sit in judgment upon these things, but to receive them on the authority of God himself, who alone knows the manner of his own subsistence, or what is that mode of imparting salvation which is most suited to his own divine character.

If it is thought that to expect a rational being so to submit his reason to the authority of revelation, is to require a sacrifice that is unworthy of him; I answer, that this is the very way in which all human knowledge is acquired. What knows a child, for instance, respecting the elements of language? You tell him, but in terms which he cannot comprehend, what grammar is, and what its rules are for the construction of language. What your instructions mean, he has no conception; but he takes for granted, that what you tell him is true; and from first receiving it simply on your authority, he comes, in time, to see that things are so, and must be so; that there is, in fact, no other way of communicating any abstract idea; and that, by that contrivance, we may open to the mind of another person the very inmost recesses of our own.

Thus, in receiving the mysterious truths of God, we first take them on the authority of our Divine Teacher; then, gradually finding that they correspond with our own experience, we see that they are precisely as they have been represented to us; then we come to find that they could not be otherwise; and, in the outcome, we obtain such views of their individual importance, their general harmony, and their mutual subservience to the glory of God in the salvation of man, that we have no more doubt of them than of our own existence!

But it is not in speculative views that we must rest; we must, if we would indeed magnify the Word, take it also as the rule of our conduct. We must not take offence at anything because it requires more than we are disposed to yield; but, instead of lowering the command to our attainments, we must endeavor to elevate our attainments to it. The very “thoughts and imaginations of our hearts must be brought into obedience to God’s blessed Word;” and our whole souls be cast into it, as into a mold! Romans 6:17, not leaving a lineament in that unimpressed upon our souls, or retaining a feature upon our souls unconformed to that.

This is the way in which we are to honor the word; and to fail in any part of this, is to refuse it that entire submission which it requires at our hands.

2. We should endeavor to circulate God’s Word to the very ends of the earth.

This must follow as a matter of course.

For, do we possess a mirror that reflects all the glory of our God; and shall we not desire that every human being may behold its light?

Have we a standard to which everything that is interesting to man may be referred; and shall we not give to the whole world the advantage of it?

Have we a fountain from whence all imaginable blessings flow; and shall we keep it to ourselves, and not endeavor to impart its blessings to every man?

Surely we must rather pant for an opportunity to make it known to the whole world. We must strive to circulate it through every country under Heaven, whether civilized or savage; we must be ready to engage in translating it into every language in the world, in order that all men may be able to read in their own tongue the wonderful works of God.

To preach it, too, we should account our highest honor, though it is among the most uncivilized nations of the earth; nor let it be thought that the most transcendent talents can be applied to any better purpose than this. On the contrary, the more eminent any person’s talents are, the more should we urge him to consecrate them to the blessed work of translating this sacred volume into languages in which it has never yet appeared, and of instructing his fellow-creatures who are yet sitting in darkness and the shadow of death. Even an angel from Heaven accounts it an honor to carry this book through the vast expanse of Heaven, “to every nation, and kindred, and tongue, and people, Revelation 14:6.”

Let it not then be thought an occupation unworthy of us; and, while we are earnestly praying to God that he would send forth his light and his truth to every quarter of the globe, let us, by every possible means, endeavor to promote this glorious and blessed object. Let us first seek to have “the Word of Christ dwelling richly in all wisdom” in our own souls, and then labor that “it may have free course, and be glorified” throughout the earth.

Charles Simeon

Psalm 136:26

“O give thanks unto the God of Heaven; for his mercy endures forever!”

Praise is the employment of Heaven; and praise should be the employment of earth also. “Rejoice evermore,” is a special command of God; and to express our joy in praises and thanksgivings is equally commanded, “In everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you.”

The calls which are given to us in the Psalms to the performance of this duty are very numerous; but in none more urgent than in the Psalm before us. The particular object here proposed as the subject of our thanksgivings, is the mercy of God, which we are here called upon to contemplate and adore.

Let us then, in compliance with the Psalmist’s exhortation, endeavor,

I. To contemplate the mercy of God.

Two things in particular respecting it we would propose to your consideration:

1. The unbounded extent of God’s mercy.

The Psalmist, after speaking of mercy as constituting one of the most glorious attributes of God, verse 1, notices the manifestations of it which we behold in all the wonders . . .
of creation, verses 5-9,
and providence, verses 10-22,
and redemption, verses 23, 24.

While we acknowledge the hand of God in these things, we are but too apt to overlook his mercy as displayed in them. But on this, we should principally fix our attention, as being most calculated to inflame our love and gratitude towards our heavenly Benefactor.

Contemplate then the benefits which you receive from the sun, and moon, and stars, and from the infinitely diversified productions of this terraqueous globe.

Then behold all the interpositions of God in behalf of his people Israel, and see in them what he is yet daily performing both for the bodies and souls of all who trust in him.

Then, in the temporal redemptions given to Israel under their most desperate and degraded states—behold the redemption of our souls from sin and Satan, death and Hell, through the blood and righteousness of the Lord Jesus Christ. Here are subjects of contemplation which might well occupy the mind of the highest archangel, and which therefore deserve our most serious attention.

But we would more particularly recommend to every one to consider the mercies which he himself has received; we would have every one trace them from his earliest infancy to the present moment; and, in reference to those interpositions of God which appear to have been more conspicuous, we would recommend that they be inspected with peculiar care, entering minutely into all the particulars of each, and viewing in each distinct particular the transcendent mercy of God.

Let the Psalm before us be particularly noticed in this view as a pattern, verse 9-22. When we take only a superficial view of things in the general, we remain unaffected by them; it is by entering into them in the detail, and dwelling on the minutest particulars, that we get our hearts properly affected by them. This therefore we would most earnestly recommend to all who would obtain a due sense of the mercies conferred upon them.

But we must not imagine that the dispensations which have been pleasing to flesh and blood have been our only mercies; for among our severest trials will be found, for the most part, our richest mercies. The successive trials of Joseph were of the most painful nature; yet they were all mercies in disguise. If we descend to more trifling incidents, such as Balaam’s donkey proving restive, and crushing his foot against a wall, and afterwards falling with him, they, as we know, were the very means by which his life was saved, Numbers 33:22-33.

Thus the things which grieve and irritate us at the time may be the most merciful dispensations that we could possibly have received; and we ought to receive them as expressions of God’s love, Hebrews 12:6, sent to promote our good in this world, Romans 8:28, and to work for us an augmented weight of glory in the world to come! 2 Corinthians 4:17-18.

Even the darkness and temptations with which our souls may be oppressed, must also be numbered among the means which God in his infinite mercy makes use of for the humbling and quickening, the sanctifying and saving, of our souls! Isaiah 27:8-9 and Hosea 5:15 and Psalm 25:10.

2. The everlasting duration of God’s mercy.

See how the mercy of God wrought in all the days of old, even from the foundation of the world! Precisely in the same manner God’s mercy still operates, and shall ever continue to operate, towards all who fear his name, Psalm 103:17. God will not withdraw it from those who are united unto Christ by faith, Psalm 89:28-36. He may hide his face from them for a season; but with everlasting mercies will he gather them, Isaiah 54:7-10.

The repetition of this truth twenty-six times in as many verses is a very sufficient pledge to us that “the gifts and calling of God are without repentance, Romans 11:29,” and that “whom he loves, he loves to the end! John 13:1.”

Having contemplated, though so imperfectly, the mercy of our God, we now call upon you:

II. To adore the mercy of God.

A tribute of praise and thanksgiving for such mercy is the least that can be demanded of us. And well may it be demanded; for,

1. Praise and thanksgiving for mercies received, are due from us.

Can we conceive that, after all the mercies given unto us, no return is required? Are we to be as stupid and insensible as beasts? Is this a state that befits people who have been redeemed by the blood of God’s only dear Son?

Perhaps it will be said by some: I have not yet obtained a saving interest in Christ; how then can I render thanks for what I have never received?

To this we reply: Have you no temporal mercies for which to give thanks? And, if you are not yet partakers of spiritual mercies, have you no reason to thank God for the offer of them, and for not having been yet visited with the judgments which you have so richly merited? Think what is the state of millions who have not committed either more or greater sins than you; and what might at this moment have been your state also, if God in his infinite mercy had not spared you; and given you space for repentance? Do but think of this, and you will want no further incentive to gratitude and thanksgiving.

But think also of the offers of salvation now made to you—a salvation free, and full, and everlasting! O! what thanks does this call for at your hands! What if one such offer were now made to those who are shut up under chains of everlasting darkness and despair; would no thanks be expressed by them? I call upon you then to give thanks unto the God of Heaven, who yet waits to be gracious unto you, and “whose patience you should account to be salvation.”

2. Praise and thanksgiving for mercies received, are pleasing and acceptable to God.

The acknowledgment so often repeated in the Psalm before us has received more striking tokens of God’s approbation than any other that was ever uttered by mortal man! David, knowing how acceptable it would be to God, appointed officers for the express purpose of repeating it in the service of the tabernacle, 1 Chronicles 16:41. And when Solomon had brought the ark of God into the sanctuary that he had prepared for it, and the priests were singing the praises of God in the very words of our text, at that moment God descended into the sanctuary, so that the priests could no longer stand to minister there by reason of the overwhelming presence of the Divine glory! 2 Chronicles 5:13.

Another and no less remarkable testimony of God’s approbation was that which was given to Jehoshaphat’s use of these words at the time that he was going forth against three confederate armies; at the very instant that the priests began to utter this acknowledgment, God set the three confederate armies against each other, and stirred them up to kill one another; until they were utterly destroyed, without any conflict on the part of Israel, 2 Chronicles 20:21-23.

What greater proof can we have of the delight which God feels in the exercise of mercy, and in commending it to the admiration of the whole universe? Begin then this song; continue this song throughout the day; let every fresh occurrence call forth fresh acknowledgments of the mercy of your God; and rest assured that the more you abound in these expressions of your gratitude, the richer displays you shall have of the Divine glory, and the more entire victory over all your spiritual enemies!

Charles Simeon

Psalm 133:1-3

“How good and pleasant it is when brothers live together in unity! It is like precious oil poured on the head, running down on the beard, running down on Aaron’s beard, down upon the collar of his robes. It is as if the dew of Hermon were falling on Mount Zion. For there the LORD bestows his blessing, even life forevermore!”

In this Psalm we have a commendation of Christian love and unity. It seems to have been written some time after David’s entire possession of the whole kingdom; when the tribes being all united under one head, the horrors of civil war were exchanged for the blessings of peace; and all who were brethren according to the flesh, enjoyed the fullest exercise of brotherly love, in union with each other, and in communion with their God. He seems to have been contemplating the blessed change, until his soul, filled with holy joy and gratitude, exclaimed, “Behold, how good and pleasant it is for brethren to dwell together in unity!”

He then pursues the same idea, illustrating both the goodness and pleasantness of it, each by an appropriate similitude:

Its pleasantness resembling the fragrance of the ointment poured on Aaron’s head.

Its goodness being justly compared to dews of Hermon or of Zion, by which a continued verdure and fertility are preserved, where without them vegetation would quickly fail.

We shall follow the line he has traced out for us, and point out:

I. The excellence of Christian unity as conducing to our present comfort.

There is no pleasure so refined, so exquisite, as that which results from the exercise of Christian love. It always cheers the bosom in which it dwells, and imparts the sublimest joy to those who meet it with corresponding emotions. It is beautifully compared with the ointment which was poured on Aaron’s head at his consecration to the priestly office.

Let us briefly examine the similitude.

A full account of this ointment is given us in the book of Exodus, Exodus 30:22-33. The ingredients of which it was composed were of the most fragrant kind; the proportions of each were minutely specified by God himself; and its use, when properly compounded, was solely confined to the things or people connected with the service of the sanctuary. It was strictly forbidden to the whole nation to form any other ointment like unto it, or to use any part of it for any other purpose than that which was ordained by God. It was itself most holy; and it made everything holy that came in contact with it. At the consecration of Aaron, it was poured upon his head in rich profusion, so that it ran down upon his beard, even to the collar of his garment; and it diffused on every side a fragrance that was inexpressibly sweet and refreshing.

Let us now consider the application of it.

With this is Christian love to be compared. Now love is altogether of divine original; every ingredient of it is formed by the hand of God himself, and the whole is compounded by him in its due proportions; and every one on whom it is poured is from thenceforth sanctified to the Lord. It is in its own nature so flowing, that when poured upon the head, it will descend upon the whole man; and so fragrant is it, that not the person himself only, but all who come in contact with him, will be refreshed with its fragrances; and more especially when a whole society or church are partakers of this heavenly unction, such is the fragrance, as to resemble as nearly as possible the courts of Heaven itself.

Say, you who have ever received this heavenly gift, whether you have not been brought, as it were, into a new world, and whether you be not breathing from day to day a new atmosphere?

Compare it with that which the world has framed in imitation of it, and which gives grace and ornament to the more polished circles of society; how poor, how vapid, how destitute of all refreshing fragrance, is that which is called politeness! The very people who most cultivate it, are most sensible what an empty formality it is; it is a mere mimicry of what is good; and in all the diversified expressions of it there is a secret consciousness that nothing real is designed; that it is a mere artificial ceremony, invented and practiced in order to keep out of sight those hateful passions, which would destroy all the comfort of social fellowship. Its very forms are burdensome to those who most abound in them; and it is a relief to a man to put them off, and to return to the unconstrained familiarities of domestic life.

We mean not to disparage that which undoubtedly contributes much to the maintenance of public order and decorum; but when compared with that love which grace inspires, it is a mere vanity; it is like a sun painted upon canvass, in comparison with the sun shining in the firmament of Heaven.

Who that lives under the influence of gracious affections, and moves in a circle where Christian love abounds, does not feel this? His spirits are not tumultuous indeed; but they are sweetly elevated towards high and heavenly things; he carries with him a divine savor, wherever he moves; when he enters into the society of the saints, or into the tabernacle of his God, the fragrance is drawn forth and greatly increased, so that “the whole house, as it were, is filled with the fragrance of the ointment.” O, how pleasant is it for brethren to dwell together in unity!

As none could form a just conception of the fragrances of Aaron’s ointment, but those who came within the sphere of its influence, so none can form any adequate idea of the sweetness of love, but those on whom the Spirit of God has poured this divine unction. We may however see that this representation is just, even though we should not be able fully to comprehend it; for Paul, urging with all possible importunity the exercise of love, recommends it from the consideration of the comfort imparted by it, “If you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any fellowship with the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and purpose! Philippians 2:1-2.”

But the Psalmist speaks of unity as being “good,” as well as pleasant; and in his illustration of it in this view, he leads us to contemplate it,

II. The excellence of Christian unity as administering to our everlasting welfare.

The effect of dew in hot desert countries is exceedingly beneficial.

In England, where rains are frequent, we have comparatively little dew; but in hot countries, where the rains are rare, the dew, as in Paradise, almost supplies the place of rain, Genesis 2:4-5. On Hermon, and on Zion, rain came down in rich abundance. In its descent it was gentle; but in its operation powerfully influential, reviving and invigorating every plant, and fertilizing the earth on every side.

And such also is the influence of love on the souls of men.

On Zion, “God commanded his blessing” in the days of old; and on our Zion also he still commands it, “even life for evermore.” But what is the principle whereby he operates this glorious change? It is love, or “faith working by love;” “Love is of God; and every one that loves, is born of God, and knows God; he who loves not, knows not God; for God is love.” “God is love; and he who dwells in love, dwells in God, and God in him.” “If we love one another, God dwells in us, and his love is perfected in us, 1 John 4:7-8; 1 John 4:12; 1 John 4:16.”

It is by the exercise of this divine principle that “we know we have passed from death unto life;” and “by it we are recognized by all men as Christ’s disciples, 1 John 3:14 and John 13:35.” The proper operations of this principle are distinctly and fully marked in 1 Corinthians 13:4-7; and they are most beautifully exemplified in the conduct of the primitive Christians, Acts 4:32.

Such will every church be, where love reigns; the graces of the whole collective body will flourish with ever increasing beauty and fruitfulness, Hosea 14:4-7; and that will be verified which God promised previously to every sabbatic year, “I will command my blessing upon you in the sixth year, and it shall bring forth fruit for three years, Leviticus 25:21.”

Say then, Whether Christian love and unity are not “good?” Say whether anything in the universe can tend so much to the perfection of our nature as this; or whether there is anything that will so advance us in a fitness for our heavenly inheritance?

APPLICATION.

Cultivate then this heavenly principle of Christian love. If you seek only your own personal happiness, there is nothing that will contribute to it like this. Nor will anything so advance the welfare of the Church. Christians are one body in Christ; and when every member and every joint supplies its proper portion of this divine unction, “the whole body will grow unto the edifying of itself in love,” and will in due time “attain the full measure of the stature of Christ! Ephesians 4:13; Ephesians 4:15-16.”

And need I say that God will be glorified when his enemies are constrained to exclaim, “Behold, how these Christians love one another!” Guard then against every disposition contrary to love; and “if there be any among you who would cause divisions and offences, avoid them.” In mutual forbearance and forgiveness, follow the example of Christ himself, Ephesians 4:31-32; Ephesians 5:1-2. Thus shall you be fitted for those realms of love and joy, where all the countless multitudes of the redeemed unite in one harmonious song of praise to God and to the Lamb forever and ever!

Charles Simeon

Psalm 132:13-16

“The LORD has chosen Zion, he has desired it for his dwelling: “This is my resting place for ever and ever; here I will sit enthroned, for I have desired it–I will bless her with abundant provisions; her poor will I satisfy with food. I will clothe her priests with salvation, and her saints will ever sing for joy.”

The efficacy of fervent prayer is strongly marked in the Holy Scriptures; there is scarcely a saint, respecting whom any information is given to us, who may not be adduced as an example of God’s readiness to answer prayer.

Solomon, if, as some suppose, he was the author of this Psalm, records the answer which God gave to the supplications he had offered at the dedication of his temple; and it is worthy of observation, that the very language of his petition was made the vehicle of God’s promise. Compare verse 8-10 and 2 Chronicles 6:41-42 with the text and the verse following it.

In considering these words we shall notice,

I. God’s love to his redeemed people.

Mount Zion must be numbered among the most distinguished types, not only because its very name is given to the Church of Christ, but because God’s love to his Church was represented to the world by the favors conferred on that chosen hill. As formerly on Mount Zion, so now in the Christian Church:

1. God dispenses his ordinances.

The Jews were not allowed to present their offerings in any other place; there alone were the sacrifices to be slain; and there alone were the means of reconciliation with God to be exhibited before their eyes.

In the same way, in the Church of Christ, and in that alone, have we the way of life and salvation fully opened. Among the heathen world we behold no traces of that path marked out for us in the Gospel; but wherever God has called a people to the knowledge of his Son, and appointed over them a faithful shepherd, there his Word is preached with power; there the sin-atoning blood of Jesus flows; the administration of the sacraments is not there an empty ceremony, but a lively and impressive exhibition of the doctrines of grace!

2. God grants his presence.

When the ark, which had long abode in a moveable tabernacle at Shiloh, was brought to Zion, its residence was fixed; and God, whom it represented, called that place his “rest.” From that time his visible glory was revealed there; he dwelt between the cherubim; and was accessible to all through the blood of the sacrifices, and the mediation of the high-priest.

In the Church also is his glory seen, even “the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.” Whatever may be known of him in the works of creation and providence is darkness itself, in comparison with that light which shines in his Gospel. To those, who seek his face, “he manifests himself, as he does not unto the world;” and often constrains them to cry out with astonishment, “How great is his goodness! How great is his beauty!”

3. God communicates his blessings.

When the high-priest had finished his work within the veil, he came forth to bless the people; and his Word was confirmed by God to all penitent and believing worshipers.

So now in his Church does God bless his people with all spiritual blessings. He imparts:
pardon to the guilty,
strength to the weak,
and consolation to the troubled.

Whatever any of his redeemed people stand in need of, they are sure to obtain it, if they come to him in his appointed way, Psalm 48:2-3. This, thousands can attest; this, thousands yet unborn shall, in every succeeding age, experience.

But his love to his redeemed people will yet further appear by considering,

II. The promises which God makes to his redeemed people.

These, as has been observed, precisely accord with the petitions offered. In them God assures his Church that he will bestow abundant blessings:

1. On the ordinances.

There may be in the text some reference to the assembling of all the males three times a year at Jerusalem, when it was probable that the conflux of such multitudes to one place might produce a scarcity of provisions, and thereby distress the poor. This effect God promises to counteract by giving them abundant crops.

But certainly we must understand this as relating also to spiritual food; and how delightfully is it verified under the ministration of the Gospel! The Word, dispensed in one short hour, has, like the bread multiplied by our Lord, been food for thousands! And though simple, and unadorned, has, like the vegetables given to Daniel and his companions, been more nutritious than all the dainties sent from the monarch’s table! Daniel 1:12-13.

2. On those who administer the ordinances.

The priests who served in the temple were clad with linen, to denote the purity that was expected of them.

But those who minister under the Gospel, provided they walk worthy of their high and holy office, shall be “clothed with salvation” itself, “in watering others, they themselves shall be watered;” and “in saving others, they themselves shall be saved.”

Nor is this a blessing to themselves alone; for, in proportion as ignorant and ungodly ministers are a curse to those over whom they are placed, the superintendence of pious, intelligent, and faithful ministers must be esteemed a blessing.

3. On those who attend the ordinances.

The request made by Solomon was, that “the saints might shout for joy;” and God tells him that they shall shout aloud for joy; thus does God on numberless occasions give us more than we either asked or thought.

A faithful dispensation of the ordinances is a source of joy to many souls. The saints especially, who receive the truth in the love of it, are often enabled by it to “rejoice with joy unspeakable and full of glory.” And this is a blessing, not to themselves only, but to the whole Church. By this they adorn, and recommend the Gospel; and are stimulated to diffuse the savor of it all around them.

INFERENCES.

1. How little reason have mere formal worshipers, to think that they belong to the true church of God!

The enjoyment of these promises is inconsistent with habitual formality; either therefore God falsifies his Word (which it were the vilest blasphemy to imagine), or the formalist is yet an “alien from the commonwealth of Israel.”

2. How impotent are all attempts to destroy the Church. Psalm 125:1; Psalm 48:12-13; Psalm 46:5 and Matthew 16:18.

3. How strong is the Christian’s obligation to serve and honor God!

Does God so delight in his Church as to make it his rest, and to load it with so many benefits? Surely every member of it should testify his gratitude by a cheerful and unreserved obedience!

Charles Simeon

Psalm 131:2

“My soul is even as a weaned child!”

Among the great variety of representations whereby the Christian’s character is set forth in the Holy Scriptures, that of a little child holds a very distinguished place, Matthew 18:3. To this we annex the idea of humility, and teachableness, and resignation to the will of our heavenly Father.

In this last view more especially, the behavior of a child was beautifully exemplified in the conduct of David. He had been anointed to the kingly office by God’s command; yet he waited patiently for many years without ever aspiring to the kingdom, until the Lord’s time came to give it him. Though he was persecuted with murderous rage and jealousy by Saul, he would never lift up his hand against the Lord’s anointed, or give occasion of offence to the government under which he lived. On the contrary, he appeals to God in this Psalm, that he had not indulged any ambitious thoughts, or interfered in any affairs of state, but had acquiesced in the disposals of an all-wise Providence, even as a weaned child does in the directions and government of his mother, verses 1, 2.

To illustrate this disposition of mind, we shall show,

I. What those things are from which we ought to be weaned.

The circumstances alluded to in the text will serve to direct our thoughts. David’s indifference to all the pomp of royalty shows, that we should be weaned:
from pleasure,
from riches,
from honor,
from everything which we possess in this world.

Pleasure is but ill-suited to the advancement of a soul in the divine life. There are indeed pleasures which we may lawfully enjoy; but if the heart is set upon them, we cannot properly engage in that race which we are to run, or that warfare we are to maintain; nor can we have any more decisive evidence of our being still unrenewed by divine grace, Luke 8:14. 2 Timothy 3:4. James 5:1; James 5:5. 1 Timothy 5:6.

Riches also may be possessed with innocence; but they must not be coveted. They should rather be considered as a snare which we are to dread, than as a blessing we are eager to obtain. They are as clay upon the feet of one that is running a race, Habakkuk 2:6, or as a weight tied to the neck of one that is swimming for his life, Matthew 19:23-24. There has scarcely ever occurred an instance wherein the acquisition of them has furthered the divine life; but thousands have been retarded by them, and not a few eternally destroyed! 1 Timothy 6:9-11.

Reputation is that which men in general are most averse to sacrifice; but we must be willing to part with that, if we would be Christians indeed. If we seek the honor that comes from men, we cannot possibly be steadfast in the faith, John 5:44; we shall shrink from reproach, and prove unfaithful to God in the time of trial, John 12:42-43; and being ashamed of Christ, we shall cause him to be ashamed of us in the day of judgment, Mark 8:38.

There is nothing—not health, nor friends, nor liberty, nor life itself, that we should value any further than as it may be improved to the glory of God! Colossians 3:2. 1 John 2:15-17. Luke 14:26. Our hearts must be weaned from all, so as to be ready to part with everything, whenever God, in his providence, shall call for it.

To evince that such a state is attainable, we shall show,

II. What methods God employs to wean us from them.

Without any indelicacy or impropriety we may observe, in allusion to the metaphor in the text, that to wean us from creature-comforts, our heavenly Parent embitters them to us, withdraws them from us, and gives us something more suitable in their stead.

Such is our attachment to earthly things, that we would never be willing to part from them, if they were not in some way or other embittered to us. God therefore, in mercy to us, mixes gall and wormwood with every cup he puts into our hands.

In the pursuit of pleasure, our brightest prospects become clouded, our highest gratifications cloy, and numberless unforeseen accidents arise to damp our joys, and to disappoint our expectations.

In the attainment of wealth, there are many cares to corrode, many vexations to disquiet us, so that we must write on all the bags that we have amassed, “This is vanity and vexation of spirit!”

The acquisition of knowledge seems to promise the most permanent satisfaction; but such is the labor requisite to attain it, and so little, after all, is within the reach of human intellect, that the wisest of men was constrained to say, “Much study is a weariness to the flesh; and he who increases knowledge, increases sorrow! Ecclesiastes 1:18; Ecclesiastes 12:12.”

Even those dear relations of life which God has given for our richest consolation, the wife of our bosom, or the fruit of our body, are not without their attendant troubles; which are designed to teach us, that “this world is not our rest, Micah 2:10,” and that God alone is the proper portion of the soul.

But notwithstanding all our disappointments, we are prone to seek our happiness in the creature; on which account God is necessitated, as it were, to deprive us of things, which, if, continued to us, would rob him of our hearts. Hence it is that the dearest of God’s children are often most heavily afflicted. He sees perhaps that our health, our riches, our friends, have drawn us aside from him, or impeded our progress in the divine life, or that they will prove disadvantageous to us in the outcome; and therefore he lays us on a bed of languishing, or causes our “riches to fly away,” or “cuts off the desire of our eyes with a stroke.”

But his design in all this is to weaken our idolatrous regard for created enjoyments, and to make us seek our happiness in him alone. And thousands have had more reason to bless him for the bereavements they have experienced, than for all the bounties he ever bestowed upon them! Psalm 119:71; Psalm 119:75.

Nothing however will finally destroy our attachment to earthly things, until we have learned how much more suitable provision God has made for the souls of his people. When therefore God, by his providence, has embittered or withdrawn our comforts, he leads us, by his grace, to that fountain of consolation, the sacred Oracles. There he proposes himself to us as a reconciled God and Father in Christ. He sets before our eyes,
“the unsearchable riches of Christ,”
the “honor that comes of God,”
and the “pleasures that are at his right hand forevermore.”

And, having enabled us to taste of these, he makes us to despise everything in comparison with them, and willingly to relinquish the husks of this world, for the bread that is in our Father’s house.

But that we may not form a wrong opinion of our state, we shall declare,

III. When our souls may be said to be as a weaned child.

The whole world, with respect to earthly enjoyments, are like a child either before it is weaned, or while it is weaning, or when it is altogether weaned.

The generality of people are like a child feeding at the mother’s bosom, minding nothing but their carnal gratifications. The world, in its pleasures, riches, or honors, is the one object of their desire, the one source of their comfort. They feed upon it all the day long; they fell asleep, as it were, with it in their mouths; they are clamorous for it as soon as they are awake. In their very slumbers they frequently show, how wholly their minds have been occupied with that one object. Give them their favorite gratification, and they care for nothing else; rob them of that, and not all the world can pacify them. Such are those who have a fullness of earthly comforts.

But others, to whom these things have been embittered, or from whom they have been withdrawn, are, like a weaning child, disquieted beyond measure. They are unhappy in themselves; and they disturb all around them with their peevishness and discontent. Having lost that in which alone they found delight, they can take comfort in nothing else; yes, because of one thing of which they are deprived, they have no enjoyment of all the other things that they possess. In vain have they more suitable and substantial blessings offered them; they have no appetite for the provisions of the Gospel; they refuse that which would infinitely overbalance their loss; and they pine away in querulous lamentations, when they might be nourished with “angels’ food.”

Some there are, however, who with David, resemble a weaned child. They have become indifferent to carnal enjoyments. They use with gratitude whatever God has bestowed; but they do not set their hearts upon it, or consider it as essential to their happiness, Philippians 4:12. Hebrews 11:24-26. They suffer the loss of all earthly things with a holy resignation and composure of mind. Doubtless they have their feelings, like other men; but these feelings are moderated by religion, and brought into subjection to the Divine will, 2 Samuel 15:25-26. The more they are bereaved of earthly comforts, the more entirely do they live by faith on Christ, and the more abundantly do they grow in every grace. Afflictions drive them, not from God, but to him; and in the midst of all their bereavements they show, that they “have food to eat which the world knows not of,” and “joys with which the stranger intermeddles not.”

APPLICATION.

Let those whose hearts are set upon the world, remember how transient and unsatisfying their enjoyments are!

Let those who are disconsolate on account of their troubles, consider for what gracious ends God has caused them to be afflicted!

And let those who feel a measure of David’s spirit, strive for yet higher attainments, in the assured expectation that the more they are weaned from all but God, the more will God communicate to them out of his inexhaustible fullness!

Charles Simeon

Psalm 130:7-8

“O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins!”

That advice which flows from experience is at all times most worthy of our attention. In this view the words of our text claim peculiar regard. David, in the Psalm before us, records a very signal deliverance which he had recently experienced, probably from an overwhelming sense of his own guilt and corruption; and, having informed us what methods he had used to obtain deliverance, and how effectual they had proved for his restoration to happiness, he recommends the adoption of them to all the people of God under all difficulties whatever; and assures them, that they shall not in any instance fail of success, “O Israel, put your hope in the LORD, for with the LORD is unfailing love and with him is full redemption. He himself will redeem Israel from all their sins!”

He sets before us:

I. Our duty to hope in God.

Hope in God, as men generally use the term, is nothing more than an unfounded expectation that God will save us, whatever is our state, and whatever is our conduct. But a scriptural hope implies a suitable regard to the things we hope for, and to him in whom our hope is placed. It implies,

1. Scriptural hope in God implies that we pray to him with fervor.

This was united with the Psalmist’s hope, verses 1, 2; and it must also be with ours, Matthew 7:7-8. To pretend to hope in God while we neglect to spread our needs before him, is the grossest hypocrisy, and the most fatal delusion! Ezekiel 36:37.

2. Scriptural hope in God implies that we wait for him with patience.

It was in this manner that David exercised his hope, verses 5, 6. Nor can we act otherwise, if we are sincere in our profession, Romans 8:25. To be impatient, is an unequivocal mark of unbelief and despondency, Isaiah 28:16. 1 Samuel 13:11-12. But to wait patiently upon the Lord’s leisure, is the office and evidence of faith and hope, Habakkuk 2:3.

3. Scriptural hope in God implies that we depend on him with steadfastness.

The promises of God to those who seek him, must be the ground of our hope, verse 5. We are not to regard difficulties of any kind, as though they could prove any obstacle to God. However circumstances, both within and without, may seem to justify despair, we must “hope beyond and against hope, Romans 4:18. Job 13:15. Isaiah 1:10,” assured that, as nothing is impossible with God, so not one jot or tittle of his Word shall ever fail.

This duty being of infinite importance, and of universal obligation, let us consider,

II. Our encouragements to to hope in God.

If we look inward, we shall find nothing but discouragement. But if, with David, we look to God, we may find abundant encouragement:

1. In God’s attributes.

While justice bears a frowning aspect, mercy smiles on the repenting sinner. God has opened a way for the exercise of his mercy in perfect consistency with the demands of justice; and to exercise it is his delight, Micah 7:18. This attribute is as essential to his nature as wisdom, or power, or any other, Exodus 34:6-7. Nor needs he to have it excited by a view of our misery (much less by any meritorious services of ours;) it is ever “with him;” and is ready to manifest itself towards all those who call upon him, Romans 10:12.

2. In God’s works.

“Redemption” is the crown of all his works; and this also is with him, that he may impart it to those who groan under their sore bondage. Yes, with him is “full” redemption; he himself, as our near kinsman, (bone of our bone, and flesh of our flesh, Ephesians 5:30.) has the right of redemption vested in him, Leviticus 25:25; Leviticus 25:47-49; and, having ability to pay the price, he will discharge our debt, and restore us, not only to liberty, but also to the inheritance which we have so basely alienated.

3. In God’s Word.

The declaration of his determined purpose by an inspired writer, is equivalent to an express promise. And, if the extent and certainty of this promise is considered, what an encouragement will it afford us to hope in God! There is no limitation whatever to the promise, provided, like “Israel” of old, we wrestle with God for the performance of it, Genesis 32:24-28. However numerous and inveterate our iniquities may be, they shall “all” be pardoned, and “all” subdued, Isaiah 1:18.

APPLICATION.

1. To prevent any abuse of this subject, we shall guard it.

The repetition of the name “Israel” distinctly marks the characters to whom the text is more immediately to be applied. It is the praying, waiting, and depending sinner that is exhorted to hope in God; and it is he alone who can expect redemption at the hands of God. Let such therefore see their duty and their privilege; but let those who live in the habitual neglect of God know that their “hope is as a spider’s web that shall soon be swept away with the broom of destruction! Job 8:13-14.”

2. To impress the subject more deeply on our minds, we shall enforce it.

The advice here given is the most suitable that can be given, and if followed, will be productive of the greatest happiness. Were any of us directed to indulge a hope of salvation from our own endeavors, we would soon perceive the folly of such advice. Every day and hour would bring us fresh occasion for despair. But in God there is nothing lacking; he has the right, the power, and the will to redeem us. Nor, if we trust in him, shall we ever be confounded, Isaiah 45:17.

Let us therefore not limit either the mercy or power of our God; but putting away all self-righteous hopes, Philippians 3:3, or unbelieving fears, Psalm 42:11—let us repose an unlimited confidence in our merciful and faithful Redeemer.

Charles Simeon

Psalm 130:5-6

“I wait for the LORD, my soul waits, and in his word I put my hope. My soul waits for the Lord more than watchmen wait for the morning, more than watchmen wait for the morning!”

Many of God’s people are at times reduced to great straits, either through the violence of persecution, or the force of temptation; and, under such circumstances, what refuge have they, but in God? It is in vain for them to look to the creature; and it sometimes appears to them to no purpose to wait even upon God, because the desired relief is so long delayed.

David, under delays of this kind, was sometimes discouraged; but, whatever were the depths into which he had fallen on the present occasion, it is manifest that he cast himself upon the mercy of his God, and determined to “hold fast by God,” and to maintain his confidence in him even to the end.

I. I will unfold to you the experience of David.

He declares it to us in few words, “he waited upon God.” And the comparison by which he illustrates the frame of his mind, will serve us as a clue, whereby to find the full import of his words.

He may possibly refer to watchmen in general, who, during a long and tedious night, wait for the morning, when they shall be released from their fatigues, and retire to their rest.

But I rather think that he refers to the Priests and Levites, whom he had appointed to watch nightly in the Tabernacle, Psalm 134:1, and who, if they were not filled with a spirit of devotion, by which they might enjoy communion with their God, would long earnestly for the morning, when they might terminate their irksome task. But more than they, did David long for the return of God to his soul:

1. David waited upon the Lord with earnest desire.

No temporal distress will bear any comparison with that which is spiritual. The troubles of an awakened or tempted soul are very heavy; and the depths into which it is plunged, by an apprehension of God’s wrath, are very terrible. No wonder that David “panted after the Lord, as the deer after the water-brooks, Psalm 42:1-3.” No wonder that David, when God’s answers to his prayers were delayed, he cried, “How long, O Lord! how long Psalm 6:3; Psalm 13:1-2, four times.”

Nor is such importunity disapproved of God; on the contrary, he would have us “cry day and night to him, Luke 18:7,” and give him no rest, until he arises, and comes to our relief, Isaiah 62:6-7.

2. David waited upon the Lord with patient hope.

Though earnest in prayer, he was willing to tarry the Lord’s leisure; and would not attempt to use any unfitting means for his own relief. Repeatedly had he it in his power to slay Saul; but he would neither perpetrate the act himself, nor allow it to be perpetrated by others. He committed his cause to God, to whom alone vengeance belongs. So, in reference to the mercies he desired at God’s hands, he was willing to wait. His earnestness appears in that he says repeatedly, “My soul does wait.” It was not a mere wish that he entertained for relief, but a most eager desire; yet was he as far from impatience as from indifference.

He rested on the Word of God, “In his Word,” says he, “do I hope.” It was quite sufficient for him that God had promised to support his tempted people; and, whatever apparent contrarieties there might be between God’s providence and his Word, David had no doubt but that they would all be cleared up in due season, and that not a jot or tittle of God’s Word would pass away, until all were fulfilled.

3. David waited upon the Lord with assured expectation.

A watchman knows that the morning will at last appear; and therefore, instead of abandoning his post, he waits until the destined hour for his relief arrives. Thus David assured himself that God would come to him at last, and reveal himself to him out of the abundance of his grace and love. The verses following my text show this to have been the real experience of his soul, and afford me occasion to:

II. Commend the experience of David for your imitation.

Not in the context only, but in other places, does David call upon us to imitate his example, and to avail ourselves of his experience for the comfort and direction of our own souls. “I would have fainted,” says he, “unless I had believed to see the goodness of the Lord in the land of the living. Wait on the Lord; be of good courage, and he shall strengthen your heart; wait, I say on the Lord! Psalm 27:13-14.” Thus would I now entreat you to mark the posture of David’s soul in this season of trial.

1. Consider how suited is David’s example to every one of you.

You may not have committed David’s sins, or be subjected to David’s trials; but where is there one of you that is not a sinner before God? Who among you does not stand in need of mercy? Who must not find his consolation altogether in the contemplation of God; saying with David, “If you, Lord, should mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand? But there is forgiveness with you, that you may be feared! verses 3 and 4.”

Then it is plain that the same waiting spirit befits you also. Yes, in a spirit of penitence should you be crying to God, “Lord, hear my voice; let your ear be attentive to the voice of my supplications, verse 2.”

And however long God may defer his answer to your prayers, you should wait with meekness and patience. “If the eyes of a servant are to the hand of his master, and the eyes of a maiden to the hand of her mistress, then should not your eyes be unto the Lord your God until he have mercy upon you? Psalm 123:2.” Surely you may well be as observant of God as you expect your fellow-creature to be of you. And think how long God has waited upon you; calling, but you would not hear; entreating, but you would not regard him. Shall you then be impatient, if he comes not at the first moment that you call; and that too when you are urged by nothing but a fear of his wrath, which you have so richly merited?

Know, every one of you, that it befits you to wait his appointed time; and to be satisfied if the morning never arrives until the very moment of your departure from this world of woe.

2. Consider what honor David’s example gives to God.

A meek, patient, and submissive spirit honors every perfection of God!

It expresses a confidence in God’s wisdom, as alone discerning the fittest time to appear in your behalf.

It shows a persuasion of God’s goodness, that does not willingly afflict you, but orders everything for your greatest good, even to humble you the more deeply, and thereby to prepare you for a richer improvement of his mercy whenever it shall be given unto you.

It honors also God’s power, as able to impart relief, whenever his wisdom and goodness shall judge it expedient to confer the blessing.

Above all, it glorifies God’s truth and faithfulness, in that it makes the written Word a ground of hope, yes, and of an assured hope, that whatever God has promised, he will perform.

I ask then, Is it not desirable that you should be found in a posture by which God is so honored, and with which he cannot but be pleased? Let every one of you, therefore, be able to make that appeal to God, “I have waited for your salvation, O Lord! Genesis 49:18.”

3. Consider what benefit David’s example ensures to the waiting soul.

Justly is it said, “The Lord is good unto those who wait for him, to the soul that seeks him. It is good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the salvation of the Lord! Lamentations 3:25-26.”

But let us hear the Psalmist’s own experience, “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 into my mouth, even praise unto our God! Psalm 40:1-3.”

And who is there, even though he should not have been delivered to the same extent, that must not yet say, “It is good for me to draw near to God! Psalm 73:28.”

I entreat you, then, to adopt the resolution of the Psalmist, “I will wait on your name; for it is good before your saints! Psalm 52:9.” If at any time your mind is disquieted by reason of delay, check and chide your soul even as David did, “Why are you cast down, O my soul? and why are you disquieted within me? Hope in God; for I shall yet praise him, who is the health of my countenance, and my God! Psalm 42:11.”

You must never forget that appeal which God himself makes to the whole universe, “I said not unto the seed of Jacob, Seek me in vain, Isaiah 45:19.” Even in this world you may be sure that God will accept and bless you; for he has said, “Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run and not be weary; they shall walk and not faint! Isaiah 40:31.”

And in the world to come, can anyone doubt the acceptance of a penitent, contrite, and believing soul? You might as well doubt the existence of God himself; for he has said, that “we shall reap if we faint not, Galatians 6:9;” and to all his believing Israel he has engaged, that “they shall be saved in the Lord with an everlasting salvation, and shall not be ashamed nor confounded world without end! Isaiah 45:17.”

Charles Simeon