Use. It informetli us, by the rule of contraiies, that we deceive ourselves if we look for anything from sin but shame : Rom. vi. 21, " For the wages of sin is death.' Sin and shame entered into the world together. How were Adam and Eve confounded after the fall ! Sin is odious to God, it grieveth the Spirit ; but the person that com- mitteth it shall be filled with shame. In the greatest privacy, sin bringetli shame. Men are not solitary when they are by themselves ; there is an eye and ear which seeth and observeth them. There is a law in our hearts which upbraids our sins to us as soon as we have committed them — a secret bosom-witness.
2. It informetli us Avhat hard hearts they have that have respect to no commandments, yet are not ashamed. They have outgrown all feelings of conscience, and so ' glory in their shame : ' Phil. iii. 19, ' Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.' Erubiut, salva res est By how much less they are ashamed now, the more they shall be ; their shamelessness will increase their shame : Jer. iii. 3, ' Thou hadst a whore's forehead, thou refusedst to be ashamed.' The conscience of a sinner is like a clock, dull, calm, and at rest, when the vreights are down ; but wound up, it is full of motion.
3. Here is caution to God's children. The less respect you have to the commandments, the more shame will you have in yourselves. Partiality in obedience breaketh your confidence, and over-clouds your peace. Therefore, that we may not blemish our profession, let us walk more exactly. ' So shall we not be ashamed when we have respect to all God's commandments.'
VeR. 7.] SERMONS UPON rjjALSI CXIX. CI
SEEMON VIII.
I ivill praise thee with uprightness of heart, ivhen I shall have learned thy righteous judgments. — Yer. 7.
In this verse David expresseth his esteem of the word, by telling what he would give for the knowledge and practice of it. As we use to tell a man how thankful we would be if he would do thus and thus for us ; so, Lord, if thou wilt give me to learn thy righteous judguieuts, then I will praise thee, &c.
His promise of praise manifesteth his esteem, which should affect our stupid hearts. The canon is now larger, and the mysteries of the word are more clearly unfolded. If the saints of God were so taken with it before, when there were so scanty and dark representations in compari- son of what is now, oh, what honour and praise do we now owe to God 1
In this verse observe — •
1. The title that is given to the word, thy righteous judgments.
2. His act of duty about it, or the benefit which he desireth, sound erudition, lohen I shall have learned.
3. The fruit of this benefit obtained, then luill I praise thee.
4. The manner of performing this duty, luith uprightness of heart. First, The title that is given to the word, ' Thy righteous judgments,'
or as it is in the margin, ' The judgments of thy righteousness.' Hence observe —
Doct. God's precepts are, and are so accounted of by his people as, righteous judgments, or judgments of righteousness.
There are two terms to be explained —
1, What is meant hy judgments.
2. By righteousness.
For the first. Bighteousness is sometimes put alone for the word, and so also judgments (as we shall find in this psalm) ; but here both are put together to increase the signification. The precepts of the word are called judgments for two reasons —
1. Because they are the judicial sentence of God concerning our state and actions.
2. Because of the suitable execution that is to follow.
1. They are the judicial sentence of God concerning our state and actions. The judicial sentence ; that is, they are the decrees of the almighty lawgiver, given forth with an authority uncontrollable. A man may appeal from the sentence of men, but this is judf^ment. This is as certain as if he were executed presently. There is injnstice and oppression many times in the courts of men, but * there is a higher than the highest regards it, and there be higher than they,' Eccles. v. 8. There may be another tribunal to which we may appeal from the unjust sentences of men ; but there is no appeal from God, for there is no higher judicature. Paschalis, a minister of the Albigenses, when he was burnt at Rome, cited the Pope and his cardinals before the tribunal of the Lamb. When we are wronged and oppressed here, we may cite them before the tribunal of God and Christ ; but who can appeal from the tribunal of Christ himself ?
62 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SePv. YIII.
And then this sentence is concerning our state and actions.
[1.] Our state, wliether it be good or evil, The word sentenceth 3'ou now; for instance, if a man he in a carnal state: John iii. 18, ' He that believeth not is condemned.' How condemned ? ' already.' In the sentence of the law, so he is gone and lost. Every unbeliever, such as all are by nature, is condemned already, having only the slender thread of a frail life between him and the execution of it. The sentence of the law standeth in force against him, since he will not come to Christ to get it repealed. This sentence standeth in force against all heathens which never heard of Christ, and are condemned already by the law. But now Christians, or those that take up such a profession, and have heard of the gospel, on them it is confirmed by a new sentence, since they will not fly to another court, to the chancery of the gospel, and take sanctuary at the Lord's grace offered in Jesus Christ : ' He that believeth, and is baptized, shall be saved ; but he that believeth not shall be damned,' Mark xvi. 16. Again, when it is good, the sentence of the word, it is judgment : Eom. viii. 33, ' It is God that justifieth; who is he that condemneth ? ' What hath th-e officer to do, when a man is absolved by the judge in court ? Con- science is God's deputy, Satan is God's executioner. The witness is silenced; the executioner hath no more to do when the judge absolveth, as God doth all by the sentence of the gospel that are will- ing to come under Christ's shadow.