Use. It informeth us who are God's servants ; those that have most of this fear of God planted in their hearts : Neh. vii. 2, ' He was a faithful man, and feared God above many.' And then that they express it in their conversation. God will not take it planted in our hearts, if we do not obey him in those things that are contrary to our interests and natural affections. When God tried Abraham that was to offer his Isaac, Gen. xxii., ' Now I know that thou fearest me, since thou hast not withheld thine only son,' &c. Why? was Abraham un- known to God before that time ? As Peter told Christ, ' Lord, thou knowest all things.' Cannot God see the inward springs and motions of our souls, and what affections are there ? Could not God tell what was in Abraham ? But now, I acknowledge. For God will not ac- knowledge it in this sense until Ave express it. They are the true servants of God that have his fear planted in their hearts, and express it upon all occasions.
410 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. XLIV.
SERMON XLIV.
Tibrn away my rejjroacJi which I fear ; for thy judgments are good. — Ver, 39.
In these words you have —
1. A request, take away my reproach.
2. A reason to enforce it, /or thy judgments are good.
First, For the request, ' Turn away/ roll from upon me ; so it sig- nifies. He was clothed with reproach; now roll from me my reproach. Some think he means God's condemnatory sentence, which would turn to his reproach, or some remarkable rebuke from God because of his sin. Eather, I thinlc, the calumnies of his enemies ; and he calls it ■ my reproach,' either as deserved by himself, or as personally lighted upon him, the reproach which was like to be his lot and portion in the world through the malice of his enemies : ' The reproach which I fear,' that is, which I have cause to expect, and am sensible of the sad con- sequences of.
Secondly, For the reason by which this is enforced, ' For thy judg- ments are good.' There are different opinions about the formality of this argument. Some take the reason thus : Let me not suffer re- proach for adhering to thy word, thy word which is so good. But David doth not speak here of suffering reproach for righteousness sake, but such reproach as was likely to befall him because of his own infirmities and failings. Reproaches for righteousness' sake are to be rejoiced in. But he saith, This ' I fear ; ' and therefore I suppose this doth not hit the reason, neither the other sense. Why should I be looked upon as an evil-doer as long as I keep thy law and observe thy statutes? others judge badly of me, but I appeal to thy good judg- ment. Others, by judgments, understand God's dealings: Thou dost not deal with men according to their desert; thy dispensations are kind and gracious. Rather thus : by judgments are meant the ways, statutes, and ordinances of God, called judgments, because all our words, works, thoughts, are to be judged according to the sentence of the word. Now these, it is pity they should suffer in my reproach and ignominy ; this is that I fear more than anything else that can happen to me. I think the reason will better run thus : Lord, there is in thy law, word, covenant, many promises to encourage thy people, and therefore rules to provide for the due honour and credit of thy people. Take it so.
I shall, with respect to the necessities of the people of God, insist a little upon the former clause, and observe this point : —
That reproaches are a usual, but yet a great and grievous, affliction to the children of God. They are usual, for David saith, ' my reproach.' Even this holy man could not escape the censures of his enemies ; and they are grievous, for he saith, ' which I fear.'
First, That tliey are usual. David often complains of it in this psalm, and mentions it as one great evil to God, ver. 22, ' Remove from me reproach and contempt, for I have kept thy testimonies ; ' and again, ver. 42, ' So shall I have wherewith to answer him that re-
VeR. 39.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 411
proachetli me, for I trust in thy word ; ' and ver. G9, ' The proud have forged a lie against me/ God may let loose a barking Shimei upon a holy David, and therefore doth he so often complain of reproaches. So elsewhere : Ps. xxxi. 13, ' For I have heard the slander of many.' Sundry sorts of persons made him their butt, upon which they spent and let fly the arrows of censure and reproach : Ps. xxxv. 15, ' The abjects gathered themselves together against me, they did tear me, and ceased not.' Tear me, meaning in his name ; that was rent and torn pieces with their reproaches ; the ahjects gathered themselves, &c. Base dust will many times be flying in the faces of the children of God ; and Jeremiah tells us, ' I have heard the defaming of many ; ' and Job and other servants of God, yea, our Lord himself was re- viled ; he ' endured the contradiction of sinners,' many a bitter reproach, even of the highest crimes against either table. There were objected to him blasphemy and sedition, the highest crime against the first, and the highest crime against the second table. The Son of God, that was so meek, innocent, just, and did so much good in every place, yet he met with odious aspersions; therefore we cannot say that they are faulty because they are aspersed, since this hath been the portion of the most eminent godly persons. And after that we are told, Ps. Ixiv. 3, 4, ' They whet their tongue like a sword, and bend their bows to shoot their arrows, even bitter words, that they may shoot in secret at Ihe perfect.' Perfection meets with envy, and envy vents itself by detraction ; and when men cannot reach the height of others by a holy imitation, then by odious imputations they seek to make them as vile, low, and base as themselves. Thus it is a usual affiiction.