Doct. 5. They will not be utterly overcome in their trials that hope in God's judgments. Why ?
1. Because this hope will teach us to wait upon the Lord until he show us better things : Ps. Ixii. 5, ' My soul, wait thou upon the Lord, for my expectation is from him.' They can tarry a little while, and so are not carried away with the violence of the present temptation. It is an inclination to present things that undoeth us. ' Demas hath forsaken us and loved this present world." Now, when we can wait for future things, the soul is stayed and kept from apostasy. AVe read of ' the patience of hope,' 1 Thes. i. 3. And the apostle saith, Eom. viii. 25, ' If we do hope for that we see not, then do we with patience wait for it.' He that believeth a better condition is not dejected with present evils.
2, It fortifieth the soul against present difficulties, so as they do not unsettle, but quicken us. It hath an apprehension that the good is hard to be obtained, therefore it gathereth all the force and strength of the soul to resist it.
For the nature of hope, see the Sermon on the 114th verse.
Well, then, hope in God's judgments. Consider who hath made the promises. Is it not God, whose word cannot fail of its effect ? Eom. iv. 20, 21, ' He staggered not at the promise of God through unbelief, but was strong in faith, giving glory to God, and being fully persuaded that what he had promised he was able also to perform.' And then consider how he standeth affected to us. Doth not he love us ? And also in what relation he is obliged to us as a Father. And then consider what doth the promise say, and how it maketh for his glory to accomplish it ; Avhat plentiful means he hath in store to bring to pass what he hath spoken, and what a potent and wise intercessor we have to plead our cause at the right hand of the Father, and to mind him still of whatever concerns our comfort !
470 SERMONS UPON TSALM CXIX. [SeK. L.
SEEMON L.
So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever. — Ver. 44.
First, David prays for deliverance, ver. 41, * Let thy salvation come,' &c. Next be prays, if he might not have deliverance, yet a little liberty to own God in the time of bis trouble, ' Take not the word of truth utterly out of my mouth ; ' and with what argument doth be enforce it? In the close of the former verse be had pleaded, ' I have hoped in thy judgments.' Now be pleads his steadfast purpose to serve God, conceived in the form of a vow, ' So shall I keep thy law/ &c. They that hope in God's promises must have a tender regard to liis precepts. First be saith, ' I hope in thy judgments,' then, ' I shall keep thy law.' The tender regard of God's precepts. How ? What ! to talk of them only ? No. As in the former verse he speaks of the word of truth in bis mouth, so here be speaks of keeping and observing the law in his practice, to show we should not own God in word only, but in deed also. He spoke of profession there, and now we are to fill up our profession with answerable practice : ' So shall I keep thy law continually for ever and ever.'
The text contains a promise of obedience.
1. The matter promised, / sliall keep thy laio.
2. The manner and constancy of that obedience, continually for ever and ever.
Mark, the promise of obedience is brought in by way of argument, ' So shall I keep ;' so, that is, this will encourage me, this will enable me.
1. The granting of his requests would give him encouragement. When God answers our hope and expectation, gratitude should excite and quicken us to give him all manner of obedience. If be will give us a heart, and a little liberty to confess his name and serve him, we should not be backward or uncertain, but walk closely with him.
2. This would give him assistance and strength. If God do daily give assistance, we shall stand ; if not, we fall and falter. This will be a means of his perseverance ; not only engage and oblige him, but help him to bold out to the end.
Then mark the constancy of this obedience, ' Continually, and for ever and ever.' David would not keep it for a fit, or for a few days, or a year ; but always, even to the end of his life.
Here are three words to the same sense, ' Continually, for ever, and ever.' And the Septuagint expresseth it thus : I shall keep thy law cdivays, and for ever, and for ever and ever ; four words there. This heaping of words is not in vain.
1. It shows the difficulty of perseverance. Unless believers do strongly persist in the resistance to temptation, they will soon be turned out of the way ; therefore David binds his heart firmly. We must do it now, yea, always, unto the end.