(3.) If you take in the third thing, tarrying or waiting God's leisure ; for ' he that believeth will not make haste,' Isa. xxvi. 16. God will tarry to try his people, to observe his enemies, till their sins are full, and tarry to bring about his providences in the best time : 1 Peter v. 6, ' Humble yourselves, therefore, under the mighty hand of God, that he may exalt you,' i.e. deliver you, ' in due time.' It may
VeK. 52.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 55
l)e he will not at all afford leuiporal deliverance, but will refer it to the time when he will 'judge the world in righteousness/ Acts xvii. 31. Now, what will relieve the soul, engage it to wait ? His judgments of old ; at the long run the good cause hath prevailed, the suppressed truth hath got up, the buried Christ hath risen again, and after labours and patience the fruit sown hath been reaped ; therefore in due time he will look upon our afflictiuns ; in the sanctuary we understand the end of things : the beginnings are troublesome, but the end is peace.
[2.] Adherence to God ; this followeth necessarily from the former, for dependence begets observance. Till a man trusts God he can never be true to him ; for the ' evil heart of unbelief will * draw us from the living God,' Heb. iii. 12 ; but if we can depend upon him, temptations have lost their force. The great cause of all defection is the desire of some present sensible benefit, and we cannot tarry God's leisure, nor wait for his help in the way of our duty. Now, if God's people of old have trusted, and weie never confounded, it is a great engagement in the way of his judgments to wait for him without miscarrying.
A case of conscience may be propounded : How could David be comforted by God's judgments, for it seemeth a barbarous thing to delight in the destruction of any ? It is said, Prov. xvii. 5, ' He that is glad of calamities shall not be unpunished.'
Ans. 1. It must be remembered that judgment implies both parts of God's righteous dispensation — the deliverance of the godly and the j)unishment of the wicked. Now, in the first sense, there is no ground <>i scruple ; for it is said, Ps. xciv. 15, ' Judgment shall return to righteousness ; ' the sufferings of good men shall ' be turned into the greatest advantage ; as the context showeth that God will not cast off his people, but judgment shall return unto righteousness.
Ans. 2. Judgment, as it signifieth punishment of the wicked, may yet be a comfort, not as it importeth the calamity of any, but either —
1. When the wicked are punished, the snare and allurement to sin is taken away, which is the hope of impunity ; for by their punishments w^e see it is dangerous to sin against God : Isa. xxvi. 9, ' When thy judgments are abroad in the earth, the inhabitants of the world will learn righteousness/ the snare is removed from many a soul.
2. Their derision and mockage of godliness ceaseth ; they do no longer vex and pierce the souls of the godly, saying, 'Alia ! aha !' Ps. xl. 15, 'It is as a wound to their heart when they say. Where is your God/ Ps. xlii. 10.
3. The impediments and hindrances of worshipping and serving God are taken away : when the nettles are rooted up the corn hath more room to grow.
4. Opportunity of molesting God's servants is taken away, and afflict- ing the church by their oppressions, and so way is made for the enlarg- ing of Christ's kingdom.
5. As God's justice is manifested: Prov. xi. 10, ' When it goeth well with the righteous, the city rejoiceth; but when the wicked perish, there is shouting;' Ps. Iii. 6, 'The righteous also shall see, and fear, and shall laugh at him: Lo ! this is the man that made not God his portion ; ' Ptev. xviii. 20, ' Ptejoice over Babylon, ye holy apostles and prophets, for God hath avenged you on her.' When the word of God is fulfilled, surely then we may rejoice that his justice and truth are cleared.
56 SEEMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. LIX.
SERMON LIX.
Horror hath taken hold on me, because of the loicked which forsake thy law. — Yer. 53.
The man of God in tlie former verse had showed what comfort he took in remembering God's judgments of okl, meaning thereby his right- eous dispensations in delivering the godly, and punishing the wicked. He now showeth that, seing God's horrible judgments on the wicked, he was seized and stricken with a very great fear. In the words observe —
1. A great passion described.
2. The cause of it assigned.
1. A great passion described, horror hath taken hold on me. The word for horror signifieth also a tempest or storm. Translations vary ; some read it, as Junius, a storm overtaking me ; Ainsworth, a burning horror hath seized me, and expoundeth it a storm of terror and dismay ; the Septuagint, advfiia Karecr-x^e fxe, faintness and dejection of mind hath possessed me ; our old translation, I am horribly afraid. All translations, as well as the original word, imply a great trouble of mind, and a vehement commotion like a storm. It was matter of disquiet and trembling to David.