VeR. 78.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 323
xviii. 10, 11, ' The name of the Lord is a strong tower: the righteous runneth into it, and is safe. The rich man's wealth is his strong city, and as an high wall in his own conceit.' Every man is as his trust is ; for, as the Psalmist speaketh of idols in general, ' They that trust in idols are like unto them,' so it is true of spiritual idols. If a man trust in vain things, his heart groweth vain, proud, and insolent; promiseth him an uninterrupted course of felicity, from poor, perishing things, that come and go at God's pleasure. If a man trust in God, then he is kept holy, humble, carried on with a noble and divine spirit, and findeth more safety than another that hath all the strength and power of the world to support and back him. The name of the Lord is a real refuge, but wealth and honour and worldly greatness is but an imaginary refuge. He that hath nothing but the name of the Lord to trust in, worldlings think he buildeth castles in the air ; but the godly knoweth that worldlings indeed build castles in the air, w^hile they look big, and think their greatness shall bear them out. Alas ! wealth is but a wall and a strong tower in their own conceit ; not really so ; but this pufFeth them up, and they are quite other men when they are at top than what they were when they were under.
A71S. 3. Because they affect a life of pomp and ease and carnal great- ness, and so despise the afHiction and meanness and simplicity of the people of God. The false church hath usually the advantage of worldly power and external glory, and the true church is known by the divine power, gifts, and graces, and the lustre of holiness ; Ps. xlv. 13, ' The king's daughter is glorious within ; ' is found out by faith, love, patience, sobriety, heavenly-mindedness, humility, purity, and the like, rather than by a splendid appearance; and holiness becomes God's house, Ps. xciii. 5, rather than gold and silver and costly furniture. The false church vaunts itself in costly temples, officers richly endowed with temporal revenues, and a pompous attendance ; and so the simplicity of the gospel is corrupted and turned into a w^orldly domina- tion. As, for instance, the church of Kome boasts of her grandeur and magnificence, and upbraids the Eeformed with their abject condi- tion. Ministris eorum nihil vilius, saith Campian. They can tell of the pompous inauguration of their popes, their stately train of cardinals, lordly prelates ; whereas the poor ministers of the gospel live hardly and precariously. Whereas, indeed, the glory of the true church doth not make a fair show in the flesh, is not external, corporeal, and visible, but internal, incorporeal, and invisible, Cant. i. 5 ; and like its head, Jesus Christ, who, to appearance, was humble, poor, and afflicted : but in him were hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge ; yea, the fulness of the godhead dwelt bodily. External splendour pleaseth the flesh, and is not a sign of virtue so much as pride, Luke xvi. 19. What shall become of the primitive church for the first three hundred years, if outward greatness be a mark of it? The world is with them, but the faith with us ; they have pure gold, but we pure doctrine (Naz. Orat. Con. Aroc.) So Hilary against Auxentius, Unum moneo, cavete anticlirishirn, male enim vos parietum amor cepit, male ecclesiam Dei in tectis artificiisque veneramini, male sub iis pads nomeji ingeriiis : anne ambiguum est in iis antichrislum cessunim ? Ilontes miJii et sylvce et lacus et carceres, et voragines sunt tutiores ; in iis enim
324 SERMONS UPON PSALM cxix. [Ser. LXXXVI.
2)7vphefce aut manentes, aut demersi, Dei Spiritu proplieiahant. Well, because of their affectation of worldly greatness, they are called proud ; and so it is taken, Mai. iii. 15, ' Ye call the proud happy.' And because of this they hate and molest the people of God, because theirs is a contrary spirit. They hear Christ's voice : Mat. xi. 29, ' Learn of me, for I am meek and lowly.' They hate them because they con- temn that felicity which they affect, and so put a scorn on their way:
1 Peter iv. 4, ' Think it strange that you run not with them into the same excess of riot, speaking evil of you/
Alls. 4. They are called proud because of their insolent carriage towards the Lord's people, partly in their laws and injunctions, requir- ing to give them more honour, respect, and obedience than in con- science can be afforded them ; as Haman would have Mordecai to devote himself to him after the manner of the Persians, Esther iii. 5. The man, though a favourite, was an Amalekite, one that came of that stock whose remembrance God would have to be blotted out, Exod. xvii. 14 ; and possibly more worship and honour was required than was due to a man. God had forbidden to give divine honour to any but himself. Now, according to the custom of Persia, these honours did somewhat savour of divine worship — Vide Brisson, pp. 10-14, with the 18th. So Jeroboam would have his calves worshipped, 1 Kings xii. 32 ; and yet all that complied with him therein are charged for walking so willingly after the commandment, Hosea v. 11. We dare not offend God to please men; the good Levites are commended,