[1.] Before God, either in our addresses to him at the throne of grace, or when summoned to appear at the last day before the tribunal of his justice.
(1.) If you understand it of our present approach to him, we cannot come into his presence with confidence if we have not a sound heart : 1 John iii. 21, ' If our hearts condemn us not, then have we boldness towards God.' We lose that holy familiarity and cheerfulness, when we are unbosoming ourselves to our heavenly Father, wlien our hearts are not sound. An unsound heart, through the consciousness of its
VeR. 80.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 345
own guilt, groweth shy of God, and stands aloof from him, and hath no pleasure in his company. But when we sincerely set ourselves to keep a good conscience in all things, we have this liberty towards God ; though our failings humble us, yet they do not weaken our con- fidence of our Father's mercy. St Paul thought himself a fit object of others' prayers on this account : Heb. xiii. 18, ' Pray for us ; for we trust we have a good conscience, willing in all things to live honestly.' Tiiat is his argument to prove that he was not altogether unworthy of their prayers, nor incapable of the benefit of their petitions. There are some wliom no prayers or intercession can help or profit, some that have no encouragement to pray for themselves, or give others an encouragement to pray for them. But Paul was none of tliese. Why ? Because the reason of his request is modestly expressed. He doth not say, I have, but ' I trust I have, a good conscience ; ' and he dotli not justify himself in all things, but appeals to the bent of his will, ' Will- ing in all things to live honestly.' He was willing so to do, that is, to direct his life according to the will of God in all things ; his heart was willingly disposed and predominantly bent unto righteousness, and he knew it to be so. Such may, without blushing, come into God's presence, and have encouragement to pray for themselves, and en- courage others to pray for them.
(2.) When we are summoned to appear before the tribunalof his justice. Many now with a bold impudence will obtrude themselves upon the worship of God, because they see him not, and have not a due sense of his majesty ; but the time will come when the most impudent and outbraving sinners will be astonished, even then, when ' the secrets of all hearts shall be laid open and made manifest, and hidden things brought to light,' 1 Cor. iv. 5. And every one is to receive his judg- ment from God, according to what he hath done, either good or evil. Conscience now, like a clock when the weights are down, is silent, and makes no noise ; but then it shall speak, and tell men their own, and then they will be ashamed ; unsound hearts will not be able to stand in the judgment. When God sets any judicial judgment afoot in the world now, it reviveth men's guilty fears : Isa. xxxiii. 14, ' The sin- ners in Zion are afraid ; fearfulness hath surprised the hypocrite : who among us shall dwell with devouring fire ? who among us shall dwell v/ith everlasting burnings?' In some terrible judgments that are a foregoing pledge of judgment to come, men of an unsound heart are soon possessed with fears and frights, as the unsound parts ot the body are pinched most in searching weather. When God's wrath is once kindled, none so terrified and amazed as they. Much more at the great diiy, when there is no allaying of their fear, and they must undergo the final judgment of the most impartial God. Who will be able to hold up the head, and to say, ' Then sliall I not be ashamed'? They that unfeignedly give up themselves to do the whole will of God : Ps. cxix. 6, ' Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect to all thy commandments.' A man that desires to do the whole will of God Avill not be confounded and amazed with terror before the judire of all the earth. The philosopher defines shame to be a fear of a just reproof. Who more just than the judge of all the earth ? and when is there a greater reproof in the conviction of sinners than at the last judgment ?
346 SERMONS UPON PSALM cxix. [Ser. LXXXVIII
[2.] Before men a man may be ashamed ; and so before ourselves and others.
(1.) Ourselves. It was a saying of Pythagoras, Keverence thy- self. Be ashamed of thyself God hath a spy and deputy within us, and taheth notice of our conformity and inconformity to liis will, and after sin committed, lasheth the soul with the sense of its own guilt and folly, as the body is lashed with stripes : Kom. vi. 21, ' AVhat fruit have ye in those things whereof ye are now ashamed ? ' There is an emphasis in the particle now ; that is, now after grace received, or now after the commitment of sin. Take either sense. Sin enticeth US before w^e fall into it, but afterwards it flasheth terror in the face of the sinner, and fiUeth his soul with horror and shame ; or now, after grace received, a Christian cannot look back upon his past life with- out shame and bhishing. Tertullian hath a saying, that a man's heart reproacheth him when he doth evil. As soon as our first parents had sinned, they were ashamed of it, and sought fig-leaves to* cover it ; they seek to hide with the leaves what the fruit had un- covered. AVell, then, there is an eye and an ear that seeth and heareth our secret sins, and lasheth the soul for them till we grow into a sturdy impudence. But now the upright man, that sets his heart to serve the Lord and do his will, hath comfort and peace in himself : 2 Cor. i. 12, ' This is our rejoicing, that, in simplicity and godly sin- cerity, we have had our conversation in the world.' He can look his conscience in the face without fear and amazement. He hath sorrow for his failings, but can look upon himself as sound before God for the main.