Which are not after thy laio. — Heb., 'Not after thy law.' It may refer to the men or the practice ; who walk not according to thy law, or which fraudulent practices of theirs are not agreeable to thy law. The law of God condemned pits for tame beasts : Exod. xxi. 33, 34, ' It' a man open a pit, or dig a pit, and not cover it, and an ox or ass fall therein, the owner of the pit shall make it good, and give money to the owners of them.' Though it was lawful for hunters to take wild beasts, yet they were to take heed that a tame beast fell not therein, at their peril. Yet not for men innocent, and holy men. But there is a litotes in the words. That is said not to be good or well done which is extremely evil, very contrary to thy law. Thus we are wont
382 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. XCII.
to speak of a thing horrid in terms of extenuation ; as when we speak of a fact, It is not very commendable, when we mean it is extremely- abominable. So crafty and subtle dealing consenteth not with the truth of God's word ; that is, it is extremely opposite to it. This is produced by David as a ground of his confidence, why he hoped he should not be taken in these pits. These practices were not only injurious to himself, but contemptuous of the law of God. He layeth forth his enemies' carriage before God. Note —
1. That secret plottings against the interests of God and his people in the world are an ancient practice.
2. That these plots usually begin in pride.
3. That God can, when he will, and usually doth, protect his people against the plots of the proud, or the fraud as well as the violence of enemies.
4. That God's law forbiddeth all mischievous, ungodly, treacherous designs, attempts, and actions.
5. That the innocent should not be much troubled to be maligned and hated by them who contemn God's laws, as well as oppose his people.
I shall gloss on these points, and then close all with application.
First point. That secret plottings against the interest of God and his people are an ancient practice.
David here complaineth that the proud had digged pits for him ; and Ps. xxxvii. 12, 'The wicked plotteth against the just;' yea, ver. 7, it is a description of a wicked man, ' The man who bringeth wicked devices to pass.' It is so known a practice that it is gotten into their name and style. A wicked man's brain is a forge that is always hot. So Ps. vii. 14, ' Behold, he travaileth with iniquity, and hath conceived mischief, and brought forth falsehood.^ Wicked men conceive, and then travail, but usually the birth proveth abortive. To represent the truth to you, I shall give you a draught of some of the designs of wicked men: — (1.) For the suppressing of God's interest and people in the world. (2.) Private persons.
For the first^ you cannot imagine that I should unravel all the secrets of the kingdom of darkness, and break open the devil's cabinet. I shall only point at some few plots and contrivances for the ruin of God's interest in the world.
First, Plots to foment and promote divisions, either between them and themselves, them and their rulers, or them and God himself.
1. Them and themselves. Ever since God had a people in the world, the devil and his instruments have sought to divide them, that tkey may first ruin one another, and then become a prey to their com- mon adversaries. Nothing hath hindered the growth of Christianity so much as the spirit of division. IIoWov<i '^(^pi.ariavL^eiv airerpairev (Sozomen). And Chrysostom's rjXOev €6vlko<; rU, in his homilies upon the Acts : there came a certain ethnic to him, and told him, I would fain be a Christian, but there are so many parties among you that I know not to whom I should join myself. And Christ's prayer inti- mates, John xvii. 21 , ' That they all may be one, as thou, Father, art in me,' &c. The world are apt to look upon Christ as an imposter, and his religion as a fond superstition, when they see his people so
Ver. 85.] SERMONS UPON PSALM cxrx. 383
divided nnd scattered one from another. Divisions in the church breed atheism in the world. Now Satan and wicked men have endeavoured all they can to keep up these divisions and hatred among Christians. This was Julian the apostate's design. When he had a mind to suppress Christianity, he did not openly persecute it, but took the worst sort of Christians and upheld them, that they might still maintain a quarrel between them and others. In Germany the Jesuits go over to the Lutherans to keep up the difference ; they blow the coals, and then warm themselves by the flame. And among us the envious man hath sown tares : ' Is not the hand of Joab in all this ? ' By what spirit are the Quakers and others acted, and why are these things kept up, but to render Christianity odious ? Sanballat and Tobias set up a party among the Jews to hinder the work of their restoration, Ezra iv. 4, that they might foment division among them, and so hinder the growth of the people's prosperity, for they had now the countenance of the king of Babylon, and by this means they thought to do so.