VeR. 110.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 133
l)ut a false religion, that hath not a Grod to depend upon, breedeth tears, and fear and pusillanimity puts men upon plots and bloody designs, as Herod, when afraid, seeketh craftily to murder Christ, Mat. ii. And as a false religion is ci-afty, so it is mischievous and cruel : Jude 11, ' These walked in the way of Cain ;' for a false religion cannot subsist without the plots of blood and tyranny and cruelty. When Judaism began to fall, the Jews bound themselves under an oath that they would neither eat nor drink till they had killed Paul. False worships put men upon a blind zeal, that breaketh out in tragical effects. Tantum religio ])otuit suadere malorum. So much of truth, so much of meekness, openness, and plainness, as the other is of spite and malice.
Use. Oh ! then, let the children of God abhor this hateful disposi- tion ; take lieed of those kind of sins that have subtlety and malice in them ; these are the devil's sins, the cursed old serpent, that hath been a murderer from the beginning ; take heed of ])l()tting mischief, and secretly designing the ruin of others. I would have you Chris- tians, that are of the true religion, carry it meekly towards others ; beware of deliberate sins. It is possible in some great temptation the children of God may fall into these kind of sins, as David plotted Uriah's death ; but that sin was laid to his charge more than all tlie sins that ever he committed. These sins are accompanied with some notable affliction and judgment, as on David's sad house ; they leave an indelible stain and blemish, and cost us dear : 1 Kings xv. 5, ' David did that which was right in the e^'es of the Lord, and turned not aside from anything that he commanded him all his days, save in the matter of Uriah.'
How many failings have we left upon record ? His distrust : ' I shall one day perish by the hand of tSaul.' His dissimulation, with his rash vow to destroy Nabal ; his injustice in the matter of Ziba and Mephibosheth ; indulgence to Absalom, numbering the people, wherein he showed his carnal confidence. All these are passed over in silence, as his infirmities, save only in the matter of Uriah. And they will cost dear ; there is always some eminent trouble and afflic- tion that accompany such sins. When David had sinned in tiie matter of Uriah, what troubles were there in his house; his daughter i-avished, Amnon slain in his drunkenness, Absalom driveth him from his palace royal, and then, poor man, his subjects deserted him, lie forced to go weeping up and down, and shift for his life ; all Israel came to Absalom, his wives defiled by his own son. Thus you see what is the fruit of deliberate sins.
These sins cost us a great deal of bitter sorrow, sighs, and tears, to recover our peace and God's love and favour. Again, how bitterly did David lemcmber his sin, and beg that God would ' restore to him the joy of his salvation !' Ps. li. Therefore take heed of deliberate sins, when we have time enough to have serious and sufficient con- sideration of the evil, and yet do it ; when a man knoweth a thing to be evil, and yet resolveth to go forward with it. Sin is not done suddenly, in heat of blood, but at leisure ; not limited to a minute, 01" an hour, or any short space of time ; and yet to do it, this grieves the S^^irit, and will cost us dear.
134 SERMONS uroN PSALM cxix. [Ser. CXXI.
SERMON CXXI.
Thy testimonies licive I taken as an heritage for ever : for they are the rejoicing of my heart. — Ver. Ill,
In this notable psalra there are many independent sentences expressing' David's affection to the word of God. In this verse you have — (1.) David's choice, ' Thy testimonies have I taken as an heritage for ever.' (2.) The evidence of that choice, * For they are the rejoicing of my heart.' I call it the evidence, for so it is a proper demonstration that he took God's precepts for his heritage ; this is the mark and sign of it, ' They are the rejoicing of my heart.' It did his heart good to think of his heritage, and what an ample portion he had in his God.
First, Let me speak of his choice, whence this observation. It is the property of believers to take God's testimonies for their heritage. In the management of which truth, I shall show—
1. What are God's testimonies.
2. What it is to take them for an heritage.
3. The reason why it is their property to do so.
1. What are God's testimonies. Any declaration of his will, in doctrine, prece))ts, threatenings, promises. The whole word, it is the testimony which God hath proposed for the satisfaction of the world. It is God's deposition or testimony, to satisfy men what is his mind and will concerning their salvation. God's testimony is the public record, that may be appealed unto in all cases of doubt, Ps. xix.' 8, ' The statutes of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart,' &c. ; ' The testimonies of the Lord are sure, making wise the simple.' By the statutes of the Lord, is meant in general the Avhole counsel of God delivered in the word. But then more specially and chiefly they imply the evangelical or gospel part of the word, the promises of the covenant of grace, Isa. viii. 20, ' To the law and to the testimonies.^ Testimony in this sense is contradistinguished to the law or God's precepts, what is required of us; thus 'the ark of his testimony' is called by that name. Mark this notion of calling the word God's testimony ; it shows us what regard we should have to the precepts and promises of God ; you need regard them, it is God's testimony to you and then against you. Christ would have his word preached * as a testimony against them,' Mat. xxiv., — a testimony to them that they might know God's mind, and then, if it were not received, a testimony against them at the last day ; when God comes to judgment, the sinner will be with- out an excuse, but will not be without a testimony ; every sermon will rise up against him in judgment ; it will be a testimony for their con- viction.