[2.] There is the deceit of superstitious persons and formalists, who seem to be devout, and have great zeal for outward things, not com- manded by God ; such 'make a fair show in the flesh,' Gal. vi. 12, by observing outward and carnal rites, as circumcision, difference of meats, legal purifications ; all their religion is but a vain show, to be- guile a loose conscience. This same sort of men are again described to be those that ' s])eak lies in hypocrisy,' 1 Tim. iv. 7. These also
VeE. 118.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 219
do in time discover the folly of their way, manifested by some notable judgment ; for these things take not hold of men's consciences, but only of their affections ; and when public countenance is gone, they are of no more esteem.
[3.] There is the deceit of those that only pretend to be truly religious, and are not so ; and because false and counterfeit, they are hateful and abominable to God. Now these God will not only punish in the other world : Mat. xxiv. 51, 'He shall appoint him his portion with the hypocrites ; ' hell seems to be their freehold and patrimony ; but here, sooner or later, God will pluck off these vizards, and bring disappointment and ruin upon these deceivers : Prov. xxvi. 26, the hypocrite shall be discovered before the congregation. Things that are counterfeit and false do not long hold out. God will discover them, either by some trying judgment, as he that builds upon the sand, when the winds blow and beat upon the house, down it falls. Earthen vessels, when they come to be scoured, the varnish and paint wears off. Or by some scandalous fall, for ' that which is lame will soon be turned out of the way,' Heb. xii. 13. This deceitfulness —
(1.) Is contrary to God, who is a God of truth, Ps. xxxi. 5 ; the author of truth : Eph. iv. 24, ' Created after God in righteousness and true holiness ;' and a lover of truth : Ps. li. 3, ' Thou desirest truth in the inward parts.' So that it is a great affront to God when men deal falsely : Jer. v. 3, ' 0 Lord, are not thine eyes upon the truth ? ' Is not that the thing thou lookest after in all the works of men ? This is all in all with God.
(2.) It is contrary to justice, charity, and common ingenuity ; it destroys the commerce between man and man : Eph. iv. 25, ' Put away lying, speak every man truth with his neighbour ; for ye are members one of another.* It is unnatural and monstrous by lying and deceit to circumvent one another ; it is as for one part of the body to destroy another. It is a sin not only unseemly for a Christian, but it tends to the overthrow of all human society, fidelity and mutual trust being the ground of all commerce. Now God will pour out his judgments upon them.
Use. Let this teach us to carry it sincerely both to God and men, for craft will not always succeed. The more real worth in any, the more openly and fairly they carry it. But for motives.
1. You will never else have true solid comfort, until you are real, without dissembling before God and men : 2 Cor. i. 12, ' For our rejoicing is this, the testimony of our conscience, that in simjilicity and . godly sincerity, not with guile and fleshly wisdom, w^e have had our conversation in the world.' Truth breeds joy and comfort of heart when a man is sincere and acts according to his conscience.
2. You will never hold out without it ; your mask will fall off: James i. 8, ' The double-minded man is unstable in all his ways ;' wavering, inconstant, up and down, off and on with God. A hypocrite is com- pared to a rush that grows in the mire. Job viii. 12 ; pluck it up, it soon withers : they are like reeds shaken with every wind. And you can have no approbation and acceptation with God ; God likes those that are sincere : ' Behold an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile.' Who are those who have pardon of sin sealed up to their
220 SERMONS UPON FSALM CXIX. [SeR. CXXX.
souls? Oh! blessed is tliat man that can say his sins are forgiven him. Who is that man ? ' In whose spirit there is no guile ; ' that is, without dissimulation, frauduleucy, and guile: this man enjoys acce])tance with God, pardon of sin, justification before God. And the contrary Avill certainly bring down a heavy judgment.
SERMON CXXX.
Thou pultcst aioay all the wicked of the earth like dross : therefore I love thy testimonies. — Ver. 119.
In these words we have — (1.) God's dispensation; (2.) The effect it had upon David's heart.
In the first branch we have —
1. The character by which they arc described, all the wiched of the earth.
2. The esteem God hath of them, they are dross.
3. A suitable providence dealt out to them, intimated, tliou imltesi them away like dross.
First, That the wicked are men of the earth. There are common reasons why we are all men of the earth. Our original is earth, made of the dust of the ground, Gen. ii. 7. They are but a little earth or red clay fashioned into the form of a man, a handful of enlivened dust. Our abode and service is here : John xvii. 4, ' I have glorified thee upon earth ;' and at our end and dissolution we are turned into earth again : Eccles. xii. 7, ' Then shall the dust return to the earth as it was ;' Ps. cxlvi. 4, ' His breath goeth forth, he rcturneth to his earth.' Princes as well as others must look to be dissolved into dust again. But in an especial respect are wicked men said to be of the earth, and that in contradistinction to the people of God, Rev. xiii. 10. God's witnesses ' tormented the dwellers upon earth;' that is, those that arc out of the true church, in Antichrist's kingdom. So Rev. xiii. 8, ' And all that dwell upon the earth shall worship him, whose names are not written in the book of life of the Lamb.' As, on the contraiy, they that dwell in the church, are said to be in heaven: Rev. xiii. 6, ' And he opened his mouth in blasphemy against God, to blaspheme his name, and his tabernacle, and them that dwell in heaven ;' so Rev. xviii. 20, ' Rejoice over her, thou heaven, and ye holy apostles.' But why are they thus characterised ? Because here they flourish : Jer. xvii. 13, ■ Their names shall be written in earth ;' grow great, and of good reckoning and account here. Judas had the bag ; they ' pros- per in the world.' Ps. Ixxiii. 12, 'Behold, these are the ungodly, who prosper in the world.' Here they are respected : 1 John iv. .5, ' They are of the world, and speak of the world, and the world heareth them.' Here their hearts and minds are. Mat. vi. 19, 20. It is their natural frame to be worldly ; they only savour the things of the world ; ])refer- ment, honour, greatness, it is their ummi marimnn ; here is their pleasure, and here is their })ortion, their hopes and iheir happiness. A child of God looketh for another inheritance, immortal and undefiled.