Secondly, We have David's prayer, ' Leave me not to mine op- pressors.' He beggeth help against the o})pression of the enemy. I might observe —
1. That it is no new thing to see innocent men troubled, opjjressed, persecuted. He that could say, I have done judgment and justice, yet had his ojipressors. As long as Satan wants not instruments, the people of God shall not want troubles ; and the two seeds will never be reconciled. Therefore we should not censure the oj^pressed, and those that are fallen under the displeasure of men ; and the oppressed themselves should not wonder at it — wicked men do but after their kind.
VeR. 121.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 247
2. That to be left of God under the oppression of wicked men is a grievous calamity, and earnestly to be deprecated.
[1.] When are we said outwardly and visibly to be left by God under the oppression of wicked men ?
(1.) When he taketh off the restraints of his providence, and the hedge of his protection is broken down, and lets loose the enemy upon us, and we are left in the power of their hands : Dan. i. 2, ' The Lord gave the king of Judah into his hands.'
(2.) When he doth not comfort us in such a condition, par- ticularly when God's assistance is not vouchsafed. Sometimes he doth so : 2 Cor. i. 4, ' Who comforts us in all our tribulations.' At other times all is dark : Ps. Ixxiv. 9, ' We see not our signs ; there is no more any prophet, neither is there among us any that knoweth how long.'
(3.) When he doth not direct us, and show us our duty : Ps. cxliii. 10, ' Teach me to do thy will, for thou art my God, thy Spirit is good, lead me into the land of uprightness.' It was a time when his enemies prevailed over him. Now, if God hide counsel from us, we grope at noonday.
(4.) When he doth not support us. Sometimes this, Ps. cxxxviii. 3, ' In the day when I cried thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul ; and Ps. xciv. 18, ' When I said my foot slippeth, thy mercy, 0 Lord, held me up ; ' Ps. Ixxiii. 23, ' Never- theless 1 am continually with thee : thou hast holden me up by my right hand.' David prayeth, Put me not into their j)ower, do not let loose the reins ; thou hast hindered them hitherto. It is thy mercy that all this while I have not been given up as a prey to their teeth ; they want not malice and a will to take vengeance to the uttermost.
[2.] It is a grievous calamity.
(1.) It is a hard thing to be left to the will and lusts of men. David was in a strait ; he chose rather to fall into the Lord's hands than into the hands of men : 2 Sam. xxiv. 14, ' I am in a great strait ; let me now fall into the hand of the Lord, for his mercies are great, and not into the hand of man.' Men are revengeful, proud, insolent : wicked men will soon exceed their commission : Zech. i. 15, ' And I am very sore displeased with the heathen that are at ease ; for I was but a little displeased, and they helped forward the affliction ;' Deut. xxxii. 27, ' Were it not that I feared the wrath of the enemy, lest their adversaries should behave themselves strangely, and lest they should say. Our hand is high, and the Lord hath not done all this.' God speaketh after the manner of men.
(2.) It is a great mark of our Father's displeasure when he with- draweth, hideth counsel from us, leaveth us without support and com- fort: Mat. ix. 15, ' And Jesus said unto them. Can the children of the bridechamber mourn, as long as the bridegroom is with them ? but the days will come, when the bridegroom shall bo taken from them, and then shall they fast.'
[3.] It is earnestly to be deprecated, not only as a grievous calamity, but as hoping for relief : ' I will not leave you opcbavoix;^' John xiv. 18, * comfortless ; ' and Mat. xxviii. 20, ' Lo, I am with you to the end of the world.'
248 SERMONS UPON PSALM cxix. [Ser. CXXXIII.
Use. Go, then, and ropi-escnt your condition to God with humilia- tion, owning his anger, but with faith waiting for Ins help. Tell him what a prey you have been to Satan ; desire him, if he withdraw his presence one way, he will manifest it in another, in comforting, coun- selling his own people ; tell him your weakness, the enemies' malice, and implore his aid and assistance.
SEEMON CXXXIII.
Be surety for iliy servant for qood: let not the jyroud oppress me. —
Ver. 122.
In this verse we may observe a petition — (1.) Metaphorically expressed ; (2.) Literally ex{)lained.
In the former branch we have — (1.) The notion by which the help he expecteth from God is expressed : it is that of a surety, he surety for thy servant. (2.) The end and fruit of that help, or the terms on which he expecteth it, for good.