VeR. 123.] SEKMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 267
5. Above all this, 3'ou are to glorify God publicly ; not only in the quiet of your hearts, but by your carriage before others : John iii. 33, ' Pat to his seal that God is true.' It is not said, Believed or professed, but, Put to his seal. We seal the truth of God as his witnesses when we confirm others in the faith and belief of the promises by our joy- fulness in all conditions, patience under crosses, diligence in holiness, hope and comfort in great straits. Num. xx. 12, God was angry with Moses and Aaron, because ye ' believe not, to sanctify me in the eyes of the children of Israel' We are not only to believe God our- selves, but to sanctify him in the eyes of others ; as when the Thessalo- nians had received the word in much assurance, in much affliction, and much joy in the Holy Ghost, the apostle telleth them they were examples to all that believed in Achaia and Macedonia, 1 Thes. i. 5. The worthiness and generousness of our faith should be a confutation of our base fears, but a confirmation of the gospel. Bat we are so far from confirming the weak, that we offend the strong ; and instead of being a confirmation to the gospel, we are a confutation of it.
Use 3. Eeproof to us that we do no more build upon this word of righteoasness.
1. Some count these vain words, and the comforts thence deduced fanatical illusions ; and hopes and joys, fantastical impressions : Ps. xxii. 7, 8, ' All they that see me laugh me to scorn ; they shoot out the lip, they shake the head, saying, He trusted on the Lord that he would deliver him : let him deliver him, seeing he delighted in him.' Nothing so ridiculous in the world's eye as trust or dependence or unseen comforts. Ungodly wits make the life of faith a sport and matter of laughter.
2. Some, though not so bad as the former, they may have more modesty, yet as little faith, since they are all for the present world, present delights, present temptations. With many, one thing in hand is more than the greatest promises of better things to come, 2 Tim, iv. 10; they have no patience. Afflictions are smart for the present: Heb. xii. 11, 'No affliction for the present seemetli joj'ous, but grie- vous.' Yea, they do not deal equally with God and man. If a man promise, they reckon much of that, Qici petal, accipief, &c. They can tarry upon man's security, but count God's nothing worth. They can trade with a factor beyond seas, and trust all their estates in a man's hand whom tliey have never seen ; and yet the word of the infallible God is of little regard and respect with them.
3. The best build too weakly on the promises, as appeareth by the prevalency of our cares and fears. If we did take God at his word, we would not be so soon mated with every difficulty : Heb. xiii. 5, 6, ' Let your conversation be without covetousness, and be content with such things as you have ; for he hath said, I will never leave thee nor forsake thee. So that we may boldly say, The Lord is my helper ; I will not fear what man can do unto me.' There would be more reso- lution in trials, more hardness against troubles. Besides maintenance, there is protection in the promise. If we had faith to believe this, it would effectually quiet our minds in all our necessities and straits and perplexities. Man can do much, bring them low, even to a morsel of bread. We need not much desire the best things of the world, nor
268 SERMONS uroN PSALM cxix. [Seu. CXXXV.
fear the worst; need not bo covetous, nor fearful. Where faith is in any life and strength, it inodei'atolh our desires and fears. It is an ill part of a believer to hang the head.
Secondly, From that clause, David's eyes were to God's salvation, that God's word being passed his people do and must wait for the accomplishment of it. The lifting up of the eyes implies three things — faith, hope, and patience ; all which do make up the duty of waiting for help and relief from God.
1. The lifting up the eyes implies faith and confident persuasion that God is ready and willing to help us: 2 Chron. xx. V2, ' J3ut our eyes are unto thee ; ' Ps. cxxiii. 1, 2, ' Unto thee I lift mine eyes, 0 thou that dwellest in the heavens.' The very lifting up of the bodily eye towards heaven is an expression of this inward trust: so David in etfect saith, From thee, Lord, I expect relief, and the fulfilling of thy promises. So that there is faith in it, that faith which is the evidence of things not seen. How great soever the darkness of our calamities be, though the clouds of present troubles thicken about us, and hide the Lord's care and loving-kindness from us, yet faith must look through all to his power and constancy of truth and love. The eye of faith is a clear, piercing, eagle eye : Heb. xi. 27, * Moses endured, as seeing him that was invisible.' A man is very short-sighted before : 2 Peter i. 9, 'He that lacketh these things is blind, and cannot see afar olf ;' can only skill in the things of sense and reason, see a danger near him, as beasts or a bait while it is before him ; a brute thinketh of no other; or else goeth by probabilities, as it seeth things by the light of reason in their causes. But faith seeth things afar off in the promises, Heb. xi. 13, at a greater distance than the eye of nature can reach to. Take it either for the eye of the body, or the mind, faith will draw comfort not only from what is invisible at present, but not to come for a long time ; it is future as well as invisible ; its supports lie in the other world, and are yet to come.