3. That they may be more sensible of his displeasure against their sins and scandalous carriage, by which they have dishonoured him and provoked the pure eyes of his glory. Never have scandals flillen out but some great woe followed : Mat. xviii. 7, ' Woe to the world, be- cause of offences.' Therefore God hath brought his people low that he may vindicate his name, which through their means is blasphemed, Kom. ii. 24, and make his people sensible of their sin. .The world shall know that he doth allow sin no more in them than in others ; and therefore, though they were as the signet upon his finger, he will pluck them off, and make them feel the smart of their wanderings : Amos iii. 2, ' You only have I known of all the families of the earth, there- fore I will punish you for all your iniquities.' They that have been so near and dear to him, the world might think he did approve their sins if he did not manifest his displeasure at them. Usually their sins go nearest his heart, and meet with the sorest vengeance : Deut. xxxii. 19, ' When the Lord saw it, he abhorred them, because of the provokings of his sons and of his daughters.' Their relation to God, their privileges, and the consequences of their actions, aggravate their sins ; and therefore God is most quick and severe in i)unishing
492 SERMONS UPON PSALM cxix. [Ser. CLVIII.
their sins. We complain we were brought low, but were not our pro- vocations first very high ? The most religious cannot wipe their mouths, and excuse themselves as faultless. Oh ! what a sad part hath been lately acted upon the public stage ! What a trade have many driven for tliemselves under a mask of religion ! What breaches in the body of Christ, uncharitable divisions, making a profession of the name of Christ for carnal ends !
4. That we may learn to live upon the promises, and learn to exer- cise sutfering graces ; especially dependence upon God, who can support us without a temporal visible interest. Compare Rev. xii. 11, ' And they overcame him by the blood of the Lamb, and by the word' of their testimony ; and they loved not their lives to the death ; ' Ecv. xiii. 7, ' And it was given unto him to make war with the saints, and to overcome them ; and power was given him over all kindreds and tongues and nations.' You shall see how the enemies overcome, and the saints overcome ; the seed of the woman and the seed of the serpent. The beast raiseth the world against the saints, and pre- vaileth over their bodies ; he overcomes them by spoiling them of liberty, lives, and temporal estate ; but they overcome by adhering to truth, and resisting his temptations and their own corruptions even in the lowest estate by suffering. So for other graces, — patience, meek- ness, self-denial, spiritual comforts. As the stars in their order fought against Sisera, so all graces are exercised in their turn : Rev. xiii. 10^ 'Here is the faith and patience of the saints;' that is, a time to act these graces. A full third of the scriptures would be lost which con- taineth comfort for afflicted ones, if God did not exercise them with temporal afflictions.
5. That God may convince the enemies that there is a people that do sincerely serv^e him, and not for carnal selfish ends. Job i. The carnal world suspects private, selfish, worldly aims and designs in all that we do, and attributes all our duties to interest ; being themselves led by interest, they cannot think others are led by conscience. Men are a])t to suspect and malign what they will not imitate. There is sometimes too much advantage given ; many are mercenaries, only esteem the ways of God when beneficial to them : John vi. 26, ' Ye seek me not because ye saw the miracles, but because ye did eat of the loaves and were filled.' Therefore it is needful to heighten the ]n-ice of religion when it is too cheap a thing to be a Christian. This God doth by bringing his people low, that the world may see some will cleave to him in all conditions ; not only when his ways are be- friended, but when frowned upon. God will glorify himself and his truth by their constancy.
6. That his glory may be more seen in their deliverance ; and there- fore before God doth appear for his children, he bringeth them very low. Thus Paul, 2 Cor. i. 9, 'We had the sentence of death in our- selves, that w-e should not trust in ourselves, but in God, which raised the dead ;' and Ps. cxxxvi. 23, ' He remembered us in our low estate^ for his mercy enduretli for ever.' His mercy and power is the more glorious in our I'cscue.
All that I shall say by way of use on this point is this —
1. That when we are a small people, and persons of no interest, we
VeU. 141.] SERMONS UPON PSAL5I CXIX. 493
have a liberty to use it to God ; j'ou may make use of your weak and low condition as an argument of pity. So doth the pro])het Amos, * Jacob is small;' so doth David here and elsewhere: Ps. cix. 22, ' But I am poor and needy ; deliver me for thy name's sake ; ' and Ps, Ixix. 29, ' But I am poor and sorrowful ; let tliy salvation, 0 God, set me on high,' It is some ease to acquaint a friend with our griefs that can only pity us, much more when we have liberty to go to God, who can and will help us, and will allow us to complain to him, though not of him.