2. That which is said of his word and law is, ' Thy commandments are truth.' One would think it had been more proper to say, are just and righteous, than to say are truth. His commandments are just as the rule of our duty, they are just as the rule of God's process; but the word commandment is not taken strictly for the mandatory part of the word, but it is put for the whole covenant, his precepts invested with promises and threatenings. The commandments thus considered, with the promises and threatenings annexed, are true. Yea, mark the emphasis of the phrase, truth itself. The happiness promised to them that make conscience of their duty will be made good ; and so the punishments on them that offend God will be inflicted. Now the joining of these two clauses seemeth to speak thus much : I know that thou art near me, because thy word is truth. God in his providence seemeth to be absent sometimes from his people, but upon the assur- ance of his word we must believe him near. I say, God seemeth to be far off from his people, for who would think that the God of peace and all comfort should dwell with them that are broken in spirit ? Isa. lvii. 15, ' For thus saith the high and holy One that inhabiteth eternity, whose name is Holy ; I dwell in the high and holy place, with him also that is of a contrite and humble spirit, to revive the spirit of the humble, and to revive the heart of the contrite ones.' Or that the author of all felicity should be present with them that are harassed and exercised with such sharp afflictions, and hunted up and clown in the world, but because God hath promised it : Isa. xliii. 2, ' When thou passest through the waters, I will be with thee ; and through the rivers, they shall not overflow thee : when thou walkest through the fire, thou shalt not be burnt ; neither shall the flame kindle upon thee/ We should be satisfied with it ; his word is truth : whatever sense and reason saith to the contrary, neither distance of place nor afflictedness of condition do hinder his nearness to us.
Quitting all other points, I shall only insist on this one.
Doct That it is the privilege and happiness of God's children to have God near unto them upon all occasions.
My great business will be to explain what this nearness is, and then you will soon find it to be the great happiness and privilege of the saints.
1. What is this nearness ?
2. How is it brought about ? First, What is this nearness ?
1. God is not said to be nearer to them than others in regard of his essence, for so he is everywhere present, nullibi inclusus, nullibi ex-
VER. 151.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 103
clusus. So a heathen described God to be a great circle, whose centre is nowhere, and circumference everywhere ; and in the prophet he telleth us, Jer. xxiii. 23, 24, 'Am I a God at hand, saith the Lord, and not a God afar off? do not I fill heaven and earth ? can any hide him in secret places that I shall not see him ? saith the Lord.' He filleth all things with his essential presence ; he is in earth, in heaven, and under the earth : Ps. cxxxix. 7, 8, ' Whither shall I go from thy Spirit ? and whither shall I flee from thy presence ? If I ascend up into heaven, thou art there ; if I make my bed in hell, behold thou art there : if I take the wings of the morning, and dwell in the uttermost parts of the sea, even there shall thy hand lead me, and thy right hand shall hold me.' God is here, and there, and everywhere ; the heavens do not confine and enclose his being, nor the tumults of the earth ex- clude it : in this sense God is alike near to all things. They that cannot endure the presence and thought of God, where will they go from him ? They may run away from God as a friend, but they cannot escape him as an enemy. Te non amittit nisi qui dimittit, et qui te dimittit, quofugit, nisi a te placato ad te irafoim? Men may shut God out of their hearts, and yet he is there, do what they can, and will be found there one day in the dreadful effects of his anger.
2. Not in regard of his general providence and common sustentation ; for so ov ixcucpiiv, ' He is not far from every one of us ; for in him we live, and move, and have our being,' Acts xvii. 27, 28. This general presence and providential sustentation is vouchsafed to all his crea- tures, without which they could not subsist, nor move, nor act ; so all things are enclosed under the hand of his power, and are still under his disposing.
3. It is meant of his friendly and gracious presence, and those eminent and gracious effects of his power and goodness which he is pleased to afford his people. So God is sometimes said to be nigh unto his people, and they are said to be a people near unto him. The Lord is said to be near unto them : Ps. xxxiv. 18, ' The Lord is nigh unto them that are of a broken heart ; ' and again, Ps. cxlv. 18, ' The Lord is nigh unto all them that call upon him, and to all that call upon him in truth ; ' Deut. iv. 7, ' What nation is so great ? who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for ? ' The Lord is said to be nigh, because he is always ready to hear their prayers, and to direct them in their doubts, comfort them in their sorrows, defend and protect them in all their dangers, and deliver them in all their troubles. On the other side, they are said to be a people near unto God : Ps. cxlviii. 14, ' He also exalteth the horn of his people, the praise of all his saints, even of the children of Israel, a people near unto him.' Because they are the special objects of his mercy and favour. And as to the actual intercourse that passeth between God and them, God is said to draw nigh to them, as they are said to draw nigh to God : James iv. 8, ' Draw nigh to God, and he will draw nigh to you ; ' and so drawing nigh to us on God's part signifieth grace and blessing ; and drawing nigh on our part, our duty, love, fear, delight, and reverence of God. Well, then, it is meant of his friendly gracious presence vouchsafed to his people.