1. I will show you what it is to stand in awe of the word.
2. Then give you the reasons why they that are godly will do so. First, What it is to stand in awe of the word. We will determine
it by opening the circumstances of the text. And —
1. Let us take notice of the seat of this affection, the heart, ' My heart standeth in awe of thy word.' A true reverence of the word of God must be planted in the heart, or else all outward profession of respect is but hypocrisy : Ps. 1. 16, 17, ' Unto the wicked God saith, What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant into thy mouth ? seeing thou hatest instruction, and
170 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. CLXXV.
castest my words behind thy back.' Many may solemnly pretend to piety, and talk of it, and perhaps preach of it, to others, but do not exactly reform their carnal practices ; they do but abuse themselves and deceive others. So strangely are many bewitched with their own deceitfulness of heart and power of Satan, that they can without re- morse of conscience profess the true religion, pretend to a covenant with God, yet affront that religion by being loose and scandalous, and can break the covenant without any scruple ; such are contemners of God's word, however they seem reverencers of it. That psalm speaketh of the collection of the gospel church : ' Gather my saints together, who have made a covenant with me by sacrifice ; ' not that of bulls and goats, but by Christ Jesus. But many profane this covenant, and are carried away by every temptation, some as greedy thieves and extor- tioners, some as filthy adulterers, some as haters of godliness, some as injurious slanderers and whisperers and backbiters. In the Christian world, this prediction is too plainly verified ; the carnal Christian and the serious Christian profess respect to the same Bible, to believe the same creed, to enter by the same baptism, to claim privilege by the same covenant, yet hate one another, and are as contrary one to an- other as perfectly as infidels and pagans. On the one side, there is mouth-respect to the word, on the other, heart-respect ; the one in outward covenant with God, the other brought into the inner court. God beareth long with the former sort, but will not bear always : so Jer. xii. 2, ' Thou art near in their mouth, but far from their reins.' They profess thee in word, but deny thee in heart and in deed ; draw near thee in show and pretence as a people in league with thee, but their hearts, love, and affection are wholly estranged from thee ; and would take it ill to have their religion disproved or questioned, yet are not brought under the power of it. So Isa. xxix. 13, ' This people draw near unto me with their mouth, and with their lips honour me, but have removed their heart from me, and their fear towards me is taught by the precepts of men;' because of tradition, teaching by authority, maintaining or enjoining the worship of God. A worship/ and respect to God they will have, but such as doth not proceed from an impression upon their hearts, but only in compliance with their customs.
2. The kind of the affection, ' standeth in awe.' There is a twofold awe of the word — (1.) One that drive th us from it ; (2.) Another that draweth us to it.
[1.] Fear and awe of the word which driveth us from it is spoken of John iii. 20, 21, 'For every one that doeth evil hateth the light, neither cometh to the light, lest his deeds should be reproved. But he that doeth truth cometh to the light, that his deeds may be made manifest that they are wrought in God:' Carnal men, who live con- trary to the light of nature and scripture, that they cannot endure any- thing which should put them into serious remembrance of God, This is an effect of legalism and slavish fear, which as it bewrayeth itself in its carriage towards God himself, so also in its carriage towards his saints and word. Towards God himself: a slavish fear of God is always accompanied with an aversation or turning away from him ; as guilty Adam was afraid of God, and hid himself in the bushes, Gen. iii.
YeR. 161.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 171
10 ; and still an unsound conscience is shy of God, and hangeth off from him. So towards the saints, who have God's image printed upon them ; they fear the saints and hate them ; as Herod feared John, and put him to death, Mark vi. 20. Still men malign what they will not imitate. Natural conscience in them doth homage to the image of God, shining forth in the lives of his people ; they see an excellency in them which they have not ; and because all those who keep up the majesty of their profession are objects reviving guilt, they hate them ; and if their hatred be more than their fear, they destroy them when it is in their power. So for the word ; they are afraid of the word, so as to stand at a distance from it, and cannot endure it, no more than sore eyes can the light of the sun. They have a mind to cherish their lusts and carnal practices, and therefore hate the light which disproveth them ; as they that would sleep draw the curtain to keep out the light ; whereas, on the contrary, the godly delight to have their ways tried and made manifest by this light ; it is a refreshing light to them, but a reproving and discovering light to others ; it convinceth them to be what they are. Now they shun all means of searching and know- ing themselves, by wishing such things were not sin, or not desiring to know them so, and that there were not a God to punish them. But a sincere man is otherwise affected; he is jealous and suspicious of him- self, he bringeth his work to God's balance, and cannot quiet his con- science without God's acceptance.