First, It was a time when there was a mighty prevalent principle of atheism got into the world, got among the great men of the world. Saith he, * That is their principle, they say in their hearts, " There is no God."' It is true, they did not absolutely profess it; but it was the principle whereby all their actings were regulated, and which they were conformed unto. " The fool," saith he, " hath said in his heart, There is no God."" Not this or that particular man, but the fool, — that is, those foolish men ; for in the next words he tells you,
" They are corrupt/' Saith he, "The fool they are corrupt;"
and verse 3, " They are all gone aside." "The fool" is taken inde finitely for the great company and society of foolish men, to intimate that whatsoever they were divided about else, they were all agreed in this. ' They are all a company of atheists/ saith he, ' practical athe ists.' "The fool hath said in his heart;" — that was their principle.
Secondly, Their affections were suitable to this principle, as all men's affections and actions are suitable to their principles. What are you to expect from men whose principle is, that there is no God ? Why, saith he, for their affections, " they are corrupt;" which he ex- presseth again verse 3, "They are all gone aside, they are all to gether become filthy." " All gone aside." The word in the original is, "They are all grown sour;" as drink, that hath been formerly of some use, but when grown vapid, — lost all its spirits and life, — it is an insipid thing, good for nothing. And, saith he, " They are all to gether become filthy," — "become stinking," as the margin hath it. They have corrupt affections, that have left them no life, no savour; but stinking, corrupt lusts prevail in them universally. They say "There is no God;" and they are filled with stinking, corrupt lusts.
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Thirdly, If this be their principle and these their affections, let us look after their actions, in the third place, to see if they be any better there, if they are any better in their actions. But consider their actions. They be of two sorts, — 1. How they act in the world; 2. How they act towards the people of God.
1. How do they act in the world? Why, consider that, as to their duties which they omit, and as to the wickednesses which they per form. What good do they do? Nay, saith he, "None of them doeth good."" Yea, some of them. " No, not one/' Saith he, verses 1, 3, " There is none that doeth good, no, not one." If there was any one among them that did attend to what was really good and use ful in the world, there was some hope. * No/ saith he; ' their principle is atheism, their affections are corrupt; and for good, there is not one of them doeth any good, — they omit all duties/
What do they do for evil? Why, saith he, " They have done abominable works;" — 'works/ saith he, 'not to be named, not to be spoken of, — works which God abhors, which all good men abhor/ "Abominable works/' saith he, ' such as the very light of nature would abhor/ and give me leave to use the expression of the psalmist, — " Stinking, filthy works/' So he doth describe the state and condition of things under the reign of Saul, when he wrote this psalm.
2. * If thus it be with them, and if thus it be with their own ways, yet they let the people of God alone; they will not add that to the rest of their sins/ Nay, it is quite otherwise ; saith he, " They eat up my people as they eat bread/' " Those workers of iniquity have no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread, and call not upon the LORD." What is the reason why he brings it in in that manner? Why could he not say, ' They have no knowledge that do such abominable things;' but brings it in thus, " They have no knowledge, who eat up my people as they eat bread"? — ' It is strange, that after all my dealings with them and declaration of my will, they should be so brutish as not to know this would be their ruin. Don't they know this will devour them, destroy them, and be called over again in a particular manner/ In the midst of all the sins, and greatest and highest provocations that are in the world, God lays a special weight upon the eating of his people. They may feed upon their own lusts what they will; but, ' Have they no knowledge, that they eat up my people as they eat bread?'
There are very many things that might be observed from all this; but I aim to give but a few hints from the psalm.
Well, what is the state of things now? You see what it was with them. How was it with the providence of God in reference unto them ? Which is strange, and a man would scarce believe it in such