* Ps, xclv. 7. ^ Ps. Ixxiii. U. « Job xxii. 13, 14.
' Ps. xii. 4. ^ Exod. v. 2. ^ Luke xix. 14.
' Jer. xliv. l6, I/. " Ezek. xxiii. 35.
3. A disbelief of his truth —
[God has spoken frequently respecting his determination to punish sin : lie has said, that " he will by no means clear the guilty \' and that, " though hand join in hand, the wicked shall not pass unpunished." Now, if we truly believed his word, we could not rush into sin : the apprehension of such tre- mendous conset|uences would deter us from it. But we are har- dened by unbelief. Unbelief was the source of ail the Israelites* rebellions in the wilderness'; and it is the fruitful spring of all our disobedience : " Ye shall not surely die," is at the root of every evil we commit'". But " God is not a man, that he should lie, or the son of man, that he should repent : hath he said, and shall he not do it ? hath he spoken, and shall he not make it good" ?" Let us bear this in mind, that in the com- mission of sin, and the expectation of impunity, we " make God himself a liar°."]
4. A denial of his justice —
[God has represented himself as " a God of judgment, by whom actions are weighed P;" and has declared his purpose to '' call every work into judgment," and to " judge every man according to his works." But, in violating his laws, " we say, in fact, God will not require if^:" "The Lord is altogether such an one as ourselves'^;" '* he will not do good, neither will he do evil^" What an indignity is this to offer to the Governor of the Universe, the Judge of quick and dead ! He has spoken of the last day as " the day of the revelation of the righteous judgment of God :" but, if the issue of it were such as we expect, and heaven were awarded to wilful and impenitent trans- gressors, it would rather be a day wherein God's ivant of justice and of holiness shall be displayed before the whole assembled universe.]
5. A defiance of his power —
[Men who commit iniquity are represented as " stretching out their hands against God, and strengthening themselves against the Almighty ; yea, as running upon him, even on his neck, upon the tliick bosses of his buckler*:" and to what a fearful extent this is done, we may see by the testimony of God himself : They, the workers of iniquity, " say, Let him make speed, and hasten his work, that we may see it : and let the counsel of the Holy One of Israel draw nigh and come, that we may know it"." Does this appear an exaggerated account of men's impiety ? See then how they are described by the
Psalmist :
' Ps. cvi. 24. Heb, iii. \g, " Gen. iii.4. " Numb, xxiii, \Q.
" 1 John v. 10. ^ 1 Sam, ii. 3. "^ Ps. x. 13.
' Ps. 1. 21. * Zeph. i. 12. * Job xv. 25, 26. "Isai. V. 19.
rS^ PSALMS, LI. 4. [370:'
Psalmist : " The wicked, through the pride of his countenance, vvill not seek after God : God is not in all his thoughts. His ways are always grievous ; thy judgments are far above, out of his sight: as for all his enemies, he puffctk at them ^.^ What an astonishing height of impiety is this ; to puff at God's threaten- iiigs, as if. we defied him to his face ! yet do we see that this is the very conduct of men, whenever we warn them to flee from the wrath to come : we seem to menace them with judgments which they have no cause to fear, and to set in array against them an enemy whom they are at liberty to despise.]
When once we view sin as an offence against God, we shall be prepared to acknowledge,
II. The equity of his judgments which he has de- nounced against it —