2 1 Cor. X. 13.
Ps. xxxi. 19, 20. Oh how great is thy goodness, ivhich thou hast laid up for them that fear thee ; ivhich thou hast wrought for them that trust in thee, before the sons of men ! Thou shalt hide them in the secret of thy presence from the pride of man : thou shalt keep them secretly in a pavilion from the strife of tongues.
THE salvation of the Gospel is a present salva- tion : the " godliness vi^hich it inspires is profitable unto all things, having the promise of the life which now is, as well as that which is to come." It is needless to say that the trials of life are great ; and that men in every situation of life need the supports and consolations of religion to carry them through the difficulties which they have to encounter. But of the extent to which these supports' and conso- lations are administered to God's chosen people, very little idea can be formed by those who have never experienced a communication of them to their souls. David was highly favoured in this respect. He lived in a state of near and habitual fellowship with
God ; spreading before him all his wants, and re- ceiving from him such supplies of grace and peace as his daily necessities required. Hence with devout rapture he expresses his admiration of God's good- ness to his believing people.
This is the subject which we propose for our pre- sent meditation ; and which, in correspondence with the words of our text, we shall consider,
I. In a general view —
The terms by which the Lord's people are charac- terized sufficiently distinguish them from all others, since none but they do truly *^fear God," or un- feignedly '' put their trust in him." They are the true Israel ; in reference to whom it is said, " God is good to Israel, even to such as are of a clean hearts"
In speaking of his goodness to them, we shall notice,
1. That which is " laid up for them" —
[In the time of David the great truths of the Gospel were but indistinctly known ; the fuller manifestation of them being reserved for the Apostolic age: as St. Paul, quoting a remark- able passage from the Prophet Isaiah, says ; " Eye hatli not seen, nor ear heard, neither have entered into the heart of man, the things which God hath prepared for them that love him;" and then adds, " But God hath revealed them unto us by his Spirit''." To the Jewish Church therefore these things are only " laid up," as it were, in types and prophecies : and though made known in the Gospel, they are still but imper- fectly viewed by the Christian world ; and may be considered as " laid up" for the Church at this time, no less than in former ages : for it is only by slow degrees that any one attains to the knowledge of them ; and whatever attainments anj^ one may have made, he sees only " as in a glass darkly, and knows only in part ;" there being in it a length and breadth and depth and height utterly beyond the power of any finite intelligence to explore". The " riches" that are stored up for us in Christ even in this world are altogether " unsearchable'*:" what then must the glories be which are " reserved in heaven for us!" The more we contemplate the blessings which God has trea- sured up for us in the Son of his love , the more shall
we exclaim with David, " Oh how great is his goodness ! "]
a Ps. Ixxiii. 1. ^ Isai. Ixiv. 4. with 1 Cor. ii. 9, 10
<= Eph. iii. 18, 19. ^ Eph. iii. 8.
545.] god's goodness to his believing people. 215
2. That which God has actually "wrought for them "—
[Every believer was once " dead in trespasses and sins," even as others. But he has been quickened by the mighty energy of God's Spirit, and been raised up to newness of life. He is " a new creature in Christ Jesus;" all his views, his