[Being ignorant of God, and destitute of any real love to him, they have no part or lot in his salvation. They are strangers to all those sublime pleasures, which are communicated to God's peculiar people. The witness of the Spirit, and many other unspeakably precious tokens of the divine favour, are with- held from them. If they be in trouble, they have no heavenly consolations to support them. They may have the wealth of this world, and the honour which cometh of men ; but they can expect no salvation from God, nor any thing but shame and everlasting contempt e. O that they were wise and would consider these things!]
2. How plain and simple is the duty of God's people!
[The privileges before mentioned, are all bestowed on us because we love and seek the Lord. Not that our services are meritorious, and can claim a " reward of debt ;" but God has appointed these as means, in the use of which we shall attain the end. Would we then have more abundant tokens of God's favour here, and secure a still richer inheritance hereafter ? Let us study to " grow in the knowledge of him," and in a more fervent and fixed love towards him. Let us wait upon him more earnestly and with greater constancy in prayer. Thus shall his blessings infinitely exceed our highest expectations, and be en- joyed by us when the fleeting vanities of time shall be no more.]
e Dan. xii. 2.
Ps. xcii. 4, 5. Thou, Lord, hast made me glad through thy tvork : I will triumph in the ivorlts of thy hands. 0 Lord, hoiv great are thy works ! and thy thoughts are very deep.
TO man, in this vale of tears, God has opened many sources of happiness ; many in his intercourse with his fellow-man, but more and greater in commu- nion with his God. In truth, if it be not his own fault, he may have in a measure the felicity of the Para- disiacal state restored to him : for though, through the weakness of the flesh, " he is in heaviness through manifold temptations," he has a God to go unto, a God ever at hand, in whom it is his privilege always to rejoice : " Rejoice in the Lord alway," says the Apostle ; and " again," he adds, " Rejoice."
The frame of David's mind, in the psalm before us, (for we can scarcely doubt but that the composition
f)57.1 GOD ADMIRED IN HIS WORKS. 145
was his,) being that which we should cultivate, we
will consider,
I. The works which he contemplated —
It is probable that the writer of this psalm had pri- marily in his view the wonders of creation ; because the psalm was written for the Sabbath-day a, which was instituted to commemorate God's rest from his cre- ating work. Yet, in the body of the psalm, much is spoken respecting the dispensations of God in his providence : and David, whom I consider as the author of it, had experienced the most wonderful interpositions in his behalf; so that, amongst all the children of men, there was not one who had more cause than he to sing of " the loving-kindness and the faithfulness of Jehovah ;" of his " loving-kindness," in selecting him to such high destinies ; and his " faithfulness," in accomplishing to him his promises in their full extent. But the language of my text ne- cessarily leads our minds to that greatest and most stu- pendous of all God's works, the work of Redemption —
[This may be treated either in reference to Redemption generally, as wrought out for us by the incarnation, and death, and resurrection, and ascension of the Lord Jesus Christ ; or with a special reference to any one of these topics which may be suited to a particular season. But, in whatever way it be treated, the greatness of the work must be the point chiefly insisted on.]