understanding2."]
Address —
1. To those who are studying the Holy Scriptures —
[It is surprising what pains many take to acquire a critical knowledge of the Bible, whilst yet they remain contentedly ignorant of those deep things which none but God can teach. But let me entreat you to seek above all things to behold the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ, even that glory which He only who commanded light to shine out of darkness can make known unto you a - ]
2. To those who, though incapable of entering critically into the letter of the Scriptures, have yet, through grace, a knowledge of the spiritual truths contained in them —
[Blessed be God, there are some amongst us, of whom, though unskilled in human knowledge, it may be said, " To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven." "They were once blind; but now they see:" "They were once darkness ; but are now light in the Lord." Be thankful to him who has so highly favoured and distinguished youb ; and endeavour to walk worthy of him who has vouchsafed unto you this invaluable blessing0. If ye be " light in the Lord, then walk as children of the light" and of the day d.]
*Eph. i. 17, 18.
y See Collects for First Sunday after Epiphany ; and for Whitsunday. zProv. ii. 1—6. a 2 Cor. iv. 6. b 1 Cor. i. 27, 28.
c 1 Pet. ii. 9. : <i Eph. v. 8.
david's desire after god's word.
Ps. cxix. 20. My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times.
IN general, there is no other connexion between the different verses of this psalm, than the accidental one of their beginning with the same letter of the Hebrew alphabet : yet possibly the collocation of them may occasionally have been determined by their bearing upon some particular point. The whole psalm is an eulogy upon the word of God, and a declaration of the love which David bare towards it. And, whilst we apprehend that every distinct sen- tence was put down as it occurred to the Psalmist's mind, without any particular dependence on its con- text, we suppose that, in the arrangement of some parts, there may have been a design in placing some observations so as to confirm or enforce others which had preceded them. In the 18th verse, David had said, " Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold won- drous things out of thy Law *." and in the two follow- ing verses, as they stand, he may be considered as enforcing that petition ; first, by the consideration of the shortness of his continuance here ; and, then, by the exceeding greatness of his wish to obtain the de- sired blessing : " I am a stranger in the earth : hide not thy commandments from me. My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy judgments at all times." Now, this expression being so exceeding strong, I will take occasion from it to point out,
I. The intensity of his desire after the word of God —
Often does he say that he has " longed" for God's word3; but here he says, "My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath." To enter into the force of this expression, let us compare his desire after God's word with the desire felt by others in cases of ex- treme emergency.
a ver. 40, 131, 174.
698.] david's desire after god's WORD. 311
Let us compare it with the desire of, 1. A hunted deer —
[Let us conceive of a deer that has for many hours been fleeing from its pursuers, till its strength is altogether ex- hausted, and it is ready to faint with fatigue. Let us suppose that its fears are raised to the uttermost, by the rapid advance of its enemies, ready to seize and tear it in pieces. How in- tense must be its thirst ! How gladly would it pause a few moments at a water-brook, to revive its parched frame, and to renovate its strength for further flight ! Of this we may form some conception : and it may serve in a measure to convey to us an idea of David's thirst after the judgments of his God. " O God," says he, " thou art my God ; early will I seek thee : my soul thirsteth for thee ; my flesh longeth for thee in a dry and thirsty land, where no water isb." " My soul longeth, yea, even fainteth, for the courts of the Lord : my heart and my flesh cry out for the living Godc." "As the hart pant eth after the water-brooks, so panteth my soul after thee, O God. My soul thirsteth for God, for the living God. When shall I come and appear before God ? My tears have been my meat day and night ; while they continually say unto me, Where is thy God d " ?]