Expositions on the Book of Psalms
PSALMS. 119
PsaLm XL.] ON THE sins. Remit them unto me, that I may be set at rest in my conscience, that it may be disburthened of its feverish anxiety, the anxiety with which "TI am sorry for my sin. Grant me a remission, that I may be refreshed" (before everything else), " before I go hence, and be no more." For if thou grantest me not a " remission, that I may be refreshed," I shall "go and be no more." " Before I go" thither, where if I go, I shall thenceforth "be no more. Grant me a remission, that I may be refreshed." A question has suggested itself, how he will be no more. .. . What is meant then by "shall be no more,"' unless Idithun is alluding to what is true "being," and what is not true " being." For he was beholding with the mind, with which he could do so, with the "mind's eye," by which he was able to behold it, that end, which he had desired to have shown unto him, saying, mortal who can both deceive and be himself deceived: I waited for the consolation of no mere mortal, who may be consumed by sorrow of his own, before he gives me comfort. Should a brother mortal attempt to comfort me, when he himself is in sorrow likewise? Let us mourn in company ; let us weep together, let us " wait patiently " together, let us join our prayers together also. Whom did I wait for but for the Lord? The Lord, who though He puts off the fufilment of His promises, yet never recalls them? He will make it good ; assuredly He will make it good, because He has made many of His promises good already: and of God's truth we ought to have no fears, even if as yet He had made none of them good. Lo! let us henceforth think thus, '" He has promised us everything ; He has not as yet given us possession of anything; He is a sponsible Promiser; a faithful Paymaster: do you but show yourself a dutiful exactor of what is promised; and if you be "weak," if you be one of the little ones, claim the promise of His mercy. Do you not see tender lambs striking their dams' teats with their heads, in order that they may get their fill of milk? . . . " And He took heed unto me, and heard my cry." He took heed to it, and He heard it. See thou hast not waited in vain. His eyes are over thee. His ears turned towards thee. For, " the eyes of the Lord are upon the righteous, and His ears are open unto their cry." 4 What then? Did He not see thee, when thou usedst to do evil and to blaspheme Him? What then becomes of what is said in that very Psalm, "The face of the Lord is upon them that*do evil" ?5 But for whatend? '" Phat He may cut off the remembrance of them from the earth." Therefore, even when thou wert wicked, He
" Lord, make me to know mine end." He was beholding '' the number of his, days, which truly is ;"' and he observed that all that is below, in comparison of that true being, has no true being. For those things are permanent; these are subject to change ; mortal, and frail, and the eternal suffering, though full of corruption, is for this very reason not to be ended, that it may ever be being ended without end. He alluded therefore to that realm of bliss, to the happy country, to the happy home, where the Saints are partakers of eternal Life, and of Truth unchangeable ; and he feared to "go" where that is not, where there is no true being; longing to be there, where "Being" in the highest sense is! It is on account of this contrast then, while standing midway between them, he says, " Grant me a remission, that I may be refreshed before I go hence and be no more." For if Thou " srantest me not a remission" of my sins, I shall go from Thee unto all eternity! And from whom shall I go to all eternity? From Him who said, I am HE tuat Am: from Him who said, "Say unto the children of Israel, I Am hath sent me unto you."' He then who goes from Him, in the contrary direction, goes to non-existence. . ..
"took heed of thee;" but He "took no heed vo thee."© So then to him who "waited patiently for the Lord," it was not enough to say, "He took heed of me, He says, " He took heed to me;" that is, He took heed by comforting me, that He might do me good. What was it that He took heed to? "and He heard my cry."
3. And what hath He accomplished for thee? What hath He done for thee? ' He brought me up also out of a horrible pit, out of the miry clay, and set my feet upon a rock, and established my goings" (ver. 2). He hath given us great blessings already: and still He is our debtor; but let him who hath this part of the debt repaid already, believe that the rest will be also, seeing that he ought to have believed even before he received anything. Our Lord has employed facts themselves to persuade us, that He is a faithful promiser, a liberal giver. What then
PSALM XL?
1. Of all those things which our Lord Jesus Christ has foretold, we know part to have been already accomplished, part we hope will be accomplished hereafter. All of them, however, will be fulfilled, because He is "the Truth" who speaks them, and requires of us to be as " faithful," as He Himself speaks them faithfully... . 2. Let us say then what this Psalm says. "I waited patiently, for the Lord" (ver. 1). I waited patiently for the promise of no mere
3 Al, " very small." 4 Ps, xxxiv. 15. 5 Ps, xxxiv. 16. E. V. "against." Lat. Vulgate, super. 6 Attendebat te; sed non attendebat tibi.
1 Ex, iii, 14. 2 Lat. XXXIX.