Exposition on the Seven Psalms of Repentance, Exposition 51 · Verse 8 – Verse 9
Verſe 8. Make me to heare ioy and gladneſse, that the bones which thou haſt broken may reioyce.
HAuing craued before remiſſion of ſins, now he beggeth the fruite which followes vponupon the ſame, that is, ioy and gladnes, which is one of the fruits of the kingdome of God, and marks of Gods children.
Ioy proceedeth of ſorrow.This ioy which he ſuiteth, muſt of neceſſi…ie preſuppoſe a ſorrow which he had for his ſinne. For as repentance can neuer want ſorrow, no more can remiſſion want ioy. So that ioy ſpringeth out of the bitter goote of ſorrow. And the greater ſorrow we hauehave, the greater ſhall our ioy be. The deeper thy griefe be, the higher ſhall thy comfort be.
He doubleth ioy and gladneſſe both of ſoule and bodie; he will not be contented with ſome one or two conſolations, but wil hauehave them to be multiplied; that as his tribulations did increaſe, ſo his comforts in Chriſt Ieſus might be enlargod.
As a Chriſtian is the moſt ſorowfull man in the world,Of all men a Chriſtian hath moſt cauſe to reioyce. ſo there is none more glad then he. For the cauſe of his ioy is greateſt: in reſpect his miſery was greateſt, his deliuery greateſt, therefore his ioy greateſt: from hell and death is he freed, to life in heauen is he brought. What can make men more glad then this, if he will beleeue. No offers can ſatisfie the minde of a priſoner appointed to death, vnleſſe his remiſſion be proclaimed and giuen him: Simil. ſo all the ioyes in the world will not ſatisfie a conſcience, till he heare that his ſins are forgiuen him.Pſal. 4.8. This ioy Dauid compareth with the ioy of worldlings who reioyced in their corne and wine, and ſaith, that he had more ioy then they had, and more peace of conſcience.
This ioy eateth vp all falſe ioyes that men hauehave in ſinne,True ioy eateth vp falſe ioyes. Exod. 7.12 as the rod of Aaron did the rods of the Egyptians. For it is not poſſible that men can hauehave both ioy in God & godlineſſe and in ſin; for the one will euer quench the other, as water doth fire.
All other ioyes wil alter, whatſoeuer they be;Nothing can alter this true ioy. but nothing can take this ioy from vsus. Not tribulation; we reioyce in the midſt of tribulation. Not death; no paine, no hatred of men, no perſecution, all theſe rather in creaſe it.Acts 5.41. We reioyce with the Apoſtles, that we are thought worthy to ſuffer for the word of God.
Why do worldlings call vsus melancholious perſons, and too preciſe, that we cannot do away with an idle word,Ioh. 4.32. let be an idle action; let them ſay what they pleaſe, we ſay as Chriſt ſaid to his diſciples, he had meate they knew not; ſo we hauehave ioy that they know not of. That which is thy ioy, O hypocrite, that is my ſorrow. I laugh with Democritus at that,Democritus alwayes laughed, & Heraelitus alwayes weeped Iam. 5.1. for which thou weepeſt; I weepe with Heraclitus at that, whereat thou laugheſt. Wo to them that laugh for they ſhall weepe. Howle ye rich men, ſaith the Apoſtle.
Make me to heare. The perſon frō whom he ſeeketh this ioy, is God: make me to heare, ſaith he; whereby he would teach vsus, Doctrine Spirituall ioy proceedeth from God.that this ioy cometh onelyonly from God; it is he who is the fountain of ioy and all pleaſure, for all good things come from aboue. Naturall ioyes proceed from a naturall and fleſhly fountain, ſpirituall ioyes ſpring only from God: ſo he who ſeeketh theſe ioyes beneath, ſeeketh hot water vnderunder cold ice. Can any good thing come out of Nazareth? Ioh. 1 46.can any grace come from a graceleſſe ground?
The inſtrument by which he ſeeketh ioy to be conueyed to him, is the hearing of that word, Thy ſinnes are forgiuen thee. There is none other ordinary meanes by which God will worke or euer hath wrought ioy to the troubled heart, then by his word preached by the mouth of his ſeruants,The word of God is the cauſe of this ioy. Act. 16.14 and beleeued by Chriſtians. Faith commeth by hearing. God opened the heart of Lydian. He that hath eares to heare, let him heare. I hauehave giuen eyes, and they do not perceiue, eares to heare, & do not vnderſtand, their eares are heauie, &c. Preaching of the word is a neceſſary inſtrumēt by which ſpiritual gracesis cō veied into our harts. God craueth this oftē in the old & new Teſtanent, that we ſhould heare his voice. And Dauid confeſſeth, that God had prepared his eare.Pſal. 40. God from heauen ſaid, This is my beloued Sonne, in whom I am well pleaſed, Mat. 3.17.heare him. If then ye giuegive an obedient eare to Gods word, ye may be aſſured of this ioy wrought in your hearts, after yee hauehave beleeued the comfortable promiſes of ſaluation in Chriſts blood.
Againſt Atheiſts and Papiſts lothing the word.What thinke ye then of Atheiſts, who will not heare the word but for faſhions ſake, calling thoſe too holy who will heare two Sermons on one Sabbath; or of Papiſts, who will no wayes heare the word, which may be the meanes of their conuerſion. Wo to the one and to the other. And becauſe they hauehave refuſed to heare him, of whom they may receiue comfort and inſtruction; therefore the Lord ſhall refuſe to ſpeake to them any longer, vnleſſe betimes they repent.
That the bones which thou haſt broken may reioyce. The effect which he hopeth to receiue of thoſe glad tidings, is a reſtitution of his firſt eſtate; wherein he found himſelf wonderfully broken by his ſin and affliction, and hopeth to be reſtored by remiſſion and pardon thereof. Where he ſpeaketh of the bones, he would let vsus to vnderſtand, that there is no ſtrength of nature able to reſiſt the ſtroke of Gods iuſtice.No ſtrēgth in man able to reſiſt the ſtroake of Godsiuſtice For if he begin to fight with vsus, we are vnable to reſiſt. The bones are very hard, and the ſtrength of man ſtands in them; but if God bring the hammer of his wrath, it ſhall be as iron and ſteele to cruſh them in peeces, being but as potters veſſels.
God cureth none but thoſe whom he hath woun ded. Man woundeth, but hath no care to cure; God woundeth & ſeeketh to cure.Which thou haſt broken. The forme of Gods curing: he firſt woundeth, and then healeth. He cureth none but thoſe whom his hand hath pierced; and he who woundeth, can beſt cure the wound. And in this God differeth from man: for man woundeth, but hath no care to cure; but when God inflicteth a wound on his children, he hath a preſent remedy appointed to cure the ſame. let vsus therefore be content to be vnderunder his hand, who for ſufficient cauſes croſſing vsus, is euer ready to comfort vsus in Ieſus Chriſt.
May reioyce. By this he letteth vsus ſee, what would be the effect of his deliuerie, euen to burſt forth in the praiſes of his God, by his words, by his actions,Let thy deſire to be deliuered frō trouble be to glorifie God. by his writings. Which ſhould teach vsus, that in trouble, either ſpirituall or temporall, we euer hauehave this the principall end for which we deſire to be deliuered, that we may praiſe and glorifie God.
Verſe 9. Hide thy face from my ſins, and put away all mine iniquities.
NOw he reneweth his former ſuite of the remiſſion of his ſins, ſhewing now earneſtly he deſired the ſame. He is not content once and againe to crie for pardon but many times. For he thought otherwiſe of his ſin, then we do of ours, it touched him at the very heart. In this verſe he vſeth two ſimilitudes; one, that God would turne away his face from his ſinnes; next, that he would blot out all his iniquities.
Hide. The firſt ſimilitude is taken from men,God cannot ſee ſin in his children. who will hide their face from that which they deſire not to ſee. And it is certaine, God is in eueryevery place, and ſeeth eueryevery thing, but he cannot ſee the ſins of his elect children; for that intervenient righteouſnes of Chriſt will not ſuffer him to ſee any filthineſſe in his children. He ſeethno iniquitie in Iacob, Nſ… 23.21. Simil.ſaith Balaam. For as a red or blue glaſſe being ſet before out eyes, what euer we ſee thorough it, ſeemeth to be of the colour of the glaſſe: ſo God looking thorough Chriſt to vsus, all his righteouſneſſe ſeemeth to be ours, and we are of his colour.
In the meane time, Vſe. let vsus not ſin becauſe he hideth his face from our ſin: for if we abuſe the riches of his bountie, we ſhall appeare in our owne colours.
And put away all mine iniquities. The blotting away, preſuppoſeth an hand-writ of the law againſt him, wherein his name was put in the count-booke, which muſt be ſcraped out, and taken away, which cannot be done away but by the blood of Ieſus Chriſt.
All. Ye ſee that one ſin calleth to mind many thouſands: and he is not contented to be acquitted from one, vnleſſe he be acquitted from all. Call to mind all the ſinnes of thy life; be not at quiet till thou getteſt a generall pardon for them all, which is to be purchaſed by Ieſus Chriſt. Be afraid to adde new ſinnes to thy old.Pro. 28.19. Ezech. 8.8. Bleſſed is he that feareth continually. Do as Ezekiel did to the wall of the Temple, dig once, twice, thrice, and trie thine heart; the more thou diggeſt, the more abominations ſhalt thou ſee in that place which ſhould hauehave bin a Temple to God.