Davids Repentance, Sermon · Commentary 18
VERSE. 17. 17. The Sacrifices of God are a contrite ſpirit: a contrite and broken heart, O God, thou wilt not deſpiſe.
Dauid hauing ſhewed what be thoſe Sacrifices wherein the Lord God hath no pleaſure: namely, such as men ſhall offer with hope to merite, or without faith and repentance.
Now he ſhewes what is that Sacrifice wherein the Lord takes great delight, and is well pleaſed, and that is in one word, A broken ſpirit, a heart truely wounded for ſinne.
In this verſe let vsus firſt finde out what is the broken and contrite Spirit: Secondly, the commendations of it, namely, it is called the Sacrifice of God: Thirdly, that hee doth not deſpiſe.
By a broken and contrite ſpirit, is meant, ſuch an heart as is truly humbled with ſight of ſinne, wounded and pierced with feare of Gods anger, grieued for offending ſo mercifull a God and louing Father, and doth begge for merciemercy at his hands, as for life and death; beſides the endleſſe mercy of God in Chriſt, which breaketh the heart of a poore ſinner.
So then there be two things that wound and bruiſe the heart of ſinners: Firſt, the ſight of ſinne and knowledge of our miſery, by reaſon thereof: Secondly, the endleſſe merciemercy of God in Chriſt, ſo as it cuts vsus at the heart to remember, that wee hauehave offended ſo good and mercifull a Father.
Doctrine Broken hart moſt rare thing to be foūdSeeing this is that broken heart, which is thus bruiſed with the ſight of ſinne, and is humbled for them; yea, hath a moſt lowe conceit of it ſelfe, as moſt vile and vnworthy, wee ſhal ſee that it is a moſt rare thing to be found; for generally men are ſo blinded with ſelfe-louelove, that they ſee nothing, or feele nothing, to humble them, or to bruiſe their ſtonie hearts, but are like the Church of Epheſus. for this is euer a fellow of hardneſſe of heart,Reu. 3.14… Eph 4.18. and cauſe of all ignorance, of our misery: Men are like thoſe that be ſicke of the lethargie, it is a deadly diſeaſe and incurable, this hardneſſe of heart, it is the common iudgement of God vponupon our people, it raignes eueryevery where.
Vſe 1 Seeing that this broken heart is ſo rare and hard to be found, and the hard heart is ſo common, and ſo dangerous a fore-runner to hell: O let vsus looke to our ſelues, how wee finde our hearts broken and bruiſed with the ſenſe of ſinne, mourne for them and bewaile them: Alas! it is wonderfull to ſee poore ſoules, how men lie in ſin, ſee nothing, and feare nothing, nor complaine of nothing, men can complaine of the ſtone in the reines, and cry out for griefe; but no man complaines of the ſtone in the heart, they feele no ſuch griefe, though it be deadly and dangerous: and if thou findeſt thy hart hardned, ſo as thou art not touched and troubled with the ſight of ſinne, of Gods vengeance, of hell and damnation, that thou canſt not mourn for them, that thou feareſt not GODS iudgements, and art not affected with his mercies to mourne for thy ſinnes: O! know that thy ſtate is fearefull and miſerable, thou art in extreame danger to periſh, and to be damned for euer.
Vſe 2 Seeing a hard heart is ſo fearfull a iudgement of God, and a fore-runner of hell: let vsus vſe all good means for the bruiſing of the heart, and to this end wee muſt labour to know the Law of God, how wee breake it daily, in thought, word, and deed, we muſt know the curſe of God due to ſinne, That the wages of ſin is death: Rom. 6. pſal. 40.12.And becauſe the preaching of the word, is the moſt excellent meanes to worke this, and is the Lords hammer to cruſh in peeces our ſtonie hearts, let vsus attend that. And laſtly, let vsus thinke much of Gods merciemercy in Chriſt, that ſo his mercy, patience, long-ſufferance, &c. may be a ſpeciall meanes to bruiſe our hearts that we hauehave ſi…ned againſt him.
Vſe 3 Let vsus take heed of pride of heart, to thinke too well of our ſelues, for this is certaine, where men and women thinke too well of themſelues, there is hardneſſe of hart, and where hardnes of heart is, there is pride of heart, for theſe two go not aſunder, and the more prowd, the more hard-hearted, and the more hard-hearted, the more prowd, and therfore if thy heart be humbled indeed, bruſed for ſinne, there will follow a very lowe, and baſe eſtimation of our ſelues,1. Tim. 1.15. to thinke more baſely and meanely of our ſelues, then any man can do.
The ſecond point is the praiſe and commendations of this Sacrifice; namely, that the Prophet doth not onelyonly call it the Sacrifice of GOD, that is moſt excellent, and ſuch as God loues and likes: but alſo he calls it broken Sacrifices, in the plurall number, The Sacrifices of God: For it is not in vaine that he ſpeakes in the plurall number; and the meaning is this, to ſhew that a heart broken and bruiſed for ſinne, is in ſtead of all other Sacrifices whatſoeuer: and let men offer what Sacrifice they will, neuer ſo many coſtly or excellent, yet if this be wanting, it is but in vaine, GOD eſteemes not of it, one broken heart is more worth then a thouſand Sacrifices of great price.
[Instruct.]
THis may admoniſh euerie one to take heed that wee doe not preſent the Lord with any other Sacrifice but this; which is in ſtead of all, and more worth then a thouſand offered by hard-hearted ſinners: for if a man offer many Sacrifices, pray much, preach much, heare much, receiue the Sacrament often, yet if the heart be not broken, humbled, and bruiſed; alas! all is in vaine: GOD eſteemes of them as dogges bloud, wee can not pleaſe him without the broken and contrite ſpirite.
Secondly, wouldeſt thou offer vntounto God a moſt precious Sacrifice that might be in ſtead of all the reſt, and make all the reſt acceptable? O! then preſent him with this broken hart: the poore woman that caſt into the Treaſurie but two mites, caſt in more then all the reſt, becauſe it came from a heart truely humbled; and ſo if thou wouldſt hauehave thy praiing, Preaching, Hearing, &c. pleaſe GOD, then preſent the Lord with a broken heart, which is in ſteed of all other ſacrifices, and makes them all acceptable, and without this all is abhominable to the Lord.
[Thou wilt not deſpiſe.]
Doctr. 2 THat is, thou doſt louelove and like, and art well pleaſed with it:God doth highly eſteeme of a broken heart. with a broken heart, and contrite ſpirit.
Hence we learne, that God doth highly eſteeme of, and louelove that man or woman, which is of a broken heart, as Ioſias whoſe heart melted:2. Reg. 22.19. when as the heart is broken with the ſight of ſin, and ſence of Gods anger,Luke 19. Eſay 66.2. Eſay 57.15 and withall doth imbrace IESVS CHRIST for pardon.
Vſe. 1 Heere is matter of endleſſe comfort to poore diſtreſſed ſoules, whoſe hearts are wounded and bruiſed for ſin, melt and mourne for them, feel… the burthen of them, and bewaile them, thou art deere vntounto God, hee loues thee and likes thee, and hath reſpect vntounto thee, and hee will comfort thee and deliuer thee: looke on Ioſ…as that godly King, on the Publican, and on eueryevery child of God, how the Lord hath refreſhed them.
Vſe. 2 Seeing the Lord doth not deſpiſe a broken and contrite ſpirit, a diſtreſſed ſoule and wounded conſcience, he will not breake the bruiſed reede, nor quench the ſmoaking flaxe: then let no man or woman of a contrite ſpirit, be out of heart, as though the Lord hated them, and regarded them not; no, no, let them rather know that the Lordloues them, and likes them, that they are deere vntounto him; it is a wonderfull comfort to Gods poore children, oh! they finde and feele the heauy weight of ſinne, and groane vnderunder it, ſo as they thinke the Lord loues them not, but rather hates them, but it is not ſo, the Lord loues them, and they are moſt deere vntounto him.