GAIN

FRESH

PERSPECTIVE

Look at the Sky Psalm 19:1-6 The heavens declare the glory of God’ and the firmament showeth his handiwork. Day unto day uttereth speech, and night unto night showeth knowledge. There is no speech nor language, where their voice is not heard. Their line is gone out through all the earth, and their words to the end of the world. In them hath he set a tabernacle for the sun, which is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, and rejoiceth as a strong man to run a race. His going forth is from the end of the heaven, and his circuit unto the ends of it: and there is nothing hid from the heat thereof.	REVIEW From the things that are seen every day by all the world the psalmist, in these verses, leads us to the consideration of the invisible things of God, whose glory shines transcendently bright in the visible heavens, the structure and beauty of them, and the order and influence of the heavenly bodies. This instance of the divine power serves not only to show the folly of atheists, who see there is a heaven and yet say, “There is no God,” who see the effect and yet say, “There is no cause,” but to show the folly of idolaters also, and the vanity of their imagination, who, thought the heavens declare the glory of God, yet gave that glory to the lights of heaven which those very lights directed them to give to God only, the Father of lights. I. What that is which the creatures notify to us. They are in many ways useful and serviceable to us, but in nothing so much as in this, that they declare the glory of God, by showing his handiworks, v. 1. They plainly speak themselves to be God’s handiworks; all succession and motion must have had a beginning; they could not make themselves, that is a contradiction; they could not be produced by a casual hit of atoms, that is an absurdity, fit rather to be bantered than reasoned with: therefore they must have a Creator, who can be no other than an eternal mind, infinitely wise, powerful, and good. From the excellency of the work we may easily infer the infinite perfection of its great author. From the brightness of the heavens we may collect that the immensity, their height his transcendency and sovereignty, their influence upon this earth his dominion, and providence, and universal beneficence: and all declare his almighty power. II. What are some of those things which notify this? 1. The heavens and the firmament-the vast expanse of air and ether, and the spheres of the planets and fixed stars. Man has this advantage above the beasts, in the structure of his body, that whereas they are made to look downwards, as their spirits must go, he is made erect, to look upwards, because upwards is spirit must shortly go and his thoughts should now rise. 2. The constant and regular succession of day and night (v. 2): Day unto day, and night unto night, speak the glory of that God who first divided between the light and the darkness. He not only glorifies himself, but gratifies us, by this constant revolution; for, as the light of the morning befriends the business of the day, so the shadows of the evening befriend the repose of the night; every day and every night speak the goodness of God, and, when they have finished their testimony, leave it to the next day, to the next night, to stay the same. 3. The light and influence of the sun do, in a special manner, declare the glory of God; for of all the heavenly bodies that is the most conspicuous in itself and most useful to this lower world, which would be all dungeon, and all desert, without it. In the heavens God has set a tabernacle for the sun. The heavenly bodies are called hosts of heaven, and therefore are fitly said to dwell in tents, as soldiers in their encampments. That glorious creature was not made to be idle, but his going forth (at least as it appears to our eye) is from one point of the heavens, and his circuit thence to the opposite point, and thence (to complete his diurnal revolution) to the same point again; and this with such steadiness and constancy that we can certainly foretell the hour and the minute at which the sun will rise at such a place any day to come. The brightness wherein he appears. He is as a bridegroom coming out of his chamber, richly dressed and adorned, as fine as hands can make him, looking pleasantly himself and making all about him pleasant. The cheerfulness wherewith he makes his tour. For the service of man he rejoices as a strong man to run a race. III. To whom this declaration is made of the glory of God. It is made to all parts of the world (v. 3, 4): There is no speech nor language where their voice is not heard. Their line has gone through all the earth and with it their words to the end of the world,, proclaiming the eternal power of the God of nature, v. 4. The y have no speech or language and yet their voice is heard. All people may hear these natural immortal preachers speak to them in their own tongue the wonderful works of God.
Look to the Scriptures Psalm 19:7-11 The law of the Lord is perfect, converting the soul: the testimony of the Lord is sure, making wise the simple. The statues of the Lord are right, rejoicing the heart: the commandment of the Lord is pure enlightening the eyes. The fear of the Lord is clean, enduring forever: the judgments of the Lord are true and righteous altogether. More to be desired are they than gold, yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb. Moreover by them is thy servant warned: and in keeping of them there is great reward.	REVIEW God’s glory (that is, his goodness to man) appears much in the works of creation, but much more in and by divine revelation. The Holy Scripture, as it is a rule both of our duty to God and of our expectation from him, is of much greater use and benefit to us than day or night, than the air we breathe in, or the light of the sun. I. The psalmist gives an account of the excellent properties and uses of the word of God, in six sentences (v. 7-9), in each of which the name Jehovah is repeated. Here are six several titles of the word of God, to take in the whole of divine revelation, precepts, and promises, and especially the gospel. 1. The law of the Lord is perfect. It is perfectly free from all corruption, perfectly filled with all good, and perfectly fitted for the end for which it is designed. Nothing is be added to it nor taken from it. It is of use to convert the soul to bring us back to ourselves, to our God, to our duty. 2. The testimony of the Lord is sure. It is a sure fountain of living comforts and a sure foundation of lasting hopes. It will make even the simple wise for their souls and eternity. Those that are humbly simple, sensible of their own folly and willing to be taught, shall be made wise by the word of God. 3. The statutes of the Lord are right, exactly agreeing with the eternal rules and principles of good and veil. Because they are right, they rejoice the heart. The law, as we see it in the hands of Christ, gives cause for joy; and, when it is written in our hearts, it lays a foundation for lasting joy, by restoring us to our right mind. 4. The commandment of the Lord is pure. It is the ordinary means which the Spirit uses in enlightening they eyes; it brings us to a sight and sense of our sin and misery, and directs us in the way of our sin and misery, and directs us in the way of duty. 5. The fear of the Lord will cleanse our way. And it endureth for ever. The ceremonial law is long since done away, but the law concerning the fear of God is ever the same. Time will not altar the nature of moral good and evil. 6. The judgments of the Lord are true altogether. They are all of a piece. II. He expresses the great value he had for the word of God, and the great advantage he had, and hoped to have, from it, v. 10, 11. He prized the commandments of God before al l the wealth of the world. Gold is of the earth, earthly; but grace is the image of the heavenly. God is only for the body and the concerns of time; but grace is for the soul and the concerns of eternity. The word of God, received by faith, is sweet to the soul, sweeter than honey and the honeycomb. The pleasures of sense are deceitful, will soon surfeit, and yet never satisfy; but those of religion are substantial and satisfying, and there is no danger of exceeding in them. The word of God is a word of warning to the children of men; it warns us of the duty we are to do, the dangers we are to avoid. There is a reward, not only after keeping, but in keeping, God’s commandments, a present great reward of obedience in obedience.
Look in the Heart Psalm 19:12-14 Who can understand his errors? Cleanse thou me from secret faults. Keep back thy servant also from presumptuous sins; let them not have dominion over me: then shall I be upright, and I shall be innocent from the great transgression. Le the words of my mouth, and the meditation of my heart, be acceptable in thy sight, O Lord, my strength, and my redeemer.	REVIEW The excellency of the word of God. 1. He takes occasion to make a penitent reflection upon his sins; by the law is the knowledge of sin. “Is the commandment thus holy, just, and good. Then who can understand his errors? I cannot, whoever can.” From the rectitude of the divine law he learns to call his sins his errors. Every transgression of the commandment is an error, a deviation from the rule we are to work by. God knows a great deal more evil of us than we do of ourselves. 2. He takes occasion hence to pray against sin. Finding himself unable to specify all the particulars of his transgressions, he cries out. Lord, cleanse me from my secret faults; not secret to God, so none are, nor only such as were secret to the world, but such as were hidden from his own observation of himself. Having prayed that his sins of infirmity might be pardoned, he prays that presumptuous sins might be prevented. V. 13. His plea: “So shall I be upright; and I shall be innocent from the great transgression”; so he calls a presumptuous sin, because no sacrifice was accepted for it. 3. He takes occasion humbly to beg the divine acceptance of his thoughts and affections, v. 14, and then begs he would accept his performances. His services were—the words of his mouth and the meditations of his heart, his holy affections offered up to God. His care that they might be acceptable with God; for, if our services be not acceptable to God, what do they avail us?