BY THE REV. GEORGE HUTCHESON, M.A., of Edinburgh
and Irvine.
(Third Sermon of Series on Psalm cxxx.)
(Continued from page 192.)
“Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord; Lord, hear my voice: let thine ears be attentive to the voice of my supplications.”—PSALMS cxxx. 1, 2.
THE Psalmist (as ye have heard) being in distress, is put to wrestle in the first six verses of this Psalm, partly with the difficulties and plunging perplexities in his case (1, 2); partly, with the sense of guilt, that might hinder his access, or hope of audience (3, 4); and partly, with God’s delaying to answer him, and give him an issue (5, 6).
For the first, contained in the first and second verses, ye may remember that I took it up in these four. 1. That which he wrestles with, which he expresseth under the name of “depths.” 2. His way of wrestling with these depths, viz., by prayer. He cried out of the depths. 3. He reflects on this his exercise, and avows it before God, “Out of the depths have I cried unto thee, O Lord.” And lastly, he prosecutes his exercise of prayer, presses for audience in a new suit (verse 2): “Lord, hear my voice, let,” etc.
For the first of these, what he wrestled with, the depths, I spake to it, and insisted to explain that metaphor of depth, or depths, and to shew what affinity there may be betwixt that and the distresses and perplexities of the people of God, and spoke somewhat to the use of it. For the second, of his crying out of the depths, I have spoken also to that, and deduced the point a little, and shewn you how distresses and perplexities put the saints to prayer, and what is imported by crying in prayer. Ye may remember that I was cut off by time at a word of use, which was a sad regrate,1 that distresses should be upon the people of God, and yet prayer restrained; that there should be so much trouble, and so little crying. Several Scriptures I laid before you, wherein the people of God, as in a glass, may read their foul spots in this matter.
I proceed to some more uses. The second in order shall be this: if it be sad to see the people of God in distress and yet not praying, it must be yet more sad to see them in distress, and instead of praying, taking sinful shifts to extricate themselves out of the depths, wherein they are. That the trouble which is sent to call them to God, should be so improved as if it had a commission to drive them from God. That if there be a sinful shift to be had they will try that before they think on prayer, before they stoop to think on calling on God. It’s a sad
1 Complaint.
complaint of a wicked generation that ye have, Jer. ii. 30, “In vain have I smitten your children.” It’s to no purpose that I have taken pains upon them, for they received not correction: they will not stoop to it, they will not improve it as a correction from God for sin. And would ye know how ye shall ponder these Scriptures, which will lay before you what I would say further on this use? One is, Hosea v. 13, “When that people saw their wound, what did they with it? They went to the Assyrian, and sent to King Jareb.” They were so far from calling on God, that they took a sinful shift, to bring them out of the present trouble. Another is, Isaiah i. 5, “Why should ye be stricken any more?” It’s to no purpose, for smite you as I will, ye will revolt more and more: to smite you, that’s the high gate, if ye were ill before, to make you worse; if you were far from God, to drive you further from Him. A third Scripture is that spoken of Ahaz (2 Chron. xxviii. 22), who in the time of his distress, instead of turning to God, did trespass yet more and more against the Lord. This is that King Ahaz who in his distress would not pray, but would worship the gods of the Syrians, who, he pretended, had helped them against him. I shall say no more to this use, but look to it; it’s a dreadful thing when trouble makes folk worse, than they were before trouble came on them; and I shall add, that a people, taken pains upon by trouble, and not crying out of the depths unto God, are in the nearest capacity of any, to increase their trespass under it. A prayerless trouble will be a singularly plagued trouble, to them that are under it.
But a third word of use shall be by way of prevention of a cavillation or objection. It may be said, that there may be a great deal of din made of crying and turning to God in trouble, but are there not many who never own God in their trouble, and who, if they can have a sinful shift, take them to it, and yet these come through when praying folk stick in the mire? To prevent this cavillation or objection, I say, take this word of use, that if it be a duty to cry out of the depths to God, then it is a plague for folks to be brought out of trouble, and not sent to God by prayer; when they are brought through their trouble, and are never sent to God to make earnest of their turning to Him. Job xxxvi. 13. When Elihu is pressing upon folk, the right improving of affliction, he adds, “But the hypocrites in heart heap up wrath; they cry not when he bindeth them.” They heap up wrath; why? They cry not when he bindeth them. If we will believe the Spirit of God speaking in Scripture, a person, not crying to God, when God binds him, heaps up wrath against himself. And I shall desire such as swatter1 through their trouble miskenning2 God, to consider these three things. 1. That it must be God that gives them any delivery, though they do not acknowledge Him in it, nor for it, and, consequently, it is not given in love, but in wrath.
1 Dash quickly.
2 Mistaking.
There may be much wrath in delivery from trouble in a sad way, as well as in sending wrath upon a wicked person by trouble. 2. Consider, that any delivery thou meetest with, who are not crying to God in thy trouble, it’s but a snare to thee. Thou lovest not prayer in order to an issue, and God in His holy providence lets that outgate out of trouble come as a snare in thy way, that thou seest not the necessity of prayer unto Him. And it’s the saddest of snares to be put out of prayer’s mister,1 to be like these spoken of, Job xxi. 15, who are brought in, saying, “What is the Almighty, that we should serve him? and what profit should we have, if we should pray unto him?” We get our turn done without Him, and therefore we need not pray. 3. Such as in trouble restrain prayer, should consider that all that is owing them is but fristed,2 it is not forgiven. Thou gettest a proof of God’s riches, forbearance, and long-suffering; and that should lead thee to repentance, but it doth it not, and thou considerest not, “That after thy hardness and impenitent heart, thou treasurest up wrath against the day of wrath, and revelation of his righteous judgment” (Romans ii. 4, 5). I can give it no better nor opposite term than what ye have, 2 Kings xiii. 23, “The Lord was gracious to them, and had compassion on them, and had respect to them, because of his covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and would not destroy them, nor cast them out of his presence.” As yet, there was a reserve in that mercy, the judgment was to come upon them, but not yet. Look to it, then, ye who, in your trouble, get your turn done without God, that what is fristed is not forgiven.
But the fourth and last word of use, I shall give you from this note, shall be this. Ye that are put to pray in trouble, I intreat you, look that ye be at crying with it. I shall not resume what I said upon this the last day, as that ye would be affected with your case, that ye would be in earnest, that ye would have a sense of your distance, get confidence to come speed, and withal a raised fervency of affection after that you cry for to God. Only let your prayers look like your need of God, and the greatness of your distress. Ponder that word, Isaiah xxix. 13, a word which I have often cited to you, “This people draweth near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but they have removed their heart far from me.” Mark the phrase: He doth not say, they draw near me with their mouth, while their heart is far from me, but “they have removed their heart far from me,” which imports, that there is no more effectual mean of estranging a soul from God, than a trade of formal worship; it is an active removing of the heart from God. I shall only add this word, that as I have spoken to them that in trouble neglect the duty of prayer, that their outgates speak no good to them, but wrath, and a snare; so I would have folks cautious in judging of their liveliness, or seriousness in prayer by their outgates out of trouble. Ponder
1 Need.2 Delayed.
that place, Psalms lxxviii. 34, etc. There ye will find a praying people and seemingly serious; they seek God and return, and enquire early after Him; they remember He is their Rock and Redeemer; “Nevertheless, they did flatter him with their mouth, and lied unto him with their tongues, for their heart was not right with him, neither were they steadfast in his covenant; but he being full of compassion, forgave their iniquity, and destroyed them not.” There is a people spared and delivered when they cried to God, when the Lord approves not of their prayer. We must therefore get another testimony to prove our not being formal in prayer, than outrage or delivery out of trouble. A proof of love and compassion in delivery may be God’s call to us to mourn over our formality, in prayer, and for our other sins, which He came over to do us good.
But I proceed to a third head in this first part of the words, and that is his reflecting on his exercise, and his avowing it before God, “O Lord” (saith he), “I have cried unto thee.” He looks back and considers what he hath been doing in distress, and finding he hath been wrestling, he lays it out and avows it before God. The general which I mark from it shall be this, that reflection on ourselves, and on our way what we have done, or are doing, is very necessary in all them that would approve themselves to God. Such was the psalmist’s practice here; he looks back and finds the depths put him to crying, and is able to give an account of it. There is a twofold reflection on that God calls for from the children of men. One is a reflection upon their case what it is, that they be not stupid and senseless without consideration what their lot is. Ye have that quarrelled, Isaiah xlii. 25, “He hath poured upon him the fury of his anger, and the strength of battle; and it hath set him on fire round about, yet he knew not; and it burned him, yet he laid it not to heart;” and Hosea vii. 9, “Strangers have devoured his strength, and he knoweth it not; yea, gray hairs are here and there upon him, yet he knoweth not.” That argues dreadful stupidity and senselessness, when folks are in a low condition, and do not consider, and do not mind it, do not lay it to heart. But there is another reflection beside that of our case called for, and that is a reflection on our carriage under our case; when we have considered our case, we would reflect what we are doing in such a case, or under such lots as providence makes our portion. This is it the psalmist expresses, Psalms iv. 4, “Commune with your own heart upon your bed;” and it is that the Lord presses upon His people. Hag. i. 5, “Now, therefore, consider your ways,” set your heart on your ways. This reflection self-searching or examination is most necessary in ordinary; a man wots not where he is, nor what he is doing in religion, if he neglect this part of it. If he be a stranger to self-examination, he is a stranger to his progress or decay in religion, his convictions and challenges are confused, and without fruit. His prayers cannot be but confused; if he
pray any, it must be at random. Only the man that is distinct in examination can distinctly lay out his case before God; and this examination, as it’s necessary in ordinary, so specially in trouble. If a man in distress neglect examination, he may be carried headlong in stupidity, in passion, quarrelling, fretting, or other sinful improvements of his trouble, and as it is, Eccles. v. 1, he may do all this, and not consider that he is doing evil. He is quite out, and knows not of it; and ye have an idea of that man that is not in reflection on his case and carriage under it in trouble, Jer. viii. 6, “I hearkened and heard, but they spake not aright; no man repented him of his wickedness, saying, What have I done? every one turned to his course, as the horse rusheth into the battle.” He goes hand over head, like a wild horse in his course; why? he reflects not upon his carriage under trouble.
Not to dip on this, let me in short from it recommend self-examination to you, especially in trouble. If ye would haunt it in ordinary, it would be more easy to you in a distress. If ye be in ordinary reflecting upon your weaknesses, and examining your wants, upon your predominants,1 your temptations, what are your suits that are most binding on you and your success, ye will the more readily (as we use to speak) hit the nail upon the head, when ye come to pray. And these your prayers that come from self-examination, though they be less busked,2 they will be to better purpose, than when a man with all the oratory he can reach, vents his gift in prayer. Particularly look what ye are doing as to this duty, when ye come in any distress; I gave you before some Scriptures that speak to them that neglect prayer in trouble. Now, let me mind you of some words, whereby to try your self-examination in trouble. One is, Lev. xxvi. 41, “If then their uncircumcised hearts be humbled, and they then accept of the punishment of their iniquity;” that were a blessed reflection that did produce this effect; but, on the contrary, look that your reflection be not like that, Jer. xlv. 10, “They are not humbled even unto this day.” And like that, Dan. ix. 13, “All this evil is come upon us, yet made we not our prayer before the Lord our God, that we might turn from our iniquities, and understand thy truth;” and Ezekiel xxiv. 13, “Because I have purged thee, and thou wast not purged, thou shalt not be purged from thy filthiness any more, till I have caused my fury to rest upon thee.” Ye would make use of these, and the like Scriptures, in your reflection upon your way, and what ye are doing when ye are in the depths. And further, when ye are reflecting upon your carriage under trouble, ye had need of tenderness of conscience; passion will give you a blind guess of yourselves, or of your case or carriage under it. When the Lord says to Jonah iv. 4, “Doest thou well to be angry, Jonah?” the passionate man says, “I do well to be angry, even unto death.” They that would reflect on
1 Chief faults.2 Adorned.
their case and carriage under trouble, would seek a composed frame of spirit and tender conscience from God.
But to come a little nearer unto this reflection, taking the words in the bypast time, “Lord, I have cried unto thee.” They will import, that God had kept him long at that trade, and to this purpose we have a word, Psalms lxxix., after that he hath complained in the two first verses, that “the waters are come in into his soul, that he sinks in deep mire, where there is no standing, that he was come into deep waters, where the floods did overflow him;” he adds, v. 3, “I am weary of my crying: my throat is dried: mine eyes fail while I wait for my God;” and Ps. cxix. 82, “Mine eyes fail for thy word, saying, When wilt thou comfort me?” but this I may pass, because it will occur in verses 2, 5, and 6, and because the Hebrews expressed things present in the bypast time, because their verbs have not a present time. That which I shall speak to from the words considered as a reflecting on his bygone wrestling, I reduce to these two.
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That he owns it as a thing that hath been, and is his practice, to be crying to God out of the depths.
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Because folks may be ready to say, What is he the better of that? He hath not got an answer of his prayers; I shall add this, that his supplication out of the depths affords him a testimony.
For the first, ye may take up the note thus, that no distress, no dispensation of providence warrants the saints to cast all that they have been doing as unsound. Though he be put to the deeps, he owns it that he is a cryer out of the deeps unto God. “Out of the deeps have I cried unto thee, O Lord.” Thus the Church owns her integrity, Ps. xliv. 17-19, “All this is come upon us; yet have we not forgotten thee, neither have we dealt falsely in thy covenant; our heart is not turned back, neither have our steps declined from thy way; though thou hast sore broken us in the place of dragons,” etc. Smite us as thou wilt, we avow it that we are in thy way. And Job xiii. 15, “Though he slay me, yet will I trust in him; but I will maintain mine own ways before him,” that is, my integrity. And chapter xxvii. 5, “I will not remove mine integrity from me;” and so Heman, Psalms lxxxviii. 13, “Unto thee have I cried, O Lord, and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee.” Do what thou wilt with me, I avow it that I have been at prayer, and I will continue in it. It is true, men should be humble in this matter of avowing their integrity, they should mainly be studying their wants, and short-comings, and the iniquity of their holy things; and it is true also, that, when they are in the deeps of distress, and these tryst1 them with God’s seeming not to notice them, but rather His anger smokes against their prayers (Psalms lxxx. 4), it should humble them yet more, and make them search their imperfections in their best things. It’s also true, that the people of God in reflecting on their
1 Meet.
diligence and prayers, should be far from that quarrelsome humour in hypocrites, Isaiah lviii. 3, “Wherefore have we fasted, say they, and thou seest not?” etc. As readily the greatest hypocrites are the greatest quarrellers, when they want success. Yet all this, notwithstanding, it is our duty to stick by what is right in our way, while we are in the deeps. Men must not be baffled out of their integrity, because they are under the cross, and have the wind in their teeth; they must not cast their prayers, because God holds them in the deeps. It’s no small part of the saints’ service to stick by, and to avow their integrity, that white robes are allowed them, though their prayers be not answered (Rev. vi. 10, 11). And, therefore, they have silly spirits, who, when they meet with a torrent of cross providences, are baffled from avowing their integrity, and lie by, and dare not face the storm upon that account.
But I proceed to the second observation. It may be said, What is the matter of folks owning their integrity, and crying out of the deeps, when they are not heard, but lie in the deeps for all that? I answer in the second note, that whatever be the seeming success of the saints in the deeps, their supplications out of the deeps afford them a testimony. It’s good news, that the psalmist dare own this, “Lord, thou hast cast me in the deeps, but I have cried to thee out of the deeps.” It’s a good cordial to Heman, while he is in the deeps, Psalms lxxxviii. 13, “But unto thee, have I cried, O Lord, and in the morning shall my prayer prevent thee. Lord, why casts thou off my soul?” etc. And if ye ask, What riches can be in this testimony, that we have cried, and continue crying out of the deeps? I shall pass it with the time in three words: 1. It’s a token of a blest and sanctified trouble, when folks are led to God by trouble. That’s better than many out-gates; they are “blessed whom when God chastens, he teacheth out of his law” (Psalms xciv. 12). And the first lesson God teacheth them, when He puts them in trouble, is to go to Himself with the trouble. It is a remarkable word that Samson’s mother had, Judges xiii. 23, “If the Lord were pleased to kill us, he would not have received a burnt-offering.” So many such folk may say, that if God had a mind to destroy them, He would not turn them unto Himself in their trouble. There is more of the love of God inclining thy heart to cry to Him out of the deeps, than in many out-gates; there is a rich blessing in it. 2. This testimony is rich, because it warrants a man having done his duty, to cast his burden on God and in nothing to be anxious. It’s no wonder a man be crushed with his trouble before he go to God with it, but when he goes to Him, he hath a warrant to cast all his cares and fears on Him; he hath Hannah’s allowance, 1 Samuel i. 18, “Who being a woman of a sorrowful spirit, went and poured out her heart before the Lord in his bosom, and left her anxiety on God, and came away with her countenance no more sad.” This is a practice that few of us attain unto, we seem
to carry our cares to God in prayer, but we bring them back with discouragement, rather augmented than diminished. 3. This testimony is rich, because it assures the supplicant, whatever be his present success (whereof, if the Lord will, we may speak a word in the afternoon), that he shall yet come speed; crying out of the deeps shall be heard, or Psalms ix. 18, “The needy shall not alway be forgotten: the expectation of the poor shall not perish for ever.” Israel might think God had forgotten them, when they were so long in the deeps in Egypt, and sighed and cried to Him, by reason of their bondage, but at length God heard their groaning, and remembered His covenant with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Exod. ii. 24). And ye know that word, Isaiah xlv. 19, “I have not said to the seed of Jacob, Seek ye me in vain.” He never said it in any age, and He will not begin at us.
Take this word of use from it. Labour to have this testimony, to be crying out of the deeps, so as ye may avow and own it; and to be improving it, labour to read love and a blessing in it, to cast all your burdens on God by so doing, and confidently to expect ye shall see “the end of the Lord.” In a word, labour to find that by grace, in so doing, which trouble cannot take from you; to find a delivery in trouble, rather than a delivery out of it; to find that which is of more worth, than many deliveries, and infinitely of more worth than any delivery can be without it.
(To be continued.)