A Sermon: “If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall stand?”—PSALMS cxxx. 3

BY THE REV. GEORGE HUTCHESON, M.A., of Edinburgh
and Irvine.

(Fifth Sermon of Series on Psalm cxxx.¹)

(Continued from page 343.)

YOU have heard that the psalmist, wrestling by prayer with the difficulties and plunging perplexities that were in his case, doth here come to wrestle more particularly with guilt, which might stop his audience and success; and (as ye heard) he doth (1) make a sensible confession of the misdeserving of sin, that if God should mark it as a severe judge, none should be justified: none should be able to stand. (2) Ye have his relief and refuge, being thus humbled, in the pardoning mercy of God, upon which he lays holds in the beginning of the fourth verse; “But there is forgiveness with thee.” And thirdly (as ye heard), in the end of verse 4, this pardoning mercy of God is amplified from His end and design in letting it forth, “That thou mayest be feared.” There is forgiveness with Him, that sinners may draw near Him, who in Himself is a consuming fire; and that pardoned sinners may be excited to fear and worship so good a God, that freely pardons sin.

From the first of these, I spake to a general note: That the sense of trouble, and the exercise about it, should be attended with the sense of sin, and exercise about sin; for the psalmist here is exercised and taken up with both; while he is crying out of the deeps, he is lying under the sense of sin. I confirmed this, and marked some sad consequences that followed sense of trouble, without sense of sin. I hinted also at a second general observation, but was cut short by the time in speaking to it, that is, that godly men will very readily find guilt meeting them, when they are sent to God in trouble; for when the psalmist here is made to cry to God out of the deeps, iniquities interpose and stare him in the face. This point I did deduce in these four, three of which I could only name, and therefore shall now briefly resume that purpose.

1. That it is the duty of godly persons, and their character, to be acquainted with heart-smittings for sin. Whatever David was while at ease, and in prosperity, in digesting certain sins, yet when he was in trouble, and in the wilderness, and cut off the lap of Saul’s garment, his heart smote him. Frequent heart-smittings for sin is a great evidence of nearness to God, and it’s a pitiful and woeful gallantry to go on in sin, and digest sin without resentment.

   ¹ These excellent Sermons were taken down by a hearer, and the volume is now very rare to be got. Mr. Hutcheson is the author of Expositions of the Book of Job, the Minor Prophets, and the Gospel of John. He died in 1674 at Irvine.—Ed.

2. The second branch of the note was this, that whatever tenderness and smiting of heart for sin the saints have in ordinary, yet readily it will meet them, when they come to ordinances and duties of worship, especially to be serious with God in prayer: for here when the psalmist is at prayer, guilt steps in, sin musters, and God’s marking of iniquity signified much to him. A tender heart, when it is in the view of God and hath its eye upon Him, should, and will, be most observant of its failings. David dare not think of coming to God, till he see what account he gets of doing away his guilt. Psalms xxvi. 6, 7, “I will wash my hands in innocence, so will I compass thine altar, O Lord,” etc.; because guilt will offer to obstruct audience and success, in what the suppliant would be at. 1 Samuel xiv. 36, etc., When Saul would consult God about going down after the Philistines, there is a fault found committed; Jonathan had tasted of the honey, and the guilt meets him; he was not answered. And to say no more of this, I shall only mark two words from it, and proceed. One is, that it should and will be a motive to a tender walker to walk tenderly, circumspectly, and accurately, when he considers that he hath God to go unto. He will think with himself, “How circumspectly ought I to walk through the day, that have God to go to at night! How can I, or dare I, loose reins to this or that, and offer to bow a knee to God? Will not my untenderness in this or that step of my way, stare me in the face, when I look God in the face?” If folks knew what it were to have communion with God, and what influence sin hath to obstruct it, they behoved either to quit their prayers, or study a more tender and holy walk. Another word shall be this: if there be any of a loose and untender walk, slipping buckles through the day, and they hear no news of it; at their prayers, their guilt doth not interpose, and raise a cloud betwixt God and them; such persons would look to it, that there be not a lie in their right hand, that they be not under a delusion, and feeding upon ashes. If they were tender, they would no sooner go to God, but they would say, “I remember my faults this day, I have sinned, and now my guilt stares me in the face.”

3. But the third branch of the doctrine is, that whatever be saints’ tenderness in ordinary, or whatever ills they may digest in ease, a great distress or trouble will readily bring guilt to mind, and obstruct their access, when they are sent to God. When they are made to cry out of the deeps, God’s marking of iniquity will say something to them. For distress take notice of that place, Gen. xlii. 21, etc., where ye have the history of Joseph’s brethren, taken with their guilt. It was upwards of twenty years since they sold him, but when they come in distress, it is as recent as if it had been just now committed: “They said one to another, We are verily guilty concerning our brother, in that we saw the anguish of his soul, when he besought us, and we would not hear; therefore is this distress come upon us.” Folks would have thought that upwards of twenty years’ guilt might have been buried; and, no doubt, the men in that time had prayed often, but in a distress it’s recent. And for going to God in trouble, we have an instance of guilt meeting folk (Judges x. 10), where the people in trouble come and cry unto God, and take with their sin. But what answer get they? “I delivered you (saith the Lord) from such and such enemies, when ye cried unto me, but ye have forsaken me, and served other gods, wherefore I will deliver you no more, go and cry unto the gods which ye have chosen, let them deliver you in the time of your trouble.” Mark also that word of Moses speaking to the two tribes and the half tribe (Numb. xxxii. 23), when he feared they might cheat their brethren, and desert them, he tells them, “If they should do so, they should sin against the Lord.” There is news (might some stout stomachs among them say), but he adds, “and be sure your sin will find you out.” A man may use many ways to shift guilt, but it will not do with him, his sin will find him out. Ponder that word, Psalms xlix. 5, “Wherefore should I fear in the days of evil, when the iniquity of my heels shall compass me about?” Iniquity is like a sleuth hound, that rambles here and there, following the scent of the prey, and an ignorant spectator wonders what he means, but he follows the prey, and will not give over till he find it. Sin unrepented of will sooner or later meet the sinner, and the longer they be of meeting, it will be to the sinner’s greater disadvantage. May I add further, when sin meets the sinner in trouble, an infirmity will pass for an iniquity (as here the psalmist calls sin), and will not seem so small as when it was committed, or before the trouble came on? Yea, further, pardoned guilt that seemed to be buried, and done away, these green graves may open, and that guilt may waken up on new emergents.¹ Hence Job (xiii. 26), says, “Thou writest bitter things against me, and makest me to possess the iniquities of my youth.” And Psalms xxv. 7, David prays, “Remember not the sins of my youth, nor my transgressions.” Therefore ye that meet not with sin in ordinary, see what ye can do to hold off trouble, and sins meeting you in trouble; ye now can go on in sin, and have your diversions to put away the thoughts of it, and live strangers to yourselves, and your own condition; but trouble will cross-neck you, and ye will find (as the word is Genesis iv. 7) that sin is lying at the door, and will meet you.

   ¹ Occasions.

4. But I shall add a fourth branch of the doctrine, and then come to the main doctrine which lies before my hand. I have spoken of guilt’s meeting with the godly; now what shall be said of guilt’s meeting with wicked men? I shall say two words to this, and leave the note. One is, let a wicked man live never so long without minding his guilt, let him have ordinances, and keep up a form of worship, this is to be adverted to, that the wicked man never comes into God’s presence to worship or pray to Him, but his iniquity is marked, as if he had made a proclamation of his sin. Ponder that process, Isaiah i. 13, and the foregoing verses, “Bring no more vain oblations (saith the Lord); incense is an abomination unto me; the new moons and sabbaths, the calling of assemblies, I cannot away with; it is iniquity, even the solemn meeting. Your new moons and your appointed feasts my soul hateth: and when ye spread forth your hands, I will hide mine eyes from you; yea, when ye make many prayers, I will not hear: your hands are full of blood.” Thou that darest come before God, without the sense of thy guilt, God may look upon thee as proclaiming thy guilt. And another word to the wicked shall be this, that, whenever a day of distress and trouble meets them, though all of them will not be honoured with repentance and pardoning mercy, they shall find that they have made a very sad bargain. Take it in that word, Jer. ii. 19, “Thine own wickedness shall correct thee, and thy backslidings shall reprove thee; know therefore and see that it is an evil thing and bitter, that thou hast forsaken the Lord thy God, and that my fear is not in thee.”

But I leave this note, and come to the third observation, that is, that when guilt and conscience meet, sin will be otherways looked upon, than men ordinarily do; or if ye will have it more distinctly, take it thus: that the right sense of sin will lead the sensible man to see that in sin, that none, even the most godly, can stand before God, if God deal with them in strict justice, according to the covenant of works. That is the very marrow of this verse, “If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquity, O Lord, who shall stand?” No man, no, not a godly man, nor any other, can stand. And although I may (if the Lord will) have this purpose to resume when I come to speak of pardon, and the application of pardon from the next verse following, yet this being an important truth, a verity of great weight, ye will bear with me, though I dip a little more in it than is my ordinary. What I would say on it, I shall from the text deduce to you in six particulars, which I hope shall give a hint of what at the first view is more material in the words.

And 1. Take notice of something supposed here, that is, God’s marking of iniquity, “If thou, Lord, shouldest mark iniquity,” where he makes a supposition of God’s marking iniquity. Not that any question or doubt is to be made of God’s omniscience, that He sees and knows all things, and particularly men’s sins. He hath an exact knowledge of them all, as when one marks things most narrowly. Neither is there any supposition or question to be made of God’s seeing of sin in the godly, so as to be displeased at it. Antinomians would be at this, they would have no sin seen in them, but the scope of this Psalm evinces the contrary. God notices the godly man’s sin as well as others, till he flee to pardoning mercy through a mediator; and David, though a godly man, acknowledges this, Psalms li. 4, “Against thee, thee only, have I sinned, and done this evil in thy sight.” But the meaning of this, the Lord’s marking of iniquity, may be taken from the parallel place, Psalms cxliii. 2, where it is thus expressed, “Enter not into judgment with thy servant;” that’s the marking of iniquity spoken of, or implied in the text; and in short, the importance of the phrase is, God’s marking of sin according to the covenant of works, and in the rules of strict justice, and without looking on the sinner as in a surety. In this respect, God’s marking of iniquity being accompanied with absolute holiness, perfect purity, and justice, He cannot away with it, nor with the sinner because of it, as Psalms v. 4, 5, “Thou art not a God that hath pleasure in wickedness: neither shall evil dwell with thee. The foolish shall not stand in thy sight: thou hatest all workers of iniquity.” And Hab. i. 13, “Thou art of purer eyes than to behold evil, and canst not look on iniquity.” God thus marking iniquity according to the rules of strict justice, and without looking on the sinner as in a cautioner, cannot away with it, and consequently will punish it, Job xi. 11, “He seeth wickedness also; will he not then consider it?” in order to punishment, for so that phrase is expounded, Ps. x. 14, “Thou hast seen it; for thou beholdest mischief and spite, to requite it with thy hand.” And it is Jehu’s remark of Ahab, 2 Kings ix. 26, “Surely I have seen yesterday the blood of Naboth, and the blood of his sons, saith the Lord; and I will requite thee in this plat (saith the Lord).” The marking of iniquity this way, is to men dreadful, and ye will find in Scripture, that it is a dreadful sight of trouble that some get, when it represents God thus as marking sin, to pursue and punish it, as in that poor widow, 1 Kings xvii. 18, “O thou man of God (saith she to the prophet), art thou come unto me to call my sin to remembrance, and to slay my son?” That was a sad sight of trouble, and of sin in trouble. And Moses in that tragical business in the wilderness, when calamities are falling thick upon that people, it is a sad sight of them that he gets, when they speak. God’s marking of sin, Psalms xc. 8, “Thou hast set our iniquities before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.” Thy inflicting of calamity tells us, that Thou art marking iniquity. So much for the first thing supposed here, God’s marking iniquity.

1. Consider, here somewhat proposed, that, if God mark iniquity as a severe judge, according to the strict rules of justice, to punish it, and accordingly do punish it, the guilty man cannot stand before Him. This phrase is equivalent to that phrase in the parallel place, Psalms cxliii. 2, “If God enter into judgment with men, no man living can be justified in his sight.” And a sinner’s inability to stand before God is a phrase frequently made use of, to point out the dreadful desert of sin, as Psalms v. 5, “The foolish shall not stand in thy sight.” Ezra ix. 15, “We are before thee in our trespasses; for we cannot stand before thee because of this.” Psalms i. 5, “The ungodly shall not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the congregation of the righteous.” And Psalms lxxvi. 7, “Thou, even thou art to be feared: and who may stand in thy sight when once thou art angry?” Rev. vi. 16, 17, “The great day of the Lamb’s wrath is come, and who shall be able to stand?” And to this also that phrase may allude, which the men of Bethshemesh have, when so many are stricken dead, for their curious looking into the ark, 1 Sam. vi. 20, “Who is able to stand before this holy Lord God?”

But that I may explain this a little more distinctly, I shall take it up with an eye to human judgments, or courts among men in these four.

1. Whereas a man when he is to compear before a court, he may stand in judgment, and be rectus in curia¹ (as we use to speak). Why? He is able to plead innocent, and he may come off being found so; but here, a man in whom is iniquity, cannot stand. The sinner cannot plead sinless, as it is, Job ix. 2, 3, “I know it is so of a truth: but how should man be just with God? If he will contend with him, he cannot answer him one of a thousand.” There is no pleading sinless before his bar. And in particular, this is to be applied to secret sins; there is no concealing of the most secret sins, when God marks them. Proverbs xxx. 20, “The way of the adulterous woman is such, that she eateth, and wipeth her mouth, and saith, I have done no wickedness;” but God noticeth it. Gehazi abuses his master’s name, and goes to fish from Naaman silver and raiment, and comes and stands before his master, and says, “He went no whither;” but says Elisha, “Went not my heart with thee, when the man turned again from his chariot to meet thee?” (2 Kings v. 22, etc.). Men may convey their sins very closely, and hide their contrivances from men, but they consider not they have an omniscient God for their party,² whose spirit is infinitely above the spirit of Elisha, to follow them in all their secret pranks. And that’s it that Moses lays to heart, Psalms xc. 8, “Thou hast set our sins before thee, our secret sins in the light of thy countenance.”

   ¹ Right in Court.² Opponent.

2. In human courts, when a man is made present, though he cannot stand to plead himself innocent, or free of the debt he is charged with, yet he may stand, because he is able to pay the debt, though the sentence pass against him; but so cannot a man stand before God, when He shall mark iniquity, for He hath nothing to satisfy justice for His fault, and hence the man sensible of sin, will not look upon the debt of sin as a trifling matter, as a matter to be dallied with. Those questions, Acts xvi. 30, “What must I do to be saved?” Acts ii. 37, “What shall we do?” Job vii. 20, “I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men?” They import, that the confession of guilt will not be a sufficient exoneration in the sensible man’s account. They import also, that it is a concerning case or question, how to be rid of guilt? And further, they import a submitting to any terms that can be exacted, if they be in the sinner’s power to perform; and here I confess, hypocrites when they are told of their fault, will offer to make amends, Mic. vi. 6, 7, “Wherewith shall I come before the Lord, and bow myself before the high God? Shall I come before him with burnt-offerings, with calves of a year old? Will the Lord be pleased with thousands of rams, or with ten thousands of rivers of oil?” (more than he could have offered, though it had been accepted). “Shall I give my first-born for my transgression? the fruit of my body for the sin of my soul?” O! but the sensible man will find that he can make no amends; that there is no fend¹ against guilt, but pardon, Job vii. 20, “I have sinned; what shall I do unto thee, O thou preserver of men? And why dost thou not pardon my transgression, and take away mine iniquity?”

   ¹ Provision.

3. In human courts, when a man is made present, though he be sentenced for a debt he is unable to pay, or judged guilty of a crime, he can undergo the punishment resolutely, and in that respect he may stand in judgment; but here the sinner cannot stand before God marking iniquity, that is, under the burden of the desert of sin, or the deserved punishment thereof, without succumbing. A man may undergo any punishment inflicted by a human court, and his natural courage may support him under all that man can inflict, but who can stand under everlasting wrath? Who can stand before a sin-revenging God, and not succumb? Who can endure the everlasting torments of hell, and not be everlastingly broken? So there is no standing for the guilty sinner before God, but he must succumb and break.

4. As amongst men, any ingenuous² person called for debt, and not being able to pay, or being looked upon as a monstrous criminal by the Judge, it will make him blush that he cannot stand before the Judge with confidence. So here (which should be the result of the former), when sinners are sensible of sin, and are convinced they cannot stand before God, considered as out of a cautioner, it may be matter of blushing and horror to them, and should be so, when they find they cannot stand before God marking iniquity. This was the posture of the poor publican, who (Luke xviii. 13), “standing afar off, would not so much as lift up his eyes to heaven, but smote upon his breast, saying, God be merciful to me a sinner;” he had not the confidence to stand before God, but he cried out for pardon. And this was the practice of Ezra, when he went to God in behalf of the people, that had corrupted themselves, after God’s kindness towards them, and correcting of them for their sins, Ezra ix. 6, “O my God (saith he), I am ashamed, and blush to lift up my face to thee, my God; for our iniquities are increased over our head, and our trespass is grown up to the heaven.” This, I say, should be the result of all the rest, and would be a token for good, that God would find out the way how the sinner might stand before Him in judgment. If a sinner being convinced he is guilty, and that he cannot undergo the punishment without crushing, would blush and be ashamed, if we were delivered from our brazen brow and whore’s forehead, that we could not look up to God without shame and blushing, there were hope of pardon through a Surety.

   ² Honourable.

Thus I have done with the first two of the six particulars I proposed to be spoken to, for finding out what is said in the text. There are three or four more to be battered out, with the application of the whole, which I leave till the afternoon. The Lord bless what ye have been hearing!

(To be continued.)