SERMON VI. THE DUTY AND ADVANTAGE OF SETTING THE LORD ALWAYS BEFORE US. PSALM XVI. 8. "I have set the Lord always before me." It is the peculiar character of the sincere Christian; of the man who wishes, and endeavours to be what the Lord would have him to be; that he does desire, and endeavour to set the Lord always before him; to have on his mind a remembrance of the eye of the Lord being in every place beholding the evil and the good. He wishes to bear in remembrance that every thought he thinks, and every word he speaks, and every action he performs, and every wish and hope he cherishes, are, one and all, observed, heard, and remembered by that Lord with "A heart resign'd, submissive, meek, My great Redeemer's throne; Where only Christ is heard to speak, Where Jesus reigns alone. "A humble, lowly, contrite heart, Which neither life nor death can part "A heart in every thought renew'd, Perfect, and right, and pure, and good, SERMON VI. THE DUTY AND ADVANTAGE OF SETTING THE LORD ALWAYS BEFORE US. PSALM XVI. 8. "I have set the Lord always before me." It is the peculiar character of the sincere Christian; of the man who wishes, and endeavours to be what the Lord would have him to be; that he does desire, and endeavour to set the Lord always before him; to have on his mind a remembrance of the eye of the Lord being in every place beholding the evil and the good. He wishes to bear in remembrance that every thought he thinks, and every word he speaks, and every action he performs, and every wish and hope he cherishes, are, one and all, observed, heard, and remembered by that Lord with whom he has to do. But while such is the frame of mind of the children of God, it is far otherwise with all other people. Go to those who are seeking and desiring their portion in this life. Go to those who are lovers of pleasure more than lovers of God. Go to the slaves of lust, of ambition, of pride, and vanity. Go to the unjust, the intemperate, the covetous, the hard-hearted and oppressor. Go to the hypocrite, and double-minded man. Go to the drunkard, the blasphemer, the liar, and the sabbath-breaker, these, one and all, never wish to set the Lord before them; on the contrary, they desire to have the Lord out of their remembrance. Now, while it is a real sign of grace where the individual, like the Psalmist, endeavours to remember the Lord, to have him in all his thoughts, and to set him always before him; so it is a sure and certain proof of the graceless and dangerous state of a man's soul, when he labours and wishes to shut out the Lord from his remembrance. Oh, that such as feel this to be their case would cry for grace and mercy; for, as the Lord liveth, there is but a step between them and death. Let me now endeavour to assist those who desire to set the Lord always before them. This you must do, First, As a subject of caution. Second, As a subject of comfort. First, as a subject of caution. Labour to bear in mind that God is every where present, according to that sublime and inspired declaration in Psalm cxxxix. O Lord, thou hast searched me, and known me. Thou knowest my down sitting and mine uprising, thou understandest my thought afar off. Thou compassest my path and my lying down, and art acquainted with all my ways. For there is not a word in my tongue, but lo, O Lord, thou knowest it altogether. Thou hast beset me behind and before, and laid thine hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high, I cannot attain unto it. Whither shall I go from thy Spirit? or whither shall I flee from thy presence? |