A Little Assistance with Psalm 130

Yes awesome verse.....see heb12. 28 29

 

Did not have time before...here is John Owen for you QF;

GENERAL SCOPE OF THE WHOLE PSALM.
THE design of the Holy Ghost in this psalm is to express, in the experience
of the psalmist and the working of his faith, the state and condition of a
soul greatly in itself perplexed, relieved on the account of grace, and acting
itself towards God and his saints suitably to the discovery of that grace
unto him; — a great design, and full of great instruction.
And this general prospect gives us the parts and scope of the whole psalm;
for we have, —
I. The state and condition of the soul therein represented, with his
deportment in and under that state and condition, in verses 1, 2: —
“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.”
II. His inquiry after relief And therein are two things that present
themselves unto him; the one whereof, which first offers the consideration
of itself to him in his distress, he deprecates, verse 3: —
“If thou, LORD, shouldest mark iniquities, O Lord, who shall
stand?”
The other he closeth withal, and finds relief in it and supportment by it,
verse 4: —
“But there is forgiveness with thee, that thou mayest he feared.”
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Upon this, his discovery and fixing on relief, there is the acting of his faith
and the deportment of his whole person: —
1. Towards God, verses 5, 6: —
“I wait for the LORD, my soul doth wait, and in his word do I hope.
My soul waiteth for the Lord more than they that watch for the
morning: I say, more than they that watch for the morning.”
2. Towards the saints, verses 7, 8: —
“Let Israel hope in the LORD: for with the LORD there is mercy, and
with him is plenteous redemption. And he shall redeem Israel from
all his iniquities.”
All which parts, and the various concernments of them, must be opened
severally.
And this also gives an account of what is my design from and upon the
words of this psalm, — namely, to declare the perplexed entanglements
which may befall a gracious soul, such a one as this psalmist was, with the
nature and proper workings of faith in such a condition; principally aiming
at what it is that gives a soul relief and supportment in, and afterward
deliverance from, such a perplexed estate.
The Lord in mercy dispose of these meditations in such a way and manner
as that both he that writes and they that read may be made partakers of the
benefit, relief, and consolation intended for his saints in this psalm by the
Holy Ghost!

 

Secondly, I shall now show both whence it is that believers may fall into
such a condition, as also whence it is that oftentimes they actually do so.
Whence it is that believers may be brought into depths on account
of sin — Nature of the supplies of grace given in the covenant —
How far they extend — Principles of the power of sin.
First, THE nature of the covenant wherein all believers now walk with
God, and wherein all their whole provision for obedience is inwrapped,
leaves it possible for them to fall into these depths that have been
mentioned. Under the first covenant there was no mercy or forgiveness
provided for any sin. It was necessary, then, that it should exhibit a
sufficiency of grace to preserve them from every sin, or it could have been
of no use at all. This the righteousness of God required, and so it was. To
have made a covenant wherein there was no provision at all of pardon, and
not a sufficiency of grace to keep the covenanters from need of pardon,
was not answerable to the goodness and righteousness of God. But he
made man upright, who, of his own accord, sought out many inventions.
It is not so in the covenant of grace; there is in it pardon provided in the
blood of Christ: it is not, therefore, of indispensable necessity that there
should be administered in it grace effectually preserving from every sin.
Yet it is on all accounts to be preferred before the other; for, besides the
relief by pardon, which the other knew nothing of, there is in it also much
provision against sin, which was not in the other: —
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1. There is provision made in it against all and every sin that would
disannul the covenant, and make a final separation between God and a soul
that hath been once taken into the bond thereof. This provision is absolute.
God hath taken upon himself the making of this good, and the establishing
this law of the covenant, that it shall not by any sin be disannulled:
<243240>Jeremiah 32:40,
“I will,” saith God, “make an everlasting covenant with them, that I
will not turn away from them, to do them good; but I will put my
fear in their hearts, that they shall not depart from me.”
The security hereof depends not on any thing in ourselves. All that is in us
is to be used as a means of the accomplishment of this promise; but the
event or issue depends absolutely on the faithfulness of God. And the
whole certainty and stability of the covenant depends on the efficacy of the
grace administered in it to preserve men from all such sins as would
disannul it.
2. There is in this covenant provision made for constant peace and
consolation, notwithstanding and against the guilt of such sins as, through
their infirmities and temptations, believers are daily exposed unto.
Though they fall into sins every day, yet they do not fall into depths every
day. In the tenor of this covenant there is a consistency between a sense of
sin unto humiliation and peace, with strong consolation. After the apostle
had described the whole conflict that believers have with sin, and the
frequent wounds which they receive thereby, which makes them cry out for
deliverance, <450724>Romans 7:24, he yet concludes, chap. 8:1, that “there is no
condemnation unto them;” which is a sufficient and stable foundation of
peace. So, <620201>1 John 2:1,
“These things I write unto you, that ye sin not. And if any man sin,
we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the righteous.”
Our great business and care ought to be, that we sin not; but yet, when we
have done our utmost, “if we say we have no sin, we deceive ourselves,”
<620108>1 John 1:8. What, then, shall poor, sinful, guilty creatures do? Why, let
them go to the Father by their advocate, and they shall not fail of pardon
and peace. And, saith Paul, <580617>Hebrews 6:17, 18, “God is abundantly
willing that we might have strong consolation, who fly for refuge to lay
hold on the hope set before us.” What was his condition who fled of old to
the city of refuge for safety, from whence this expression is taken? He was
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guilty of blood, though shed at unawares; and so as that he was to die for
it, if he escaped not to the city of refuge. Though we may have the guilt of
sins upon us that the law pronounceth death unto, yet, flying to Christ for
refuge, God hath provided not only safety, but “strong consolation” for us
also. Forgiveness in the blood of Christ doth not only take guilt from the
soul, but trouble also from the conscience; and in this respect doth the
apostle at large set forth the excellency of his sacrifice, Hebrews 10. The
sacrifices of the old law, he tells us, could not make perfect the
worshippers, verse 1: which he proves, verse 2, because they did never
take away, thoroughly and really, conscience of sin; that is, depths or
distresses of conscience about sin. “But now,” saith he, “Jesus Christ, in
the covenant of grace, hath perfected for ever them that are sanctified,”
verse 14; “providing for them such stable peace and consolation, as that
they shall not need the renewing of sacrifices every day,” verse 18. This is
the great mystery of the gospel in the blood of Christ, that those who sin
every day should have peace with God all their days, provided their sins fall
within the compass of those infirmities against which this consolation is
provided.
3. There is provision made of grace to prevent and preserve the soul from
great and enormous sins, such as in their own nature are apt to wound
conscience, and cast the person into such depths and entanglements as
wherein he shall have neither rest nor peace. Of what sort these sins are
shall be afterward declared. There is in this covenant “grace for grace,”
<430116>John 1:16, and abundance of grace administered from the all-fullness of
Christ. Grace reigneth in it, <450606>Romans 6:6, destroying and crucifying “the
body of sin.”
But this provision in the covenant of grace against peace-ruining, soulperplexing
sins, is not, as to the administration of it, absolute. There are
covenant commands and exhortations, on the attendance whereunto the
administration of much covenant grace doth depend. To watch, pray,
improve faith, to stand on our guard continually, to mortify sin, to fight
against temptations, with. steadfastness, diligence, constancy, are
everywhere prescribed unto us; and that in order unto the insurance of the
grace mentioned. These things are on our part the condition of the
administration of that abundant grace which is to preserve us from soulentangling
sins. So Peter informs us, <610103>2 Peter 1:3,
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“The divine power of God hath given unto us all things that pertain
unto life and godliness.”
We have from it an habitual furnishment and provision for obedience at all
times. Also, saith he, verse 4, “He hath given unto us exceeding great and
precious promises, that by these we might be partakers of the divine
nature.” What, then, is in this blessed estate and condition required of us,
that we may make a due improvement of the provision made for us, and
enjoy the comforting influence of those promises that he prescribes unto
us? Verses 5-7, “Giving all diligence, add to your faith virtue, and to virtue
knowledge, and to knowledge temperance, and to temperance patience,
and to patience godliness, and to godliness brotherly-kindness, and to
brotherly-kindness charity;” that is, carefully and diligently attend to the
exercise of all the graces of the Spirit, and unto a conversation in all things
becoming the gospel. What, then, shall be the issue if these things are
attended unto? Verse 8, “If these things be in you, and abound, they make
you that ye shall neither be barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our
Lord Jesus Christ.” It is not enough that these things be in you, that you
have the seed and root of them from and by the Holy Ghost; but you are to
take care that they flourish and abound: without which, though the root of
the matter may be in you, and so you be not wholly devoid of spiritual life,
yet you will be poor, barren, sapless, withering creatures all your days. But
now, suppose that these things do abound, and we be made fruitful
thereby? Why then, saith he, verse 10, “If ye do these things, ye shall never
fall.” What! never fall into sin? Nay, that is not in the promise; and he that
says, when he hath done all, “that he hath no sin, he is a liar.” Or is it never
fall totally from God? No; the preservation of the elect, of whom he
speaks, from total apostasy, is not suspended on such conditions, especially
not on any degree of them, such as their abounding imports. But it is that
they shall not fall into their old sins, from which they were purged, verse 9,
— such conscience-wasting and defiling sins as they lived in, in the time
and state of their unregeneracy. Thus, though there be, in the covenant of
grace through Jesus Christ, provision made of abundant supplies for the
soul’s preservation from entangling sins, yet their administration hath
respect unto our diligent attendance unto the means of receiving them
appointed for us to walk in.
And here lies the latitude of the new covenant, here lies the exercise of
renewed free-will. This is the field of free, voluntary obedience, under the
administration of gospel grace. There are extremes which, in respect of the
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event, it is not concerned in. To be wholly perfect, to be free from every
sin, all failings, all infirmities, that is not provided for, not promised in this
covenant. It is a covenant of mercy and pardon, which supposeth a
continuance of sin. To fall utterly and finally from God, that is absolutely
provided against. Between these two extremes of absolute perfection and
total apostasy lies the large field of believers’ obedience and walking with
God. Many a sweet, heavenly passage there is, and many a dangerous
depth, in this field. Some walk near to the one side, some to the other; yea,
the same person may sometimes press hard after perfection, sometimes be
cast to the very border of destruction. Now, between these two lie many a
soul-plunging sin, against which no absolute provision is made, and which,
for want of giving all diligence to put the means of preservation in practice,
believers are oftentimes overtaken withal.
4. There is not in the covenant of grace provision made of ordinary and
abiding consolation for any under the guilt of great sins, or sins greatly
aggravated, which they fall into by a neglect of using and abiding in the
fore-mentioned conditions of abounding actual grace. Sins there are which,
either because in their own nature they wound and waste conscience, or in
their effects break forth into scandal, causing the name of God and the
gospel to be evil spoken of, or in some of their circumstances are full of
unkindness against God, do deprive the soul of its wonted consolation.
How, by what means, on what account, such sins come to terrify
conscience, to break the bones, to darken the soul, and to cast it into
inextricable depths, notwithstanding the relief that is provided of pardon in
the blood of Christ, I shall not now declare; that they will do so, and that
consolation is not of equal extent with safety, we know. Hence God
assumes it to himself, as an act of mere sovereign grace, to speak peace
and refreshment unto the souls of his saints in their depths of sinentanglements,
<235718>Isaiah 57:18, 19. And, indeed, if the Lord had not thus
provided that great provocation should stand in need of special reliefs, it
might justly be feared that the negligence of believers might possibly bring
forth much bitter fruit.
Only, this must be observed by the way, that what is spoken relates to the
sense of sinners in their own souls, and not to the nature of the thing itself.
There is in the gospel consolation provided against the greatest as well as
the least sins. The difference ariseth from God’s sovereign communication
of it, according to the tenor of the covenant’s administration, which we
have laid down. Hence, because under Moses’ law there was an exception
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made of some sins, for which there was no sacrifice appointed, so that
those who were guilty of them could no way be justified from them, —
that is, carnally, as to their interest in the Judaical church and polity, —
Paul tells the Jews, <441338>Acts 13:38, 39, that “through Jesus Christ was
preached unto them the forgiveness of sins: and that by him all that believe
are justified from all things, from which they could not be justified by the
law of Moses.” There is now no exception of any particular sins as to
pardon and peace; but what we have spoken relates unto the manner and
way wherein God is pleased to administer consolation to the souls of
sinning believers.
And this is the evidence which I shall offer to prove that the souls of
believers, after much gracious communion with God, may yet fall into
inextricable depths on the account of sin; whence it is that actually they
oftentimes do so shall be farther declared.

 

If you, LORD, kept a record of sins, Lord, who could stand? But with you there is forgiveness, so that we can, with reverence, serve you.
Psalm 130:3–4, NIV

If you, O LORD, should mark iniquities, Lord, who could stand? But there is forgiveness with you, so that you may be revered.
Psalm 130:3–4, NRSV

If you, LORD, should keep account of sins, who could hold his ground? But with you is forgiveness, so that you may be revered.
Psalm 130:3–4, REB

Rob