p. 53 | As Thou Usest to Do by Joseph Clarke

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Dec 24, 1857

“As Thou Usest to Do.”

By Joseph Clarke

“Look thou upon me, and be merciful unto me as thou usest to do unto those that love thy name.” Ps. cxix, 132. Perhaps David was thinking of Abel, unto whose offering the Lord had respect; or of Seth, in whose days men began to call upon the name of the Lord; or of Enoch, who “had this testimony that he pleased God;” or of Abraham who kept God's commandments and statutes and laws; or of Jacob, who had power with God as a prince, and prevailed; or of Joseph, beloved of his father, and envied of his brethren.

Or perhaps he was meditating upon God's dealings with Israel in Egypt; of the plagues of the Egyptians; of the passing over of the destroying angel; of their marvelous exit in a night; their miraculous passage of the Red sea, and the overthrow of Pharaoh and his host; of the pillar of cloud by day, and the pillar of fire by night, which led the chosen seed through a barren desert; of the water from the rock, and the manna from heaven.

Or he dwelt with rapture upon the character of the meek Moses, who reasoned with God for rebellious Israel; who bore the glory and the shame with equal composure; whose exit from this world is yet a mystery, his funeral ceremonies (if such there were) having been solely conducted by that wonderful and holy Being, whom he had served.

Or David had in his mind, Joshua and Caleb, who brought up a good report of the land, and thus alone of that generation, entered the pleasant land; or the many happy days which followed, in the days of the judges that outlived Joshua; or Deborah; or Gideon; or Samuel the prophet, who from a child ministered in the temple; or Hannah whom Eli reproved for drunkenness, because her lips moved in prayer, while his own sons brought down the curse, unreproved.

All these were familiar to David and doubtless he had access to more of the sacred books than we possess. God's acts of love and mercy to his chosen people in past ages, from the earliest to his own time passed in review before David's mind, and as he thought how God had answered their prayers, and saved them from the dangers which had engulfed the wicked, from perils of every kind, how God had manifested himself to them in many ways, he longed to have the same relation to God which they had; and what God had been to his ancient people, so David desired, longed and prayed, that he would be to him.

In this we do with David pray earnestly, “as thou usest to do” unto thy chosen, so do unto us. Purify us, purge us, until like David, we may be greatly beloved; like Isaiah our lips may be touched with a live coal from off thine altar; like Jeremiah, we may mourn the fall of the daughter of Zion; like Paul, we may with fearless intrepidity, combine every christian grace and virtue; like Peter, we may be very zealous; like James very prayerful and holy; like the early believers, filled with the Spirit and with every good gift; like Stephen, full of the Holy Ghost; and like the beloved disciple, John, be in the Spirit on the Lord's day.

So wilt thou do unto us, Oh Lord “as thou usest to do” unto thy chosen.

Oh Lord hear and answer us, so will we glorify thy name. JOSEPH CLARKE. Portage, Wood Co. Ohio.