GOD'S WORD IN THE HEART THE POWER OF TRUE REFORM.
Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might not sin against thee. Here is the true scriptural and radical reformer, and the element of all radical and permanent reform. It is written, it is written, it is written! Thy word, mine O God, for my salvation! Thy word, mine, O God, for thy work, to do thy will, and conquer with this weapon! "Then said I, Lo, I come, delighting to do thy will, O my God! Yea, thy law is within my heart." Thy word have I hid in my heart for this purpose. "I have preached righteousness in the great congregation; lo, I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest." But again, lest any man should contrive out of the duty of hiding, an apology for concealing and refraining, as if God's word were to be handled deceitfully, and not manifested against all sin. "I have not refrained my lips, O Lord, thou knowest. I have not hid thy righteousness within my heart, but have declared thy faithfulness and thy salvation." Here is hiding and not hiding. Thy word have I hid, thy righteousness have I not hid. Thy word have I hid in my heart, that I might have my tongue set at liberty to declare it, that I might preach thy righteousness with my lips. That I might not sin against thee; this is the beginning, this the first element and characteristic. It is a great proof of a true hope, and of true piety, if a man loves the word of God because of its sanctifying power, and uses it, and applies it, for its sanctifying efficacy. Therefore he must apply it against sin. This is God's own great use of it in the world, to conquer sin. It must be applied to all sin; it is the agent of salvation only by conquering sin; it brings the soul to Jesus for this very purpose, for the accomplishment of this very work. The gospel preached for salvation, while the gospel against sin is hidden, will but prove a salvation in sin, not prove it. Thy word hid, that I might not sin. It is not to be hidden from sin, but manifested against it. It is to be hidden in the midst of sin, put right170into the very heart and center of sin, thrust in there; yea, a reigning sin, a popular sin, among sinners, in society, just as leaven is hid in three measures of meal, till the whole is leavened. Of course in such a case it makes a great fermentation, a great agitation, for it casts out sin, and new creates the whole material into living bread. Its special operation is against sin, and the proof of the experience of its living and abiding power is when it lays hold of sin, conquers it, casts it out. Sometimes the word must be applied as the surgeon's knife, as the sword of the Spirit, piercing even to the dividing asunder of the joints and marrow, of the very frame and center of the soul. This hiding of the word of God in a good and honest heart is a preparation for the sowing of it in other hearts and in all the community. Hiding it in his own heart as the remedy against sin, the active agency for salvation, the power of salvation, a man is prepared to go forth with it weeping, sowing precious seed. He will go, weeping over the sins and miseries of the world, and not hating them merely. He will go with a sympathizing spirit, having compassion upon sinners, in the case of some, but making a difference, and others saving with fear, pulling them out of the fire, hating the very sight and thought and nearness of their iniquities. This experience is varied. "Horror hath taken hold upon me, because of the wicked that forsake thy law." And again, "My zeal hath consumed me, because mine enemies have forgotten thy word." The disregard of the word of God, but especially the perversion and defiance of it, sometimes makes righteous men, like Elijah at the trenches of Baal, on fire with the thunderings and lightnings of Jehovah. But then again, "I beheld the transgressors, and was grieved, because they kept not thy word." It is grief toward God, and jealousy for the honor of God. This is a great element. And again, "Rivers of waters run down mine eyes, because they keep not thy law." It makes a tender and sympathizing being of a man, both for God and men, when God's word is hid in the heart, as well as a bold and energetic soldier. The word hid in a man's heart is a key to other hearts; and a true Christian can make even a wilderness like the garden of the Lord; a sympathizing Christian will find out other hearts, and if not find them, set the instrumentalities at work to make them. Blessed are they, whose strength, O Lord, is in thee; in whose heart are the ways of them who, passing through the valley of Baca, make it a well; the rain also filleth the pools. With their weeping, sympathizing, loving hearts, they go from strength to strength, every one of them in Zion appearing before God, and bringing their sheaves with them. It is interesting and beautiful to note the power of Christian sympathy, and the instinctive quickness and acuteness in the discernment and discrimination of the fountains of Christian feeling and power. We have heard of water-magicians who, with their divining rods, will tap the earth; where there seems to be no sign of water, and tell you to dig, for the water is there. There is a spiritual discernment like this in true piety. Sometimes the land seems sterile as an Arabian desert; there are no wells, nor springs, nor fountains, and the heavens are like brass, and the air as a furnace, and the whole land is parched, baked, clod-hardened. But a sympathizing, living heart shall pass over that very region, and strike upon a place, and dig down, and there shall flow forth living water. There is an intuition in real love, that almost infallibly feels and knows the presence of that precious element, the hiding of that power, the place where its gushing sympathies are treasured, and knows also how to draw them forth. The well-diggers for others are those that have the well in their own hearts. It is a great power, it is the hiding of God's power, to have the word hidden in a good and honest heart. This prepares and makes the true reformer, and vain are all reformations, where the word of God, and some honest regard for his will and glory, are not at the bottom. This is the rule of all true philanthropy, what is God's will? what does God's righteousness, what does Christ's gospel require? not, what is convenient, what is expedient, but what is in accordance with God's word and will.—Sel.