[Feb. 24th, 1861.]
I. Different senses of the word Law.
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That which binds; hence the law of God as a rule of life, whether revealed in the Scriptures or in the heart.
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The law as distinguished from the prophets.
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The law as distinguished from the Gospel.
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The whole revelation of God as contained in the Scriptures. This is the sense in which the word is often used in the Psalms, and the sense in which we are now to take it.
II. What is meant by “delighting in?”
In general, “to delight in,” is to regard with lively satisfaction and pleasure. But what the expression really implies, depends on the nature of the object. When we say we delight in a landscape, we express a very different state of mind from that expressed when we say we delight in a friend; or, when we delight in a poem, the state of mind is very different from that of delighting in the law of God. There is, 1. An æsthetic delight in the Scriptures; such as Bishop Lowth so strongly expresses in his work on Hebrew Poetry. Many greatly admire the historical narratives, the prophetic exhibitions, the portraiture of character, etc., in the Scriptures. 2. An intellectual delight in the wisdom of the laws and institutions of the Scriptures. The principles of its jurisprudence and government have been the admiration of statesmen and legislators, and the model of modern nations and states. 3. A mere delight in the purity of its precepts. This is exhibited by those who deny its divine origin. All this is very different from what the Scriptures mean by delighting in the Law of God.
On this point the Scriptures teach,
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That the natural or unrenewed man does not delight in the law of God. He does not do it, and he cannot do it, because he cannot know the things of the Spirit.
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That this delighting in the law of the Lord is peculiar to the spiritual man, and is due to the influence of the Spirit. This influence is two-fold, or produces a two-fold effect. First, a subjective change in the state of the mind analogous to opening the eyes of the blind. It is such a change as imparts the power of spiritual vision, i.e., the vision of the spiritual excellence of divine things. This is not enough. A man may have the power of vision in a dark room. Second, it produces a revelation of the truth, a presentation of it to the mind in its true nature and relations. This is a special work of the Spirit. It is experienced much more abundantly at some times than at others. The effect of these operations of the Spirit is delighting in the law of God, which includes,
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An apprehension of its truth and consequent conviction of its divine origin.
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An apprehension of its excellence, of its purity, of its justice, and its goodness. It is seen to be right, to be morally glorious.
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An experience of its power to convince, to sanctify, to console, to guide, to render wise unto salvation; an experience of its appropriateness to our necessities. It is seen to suit our nature as rational beings, as moral beings, as sinners.
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An acquiescence in it, and rejoicing in it, as an exhibition of the character of God, of the rule of duty, of the plan of salvation, of the person and work of Christ, and of the future state. The Scriptures, therefore, are the treasury of truth; the store-house of promises; the granary of spiritual food; the never-failing river of life.
Inferences
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It is a fact that the people of God in all ages do thus delight in his law.
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That if we are his people, this must in a measure be true of us.
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That the more we delight in the law of God, the more we shall be conformed to it, and the better able to teach and preach it.
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