Use. The first use is to press us to come to a declared resolution to serve and please God, and to direct us in what manner.
First, Make it with a full bent of heart. Rest not upon a SJwll I? shall I? but ' I luill keep thy statutes.' As Agrippa was almost per- suaded to be a Christian, but not altogether, so men stand hovering and debating. You should resolve, Ps. cxix. 112, ' I have inclined my heart to perform thy statutes alway to the end.' It is God's work to incline the heart ; but when the work of grace is passed upon us, then the believer doth voluntarily incline himself ; his will is bent to serve God, not by fits and starts, but alway to the end : 1 Chron. xxii. 19, ' Now set your hearts to seek the Lord ; ' that is, resolve, be not off and on.
But, secondly, In what manner shall we make it ?
1. Seriously and advisedly, not in a rash humour. The people, wdicn they heard the law, and were startled with the majesty of God, Deut. V. 28, 29, answered, ' All that the Lord hath spoken we will do.' It was well done to come to a purpose and resolution ; but ' Oh, that there were such a heart within them,' saith God. ' that they would fear me,' &c. : Josh, xxiv, 19, ' We will serve the Lord,^ say the people ; ' You cannot serve the Lord,' saith Joshua. Do you know what it is ? Rash undertakings will necessarily be accompanied with a feeble pro- secution ; and therefore count the charges, lest you repent of the bar- gain, Luke xiv. 23.
2. ]\Iake Christ a liberal allowance, if you would come to a resolu- tion : Mat. xvi. 24, ' He that will come after me,' he that hath a heart set upon this business, let him know what he must do ; * let liim deny himself,' &c. When we engage for God, he would have us reckon for the worst, to be provided for all difficulties. A man that buikls, Avhen he hath set apart such a sum of money to compass it, while he keeps within allowance, all is well ; but when that is exceeded, every penny is disbursed with grudging. So if you do anything in this holy busi- ness, make Christ a liberal allowance at first, lest we think of return- ing into Egypt afterward, when we meet with fiery flying serpents, and difficulties and hardships in onr passage to heaven. Let it be a thorough resolution, that, come what will come, we will be the Lord's. There should be a holy wilfulness. Paul was resolved to go to Jeru- salem, because he was bound in spirit ; and though they did even break his heart, yet they could not break his purpose.
74 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. IX.
3. Resolve as trusting upon the Lord's grace. You are poor weak creatures ; how changeahle in an hour ! not a feather so tossed to and fro in the air ; therefore we shall fail, falter, and hreak promise every- day, if we go forth in the strength of our own resolutions. Resolve as trusting in the direction and assistance of God's Holy Spirit : if God undertake for us, then, under God, we may undertake. To resolve is more easy than to perform, as articles are sooner consented to than made good ; a castle is more easily built in time of peace than main- tained and kept in a time of war ; and therefore still wait, and depend upon God for his grace.
4. You cannot promise absolute and thorough obedience, though you should strive after it, for this you will never be able to perform ; and your own promises, purposes, and resolutions will but increase your trouble, though you are still to be aiming after it.
Doct. 2. Those that will keep God's statutes must fly to God's help. As David doth here, ' Oh, forsake me not utterly ; ' that is. Oh, strengthen me in this work. Three reasons for this —
1. We are weak and mutable creatures.
2. Our strength lies in God's hands.
3. God gives out his strength according to his own pleasure.
1. We are weak and mutable creatures. When we were at our best we were so. Adam in innocency was not able to stand without con- firming grace, but gave out at the first assault. And still we are mu- table, thougli we have a strong inclination for the present. When the precepts of God are i)ropounded with evidence, and backed with pro- mises and threatenings, and a resolution follows thereupon, the fruit of rational conviction and moral suasion, which is not for the present false and hypocritical, yet it will not hold without the bottom of . grace. It hath not supernatural, yet it may have moral sincerity. Such a reso- lution was that of the Israelites after the terrible delivery of God's law. They promised universal obedience, and did not lie in it ; for God saith, They have done well in their promise ; there was a moral sincerity, but there wanted a renewed sanctified heart. And those captains which came to Jeremiah, chap. xlii. 5, intended not to deceive for the present, when they called God to witness that they ' Avould do accord- ing to all things for the which the Lord thy God shall send thee to us.' And Hazael, ' Is tliy servant a dog that he should do this thing ? ' Certainly he had abomination of it, when the prophet mentioned that cruelty of ripping up women with child. But suppose the resolution to be a fruit of grace and regeneration, yet we have not full power to stand of ourselves : still we are very changeable creatures in matters that do not absolutely and immediately concern life and death. Lot, that was chaste in Sodom, in the midst of so many temptations, you will find him committing incest in the mountains, where were none but his two daughters. "What a change was here ! David, that was so tender, that his heart smote him for cutting off the lap of Saul's garment, one would wonder that he should plot lust, be guilty of murder, and lie in that stupid condition for a long time. Peter, which had such courage to venture upon a band of men, and to cut off Malchus's ear, should be so faint-hearted at a damsel's question ! So, while the strength of the present impulse and the grace of God is