2. Though God stand in no need of us, yet he is willing to communicate his blessedness, and to make us happy in the enjoyment of himself.
There is a threefold consideration which doth advance the bounty of God — that to us, that himself to us, and that so readily and freely.
[1.] That to us, who can neither hurt him nor help him: Ps. viii. 3, 4, ' Lord, what is man that thou art mindful of him ? and the son of man that thou visitest him ? ' What a poor sorry creature is man ! wilt thou set thine eyes upon such a one ? What would God lose if ■we were all damned ? or what would he gain if all were saved ? He would lose no more by us than a bounteous man doth by the death of a company of beggars and maimed persons, which live upon his expense and charge. Wherein can we be useful to God ?
[2.] Herein lieth the ' bounty of God, to give us such a blessing as the enjoyment of himself. When he had no greater thing to swear
1 Qu. 'blessing'?— Ed.
112 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. XIIL
by, saitli the apostle, he sware by himself. When God hath no greater thing to give us, he gives us himself : ' I am thy God.' He scatters and sheds abroad some common influences upon all creatures ; but to us lie gives not only that which is his, but gives us himself, that when our happiness is at the highest, we may immediately enjoy him.
For the opening of this blessedness in giving us the fruition of him- self, consider we enjoy God two ways — mediately and immediately ; one proper to this world, the other to the next.
(1.) Mediately. We enjoy God when he communicateth himself to us by secondary means, or the interposition of the creature between him and us. Thus in common mercies, when he feeds us by his meat and drink, and enlighteneth us with his sun. Here in the world we have blessings at second or third hand : ' I will hear the heavens, and they shall hear the earth,' &c., Hosea ii. 21, 22. AVhatever one creature ufFordeth to another, it hath it first from God. The creature is but an empty hollow pipe through which the blessing runs, and it passeth from pipe to pipe. God poureth out his influences to the heavens, and the heavens pour out their influences upon the earth ; and the strength of the earth runneth up into corn, wine, and oil, and by corn, wine, and oil Israel hath his refreshments. So still from pipe to pipe is the blessing conveyed to the creature. So for special mercies ; we have them by degrees ; life, comfort, grace by the word and seals. But the Lord will not only supply us at second and third hand, but —
(2.) Immediately. When God communicates himself to us without any other thing between us and him ; when Ave are immediately present with God, and have immediate influences from God, this is the happiness of heaven. In the heavenly state ' God shall be all in all,' 1 Cor. XV. 28. He shall be both the dispenser and the dispensa- tion. There we see him face to face, ' and in his face and presence there is fulness of joy,' Ps. xvi. 11. That is our happiness in the next world, where immediate influences and virtue doth pass out from him. In heaven there is no temple, Eev. xxi. 22, ' But the Lamb is the temple of it.' There is a service of God, and constant influences in that God supplieth all immediately from himself.
[3.] This is upon free terms : John i. 16, ' Of his fulness have we all ^ received, and grace for grace.'
3. The word of God, especially the gospel part, doth only teach us the way how we may be blessed in the enjoyment of God.
That is a notable place to this purpose : 1 Tim. i. 11, ' The glorious gospel of the blessed God, which was committed to my trust.' Mark there, first, he calls it ' the glorious gospel.' When he speaks of the law in that place he saith, ' We know that the law is good,' — compare it with ver. 8 ; but when he comes to speak of the gospel, he calls it 'the glorious gospel.' The law is good, but the gospel glorious, because more of the glory of God is displayed and discovered to the creature. And ' the glorious gospel of the blessed God.' Titles are always suited to the case in hand ; therefore it is called ' The glorious gospel of the blessed God,' because there God is discovered as ready to bless us ; there is the way how we may come to be blessed in God, how he may with respect to us be a fountain of blessedness ; there we have the highest discoveries of this mystery, the most moving argu-
VeK. 12.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 113
ments to persuade us to look after it ; and with this gospel there is a grace, a virtue dispensed to enable us to walk in this way. So that if we would enjoy the blessed God, we must consult with his statutes, and especially the gospel.