David was a man valiant, that had ' a heart as the heart of a lion,' 2 Sam. xvii. 10. He was a man cheerful, called ' the sweet singer of Israel,' 2 Sara, xxiii. 1 ; of a ruddy sanguine complexion, and a great master of music. He was no fool, but a man wise as the angel of God; and yet you see what a bitter sense he had of his spiritual con- dition. And when a man so stout and valiant, so cheerful, so wise, complains so heavily, will you count this mopishncss and foolish melancholy? But alas ! men that never knew the weight of sin can-
268 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. XXIX.
not otherwise conceive of it; they were never acquainted with the infiniteness of God, nor power of his anger, and have not a due sense of eternity ; therefore they think so slightly of these matters of the spiritual life.
Use 2. Be not too secure of spiritual joys. We warn you often of security, or falling asleep in temporal comforts, and we must warn you of this kind of security also in spiritual. x\ll things change. You may find David in this psalm in a different posture of spirit ; some- times rejoicing in the word of God above all riches, and at other times his soul melteth away for very heaviness. God's own people are liable to great trouble of spirit ; therefore you should not be secure as to these spiritual enjoyments, which come and go according to God's pleasure. Men that build too much upon spiritual suavities or sensible consolations occasion a snare to their own souls ; partly as they are less watchful for the present (like mariners which have been at sea, when they get into the haven, take down their tackling, and make merry, and think never to see storm more), and so lose that which they are so confident of keeping ; by their negligence and carelessness their spiritual comfort is gone. And there is another mischief — the loss is more heavy, beoause it was never thouglit of. And therefore in preparation of heart we should be ready to lose our inward com- forts, as well as estates and outward conveniences. In heaven alone we have continual day without cloudings or night ; but here there will be changes.
Use 3. Let us not judge of our condition if this should be our case, that is, if we should lie under pressing troubles, such as do even break our spirits. This was the case of the Son of God ; his soul was troubled, and he knew not what to say : John xii. 27, ' My soul is troubled ; what shall I say ? ' And many of his choicest servants have been sorely exercised — Heman, an heir of heaven, and yet compassed about with the pains of hell ; Job not only spoiled of all his goods, but for a time shut out from the comforts of God's Spirit. Our busi- ness in such a case is not to examine and judge, but to trust. Neither to determine of our condition one side or other, but to stay our hearts upon God, and so to make use of offers and inviting promises, when we cannot make use of conditional and assuring promises. So Isa. 1. 10, • He that walketh in darkness, and seetli no light,' is directed, ' let him trust in the name of the Lord.' That is our business in such a case of deep distress, to make a new title rather than dispute the old one ; and stay our hearts on God's mercy.
Thus much concerning David's case ; which because it often comes under consideration in this Psalm, I would pass over more briefly.
Secondly, I come from David's case to his petition or request to God, ' Strengthen thou me according to thy word.' Where you have —
1. The request itself.
2. An argument to enforce it.
First, The request itself, ' Strengthen me;' that is the benefit asked.
Doct. 1. Observe this in the general, he doth but now and then drop out a request for temporal safety, but all along his main desire is for grace and for support rather than deliverance.
The children of God, the main thing that their hearts run upon is
VeR. 28.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 269
sustentation and spiritual support rather than outward deliverance : Vs. cxxxviii. 3, ' I called upon the Lord, and he heard me, and strengthened me with strength in my souL' Mark, David judgeth that to he an audience, to he a hearing of prayer ; though lie liad not deliverance, yet he had experience of inward comfort, that was it which supported him. The children of God value themselves by the inward man, rather than the outward. What David here prays for himself, Paul prays for others: Eph. iii. 16, ' That he would grant you, ac- cording to the riches of his glory, to he strengthened with might hy his Spirit in the inner man.' Yea, they are contented with the decays of the outward man, so that the inward man may increase in strength : 2 Cor. iv. 16, ' Though our outward man perish, yet the inward man is renewed day by day.' The outward man in Paul's dialect is the body, with the conveniences and all the appurtenances thereof, as health, beauty, strength, wealth ; all this is the outward man. Now this is not a Christian's desire, to increase in the Avorld, or to make a fair show in the flesh ; no, but his heart is set upon this, to grow stronger in the spirit, that the soul, as furnished with the graces of the Spirit, may thrive; this is the inner man. To insist upon this a little.