Use 1. Is to reprove them that desire knowledge, but only to inform their judgments or satisfy their curiosity, not to govern their hearts in the fear of God, or to reform their practices. Such are foolish builders : Mat. vii. 26,27, 'Every one that heareth these sayings of mine, and doetli them not, shall be likened unto a foolish man that built his house upon the sand ; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew and beat upon that house, and it fell, and great was the fall of it.' These do but increase their own condemnation : Luke xii. 47, ' That servant which knew his lord's will and prepared not himself, neither did according to his will, shall be beaten with many stripes.' Like many that study maps, not to travel, but only to talk and under- stand how countries are situated.
Use 2. It directeth us in our desires of knowledge, what should be our scope. Come with a fixed resolution to obey, and refer all to prac- tice. Knowledge is the means, doing is the end : Deut. v. 31, 'I will speak unto thee all the commandments, and the statutes, and the judg- ments which thou shalt teach them, that they may do them in the land which I give them to possess it.' Media accipiunt amabilitatem, ordinem et mensuram a fine — the desire, measure, order of the means are to be esteemed as regulated by the end ; therefore still prize this knowledge, so far forth as it directs to practice.
Doct. 4. In this practice we must be sincere and constant. * I will keep it' —
1. Having such a help as this continual direction.
2. Such an engagement as this condescension to direct and warn a poor creature. And ' to the end,' that is to the end of my life ; there is no other period to our obedience but death. The Greek hath it, Zlcl iravTO'^, ' continually.' The word doth properly signify the heel or sole of the foot ; by traduction thence, the end of a thing, and some- times a reward and recompense.
348 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. XXXVII.
[1.] It is not enough to begin a good course, but we must go on in it, if we mean to reach the goal, else all our labour is lost ; the end crowneth the work.
[2.] God, that made us begin, doth also make us to continue to the end. Is the beginning from God, the end and perfection from us ? This is to ascribe that which is less perfect to God, and that which is more perfect to us.
SERMON XXXVII.
Give me understanding and I shall keep thy law ; yea, I shall observe it iviih my ichole heart. — Ver, 34.
Ix these words you have — (1.) A prayer, give me understanding. (2.) A promise, and I shall keep thy law. (3.) The promise ampli- fied, by expressing the exactness and sincerity of that obedience, yea, I shcdl observe it with my ivliole heart. The first point is —
That there needeth a great deal of understanding to keep God's law.
1. That he may know his way, and understand what God com- mandeth and forbiddeth ; for it is the wisdom of a man to understand his way, and to know the laws according to which he liveth : Col. i. 9, 10, ' Filled with the knowledge of his will in all wisdom and spiri- tual understanding, that ye may walk worthy of God unto all well- pleasing.' We have such great obligations to God, both in point of hope and gratitude, that we have reason to study our duty exactly, that we may not displease him and cross his will in anything. We take it for granted that a man should comply with the will of him upon whom he dependeth. We have all and look for all from him ; therefore we should walk worthy of God unto all well-pleasing, which we can never do without much knowledge and understanding ; there- fore we should search out the mind of God in everything.
2. To avoid the snares that are laid for us in the course of our duty to God. There is a crafty devil and a deceitful heart ; so that a man that would walk with God had need have his eyes about him. For the wiles of Satan: Eph. vi. 11, 'Put on the whole armour of God, that ye may be able to stand against the wiles of the devil.' His enterprises or devices : 2 Cor. ii. 11, ' Lest Satan should get an advan- tage of us, for we are not ignorant of his devices.' He is ready to entrap us and ensnare us by plausible temptations ; he suiteth the bait to every appetite. Then our own hearts : Jer. xvii. 9, ' The heart is deceitful above all things, and desperately wicked, who can know it ? ' There is a deceiver in our own bosoms, that will repre- sent good under the notion of evil, and evil under the notion of good ; that will cheat us of present duties by future promises. And there- fore Ingcniosa res est esse Christianum. He that would keep God's law had need be a very understanding man, that Satan entrap him not, and his own heart' deceive him not, and so he smart for his folly :