Ans. 1. When our purpose is to cleave to God alone, and to serve him with an entire obedience both of the inward and outward man, purely and sincerely, without hypocrisy : Ps. li. 6, ' Behold thou desirest truth in the inward parts, and in the hidden part thou shalt make me to know wisdom ;' and Phil. iii. 3, ' For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have nO' confidence in the flesh.'
Ans. 2. When we do what we can by all good means to maintain our purpose, and are watchful and diligent, and serious in this purpose : 2 Kings X. 31, ' Jehu took no heed to walk in the law of the Lord God of Israel with all his heart, for he departed not from the sins of Jero- boam which made Israel to sin.' See the contrary in Paul : Acts xxiv. 16, ' And herein do I exercise myself, to have always a conscience void of offence towards God and towards men.' They bent all their studies and fervency of their spirit this way, with all earnestness of endeavour to come up to God's law.
Aois. 3. When we search out our defects, and bewail them with a kindly remorse, Rom. ii. 29; when we run by faith to Christ Jesus, and sue out our pardon and peace : 1 John ii. 1, ' My little children, these things write I unto you that ye sin not ; and if any man sin, we have an advocate with the Father, Jesus Christ the ricrhteous.'
SERMON XXXIX.
Hake me to go in the ixdh of thy commandments, for therein do 1 delight. — Ver. 35.
David in the former verses had begged for light, and now for strength to walk according to this light. We need not only light to know our way, but a heart to walk in it. Direction is necessary because of the blindness of our minds, and the effectual impulsions of grace are neces- sary because of the weakness of our hearts. It will not answer our duty to have a naked notion of truths, unless we embrace and pursue them. So accordingly we need a double assistance from God ; the mind must be enlightened, the will moved and inclined. The work of a
VeR. 35.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 361
Christian lies not in depth of speculation, but in the height of practice. The excellency of divine grace consisteth in this, that God doth first teach what is to be done, and then make us to do what is taught, ' Make me to go in the path/ &c.
Here you have David's prayer, and an argument to enforce it.
1. His prayer, make me to go iii the jxdh ofthj commandments.
2. His argument, /or therein do I delight.
The argument is taken from his delight in the ways of God. This argument may be looked upon as the reason of making the request, or the reason of granting the request.
1. As the reason ofasking. Those whose hearts are set upon obed- ience, they will be earnest for grace to perform it acceptably. Now, saitli David, I would not be denied this request, for this is all my delight, to do thy will.
2. As the reason of granting. And there he may be supposed to lay forth his necessity and his hope. His necessity ; though God had done much for him, yet he needed more still. God had given him scire, knowledge to know his duty ; velle, to delight ; now he begs 'perficere, to practise, to bring it to an issue. Though he had grace in some measure, yet he still needed an increase ; God must work in us both to will and to do, Phil. ii. 12. Sometimes God gives one where he gives not the other : Kom. vii. 18, 'To will is present with me ; but how to perform that which is good, I find not.' Or else you may sup- pose him here to lay forth his hope. The granting of one grace makes way for another ; for God will perfect what he hath begun, and where he hath given a disposition to delight in his ways, he will give grace to walk in his precepts: John i. 16, x^piv avrX '^apiTo^, ' Grace upon grace,' or ' grace after grace ; ' his giving grace to them is an argu- ment why he will give more grace to them. Two things will be here discussed : —
[1.] The necessity of the efficacious assistance of grace, that we may walk worthy of God in all well-pleasing.
[2.] How acceptable a frame of heart it is when we are once brought to delight in the ways of God.
Boct. 1. For the first, that God from first to last doth make us to go in the path of his commandments.
David was a renewed man, a man that had gotten his heart into a good frame ; for he owneth his delight in the paths of God's com- mandments, yet he begs for new strengtli and quickening, ' Make me to go ; ' ' Lead or walk me ' — Sejyt.
First, That at first conversion God maketh us go in the path of his commandments ; that is clear by scripture ; for it is said, Eph, ii. 10, that ' we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.' When we are renewed, we are as it were created over again ; there is a power given us that we had not before to do this work. Clearly the apostle doth not speak there of the first creation — the end of our first creation was to serve God — but he speaks of supernatural renovation ; for he saith, 'We are created in Christ Jesus.' There was a twofold creation at first : Ex nihilo and ex inhahili materia; either that which God created out of nothing, or if out of pre-existent matter, yet such