3. Of all our affections delight and complacency is most acceptable. The promise is made to such: Ps. xxxvii. 4, ' Delight thyself in the Lord, and he will give thee the desire of thine heart.' It is a slander that the hypocrite brings upon God : Job xxxiv. 9, ' He hath said, It jiroiiteth a man nothing that he should delight himself with God.' There is a great deal of profit, for God looks to the affection, and of all affections to the delight.
4. When this delight is not set upon privileges, but upon grace and obedience, this is more acceptable to God, ' I delight in thy ways.' When we set upon obedience it is a sign we mind G od's interest more than our own comfort ; that is our own interest, but subjection to God and holiness, that is for his glory ; therefore, when the heart is set upon obedience, then he will give in supplies of grace.
Use. Oh ! that we could say that we take joy and pleasure in the way of his commandments : Thou hast given me delight in thy ways, give me strength to keep them. To corrupt nature the ways of God are burdensome, but to his children ' the commandments of God are not grievous ; ' we shall not then want influences of grace.
SEEMON XL.
Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness —
Ver. 36.
In the former verses David had asked understanding and direction to know the Lord's will ; now he askcth an inclination of heart to do the Lord's will.
The understanding needs not only to be enlightened, but the will to be moved and changed.
VOL. VL 2 A
370 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. XL,
Man's heart is of its own accord averse from God and holiness, even then when the wit is most refined, and the nnderstanding is stocked and stored with high notions about it ; therefore, David doth not only say, ' Give me understanding,^ but ' Incline my heart.' We can be worldly of ourselves, but we cannot be holy and heavenly of ourselves ; that must be asked of him who is ' the father of lights, from whom Cometh down every good and perfect gift.' They that plead for the power of nature shut out the use of prayer ; for if by nature we could determine ourselves to that which is good, there would be no need of grace ; and if there be no need of grace, there is no use of prayer. But Austin hath said well, Natura vera con/essione, own falsa defensione, opus hahet — we need rather to confess our weakness than defend our strength. Thus doth David, and so will every broken-hearted Christian that hath had an experience of the inclinations of his own soul ; he will come to God and say, ' Incline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.'
In which words there is something implied and something expressed. That which is implied is a confession ; that which is expressed is a supplication. That which he confesseth is the natural inclination of his heart to worldly things, and by consequence to all evil ; for every sin receiveth life and strength from worldly inclinations. That which he begs is, that the full bent and consent of his heart may carry him out to God's testimonies. Or, briefly, here is —
1. The thing asked, incline my heart.
2. The object of this inclination, expressed positively, U7ito thy testi- monies ; negatively, and not unto covetousness.
Here is the object to which, and the object from which. To which, ' Incline me to thy testimonies,' and suffer me not to decline to worldly objects, expressed here by the lust which is most conversant about them, ' covetousness.'
Let me explain them more fully. ' Incline my heart;' the word implies —
1. Our natural obstinacy and disobedience to God's law ; for if the heart of man were naturally prone, and of its own accord ready to obedience, it were in vain said to God, 'Incline my heart.' Ay ! but till God bend us the other way Ave lie averse and awkward from his com- mandments. As God is said here to incline us, so, John vi. 44, he is said to draw us. There is a corrupt will which hangs back, and desires anything rather than that which is right. We need to be drawn and bent again like a crooked stick the other way.
2. It implies God's gracious and powerful act upon the soul, where- by the heart is fixed and set to that which is good, when there is a proneness another way ; this is the fruit of effectual grace.
Now let us see when the heart is inclined, and how this is brought to pass.
1. When is the heart said to be inclined ? I answer — When the habitual bent of our affections is more to holiness than to worldly things ; for the power of sin stands in the love of it, and so doth our aptness for grace in the love of it, or in the bent of the will, the strength of desire and affections by which we are carried out after it. Amor mens est pondus meum, eoferor quocunqueferor — our love is the weight that is upon our souls. Nothing can be done well that is not done