SEEMON XLII.
Turn tliou away mine eyes from hcholdiug vanity, and quicken iliou me in thy way. — Ver. 37.
David still continueth his requests to God for grace, and entituleth him to the whole work. He had prayed before that God would incline his heart, now that he would ' Turn away his eyes from beholding
VeR. 37.] SERMOXS UPON TSALM CXIX. 389
worldly vanities.' In this prayer there are two branches — the one con- cerneth mortification, the other vivification.
First. Turn away, then quicken, etc. The first request is for the removing the impediments to obedience, the other for addition of new degrees of grace. These two are fitly joined, for they have a natural influence upon one another ; unless we turn way our eyes from vanity, we shall soon contract a deadness of heart. Nothing causeth it so much as an inordinate liberty in carnal vanities. When our aflections are alive to other things, they are dead to God ; therefore the less we let loose our hearts to these things tlie more lively and cheerful in the work of obedience. On the other side, the more the vigour of grace is renewed, and the habits of it quickened into actual exercise, the more is sin mortified and subdued. Sin dieth, and our senses are restored to their proper use. These two requests are fitly joined. Let us con- sider them asunder.
1. ' Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity.' There observe — (1.) The object, vanity ; (2.) The faculty, mine eyes ; (3.) The act of grace desired, the removing of this faculty from this object.
[l.J The object, ' vanity.' Thereby is meant carnal and worldly things, worldly pleasures, worldly honour, worldly profits ; all these are called vanity, because they have no solid happiness in them, and do so easily fade and perish. Thus it is said, Prov. xxxi. 30, ' Favour is deceitful and beauty is vain.' The same is true of any other trans- porting objects : ' Vanity of vanities, all is vanity,' Eccles. i. 2 ; and Job XV. 31, ' Let not him that is deceived trust in vanity, for vanity shall be his recompense ; ' Rom. viii. 20, ' The creature is made vanity.' By vanity there is understood the vain things of the world, which do so often deceive us as to the happiness they promise.
[2.] The faculty is mentioned, the eye. It is employed and com- manded by the heart. But this enkindleth new flames there ; and as it is set awork by it, so it sets the heart awork again. It is the instru- ment of increasing sin in us.
[3.] The act, ' turn away.' Our evil delight is too apt to fix it, and become a snare to us, till God cure both heart and sense by grace. He prayeth not from beholding it altogether, but from beholding as a snare.
Doct. It concerneth those that would walk with God to have their eyes turned away from worldly things. I shall give you the meaning in these propositions.
1. He that would be quickened, carried out with life and vigour in the ways of God, must first be mortified, die unto sin. The apostle there speaks of the fruit of Christ's death, being dead unto sin before he can live to God, 1 Peter ii. 24. David first maketh it his request, ' Turn away mine eyes,' then ' Quicken.' Many would fain live with Christ, but first they must learn to die unto sin. It is impossible for sin and grace to live in the same subject.
2. One great means of mortification is guarding the senses, eyes, and ears, and taste, and touch, that they may not betray the heart. I put it so general, because the man of God that is so solicitous about his eyes would not be careless of his ears and other senses. We must watch on all sides. AVhen an assault is made on all sides, if one gate be open, it is as good as all were. The senses are the cinque ports by
390 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeU. XLII.
whicli siu is let out and taken in. The ingress and egress of siti is by the senses, and much of our danger lieth there ; partly because there are so many objects that suit with our distempers, that do by them insinuate themselves into the soul, and therefore things long since seemingly dead will soon revive again, and recover life and strength. There are no means to keep the heart unless we keep the eye. And l^artly because in every creature Satan hath laid a snare for us, to steal away our hearts and affections from God. Partly because the senses are so ready to receive these objects from without to wound the heart, for they are as the heart is. If the heart be poisoned with sin, and be- come a servant to it, so are the senses of our bodies ' weapons of un- righteousness/ Eom. vi. 13. Objects have an impression upon them answerable to the temper and the affections of the soul, and what it desireth they pitch upon ; and therefore if we let the senses wander, the heart will take fire presently ; and if we do not stop evil at the beginning, but let it alone to take head, we cannot stop it when we would, nor repress the motions of it from flying abroad.