Use 2. It exhorteth us to use the means whereby the word may be established.
1. Chiefly observe experiences, how it is accomplished in the course of God's providence, and inward feeling of thy own heart. What answers of prayer have you when you have been wrestling with God and putting his promises in suit at the throne of grace ? Every day God is fulfilling one promise or another, to train us up to look for more at his hands. That we may trust him for our inheritance and our final blessing, he first givetli us a proof of his truth in lesser matters. The more you observe the dealings of God with your own souls, and the fulfilling his word to you, the more will your heart be confirmed against atheism, and established in the belief of the divine authority of the scripture. It concerns us much to look to this, that our hearts be firmly settled against atheism, especially when such errors are abroad, and divisions in the church, and the name of God is blasphemed. Now, by these daily mercies doth God stablish his word, make it good to your souls : Ps, xviii. 30, ' The word of the Lord is a tried word.' There is more than letters and syllables; God standeth to it, it is * a tried word.' When you have challenged him you have found the scripture fulfilled upon appeals to God and applica- tions to the throne of grace. When you have been pleading with God ; Lord, is not this thy handwriting, the promises thou hast made to thy people ? the Lord hath answered this from heaven, and said, Yea, this is my promise. He hath given in an answerable promise. 2. It engageth you to dependence and assurance of faith : Ps. ix.
404 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. XLIII.
10, ' They that know thy name will put their trust in thee ; for thou, Lord, hast not forsaken them that seek thee.' Whosoever hath observed God's dealings will see God is to be trusted, he may be depended upon if he hath said anything in his word — ' they that know thy name,' they that have acquainted themselves with God and the course of his dispensations. The promises will not lie by as a dead stock : Ps. cxvi. 1, 2, ' God hath heard my voice and my supplications, therefore will I call upon him as long as I live.' This is that which will quicken you to rejoice in God and to a holy thankfulness, when you compare his word with the effects of it, when you see how it is made good: Ps. Ivi. 10, ' In God will I praise his word ; in the Lord will I praise his word.' A single mercy is not so much, nor so engaging upon our hearts to thankfulness, as when observing the mercy hath been the fruit of a promise. This hath been the practice of God's saints ; Joshua takes notice of it : Josh, xxiii. 14, ' Not one thing hath failed of all the good things which the Lord your God spake concerning yon ; ' 1 Kings viii. 56, ' There hath not failed one word of all his good promises, which he hath promised by the hand of Moses his servant.' You will often find the very letter of the promise made good in the course of God's dealings, and if you would but observe his daily provi- dence, you would be trained up in more waiting upon God for your final blessings.
Secondly, Let us come to the person for whom he prays, ' Stablish thy word ; ' but to whom ? ' To thy servant.' Here note —
Doct. That particular application of general promises is necessary. This word which he would have to be established was most likely to be a promise of sanctification ; for in the former verse he had prayed for mortification and vivification, and now for sanctification. But be it any other promise, certainly that word wdiich was made to others was likewise made to me, as if he had been specified therein by name. Thus must general truths be taken home by particular applica- tion, that they may lie the closer to our hearts. Ps. xxvii. 8, the offer of God's favour is general, ' Seek ye my face ; ' but the applica- tion is particular to himself, ' Lord, I will seek thy face ; ' David takes it as spoken to him in particular. So Ps. cxvi. 15, ' Precious in the sight of the Lord is the death of his saints ; ' and then, ' Truly, Lord, I am thy servant, and the son of thy handmaid.' The comfort con- cerned all God's children. The life and death of the saints is very precious in the eyes of God ; he hath a particular care over them, and tells all their bones. Now, Lord, saith David, let me have the comfort of this promise ; I am thy servant. So 1 Tim. i. 15, ' This is a faithful saying/ &c., ' whereof I am chief.' This holy art should we learn of creeping under the covert of a promise, and working ourselves by faith into the comfort of it.
But rather, secondly, you may observe the character that he puts upon himself, Thij servant. David was a king, but at the throne of grace he styles himself God's servant, the fittest title that he could use when he prays for grace. Hence note —