1 Qu. ' impeded ' ?— Ed. VOL. VL 2 E
434 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. XLVI.
must be frequently renewing the acts of their faith, and stirring up their desires, else there will be no growth of grace, no opposing corruption ; for all our strength is in him ; there is still something lacking to our faith, and all the graces of the Spirit that are in us.
(2.) Consider what a fulness there is in Christ. This encouraged the prodigal, that in his father's house there is bread enough. So should this encourage us, and awaken our desires ; there is enough in Christ if I will but go and take it, and receive from this ever-flowing fountain of grace that God hath set up in our nature : John i. 16, 'Of his fulness have we all received.' Christ hath not only plenihidinem vasis, the fulness of a vessel, hiitfontis, the fulness of a fountain. The fulness of a vessel, that may be lessened ; the more we take from it the less liquor is in it ; but the more we take from a fountain, still there is the same overflowing fulness. Such a fulness is in Christ ; therefore it is an encouragement to us to repair to him and enlarge our desires. Look, as it is with beggars in the streets, if they see a poor man meanly clad, they let him alone, but when they see a man of quality and fashion they rouse up themselves and besiege him with importu- nate entreaties and clamours, and will not let him go until he hath left something with them. Thus should we do. Christ hath enough and to spare ; he hath the Spirit without measure ; therefore give him not over until he bestow something upon you. He containeth more than we can receive ; whatever we get he is not lessened ; but, as the sea, though we take never so much water out of it, it remains in the same fulness, so all the saints may have supply for their wants with- out any deficiency in Christ. The sun hath not less light, though it communicate it freely to the inferior world. Christ is not spent for giving ; he hath enough to comfort and quicken us ; he needs not our fulness, but emptiness. The prophet provided oil enough to help the widow ; she only provided empty vessels. We may be too full for Christ, but cannot be too empty. We may be too full of self-right- eousness and self-sufficiency. Christ brings all-sufficiency to the cove- nant, and we bring all-necessity. Therefore, since there is such an overflowing fulness in him, we must still repair to him that we may receive more.
(3.) Consider his readiness to give it you, therefore come with hungering and thirsting after him : John vi. 27, ' Labour for the meat that endureth for ever.^ Mind the graces of the Spirit, come to Christ for these things. He was sent into the world, and commissioned for this end and purpose. All the fulness in Christ is for our use. As the sun hath light not for itself but for the comfort of the world, and a fountain hath water not for itself, but for the use of man ; so Christ the head is the seat of sense and motion, not for himself, but for his whole body ; he is our storehouse for the supply of our wants ; and he is clothed, empowered, and invested mtli offices to do us good. Oh, therefore enlarge your desires ! In other things you desire to be full, why not of grace ? Hypocrites are satisfied with a taste ; they may taste the good word. Temporaries are contented with a taste ; a little religion they must have. Ay ! but it is for the honour of Christ that we should be complete in him, and filled with all the fulness of God ; and this is his grief when his grace runs waste. Look, as w^hen breasts are full,
VeR, 40.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 435
there is a great pleasure in having them drawn, or children to have them sucking ; and the Lord hath as great a desire to impart his holiness as we to receive it. Therefore come to him that we may- have grace for grace, that is, for grace's sake. Thus much for the first point, David's appeal to God, ' Lord, I have longed after thy precepts.'
Doct. 2. Those that indeed long for holiness will see a need of new quickening.
So David, ' Quicken me in thy righteousness.' A man would have thought he had been in a lively frame then ; yet ' Quicken me in thy righteousness ; ' excite and enliven me to all acts of obedience.
Here I shall inquire —
1. What is this quickening.
2. Why they that long for God's precepts, and a more perfect and ready subjection to God, are thus earnest for quickening.
First, What is this quickening ? I shall not speak at large, for it often occurs in this psalm. It is used in scripture for two things : —
1. For regeneration, or the first infusion of the life of grace, Eph. ii. 1, 5. Then we have divine qualities put into us, that do incline and enable us to live unto God.