2. It is put for the vitality and the vigour of grace, when the spiri- tual life is in good plight. Deadness of heart is apt to creep upon us, therefore we need renewed excitations and quickenings, that we may serve our God with cheerfulness, liveliness, and zeal. Christians should not only be living but lively : 1 Peter ii. 5, ' Ye also as lively stones are built up a spiritual house. And we read of living grace and lively grace, 1 Peter i. 3. And Christ came into the world that we might not only ' have life,' but ' have it more abundantly,' John x. 10 ; that is, that we might not only be living, but lively. So that quickening is the actuation of the spiritual life, either in a way of comfort or grace. There may be life where there is not this vigour and this vitality. This quickening is mainly seen in the most oper- ative, and the two necessary graces of the soul to which the gospel is sometimes reduced, and they are faith and love. These are the graces wherein life consists ; and as these are acted and excited to God, so we are lively, and when these decay we are dead. When faith is dead all spiritual activity is lost: James ii. 26, 'For as the body without the spirit is dead, so faith without works is dead also.' If men want faith they cannot do anything with any life. So when love is dead, or love grows cold. Mat. xxiv. 12, or when men have any abatement in their love, all languisheth and grows dead in the soul, Eev. ii. 4, 5. But on the contrary, it is said we live by faith. Gal. ii. 20. Grace is kept in good plight when faith is strong and kept up in any vigour ; and Gal. v. 6, ' Faith, which worketh by love.'
Well, this quickening (that I may most sensibly demonstrate it) depends upon these two things : —
[1 .] The vitality of grace ; that depends upon the degree and mea- sure of our faith. For to speak nothing as to the mystical use, as it is a means of our function of life, but to speak only now as to its moral use, as it acts by the sight of invisible things, keep faith alive, and all is alive in the soul : Heb. xi. 1. ' Faith is the evidence of
436 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. XLVI.
things not seen ; ' it doth make things absent and things not seen to act as if they were present, therefore it must needs be a very enliven- ing thing. Without faith our notions of God, Christ, heaven, and hell are never practical and lively in operation ; for this is the evidence of things not seen, and this convinceth us of all spiritual and unseen things, to make them have a force and operation upon the soul. We do but hear, read, and discourse literally until faith puts life into our apprehensions and thoughts of them ; for faith will affect us as if we did see the invisible God, and will put the same affections into us as if Christ were crucified before our eyes, Gal. iii. 1. What is the reason the mystery of redemption is a wild story to some, lively to others ? Faith affects the heart as if he were crucified before our eyes, and his life dropped out from him by degrees. So faith makes us hug and embrace them as if we were in the midst of the glory of the blessed ones. Take it only in its moral use, it is an enlivening thing ; and as ' faith is kept up in any vigour, so the spiritual life is kept up.
[2.] For love. When we have a fresh and warm sense of the love of God upon our souls, we are quickened to do for him answerably to such a love ; and our souls reason, What, hath God done so great things for us in Christ, and we do nothing for God again? Then we see we cannot do anything too much. Love hath a law upon the soul that stirs up lively and zealous motions towards God : 2 Cor. v. 14, ' The love of Christ constraineth us ; ' 1 John v. 3, ' His commandments are not grievous.' Then everything goes on pleasantly, and runs upon its wheels.
Secondly, Why will they that long after God's precepts see a need of quickening ?
1. Because of the diseases incident to the renewed estate. There is a constant weakness by reason of indwelling corruption : ' The flesh lusteth against the spirit,' Gal. v. 17 ; they cannot serve God with that purity and liberty they desire. Then there are frequent indispo- sitions of soul ; sometimes they feel a slowness and loathness and dul- ness in their souls. Good men may yet be ' slow of heart ' to heavenly things, Luke xxiv. 25. Look, as the physician saith weariness that comes of its own accord is a sign of some disease upon us, laziness in duty comes from a remiss will. Sometimes too they find great dead- ness, that they cannot follow their work so closely, and with that life and earnestness. And sometimes they are in bonds, sometimes in straits, that they cannot enlarge and dilate themselves towards God : Ps. cxix. 32, ' When thou shalt enlarge my heart, I will run the wa3's of thy commandments.' Now they that mind their work, they will he sensible of this, and call upon God to quicken them. David com- plains of the dulness and deadness of his spirit ; but many do not, but go on in a cold track of duties, and never regard the frame of then- hearts. But now a good man observes the temper of his soul. Most observe their bodies, but few their souls. If their body be ill at ease and out of order, they complain presently ; but love waxeth cold, zeal for God and delight in God abateth, men grow weary in well-doing, grow flat, have this remiss will, this deadness and slowness of soul in the love of God, they can satisfy themselves in this frame and temper.