[2.] Consider, falling off is more dishonourable to God than a simple refusal. Why ? You bring an ill report upon him, as if he were not a good master. A wicked man that refuseth grace, he does not so much dishonour God, because his refusal is supposed to be the fruit of his prejudice. But now you cast him off after trial, and so your re- fusal is supposed to be the fruit of your experience, as if the devil were a better master. When you have tried both, you do as it were deliberately judge that Satan's service is best, or that you do not find in God that which he promised, and you expected from him. And that is the reason why God stands upon his credit, and pleads with apostates, Jer. ii. 5, 'What iniquity have your fathers found in me that they are gone far from me ? ' and Micah vi. 3, ' 0 my people, what have I done unto thee, and wherein have I wearied thee ? testify against me.' Is he hard to please, or backward to reward ? What cause of distaste have you found in him? for you do implicitly accuse him.
476 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. L.
[3 ] When you fall off after a taste of the sweetness and comfort of the practice of godliness, your condition is worse than if you had never begun, and you will be more unable tlian you were at first. A man that is climbing up a tree or ascending a ladder, if after he hath gotten up many steps he let go his hold and falls down, he doth not only lose the benefit of his former pains, but gets a bruised body and broken bones, and is less able to climb up than he was before.
[4.] All the promises are made to perseverance, Heb. iii. 6 ; Col. i. 23 ; Eev. ii. 10 ; Eom. ii. 7. Oh ! there be many that leave their first love, and so they forfeit all the comfort of the promises.
[5.] The -more you persevere, the more assurance you have of the goodness of your condition : Heb. vi. 11, 'We desire that every one of you do show the same diligence to the full assurance of hope unto the end.' When a man keeps up his warmth, his hope increaseth, and he grows to more assurance and more establishment, and keeps up his diligence in God's service.
Use 1. For reproof.
1. Those that take up religion only by way of essay and trial, that do not resolve upon all hazards, but take it only as a walk, and not a journey, like men that go to sea for pleasure, not to make a voyage. But whenever we begin with God, we should say, I will keep thy law continually for ever and ever. We should sit down and count the charges, make God a good allowance, resolve that nothing shall with- draw us from him, Kom. viii. 35, 36.
2. It reproveth aguish Christians, whose piety and devotion takes them by fits. Their righteousness is like ' the morning dew,' Hosea vi. 4, that cannot endure the rising sun, and so they are off and on with God.
3. Those that are of the Samaritan temper, swayed altogether by temporal advantages. The Samaritans, sometimes they would be of the Jews' religion, when favoured by Alexander ; when the Jews were pursued by other princes, then they would be against the Jews, and deny the temple of God : sometimes their temple was dedicated to the God of Israel, sometimes to the God of the heathens, as their interests did fall or rise. So there are many that do intend or remit the con- science of their duty according to their interests ; and therefore, when trouble ariseth, they are ofi'ended, Mark iv. 17.
Use 2. For exhortation, to press you thus to keep God's law for ever and ever. To this end —
Direct. 1. Be fortified within. After you have gotten grace — I suppose men that they are in a good way — oh, be fortified from that which may shake you from without. Three things are wont to hurry men from one extreme to another — errors, persecutions, and scandals.
1. Errors. ♦ Be not troubled when differences fall out about the truths of God, nor shaken in mind : 1 Cor. xi. 19, ' For there must be also heresies among you, that they which are approved may be made manifest among you.' Many question the ways of God and all religion ; because there are- so many differences about them, therefore they think nothing certain. These winds God lets loose upon the church to distinguish the chaff and the solid grain. God saw this discipline necessary, that we might not take up religion upon trust, without the pains of study and prayer.
VeR. 44.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 477
' 2. Persecutions are an offence : Mat. xi. 6, ' Blessed is he whosoever- shall not be offended in me ; ' that is, offended because of troubles that accompany the profession of the truth. The whole drift of the Chris- tian religion is to draw us off from the interests and concernments; of the present world, to look after another.
3. Scandals of professors. All that profess the name of God are his \\^tnesses ; their lives should be a confirmation of the gospel, but indeed they often prove a confutation of it • we should confirm the weak, and we offend the strong. Many have been gained by persecution, when they have seen the courage of God's servants ; but the scandals of those that profess the name of God have proved a stumbling-block. Those that are offended by crosses, yet they have a secret liking of the truth ; but those that are offended by scandals, they loathe the truth itself, and so are hurried away against the profession of God. There- fore be fortified against all these.