Object But is this safe, to ascribe the comfort and blessings that we have to our own obedience ? Is it not expressly forbidden, Deut. ix. 4, ' Say not in thy heart, For my righteousness hath the Lord brought me to possess the laud ' ?
Ans. 1. David doth not boast of his merits, but observeth God's mercy and faithfulness in the fruits of obedience. There is liis mercy in appointing a reward for sucli slender services: Gal. vi. IG, 'As many as walk according to this rule, peace and mercy be upon tliem.' All the comfort we have is from mercy ; yea, undeserved mercy. Those that walk according to this rule stand in need of mercy. Their peace and comfort floweth from mercy ; they need meicy to cover the failings they are conscious to in their walkings. And then consider
104 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. LXIII.
his truth and faithfulness. The reward of well-doing cometh not hy the worthiness of the work, hut hy virtue of Grod's promise : ' His word doth good to them that walk uprightly/ Micah ii. 7. God hath made himself a dehtor hy his promise, and oweth us no thanks for what we can do ; it is only his gracious promise.
Ans. 2. David speaketh not this to vaunt it above other men, but to commend obedience, and to encourage himself and invite others by remembering the fruits of it. There is a great deal of difference be- tween carnal boasting and gracious observation. Carnal boasting is when we vaunt of our personal worth; gracious observation is when, for God's glory and our profit, we observe the fruits of obedience, and the benefits it bringeth along with it. That God never gave us cause to leave, but to commend his service, and, by what we have found, to invite others to ' come and taste that the Lord is gracious.'
Use 1. To encourage us in the ways of the Lord and keeping of his precepts. It is no unprofitable thing : before we have done we shall be able to say, ' This I had, because I kept thy precepts.' Two things God usually bestoweth upon his people — a tolerable passage through the world, and a comfortable going out of the world ; which is all a Christian needeth to care for : here is only the place of his service, not of his rest.
1. He shall have a tolerable passage through the world. A child of God may have a hard toilsome life of it, but he hath his mixtures of comfort in his deepest afilictions ; he hath peace with God, that keeps his heart and mind, and maketh his passage through the world tolerable, because God is engaged with him : 1 Cor. x. 13, ' Faithful is he that hath called you, who will not suffer you to be tempted above what you are able to bear/ He is freed from wrath, and hath his discharge from the curse of the old covenant ; he is taken into favour with God, and hath as much of temporal relief as is necessary for him ; his condition is made comfortable to him.
2. A comfortable passing out of the world : Isa. xxxviii. 3, ' Ee- member, 0 Lord,' saith Hezekiah, ' I have walked before thee with an upright heart.' When you lie upon your death-beds, and in a dying hour, how comfortable will this be, the remembrance of a well-spent and well-employed life in God's service ! They that wonder at the zeal and niceness of God's children, when they are entering into the other world, they cry out then, Oh, that they had been more exact and watchful ! Oh, that they might die the death of the righteous ! They should live so. Men then have other notions of holiness than ever they had before. But, Christians, here is your comfort ; the word of God, that hath been your rule, is now your comfort and cordial, and stands by you to the very last.
Use 2. To persuade us to observe the difterence between the ways of God and the ways of sin. When a man cometh to cast up his account on the one side and on the other, oh what a difference is there ! Certainly there will a time come when you must cast up your account and use this recollection, either when your eyes are opened by grace in conversion, or when your eyes are opened by punishment. On sin's side consider, when you look back to what is past — (the Lord grant you may make this reflection !) — Kom. vi. 21, ' What fruit had you in
VeR. 57.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 105
those things whereof you are now ashamed ?' You cannot look back witliout horror of conscience ; as the unclean person, when he looketh back, and considereth that his flesh and bod}' is consumed by sin, Prov. V. 11-13. He speaketh there of some noisome disease that hath gotten into his body. But then, on the other side, tiie side of godliness, ' This I had, because I kept thy precepts,' Oh ! what peace, what serenity of mind, what hopes of eternal life, what com- fortable entertainment shall you have in heaven ! Determine before- hand what it will come to. Thus you see the difference between a sinful and godly course.