VeR. 60.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 151
to : Eph. V. 14, ' Awake, thou that sleepest,' <fcc. When Christ hath awakened thee, and thou hcginnest to he startled in the sleep of thy security, rouse up thyself and be serious.
[3.] Actuate thy thoughts by a sound belief and application of eternity, that you may not lose your convictions. First by a belief, and then by an application. This is that which doth actuate and enliven all those truths that set on the work of God. First, by a belief of eter- nity. Surely there is good and evil, there is hope and fear, therefore there is heaven and hell. Say, there are two states, a state of nature and a state of grace ; and these two states have respect to two cove- nants— a covenant of works, that worketh bondage, and binds me over to punishment, and a covenant of grace; and both these do issue themselves at length into heaven and hell. This is the great sum of •our religion. And conscience and reason will tell me there is a world to come ; there must be a time when God will deal more severely with sinners than he doth in the present life. Enliven your thoughts by strengthening your belief of eternity, for this is that which doth set home all the exhortations of his word, and which makes our thoughts serious. And then, secondly, by a serious application of these things to yourselves. If you would have these hopes, apply the offer of heaven to work upon your hope, and the commiuation of hell to work upon your fear. The offer of heaven: If I would be blessed in Christ, surely I must mend my course. Now, Acts iii. 26, ' He hath sent him to bless you, ia turning away every one of you from his iniquities.' When tliere is an offer that comes in with power upon the heart, then Christ is sent to turn me from my sins, that I may be the inheritor of an everlasting blessing ; and shall I not let go my sins ? I have often flattered myself with this, Sure I am willing to be saved ; but I oannot be saved if I live in my sins, otherwise I am no more willing to be saved than the devils, for they are willing to be saved from the wrath of God for ever. A creature is willing to be eased of his tor- ment, and every one would have eternal life : Evermore give me this life. Now, let Christ do his work to turn you from your sins. So by working upon your fear : Here God hath threatened me with eternal damnation if I do not hearken. Now scourge thy soul with that smart question, Heb. ii. 3, ' How shall I escape if I neglect so great salva- tion ?' How shall I escape the damnation of hell if I turn back upon his offer, if I deal slightly with God in a business which so nearly concerns my soul ?
[4.] Issue forth a practical decree for God in the soul. When the heart is backward, we have no remedy left but to decree for God. David makes a decree in the court of conscience : Ps. xxxii. 5, ' I said, I will confess my sins unto the Lord.' I said, I determined, I would go and lie at God's foot, and humble myself; so I said — set down a resolution which shall be like the laws of the Medes and Persians, never to be reversed — that thou wilt for this present and ever hereafter wait upon the means, and give way to the work of God upon thy soul ; resolve that you will go and lie at God's feet, and say, ' Lord, turn me : I am as a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke," Jer. xxxi. 18. thou hast forbidden me to despair, and commanded thy creature to come to thee for grace — here I cast myself at the footstool of thy mercy ; and
152 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. LXIX.
resolve you will keep up your endeavours in all the means of grace in hearing the word, prayer, &c. Thougli no sensible comfort comes, yet in obedience perform holy duties : ' At thy command,' says Peter, ' I will cast out the net,' Luke v. 5. Be diligent and frequent in waiting upon God, and look with more seriousness and earnestness of soul after the business of eternal life.
SERMON LXIX.
Tlie hands of the icicked have robbed me : but I have not forgotten thy laiv. — Ver. 61. In the words observe —
1. David's trial.
2. His constancy under that trial. 1. His trial is set forth by two things : —
1.] The persons from whom it came, the hands of the ivicked.
2.J The evil done him, have robbed me.
1.] The persons, 'The bands ''^in of the wicked.' b'l'H signifieth a cord, and also a troop or company, not of soldiers only, but others : 1 Sam. X. 5, ' Thou shalt meet a company or troop of prophets ; ' it is the same word. Those that interpret it cords or ropes, understand it some one way, some another. Aben Ezra, the griefs and sorrows pre- pared for the wicked have taken hold of me, and parallels it with Ps, cxvi. 3, ' The sorrows of death compassed me, the pains of hell gat hold of me.' Others understand it of the snares the wicked laid for him. But the Avord is better translated by the Chaldee paraphrase, catervce, the bands ; in our old translation, ' The congregations of the wicked : ' he meaneth the multitude of his enemies leaguing together against him.