[4.] In religious friendship we owe a love to all that fear God : Acts iv. 32, ' The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and one soul.' Love is called avvhecr fjio<i Ti)<i reXeiOTT/ro?, * the bond of perfectness,' Col. iii. 14. All things are bound together by a holy society, and preserved by it.' There is in love a desire of union and fellowship with those whom we love: 1 Sam. xviii. 1, 'Jonathan's soul was knit to the soul of David, and he loved him as his own soul;' and the apostle biddeth all Christians to be ' knit together in brotherly lov6,' Col. ii. 2 ; without this they are as a besom unbound, they fall all to pieces.
[5.] Though there must be a friendship to all, yet some are to be chosen for our intimacy. Our Lord Christ had Peter, James, and John, Mat. xvii. 1 ; Mat. xxvi. 37, ' He took Avith him Peter, and the two sons of Zebedee.' When he raised Jairus' daughter, ' he suffered none to go in but Peter, James, and John,' Luke viii. 51, eKXeKJcov eKXeKTOTepoc. This may be because of suitableness, or special inclina- tion, or their excellency of grace, sicut se habet simpliciter ad simpli- citer, ita mngis ad magis.
[6.] Our converse with these must be improved to the use of edif\'- ing, to do one another good by reproof, advice, counsel : Lev. xix. 17, ' Thou shaft not hate thy brother in thy heart ; thou shalt in anywise reprove him, and not suffer sin to be upon him.' This is kindness to his soul : Kom. i. 11, ' I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, to the end you may be established.'
Ver. C4.] sermons upon psalm cxix. 183
SERMON LXXII.
The earth, 0 Lord, is full ofthj mercy ; teach me thy statutes. —
Ver. G4.
In this verse I observe —
1. David's petition, teacli me thy statutes.
2. The argument or consideration which encourac^eth him to ask it of God, the earth, 0 Lord, is fidl of thy mercy. The sum and sub- stance of this verse will be comprised in these five propositions : —
1. That saving knowledge is a benefit that must be asked of God.
2. That this benefit cannot be too often or sufficiently enough asked; it is his continual request.
3. In asking we are encouraged by the bounty or mercy of God.
4. That God is merciful all his creatures declare,
5. That his goodness to all creatures should confirm us in hoping for saving grace or spiritual good things.
Prop. 1. That saving knowledge is a benefit that must be asked of God, for three reasons : — •
1. God is the proper author of it.
2. It is a singular favour where he bestoweth it.
3. Prayer is the appointed means to obtain it.
1. God is the proper author of it. The fountain of wisdom is not in man himself, but God giveth it to whom he pleaseth. We were at first endowed by him with a reasonable soul and faculty of understand- ing : John i. 4, ' In him was life, and this life was the light of man.' All life is of God, especially that life which is light. The reasonable soul and the natural faculty of understanding cometh from him, and if it be disordered, as it is by sin, it must be by him restored and rec- tified ; it is all God's gift. Now man is fallen from that light of life wherein he was created, his Maker must be his mender, he must go to ' the Father of lights ' to have his light cleared, James i. 17, and his understanding freed from those mistakes and errors wherewith it was obscured. All knowledge is from God, much more saving grace or a sound knowledge of the mysteries of the gospel. Many scriptures speak to this: Job xxxii. 8, ' Tliere is a sjnrit in man, and the inspira- of the Almighty giveth understanding.' Though the dial be right set, yet it showeth not the time of the day excejjt the sun shineth ; so the spirit of man will grope and fumble in the clearest cases without a divine irradiation. God enlighteneth the mind, directeth the judg- ment, giveth understanding what to do or say. So he challengeth it as his prerogative : Job xxxviii. 26, ' Who hath put wisdom into the inward parts, or given understanding unto the heart ?' The exercise of the outward senses is from God, who gives the seeing eye, the hearing ear, much more the right exercise of the internal faculties ; an under- standing heart is much more from the Lord : Prov. ii. 6, ' Tlie Lord giveth wisdom ; out of his mouth cometh knowledge and understand- ing;' Dan. ii. 21, 'He giveth wisdom to the wise, and knowledge to them that know understanding.' Certainly all true wisdom is from above : James iii. 17, ' The wisdom that is from above is first pure,'
184 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX, [SeR. LXXII.
&c. He distinguislietli tliere between the wisdom tliat is not from above and that which is from above. Man hath so much wisdom yet left as to cater for the body and the concernments of the bodily life (called ' thine own wisdom,' Prov. xxiii. 4) ; therefore he saith, ver. 15, ' This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish/ But for wisdom that concerneth the other world and our everlasting concernments, that is of God, that is from above ; the wisdom that is exercised in pure, peaceable, fruitful, self-denying obed- ience. All that have any of this wisdom shonUl acknowledge Grod, and all that would have it should depend upon him, and run to the foun- tain where enough is to be had. Man's wit is but borrowed, and he holdeth it of God. Vitia etiam sine maglstro discuntur — he needeth no teacher in what is evil and carnal, but in what is holy and spiritual he needeth it.