2. It is a great motive to repentance. As the prodigal thought of his father, so should we return : 'Jer. iii. 12, ' Go and proclaim these words toward the north, and say. Return, thou backsliding Israel, saith the Lord, and I will not cause mine anger to fall upon you ;
192 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. LXXIII.
for I am merciful, saith the Lord, and I will not keep anger for ever.' Come, lie at his feet, see what mine infinite love will do for you : 1 Kings xx. 31, 'We have heard that the kings of the house of Israel are merciful kings.' When you first begin with God, this is an argument and ground of comfort, much more when you renew your repentance. Hard thoughts of God keep us off from him, but his 'loving and merciful nature inviteth us to him.
3. It sweetens the duties of holiness : 1 John v. 3, ' This is the love of God, that we keep his commandments ; and his commandments are not grievous.' This makes our resistance of sin more serious : Ezra ix. 13, ' Seeing thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities de- served, should we again break thy commandments ? '
4. To quicken and enliven your prayers for grace. You have to do with a merciful God : Ps. cxlv. 19, ' He will fulfil the desires of them that fear him ; he also will hear their cry, and will save them.'
SERMON LXXIII.
Thou hast dealt ivell luith thy servant, 0 Lord, according to thy loord. —
Ver. 65.
The addresses that are made to God in this psalm are mostly prayers ; while we are in the world we are compassed about with divers neces- sities and wants, but yet there is an intermixture of thanksgivings. We must not always be complaining, but sometimes giving of thanks. David was often exercised with various calamities ; but as soon as he got rid of any danger, or obtained any deliverance, he is ready with his thanks and praises. Blessed wull that time be when our mournings are altogether turned into triumphs, and our complaints into thanks- givings. But now here in the world gratulation should not wholly be shut out, but find a room in our addresses to God, as well as acknow- ledgments of sin and supplications for grace. None have to do with God but they find him bountiful, and there is no reason but present mercies should be acknowledged. In this verse you have the working of a thankful soul, sensible of the benefits already obtained in prayer, and making hearty acknowledgment of them to God : ' Thou hast dealt well with thy servant, 0 Lord, according to thy word.' Observe —
1. An acknowledgment of some benefit bestowed, thou hast dealt icell loiih thy servant.
2. The way in which it was bestowed, according to thy luord. First, An acknowledgment of some benefit bestowed. In it
observe : —
1. The party giving, thou, 0 Lord.
2. The act of bounty, generally expressed, thou hast dealt loell.
3. The party receiving, loith thy servant.
The fountain of all that we have is the goodness and fidelity of God ; the promise is the channel and pipe by which it is conveyed to us, and the object is God's servant. When all these concur, how sweet is it ! A good God is ready to show us mercy, and this mercy assured to us
VeR. 65.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 193
by promise, and God's servants capacitated to receive mercy. There is an excellent cause, which is the benignity of God ; a sure conveyance, which is the promise of God ; and a prepared object, who are the ser- vants of God.
1. The party giving is God himself: all good is to be referred to God as the author of it.
2. The benefit received is generally expressed, ' Thou hast dealt well.' Some translations out of the Hebrew, honum fecisti — thou hast done good with thy servant ; the Septuagint, xPV^^'^oTrjra iiroirjaa'; fiera -rod SovXov (Tov — thou hast made goodness to or with thy servant: out of them the vulgar, homtatem fecisti. Some take this clause generally, whatever thou dost for thy servants is good ; they count it so, though it be never so contrary to the interest of the flesh : sickness is good, loss of friends is good, and so is poverty and loss of goods to a humble -and thankful mind. But surely David speaketh here of some supply find deliverance wherein God had made good some promise to him. The Jewish rabbis understand it of his return to the kingdom, but most Christian writers understand it of some spiritual benefit, that good which God had done to him. If anything may be collected from the subsequent verses, it was certainly some spiritual good. The ♦Septuagint repeats xrv^^'t^'^'V'^^ twice, in this and the following verse, as if he acknowledged the benefit of that good judgment and knowledge of which there he beggeth an increase. It was in part given him already, and that learned by afflictions, in the third verse of this por- tion : ' Before I was afflicted I went astray, but now I have learned thy word.' Now then, go on to increase this work, this goodness ■which thou hast shown to thy servant.