3. The object, to ' thy servant.' It is an honourable comfortable style ; David delighteth in it. God is a bountiful and a gracious master, ready to do good to his servants, rewarding them with grace here, and crowning that grace with glory hereafter : Heb. xi. 6, ' He that Cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.'
Secondly, The manner how this is assured and brought about, * According to thy word.' That word, which is the encouragement of our prayer, is the rule of God's proceedings. Some things are given by a common providence, other things are given us as servants of God, or according to the promises that are made us in the word.
Doct. 1. That God doth good to his servants.
Doct. 2. That the good which God hath done for us should be thankfully acknowledged.
Doct. 3. That in our thankful acknowledgments we should take notice of God's truth, as well as his benignity and goodness.
Doct. 1. That God doth good to his servants. David giveth us here his own experience, and every one that is a faithful servant of God may come in with the like acknowledgments ; for what proof God giveth of his goodness to any one of his servants, it is a pledge of that love, respect, and care that he beareth towarrds all the rest. Jacob acknowledge th the same : Gen. xxxiii. 11, * The Lord hath dealt graciously with me ;' that was his account of providence.
1. From the inclination of his own nature : Ps. cxix. 68, * Thou
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art good, and thou dost good.' The Psalmist condudeth this act from his nature. The sun doth not more naturally shine, nor fire more naturally burn, nor water more naturally flow, than acts of grace and goodness do naturally flow from God. If there be anything besides benefits in the world, the fault is not in God, but in us, wlio by sin provoke him to do otherwise.
2. The obligation of his promise ; so this good cometli in as a reward, according to the law of his grace. He hath engaged himself by his promise to give us all good things : Ps. Ixxxiv. 11, ' The Lord God is a sun and a shield ; the Lord will give grace and glory ; no good thing will he withhold from them that walk upriglitly ;' Ps. xxxiv. 9, 10, ' Oh, fear the Lord, ye his saints, for there is no want to them that fear him. The young lions do lack, and suffer hunger, but they that seek the Lord shall not want any good thing.' Therefore it is said, Micah ii. 7, ' Do not my words do good to him that walketh uprightly ? ' The words ' saying good' is a doing good ; when it is said, it may be accounted done, because of the certain performance of what is said.
3. The preparation of his people ; his servants are capable. God is good, and doeth good, modo non ponatur obex, except we tie his hands and hinder our own mercies. There are certain laws of com- merce between God and his creatures, so between God and man ; he meeteth us with his blessings in the way of our duty : Amos vi. 12, ' Shall horses run upon the rock ? will one plough there with oxen ?' Some ground is incapable of being ploughed ; some are morally incapable of having good done to or for them. But when the creature is in a capacity, God communicateth his goodness to them, dealeth with men as they deal with him : Ps. xviii. 25, 26, ' With the merciful thou wilt show thyself merciful, with an upright man thou wilt show thyself upright, with the pure thou wilt show thyself pure, with the f reward thou wilt show thyself fro ward ;' , so Ps. cxxv. 4, ' Do good to those that be good, and to them that are upright in their hearts.' God is and will be gracious and bountiful to all those that continue faithful to him, and will never leave any degree of goodness unrewarded ; the covenant shall not fail on his part.
Use 1. Let us be persuaded of this truth ; it is one of the first things in religion, Heb. xi. 6, ' He that cometh to God must believe that he is, and that he is a rewarder of them that diligently seek him.' Next unto his being, his bounty, or else our religion will be cold or none at all. Many conceive amiss of God, and draw an ill picture of him in their minds, as if he were hard to be pleased, always frowning. Did we look upon him as one that is good and willing to do good, we would have less backwardness to duty and weariness in his service. Satan drew off the hearts of our first parents from God by vain sur- mises, as if he were severe and envious : Gen. iii. 5, ' God doth know that in the day ye eat thereof, then your eyes shall be opened, and ye shall be as gods, knowing good and evil.' This first battery was against the persuasion of God's goodness and kindness to man, which he endeavoureth to discredit. Yea, God's people may have the sense of his goodness strangely weakened. David is fain with violence to hold the conclusion which Satan would fain wrest out of his hands :