VeR. 65.1 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 19^
Ps. Ixxiii. 1, ' Truly God is good to Israel, even to such as arc of a pure heart.' Therefore we had need to fortify our hearts and forearm ourselves with strong consolations and arguments.
1. He doth good to his enemies, and therefore certainly he wilJ much more to his servants : ' He is good to all ;' Ps. cxlv. 9, ' The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works.' The heathens had experience of it : Acts xiv. 17, ' Nevertheless he left not himself without witness, in that he did good, and gave us rain from heaven, and fruitfid seasons, filling our hearts with food and gladness.' And will he be unkind to his servants, to whom he is engaged by promise ? It cannot be.
2. Consider Christ's reasoning : Mat, vii. 11, ' If ye then, being evil, know how to give good gifts unto your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him ? ' God will not deal worse with his children than men do with theirs. We are natural and sinful parents : if we have any faith, or reason, or sense, we cannot gainsay this conclusion. A father will not be unnatural to his child ; the most godless men will love their children, and seek their welfare, and do good unto them. Surely our heavenly Father will supply all our necessities, satisfy all our desires : he is more fatherly than all the fathers in the world can be ; all the goodness in men is but as a drop to the ocean.
3. Consider, he never giveth his people any discouragement or just cause to complain of him : Micah vi. 3, ' 0 my people, what have I done unto thee ? or wherein have I wearied thee ? testify against me ; ' Jer. ii. 5, ' Thus saith the Lord, What iniquity have your fathers found in me, that they are gone far from me, and have walked after vanities and become vain ?' Why : —
[1.] His commands are not grievous: Mat. xi. 30, 'My yoke is easy and my burthen is light ;' 1 John v. 3, ' His commandments are not grievous.' He prescribeth and commandeth nothing but for our good: Deut. vi. 24, 'And the Lord commandeth us to do all the statutes, to fear the Lord our God for our good always, that he might preserve us alive, as it is at this day.' That he may with honour per- form and make good all that he hath promised : Gen. xviii. 19, ' For I know him, that he will command his children and his household after him, and they shall keep the way of the Lord, to do justice and judgment, that the Lord may bring upon Abraham that which he hath spoken of him.' The obstructions removed, and grace flows out freely.
[2.] Trials sent by him are not above measure: 1 Cor. x. 13, ' There hath no temptation taken you, but such as is common to men; but God is faithful, who will not suffer you to be tempted above that you are able, but will with the temptation also make a way to escape, that ye may be able to bear it ; ' Isa. xxvii. 8, ' In measure Avhen it shooteth forth wilt thou debate with it : he stayeth his rough wind in the day of the east wind.' He dealeth with much discretion and moderation, not according to the greatness of his power or the heinousness of their sin, but observeth our strength, what we are able to bear.
[3] His punishments are not above deservings: Ezra ix. 13,
196 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. LXXIII.
' Seeing that thou our God hast punished us less than our iniquities deserve ; ' Job xi. 6, ' Know therefore that God esacteth of thee less than thine iniquity deserveth.'
[4.] He is not hard to be pleased, nor inexorable upon every failing : Mai. iii. 17, ' And they shall be mine, saith the Lord of liosts, in that day when I make up my jewels ; and I will spare them as a man spareth his own sou that serveth him.' Many think God watcheth occasions to destroy them, or at least to molest and trouble them. No ; he passeth by many weaknesses, or else what would become of the best of his children ? pardoneth many sins, where the heart is sincere : 2 Chron. xxx. 18, 19, ' The good Lord pardon every one that prepareth his heart to seek God, the Lord God of his fathers, though he be not cleansed according to the preparation of the sanctuary.'
4. If he doth not give them the good things of this world, he giveth them better in lieu of them. Wliile they are here in this world they have those things not only that are good, but make them good, which cannot be said of all the things of this world ; they may easily make us worse, but they cannot make us better. He giveth them such things as tend to the enjoyment of the chief est good, which is himself. As he is a good God, he pardoneth their sins : Ps. xxv. 7, ' Kemember not the sins of my youth, for thy goodness' sake, 0 Lord ;' that is one of the effects of his goodness to them. He directs them in the way of life : Ps. xxv. 8, ' Good and upright is the Lord, therefore will he teach sinners in the way.' He beginneth, carrieth on, and completeth their salvation : 2 Thes. i. 11, ' Wherefore also we pray always for you, tliat our God would count you worthy of his calling, and fulfil all the good pleasure of his goodness, and the work of faith with power.' Thus he giveth the best things, though he deny some common things, which are no arguments of his special favour ; and it is dangerous to have our eyes fastened upon other wants when we have these things, and to repine against God, who hath dealt graciously with us in the higher expressions of his love.