198 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. LXXIII.
master, good work, good wages. Certainly the more good any man findetli God to be, and the more good he himself hath received, the more good lie ought to be : the goodness of God should melt us and awe us. Tliere are two questions every one of you should put to yourselves, AVhat hath God done for you ? and. What have you done for God ? When you thus serve God, you may plead it to God, as David, Ps. cxvi. 16, *0 Lord, truly I am thy servant, I am thy ser- vant.' You may expect relief, and protection, and maintenance. Servants have their dole and portion from their masters' hands : Ps. cxxiii. 2, 'As the eyes of servants look unto the hand of their masters, and as the eyes of a- maiden unto the hand of her mistress, so our eyes wait upon the Lord our God, until that he have mercy upon us.' He that doth God's will shall have his protection and blessing ; you have a sanctified interest in all that falleth to your share : 1 Cor. iii. 22, 23, ' Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or life, or death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours, and ye are Christ's, and Christ is God's.' Lastly, God will now and then visibly put some marks of distinction on them: Mai. iii. 18, 'Then shall ye re- turn, and discern between the rigliteous and the wicked, between him that serveth God, and him that serveth him not.' For a while their glory may be clouded, they may be hardly dealt with in the world, but God hath his times of presenting all things in their own colours ; but the chief time of manifestation is hereafter ; when the servants of Christ come to receive their full reward, then they find him to be a good master indeed : John xii. 2G, ' If any man serve me, him will my Father honour.'
Doct. 2. That the good which God hath done for us should be thankfully acknowledged. AVe should not be always craving, always complaining-; there should be a mixture of thanksgiving : Col. iv. 6, ' Continue in prayer, and watch in the same with thanksgiving;' to- gether with the expression of our wants and desires, there nmst be thanksgiving for favours already received.
1. There is a time for all thinfrs, for confessing sin, for bep:o;in2: mercy, for thankful acknowledgments ; though in every address to God there should be somewhat of all these, yet at certain seasons one is predominant : in a time when God is offended, confession of sin ; in a time of great wants and straits, prayer ; in a time of great receivings, thanks. The times that pass over us bring upon us many changes ; every change of dispensation must be sanctified by a suitable duty. As no condition is so bad but a good man can find an occasion of praising God and trusting in him, so no condition so good but matter of humbling and self -abasing will arise ; yet there are special occasions that require the one or the other. Opus cliei in die suo. James v. 13, ' Is any among you afflicted ? let him pray : is any merry ? let him sing psalms ;' Ps. 1. 15, ' Call upon me in the day of trouble ; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.'
2. It is a disingenuous spirit to ask mercy for supplying our wants or delivering us from troubles, and not acknowledge mercy when that supply or deliverance is received. Prayer is a work of necessity, but praise of mere duty. Self-love will put us upon prayer, but the love of God upon praise and thanksgiving ; we pray because we need God,
Ver. G5.] sermons upon psalm cxix. 199
■we praise because we love God, and have a sense of his goodness to us : Luke xvii. 15, ' One of tliem, when lie saw that he was healed, turned hack, and witli a loud voice glorified Grod.' Most turn hack upon the mercy-seat, do not give glory to God when their turn is served.
3. It is for the glory and honour of God that his servants should speak good of his name. When they are always complaining, they bring an ill report upon the ways of God, like the spies that went to view the promised land ; but it is a great invitation to others when we can tell them how good God hath been to us : Ps. xxxiv. 8, ' Oh, taste and see that the Lord is good ; blessed is the man that trusteth in him.' This doth draw in others to come and take share with us.
4. It is for our profit ; the more thankful for mercies, the more they are increased upon us ; as vapours return in showers, the sea putteth out of her fuhiess into the rivers, and they again refund into the sea the water received thence : Ps. Ixvii. 5, 6, ' Let the people praise thee, 0 Lord ; then shall the earth bring forth her increase.' When the springs are low, we pour in a little Avater into the pump, not to enrich the fountain, but to bring up more for ourselves. It is not only true of outward increase, but spiritual also : Col. ii. 7, ' Be ye rooted in the faith, and abound therein with thanksgiving.' If we give thanks for so much grace as we have already received, it is the way to increase our store ; we do no more thrive in victory over corru})tion, or the increase of divers graces, because we do no more give thanks.