4. To desire more communion with him, and to long after the blessed fruition of him, when God shall be all in all, not only be chief, but all, when we shall perfectly enjoy the infinite God, when the chief est good will give us the greatest blessings, and an infinite eternal God will give us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory. The word, sacra- ments, and prayer convey but little to you in comparison of that, when God is object and means, and all things. The soul is then all for Christ, and Christ all for the soul. Your whole employment is to love him, live upon him. Here we give away some of our love, some of our thoughts and affections, on other things ; Christ, is crowded, hath not room to lay forth the glory of his grace ; but there is full scope to doit.
246 SERMONS UPON PSALM cxix. [Ser. LXXVIII.
SERMON LXXVIII.
Teach me thy statutes. — Ver. 68.
Secondly, we come to David's petition, ' Teach me thy statutes ;' which I shall be brief in, because it doth often occur in the verses of this psalm. David's petition is to understand the word that he might keep it. Teaching bringeth us under the power of what is taught, and increaseth sanctification both in heart and life, as well as illumination or information.
Doct. One chief thing v/hich they that believe and have a sufhcient apprehension of God's goodness should seek of him in this world, is understanding the way of salvation.
This request is enforced out of the former title and compellation.
1. Because the saving knowledge of his will is one principal effect of his bounty and beneficence. As he showeth love to man above other creatures, in that he gave him such a life as was light, John i. 4 — that is, had reason andunderstanding joined with it — so to his people above other men, that he hath given them a saving knowledge of the way of salvation since sin : Ps. xxv. 8, ' Grood and upright is the Lord ; he will teach sinners the way.' It is a great discovery of God's goodness that he will teach sinners, a favour not vouchsafed to the fallen angels : it is more than if he gave us the wealth of the whole world ; that will not conduce to such a high use and purpose as this. More of his good will and special love is seen in this, to teach us the way how to enjoy him. Eternal life is begun by this saving knowledge : John xvii. 3, ' And this is life eternal, that they might know thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom thou hast sent.^
2. This is one principal way whereby we show our sense of God's goodness. That is a true apprehension of God's goodness which giveth us confidence and hope of the saving fruits of it, when, the oftener we think of it, the more of sanctification we seek to draw from this fountain of goodness. That is an idle speculation that doth not beget trust, an empty praise, a mere compliment that doth not produce a real confidence in God, that he will give us spiritual blessings when we heartily desire them. True knowledge of God's name breedeth trust : Ps. ix. 10, ' They that know thy name will put their trust in thee ; ' and more particularly for this kind of benefit. It is a general encourage- ment: Mat. vii. 11, ' If ye, then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your Father which is in heaven give good things to them that ask him ? ' But it is limited to the Spirit : Luke xi. 13, ' If ye, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall your heavenly Father give the Spirit to them that ask it ? ' Without this faith there is no commerce with God.
3. It is an argument of the good temper of our souls not to serve our carnal turns, but promote tlie welfare of our souls, when we would enjoy and improve the goodness of God to get this benefit.
[1.] They aiie aftected according to the value of the thing. Of all the fruits of God's goodness which a holy man would crave for himself
Yer. GS.] sermoss upon psalm cxix. 247
a.ad challenge for his portion, this he thinketh fittest to be sought — sanctifying grace to understand and keep the law. If this he not the only, yet it is the chiefest benefit which they desire in the world. For other things, let God deal with them as he will ; but they value this among the greatest things which God bestoweth on mankind. Observe here how much the spirit of God's children diftereth from the spirit of the world ; they account God hath dealt well with them when he be- stoweth upon them wealth and honour : Ps. iv. 6, ' Who will show us any good ?/ but the other desire grace to know God's will, and to serve and please him : there is the thing they desire and seek after, as suiting their temper and constitution of soul. A man is known by his desires, as the temper of his body by his pulse.