(4.) It implies an earnest desire after grace ; and that is a good frame of heart, when not satisfied with common benefits. David was not satisfied with his natural being, but seeketh after a spiritual being. What is that he prayeth so earnestly for, but an enlightened mind and a renewed heart, and all that he might be obedient to God ? Thus we are more fitted to receive grace. A conscience of our duty is a great matter in fallen man, who is turned rebel against God and a traitor to his maker, who is impatient and self-willed, and all for casting off the yoke, Ps. ii. 3. Well, to have a heart set upon duty and obedience, that is the next step; the third was a sense of imputency ; now this fourth a desire of grace : such the Lord hath promised to satisfy. Mat. v. 6. These open unto God, and are ready to take in his grace. Come
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as creatures earnestly desiring to do your creator's will, and in the best manner, and will God refuse you ? Because I am thy creature, teach me to serve thee, who art my creator.
(5.) There is one thing more in this plea, a persuasion of God's goodness to his creatures. This is the very ground and reason why this plea is used : Ps. cxlv. 9, ' The Lord is good to all, and his tender mercies are over all his works.' There is a great deal of fatherly care and mercy to his creatures, till by their impenitency, persisted in against the means of grace, they render themselves incapable of it. The first battery which Satan laid to man's heart tended to undermine the sense of God's goodness to the creature, as if God were envious : Gen. iii. 5, ' Doth not God know that in the day ye eat thereof;' as if God envied their happiness : this the devil would instil. To have good thoughts of God is a great means to reduce us and bring us back again to liim. "We frighten ourselves away from him by entertaining needless jealousies of him, as if he sought om- destruction, or delighted in it. Sm'ely he will not destroy a poor soul that lieth submissively at his feet, and is grieved he can no better please him and serve him. The man that had hard thoughts of God neglected his duty : Mat, xxv. 24, 25, ' I knew thou wast an austere master, therefore I hid my talent in a napkin ;' that is the legalism and carnal bondage that is in us, which makes us full of jealousies of God, and doth mightily hinder and obstruct our duty.
Use. The use is to press you to come to God as creatures, to beg relief and help for your souls : this will be of use to us in many cases.
1. To the scrupulous, who are upon regenerating, that are not sure that the work of grace is wrought in them. You cannot call God Father by the spirit of adoption ; yet own him as a creator. Come to him as one that formed you : your desire is to return to him.
2. It is of use to believers when under desertions, and God appeareth against them in a way of wrath, and all God's dispensations seem to speak nothing but wrath: yet come to him as the creator. Lord, ' we are the work of thy hands.' If you cannot plead the covenant of Abraham, which was made with believers, plead the covenant of Noah, which was made with man and all creatures : Isa. liv. 9, ' For this is as the waters of Xoah unto me ; for as I have sworn that the waters of Noah should no more go over the earth, so have I sworn that I would not be wi-oth with thee, nor rebuke thee ;' there may be a great storm, but no deluge. "When all is wrath to a poor soul, let it come to him in the covenant of Xoah.
3. It will be of use in pleading for grace for your children, who are as yet, it may be, graceless and disobedient : ' Thy hands have made and fashioned them.' Desire him to renew his image upon them by the spirit of grace.
In short, the sum of aU is, here is encouragement : God is good to ail his creatures, especially to man, most especially to man seeking after him, and seeking after him for grace, that we and ours may obey him, and do him better service than ever yet we have done.
280 SERMONS UPON PSALM cxix. [Ser. LXXXII..
SERMON LXXXII.
They that fear thee luill he glad lohen theij see me ; because I have hoped in thy ivord. — Ver. 74.
This verse containeth two things : —
1. The respect of the faithful to David, they that fear thee loill he glad when they see me.
2. The reason of this respect, hecause I have hoped in thy ivord. First, The respect of God's faithful servants to David, and there
take notice of the character by which God's servants are described, ' They that fear thee ;' then their respect to David, they ' will be glad when they see me ;' which may bear a double sense.