Doct. That Grod's mercies bestowed upon some of his children should be and are an occasion of joy and comfort to all the rest When David was a pattern of Cxod's gracious help and deliverance, he saith, ' They that fear thee wiU be glad when they see me.' I shall give you some scriptures : Ps. cxlii. 7, ' The righteous shall compass me about, for thou shalt deal bountifully with me.' When any one of
282 SERMONS UPON PSALM cxix. [Ser. LXXXII.
God's cliilclren are delivered, all the rest flock about him, to assist and join in thanksg^iving, and to help one another to praise the Lord. So Ps. xxxiv. 2, ' My soul shall make her boast in the Lord ; the humble shall hear thereof and be glad ; ' that God had preserved and reserved David still. So Ps. Ixiv. 10, ' The righteous shall be glad in the Lord and trust in him, and the upright in heart shall glory ; ' that is, when David was delivered, when God had showed mercy to him, then all the upright would come, and make their own profit and advantage by such an experience and deliverance.
The reasons of the point.
1. They are all members of one body, they are all called into one body, and the good and evil of one member is common to the whole. This reason is rendered by the apostle : 1 Cor. xii. 25, 26, ' But that the members should have the same care one for another. And whether one member suffer, all the members suffer with it ; or one member be honoured, all the rest rejoice with it;' ver. 27, 'Now ye are the body of Christ, and members in particular.' The meaning of that place is, that the church altogether is the body of Christ, and every several person a member, and every member should be as solicitous for one another as for itself ; they have the same common interests and con- cernments, whether of suffering or rejoicing. You know in the natural body, when the toe is trode on, the tongue crieth out. You have hurt loe. We are concerned in the good or ill of our fellow-members ; their joy is joy to us, and their sorrow sorrow to us : to this sense some expound that place, Heb. xiii. 3, ' Eemember them that are in bonds, as bound with them, and them that suffer adversity, as being yourselves also in the body.' Some understand it of Christ's mystical body ; when they suffer, our souls are bound with them. But I think it bears another sense there : to be 'in the body' is to be in the flesh, during which state we are liable to many vexations and miseries ; and therefore, if God doth so order it that the whole body, or all the members of the church, should not be afflicted at one time, but whilst some are afflicted others are free, and when we are not involved by passion there may be compassion. While we are in the body we are obnoxious to the same adversities, and should pity and comfort them as ourselves, and use all means to do them good ; but if it be not the truth of the place, yet it is a truth, the more any partake of the spiritual life the stronger is spiritual sympathy : they ' rejoice with them that rejoice, and mourn with them that mourn,' Kom xii. 15; are bound with them that are in bonds, and enlarged with them that are enlarged. One part of us is in bonds when they are in bonds, one part of us is enlarged when they are enlarged ; still we should have common interests and affections with our brethren ; and for those that fear God to be selfish and senseless of the condition of others, it is a kind of self-excommunication, or an implicit renouncing the body: because we are in the body, we should be affected as they are. Look, as there was the same spirit in Ezekiel's vision in the living creatures and the wheels, 1 say the same spirit was in both ; when one moved the other moved : so there is the same spirit in Christ's mystical body. We should be affected as they are ; it is a kind of depriving ourselves of the privileges of the mystical body if we are not.
YeK, 74.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 283
2. It is for the honour and glory of God ; Grod hath most glory ■when praised by many. Therefore they flock together, 2 Cor. i. 11, * That for the gift bestowed upon us by the means of many persons, thanks may be given by many in our behalf.' God loveth to have us .act with joint consent both in prayer and praise, because he would in- terest us in one another's mercies and comforts, and so knit our hearts together in more holy love. Prayers made by many ai'e mighty with God — when we come to God with many supplicants, make up a great party to besiege heaven : so praises rendered by many are the more honourable to Gt)d, and acceptable with him : 2 Cor. iv. 15, ' That the abundant grace might, through the thanksgiving of many, redound to the glory of God.' When many are engaged, and many are affected with it, God's glory is the more diffused, the revenue of the crown of heaven increased. One string maketh no music ; .when there are many, and all in tune, there is harmony. There are three things in it — many righteous persons, and joining together with one spirit in the same work, then the Lord hath more honour than he could have in a single person. In heaven God is praised in concert ; we are brought all together, that "we may make one body and congregation to laud, and praise, and serve God for evermore : so here, they that fear God and hope in his mercy, they often flock together to congratulate and join in thanksgiving for the mercies which any one of them hath re- ceived. ^Yhen Christ was born there "was a whole concert of angels : Luke ii. 13, 'A mtiltitude of the heavenly host praising God, saying. Glory to God on high, on earth peace, good-will towards men.' It is a kind of heaven upon earth when all the people of God are led by one spirit to praise and glorify God : a closet prayer or thanksgiving is not so honom-able as that of the congregation.