VeR. 74.] SERMONS UPON P8ALM CXIX. 285
Every answer of prayer is a new proof or fresh experience of God's love and special respect to us ; it is a sign that God regardeth us and is mindful of us, nay, it is a sign of God's favour, when he will not only hear us for ourselves, but for others also. If a man come to a king, he will say. If you had asked for yourself I would have granted you ;»it is a special honour to intercede for others, which God putteth upon his choice servants : Gen. xx. 7, ' Abraham shall pray for thee, and thou shalt live ;' Job xlii. 8, ' My servant Job shall pray for you, and him will I accept.' God will hear his servants for others when he will not hear them for themselves. If our prayers had returned into our own bosoms, as David's for his enemies, Ps. xxxv. 13 ; if ■God as an answer had given you only the comfort of the discharge of your duty : Luke x. 6, ' If they be not worthy, your peace shall return to you again ;' this were matter of praise, much more now the mercy is obtained. All this is spoken to show that there should be more life and spiritual affection in those duties which we perform in the behalf of others.
2. It informeth us of the excellency of communion of saints ; there is such a fellowship and communion between all the members of •Christ's mystical body, that they mourn together, and rejoice together; the grace vouchsafed to one is cause of rejoicing to all the rest ; they drive on a joint trade for heaven, and rejoice in one another's comforts as if they were their own, in oue another's gifts and graces as if they •were their own, in one another's supports and deliverances as if they w^ere their own. We read of joy in heaven at the conversion of sin- ners ; they rejoice at our welfare, praising and lauding God ; so there is also joy on earth when any spiritual benefit is imparted ; if any be gotten to a godlike nature, they give thanks to God : ' They that fear thee will be glad when they see me;' Acts iv. 32, ' The multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul ;' there was a great multitude, many thousand souls. Here was the pi'imitive simplicity, the •Christians were so united as if they had but one heart and soul among them ; and it was a usual saying, Aspice ut se mutuo diligunt Chris- tiani — see how the Christians love one another. It was otherwise afterwards ; no wild beasts are so fierce to one another as one Christian has been to another. Surely it concerneth all that fear God and hope in his word to be of one heart and of one mind as much as may be. Lesser differences should not make void this Christ-like love. The bonds of Christ's communion are the essentials of religion, if they fear God and hope in his word. Though Christians may be distin- guished by several denominations, yet an angry brother cannot cast us out of our Father's family. We set up walls of partition between Christian and Christian, but God will not measure his fold by our enclosure: Lingua Pdiliani non est veiitilahrnoii Christi — it is well Pe- tilian's tongue is not Christ's fan. Surely when we meet with our ever- lasting companions they should be dear to us, and for some private differences we should not omit the necessary duties of Christianity. This mutual and cordial respect we should have for one another.
3. It informs us of the mischief and evil of a private spirit, which 4oth not take notice of the favours of God done to others, nor is :afFected with others' mercies. Most men ' seek their own things,'
286 SERMONS UPON PSALM csix. [Ser. LXXXIL
Phil. ii. 21. Nature is sensible of nothing but natural bonds, the lines of its communication are too narrow, either their own flesh, the smart and ease of their own bodies, or their own kindred. Now, the saints have a more diffusive love, they can strive with God earnestly in prayer for those whose face they never saw in the flesh. Col. ii., and can be thankful for their mercies as far as they come to their notice. All Christians are not only of the same kind, but of the same body ; though they have not a private benefit by the mercy, yet they can heartily praise God for it ; the angels praise God for us, Luke ii., for his good- will to men, they are only spectators, not the parties interested. When the Lord set afoot that blessed design, it was good- will to men, yet the multitude of the heavenly host rejoiced and- praised God. We had both honour and benefit by Christ's incarna- tion. So to praise God for the good of others argueth a good spirit like the angels, but to envy the good of another and be grieved thereat is devilish, like the spirit of the devil. In heaven we shall not only rejoice in our own, but in one another's salvation, because there shall be no envy, no privateness of affection. Why are we so selfish and senseless now ? ' Who is afflicted and I mourn not ?' said Paul. Now to those that mourned for others' calamity, their deliver- ance is a kind of relief. Will you lose your evidence of being in the body for want of rejoicing in their mercies, gifts, and deliverances?