3. This is that which will give you a clearer understanding in the mysteries of godliness. The more we love the word the more we study it, and the deeper insight and more spiritual discerning we have in the mysteries thereof. It is not acute parts, but strong affections to divine things, that maketh us to understand them in a spiritual manner. If a man hath acute parts, but yet hath vile affections and carnal passions, these will becloud the mind and fill us with prejudicate opinions, so that we cannot discern the mind of God in many cases, nor spiritually discern it in any. Men are darkened with their own lusts, their minds are darkened with carnal lusts; then 'in seeing they see not, in hearing they hear not ; ' they do not hear what they hear. Let me set it forth by this similitude. A blunt iron, if it be thoroughly heated in the fire, will sooner pierce through a thick board than a sharper tool that is cold; so in the order of the fiffections ; when a man's heart is heated and warmed with love to divine things, then it pierceth through ; he hath such a sight of divine things as they shall affect and change his heart more than he that hath great parts. It is not acuteness of parts, so much as entireness of affection, which gives us a spiritual discerning of the mysteries of godliness ; for when the heart is wedded to carnal lusts, the judgment is corrupted and partial, but when we have an affection to holiness we shall sooner
474 .- SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. CII.
discern the mind of God. Knowledge breeds love, and love increaseth knowledge, for it fortifieth and strengtheneth the other faculties of the soul, that they may be more ready in operation. Let this persuade you to get this love to the word of God.
Ay ! but how shall we do to get this love ?
Direct. 1. I told you before it is the fruit of regeneration ; yet a little to quicken you hereunto, consider all the arguments which are brought. As whose word it is ; it is God's word, and if you love God, will you not love the word of God ? Surely your best affections are due to him, and if you bear any affections to him you will bear an affection to his word: Isa. xxvi. 8, ' Our desires are to thee, and to the remembrance of thy name.' First to thee, and then to the remem- brance of thy name ; or, as it is in the original, to thy memorial. If you have desires to God, then you will love that blessed book wherein you shall read and hear of God, where God hath displayed his name to you. And then consider what benefits you have by the word. It serves —
1. To enlighten us and to direct us. This is our light in a dark place, and to guide us on all occasions. Solomon saith, Eccles. xi. 7, ' Light is sweet, and a pleasant thing it is for the eyes to behold the sun.' If light natural be so pleasant, what is light spiritual ? And therefore the Psalmist compares the word of God to the sun, Ps. xix. First he speaks of the sun when he displayeth his beams upon the earth, then presently he comes to speak of the word of God. The world can no more be without the one than the other, without the word of God no more than without the sun ; for as one doth revive the drooping plants, and cheer and refresh nature by his comfortable beams, so the word of God doth rejoice, refresh, and revive the hearts of God's people by its light and influence, Ps. xix. 7, 8. Oh ! it is a comfort to have light to see our way. When men begin to have a conscience about heavenly things they will judge so. Paul and his companions in the great storm at sea, when they saw no sun for many days, and when they were afraid to fall upon rocks and shelves, with what longing did they expect to see the sun ! So a poor bewildered soul doth experiment such another case, when his way is dark, and hath no direction from the word of God what course to take ; but when he can get a little light from the testimonies of the Lord to guide him in his way, how sweet, refreshing, and reviving is this to his heart !
2. It serves to comfort us in all straits. The word of God is, as Basil saith, a common shop of medicaments, where there is a salve for every sore, and a remedy for every malady, a promise for every condi- tion. God hath plentifully opened his good-will and heart to sinners; whatever the burden and distress be, still there is some remedy from the word of God. Look, as David, Ps. xlviii. 2, 3, bids them to view Zion on all sides, to see if there were anything wanting necessary for ornament and defence, so we may say of the word of God, Go round about, see if there be anything wanting for the comfort of a Christian. There are promises of v\^isdom to manage our business, James i. 5 ; promises of defence in the midst of all calamities, Heb. iii. 5 ; promises of sustentation and support in God's storehouse, blessings enough for every poor soul. Then the word of God serves to support and