478 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. CII.
but a pure sincere heart can have such a universal love to God's law,
4. If you love the word, you will ever love the word ; for the same reasons that drew your heart at first continue still : Ps. cxix. 20, ' My soul breaketh for the longing that it hath unto thy j udgments at all times.' By judgments is meant the word of God, which is the rule of God's proceeding with sinners. It was not for a pang only that he had that strong and vehement affection, but it was a constant thing at all times, it was the ordinary frame of his heart. I\Iany men have good affections for a while, but tliey abide not with them ; for some have an adulterous affection only ; they may love the word of God while it is new, for novelty sake : Jolm v. 35, ' Ye rejoiced for a season in his light;* and Acts xvii. 20, they flocked about Paul, because he seemed to be a ' setter forth of new doctrine.' This is but carnal love, that is soon altered. Or else it may be they have some love to the word during some qualm of conscience, and they may find some savour in it when they have a little trouble upon them, as we desire strong water in a j^ang, not as a constant diet. When they are under some working of conscience, then they run to the word ; but as soon as they can lick themselves whole again, they slight it, and their love to the word is gone. As their trouble wears off, so their affection is worn off. These are driven by fearing the word, and not by the love of it. For a great while men are carried on pleasingly in their love to the word, but when it grates hard, bears hard upon conscience, and meets with their lusts, then they go away in discontent ; as Herod ' heard John gladly' for a while, Markvi. 20, until his Herodias was touched, and then follows his darling sin again. Their love is to the word if carnal credit accompany it, as John was welcome to the Jews until he fell under Herod's displeasure. The stony ground received the word with much joy, ' until the sun arose with a burning heat,' Mat. xiii. There are certain times when it is a credit to be religious, and when the gospel is befriended in the world ; then men will have some seeming affection, but it dies away. God's children love the word for its own sake, therefore they ever love it. They which love the truth for foreign reasons, because of novelty, merely out of present necessity, public countenance, because it is in fashion and re- pute, or because they thought the word would flatter them more in their sins than it doth, these do not love the word. Thus David's affection is asserted.
Secondly, We have David's assertion demonstrated, ' It is my meditation all the day.'
Doct. 2. They that love the word will be meditating therein con- tinually.
There are two grounds for this — love causeth it, and love is in- creased by it.
1. Love causeth it. We are continually thinking of whatsoever we love. Kich men, that affect worldly things, are always thinking of gathering substance and increasing their worldly portion ; as that man, Luke xii. 17, 18, was dialogising and discoursing with himself. Carnal lovers are thinking of that they love, and ambitious men are feasting their souls with imaginations and suppositions of worldly
VeR. 97.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 479
greatness, pleasing themselves by framing images in their minds ; and warriors are thinking of battles and wars, and voluptuaries are thinking of sports and pastimes, and a child of God is thinking of holy things. Love causes the soul to be more where it loves than where it lives ; it is the best entertainment they can find for them- selves to frame images of things loved in their minds.
2. As love begets meditation, so meditation cherishes love. Medi- tation is the life of all the means of grace, and that which makes them fruitful to our souls. What is the reason there is so much preaching and so little practice ? For want of meditation. Constant thcHights are operative. If a hen straggleth out from her nest, she brings forth nothing, her eggs chill ; so when we do not sit abrood upon holy thoughts, if we content ourselves with some few transient thoughts and glances about divine things, and do not dwell upon them, the truth is suddenly put off, and doth no good. All actions require time and space for their operation ; if hastily slubbered over, they cool ; if we give them time and space we shall feel their effects. So if we hold truths in our mind, and dwell upon them, there will be an answerable impression ; but when they come like a flash of light- ning, then they are gone, and we run them over cursorily. That truth may work there is required three things — sound belief, serious con- sideration, and close application: Job v. 27, ' Lo, this we have searched it ; so it is, hear it, and know thou it for thy good.'