5. The more fruitful any grace is, the more doth it abound with us ; and therefore when your knowledge is fruitful you will find it increased by laying out your talents : Col. i. 10, ' Be fruitful in every good work, always increasing in the knowledge of God.' First he presseth knowledge in order to practice, then he presseth practice in order to knowledge. Saving knowledge is the cause of practice, and it is the effect of it.
Use 1. Learn how much practice exceeds speculation, and whereby a man's understanding is to be valued. Who is to be accounted a spiritual understanding man ? Not he that hath finer notions, but he that is most skilful, and ' ready to every good work.' Do not content yourselves with a few fine opinions well dressed and curiously set forth, for all this is nothing to practice. It must needs be so, for practice is the end of knowledge. Now the end is always more worthy than the means ; all the means have their loveliness from their end, and all the means have their order and measure from their end ; that is, we must so use the means that we may come to such an end. Well, then, knowledge is worthy for practice sake, and only to be sought after in order to practice ; not to soar aloft, but we are to be wise to sobriety ; nor as wanton fancies, such as affect conceits of wit, and empty frothy notions ; all should be suited to practice.
Use 2. Again, I might apply it, how ill they do that sever know- ledge and a good conscience. When the age grew more knowing they were less moral in Seneca's time ; as it was so with them, so it is with Christianity many times. It was the saying of one, When I compare former times with ours, times of ignorance, darkness, superstition, they had more zeal, we have more light ; where there was less knowledge there was more practice. Now we have notions like a carbuncle,
VeR. 101.] SERMONS UPON TSALM CXIX. 25
which seems at a distance to be all fire, though it is quite cold ; so we seem to have high floating notions concerning godliness ; the head is stored with these, but hearts empty of grace, hands idle, less circum- spect, more careless and loose, fruitless in good works. It shows us the cause why many, that have great dexterity in wit and excellent gifts in other things, yet are very stupid and blockish in the things of God. There is now a decay of gifts and knowledge. Why ? Becausii professors do not refer all to practice ; and then ungodliness and less practice provokes the Lord to withdraw the light. Grod punished the heathens with spiritual blindness, because they did not improve their knowledge ; and we may justly fear it may prove so with us, who are all head, little heart ; much in speculations, little, very little in practical holiness.
SERMON CYII.
/ have refrained my feet from every evil loay, tliat I might keep thy word — Ver. 101.
The great work of a fast-day is to put away the evil of our doings ; as when a fire is kindled in a house, and begins to rage and burn fiercer, it concerns those that would stop the fury of it to remove the combus- tible matter. The fire of God's wrath hath been kindled amongst us, and is not yet quenched. I suppose none of you doubt your business is to remove the combustible matter, to put away your sins ; this scrij)- ture will be of some use to you to that purpose.
David had spoken of that wisdom which he had got by the word of God above enemies, teachers, ancients. It was not such a wisdom as consisted in speculation, but jDractice ; not only such as did enable him to talk high, and set his tongue awork. No ; it was such as did enable him to do things worthy of God, as did set his feet awork. Our feet are slow and heavy in God's ways, but very swift to that which is evil ; and therefore herein did David's wisdom consist, to bridle himself, to refrain his feet, that he might not run headlong into all manner of evil ; and not only so, but that he might be also more ready to that which is good : ' I have refrained my feet from every evil way, that I might keep thy word.' Where —
1. We have David's practice, I have refrained my feet from every evil way.
2. His end or motive, that I might keep thy word; that he might be exact and punctual with God in a course of obedience.
1. In his practice. You may note the seriousness of it, ' I refrained my feet.' By the feet are meant the affections : Eccles. v. 1, ' Keep thy foot when thou goest into the house of God.' Our affections, which are the vigorous bent of the soul, do engage us to practise, therefore fitly resembled by the feet, by which we walk to any place that we do desire, so that ' I refrained my feet ; ' the meaning is, I keep a close and strict hand over my affections, that they might not lead me to sin. Then you may note the extent of it. He doth not only say, ' I refrained from evil,' but universally, ' from every evil way.'