1. That there is such a thing as spiritual taste.
2. That to a spiritual taste^the word of God is sweeter than all pleasures and delights whatsoever.
Doct. 1. That there is such a thing as spiritual taste.
I shall show that it is, and ivhat it is ; the use of it, and what is requisite to it.
First, It appears that there is such a thing ; the soul hath its senses as well as the body. We do not only know, but feel things to be either hurtful or comfortable to us ; so the new nature doth not only know it, but doth seem to feel it, that some things are hurtful, and others are comfortable to it ; and hence the apostle's expression, Heb. V. 14, ' Such have their senses exercised, to discern both good and evil' Christians, if there be such a thing as spiritual life, certainly there must be spiritual sense ; for all life is accompanied with a sense of what is good or evil for that life, and the higher the life the greater
44 SERMONS UPON TSALM CXIX. [SeR. CIX.
the sense. Beasts feel more than a plant when hurt is clone to them, because they have a nobler life, and a man than a beast ; and the life of grace being above the life ot" reason, there is a higher sense joined with it, and thereibre the pain and pleasure of that life is greater than the pain or pleasure of any other life; for spiritual things, as they are greater in themselves, so they do more affect us than bodily : ' A wounded conscience, who can bear it?' Prov. xviii. 14. What a sense doth the evil of the spiritual life leave u})on the soul ! And tlieu for the comforts of the spiritual life, the joys and pleasures of it are unspeakable and glonous, 1 Peter i. 8, such joy as no tongue or words can sufKciently express. A taste of the first-fruits of glory, how sweet is it ! Briefly, let me tell you there are three internal senses spoken of in scripture — seeing, tasting, and feeling. Sight implies faith : John viii. 6G, 'Abraham rejoiced to see my day;' and Heb. xi. 27, ' By faitli Moses saw him that was invisible.' There is a seeing not only with the eyes of the body, but with the eyes of the mind, things that cannot be seen with the outward sense : ' Abi-aham saw my day,' at so great a distance. As there is sight, so also taste ; which, if we refer it to good, is nothing else but spiritual experience of the sweet- ness of God in Christ, and the benefits which flow from communion with him : Ps. xxxiv. 8, ' Oh, come, taste and see that the Lord is gracious.' Do not only come and see, but come and taste. The third sense is feeling or touch ; that relates to the power of grace : Phil. iii. 10, ' That I might know him, and the power of his resurrec- tion,' &c. There is a sense that a Christian hath of the power of grace and of Christ upon his soul ; so 2 Tim. iii. 5, ' Having a form of god- liness, but denying the power thereof.' When men resist the force and virtue of that religion which they profess, then they are said to deny the power of those principles. Well, then, there are s[)iritual senses.
Xow, that we might know what they are, let me show —
1. How these spiritual senses differ from the external.
2. That in some sense they differ from the understanding.
1. These spiritual senses differ from the external sense ; that I shall prove by three arguments : —
[1.] Because in those things that arc liable to external sense, a man may have an outward sense of them when he hath not an inward.
[2.] There are certain things that cannot be discerned by external senses, yet a Christian may have a feeling of them by internal sense.
[3.] The outward senses sometimes set the inward senses awork.
[1.] Because in those things which are liable to external sense, a man may have an outward sense of them when he hath not an inward, as in seeing, tasting, touching.
In seeing : Deut. xxix. 2, compared with ver. 4, ' Ye have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt ; and yet the Lord hath not given you a heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear unto this day.' They saw, yet had not a heart to see ; they saw those wonders with the eyes of their body ; they had a sense out- ward and natural, but not a sense inward and spiritual.
So for taste ; there is a taste of God's goodness in the creature ; all taste it by their outward senses : Ps. cxlv. 9, ' The Lord is good to all,
VeR. 103.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 45
and his tender mercies are over all his works.' The wicked are not excepted from his taste ; for the creatures are as useful for the preser- vation of their lives, as the lives of others. They do not mind God's love in it, and so do rather taste the creature, than God's goodness in the creature ; but the child of God tasteth his love therein. The fly finds no honey in the flower, but the bee doth. A fleshly palate relisheth only the gross pleasure of the creature, not that refined delight which a spiritual palate hath, who hath a double sweetness ; it doth not only receive the creature for its natural use, but it tastes God, and fe-els the love of God in the conscience as well as the warmth of the creature in his bowels.