2. What is requisite to cause this taste ? (1.) Something about the object ; (2.) Something about the faculty.
[1.] Something about the object, which is the word of God. Eating, or taking into the mouth, that is necessary before tasting; for the tongue is the instrument of taste ; the outward part of the tongue that serves for meats, the inward part, towards the root, ibr drink. So for this spiritual taste there is required eating, or taking in the object, therefore we read often of eating the word of God : Jer. xv. 16, ' Thy word was sweet, and I did eat it;' and Ezek. iii. 3, we read of eating the roll ; it is interpreted spiritually, ' I did eat it ;' then fol- lows his taste, ' it was in my mouth as honey for sweetness.' So Rev. X. 10, ' I took the little book and ate it, and it was in my mouth as sweet as honey.' There was somewhat of prophetical vision in these things, but generally it is carried not an outward and literal eating, but a spiritual taste, relishing the sweetness of it. Well, then, the word must not only be read and heard, but eaten. What is this spiritual eating of the word ? Three things are in it, and all make way for this taste. (1.) Sound belief ; (2.) Serious consideration ; (3.) Close application. He that Avould have a taste of spiritual things, these three things are necessary.
(1.) That there be a sound belief of it. Men have not taste, because they have not faith; we cannot be affected with what we do not believe : Heb. iv. 2, ' The word profited not, not being mixed with faith in them that heard it.' What is the reason men have no taste in the doctrine of God, and in the free offers of his grace ? It is not mingled with faith, and then it wants one necessary ingredient towards this taste. So 1 Thes. ii. 13, 'Ye received the word of God, which
VeR. 103.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 4D
effectually worketh also in you that believe.' If you would have spiritual sense, faith makes way for it : we must take the word as the word of God. When we read in feigned stories of enchanted castles and golden mountains, they affect us not, because we know they are but witty fictions, pleasant fables, or idle dreams ; and such atheism and unbelief lies in the hearts of men against the very scriptures, and therefore the apostle seeks to obviate and take off tins : 2 Peter i. 16,
* We have not followed cunningly devised fables ;' intimating there is such a thought in man's heart. Certainly if men did believe the mystery, that is without controversy great, that God hath indeed sent his Son to redeem the world, and would indeed bestow lieaven and eternal happiness upon them, they would have a greater taste ; but they hear of these things as a dream of mountains of gold, or rubies falling from the clouds. If they did believe these glorious things of eternity, their hearts would be ravished with them.
(2.) As faith is necessary, so serious consideration, by which we concoct truths, and chew them, and work them upon the heart, that causeth this sweetness ; by knocking on the flint the sparks fly out : those ponderous and deep inculcative thoughts of divine and heavenly things make us taste a sweetness in them. When we look slightly and superficially into the word, no wonder we do not find this comfort and sweetness ; but when we dig deeply into the mines of the word, and work out truths by serious thoughts, and search for wisdom, when we come to see trutli with our own eyes in its full nature, order, and dependence, this is that which gets this taste : Prov. xxiv. 13, 14,
* My son, eat thou honey, because it is good, and the honeycomb, which is sweet to thy taste. So shall the knowledge of wisdom be unto thy soul, when thou hast found it.' When men are serious, look into the nature, and see all truths in their order and dependence, then they will be like honey and the honeycomb ; this makes way for this sweet taste.
(3.) There is necessary to this taste close application ; for the nearer and closer things touch one another, the greater their efficacy ; so the more close you set the word home upon your own hearts, the more it works : Job v. 27, ' Know it for thy good ;' break out thy portion of the bread of life, look upon these promises and offers of grace as including thee, these commands speakmg to thee, and these threatenings as concerning thee ; look upon it not only as God's message in common, but urge it upon thy soul : Jer. xv. 16, 'It was unto me the rejoicing of my heart.' There must be a particular application of these things. These things are necessary to this taste with respect to the object ; as there must be eating, a taking into the mouth, if we would taste, so there must be a digesting or work- ing upon the word, by sound belief, serious consideration, close application.