[4.] It is this taste that will make you more useful to others. That which we have seen, heard, and tasted, that we commend to others. A report of a report and tradition, it may be or not ; that is a cold thing, this is not a valid testimony. Ay ! but when you can speak of that which you ' have felt and tasted, your eyes have seen, and hands handled of the word of life,' 1 John i. 1 ; when it is matter of sense, then we can speak boldly and affectionately, as the apostle, 2 Cor. i. 4, ' That we might comfort them which are in trouble by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.' When we ourselves are comforted of God, and that which we speak is the result of our own experience, it makes us more useful in our Christian converse. The prophet Ezekiel was to eat his own prophecies, and St John to eat the book ; the meaning is, they must digest it. What we communicate to others, we must digest it ourselves, that, finding it sweet, we may speak the more effectually for God,
2, Do not lose this taste. Oh ! it is a sad thing to lose these spiritual senses. Hypocrites, their taste doth lightly come and lightly go; they have a little vanishing sweetness now and then, but it is soon gone ; it is a sad thing to lose our spiritual taste. It may be lost in a great measure ; sometimes a Christian hath it, and sometimes he hath it not, at least not in such a degree as formerly. Experience shows it may be lost too too often ; all the business will be to discern the first ten- dencies of this evil when we begin to lose our taste and spiritual senses. This may be discerned with respect to the threefold object of this taste — heavenly gift, the good word of God, and powers of the world to come,
[1.] Heavenly gift, that is Christ Jesus. When we do not so highly value the love of God in Christ, and prize his blood, and the precious effects of it; when we do not so earnestly beg pardon of sin, and hunger and thirst after his righteousness; when we have not that former earnestness and strength of desire to enjoy Christ, Time was when thou thoughtest no terms too dear for him, when thy heart made
52 SERMONS UPON TSALM CXIX. [SeR. CIX.
hard pursuit after him ; but now thou art grown cokl and careless, and so pass him by hghtly, as a full stomach with meat, with which it is cloyed ; when you are not so earnest and zealous for Christ, it is a sign you have lost your taste.
[2.] Your tasting of the good word of God. When you slight the word, cither in not reading, hearing, meditating in it so frequently as you were wont to do. Oh, time was when you could say, No honey or honeycomb so sweet as this to my poor soul ! Ps. xix. 10 ; when you could hardly call off your thoughts. Now you are more infrequent in these godly exercises, or else, if conversant about it, not with that life and that affection ; in a more customary manner you can read of the love of God and sufferings of Christ Jesus, without any love to him again ; can read the promises, and they seem to be but like dry chips and withered flowers, and not yield that marrow and fatness to you. You can read the promises of eternal life, and have not that joy, thankfulness, and blessing of God. You could hardly contain your- selves before, but cry out, ' Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, and blessed be God that hath visited and redeemed his l^eople.' Now your affections are more fiat and cold, and have not that i'elish in holy conference, sweetness in hearing, and that contentment of soul in meditating.
[3.] You may lose your taste in the powers of the world to come, when you grow more mindless of God, and eternal blessedness, when you have not such fresh and warm thoughts as you were wont to have; when your desires, hopes, expectations of the life to come is abated, you have not that lively hope, 1 Peter iii. 3, to quicken you for the attaining of eternal blessedness. While this taste is fresh upon the hearts of Christians, they are for heaven, for God, carried on with vigour and strength in the way of holiness ; but when your hearts are carried out to worldly vanity, and you relish more the honour, applause, fulness of estate, worldly increase, and you are grown more cold in heavenly things, you have lost this taste of the powers of the world to come, Heb. vi. 4,
The causes of this. One is, want of a due esteem, not an esteem, in an idea, naked or abstract notion from those thoughts out of a temptation. No man is so unreasonable, but, if he be a little enlight- ened with Christianity, will say, the favour of God is better than all things. Ay! but want of that practical esteem, when they can forfeit this taste for every trifle and flesh-pleasing vanity ; or when they care- lessly look after him, are indifferent as to communion with God, and think it not much whether they are accepted of God, yea or no ; or manifest himself to you in Christ, when the comforts of the Spirit are things you can spare, and the consolations of God seem to be small, it is all one to you whether you have experiences from God in duty or no, your souls are satisfied ; this is a cause of decaying. Then negli- gence in duties ; pray lazily, hear carelessly, not meditate often. Inordinate savour of carnal pleasure, that is another cause. What is the reason the temporary seems to be so affected ? He loseth his taste altogether ; carnal things have the first possession of his heart, and being confirmed there by long use and custom, being so suitable to us, and so long rooted in us, and we have such a vanishing glance of