2. This is accepted by the saints with thanksgiving, and valued by them as a special answer of prayer ; they value it more than temporal deliverance itself many times ; as 2 Cor. xii. 9, 10, Paul })rays for the removal of the thorn in the flesh thrice, when God only gives him this answer, ' My grace is sufficient for thee ;' saitli Paul then, ' I will rejoice in mine infirmities,' so I might have strength and support in grievous weaknesses, reproaches, and afflictions, whatever they be. So Ps. cxxxviii. 3, ' In the day when I cried, thou answeredst me, and strengthenedst me with strength in my soul.' That is noted as a special answer of prayer. How did he hear him ? With strength in my soul. Though he did not give him deliverance, he gave him sup- port, so that was acknowledged as a very great mercy.
3. There are many cases wherein we cannot expect temporal de- liverance, then we must only go for quickening and support ; when by a lingering disease we are drawing down to the chambers of death, and our outward strength is clean spent and gone, then have we sup- port; that is a great mercy: Ps. Ixxiii. 26, when strength fail and heart fail, 'God is the strength of my heart, and portion for ever;' that is, to have his heart quickened by God in the languishing of a mortal disease. So 2 Cor. iv. IG, ' Though our outward man perish, yet our inward man is renewed day by day.' There are many troubles that cannot be avoided, and therefore we are then to be earnest with God for spiritual strength.
Use. Well, then, you see upon what occasion we should go for grace rather than for temporal deliverance. We should pray from the new nature ; not deliver me, but quicken me ; and if the Lord should suspend deliverance, why, that will be our strength in time of trouble: Ps. xxxvii. 39, ' The salvation of the righteous is of the Lord ; he is their strength in the time of trouble.'
But more particularly, let us take notice of this request : ' Quicken me,' saith he.
VeR. 107.] SERMONS UPON TSALM CXIX. 103
Doct. Quickening grace must be asked of God.
1. What is quickening?
2. Why asked of God ?
First, What is this quickening ? Quickening in scripture is put for two things : —
1. For regeneration, or the first infusion of the life of grace ; as Eph. ii. 5, ' And you tliat Avere dead in trespasses and sins hath he quickened ;' that is, infused life, or making to live a new life.
2. It is put for the renewed excitations of God's grace, God's breathing upon his own work. God. that begins life in our souls, carries on this life, and actuates it. Now this kind of quickening is twofold spoken of in this psalm ; there is quickening in duties, and quickening in afiiictions. Quickening in duties, that is opposite to deadness of spirit ; quickening in affliction, that is opposite to faintness.
[1.] Quickening in duties, that is opposite to that deadness of spirit which creeps upon lis now and then, and is occasioned either by our negligence or by our carnal liberty, that deadness of spirit that doth hinder the activity of grace.
(1.) By our negligence and slothfulness in the spiritual life, when we do not stir up ourselves : Isa. Ixiv. 7, ' There is none that stirreth up himself to take hold on thee;' when men grow careless and neg- lectful in their souls. An instrument, though never so well in tune, yet if hung up and laid by, soon grows out of order ; so when our hearts are neglected, when they are not under a constant exercise of grace, a deadness creeps upon us. Wells are sweeter for the draining. Our graces they are more fresh and lively the more they are kept a-work, otherwise they lose their vitality, A key rusts that is seldom turned in the lock, and therefore negligence is a cause of this dead- ness : 2 Tim, i. G, ' Stir up the gift that is in thee.' We must blow up the ashes. There needs blowing if we would keep in the fire ; we grow dead and lukewarm, and cold in the spiritual life, for want of exercise.
(2.) This deadness is occasioned by carnal liberty : Ps. cxix. 37, ' Turn away mine eyes from beholding vanity, and quicken thou me in thy way.' When we have been too busy about the vanities of the world, or pleasures of the flesh, when we have given contentment to the flesh, and been intermeddling with worldly cares and delights, it brings a brawn and deadness upon the heart : Luke xxi. 34, ' Take heed that your hearts be not overcharged with surfeiting and drunken- ness, and the cares of this world,' &c. I say, by this the soul is dis- tempered, and rendered inapt for God. Christians ! this is a disease very incident to the saints, this deadness that creeps upon them. We have not such lively stirrings, nor a like influence of grace ; we bave not those earnest and lively motions we were wont to have in prayer. Now God he quickeneth us. How ? By exciting the operative graces, as faith, love, hope, and fear, when these are kept pregnant and lively, as we read of ' lively hope,' 1 Peter i, 3. There is living faith and lively faith, and living fear and lively fear of God, and living hope and lively hope. All graces God makes them lively and viva- cious, that they may put forth their operations the more readily. Weil, this is quickening in duties.