VeR, 108.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. Ill
for his people ; for as we were maimed in Adam, not only as to graces but also as to gifts, so is our restitution by Christ, that the plaster may be as broad as the soi-e. We have necessary gifts given us by virtue of his ascension, whereby we may lay open our state and case to God. Indeed, all God's people have not a like measure of gifts, and carnal men may come behind in no gift, therefore have you the grace of prayer : Zech. xii. 10, ' I will pour upon them the Spirit of grace and supplication/ Have you a heart qualified by grace, made meet to converse with God ? the tendency and disposition of your souls that carrieth you to God ? grace that seeks a vent and utterance in prayer and holy converses wiih God ? and are you priests by purgation ? Every priest was to be washed in the great laver ; are you washed and purged from sin, that you may serve God acceptably ? Mai. iii. 3, first they must be purified, then offer unto the Lord an oftering in righteousness. God will not take a gift out of a carnal man's hand ; and therefore you should look to this, that you be purified and purged.
[2.] Do you offer spiritual sacrifices to God, of prayer and praise ?
(1.) Prayer, a duty very kindly to the saints. It is natural to them ; it is, as it were, the sphere of their activity, the Sj^tirit dis- covers himself to men in prayer. As soon as they are converted to God they will fall a-praying, and be dealing with God often in this kind ; therefore the children of God are described by this, as a duty wherein they are most exercised : Zeph. iii. 10, ' My suppliants ;' and Ps. xxiv. 6, ' This is a generation of them that seek thee ;' to show this is a vital act, a usual and constant expressing of the new nature that is put into them. Surely they that love God will be always seek- ing him, and a broken heart, sensible of its condition, can never want an errand to the throne of grace. You are to offer sacrifices as they did under the law. Now under the law there was a daily sacrifice, every morning they were to offer a lamb without spot, Num. xxviii. 3, to show that every morning they should come and sue out their pardon by Christ, and every evening to look to the Messiah, the lamb of God, that takes away the sins of the world ; that was the intent of the type. Now I reason thus : certainly we have as much need as they ; we are sinners as well as that people which lived under that dispensation ; therefore every morning we must look to the lamb of God. Nay, we have more reason, for they could not clearly discern the meaning of that type ; but now all things are open, we can behold the lamb of God, therefore must be often with God, suing out our pardon in the name of Christ.
(2.) The sacrifice of praise. It is notable when the apostle had spoken of Christ as a sin-offering he mentions this as the main thing in the gospel : Heb. xiii. 15, ' By him therefore let us offer the sacri- fice of praise to God continually.' Praise, it ought continually, fre- (piently, and upon all occasions to be offered to God, for this is a more noble duty than prayer. Self-love may put us upon prayer, but love to God puts us upon praise and thanksgiving ; we pray because we need God, and we praise because we love him. In prayer we become beggars, that God would bestow something upon us ; but in praise we come, according to poor creatures, to bestow something upon God, even to give him the glory due to his name, and tell him what he
112 SERMONS uroN PSALM cxix, [Ser. CXVIII.
liatli done for our poor souls. This is ilie most noble among all the parts of Christian worship. We have more cause to give thanks than to pray, for we have many things more to praise God for than to pray to him for. There are many favours which go before all thought of desert, and many favours still bestowed upon us beyond what we can either ask or think.
Doct. 2. Secondly, These spiritual offerings must be free-will-offer- ings to God. This expression is often spoken of in the law, Lev. xxii, 18 ; Num. xxix. 39 ; 2 Chron. xxxi. 14 ; Amos iv. 6. What are these free-will-offerings ? They are distinguished from God's stated worship, and distinguished from that service which fell under a vow. Besides the stated peace-offerings there were certain sacrifices performed upon certain occasions to testify God's general goodness, and upon receipts of some special mercy ; and you will find these sacrifices to be expressly distinguished from such services as men bound themselves to by vow, Lev. vii. 16. What is there that answers now to these free-will-offer- ings ? Certainly this is not spoken to this use, that a man should devise any part of worship of his own head, whatever pretence of zeal he hath ; but they serve to teach us two things : —