VePv, 109.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 117
of men that have no principle of tenderness to us, no restraint upon tliem, these begin to vex, molest, and trouble the Church.
For the reasons why God permits it so, that his people should carry their lives in their hands.
1. God doth it to check security, to which we are very subject. We are apt to forget changes ; if we have but a little breatliing from trouble, we promise ourselves perpetual exemption therefrom ; as Ps. XXX. 6, ' My mountain stands strong, I shall never be moved.' When we have got a carnal pillow under our heads to rest upon, it is hard to keep from sleep, and dreaming of temporal felicity to be perpetuated to us ; then we forget by whom we live, and by whose goodness we subsist ; yea, this may be when trials are very near : the disciples slept when their master was ready to be surprised and they scattered, Mat. xxvi. 40 ; when we are in the greatest dangers, and matters which most concern us are at hand. Now, to prevent this security, God draws away this pillow from under our heads, and suffers us to be waylaid with dangers and troubles everywhere, that we might carry our lives in our hands, for this makes us sensible of our present con- dition in the world, and that we subsist upon God's goodness and providence every moment.
2. To wean us from creature confidences and carnal dependences : 2 Cor. i. 9, ' We received the sentence of death in ourselves, that we should not trust in ourselves, but in God which raisetli the dead.' Paul, that went up and down everywhere to hunt the devil out of his territories, and to alarm the carnal sleepy world, this Paul was very prone to trust in himself ; a man that was whipped, imprisoned, stoned, opposed everywhere by unreasonable men, what had he to trust to but God's providence ? And yet he needs to be brought to this, to take his life in his hands, that he might learn to trust in God that raiseth from the dead. The best are prone to trust in themselves, and to lean to a temporal, visible interest. We would fain have it by any means^ therefore sometimes we take a sinful course to get it. Well, now, God, to cure his people of this distemper, breaks every prop and stay which they are apt to lean upon, breaks down the hedge, the fence is removed, and lays them open to dangers continually, so that from day to day they are forced to seek their preservation from him.
3. To check their worldliness. We are very apt to dote upon present things, and to dream of honours and great places in the world, and seek great things for ourselves, when we should be preparing for bitter sufferings. As the two sons of Zebedee employed their mother to speak to Christ ; being near of kin to him, she comes in a cunning manner, under pretence to worship him, and propounds a general question to him; she does not at first propose the particular, but says in general, ' I have a certain thing to request of thee.' And what was her request ? ' That one of my sons may sit on thy right hand, and the other on the left, in thy kingdom.' Saith Christ, ' To sit on my right hand and on my left is not mine to give, but it shall be given to them for whom it is prepared of my father.' Mark, out of this story you learn how apt Christ's own disciples are to dote upon worldly honour and greatness. The sons of Zebedee, James and John, those two worthy disciples, employ their mother to Christ in such a
118 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. CXIX.
message ; tliey were dreaming of earthly kingdoms and worldly honour that should be shared between them, notwithstanding Christ taught them rather to prepare for crosses in this world. Do but reflect the light of this uiion your own hearts. Do we think we are better than those a])ostles ? and that it is an easy thing to shut the love of the world, and the honour thereof, out of our hearts, since they were so enchanted, with the witchery of it? Therefore Christ tells them, Mat. xx, 22, ' Alas ! poor creatures, ye know not what ye ask : can you pledge me in my cup, and be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with ? ' We know not what we do when we are hunting after high |)laccs in the world ; we arc to pledge Christ in his bitter cup before our advancement come. ISTay, to prove this is not only the w^orldling's disease, but it is very incident to the choicest of God's people ; for after Christ had suffered and rose again, the apostles were not dispossessed of this humour, but still did dream of worldly ease and honour, therefore they come to Christ with this question, Acts i. 6, ' Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel ? ' meaning, in the Jewish sense, break the Ronian yoke, and give them power and dominion over the nations, hoping for a great share to themselves when this work was done. Thus you see human weakness and the love of worldly honour bewrays itself in Christ's own disciples. One instance more, in Jer. xlv. 5. of Baruch, ' Seekest thou great things for thyself ? seek them not.' Baruch, he was Jeremiah's scribe, had written his prophecy, and believed it, that dreadful roll, written it over, yet he was seelcing some great thing for himself. The best are apt to think they shall shift well enough for themselves in the world ; therefore saitli Jeremiah, For thou to have thoughts of honour and credit, and a peaceful and prosperous estate, when all is going to rack and ruin, never dream upon such a matter. Now judge whether there be not great cause that God should bring his people to such a condition that they should carry their life in their hands from day to day, that he might cure them of this distemper.