148 SERMONS UPON I'SALM CXIX. [SeR. CXXIII.
grace, and affliction, but will bear us out in life and death ; they have a joy that will make them to do and to suffer the will of the Lord. When once they have tasted the comforts of God's presence, other things will go down easy. I might ])ress you to look after this rejoicing of heart. It makes much for the glory of God, for the lionourof our portion, that we do not repent us of our choice, that we bear up cheerfidly. And it is of abundant ])rofit : the joy of the Lord is a Christian's strength ; it bears him out in doing for God. To this pur])ose you should beware of sin ; that is a clouding, darkening thing. Men or angels cannot keep their hearts comfortable that sin against God. Sin takes away all joy, peace, and the \yliolc strength of men ; and an angel cannot make the conscience of a sinner rejoice : therefore the children of God nmst take heed that they do not allow sin. In Acts ix. 31, ' They walked in the fear of God and comfort of the Holy Ghost.' Usually these two go together, and the oil of grace makes way for the oil of gladness; and usually obedience concurs to the establishing of our joy. Above all, look after com- munion with God, for he is the fountain of joy ; and the more communion we have with him, the more we rejoice. The more communion in ])rayer : 1 Sam. i. G, when Hannah prayed, ' she was no more sad.' Prayer hath a pacifying virtue in it. And then in the use of the seals, for these are assuring ordinances. Now the more we revive the grounds of assurance, the stronger the consolation ; that appears Heb. vi. 18, Acts viii. 39. The eunuch when he was baptized ' went away rejoicing.' When a man hath an inheritance made over to him, passed in court, all things done, the title not to be made void, then he goes and rejoiceth. So when the promises have been con- firmed by a solemn ratification, it makes joy. Then meditation and thanksgiving keep this joy alive ; thanksgiving gives vent, and medita- tion that maintains it.
SERMON CXXIII.
/ Imve inclined my heart to perform thy statutes always to the end. —
Ver. 112.
David did not only feast his soul with comforts, but also minded duty and service. In the former verse he had })rofessed his comfort and joy, resulting from an interest in the promise ; now he expresses the bent of his heart to God's statutes. Ephraim is represented as an heifer that is taught, that would tread out the corn, but not break the clods. It is a fault in Christians when they only delight to hear of }>rivileges, but entertain coldly enforcements of duty and obedience. David was of another temper ; first he said, ' I have taken thy testi- monies for an heritage,' and then, ' I have inclined my heart to perform thy statutes always to the end.'
In which words you have all the requisites of God's service.
1. The i)rinciple of obedience, / have inclined my heart.
2. The matter of obedience, thy statutes.
VeR. 112.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 149
3. The manner of doing — (1.) Accurately to perform; (2.) The universality and uniformity, always ; (3.) Constantly, to the end.
First, That which the Psalmist bringeth in evidence for himself is the frame of his heart ; he beginneth there, not with eyes or hands or feet, but my heart. Secondly, This heart is spoken of as inclined, l)oised, and set, to show his ]ironeness and readiness to serve God ; not compelled but inclined. The heart of man is set between two objects ; corruption inclineth it one way and grace another ; the law of sin on the one side and the law of grace on the other ; when the scales are cast on grace's side, then the heart is inclined to God^s statutes. Now he saitli, ' I have inclined.' It is the w^ork of God's Spirit to incline and bend our hearts, as David cxpresseth himself, ver. 36. But it is not unusual in scripture to ascribe to us what God worketh in us, because of our subservient endeavours to grace as we pursue the work of God. Certum est nos/acere quod facimas, sed Deus/acit ut faciamus, saith Augustine. It is our duty to incline our hearts to God's law, which naturally hang sinward, but it is God's work. God beginneth by his preventing grace, and the soul obeyeth the impression left upon it : ' Turn me and I shall be turned,' Jer. xxxi. 18. Yea, he still foUoweth us with his subsequent and co-operating grace ; we do but act under him : I inclined my heart after thou hadst filled it with thy Spirit ; when I felt the motions of thy grace, my consent followed ; preventing grace made me willing, and subsequent grace that I sliould not will in vain. Now, what was his heart inclined to ? To ' perform thy statutes ;' not to understand them only, or to talk of them, but inclined to per- form them, to go through with the worlc ; that is the notion of perform- ing : Rom. vii. 18, ' How to perform.' We render Karepyd^eadac by it ; to be complete in God's will, to do his utmost therein ; this not by fits and starts, but always, a continual care and conscience to walk in God's law, not suftering ourselves for any respect to be turned out of the way. Many have good motions by starts, temporise a little ; their goodness is like the morning dew ; it is thus not for a time, but to the end. A holy inclination while the fit lasteth is no such great matter ; this was to the last. Some stop in the middle of the journey, or faint before they come to the goal, but David hekl out to the last. Or this is brought as an evidence of his sincerity (the sum is a bent of heart carrying him out to pei-form whatsoever God doth command all the days of his life). I shall speak of what is most material, and observe this point —