The third note is taken from the promise of obedience upon the sup- position of this help from God, ' Uphold me.' What then ? ' And I will have respect unto thy statutes.' Observe —
Doct. 3. The more experience we have of God's grace in the ju'c- serving us from sin and danger, the more avo should be encouraged in his ways. Why so ?
1. Because of the obligation. It is his mercy which requires thank- fulness. Now gratitude and thankfulness is the true principle which should urge us to perform our duty to God. Observe, there are several principles which put men upon God's service, some false and rotten, some more tolerable, some lawful, some excellent. Some false and rotten, as carnal custom. Shall we serve God, say they, as we have done ? Zech. vii. 3 ; when men only do as they have done, it is the manner of the place, they learn it of their fathers, and so customarily worship and serve God. Then vainglory, to be seen of men ; that is a ]-otten thing, Mat. vi. Come and see my zeal for the Lord, saith Jehu. This may put us upon great seeming zeal and activity. So for profit, to make a market of religion ; as the pliarisees got themselves credit to be trusted with widows' estates by their long prayers ; these are rotten principles. Then some are more tolerable, not so bad principles as the I'ormer ; as when we serve God out of ho])e of temporal mercy, as when they howl upon their beds for corn, wine, and oil, Hosea vii. 4 ; or for fear of temporal judgments', when men hang down their heads
YeRS. 116, 117.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 207
like a bulrusli for a wliile, or else for mere fear of eternal death, tliey shall else Le damned ; when men's duties are a sin-offering, a sleepy- sop to appease an accusing conscience. But then there are some that are lawful, good, and sound, as when duties are done out of the impul- sion of an enlightened conscience, that urgetli them to that which is good ; or upon the bare command of God, his authority swaying the conscience ; or when they walk in the ways of God out of the consi- deration of the reward to come, a respect to heaven ; this is very good in its place. Again, there are some excellent principles of grace, and which do most of all discover a gospel spirit, a well-tempered frame of soul to God, and these are love to God because of his benefits and love to us, gratitude, and thankfulness : 1 John iv. 19, ' We love him because he first loved us;' and Eom. xii. 1, ' I beseech you by the mercies of God ; ' when we serve him out of love. Again, when we serve him out of delight, out of love to the duty, find such a compla- cency in the work that we love the work for the work's sake ; as David, ' I love thy law because it is pure ;' when w^e love the law for the purity of it ; or when the glory of God prevails above all our own interests ; or when the promises and covenant of God enabling of us ; that is our principle, Heb. x. 16. I observe this, men usually are brought on from one sort of principle to another ; from sinful principles they are brought to tolerable and lawful, and from lawful to those that are rare and excellent.
2. This is such a mercy as gives us hope of more mercy in that kind. If God hath held us up, and we have been safe hitherto, then we may say, Thou hast held me up. We may look for more ; new temptation will bring new strength, every day's work will bring its own refresh- ment. God, by giving, binds himself more to give, for he loves to crown his own w^ork. When he hath done good, he will do good again : Zech. iii. 2, ' Is not this a brand plucked out of the fire ?' He hath saved us, and he will save us. And it holds good sometimes in temporal mercies : 2 Cor. i. 10, ' He hath delivered us from so great a death, and doth deliver.' But especially it holds good in spiritual mercies : 2 Tim. iv, 17, 18, ' He hath delivered me out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord shall deliver me from every evil work, and will preserve me unto his heavenly kingdom.' One act of mercy gives us more. God, that hath begun, will make an end ; he that hath kept me will keep me.
Use. It serves to reprove two sorts of people: —
1. Those that are unthankful after their deliverance. We forget his care of us, and never think how much we owe to him. When the mariners have gotten to the haven and harbour, they forget the tem- pest ; so these forget how God stood by them in the temptation and conflict ; they do not abound more in the work of the Lord. These are like those that would have deliverance, that thorns might be taken out of the way, that they might run more readily to that which is evil.