[1.] God, who hath such a pity over his suffering servants, is ready ever to do them good: Ps. xxxv. 1, ' Plead my cause, 0 Lord, with
VeR. 122.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 253
them that strive with me; fight against them that fight against me,' He is in such full relation, and so fast bound to them, that they may not he weary and impatient and swallowed up of despair, he will interpose. God seeth our sufferings, heareth our groans, suffereth together with us, and is afflicted in all our afflictions. Believe it assuredly that he will take the matter into his own hand, and he the party responsible : Ps. cxl. 12, ' I know that the Lord will maintain the cause of the afflicted, and the right of the poor,' AVoe be to them that would not have God for their party, joined in the cause of the afflicted. God hath given assurance of his protection not by words only, but by deeds : Prov. xxii. 23, ' The Lord will plead their cause, and spoil the soul of those that spoiled them.' He hath passed his word, and he will do it: Prov. xxiii. 11, 'For their redeemer is mighty ; he shall plead their cause with thee.' It is his title, Isa. li. 22, ' Thus saith thy Lord, the Lord and thy God, that pleadeth the cause of his people ; ' not by a verbal or local, but a real and active plea : Ezek. xxxviii. 22, ' And I will plead against him with pestilence, and with blood ; and I will rain upon him, and upon his bands, and the people that are with him, an overflowing rain, and grea?t hail- stones, fire and brimstone.' And Isa. 1. 8, ' He is near that jus- tifieth me ; who will contend with me ? let us stand together ; who is mine adversary? let him come near to me ; ' that is, let him join issue with me, commence his suit in law. We should be confident upon God's undertaking : Jer. 1. 34, ' Their redeemer is strong, the Lord of hosts is his name ; he shall thoroughly plead their cause, that he may give rest to the land.' It is a great ease in affliction to commit our cause unto God, and put our affairs into his hand.
[2.] God, who hath such power ; we need not fear any opposite if God be our surety: Ps. xxvii. 1, 'The Lord is my light and my salva- tion; whom shall I fear? the Lord is the strength of my life; of whom shall I be afraid ? ' Ps. xlvi. 1, 2, ' God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble ; therefore will not we fear, though the earth be removed, and the mountains be carried into the midst of the sea ; ' a resolution to adhere to God and his truth whatever cometh. If they be mighty, God is mightier ; if they be crafty, God is wiser. It is a great crime to fear men so as not to trust in God ; it is a great sin to fear men so as not to fear God. When we comply with them in things displeasing to God, this is to set men above God.
Secondly, We come to the limitation, end, or fruit of this suretyship, ' For good.' There are three expositions of this clause, as noting the end, the cause, the event. (1.) Undertake for me, ut sim bonus et Justus ; so Eabbi Arama on the place, Be surety for me that I may be good. Theodoret expounds it. Undertake that I shall make good my resolution of keeping thy law. He that enjoineth, undertaketh. Though we have precepts and promises, without God's undertaking we shall never be able to perform our duty. (2.) ' In good,' so some read it. God would not take his part in an evil cause. To commend a wrong cause to God's protection is to provoke him to hasten our punishment, to make us serve under our oppressors. But when we have a good cause and a good conscience, he will own us. We cannot expect he should maintain us and bear us out in the devil's
254 SERMONS UPON PSALM cxix. [Ser. CXXXIII.
service, "wliercin we liave entangled ourselves by onr own sin. (3.) ' For good ; ' so it is often rendered : Ps. Ixxxvi. 17, ' 8how me a tokeu for good;' »]er. xiv. 11, Tray not for this people for good.' So Neh. xiii. 31, ' Eenioraber nie, 0 my God, for good.' So here, * Be surety for thy servant for good.'
Doct. We should only desire the interposing of God's providence so as may be for good to us.
I shall first give you the reasons, and then give you some rules con- cerning this good here mentioned.
Reason!. Because then we pray according to God's undertaking: Ps. xxxiv. 10, ' But they that seek the Lord sliall not want any good thing ; ' they may want food, want raiment, want many things, but they shall want no good thing : Ps. Ixxxiv. 11, ' No good thing will he withhold.' He may keep us low and bare, withhold many temporal mercies from us, feed us from hand to mouth, and short conuuons may be sweet and wholesome, and deny to give us larger revenues and in- comes. If they were good for us, we should have them. God with- holds these things so as our need and good doth require : Jer. xxiv. 5, ' Whom I have sent out of this place into the land of the Chaldeans for their good.' Their captivity was for good.