YeR. 131.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 361
urging afFection ? Surely there will be secret, deep, and frequent sighs, there will be a striving with Grod in prayer, and constant attendance upon God. Such an active afFection cannot be hid. Most men desire so little, it cannot be known whetlier it be desire or no.
[5 ] God's children have these desires, because they see more in the word than others do or can do. Spiritual discerning is a help to spiritual affections. They whose eyes are anointed with spiritual eye- salve see wonders in the law, and so are wondrously affected with them. But why should God's children see more ?
(1.) They look through'the spectacles of faith, they believe the com- mands to be the commands of the great God, the promises to be the promises of God, and therefore as good as performance ; and so what to others seem fancies and fine dreams, to them are the chiefest reali- ties : Heb. xi. 13, ' These all died in faith, not having received the promises, but having seen them afar off, and were persuaded of them, and embraced them.' Who would, having the promises, be so strangely transported, but they that are strongly persuaded ? Faith, that looketh upon the things })romised as sure and near, maketh them more active and lively. They that have not faith, or do not exercise faith, have but cold affections ; but they who believe these wonderful felicities which the word of God speaketh of, long to enjoy what they are sure is true.
(2.) They look into it with an eye of love, and love sets a price on things : they see more of the loveliness of spiritual things than others do. Men's affections are according to the constitution of their souls, or the end they propound to themselves. They that are carnally dis- posed know all things after the flesh, and value them by the interests of the flesh, as that is gratified ; and they that are spiritually disposed are affected accordingly as men's genius lieth. And that is the reason, why eminent grace hath strong affections, which carnal men are not competent judges of. It seemeth improbable to them that a man shoukl have such fervent desires of holiness, and be able to speak thus to God, ' I opened my mouth, and panted : for I longed for thy com- mandments.' The constitution of their souls is quite otherwise, and their hearts hang world- ward ; they have not such a sense of their duty, and do not make it their business to please God ; and so, having no deep sense and conscience of their duty, they do not see such a need of the w^ord as their guide and help. They have no love to these things, therefore no passionate desire ; for this is the order — the will chooseth, love desireth the union, desire presseth to endeavours after it. But now a godly man, that maketh it his business to please God, the principal desire and choice of his will is to be what God would have him to be, and to do what God would have him to do.
(3.) Because they have experience. Two things quicken our affec- tion to anything that is good, viz., the knowledge of the worth and use of things, and our want of them. And the children of God know both of these by experience, in the course of that life wherein they are engaged ; and nothing is known so intimately and pressingly as what is known by experience. By experience they see the want of the word of God, and its comforts and helps ; not only when God first touched their hearts with care of saving their souls, and they were humble,
362 SERMONS UPON PSALM cxix. [Ser. CXLIV.
and parched with a sense of sin and wrath ; all things were then unsavour}^, as the white of an egg ; then tliey longed, they panted for one comfortable word from God, one passage of scripture to give them ease ; and the word becometh as necessary as meat to the hungry, and drink to the thirsty, and cool air to the weary : Mat. xi. 28, * Come unto me, all je that are weary and heavy laden, and ye shall find rest to your souls.' But still they are sensible of their spiritual necessities, so as they cannot breathe without it, nor thrive without it, they find such a necessity of it. It is the food of their souls, the seed and principle of their being, the rule of their lives, the means of their growth, the charter of their hopes, their defence and strength in temptations and assaults. Christ liimself guarded himself with the M'ord when he was assaulted. Now, being practically convinced of this, they must needs have vehement longings after it ; and after a more full understanding of it, they find by experience that the soul is apt to faint as well as the body: Heb. xii. 3, 'Lest ye be weaiy, and faint in your minds;' and tliat in all these things nothing relieveth them but the comfort and direction God giveth them in his word.
[6.] The more godly any are, the more they feel these strong affec- tions. All that have life, their pulses do not beat alike strongly ; some are weak, others more robust. So it is in grace ; some have larger souls than others, and so, as they are more in action for God, they must have more supplies, and a greater measure of spirit and grace ; these long and pant. In others there is a greater sluggishness and narrowness of mind, and they rest satisfied with what they have, their spiritual affections are not so raised ; and therefore every one that is godly is not acquainted with this panting and breathing and long- ing ; they have so much appetite as is necessary to maintain the new creature, but not these enlarged desires. I confess you are to judge by your willingness rather than the passionate stirrings of your affec- tions. It is the heart which God requireth, and if he hath the will he hath the heai't. But yet affectionate workings of the soul towards spiritual and heavenly things are very sweet, and such as all Chris- tians should strive for, but not the best marks by which to judge of our estate. There may be a solid and sincere intention and choice, when there is little stirring perceived in the affections. If the will be fixedly set for God, the man is upright. Yet you are to endeavour to raise your affections to that height which is suitable to the excel- lency of the object ; especially when it is movingly represented to us, our desires should be upon the wing. It is a duty ; as far as we can reach it, we should. The more the soul is refined from the dregs of carnal longings and worldly lusts, the more are they enlarged towards God ; and as tlieir passionate desires of earthly things are abated, so their spiritual desires are enlarged. David saith, Ps. cxix. 3G, ' In- cline my heart unto thy testimonies, and not to covetousness.' And the apostle, Col. iii. 2, ' Set your affections on things above, and not on things on earth.' The more the heart is given to the one, the more it is taken off from the other. Riches, honours, and pleasures, as these are loved, they hinder this noble working of the soul, this breaking, longing, panting for better things. Worldly things have a great ad- vantage over our affections, because they are sensible and near us, and