2. His value and esteem of God's favour : Ps. iv. 6, 7, ' There be many that say, Who will show us any good ? Lord, lift thou up the light of thy countenance upon us. Thou hast put gladness in my heart, more than in the time that their corn and their wine increased.' Esteem of spiritual privileges is a great means to continue them to us. We feel no more of God's love, because we are not thankful for the enjoyment of it. It must be a practical esteem, such as moveth us to to seek it earnestly, as David professeth here it would satisfy him if God would look upon him. We count ourselves most miserable in the want of it ; but if we have it, it allayeth all worldly discontents, abateth our desires of worldly comforts.
3. His confidence. One look from God is enough, it is all lie beggeth ; as the saints in like cases, if their God would but look upon them: Deut. xxvi. 15, 'Look down from thy holy habitation, from heaven, and bless thy people Israel.' So Isa. Ixiii. 15, ' Look down from heaven, and behold from the habitation of thy holiness and of thy glory.' Without any labour, only by this look thou canst help all our evils ; and will not God casta look upon us, especially when we call him by his name ?
368 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SeR. CXLV.
Reason 1. Because in our distresses the main tiling we should look on is not so much the removal of God's anger, and the removal of the evil, as the renewed sense of his love, to be reconciled to them : 2 Ciiron. vii. 14, ' If my people, which are called by my name, shall humble themselves, and pray, and seek my face, and turn from their wicked- ness, then will I hear from heaven, and forgive their sins, and will heal their land/ It is a part of the prescribed remedy to seek the face of God, or a favourable look from him ; that is put in among the con- ditions, otherwise we are not affected with our true misery, and the cause of all our trouble, though we may seriously enough desire to be rid of the trouble, or the effects and the strokes of God's anger. The brute creatures can feel pain as well as we, and howl when they find anything inconvenient to that nature which they have, as well as we cry to God : Hosea vii. 14, ' And they have not cried unto me with their hearts, when they howled upon their beds.' God accounts it as bowling when we do not seek God's favour and grace, as well as the- supply of our outward necessities. It is an easy matter to be sensible of the evil of trouble ; nature will teach us that.
2. Because that bringeth other things along with it. If God look upon us he will help us ; his love and power are set a- work for us, for his eye affecteth his heart. When his heart is affected, he will ' stir up his strength, and come and save us.' So that, go to the fountain- head of all mercies, when you beg a favour, look for it from God, for God's favour is the fountain of all blessings, and without it all your other comforts will do you no good: Ps. Ixxx. 19, ' Turn us again, 0 Lord of hosts ; cause thy face to shine, and we shall be saved.' When God once showetli the evidences of his favour and reconciliation to them, other mercies come of their own accord. Oh ! then, be assured of the favour of God.
3. If we continue in our misery, a look from God will sweeten all : * We glory in tribulation also, because of the love of God shed abroad in our hearts, by his Spirit given to us,' Rom. v. 3-5. To be in favour with God is enough, and sweetens the bitterest of all our troubles. The comfort of the creature maybe supplied with this greater comfort, that if affliction be not removed, it is made light to us.
Use 1. Beg earnestly for God's look. It is an ill sign to be careless and regardless of it. Surely the heart is too much carried to earthly comforts, if you care not how God standeth affected to you. God deliver us from such a sottish spirit, that we should neither care for God's frowns nor smiles, nor be sensible of his coming and going. David said, ' Mine eyes are ever towards the Lord,' Ps. xxv. 15, to observe him and his postures; but most men, their eyes are ever towards temporal accidents, how the times smile or frown upon them ; or if they think of God, they judge of his respect to them by outward things, but have not any regard to his favour, whether God bo recon- ciled to them or angry with them.
2. Improve it to hope : Ps. Ixxx. 14, ' Return, we beseech thee, O God of hosts, look down from heaven, and behold and visit this vine.' Will God love his people, and take notice of their sorrows, and not help them ? God will manifest his respects and kindness to his people by some visible deliverance, when it shall be good for them.