2. They are supernaturally or spiritually sincere, and so propose this as their scope in all conditions, to live unto God : all their desires and resolutions are to this purpose. They have a sense of their own benefit, but still in subordination ; their purpose is to serve him diligently: Phil. i. 21, 'To me to live is Christ;' Bom. xiv. 7, 8, ' For none of us liveth to himself, and no man dieth unto himself : for whether we live, we live unto the Lord ; or whether we die, we die unto the Lord : whether we live or die, therefore, we are the Lord's.'
3. This is God's end in giving mercy, temporal or spiritual, to bring them to obedience : Luke i. 74, 75, ' That we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, might serve him without fear, in holiness and righteousness before him all the days of our life.' Save me, quicken me, and I will keep thy statutes. God's end in giving, and the end of gracious souls in seeking mercies and blessings, is much the same — that God may have the glory, as well as they the benefit and comfort of what he bestows upon them.
Use. Mind your service more ; engage yourselves to God anew, in every prayer : upon every mercy and answer of prayer : Lord, I desire this only in order to obedience.
SEBMON CLXIV.
/ cried unto thee ; save me, and I shall keep thy testimonies. —
Veil 146.
This verse is the same with the former, only these differences may be observed : —
54 SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. [SErv. CLXIV.
1. There the qualification of the prayer is expressed, ' I cried with my whole heart.' Here the person to whom he prayed, ' I cried to thee, 0 Lord.' He had told us before how he cried, now to whom he cried ; to thee have I sought, and to thee only.
2. The request was general, that God would hear him ; now parti- cular, that he would deliver him ; there it was ' hear me,' now ' save me.'
3. The notion which implieth the word of God is diversified ; there 'statutes,' here 'testimonies.'
4. Our translation expresseth another difference ; there it is, ' I will keep thy statutes,' as making it his vow and purpose ; here, ' I shall keep thy testimonies/ as making it the effect and fruit of his deliver- ance ; or, as it is in the marginal reading, ' that I may keep thy testi- monies,' as making it his scope and aim.
In the words observe —
1. An intimation of prayer, I cried unto thee.
2. The matter of his prayer, save me, or deliver me out of trouble.
3. The end and scope of his prayer, not for the satisfaction of his natural desire, but that he might have a heart and opportunity to serve God, and obey his word : that I may, or then I shall, keep thy testimonies.
Observations from the text.
Boot. 1. We should not lightly give over our suits to God.
Here is a repetition of the same prayer : I cried, yea, again I cried, and a third time : ver. 147, ' I prevented the dawning of the morning, and cried.' Si ter jpulsawbi nemo respondet, abito ; we use to knock at a door thrice, and then depart. Our Lord Jesus, Mat. xxvi. 44, ' prayed the third time the same words, saying, Father, if it be possible, let this cup depart from me.' So the apostle Paul : 2 Cor. ii. 8, ' For this I besought the Lord thrice, that it might depart from me.' So 1 Kings xvii. 21, ' And he stretched himself upon the child three times, and cried unto the Lord, and said, 0 Lord my God, I pray thee let this child's soul come into him again.' This it seemeth was the time in which they expected an answer in weighty cases, and yet I will not confine it to that number, for we are to reiterate our petitions for one and the same thing, so often as occasion requireth, till it be granted.
Now the reasons are : —
1. Because the force of importunity is very great : the two parables evidence that, Luke xi. and Luke xviii. ; if to obtain the Spirit, or right upon our enemies or oppressors. In both these parables there is a condescension to the suppositions of our unbelief ; if we suppose God tenacious and hard-hearted, or if we suppose him regardless and mindless of the affairs of the church ; or, to put it in milder terms, if we think nothing due to us : Luke xi. 8, ' If he will not rise and give him because he is his friend ;' or if our condition be so hard that we think it is past all relief; whatever be our secret and misgiving thoughts, we ought always to pray, /cat yx?) iicKaicelv, not to be overcome with evil : Luke xviii. 1, ' He spake a parable unto them to this end, that men ought always to pray, and not to faint ;' for importunity is of great prevalence with God and men.
VER. 146.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CX1X. 55