2. For assurance and firm confidence ; before the thing promised be obtained, God pawneth his word with us, which we must hold till the performance come. Now they that can thus hold it, and believe the promise, will be often in prayer, that the word may be both esta- blished to them, 2 Sam. vii. 25, and fulfilled: Ps. cxvi. 10, ' I have believed, and therefore have I spoken.'
Secondly, From the nature of hope, which implieth two things, both which have an influence upon prayer — earnest expectation, and patient tarrying the Lord's leisure.
1. Earnest expectation : Phil. i. 20, ' According to my earnest ex- pectation and my hope.' This exciteth the soul by all means to pur- sue after the thing hoped for. When Daniel understood by books that the time was come, then was he vehement and earnest, Dan. ix. 2, 3. Elijah, when he saw a cloud but as big as a man's hand, he saith, 1 Kings xviii. 43, ' Go bid Ahab prepare his chariot ; get thee down, that the rain stop thee not.' What we look for, we will pray for.
2. Patient tarrying. We read of ' the patience of hope,' 1 Thes. i. 3 ; and so, though they seem long delayed, yet hope in the promise will make us wait, and abide the performance of them ; because they are assured they shall find the fruit of them at last.
Use. You see how we pray ; the occasion of prayer is necessity, our necessities lead us to the promise ; that inviteth us, and giveth us assurance, and yields matter for faith and hope ; that puts us upon looking and waiting ; these two make us pray. When we can join patientiam spei cum ardor e desiderii ; the earnestness of expectation, that keepeth us from sloth or negligence in the use of the means, or excites us to call upon God ; and patience, that keeps us from fainting
VER. 148.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 77
or discouragement : hence conieth that earnest diligence and constant unceasing importunity, so as to give God no rest. The belief of God's promises do not make us neglect means, but to be more diligent in the use of them.
SERMON CLXVI.
Mine eyes prevent the night watches, that I might meditate in thy word. — Yku. 148.
We hear before of David's diligence in prayer, now in meditation. His prayer was encouraged by his hope, his hope was fed by the word, and the word improved by meditation ; for he saith, ' I hope in thy word/ and then, ' Mine eyes prevent the night watches/ &c. In the words we have —
1. An account of his vigilancy and diligence, mine eyes prevent the night watches.
2. The duty wherein he was exercised, that I might meditate in thy v:ord.
The first branch needeth a little illustration — what is meant by 'night watches/ and what by preventing these night watches.
1. What is meant by ' night watches ' ? Drusius telleth us that the night among the Hebrews was divided into three watches. The first watch was called the head or beginning of the watches : Lam. iii. 19, 'Arise, cry out in the night, in the beginning of the watches; pour out thine heart like water before the Lord.' The second was called the middle watch : Judges vii. 19, ' Gideon came to the outside of the camp in the beginning of the middle watch.' The third and last was called the morning watch : Exod. xiv. 24, ' In the morning watch the Lord troubled the host of the Egyptians.' This was the rirst division of the night among the Hebrews into three watches ; but it seemeth afterwards, when they were acquainted with the Romans, they had four watches ; as Mat. xiv. 21, 'In the fourth watch of the night Jesus went to them, walking on the sea.' For every three hours they had a new watch, and according to this latter division they were called, the evening, and the midnight, and the cock-crowing, and the dawning, Mark xiii. 35. Now whether we reckon by the first or second division, it cannot be imagined that David should be wholly without sleep. Rabbi David Kinichi thinketh he gave the first watch to sleep, and the othe«r two to the meditation of the word, and that he did this often when the nights were long. I think it is meant of the third and last watch, and so it agreeth with the dawning of the morning men- tioned in the former verse ; and this watch, which is called the morn- ing watch, did David prevent, getting up early to entertain himself with delightful meditations on the word of God. The Septuagint reads it, ' Early in the morning.'
2. What is meant by preventing the night watches ? Either that he was more careful to awake at several times of the night to meditate on God's word than they to keep their watches who were appointed
78 sermons urox rsAoi cxix. [Ser. CLXVI.
thereunto, or that he did not need to be called upon by them ; for the watchmen were wont to tell them the seasons and watches of the night, but he needed not that help, his own desires and delights awakened him ; so that in effect he saith, When others are so fast asleep that either they do not wake in the night, or if they do, it is because they are interrupted in their sleep by the noises of the watch or guard, I need no such excitation, ' for my eyes prevent the night watches ; ' sleep flieth from them of its own accord, that my mind may be de- lighted with the meditation of God's word. The points are : —