[4.] Consider upon what good reason God's knowing all things is built; his creation and providence. If he made all things, and sus- taineth all things, surely he knoweth all things in particular, for every wise man knoweth what he doth. A father cannot forget how many children he hath. He that leadeth us by the hand wherever we go, knoweth where and how we go. Christ knew when virtue passed from him in a crowd; he said, 'Somebody toucheth me, for I perceive that virtue is passed out from me,' Luke viii. 45, 46. Certainly God
VER. 171.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 245
knoweth there is such a creature as thou art, such a man or woman of the world, knoweth thy uprising and down-lying : Ps. cxxxix. 2, ' Thou understandest my thoughts afar off.' He knoweth whether we are laughing, mourning, or praying. He that will judge thee knoweth thee, or else he were an incompetent judge.
[5.] Humble thyself for walking so unanswerably. It would trouble us to have our thoughts, counsels, actions, all we think and speak, divulged and published. All is naked and open to God. If we did not think God's eye a fancy and fond conceit, we would at least walk more humbly. It would trouble us exceedingly if men had a window into our hearts in a time of prayer. Why not because God seeth ? How watchful are we not to incur the penalty of man's law, but offences against God are lightly passed over. With what copiousness and Sowings of language will men enlarge themselves in prayer when in company, and how slight and overly in closet duties, if not wholly neglective of them ; which is in effect to say, .Our heavenly father seeth not in secret.
SERMON CLXXXIV.
My lips shall utter praise, when thou hast taught me thy statutes. —
Ver. 171.
In the two former verses he had prayed — (1.) For an increase of saving knowledge, ver. 169. (2.) For deliverance out of his troubles, ver. 170. He reinforceth his request by a promise of thankfulness, if he could get a gracious answer to that, ' My lips shall utter praise,' &c. In the words we have—
1. A resolution of praise, my lips shall utter praise.
2. The reason and occasion of it, when thou hast taught me thy statutes.
First, A resolution of praise.
The Avord for ' uttereth praise,' signifieth that praise should break from him as water boileth and bubbleth up out of a fountain. Indeed words cometh from the abundance of the heart, Mat. xii. 34 ; either from the plenty of spiritual knowledge, John iv. 38 — as a fountain yieldeth water, so his knowledge breaketh out into praises — or from the plenty of spiritual affection ; rather from the great esteem of the benefit, or fulness of joy at the thought of it. It is a great privilege to be delivered from blindness and ignorance : ' To you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God,' Mat. xiii. 11. Now they that have a spiritual gust and taste are so affected with it that they cannot be enough thankful for it ; and it is notable that this thankfulness is promised upon granting the first request.
Doct. Divine illumination is so great a gift, that all who are made partakers of it are especially obliged to praise and thanksgiving.
This will appear by these considerations : —
1. That upon the receipt of every mercy we should praise God. There is an equity in it, for this is God's pact and agreement with us :
246 sermons upon psalm cxix. [Seb. CLXXXIV.
Ps. 1. 15, ' Call upon me in the day of trouble, and I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me.' We are forward in supplications, but backward in gratulations ; all the lepers could beg health, but one returned to give glory to God, Luke xvii. 18. Self-love puts us upon prayers, but the love of God upon praises. Now we should be as much affected, or rather more, in the receiving mercies, as we were in asking mercies ; because before we knew it only by guess and imagi- nation, but then by actual feeling and experience of the comfort of it. Therefore to seek, and not to praise, is to be loving to ourselves.
2. Those that have received most from God are most bound to honour him and praise him, for the return must carry some propor- tion with the receipt : 2 Chron. xxxii. 25, ' Hezekiah rendered not according to the benefit done unto him ;' not according to the kind, only good, and not evil for good, but according to the degree. Great mercies require great acknowledgments: she loved much to whom much was forgiven, and she x loved little to whom little, Luke vii. 47. More sins pardoned, more mercies received, God expecteth more love, more praise, more thanksgiving. And Luke xii. 48, ' For unto whom- soever much is given, of him much shall be required ; and to whom men commit much, of him will they ask the more.' Christ pleadeth the equity from the practice of men. The more helps, the more work and service we expect. He should come sooner who rideth on horse- back than he that cometh on foot ; so the more light and knowledge God vouchsafeth, the more honour and glory he expecteth from us.