Use 3. Exhortation to press you to glorify God and praise him, if he hath given you any knowledge of himself and of the way of salvation.
1. This is God's end in bestowing his grace, that in word and deed we should be to the praise of his glorious grace : 1 Peter ii. 9, ' That ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light.'
2. You were as indocile and unteachable as others, only God made the difference : Job ii. 12, ' For vain man would be wise, though man be born like the wild ass's colt;' Jer. xxxi. 18, 'Like a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke ;' and therefore the glory must entirely redound to him. You might have perished as a witless fool, and gone to hell as others do, but that God gave you counsel.
954 sermons upon rsALM cxix. [Ser. CLXXXV.
3. It is the way to increase it : Col. ii. 7, ' Hooted and built up in him, and established in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving.' Thanksgiving for what we have received is an effectual means to make us constant, grow and abound in every orace : ' Let the people praise thee, 0 God, yea, let all the people praise thee,' Ps. lxvii. 3. Look, as the vapours go up, so the showers come down. Experiences of former mercies thankfully acknowledged draweth down more mercy.
4. Prayer necessarily inferreth praise : Phil. iv. 6, ' In everything by prayer and supplication, with thanksgiving, let your requests be made known to God.' Blessing God for favours already received is necessary to be joined with prayer ; it is disingenuous to be always craving, and never give thanks. Be thankful and depend for more ; not always pore upon wants, but take a survey of your mercies, and that will not only enlarge your hearts in thankfulness, but even invite God to bestow further mercies.
SEBMON CLXXXV.
My tongue shall speak of thy icord : for all thy commandments are righteousness. — Ver. 172.
The man of God had spoken in the former verse how his lips should praise God ; here is his second promise that he maketh, of holy conference with others. In the words we have : —
1. David's resolution, my tongue shall speak of thy word.
2. The reason; because it contained matter that deserved to be spoken of, for all thy commandments are righteousness.
[1.] He speaketh of the whole word of God, all thy commandments.
[2.] In the abstract, are righteousness ; altogether righteous and faithful.
First, From the first branch, David's resolution, 'My tongue shall speak of thy word/ observe—
Doct. The subject of a believer's ordinary discourse should be the word, and those spiritual and heavenly matters contained therein.
1. Not that they are always talking of these things ; there is a time for all things ; the business of our calling will sometimes take us up, and sometimes our recreations ; but yet there should be generally a difference between us and others. The people of God should be observantly different as to their words and discourse from other people : Cant. iv. 11, ' Thy lips, 0 my spouse, drop as the honeycomb.' The lips of Christ's spouse should flow with matter savoury and useful. So Prov. x. 20, 21, ' The tongue of the just is as choice silver, but the heart of the wicked is little worth ; the lips of the righteous feed many, but fools die for want of wisdom ; ' where the speech of the righteous is compared to silver ; of the wicked, to dross ; for because their heart is little worth, their discourse will be accordingly : and then the good man is compared to one that keepeth open house, that feedeth all those that resort to him ; but fools do not only not
VER. 172.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 255
feed others, but perish themselves by their own folly. So Prov. xv. 7, ' The lips of the wise disperse knowledge, but the heart of the foolish doth not so.' Men usually discourse as their hearts are. A man of a frothy spirit will bring forth nothing but vain and frothy discourse, but a gracious man will utter holy and gracious things ; for the tap runneth according to the liquor with which the vessel is filled. One place more : Ps. xxxvii. 30, 31, ' The mouth of the righteous speaketh wisdom, and his tongue talketh of judgment ; the law of God is in his heart, none of his steps shall slide.' All men's discourses are vented according as their hearts are busied and affected. A man that hath the word of God rooted in his heart, and maketh it his work to suit his actions thereunto, will also suit his words thereunto, and will edify those that he speaketh unto. Thoughts, words, and actions are the genuine products and issue of the heart. Grace in the heart discovereth itself uniformly in all holy thoughts, holy words, and holy actions ; otherwise their conversation is not all of a piece. All these places show that a Christian's discourse will differ from other men's ; but, alas ! our conference is little different from ordinary men's.