VER. 173.] SERMONS UPON PSALM CXIX. 265
Here I shall inquire —
1; What it is to choose God's precepts.
2. Give some reasons why they must be chosen, else they can never be rightly kept, or why this is so necessary.
First, What is choosing God's precepts ? It implies five things — (1.) Deliberation ; (2.) Esteem or preference ; (3.) A voluntary in- clination ; (4.) A firm aud steadfast resolution, by which we are bound all our days ; (5.) A complacency and contentment in what we have chosen.
1. Deliberation, or a due consideration of what is chosen, its nature, worth, and excellency ; for until we compare and weigh things, how can we make a choice, but take them hand-over-head ; and therefore there is a weighing the reasons on both sides. God's children are not ignorant what it is to flow in worldly wealth, pleasures, and earthly comforts, and to enjoy the favour of the world, and to sail here with a full stream ; and on the other side, they are not ignorant what it will cost them to be through with Christ, to be religious indeed. They do not run hand-over-head to resolve upon such a course. No ; they sit down, they count the charges, Luke xiv. 27. The business sticks with many in this first work ; we cannot bring them to any serious con- sideration ; they will not weigh things, but act as their brutish lusts incline them. It is said, Isa. xlvi. 8, ' Remember this, and show your- selves men ; bring it to mind, 0 ye transgressors.' It is a disgrace to our reason, when we will not consider well of things, and bring them not back to our hearts, as the word signifies ; but we run on as chance offereth objects or occasions. Consider what this and that will tend to, weigh things in your souls. Even good itself, if we stumble upon it, it is but a lucky hit or a happy mistake ; therefore the apostle adviseth us to resolve upon trial : 1 Thes. v. 21, ' Prove all things, and hold fast that which is good.' Men will not hold fast that which is good unless they first prove and try. Indeed those things which usually oppose themselves against the spiritual life are such poor paltry incon- siderable vanities, that they are not worthy to be brought into com- petition, or into any serious debate with them ; for it is no hard question to resolve whether God or the flesh shall be pleased ? whether the transitory pleasures of sin should be preferred before eternal glory or the happiness of the saints ? But yet serious consideration will discover this to us, and shame us out of our perverse and preposterous choice ; whereas otherwise we should go on like men asleep, or like men out of their wits, choose poor base things, delight in inconsider- able trifles, before the things whereof we are so deeply concerned ; therefore it requires deliberation in weighing.
2. Choice notes esteem or preference ; for election and choice is a preferring of one thing before another. Though God and Christ be good, and grace and heaven be good, yet there are other things that come in competition with them, and when we set ourselves to seek after God and Christ, these competitors are suing for our hearts, and rival Christ in the soul. And therefore this choice implies a renunciation of all other things, a trampling upon them, and a high esteem and value of Christ and his ways. The scripture speaks of selling all for the pearl of great price, Mat. xiii. 45, 46, of accounting things but dung
2G6 sermons upon tsalm cxix. [Ser. CLXXXVI.
and dross in comparison of Christ, Phil. iii. 8, 9. In choosing the ways of God many things will be offered to ns that may hale us this way and that way, many pleasures and contentments of this life. Now we must trample upon them all, and renounce them as they are temp- tations, that we may actually exalt, prefer, and esteem Christ and his grace. There are two things which assault our resolution for God — the terrors of sense, and the allurements of the flesh or the vanities of the world. Now a soul resolved to serve God, must actually and posi- tively prefer obedience before both of these, before temptations on the right hand and on the left.
[1.] For the terrors of sense, we must be resolved rather to suffer than to sin. In choosing the ways of God, the heart must come to a firm resolution rather to suffer the greatest inconvenience than to com- mit the least sin. This was Moses' choice, Heb. xi. 25. When once it came to a case of sin, then he renounceth pleasures, treasures, honours. Whatever it costs us, we must resolve to be faithful with God, and to run the greatest hazard rather than to do the least thing that is con- trary to his will.
[2.] We must prefer obedience before all the allurements of the flesh and vanities of the world. David chose God's precepts, that is, valued them more than all other things. See ver. 14 of this psalm, ' I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies more than in all riches.' He explains the choice here mentioned. If we have grace to serve God, and to keep the way of his testimonies, we count ourselves more happy than if we had all the world. It is not enough to approve God's ways simply, but we must approve them comparatively ; not only as good in themselves, but as better than all other things ; and it should be more to us to be taught our duty, and to know how to serve God, than if we did enjoy the fulness of all earthly comforts.