402 PSALMS, cxix. 34. [420.
ledge alone had been the end for which David desired a spiritual illumination : " Open thou mine eyes, that I may behold wondrous things out of thy law." But we see in our text, that he had far other ends in view : he longed for knowledge, only that he might have his soul the more enlarged by it to run the way of God's commandments : " Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law ; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart."
From these words we will take occasion to shew,
I. How true wisdom will operate —
The provisional engagement which David entered into was no other than what must necessarily result from an answer to his petition. If God give to any of us a spiritual understanding, we shall immediately begin,
1 . To keep his law — [Whatever God has revealed will he a law unto us. Has he bidden us repent P We shall humble ourselves before him in
dust and ashes Has he enjoined us to believe in his dear
Son ? We shall receive him into our hearts, and embrace him as
all our salvation and all our desire Has he commanded
us to obey his precepts ? We shall endeavour to search out his will, and to conform ourselves to it in all things What- ever temptations may assault us, we shall not suffer them to turn us aside from the path of duty. Whatever opposition we may have to encounter, we shall hold on our way, determined to keep God's law, yea, to "keep it to the end''." This alone is true wisdom '" ; yea, this is the first beginning of wisdom in the soul ^.]
1. To observe it with our whole hearts —
[There are two things which a spiritual understanding will most assuredly teach us, namely, the beauty and excellency of God's law, and the folly of rendering to it a merely partial obedience.
To an unenlightened mind many of God's commands appear absurd : and men are ready to say of them, " This is a hard saying; who can hear it?" But, in the view of one who is taught of God, " there is no commandment grievous :" the scope of every thing which God has spoken, is, to produce the present and eternal happiness of his creatures : the language of
every injunction is, Be holy, be happy To attempt to
lower
'' ver. 1 i2. * Job xxviii. 28. ^ Ps. cxi. 10.