ground for faith to rest upon: it is not a doctrine found out by the wit of man, no private invention of others, but God's inspiration: God hath wisdom to direct me the safest way, and goodness and faithfulness enough not to mislead me:' "Good and upright is the Lord; therefore will he teach sinners in the way" (Psalm xxv. 8). It is not the devices of their heads that wrote it, but the public mind of God; and, saith the Apostle, "Knowing this first" (2 Peter i. 20); this is the first and supreme principle (he had said, verse 19, that we should consult with the word for direction and comfort), before we can get any saving light or true comfort. 2ndly, It is judgment. Every man's doom is contained in the word; and, if you can but stay a little, you shall see it verified by sensible and plain experiences. Do but wait and observe how God maketh good his promises, and accomplisheth his threatenings, and you will see no cause to depart; you will find you have done right in the issue, and that close obedience is the only way of safety and happiness here and hereafter. David did as to his own case: "I have kept the ways of the Lord, and have not wickedly departed from my God" (Psalm xviii. 21). And was he a loser by it? No; "According to the cleanness of my hands hath he recompensed me" (verse 20). On the other side, those that depart from God, are destroyed; his word will be made good against them: "Thou puttest away all the wicked of the earth like dross" (Psalm cxix. 119). 66 USE I. Is direction to us both in public and private cases. Be sure you follow such ways as God's word doth allow; for otherwise it is not constancy, but obstinacy; and then, whatever troubles and discouragements you meet with, this will be a comfort to you, that you are in God's way. First, As to your private case, be not discouraged by the instability of your hearts and the temptations of Satan; you will be up and down with God. But observe these two rules : 1. It is necessary to watch against your first declinings, lest by little and little the heart be stolen away from God. When you lose your savour of holy things, lessen your diligence, and are not so exact and watchful, you begin to depart from God. The gap once made in the conscience, groweth wider and wider every day. The first declinings are a cause of all the rest, remitting your watch and spiritual fervour; by degrees, you do not walk with such a straight foot: he that looketh to the house, to keep it tight and in constant repair, prevents the fall of it. 2. If, through our infirmity, we miscarry at any time, we must not persist in a wrong course, but reclaim speedily, not depart wickedly (Psalm xviii. 21), not lie in the dirt when we have caught a fall. There is a departing out of infirmity, and a departing wickedly. A candle sucketh light, if presently kindled again; the longer we lie in our sins, the worse; the more care, and the more speedy; the more likely to succeed, when there is any breach between us and God, not lie in it. Secondly, As to public actions. We live in changeable times; but it is well that we have a sure rule: this may stablish your hearts. If governed by sense and interest, with what a gracious face shall we appear to the world! Though we meet with troubles for being exact and punctual, as to principles of conscience, and many disappointments from God, yet in the issue that will be found to be the best course for you and yours. Now, when you see your duty, for which you must consult both with word and Spirit, take heed of two things: 1. Unbelief: "Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God" (Heb. iii. 12). The cause of apostasy is unbelief; they do not look upon God's directions as judgments. Men that look to the present face of things, cannot see things to come, and so miscarry. Hezekiah, in the midst of dangers and difficulties, was steady to God: "He trusted in the Lord God of Israel, &c. He clave to the Lord, and departed not from following him, but kept his commandments, which the Lord commanded Moses" (2 Kings xviii. 5, 6). Every duty hath a sanction, invested with promises and threatenings; therefore, as there needeth obedience to make conscience the precept, so faith to believe sanction, which doth enliven the duty, and keep our hearts under the awe of it. 2. Mortification; for, till there be an indifferency to all events in temporal things, we shall ever be departing and turning off from God; sometimes allured out of our obedience, sometimes affrighted out of it; therefore, till dead to worldly accidents and interests, we are easily turned out of the way: "Lest that which is lame be turned out of the way" (Heb. xii. 13); that which is lame, feeble, and fearful: good men may be carried away thus, as Peter. Too weak and unconstant are the best of men; the least blast of temptation will make them leave off the course of well-doing, and, without respect had to conscience or credit, openly to desert it. For fear of man's offence, Peter slippeth from his duty: fear of losing applause, or incurring hatred with men, maketh us venture on God's dishonour; unmortified lusts make us more tender of ourselves, than of God. II.-Second point, That Divine teaching causeth constancy. For therefore David saith, "I have not departed, &c. ; for thou hast taught me." Here, 66 Our First, What it is to be taught of God; it is often spoken of in Scripture: "All thy children shall be taught of the Lord" (Isa. liv. 13); All taught of God" (John vi. 45). Now, God teacheth outwardly by his word, but inwardly by his Spirit; these two must not be severed. hearing is necessary: "If so be that ye have heard him, and have been taught by him, as the truth is in Jesus" (Eph. iv. 21); the ordinary means of hearing him preached, and set forth in the Gospel and public ministry, and by that means doth Christ make use of it to teach us by his Spirit: so, "Heard and learned of the Father" (John vi. 45): it doth not preclude a teaching ministry in the Gospel ; but it is said, "Ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another" (1 Thes. iv. 9); and, "But the anointing which ye have received of him, abideth in you; and ye need not that any man teach you; but as the same anointing teacheth you of all things, and is truth, and is no lie, and even as it hath taught you, ye shall abide in him” (1 John ii. 27). It is a rhetorical insinuation; the negative to be understood comparatively, man's teaching is nothing to what you have already by the Spirit. On the other side, much more doth it not exclude the Spirit, upon whom the efficacy dependeth; God teacheth by men, but the effect is from his grace: "They went forth and preached everywhere, the Lord working with them" (Mark xvi. 20); "I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase" (1 Cor. iii. 6). The internal efficacy working by internal means: Docet Spiritus Sanctus, sed per verbum (saith Ferus); docent Apostoli, sed per co-operationem Spiritus Sancti. God worketh in and by the means. : Inwardly God teacheth two ways:-1. By common illumination. 2. Special operation. 1. Common illumination, barely enlightening the mind to know or understand what he propoundeth by his messengers: so God showed it to the Heathen: "For the invisible things of him from the creation of the world are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even his eternal power and Godhead; so that they are without excuse" (Rom. i. 20). But then, 2. By way of special operation, effectually inclining the will to embrace and prosecute duties so known: "I will put my law in their inward parts, and write it in their hearts" (Jer. xxxi. 33). This way of teaching is always effectual and persuasive. Now, in this sense they are taught of God, that they do not only get an ear to hear, but a heart to understand, learn, and practise. Secondly, Why this teaching is the ground of constancy? 1. They that are thus taught of God, see things more clearly than others do; God is the most excellent teacher. One man seeth a thing by candlelight, another by day-light; he seeth most clearly that seeth by noon-day. The light of the Spirit doth clearly manifest things, both object and faculty. The unction teacheth us all things (1 John ii. 20; 2 Cor. iii. 18). distinct, clear, abiding light. Carnal men are blind (2 Peter i. 9). How sharp-sighted soever in other things, yet blind; they do not see so as to affect their hearts. A 2. They know things more surely, and with certainty of demonstration; whereas, others have but dubious conjectures, and loose and wavering opinions, about the things of God; "We believe and are sure that thou art that Christ, the Son of the living God" (John vi. 69); "Known surely that I came out from thee" (John xvii. 8). The many temptations and assaults we meet with, need such a certain apprehension. 3. This teaching is so efficacious and powerful, as that the effect followeth: "Teach me thy way, O Lord; I will walk in thy truth" (Psalm lxxxvi. 11). It is a lovely teaching, causing us to cleave to what is taught (1 Cor. ii. 4). 4. God reneweth this teaching, and is always at hand to guide us, and give counsel to us, which is the cause of our standing: we need this continual teaching to keep us mindful, that we may not forget things known. The Spirit puts us in remembrance, because of the decay of fervency and dulness of spirit that groweth upon us; therefore are truths revived, to keep us fresh and lively, that we may not neglect our duty. Because of incogitancy and heedlessness, we mistake our way, and are apt to run into sin in the time of trial and temptation; therefore we need a monitor on all occasions (Isa. xxx. 31), that we may not be carried away with the corrupt bent of our own hearts. Well then, this abiding in us is the cause of perseverance (1 John ii. 27). USE. To show the reason of men's fickleness and unconstancy, both in opinion and practice. He that is led by man unto man, both as to opinion and practice, may be led off by man again, when we take up truth upon tradition and human recommendation. Oh! seek it of God! "I am the Lord thy God, which leadeth thee to profit" (Isa. xlviii. 17). Not our own ability, but the light of the Holy Ghost. Wait upon God, learn something of him every day, and give God all the glory. SERMON CIX. VERSE 103.-How sweet are thy words unto my taste! yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth. In this verse, you have another evidence of David's affection to the word; and that is the incomparable delight which he found therein, as being suitable to his taste and spiritual appetite. This pleasure and delight he found in the word, is propounded, 1. By way of interrogation or admiration, “How sweet are thy words unto my taste!" As if he had said, 'So sweet, that I am not able to express it.' 2. By way of comparison, "Yea, sweeter than honey to my mouth." To external sense, nothing is sweeter than honey; honey is not so sweet to the mouth and palate, as the word of God is to the soul. It is usual to express the affections of the mind by words proper to the bodily senses, as taste is put here for delight, and elsewhere eating is put for believing and digesting the truth: "Thy words were found, and I did eat them" (Jer. xv. 16). Again, in all kinds of writers, both profane and sacred, it is usual to compare the excellency of speech to honey. The poet describes an elegant man, that his speech flowed from him sweeter than honey. And the like we may observe in Scripture: "Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones" (Prov. xvi. 24). He means words of wisdom, such words as come from a pure heart; now, these are sweeter than honey. So the spouse, because of her gracious doctrine, it is said, "Thy lips, O my spouse, drop as the honey-comb" (Cant. iv. 11); and, "More to be desired are they than gold; yea, than much fine gold: sweeter also than honey and the honeycomb" (Psalm xix. 10). For profit, he esteemed them more than gold; for pleasure, more than honey or the honeycomb; and David saith here, Thy words are sweet unto my taste.' He doth not say in general, they are sweet unto the taste;' but, sweet unto my taste.' Holy men that have much communion with God, such as David was, they that have his Spirit, find this delight in the word of God; nothing so sweet, or so full of pleasure to the soul. Two points: I. That there is such a thing as spiritual taste. II. That to a spiritual tase, the word of God is sweeter than all pleasures and delights whatsoever. DOCTRINE I.—That there is such a thing as spiritual taste. First, I shall show that it is and what it is; the use of it, and what is requisite to it. 1st, It appears that there is such a thing, the soul hath its senses as well as the body. We do not only know, but feel things to be either hurtful or comfortable to us; so the new nature doth not only know it, but doth seem to feel it, that some things are hurtful and others are comfortable to it; and hence the Apostle's expression, such "have their senses exercised to discern both good and evil" (Heb. v. 14). Christians, if there be such a thing as spiritual life, certainly there must be spiritual sense; for all life is accompanied with a sense of what is good or evil for that life; and the higher the life, the greater the sense, Beasts feel more than a plant, when hurt is done to them, because they have a nobler life, and a man than a beast; and, the life of grace being above the life of reason, there is a higher sense joined with it, and therefore the pain and pleasure of that life is greater than the pain or pleasure of any other life; for spi ritual things, as they are greater in themselves, so they do more affect us 2. That in some sense they differ from the understanding. 1. These spiritual senses differ from the external sense; that I shall prove by three arguments : (1.) Because, in those things that are liable to external sense, a man may have an outward sense of them, when he hath not an inward. (2.) There are certain things that cannot be discerned by external senses; yet a Christian may have a feeling of them by internal sense. (3.) The outward senses sometimes set the inward senses awork. (1.) Because, in those things which are liable to external sense, a man may have an outward sense of them, when he hath not an inward; as in seeing, tasting, touching. In seeing: "Ye have seen all that the Lord did before your eyes in the land of Egypt; and yet the Lord hath not given you a heart to perceive, and eyes to see, and ears to hear, unto this day" (Deut. xxix. 2, compared with verse 4). They saw, yet had not a heart to see; they saw those wonders with the eyes of their body; they had a sense outward and natural, but not a sense inward and spiritual. So for taste: there is a taste of God's goodness in the creature, all taste it by their outward senses: "The Lord is good to all; and his tender mercies are over all his works" (Psalm cxlv. 2). The wicked are not excepted from this taste; for the creatures are as useful for the preservation of their lives as the lives of others. They do not mind God's love in it, and so do rather taste the creature than God's goodness in the creature; but the child of God tasteth his love therein. The fly finds no honey in the flower, but the bee doth. A fleshly palate relisheth only the gross pleasure of the creature, not that refined delight which a spiritual palate hath, who hath a double sweetness; it doth not only receive the creature for its natural use, |