Psalm 119:171
Veese 171. — My lips shall utter praise; when thou hast taught me thy
statutes.
In the two former verses, he had prayed, first, for an increase of saving knowledge (verse 169); secondly, for deliverance out of his trouble (verse 170). He reinforccth 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, —
First, A resolution of praise, “My lips shall utter praise.”
Secondly, The reason and occasion of it, “when thou hast taught me thy statutes.”
First, A resolution of praise.
The word for “uttereth praise,” signifieth, that praise should break from him as water boileth and bubbleth up out of a fountain. Indeed, words come from the abundance of the heart (Matt. xii. 34); either from the plenty of spiritual knowledge, as a fountain yieldeth water, so his knowledge breaketh out into praises; or from the plenty of spiritual affection rather, fiom the great esteem of the benefit or fulaess of joy, at the thought of it. It is a great privilege to be delivered from blindness and ignorance: “It is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven” (Matt. 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.
Doctrine. — 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: —
1st, 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: “Call upon me in the day of trouble; I will deliver thee, and thou shalt glorify me” (Psalm 1. 15). We are forward in supplications, but back-, ward in gratulations: all the lepers could beg health, but only one returned to give glory to God (Luke xvii. 18). Self-love puts us upon prayers; but the love of God, upon praises. Now, Ave should be as much aflected, or rather more, in receiving mercies, as we were in asking mercies; because, before, we knew it only by guess and imagination; 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.
2ndly, Those that have received most from God, are most bound to honour him and praise him; for the return must carry some proportion with the receipt: “Hezekiah rendered not according to the benefit done unto him” (2 Chron. xxxii. 25); 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 loved little to whom little (Luke vii. 47). More sins pardoned, more mercies received; God expecteth more love, more praise, more thanksgiving: “For unto whomsoever much is given, of him shall be much required; and to whom men have committed much, of him they will ask the more” (Luke xii. 48). 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 horseback, than he that cometh on foot; so the more light and knowledge God vouchsafeth, the more honour and glory he expecteth from us.
3rdly, That we should praise God especially for spiritual benefits. Usually these are overlooked; but they deserve the greatest acknowledgment: these are discriminating, and come from special love. Corn, wine, and oil, are bestowed upon the world; but knowledge and grace upon his saints: these are the favour of his peculiar people: “Remember me, O Lord, with the favour that thou bearest unto thy people: oh! visit me with thy salvation” (Psalm cvi. 4). To have the favourite’s mercy, is more than to have a common mercy. Protection is the benefit of every subject; but intimate and near admission is the privilege of special favourites. Love and hatred cannot be known by the things before us (Eccl. ix. 1 — 3). Christ gave his Spirit to the good disciples, the keeping of the purse to Judas.
1. Partly, because these concern the better part, the inward man (2 Cor. iv. 16). He doth us more favour that healeth a wound in the body, than he that soweth up a rent in the garment. Is not the body more than raiment? the soul more than the body? and the soul as furnished with grace, more than the soul only as furnished with natural gifts and endowments?
2. And partly, because these are brought about wdth more ado than temporal favours. God, as a creator and merciful upholder of all his creatures, doth bestow temporal blessings upon the ungodly world, even upon Heathens, who never heard of Christ; yet saving grace he bestoweth only as the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ (Eph. i. 3), with respect to the merit of Christ, who was to purchase these blessings, before he could obtain them.
3. And partly, because they are pledges of eternal blessings, and the beginning of our eternal well-being (John vi. 27). These and eternal blessedness are so linked together that they cannot be separated: “For whom he did foreknow, he also did predestinate to be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the first-born among many brethren. Moreover, whom he did predestinate, them he also called; and whom he called, them he also justified; and whom he justified, them he also glorified” (Rom, viii. 29, 30). And, “Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform it until the day of Jesus Christ” (Phil. i. 6).
4. Partly, because these incline and fit the heart for praise and thanksgiving. The one giveth occasion to praise God, the other a heart to praise God: outward mercies give the occasion to praise God, these the disposition; other mercies the motives, these the preparations: these dispose the heart to it: “I will praise thee with uprightness of heart, when I shall have learned thy righteous judgments “(Psalm cxix. 7); here they dispose the lip, and open the mouth:” O Lord, open thou my lips, and my mouth shall show forth thy praise “(Psalm li. 15). The work of grace doth set our lips wide open in the magnifying and praising of God: grace is the matter of God”s praise, and also giveth a ready will to praise God J yea, the very deed of praising him.
5. Partly, because temporal favours may be given in anger, but the graces of the Spirit are never given in anger. God may give an estate in judgment, and indulge large pastures to beasts fitted for destruction; but he giveth not an enlightened mind, and a renewed heart, in anger; it is a token of his special love: “It is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of Heaven” (Matt. xiii. 11). Well then, for all these things should we praise God. We have a quick sense in bodily mercies; but in soul concernments we are not alike affected.
4thly, That, among spiritual blessings. Divine illumination is a very great gift, and accordingly should be acknowledged by us. To make this evident, I shall —
1. Open the nature of this Divine illumination.
2. Show you the worth of it, and how much it should be valued by us. 1. For the nature of it. There is a twofold wisdom and knowledge of
Divine mysteries: —
(1.) One which is only a gift: “We know that we all have knowledge: knowledge puffeth up; but charity edifieth” (1 Cor. viii. 1). This is an excellent gift; but yet it iioweth from the common influence of the Spirit, and puffeth up the party, because it is apprehended only such an excellency as conduceth to the interests of the flesh, and to attain esteem in the world; and because he hath not thereby a deep and piercing knowledge of his misery, but is cold and weak, and doth not warm the heart with love to the thing known: therefore we should see to it, what kind of knowledge we have, whether it be a gift or a grace? whether we use it to exalt God or ourselves? The bare gift puffeth us up with a lofty conceit of ourselves, and a disdain of others; but grace keepeth us humble; for the more we know that way, the more we see our defects, and what little reason we have to glory in our knowledge, or any other grace; and besides, by it we are suitably affected to what we know.
(2.) There is a special knowledge of Divine mysteries, wrought in us by the special and sanctifying work of the Holy Ghost. This is the wisdom which Cometh from above, which is first pure, and then peaceable (James iii. 1 7); which humbleth the man that hath it; for the more he knoweth of God, the more his own opinion and estimation of himself is lessened: “I have heard of thee by the hearing of the ear, but now mine eye seeth thee; wherefore I abhor myself, and repent in dust and ashes” (Job xlii. 5,6); I have spoken unadvisedly of God. This knowledge also maketh him serious, and is operative upon the heart, and worketh love to the thing known: “If thou knewest the gift,” &c. (John iv. 10), and maketh us to know God in Christ, so as to acknowledge him, and give him due honour, respect, and reverence. It is a knowledge joined with oblectation and affection. This knowledge is considerable as to its beginning and increase.
(i.) Its beginning; the first removing of the natural blindness and darkness of our understandings, so that we have a clear discerning of the things of God, when the scales fall from our eyes. Naturally, we were ignorant of God, and the way to Heaven; but now, brought to the saving knowledge of God in Christ, we are acquainted with both. The first creature which God made was light; so in the new creation, the new creature is illuminated with a heavenly light, and cured of its former blindness, so that we see things in another manner than ever we saw them before: “Called out of darkness into his marvellous light” (1 Peter ii. 9); as a man brought out of a dark dungeon into an open light. And, “To open their eyes, and to turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan unto God” (Acts xxvi. 18). So, “Ye were sometimes darkness, but now are ye light in the Lord” (Eph, v. 8). To be seeing is better than to be blind; to be in light, than to be in darkness. This is God’s first work; and it is marvellous in our eyes. It is double; when we first begin to have a clear knowledge of our own misery (Rev. iii. 1 8); M’hereas, before, we lived in gross ignorance of our own condition; so, when we begin to see the remedy, as well as our misery: “God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ” (2 Cor. iv. 6). The first thing that God convinceth us of, is our own sin, guilt, and misery. So that those things that either we knew not, or that did swim loose in the brain, we begin now to be afl’ected with them. We talked before of sin as a thing of course, and were wont to marvel why men kept such a deal ado about sin; but now the case is altered. God hath opened his eyes; and therefore he complaineth of it as the greatest burden, and fain would be rid of it at any rate. He beginneth to seek after Christ, as his only remedy, and nothing will satisfy him but Christ; and all things are but dung and dross in comparison of the excellency of Christ, and that he may be found in him. He lamenteth his case, and can trust himself nowhere but in Christ’s hands. A natural man slippeth into a heedless credulity, and either doth not look upon the Gospel as a real truth, or else is not affected with it, so as to venture his salvation in that bottom.
(ii.) As to the increase and progress; and so those that are taught of God need to be taught of God again, and seek a further increase of spiritual wisdom, or a further degree of the saving knowledge of Divine mysteries; as the Apostle prayeth for the Ephesians, towards whom he acknowledgeth God had abounded in all wisdom, and prudence, yet prayeth that God would give them the spirit of wisdom and revelation, that the eyes of their understandings might be opened (Eph. i. 17, 18, with the 8th verse). We are yet ignorant in many things; for we know but in part, not fully rooted in the knowledge of those things which we know. We need to be refreshed with new illumination from God, that our knowledge may be active and lively, and stand out against new and daily temptations; and that that oblivion and forgetfulness which is a kind of ignorance, and which is apt ever and anon to creep upon us, may be prevented, and truths may be ready at har.d for our use (James i. 5). And this is that which David beggeth an increase of knowledge for: he, being a holy man and a prophet, needeth not the first illumination; and every degree is a great favour, to be acknowledged with praise.
2. Let me speak of the worth of this Divine illumination in itself. The worth of it appeareth in four things: —
(1.) Its author. God, by his etficacious teaching, doth cure the blindness of our minds, and doth open and incline our hearts towards sj)iritual and heavenly things: “They shall be all taught of God “’ (John vi. 15); “Ye yourselves are taught of God to love one another” (1 Thes. iv. 9); “The same anointing teacheth you of all things” (1 John ii. 27). As the Heathen Cato would have none to teach his son but himself; ior he said, that instruction was such a benefit, that he would have his son beholden to none for it, but himself. Oh! it is a blessed privilege to be taught of
God, to be made wise to salvation; and not only to get an ear to hear, but a heart to understand; and learn by hearing-, not only the power to believe, but the very act of faith itself. God’s teaching is always effectual; not only directive, but persuasive; enlightening the mind to know, and inclining the will and affections to embrace what we know: he writeth the truth upon the heart, and puts it into the mind (Heb. viii. 10). He sufficiently propoundeth the object, and rectifieth the faculty, imprints the truth upon the very soul. But how doth God teach? In the very place where Christ speaketh of our being taught of God, he presently addeth, “Not that any man hath seen the Father” (John vi. 46): God”s teaching doth not import that any man must see God, and immediately converse with him, and talk with God, and so be taught by him. No; God teacheth externally by his word, and internally by the Spirit; but yet so powerfully and effectually that the lesson is learned, and deeply imprinted upon our souls. This teaching is often expressed by seeing. Now, to a clear sight, three things concur; an object conspicuous, a perspicuous medium, and a well-disposed organ, or clear eye. In God’s teaching, there are all these. The object to be seen plainly in the Scriptures, are the things of God, not fancies but realities; and by the light of the Spirit represented to us, and the eye of the mind opened. A blind man cannot see at midday, nor the most clear-sighted at midnight, when objects lie hidden under a veil of darkness. The object must be revealed, and brought nigh to us in a due light; and God secretly openeth the eye of the soul, that we see heavenly things with life and affection. The author then showeth the mercy, when God will not only teach us by men, but by his Spirit.
(2.) The objects known; the highest and most important mattei-s in the world, the gracious soul is savingly acquainted with. It is more to have the knowledge of the profoundest sciences, than of some poor and low employment; as Themistocles said, to know a little of true philosophy, is more than to know how to play upon a fiddle. But now, to have the saving knowledge of God, and of the life to come, is more than to have the most admired wisdom of the flesh, than all the common learning in the world: and therefore how much are we bound to praise God, if he will teach us his statutes, more than if we knew how to govern kingdoms and commonwealths, and to do the greatest business upon earth. Two things do commend the object of this knowledge.
(i.) It is conversant about the most high and excellent things.
(ii.) The most necessary and useful things.
(i.) Things of so high a nature as to know God, who is the cause of all things; and Jesus Christ, who is the restorer of all things; and the Spirit, who cherisheth and preserveth all things: especially to know his heavenly operations, and the nature and acting of his several graces: “Let him that glorieth, glory in this, that he nnderstandeth and knoweth me“’ (Jer. ix. 24). There is the excellency of a man, to know God, to conceive aright of his nature, attributes, and works; so as to love, trust, reverence, and serve him. Alas! all other knowledge is a poor, low thing to this! God hath written a book to us of himself (as Cjesar wrote his own Commentaries), and by histories and prophecies hath set forth himself to us to be the creatures’ Creator, preserver, deliverer, and glorifier. This is the knowledge we should seek after. Common crafts teach us how to get bread; but this book teacheth us how to get the kingdom of Heaven, to get the bread of life, the meat that perisheth not. Law preserveth the estates and testaments of men; but this, the testament of God, the charter of our eternal inheritance. Physic cui-eth the diseases of the body; this, afflicted minds and distempered hearts. Natural philosophy raiseth up men to the contemplation of nature; this, of the Maker of all things and Author of nature. History, the rise and ruin of kingdoms, states, and cities; this, the creation and consummation of the world. Rhetoric, to stir the aflection; this, to enkindle Divine love. Poetry moveth natural delight; here psalms, that we may delight in God. These are the only true and sublime things. As light is pleasant to the eye, so is knowledge to the mind; but where have you the knowledge of such high things? What are the mysteries of nature to the mysteries of godliness? To know the almighty, living God, and to behold his wisdom, goodness, and power in all his works, — surely this is a sweet and pleasant thing to a gracious soul; but especially to know him in Christ, to know the mystery of the incarnation, person, natures, and mediation of Christ:” Great is the mystery of godliness’’ (1 Tim. iii. 16). This is a mystery without controversy great, to know the law and covenant of God: “This is your wisdom and your understanding in the sight of the nations, which shall hear all these statutes” (Deut. iv. 6); and the sanctifying work of the Holy Ghost, by which we are wrought and prepared for everlasting life.
(ii.) So necessary and useful to know the way of salvation, the disease and remedy of our souls; our danger and the cure; our work and our wages; the business of life and our end; what is to be believed and practised, what we are to enjoy and do. These are the things which concern us; all other knowledge is but curious and speculative, and hath more of pleasure than of profit. To know our own afiairs, our greatest and most necessaryaffairs; these are the things we should busy ourselves about. ‘Evdg xp«i«. “One thing is needful” (Luke x. 42): other things we may well spare. Now, what is necessary, but to know our misery, that we may prevent it; our remedy, that we may look after it in time; our work and business, that we may perform it; our end, that we may intend it, and be encouraged by it; what course we must take, that we may be everlastingly happy? Well then, if God will show us what is good (Mich. vi. 8), and teach us what is good, that we may know whither we are going, and which way we must go; if he will give us counsel in our reins, to choose him for our portion (Psalm xvi. 5), we ought to bless his name. So the 11th verse, “Thou wilt show me the path of life.” Though ignorant of other things, we are highly obliged for this discovery; it is the work of God to give us counsel, and should be matter of perpetual thanksgiving to us. 3. The use for which this knowledge serveth.
(1.) To entertain communion with God for the present; for by knowing him, we come to enjoy him: “As for me, I will behold thy face in righteousness; I shall be satisfied, when I awake, with thy likeness” (Psalm xvii. 15); that is more than to have a portion in this world. And, “That which we have seen and heard, declare we unto you, that ye also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John i. 3). By communion or fellowship, is not meant a society of equals, but the dutiful, yet cheerful, attendance of an inferior on his superior, the creature on his Creator; but yet so, as that there is a holy intimacy and familiarity in it, because we both love, and are beloved of God: in every ordinance, they draw nearer to God than others do; for, “If we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship one with another” (1 John i. 7), All our duties are the converse of a sanctified creature with a holy God, and an humble creature dealing with the blessed God, for a supply of all their wants. They pour out their souls to him, and he openeth his ear and bosom unto them; he teacheth them his way, and they walk in his paths (Isa. ii. 3); they walk in the fear of his name, and the comforts of his Spirit (Acts ix. 31); they seek his glory as their great end, and live in the sense of his dearest love.
(2.) To enjoy him for ever: “This is life eternal, that they might know thee, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent” (John xvii. 3). Alas! what is the knowing how to get riches, and pleasures, and the vain-glory of the world, to this! Surely you that are taught of God, your business is above other men’s: while they drive on no greater trade than providing for the flesh, or feathering a nest that will quickly be pulled down, you are providing for everlasting glory and happiness: they aim at nothing beyond this life, all their cares are confined within the narrow bounds of time and the compass of this world; but you look higher, and begin a life which shall be perfected in Heaven; you are laying up treasure in Heaven.
4. The manner of knowing things, when taught of God; they see things with greater clearness, and certainty, and efficacy, and power.
(1.) With greater clearness. Others know words; but they know things, and therefore know as they ought to know them. They know the grace of God in truth (Col. i. 6). They have the spiritual discerning; and that is a quite diflerent thing from a literal discerning (1 Cor. ii. 14), He hath an experimental and sweeter knowledge than learned men that are ungodly. He hath tasted that the Lord is gracious; the sweetness of his love, and the riches of his grace in Christ. The theory of Divine knowledge, though never so exact, gi■eth us not this: they have more of the words and notions, but less of the thing itself; they have the sign, the other the thing signified; they break the shell, the others eat the kernel; they dress the meat, but the others feed upon and digest it; dig in the mines of knowledge as negroes, but others have the gold. A rotten post may support a living tree.
(2.) With more certainty. There is a great deal of difference between taking up religion out of inspiration, and out of opinion or tradition. Faith is the gift of God; but credulity is received by the report of men. Men may guess at the truth, by their own wit; they may talk of it by rote, and according to what they read, and hear from others; but Divine knowledge is the fruit of the Spirit: “Flesh and blood hath not revealed it unto thee, but my Father which is in Heaven” (Matt, xvi. 17); “Now we believe, not because of thy saying, for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Saviour of the world” (John iv. 42); “For our Gospel came not unto you, in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost, and in much assurance” (1 Thes. i. 5). We never apprehend the truth with any certainty, nor can we discern God’s impress on the word, but in the light of the Spirit. God’s illumination maketh our knowledge of things certain and infallible: “Know a<T<pnlwg, assuredly” (Acts ii. 36); aXnwc (John xvii. 8). It is not a may be, a bare possibility, or likely to be, a probability; but it is sure to be, and will be so, a certainty that belongeth to faith.
(3.) For efficacy and power: “For our Gospel came not unto you in word only, but also in power, and in the Holy Ghost” (I Thcs. i. 5); “Stephen, a man full of faith and of the Holy Ghost” (Acts vi. 5). We are affected with the truths we know; yea, transformed and changed by them (2 Cor. iii. 18); changed into a Divine nature (2 Peter i. 4). Our hearts are moulded and fitted for God, and for every good work: so that this is a benefit which should be much acknowledged.
Use I. — Is to inform us how the saints do and should esteem this benefit of Divine illumination. In this psalm, they esteem it more than if God should bestow a great deal of wealth upon them. See Psalm cxix. 1 4, “I have rejoiced in the way of thy testimonies as much as in all riches;” and, “than thousands of gold and silver” (verse 72). Once more, they think themsehes well paid, if they get it by sharp afflictions, though by loss of health and W’calth: “It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I might learn thy statutes” (verse 71). The reason is, because they value it as mercy for which they can never enough be thankful: “Yea, doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord; for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I might win Christ” (Phil. iii. 8). The people of God have no reason to en’vy others that live in the pomp of the world, and the splendour of outward accommodations, if he give them the saving knowledge of them: “Envy thou not the oppressor, and choose none of his ways; for the froward is abomination to the Lord, but his secret is with the righteous” (Prov. iii. 31, 32). If God will teach us his statutes, though he keepeth us low, it is more to be one of God’s disciples, to be owned by him in an ordinance, than to live a life of pomp and ease.
Secondly, none are fit to praise God, but those whom God hath taught: “What hast thou to do to declare my statutes, or that thou shouldest take my covenant into thy mouth?” (Psalm 1. 16.) The new song and the old heart do ill agree together; but, when God hath framed our hearts to obedience, then is praise comely in our mouths.
Use II. — Is to direct us, —
1. How to pray for spiritual grace, if we would obtain it. The glory of God is the end of all grace vouchsafed to us; with this end we must pray to God for it. The end of our petitions and requests to God should be, that we may be enabled to praise God; then we seek God for God, much more when we ask spiritual grace. To ask temporal benefits to consume ujjon our lusts, is very bad, and the ready way to bespeak ourselves a denial: “Ye ask, and receive not; because ye ask amiss, that ye may consume it upon your lusts” (James iv. 3): much more to ask spiritual gifts, for our lusts’ sake; to beg God to open our mouths, to show forth our own praises rather than his; or knowledge to advance ourselves; as it is a greater indignity to void our excrements in a cup of gold, for a prince’s own drinking, than in a common utensil. Besides, it showeth our value of the benefit, to think of joraise before we have obtained it: “To the praise of the glory of his grace, wherein he hath made us accepted in the Beloved” (Eph. i. 6).
2. It must be used and improved to that end. When we have obtained, we must not be proud of any spiritual gift, but lay our crown at God’s feet: “Who maketh thee to differ? and what hast thou, that thou didst not receive?” (i Cor. iv. 7.) We pervert the end of the end, when we are puffed up; and give shrewd suspicion that it is a common gift, not saving grace, when we are puffed up with it.
Use III. — Is 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: “That ye should show forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darknes into his marvellous light” (I Peter ii. 9).
2. You were as indocile and unteachable as others; only God made the difference: “For vain man would be wise, though man be born like a wild ass’s colt” (Job xi. 12); “As a bullock unaccustomed to the yoke” ( Jer. xxxi. 1 8); 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.
3. It is the way to increase it: “Rooted, and built up in him, and stablished in the faith, as ye have been taught, abounding therein with thanksgiving” (Col. ii. 7). Thanksgiving for what we have received, is an effectual means to make us constant, grow and abound in every grace: “Let the people praise thee, O God; let all the people praise thee” (Psalm lxvii. 3). Look, as the vapours go up, so the showers come down. Experiences of former mercies thankfully acknowledged, draw down more mercy.
4. Prayer necessarily inferreth praise: “In everything by prayer and supplication with thanksgiving let your requests be made known unto God.” (Phil. iv. 6.) Blessing God for favours already received, is necessary to be joined with prayer; it is disingenuous to be always craving, and never giving 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.