Exposition of the Principal Scriptures Used in our English Liturgy, Part 26
The Decalogue.
Then God spake all these words and said, I am the Lord thy God, &c.
THe Law was imprinted at the first in mansyRom. 2. 15. heart: the which is acknowledged euen by prophane Poets, as well as diuine Prophets in generall.
zIuuenal. Satyr. 13.Exemplo quodcun que malo committitur, ipsi
displicet authori: prima est haec vltio, quod se
Iudice, nemo nocens absoluitur, improba quamuis
gratia fallacis praetoris vicerit vrnam.
AndaEpist. 97. Seneca notably: Prima & maxima peccantium poena peccasse: Sinne is the greatest punishment of sinne in particular (asbLoc. com. tit. de leg. naturae, tom. 1. fol. 186. Melancthon obserues). Heathen authors hauehave a paterne for eueryevery precept, according to that of Paul, Rom. 2. 14. The Gentiles hauing not the law, are a law vntounto themselues.
But when thecAlbinus quaest▪ in Genesin. & Thom. 12 ae. quaest, 94. art. 5. light of it through custome of sinne began to weare away, it was openly proclaimed vntounto the world, ingrauen in stone, written in a booke, kept for record in the Church, as a perfect abridgement of all law, setting downe the duties of all men, in all things, for all times.
In it obserue
Prefaces:
One, of the Law writer: God spake all these words, &c.
Another, of the Law-giuer: I am the Lord thy God, &c.
Precepts of the
First table, cōcerning our louelove to God.
Second, touching our louelove to man.
In the former preface note: the
Matter, all these words.
Manner,
When.
Who.
The matter is: these words, that is, these sentences and all these: for Almightie God spake not the first Commandement only, nor the second, or third, and left there; but hee spake them all: and therefore the Pope proues himselfe Antigod in leauing out one, and dispensing with many. God gaue so strict a charge to keepe eueryevery one, as any one: but the Vicar of God abounding with vnlimitted authoritie, doth first publish what he list, and then expound them as he list. To leaue them, who thus leaue God, is our dutie, because God spake them all, to beg of him obedience, and make conscience to keepe them all, as one wittily, Totus, Tota, Totum: The whole man, The whole law, The whole time of his life.
In the manner, I note first the circumstance of time, when God spake: namely, when all the people were gathered together, aud sanctified: as appeareth in the former Chapter, then God spake. Whereupon it is well obserued that all men ought to take notice of the law, whether they be Commoners, or Commanders, high or low, none so mighty that is greater, or so meane that is lesse, then a subiect to God and his ordinances: and thereforedLoc. com. tit. Antinomoi. Martin Luther hath worthily reprehended Antinomian preachers, who teach that the Law need not be taught in the time of the Gospell. Indeed Christ is theeRom. 10. 4. end of the Law but, asfContra aduersar. legis lib. 2. cap. 7. Augustine construes it, finis perficiens, non interficiens: an end not consuming, but consummating: for, as himselfe said,gMatth. 5. 17. I came not to destroy the law, but to teach it, and doe it.
Secondly, we may learne by this circumstance, due preparation when wee come before God either to speake or heare his word. Auenzoar vsed to say, that hee neuer gaue purgation, but his heart did shake many daies before. Let the Physition of the soule then tremble, to thinke what hurt bad physicke may doe, when it is administred abruptly, corruptly, without either paines in reading, or reuerence in speaking. VntoUnto thehPsal. 50. 16. vngodly said God; Why doest thou preach my lawes, and takest my couenant in thy mouth, when as thou hatest to be reformed, and hast cast my words behind thee? If hearers of the Law, much more Preachers of the Gospell ought to be throughly sanctified. In the Millers hand wee lose but our meale: in the Farriors hand but our mule: in the Lawyers hands but our goods: in the Physitians hand but our life; but in the hands of a bad Diuine wee may lose that which surpasseth all, our soule.
Hearers also being of vncircumcisediActs 7. 51. hearts and eares, ought to fit and prepare themselues, askExod. 3. 5. Moses andlIosua 5. 15. Iosua were commanded, in disburdening their mind, when they come to Gods house to heare God speake, not only from vnlawfull, but also from all lawfull worldly busines; presenting themselues and their soules in the righteousnes of Christ, amRom. 12. 1. liuing, holy, acceptable sacrifice to God: and it is the dutie both of speaker and hearer to desire the Lord that he would forgiue ournChron. 2. 30. 18. 19. want of preparation, and so to assist vsus with his holy spirit in handling of his holy word, as that the whole businesse may be transacted for our good, and his glory.
The second circumstance noted in the manner is the person, and that is God: Then God spake these words, in his owne person, attended vponupon with millions ofoActs 7. 53. Gal. 3. 9. glorious Angels, inpExod. 19. 18. a flame of fire: so that there is neuer an idle word, but all full of wonderful wisdome: so perfect a law, that it proues it selfe to be Gods law. For the lawes of men, albeit they fill many large volumes, are imperfect; some statutes are added daily which were not thought vponupon before; many repealed, which after experience taught not to be so profitable: but this law continueth the same for euer, comprehending in a few words all perfection of dutie to God and man, inioyning whatsoeuer is good, and forbidding whatsoeuer is euill.
God is author of all holy Scripture, but the ten Commandements are his, after a more peculiar sort: first, because himselfe spake them, and said in a sound of words, and a distinct voice,qDeut. 5. 24. that the people both heard, and vnderstood them: in which s…nse S.rActs 7. 38. Stephen happily calleth them oracula vina, liuely oracles: not that they did giuegive life, fors2. Cor. 3. 7. Paul sheweth that the Law was the ministration of death; but liuely words, as vttered by liuely voice, not of men or Angels, as other Scripture, but immediatly thundred out by God himselfe.
Secondly, because God himselfe wrote them after a more speciall maner: hee did vse men, and meanes in penning the Gospels and Epistles and other parts of sacred writ: t1. Pet. 1. 21.for holy men of God wrote as they were moued by the spirit of God: (as theuTheodoret praefat in Psal. & Greg. praefat. in Iob. Fathers obserue) they were the pennes of Gods owne finger: but in setting downe the Decalogue, Gods owne finger was the pen: hee made the tables also wherein they were first written, that there might be nothing in them but only Gods immediate worke. Since then God had such speciall regard in deliuering the Law, wee must hence learne with all humble reuerence to receiue the same. If King Eglon xIudges 3. 20.a barbarous tyrant respected Ehud a man of meane qualitie, when he brought a message from the Lord; how much more should we with awfull respect embrace the Decalogue, which God in his owne person vttered? and it should make vsus exceeding zealous also (notwithstanding the scoffes of Atheists and carelesse worldlings) in obseruing and maintaining the same. For what need any feare to defend that which God himselfe spake: and whereofyMark. 8. 38. Christ said, He that is ashamed of me, and my words in this world, I will be ashamed of him before my father in the world to come. As a liuely faith is the best glosse vponupon the Gospell: so dutifull obedience is the best Commentarie vponupon the Law. To conclude with Augustine: Faciemus iubente imperatore, & non faci…mus iubente creatore? z1. Sam. 3. 10.Yes Lord, speak: for thy seruants herare.
Thus much concerning the first preface. The second is of the Law-giuer: I am the Lord, &c. Containing two sorts of arguments, to proue that hee may giuegive a law; and that his people are bound to keepe it. The first kind of reason is taken from his essence and greatnes in himselfe: I am Iehoua. The second from his effects and goodnes towards Israel.
In
Generall: Thy God.
More speciall: Which hauehave brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.
Now whatsoeuer is said vntounto them, is said vntounto all. Almightie God isaHeb. 13. 8. euer the same,bApocal. 1. 4. which is, which was, and which is to come: who being Iehoua the Lord, made vsus of nothing: and therefore wee being his creatures, owe obedience to his commands in eueryevery thing; especially seeing he doth not only presse vsus with his greatnes,cCalu. Instit. lib. 2. cap. 8. § 14 but allure vsus also with his goodnes: being our God by couenant in holie baptisme, wherein hee tooke vsus for his adopted children, and we tooke him for our heauenly father: he tooke vsus for his spouse, wee tooke him for our husband: he tooke vsus for his people, wee tooke him for our God:dMalac. 1. 6. A some therefore must honour his father, and a seruant his master. If he be ours, and we his, as he doth prouoke vsus in bountie: so we must answere him in dutie.
In more speciall, as God brought the children of Israel out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage: so hath he deliuered vsus from the seruitude of Satan, and sinne, eCaluin. vbi supra, §. 15.prefigured by that bondage of Egypt and Pharao: that being deliuered out of the hands of all our enemies, we might serue him in holinesse and righteousnesse all the daies of our life.
fEzech. 20. 7.Egypt was a countrie giuen exceedingly to superstition and Idolatrie, worshipping the most base creatures, as Rats, Onyons, and Garlike: so that to live in such a place was very dangerous to the soule, and bondage to natures ingenuous, is an estate of all other most grieuous to the bodie. Deliuerance then out of both, as benefits in their owne nature very great, and in memorie most fresh, were good motiues vntounto regardfull obedience.
The Lord hath done so, and more then so for vsus, he hath freed vsus from the Romish Egypt, and Spanish bondage, with lesse difficultie and more ease: for we are translated out of Babel and Egypt, without any trauell or iourney. Rome is swept away from England, and Ierusalem is brought home to our doores. If arguments drawne either from Gods infinite might or merciemercy ought to preuaile; let England shew the greatest obedience: for England hath had the greatest deliuerance.