A Worthy Communicant, Treatise · Chapter 14
Chap. 14. The Examination of Obedience.
CHAP. 14 THe laſt thing whoſe truth is to be examined, is Obedience. There is deceit in obedience, and much hypocriſie may be in it. Saul glories in his obedience, 1 Sam. 15. 13. I have performed the commandement of the Lord. Behold, I have obeyed God. Yea, after Samuel had pinched him with ſo cloſe an anſwer, he ſtill ſtands to it, Verſ. 20. Yea, I have obeyed the voice of the Lord, and have gone the way which the Lord ſent me. And yet Samuel charges him ſtill with rebellion and diſobedience, and leaves him not till he makes him confeſſe his ſinne. So ready are men to deceive themſelves in their obedience to God, as if their obedience were good and acceptable, when there is no ſuch matter. Men will not be borne downe but that they are obedient people to God, I have performed the commandement of the Lord, Behold I have obeyed God, ſayes Saul, and ſo ſay many as well as he, as farre from it as was he. But as Samuel there convinced Saul, 1 Sam. 15. 14. ſo may men be convinced of diſobedience. What meanes then, ſayes Samuel, this bleating of the ſheepe in mine eares, and the lowing of the Oxen which I heare. There was not an Oxe that Iowed, not a Sheepe that bleated, but openly, and loudly, proclaimed Saul a diſobedient perſon. So men ſay they doe obey God, and they are wronged to be charged with diſobedience. But what then meanes the bleating and the lowing of their oathes? What meanes then the neglect of God, in the publike ordinances, in their private families? what meane their Lords-day profanations? what meane their whoredomes, drunkenneſſe, and other not bleating, not lowing, but crying, loud crying ſins, in the eares of God and man?
It is needfull therefore that men examine their obedience, whether it be ſuch as is required in him that will be an orderly Communicant. True obedience then may be knowne by theſe things:
1 The Grounds of it.
2 The End of it.
3 The Properties of it.
The Grounds of obedience are 3.
1 Firſt, the ground of true obedience is the authority and will of God. Gods will is, that ſuch a thing bee done, and his power is ſoveraigne and abſolute to command, ſo as whatſoever hee commands it muſt bee done, becauſe he commands. Therefore we ſhall finde, Levit. 19. that in that one Chapter this one reaſon, I am the Lord, is uſed thirteene ſeverall times. The meaning whereof is this; ſuch and ſuch commandements I enjoyne you, if you will know the ground why you ſhold obey thē, this is the ground, I am the Lord, a God of ſoveraigne power and authority, and my will it is that ſuch things be done. And therefore it is that Gods will is brought in Scripture, as the reaſon of the obedience that is required. 1 Theſſ. 4. 3. For this is the will of God even your ſanctification. So 1 Theſ. 5. 18. 1 Pet. 2. 15. The ground therefore of all obedience muſt be the will and Commandement; that if a man bee asked a reaſon of his obedience, why he doth this or that, he may be able to ſay, I ſee it is Gods will and commandement it ſhould be done, and becauſe it is his will, therefore I doe it. This was the ground of Davids obedience, Pſal. 119. 4. 5. Thou haſt commanded us to keepe thy precepts diligently, Oh that my wayes were directed to keepe thy Statutes. His deſires were exceeding ſtrong to give God obedience in keeping his ſtatutes, and the ground of it was, Thou haſt commanded. That onelyonly and properly is obedience, which is done Intuitu voluntatis, by looking at Gods will, by having a reſpect or an eye to Gods commandement, Pſal. 119. 6. and doing it becauſe it is his will. Looke as it is in the caſe of faith, ſo is it in the caſe of obedience. Then a man beleeves, when the ground of his faith is onelyonly the Word of God; he beleeves onelyonly becauſe it is the Word and will of God he ſhould beleeve. If a man beleeve ſuch a truth becauſe he hath good arguments and reaſons for it, by which he is led to beleeve it, this is ſcience, but not faith. Thus is it in obedience, to doe things commanded upon other grounds then the commandement, is not obedience. Suppoſe a man doe the ſame ſame thing that God commands, and yet know not that God commands it, this is no obedience: or if a man do know that it is commanded, but doth it not, becauſe it is commanded, neither is this obedience to God; for as where there is no Law, there is no tranſgreſsion, ſo where there is no knowledge of a Law, there is no obedience. In all true obedience there muſt be a knowledge of, and an eye to the will of God, Rom. 12. 2. Proving what is the will of God, that is, ſearching and trying, and ſo allowing the good and acceptable will of the Lord, Epheſ. 5. 17. Vnderstanding what the will of the Lord is. Both which places imply thus much, that that onelyonly is obedience indeed, which is done upon the knowledge and conſcience of being Gods will. To doe that which is Gods will, and not to doe it becauſe it is his will, is not obedience. By this may a man try his obedience. If thine heart can ſincerely witneſſe that the ground of thy obedience and all thine actions therein, is Gods will, that thou ſeeſt it is his will to have it done, and becauſe it is his will thou doeſt it, ſuch obedience is upon the right ground. But by this may the unſoundneſſe of many a mans obedience be diſcovered. Some men come duly to publike duties of Gods worſhip and ſervice; but what is the ground? Is it the will of God, or the law of Man, or the talke of the World, that brings them thereunto. Many a man is diligent in his calling, followes it cloſe, and it is a thing commanded of God ſo to do. But if a man doe it, not becauſe God wils it, but becauſe deſire of gaine carries him on, or neceſſity of maintenance forces him thereto, this is no obedience to God, but obedience to his covetouſneſſe, or obedience to his neceſſities, which call upon him for diligence and painfulneſſe.
2 Second ground of obedience, The grace of faith. True obedience muſt ſpring and flow from faith. S. Paul ſpeakes, Rom. 16. 26. Of the obedience of faith, that is, that obedience which in beleeving we give to God. But yet in a larger ſenſe, all obedience may be called the obedience of faith, becauſe by it we give God that obedience we give him, Heb. 11. 8. By faith Abraham obeyed God. Faith quickens and enables to obedience, ſo as without it wee can give God no obedience. Therefore Rom. 3. 3… Faith stabliſhes the Law; becauſe it is faith that helpes a man to performe all the obedience he performes to it. Faith is the ground of obedience thus.
1 Firſt, a man muſt firſt beleeve what the will of God is, before hee will goe about to yeeld it any obedience.
2 Secondly, all obedience flowes from a mans laying hold on the covenant of grace. In that covenant God articles with us, and binds himſelfe to enable to obedience, Ezek. 36. 27. Now this covenant muſt be laid hold on for ability and ſtrength to obedience, before a man can obey God. It is true in obedience to every Commandement which is ſpoken of the fourth, Iſay 56. 4. That keepe my Sabbath, and take hold of my Covenant. In the Covenant there is promiſed ſtrength unto obedience; and this covenant being taken hold on, ſtrength to obedience is given. Now that which layes hold upon the covenant is faith, which from the covenant fetches ability to obedience.
3 Thirdly, CHRIST is the principle of all ſpirituall life and activity, Iohn 15. 5. Phil 4. 13. Chriſt muſt firſt dwell in a man before hee hath strength in the inner man, Epheſ. 3. 16, 17. Now all vertue to be fetcht from Chriſt, muſt be drawne out of him by faith. And he by faith dwels in us, Epheſ. 3. 17. No obedience, till we have Chriſt effectually working in us, and quickning us by his ſpirit; and no Chriſt but by faith. By this then a man may try the truth of his obedience. If it be fruit comming from a root of faith, it is good fruit. I beleeved, therefore I ſpake, Pſal. 116. So if thou canſt ſay, I beleeve, therefore I pray, and doe God ſervice, Iohn 9. 38. He ſaid, Lord I beleeve, and he worſhipped him. I beleeve, therefore I ſanctifie the Lords-day, I beleeve, and therefore I doe duties of obedience; then is thine obedience true fruit of Paradiſe, becauſe it growes upon the tree of life. But if thine obedience ariſe from a root only of morality, it is but hedge fruit.
3 Third ground of obedience, is the true love of God and Chriſt. Indeed obedience muſt not bee upon conſtraint; but in one ſenſe it is by conſtraint, yet by the conſtraint of Love, 2 Cor. 5. 14. For the love of Chriſt conſtrains us. Love hath ſuch an active power that it conſtraines us to obedience, not only that love which Chriſt beares to us, but which wee beare to him. Obedience to God muſt be filiall obedience, 1 Pet. 1. 14. As obedient children. Now the obedience of a ſon to his Father flowes from love. The love of his Father ſets him on worke, to do what his father commands. The good ſon in the Vineyard, Mat. 21. When his Father bid him go work in his Vineyard, he at firſt ſaid, I will not, but afterwards he repented, and went and wrought in the Vineyard. Now what was it that made him obey his Father: his Father promiſed no wages if hee would go worke, nor threatned him any evill if hee did not worke, but there was only a bare command, Mat. 21. 28. Son go work to day in my Vineyard: here are neither wages promiſed, nor anger threatned, and yet hee went. It was neither hope of wages, nor feare of puniſhment, that carried him; but meerely a ſonlike love, and the dutifull affection he owed to his Father, that wrought upon his heart, and conſtrained him to goe, though at firſt he refuſed it. And ſuch is true obedience unto God. Love unto God is the weight that ſets the wheeles on going, Iohn 14. If ye love me, keepe my commandements. 1 Iohn 5. 3. This is the love of God, that we keepe his commandements. Try we our obedience by this. What is it that moves to obedience? If thou canſt plainely ſay, as the ſervant, Exod. 21. 5. I love my Maſter, I will not goe out free; ſo, I love my God, I will not ſweare, &c. I love my God, therfore I will yeeld him all carefull obedience. If love be the weight and the oile that makes the wheeles run, thine obedience is ſuch as it ought to bee. But this diſcovers a great deale of falſe obedience. Some men yeeld obedience for the love of themſelves, the love of their credit. Such was the Phariſees obedience, in their almes, prayers, and faſtings, onelyonly to purchaſe credit with men. Such is a civill mans obedience, whoſe obedience is only to ſuch commandements, and onelyonly to ſuch branches of thoſe commandements, the breach whereof would blemiſh his reputation, and blurre his credit in the world. Some yeeld obedience, and worke in the Vineyard for their penny, ſuch as doe all they doe with a conceipt of binding God to them; and bringing him into their debt. Some againe yeeld ſome obedience neither for love, nor wages, but for meere feare; for feare either of the penall lawes of men which fence any commandement of God, or for feare of a greater meaſure of wrath in Hell. None of all theſe is filiall obedience riſing from love: Theſe are obedient workemen, obedient ſlaves, that dread the whip, but not obedient children. It is love to the Father, not wages from the Father, that is the ground of a childes obedience. The ſonne of a poore man that hath not a penny to give, or leave him, yeelds his father obedience as cheerfully as the ſonne of a rich man, that lookes for a great inheritance. If there were no heaven, Gods children would obey him, and though no hell, yet would they doe their duty. So powerfully doth the love of their Father conſtraine them.
2 Secondly, the end of obedience that is obedience indeed, is the honour and glory of God, 1 Cor. 10. Whatſoever ye doe, let all be done to the glory of God. Iohn 15. 8. Herein is my Father glorified, that yee beare much fruit. The maine end that true obedience propounds, is the glory of him that commands. When Chriſts people give him obedience, it is the ſetting of the crowne upon his head, what makes him more a King than obedience, Cant. 3. 11. Behold King Salomon with the Crowne wherewith his mother crowned him. Now this is the main end of right obedience, that the Crown may be ſet on Chriſts head, that it may bring him in the honour of the King, the crowned King of the Church, Phil. 1. 11. Filled with the fruits of righteouſnes, which are unto the glory and praiſe of God. Let every man examine his owne heart, duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page duplicate page what his end is in his obedience. If wee have any other maine end but Gods glory, it makes it obedience to our end, and not to God. How many yeeld that obedience they do, not to ſet the Crowne on Chriſts head, but to ſet the crown upon their owne heads. So doe hypocrites that ſeeke their owne praiſe, and credit, or profit; ſo doe all ſpecially that doe any thing with a conceit of meriting at Gods hand. Such obedience as hath ſquint reſpects at baſe and by ends, is in Gods ſight as baſe as the ends it lookes at.
3 Thirdly, the properties of obedience. And they are theſe:
1 Firſt, true obedience to God muſt bee univerſall. And that in a three-fold reſpect.
1 In regard of the ſubject or perſon that yeelds obedience, he muſt do it with the ſtrength of his whole man, and all the faculties thereof, Pſ. 119. 4. To bee kept exceedingly. Pſal. 103. 1. All that is within me. And thou ſhalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, &c.
2 In regard of the object, and of the commandements to be obeyed. They muſt be all obeyed, Deut. 6. 25. Pſal. 119. 128. The obedience to bee given to God, is a filiall obedience, 1 Pet. 1. 14. Now filiall obedience muſt be univerſall, Col. 3. 20. Children obey your parents in all things, for this is well pleaſing unto the Lord. It is not well pleaſing to God, when children will obey their parents only in what they thinke good. That is to yeeld obedience upon courteſie, and not upon duty. See what a filiall obedience the ſons of Ionadab gave their father, Ier. 35. 8, 10. In all that he hath charged us. According to all our father commanded. It was but an homely buſineſſe that Kiſh ſent Saul about all conſidered. Kiſh, a man of great ſubſtance, A mighty man of power, 1 Sam. 9. 1. And Saul his ſon, a choiſe young man, and a goodly, not a goodlier man amongſt all the children of Iſrael, and yet his father ſends him with one of his ſervants to ſeeke the Aſſes. And though it were but a meane ſervice, yet Saul yeelds him obedience. Our obedience to God muſt be a child-like obedience; a childe-like obedience is univerſall to all commandements without exceptions, diſpenſations, and reſervations. Here Saul failed, 1 Sam. 15.
3 In regard of all time. Obedience muſt not be for ſome times, nor for a time. Not for ſometimes, to bee ſometimes on, and ſometimes off, but it muſt be a conſtant, ſetled, even courſe of obedience, that God lookes for. Some men have their fits of goodneſſe, and have their good daies, as men in an ague, but are fickle and looſe hearted, hold not their hearts cloſe to God and good duties. Thus is that obedience which the Scripture calls walking with God. Some take a turne or two with him, go with him three or foure ſteps; but that is not walking with him. Walking with God, implies a ſetled even courſe of obedience to him. Neither muſt obedience be for a time, but it muſt be continuall to our lives end, Luk. 1. 75. All the dayes of our lives. 2 King. 17. 37. He ſhall obſerve to doe for ever more. Phil. 2. 8. Chriſt became obedient unto death: that is, as Beza expounds it, VntoUnto his dying day: not onelyonly obedient in his death: but Chriſts obedience as it begun at his incarnation, ſo it continued to his dying day on the croſſe.
2 Secondly, true obedience is prompt and preſent; ready and ſpeedy, without ſhucking and hucking, without delayes and conſults, Pſal. 119. 60. I made hast, and delayed not. Mar. 1. 18. And immediately they forſooke their nets, and followed him. Zech. 5. 9. They had the wind in their wings. Wings, and wind in their wings, to note, as Iunius obſerves, their readineſſe in their obedience. Thy will bee done in earth, as it is in heaven. The Angels in heaven are exceeding ready, and ſpeedy in their obedience, and therefore mention alſo is made of their wings. It was Lots fault to linger, Gen. 19. 16. There be that ſay they will repent, and they will reforme their wayes. Obedience makes haſte, delayes not. Where there be delayes, where there is lead in the heels, or the wings be pluckt, or clipt, where men put off obedience to the time to come, they may juſtly queſtion the truth of their obedience.
3 Thirdly, true obedience is free, willing, unconſtrained, Pſal. 110. 3. Thy people ſhall come willingly. Pſal. 40. 8. Then I ſaid, loe I come to doe thy will. Obedience is not foreign, 2 Cor. 9. 7. nor foreign, not grudgingly, or of neceſsity, not ſad, nor forced; but Col. 3. 23. foreign, and Rom. 6. 17. foreign, from the ſoule and the heart. His commandements are not grievous, 1 Iohn 5. 3. To wicked men, the word of the Lord is a burthen, Ier. 23. 33. Cords and bonds, Pſal. 2. 3. Yokes and bonds, Ier. 5. 5. Now according to all theſe things frame Articles, and Interrogatories, and put thy conſcience to examination. This in briefe may ſuffice for the triall of the truth of grace.