A Body of Practical Divinity, Sermon 65
Of the Commandments.
Exod. 20.6
And keep my Commandments.
LOve and Obedience, like two Sisters, must go hand in hand: Indeed this is a good Evidence of our loving God, Iohn 14.21. If ye love me, keep my Commandments. Probatio dilectionis est exhibitio operis. The Son that loves his Father, will obey him; Obedience pleaseth God, 1 Sam. 15.22. To obey is better than Sacrifice. In Sacrifice only a dead Beast is offered, in Obedience a living Soul. In Sacrifice only a part of the Fruit is offered; in Obedience Fruit and Tree and all. A Man offers up himself to God. Keep my Commandments.] It is not said, God shews Mercy to Thousands of them that know his Commandments, but that keep them. The knowing Gods Commandments, without keeping them, doth not intitle any to Mercy. The Commandment is not only a Rule of Knowledge, but Duty. God gives us his Commandments, not only as a Lanskip to look upon, but as his Will and Testament, which we are to perform. A good Christian is like the Sun, which doth not only send forth light, but goes its Circuit round the World. So he hath not only the light of Knowledge, but goes his Circuit too, and moves in the Sphere of Obedience.
Quest. In what manner must we keep Gods Commandments?
Resp. 1. Our keeping the Commandments must be Fiducial. Our Obedience to Gods Commands, must Profluere à Fide, spring from Faith, therefore it is called the Obedience of Faith, Rom. 16.26. Abel by Faith offered up foreign, a better Sacrifice than Cain, Heb. 11.4 Faith is a vital Principle, without it all our Services are Opera Mortua, dead Works, Heb. 6.1. Faith doth meliorate and sweeten our Obedience, and make it come off with a better Relish. Quest. But why must Faith be mix'd with Obedience to the Commandment? Resp. Because Faith eyes Christ in every Duty, and so both the Person and Offering are accepted. The High Priest under the Law laid his Hand upon the Head of the Beast slain, which did point to the Messiah, Exod. 29.10. So Faith in every Duty, lays its hand upon the Head of Christ. His Blood doth expiate the guilt, and the sweet Odours of his Intercession perfume our works of Obedience, Eph. 1.6. He hath made us accepted in the Beloved.
2. Our keeping the Commandments must be uniform. We must make Conscience of one Commandment as well as another, Psal. 119.6. Then shall I not be ashamed, when I have respect to all thy Commandments. Every Commandment hath a Ius divinum, the same stamp of Divine Authority upon it: And if I obey one Precept, because God commands, by the same Reason I must obey all. Some obey the Commands of the first Table, but are careless in the Duties of the second: And so, è contra. Physicians have a Rule, when the Body sweats in one part, but is cold in another, it is a sign of a Distemper. So when Men seem Zealous in some Duties of Religion, but are Cold and Frozen in another, it is a sign of Hypocrisie. We must have respect to all Gods Commandments. Quest. But who can keep all Commandments? Resp. There is a fulfilling of Gods Commands, and a keeping them: Though we cannot fulfill all, yet we may be said to keep them in an Evangelical Sense. We may facere, though not perficere: We keep the Commandments Evangelically. 1. Where we make Conscience of every Command: Though we come short in every Duty, yet we dare not neglect any Duty. 2. Our desire is to keep every Commandment, Psal. 119.5. O that my ways were directed to keep thy Statutes. What we want in Strength, we make up in Will. 3. We grieve that we can do no better. When we fail, we weep: We prefer Bills of Complaint against our selves, and judge our selves for our Failings, Rom. 7.24. 4. We do elicere conatum, we endeavour to obey every Commandment, Phil. 3.14 I press toward the mark. We strive as in an Agony, and if it lay in our power we would fully comport with every Commandment. 5. When we fall short, and are unable to come up to the full Latitude of the Law, we look to Christs Blood to sprinkle our imperfect Obedience; and with the grains of his Merits cast into the Scales to make it pass current. This is in an Evangelical Sense to keep all the Commandments; and though it be not to Satisfaction, yet it is to Acceptation.
3. Our keeping Gods Commandments must be willing, Isa. 1.19. If ye be willing and obedient. God was for a Free will-offering, Deut. 16.10. David will run the way of Gods Commandments, Psal. 119.32. that is, Freely and Chearfully. The Lawyers have a Canon, Adverbs are better than Adjectives; it is not the Bonum but the Bene; not the doing much, but the doing well. A Musician is not commended for playing long, but for playing well: It is obeying God willingly is accepted: Virtus nolentium nullum est. The Lord hates that which is forced, it is rather a paying a Tax than an Offering. Cain served God grudgingly, he brought his Sacrifice, not his Heart. To obey Gods Commandments unwillingly, is like the Devils who came out of the Men possess'd at Christs command, but with Reluctancy and against their Will, Matt. 8.29. Obedientia praeest, and à est non timore poenae, sed amore Dei. Good Duties must not be pressed or beaten out of us, as the Waters came out of the Rock, when Moses smote it with his Rod, but must freely drop from us as Myrrhe from the Tree, or Hony from the Comb. If a willing mind be wanting, there wants that flower which should perfume our Obedience, and make it a sweet smelling Savour to God. That we may keep Gods Commandments willingly, let these things be well weighed.
1. Our Willingness is more esteem'd than our Service. Therefore David Counsels Solomon, not only to serve God, but with a willing Mind, 1 Chron. 28.9. The Will makes Sin to be worse, and it makes Duty to be better. To obey willingly, shews we do it with love: And this Crowns all our Services.
2. There is that in the Law-giver, as may make us willing to obey the Commandments, viz. Gods Indulgence to us.
1. God doth not require the Summum jus, as absolutely necessary to Salvation. He expects not perfect Obedience, only requires Sincerity. Do but act from a Principle of Love, and aim at Honouring God in your Obedience, and it is accepted.
2. In the times of the Gospel a Surety is admitted. The Law would not favour us so far, but now God doth so indulge us, that what we cannot do of our selves, we may do by Proxy. Iesus Christ is a Surety of a better Testament, Heb. 7.22. We fall short in every thing, but God looks upon us in our Surety, and Christ having fulfilled all Righteousness, it is as if we had fulfilled the Law in our own Persons.
3. God gives strength to do what he requires. The Law called for Obedience, but though it required Brick it gave no Straw. But in the Gospel, God with his Commands gives power, Ezek. 18.31. Make ye a new Heart. Alas it is above our strength, we may as well make a new World, Ezek. 36.26. I will give you a new Heart. God commands us to cleanse our selves, Isa. 1.16. Wash ye, make you clean. But who can bring a clean thing out of an unclean? Job 14.4. Therefore the Precep… is turn'd into a Promise, Ezek. 36.25. From all your filthiness will I cleanse you. When the Child cannot go, the Nurse takes it by the Hand, Hos. 11.3. I taught Ephraim also to go, taking them by their arms.
3. There is that in Gods Commandments which may make us willing, they are not burdensome.
1. For first a Christian (so far as he is regenerate) consents to Gods Commands, Rom. 7.16. foreign. I consent to the Law, that it is good. What is done with consent is no burden. If a Virgin gives her consent, the Match goes on chearfully. If a Subject consent to his Princes Laws (as seeing the Equity and Rationality in them) then they are not irksome. A regenerate Person in his Judgment approves, and in his Will consents to Gods Commandments, therefore they are not burdensome.
2. Gods Commandments are sweetned with Joy and Peace. Cicero questions whether that can properly be called a Burden, which one carries with Delight and Pleasure. Utrum onus appellatur quod laetitia fertur. If a Man carries a Bag of Mony given him, it is heavy, but the Delight takes off the Burden. When God gives inward Joy, that makes the Commandment delightful, Isa. 56.7. I will make them joyful in my House of Prayer. Joy is like Oyl to the Wheels, which makes a Christian run in the way of Gods Commandments; so that it is not burdensome.
3. Gods Commandments are Advantagious. 1. The Commandments are preventive of Evil; a Curb-bit to check us from Sin. What Mischiefs should not we run into, if we had not Affliction to humble us, and the Commandment to restrain us? Gods Commandments are to keep us within Bounds. The Yoke keeps the Beast from stragling. We are to be thankful to God for Precepts; had not he set his Commandments as an Hedge or Bar in our way, we might have run to Hell and never stop'd.
2. There is nothing in the Commandment but what is for our good, Deut. 10.13. To keep the Commandments of the Lord and his Statues, which I command thee for thy good. 1. God commands us to read his word, and what hurt is in this? God bespangles the Word with Promises: As if a Father should bid his Son read his Last Will and Testament, wherein he makes over a fair Estate to him. God bids us Pray: And he tells us, If we ask, it shall be given, Matt. 7.7. Ask power against Sin, ask Salvation and it shall be given. If you had a Friend should say, Come when you will to me, I will supply you with Mony: Would you think it a trouble to visit that Friend often? God commands us to fear him, Lev. 25.43. But fear thy God. And there is Hony in the mouth of this Command, Luke 1.50. His mercy is upon them that fear him. God commands us to believe, and why so? Believe and ye shall be saved, Acts 16.31. Salvation is the Crown set upon the Head of Faith. Good reason then we obey Gods Commands willingly, they are for our good, they are not so much our Duty as our Privilege.
3. Gods Commandments are Ornamental; Omnia quae praestari jubet Deus, non onerant nos sed ornant, Salvian. Gods Commandments do not burden us but adorn us. It is an Honour to be imployed in a Kings Service: And so to be imployed in Gods, by whom Kings reign. To walk in Gods Commandments proclaims us to be wise, Deut. 4.5, 6. Behold I have taught you Statutes: Keep, therefore, and do them, for this is your wisdom. And to be wise is an Honour: I may say of every Commandment of God, as Prov. 4.9. It shall give to thy head an ornament of Grace.
4. The Commands of God are infinitely better than the Commands of Sin; these are intolerable. Let a Man be under the command of any Lust, how doth he tire himself! what Hazards doth he run to the endangering his Health and Soul that he may satisfie his Lust, Ier. 9.5. They weary themselves to commit Iniquity. And are not Gods Commandments more equal, facile, pleasant, than the Commands of Sin? Chrysostom saith true, foreign. To act Virtue, is easier than to act Vice: Temperance is less troublesom than Drunkenness: Meekness is less troublesom than Passion and Envy. There is more difficulty in the Contrivement and Pursuit of a wicked Design, than in Obeying the Commandments of God. Hence a Sinner is said to travel with Iniquity, Psal. 7.14. A Woman while she is in Travel, is in pain, to shew what pain and trouble a Wicked Man hath, in bringing forth Sin. Many have gone with more pains to Hell, than others have to Heaven. This may make us obey the Commandments willingly.
5. Willingness in Obedience makes us resemble the Angels. The Cherubims Types representing the Angels, are described with Wings display'd, to shew how ready the Angels are to serve God. God no sooner speaks the Word, but they are ambitious to obey. How are they ravished with Joy, while they are praising God! In Heaven we shall be foreign, as the Angels; by our willingness to obey Gods Commandments, we shall be like them here. This is that we pray for, that Gods Will may be done by us on Earth, as it is in Heaven: Is it not done willingly there? We must keep Gods Commandments constantly, Psalm 106.3. Blessed is he who doth Righteousness at all times. Our Obedience to the Command must be as the Fire of the Altar which never went out, Lev. 13.6. It must be as the motion of the Pulse, always beating. The Wind blows off the Fruit; our Fruits of Obedience must not be blown off by the Wind of Persecution, Iohn 15.16. I have chosen you that you should go and bring forth Fruit, and that your Fruit should remain.
Use. It reproves them who live in a wilful breach of Gods Commandments, in Malice, Uncleanness, Intemperance; they walk Antipodes to the Commandment. To live in a wilful breach of the Commandment, is
First, Against Reason. Are we able to stand it out against God, 1 Cor. 10.22. Do we provoke the Lord, are we stronger than he? Can we measure Arms with God? Can Impotency stand against Omnipotency? A Sinner in acting Sin, acts against Reason.
Secondly, It is against Equity. We have our Being from God, and is it not equal we should obey him who gives us our Being? We have all our Subsistence from God, and is it not fitting that as God gives us our Allowance, we should give him our Allegiance? If a General gives his Soldier Pay, he is to march at his Command, so that to live in the breach of his Commands, is against Equity.
Thirdly, It is against Nature. Every Creature in its kind, obeys Gods Laws: 1. Animate Creatures obey him, God spake to the Fish, and it set Ionah ashoar, Ionah 2.10. 2. Inanimate Creatures, the Wind and the Sea obey him; Mark 4.41. The very Stones, if God give them a Commission, will cry out against the Sins of Men, Hab. 2.11. The Stone shall cry out of the Wall, and the Beam out of the Timber shall answer it: None disobeys God but Man and the Devil, and can we find none to joyn with else?
Fourthly, It is against Kindness. How many Mercies have we to allure us to obey! Miracles of Mercy; therefore the Apostle joyns these Two together, Disobedient and Unthankful, 2 Tim. 3.2. And this dyes a Sin of a Crimson colour. And as the Sin is great, for it is a contempt of God, a hanging out of the Flag of Defiance against God, (and Rebellion is as the Sin of Witchcraft,) so the Punishment will be proportionable: Such cut themselves off from Mercy. Gods Mercy is for them that keep his Commandments, but no Mercy to them that live in a wilful breach of them. All God's Judgments set themselves in Battel Array against the Disobedient. 1. Temporal Judgments, Lev. 26.15, 16. 2. Eternal Christ comes in Flames of Fire to take Vengeance on them that obey not, 2 Thes. 1.8. Such as break the Golden Chains of Gods Commands, God hath Iron Chains to hold them, Chains of Darkness, in whch the Devils are held, Iude 6. As long as there is Eternity, God hath time enough to reckon with all the wilful Breakers of his Commandments.
Quest. How shall we do to keep Gods Commandments?
Resp. Beg the Spirit of God. We cannot do it in our own Strength; the Spirit must work in us both the foreign and foreign, to will and to do, Phil. 2.13. When the Loadstone draws, the Iron moves; when Gods Spirit draws, then we run in the way of Gods Commandments.