The Imperfection of the Creature, Part 2 · Sermon 7
SERMON VII.
PSALM CXIX. 96.
I have seen an End of all Perfection; but thy Commandment is exceeding broad.
THE last Opportunity I had of discoursing to you from these Words, I finished what I had to say upon the Second Doctrine; viz. That the Commandment of GOD is exceeding broad: under which I have shewed the exceeding Breadth, or very great Excellency, of the Divine Commandment, in its Original, the Subject-Matter of it, it's Extent, the noble End and Design of it, and in its Duration: and I shall now proceed to make some suitable Improvement of what has been said.
Use. I. And the first Use of this Doctrine may by Way of Information, to instruct and teach us, and that in several things. As,
1. This Doctrine may serve to teach us, the wonderful Goodness, Mercy, and Compassion, of GOD to a miserable World. The exceeding Breadth of the Divine Commandment, we have seen, lies very much in the gracious Ends and Designs of it, which are to correct the Disorders of our Nature, and to make happy Creatures of us; and since these are the excellent Designs of the Divine Commandment, what GOD aims at by it; and what it is admirably adapted unto, we have from hence a clear Conviction of the abundant Mercy, Goodness, and Compassion, of GOD, to fallen miserable Sinners, in so highly favouring of us, as to make such a Revelation of his Mind and Will to us, as may happily recover us from our lapsed Condition, the Sinfulness, and the Misery of it. GOD might, if He had so pleased, have left us in the Condition of fallen Angels, to whom He has made no such new Discoveries of his Mind and Will, as affords any Direction, and Encouragement, unto them, to return to their Duty to Him, with the Assurance, of their being forgiven their past Offences, and received into his special Favour, in Case they do so: whereas he has been pleased to deal quite otherwise with us, and has given us His Word, his Commandment, the Revelation of his Will concerning us, that hereby we might be directed in the whole of our Duty, both as to Faith, and Manners, and that we might have all imaginable Encouragement, to return to him, and carefully attend our Duty, from the fullest Assurances, that, through the Mediation of his dear Son, He is most ready to admit us into his Friendship, and bestow upon us all the Happiness we are capable of receiving. What Obligations could the divine Majesty be under to Creatures that had lost their Rectitude, and forfeited his Favour, by the Act of their own Will, to entertian one kind Thought of recovering them from that Death, and Hell, which was their just Due, and to give Light and Instruction to them, to guide their Feet into the Way of Peace? And what is there to move the infinitely great GOD, who needs us not, neither can be benefited by us, thus to distinguish us with his kind Regards to us? What, but the pure Goodness of his Nature, his free and rich Mercy, and Compassion? 'Tis because be delighteth in Mercy (a)Mic. vii. 18., that he hath given us his Commandment, without which our Condition had been unavoidably miserable, nor could we have known any possible Way of helping ourselves.
It is true, if we had been left wholly to the Light of Nature, without a divine Revelation, we might have spelled out so much of our Duty to GOD, and our Neighbours, as would have rendred us altogether inexcusable in the Neglect of it: for the Work of the Law is written in the Hearts of them, who have not the written Law, so that they are a Law unto themselves, as the Apostle discourses (b)Rom. ii. 14, 15.; and so much of the invisible things of GOD is clearly seen, being understood by the Things that are made, (c)ch. i. 20.as would have forever condemned us, if we should not have glorified him as GOD: yet this natural Light, alone, would never have been able to have answered the great Designs, of perfecting our Nature, and compleating our Happiness; yea, I doubt not to say, it would have left us far short of moral Rectitude, and altogether in the dark about the Way of Salvation. For, this inbred Law is so dimmed, and obscured, by the Corruption, and Depravity, which, we certainly find by sad Experience, attends our Nature, (howsoever we first came by it,) that we should not have been able, by the Light of it, to have read the whole of our Duty, nor to have seen where our true Interest lay; as is very evident if we consider the Condition of that Part of the World, in any Age of it, which has been left wholly without a divine Revelation. We very much mistake the Force of natural Light, when we imagine, that all we find agreeable to the Sentiments of our own Minds, now that we have the Advantage of Revelation, might have been sufficiently discovered to us by the ordinary Improvement of our rational Powers; whereas this only teaches us, how highly reasonable the divine Revelation is; that the Duty GOD therein requires of us cannot be set before us, in it's proper Light, but our Reason immediately sees the Equity of it, and acknowledges it to be good; and not what we should have been able to have seen, by the Strength of our own Reason, without Revelation. It no more infers the Capacity of our natural Reason, to discover the Duties revealed to us, because, by the Help of such a Revelation, we can trace the Reasonableness, and Equity, of the Duty, than our plain beholding Jupiter's Satelletes, or Saturn's Ring, by the Help of a Telescope, or the Animalcula in a Drop of Water, by the Help of a Microscope, infers the Capacity of our Eyes, by their natural Strength, and without those Assistances, to behold them. The best Evidence of the Power of Nature is to be fetched from those Nations, and People who never had any Thing but natural Light to guide them; and there we see, not only among the more barbarous Nations, but even the most civilized, and greatly improved in humane Learning, that the Generality of the People were destitute of the Knowledge of many moral Vertues, and their most learned Men were Ignorant of some, and that they were all absolute Strangers to true Happiness; they knew not the only true GOD, the Way of serving of Him acceptably, nor how to enjoy his Favour: And hence we find the greatest, and best, of their Philosophers, as Socrates, and Plato, expressing their Sense of the Want, and their Hope, of a future, divine Revelation. There are, indeed, some moral Duties which do, as it were, lie uppermost in the humane Mind; Reason easily, and without much Search, discerns them; and there are some others which, probably, our natural Light might find out, by close Attention, and diligent Application. But the Bulk of Mankind are not very capable of so industrious an Enquiry, nor have they Leisure for it, if they were capable of it: and after all, the great and wonderful Discoveries which Athens, and Rome, have made of moral Vertue, left us in the Writings of their most learned Men, I am apt to think, that, upon a due Enquiry, it will be found, they owed it, not to the Force of their natural Powers, which some of them greatly improved, but to the Light they received from the Jewish Writings, with which they were undoubtedly conversant, which contained a Revelation from GOD, of what Nature would never have taught them. Since such was the Condition of Mankind, that, of themselves, they could not have come at the Knowledge of those things which were necessary for them to know, therefore GOD, in his great Goodness, and Compassion, has condescended to our Weakness, and Infirmity, in giving to us his written Law, firstly made known by Revelation from himself, wherein the whole of our Duty is fully, and clearly, set before us, and the only Way to true and endless Happiness is plainly discovered to us.
As the Case stands with us, at present, we can neither be recovered from the Imperfection of our Nature, nor our State, without a Mediator, a Redeemer, appearing on our behalf, becoming a Surety for us, obeying the Law, and undergoing the Penalty of it; that is to say, bearing the Curse for us, that we might not fall under the Malediction of the Law, which we have broken. This natural Reason would never have discovered to us, but we should forever have wandered, as even the most polite Parts of Athens, and Rome, did, in Search after some certain Method, by which to appease the Anger of the Deity, whom, natural Conscience, from a Sense of our own manifold Miscarriages, would have told us, we had offended: and so we should have endlesly remained in the dark about the Way of Salvation, if GOD had not, in his great Compassion to us, given us a full, and clear Revelation thereof, in his holy Word.
Thus, we may see the Goodness of GOD to us, both in adjusting his Commandment to our rational Nature, requiring of us only a reasonable Service, a Service which, when we view it in the true Beauty of it, we cannot but acknowledge to be just, and equitable; a Service which enobles our Minds, rectifies our Manners, sweetens our Relations, endears our Society, and is every Way advantageous to us, and, at the same Time, making known to us thereby the Way, the Truth, and the Life, or the true Way unto Life, and Happiness. For he has told us, in his Word, that he has provided a Redeemer for us, even the Lord JESUS CHRIST, his only begotten Son, the dearly Beloved of the Father, whom he hath set forth for a Propitiation for our Sin, thro' Faith in his Blood (d)Rom. iii. 25.; He has assured us of the Fulness, and Sufficiency, of the Merits of his Obedience, and Suffering, by his Resurrection from the Dead, of which he has given Assurance to all Men, where the Gospel is preached; and he graciously invites the greatest Sinner of us all to come to the Blessed JESUS, and yield the Obedience of Faith to him, and live. Thus is GOD, in CHRIST, reconciling a guilty World unto himself, not imputing their Trespasses unto them (e)2Cor. v. 19.. And if it had not pleased GOD thus to reveal his Designs of Grace and Favour to us, in his holy Word, we should, doubtless, have perished among those that are lost. Hence it is that his Commandment is called (f)Act. xx.the Word of his Grace: not only because, by it, he worketh Grace in our Souls, but in that it is an Act of free Grace, and rich Goodness, in GOD, to priviledge us with a Divine Revelation.
The divine Commandment aims at the Recovery of us from all the sad Effects of our Apostacy, and to bring us unto GOD, and Happiness: and however natural Light was sufficient unto innocent Man, while as yet there was nothing to blind his Mind, and bias his Will, and Affections, so that he might have seen his Duty clearly, and, possibly, have performed it fully, and so have secured the Favour of GOD, and his own uninterrupted and endless Happiness; yet Sin has so obscured the Understandings of Men, and prejudiced the Powers of their Souls, in Favour of what is agreeable to the Senses, and the lower Appetites, and against what would any Ways abridge them of the Gratifications of Sense, that under the Influence of natural Light, alone, we should never be able to discover every Mystery of Iniquity, nor be sufficiently moved to part with our beloved Lusts; and, of Consequence, we should never be recovered from the sad Effects of our. Fall, to the Grace and Favour of our GOD. Hence the Apostle says, (g)1 Cor. ii. 14.The natural Man receiveth not the things of the Spirit of GOD; for they are Foolishness unto him; neither can be know them, because they are spiritually discerned. And our Saviour observes, (h)Math. vi. 23.if the Light that is in thee be Darkness, how great is that Darkness? So that I cannot sufficiently wonder at it, that Men of Learning, and Thought, and such as set themselves up for a polite Way of thinking, and reasoning, should be so fond of their natural Light, as, for the Sake thereof, to discard divine Revelation; when it is apparent, not only, that they are beholden to Revelation for their Master Thoughts, but, without it, they would be destitute of the clearest Light, and the strongest Arguments, that can have any moral Influence upon a reasonable Creature, to a constant and diligent attendance upon even moral Duties: that is they would be destitute of the best Means, to live like GOD, and to enjoy his Favour forever.
But, blessed be GOD; we are advantaged with a divine Revelation: and as this was the peculiar Profit of the Jewish Nation, above all People, that unto them were committed the Oracles of GOD (i)Rom. iii. 1, 2.; so now is it our special Advantage, since, through the tender Mercy of the most High, the Day-Star has risen, and shined, upon us Gentiles, and CHRIST has been given for a Light, to lighten the Gentiles, as well as to be the Glory of his People Israel. And as they did of old, so ought we to see, and own, the Goodness of GOD to us herein, and sing his Praise: (k)Ps. cxlviii. 19, 20.He hath shewed his Word unto Jacob, his Statutes and Judgements unto Israel; He hath not dealt so with any Nation, as for his Judgments they have not known them: Praise ye the LORD. And indeed our Obligations to Gratitude, and Thankfulness, are so much the greater, by how much the Light of the Gospel hath shined more full, and clear, upon us, in the more abundant Discoveries of the Person, Nature, Offices, and Benefits, of the Messiah, and in the more evident Testimony, and Assurances, of Life and Immortality, than it did upon them; and GOD has been graciously pleased to speak plainly unto us, whereas he spake very much in Parables, Types, and Shadows unto them.
O how great is his Goodness! That thus the Blessing of Abraham should come upon us Gentiles, and unto us, now, pertaineth the Adoption, and the Glory, and the Covenant, and the giving the Law, and the Service of GOD, and the Promises; that now unto us is this Grace given, that, among us Gentiles, the unsearchable Riches of CHRIST are preached; to the intent, that now unto Principalities, and Powers, in heavenly Places, might be known, by the Church, the manifold Wisdom, and Goodness, of GOD: to use the Language of the inspired Apostle (l)Gal. iii. 14. Rom. ix. 4. Eph. iii. 8, 10..
2. Is the Commandment of GOD exceeding broad? then we may, from hence, learn the indispensable Obligation we are under to keep it; that we ought always to keep, and do, all that the Lord our GOD hath commanded us: that we ought to be obedient, universally, and forever obedient.
Particularly,
(1.) From hence we learn our Obligation to keep the Commandments of GOD. The divine Original, the excellent Nature, and the blessed Design of the Commandment plainly, and strongly, infers this.
1. Our Obligation to a due Respect to the divine Commandment is plainly inserrable from the divine Original of it. For, if the GOD that made us, and all the World, and to whom we must finally be accountable, hath made known his Mind and Will to us, and shewed us what He requires of us, it is very certain, that then we are under all possible Tyes, and Engagements, to remember and do as he hath commanded us. Since it is the Commandment of GOD, and derives from the eternal Deity, we ought to give a suitable Entertainment to it, and believe all that he has made known to us, as Articles of our Faith, and obey all that is required of us, as Matter of our Practice.
Thus, we learn, from the divine Original of the Commandment, that we ought firmly to believe it: because every Word, which GOD hath spoken, is a faithful Saying, and worthy of all Acceptation by us. For GOD is not a Man, that He should lie (m)Num. xxiii. 19.; yea, it is impossible for GOD to lie (n)Heb. vi. 18.; for the Lord is a GOD of Truth, Just, and Right, is He (o)Deut. xxxii. 4.When therefore it can be said to us, thus saith He that is holy, He that is true, there is no Room for us to hesitate whether we ought to believe what is spoken, or no. Our own Reason tells us, that infallible Truth ought to be believed; and we cannot possibly withhold our Assent from what we know to be infallibly true, without putting a Force upon ourselves, and doing Violence to our own Understanding. It is not to be wondered at, that they, who are possessed with the firm Perswasion of an infallible Chair, upon Earth, should swallow the grossest Absurdities, when they are dictated from that Chair, by an implicit Faith; but the greatest Wonder is, that any Men should have so little Reason, as to imagine, that Infallibility is to be found in a fallible Creature. But that GOD is infallible, is most evident to our Reason, because he is infinite in Understanding, and therefore cannot possibly be imposed upon; and infinitely pure, and Good, and therefore cannot deceive any, by giving them a false Account of Persons, or Things; There are no natural, or moral, Imperfections in GOD, to render His Word suspicious, precarious, and fallible; and hence it plainly follows, that whatever he makes known to us, is infallibly true, and therefore to be credited, by us, purely upon His Word, whether we are able to understand all that is contained in what He has spoken, or no. For the Supream Being, who has furnished us with Understanding, never meant to give us the Power to arraign his Veracity before the Barr of our Reason, nor may we assume it to ourselves to fit in Judgment upon the Truth of what he has said; he has given us Reason, indeed, to judge of the Clearness, and Strength, of the Evidences that are brought in Proof of a divine Revelation, or whether what is pretended to have been spoken by GOD be really so, or no: and thus we are not, presently, to believe every Spirit, and bold Pretender that may come to us, as he says, in the Name of GOD, but are commanded to try the Spirits whether they are of GOD; (p)1. Joh. iv. 1.to search and prove their Credentials, whether they bring with them plain and full Evidences of their being sent from GOD; and, if, upon Examination, it be found that their Credentials are authentick and valid, and sufficient to determine our reasonable Minds, that GOD thereby speaks to us, it is not for us then to proceed to try and judge, whether what GOD has thereby spoken be true, or no, before we will give credit to it; no; GOD demands it of us to believe what he has said, upon the Truth of his Word, and not upon our Capacity of discerning the Truth of it, or upon it's Agreement with such Maxims, and Principles, as we have taken up with, or such Ideas, and Conceptions of Things as we have formed in our Minds.
All the Difficulty here will lie in the Evidence, and Assurance, that what we are to believe is truly a divine Revelation; and if the Evidences of a Thing's being a Revelation from GOD are full, and strong, there ought then to be no Difficulty with us in our crediting of it; because Truth itself can never deceive. It is readily acknowledged, that there are Mysteries in Religion, though some, I know, would perswade us there are none. I do not mean that the Proposition, in which the divine Revelation is expressed, is mysterious, for then, I suppose, we could not know the Terms of the Proposition, and so, I think, could not possibly believe it; because it would contain just Nothing at all in it, nothing to us, whatever it might do to those that understand the Terms of it; but it would be, to us, as a sealed Book, which we could neither read, know, or believe, any thing contained in it. But I mean, that, though the Proposition be ever so plain, and clear, and the Terms of it perfectly well understood by us, and so it hands to us, a certain Truth, sufciently knowable, yet, it contains in it such Doctrines as are, in the Nature of them, mysterious to us, and beyond our Understanding how such Things can be. When a Proposition can be demonstrated to be true, (as what is proved to be from GOD certainly is,) it ought to be of no Weight with us, nor give us any Uneasiness, that it is impossible for us to comprehend, or frame any adequate or compleat Ideas, of the Manner how the Things so demonstrated can be; or that there are such perplexing Difficulties on the other side, which merely for want of adequate Ideas of the Manner of the Existence of the Things demonstrated, are not easy to be cleared. *Vid. Dr. Sam. Clark, of the Being and Attributes &c. p. 10.. And it is very wrong to reject, and disown, That for a divine Revelation, (and 'tis a false Way of arguing to conclude, that there can be no Evidences of it's being a divine Revelation,) because it contains such Doctrines in it as we are not able to comprehend: for this would be for us to make our own Reason, and Knowledge, and not the Truth of GOD, the Foundation of our Belief. And the Absurdity, and Falseness, of this Way of Reasoning, however polite, and conclusive, some Men may think it, will evidently appear, by applying it to the most familiar Instances in Nature. It is a very plain Proposition, the Terms of which are sufficiently understood by every Child of Ten Years old, That Five burneth. But can any Thing be more ridiculous, and absurd, than for any Man, (and much more any Man pretending to a superior Genius, greater Learning, and Philosophy, and a more masterly Way of thinking,) to deny the Truth of this Proposition; meerly because he knows not what Fire is, in the real Nature of it, nor how it burneth? A Philosopher may shew some Smartness, indeed, and try his Brother Philosopher's Powers, by disputing against this Proposition, there is local Motion, which however plain, yet has it's Difficulties; but should any one that sets up for a Philosopher, in sober Earnest, deny local Motion, and for this Reason, because he could not reconcile it to some Difficulties that occurred to him, he would only render himself justly ridiculous, and every unlettered Person could shew him his Folly, only by walking a few Steps. And is it not an equal Degree of Weakness, and Folly, for any Man to deny a divine Revelation, sufficiently confirmed, purely because he cannot understand the Nature of the Thing revealed, though the Terms of the Proposition are plain, and easy. Certainly, whatever GOD makes known is true, whether we understand the Nature of it, or no; and because GOD hath spoken it, therefore we are obliged to believe it. So that the Divine Original of the Commandment obliges us most firmly to believe all the Revelations, Doctrines, Promises, and Threatnings, contained in it.
And so does it equally oblige us to obey the Precepts of it. For GOD is not only true in what he says, but he is our Sovereign, and has an original, underived Right, by Virtue of his being GOD, to enjoyn us what Law he pleases, and demand our Obedience to it. Therefore this is prefixed to the Epitome of the divine Commandment, I am the Lord thy GOD (p)Enod. xx. 2.; which shews us the unquestionable Right GOD has, as he is GOD, and our GOD, to command us, and the strong Obligation we are under to obey him; even such an Obligation as it is not in the Power of GOD himself to dispence with, and free us from the Bonds of. The Lord is our Maker; we are the Workmanship of his Hands, and because he hath made us, and not we ourselves, therefore he is our rightful Sovereign, and cannot but be so, unless we can cease to be his Creatures: He is Lawgiver, our King, and our Judge, whose Prerogative alone it is to be obeyed, in whatsoever he commands us; for the Excellencies of his Nature will not admit of any Injunction, but what is worthy of a GOD, and what is best for his Creatures; and his Commands cannot possibly interfere with any prior, and superiour, Obligation we are under, because there is none prior, none superiour to him. Besides he is our constant Preserver, and bountiful Benefactor, from whom we receive our All, and in whom all our Hopes are laid up; So that Disobedience to any of his known Commands challenges his Right, and Authority, over us, denies him his peculiar Honour, and slurs the Lustre of all his Perfections, renounces our Dependance on him, and disowns his Kindness to us, and so is at once the highest Rebellion, and the blackest Ingratitude. But, since he is GOD alone, he is jealous for the Honour of his Name, and will not suffer any of his Glory to be taken from him, especially this natural Homage, Obedience to his Commands. And thinkest thou this, O Man! thou that livest at Defiance with GOD, thy Maker, in thy known Disobedience, and Contempt of his Authority, by doing what he has forbidden to thee, or by neglecting to do what he has required of these, thinkest thou, that thou shalt escape the righteous Judgments of GOD? Verily, whatever the Sinner may imagine, the Time will come, when GOD will cause his Jealousy to burn like Fire, and manifest his Indignation in flaming Rebukes, upon every wilfully Disobedient Soul, without a Possibility of their escaping.
2. The excellent Nature of the divine Commandment infers our Obedience. The more excellent the Rule of our Conduct is the more it deserves our Regards: for we ought ever to act as reasonable Creatures, and walk by the best Rules. But what is there so excellent, for the Rule of our Behaviour, as the Divine Law is? How admirably is it adjusted to the Honour of the Law-giver, and to ourselves, our Nature, Capacity, and Interest? 'Tis the only perfect Rule of Rectitude, and Purity. The Words of the Lord are pure Words, as Silver tried in the Furnace, purified seven Times (q)Ps. xii. 6.. That is, it is wrought up to the highest Degrees of Excellency; so that there wants nothing to compleat it's Perfection, and recommend it to our Acceptance: and needs must it be so, because it is the Result of infinite Wisdom. Thus it is a most perfect Rule to us, and we need never to fear our mistaking of our Way while we closely observe it. Beauty charms the Eye, and Harmony captivates the Ear, and we are not wont to act so unreasonably as not to give the Preference to what we know to be most excellent in its Kind. And what is there that can be more agreeable to the Sentiments of our rational Minds, than to govern ourselves, in all our Conduct, by that Rule which is best, which is true, certain, determinate, and safest for us? which can never lead us out of the Way, and in our Conformity unto which, only, we act wisely, in doing what is best for us, and safely, in doing what we ought to do, both in our personal, and relative Capacity, whether in The Family, State, or Church? So that because the Divine Commandment is most excellent in itself, it ought to be embraced by us, and observed as the Rule of our Walk; and we cannot, knowingly, act contrary thereto, without doing Violence to right Reason, and exposing ourselves to our own just and severe Reproaches, by refusing to practise what, we are forced to own, is a most excellent Law. But this Argument will appear more fully under the next Head.
3. The End and Design of the divine Commandment infers Obedience: whether we consider it, as it respects Society, or our Selves in particular.
For, if we consider the divine Commandment as it respects our Society, and Relation, to one another, so it is the just Rule, and Measure, of our Conduct, and Behaviour towards our FellowCreatures; it shews us how we may be truly serviceable in the World, and promote the publick Good, and Welfare, by the Practice of these, and those Vertues, which will render us obliging, beneficent, and helpful, to all about us; and by carefully avoiding such Vices, and Irregularities, in our Temper, and Behaviour, as would render us hurtful, and injurious, to one another. Thus it sweetens our Tempers, improves, and betters, our Manners, and lays it's Restraints upon our unruly Lusts and Passions, and prevents the dismal Effects of their unbridled Rage, and puts us upon the Exercise of universal Benevolence, and Goodness, and so makes us profitable Members of the Body Politick, Ornaments in the Church, and Delights in the Family. Now, certainly, a Law, so admirably calculated for the general Service of Mankind, ought to be obeyed. For without something of this, there would be no quiet, and peaceable, living in the World; but every Man would turn a Beast of Prey upon his Neighbour, and the World would presently wear the Face of the wildest Anarchy, and Confusion. 'Tis the want of a due Regard to the divine Commandment which renders the World so bad as it is, at present: this introduces Tyranny, and Oppression, among the higher Orders of Men; Mutiny, Sedition, and Rebellion, among Inferiours; Injustice, Rapine, Cruelty, Hatred, Strife, Revenge, and the like, among Equals. And whilst the great Props of the World, Righteousness, and Truth, so much fail from among the Children of Men, it is no Wonder to hear Men complain of the Badness of the Times, and the Difficulty of living; and, believe it, there is nothing, the Wit of Man can invent, that will ever correct, and mend, the Times, without a more conscientious Observation of the divine Commandment: the Thought of which alone, one would be ready to suppose, should have it's due Influence upon us all, to move us, to take more Heed to our Ways, and govern ourselves according to the Word of GOD, that excellent Rule of all our Actions.
But then, if we consider the divine Commandment, as it more particularly relates to Ourselves, we shall see how indispensibly we are obliged to obey it.
For, as ever we would be freed from the domineering Power of those Lusts, and Passions, of Concupiscence, Covetousness, Pride, Anger, Wrath, Malice, Revenge, and such like, which fret, and disturb, our Minds, and give us the greatest Uneasiness; as ever we would have our vicious, and unreasonable Prejudices, against what is truly good, and profitable to us, removed, and have our Understandings brightened, our manifold Disorders cured, and would possess ourselves, with Calmness, and Serenity, certainly we are concerned to be very careful to keep the Commandments of our GOD; because nothing, without this, will give us the Mastery over what is prejudicial to us, and afford us inward Satisfaction. And let but the covetous Worldling, the impure Sensualist, and the raging Mad-man, think a little seriously, how much the Prevalency of those Lusts, and Passions, over him, is truly a Burden to him, and lays the Foundation of most, if not all, the Sorrows he meets with, what unaccountable Pains, and Difficulties, he is at to gratify them, what unknown Struggles to screen, and defend them, what perplexing, and sometimes inextricable, Broils they intangle him in, and, at the same Time, how much it debases him below the Dignity of his Nature, hurries him into unmanly Actions, and not seldom brings very grievous Hurt, and Damage, upon his Person, and worldly Interest; I say, let him but seriously consider these things, and he will plainly see, that it is richly worth his while to endeavour to rid himself of such troublesome Companions, such baneful Inmates, by a close Adherence to the divine Commandment, which will render him Master of himself, and pleased with his own Actions.
Nay; as ever we would entertain any well grounded Hope of eternal Happiness, we are indispensibly obliged to Obedience. For, though our Obedience to the Divine Commandment is, by no Means, meritorious of future Happiness, yet it is the sure Way to it; the Way which the unerring Wisdom, and spotless Purity, of the Divine. Nature have marked out for us; and a Man may as reasonably hope, to support, his animal Life, without Food, as think to obtain true Happiness, which is the Life of the Soul, without Obedience; Nay, more: for the Life of the Body is not so necessarily dependent upon Food, but that GOD can support it without any; but GOD Himself cannot make a Soul happy, without Holiness; because this would imply a Contradiction to the Divine Nature, and to our own. Hither looks all the Grace of the Gospel, as well as all the positive Commands of the divine Oracles, and JESUS CHRIST is the Author of eternal Salvation unto them, and them only, that obey Him (r)Heb. v. 9.. And who, in his Wits, would not think an eternal State of compleat Happiness worth his striving for? That Man, must first divest himself of his very Nature, who has no Desires after Happiness; and he must cease to think rationally, who can imagine he may be happy, without being obedient. Thus you see, that, since the Divine Commandment is exceeding broad, it necessarily infers our Obedience to it, and you see also how strong our Obligations to Obedience are.
(2). As it infers Obedience, in the general, so does it particularly, with Respect to each, and every one of the divine Commands: that our Obedience be universal, and without Exception. For, they are all the same, in the Dignity of their Original, the Excellency of their Nature, and the same noble End and Design is pursued by them all. The same Authority that enacted one Command, has enacted all; they all bear the evident Impress of the supream Lord of all upon them; and therefore are all to be obeyed by us. If we urge upon you the Practice of any Duty, which GOD has not required of you, regard us not. Examine, with the noble Bereans (s)Act. xvii. 11., whether the things we preach to you, for divine Commands, are agreable to the Mind and Will of GOD, or no; and if they are not, reject them; but if we publish to you nothing more than what GOD demands of you, then you ought to pay a due Regard thereunto, and do accordingly, and that, not because we tell you, This is your Duty, but, because the Lord your GOD requireth it at your Hands.
It is very possible, indeed, that we may not be able to see into the Reason of all the divine Commands, though we may of many of them; yet this is no sufficient Objection against our Obedience to them, when we know they are the Commands of GOD, any more than it is a sufficient Objection in a Servant, against his complying with the Commands of his Master, that he knows not to what End and Purpose his Master hath given him such a Command. A Master may, perhaps, command a thing, which yet may be very unworthy of himself, and unfitting for his Servant to comply with; because he is liable to Mistakes in his Judgment, or may be influenced by the Strength of his Passions in what he commands; and then that Servant may very reasonably be allowed modestly to expostulate the Case with his Master, and finally refuse to obey his Master, in that thing which is contrary to the Commands of a superior Power, to whom he is under Obligation to obey. But the infinitely wise, and good GOD cannot possibly be guilty of any such Error, as to command any thing unworthy of Himself, or unfitting for us to do, and has sufficient, and good Reasons, for every one of his Commands, though we are not able to see them: So that it is enough for us to know that it is the Command of GOD; our Business is to resign our Wills intirely into the divine Will. For, though we know not why He hath commanded such a thing, yet we know why we ought to obey that Command, namely, because God hath commanded it. (t)Judg. iv. 6.Hath not the Lord GOD of Israel commanded thee? is sufficient to silence all Cavils, and put us upon the most ready Obedience. Nor is this to make GOD an arbitrary Being, as some Men count Arbitrariness. Though Arbitrariness is of an ill Sound, when it is applied unto Men, who are liable to Mistakes, and are accountable to a superior Power, and therefore have no Right to set up their Wills as the Rules of their own, much less of others Actions; yet, rightly understood, when it is applied unto God, it is no other than his acting His own Pleasure (u)Isa. xlvi. 10., and His performing all things according to the Counsel of his own Will, (w)Eph. i. 11.without being accountable unto us, or any of his Creatures, for the Reason of his Actions, or Designs: and this the Perfection, and absolute Supremacy of the divine Nature challenges as his indisputable, and unalienable Right: and thus GOD is arbitrary, and it is his peculiar Glory that He is so; that is, it is the Greatness, and Glory, of the divine Being, and what none but GOD can challenge, that his Will alone, without Dependance on, or Accountableness to, any other Being, or any Thing out of Himself, gives Law unto all Creatures: His Will, I say, which, from the Perfection of his Nature, is above all Possibility of being erroneous, or biassed with Prejudices, and ill Affections, and therefore cannot possibly be subject to Caprice, and Humour, as the Will of a finite, and fallible Being may. And sure I am, that it is an Argument of the greatest Arrogancy, and of an Arbitrary Temper, in the worst Sense, for any Man to assume to himself a Power that does not, in the least, belong to him, and set up his own Will in Opposition to the divine, and determine with himself, to obey none of the divine Commands, until GOD is pleased, first, to be accountable unto him for the Reasonableness of them; or if, forsooth, he is not able to discern that there is good Reason for the Command, that then he will have nothing to do with it. For what is this but to set himself up in the Throne of GOD, and to bring the Almighty to his Bar. My Soul, come not thou into their Secret, unto their Assembly, mine Honour, be not thou united! The infinitely Great GOD is the sole Disposer of his own Actions, and has an absolute, uncontroulable, Sovereignty over all His Creatures, and therefore has a Right to be obeyed by them, in whatsoever he commands them. For, I suppose, and, doubtless, it will be readily granted, that GOD, who is infinite in Power, and Wisdom, and Goodness, has a Right to do whatsoever is consistent with himself; and that GOD perfectly knows what is consistent with himself, tho' we do not; and from hence, I conclude, he never will, or can, do, or order to be done, any thing, but what is consistent with himself: and from hence, it follows, that there is no Room for us to hesitate in our Obedience to any thing, we know to be the Command of GOD, tho' we should be perfectly ignorant of the Design, or Reasonableness of the Command, until we can be guilty of the Vanity, and Blasphemy, to think ourselves wiser than GOD, and that we know, what is consistent with himself, better than he does himself. So that, whatever GOD has required of us, it is our Duty to perform without disputing the Legality, or Reasonableness of it; His Will being the highest Law and Reason of all our Actions. For, though there may be what is called the Fitness, or Unfitness, of Things, arising from their Relation, Proportion, and Dependance, which are of excellent Use in Philosophy, without Revelation; yet to us who enjoy a divine Revelation, these can be no false Rule for us to go by in our Conduct, nor be the formal Obligation of our Obedience to the divine Law: because, as a great Man observes, *Dr. S. Clark, Dem. of the Being &c. p. 183.What these eternal and unalterable, Relations, Respects, or Proportions, of things, with their consequent Agreements, or Disagreements, Fitnesses or Unfitnesles, absolutely and necessarily are in themselves; That also they appear to be, to the Understandings of all Intelligent Beings; except those only, who understand Things to be what they are not, that is, whose Understandings are either very imperfect, or very much depraved: Where, though doubtless that learned Person designed to evidence that the Fitness, or Unfitness, of Things, is the formal Obligation of our Obedience, and Rule of our Behaviour, yet, I humbly conceive, that, by his Exception, he truly evinces the contrary: For, alas, the Exception, which he makes, is the very Case of all Mankind, since the Fall, whatever it be of Angels, namely, that their Understandings are very imperfect, and very much depraved. That the Mind of Man, since the Fall, is very imperfect is evident, from the little real Knowledge any attain unto after all their diligent Study and Search, and the much less Knowledge the Bulk of Mankind can attain to, for want of Leisure, if not of Capacity; and from the different Sentiments, which different Persons, (though as far as we can judge, of equally clear Perception, and Understanding,) have of one and the same thing, in many Instances; and from the said Author, who asserts, ‖p. 223.that what is for the good of the whole Creation, in very many Cases, none but an infinite Understanding can possibly judge; and from the sacred Scripture, which assures us, that naturally Men have their Understandings darkened (x)Eph. iv. 18.. So that, from the evident Imperfection of our Understandings, we are not able clearly to discern, in many Cases at least, the absolute and necessary Relation, and Fitness or Unfitness of things, in themselves, and therefore can by no Means, with Safety, make it the Rule of our Conduct. And besides this Imperfection, there is evidently a very considerable Depravity upon our Understandings, which is seen in their being biassed and bribed, by Passions, and Prejudices, swaying the Minds of those that seem to be most free from them; and the same Author acknowledges, †p. 254.a great and general Corruption and Depravation. Hence though we may be able to discern the Fitness or Unfitness of Things, in many Instances, yet, since, from our Imperfection and Depravity, in many other we do not; and in some we cannot, therefore the Will of GOD, the supreme Lawgiver, which Will is always wise and good, is the only sure and certain Rule, to us, to regulate our Actions by; and consequently the Will of GOD, made known to us, is the highest Law and Reason of our Conduct, and not our own Conception of the Fitness or Unfitness of Things. And our not being able to discern the Fitness, or Unfitness, of Things, can be no sufficient Reason why any Man should refuse to observe that Law, or believe that Truth, which GOD hath clearly revealed to us. For since, said that learned Author, †p. 184.the natural Attributes of GOD, his infinite Knowledge, Wisdom and Power, sets him infinitely above all Possibility of being deceived by Error, or of being influenced by wrong Affections; 'tis manifest his divine Will cannot but always and necessarily determine itself to choose to do what in the whole is absolutely Best and Fittest to be done; therefore his divine Will which necessarily orders what is most fitting for us to do, is, to us, the best Rule by which to Judge of the Fitness, or Unfitness, of Things, and the strongest formal Obligation upon us to Obedience; and consequently our Obedience must be universal and extend to every Command, that has the Authority of GOD stamped upon it, whether we see the Reason of it, or no.
We may not therefore think to excuse ourselves with a partial Obedience, or in obeying such Commands only as are suitable to our particular Temper, and Interest in the World, or which we can see the Reason of; nor may we hope to enjoy the Benefit of the exceeding broad Commandment, unless our Obedience extend to every particular Duty required of us: that is, unless we sincerely endeavour after universal Obedience to every divine Command. The Commandment is all of a Piece, and therefore called, the Commandment, in the singular Number. We must sincerely endeavour after an Obedience as extensive as the Commandment is, or it will be no true Obedience, in the Sight of GOD. Hence is that of the Apostle James, (x)Jam. ii. 10.Whosoever shall keep the whole Law, and yet offend in one Point, is guilty of all. He is guilty of denying the Authority of the supream Lawgiver, and guilty of breaking the Unity of the Commandment; and from the same Principle, by which he allows himself in Disobedience to any Part of the Law, he would also transgress the whole, under equal Temptations, and Opportunities. It must therefore be our great Care, as ever we would be esteemed obedient Subjects, to comply with the just Expectation of GOD, and his earnest Desire, of an universal Obedience. O that there were such an Heart in them! (says he,) that they would fear me, and keep all my Commandments, always, that it might go well with them, and their Children, forever (y)Deut. v. 29..
Thus, we must not content ourselves with being Legalists, by observing only the moral Duties of the divine Commandment, without taking due Care to obey evangelical Percepts; for the Young Man, in the Gospel, could say, (z)Luke xviii. 21.all these have I kept from my Youth up; and yet our Lord said to him, in the next Verse, One Thing thou lackest.
And it will be but a vain Presumption in us, to think that we are truly obedient to the Precepts of the Gospel, and call ourselves Christians, while the Duties of the moral Law are neglected by us. Wilt thou know, O vain Man, that Faith, without Works, is Dead (a)Jam. ii. 20.. Moral, and Positive, Natural, and Evangelical, Precepts, must all, in their proper Place, be duely regarded by us; these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone (b)Matth. xxiii. 23.: they must go Hand in Hand with us, and our Obedience, in our sincere Aim, and Endeavours, must universally extend to them all and to every Article included under them.
I will only add,
3. Lastly; Thus too it infers the Constancy, and Perpetuity, as well as the Universality of our Obedience: that we persevere in our Obedience as long as we live. For the divine Authority ever remaineth good, and GOD is our Sovereign, in one Part of our Lives as well as in another, yea, as long as we have any Being; and the Commandment remains the same excellent Commandment, to Day, that it was Yesterday; and as that is not more holy, just, and good, at one Time, than at an other, so neither is it less Obligatory upon us at any Time, but always abides in full Force, and Virtue, and therefore ought always to be obeyed by us; Every Day we live, and all the Day long, and as long as we live in the World. So said the devout Psalmist, (c)Psal. cxix. 112.I have enclined my Heart to perform thy Statutes, always, even unto the End. We may not imagine, therefore, that there are any particular Seasons for Obedience, and others in which we may lawfully interrupt our Obedience; for, though there may be special Seasons for This, or That, particular Branch of our Duty, and sometimes Lesser Duties must give place to Greater ones, according to that of our Saviour, (d)Matth. ix. 13.I will have Mercy, and not Sacrifice, yet, with Respect unto the whole of the divine Commandment, there is no Part of Time can be called, a special Season for Obedience, because there is not, nor can there be, any Season for Disobedience. GOD allows us no Part of our Lives to Sin in, though he allows us, at proper Seasons, to call off our Minds, from those Duties which are more toilsome, and burdensome, to us, unto those that are more easy, and pleasant; but He demands of us a constant, persevering, Course of Duty, throughout the whole of our State of Probation, and Trial, in this World; that we serve him in Righteousness, and Holiness, all the Days of our Life (e)Luk. i. 75.: that we patiently continue in the Way of well doing? (f)Rom. ii. 7.: that we hold fast the Profession of our Faith, without Wavering (g)Heb. x. 23.: and that we be stedfast, unmovable, always abounding in the Work of the Lord; forasmu… as we know that our Labour shall not be in vain in the Lord (h)1 Cor. xv. 58.. If this were well remembred, it would have a mighty Influence upon us, to make us more exact, in our Obedience to the Commands of GOD, throughout the whole Course of our Lives; and we should not so easily be prevailed upon, to allow such wide Gaps in our Duty, as are often to be found among us.