A. 4. Bv consenting to another's sin. Saul did not cast one stone at Stephen, yet the scripture saith, " Saul was consenting to his death," Acts viii, 1. Thus he had a hand in it. If several did combine to mur- der a man, and they should tell another of their intent, and he should give his consent to it, he were guilty: though his hand were not in the murder, yet his heart was in it ; though ho did not act it, yet he did approve it, so it became his sin.
A. 5. By example, vivitiir exeinplis. Ex- amples are powerful and cogent ; setting a bad example occasions another to sin, and so a person becomes accessory. If the father swears, and the child by his example learn to swear, the father is accessorv to the child's sin ; he taught him by his example. As there are diseases hereditary, so there are sins.
Rule 8. The last rule about the com- mandments is this, that though we cannot, by our own strength, fulfil ail these com- mandments, yet doing quoad posse, — what we are able, the Lord hath provided en- couragement for us. There is a threefold encouragement.
1. That though we liave not ability to obey any one command, yet God hath, in the new covenant, promised to work that in us, which he requires, Ezek. xxxAn. 27., " I will cause you to walk in my statutes." Ciod commands us to love him. Alas how weak is our love ! it is like the herb that is yet only in the first degree ; but God hath promised to circumcise our hearts, that we shall love him, Deut. xxx. 6. He that doth command us, will enable us. God commands us to turn from sin, but alas ! we have not power to turn : there- fore God hath promised to turn us, — to put his Spirit within us, and turn the heart of stone into flesh, Ezek. xxxvi. 26. There is nothing in the command, but the same is in the promise. Therefore, Christian, be not discouraged, though thou hast no strength of thy own, vet God will give thee this strength. The in»n hath no power to move, but when the loadstone
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OF THE FIRST COMMANDMENT.
draws it, it can move, Isa. xxvi. 12., " Thou also liast wrouglit all our works in us."
2. Though we cannot exactly fulfil the moral law, yet God will, for Christ's sake, mitigate the rigour of the law, and accept of something less than he requires. God in the law requires exact obedience, yet he will accept of sincere obedience ; he will a- bate something of the degree, if there be truth in the inward parts ; God will see the faith, and pass by the failing; the gos- pel remits something of the severity of the moral law.
3. Wherein our personal obedience comes short, God will be pleased to accept us in our surety, Eph. i. 6., " He hath made us accepted in the beloved." Though our o- bedience be imperfect, yet, through Christ our surety, God looks upon it as perfect. | And that very service which God's law I might condemn, God's mercy is pleased to crown, by virtue of the blood of our Me- diator. Having given you these rules about the commandments, I shall come next to the direct handling of them.
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OF THE FIRST COMMANDMENT.
ExoD. XX. 3. TJiou shall have no other gods before me.
Quest. XLV. WHY doth the command- ment run in the second person singular, Thou ? IVhy doth 7iot God say, You shall have no other gods, but, Thou ?
Ans. Because the commandment concerns every one, and God would have you take it as spoken to you by name. Though we are forward to take privileges to ourselves, yet we are apt to shift off duty from our- selves to others: therefore the command- ment runs in the second person. Thou and Thou^ that every one may know, that the commandment is spoken to him, as it were, by name. And so I come to the command- ment, " Thou shalt have no other gods be- for me." This commandment may well lead the van, and be set in the front of all the commandments, because it is the foun- dation of all true religion. The sum of this commandment is, that we should sanc- tify God in our hearts, and give him a pre- cedency above all created beings. There are two branches of this commandment : 1. That we must have one God. 2. That we must have but one. Or thus, 1. That we must have God for our God. 2. That we must have no other.
1. That we must have God for our God : it is manifest that we must have a God, and " who is God save the Lord ?" 2 Sam. xxii. 32. The Lord Jehovah (one God in three persons) is the true, living, eter- nal God; and him must we have for our God.
Quest. L What is it to make God to be a God to us ?