mandments, but also in ordinances ; not only in ordinances, but also in commandments. They were good souls, and good at both. A man sincerely obedient lays such a charge upon his whole man, as Mary, the mother of Christ, did upon all the servants at the feast : John ii. 5, ' Whatever the Lord saith unto you do it.' Eyes, ears, hands, heart, lips, legs, body, and soul, do you all seriously and affectionately observe whatever Jesus Christ says unto you, and do it. So David doth : Ps. cxix. 34, 69, ' Give me understanding, and I shall keep thy law ; yea, I shall observe it with my whole heart.' ' The proud have forged a lie against me ; but I will keep thy precepts with my whole heart.' Thfi_ whole heart includes all the faculties of the soul and all the members of the body." Says Bavid^ I will put hand and heart, body and soul, all Within me and all without me, to the keeping and observing of thy precepts. Here is a soul thorough-paced in his obedience, he stands not halting nor halving of it, he knows the Lord loves to be served truly and totally, and therefore he obeys with an entire heart and a sincere spirit.
I have read of a very strange speech that dropped out of the mouth of Epictetus, a heathen : ' If it be thy will,'' says he, ' O Lord, command me what thou wilt, send me whither thou wilt, I will not withdraw my- self from anything that seems good to thee.' * Ah ! how will this heathen at last rise in judgment against all Sauls, Jehus, Judases, Demases, scribes, pharisees, temporaries,^ who are partial in their obedience, who while they yield obedience to some commands, live in the habitual breach of other commands ! Yerily, he that lives in the habifual breach of one command, shall at last be reputed by God guilty of the breach of every command, James ii. 10, and God accordingly will in a way of justice proceed against him, Ezek. xviii. 10-13. It was the glory of Caleb and Joshua, that they followed the Lord fully in one thing, as well as another. Num. xiv. 24. So Cornelius : ' We are present before God, to hear whatsoever shall be commanded us of God,' Acts X. 33. He doth not pick and choose. So in Acts xiii. 22, ' I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will ;' or rather as it is in the Greek, ' he shall fulfil all my wills.*^ to note the universality and sincerity of his obedience. A sincere heart loves all commands of God, and prizes all commands of God, and sees a divine image stamped upon all the commands of God ; and therefore the main bent and disposition of his soul, is to obey all, to subject to all. God commands universal obedience, Joshua i. 8 ; Dent. v. 29 ; Ezek. xviii. The promise of reward is made over to universal obedience, Ps. xix. 11, Josh. i. 8. Universal obedience is a jewel that all will wish for or rejoice in, at the day of death and the day of account ; and the remembrance of these things, with others of the like nature, provokes all upright souls to be impartial, to be universal in their obedienca
[3.] The third propeHy. Thirdly, That obedience that accompanies salvation springs from inward spiritual causes, and frcnn holy and heavenly motives. It flows from faith. Hence it is called ' the obedi-
» Arrian. Ep. ad, L. Gall. i. p. 4 ; Diisert. i. 12, 27 ; ii. 17, 22, &c.— G. ' ' Temporary meddler,' Measure for Measure, v. 1. — G.
^ ^iXriitctrit, wills. He minds not only general duties of religion, but also particular duties ; as a magistrate, as a minister, as a father, as a master, as a son, as a servant.
Rom. VIII. 32-34!.] heaven on earth. 471
ence of faith,' Rom. xvi. 26. So in 1 Tim. L 5, * Now the end of the commandment is love, out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned.' Faith draws down that divine virtue and power into the soul that makes it lively and active, abundant and constant, in the work and way of the Lord. And as faith, so love, puts the soul for- ward in ways of obedience. John xiv. 21, 23, ' If any man love me, he will keep my commandments.' So Ps. cxix. 48, ' My hands also wiU I lift up to thy commandments, which I have loved.' Divine love is said to be the keeping the commandments, because it puts the soul upon keeping them. Divine love makes every weight light, every yoke easy, every command joyous. It knows no difficulties, it facilitates obedience, it divinely constrains the soul to obey, to walk, to run the ways of God's commands.* And as sound obedience springs from faith and love, so it flows from a filial fear of God : Ps. cxix. 161, * Mine heart stands in awe of thy word/ So Heb. xi. 7, ' Noah, being warned of God touching things not seen as yet, moved with fear, prepared an ark.'
Ah ! but hypocrites and temporaries are not carried forth in their obedience from such precious and glorious principles, and therefore it is that God casts all their services as dung in their faces, Isa. i. 11. And as that obedience which accompanies salvation flows from inward spiritual principles, so it flows from holy and heavenly motives, as from the tastes of divine love, and the sweetness and excellency of communion with God, and the choice and precious discoveries that the soul in ways of obedience hath had of the beauty and glory of God, Isa. Ixiv. 5. The sweet looks, the heavenly words, the glorious kisses, the holy embraces that the obedient soul hath had, makes it freely and fully obedient, to the word and will of God. Ah ! but all the motives that move hypo- crites and carnal professors to obedience are only external and carnal, as the eye of the creature, the ear of the creature, the applause of the creature, the rewards of the creature ; either the love of the loaves, or the gain of custom, or the desire of ambition, Hosea vii. 14. Some- times they are moved to obedience from the fear of the creature, and sometimes from the want of the creature, and sometimes from the ex- ample of the creature, and sometimes from vows made to the creature. Sometimes the frowns of God, the displeasure of God, the rod of God, moves them to obedience, Hosea v. 15, Ps. Ixxviii. 34. Sometimes the quieting and stilling of conscience, the stopping of the mouth of con- science, and the disarming of conscience of all her whipping, racking, wounding, condemning, terrifying, and torturing power, puts them upon some ways of obedience. Their obedience always flows from some low, base, carnal, corrupt consideration or other. Oh ! but that obedience that accompanies salvation doth always flow, as you see, from inward and spiritual causes, and from holy and heavenly motives,
[4.] The foutih property. Fourthly, That obedience that accom- panies salvation is a ready, free, willing, and cheerful obedience.
(1.) It is ready obedience. Ps. xxvii. 8, ' When thou saidst, Seek ye my face, my heart said unto thee. Thy face, Lord, will I seek ;' Ps. cxix. 60, * I made haste, and delayed not to keep thy commandments ;'