[9.] Ninthly, Where a hare naked comviand of God is commonly, ordinaHly of that power, force, and authority with the soul, as to curb sin, and restrain the soul from sin, and to arm and fence the soul against the encrooxhnients and commands of sin, there is certainly a saving vjork, a 'povjerfid vjork of God upon that soul. When a man can say to heaven and hell, Stand you by for the present, and to precious promises, Stand you by for the present, and to divine threatenings, Stand you by for the present, here is a command of God that forbids such and such actions, and therefore I cannot, I dare not do this or that wickedness, and sin against the Lord ; there is certainly a principle of grace in that man's heart. Gen. xxxix. 9. That is a great word of David, Ps. cxix. 161, ' My heart standeth in awe of thy word.' When a naked command from God does so overawe the heart, as that it dares not sin against God, then doubtless the heart is sincere with God. A child does not stand in more awe of the rod, nor a servant of a beating, nor a favourite of his prince's frowns, than a real Christian, when he is him- self, stands in awe of the word. So Ps. cxix. 11, ' Thy word have I hid within my heart, that I might not sin against thee.' When a man hides the word in his heart as a treasure, that he may not lose it, and as a rule that he may not transgress it, then his heart is indeed riglit with God. When the law of God in a man's heart arms him against the lusts of his heart and life, then doubtless his heart is sound with God. So Ps. xvii. 4, ' By the words of thy lips I have kept me from the paths of the destroyer ;' or as some read the words, ' according to the command and charge of thy words, I have kept me from the sinful ways, manners, behaviours, &c., of the destroyer, or the cruel man.' Christ commanded his apostles to make him known to the world, and to preach the everlasting gospel, and to make known those mysteries and riches of grace that were hid in former ages. Mat. xxviii. 18-20 ; Acts x. '36,seq. The Jewish authority threatens them, and commandsthern not to speak at all, nor teach in the name of Jesus, Acts iv. 17, 18 ; but the command of Christ carries it with the apostles against all their threatenings and commands : verses 19, 20, 'But Peter and John an- swered and said unto them. Whether it be right in the sight of God, to hearken unto you more than unto God, judge ye. For we cannot but speak the things which we have heard and seen.' AMien the commands of authority run counter-cross to the commands of God, the commands
' a>ri'riff!(rTa<ris , Opposition or couuteractiou. — Aristotle, Aunal., Post. 2, 15, 1, Piobl. 3<J, 6, V-G.
322 A CABINET OF JEWELS. [ChAP. II.
of God must be obeyed, though the greatest authority under heaven should be displeased and enraged. God never gave the greatest authority in the world any authority to act contrary to his commands. Disobedience to unlawful commands is no disobedience. Woe to him that obeys the commands of men in opposition to the commands of God : 1 Cor. ix. 16, ' For though I preach the gospel, I have nothing to glory of : for necessity is laid upon me ; yea, woe is unto me, if I preach not the gospel !' Now it is infinitely better to fall under the displeasure of men, than to fall under the woes of God. The Jews, under a pretence of their authority, command the apostles not to preach Jesus to the people ; but the commands of Christ carry it with the apostles against all their contrary commands. The apostles, who were like to bottles of new wine, that must either vent or burst, knew very well that it was not obedience to men's commands that could excuse their disobedience to God's commands. So in that third of Daniel, the commands of the great God carried it with the three children against all the dread- ful threatenings, proud boastings, and idolatrous commands of king Nebuchadnezzar. Certainly the commands of sin are of all commands the vilest commands ; they are all illegal ; sin hath no ground, no " reason to command our souls. Sin is but a usurper, a traitor, and therefore has no authority over us. All sin's commands are purely sin- ful ; they are plain and notorious rebellions against the laws of Christ, the life of Christ, and against the crown, honour, and dignity of Jesus. All sin's commands are grievous, burdensome, and painful commands ; of all yokes, none so heavy as that which sin lays upon the sinner ; hence sin is compared to a talent of lead, Zech. v. 7, to shew the weightiness and burden somen ess of it ; and hence it is that sinners are said to weary themselves in committing iniquity, Jer. ix. 5 ; and hence it is that wicked men are said to travail with iniquity, Ps. vii. 14, to shew what anxious pain and trouble they have in bringing about their wickedness : ' Behold he travaileth with iniquity ;' or as the Hebrew hath it, he shall travail, or he continually travaileth, he takes as great pains to go to hell as a travailing woman doth to be delivered. Wicked men are as labori- ous, and as restless and unquiet in the practice of wickedness, as a woman in labour is when the pangs of travail are upon her, Prov. iv. 14-1 6. Sugared poisons go down pleasantly ; oh but when they are down ' they gall, and gnaw, and gripe the very heart-strings asunder ; it is so with sin. Lastly, the commands of sin are extremely unreasonable. What an unreasonable thing it is to command a man to rtm into the fire, or to drown himself in the water, or to strangle himself, &c. Now all the commands of sin tend directly and intentionally to the burning, drowning, strangling, and destroying of the sinner. AH sin's commands tend to the dishonour of God, the breach of his righteous laws, and the damnation of the precious and immortal soul. Now where the com- mands of God do commonly cany it, against all the commands of sin, there the soul is certainly sincere with God. That we owe perfect obedience to God'swill,toGod's commands, is evidentenough several ways, and in particular from the universal obedience of all creatures ; I mean those which are without reason, sense, or life, for they inviolably ob- serve his commands : Isa. xlviii. 13, ' Mine hand hath laid the founda- tions of the earth, and my right hand hath spanned the heavens : when
Chap. II.] a cabinet of jewels. 323
I call to them, they stand up together,' as prepared to execute his com- mands. The insensible parts of the world are so compliant with his will, as to contradict their proper natures to serve his glor}^ Fire descends from heaven at his command, Gen. xix. 24 ; 2 Kings i. 10-12. And the fluid sea stands up at his command, Exod. xiv. 22. Now what a sad thing is it that Christians should at any time prove disloyal and rebellious, when all inferior creatures do with one consent serve and glorify the great God ! But, &c.