Secondly, If your obedience springs from faith, then you will en- deavour to obey God in relative commands as well as in absolute cotti- mands. You will not only hear, and pray, and read, and meditate, and fast, and mourn, but you will labour to be good in your relations, both as a husband, a father, a master, a magistrate, a minister. Remember this for ever, every one is that really tliat he is relatively. Many make a great profession, and are under a great name, and have great parts and gifts, and can discourse rarely well on any subject, whose houses are not Bethels, but Bethavens ; not little temples, but little hells. One, writing of the Italian women, saith that they were angels in the streets, saints in the church, and devils in their houses. This is very applicable to many high professors this day, Avho are very forward in the general duties of religion,and yet make little conscience of relative duties ; but he whose obedience springs from faith, he will make conscience of relative commands as well as of absolute commands. Whatever command hath the stamp of God, the authority of heaven, upon it, though it seem never so small, he dares not disobey it. If he sees a beam of divine majesty sitting upon the face of any command, he will submit to it. You know men will not refuse a penny if the king's stamp be upon it ; so if the authority of God be stamped upon the least command, a sound Christian will yield sub- jection to it as well as the greatest. Mark, if a man make no conscience of relative commands, though his general conversation as a Christian be never so admirable, yet he hath great cause to suspect himself and his estate, and that his heart is not right in the sight of God, Acts viii. 21. Oh that you would seriously consider that relative and domestical graces and duties do more demonstrate true piety and godliness than public duties, than general duties, do •,. for pride, vain-glory, self-ends, and a hundred other outward carnal considerations, may put a man
Chap. II.] a cabinet of jewels. 339-
upon the general duties of religion, as you may see by the scriptures in, the margin/ and as you may see in the scribes and pharisees through- out the New Testament ; but it argues both truth and strength of grace to be diligent and conscientious in the discharge of relative duties ; and this is the true reason why the apostles in their epistles do so frequently, so earnestly, and so strongly, by variety of motives, press Christians to the performance of those relative duties that lie upon their hands. But,
Thirdly, If your obedience springs frora faith, tJien you will endea- vour to obey God in affirmative commands, as vjell as in negative commands. You will not only look upon Avhat God would not have you to do, but you will also look to see what God would have you to do. Dives was not cast into hell for oppressing Lazarus, but for not shewing mercy to Lazarus ; he was not damned because he took any- thing from him, but because he gave nothing to him, Luke xvi. 19-29. The evil servant did not riot out his talent, but omitted the improve- ment of it, for which he was cast into outer darkness, Mat. xxv. 2-l-3t. Nor those reprobates in the same chapter did not rob the poor saints, but omitted the relieving of them, which was their ruin. Moab and Ammon were banished the sanctuary to the tenth generation for a mere omission, because they met not God's Israel in the wilderness with bread and vvater, Deut. xxiii. 3, 4 Look, as the omission of good diet breeds diseases, so the omission of religious duties will either make work for repentance, or for hell, or for the Physician of souls. Mark, there is many a man's religion lies merely in negatives ; he is no swearer, no drunkard, no adulterer, no oppressor, no defrauder, &c., Luke xviii. 11. A formal professor's obedience to divine commands does principally lie in negatives ; he considers not so much what the com- mand requires as what it prohibits, and he pleases himself rather in abstaining from evil than in doing of good, in being outwardly reformed than in being inwardly renewed. He thinks it enough that he turns from sin, though he makes no conscience of turning to God. If you ask him concerning affirmative commands, there you will find him speechless. A^k him, Art thou holy ? Art thou humble ? Art thou heavenly ? Art thou sincere ? Art thou a believer ? Dost thou set up God as the great object of thy fear ? Dost thou love God with a superlative love ? Is the Sabbath of the Lord a delight unto thee ? &c. Now here you strike him dumb ; he looks upon the neglect of these things as no sins, because they are not such scandalous sins as the others are, Isa. viii. 13, Ps. xviii. 1, Isa. Iviii, 13. Remember, sirs, sinful omissions many times lead to sinful commissions, as you may see in the angels that fell from heaven to hell; and as you may see in Adam, who fell from his highest glory into a woful gulf of sin and misery. But,
Fourthl}', If your obedience spring from faith, then you will endea- vour to obey God in the spirit of the command, as well as in the letter of the command. In every command of God there is an intra and an extra; one part of Christ's law binds the flesh, and another part binds the spirit : ' Thou shalt do no murder ;' there is the letter of the com- mand. ' Thou shalt not be angry with thy brotlier without a cause ;' there is the spirit of the command. ' Thou shalt not commit adultery;' there is the letter of the command. ' Thou shalt not look upon a woman 1 Isa. Iviii. 1-5 ; Hosea v. 14 ; Zech. vii 4-7.
34;0 A CABINET OF JEWELS. [ChAP. II.