to lust after her;' there is the spirit of the command, Mat. v. 21, 22, 27, 28. The pharisees of old did not look to the spirituality of the law, but only to the letter of the laAv ; they rested wholly upon an outward conformity to the law. When their hearts were full of hellish lusts, they were all for the outside of the law, they regarded not the inside of the law ; they were all for washing of platters and cups, and for beauti- fying of tombs, like an adulteress, whose care is to paint and set a fair face upon a foul matter ; they were all for paying tithe of mint and anise and cummin ; but they regarded not the inside of the law, they omitted the weightier matters of the law, viz., judgment, mercy, and faith, Mat. xxiii. 23. While Paul walked by the letter of the command, he wavS blameless in his own account ; but when he came to walk by the spirit of the command, then sin revived, and he died, Philip, iii. 6, Rom. vii. 9. Friends, there are the more general duties of religion, as hearing, pray- ing, reading, receiving, fasting, repeating, discoursing, &c. Now these all lie in the very letter of the command. And there are the more inward and spiritual duties of religion, as the exercise of faith, fear, love, hope, joy, patience, contentation, humble submission, and choosing of God, and cleaving to God, and delighting in God, and admiring of God, and exalting of God, and following hard after God, and holy meditation, and self-examination, &c. Now all these lie in the very spirit of the com- mand.' Now in the exercise of these more spiritual duties our fellow- ship and communion with God mainly lies. In the more general duties of religion, an hypocrite may manifest the excellency of his gifts ; but in the more spiritual duties of religion, a sincere Christian doth mani- fest both the excellency and efficacy of grace. Mark, an unsound heart looks no further than to the bare letter of the command, to bare hear- ing, and bare praying, and bare preaching, and bare fasting, and bare giviusf, and bare receivino- and bare sutFerinjj ; he looks no further than to that part of the command which only binds the flesh, or outward man ; and if he does but observe that in the gross, he thinks he hath done marvellous well ; like a melancholy man, that matters not what melody and harmony he makes, so he does but toucii the strings of the instrument. But now, a sound, a sincere Christian, he looks to the spirit of the command ; and if he does not come up to that in sincere desires, in gracious purposes, in fixed resolutions, and in cordial endeavours, he can have no peace, no rest, no quiet, no comfort. O sirs ! as ever you would see God, and enjoy God another day, you must labour, not only to obey the letter of the command, but also to bring your hearts to the .sincere obedience of the spirit of the command. This is a very close, piercing, distinguishing, and discovering sign. But,
Fifthly, If your obedience springs from faWt, then you rvill labour, not only to obey God in the matter, but also in the manner of the com,- mand, riot only in the substance of the command, but also in the cir- cumstance of the command. God requires tlie manner as well as the matter ; and God looks upon that work as not done, that is not done in a right manner. ' Did not the Lord command sacrifice ? and did not
' Could a man come up to all nftirmative and negative precepts in his outward conver- sation ; yet, if he were not spiritual in all those, his ohedience would be but as a body without a soul. 1'he pharisees rise higher in their outward obedience, and yet Christ clearly and fully convinces them that tliey were wretched adulterers and murderers, though they Were not guilty of any such outward crimes, &c.
Chap. II.] a cabinet of jewels. 3il