(3.) Thirdly, Our obedience must be grounded and bottomed upon a divine command, because of that great comij^tion, pollution, blindness, and darkness which is upon our minds and understandings, which tvould can'2/ us to what not, if we tvere not to steer our Christian course by divine commamls. Col. ii. 20-22. The apostle condemns tliose things which had a show of humility and great mortificatiDU, because they were not bottomed upon a divine command ; and Christ condemned many practices of the scribes and pharisees, because they were not bottomed upon a divine command, as you may see by comparing the 0th, 15th, and 23d chapters of Matthew together. But,
(4.) Fourthly, Our obedience must be bottomed upon a divine com- mand, because else we can 'never be able to bear up our hearts comfort-
Chap. II.] A cabinet of jewels. 343
ably, courageously, confidently, and resolutely, under all the affl,lctions, oppositions, temptations, persecutions, and discourager)ients that we meet vjith in the ivays of the Lord, and in doing the work of the Lord, Ps. xliv. 9, seq. ; Ezek. xxviii. 12, 22. All the messages that the pro- pheis delivered were still grounded upon a divine command, ' Thus saith the Lord ;' and this steeled their spirits in the work of the Loi'd, this made them resolute and undaunted in the midst of all the afflictions and oppositions that they met with. And so it was a word of command that raised the spirits and encouraged the hearts of the apostles in the work of the Lord, in the face of all the oppositions, threatenings, and buffetings that they met v/ith from the civil powers, Acts iv. 19, 20, and V. 29. You know Absalom lays his bloody commands upon his servants, as their highest encouragement to that bloody work of killing his brother Amnon, 2 Sam. xiii. 28. ' Now Absalom had commanded his servants [his assassins], saying, Mark ye now when Amnon's heart is merry with wine, and when I say unto you. Smite Amnou, then kill him, fear not : have not I commanded you ? Be courageous, and be valiant ; oi sons of valour, as the Hebrew runs. And so a Christian must lay the command of God before him, as his highest encouragement to do what Gou requires of him, &c.
(5.) Fifthly and lastly, Our obedience must be bottomed and grounded upon the commands of God, to difference and distinguish ourselves from all hypocrites, formalists, superstitious and profane p)ersons, whose obedience is sometimes bottomed upon the traditions of men, and sometimes upon the commandments of tnen. It was the sin of the teo tribes, that they complied with the command of Jeroboam and his princes, to worship the calves at Dan and Bethel ; and for this the wrath of the Lord fell heavy upon them, ' Ephraim is oppressed and broken in judgment, because he willingly walked after the command- ments.' And sometimes their obedience is bottomed upon the examples of men, sometimes their obedience is bottomed upon the examples of their forefathers and ancestors, — Jer. x. 3, ' The customs of the people are vain,' &c., — and sometimes upon the examples of gi'eat men. This was that which the pharisees objected against believing on Christ.' ' Have any of the rulers or of the pharisees believed on him ? but this people who knoweth not the law are cursed.' And sometimes they bottom their obedience upon the example of the multitude. This was Demetrius his argument against Paul, on the behalf of Diana, ' that all Asia and the world did worship her,' Acts xix. 26, 27 ; and therefore the doctrine of Paul, that they be no gods which are made with hands, was false, and not to be suffered. This hath always been, and is still, the common plea of many. We do but as the most do ; and sure a great many eyes can see more than one or two. And hereupon they exclaim against others for their singularity, because they won't do as the rest of their neighbours do. But,
[3.] Thirdly, That obedience that springs from faith is a groiuing obedience, it is an abounding obedience. Such a man's desires, will, study, and labour, is to get up to the highest pitch of obedience, to get up to the highest round in Jacob's ladder : Rev. ii. 19, ' I knt)w thy
' Isa. xxix. 13, 14 ; Mat. xv. 1-10 ; Mark vii. 3-10 ; Hosea v. 11, 12 ; Jer. xliv. 17, 18, &c. ; John vii. 48, 49.
844 A CABINET OF JEWELS. [ChAP. II.