same reason that you slight the will of God in any commandment, by the same reason you may despise his will in every commandment ; for every commandment of God is his will, and it is ' holy, spiritual, just, and good,' Rom. vii. 12, 14, and contrary to our sinful lusts. And if this be the reason why such and such commandments of God won't down with you, then by the same reason none of them must be of authority with you.
[4.] Fourthly, God requires universal obedience: Deut. v. 33, &,c., and X. 12, and xi. 21, 22, &c. ; and Jer. vii. 23, 'Walk ye in all the ways that I have commanded you, that it may be well unto you;' Mat. xxviii. 20, ' Teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you,' &c.
[5.] Fifthly, Partial obedience is an audacious charge against God himself, as to his wisdom, or potver, or goodness; for those statutes of God wliich you will not come up unto, either they are as righteous as the rest, and as holy as the rest, and as spiritual as the rest, and as good as the rest, or they are not. If they be as holy, spiritual, just, righteous, and good as the rest, why should you not walk in them as well as in the rest ? To say they are not as holy, spiritual, righteous, &c., as the rest. Oh what a blasphemous charge is this against God himself, in prescribing unto him anything that is not righteous and good, (fee, and likewise in making his will, which is the rule of all righteousness and goodness, to be partly righteous and partly unrigh- teous, to be partly good and partly bad.
[6.] Sixthly, God delights in universal obedience, and in those that perform it: Deut. v. 29, '0 that there were such a heart in them, that they would fear me, and keep all my commandments always.' Upon this account Abraham is called the friend of God in Scripture three times, Isa. xli. 8 ; 2 Chron. xx. 7 ; James ii. 3. And upon the very same account God called David ' a man after his own heart : ' Acts xiii. 22, * I have found David the son of Jesse, a man after mine own heart, which shall fulfil all my will,' — iravra ra OeX^fiara, all my wills, to note the universality and sincerity of his obedience.
[7.] Seventhly, There is not any one statute of God but it is good and for our good; ergo, we should walk in all his statutes : Deut. v. 25, ' Ye shall walk in all the ways which the Lord your God hath com- manded you, that you may live, and that it may be well with you.' What one path hath the Lord commanded us to walk in, but as it con- cerns his own glory, so likewise it concerns our good ?
Is it not good for us to love the Lord, and to set him up as the object of our fear, and to act faith on him, and to worship him in spirit and in truth, and to be' tender of his glory, and to sanctify his day, and to keep off from sin, and to keep close to his ways ? But,
[8.] Eighthly, Universal obedience is the condition upon ivhich the promise of mercy and salvation runs: Ezek. xviii. 21, 'If the wicked will turn from all his sins that he hath committed, and keep all his statutes, and do that which is lawful and right, he shall surely live, he shall not die.'
[9.] Ninthly, Our hearts must be perfect tvitli the Lord our God: Deut. xviii. 1 3, ' Thou shalt be perfect with the Lord thy God ; ' and Gen, xvii. 1, ' Walk before me, and be thou perfect.' Now, how can
^ SERIOUS AND WEIGHTY QUESTIONS
our hearts be said to be perfect with God if we do prevaricate with nim ; It m some things we obey him and in other things we will not obey him if we walk in some of his statutes but will not walk in all nis statutes, it in some part we will be his servants and in other mrt of our lives we will be the servants of sin. But, ^
[lO.JTenthly I/the heart be sound and upright, it ivill yield entire and universal obedience: Ps. cxix. 80, ' Let my heart be sound in thy statutes, that 1 may not be ashamed ;' and verse 6, ' Then shall I not be ashamed when I have respect to all thy commandments/ Bv these verses, compared together, it appears that then the heart is sound and sincere, when a man has respect unto all God's commandments With out a umversal obedience, a man can never have that 'hope which maketh not ashamed. But, ^ vvmou
. t/|-J Eleventhly, ^iVAer ive must endeavour to loalh in all the tlT^ f f ''^' "^ '^'' T must find some dispensation or toleration Jrom God to free us and excuse us and hold us indemnified, though we do not walk znall of them, Now, what one commandment is thTre from obedience whereunto, God excuseth any man, or will not punish him for the neglect of obedience unto it? The apostle sai?h ?That whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point he is gmlty of al ,' James n. 10. If he prevaricates with Godfas to anv one particular commandment of his, his heart is naught lei gudty of all, he hath really no regard of any of the rest of God's laws
[12.] Twelfthly, The precious saints and servants of God whose examples are recorded, and set forth for our imitation, they have been very careful to perform universal obedience. Will you see it in IS
ten'^rnH™ ''"^^ ^'.'T^^^ ^^^^ ^^^ ^^ ^11 ^i« Vl commands ? When God commanded him to leave his country, and his father's house, he did It, Gen. xii. When God commanded him to be circum- cised, though it were both shameful and painful, he submitted unoTt Gen. xvn When God commanded him to send away his son Ishmael though when Sarah spake to him about it, the thing seemed v^y grievous unto hnn yet as soon as he saw it to be the will of God he was obedient unto it, Gen. xxi. When God commanded him to sacrifice his son Isaac, his only son, the son of his old age, the son of the pro! mise the son of his delight ; yea, that son from whom was to proc^e^^^^ that Jesus in whom all the nations of the earth should be blessed and though a this might seem to cross both nature and grace both reason and religion, yet Abraham was willing to obey God inS also and to do what he commanded. Gen. xxii.° So David was 'a man
t^Lu ^^22 ''TS^'^''''fff f ^^^"^"«'- *^^ original r?ns walked fn «n\. '* '' f'^ ""^ Zacharias and Elizabeth, that they walked in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord &c Lukei. 6 ; 1 Thes. ii 10, ' Ye are witnesses, and God also how holilv lli^f^^ '"' ""^'^"^^^^ "^ ^^-^d ^-r^elves among you that
oi foil^rlw^/^^^^'^ '^'^'''''' '^'^^' o^t *^' 'irengt^ of
vv 14 ' S ^'^^^''^' "f^ ^^/ rf ^^^^ of our friendship with Christ J ohi n^i}\ ^'^ ?I ^''^''^'' '^ y^ ^o whatsoever I command you ' That child shews most love to his father, that observes all his percepts ; and
CLEARLY AND SATISFACTORILY ANSWERED. 45
that servant shews most love to his master, that observes all his mas- ter's commands, and that wife shews most love to her husband, that observes all he requires in the Lord. So here, &c.