4. It is the truest liberty to be subject to the will of God. Then, ' when the Son of God shall make you free, you shall be free indeed,' John viii. 36. How doth the Son of God make us free ? Not from duty, but for duty. He that lieth under the dominion and power of any sin is a very slave. But then are we free indeed, when we are loosed, not from a due subjection to God, but from the power of the devil. It is not liberty to be free to do what we please, good or evil ; but the more determined we are to good, the more freedom — for that is a liberty which comes nearest to the liberty of God, who is a most free agent and yet cannot sin. Such a liberty is in God, Christ, and the angels in heaven : surely they do not live a slavish life that are ever praising and lauding of God. It will be the greatest pleasure in the issue to deny our own will and do the will of God. The more we are enlarged for this, the greater is our happiness. Then we have the happiness of the spirits of just men. None among men have greater happiness than glorified saints, yet none have less of their own will. Why should we account that a bondage which is part of our happiness ? In heaven glorified spirits there are not complaining of any burden, yet they have no will of their own, but they will and nill as God doth.
5. He that hath a heart bent to do the will of God, he hath the clearest knowledge of the mind of God : John vii. 17, ' He that will do the will of God, he shall know of the doctrine, whether it be of God.' It is not the sharpness of parts that pierceth into a truth, especially into a controverted truth, when the dust of contention is raised ; but he that is most close in walking with God, it is he that knoweth his mind. A blunt iron, when hot and in the fire, will pierce deeper into an inch board than a sharper tool that is cold ; so a man that hath pure aft'ections for God, a heart to do the will of God, pierceth deeper many times into controverted truth, and sees more of
132 AN EXPOSITION OF [MaT. VI. 10.
the mind of God in that truth than a man of parts doth. There are many mistakes about the will of God. Now make conscience of obedience, do not consult with the interest of your own private passions, and then you shall know the mind of God. It is just with God to withhold the light from them that consult with their lusts and interests and carnal humours, for th-ese blind the mind, and only like and dislike things as they shall relish with their lusts.
6. God will surely punish the violation of his will. This implieth two things : —
[1.] That God takes notice of it; he observes whether his will be done, yea or no. The Eechabites were tender of the commandment of their dead father, who could not take cognizance of their actions ; but it was the will of their father, and they would keep to the will of the dead : Jer. xxxv. 14. But now the Lord seeth whether his will be kept, yea or no : Prov. xv. 3, ' The eyes of the Lord are in every place, beholding the evil and the good.' Wherever you are, God is with you. As the prophet said to Gehazi, ' Went not mine heart with thee ? ' 2 Kings V. 26, meaning his prophetical spirit. The Lord's Spirit goeth along with us wherever we go, he observes what we do. When Jesus Christ was in the throng, he saith, ' Who is it that toucheth me ?' He was sensible virtue passed out from him when one touched him by faith. So in the throng of creatures we depend upon God — he knows what virtue goeth out to preserve thee and me in being. These are fit instances to ingenerate in our minds a sense of God's omniscience.
[2.] He will severely punish : James iv. 12, ' There is one lawgiver, who is able to save and to destroy.' There are many lawgivers in tlie world, that have .power of life and death, but that is only of life tem- poral ; but there is one Lawgiver that can reward with eternal life, and punish with eternal death. So God truly and properly hath the power of life and death. Therefore, since he can punish so severely, we should not stand out against God's will. Many times the doing God's will is irksome to flesh and blood, but remember hell will be worse. When we press men to faith, repentance, and new obedience, and tell them this is the will of God concerning you, that you do believe in Christ, walk holily and humbly with God, what saith the man ? Shall I mope myself, and sit mourning in a corner, and spend my life in a dark melancholy manner, in going from one duty to another ? This is far better than to sit howling under the wrath of God for evermore.