2. They are set up as warnings to us, as a beacon on fire warneth all the country to be in arms. You see what it is to give way to the beginnings of sin, not to be under the blessed conduct of God's Spirit. Some are notoriously wicked, judicially given up to be more visibly under the dominion of sin, that others may take warning how they come into that woful slavery : Phil. iii. 19, 20, ' For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are enemies to the cross of Christ, whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, Avho glory in their shame, who mind earthly things ; but our conversation is in heaven.'
3. It should make us fly to God for grace when the whole world lieth in wickedness: Isa. vi. 5, 'I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell among a people of unclean lips.' It is hard to converse with defiled ones and not be defiled, to keep ourselves unspotted from the world : Ps. cvi. 35, ' They were mingled among the heathen, and learned their works.' The contagion of sin overspreads presently, as a man by touching that which was unclean became unclean. We easily catch a sickness from others, but we cannot convey our health to them.
Use 2, Teacheth us to keep up our profession even in lesser truths : ' I esteem all thy precepts concerning all things.' When men would wrangle us out of our duty, \\q are to be Tnarol iv oXljco, faithful in a little. Great matters depend on little things. We are tried, iv rfj Trapovarj akTjdeia, 2 Peter i. 12, by the ' present truths,' whether we will own the ways of God : Kev. xiv. 13, ' Blessed are the dead which die in the Lord,' or for the Lord, ' from henceforth, yea, saith the
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Spirit, that they may rest from their labour.' Why ' from hence- forth ? ' Why ! before the sufferings of Christians were from heathens and professed enemies, and they were acknowledged blessed as dying for the Lord. But now, when antichrist and false Christians came up, they did pretend to be for Christ, and friends to him, and this might be a discouragement to them in their suffering ; but saith the Holy Ghost, ' From henceforth blessed are they which die for the Lord/ when pseudo-Christians begin to come up, and persecute the heavenly Christians. It is as blessed a thing to suffer under pseudo-Christians atid antichristianism as it was to suffer under heathens and pagans, professed enemies to Christianity. I speak of this, because the ortho- doxy of the world is usually an age too short. In things publicly received, it is easy to be right. Christ is forced to gain upon the world by inches. A man may acknowledge the Trinity, the satisfaction of Christ, among Papists ; but it is exceeding praiseworthy to own Christ when others scorn and reject him. The world will allow us to esteem the ways of God in some lesser things, that are out of controversy and are not maligned ; but this esteem must have that extent as becometh the people of God, to have a hearty esteem of all the precepts of God, and all things contained therein.
Secondly, Let me come to his respect to the ways of God ; and from his respect, with the extent, I shall observe this doctrine :—
Doct. That it becometh the people of God to have a practical heart- engaging esteem of all the precepts of God, and all things contained therein.
Let me show 5^ou what is this esteem the children of God have for his precepts.
1. There is something implied and presupposed.
2. Wherein it doth formally consist.
3. The qualifications of a right and saving esteem of the ways of God.
1. There is something implied and presupposed before we can come to esteem the precepts of God. As —
[1.] Knowledge and a right discerning. This is necessary, partly that a man may be able to make a distinction between good and evil, otherwise he cannot esteem the good and eschew the evil, for ' without knowledge the heart is not good,' Prov. xix. 2. If we should stumble blindfold upon a good way, we are not the more accepted with God, nor advantaged in our spiritual course. The clearer our light, the warmer our love. The more clear and^ certain apprehension we have of spiritual things, our faith is more steadfast, love more vehement, joy more sound, hope more constant, patience more sublime, our pur- suit of true happiness more earnest. And partly because a man can not esteem that which he knoweth not. The will being cceca poteniia, blind in itself, followeth the direction and guidance of the understand- ing. The ignorance of the nature and necessity of holiness is the cause of the neglect of it : John iv. 10, ' If thou knewest the gift,' &c. Many condemn good for evil, take evil for good, boldly rush into sin, reject the ways of God for want of knowledge. But then it is spiritual illumination that begets estimation, 1 Cor. ii. 14. The truth and worth of spiritual things must be seen by a spiritual eye. When the