1. If you will obey God there must be some solemn time when you make this resignation to him. Naturally we are averse, and therefore whosoever is brought in to God, he comes humbly, and like a pardoned rebel, and lays down the weapons of defiance. God, as creator, hath a right to your wnlls, to your obedience ; but he will have his right confirmed by your grant and consent : Kom. xii. 1, ' I beseech you, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.' There can be no more acceptable sacrifice to God than the entire resignntion of our wills to him. So Acts ix. 6, Paul comes and lays down the buckler, and gives God the key of his own heart — ' Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? ' Grace had so melted him that he that had done nothing before but breathe out threatening, now comes humbly, crying out, ' Lord, what wilt thou have me to do ? ' This is that our Saviour intends in that expression, Mat. xi. 28, ' Take my yoke upon you.' Jesus Christ will force it upon none, he requires the consent of your own will. In matrimonial contract consent is not to be forced ; so Christ doth not force his spouse against her own consent, but she is to make an actual resignation of her own self to God. You must desire God to come and take possession of jouv hearts.
2. When you give up yourselves to God, it must be without bounds and reservations : Col. iv. 12, ' I pray that you may be perfect and complete in the whole wnll of God ; ' you must not pick and choose, but take all the will of God as your rule to walk by. So Acts xiii. 22, ' My servant David, he shall fulfil all my will.' Whatever God will signify to be his pleasure, that will David fulfil. We should so per- fectly obey as if we had no will of our own, not reserving a propriety in the least motion or faculty of ours. The least sin, when it is allowed, is a pledge of the devil's interest and right to us. If a man;
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hath bid a thousand pounds for an excellent jewel, will he stand for a j)enny more ? And as we thus entirely resign ourselves at first, so afterwards we must make good our vows ; we must remember every action of ours, it is given up to God ; every motion, every glance, it is under a rule ; and in every lesser action we should say, will God have this to be done or no, and in this manner ? and if not, let us not do it for a thousand worlds. Especially in praying — Do I pray as the Lord would have me? Is it with such reverence, with such submission, such afi'ection ? I gave up myself to do his whole will, to do the duty, and in that manner which God requires. So in eating and drinking, in all actions you shouhl do all in obedience, in that manner, and to that end that God requires. Every glance of the eye is under a rule : Mat. V. 28, ' Whosoever looketh on a woman to lust after her, hath committed adultery with her already in his heart.' We must use our sight in obedience to God, and so also our hearing.
3. There are some special things which God hath willed, and our master hath given us a special charge about ; those things must be done, how distasteful soever to flesh and blood, or prejudicial to our interests. There are three things that have his stamp and seal upon them — ' This is God's will.' So it is said of holiness and sanctifica- tion : 1 Thes. iv. 3, ' This is the will of God, even your sanctification ; ' so of duties of relation, obedience to magistrates, parents and masters : 1 Peter ii. 1.5, ' Submit yourselves to every ordinance of man, . . . for so is the will of God, that with well-doing ye may put to silence the ignorance of foolish men.' So of the duty of thanksgiving — ' In every- thing give thanks to God, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you ; ' concerning these things we have the express pleasure of God. Now it is great rebellion and disobedience not to obey God's solemn charges. Holiness, it is irksome to nature, and we are apt to forget thankfulness, and we are sensibly tried in duties of relations. God hath expressed his will concerning all these.
4. In all these things we must not only do what God wills, but we must do it, because he wills it ; this is pure obedience. The bare signification of God's will and pleasure, it should be reason and motive strong enough. You read. Lev. xix, where God enacteth sundry laws ; this is the reason for obedience — ' I am the Lord.' The Lord wills, that is enough to engage the obedience of the creature. So in these places before mentioned, wherein holiness and thanksgiving, and duties of relation are enjoined, this is the reason alleged — ' for this is the Avill of God.' The angels have no other motive : Ps. ciii. 22, ' They do his will, hearkening to the voice of his word.' This is that which is motive enough to the angels, God hath signified his will ; and we should captivate all our thoughts, and not allow of disputes — 'Have not I commanded thee? ' saith God to Joshua. So we should plead with ourselves: when we are slack and sluggish to any duty, say. Hath not the Lord commanded thee ? What needeth any farther argument ?