It was necessary this man should be treated in this way, for the many errors wherewith he was tainted required it ; as (1.) To draw him again to the service of God from those traditions and human observances in which the pharisees placed most of their religion and piety; and therefore Christ mentions not ' the traditions of the elders/ but ' the commandments of God.' (2.) To draw him from the law ceremonial, which was to be abolished, to the law moral. He mentioneth not the ceremonial law, which the Jews strictly observed, but moral duties. (3.) To beat down his presumption, whereby he believed that the law was easy for him to accomplish. Such as seek justification and eternal life by works must be taught that to keep the whole law in all points without the least sin is the only way to heaven by works, which way to every man now polluted by sin is impossible. There was no bettet course to humble a pharisee than by referring him to his own covenant rightly understood, to let him see the perfection and spiritual sense of it, and so to bring him to a knowledge of sin, that he might learn to seek God's favour by the Mediator, who is the ' end of the law for
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righteousness to every one that believeth,' Eom, x. 4. That is to say, the end of giving the law by Moses was that men might thereby be brought to the knowledge of their sins, and so be necessitated to fly for refuge to Christ and his righteousness, who hath perfectly fulfilled the law for us. If any man think that this consisted not with the sim- plicity of Christ's instruction, especially when such a serious question was proposed to him, ' What shall I do that I may inherit eternal life ? ' and that it may seem to countenance their error who sought right- eousness by the law to refer such to the commandments : I answer —
1. Christ used the same method that God did in giving the law upon Mount Sinai. Why did God give it then but to break a stiff"-necked people, trusting to their own strength, by this exact yoke of duty, which neither they nor their fathers were able to bear ? That, seeing their manifold guilt, in which all are inevitably involved by the violation of the law, they might be burdened and condemned in themselves, and so fly to the Lamb of God that taketh away the sins of the world, as he was represented to them in the sacrifice and burnt- offering. That this was God's end in giving the law, see Kom. v. 20, 21, ' Moreover the law entered, that the offenc6 might abound ; but where sin abounded, grace did much more abound : that as sin hath reigned unto death, even so might grace reign through righteousness unto eternal life by Jesus Christ our Lord ; ' and Gal. iii. 19, ' Wherefore then serveth the law ? it was added because of transgressions, till the seed should come to whom the promise was made.' Suitably here Christ having to do with a man that was pufi'ed up with an opinion of his own righteousness and strength, as if he had already discharged the whole duty of the law, and was ready and able to do whatsoever should be further required of him in order to eternal life, to humble him, Christ referreth him to the com- mandments, and so layeth a groundwork of convincing him of base idolatry, in loving riches more than God and eternal life ; so that his end was not to foster and increase his presumption, but by urging the law which he professed to stand to, to convince him of his own baseness, and the necessity of seeking another righteousness.
2. Practical conviction is best, and men never see their unworthiness so much as when they are held to their own covenant, and we are so far to condescend to the humours of men as to convince them and con- demn them in their own way. As Festus told Paul, Acts xxv. 12, ' Hast thou appealed unto Csesar ? unto Csesar shalt thou go.' As a presumptuous sick man, that is strongly conceited he is able to leave his bed and walk up and down, the best way to confute him is by trial. Or a phrenetic person, or a man that is distempered with melancholy fancies, wise physicians indulge the humour a little, that by dealing with them in their own way they may afterwards the better dispossess them of their vain conceits. If men will go to heaven by doing, let them know what doing is required : Gal. iv. 21, ' Tell me, ye that desire to be under the law, do ye not hear the law ? ' If men will betake themselves to stand to or fall by the sentence of the law or covenant of works, let them see how it will succeed with them.
3. It was a truth Christ spake, ' If thou wilt enter into life, keep the commandments ; ' but we must consider his intention. Though men's trnsting in their own works is displeasing to God, yet good works are