YeR. 24.] SERMONS UPON EPHESIANS V. 461
sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.' Christ was made a sin-offering and we a thank-offering. Our constant obedience is a thankful return of God's love : 1 John iv. 19, ' We love him, because he first loved us ; ' 2 Cor. v. 14, 15, ' For the love of Christ constraineth us; because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead: and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again.' Love is at the bottom of all our duties. Duties are best sweetened by love.
3. This subjection must be constant unto the death: Kev. ii. 10, 'Be thou faithful unto the death, and I will give thee a crown of life.' Faith- fulness relateth either to a trust committed, and so we are to use all the gifts given us by God to his glory. With respect to God's free giving, they are dona Dei, gifts of God freely bestowed. With respect to our receiving or using, so they are talenta nostra, talents put into our hands faithfully to be employed by us for his use and service. As when money is given to a beggar, we expect nothing from him, but when money is delivered to a factor, we expect a faithful improvement of it ; so, ' Be thou faithful to the death ; ' still employ your time and strength for God. Some are thankful for a gift, but unfaithful in a talent. Or else faithfulness relateth to a covenant made with Christ, or our troth plighted to him in baptism ; so, * Be faithful ; ' that is, stand to your baptismal vow and engagement. A breach of God's law, as a law, is disobedience ; but a breach of his covenant is treachery, or a viola- tion of our faith so solemnly engaged to him. Lastly, the word implieth trials ; it is easy to be good in the absence of temptations ; but we are not said to be faithful till we are thoroughly put to trial. When we cast off our fidelity to Christ, either for some great earthly hope, or shrink out of some great fear, we are not faithful to Christ. Now no other term is assigned but death ; for then our trial is over, and till then we must keep up our subjection to him whatever it costs us ; for we must not measure our obedience to him by temporal accidents. No ; his will must be our constant law and rule, not our own interests ; and we must deny ourselves to please Christ or else we may be said to be good for a while, but not faithful when we are put to it.
4. Our subjection must be dutiful, and with great reverence. We serve a lord that is not to be dallied withal, and therefore we must not serve him by the by, and with a little superficial service, or such as the flesh can well spare, but with all our soul, might, and strength : Heb. xii. 28, 29, ' Wherefore we receiving a kingdom which cannot be moved, let us have grace, whereby we may serve God acceptably, with reverence and godly fear : for our God is a consuming fire.' Mark how he inferreth the duty from our receiving the kingdom ; that is, our submitting to the power and laws of this new sovereign, God the redeemer. There are some that refuse the kingdom : Luke xix. 14, ' We will not have this man to reign over us.' Others receive the king- dom ; that is, submit themselves to Christ as their king and lawgiver by a voluntary submission to him ; which is either a duty : John i. 12, * To as many as received him, to them gave he power to become the sons of God;' or^a benefit: Col. i. 13, 14, 'Who hath delivered us from the power of darkness, and hath translated us into the kingdom of
462 SERMONS UPON EPHESIANS V. [SeR. XXIX,
his dear Son : in whom we have redemption through his blood, the for- giveness of sins.' Now these that have thus received the kingdom, what are they to be and do ? To serve him with reverence and godly fear. Having submitted to his power, they must actually obey his laws, and that with great care and exactness. A boldness in sinning and a cold- ness in duty is a great depreciation of his majesty ; and the reason is^ because no terror is comparable to his frowns, no comfort comparable to his smiles, or a sense of his love. The former the apostle meaneth, for our God is a ' consuming fire.' Some corruption remaineth in the- faithful, and we need holy fear to guard our love ; and therefore there must be a constant care to please him ; such a walking as Christ may accept, and we may not lose the comfort of the grace of the new covenant.
5. Our subjection must be universal and unlimited, having respect to all his commandments, Ps. cxix. 6, and Col. iv. 12, * Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ, saluteth you, always labouring fervently for you, that you may stand perfect and complete in all the will of God.' It is not enough to do some things required by Christ, but the church must be regulated by him in all things. It was a say- ing of Csdvin, Si dimidio Chrisli contenti essemus, facile ti^ansiger emus omnia — If we would be contented with a little of Christ, we should soon despatch our business. The world will yield to a little of Christ ; they will prize his name when they neglect his office ; they will embrace the outward form of his religion when they hate the power ; they will value and esteem and desire his benefits, but they despise his laws ; they will attend upon external duties, but neglect private or inward acts of grace ; they will seem to acknowledge the general duties, but as to particulars questioned or assaulted in the age they live in, they desire to be excused ; but a gracious heart reverenceth everything that carrieth the stamp of Christ upon it, and in every- thing desires to submit to him. I confess, where men are not con- vinced of particular duties they may be accepted of God, where they are faithful in the general and unquestionable duties ; but we cannot say so of them who blind their eyes out of malice and prejudice.