Use 3. Lastly, if every commandment be right, sure, and just, then when God commandeth do it, though the apparent danger be never so gi'eat, and thoxigh it be never so contrary to flesh and blood, pleasure, profit, or preferment, yet Imow it is finn and sure, and that our happiness stands in doing it, our misery in disobeying it, — as we know it was with Adam. What a sudden change did his disobedience work in himself, all the world since being leavened with that miserable contagious fall of his ! And for the whole world this is a general, we never want any good, but for want of love and obedience unto it. * Great prosperity shall they have,' saith David, ' who love thy law, and no evil shall come unto them,' Ps. cxix. 165. And we never had nor shall have any hurt, but from our unbelief and dis- obedience to the holy, pure, and perfect word of God, which is attended with comfort and prosperity here, and endless glory hereafter. ' The ways of the Lord are right.'
In the. next place, if the ways of the Lord be right and straight, so straight that they lead directly to the right end, then it is clear,
Obs. That the best way to come to a good and right end, is to take God's ways. For it is a right way, and the right way is always the shortest way. Therefore, when men take not God's ways, prescriptions, and com'ses, they go wide about, and seldom or never come to their intended end. God's way is the right way, and therefore brings a man to his right end. Sometimes men will have their turnings, their diverticula, and vagaries, but they find by experience that God's ways they are the right ways, so as they never attain to comfort and peace until they come again into those ways. God until then sufiereth them to be snared and hampered, and to eat the fi-uit of their own ways, and then they see the difference of God's ways and theirs, and that God's ways are the best, and the straightest ways unto true hap- piness.
Indeed, God sufi'ers sometimes men that will have their own ways to come quickly to them, as some men hasten to be rich, and God sufiers them to be rich hastily : yet they are none of God's ways which the}' take, but climb up by fi-aud and deceit. Aye, but that is only a particular end which God sufiereth them to attain by byeways ; but what will be the up- shot ? Where will all these ways end at length ? Surely in hell. For when a man goes out of l^e right, and straight, and direct way, to be gi'eat in the world, he is like a man who goes out of his way, which is further about ; who yet, when he is in that way, goes on through thick and thin, because he .will gain some way. He goes on through thickets and hedges, fair and
HOSEA XIV. 9. J THE RETURNING BACKSLIDER. 421
foul, ■where lie gets many scratches, brushes and knocks. Doth any think in the world to attain his particular ends without* the direct ways of God ? God may suffer him to attain his particular end, but with many flaws, knocks, and brushes upon his conscience, which many times he carrieth with him unto his grave ; and finds it a great deal better, both to attain unto his particular ends by God's ways, and to have no more of anything in the world than he can have with a good conscience. For, though they be good men, ofttimes God suflers such men to have bmises in their conscience all their days, that they and others may know that the best way is the straight and right way, which at last will bring us best to our end.
Having thus made it good, ' that the ways of the Lord are right,' now, for conclusion of all, the pi'ophet begins to shew the divers effects these right ways of God have in two sorts of people, the godly and wicked.
I. The just shall walk in them :
n. That the transgressors shall fall therein.
I. The just shall walk in them. Who be the just men here spoken of? Such are just men who give to every one their due ; that give God his due in the first place, and man in the second place, whereby it is framed. ' The just shall walk in them ;' that is, they shall proceed and go on in them till they be come to the end of their race, the salvation of theu* souls. And, more particularly,
(1.) Just men first, are such, xcho have respect unto all God's command- ments, Ps. cxix. 6. Though in their disposition they find some more hard to them than others, yet they do not allow themselves to break any, but strive so much the more earnestly and constantly to observe them, as they find their natures opposite to them. Now hypocrites, howsoever they do many things in show, yet, hke Herod and Judas, their hearts run in a wTong channel ; they allow themselves to live in, and like of some sin. The young man in the gospel had not a respect unto all God's commandments, though Christ loved his amiable parts, Mat. x. 21. To this purpose James saith, ' Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all,' James ii. 10. That is, he who alloweth himself in any one sin, he is guilty of all. Ask Judas, Is murder good ? He would have said, no : but he was covetous, and allowed himself in it, and so drew upon him the guilt of all the rest. God is he who forbids sinning against them all. He who forbids one, forbids all ; and being rightly turned to God, the same authority makes us leave all. It is not sin, but the allowance of it, that makes an hypocrite.