1. He who commands us to be holy is our sovereign lawgiver, he that hath absolute power to prescribe unto us what laws he pleaseth. When commands come from them who have authority, and yet are themselves also under authority, there may be some secret abatement of the power of the command. Men may think either to appeal from them, or one way or other subduct themselves from under their power. But when the power immediately commanding is sovereign and absolute, there is no room for tergiversation. The command of God proceeds from the absolute power of a sovereign legislator. And where it is not complied withal, the whole authority of God, and therein God himself, is despised. So God in many places calleth sinning against his commands, the " despising of him," Num. xi. 20, 1 Sam. ii. 30; the " despising of his name," Mai. i. 6; the " despising of his commandment," and that in his saints themselves, 2 Sam. xii. 9.
Being, then, under the command of God to be holy, not to en- deavour always and in all things so to be is to despise God, to reject his sovereign authority over us, and to live in defiance of him. This state, I suppose, there are few who would be willing to be found in. To be constant despisers of God and rebels against his authority is a charge that men are not ready to own, and do suppose that those who are so indeed are in a very ill condition. But this, and no better, is the state of every one who is not holy, who doth not follow after holiness. Yet so it is, propose unto men the true nature of evangeli- cal holiness; press them to the duties wherein the exercise of it doth consist ; convince them with evidence as clear as the light at noon- day that such and such sins, such and such courses, wherein they
CHAP. III.] THE COMMANDS OF GOD 611
live and walk, are absolutely inconsistent with it and irreconcilable unto it, — yet, for the most part, it is but little they will heed you, and less they will do to answer your exhortations. Tell the same persons that they are rebels against God, despisers of him, that they have utterly broken the yoke and cast off his authority, and they will defy you, and perhaps revile you. But yet these things are inseparable. God having given his command unto men to be holy, declared his sovereign will and pleasure therein, if we are not so accordingly, we are not one jot better than the persons described. Here, then, in the first place, we found the necessity of holiness on the command of God. The authority wherewith it is accompanied makes it neces- sary ; yea, from hence if we endeavour not to thrive in it, if we watch not diligently against every thing that is contrary unto it, we are therein and so far despisers of God and his name, as in the places before cited.
This, therefore, evidenceth unto the consciences of men that the obligation unto holiness is indispensable. And it would be well if we always carried this formal consideration of the commandment in our minds. Nothing is more prevalent with us unto watchfulness in holiness, as nothing doth more effectually render what we do to be obedience, properly so called. Forgetfulness hereof, or not heeding it as we ought, is the great reason of our loose and careless walking, of our defect in making a progress in grace and holiness. No man is safe a moment whose mind by any means is dispossessed of a sense of the sovereign authority of God in his commands, nor can any thing secure such a soul from being pierced and entered into by various temptations. This, therefore, are we to carry about with us wherever we go and whatever we do, to keep our souls and consci- ences under the power of it, in all opportunities of duties, and on all occasions of sin. Had men always, in theh ways, trades, shops, affairs, families, studies, closets, this written on their hearts, they would have " Holiness to the Lord " on their breasts and foreheads also.
2. The apostle tells us, that as God in his commands is a sovereign Imugiver, so he is able to kill and keep alive; that is, his command- ing authority is accompanied with such a power as that whereby he is able absolutely and eternally to reward the obedient, and to return unto the disobedient a meet recompense of punishment ; for although I would not exclude other considerations, yet I think this of eternal rewards and punishments to be principally here intended.
But, (1.) Supposing it to have respect unto things temporal also, it carries along with it the greater enforcement. God commands us to be holy. Things are in that state and condition in the world as that if we endeavour to answer his will in a due manner, designing to " perfect holiness in the fear of God," we shall meet with much
612 HOLINESS NECESSAEY FROM [BOOK V.
opposition, many difficulties, and at length, perhaps, it may cost us our lives; multitudes have made profession of it at no cheaper rate. But let us not mistake in this matter: he who commands us to be holy is the only sovereign Lord of life and death, that hath alone the disposal of them both, and consequently of all things that are subservient and conducing unto the one or the other. It is he alone who can kill in a way of punishment, and he alone can keep alive in a way of merciful preservation. This power of our Lawgiver the holy companions of Daniel committed themselves unto, and pre- served themselves by the consideration of, when with the terror of death they were commanded to forsake the way of holiness, Dan. iii. 16-18. And with respect unto it, our Lord Jesus Christ tells us that " he who would save his life," — namely, by a sinful neglect of the command, — " shall lose it." , This, therefore, is also to be con- sidered : The power of him who commands us to be holy is such as that he is able to carry us through all difficulties and dangers which we may incur upon the account of our being so. Now, whereas the fear of man is one principal cause or means of our failing in holiness and obedience, either by sudden surprisals or violent temptations, and the next hereunto is the consideration of other things esteemed good or evil in this world, the faith and sense hereof will bear us up above them, deliver us from them, and carry us through them.