Be of good courage, all ye that trust in the Lord ; you may, you ought, without fear or dauntedness of spirit, to engage into the pur- suit of universal holiness. He who hath commanded it, who hath required it of you, will bear you out in it. Nothing that is truly evil or finally disadvantageous shall befall you on that account : for let the world rage whilst it pleaseth, and threaten to fill all things with blood and confusion, " to God the Lord belong the issues from death;" he alone can "kill" and "make alive." There is, therefore, no small enforcement unto holiness from the consideration of the command, with respect unto the power of the commander, relating unto things in this world.
(2.) But I suppose it is a povjer of eternal rewards and punish- ments that is principally here intended. The "killing" here is that mentioned by our Saviour, and opposed to all temporal evils, and death itself: Matt. x. 28, " Fear not them who can kill the body, but are not able to kill the soul : but rather fear him who is able to destroy both soul and body in hell." And this "keeping alive" is a deliverance from the wrath to come in everlasting life. And this is that which gives an unavoidable efficacy to the command. Every command of a superior doth tacitly include a reward and punishment to be intended ; for a declaration is made of what is pleasing and what is displeasing unto him that gives the command,
CHAP. III.] THE COMMANDS OF GOD. 613
and therein is there a virtual promise and threatening. But unto all solemn laws rewards and punishments are expressly annexed.
But there are two reasons why, for the most part, they do but little influence the minds of men who are inclined unto their transgres- sion:— [1.] The first is, that the rewards and punishments declared are such as men think they do justly prefer their own satisfaction in the transgression of the laws before them. It is so with all frood men with respect unto laws made contrary to the laws of God ; and wise men also may do so with respect unto useless laws, with trifling penalties ; and evil men will do so with respect unto the highest tem- poral punishments, when they are greedily set on the satisfaction of their lusts. Hence I say it is, in the first place, that the minds of men are so little influenced with those rewards and punishments that are annexed unto human laws. And, [2.] A secret apprehension that the commanders or makers of the laws neither will nor are able to execute those penalties in case of their transgression, evacuates all the force of them. Much they ascribe to their negligence, that they will not take care to see the sanction of their laws executed ; more to their ignorance, that they shall not be al^le to find out their transgressions; and somewhat in sundry cases to their power, that they cannot punish nor reward though they would. And for these reasons are the minds of men little influenced by human laws beyond their own honest inclinations and interest. But things are quite otherwise with respect unto the law and commands of God that we should be holy. The rewards and punishments, called by the apostle "killing" and "keeping alive," being eternal, in the highest capacities of blessedness or misery, cannot be balanced by any consideration of this present world without the highest folly and villany unto our- selves; nor can there be any reserve on the account of mutability, indifferency, ignorance, impotency, or any other pretence that they shall not be executed. Wherefore, the commands of God, which we are in the consideration of, are accompanied with promises and threatenings, of eternal blessedness on the one hand or of misery on the other ; and these will certainly befall us, according as we shall be found holy or unholy. All the properties of the nature of God are immutably engaged in this matter, and hence ensues an indis- pensable necessity of our being holy. God commands that we should be so; but what if we are not so? Why, as sure as God is holy and powerful, we shall eternally perish, for with the threatening of that condition is his command accompaaiied in case of disobedience. What if we do comply with the command and become holy? Upon the same ground of assurance we shall be brought into everlasting felicity. And this is greatly to be considered in the authority of the com- mandment. Some, perhaps, will say, that to yield holy obedience
61 4' HOLINESS NECESSARY FROM [BOOK V.
unto God with respect unto rewards and punishments is servile, and becomes not the free spirit of the children of God. But these are vain imaginations; the bondage of our own spirits may make every thing we do servile. But a due respect unto God's promises and threatenings is a principal part of our liberty. And thus doth the necessity of holiness, which we are engaged in the demonstration of, depend on the command of God, because of that authority from whence it doth proceed and wherewith it is accompanied. It is, therefore, certainly our duty, if we would be found walking in a course of obedience and in the practice of holiness, to keep a sense hereof constantly fixed on our minds. This is that which, in the first place, God intends in that great injunction of obedience. Gen. xvii. 1, " I am the Almighty God ; walk before me, and be thou perfect." The way to walk uprightly, to be sincere or perfect in obedience, is always to consider that he who requires it of us is God Almighty, accompanied with all the authority and power before mentioned, and under whose eye we are continually. And, in particular, we may apply this unto persons and occasions : —