[To man in Paradise the commands of God were easy, because his whole soul was in unison with them: but to fallen man they are not easy, even after he is renewed by grace. St. Paul justly says, " The flesh lusteth against the spirit, and the spirit against the flesh ; and these are contrary the one to the other : so that ye cannot do the things that ye would." Indeed, the metaphors by which the Christian life is set forth in the Holy Scriptures clearly shew, that it is not maintained without great difficulty. A race is not won without great exertion, nor a warfare gained without severe conflicts. In- deed,- the terms in which our duty is set forth clearly shew, that obedience, in our present fallen state, is no easy task. We are called to " mortify our members upon earth," and to " crucify the flesh with the affections and lusts." We are enjoined to " pluck out the right eye, and to cut off the right hand or foot, that may offend us." No wonder therefore that the unregenerate man accounts such commandments grievous: for it must be confessed, that they are altogether against the current of corrupt nature ; and that, in order to obey them, we are constrained to urge our way continually against the stream.]
But, whilst I acknowledge the difficulty which even the best of men experience in obeying the com- mandments, I can by no means admit that they are, or ought to be, considered, " grievous." Indeed, a little reflection will shew us,
II. How far they are from deserving such a cha- racter—
1. They are all most reasonable in themselves —
[Can any thing be more reasonable than that we should improve for God the faculties we have received from him ; and that we should serve Him, in whom we live, and move, and have our being ? Is it unreasonable to require of us that we love the Saviour, who has so loved us as to give himself for us ? or that, when " he has bought us with his own precious blood, we should glorify him with our bodies and our spirits, which are his ?"
If it be said, that we are required even to lay down our lives for Christ's sake, I answer, True, we are : but has not he laid down his life for our sake ? Has he not done this for us, too, when we were enemies ? Is it not reasonable, then, that we should be ready to die for him who is our greatest Friend ? If he endured all the curses of God's broken law for us, yea, and for our sakes sustained all the wrath of Almighty God, should we think it a hard matter to encounter the wrath of