Chapter 3: Those Translated into This Blessed Estate Are Bound to Live in Obedience to the Moral Law

The Lord does no sooner call his people to himself, but as soon as ever he has thus crowned them with these glorious privileges, and given them any sense and feeling of them, but they immediately cry out, Oh Lord, what shall I now do for you? How shall I now live to you? They know now they are no more their own, but his; and therefore should now live to him.

If you ask Moses, after all the love and kindness the Lord had shown Israel, what Israel should do for him? You shall see his answer full (Deuteronomy 10:12-13): And now, O Israel, what does the Lord require of you, but to fear the Lord your God, and to love him and serve him with all your heart, and to keep his Commandments which I command you this day for your good?

If you ask Paul (as Evangelical a Christian as ever lived) what now we are to do when we are in Christ? He answers punctually (2 Corinthians 5:14-15): The love of Christ constrains us, because we thus judge, that Christ dying for those that were dead, they that live should not live to themselves, but to him that died for them and rose again.

If we ask Peter the question, to what end the Lord has called us out of darkness into his marvelous light? He expressly tells you, it is to show forth the virtues of him that has so called (1 Peter 2:9).

If we be doubtful whether this be the Lord's mind, the Lord himself resolves it by Zechariah (Luke 1:74), and tells us, that it is his oath, that we being delivered out of the hands of our enemies, we should serve him without fear in holiness (in all the rules of the first table) and righteousness (in all duties of the second table) all the days of our life, and that all this should not be out of a spirit of bondage and slavish fear, but without fear; that is, fear of our enemies, sin, death, wrath, and so consequently out of love, to him that has delivered us; that one would wonder it should ever enter into the heart of any Christian man that has tasted the love of Christ, as to think that there is no use of the Law to one in Christ; and that because they are to live the life of love to Christ, that therefore they are not to look to the Law as the rule of their love, expressly cross to the letter of the text (John 14:15), If you love me, keep my Commandments; which Commandments are not only faith and love to the saints; but love to enemies, and spiritual obedience to the moral Law, in a far different manner and measure than as the Pharisees instructed the people in those days, as you may see (Matthew 5:17). It is true indeed, obedience to the Law is not required of us now as it was of Adam; it was required of him as a condition antecedent to life, but of those that be in Christ it is required only as a duty consequent to life, or as a rule of life, that seeing he has purchased our lives in redemption, and actually given us life in vocation and sanctification, we should now live to him, in all thankful and fruitful obedience according to his will revealed in the moral Law. It is a vain thing to imagine that our obedience is to have no other rule but the Spirit, without any attendance to the Law; the Spirit indeed is the efficient cause of our obedience, and hence we are said to be led by the Spirit (Romans 8:14), but it is not properly the rule of our obedience, but the will of God revealed in his word, especially in the Law is the rule: the Spirit is the wind that drives us in our obedience, the Law is our compass, according to which it steers our course for us: the Spirit and the Law, the wind and the compass, can stand well together (Psalm 143:10), Teach me to do your will, O God, (there is David's rule, namely, God's will revealed) your spirit is good (there is David's mind, that enabled him to steer his course according to it) the Spirit of life does free us from the law of sin and of death, but not from the holy, and pure, and good, and righteous Law of God (Romans 8:1-3). The blood of Christ by the Spirit cleanses us from dead works, to serve the living God (Hebrews 9:14), not to serve our own selves, or lusts, or wills, to do what we please: the law indeed is not a rule of that by which we are to obey, namely, of our faith, yet it is the only rule of what we are to obey: we are not to perform acts of obedience now as Adam was to do, namely, by the sole power of inherent grace, but we are to live by faith, and act by faith (for without me you can do nothing, John 15:5.) we are not united to Christ our life by obedience as Adam was to God by it, but by faith: and therefore as all action (in living things) comes from union, so all our acts of obedience are to come from faith, from the Spirit on Christ's part, and from faith on our part, which make our union: Noah built by faith, Enoch walked with God by faith, Joshua and his soldiers fought by faith. Abraham traveled, dwelt in his tents, lived and died by faith; they acted according to the rule, but all by the power of faith. It is a weak reasoning to imagine a man is not bound to pay his debts, because he is to go to another for the money: Obedience is our debt we owe to Christ (Luke 17:10), though we are to go to Christ poor, and weak, and feeble, to enable us to pay: It is true, Christ has kept the law for us, and are we therefore free from it as our rule? No verily, Christ kept the law for satisfaction to justice, and so we are not bound to keep the Law; he kept the Law also for imitation, to give us a copy and an example of all holiness and glorifying God in our obedience; and thus Christ's obedience is so far from exempting us from the Law, as that it engages us the more, having both rule and example before us (1 John 2:6), He that says he abides in him ought to walk as he walked (1 Peter 1:14-16). It is true, the Law is written in a believer's heart, and if he has a Law within, what need he (say some) look to the Law without? When as our Savior and David argued quite contrary (Psalm 40:7-8), I come, I delight to do your will, it being written of me that I should do it, because your Law is within my heart; this argues, that you are not to attend the Law unwillingly as bondmen and slaves, but willingly and gladly, because the Law, even the Law of love is in your hearts (1 John 5:3).

The place alleged by some for this liberty from the Law, namely, the Law is not made for a righteous man (1 Timothy 1:9), if well considered, fully dashes this dream in pieces; for there were diverse Jewish preachers of Moses' Law, and they had a world of scruples and questions about it (verse 4), and Paul and others were accounted of as men less zealous, because they did not sound upon that string so much. Away (says Paul) with those contentions and questions; for the end of the commandment is not scruples and questions, but charity and love (that is, both to God and men) out of a pure heart and faith unfeigned (verse 5), and says he, the Law is very good, when used lawfully, that is, for this end, and out of these principles (verse 8). It is not talking, but doing, and that out of love, which is the end and scope of the Law; so that note by the way, you may as well abolish love as abolish the Law, love being the end and scope of the Law. But to proceed; the Law is not made (says he) for the righteous, that is, for the condemnation of the righteous, that is, of such as out of a pure heart and faith unfeigned love God in the first Table, love to show all duties of respect to man in the second Table; and therefore they of all other men have no cause to abolish the Law, as if it was a bugbear, or a thing that could hurt them, but it is made for the condemnation of the lawless, Anomians, (as the original word is) or if you will, Antinomians, (transgressors of the first commandment,) and disobedient (transgressors of the second commandment,) for ungodly and sinners (transgressors of the third commandment,) for unholy and profane (transgressors of the fourth commandment,) for murderers of fathers and mothers (of the fifth commandment,) for man-slavers (of the sixth,) for whoremongers and defilers of mankind (of the seventh,) for men-stealers (of the eighth,) for liars (of the ninth,) and for those that in anything walk contrary to sound doctrine, the purity of the Law and will of God (of the tenth.) So that this place is far from favoring any of those that run in this channel of abolishing the Law as our rule; no, beloved, the love of Christ will constrain you to embrace it as a most precious treasure. It is the observation of some, that in the Preface to the Moral Law (Exodus 20:1-2), the Lord reveals himself to be the Lord their God that brought them out of the Land of Egypt; the very scope of which words is to persuade to a reverent receiving and keeping of that good Law: this Law all nations are bound to observe, because he is Jehovah, the Lord; but to be your God in special covenant, and that redeemed you from Egypt, and from that which was typified by it, this belongs to none but to them especially, that are already the people of God; and therefore of all other people in the world, they are bound to receive it as their rule; for obedience does not make us God's people or God our God: but he is first our God, (which is only by the covenant of grace) and from that it is, that being ours, and we his, we of all others are most bound to obey.

To conclude, they that stick in these briers therefore cry down the law as a Christian's rule, because by this means a Christian shall find no peace; because he is continually sinning against this Law: the Law therefore say they, will be always troubling him.

I answer, first a corrupt heart and putrid conscience can have no peace by the Law (Isaiah 57:21); there is no peace to the wicked, and it is good it should be so.

2. A watchful Christian may (Psalm 119:15): Great peace have they that keep your Law. Hezekiah had it, when he desired the Lord to remember how he had walked before him with a perfect heart (Isaiah 58:1-3). Paul found it — the testimony of his conscience bearing him witness was his rejoicing herein (2 Corinthians 1:12).

3. If a Christian ignorant of maintaining his peace with God by faith in his justification, notwithstanding all the errors in his obedience and sanctification — if I say he wants his peace, shall we therefore break the Law in pieces? If a secure Christian that walks loosely wants peace, by the accusations of the Law, it is God's mercy to him to give him no peace in himself, while he is at truce with his lust.

4. That peace will end in dismal sorrow which is got by kicking against the Law, it is but daubing for a man to keep his peace by shutting his eyes against the way of peace; a servant may have peace in his idleness by thinking that his master requires no work from him, and by hiding his talent, yet what will his lord say to him when his day is ended, and he comes to reckon with him at sunset? Bring the Law into your conscience in point of justification, it will trouble conscience: for there only Christ's righteousness, God's grace, and the promise are to be looked on, and our own obedience and holiness laid by in the dust; but bring it before you as a rule of your sanctification, and as your copy to write after, and to imitate, and aspire after that perfection it requires, it will then trouble you no more than it does a child, who having a fair copy set him to write after, and knowing that he is a son, is not therefore troubled because he cannot write as fair as his copy; he knows if he imitates it, his scribbling shall be accepted: however, though his father may chastise him with rods, if he is careless to imitate, yet he will never cast him therefore off from being his son. The truth is this, it argues a most graceless, carnal, wretched heart, for a man to cast by God's rules, because attendance to them is his trouble and torment, which to a gracious heart are life, and peace, and sweetness; all the ways of wisdom to him are ways of pleasantness, and her paths peace (Proverbs 3:17). And it is God's common curse upon them that love not the truth in these days, that because sin is not their sorrow, nor breach of rules their trouble, that therefore the observance of the Law, and attendance to rules shall be their burden and trouble; they feel not the plague in their own hearts, and therefore reproofs plague them, and commands are a plague and a torment to them: crooked feet, and crooked wills, make men tread awry in such corrupt opinions.

All the called ones of God are therefore to live this life of obedience, and that out of love, which I call the life of love (Galatians 5:6), for else circumcision avails nothing, nor uncircumcision, no nor faith itself; unless it be of this nature, as that it works by love: there is much obedience and external conformity to the law in many men, but the principal difference between these formalities, and the obedience of the saints, is love; the obedience of the one arises from self-love, because it pleases themselves, and suits with their own ends; the other from the love of Christ, because it pleases him, and suits with his ends (1 Corinthians 13:4; 1 John 5:3).

Wherein does and should this life of love appear?

In these five particulars.

In thinking and musing much on Christ and upon his love, and on what you shall do for him; he that says he loves another, and yet seldom thinks on him, or will seldom give him a good look when he meets him, certainly deceives himself; the least degree of love appears in thinking on what we love, because the loving kindness of God was better than life to David; hence he did remember him upon his bed, and meditate on him in the very night (Psalm 63:3, 6). They that fear the Lord, that is, with a son-like fear; where love is chiefly predominant, are such as think upon his name (Malachi 3:16). We have thought of your loving kindness, oh Lord, in your temple (Psalm 48:9). You that can spend days, nights, weeks, months, years; and have your head all this time swarming with vain thoughts, and scarce one living thought of Christ, and his love, that did never beat your head, nor trouble yourself in musing, oh what shall I do for him, nor in condemning yourself because you do so little, verily you have not the least degree of this life of love.

In speaking and commending of him: is it possible that any man should love another and not commend him, not speak of him? If you have but a hawk or a [reconstructed: hound] that you love, you will commend it, and can it stand with love to Christ, yet seldom or never to speak of him nor of his love; never to commend him to others, that they may fall in love with him also? You shall see the spouse (Song of Solomon 5:9, 16), when she was asked what her beloved was above others, she [reconstructed: sets] him out in every part of him, and concludes with this, he is altogether lovely. Because your loving kindness (says David) is better than life, my lips shall praise you, and I will bless you while I live (Psalm 63:3-4). Can it stand with this life of love, to be always speaking about worldly affairs, or news at the best; both weekday and Sabbath day, in bed and at board, in good company and in bad, at home and abroad? I tell you it will be one main reason why you desire to live, that you may make the Lord Jesus known to your children, friends, acquaintance, that so in the ages to come his name might ring, and his memorial might be of sweet odor, from generation to generation (Psalm 71:18). If before your conversion especially you have poisoned others by your vain and corrupt speeches; after your conversion you will seek to season the hearts of others by a gracious, sweet, and wise communication of savory and blessed speeches; what the Lord has taught you, you will talk of it to others, for the sake of him whom you love.

In being often in his company, and growing up thereby into a familiar acquaintance with him: can we be long absent from those we love entirely, if we may come to them? Can we love Christ, and yet be seldom with him, in Word, in Prayer, in Sacraments, in Christian communion, in meditation and daily examination of our own hearts, in his providences of mercies, crosses, and trials? (For Christ is with us here, but those two ways, in his ordinances, or providences, by his holy Spirit.) Lord (says David) I have loved the habitation of your house, and the place where your honor dwells (Psalm 26:8). The ground of which is set down in verse 3: your loving kindness is before my eyes. My soul longs for you as in a land where no water is, that I might see you, as I have seen you in the sanctuary; the reason of it was, because your loving kindness is better than life (Psalm 63:1-3).

In doing much for him, and that willingly; did not Jacob love Rachel? How did he express it? His seven years service, in frost and snow, in heat and cold, by day and night, were nothing to him, for her sake whom he loved. Shall I serve the Lord (says David) of what cost me nothing? And when he had prepared many millions for the building of the temple, yet he accounted it a small thing for his sake whom he loved (1 Chronicles 29:3). He gave it out of his poverty, as he speaks; this is love, to keep his commandments, and those are not grievous (1 John 5:3).

In suffering and enduring any evil for his sake. I confess it is not every degree of love that will carry a man here; yet where there is great and singular love, for a good man one may be willing to die (Romans 5:7). Assuredly if there be any love to Christ, it will in time increase to this measure; it will think ten thousand lives too little to lay down for Christ's sake, that laid down his precious life for him. What tell you me, says Paul, of bonds and imprisonments? I am ready not only to be bound, but to die for the sake of Christ at Jerusalem; my life is not dear to me, no more than a rush at my foot, that I may finish my course with joy: for your sake we are killed all the day long (Romans 8:36). I tell you the love of Christ will make you fall down upon your knees, and bless the Lord, that he will accept of such a poor sacrifice as your body is, though it be burnt to ashes; and you will bless him again and again, that whereas he might have left you in your sins to have trodden him and his glory and grace under foot, as he has done thousands in the world; yet that he should call you to share in this honor not only to do, but to suffer for his sake.

Now the good Lord persuade all our hearts to this fruitful obedience and life of love. Oh you young men, you have a fair time before you to do much for Christ in; how pleasing will it be to him to see such young trees hang full of fruit! You aged men have now one foot in your grave, and you have forgotten the Lord Jesus most of your time, and your time which now remains is very little, and then your lamp is out, your sun is almost set, and all your work is yet to be done for Christ — oh therefore awaken now at last, before you awaken when it is too late. You rich men have abilities and wherewithal to set forward Christ's kingdom in the towns and villages where you live. You poor men may do much by ardent and instant prayers day and night, for the advancement of the Lord Jesus. You husbands, wives, masters, servants, remember if you are not good in your places, you are not good at all, whatever your profession be; a good woman, but a contrary wife: a good man, but a harebrained, cursed husband: a good servant, but a very sore tongue; these cannot well stand together. If you have any love to Christ, the life of love will make you move best in your proper place: oh therefore love much, and so think much and speak much of, and converse much with, and do much, and suffer much for the Lord Jesus Christ. Content not yourselves with doing small things for him, that has done and suffered much for you. If you can do but little, yet set God to work by being fervent and frequent in prayer, not only that Christ may be honored in yourselves, but also in your families, and in all churches and kingdoms of the world. If you cannot do much, yet maintain alive a will to do much, which is accepted as if you did (2 Corinthians 8:12). If you are a poor man, and have nothing to give, yet keep a heart as liberal as a prince. If you can do but little yourselves, yet encourage others that may; you are not a preacher called to convert souls, yet do you encourage the messengers of Christ in their work, by your prayers, counsel, help, and at last day the conversion of souls shall be attributed to you, as well as to them. If you cannot do any good, yet prevent what evil you can in your place, to keep off judgments, at least to delay them. Mourn for other men's sins, as if they were your own, that so the Lord may pity and pardon them, and it may be convert them, who shall do more good it may be, than ever you can do. Let the Lord Jesus be in your thoughts the first in the morning, and the last at night. Do what you can — nay, go continually to him to enable you to do more than you of yourself can. And mourn bitterly, and lament daily what you have not done, either through want of ability or will: remembering his love to you, that he came out of his Father's bosom for you, wept for you, bled for you, poured out his life — nay, his soul to death for you, is now risen for you, gone to heaven for you, sits at God's right hand, and rules all the world for you, makes intercession continually for you, and at the end of the world will come again for you, who have loved him here, that you might live forever with him then.

But is this our life, in these evil and lukewarm times? How many are there that believe in Christ, that they may live as they please? If to drink, and whore, and scoff, and blaspheme; if to shake a lock, and follow every fond fashion; if to cross and cringe before a piece of wood; if to be weary of the Word, and outwardly zealous for long prayers; if to seek for purity of ordinances in churches, and to maintain impurity in hearts, in shops, in families; if to set our hearts upon farms and merchandises, and so to be covetous; if to set up our own selves, and parts, and gifts, with a secret disdain of God's ministers; if to cry down learning, and set up ignorance; if to set up Christ, and destroy sanctification and obedience; if to be a sect-master of some odd opinions; if to crack the nut of some superlunary and monkish notions, and high-flown speculations; if to hear much, and do little; if to have a name to [illegible], and yet dead at the heart; if this be to live the life of love, we have many that live this life. The Lord Jesus wants not love, if this be to love. But oh, woe to you, if you thus requite the Lord, foolish people and unwise! The Lord knows we may complain as Paul did, every man minds his own things, and none the things of Jesus Christ; none in comparison of that huge number that think they are religious enough, if they be baptized, and say that they believe in Jesus Christ. Verily the time draws near wherein the Lord will come for fruits from his vineyard; and if he finds it not, assuredly he will not be beholden to us for obedience, he can raise his glory out of other people, and there carry his gospel to them who shall bring forth the fruits of it. The Lord will shortly lay his axe to the root of our tree, and if we will not serve the Lord in this good land in the abundance of peace and mercy, we shall serve our enemies in hunger, cold, and nakedness. If we will not serve him in love, we must serve our enemies in fear. Do not think that the Lord will be put off with venerable names and titles, shadows, and pictures. What is most men's profession at this day but a mere paint, which may serve to color them while they live, but will never comfort them (unless conscience be asleep) when they come to die. Oh, give heed to such formality. I can never think enough of David's expression (Psalm 119:167): I have kept your commandments, and I love them exceedingly. Should he not have said first, I have loved your commandments, and so have kept them? Doubtless he did so; but he ran here in a holy and most heavenly circle — I have kept them and loved them, and loved them and kept them. If we love Christ we also shall live such a life of love in our measure; and his commandments will be most dear, when himself is most precious.