of God knoweth nothing of such a distinction; and the people do not understand it; the heathens might have excused their idolatry in the same manner, for they worshipped their gods with the wor ship of douleia, as Paul shows in the Greek, Gal. iv. 8. That the Romanists give divine honour to the creatures by this service, ap pears hence, that they offer them the service of the first table of the law by praying to them, swearing by them, and dedicating days and temples to them. 6 If time would permit, we should show further that this command forbids also ignorance, heresy, "bewitching" others spiritually, "that they should not obey the truth,” Gal. iii. 1, unbelief, mistrust, despair, pride, impatience under adversity, disobedience, seeking our salvation out of God, want of love to the Lord, unfeelingness, hardness of heart, giving offence, dishonouring and blaspheming the name of the Lord, ungodliness, dissoluteness, and endeavouring to remove every idea of the godhead out of the soul, and to practise every kind of iniquity without fear, like "the fool, who saith in his heart, there is no God," Psalm xiv. 1. We must, if we wish to save our souls, avoid and flee from all these abominations; for they who practise them cannot be saved, according to 1 Cor. vi. 10. Eph. v. 5, 6. Rev. xxi 8. How should God favour such a wicked person with his salvation, who doth not love him, but others in his stead, or besides him? This is then also an equitable command; for there is no God be sides the Lord, Deut. vi. 4. 1 Cor. viii. 6. He is Jehovah, who is alone worthy to be acknowledged. See Psalm xcvi. 5, 6. Lord alone was the covenant God of Israel: Israel was therefore The obliged to him alone. He alone had delivered that people out of the land of Egypt, the house of bondage; they were therefore under the strongest obligations to him alone. The face of God was every where, therefore how much soever any one concealed his idols, yea, though he erected his dunghill gods in his heart, it was still be fore the face of God; he would see it, he would be jealous on account of it, and it would provoke him to anger. See Ezek. viii. This commandment is the foundation of all the others: he who transgresseth this, will not keep any other, and he who keeps this will not transgress any of the other commandments. We look upon this commandment with good reason to be perfect ; for nothing more than this can be required of us, in order to acknowl edge that the Lord alone is God. Therefore the Socinians reproach the only wise and perfect Lawgiver, when they say that this com VOL. II. 2 B mandment was not perfect; but that another Lawgiver, to wit, Christ, perfected and enlarged it with a command, that we should pray to God, and particularly after the pattern of the Lord's prayer, and that we must now pray to Christ also. See to what all this tends there was then no command under the Old Testament to pray to God, contrary to Psalm 1. 15. Men did not pray to him as their Father, who was in heaven, for the sanctification of his name, &c. contrary to Job. xxxiv. 36. Isaiah. Ixiii. 16. Christ was not God then, and so not to be worshipped. Where will all this end? It is true, the ancients had not the form of the Lord's prayer in the same order, in which we have it now; but they were nevertheless obliged to pray for the same things with us. APPLICATION. As we had so many things to say, in order to explain our subject, we will add only a few words by way of application. Whoever thou art, present thyself, as it were, at Horeb, behold the quaking, burning, and smoking mountain, the glittering flashes of lightning, and hear the Lord saying amidst the dreadful thunderings to thee, "I am the Lord thy God; thou shalt have no other gods before me." It was for this end, that the Lord ordered his law to be written in his word, which is brought to thee also; yea, for this end it is read to thee every Sabbath, and the Lord speaks in it to thee also. Art thou not an Israelite by birth, but a sinner of the Gentiles, and hast thou not therefore been brought out of Egypt with respect to thy body; thou art nevertheless subject to the Lord; he is worthy for his own sake, and thou art naturally obliged to esteem, and acknowledge him to be God. "It appertains to him, that thou shouldest fear him." because he is incomparably glorious, Jer. x. 6, 7. Is not he thy God by the covenant of grace, he is by creation, by his providence over thee, and by all the favours which he hath shown to thee, especially by leading us out of the Romish Egypt. There is surely nothing more proper, than that we should acknowledge and fear our Creator and Benefactor alone as God. It is certain that this law hath a relation to the covenant of works, and to the covenant of grace. If we will then make a profitable use of the law, it will be necessary for us to look at ourselves, and exam ine whether we are yet under the broken covenant of works, or under the new covenant of grace; for we must all of us order ourselves according to the law, as our condition requireth. Ye are all yet under the broken covenant of works, who have never learned by the law to acknowledge your sins and damnable condition with humility, with fear and concern, like Paul, Rom. vii. 7. See also Rom. iii. 20. Ye also, who by the righteous judgment of God according to the law, are subject to the dominion of sin, so that the motions of sins, which are by the law, work in your members to bring forth fruit unto death," Rom. vii. 5. Ye also, who seek your rest, peace and salvation of God by your own doings, and who do thus "establish your own righteousness, with the zealous Jews," Rom. x. 2, 3. But ye who have seen with concern your abominable misconduct, and your forlorn condition, who have fled therefore to the Mediator of the covenant; have chosen the Lord upon his offer for your God, in opposition to all others; have surrendered yourselves to him, and have engaged yourselves to be his people, and to obey his voice ; yea, who make it your daily work to do all this, and strive to conduct in such a manner as is well pleasing to him, ye, I say, evidence that "ye have passed under the rod, and that ye have been brought under the bond of the covenant." Ezek. xx. 37. Ye then, who are still under the broken covenant of works, and have never entered into God's covenant of grace, (a) Examine yourselves whether ye have kept the law of God, and this commandment in particular perfectly. Consider whether ye have, as ye ought, practised all the duties which it commands, and abstained from all the sins, which it forbids. Are ye no idolaters, sorcerers, or soothsayers, what is the reason and cause why ye are not the worst of sinners? Is it the fear of God that restrains you, and that ought to restrain you? no: but because ye have no opportunity to be so vile, because ye were otherwise educated, and your natural conscience doth not suffer you to be so wicked. See then also, (b) that ye are abominable, disobedient and to every good work reprobate; that ye are not, as ye now are, partakers of the life which was promised in consequence of perfect obedience: "For Moses describeth the righteousness which is of the law, that the man who doth these things shall live by them," as Paul teacheth, Rom. x. 5, from Lev. xviii. 5. Yea, according to the covenant of works, ye are under the curse: for, "cursed is every one that continueth not in all things which are written in the book of the law to do them." Thus speaks the same apostle, Gal. iii. 10, from Deut. xxvii. 26. See also what he saith to you, Rom. iii. 19, 20. (c) Do ye see this with grief and concern? Do ye not know what ye must do, in order to be saved? flee to the Mediator of the covenant, embrace him by faith for the reconciliation of all your violations of the law, and your abominable idolatry: "God sets him forth to be a propitiation through faith in his blood, to declare his righteousness for the remission of sins,” Rom. iii 25. Make now a covenant with the Lord by his sacrifice, enter into it, and accept of his offer of the covenant. Hear him cry to you, Isaiah Iv. 3, "Incline your ear, and come unto me: hear and your soul shall live, and I will make an everlasting covenant with you, even the sure mercies of David." (d) In the mean time consider and court the cost well even whether God and his favour be so precious in your esteem, that ye would be willing to endure every kind of reproach, pain and shame which may befal you with respect to soul and body, on account of them; and whether ye would be willing also to spurn all your seemingly honourable, pleasant and profitable idols, to "cast them away, as a menstruous cloth, and say to every one of them, get thee hence," as the covenant people do, Isaiah xxx. 22. Yea, consider before ye begin, whether ye be willing to keep the law of the covenant, and all the precepts of it to the least, as well as to partake of the blessings of the covenant We most count all these things, that we may not quit at last, and so appear ridiculous. The Lord Jesus teacheth us this by the similitude of a man, who builds a tower, and of a king who marches against his enemy, Luke xiv. 25-33. Are ye willing to do and to endure so much for the covenant, surrender yourselves then cheerfully in it to the Lord, and yield yourselves up to him, as Hezekiah admonished, 2 Chron xxx. 8. Yea, come then upon the promises, in which he promiseth, Jer. xxx. 33. "to put this law into your inward parts, and to write it in your hearts; and that he will thus be your God, and that ye shall be his people." Bring your hearts to him, as Moses did the tables of stone, that he may engrave his law in them. But ye, who have truly entered into covenant with God. (a) Behold your great happiness. Ye are delivered from the covenant of the curse by the Lord your God: whatsoever the Lord is, hath and doth with respect to his essence, his persons, his works from eternity and in time, is for you; he hath given you the greatest and the most precious promises: he will remain your God for ever; ye are his special property: surely "blessed is the nation, whose God is the Lord, and the people whom he hath chosen for his own inheri tance," Psalm xxxiii. 11. Yea, he magnifies you by his law; we may say of you with greater emphasis than Moses said of Israel, Deut. iv. 8, "What nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous, as all this law is?" The free covenant of grace was administered in an exceedingly legal and rigorous manner to the ancient Israelites; the law of ceremonies was a heavy yoke for that people, though it had an evangelic design. But ye are no longer under the law as such "a schoolmaster," Gal. iii. 25. therefore boast and delight in this covenant, with David: hear him say himself, 2 Sam. xxiii. 5. "Though my house be not so with God; yet he hath made with me an everlasting covenant, ordered in all things and sure; for this is all my salvation, and all my desire, although he make it not to grow." (b) Though ye are no longer under the law, as the condition of the covenant of works, nor as a severe administration, nevertheless the law is, and remains a looking-glass for you, that ye may see your spots in it. Therefore examine yourselves by it; see how often ye have transgressed it, and how shamefully ye have offended against this commandment, that ye may repeatedly humble yourselves, and flee to your Surety for reconciliation. Thus Paul used the law, Rom. vii. and so the catechism requires us to improve it, Question 115. (c) Banish every idol now out of your souls, deny yourselves in all things, and let the Lord, your covenant God alone be your delight, and the object of all your desires, inclinations and actions, with Asaph, Psalm Ixxiii. 25, 26. "Therefore, dearly beloved, flee from idolatry," thus we say with Paul, 1 Cor. x. 14, and with John, "Little children, keep yourselves from idols," 1 John v. 21. (d) Do ye see your impotency, seek strength in the covenant, plead the promises of the Lord which he makes, Ezek. xxxvi. 27, “I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes, and ye shall keep my judgments, and do them." Convert his commandments into prayers with David, Psalm cxix. 4, 5. Do ye go astray to your sorrow in any instance, it will never be a total apostacy; he hath, according to Jer. xxxii. 40, "made an everlasting covenant with you, that he will not turn away from you, to do you good; but he will put his fear in your hearts, that ye may not depart from him. Your steps are ordered by the Lord: and he delighteth in your way. Though ye fall, ye shall not be utterly cast down for the Lord upholdeth you with his hand," as David saith, Psalm xxxvii. 23, 24. It is true ye cording to the words of the covenant, Jer. liv. 9. stumble; but ac"He will not be |