1. Covetousness is a habit, and that foul source, or inherent original sin, from which every active desire that is sinful proceeds. The reason why "the wickedness of man is great in the earth is, that the imagination of the thoughts of his heart is only evil continually," as the Lord saith, Gen. vi. 5. "For out of the heart proceed evil thoughts," &c. Matt. xv. 19, and "as a fountain casteth out her waters, so "the heart "casteth out its wickedness," Jer. vi. 7. This habitual covetousness is called by Paul, Rom. vii. 17, 18, 23, 26, "indwelling sin, the flesh, the law of sin." That this habitual covetousness is also forbidden here is evident; for "the end of the commandment is charity, out of a pure heart," 1 Tim. i. 5, and the law was given to mankind, when they were perfect.

2. From this proceeds that first ebullition and motion, which provokes to sin, while it is not approved, or followed with a contrivance to execute it, yea, is even resisted and suppressed. The Papists, Socinians and Remonstrants deny that these first motions of lust are sins and forbidden, not only because they do not acknowledge original righteousness, but also because they must in this manner defend their vainglorious freewill, and the perfection of the saints; for they see indeed that they cannot prevent these ebullitions. But that these first motions are forbidden is evident, (a) from this tenth commandment, which doth not limit, but forbiddeth all covetousness. (b) Paul saith, Rom. vii. 7, "I had not known lust to be sin, except the law had said, Thou shalt not covet." Did not he, who was brought up at the feet of Gamaliel, know before his conversion, that lust to which we assent, and which we contrive how to execute, was sin? Even the heathens could know this. He speaks then of those emotions, that rise first of al!. (c) This covetousness militates against perfect love, and against the Spirit, according to Matt. xxii. 37-40. Galv. 17. (d) according to the words of James, "a man is drawn away and enticed by his own lust, upon which lust conceiveth and bringeth forth sin," James i. 14, 15. What lust must we understand here, by that which draws away, entices and conceives but that first ebullition which draws away, entices and conceives by the pleasure that it takes in sin, and in contriving to execute it? It is true, this lust is distinguished from the sin that it conceives and brings forth; yet not in order to deny its sinfulness, but to distinguish a less from a greater sin, and to shew how a less sin brings forth a greater, as Paul also saith, that "sin, taking occasion by the commandment, wrought in him all manner of concupiscence," Rom. vii. 8. That which brings forth sin is surely sin; for like brings forth like.

3. From this foul source, and from these sinful ebullitions proceeds also that assent to lust, by which we take a pleasure in it,

muse on it with delight, cherish it, and suffer ourselves to be urged to fulfil it, when we have an opportunity, and are able: and in this manner doth "lust conceive and bring forth sin," James i. 15.

2. When God forbids a sin, he then also commands the contrary virtue; for we cannot avoid sin except by pursuing virtue, and therefore God commands here,

1. Regeneration after the image of God, inasmuch as this restrains and subdueth the strength of sinful concupiscence. Therefore the prophet saith, "Circumcise yourselves to the Lord, and take away the foreskins of your heart," Jer. iv. 4. We "cast away our transgressions by making ourselves a new heart and a new spirit," as we read, Ezek. xviii. 31.

2. Satisfaction in God, whereby all our desires, being filled with him, are listless towards sin: "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none upon earth that I desire besides thee," saith Asaph to the Lord, Psalm Ixxiii. 25. So Habakkuk also expresseth himself in his prophecy, ch. iii. 17, 18.

S. Contentment with that portion of earthly goods, which God bestows on us. Paul "having learned in whatsoever state he was, therewith to be content," Philip. iv. 11, exhorts others also "to be content with such things as they have," Heb. xiii. 5.

4. Joy and pleasure in our neighbour's welfare, so that we "rejoice with them who do rejoice," Rom. xii. 15.

5. Hatred and opposition to all that is sinful, by which we endeavour to subdue and mortify all our lusts, according to the admonition of the apostle, Col. iii. 5, for thus "we abstain from fleshly lusts, which war against the soul," as Peter requireth, 1 Peter ii. 11.

6. An insatiable desire, and active inclination to all righteousness, by which, with David and Paul, "we delight in the law and commandments of God, after the inner man," Psalm cxix. 47, 131. Rom. vii. 22.

3. The sinful heart will not submit to such a restraint, it imagines that this would be unreasonable. But this "commandment is holy, just and good," as Paul said of it, when he saw himself condemned by it, Rom. vii. 12. For (a) covetousness militates against the sovereignty of God over the heart. Therefore he also marks it strictly, and will judge it, according to Jer. xvii. 9, 10. Rom. ii. 16, and he requires that the person, who is in covenant with him, should be holy, as the Lord his God is holy, Lev. xix. 2. We must therefore "put off the old man, which is corrupt according to the deceitful lusts and be renewed in the spirit of our minds; and put on the new man, which after God is created in righteousness and true

holiness," Eph. iv. 22-24. Yea, covetousness militates also against the providence of God, who gives to every man as much as he pleaseth. Therefore when God bestows any good thing upon our neighbour, and withholds it from us, "shall our eye be evil, because God is good," as the Saviour asks, disapproving of such a temper, Matt. xx. 15. (b) It is also vanity to be so intent upon earthly matters; for it is vain to rise up early, to sit up late, and to eat the bread of sorrow: for so he giveth his beloved sleep," Psalm cxxvii. 2. Neither can the capacious soul be satisfied with all these visible things; the round world cannot fill the triangular heart: "The eye is not satisfied with seeing, nor the ear filled with hearing," saith the wise king, Eccl. i. 8. God alone is able to fill the rational soul, and to afford her a satisfying pleasure with his allsufficiency. See

2 Cor. ix. 8.

II We have thus explained the whole law: but we do still not understand it, if we do not rightly comprehend the end, for which the law was given. To what purpose then is the law? To teach us that man can keep it perfectly, after it is once become weak through the flesh? Paul denies this, when he saith, Gal. iii. 21, "If there had been a law given, which could have given life, verily righteousness should have been by the law." To explain this more particularly, we will, with the instructor, inquire, (1) whether those who are converted to God can keep the law perfectly, and if not, (2) why God suffers it to be preached to us so strictly.

We presuppose that man, before the fall was both obliged, and able to keep the law, in order to obtain life by his own righteousness; that since the fall, and since the upraising of the elect sinner, man is still obliged to keep the law perfectly; for he should otherwise not sin any more: neither can he ever be discharged from a perfect obligation to the Supreme Ruler, because as long as he is a creature, and the Lord is God, so long he is in every respect subject to God. We maintain also that the sinner, while in the state of nature, is wholly unable to do aught that is good, as we have shown on the eighth and ninth questions. But the subject of our present inquiry is, whether those who are converted to God can keep the law perfectly. We allow that believers possess, in consequence of their new birth, a certain ability for that which is good. We also acknowledge that they possess a certain perfection, not only with respect to justification, by which "they are perfect in Christ," as Paul saith, Col. ii. 10, but also with respect to sanctification, even a perfection of sincerity, and of parts, of soul and body, a perfect heart and "a sincere resolution to live, not only according to some, but

according to all the commands of God," as David and Hezekiah testify concerning themselves, Psalm cxix. 128. Isaiah xxxviii. S. Moreover, one believer is said to be more perfect than another, on account of his greater proficiency: "Strong meat belongeth to them who are perfect,"* Heb. v. 14. But the question is, whether a believer can in this present life be perfect, with respect to degrees, and thus be wholly sinless. This is the doctrine of the Papists, Socinians and Remonstrants. They cannot otherwise maintain the doctrine of their indifferent freewill. Yea, the Papists conceive that they can be more than perfect by their works of supererogation: and the Socinians think that they can be more perfect than the law of Moses required, because they must now live according to the improved law of Christ; but we deny such a perfection of the saints, If those persons, who boast so much of their perfection, knew the unspotted holiness of God, and the spirituality of the law, and if they were only experimentally convinced with Paul by the tenth commandment, "that lust is sin," they would assent to the doctrine, that the saints cannot be perfect in this life. They ought at least to have learned better from the word of God: for that saith, (1) That all men, and therefore those also, who are converted to God, have sins: "There is no man who sinneth not," saith wise Solomon, 1 Kings viii. 46. Prov xx. 9. Eccl. vii. 20. "In many things we offend all," saith James in his epistle, chap. iii. 2, and John saith, "If we say that we have no sin, we deceive ourselves, and the truth is not in us," I John i. 8. The most holy persons also acknowledge, that they are guilty of sin; see this in that most upright man Job, chap. ix. 2, S-in the man after God's own heart, Psalm xix. 12. cxxx. 3. cxliii. 2, and in that highly enlightened apostle, Philip. iii. 12. (2)" The holiest men have but small beginnings of this perfect obedience." Paul and other great saints "knew and prophesied but in part," 1 Cor. xiii. 9, 10. He and the holy Romans had only "the first-fruits of the Spirit," Rom. viii. 23. Now we know what a small beginning of the harvest the first-fruits are. (3) The most that the saints have is, that "with a sincere resolution they begin to live not only according to some, but according to all the commandments of God." See David's longing Psalm cxix. 5, and Paul's panting after perfection, Philip. iii. 12, "To will is present with me, but how to perform that which is good, I find not," Rom. vii. 18. And what hindereth them from being perfect in this life? is it not their remaining corruptions and

15.

* This is agreeable to the Dutch translation.

Justs, that "when they would do good, evil is present with them, and they are brought into captivity to the law of sin, which is in their members," Rom. vii. 21, 23. See how the same Paul speaks, Gal. v. 17.

When it is said, that the most holy persons, who have made a greater proficiency than others, "have only small beginnings of obedience to God," it doth not follow therefrom, that those who are least holy, and are nevertheless truly converted, have nothing at all of this obedience; for the most holy, when they are compared with the perfect demand of God's law, and the state of perfection after this life, cannot have more than such small beginnings; but if we compare them with those, who have made the least proficiency, then they are, as it were, perfect, and those least holy persons are like children, who are yet busy with first principles, according to Heb. ▼. 12-14.

We read indeed often of the saints, that "they walk with a perfect heart in all the commandments of the Lord blameless," as it is said of David, 1 Kings ix. 4. xiv. 8. Acts xiii. 22, and of Hezekiah, 2 Kings xvii. 6, and of Zacharias, Luke i. 6. But the sins of those saints are too well known that we should conclude therefrom, that they had attained to a perfection of degrees. These phrases only intimate that they possessed a perfection of parts, which doth not exclude their stumblings. Though "Asa took not away the high places, and was guilty of other sins, nevertheless the heart of Asa was perfect all his days," 2 Chron. xv. 17. xvi. 2—12.

66 Why then will God have the ten commandments so strictly preached, since no man in this life can keep them?" Thus asks the instructor from the mouth of our adversaries, who assert that the strict preaching of the law is an evidence, that we can keep it perfectly. Before we remove this difficulty, we say that the strict preaching of the law doth not consist in urging it as the condition of the covenant of works, that we may seek life by it, or as a special ministration of the Old Testament; for in this respect believers are "no longer under the law," Rom. vi. 14. Gal. iii. 25, and in this respect Christ hath fulfilled it for them, Rom. viii. 3, 4, but in seriously exhibiting it, as an everlasting rule of obedience, in all its extent, obligations, threatenings and promises. We may not preach the law thus, say the Antinomians. But Christ and his apostles preached it in this strict manner. Paul requires that Titus should "rebuke sharply and with all authority," Titus i. 13. ii. 15. We are, and always will remain obligated to obey God, on account of his sovereignty, and this everlasting obligation is rendered still