On GEN. XXXIX. 9• his Law, and lift his Hand again£1: him? It will be no Excufe to plead the Commands ofMen for Sin : for as much as God is more glonous than Men, fo much more are h~s Commands to be refpeeted and obeyed than Mens. When there is an evident Oppofin• on between the Laws of Men and of God, we mull: d1fobey our Superiours, rho' we difpleafe them, and obey our Supream Ruler.. He that does what is forb,idden, or negleCts to do what is commanded by the D!Vlne Law, fa pleafe Men~ rho mvefi:ed with the highe£1: Soveraigmy on Earth, !S gudty of double W1ckedncfs ; of Imp1ety; in depofing God; and Idolltry, in deify ing Men. . . . . . . It is an exrream AggraVittton of tlus Evil, tn that Sm as tt IS a d!R:launmg our Ho-' 6Sz m:t(Te to God, fo 'tis in true account a yielding Subje~io~ to the Devil. For Sin is irt thc"fi:riCte£1: Propriety bis Work. The Original Rebellion m Paradife was by his Temptation, and all the aCtual and habitual Sins of ~en fince the Fall, are by his efficacious Influence. He darkens t he Carnal Mmd, and {ways the polluted Wtll ; he exc1tes and :. Cor. 4 . 4 • inflames the viciot~s Affections, and imperioufly rules in the Children of Difobedience. He Ephef. i. "· is therefore fi:iled the frince and God of this World. And what more contumelious Indignity can there be, than the preferring to the glorious Croator of Heaven and Earth; a damned Spirit, the moll: curled part of the Creation ? lt is moll: reafonable, that the Bafenefs of the Competitor, fl10uld be a Foil to reinforce the Luftre of God's Authority: yet Men rejeCt God, and comply with the Tempter. 0 prodigious Perverfenefs! 2. Sin vilifies the ruling Wifdom of God, that prefcrib'd the Law to.Men. Altho the Dominion of God over us be Supreme and Abfolutc, yet 'tis exercis'd according to the Counfel of bis Will, by the be(! Means, for the bell: Ends; he is accordingly ftiled by the Apofilc, Tbe eten1al Ki ng, and only wife God. 'Tis the gloriou~ Prerogative of his 1 Tini. r,' Soveraignty and Deity, that he can do no Wrong: for he necelfanly acts according to the Excellencies of his Nature. Particularly, his Wifdom is fo relucent in his Laws; that the ferious Contemplation of it, \Vi l1 ravifl1 the fmce~e Minds of Men into a Compliance with them. They :1re framed with exact Congrmty to the Nature of God, and his Relation to us, and to the Faculties of Man before he was corrupted. From hence the Divine Law being the Tranfcript not only of God's Will, but his Wifdom, binds the Underfianding and Will, our leading Facult.ies, to efi:eem and approve, to confcnt and choofe all his Precepts as bell:. Now Sin v1lifies the Infinite Underfi:anding of God with refpeet both to the Precepts of the Law, the Rule of our Duty, and the Sanction :l.nncx'd to confirm its Obligation. It does confrruCtive1y tax the Precepts as unequal, too rigid and fevere a Confinement to our Wills and ACtions. Thus the impious Rebels complain, lbe Ways of the Lord are not equal, as injurious to their Liberty, and not worthy of Obfer~ance. What St. James fit ith, to co~rect the uncharitable, cenforious Humour ?f !Ome 111 his tim~, He tbal [peaks E'Uil.of hu .Brother, and judges his Brother, Jam. i· it ; !peaks Evzl of the LaJV, and Judges tbe LaJV, as an 1mperled: and ra01 Rule, is applicable to Sinners in any other kind. As an unskilh1l Hand by flrammg too high, breaks the Strings of an Jnfi:rumcnt, and fpoils the Mufick; fa the StnCl:nefs and the Severity of the Precepts, breaks the harmonious Agreement between the Wills of Men and the Law, and cafls an Imputation of Imprudence upon the Law-giver. This is the implicit Blafphemy in Sin. Bef1des, the Law has Rewards and Punifl1ments, to fecure our Re!peets and Obedience to it. The wife God knows the Frame ofthe reafonable Creature, what are the inward Springs of our ACtions; and has accordingly propounded fuch Motives to our Hope and Fear, the moll: aCtive PaOions, as may engage us to perform our Duty. He promifes his Fa'Uour that zs better than Life, to the Obedient, and threatens his Wrath, t/;at is JVorfe than Deatb, to tbe Rebellious. Now Sin makes it evident, that thefe Mo• tives arc not effeCtual in the Minds of Men : And this reAeets upon the Wifdom of the taw-giver, as if defeCtive in not binding his SubjeCts firmly to their Duty; for if the Advantage or Pleafure that may be gain'd by Sin, be greater than the Reward that is prom1fed to Obedience, and the Punilhment that is threarnedagain£1: the Tranfgreflion, the: law IS unable to refiram from Sm, and the Ends of Government are not obtained. Thus Sinners in venturing upon forbidden things, reproach the Underfi:anding of the Divine Law~givcr . . 3· Sin is a Contrariety to the ufpotted Holinefs of God. O f all the glorious and be.i mgn Confiellations of the Divine Attributes that fl1ine in the Law of God, ·his HolinefS has the brightefi: Luflrc. God is holy in all his Works, but the moll: venerable and prec1ous Monument of his Holinefs is the Law. For the Holinefs of ·God confifi:s irt the Corref]1ondence of his Will and ACtions with his moral PerfeCtions Wif~om Goodnefs and Jufi:ice; and the Law is the perfeCt Copy of his N.rure and Will. Th~ Pfa lm!fi: wh.o had a purged Eye, faw and admir'd its Puri ty and PerfeCtion. Tbe Com. Tt tt :r.. mandrrmtt
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