The Mule offudgernent. 329 Paying, as they (peakof the commandofChrifl, Job. 6. This is a hardPaying, who f can bear it ? if the Commandment ofClara} concerning obedience feem harth,then mat z5.a r. how harfh a laying !hall that be, departye curled into evertaflini fire ? If it be fo hard a thing to ftand to the command of the Law, how hard a thing will it be to !land under the penalty andcenfure acheLaw r Therefore I fay, let men take heed, they shall find that even that very faith cammanded that they have flighted, it ¡hall prove heavy : they flighted it in obedience, it ¡hall prove heavy in the judgement and punilhinent. Sccondly,it may fervt for admonition, and fo toteach us how to carry cur (elves. of z. Ifthe Law ofGod bethe rule whereby he willjudgeus.Firfthenlookto thelaw for Admonition dire&ion,look to the precept,to the command ofGod for the dirching of.our lives. ro obfcrv.. the .1 know not how,but I am fure,b themalice ofSatan it is come into 'the world,into I,a Y r For direßi- the Church,that force men (upon pretence ofgivingthe f rineofjuflificationby on. grace,and by the merits of Chriftthe full vertueefit) would put men 'offfrontal' o- bedience, as if therefore we were not to be under the dire&ionofthe Law, becaufe. we are freed from the Law by Chrift. They diftinguifh not between the penalty ofthe Law, and the command of theLaw : the faine Chrift that bathfreed usfrom thepumflament of the Law (as many as are in huinby faith) hath fubjeded us to the command of the Law, and that in his own perfon ; and not only fobut inhis own! precept. Therefore he becamean expounder ofthe Law, Matth. 5. and (hewsthat' the Law isFßiritatal, that it is a thing that binds the confcience, and would have all men look to the dire&ion of the Law. And the Apoflle Saint Fusa , thenwhomno man ever fpake morefully of juftificationby Faith, yet the faine Apofllewould not have the Law as it is a dire&ion of life abolished; but would have men fomuch the more new,as by new argumentsand incouragements they are fet upon the duties of obedience. But I fay, fuch is the malice ofSatan as to drawmenupon fuck grounds as thofe are (not rightly underilood by them) to I know not whatcourfe of Libertinifine; and though theypretend a courfe of obedience to the Law,yet they will not do it as to the Law. Whereas it is evident that the Law is appointedas a curb to our cor- ruption to cure and purge out that. And therefore it is formen to be wirer than God,to groundtheir a&ions uponanotherprincipleandground, then God grounds them. Indeed the fervants of God donot thea&ions ofobedience fimply,becaufeof the Law written in the Scriptures, but they havethe Lawwritten in their hearts too, fo the Spirit ofGod is a Spirit that guides them according to the Law, and difpoleth themto thofe aftions that are fumble to the Law : yet he never excludes, or puts them from the Law,from fnbje&ion to the Law in point of obedience. I fay there- fore errors creep in amongft men to dreamof a liberty from obedience, when the Scripture (peaks of a liberty from the Law but in other fences, not in matter of -duty. Secondly, letmenlook to theLaw for tryal too , Gal. 6.3, 4. Ifa man thinkhe 2 For nyal, isfomething when he is nothing, he deceiveth bimfelf: but let every man try himfelf, andprove his own work. Let him prove his own work: by what (hall he prore it ? Why, by theLaw. By the Law here we mean the whole Word ofGod,theLaw of works and of Faiths I fay let him prove his works by this Law, by the written Word of God. Therefore ifa man would now know how it Ihall go withhimat theday ofjudgement, let him begin to judge himfelf by this rulebefore -hand, Let !Um reafon thus,either I shall (land as condemned, or acquitted : ifas condemned it is by the Law, therefore (mark) fo far asIgo on in any fin againfi any known truth of God, fo far I (land in the chute ofa condemned perfon. Thereforeconfider beloved, youdo exceedingly wrongyour felves,becaufe you do not look thus upon your a&ions ; you look not upon them asupon things that arc tran(ggrefíìons againfl the Law that (hall judge you : and that thereforeif the Law ofGod condemu filcha&ionsnow, then thou flandeftasa condemned perfon by vertueof thàt Law. Alas, durftmen go onwithout repentance inany courfe of fin,iftheytookthem U u (elves
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy OTcyMjk=