TH& C01DIA'NO OF GOD, 363 is he alone who can );:ill in a way of puni3hment, and he alone can keep ali\·e in a wn.y of merciful preservation. This power of our lawgn•er, the holy companions of Daniel committed themselves unto, and preserved them– selves by the consideration of, when, with the terror of death, they were commanded to forsake the wny of ho– liness, Dun. iii. 17, 18. And, wilh respect unto it, our Lord Jesus Chrh;t tells us. that he who would save !tis life, namely, by a sinful neglect of the command, sltall lose it. This, therefore, il3 also to be considered; the power of him who commands us to be holy, is such, as that he rs able to carry us through all ditliculties and dangers which we may incur upon the account of our being so. Now, whereas the fear of man is one princi~ pal cause or means of our failing in holiness and obedi, ence, either by suclden surprisals, or violent temptations, and the next hereunto, is the consideration of other things e:>teemcd good or evil in this world; the faith and sense hereof will bear us up !l.bove them, deliver us from them, and cal'ry us through them. Sect. 14.-Be of good courage, all ye that trust in the Lord; you may, you ought, without fear or daunt– edness of spirit, to er,gage into the pursuit of universal holiness; he who hath comm:mded it, who hath required it of you, will bcnr you out in it; nothing that is truly evil, Ol' finally disn<.h•antngeous, shall bef3J you on that account: for (let the world rage whilst it pleascth, and threaten to fill all things with blood and confusion) to God tlte Lord beloug Ihe issuesfrom deatlt; he alone can kill and make alive. There is therefOre no small enforce– ment unto holiness, from the con~it..leration of the com~ rnnnd, with rc::pect unto the power of the Comrnandl'r, relnting unto things in this world. But, (2.) J suppose it is a power of eternal rewards and punishmems that is principally here intended. The killing here, is thnt mentioned by our Saviour, and op~ posed to all temporal evil, nnd death itself, Matth. x. 28. " Ft·ar not them which can kill the body, but are not "nble to kill the soul; but rather fear him which is able " to destroy both soul nnd bod)r in hell." And this keeping alive, is a deliverance from the wrath to come in everlasting life. And this is that which gives an un~ avoidable efficacy to the command. Every comm~md of a superior doth tacitly include a reward and pm1i.shrnent to be intended. For a declaration is made of wh:~.t is plea::;ing, and what is displeasing, unto him tlwt gives 4Y the command; and therein is there a \ irtu;.tl prom::;c and threatening. But unto all solemn laws, rewards, and punishments are expres~ly annexed. Sect. 15.-But there are two reasons why, for the most part, they do but little influence the minds of men who arc inclined unto their tl'ansgrcssion: ( L.) '!'he first is, that the rewards and punishments declared, arc such as men think they do justly prcfCr their own satisfaction in the transgression of tbc laws, before them. It is so with nil good men, with respect unto laws m:ule con· trnry to the hws of God; and wise men aho may do so with respect unto useless laws, with trifling penalties; and evil men ''ill do so with respect unto the highest temporal puni:.hmems, when they arc greedily set on the sati:sfaction of their illsts. Hence, [ say, it is, in the fir:.t place, that the minds of men are so little influenced with those rewards and pu_nishments that :Jrc annexed unto human laws. And, (:?dly,) A secret apprehension, that the commanders, or makers, of the l:Jws neither will nor are able to execute those pen:Jities, ia case of their transgression, evacuates all the fOrce of them. Much they ascribe to their negligence, thnt they will not take care to sec the s.::tnction of their bws executed; more to their ignorance, that they shall not be able to find out their transgressions; and somewhat, in ~undry cases, to their power, that they cannot punish nor reward, though they would. And for these reasons are the minds of men little influenced by human laws beyond their own honest inclinations and interest. But things arc quite otherwise with respect unto the law and command:> of God, th:~.t we should be holy. The rewards and punishments, call~ ed by the apostle, killing, and keeping alive, being eter– nlll, in the highest capacities of bles::;edncss or misery, cannot be balanced by any consideration of this pre::.ent world, without the highest folly and villany unto our– sclrcs. No1· can there be any reserve ou the account of mutability, indilferency, ignorance, impotency, or any other pretence, that they shall not be executed. Where– fOre, the commands of God, which we are in the consi~ deration of, are accompanied with pi'Omiscs and thrca– tenings, of eternal blessedness on the oue hand, ot· of misery on the other. And these will certninly bcfJl us, according as we shall be found holy or unholy. AU the properties of the n!l.ture of God nrc immutably eng:tgeJ in this matter; and hence ensues an indispensible nt:!ces– sity of our being holy. God commands that we shou!d 33
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