lower matter, when God calls us to it. For if we see our brother have need, and shut up the bowels of compassion, so that we cannot find in our hearts to relieve his necessities by the loss of our unnecessary superfluities, how dwelleth the love of God in us? 4. True love to God doth love itself. It is a great sign of it, when we so much love to love God as that we are gladder when we feel it in us, than for any worldly vanity; and when we take the mutual love of God and the soul to be so good and joyful a state as that we truly desire it as our felicity, and best in heaven to be perfectly loved of God, and perfectly to love him, joyfully express it in his everlasting praises. To long to love God as the best condition for us, is a sign that we truly love him." Q. 12. But must not all the affections be set on God as well as love? A. All the rest are but several ways of loving or willing good, and of nilling, or hating and avoiding, evil. 1. It is love that desireth after God, and his grace and glory. 2. It is love that hopeth for him. 3. It is love that rejoiceth in him, and is pleased when we and others please him, and when his love is poured out on the sons of men, and truth, peace, and holiness prosper in the world. 4. It is love that maketh us sorrowful, that we can please him no more, nor more enjoy him; and that maketh us grieved that we can no more know him, love him, and delight in him, and that we have so much sin within us to displease him, and hinder our communion of love with him. 5. And love will make us fearful of displeasing him, and losing the said communion of love. 6. And it will make us more angry with ourselves, when we have most by sin displeased God, and angry with others that offend him.P Q. 13. What is the practical duty properly due from us to God? A. To obey him in doing all that he commandeth us, either in his holy worship, or for ourselves, or for our neighbour; and this by an absolute, universal obedience, in sincere desire and endeavour, as to a Sovereign of greatest authority, and a Father of greatest love, whose laws and works are all most wise, and just, and good.¶ • Luke xi. 42; John v. 42, and xv. 10; 1 John ii. 5, and iii. 17; Psalm xlii. 1-4, &c. P Deut. v. 29; xi. 13; xiii. 3; xxvi. 16, 1 Sam. xii. 24; Matt. vi. 21, and xxii. 37. and xxx. 2, 6, 10; Jos. xxii. 5; 9 John xiv. 15, 23; 1 John v. 3. Q. 14. What if our governors command or forbid us any thing, must we not take our obeying them to be obeying God, seeing they are his officers whom we see, but see not him? A. Yes when they command us by the authority given them of God: but God's universal laws are before and above their laws; and their power is all limited by God; they have no authority but what he giveth them; and he giveth them none against his laws and therefore if they command any thing which God forbiddeth, or forbid what God commandeth, you must obey God in not obeying them. But this must never be made a pretence for disobedience to their true authority. Q. 15. What is the thing forbidden in the first commandment? A. 1. To think that to be God which is not God, as the heathens do by the sun. 2. To ascribe any part of that to creatures which is essential and proper to God; and so to make them half gods. Q. 16. How are men guilty of that? A. 1. When they think that any creature hath that infiniteness, eternity, or self-sufficiency, that power, knowledge, or goodness, which is proper to God alone. Or that any creature hath that causality which is proper to God, in making and maintaining, or governing the world, or being the ultimate end. Or that any creature is to be more honoured, loved or obeyed, than God, or with any of that which is proper to God. 2. When the will doth actually love and honour the creature, with any of that love and honour which is due to God as God, and therefore to God alone. 3. When in their practice men labour to please, serve, or obey any creature against God, before God, or equal with God, or with any service proper to God alone. All this is idolatry. Q. 17. Which is the greatest and commonest idol of the world? A. Carnal self: by sin man is fallen from God to his carnal self, to which he giveth that which is God's proper due. Q. 18. How doth this selfishness appear and work as idolatry ?t A. 1. In that such men love their carnal self, and pleasure, and prosperity, and the riches that are the provision for the flesh, * Rom. xiii. 2, 3; Acts iv. 19, 24, and v. 29, 32; Dan. iii. and vi. 'Rev. xvi. 9; 1 Chr. xvi. 28, 29; 1 Cor. x. 31; Gal. i. 10. better than God: I mean not only more sensibly, but with a preferring, choosing love; and that which as best is most loved, is made a man's god. The images of heathens were not so much their idols as themselves; for none of them loved their images better than themselves; nor than a worldling loveth his wealth, power and honour." 2. In that such are their own chief ultimate end, and prefer the prosperity of carnal self before the glorifying of God in perfect love and praise in the heavenly society for ever. And so did idolaters, by their images, or other idols. 3. In that such had rather their own will were done than God's; and had rather God's will were brought to theirs than theirs to God's. Their wills are their rule and end; yea, they would have God and man, and all the world, fulfil their wills; even when they are against the will of God: self-will is the great idol of the world: all the stir and striving, and war, and work of such, is but to serve it.* 4. Selfish men do measure good and evil chiefly by carnal self-interest they take those for the best men that are most for them herein; and those for the worst that are against their interest in the world: and their love and hatred is placed accordingly. Let a man be never so wise and good, they hate him if he be against their interest. 5. And as holy men live to God in the care and endeavour of their lives, so do selfish men to their carnal selves: their study, labour, and time is thus employed, even to ruin the best that are but against their carnal interest: and if they be princes or great men in the world, the lives and estates of thousands of the innocent, seem not to them too dear a sacrifice by bloody and unlawful wars or persecutions, to offer to this grand idol self. 6. And when it cometh to a parting choice, as the faithfui will rather let go liberty, honour, estate, and life, than forsake God and the heavenly glory: so selfish men will let go their innocency, their Saviour, their God and all, rather than part with the interest of carnal self." 7. And in point of honour, they are more ambitious to be well thought and spoken of, and praised themselves, both living and dead, than to have God, and truth, and goodness honoured: "Rom. xii. 3, and xiv. 7; Matt. xvi. 24; xviii. 4, and xxiii. 12; Mark xii. 33; Phil. ii. 4, 21. * Tit. i. 7; 2 Pet. ii. 10. Luke xiv. 26, 33. y 1 Kings xxii. 8; 2 Chron. xviii. 7. and they can more easily bear one that dishonoureth God, and truth, and holiness, yea, and common righteousness and honesty, than one that (though justly) dishonoureth them. So that all the world may easily see that carnal self, and specially self-will, is the greatest idol in the world." Q. 19. But is not that a man's idol which he trusteth most? and all men are so conscious of their own insufficiency, that they cannot trust themselves for their own preservation? A. I say not that any selfish man is a perfect idolater, and giveth all God's properties to himself. He must know whether he will or not, that he is not infinite, eternal, almighty, omniscient, self-sufficient; he knoweth he must suffer, and die. But self hath more given it that is due only to God, than any other idol hath. And though such men know their own insufficiency, yet they have so little trust in God, that they trust their own wits and the choice of their own wills, before the wisdom and choice of God; and had far rather be at their own wills and choice if they could: and indeed had rather that all things in the world were at their will and choice, than at the will and choice of God. And therefore they like not his laws and government, but make their wit, will, and lust, the governors of themselves, and as many others as they can. Q. 20. Is there not much selfishness in all? will make all men, even the best, to be idolaters. cannot be saved that liveth in idolatry. By this you But a man A. It is not every subdued degree of any fault that denominateth the man, but that which is predominant in him: every man hath some unbelief, some backwardness to God and goodness, some hypocrisy, pride, &c., and yet every man is not to be called an infidel, an enemy to God and goodness, an hypocrite, &c. So every man hath some idolatry and some atheism remaining, and yet is not an idolater or atheist. If a man could not be saved till he were perfectly healed of every degree of these heinous sins, no man could be saved. But God's interest is predominant in holy souls. Q. 21. Doth not Paul say of all, save Timothy, that all seek their own, and not the things that are Jesus Christ's? A. He meaneth not that they predominantly do so, except those among them who were hypocrites: but that all did too 2 Tim. iii. 2, 3; Prov. xxi. 4; Psalm x. 2, 4. b Mark x. 24; 1 Tim. vi. 17; Psalm xx. 7, and cxviii. 8; Prov. iii. 5. Jer. xlv. 4, 5; Mich. vi. 8. much seek their own, and too little the things that are Jesus Christ's, and were not so self-denying as Timothy, who, as it were, naturally cared for the good of the church: as Demas forsook Paul in his suffering, and went after his own worldly business; but yet did not forsake Christ and prefer the world before him (for ought we find of him). Q. 22. You make this first commandment to be the sum of all. A. It is the summary of all, and our obedience to it is virtually (but not actually) our obedience to all the rest. This is it which Christ calleth the first and greatest command, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and soul, and might." This is the foundation of all the rest of the commandments, and the root of all: the rest are but branches from it. When we are obliged to love God and obey him, we have a general obligation to keep all his commandments. But as this general command doth not put the special, particular commands in existence, so neither doth it oblige us to obey them till they exist; and then as the genus and species constitute every defined being; so the general and special obligation concur to make up every duty. He that sincerely obeyeth this first command, is a true subject of God, and in a state of salvation, and will sincerely obey all particular commands in the main course of his life, when they are revealed to him.d CHAP. XXXV. Of the Second Commandment. Q. 1. WHAT are the words of the second commandment? A. "Thou shalt not make to thyself any graven image, or any likeness of any thing that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth: thou shalt not bow down thyself to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord thy God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children unto the third and fourth generation of them that hate me, and showing mercy to thousands of them that love me, and keep my commandments." Q. 2. How prove you against the papists, that this is not part of the first commandment? d Hos. ix. 1, 2, iv. 6, and xii. 2. |