Neo. SIR, here is our neighbor Nomologista, who, as I suppose, is much mistaken, touching a point that he and I have had some conference about; and because I found you so ready and willing to inform and instruct me, when I came to you with my neighbor Nomista and Antinomista, I have presumed to entreat him to come along with me to you; assuring both myself and him, that we shall be welcome to you, and that you will make it appear that he is deceived.

Evan. You are both of you very kindly welcome to me, and as I have been willing to give you the best instruction, when you were formerly with me; even so, God willing, shall I be now: wherefore I pray you let me understand what the point is, wherein you conceive he is mistaken.

Neo. Why sir, this is the thing. He tells me he is persuaded that he goes very near the perfect fulfilling of the law of God; but I cannot be persuaded to it.

Evan. What say you, neighbor Nomologista, are you persuaded?

Nom. Yea, indeed, sir, I am so persuaded, for whereas you know the first commandment is, "I am the Lord thy God, thou shalt have none other Gods before my face." I am confident I have the only true God for my God, and none

other.

And whereas the second commandment is, "Thou shalt

not make to thyself any graven image," &c. I tell

you truly, I defy all graven images, and count it a great folly in any man either to make them, or worship them.

And whereas the third commandment is, "Thou shalt not take the name of the Lord thy God in vain." It is well known that I am no swearer, neither can I abide to hear others swear by the name of God.

And whereas the fourth commandment is, "Remember that thou keep holy the sabbath day." I am sure I very seldom either work or travel on that day; but go to the church both forenoon and afternoon; and both read, and hear the word of God read, when I come home.

And whereas the fifth commandment is, "Honor thy father and thy mother," &c. I thank God, I was very careful to do my duty to my parents when I was a child.

And whereas the sixth commandment is, "Thou shalt not kill." I thank God I never yet murdered either man, woman, or child; and I hope, I never shall.

And whereas the seventh commandment is, "Thou shalt not commit adultery." I thank God, I was never given to women; God hath hitherto kept me from committing that sin, and so I hope he will whilst I live.

And whereas the eighth commandment is, "Thou shalt not steal." I do not remember that ever I took the worth of twelve-pence of any man's goods in all my life.

And whereas the ninth commandment is, "Thou shalt not bear false witness against thy neighbor." I thank God, I abhor that sin, and was never guilty of it in all my life.

And whereas the tenth commandment is, "Thou shalt not covet." I thank God, I never coveted any thing but what was mine own in all my life.

Evan. Alas! neighbor Nomologista, the commandments of God have a larger extent than it seems you are aware of; for it seems you imagine that the whole moral law is confined within the compass of what you have now repeated; as though there were no more required or forbidden, than what is expressed in the words of the ten commandments; as though the Lord required no more but the bare external, or actual performance of a duty; and as though he did forbid no more than the bare abstinence and gross acting of sin. The very same conceit of the law of God the Scribes and Phari

sees had: and therefore it is no marvel you imagine you keep all the commandments even as they did.

Nom. Well, sir, if I have been deceived, you may do well to instruct me better.

Evan. I shall endeavor to do it with all my heart, as the Lord shall be pleased to enable me. And because I begin to fear that it is not your case alone to be thus ignorant of the large extent, and the true sense and meaning of the law of God; I also begin to blame myself, that I have not taken occasion to expound the commandments in my public ministry, since I came amongst you; and therefore I now resolve, by the help of God, very speedily to fall about that work; and I hope I shall then make it appear, that the* ten commandments are but an epitome or an abridgment of the law of God, and that the full exposition thereof is to be found in the books of the prophets and apostles, called the Old and New Testament.

Neo. Indeed, sir, I have told him that we must not stick upon the bare words of any of the ten commandments, nor rest satisfied with the bare literal sense, but labor to find out the full exposition and true spiritual meaning of every one of them, according to other places of holy scrip

ture.

Evan. If you told him so, you told him that which is most true; for he that would truly understand and expound the commandments, must do it according to these six rules.

First, He must consider that every commandment has both a negative and an affirmative; that is to say, where any evil is forbidden, the contrary good is commanded; and where any good is commanded; the contrary evil is forbidden; for saith Ursinus's catechism,‡ "The law-giver does in an affirmative commandment comprehend the negative; and contrariwise, in a negative he comprehends the affirmative."

Secondly, He must consider that under one good action commanded, or one evil action forbidden,|| all of the same kind or nature are comprehended; yea, all occasions and means leading thereunto; according to the saying of judicious Virell, "The Lord minding to forbid divers evils of

* Exod. 34: 27. * Page 529.

† Psal. 34: 14.

Grounds of religion, p. 207,

the same kind, comprehends them under the name of the greatest."

*

Thirdly, He must consider that the law of God is spiritual, reaching to the very heart or soul, and all its powers," for it chargeth the understanding to know the will of God;† it chargeth the memory to retain, and the will to choose the better, and leave the worse; it chargeth the affections to love the things that are to be loved, and to hate the things that are to be hated, and so binds all the powers of the soul to obedience, as well as the thoughts, words and gestures.

Fourthly, He must consider, that the law of God must not only be the rule of our obedience, but also the reason of it; we must not only do that which is there commanded, and avoid that which is there forbidden, but we must also do the good, because the Lord requires it, and avoid the evil, because the Lord forbids it; yea, and we must do all that is delivered and prescribed in the law, for the love we bear to God; the love of God must be the fountain, impulsive and efficient cause of all our obedience.

Fifthly, He must consider, that as our obedience to the law must arise from a right fountain, so must it be directed to a right end, and that is, that God alone may be glorified by us; for otherwise it is not the worship of God, but hypocrisy, saith Ursinus's catechism;|| so that according to the saying of another godly writer,§ the final cause, or end of all our obedience, must be God's glory; or which is all one, that we may please him: for in seeking to please God, we glorify him, and these two things are always co-incident.

Sixthly, He must consider that the Lord does not only take notice what we do in obedience to his law, but also after what manner we do it: and therefore we must be careful to do all our actions after a right manner, viz. humbly, reverently, willingly and zealously.

Neo. I beseech you, sir, if you can spare so much time, let us have some brief exposition of some, if not all the commandments, before we go hence, according to these rules.

Rom. 7:14. Matth. 5: 27.

† Dod on the Com. p. 24.

Ursin. Cat. p. 37

§ Whateley God's husb. p. 120.

| Page 528.

T 1 Cor. 10: 31.

Evan. What say you, neighbor Nomologista, do you desire the same?

Nom. Yea, sir, with all my heart, if you please.

Evan. Well then, although my circumstances at this time might justly plead excuse for me: yet, seeing that you both desire it, I will for the present dispense with all my other business, and endeavor to accomplish your desires, as the Lord shall be pleased to enable me: and therefore I pray you understand and consider, that in the first commandment there is a negative part expressed in these words, "Thou shalt have none other Gods before my face." And an affirmative part included in these words, "But thou shalt have me for thy God." For if we must have none other for our God, it implies strongly, that we must have the Lord for our God. Neo. I pray you, sir, begin with the affirmative part; and first tell us, what the Lord requires in this commandment.

COMMANDMENT I.

Evan. In this first commandment, the Lord requireth the duty of our hearts or souls, Prov. 23: 26. That is to say, of our understandings, wills, and affections, and the effects of them.

Neo. And what is the duty of our understandings?

Evan. The duty of our understandings is to know God,* 1 Chron. 28: 9. Now, the end of knowledge is but the fulness of persuasion, even a settled belief, which is called faith, so that the duty of our understandings is, so to know God, as to believe him to be according as he has revealed himself to us in his word and works, Heb. 11: 6.

Neo. And how has the Lord revealed himself to us in his word?

Evan. Why, he has revealed himself to be most wise, Rom. 16:27. Most mighty, Deut. 7: 21. Most true, Deut. 32: 4. Most just, Neh. 9: 33. And most merciful, Psalm

145: 8.

Neo. And how has he revealed himself to us in his works?

Evan. He has revealed himself in his works to be the Cre

* Andr. on the Com. p. 125.