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EXPOSITION OF THE DECALOGUE.

ALTHOUGH this system of precepts may | formally, and in style of law, directed seem to have been its design rather politi- only to them, promulged in their ears, cal than moral; to regard public and ex- expressed in their language, inserted into ternal, rather than private and interior the body of their laws, as a principal action; that great branch of morality, member of them; it being also expressly which respecteth ourselves in our private called a covenant with that people: (He retirements, or in our particular conver- declared unto you, says the text, his covesation, sobriety of mind and manners, nant, which he commanded you to perform, being scarce touched herein, at least not even ten commandments), and accordingly openly and plainly expressed; as also was reposed in the ark, hence it seems devotion toward God (in any of its kinds, named the ark of the covenant," the of praise, thanksgiving, confession of sin, which, when all nations should be convertprayer and intercession), that great part ed to God, and admitted into the church, of natural religion, being not explicitly was, as the prophet Jeremiah foretold, to and positively enjoined: although also be utterly discarded and laid aside: (In (as by the introduction thereto, and some those days, saith God in him, they shall passages therein, especially as it is de- say no more, the ark of the covenant of livered in Deuteronomy, may appear) it the Lord neither shall it come to mind: seemeth particularly to concern the Jew-neither shall they remember it; neiish nation; a people called and chosen ther shall they visit it; neither shall by God out of all nations, to be governed in a more special and immediate manner by God himself, obliged to him by peculiar benefits and favours, designed by him to a separate manner of living;* being also perhaps in temper and disposition, as well as in condition and circumstances if we consider, of life, different from other people; whence laws convenient (or in a manner necessary) for them might not so ell suit to all others; upon which accounts, as other of their laws, so perchance some passages in this notable part of them, may not unreasonably be deemed peculiarly to concern them; although, however, this system doth more directly and immediately oblige that people, all being

Ο γὰρ ἐν Χωρὴς παλαιὸς ἤδη νόμος παὶ ὑμῶν pevov, &c. -Just. Mart. Dial. cum Tryph. p.

228.

that be done any more.) Hence, although some passages herein, according to their primary, strict, and literal meaning, might never have been intended universally and perpetually to oblige;

Yet, notwithstanding these exceptions,

1. The manner of its delivery; with what extraordinary solemnity it was proclaimed; how it was dictated immediately from God's own mouth; and written with his finger; or,

2. The matter of it, containing the prime dictates of natural reason, the chief rules of piety toward God, and equity toward our neighbour (whence those elogies conferred on it, in Nehemiah Thou camest also down from

Deut. iv. 13; x. 2; Exod. xxxiv. 1, 28. b Jer. iii. 16, 17.

mount Sinai-and gavest them right | eration to this ancient system of prejudgments, and true laws, good statutes cepts: and to acknowledge the great use and commandments: and by St. Paul; thereof in order to the guidance of our The law is holy; the commandment holy, just, and good for that commendation doth, I suppose, especially respect this part of the Jewish law, out of which he takes his instance, Thou shalt not covet :) if we also consider,

3. The end and design of these precepts, which was to ground them in true notions of religion, and to dispose them to the practice of righteousness; to render them loyal and acceptable subjects to God; to promote God's glory and their own good; which being expressed in general concerning their law, doth more especially agree to this system; being as the base and platform, the heart and quintessence of all their other laws; the which seem added as superstructures on it, or fences thereof.

4. If we also consider, that our Saviour did not derogate from this law; but declared his intention only to expound it, or to ampliate and extend it (they are the words of Tertullian and Irenæus ;) and how the apostles do sometimes allege some passages in it, as retaining some authority and force to oblige.s

life and practice: we accordingly shall so descant thereon, as by considering the main drift, intrinsic reason, and spiritual intention of each particular, to reduce the chief precepts of Christian doctrine which oblige us thereto.

Premising thus much, I address my discourse to the particular; omitting all controverted niceties concerning the division thereof, and all circumstantial questions; touching only such things as shall appear substantial and useful.

God spake all these Words, saying:

the Par de le Roi (by the King) at the This is a title, or superscription, like head of a proclamation, declaring from whom, and in what manner, that which follows doth come; and therefore implying what it is, and how it should be re

ceived.

author; and that most immediately, as God Spake: It comes from God, as it were, from his own mouth; and hath 5. Considering also, further, that there consequently the nature and force of a is no commandment herein (howsoever dience; as that which proceedeth from law, obliging to highest regard and obeaccording to its immediate and direct the most sovereign, unquestionable, and sense seeming peculiar to that people) uncontrollable authority; which is prowhich may not in a larger, or in a mys-mulged in a way most evident and most terious and spiritual meaning, which at direct: every signification of God's purleast may not according to good analogy, pose or pleasure is usually called God's or parity of reason, concern us; oblig- word; for God (as the apostle says) in ing us, if not by direct authority in punc-divers kinds and manners did speak untual manner to the very same thing, yet, as a signification of God's pleasure and approbation, to somewhat answerable and

like thereto.

6. Lastly, If we consider that all, or the greatest part of, the main duties concerning us are either plainly expressed, or closely insinuated in them; or may at least be conveniently reduced to them; our Saviour himself having gone before, directing us in the matter and manner of doing it :

Considering, I say, these things, we have no small reason to yield great ven

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to the fathers; and to every such word should be submissive, our hand should be our ear should be attentive, our heart when God himself immediately declares obedient; but especially they should be so, his mind and will; as he did notoriously in this case, by a great voice, distinctly audible and intelligible, miraculously formed by himself: Behold (say the people), the Lord our God hath showed us his glory and his greatness, and we have fire: we have seen this day that God doth heard his voice out of the midst of the talk with man, and he liveth :' and if what ever is in God's name (by message of angels, by inspiration of men, or by

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any other ways) revealed, must be en- | therefore, upon all accounts of reason, of tertained with all submiss respect, what duty, of interest, thou particularly dost regard is due to that word, which God is owe most submissive attention and obepleased, not by his ministers and instru-dience. ments, but himself in person, as it were, to pronounce!

These Words: that is, these speeches or sentences (for so a word in scripture style signifieth;) or these things and matters (for the Hebrew word debrim, as the Greek guara, signifieth both words and things :) they are several times in the Pentateuch called the ten words or ten things; whence the system of them is named the Decalogue.

All thes℗ words: all, without distinction or exception, did proceed from the same authority, and in the same manner; and all therefore do require the like regard and observance to be yielded to them.

I am the Lord:

or, 1 am Jehovah, thy God, which brought

thee out of the land of Egypt:

These words are by some taken for a precept, enjoining the acknowledgment and acceptance of God, answerable to what is here implied; and consequently all the positive duties of religion, deducible hence: but we see the style is declarative and assertive, not directly imperative; and so it may pass rather as a preface, further enforcing obligation to obedience; wherein are expressed or intimated the chief reasons upon which it is grounded; every word containing in it somewhat of remarkable emphasis.

Thy God that supereminent Being and Power, to whom thou peculiarly dost owe worship and honour, love and affection, duty and service: who although he be indeed the Lord of all the world, yet beareth a special relation unto thee; as having chosen and avouched thee to be a special people to himself, above all the people that are upon the face of the earth; having promised thee to make thee high above all nations which he hath made, in praise, and in name, and in honour ;1 and having by many signal demonstrations of favour and mercy confirmed to thee the performance of his covenant and promise; thou also reciprocally having avowed me to be thy God, to walk in my ways, to keep my statutes, my commandments, my judgments, and to hearken to my voice."

Who brought thee out of the Land of Egypt: out of the House of Bondage:

This is a particular and most remarkable instance, by which it appeareth what God it is that doth thus impose law upon them, and how they are obliged to entertain it: that God it is, who in pursuance of his singular favour toward thee, and of his covenant made with thee, hath particularly obliged thee by so eminent a benefit, in a manner so full of wonder in itself, so full of grace toward thee, deI am Jehovah; or that very same God, livering thee from saddest oppression and who under this appellation discoverd my-slavery, bringing thee into a desirable self to thy forefathers; who enacted a special covenant with them; who received homage, worship, and engagements to service from them; who promised especial protection and favour to them and to their seed; that Jehovah, who indeed am, what this name importeth, the only true and real God; eternal, independent, and indefectible in essence; true and infallible in word; constant and immutable in purpose; firm and faithful in performance of whatever I promise or threaten: that same Jehovah I am: to whose words,

1 Exod. xxxiv. 28; Deut. iv. 13; x. 2; James ii. 10, 11. Matt. 19.

state of present liberty and of sure tendency (not otherwise than by thy fault to be frustrated) toward enjoyment of rest, of plenty, of all joy and comfort in the promised land; declaring hereby, as his glorious and divine perfections of wisdom and power, so his exceeding goodness toward thee, his faithful care over thee, his readiness and sufficiency, in all thy needs and exigencies, to protect, preserve, and deliver thee:

I then being such, Jehovah, the only true God; thy God, by particular engage

Deut. vii. 6; xiv. 2; xxvi. 18, 19. m Deut. xxvi. 16.

ment and endearment; thy gracious and

bountiful benefactor, not in will only, but Thou shalt have no other Gods

in deed, do thou propound my will unto thee; and upon all accounts of general and special duty, of reason, of justice, of gratitude, require thy regard and observance of what follows.

before me.

(First Commandment.)

It is in the Hebrew, There shall be to Now what God in a direct and literal thee no other Gods (or no strange Gods; sense thus speaketh to the Jewish people, for alii some render it, some alieni), may, according to likeness of case and (al pani) to my face, or at my parity of reason (especially in a mystical face; that is, in comparison, or compeand spiritual way), upon more consider- tition with me; so as to be confronted to able and effectual accounts, be applied me; or together and in consort with me: unto us the Lord Jehovah is such no I am he (saith God otherwhere), and less to us than to them; he is the same there is no God (immadhi)_with yesterday, to-day and for ever;" to him, me, or beside me ; nuo the LXX. as to the only true, eternal, and Almighty render it; and so the phrase commonly God, the essential Author, Lord, and importeth; as in that saying of the Governor of all things, our highest re- scribe, answering to this, There is one spect and observance are due; he also, God, zal ova čσtiv ähhos nhŷv avtoũ, and in a stricter relation, founded on higher there is no other God beside him but we grounds, is our God, having chosen us, need not criticise on the words, the sense and consecrated us more especially to being plain; as containing a prohibition himself; having received us into a closer of assuming any other into partnership confederacy (a new and better covenant, with the one true God; acknowledging, as the apostle calls it, established upon other for God. The precept, as most of in mind or in outward expression, any better promises ;) having obliged us by other for God. The precept, as most of granting nobler privileges, and dispens- the rest, is in form negative and prohibiing more excellent benefits to us: who tive, but supposeth and implieth somelikewise hath brought us up out of a spir- what affirmative and positive; as the rest itual Egypt, and state of infinitely more also may be conceived to do; it implies wretched bondage; hath rescued us from this affirmative precept Thou shalt have the tyrannical dominion of Satan (a far me for thy God. Now to have for our more intolerably cruel and hard master God, signifies, as to internal disposition of than any Pharaoh ;) hath freed us from mind, a most high esteem, honour, dread, serving sin in our souls and bodies, a far and love of that Being, as endued with harder service than making bricks, or attributes and perfections superlatively any bodily toil can be; who hath con- excellent; the admiring all his works, apducted us in the way, and conferred on proving all his actions, acquiescing in all us an assured hope (if we be not wanting his proceedings and dealings with us; to ourselves and our duty), of entering the reposing our hope and trust in him, into the heavenly Canaan, a place of as most able and willing to help us, perfect rest and unconceivable bliss; and do us good: in outward expression, who (as St. Paul expresseth it) hath de- to acknowledge, praise, and bless him as livered us from the power of darkness, such; to yield all fitting demonstrations and translated us into the kingdom of of respect to his name, and to whatever his most beloved Son: who therefore is specially related to him; patiently to here, according to spiritual intent, may be submit to his will, and readily to obey understood to speak in a higher strain to his commandments: these principally, us; justly exacting a more punctual and and the like acts of internal devotion and accurate obedience to his command- external piety, are comprised in the ments. But so much for that part which words having him for our God, and we seems introductory. are to understand them here enjoined to us; the same which is in scripture called • Matt. iv. Deut. xxxii. 39.

n Heb. xiii. 8. P Col. i. 13.

• Heb. viii. 6; vii. 22.

Mark. xii. 32.

the fearing, the serving, the worship- | admire and worship, to place our choice ping, the loving God with all our heart, affections upon, to afford lowly submisand all our soul, and all our mind, and sions unto, to rest our hope and confiall our might. dence in any other but him, who alone truly so far excels us, and can worthily challenge such respects from us: all flattery is base and unworthy; but this of all is the worst and most unbecoming.

3.. To do so, is also most unjust and injurious to God; to whom, as to the Author of our being, and of all our good received since, we do owe all that our mind can yield of reverence, all that our heart can hold of affection, all that our

This is implied: and it is expressly prohibited us to yield to any other beside him the like esteem, acknowledgment, or service. That there is in truth but one such being, to whom eminently those acts are due, nature, ancient tradition, general consent, and especially divine revelation, do assure us; whereupon is consequent, that yielding them (yielding, I say, those opinions, estimations, and affections of our mind, or those acknowledg-tongue can utter of praise, all that our ments and expressions in word, or those performances in deed or work, which we before specified) to any other being what ever, whether really existent in the world, or merely formed by our imagination, is highly unreasonable, unbeseeming us, and unjust toward him.

therefore having any other God, but the true one, is a high indignity and a heinous injury to him.*

utmost might can perform of service: and since the exhibiting to any other thing part of these must needs not only by that communication debase and derogate from their worth, but also withdraw them in great measure from him, so diminishing and embezzling his due (for we cannot, 1. It is highly unreasonable, as false as our Saviour teacheth us, together adand groundless in itself, as vain and un-here unto, or serve, diverse masters ;) profitable to us, as productive of many bad effects. It is from error in a matter of the highest nature and manifest consequence; and so beyond any other mis- This command, therefore, is most reatake hurtful to us, as reasonable and in-sonable upon many accounts; which as telligent creatures; the Merúmasis sit hath been in grossest manner violated ἀληθείας τοῦ Θεοῦ ἐν τῷ ψεύδει, the trans- by those who have not acknowledged or muting the truth of God into a lie, St. worshipped any God at all, and by those Paul calls it; reckoning it for a griev- who have acknowledged and adored ous folly and crime. It is a vanity of all many gods (by all Atheists and Polythemost lamentable; a pursuance of shad-ists;) from which transgressions thereof ows, an embracing of clouds ; a building in air, or mere vacuity; a leaning upon that which hath no substance, or no strength to support us, a dreaming and doting upon mere nothing; whence those false deities well in scripture are termed wirawa, vanities; for that, as they have no truth, or substance, or efficacy considerable in them, so all our thoughts, affections, expectations, and labours are idly misemployed, and unprofitably mispent upon them.

2. It is also a thing most unbeseeming us men (whom God hath placed in so high a rank of worth and dignity among his creatures; who are in our original so near of kin, so like in nature, so dear in relation and regard unto God himself), to

Matt xxii. 37; Luke 1. 27; Deut. vi. 5. Rom i. 25. ▾ Jer. ii. 13. Jer. viii. 19, &c.; Acts xiv. 15, &c. VOL. III. 3

we Christians may seem totally exempt, who in formal profession and practice have but one God (the Maker and Lord of all things, infigitely perfect and glorious;) yet there are many subtle, and, perchance, no less mischievous transgressions thereof, of which even we may be very guilty, and to which we are very obnoxious. If we do not with all our hearts reverence and love the most wise and powerful, the most just and holy, the most good and gracious God; if we do not trust and hope in him, as the fountain of all our good; if we do not

* Οὐ περισπᾶται πρὸς τῷ θεῷ καὶ ἄλλῳ τινι δουλεύ ειν μετ ̓ αὐτοῦ, οὐδὲ πρὸς τὸ δυσὶ κυρίοις δουλεύειν. Orig. 1, viii. p. 382.

† Λέγει ὁ Ξήνων, ὁ τῆς Στωϊκῆς κτίστης αἱρέσε ως μήτε ναοὺς ποιεῖν μήτε ἀγάλματα· οὐδὲν γὰρ εἶναι Tv Oεwv ažιov karaokɛvaσμа.-Clem. Alex. Strom. v. p. 426; Id. de Numa. p. 223; Strom. i. vide Aug. de C. D. 4, 31.

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