Bible Heaven/Bible Heaven.iso/online/mhcc09/v10000

Text File | 1994-03-02 | 13KB | 221 lines

10000
 #16-25 Never was there such a sermon preached, before or since,
 as this which was preached to the church in the wilderness. It
 might be supposed that the terrors would have checked
 presumption and curiosity in the people; but the hard heart of
 an unawakened sinner can trifle with the most terrible
 threatenings and judgments. In drawing near to God, we must
 never forget his holiness and greatness, nor our own meanness
 and pollution. We cannot stand in judgment before him according
 to his righteous law. The convinced transgressor asks, What must
 I do to be saved? and he hears the voice, Believe in the Lord
 Jesus Christ, and thou shalt be saved. The Holy Ghost, who made
 the law to convince of sin, now takes of the things of Christ,
 and shows them to us. In the gospel we read, Christ hath
 redeemed us from the curse of the law, being made a curse for
 us. We have redemption through his blood, even the forgiveness
 of sins. Through him we are justified from all things, from
 which we could not be justified by the law of Moses. But the
 Divine law is binding as a rule of life. The Son of God came
 down from heaven, and suffered poverty, shame, agony, and death,
 not only to redeem us from its curse, but to bind us more
 closely to keep its commands.
10010
 * The preface to the ten commandments. (1,2) The commandments of
 the first table. (3-11) Of the second table. (12-17) The fear of
 the people. (18-21) Idolatry again forbidden. (22-26)

 #1,2 God speaks many ways to the children of men; by conscience,
 by providences, by his voice, to all which we ought carefully to
 attend; but he never spake at any time so as he spake the TEN
 COMMANDMENTS. This law God had given to man before; it was
 written in his heart; but sin so defaced it, that it was
 necessary to revive the knowledge of it. The law is spiritual,
 and takes knowledge of the secret thoughts, desires, and
 dispositions of the heart. Its grand demand is love, without
 which outward obedience is mere hypocrisy. It requires perfect,
 unfailing, constant obedience; no law in the world admits
 disobedience to itself. Whosoever shall keep the whole law, and
 yet offend in one point, he is guilty of all, #Jas 2:10|.
 Whether in the heart or the conduct, in thought, word, or deed,
 to omit or to vary any thing, is sin, and the wages of sin is
 death.

10012
 #3-11 The first four of the ten commandments, commonly called
 the FIRST table, tell our duty to God. It was fit that those
 should be put first, because man had a Maker to love, before he
 had a neighbour to love. It cannot be expected that he should be
 true to his brother, who is false to his God. The first
 commandment concerns the object of worship, JEHOVAH, and him
 only. The worship of creatures is here forbidden. Whatever comes
 short of perfect love, gratitude, reverence, or worship, breaks
 this commandment. Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God. The
 second commandment refers to the worship we are to render to the
 Lord our God. It is forbidden to make any image or picture of
 the Deity, in any form, or for any purpose; or to worship any
 creature, image, or picture. But the spiritual import of this
 command extends much further. All kinds of superstition are here
 forbidden, and the using of mere human inventions in the worship
 of God. The third commandment concerns the manner of worship,
 that it be with all possible reverence and seriousness. All
 false oaths are forbidden. All light appealing to God, all
 profane cursing, is a horrid breach of this command. It matters
 not whether the word of God, or sacred things, all such-like
 things break this commandment, and there is no profit, honour,
 or pleasure in them. The Lord will not hold him guiltless that
 taketh his name in vain. The form of the fourth commandment,
 "Remember," shows that it was not now first given, but was known
 by the people before. One day in seven is to be kept holy. Six
 days are allotted to worldly business, but not so as to neglect
 the service of God, and the care of our souls. On those days we
 must do all our work, and leave none to be done on the sabbath
 day. Christ allowed works of necessity, charity, and piety; for
 the sabbath was made for man, and not man for the sabbath, #Mr
 2:27|; but all works of luxury, vanity, or self-indulgence in
 any form, are forbidden. Trading, paying wages, settling
 accounts, writing letters of business, worldly studies, trifling
 visits, journeys, or light conversation, are not keeping this
 day holy to the Lord. Sloth and indolence may be a carnal, but
 not a holy rest. The sabbath of the Lord should be a day of rest
 from worldly labour, and a rest in the service of God. The
 advantages from the due keeping of this holy day, were it only
 to the health and happiness of mankind, with the time it affords
 for taking care of the soul, show the excellency of this
 commandment. The day is blessed; men are blessed by it, and in
 it. The blessing and direction to keep holy are not limited to
 the seventh day, but are spoken of the sabbath day.

10021
 #12-17 The laws of the SECOND table, that is, the last six of
 the ten commandments, state our duty to ourselves and to one
 another, and explain the great commandment, Thou shalt love thy
 neighbour as thyself, #Lu 10:27|. Godliness and honesty must go
 together. The fifth commandment concerns the duties we owe to
 our relations. Honour thy father and thy mother, includes esteem
 of them, shown in our conduct; obedience to their lawful
 commands; come when they call you, go where they send you, do
 what they bid you, refrain from what they forbid you; and this,
 as children, cheerfully, and from a principle of love. Also
 submission to their counsels and corrections. Endeavouring, in
 every thing, to comfort parents, and to make their old age easy;
 maintaining them if they need support, which our Saviour makes
 to be particularly intended in this commandment, #Mt 15:4-6|.
 Careful observers have noted a peculiar blessing in temporal
 things on obedient, and the reverse on disobedient children. The
 sixth commandment requires that we regard the life and the
 safety of others as we do our own. Magistrates and their
 officers, and witnesses testifying the truth, do not break this
 command. Self-defence is lawful; but much which is not deemed
 murder by the laws of man, is such before God. Furious passions,
 stirred up by anger or by drunkenness, are no excuse: more
 guilty is murder in duels, which is a horrible effect of a
 haughty, revengeful spirit. All fighting, whether for wages, for
 renown, or out of anger and malice, breaks this command, and the
 bloodshed therein is murder. To tempt men to vice and crimes
 which shorten life, may be included. Misconduct, such as may
 break the heart, or shorten the lives of parents, wives, or
 other relatives, is a breach of this command. This command
 forbids all envy, malice, hatred, or anger, all provoking or
 insulting language. The destruction of our own lives is here
 forbidden. This commandment requires a spirit of kindness,
 longsuffering, and forgiveness. The seventh commandment concerns
 chastity. We should be as much afraid of that which defiles the
 body, as of that which destroys it. Whatever tends to pollute
 the imagination, or to raise the passions, falls under this law,
 as impure pictures, books, conversation, or any other like
 matters. The eighth commandment is the law of love as it
 respects the property of others. The portion of worldly things
 allotted us, as far as it is obtained in an honest way, is the
 bread which God hath given us; for that we ought to be thankful,
 to be contented with it, and, in the use of lawful means, to
 trust Providence for the future. Imposing upon the ignorance,
 easiness, or necessity of others, and many other things, break
 God's law, though scarcely blamed in society. Plunderers of
 kingdoms though above human justice, will be included in this
 sentence. Defrauding the public, contracting debts without
 prospect of paying them, or evading payment of just debts,
 extravagance, all living upon charity when not needful, all
 squeezing the poor in their wages; these, and such things, break
 this command; which requires industry, frugality, and content,
 and to do to others, about worldly property, as we would they
 should do to us. The ninth commandment concerns our own and our
 neighbour's good name. This forbids speaking falsely on any
 matter, lying, equivocating, and any way devising or designing
 to deceive our neighbour. Speaking unjustly against our
 neighbour, to hurt his reputation. Bearing false witness against
 him, or in common conversation slandering, backbiting, and
 tale-bearing; making what is done amiss, worse than it is, and
 in any way endeavouring to raise our reputation upon the ruin of
 our neighbour's. How much this command is every day broken among
 persons of all ranks! The tenth commandment strikes at the root;
 Thou shalt not covet. The others forbid all desire of doing what
 will be an injury to our neighbour; this forbids all wrong
 desire of having what will gratify ourselves.

10027
 #18-21 This law, which is so extensive that we cannot measure
 it, so spiritual that we cannot evade it, and so reasonable that
 we cannot find fault with it, will be the rule of the future
 judgment of God, as it is for the present conduct of man. If
 tried by this rule, we shall find our lives have been passed in
 transgressions. And with this holy law and an awful judgment
 before us, who can despise the gospel of Christ? And the
 knowledge of the law shows our need of repentance. In every
 believer's heart sin is dethroned and crucified, the law of God
 is written, and the image of God renewed. The Holy Spirit
 enables him to hate sin and flee from it, to love and keep this
 law in sincerity and truth; nor will he cease to repent.

10031
 #22-26 Moses having entered into the thick darkness, God there
 spake in his hearing all that follows from hence to the end of
 chap. 23, which is mostly an exposition of the ten commandments.
 The laws in these verses relate to God's worship. The Israelites
 are assured of God's gracious acceptance of their devotions.
 Under the gospel, men are encouraged to pray every where, and
 wherever God's people meet in his name to worship him, he will
 be in the midst of them; there he will come unto them, and will
 bless them.
10036
 * Laws respecting servants. (1-11) Judicial laws. (12-21)
 Judicial laws. (22-36)

 #1-11 The laws in this chapter relate to the fifth and sixth
 commandments; and though they differ from our times and customs,
 nor are they binding on us, yet they explain the moral law, and
 the rules of natural justice. The servant, in the state of
 servitude, was an emblem of that state of bondage to sin, Satan,
 and the law, which man is brought into by robbing God of his
 glory, by the transgression of his precepts. Likewise in being
 made free, he was an emblem of that liberty wherewith Christ,
 the Son of God, makes free from bondage his people, who are free
 indeed; and made so freely, without money and without price, of
 free grace.

10047
 #12-21 God, who by his providence gives and maintains life, by
 his law protects it. A wilful murderer shall be taken even from
 God's altar. But God provided cities of refuge to protect those
 whose unhappiness it was, and not their fault, to cause the
 death of another; for such as by accident, when a man is doing a
 lawful act, without intent of hurt, happens to kill another. Let
 children hear the sentence of God's word upon the ungrateful and
 disobedient; and remember that God will certainly requite it, if
 they have ever cursed their parents, even in their hearts, or
 have lifted up their hands against them, except they repent, and
 flee for refuge to the Saviour. And let parents hence learn to
 be very careful in training up their children, setting them a
 good example, especially in the government of their passions,
 and in praying for them; taking heed not to provoke them to
 wrath. Through poverty the Israelites sometimes sold themselves
 or their children; magistrates sold some persons for their
 crimes, and creditors were in some cases allowed to sell their
 debtors who could not pay. But "man-stealing," the object of
 which is to force another into slavery, is ranked in the New
 Testament with the greatest crimes. Care is here taken, that
 satisfaction be made for hurt done to a person, though death do
 not follow. The gospel teaches masters to forbear, and to
 moderate threatenings, #Eph 6:9|, considering with Job, What
 shall I do, when God riseth up? #Job 31:13,14|.