THE

KNOWLEDGE OF MISERY

OUT OF THE LAW.

II LORD'S DAY.

Rom. iii. 20. By the law is the knowledge of sin.

Q. 3. Whence knowest thou thy misery?

A. Out of the law of God.

Q. 4. What doth the law of God require of us?

"Thou

A. Christ teaches us that briefly, Matt. xxii. 37–40. shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, with all thy mind, and with all thy strength. This is the first and the great command, and the second is like to this. Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. On these two commands hang the whole law and the prophets,"

Q. 5. Canst thou keep all these things perfectly?

A. In no wise; for I am prone by nature to hate God and my neighbour,

"BLESSED

LESSED are they that mourn: for they shall be comforted," saith the Consolation of Israel, Matt. v. 4. Although the sinner is so exceedingly miserable, he will not mourn: mourning would indeed disturb his sinful joy. Doth his conscience reprove him at times, he stifles it, and blesses himself in his heart, saying that he shall have peace, although he walks in the imagination of his heart. But his comfort is vain, and will forsake him, when death seizeth on him. True and godly comfort belongs to none but those who mourn for their misery for they only are capable of comfort: "The Messiah was sent to comfort those only who mourn," Isaiah Ixi. 2. There. fore the Lord requires first and chiefly of his people, that they should acknowledge their iniquity, in order that he may restrain his anger which is kindled against them, and favour them with his loving kind. ness, Jer. iii. 11, 13. It is the first work of the Comforter, the Holy

Ghost, when he is about to dispose the sinner for comfort, to "con: vince him of his sins." The men at the feast of Pentecost, the jailer, and Paul, did not obtain comfort, before they knew their misery, and cried out with concern, "What shall we do?" Acts ii. 37. ix. 6. xvi. 30.

Our instructor proceeds also in this manner, in order to comfort the sinner. He had set before his pupil the only comfort in all its lustre, in the first question. The pupil, eager to obtain this comfort, asks his teacher, what he must know, and therefore do, that he may live and die happily in this comfort. Hereupon he is taught that he must know, first, how great his sins and miseries are, in the second question. But inasmuch as the sinner cannot learn his sins and misery of himself, therefore he inquires, 1. Whence he shall learn his misery in the third and fourth question, 2. Wherein it consists, from the fifth to the eleventh question.

In this Lord's day we are taught,

1. In general that we know our misery out of the law, in the third question.

II. And it is then explained in particular, how we are convinced out of the law of our misery, in the fourth and fifth questions.

I. Truly the angels, who apostatized from God, are also exceedingly miserable: their sins have made them devils, and subjected them to eternal damnation. For "God spared not the angels who sinned, but cast them down to hell, and delivered them into chains of darkness, to be reserved unto judgment," 2 Peter ii. 4. Jude vs. 6. "Everlasting fire is prepared for the devil and his angels,” Matt. xxv. 41. "The whole creation also is become subject to vanity, and to the bondage of corruption: it groaneth and travaileth in pain until now," Rom. viii. 20, 21, 22. But the instructor speaks not of the misery of the angels, nor of the misery of the whole creation, but only of man's misery: because we have the greatest concern in the knowledge of our own misery, and we are thereby led to seek for deliverance: but there is no hope of deliverance for the angels : "For verily the Saviour took not on him the nature of angels; but he took on him the seed of Abraham." Heb. ii. 16. Is the whole creation miserable, it is on account of, and to aggravate the misery of man, which he ought to know.

That man is miserable, and that his misery consists in sin, in punishment, and in an inability to deliver himself, this the instructor will show in the sequel, out of the law. He teaches us now only how we attain to a knowledge of our misery by the law. There is pone so near to a man, as the man himself: "The spirit of man

which is in him, knoweth the things of a man," saith the apostle, 1 Cor. ii. 11. And yet we must shew him his misery, which cleaveth to him, and the means, whereby he may attain to the knowledge of it. This appears strange; but his misery is natural to him, and he is so accustomed to it, that he doth not consider it as misery: he thinks that it ought to be with him as it is. But sin hath so bewil dered him he is, as it were, through the bewitching power of iniquity, beside himself, and bereaved of his reason, and he busies himself only with things, which do not concern him. If he shall be healed, he must, with "the prodigal son, come to himself," Luke xv. 17, and like "Ephraim, become acquainted with himself," Jer. xxxi. 19. But what shall discover the sinner's misery to him? The law of God is the best mean; "by the law is the knowledge of sin," saith the text. We read of a ceremonial law, by which God prescribed to Israel the manner of the external worship. Paul calls it, "the law of commandments, contained in ordinances," Eph. ii. 15. God gave also a civil law, by which the civil state of Israel was to be regulated. Of this law Nichodemus spoke, when he said, John vii. 51. "Doth our law judge any man before it hear him, and know what he doth?" The word of God speaks also of a moral law, expressed in ten commandments. Israel could learn their misery in some measure from the ceremonial law, because all the blood-sheddings and washings, which were enjoined on them, showed them their capital uncleanness, and that they could not look for salvation, except through the perfect sacrifice of the Messiah, who was to come, as Paul teacheth, Heb. x. 1, 10. The civil law discovered also after a certain manner the sins of Israel: for when the judges punished the outward abominations of the people, often with great severity, the people of the Lord might conclude thence, with the greatest propriety, that he, who was a righteous, all-knowing, and almighty judge, would much more, and with much greater severity, mark and punish sins, yea, even those of the soul. But the moral law is much better calculated to convince the sinner of his misery. The law of ceremonies, and the civil law were given to Israel only, and determined merely the outward worship, and the outward righteousness among men: but the moral law was given, not to Israel only, but to all the posterity of Adam: "it proves both Jews and Gentiles to be all under sin; it stops every mouth, and declares the whole world to be guilty before God," Rom. iii. 9, 19. and it discovers the inmost and Thost hidden corruption and sinful lusting of the heart: "I had not known lust to be sin," saith Paul, "if the law had not said, Thou shalt not covet," Rom. yii. 7. Of this law the text also speaks, as

appears from what the apostle had said before, that he had "proved according to this law that both Jews and Gentiles were all under sin," and particularly that they were guilty of the sins, which are ⚫ condemned in this law, and were therefore "all guilty before God," vrs. 9, 19. And to this law the instructor also hath respect here, as he shows from the demand of the law in the fourth question.

II. But how shall we be convinced of our misery out of the law? We must in the first place know what God requires in his law, and then compare ourselves therewith. The instructor asks, with respect to the first particular, "What doth the law of God require of us?” and he answers, that “Christ teacheth us that briefly, Matt. xxii. 37, 38, 39, 40" where the Saviour reduces the whole sum of the law to the love of God and our neighbour, and so to two commandments, or tables, according to Deut. vi. 5, and Lev. xix. 18. The first table, or first commandment saith, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God," who is the self existent, and the only existing God, and who promised himself as such by his covenant to his people, and is therefore worthy to be loved. "To love him" is to have a high esteem of him; to desire him, in order to be most intimately united to him and to. enjoy him, to be satisfied and rejoice in him, and to conduct in all things according to his mind. I may not expatiate here: see only Song v. 8-16. vii. 6. John xiv. 21, 23. We must love God "with all our heart, with all our soul, with all our mind," and according to Luke x. 27, "with all our strength," and so, "with all our might," Deut. vi. 5. These several words betoken all the faculties of the soul; if we will distinguish them, the heart will then denote the inmost desire and inclination of the mind; the soul will be the will; the mind expresseth the apprehension, judgment, and all the thoughts; and the strength and might represent in what manner the soul and body should contribute all that they have, and exert themselves to love God and thus the Saviour would show by this accumulation of words, that we ought to love God perfectly, and without any defect. For it will soon appear, that the perfect demand of the covenant of works is exhibited in this passage; yea, in whatever condition man may be, he is, and remains obligated by nature to love God perfectly, on account of his loveliness and if there be any defect in his love, he sins, and must humble himself, and seek reconciliation. To love God thus is "the first commandment," because it is commanded before the love of our neighbour, and because love to God is the source, from which love to our neighbour must flow: "Beloved,” saith the disciple, whom Jesus loved, "let us love one another. for love is of God," 1 John iv. 7. This is also the first commandment,

because the second commandment of loving our neighbour must yield to this; "We ought to obey God rather than men," Acts v. 29. This was nobly exemplified by Levi, Exod. xxxii. 27, 28. Deut. xxxiii. 9. See also Matt. x. 37. This first is also "the great commandment." The second commandment is also called great. Mark xii. 31. and therefore great must denote in Matthew the greatest: God is indeed the greatest and most worthy object, whom we must love with the greatest and the strongest affection, with the whole heart, &c. as he is worthy. But we must love our neighbour as ourselves. Our neighbour is here not only our kinsman and friend, but even our enemy the Egyptians, the enemies of the Israelites were also their neighbours, Exod. xi. 2. The Samaritans, who were enemies of the Jews, were their neighbours, according to the doctrine of Jesus, Luke x. 29-37. "We must indeed love enemies," Matt. v. 44. For that which constitutes one man a neighbour of another is, that "God hath made all the nations of men of one blood," Acts xvii. 31. and because one man is the brother and " flesh" of another, Isaiah lvii. 7. since we have all proceeded from one father and mother, Adam and Eve. Therefore we must love our neighbour, and so esteem him highly, as the most glorious creature of God on earth, and as our brother: we must cleave to him with a tender affection, and do well to him. But must I "love him with my whole heart, soul," &c. as I must love God? No, but as myself. The love which a man beareth to himself is the pattern, but not the rule of love to his neighbour: the law of God alone is the rule; yea, a man may not even propose himself in all things, as a pattern of his love to his neigh bour: for he loves himself with such a sottish self-love, that "he sets his heart as God's heart," Ezek. xxxviii. 2. All that he should do for God's sake, he doth for his own sake: he may not love his neighbour so: but as he ought to love himself sincerely, heartily, and steadfastly in God, and for God's sake, so he ought to love his neighbour also in this manner, and therefore perfectly. For it is the nature of a man to love himself perfectly; for "no man ever yet hated his own flesh, but nourisheth and cherisheth it," Eph. v. 29. But although I ought to love my neighbour perfectly, it must nevertheless be with a certain distinction: one is nearer to me than another. We ought to love the godly more than others: "we must do good to all men, but especially to them who are of the household of faith," Gal. vi. 10. "This second commandment is like the first," because it proceeds from the same Lawgiver, and commands one and the same act of love, although toward different objects, and love to our neighbour always accompanies love to God. "If any man