Immagini della pagina
PDF
ePub

ginally delivered so by God himself; and are accordingly so called by Moses. Exod. xxxiv. 28. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments. Deut. iv. 13. And he declared unto you his covenant, which he commanded you to perform, even ten commandments: and he wrote them upon two tables of stone.

4. Q. What do these commandments, in general, refer to?

A. To the two great branches of our duty; our duty towards God, and our duty towards our neighbour.

5. Q. What authority have you for this division of these commandments?

A. The authority of our blessed Saviour. Matt. xxii. 37. Jesus said unto him, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

And, indeed, God himself seems to have had regard unto it, when he commanded Moses to prepare two tables for them; on the one of which were to be engraven those which concern our duty towards God; on the other, those which contain our duty towards our neighbour. Exod. xxxi. 18. And he gave unto Moses, when he had made an end of communing with him upon Mount Sinai, two tables of testimony, tables of stone, written with the finger of God. xxxii. 19. And it came to pass, as soon as he came nigh unto the camp, that he saw the calf and the dancing: and Moses' anger waxed hot, and he cast the tables out of his hands, and brake them beneath the mount. xxxiv. 1, 4, 28. And the Lord said unto Moses, Hew thee

two tables of stone like unto the first; and I will write upon these tables the words that were in the first tables, which thou brakest. And he hewed two tables of stone like unto the first, and Moses rose up early in the morning, and went up unto Mount Sinai, as the Lord had commanded him, and took in his hand the two tables of stone. And he was there with the Lord forty days and forty nights; he did neither eat bread, nor drink water. And he wrote upon the tables the words of the covenant, the ten commandments.

6. Q. How many commandments does each of these tables comprehend?

A. As to the commandments themselves, it is not doubted by any, but that those of the first table end with that which concerns the sabbath; and that the second begins with that which requires us to honour our father and mother, Eph. vi. 2. But in dividing the commandments of each table, there is a difference between us and those of the church of Rome. For they join the two first into one; and then, to complete the number of ten, divide the last into two: and so assign, not as we do, four to one table, and six to the other; but three to the first table, and seven to the second.

7. Q. Is it a matter of any moment, how each precept is divided, so long as all are retained?

A. In itself it is not: but as the design of this division is to enable them the better to drop the second commandment, which is so express against their imageworship altogether, (and which accordingly they do oftentimes omit in their books of devotion,) so it is certainly of great moment to be taken notice of.

Now, the first and second commandments have apparently a different design, and were intended to for

a

bid two very different things. But the last commandment solely respects the sin of coveting: and if the difference of the instances which are given in it, the better to clear and inforce the observance of it, be sufficient to make a several command, according to the distinction of them, they may as well divide it into six, or, indeed, into six hundred commands, as into two. For, at this rate, thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's house, will be one: thou shalt not covet thy neighbour's wife, another: nor his man-servant, will be a third: nor his maid-servant, a fourth: nor his ox, a fifth; nor his ass, a sixth: nor any thing that is his, a hundred more in one general expression. See below, Sect. xxiv. Q. 2.

a

8. Q. But is there not one great branch of our duty here wanting, namely, our duty towards ourselves?

A. There is not: for all those duties, which we so call, have a manifest regard, more or less, to our duty to God and our neighbour; and may be comprised under the offices relating to them. At least, since there is no duty of this kind but what is required by God of us, the better to fit us for his service and acceptance; it must be confessed, that the first commandment alone will take in whatsoever of this Nature may seem wanting in the whole.

9. Q. Is there any other division of these commandments that may be fit to be taken notice of, before we proceed to the particular consideration of them?

A. There is yet one; namely, that of these commandments, some are positive, and declare what we are to do; as the fourth commandment of the first table, the fifth of the second. Others are negative,

and shew us what we are to avoid; as all the others of both tables.

10. Q. What do you observe from this distinction?

A. A great difference with respect to our obligation to obedience. For, first, the positive commands, though they are always in force, and therefore oblige all who have any concern with them; yet they do not extend to all persons, nor oblige at all times.

As for example: to honour our father and mother, is a duty of eternal obligation. But then, many there are who have no father nor mother; and therefore, neither can they lie under any obligation to honour them. Again, to observe the sabbath-day, to keep it holy, is a command that never ceases to oblige. But yet should a man be made a prisoner, or a slave, in a Pagan, or other country, where he had no means nor opportunity to observe it, whilst he lay under those circumstances he would not be guilty of any sin by not observing it. But now, the negative commands not only oblige always, but all persons, at all times, and in all circumstances. And therefore, to worship any other God, besides the Lord: to make any graven image, to bow down before it and worship it: to take God's name in vain; these, and the like prohibitions oblige men to a constant, uninterrupted observation of them, be their circumstances or conditions of life what they will. Nor can it, at any time, or upon any occasion be lawful for any one to worship another God; to make a graven image to worship it; to take God's name in vain; and the like.

11. Q. Have you any thing farther to observe from this division?

A. This only, that these two kinds mutually include one another: so that when God commands any

duty to be performed, we are to understand that he does, by the very same command, forbid whatsoever is contrary thereunto to be done by us. And again, when he forbids any thing to be done, he does thereby require us to fulfil the opposite duty implied, as well as to avoid the sin which is expressly taken notice of. To clear my meaning in an instance of each kind: God commands us in the fourth commandment to keep holy the sabbath-day; and that, by sanctifying of it to a religious rest. And, by the same commandment, he forbids us to do any servile work upon it; or any thing, whereby this day may be unhallowed or profaned by us. And this would have been understood by the other part of the commandment, though God had not expressly taken notice of it.

In like manner, when in the sixth commandment God forbids us to commit murder, we are to understand that we are not only prohibited thereby to stab or poison our neighbour; but are required to do what in us lies to cherish and preserve his life; to help him if he be assaulted by another; to feed and clothe him, as far as we are able; and to prevent, according to our ability, whatsoever may bring him in danger of losing it.

12. Q. Are there any other general rules that may be of use to us for the better understanding of the commandments here proposed to us?

A. There are several such rules; but those of most consequence seem to be these four: first, that in every commandment, the general thing expressed, comprehends under it all such particulars as either directly depend upon it, or may fairly and reasonably be reduced to it.

« IndietroContinua »