ment, clearly implies the opposite curse upon those who disregard it. And the threatening annexed to the third commandment clearly implies that the opposite promise is made to the reverent and holy use of God's name. Had all sins and duties, all promises and threatenings been fully and formally expressed, the law would have become cumbrous; whereas, now it is easily remembered even by a child.

III. That which is forbidden in this law of God is never to be done, be the perils, or pains, or penalties never so great. No circumstances can excuse, much less justify transgression. Sin is always wicked. Disregard of any prohibition is always criminal. Between two natural evils we are often compelled to choose, as between the amputation of a limb and death. But between two moral evils we are never compelled to choose. He who steals may indeed be strongly tempted to lie; but the strength of the temptation does not justify falsehood. With every temptation there is a way of escape. It is not wicked to be punished for stealing, but it is wicked to lie about anything. "Let no man say when he is tempted, I am tempted of God: for God cannot be tempted with evil, neither tempteth he any man." James i. 13. There is no excuse for sinning even in the least.

IV. That which God commands is always our duty; and yet every particular duty is not to be done at all times. There is an order in our duties. Every thing is beautiful in its season. It is a duty to be tenderhearted, and to weep with those that weep; but it is not a duty to weep with those that are properly rejoicing. It is right to think upon God's name, and the habits of one's mind may be pleasing to God.

Yet our minds may be intently occupied for hours in a mathematical demonstration, so that we cannot have them turned to anything else. We are to do our duties as we have opportunity. We should always be in a right state of mind and heart to do what is required, if the occasion offers.

V. "Under one sin or duty, all of the same kind are forbidden or commanded; together with all the causes, means, occasions and appearances thereof, and provocations thereunto." Thus the prohibition to use God's name in vain forbids an irreverent use of his word, or works, or sacraments, or worship; because his name is that whereby he is known. Thus the commandment to honour father and mother obliges us to honour magistrates, who are politically our fathers; and masters and mistresses, who are domestically our parents; and teachers, who for the purposes of education are as parents to us. And as we may not kill, so we may not prepare to kill, nor indulge envy, hatred, wrath, nor any malice; nor may we use quarrelsome, abusive, or contemptuous language, nor violent and threatening gestures as these things do often lead to murder. When God forbade the use of leavened bread during the passover, he mercifully forbade the keeping of leaven in the house. "They who do always all that they lawfully may, will sometimes do more."

VI. What is forbidden or commanded to us, we are bound, according to our places, to do all that we properly can to cause to be avoided or performed by others, according to the duty of their places. In the fourth commandment, this is expressly stated to be the rule. In other parts of Scripture, the principle is

applied to the whole round of our duties. What a man may not lawfully do himself, he may not lawfully aid, counsel, countenance, or encourage others in doing What a man is obliged to do himself, he ought to aid, teach, counsel and encourage others to do. We may not be partakers of other men's sins, by leaving them in ignorance of their duty, when we could teach them.

VII. The aim, scope, and tendency of this law is holiness. The sum of it is, "Be ye holy, for I am holy," saith the Lord. This holiness is not the assumption of a peculiar appearance, nor submission to a round of ceremonies, nor a mere profession of religion under any form whatever. The demand of this law is for rectitude in conduct, rectitude in speech, rectitude in thinking, rectitude in feeling. Holiness of heart alone is conformity to the law. This uprightness must be loved, and so must God the lawgiver, and man our fellow-subject. Therefore, a very important rule for interpreting any precept is to inquire what is its general scope and aim? what does God intend to prohibit? what does he design to encourage in the command? Domat: "For understanding aright the sense of a law, we ought to consider well all the words of it and its preamble, if there be any, that we may judge of the law by its motives, and by the whole tenor of what it prescribes; and not to limit its sense to what may appear different from its intention." In interpreting human laws, there is a rule, Qui hærit in litera, hærit in cortice, literally, He who sticks in the letter, sticks in the bark; that is, he does not penetrate to the heart of the tree. There is another rule of judging of the nature of a

law: Noscitur a sociis:-It is known by its fellows. The meaning is something like this: if any of the precepts of the law are moral, they are all moral; if any of them comes to us with awful sanctions expressed, they all have awful sanctions implied. The same rule is expressed by Domat: "Laws are interpreted one by another."

VIII. This law is never to be so interpreted as to make us cruel to our fellow-men. "I will have mercy and not sacrifice." Hos. vi. 6; Matt. ix. 13; xii. 7. The law is good, and works no ill to any. It is benevolent. It abhors all cruelty. In Scripture, God often declares his preference for justice, faith and mercy, above any attention to the rites of religion, although prescribed by himself; 1 Sam. xv. 22; Ps. 1. 8-15; Isa. i. 11-17.

IX. "Love is the fulfilling of the law." Rom. xiii. 10. For this there is no substitute. Compare Gal. v. 14. Jesus Christ himself taught this same doctrine. When one of the Pharisees said unto him, "Master, which is the great commandment in the law? 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. The second is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neigh bour as thyself. On these two commandments hang all the law and the prophets." So that no preciseness or uniformity of outward action can in the least degree take the place of heart-felt love. "Now the end of the commandment is charity out of a pure heart, and of a good conscience, and of faith unfeigned." 1 Tim. i. 5. In case our love to the creature or to life conflicts with our love to God, we must still cleave to

1

him. So teaches the Saviour: "If any man come to me, and hate not his father, and mother, and wife, and children, and brethren, and sisters, yea, and his own life also, he cannot be my disciple." Luke xiv. 26. Of course the hatred here is comparative and not positive. We are to love all things less than God.

X. "The commands of the first table are not to be 'kept for the sake of the second; but the commands. of the second are to be kept for the sake of the first. The worship and service of God are not to be performed out of respect to men; but our duty towards men is to be observed out of respect to God. For he that worships God that he might thereby recommend himself to men, is but a hypocrite and formalist; and he that performs his duty towards men without respecting God in it is but a mere civil moralist." Willard: "God and our neighbour do not stand upon even ground, so as that these must divide our love and obedience between them; but though it may seem to be a paradox, yet it is a great truth, that God must have all our love, and yet our neighbour must have some of it too. God must have our whole heart and soul, and yet our neighbour must have our hearty and 'undissembled love."