of God, hardeneth infidels, and tempteth Christians to perplexing thoughts of the gospel, and of the infinite goodness of God, and maketh it more difficult than indeed it is, to see his amiableness, and consequently to glorify and love him, as the essential love, whose goodness is equal to his greatness. It is Satan, as angel of light and righteousness, who, pretending the defence of God's special love to his elect, denieth his common mercies to mankind, to dishonour God's love, and strengthen our own temptations against the joyful love of God.

Q. 14. Is government and subjection all that is here included? A. No: God's kingdom is a paternal kingdom, ruling children by love, that he may make them happy. "I am the Lord thy God," signifieth 'I am thy greatest Benefactor, thy Father,' who gave thee all the good thou hast, and will give to my obedient children grace and glory, and all that they can reasonably desire, and will protect them from all their enemies, and supply their wants, and deliver them from evil, and will be for ever their sun and shield, their reward and joy, and better to them, than man in flesh can now conceive, even love itself.

CHAP. XXXIV.

Of the First Commandment.

Q. 1. WHAT are the words of the first commandment? A. "Thou shalt have no other gods before me." Exod. xx. 3.f

Q. 2. What is the meaning of this commandment?

A. It implieth a command that we do all that is due to God; which is due to God from reasonable creatures, made by him, and freely redeemed by him from sin and misery. And it for biddeth us to think there is any other God, or to give to any other that which properly belongs to him.8

Q. 3. Doth not the Scripture call idols and magistrates gods?

A. Yes; but only in an equivocal, improper sense : idols are

e 2 Cor. vi. 16, 18; John xx. 28.

* Deut. xxvi. 27; Dan. vi. 16; Isa. xvi. 19.

f Deut. v. 7, and x. 21.

called gods, as so reputed falsely by idolaters; and magistrates only as men's governors under God.h

Q. 4. What are the duties which we owe to God alone?

A. 1. That our understandings know, believe, and esteem him as God. 2. That our wills love him, and cleave to him as God. 3. That we practically obey and serve him as God.

Q. 5. When doth the understanding know, believe, and esteem him as God?

A. No creature can know God with an adequate, comprehensive knowledge: but we must in our measure know, believe and esteem him to be the only infinite, eternal, self-sufficient Spirit, vital Power, Understanding, and Will, or most perfect Life, Light, and Love; Father, Son, and Holy Ghost, of whom, and through whom, and to whom, are all things; our absolute Owner, Ruler, and Father, reconciled by Christ; our Maker, our Redeemer, and Sanctifier.

Q. 6. When doth man's will love and cleave to him as God? A. When the understanding believing him to be best, even infinitely good in himself, and best to all the world, and best to us, we love him as such; though not yet in due perfection, yet sincerely above all other things.'

Q. 7. How can we love God above all, when we never saw him, and can have no idea or formal conception of him in our minds?

A. Though he be invisible, and we have no corporeal idea of him, nor no adequate or just formal conception of him, yet he is the most noble object of our understanding and love, as the sun is of our sight, though we comprehend it not. We are not without such an idea or conception of God, as is better than all other knowledge, and is the beginning of eternal life, and is true in its kind, though very imperfect.

Q. How can you know him that is no object of sense?

A. He is the object of our understanding; we know in ourselves what it is to know and to will, though these acts are not the objects of sense, (unless you will call the very acts of knowing and willing, an eminent, internal sensation of themselves.) And by this we know what it is to have the power of understanding and willing and so what it is to be an invisible substance with such power. And as we have this true idea or

Gal.iv. 8; 1 Cor. viii. 5; John x. 34, 35; xvii. 3, and xiv. 1, 2; Deut. x. 12, and xxx. 16, 20; Mich. vi. 8.

1 Psalm lxxiii. 25; cxix. 69, and exlv. 9, Matt. xxii. 37.

Matt. xix. 17; John xvii. 3.

conception of a soul, so have we more easily of him, who is more than a soul to the whole world.'

Q. 9. How doth the true love of God work here in the flesh? A. As we here know God, so we love him: as we know him not in the manner as we do things sensible, so we love him not in that sort of sensible appetite, as we do things sensible immediately. But as we know him as revealed in the glass of his works, natural and gracious, and in his word, so we love him as known by such revelation.m

Q. 10. Do not all men love God, who believe that there is a God, when nature teacheth men to love goodness as such, and all that believe that there is a God, believe that he is the best of beings?

A. Wicked men know not truly the goodness of God, and so what God is indeed. To know this proposition, 'God is most good,' is but to know words and a logical, general notion: as if a man should know and say that light is good, who never had sight; or sweetness is good, who never tasted it. Every wicked man is predominantly a lover of fleshly pleasure, and therefore no lover, but a hater, of all the parts and acts of divine government and holiness, which are contrary to it, and would deprive him of it. So that there is somewhat of God that a wicked man doth love, that is, his being, his work of creation, and bounty to the world, and to him in those natural good things which he can value: but he loveth not, but hateth God as the holy governor of the world and him, and the enemy of his forbidden pleasure and desires."

Q. 11. What be the certain signs, then, of true love to God? A. 1. A true love to his government, and laws, and holy word; and that as it is his, and holy; and this so effectual, as that we unfeignedly desire to obey that word as the rule of our faith, and life, and hope; and desire to fulfil his commanding will.

2. A true love to the actions which God commandeth (though flesh will have some degree of backwardness).

3. A true love to those that are likest God in wisdom, holiness, and doing good; and such a love to them as is above the love of worldly riches, honour, and pleasure; so that it will enable us to do them good, though by our suffering or loss in a

11 Cor. xiii. 12, and ii. 3, 8, 18; John i. 18.

ma Exod. xx. 6; Prov. viii. 17, 21; John xiv. 15, 23.

" 1 Cor. viii. 3; Rom. viii. 28; Jam. i. 12, and ii. 5; 1 John iii, 16, 17; iv. 20, and v. 3, and xiv. 23; Jude 21.

lower matter, when God calls us to it. For if we see our brother have need, and shut up the bowels of compassion, so that we cannot find in our hearts to relieve his necessities by the loss of our unnecessary superfluities, how dwelleth the love of God in us?

4. True love to God doth love itself. It is a great sign of it, when we so much love to love God as that we are gladder when we feel it in us, than for any worldly vanity; and when we take the mutual love of God and the soul to be so good and joyful a state as that we truly desire it as our felicity, and best in heaven to be perfectly loved of God, and perfectly to love him, joyfully express it in his everlasting praises. To long to love God as the best condition for us, is a sign that we truly love him."

Q. 12. But must not all the affections be set on God as well as love?

A. All the rest are but several ways of loving or willing good, and of nilling, or hating and avoiding, evil.

1. It is love that desireth after God, and his grace and glory. 2. It is love that hopeth for him. 3. It is love that rejoiceth in him, and is pleased when we and others please him, and when his love is poured out on the sons of men, and truth, peace, and holiness prosper in the world. 4. It is love that maketh us sorrowful, that we can please him no more, nor more enjoy him; and that maketh us grieved that we can no more know him, love him, and delight in him, and that we have so much sin within us to displease him, and hinder our communion of love with him. 5. And love will make us fearful of displeasing him, and losing the said communion of love. 6. And it will make us more angry with ourselves, when we have most by sin displeased God, and angry with others that offend him.P

Q. 13. What is the practical duty properly due from us to God? A. To obey him in doing all that he commandeth us, either in his holy worship, or for ourselves, or for our neighbour; and this by an absolute, universal obedience, in sincere desire and endeavour, as to a Sovereign of greatest authority, and a Father of greatest love, whose laws and works are all most wise, and just, and good.¶

• Luke xi. 42; John v. 42, and xv. 10; 1 John ii. 5, and iii. 17; Psalm xlii. 1-4, &c.

▸ Dent. v. 29; xi. 13; xiii. 3; xxvi. 16, and xxx. 2, 6, 10; Jos. xxii. 5 ; 1 Sam. xii. 24; Matt. vi. 21, and xxii. 37. John xiv. 15, 23; 1 John v. 3.

Q. 14. What if our governors command or forbid us any thing, must we not take our obeying them to be obeying God, seeing they are his officers whom we see, but see not him?

A. Yes when they command us by the authority given them of God: but God's universal laws are before and above their laws; and their power is all limited by God; they have no authority but what he giveth them; and he giveth them none against his laws and therefore if they command any thing which God forbiddeth, or forbid what God commandeth, you must obey God in not obeying them. But this must never be made a pretence for disobedience to their true authority."

Q. 15. What is the thing forbidden in the first commandment?

A. 1. To think that to be God which is not God, as the heathens do by the sun. 2. To ascribe any part of that to creatures which is essential and proper to God; and so to make them half gods.

Q. 16. How are men guilty of that?

A. 1. When they think that any creature hath that infiniteness, eternity, or self-sufficiency, that power, knowledge, or goodness, which is proper to God alone. Or that any creature hath that causality which is proper to God, in making and maintaining, or governing the world, or being the ultimate end. Or that any creature is to be more honoured, loved or obeyed, than God, or with any of that which is proper to God."

2. When the will doth actually love and honour the creature, with any of that love and honour which is due to God as God, and therefore to God alone.

3. When in their practice men labour to please, serve, or obey any creature against God, before God, or equal with God, or with any service proper to God alone. All this is idolatry.

Q. 17. Which is the greatest and commonest idol of the world?

A. Carnal self: by sin man is fallen from God to his carnal self, to which he giveth that which is God's proper due.

Q. 18. How doth this selfishness appear and work as ido

latry ?t

A. 1. In that such men love their carnal self, and pleasure, and prosperity, and the riches that are the provision for the flesh, Rom. xiii. 2, 3; Acts iv. 19, 24, and v. 29, 32; Dan. iii. and vi.

• Isa. ii. 22, and xlii. 8; Acts xii. 22, 23; Mic. ii. 9.

* Rev. xvi. 9; 1 Chr. xvi. 28, 29; 1 Cor. x. 31; Gal. i. 10.