QUEST. CXLIX. Is any man able perfectly to keep the Commandments of God?
ANSW. No man is able, either in himself, or by any grace received in this life, perfectly to keep the Commandments of God, but doth daily break them in thought, word, and deed.
Having considered man’s duty and obligation to keep the Commandments of God; we are now led to speak of him as unable to keep them; and, on the other hand, chargeable with the daily breach thereof, which is an argument of the imperfection of this present state. We have, under a foregoing answer[10], endeavoured to prove that the work of sanctification is imperfect in this life; so that all the boasts of the Pelagians, and others, who defend the possibility of attaining perfection therein, are vain and unwarrantable. We have also considered the reasons why God orders that it should be so. And therefore we shall, without enlarging so much on this subject, as otherwise we might have done, principally take notice of what is to be observed in this answer, under two general heads.
I. In what respects, and with what limitations, man is said to be unable to keep the Commandments of God; and, accordingly it is said, that no man is able, perfectly, to keep them. By which we are to understand, as it is observed in the Shorter Catechism[11], no mere man, whereby our Saviour is excepted, who yielded perfect obedience in our nature. This is farther explained, with another limitation, namely, that no man is able to do this since the fall; to denote that man, in his state of innocency, was able, perfectly to keep the Commandments of God. For he was made upright, and had the image of God instamped on his soul; which consisted in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, Eccl. vii. 29. Gen. i. 27. having the law of God written in his heart, and power to fulfil it[12]. And, indeed, to suppose the contrary, would be a reflection upon the divine government, and would argue man to have been created under a natural necessity of sinning, and perishing; which is contrary to the goodness, holiness, and justice of God. It is farther observed, that no man is able, in this life, thus to keep God’s Commandments, which contains an intimation that the glorified saints, in heaven, will be enabled to yield perfect obedience; notwithstanding the many imperfections they are now liable to. Moreover, as man is not able, of himself, or without the aids of divine grace, to obey God; so he is not to expect such assistance from him as shall enable him to obey him perfectly. There is no doubt but the grace of God could free us from all the remainders of sin in this world, as well as in our passing from it to heaven; but we have no ground to conclude that it will. For,
1. The whole creation is liable to the curse,[13] (which was consequent upon man’s first apostasy from God,) under which it groaneth, unto this day, Rom. viii. 22, 23. and shall not be delivered from it, till the scene of time, and things shall be changed, and the saints shall be fully possessed of what they are now waiting for, to wit, the adoption, or the redemption of their bodies.
2. God is pleased to deny his people that perfection of holiness here, which they shall attain to hereafter, that he may give them daily occasion to exercise the duties of self-denial, mortification of sin, faith, and repentance, which redound to his own glory, and their spiritual advantage. This leads us,
II. To consider that we daily break the Commandments of God, in thought, word, and deed.
1. In thought; to wit, when the mind is conversant about sinful objects, in such away, as that it contracts defilement. It is a sign that the wickedness of man is very great, when, every imagination of the thoughts of his heart is only evil, and that continually, Gen. vi. 5. Now the sinfulness of the thoughts of men, consists in four things;
(1.) When they chuse, delight in, and are daily conversant about things that are vain, empty of what is good, and have no tendency to the glory of God, or the spiritual advantage either of ourselves or others. The least vain thought which contains an excursion from our duty to God, brings some degree of guilt with it; but when the mind is wholly taken up with vanity, so that it is turned aside from, or takes no delight in those things that are of the highest importance, this will have a tendency to vitiate the mind, and alienate it from the life of God.
(2.) The thoughts of men may be said to be sinful, when they are not fixed, or intensely set, on God and divine things, when engaged in holy duties; and that either, when worldly cares or business, how lawful soever they may be at other times, have a tendency to divert our thoughts from them, being altogether inconsistent therewith. Or when our minds are conversant about spiritual things unseasonably, so as to be diverted from our present design; as, when we are joining with others in prayer, instead of bearing a part with them, in having the same exercise of faith, and other graces, which supposes that our thoughts are employed about the same object with theirs, we are meditating on some other divine subject, foreign to the present occasion.
(3.) Our thoughts may be said to be sinful, when they are conversant about spiritual things, without suitable affections, and, consequently, meditating on them as common things, in which we are not much concerned; as when we are destitute of those holy desires after, or delight in God, when drawing nigh to him in holy duties, which his law requires. And this will more evidently appear, when, by comparing the frame of our spirit therein, with what we observe it to be in other instances, we find, that our affections are easily raised, when engaged in matters of less importance, but stupid, and unconcerned about our eternal welfare, in holy duties; which is accompanied with hardness of heart and impenitency, and sometimes with uneasiness and weariness, as though they were a burden to us.
On the other hand, our affections may be raised in these duties, and yet we be chargeable with a sinfulness of thought therein; as,
[1.] When the affections are raised by things of less importance, while other things that are more affecting, are not regarded. As, supposing a person is meditating on Christ’s sufferings, and he is very much affected with, and enraged at the treachery of Judas, that betrayed him, or the barbarity of the Jews, that crucified him; but not in the least with the sin of the world, that was the occasion of it, or the greatness of his love, that moved him to submit to it.
[2.] When our affections are raised in holy duties, and this is all that we depend upon, for justification and acceptance in the sight of God, vainly supposing that our tears will wash away our sins, being destitute of faith in the blood of Christ.
[3.] When we are concerned about the misery consequent on our sins, but are not in the least inclined to hate them, nor grieved at the dishonour brought to the name of God thereby.
This leads us to consider the causes hereof, and remedies against it. If we do not find that our affections are raised in these religious exercises, as they have been in times past, we ought to enquire into the reason thereof; whether this be not attended with some great backslidings from God, which might first occasion it. Sometimes it proceeds from a neglect of holy duties, either public or private; at other times, from presumptuous sins, committed, or continued in, with impenitency. And we often find, that our being too much embarrassed with, or immoderately engaged in our pursuit of the profits or pleasures of this world, stupifies and damps our affections, as to religious matters, so that they are seldom or never raised therein.
As to the remedies against this stupid and unaffected frame of spirit; we must not only repent of, but abstain from those sins, that have been the occasion thereof; meditate on those subjects, that are most suitable to our case, which have a tendency to enflame our love to Christ, and desire after him, and our zeal for his glory; and often confess and bewail our stupidity and unbecoming behaviour in holy duties; earnestly imploring the powerful influence of the Spirit of God, to bring us into, and keep us in a right frame of spirit for them.
(4.) We have reason to charge ourselves with sin, when guilty of blasphemous thoughts; as,
1st, When we have, by degrees, brought on ourselves a disregard of God, either by living in the neglect of holy duties, or allowing ourselves in the practice of known sins.
2dly, When, before we were followed with these thoughts, we have found that we gave way to some doubts about the divine perfections; or, through the ignorance, pride and vanity of our minds, have contracted an habitual disregard to, or neglect of that holy reverence with which we ought to meditate on them.
3dly, When we can hear those execrable oaths or curses, by which some profanely blaspheme the name of God, without expressing our resentment with the utmost abhorrence and detestation.
4thly, When we find, that being followed with blasphemous thoughts, our hearts are too prone to give in to them, as though they were the sentiments of our mind; whereby we do, as it were, consent to them, instead of rejecting them with the utmost aversion.
But, on the other hand, blasphemous thoughts are not always to be charged on us as a sin. Sometimes they are chargeable on Satan, who herein acts according to his character, as God’s open enemy; and endeavours to instil into us the same ideas that he himself has. These thoughts may be charged on him; when they are hastily injected into our minds, not being the result of choice or deliberation; but are a kind of violence offered to our imagination, and, we cannot but discover the greatest detestation of them, as well as of that enemy of souls, from whom they take their rise; and when, at the same time, we are enabled to exercise the contrary graces, and betake ourselves to God with faith and prayer, that he would rebuke the Devil, and preserve our consciences undefiled, under this sore temptation, which we cannot but reckon one of the greatest afflictions that befal us in the world. Thus concerning the sinfulness of our thoughts.
2. We are farther said, daily to break the Commandments of God in word. Thus the apostle James speaks of the tongue as an unruly evil full of deadly poison, James iii. 8. Evil-speaking, as was before observed concerning the sinfulness of our thoughts, is attended with a greater or less degree of guilt, as the vanity of the mind, and the wickedness of the heart, more or less discovers itself therein. Our Saviour speaks of the accountableness of man in the day of judgment, for every idle word, Matt. xii. 36. to denote, that there is no sin so small, but what is displeasing to an holy God, a violation of his law, and brings with it a degree of guilt, in proportion to the nature thereof. These indeed, are the lowest instances of the sinfulness of words. There are others that are of so heinous a nature, that they can hardly be reckoned consistent with true godliness. viz. defaming, and malicious words; which are sometimes compared to a sword, or arrows, Psal. lvii. 4. or to a serpent’s tongue, that leaves a sting and poison behind it, Psal. cxl. 3. Again, the sinfulness of our words extends itself yet farther, as they are directed against the blessed God; when persons set their mouth against the heavens, and their tongue walketh through the earth, Psal. lxxiii. 9. when they give themselves the liberty to talk profanely about sacred things, and openly blaspheme the name and perfections of God. This degree of impiety, indeed, all are not chargeable with. Nevertheless, we may say, should God mark the iniquity of our words, as well as of our thoughts, who could stand?
3. We are said to break the Commandments of God, by deeds, i. e. by committing those sins which are contrived in the heart, and uttered with our tongues. These have been considered under their respective heads, as a violation of each of the ten Commandments, or doing those things that are forbidden therein; and therefore we pass them over in this place, and proceed to speak concerning the aggravations of sin.