The Commandments by Matthew Mead

Publishing Committee · Battle Creek, Mich. · Sep 23, 1858

The Commandments.

By Matthew Mead

Our Lord Christ tells us expressly, "Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you." And can a man be the friend of Christ and yet be but almost a christian?

I answer, There is an obedience to the commands of Christ, which is a sure proof of our christianity and friendship to Christ.

This obedience hath a three-fold property.

It is, 1. Evangelical. 2. Universal. 3. Continual. First, It is evangelical obedience, and that in matter and manner, ground and end. In the matter of it; and that is what God requires: Ye are my friends if ye do whatsoever I command you. In the manner of it; and that is according as God requires: "God is a spirit, and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth." In the ground of it; and that is "a pure heart, a good conscience; and a faith unfeigned." In the end of it; and that is the honor and glory of God. "Whatsoever ye do, do all to the glory of God."

Secondly, It is a universal obedience, which extendeth itself to all the commands of God alike: it respects the duties of both tables. Such was the obedience of Caleb "who followed the Lord fully," and of David who had "respect to all his commands."

Thirdly, It is a continual obedience, a putting the hand to God's plough without looking back: "I have inclined my heart to perform thy statutes always, even unto the end."

He that thus obeys the commands of God is a Christian indeed; a friend of Christ indeed. But all obedience to the commands of God is not this obedience. For,

1. There is a partial obedience—a piecemeal religion, when a man obeys God in one command and not in another; owns him in one duty and not in another; when a man seems to make conscience of the duties of one table and not of another. Now this obedience is no obedience; for as he that doth not love God above all, doth not love God at all, so he that doth not obey all his commands universally, cannot be said to obey any command truly. It is said of those in Samaria, that they "feared the Lord, and served their own gods after their own manner." And yet in the very next verse it is said, "They feared not the Lord;" so that their fear of the Lord was no fear. In like manner that obedience to God is no obedience, which is but a partial and piecemeal obedience.

2. A man may obey much and yet be in his old nature; and if so, then all his obedience in that estate is but a painted sin. "He that offereth an oblation is as if he offered swine's blood; and he that burneth incense, as if he blessed an idol." The nature must be renewed before the command can be rightly obeyed; for "a corrupt tree cannot bring forth good fruit." Whatever a man's performances are, they cannot be called obedience whilst the heart remaineth unregenerate, because the principle is false and unsound. Every duty done by a believer is accepted of God, as part of his obedience to the will of God, though it be done in much weakness; because, though the believer's hand is weak, his heart is right. The hypocrite may have the most active hand, but the believer hath the most faithful and sincere heart.

3. A man may obey the law and yet have no love to the law-giver. A carnal heart may do the commands of God, but he cannot love God, and therefore cannot do it aright, for love to God is the foundation and spring of all true obedience. Every command of God is to be done in love; this is the "fulfilling of the law." The Apostle saith, "Though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I give my body to be burned, (these seem to be the acts of the highest obedience,) yet if I have not love, it profiteth me nothing."

4. I might add that a man may be much in obedience from sinister and base, selfish ends: as the Pharisees prayed much, gave much alms, fasted much; but our Lord Christ tells us that "it was to be seen of men, and have glory of men." Most of the hypocrite's piety empties itself in vain glory; and therefore he is but an empty vine in all he does, because "he bringeth forth fruit to himself." It is the end that justifies the action; indeed a good end cannot make a bad action good, but yet the want of a good end makes a good action bad.

Now then, if a man may obey God partially, and by halves; if he may do it and yet be in his natural state; if he may obey the commands of God and not love God; if the ends of his obedience may be sinful and unwarrantable—then a man may be much in obeying the commands and yet be but almost a christian.—Mead's Almost Christian.