Further, The things of Gods Law are great in Gods esteem; §7they are great because the great God thinks them so: That is to be accounted great that the most judicious and wise men in the world judg so to be; indeed that which a child thinks to be a great thing is no great thing, a child may think a bauble to be a great thing; so we may think things great indeed, we think the things of the world are great; for a man to have an estate, it's a great matter; to have riches, and honours, and to be some-body in the world, we think these to be great things; But what are these in Gods eyes? God despises all these things: But that which the great God will think to be a great thing, certainly that's great indeed. Now mark what a high esteem God hath of his Word in that place where Christ saith,1 Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but not one jot or tittle of my Word shall pass away. As if Christ should say, The Lord will rather withdraw his power from the upholding of Heaven and Earth, than from making good any one jot or tittle of his Law; you may think it a little matter to break Gods Law, but God thinks it a great matter, and God would have us to make a great matter of every thing that is written in Gods Law. I am the willinger to enlarge my self in this, because I know it is the ground of all the wickedness in mens hearts and lives, because they look upon the Law as a little matter, well though they dare sin against Gods Law for the getting of a groat or six pence, but God saith I will rather lose Heaven and Earth than one jot or tittle of ⟨p. 100⟩my Law shall fall, and he will make it appear one day that the things of his Law are great things,2 in Isa. 42. 21. He will magnify the Law and make it honourable. You may vilify it; a company of wanton spirits we have that consider not what they say, or what they do, running away with the very word of the Law, they think to vilify it, What have we to do with the Law?3 and under that word (not understanding what they mean) they think to cast a vile esteem upon the Law; let them do what they will, yet God will magnify his Law; and as it is great in the thoughts of God, so it is and shall be for ever great in the thoughts of the Saints, the Lord will have his people to the end of the world have high thoughts of his Law;
Further, The things of Gods Law are great in Gods esteem; §7they are great because the great God thinks them so: That is to be accounted great that the most judicious and wise men in the world judg so to be; indeed that which a child thinks to be a great thing is no great thing, a child may think a bauble to be a great thing; so we may think things great indeed, we think the things of the world are great; for a man to have an estate, it's a great matter; to have riches, and honors, and to be some-body in the world, we think these to be great things; But what are these in Gods eyes? God despises all these things: But that which the great God will think to be a great thing, certainly that's great indeed. Now mark what a high esteem God hath of his Word in that place where Christ saith,1 Heaven and Earth shall pass away, but not one jot or tittle of my Word shall pass away. As if Christ should say, The Lord will rather withdraw his power from the upholding of Heaven and Earth, than from making good any one jot or tittle of his Law; you may think it a little matter to break Gods Law, but God thinks it a great matter, and God would have us to make a great matter of every thing that is written in Gods Law. I am the willinger to enlarge my self in this, because I know it is the ground of all the wickedness in mens hearts and lives, because they look upon the Law as a little matter, well though they dare sin against Gods Law for the getting of a groat or six pence, but God saith I will rather lose Heaven and Earth than one jot or tittle of ⟨p. 100⟩my Law shall fall, and he will make it appear one day that the things of his Law are great things,2 in Isa. 42. 21. He will magnifie the Law and make it honorable. You may vilifie it; a company of wanton spirits we have that consider not what they say, or what they do, running away with the very word of the Law, they think to vilifie it, What have we to do with the Law?3 and under that word (not understanding what they mean) they think to cast a vile esteem upon the Law; let them do what they will, yet God will magnifie his Law; and as it is great in the thoughts of God, so it is and shall be for ever great in the thoughts of the Saints, the Lord will have his people to the end of the world have high thoughts of his Law;
- 1Mat. 5. 18 explained.
- 2Isa. 42. 21 noted.
- 3Contemners of the Law Antinomians
