PREFACE.

THE history of the publication of the present volume, so far as it would be interesting to the reader, is as follows: it had its origin in a course of lectures, in the first place delivered to a congregation in the country; and subsequently, with considerable changes, to a town congregation. In both cases the request for publication was made, and, in the latter, the request coming almost simultaneously from several different quarters, and concurring, as it did, with other circumstances, rendered it probable that good might be effected by printing the lectures; but in preparing them for the press, it occurred to the author that a consecutive treatise on the ten commandments might prove more acceptable, and especially as it appeared, upon inquiry, that there was no work before the public which filled the ground attempted to be occupied by the present volume;

namely, the Christian sense of the Decalogue in its application to existing needs and questions. By far the larger portion of these lectures has consequently been re-written. Some unevenness of style and thought may, perhaps, be apparent wherever any part of the original is incorporated; this defect, it is believed, may in some measure be compensated for by the frequent personal applications also resulting from the form in which these lectures were originally composed. Many questions of the highest importance have been treated, it is hoped, at least in an earnest and reverent spirit. Numerous engagements have, indeed, prevented the attainment of the standard aimed at, yet no question has been avoided which seemed fairly to come within the scope of the book; and the author, having striven to do his best, "as of the ability which God giveth," earnestly prays that He will overrule all errors and imperfections, and grant success to this work in so far, and in so far only, as it may advance the glory of Christ and promote the edification of His Church.

CONTENTS.

PART I.

DUTY.

LECTURE I.-The Duty of Man.

A peculiar duty assigned to all of His creatures by God,
the fulfilment of which is their perfection.-Examples in the
heavenly bodies, plants, animals, strata of the earth, &c.—The
duty assigned to man differs from that of the unreasoning
creatures, in that he was created in the likeness of God, im-
mortal, and with the power of moral choice. In the Gospel
kingdom, man's special work is the recovery, by grace, of the
image of God in which he was created, and this, involving a
moral as well as spiritual change, is necessary as an education
for eternity. Thus the service of God, founded on the sur
render of the will and affections, through faith, to the indwelling
Spirit of Christ, becomes the whole duty of man.

LECTURE II.-The Whole Duty of Man.

Recapitulation.-Solomon's conclusion as to the duty of man

founded upon an experiment of life in all its aspects.-The

whole duty of man may be resolved into the fear of God and

keeping His commandments; because, 1st. The whole of man's

life-his business, amusements, family engagements, social and

political duties-is hallowed by the fear of God. 2nd. Things

which are in themselves indifferent are consecrated by a holy

motive. 3rd. Christ Jesus in His own person has sanctified

all common life to the uses of the spiritual life. 4th. All

common life, apart from religious motive, does end in moral

failure. Examples: In business life,-in science,—in our

amusements, in politics,-in the family relationship,-in the connexion of employers and employed,-in social life.Evil results of any partial view of man's duty.

LECTURE III.-Fear and Obedience the Duty of Man.

The frequent misinterpretation of the meaning of the fear and obedience due to God.-The fear of God which is the duty of man is not a slavish dread, but is the reverence of faith and love due from an imperfect, dependent creature towards a Being of infinite holiness and perfection-his Creator and Sustainer. Examples of this fear.-Source whence this fear springs.-Distinctive features of the fear which is the duty of man, and the fear which has torment.-The keeping of the commandment is not a mere abstaining from what is evil; for, although the laws of the decalogue take the negative form, we must infer from each of them the correlative duty, because Christ Jesus founds His religion on positive precepts; so that, in the Gospel, love is the fulfilling of the law;—which, however, does not annul the obligation of the moral law given in negative commandments, but establishes it.-Fear and obedience towards God are both demanded as the duty of man, not because there are two different lines of duty, but because each one is the complement of the other.

PART II.

DUTY TO GOD.

COMMANDMENT I. FIRST PART.

LECTURE IV.-Jehovah revealing Himself as the Lawyiver.

Recapitulation of Part I.—God's moral law ever substantially the same, but revealed to man in accordance with his spiritual and temporal condition. In the first commandment Jehovah reveals Himself to the Israelites as the Lawgiver Who had redeemed them from Egypt-to Christians as God in Christ, the Reconciler, fulfilling the law. The Jewish aspect only of the commandment treated in this lecture.-God at Sinai revealed Himself by a voice from heaven, and thereby