You will fay, for inftance, that to love God with all the heart, with all the understanding, with all the foul and strength, and to love his neighbour as himself, (that is, to deal with him with justice and charity) is more than alms, than fafting, than prayers, or than any other outward duties of chriftianity. Not that you will dare to omit or flight these, fince they are appointed by God for attaining that love which of all things is most acceptable to him. But then you will not reft in thefe, as if they were any farther well-pleafing to God, than as they are the most proper methods of restoring us to the image of God, in which we were at firft created; that is, in leading us the very shortest way to the love of God and of our neighbour, which, as was faid before, is the very end and design of the chriftian religion, as you acknowledge it was of the jewifh; for you fay with truth and difcretion, That to love the Lord God with all the heart and foul, and one's neighbour as himself, is more than whole burnt-offerings and facrifices.

And this is the reason why these are by our Lord called the two great commands; namely, because all the reft of God's commands were given in order to create and preferve the love of God, and of our neighbour.

The first command (for instance) forbids us to place our happiness, our dependance, any where but on God; for if we once believe that any thing can make us more happy than

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he that made us, we cannot but love that thing better than God.

For this reafon the fcriptures call a covetous man an idolator, becaufe fuch a man looks upon riches as fufficient to procure him the greatest comfort; he defires them, he depends upon them, he loves them, above all things.

The holy fcriptures fay the fame of the glutton, that he makes his belly his god; that is, he thinks of it, he loves it, with all his heart.

That our minds, therefore, may not be carried away from God, this command obliges us to look upon him as the author of all the good that ever we had, or can enjoy; and the more perfuaded any man is of this, the more he must love God.

For this very reason, every faithful Christian loves the Lord Jefus Chrift with all his heart and foul: being perfuaded that Jefus Chrift has redeemed him from the greatest mifery, and purchafed for him the greatest good; that therefore he muft love him as his Lord and God, who, by redeeming us, has made us capable of eternal happiness, which by nature we have no pretence to. Well therefore might the apostle say,' If any man love not the Lord Jefus Chrift, let him be anathema; let him be cut off from all hopes of mercy; which he would not have faid, and have taught us to have robbed God of his honour, but that he knew very well that none but God could redeem us: for if the moft excellent creature

that God has made could have redeemed us, we should have been bound to have loved that creature with all the powers of our fouls; that is, equal with God, which would be abominable idolatry.

But to proceed:-The fecond command forbids the making of any image to reprefent God, left men should entertain mean thoughts of God, and imagine that he is like any thing in nature, and fo love him less than he ought to be loved.

The third command aims at the fame thing; to preserve, and to increase, the refpect due to God. For we are forbidden even to speak of God but after the most serious and worthy manner; that both we ourselves, and all that hear us, may be led to love and reverence that great and glorious name THE LORD OF HOSTS. And left people fhould think nothing of words, which are forgotten as foon almost as fpoken, God declares, that he will certainly punish such finners who speak lightly of him, as if he were an idol, which did not hear, or could not punish, those that speak of him with contempt; who do not respect him themselves, and who teach others not to love him.

Laftly; The fourth command aims at the fame thing; to fecure, and to promote, the love of God in the world. For God has feparated one day in every week, and bound all that own him for their God to keep it holy,not to do their worldly business on that day;

but to remember that God is their creator and redeemer, to adore him as fuch, to hear his holy word, to exhort and to provoke others to love and to good works.

Thus you fee, that the firft table of the law, its great defign, is, to promote the love of God amongst men. And for the fecond table, the apostle faith expressly," That love is the fulfilling of the law, relating to our neighbour. For these commandments of the fecond table,-Thou shalt not commit adultery;— Thou shalt not kill;-Thou shalt not steal;-Thou fhalt not bear falfe witnefs;-Thou shalt not covet;

-all aim at this; to oblige us to love our neighbour, as ourselves, by forbidding us to do him, any hurt and obliging us to do him good, when it is in our power.

In fhort; the love of God and of our Neighbour was the end of the law. Such as had any right apprehenfions of religion (you fee) understood it fo; while fuch as were carnal perverted the defign of the law, and the very law itself. They looked They looked upon circumcifion

and facrifices, and other ordinances of the law, as things in themselves acceptable to God, and as fufficient expreffions of their love to God: they acknowledged it their duty to love their neighbour; but then they called nobody their neighbour but those of their own race and faith.

Our Lord Chrift has given us a better notion of charity-of the love we owe to God,

and to our neighbour; that is, he has given us the true fpiritual meaning of the law, and the defign of all true religion:-and this is what, by the bleffing of God, I am going to explain to you, by fhewing you,

1. What is meant by the love of God.
2dly. How it must be obtained.

3dly. What will be the certain effects and fruits of loving God with all our hearts.

After which we will confider the other branch of charity, the love we owe to our Neighbour.

I. We will first enquire, What is meant by the command of loving God with all our hearts. Now, love is a natural paffion. If we fee any thing which we think worthy of our love, we are immediately fond of it, we are unwilling to part with it, we are very uneafy when we are forced to it. In fhort, our hearts are united to it, and our happiness depends upon it. We had need therefore to be very careful, that what we fet our hearts upon be in truth worthy of our love, or else we are sure to be miferable at the laft. And this is the true reason why the love of God is made our firft and great duty, because God only can make us happy.

We may fancy that pleasures, or riches, or honours, or a thousand things befide, would make us happy, if we had them; but the experience of all the world may convince us, that all these are vanity and vexation of Spirit:

the