any man is of this, the more he must love God. For this very reason, every faithful Christian loves the Lord Jesus Christ with all his heart and soul: being persuaded that Jesus Christ has redeemed him from the greatest misery, and purchased for him the greatest good; that therefore he must 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 Jesus Christ, let him be anathema; let him be cut off from all hopes of mercy; which he would not have said, 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 most 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 souls; that is, equal with God, which would be, abominable idolatry. But to proceed:-The second command forbids the making of any image to represent God, lest men should entertain mean thoughts of God, and imagine that he is like any thing in nature, and so love him less than he ought to be loved. The third command aims at the same thing; to preserve, and to increase, the respect 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. 1 Cor. xvi. 22. And lest people should think nothing of words, which are forgotten as soon almost as spoken, God declares, that he will certainly punish such sinners 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. Lastly; The fourth command aims at the same thing; to secure, and to promote, the love of God in the world. For God has separated 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 such, to hear his holy word, to exhort and to provoke others to love and to good works. Thus you see, that the first table of the law, its great design, is, to promote the love of God amongst men, And for the second table, the apostle saith expressly,* That love is the fulfilling of the law, relating to our neighbour. For these commandments of the second table, -Thou shalt not commit adultery;-Thou shalt not kill;-Thou shalt not steal;-Thou shalt not bear false witness;—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 short; the love of God and of our Neighbour was the end of the law. Such as had any * Rom. xiii. 8. right apprehensions of religion (you see) understood it so; while such as were carnal, per- ́ verted the design of the law, and the very law itself. They looked upon circumcision and sacrifices, and other ordinances of the law, as things in themselves acceptable to God, and as sufficient expressions 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 Christ 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 spiritual meaning of the law, and the design of all true religion:-and this is what, by the blessing of God, I am going to explain to you, by shewing you, 1st. What is meant by the love of God. 3dly. What will be the certain effects and fruits of loving God with all our hearts. After which we will consider the other branch of charity, the love we owe to our neighbour. 1. We will first inquire, What is meant by the command of loving God with all our hearts. Now, love is a natural passion. If we see 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 uneasy when we are forced to it. In short, our hearts are united to it, and our happiness depends upon it. We had need therefore to be very careful, that what we set our hearts upon be in truth worthy of our love, or else we are sure to be miserable at the last. And this is the true reason why the love of God is made our first and great duty, because God only can make us happy. We may fancy that pleasures, or riches, or honours, or a thousand things beside, 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 pleasure they afford cannot last always; but a too great fondness for them will always be followed by fearful apprehensions of a future account, and a comfortless end, if not bitterly repented of. Well then, since we are but too apt to love where we should not-to love what will but make us miserable; our merciful God has been pleased to direct us where to place our first love, even upon God himself, which no man ever repented of. For being infinitely worthy of our love, both as he is the fountain of all goodness, and as he is good to every particular man; who ever considers this attentively cannot but love him. It is for this reason that St. John saith, He that loveth not, knoweth not God; intimating, that the love of God is the necessary effect of the knowledge of God. Men fancy that they know what God is, though they have never seriously considered in what he excels all other beings; and so their love, like their knowledge, is very scant and unworthy of God. They do not consider that God is everlasting; and that nothing is so that we are apt to doat on. They do not consider, that God is almighty, and that he can do abundantly more for us than we can ask or think. They do not consider his infinite goodness, of which every creature in heaven and on earth is a sharer. They do not consider the favours they have received from God, the happiness he has promised them, nor the blessings they hope for. In short; if men do not love God, it is because they do not know him, they do not think of him. But what is it to love him with all our heart and soul? Why? it is to have the highest esteem for him; it is to love him above all other things; it is to love nothing that we know he does not love; it is to delight in knowing his pleasure, and to be pleased with what we know will please him; it is to think ourselves happy in having his word for our guide, his providence for our security, his goodness for our dependence; it is to be jealous of his honour, to pray that his kingdom and authority may be established in the earth, and that his name may every where be adored; it is to suffer any thing for his sake, rather than displease him; it is to be, with pleasure, whatever he would have us to be. Gracious God! if this were our case, how happy should we be! How easy would love make his yoke! We should obey him with pleasure; and we should despise all the little baits, which ever now and then would draw our hearts from God. We should run with patience the race that is set before us, being assured of his care now, and of his favour hereafter. 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