voided unless the contrary virtues enjoined by it are performed. This thews the infufficiency of negative Lolincis: for we must not only not do what the law forbids, but perform what it requires; otherwife no obedience is given to it at all.

4. Under one fin or duty all of the fame kind are forbidden and commanded. For instance, when the Lord forbids us to kill, he forbids alfo to beat and wound our neighbour; and all envy, malice, and re venge are forbidden at the fame time. When he forbids to commit adultery, he forbids also inceft, forni cation, and all unclean imaginations, thoughts, purpofes, and affections. When he forbids to fteal, he forbids rapine, robbery, and all deceitful dealing by falle weights and unjuft meafures. On the other hand, when the Lord commands to have no other God but himfelf, he commands us to love him, to re verence, worship, and adore him. When he com mands us to remember the fabbath-day, to keep it ho ly, he commands us to make confcience of the duties of his worship and fervice. When he commands us to love our neighbour, he commands us to do all the good offices unto him which are in our power to per form. And when any fin is forbidden, all means and things leading thereto are forbidden. And fo gros actions are named, not to pass over leffer ones, but to make them more abominable, while we fee how God looks on them, giving them fuch grofs names.

5. The prohibition of the effect includes alfo the prohibition of the caufe, from which the effect flows. For inftance, when the Lord forbids the profanation of the fabbath, he forbids alfo all thofe works by which the fabbath may be profaned. When he for bids uncleanness, he forbids intemperance, drunken nefs, gluttony, and whatever may incite thereunto. When he forbids us to kill, he forbids anger and wrath, malice and revenge, from which bloodshed does oft-times proceed. On the other hand, when the law requires chastity, it enjoins alfo temperance and

fobriety, and diligence in thofe particular callings, wherein God has placed men in the world, their being means and helps thereunto, and the fource as it were from whence they proceed.

6. The precepts in the fecond table of the law muft yield to thofe of the firft, when they cannot be both performed together. For instance, Our love to our neighbour must be fubjected to our love to God; yea, we are commanded to hate father and mother for Chrift, Luke xiv. 26. When our love to our parents and relations comes in competition with our love to Chrift, and is inconfiftent with it, then we are not bound unto it: and when the commands of men run crofs to the commands of God, then God is to be obeyed rather than men, as the apoftles fhew, Acts

iv. 19.

7. Whatever God forbids in his law is at no time lawful to be done; and whatever he commands is always our duty. Therefore it is faid, Deut. iv. 9. Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy foul diligently, left thou forget the things which thine eyes have feen, and left they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life. Yet every particular duty is not to be done at all times for there are many duties enjoined us which fuppofe certain conditions; and if these be wanting, there is no place for the performance of the duties. For inftance, we are commanded to honour our parents; but this fuppofeth they are alive or present with us, or else there can be no place for that duty. But whatever vices are forbidden in God's law, they are at no time lawful to be done. The negative precepts bind us always and at all times. We are continually to fhun and avoid every thing that is evil.

8. Whatever is forbidden or commanded with refpect to ourselves, we are bound according to our places and ftations to endeavour that it may be avoided or performed by others, according to the duty of their places. Hence it is faid, Exod. xx. 10. The feventh day is the fabbath of the Lord thy God: in it thou shalt not

do any work, thou, nor thy son, nor thy thy fon, nor thy daughter, thy man-fervant, nor thy maid fervant, &c.

I fhall conclude with a few practical inferences from this fubject.

Inf. 1. This doctrine lets us fee that the rule of man's obedience is not wrapt up in darkness and fhades, is not ambiguous, or hard to be understood. The rule is not far-fetched, and to be found out by hard ftudy and laborious inquiry. No; it is plain and obvious to the common fenfe and reafon of mankind, It is contained in ten plain words, and explained and illuftrated in every book of the Bible. Nay, it is in fome measure written on the hearts of all men; every fon and daughter of Adam has fome remains of it written on their hearts, which all the boisterous and dafhing waves of corruption have never been able to efface. We may fay of it, as the apoftle does of the gofpel, The rule of thy obedience, O man, is nigh thee, even in thy heart and in thy mouth. So that it is in vain to pretend ignorance of this rule. All pretences of ignorance in this matter are mere affectation, and most unaccountable.

2. What matter of regret is it, that in a land of light, where the Bible is, which contains in it this rule of obedience, and enforces it with the ftrongest mo tives, people fhould be fo ignorant of what it is fo much their intereft and advantage to know! They are wofully ignorant of both the law of God, and the fpirituality and extent thereof; and pay no manner of refpect to it in their heart or practice.

3. The law is perfect, and requires a full conformi ty thereto. It requires the utmost perfection in every duty, and forbids the leaft degree of every fin. So that life and falvation are abfolutely unattainable by it, in regard no man can perform fuch an obedience to it as it requires. Our falvation is fufpended on o bedience to the law; which fince we cannot perform, let us be induced to betake ourfelves to the obedience

and fatisfaction of Chrift, by which the law is magnified and made honourable, and with which God is well pleafed; and will be pleafed with every finner that takes the benefit thereof.

4. The commandment is exceeding broad, reaching to every motion, defire, and affection of the heart, as well as to every action we perform. It is a rule both for our hearts and our lives. Let us then study to know this holy law of God in its fpirituality and extent, and yield that obedience to it which it requires; fincere, flowing from right principles in the heart, and directed to right ends; univerfal, in refpect of parts, without mincing; chearful, in regard of the manner; and conftant and perpetual, as to the duration. And the Lord give us understanding in all things, to know and do our duty, to the glory of his name.

Love to God and our Neighbour the Sum of the ten Commandments.

MATTHEW Xxii. 37. 38. 39.

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy foul, and with all thy mind. This is the first and great commandment. And the fecond is like unto it, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

MARK Xii. 30.

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God, with all thy strength.

T

If

HIS is an answer made by our Lord to a captious queftion put to him by a learned fcribe. Chrift had pitched on any particular command of the ten, the lawyer, for fo the querift is called, would certainly have excepted in fome other, and accused him of vilifying fome other commands; but Chrift gives the fummary of both tables of the law, yea of the whole fcriptures touching a holy life: Thou shalt

love the Lord thy God, &c. In which words may be noticed,

1. The fum of the firft table of the law; that is, love to the Lord, and that fuch love as is fuperior and tranfcendent; fuch love as gives the whole man to the Lord, with all the ftrength of all the powers of foul and body.

2. The fum of the fecond table; that is, love to our neighbour; and that fuch love as we bear to ourselves, (but not as to God), fincere and conftant.

3. Chrift compares the two together, fhewing that love to God is the command firft to be looked unto, and by which the other is to be regulated, whether as to the loving ourfelves or our neighbour. The fecond is like unto it, as having the fame authority, and muft be joined with the firft, and is the fountain of acceptable obedience to the fecond-table commands, as the firft is the true fpring of acceptable obedience to the firft-table duties.

4. He fhews the whole law and the doctrine of the prophets touching holiness to depend on these as the fum of all.

The doctrine arifing from the words, is,

DOCT. "The fum of the ten commandments is, to "love the Lord our God with all our heart, with all "our foul, with all our ftrength, and with all our "mind; and our neighbour as ourfelves." The fum of all the commands (ye fee) is love. So the ten com. mandments are, the law of love; they are a law that is chiefly converfant about the heart, which is the feat of love. The fcope of them is to unite men to God and to one another; for there is no fuch cement of hearts as holiness.

The text and doctrine confifts of two parts. 1. The fum of the first table of the law is love to God. 2. The fum of the fecond is love to our neighbour.

I. The fum of the firft table of the law is love to God.