child, it is common to say, that his heart is bound up in that child. Though mankind may sincerely and properly love one another, without loving one another supremely, yet they cannot love God properly and sincerely, without loving him supremely. To love God for what he is in himself, necessarily implies loving him above all other objects. He is the supreme being; he possesses supreme natural and moral excellencies; and to love him for these, is to love him supremely. A man may love God for his favors, while he loves himself and other objects more than God; but he cannot love God for his superlative moral excellence, while he loves himself, or any other object more than his creator. The scripture always represents true love to God as supreme. God says to every man, "Thou shalt have no other gods before me," which is virtually saying, "Thou shalt suffer no object, but myself, to take the supreme place in your heart." The first and great command to every man is, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart;" which is tantamount to saying, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God supremely. The divine Savior requires supreme love to himself. "He that loveth father or mother more than me; and he that loveth son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me." And the apostle John represents true love to God as supreme. "Love not the world, neither the things that are in the world: If any man love the world, the love of the Father is not in him." His obvious meaning is, that there can be no true love to God, but what is supreme. If we admit scripture to explain scripture, we must conclude, that the command in the text requires supreme love to God. To give God the heart cannot

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signify any thing less, than loving him and loving him supremely for what he is in himself. The paternal precept in the text, "My son, give me thine heart," requires all the children of men to love God with a sincere, constant and supreme affection. I now proceed to show,

II. The reasonableness of complying with this divine injunction. Here let us consider,

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1. That we are the offspring of God. made us and not we ourselves. He is the our spirits and the former of our bodies. made us wiser than the beasts of the field and the fowls of heaven. His inspiration has given us understanding. powers We have derived all our rational and immortal from him; and by his constant visitation we are preserved in existence. There is no other being on whom we are so absolutely dependent; and there is no other being, who has such an absolute propriety in us.These are plain and obvious reasons for his requiring, "If I and for our giving him, our hearts. He says, am a father, where is mine honor? and if I am a master, where is my fear?" If he be our kind and almighty Father, we ought to feel like children towards him and give him the supreme affection of our hearts. We esteem our existence as infinitely valuable. We would not exchange our rational and immortal spirits for the whole material creation. But whatever we have, that is rational, that is immortal, that is either naturally or morally excellent, we have received from him. Indeed, we have nothing, but what we have received from him. Our capacity of knowing his existence, of discerning his moral excellence and of loving his great and amiable character, we have received from him;

yea, our capacity of loving and enjoying any thing, we have received from his infinite fulness. Nothing, therefore, can be more reasonable in the nature of things, than to love our maker in whom we live and move and have our being, with supreme affection.

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2. God is in himself infinitely worthy of the supreme love of all mankind. He is possessed of every great and amiable attribute. He is self-existent and independent. He has always existed and will always exist. His power is unlimited and he can do every thing, that can be done. He has made and constantly upholds all things, by the word of his power. The heavens and the earth and the whole creation are lighter in his hands, than a feather in ours. His understanding is infinite and surveys all things in all their relations and connections constantly and perfectly. presence surrounds all creatures and fills all places.He is an absolute sovereign, whose hand none can stay, and whose will none can control. He is infinitely greater than any and all created intelligencies. All his creatures are as nothing and less than nothing and vanity in comparison with his unlimited and immense existence. These natural perfections of God are inseparably connected with his pure and universal benevolence. God is love. He regards all his creatures from the highest to the lowest, with a tender and benevolent heart. He is good unto all and his tender mercies are over all his works. His love is entirely disinterested and never degenerates into partiality, injustice, malevolence, or any other unholy affection. most discerning eyes of men and of angels never have discovered and never will discover the least deformity, or imperfection in his moral character. Our Father,

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who is in heaven, is supremely excellent in all his natural and moral attributes. It is therefore in the highest degree reasonable, that we should give him the supreme place in our hearts. The intrinsic and supreme excellence of the moral character of God, is the highest possible reason, why we should love him supremely.

3. The conduct, as well as the character of God, renders it altogether reasonable, that we should give him our hearts. He has done more for us, than for any other of his rational creatures. He has exercised his absolute sovereignty in mercy to his sinful and illdeserving creatures on earth. Here he has done his most marvellous works and bestowed his most rich and

distinguishing favors. For, he has given his Son to die, to redeem us from the wrath to come. To the meanest and vilest of mankind, he has made the gracious offer of eternal life. Some of his most inveterate enemies he has turned into friends and made them meet for the inheritance of the saints in light. And he is still carrying on his great and merciful design of redeeming love, from day to day, as well as from age to age; and bringing home many sons to glory. The operations of his grace towards the sinful children of men, excite the admiration and joy of all the heavenly hosts. How reasonable is it, then, that we should give our hearts to God, who has set his heart upon us and done as much as it is morally possible for him to do for our everlasting good? God loveth our world, and is constantly displaying the wonders of his grace before our eyes. We have, therefore, not only the strongest, but the most distinguishing and endearing reasons to love him supremely and ardently.

4. It is reasonable, that men should give God the supreme affection of their hearts, because it will afford

them the highest happiness, that they are capable of enjoying. All permanent happiness flows from love. None can enjoy true happiness without placing their supreme affections upon some agreeable object; and that object, which stands highest in their affections, must afford them their highest felicity. Those, who love the world supremely, derive their highest happiness from the world they love. This is evident from universal observation. How often do we see worldly minded men become immediately wretched, by losing the things of the world, which they once loved and possessed ? Rational creatures always find their highest happiness in the object, in which their hearts are bound up. The natural and irresistible conclusion is, that men must give their hearts to God, the greatest and best of beings, in order to enjoy the highest happiness. So long as their affections are alienated from him, a realizing sense of his character and perfections, must fill their minds with the most fearful apprehensions.But as soon as they love him supremely, they will find that peace, which passeth all understanding.— David acknowledges before God, that he found complete satisfaction in the love and enjoyment of him. "Whom have I in heaven but thee? and there is none on earth that I desire besides thee." Whoever loves God supremely enjoys a blessed union and communion with him, which is a source of the purest and highest enjoyment." He, that dwelleth in love dwelleth in God; and God in him." The only possible way to enjoy such a blessed union and communion with God, is to love him supremely; and this is a just and powerful reason, why we should give our whole hearts to him. I must add,