crites. If the latter, these articles of our Creed will only be fo many articles of our condemnation.

From which judgment and condemnation, may God deliver us all, for the Lord Jefus' fake. To whom be glory and majesty, dominion and power, both now and ever. Amen.

The grace of our Lord Jefus Chrift, and the love of God, and the fellowship of the Holy Ghost, be with you all evermore. Amen.

SERMON

THE FIRST AND GREAT COMMAND; OR, THE LOVE OF GOD.

AMANTISSIME Deus, fons omnis gratiæ, accende in me, per fpiritum tuum, puriffimam amoris tui flammam, ut fuper omnia te diligam; largire ut hoc amore impletus, e vivâ experientiâ alios doceam, ut et ego ipfe, et qui me audiunt, in tui imaginem magis magifque transformemur; propter perfectum amorem Redemptoris noftri. Amen.

MARK xii. 32, 33, 34.

AND THE SCRIBE SAID UNTO JESUS, WELL, MASTER, THOU HAST SAID THE TRUTH: FOR THERE IS ONE GOD; AND THERE IS NONE OTHER BUT HE: AND TO LOVE HIM WITH ALL THE HEART, AND WITH ALL THE UNDERSTANDING, AND WITH ALL THE SOUL, AND WITH ALL THE STRENGTH, AND TO LOVE HIS NEIGHBOUR AS HIMSELF, IS MORE THAN ALL WHOLE BURNT-OFFERINGS AND SACRIFICES. AND WHEN JESUS SAW THAT HE ANSWERED DISCREETLY, HE SAID UNTO HIM, THOU ART NOT FAR FROM THE KINGDOM OF GOD.a

MAKE choice of these words, as being the fame in effect which our Lord has elsewhere affirmed to be the fum and fubstance of the Law and the Prophets: that is,

• See Pfalm xcvii. 19. John xiv. 21, 23. Eph. iii. 17, 18. 1 John iv. 19. v. 3.

thefe

thefe are what all God's revelations to mankind are defigned to explain and enforce.

But then I the rather chose these words, as fpoken by a few, to fhew, that the Jewish and Chriftian religions do both aim at the very fame thing; and that fuch as were truly fpiritual, in all ages, knew very well, that all outward institutions, from the beginning, were only in order to promote the love of God, and of our Neighbour, amongst men.

For this is the meaning of the scribe's saying, that to love God with all the heart, and one's neighbour as himself, is more than whole burntofferings and facrifices; that is, the love of God, and of our neighbour, is a more indifpenfable duty than all the facrifices in the world. Not as if facrifices could have been neglected, having been appointed from the beginning, and without which there was no remiffion of fins, but we are hence to learn, that the end of all religion is to create, or to preserve, the love of God, and of our Neighbour, amongst men.

b

C

St. Paul ufes a way of speaking very like this, when he faith, Circumcifion is nothing; that is, it will not render a man more acceptable to God, unless it obligeth him to love God, and to keep his commandments.

St. Paul would not have us to conclude from these words, that a Jew under the law might at his pleasure have neglected to circumcife his

• Heb. ix. 22.

I Cor. vii. 19.

children;

children; for this was, by God's appointment, a vifible fin by which his church and people were distinguished from all others, and by that facrament fanctified to himself. It was a feal of the covenant that God made with Abraham and his feed, that he would be their God, and that they should neither have, nor love, any other God befides him. Circumcifion, therefore, was nothing; that is, it would not avail any of the feed of Abraham to have been circumcifed, unless he bound himself by that ordinance to love the Lord with all his heart.

St. Peter faith, in effect, the fame of baptifm: Baptifm (faith he) doth now fave us, or becomes a means of falvation; not the putting away of the filth of the flesh, not as it is an outward vifible fign, but (as it fuppofes) a good confcience enquiring of God, to know and to love him; or, as it obliges all who are baptifed to live according to the will of that God to whom they are dedicated in baptifm.

е

Laftly; St. Paul faith of preaching, Neither is he that planteth any thing, nor he that watereth; but (that is, in comparison of) God that giveth the increafe. Not that preaching and hearing are, under the gospel, indifferent things, which men may value or despise at their pleasure; the Spirit affuring us to the contrary, That fuch as will not hear cannot believe, and confequently cannot be faved. But this is what we are to learn from these words C I Cor. iii. 7.

1 Pet. iii. 21.

of

of the text, and from fuch like expreffions in holy fcripture; namely, that the end and defign of all outward ordinances in religion are, and ever were, to bring men to the knowledge and love of God, and of their neighbour; and that as, on one hand, outward institutions are not, at our peril, to be neglected or defpifed,-for that would be to defpife the means of grace, or the merciful provifion which God has ordained to make us happy;-neither, on the other hand, are they to be depended on as fufficient to falvation, unless they lead us to the love of God, and of our neighbour.

Thou art not far (faith Jesus Christ) from the kingdom of heaven; that is, thou haft a right apprehenfion of the meaning and defign of all religious duties, and you are in a fair way of becoming a Chriftian; for you confess that the love of God, and of your neighbour, is the end of all religion; and the Chriftian religion, of all others, will fooneft lead you to the love of God, and of your neighbour: You are not therefore far from the kingdom of heaven. For when you come to be a Chriftian, you will have the fame opinion of the outward duties of christianity, as you now have of the jewish facrifices; you will not depend upon them any farther than as they are means of obtaining a divine nature, of uniting the foul to God; or as they are expreffions of that love which men owe to God, and to their neighbour.

You