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plain of want of improvement under the exercise of religious duties and want of a fervent zeal and love toward God; only because they want warmth and affection in the performance of their duty, which duty they nevertheless do perform sincerely and carefully; then there is no just ground for trouble of mind upon that account: but they must be taught to comfort themselves by considering, that the different degrees of affection, with which different persons serve God, depend much more upon the accidental difference of their constitution of body, than it is any true measure of the goodness of their minds; that in one and the same person there will unavoidably be different degrees of affection at different times according to the present temper of his body, the order or disorder of his spirits, the natural passions and commotions of his mind, without any real change in his moral dispositions; and that no man can at all times keep up an equal vigour of mind. Or, if after his best endeavours in the course of a virtuous life, he cannot yet find in himself that passionate love of the supreme Good, which he finds some writers have described in an unintelligible manner; this is no just ground of uncasiness at all; for whoever sincerely obeys the commandments of God, in the course of a virtuous and religious life, needs no other mark or proof of his love toward him. Or, if it be an apprehension that possibly they may be excluded from mercy by some positive decree and fore appointment of God; this is absolutely contrary to all our natural notions of the divine attributes, to conceive that the infinitely merciful and good God should for his own pleasure, and not for any wickedness of theirs, eternally decree any of his creatures to be miserable. Neither in scripture indeed is there any foundation for any such apprehension, whatever there may be in the writings of some unskilful interpreters. Nor can there be any just reason of despair even to those, whose minds are troubled at the remembrance of past sins; for though these are, and ought to be such a trouble of mind, as nothing but effectual repentance and amendment can remove; yet, when amendment has really taken place, then the sorrow for what is past may reasonably be relieved

by the assurance of pardon. For, though the great and principal promise of pardon is made indeed to unbelievers, at their conversion and being baptized; yet there is also sufficient encouragement given, even to relapsing sinners, to repent. The despair then we condemn is a disorder which consists in a settled rooted persuasion, that we shall never obtain mercy, let us do whatever we can ; for it is no temper or state of mind worthy of blame, to despair of mercy while we continue in sin. But

The hope we have in God through Christ Jesus is a remedy against this sin: for, as by despair the devil would persuade a sinner he can never obtain mercy; so God does give a certain hope of eternal glory to all that will seek for mercy by sincere repentance and obedience through Jesus Christ. How then can a rational creature give up his reason so far, as to give himself up for lost, when the God that made him, and is to reward or punish him, doth promise his mercy to as many as will change their evil course of life, and walk in his ways? Yet, we must not stop here: for,

IV. A third duty to God is LovE. Now to love God, is to possess our minds with such a due sense and estimation of the excellencics and perfections which are in the divine nature, as may make us look upon God as our chief good; make choice of him as the only proper object of our happiness; and prefer his cause and interest before any thing else that may come in competition with it. Therefore our Saviour expresly declares it, as the first and great commandment, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, with all thy soul, and with all thy strength, and with all thy mind; that is, we are to serve God with all those faculties which he has given us: not that the love of God is to be exclusive of all other loves; but of all other rival affections; that, whenever the love of God and that of the world come in competition, the former undoubtedly ought to take place of the latter. To love the Lord with all our heart, signifies to love him with all sincerity, with an undissembled affection. To love God is not merely to do what he commands; but it is to do it, because he commands it. To love God with all our soul, signifies to serve

him with the whole soul, with an unreserved obedience. God is not to share a divided affection in our breast, an affection divided between piety and sin; but he is to reign unrivalled by any darling vice. To love God then with all our soul, is the same as to have respect unto all his commandments. To love the Lord with all our strength, is to put forth the active powers of the soul in loving and serving him. It is to rouse ourselves from all supineness and listless idleness. It is to quicken the wheels and springs of action, -that moved heavily before. It is to do well, without being weary of welldoing. It is to lay out our endeavours, that we may have a competent sense to discern, a sincere inclination to embrace, and a steady resolution to hold fast, what is best and most pleasing to the Deity. In fine,

We must love God sincerely and affectionately; we must desire to please him, and to perform his will; we must desire to be made acceptable to him, and to become partakers of his favour and rewards, rather than of the unreasonable pleasures of unrighteousness; because all the reasons for the loving any object or thing in the world do more forcibly

recommend us to the love of God. He is in himself most excellent, fit to be our chief happiness, and hath actually shown himself our best friend: he has annexed a present as well as a future reward to a good life; and has so interwoven our duty and happiness together, that while we are discharging our obligations to the one, we are at the same time making provision for the other: upon all which accounts our best love is due to him.

His goodness and excellency tarnish all the beauty and excellence of creatures; there is none good, but one, that is God: because he is good in such a sense, as none can be acknowledged good beside. He alone is perfectly, originally, necessarily, and unchangeably good: he has every excellence in the highest degree; almighty power, unerring wisdom, infinite goodness, unblemished truth, spotless holiness; every thing fit to raise the wonder, and engage the delight of men and angels; and his glory shines out in the works of creation and providence. Power and wisdom may.command dread and admiration; yet nothing but goodness can

challenge our love and affection. He gave us our beings, and in the whole course of our lives his goodness prevents numberless evils from falling upon us; which, with all our reason and understanding, we could by no means either prevent or avoid. And when we were fallen from that happiness, for which, at first, we were designed, he was pleased to restore us to a new capacity of it by sending his only Son into the world to die for us; the benefits of whose death and passion no man can lose but by his own fault. He has endued us with reason and natural conscience to distinguish between good and evil; and to forewarn us of the certainty of a future judgment. He has confirmed this natural conscience with the additional help of an express revelation: and, that sinners may, if possible, be brought to repentance, he, with much longsuffering and forbearance, defers their punishment; and, if they do repent, he forgives and pardons them, as a father receives a returning child. Again, we cannot but love him, who is good, and does us good.

And if God vouchsafes to love us, we must also show our ove of him, by first desiring to please him; and also by a desire to enjoy him. For the first token of any one's love is the doing what is thought most acceptable to the person loved so that a true love of God will show itself first in keeping his commandments; for that is its description by St. John: and where this token is wanted, there can be no love of God. So that, if any one continues in a wilful breach of many, nay but of any one command of his, he is deceived in thinking that the love of God abideth in him. Because, as the excellency and kindness of God is most transcendant, so our love of him must be most fervent, and preferable to every other thing. If our love of God be sincere, we shall entertain high and admiring thoughts of him, according to those discoveries, which he hath made of himself: we shall reverence him as the most perfect being; and give him the glory of his excellencies, as we turn our thoughts either to the works of nature in our creation, or to the wonders of grace in our redemption, or to the prospect of glory in the world to

come. If we act in concert with that Being, whose tender mercy is over all his works, by showing mercy, as far as we can, in all ours: if we conscientiously endeavour to discharge all the duties he has enjoined us, without reluctance; and to submit to all his dispensations, without murmuring: if we address ourselves to him with that holy fear, which awes the turbulent passions into composure; but does not depress the spirit, or beget an abject and unmanly way of thinking: if we, who ought to look up to him with reverence as the great judge and lawgiver of the universe, chiefly delight to consider him under the endearing characters of a creator, redeemer, preserver, and benefactor : if we, before we compose ourselves to sleep, recommend ourselves to his almighty care, who neither slumbers nor sleeps: if we, as soon as we rise, recommend ourselves to his superintendency, who makes his sun to rise upon the just and unjust; humbly desiring, that, as that sun dispels the darkness and unwholesome vapours of the night; so he, the great sun of righteousness, who arose with healing in his wings, would drive us from all evil, whether of mind, body, or estate: if we commit all our concerns in general to his providence and fatherly goodness; and, upon every extraordinary emergency, make a more particular application to him for his direction, who never faileth them that seek him if we do these, undoubtedly they are the genuine tests, and significant expressions of an undissembled love to God; and they will procure for us the blessed effects of that infinite love, which being stronger than death, disarmed death of its sting, and the grave of its victory. And such a soul will say, I see that God alone can be my portion; in his favour is my life; without that, though I had all the world, I should be destitute and miserable. This love arises from the sense of benefits received: it is like the filial love of a dutiful child to a tender and indulgent parent, upon a review of his care and kindness, in preserving him, providing for him, doing him all the good that lies in his power; which engages him to study to requite his parents in the best manner he can. Such is the love of God found in a pious soul. And therefore,

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