Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart, and with all thy Soul, and with all thy Mind, and with all thy Strength, This is the First Command

ment.

I

T is the improved Ability of the Head, SER. XV. that forms the Philofopher: But 'tis

the right Difpofition of the Heart,

that chiefly makes the Chriftian. 'Tis our Love directed to that Being, who is moft worthy of it; as the Center, in which all Excellencies unite; and the Source from which all Bleffings proceed.

Love is the fulfilling of the Law. 'Tis not the mere Action that is valuable in itfelf, 'Tis the Love, from which it pro

ceeds,

SER. XV. ceeds, that ftamps a Value upon it, and gives an endearing Charm and Beauty to it. When a fervile Fear engroffes the whole Man, it locks up all the active Powers of the Soul, it cramps the Abilities, and is rather a Preservative against Sin, than an Incentive to Virtue. But Love quickens our Endeavours, and emboldens our Refolutions to please the Object beloved; and the more amiable Ideas we entertain of our Mafter, the more chearful, liberal, and animated the Service, that we render him, will confequently be.

Upon Love therefore the Scriptures have juftly laid the greatest Stress, that Love, which will give Life and Spirit to our Performances. Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart, and with all thy Soul, and with all thy Mind, and with all thy Strength. This is the Firft Commandment.

In difcourfing on which Words I fhall

It, Inquire into the Nature and Foundation of our Love to God.

IIdly, I fhall endeavour to state the Meafure and Degree of it.

IIIdly,

IIIdly, I fhall examine, how far the SER. XV. Fear of the Deity is confiftent with the Love of him.

Ist, I fhall enquire into the Nature and Foundation of our Love to the Deity.

The Love of God may be defined a fixed, habitual, and grateful Regard to the Deity, founded upon a Sense of his Goodness, and expreffing itself in a fincere Defire to do whatever is agreeable, and avoid whatever is offenfive, to Him.

The Procefs of the Mind I take to be this. The Mind confiders, that Goodness is every where ftamped upon the Creation, and appears in the Work of the Redemption in distinct and bright Characters: It confiders in the next Place, that Goodness, a lovely Form, is the proper Object of Love and Efteem; and Goodnefs to us, the proper Object of Gratitude. But as Goodness exifts no where but in the Imagination, without fome Good Being, who is the Subject of it; it goes on to confider, that Love, Efteem and Gratitude, is a Tribute due to that Being, in whom an infinite Fulness of Goodness ever dwells, and from whom Emanations of Goodness are ever flowing.

SER. XV. Nor does the Mind reft here; It takes one

Step farther to reflect, that a cold fpeculative Efteem, and a barren, unactive Gratitude, is really no fincere Efteem or Gratitude at all; which will ever vent itself in ftrong Endeavours to imitate, a Delight to please, and a Defire to be made happy by, the Being beloved.

If we attend to what is here advanced, the Dispute whether the Love of God be difinterested or no, may be the more eafily adjusted: And all the Confufion upon this Head has arofe from confidering the Love of God, under a partial and imperfect View, from confidering it merely as a Philofophical Efteem for Him, without taking into the Account, what the Love of God chiefly implies, a fincere and effectual Defire to recommend ourselves to the Favour, Approbation, and Bleffing of that Being whom we efteem. If the Love of God be confidered merely as a facred Efteem for him, 'tis in a great Measure difinterefted. For Intereft may indeed teach us to speak a Language foreign to our Heart: But we cannot really efteem any Perfon, till we think him worthy of our Efteem; and then 'tis that Thought, not Intereft, which is productive

of our Efteem.

'Tis then the natural Re- SER. XV. fult of a serious Confideration, that he is a Being, in whom there refides a full Affemblage of each lovely and endearing Quality, without the leaft jarring Mixture of any Thing harsh, cruel or tyrannical in his Nature; that he wills the Happiness of each Individual in the Creation, as far as 'tis confiftent with his particular Rank and Station in the Scale of Beings, and the Good of the Universe in general. When a Man has inured himself to fuch a juft and right Way of thinking upon the Deity; He cannot help loving, in the Senfe of Esteem, what appears, upon repeated Views, so lovely to his Understanding. He cannot help loving him, whom he believes to be, what St. John has reprefented him, Love itself, pure, unallayed Love, without any Tincture of Caprice, Malice, or Ill-Nature.

For to whatever Cause fuch a Connexi

on of Ideas was originally owing, yet in Fact the Ideas of Goodness and Esteem are in moft Minds infeparably connected. The Union feems almost neceffary. If it were an early Affociation, 'tis fuch an Affociation as cannot eafily, if at all, be broken.

But