fure, is every-where in Holy Scripture reprefented, both as the moft proper Expreffion, and the fureft Argument of our Love to God. Thus, God himfelf, in the fecond Commandment, joins these two Things together, as infeparable the one from another: For thus he fpeaks in the xxth Chapter of Exodus, I will fhew Mercy unto Thousands, of them that love me, and keep my Commandments. So that loving God, and keeping his Commandments, are but two Terms expreffing the fame Thing; and thus again our Saviour more exprefly in the xivth of St. John, He that bath my Commandments, and keepeth them, be it is that loveth me: And again, Ye are then my Friends (that is, Ye do then truly bear Affection to me) if ye do whatsoever I command you: And, laftly, St. John in his firft Epistle, Whofo keepeth bis Word, in him is the Love of God perfected; that is to fay, he both truly loves God, and loves him in Perfection, as far as the State of human Nature in this World is capable.

It was very well becoming the Wisdom and Goodness of God, and exceedingly for our Benefit and Comfort, that the Holy Spirit fhould in the Scriptures thus plainly and fully declare what that is in which the Love of God doth principally confift, and by what Marks and Characters we may truly know whether we love God or no. It is not fo eafy a Matter for every body to know whether he hath

that

that Efteem and Veneration of God, or whether he doth form fuch lovely Ideas of him in his Mind as he ought to do (which is one of thefe Inftances or Expreffions I have mentioned of the Love of God) neither is it so easy a Matter for a Man to know whether he hath fuch ardent Longings and Breathings after a Participation of the Divine Nature, as the fincere Love of God will infpire a Man with (which was the other Character I gave of it). But every Man may know whether in his Life and Converfation he doth fincerely endeavour to obferve God's Laws, whether he doth really frame his Life fo as to study to perform those Things which God hath commanded, and to avoid thofe Things which God hath forbidden: This, I fay, every body may know and find out by examining the Principles upon which his Actions turn, the Designs by which they are managed: And therefore this is a Mark by which every Man, even the plaineft and the dulleft, may know whether he fincerely loves God or no.

Let us all therefore ftick to this Mark: Let us take this, both for the trueft Expreffion of our Love to God, and the best Evidence we can give ourselves of it. Let none of us judge of ourselves by the Warmth and Fervour we do fometimes feel in our Minds towards God: Let us not upon any Account that we have now and then very devout Affections, that we can pray with great Earneftnefs and Vigour, that

we feel a great Joy and Delight in our fpiritual Exercifes, that we are fometimes raifed up above ourselves in our Contemplations and Devotions; I fay, let none of us upon this Account be too forward to conclude that we fincercly love God. For if this Zeal and Heat of Affection be not accompanied with a steady conftant Endeavour to recommend ourfelves to God by an uniform Obedience to all his Commandments, it will fignify nothing. And, on the other fide, let none of us that are dull and flat in our Prayers, that feel none of those Raptures and fpiritual Confolations, and that lively Communion with God, that other Men talk of; that have none of those Ardours and Flames of Love; none of that Transport and Exaltation of Spirit in their holy Offices; but go on in a dull infipid Road of Duties (as they are apt to fancy it) I fay, let none of those upon thefe Accounts be in the leaft troubled or caft down, as if they had not the true Love of God within them. For those very People, in as low a Difpenfation as they think themselves to be, if they be fo wrought upon by the Motives of the Gospel, that they do unfeignedly fet themselves to live honestly, and virtuously, and godly, in their whole Converfation, they have affuredly the Love of God abiding in them.

In a word, Let all Sorts of Men, how brifk or how dull foever their Paffions and Affections are toward God, judge of their State

and

and Condition by this: Do they heartily and fteadily endeavour to approve themselves to GOD, by an innocent, and virtuous, and religious Course of Life? Do they make a Conscience of keeping all God's Commandments as far as they know them, and as far as they are able to keep them? Do they indulge themselves willingly and knowingly in no Action, or in no Courfe of Life, that their Confciences tell them is difpleafing to GOD? If they can fatisfy themselves, that they do this, they have all the Reafon in the World to be affured, that they love GOD, in that Degree, that he will accept; and that, whether they have, or have not, the Comfort of it here, they will certainly have the Reward of it hereafter.

But, Fourthly, and Laftly, There is one Thing more to be added to the full Explication of this Precept in my Text, besides what I have faid; and, that is, that the Love of GOD we are speaking of, implies fuch a Degree of Intenseness, as that, whoever pretends to love GOD, must have fo great a Regard. to the Favour of GOD, and fo great a Dread of his Displeasure, that he would not for any Confideration in the World, run the Hazard of forfeiting the one, or incurring the other.

And this is that which I take to be the full Meaning of that Phrafe; Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart, and with all thy Soul, and with all thy Mind. It is an idle thing to go about to distinguish VOL. IV.

Q

nicely

nicely about the Sense of these several Words. This undoubtedly is the Meaning of all: That we fhould cleave intirely to GOD withall the Powers of our Souls and Bodies: We fhould endeavour to ferve him with every Faculty that he hath given us: We fhould not give up ourselves to him by halves, dividing ourselves between GOD and the World; but all other Interefts, all other Confiderations, muft yield, where GOD, and our Love to him, are concerned.

The plain English of all is, that we must love GoD above all Things; that we must mind his Service above all other Concernments; that we must preserve our Duty to him intire and inviolable, whatever come of cur other Affairs. And, if it fhould fo happen, that our worldly Profit, or Pleasures, or Interests, are inconfiftent with our Love to God, we muft quit them all, rather than depart from the Laws of our heavenly Father.

And this is that which our Saviour hath told us, in the 10th of St. Mark (with which I conclude this Point, and this Discourse), He that loveth Father or Mother, more than Me, is not worthy of Me; and he that loveth Son or Daughter, more than Me, is not worthy of Me; and he taketh not his Crofs, and. followeth after Me, is not worthy of Me. Or, as he expreffeth, Luke xiv. 26. If any Man come to Me, and hate not his Father, and his Mother, his Wife, and Children, Brethren,

3

and