our Neighbour, to teach us how excellent, how good God is in himself, and how kind, how gracious to us; and, therefore, what infinite Reafon we have to love and ferve him, and to love and ferve all Mankind (who are our Neighbours) for his fake: It is the Defign of his Precepts to give us Rules in what Manner, and in what Degree, we are to express our Love to Gop and our Neighbour, and to oblige us, under the highest Penalty, not to fail in our Duty in these Matters: It is the Defign of his Promises to en-. courage us in the conftant and fincere Performance of thefe Duties, notwithstanding whatever Temptations we meet with to the contrary, by offering to us greater Affiftances for the Performance of them, and propofing greater Rewards to the Performance of them, than Mankind had ever yet heard of: And, laftly, it was the Defign of his whole Life and Converfation in the World, to give us a true Pattern and Example of Love to GoD and Man, in all the feveral Inftances wherein it will be our Duty to express it.

Love therefore, as it was the Sum of the Old Law, fo it is likewife the Sum of the New; or, as St. Paul expreffes it, 7 τέλων τῆς παραγγελίας, it is the End, the Perfection, the utmost Design of the Evangelical Difpenfation, to teach us to love (namely, to love GoD firft, and then our Neighbour) out of a pure Heart, and good Conscience,

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Confcience, and Faith unfeigned, as you have it, 1 Tim. i.'5. fo that, putting all this together, we have an eafy and a true Notion of that Religion which is from God, and we can never be at a Lofs to find out in what it doth confift: It is not a Thing to be alter'd at Pleasure; both the Law of Nature, and the Law of GOD, both the natural Dispensation, under which all Men are born, and the revealed Difpenfation, as we have it either in the Old or New Teftament, do fufficiently inftruct us in the main Heads of it: Nay, I dare be bold to fay, fo long as Mankind do retain their Nature, and are not transformed into another fort of Creatures than what GOD made them at firft, it is impoffible that there should be any true Religion but what may be fummed up in these two Things, namely, to love GoD and our Neighbour.

There is this Difference indeed, between the three Difpenfations, that of Nature, that of Mofes, and that of Chrift, as to this Matter; that the firft teacheth thefe Duties very imperfectly; Mankind, through the univerfal Corruption and Degeneracy of the World, having loft the true Notions of GOD, and of the Way wherein he would be loved and ferved; and it was the Design of the fecond Difpenfation, that of Mofes, to reftore and revive thefe Notions among the Jews, and to oblige them more strictly

to the Performance of those Duties by more explicit Promises and Threatnings; but yet this Difpenfation of Mofes was very imperfect, and very infufficient, for the bringing all Mankind to that pure Love of GOD and Man, that was required to the Perfection of human Nature; and therefore, when the Fulness of Time was come, GOD fent his own Son, our Lord Jefus, into the World, not to alter the Principles of Mankind, or to fet up a Religion that was never heard of in the World, but to perfect what was deficient in the Law of Nature, or in the Law of Mofes ; to build upon, and to improve the old Foundation of loving GoD and our Neighbour, that so all Mankind might be put into a Capacity of performing acceptable Services to GOD, and arriving to that Perfection and Happiness, which in their Creation they were defigned for. This Work, I fay, our Saviour undertook; and this Work he did effectually perform and execute: First, by inftructing Mankind more plainly and perfectly than ever they were inftructed before, how, and in what Inftances, they were to express their Love to GOD and Man. Secondly, by requiring of them a greater Measure, or Degree, or Intensenefs of Love both to GOD and Man, than Mankind had hitherto thought themselves obliged to. Thirdly, by laying before them a great many new Arguments, and Motives, and Inducements, to the Prac

tice

tice of those Duties, which they hardly ever thought on before. Fourthly, by procuring greater Aids, and Helps, and Affiftances, for the Performance of this Duty, than ever was afforded under either of the other Difpenfations. Fifthly, by fetting a plain and eafy, but withal a perfect Example, in his own Life, of the Practice of thefe Duties in all the feveral Inftances of them. Sixthly, by propofing greater Rewards to all good Men, that would fincerely endeavour to recommend themselves by universal Love to GOD and Man, than either the Light of Nature, or the Law of Mofes, did make over. And lastly, by purchafing Remiffion of Sins by his Death and Paffion, for the Encouragement of all Mankind to fet themfelves to the Practice of this true Religion, how faulty or negligent foever they had before been in these Matters.

This now to me feems a true Scheme and a genuine Representation of the Chriftian Religion. As to the main Duties required in it, it feems to be the fame in Substance both with natural Religion, and the Religion of the Jews; and the Sum of them lies in this, To love GOD with all our Heart, and to love our Neighbour as ourfelves; tho' both as to the Inftances of expreffing thefe Duties, and the Strictness with which it requires them, and the Arguments it gives for the engaging us to P 3 them,

them, and the Affiftances it offers for the performing of them, and the unvaluable Promifes it makes to all that fincerely lay out themselves in them; I fay, in all these Refpects, there is no Comparison to be made between Chrift's Religion and the other ; Christianity having incomparably the Advantage, upon every one of thefe Accounts, both of the Heathen and the Jewish Religion... But this is that which I aimed at, and all that I defire to obferve at this time, that Religion is not a fictitious or a fictitious or arbitrary Thing; one thing To-day, and another Tomorrow; one thing in this Kingdom, and another in a diftant Region; but the true Religion, the Religion which is of God, is eternally the fame, and confifts in this which I have so often repeated, That we love the Lord our God, with all our Heart, and with all our Mind, and with all our Soul; and that we love our Neighbour as ourselves. And thus much of my firft Inference.

Several other Obfervations I have to draw from this Text; but they will furnish Matter for my next Difcourfe; and therefore I here break off, defiring GoDo give a Bles fing to what hath been faid,

Now to God the Father, &c.

SERMON