XXIX.

Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind; and thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.-Matthew, xxii. 37. 39.

THE strength of these expressions hath led

some religious people to make themselves very unhappy at the thoughts of their own deficiencies. They cannot, they conceive, arrive at that height of divine love, which is here prescribed.

It hath led others into a contrary extreme. We sometimes meet with very exceptionable language on this subject-luscious expressions of love applied to Christ-and prayers to God, which might be transposed into addresses to a mistress*.

In

* "It is many years since I read WATTS on the love of "God. His treatises, hymns, &c. on that subject, do not "suit me. He is too much of an enamorato. I do not love "fulsome, luscious divinity. And the Doctor himself allow"ed (in his preface to Mrs. Rowe's Devout Exercises) that 66 many of his composures, in the younger part of his life, were "of that kind, which his maturer judgment disapproved. The "passions should be consecrated to God, and it is desirable "our devotion, and love to him, should be fervent; but as "there

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In the same way love to our neighbour hath often gone astray, and formed a criminal connection with carnal love. The ancient christians fell under an early stigma of this kind from their love-feasts, and kiss of charity; which growing into offence, was therefore laid aside.-Modern enthusiasts also have often been taxed with carrying their love into the same vicious extreme. These considerations afford sufficient ground for inquiring into the nature of the love both of God and man.

"there is so much of the animal in them, too much stress "must not be laid upon them."

ORTON'S LETTERS to a young Clergyman, p. 109.

"To keep God's commandments," says the pious Dr. DODDRIDGE," rather than any of those passionate transports of the mind, on which some are ready to lay so great a stress, is the perfection of love to God."

See his improvement on the 2d chap. of 1 Jon N.

The addresses of the papists to the Virgin Mary abound with fulsome and passionate expressions of love. She is always represented as a most beautiful woman; and the idea is commonly blended in their devotions. Jesus is represented as a child, and God the father as an old man, both of whom in popish missals are comparatively little esteemed. The same fulsome expressions I have sometimes observed in the devotions of our enthusiasts to Christ.

What

What is commonly called love, may be defined, a passion acting involuntarily in favour of

pleasing object-often against reason-never in consultation with it. The gratification indeed of this passion may afterwards be subject to the discussion of reason: but our present inquiry goes only to the passion itself.

The term has sometimes a larger acceptation. A son loves his parent-a servant loves his master

-a soldier his officer-and a person who has received benefits, his benefactor. But if we analize this species of love, we shall find it very different from the other. The first respects chiefly the pleasing form; when it respects the moral qualities, it so far becomes esteem. But in the other species of love all is moral. It consists chiefly in an admiration of some striking quality -in a sense of gratitude-in a firm trust, reliance, and dependance-that is, we shall find in it rather what may be called the rational part of love, than the mere passion.

Now this seems to be the general idea of the love of God. It is founded on a high admiration of his perfections, which produces adoration and praise on a firm belief in his goodness and promises, which produces trust and dependanceand in a strong sense of gratitude, which pro

duces

duces obedience, an earnest desire to please, and to be, as much as we can, in his presence.-In what more the love of God consists, I know not: so that I scruple not to rest it on reason, rather than on passion. Indeed this seems to be the idea, which the scripture every where gives of divine love. God is a spirit, we are told, and we are ordered to worship him in spirit and in truth. This is certainly making worship a rational act. Passion has nothing to do with spirit; passion is of corporeal origin.-The text itself indeed seems to favour the explication I have given. The heart, the soul, and the mind, all seem to belong chiefly to the province of reason-the two last especially.

THE love of our neighbour also rests on a foundation equally rational. You are to love your neighbour as yourself. How is that? In self-love there is nothing of what is properly called the passion of love.

Besides, self-love often prompts us to act very viciously. But we are to follow only its rational lead. That is, it must be put under the direction of reason. Under this direction therefore our love to our neighbour will prompt us to avoid every thing, that will injure him; and do every

thing, that can tend to his advantage; for this is certainly the idea of rational self-love.

With regard to our neighbour, we have another rule also, which falls under the same regulation we should do to others, as we would have others do to us. This rule is indeed a direct appeal to reason. It is not supposed, that we are to do to others, according to the tenor of every wanton wish, which we may suppose they may indulge. We should weigh the matter in reason -we should place ourselves in the situation of others; and them in ours; and should do for them, whatever we think we should reasonably expect from them. Thus when St. Paul gives a detail of the duties of charity, he seems to resolve them all into efforts of reason, formed into habits of benevolence *•

Thus then, I think, it appears, that no one need fright himself, if he do not feel that ardour of passion, either to God, or his neighbour, which he may think the text inculcates. At the same time, we ought to guard against the natural coolness of reason; and should be very cautious, how we draw an apology from its dictates for the transgression of duties, on which hang all the law and the prophets.

See 1 CORINTHIANS, xiii.