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truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father but by me."

I might easily show, that the love of God is the source, the sum, and the perfection of holiness. All other duties naturally flow from it; nay, all other duties are nothing else but the necessary expressions of it. But instead of entering into a particular detail, suffer me only to observe these two things :-First, that a believer is under the constant influence of gratitude to God; and, Secondly, That this includes in it, and will certainly produce the most sincere and fervent love to all his fellow-creatures.

1. A believer is under the constant influence of gratitude to God, and that not of a common kind. It is not merely thankfulness to a bountiful and liberal benefactor for mercies which have not been deserved, but a deep sense of obligation to a Saviour who loved him, and washed him in his own blood from the guilt he had contracted; who saved him by his own death from the dreadful penalty which he had incurred. What the influence of this must be, we may gather from the words of the apostle Paul: "For the love of Christ constraineth us, because we thus judge, that if one died for all, then were all dead; and that he died for all, that they which live should not henceforth live unto themselves, but unto him which died for them, and rose again."

I cannot immediately drop this subject, but entreat the reader to observe how deeply a sense of redeeming love must be engraven on the heart of every believer. On how many circumstances will he expatiate, which serve to magnify the grace of God, and point out the force of his own obligations! The infinite greatness and glory of God, independent and allsufficient, that he should have compassion on the guilty sinner, and say, "Deliver him from going down into the pit; I have found a ransom!" O how piercing those rays of love which could reach from the Godhead to man! To this he will never fail to add his

own unworthiness, his numerous, aggravated, repeated provocations. He never loses sight of those sins which first compelled him to fly for refuge "to the hope set before him." His own interest obliged him to remember them before, as exposing him to condemnation, and he is now willing to confess and record them, as serving to illustrate the divine mercy.

To all this I shall only add that glorious inheritance which is provided for every vessel of mercy, after he hath passed his preparatory trials. How well may we join with the apostle Peter in this solemn form of thanksgiving, "Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, which, according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten us again, by the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, to an inheritance incorruptible, and undefiled, and that fadeth not away." Now, when all these circumstances are considered by the believer, together with such as may be peculiar to himself and his own past conduct, must he not be ready to cry out" Lord, what wilt thou have me to do? O that I knew how I might repay some small part of my infinite obligations! O that I knew by what means, or at what expense, I might magnify and do thee honour! Write thy laws in my heart, and put them in my inward parts, and enable me in every possible way to show that I love thee, because thou hast first loved me."

2. This plainly includes in it, and will certainly produce the most sincere and fervent love to his fellowcreatures. As love to God is the first, so love to man is the second commandment of the moral law. We have our Lord's own authority for saying it is like unto the first: and that love which "worketh no ill to his neighbour," is the "fulfilling of the law." Every one is ready to acknowledge, that love to man is an important branch of practical religion. But many great pleaders for this duty do not sufficiently attend to its inseparable connection with the love of God, and, in particular, with a sense of redeeming love, or the

love of God in Christ, yet is there no such principle of universal love any where to be found?

In order to take a short view of this, it will be proper to distinguish our brethren of mankind into the two general classes of bad men and good. As to bad men, the same love to God, the same concern for his glory which fills the Christian with grief and indignation at their most daring offences, inspires the most ardent desire for their recovery and salvation. This is the only love to them which is either acceptable to God or profitable to themselves. It will show itself in all the offices of kindness and humanity; in instructing them where there is ability, admonishing them where there is opportunity, and in pleading for them at the throne of grace, to which there is always undisturbed access. The believer, knowing the danger of sin, and having a prospect of approaching eternity, is moved with compassion for blind and inconsiderate sinners. Their conduct leads him to reflect upon the depravity of his own nature, and earnestly to pray that they may be partakers of divine grace.

He that loveth God is under little temptation to hate his brother; or rather, in so far as he loveth God sincerely, he is under none at all. Hatred commonly ariseth from envy and rival pursuits. But a Christian, more than satisfied with his own portion, hath no occasion to envy others either what they possess or prosecute. In what a contemptible light does he look upon the honours, riches, and pleasures about which there is so violent a struggle among worldly men! It is impossible, therefore, that he should hate those who do not interfere with him, though in many cases he is disposed heartily to pity their folly and delusion.

Nay, the matter does not even rest here, for the Christian is laid under the most express command to love his personal enemies, " to bless them that curse him, to pray for them who despitefully use him and persecute him." This is the glory of the gospel, which gives the doctrine of Christ a lustre far superior to the most admired systems of human virtue.

And however hard a saying it may appear at first view, when we consider the character and hopes of a "penitent sinner, and the example of his expiring Saviour, it hath nothing strange or incredible in it at all, that he who expects, from the free grace of God, pardon for his innumerable and aggravated offences, should be ready to forgive the far slighter trespasses of his brethren against himself. Or rather, that he should take the highest pleasure, and think it is his honour to do so, when he remembers his Redeemer's dying words, "Father, forgive them, for they know not what they do."

As to good men there is no manner of difficulty; they are united together by the tenderest and the strongest ties, and love one another with a pure heart fervently. It was no wonder that when Christianity was in a persecuted state, the heathens should make the remark, "Behold how these Christians love one another!" They had a common character, a common Saviour, common sufferings, and common hopes. And must it not be the same still? for "all that will live godly in Christ Jesus must suffer persecution." If they are not persecuted with the swords, they shall be persecuted with the tongues of men. They have the strongest motives to love one another, and nothing to divide them, for there can be no rivalship or jealousy between those who possess or court the true riches. There is enough in an all-sufficient God to satisfy the desires of all his saints; and they being intimately united to the one living and true God, must of consequence be united to one another. This is the tenor of their Saviour's intercessory prayer: "That they all may be one; as thou, father, art in me and I in thee, that they also may be one in us: that the world may believe that thou hast sent me. And the glory which thou gavest me, I have given them; that they may be one, even as we are one: I mm them and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one; and that the world may know that thou hast sent me, and hast loved them as thou hast loved me."

CONCLUSION.

I SHALL now close this discourse with some practical improvement of these important truths. Several reflections have indeed already been interwoven with the particular branches of this subject, and the light which they throw on other parts of religion pointed I shall, therefore, at this time only make a few observations upon the whole, and proceed to a serious address to all my readers on this most interesting subject. And,

1. From the various truths above established, and the order in which they have been opened, we may see the indissoluble connection between salvation by the grace of God, and holiness in heart and conversation. We may see their equal importance and their influence upon one another. There are many who attempt to divide those things which God hath inseparably joined. Many insist only on the duties of the law of God, and our natural obligations to obedience ; and are hardly brought to any mention of the righteousness of Christ, as the ground of a sinner's acceptance before God. Nay, some scruple not to affirm, that the doctrine of justification by free grace, or a sinner's being found in Christ, not having his own righteousness, weakens the obligation to holiness, and tends to introduce licentiousness of practice. But from what hath been said in the above discourse we may learn, not only in general the absolute necessity of a change, but how this stands connected with the purchase and gift of salvation, the character and work of a Redeemer. It will plainly appear, that a change in some respects is necessary to bring us to, and in others is the necessary effect and consequence of the acceptance of salvation.

I have endeavoured in the preceding pages to show, that a discovery of the nature and glory of God, and of the infinite evil of sin, is absolutely necessary in order to our either understanding or relishing the doc

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