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of Truth and Righteousnefs, which is the Caufe of God. It will tend to form us into his Divine Likeness; and will excite in us earnest Afpirations after that State where we hope to be admitted to the immediate transforming Visions of his Glory, and to the full eternal Enjoyment of his Love. And now how happy muft it be to act under the Influence of this glorious Principle! Love, when vigorously exercifed on the best and nobleft Object, in which there is an abfolute Confluence of all poffible Perfections, is certainly the moft delightful Thing in the World, a Source of the pureft and most refined Joy. Here our Affections may rife higher and higher to Eternity, and never equal the real Excellency and Amiableness of the Object. The Perfection of Divine Love is Heaven itfelf, and the Beginning of it here on Earth is the Beginning of Heaven and Glory. To command us therefore to love God with all our Hearts is in Effect to command us to promote our own highest Felicity, and to cultivate that Difpofition, which is the most delightful Temper of our Souls. We fhould therefore, as we value our own Happiness, do all we can to get our Hearts brought more and more under the Power and Influence of this VOL. III. Divine

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Divine Affection. In order to this, let us frequently reprefent to our Minds the Reafons and Motives we have to love God above all. We fhould rife in our Thoughts to him as the fovereign original Goodness. and Beauty, the Source and Center of all Perfection, who is everlastingly and invariably poffeffed of all that is great and good, excellent and lovely. This wide Univerfe all around us fhines with the Radiations of his Goodness and Glory. With what Delight should we behold him diffufing the Streams of his Benignity through the whole Creation, communicating Happiness in various Degrees to numberless Orders of Beings, and particularly pouring forth the Bleffings of his Frovidence in a rich Abundance to the human Race! But, above all, we should frequently dwell in our Meditations ou the exceeding Riches of his Grace as manifefted towards us in his well-beloved Son Jefus Chrift our Lord, and in the wonderful Methods of our Redemption and Salvation through him: For it is here efpecially that he appeareth in all the Glory of that amiable Character, that God is. Love.

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And, as it is required of us that we fhould love God with a fuperlative Affection, fo also that we should fear him with the profoundeft Reverence. It is a Command frequently repeated in the Divine Law, Thou fhalt fear the Lord thy God. Deut. vi. 13. X. 12, 20. Agreeable to this is that Exhortation of the Prophet, Sanctify the Lord of Hofts himself, and let him be your Fear, and let him be your Dread. If. viii. 13. Let us kave Grace, faith the Apostle, whereby we may ferve God acceptably with Reverence and godly Fear. Heb. xii. 28. This is fo neceffary and of fuch Importance, that the Fear of God is in Scripture-Language frequently put for the Whole of true Religion. This may feem to make an unamiable Reprefentation of it. But it must be confidered, that the Fear of God, which true Religion tendeth to infpire, is a quite different Thing from that fervile Horror, the Effect of Superftition, which arifeth from wrong and unworthy Apprehenfions of the Deity, and is a perpetual Source of Uneafinefs and Anxiety. The Fear that God requireth is a filial Awe, fuch a Veneration mixed with Love, as floweth from the highest Esteem of the fupreme Being, and a juft Senfe of his fovereign Dominion and incomparable Perfections. Accordingly it

is reprefented as the genuine Temper of the People of God, that they fear the Lord and his Goodness. Hof. iii. 5. It is fuch a Fear of God as caufeth us to dread his Difpleafure above all Things, and maketh us careful not to offend him, and defirous to fhun every Thing which is contrary to his holy Will and Law. And hence to fear the Lord, and to depart from Evil, are reprefented as infeparably connected, and as in Effect the fame Thing. Job xxviii. 28. The Fear of the Lord, that is Wisdom; and to depart from Evil is Understanding This holy Fear of God hath a natural Tendency to check the Vanity and Levity of the Mind, to repress the tumultuous Motions of the diforderly Appetites and Paffions, and to keep every Thing quiet and in good Order within; and confequently it tendeth to produce an inward happy Compofure and peaceful Tranquillity. And the great Benefit and Satisfaction arifing from this is very evident, especially when it is confidered, that, inProportion as the Soul is under the Influence of a well-regulated Fear of God, it will be raised above the Disturbance of all other Fears. An habitual awful Senfe of the Divine Majefty, deeply impreffed upon the Heart, will caufe a Man to think little comparatively of the Power or Terror of Creatures

Creatures like himself; fo that this Part of the Divine Law is alfo manifeftly conducive to our Happiness, and we cannot do a better Thing for ourselves, than to endeavour to get our Souls thoroughly poffeffed with a reverential Regard to the Lord Jebovah. In order to this we should frequently realife him to our Minds in his univerfal Sovereignty, his immenfe Greatnefs his almighty Power, his boundless Goodnefs, his impartial Righteousness, and spotlefs Purity. This glorious Affemblage of Excellencies and Perfections naturally tendeth to strike the Mind with a facred Awe of God, and reprefents him as infinitely venerable as well as amiable.

Another Difpofition towards God, which is alfo of great Importance in Peligion, is an abfolute Submiffion to his Authority and Refignation to his Will. And this indeed naturally follows from fuch a superlative Love to God, and reverential Awe of his Divine Majefty, and Fear of offending him, as have been mentioned. That is a very important and comprehenfive Precept, Submit yourselves to God. Jam. iv. 7. ˆThis is to be understood of a willing complacential Submiffion, not as of Neceffity and Compulfion, but from Inclination and Choice; and it must be abfolute and intire, without Exception,

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