"Son, which is in the bofom of the Father, he hath de"clared him." It is he who makes our peace with God, whom we had offended by our tranfgreffions; for "being juftified by faith, we have peace with God through our "Lord Jefus Chrift." And it is he who reconcileth our minds to God, by difcovering his mercy to us; fo that he might well fay of himself, "I am the way, and the truth, "and the life; no man cometh unto the Father but by "me."

I might eafily fhew, that the love of God is the fource, the fum, and the perfection of holinefs. All other duties naturally flow from it; nay, all other duties are nothing elfe but the necessary expreffions of it. But instead of entering into a particular detail, fuffer me only to obferve thefe two things; Firft, that a believer is under the conftant influence of gratitude to God; and, fecondly, That this includes in it, and will certainly produce, the most fincere 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 deferved, but a deep fense of obligation to a Saviour, who loved him, and washed him in his own blood from the guilt he had contracted; who faved him by his own death from the dreadful penalty which he had incurred. What the influence of this muft be, we may gather from the words of the apostle Paul, "For the love of Chrift 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 themfelves, but unto him which "died for them, and rofe again.

I cannot immediately drop this fubject, but intreat the reader to obferve how deeply a fenfe of redeeming love must be engraven on the heart of every believer. On how many circumstances will he expatiate, which ferve to magnify the grace of God, and point out the force of his own obligations? The infinite greatnefs and glory of John xiv. $.

* John i. 18. + Rom. v. 1. VOL. I. нь

God, independent and all-fufficient, that he fhould have compaffion on the guilty finner, and fay, "Deliver him "from going down into the pit; I have found a ransom." O, how piercing thofe rays of love, which could reach from the Godhead to man! To this he will never fail to add his own unworthinefs, his numerous, aggravated, repeated provocations. He never lofes fight of thofe fins which first compelled him to fly for refuge "to the hope "fet before him." His own intereft obliged him to remember them before, as expofing him to condemnation, and he is now willing to confefs and record them, as ferving to illuftrate the divine mercy.

And let us never forget the unspeakable gift of God, "that he fpared not his own fon, but delivered him up for "us all." How fhall we fufficiently wonder at the boundlefs mercy of the Father, and the infinite condefcenfion of the Son, when we reflect upon his incarnation, and on the astonishing end of his appearance in our nature, that he might "bear our fins in his own body on the tree." Did he overcome all his enemies in his laft conflict, and "make a fhew of them openly, triumphing over them in "his cross?" And fhall he not alfo, by the fame means, reign in his people's hearts, and be the fovereign Lord of all their affections?

To all this, I fhall only add that glorious inheritance, which is provided for every "veffel of mercy," after he hath paffed his preparatory trials. How well may we join with the apoftle Peter in this folemn form of thanksgiving, "Bleffed be the God and Father of our Lord Jefus Chrift, "which, according to his abundant mercy, hath begotten "us again by the refurrection of Jefus Chrift from the "dead, to an inheritance incorruptible and undefiled, and "that fadeth not away."* Now, when all thefe circumftances are confidered by the believer, together with fuch as may be peculiar to himself and his own paft conduct, muft he not be ready to cry out, "Lord, what wilt thou "have me to do! O that I knew how I might repay fome "finall part of my infinite obligations! O that I knew by

* 1 Pet. i. 3, 4

"what means, or at what expence I might magnify and "do thee honor! Write thy laws in my heart, and put "them in my inward parts, and enable me in every pol"fible way to fhew that I love thee, because thou haft firft "loved me."

2. This plainly includes in it, and will certainly produce the most fincere and fervent love to his fellow.creatures. As love to God is the firft, fo love to man is the fecond commandment of the moral law. We have our Lord's own authority for faying 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 fufficiently attend to its infeparable connexion with the love of God, and in particular, with a sense of redeeming love, or the love of God in Chrift: Yet is there no fuch principle of univerfal love any where to be found?

In order to take a fhort view of this, it will be proper to distinguish our brethren of mankind into the two general claffes of bad men and good. As to bad men, the fame love to God, the fame concern for his glory, which fills the Christian with grief and indignation at their most daring offences, infpires the most ardent defire for their recovery and falvation. This is the only love to them which is either acceptable to God or profitable to themselves. It will fhew itself in all the offices of kindness and humanity; in inftructing 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 accefs. The believer, knowing the danger of fin, and having a profpect of approaching eternity, is moved with compaffion for blind and inconfiderate finners. 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 fo far as he loveth God fincerely, he is under none at all. Hatred commonly arifeth from envy and rival purfuits. But a Chriftian, more than

fatisfied with his own portion, hath no occafion to envy others, either what they poffefs or profecute. In what a contemptible light does he look upon the honors, riches and pleasures, about which there is fo violent a ftruggle among worldly men? It is impoffible, therefore, that he fhould hate thofe who do not interfere with him, though in many cafes he is difpofed heartily to pity their folly and delufion.

Nay, the matter does not even reft here, for the Chriftian is laid under the most exprefs command to "love his" perfonal" enemies, to blefs them that curfe him, to pray "for them who defpitefully use him and perfecute him." This is the glory of the gospel, which gives the doctrine of Chrift a luftre far fuperior to the most admired fyftems of human virtue. And however hard a faying it may appear at first view, when we confider the character and hopes of a penitent finner, and the example of his expiring Saviour, it hath nothing ftrange or incredible in it at all: That he, who expects, from the free grace of God, pardon for his innumerable and aggravated offences, fhould be ready to forgive the far flighter trefpaffes of his brethren against himself. Or rather, that he fhould take the highest pleasure, and think it his honor to do fo, 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 tendereft and the ftrongest ties, and love one another with a pure heart fervently. It was no wonder, that when Chriftianity was in a perfecuted ftate, the heathens fhould make the reniark, "Behold how "these Chriftians love one another!" They had a common character, a common Saviour, common fufferings, and common hopes. And muft it not be the fame ftill? for "all that will live godly in Chrift Jefus muft fuffer per"fecution." If they are not perfecuted with the fwords, they fhall be perfecuted 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 jealonly between thofe who poffefs or court the "true rich"es." There is enough in an all-fufficient God to fatisfy

the defires of all his faints; and they being intimately united to the one only living and true God, muft of confequence be united to one another. This is the tenor of their Saviour's interceffory 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 haft fent me. And the glory which thou gaveft "me, I have given them: that they may be one, even "as we are one. I in them, and thou in me, that they may be made perfect in one, and that the world may "know that thou haft fent me, and haft loved them as "thou haft loved me."*

CONCLUSION.

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

ift, From the various truths above eftablished, and the order in which they have been opened, we may fee the indiffoluble connexion between falvation by the grace of God, and holinefs in heart and converfation. We may fee their equal importance and their influence upon one another. There are many who attempt to divide thofe things which God hath infeparably joined. Many infift only on the duties of the law of God and our natural obligations to obedience; and are hardly brought to any mention of the righteoufnefs of Chrift, as the ground of a finner's acceptance before God. Nay, fome fcruple not to affirm that the doctrine of juftification by free grace, or

* John xvii. 21, 22, 23.