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2dly, Upon the account of the Largenefs and Comprehenfiveness of it; for it includes in it all other Vertues, and comprizes the whole Duty of Man. Hence St. Paul ftiles Love the fulfilling of the Law, because it reftrains from all things forbidden in it, and constrains to all things agreeable to and commanded by it. And therefore we find Love fometimes call'd the old Commandment, being requir'd from the beginning, and made a Principle of Nature, as well as a Precept of Mofes's Law: fometines a new Commandment, being renew'd by Chrift, and enforc'd upon us by higher Motives fometimes all the Commandments, because it contains and runs thro them all, and is the great Wheel that moves all our Obedience to him; for which reafon 'tis justly reckon'd the great Commandment. As alfo,

3dly, Upon the account of the Influence it hath upon all the Parts and Duties of Religion, which have all their Worth and Acceptance intirely from it: for where the Love of God is, there every thing is accepted; but where that is wanting, nothing can be well-pleafing to him. The moft weak and imperfect Service will not mifs of a Reward, if the Heart be found and right towards God; whereas the most folemn and pompous Performances without that, are but an Abomination to him. Now that which gives ali Worth and Excellence to other things, muft it felf be most excellent; and confequently, the loving of God procuring all Audience to our Prayers, and all Acceptance to our good Works, muft for that reafon be justly accounted the great Commandment. And fo it is,

Laftly, Upon the account of its perpetual and everlasting Duration. Love is a permanent Grace, and a Vertue that will abide for ever; 'tis the Comfort of this Life, and the Happiness of the next. When all other Accomplishments of Art and Nature fhall ceafe and vanifh away, Charity will never fail, and the Love of God will be conftant and continue for ever; 'twill go along with us into the other World, and there make up the greateft part of our Felici ty for when Faith fhall be fwallow'd up in Vifion, and Hope in Fruition, then fhall Love remain, and be exalted to the higheft Perfection. All which plainly prove the lov ing of God to be the first and great Commandment. From whence I proceed,

In the next place, to fhew that the loving our Neighbour is the fecond, and like unto it. And fo it is,

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(1.) In refpect of the Authority that commands it, and our Obligation to observe it, which is the fame in both. He that requires us to love God, hath requir'd us to love our Brother alfo; and as the one is to be lov'd with all the Heart and Soul, &c. fo is the other to be lov'd even as our felves the fame Divine Authority is ftamp'd on both, and therefore both are equally to be receiv'd and practis'd. He that offends in either of these Points, is guilty of all: for he that faid, Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy Heart, faid alfo, Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as thy self. The former is indeed the firft and great Commandment, but the latter is the fecond, and like unto it; and he that doth the one without the other, is a Tranfgreffor of the Law: yea, he that faith he loves God, and hateth his Brother, is a Lyar, and the Truth is not in him. By which it appears that both thefe Commandments agree in the Act of Love, and likewise in the Authority that commands them, which is the fame in both. Moreover,

(2.) The fecond is like unto the firft, in respect of the Ground and Motive of our Obedience, which are fome divine Perfections refiding in God, and communicated to his Creatures. Our Love to Man is grounded upon the Love of God; and we depart not from the Love of our Maker, by loving our Neighbour, but rather heighten and increase it: for 'tis for God's fake, and upon his account, that we pay this Affection to his Creature. Indeed, we are to love God for himfelf, for his own infinite and adorable Perfections; and we are to love our Neighbour for the Likeness and Relation he bears to him, and for the fake of thofe Excellencies he hath deriv'd upon him. So that both being founded upon the fame Motive, may well enough be liken'd one to the other. Again,

(3.) The fecond is like unto the first, in respect of the Extent and Comprehenfiveness of it: for as the Love of God includes the whole of that Duty and Homage we owe unto him, fo the Love of our Neighbour comprizes all the good Offices we are to pay unto him. And therefore St. Paul hath fumm'd up the whole Decalogue in this one word, and ftiles Love the fulfilling of the Law; for he that loveth another (faith he) hath fulfill'd the Law. For this, Thou shalt not commit Adultery, Thou shalt not kill, Thou fhalt not fteal, Thou shalt not bear falfe Witnefs, Thou shalt not covet, and if there be any other Commandment, 'tis briefly comprehended in this Saying, Thou shalt love thy Neighbour as

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thy felf. Rom. 13.8, 9. Where all the Precepts that concern the Good and Welfare of our Neighbour are fumm'd up in the loving of him; and fo for the Fulnefs and Largenefs of it, 'tis like to the former. And fo it is,

Laftly, In respect of the Reward and Punishment that attend the keeping or breaking of it, which is the fame in both. We read in the 25th of Matthew, that all Acts of Love and Charity done to the afflicted Members of Chrift, are taken to be done to Chrift himself, and all Neglect of them to our poor Neighbour, are interpreted as a Contempt of Chrift, and both are rewarded or punish'd accordingly: the former with, Come ye Blessed of my Father, inherit a Kingdom; the latter with, Go ye Curfed into everlasting Fire, &c. Where the Love of our Neighbour hath the fame Reward annex'd to it with the Love of God, and the Hatred of our Brother hath the fame Punishment with the Hatred of God: which fhews them to be much alike both in their Nature and Confequents.

To all which, our Saviour adds, that on these two Com mandments hang all the Law and the Prophets. The Senfe whereof is,

1, That all the Law and the Prophets confpire and agree in these two Commandments, and that they are confonant to all that is written or deliver'd by them; Mofes in the beginning, and the Prophets after him, urging both thefe Precepts upon us. But the principal Sense of it is,

2dly, That these two Commandments comprize the whole of the Law and the Prophets and all that is deliver'd in both, is briefly fumm'd up in these two things, to love God with all our Heart, and our Neighbour as our felves. All the Doctrine of Mofes and the Prophets, with all the Writings of the Old and New Teftament, have relation to and dependence upon thefe Precepts: they are the two great Hinges upon which the whole Law turns, or the Pegs on which it hangs; they are the Props of the two In a Tables, or the great Wheels on which they move. word, this being the whole Subftance of our Duty, we may fee the Excellency, the Equity, and the Eafinefs of God's Laws; which requiring nothing from us but Love, the sweetest and moft pleafing of all Paffions, and that too of the highest and best Objects, viz. God and our Neigh bour, we may not complain of his Laws as difficult, or

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decline them as unreasonable, but rather fay with the Apo ftle, his Commandments are not grievous.

Thus we see how wifely our Saviour anfwer'd the Cavils of this carping Lawyer, not only eluding his captious and enfnaring Queftion, but inftructing him in two neceffary and weighty Duties.

But while the Pharifees were gather'd together, and before they parted, Jesus thought fit to puzzle and put them to filence, by moving to them a Question in their own way; faying, What think ye of Chrift, whofe Son is he? or of whose Stock is he to come? They fay unto him, the Son of David, of whofe Loins and Lineage he was to defcend. Then Jefus reply'd to them, How then doth David in Spirit call him Lord, faying, The Lord faid unto my Lord, fit thou at my Right Hand, till I make thine Enemies thy Footstool? If David then call him Lord, how is he his Son? And no Man was able to answer him a word, neither durft any Man (from that day forth) ask him any more Questions. This Queftion of our Saviour's pofed them all, and put them quite out of their former Course of asking Questions, finding they could take no advantage against him.

This is the Sum of the Gospel for this Day; from which we may observe,

1. The great Trouble our Saviour had from the Sectaries of his time, and from thence we may not wonder if we find the fame or the like from the Sectaries of our days. The Sadducees, Scribes, and Pharifees were the principal Diffenters and Separatifts in the Jewish Church, the two former pretending to greater Knowledg, the latter to greater Sanctity and Holiness than other Men; all of them setting up their own Wisdom above that of the Church, and feparating from each other upon Pretences of greater Purity and Edification. To which ends they often fet upon Christ and his Apostles with all the Arts of Infinuation and intangling Queries, to undermine the Doctrine eftablish'd and preach'd by them and this was the Occafion of the many Precepts to Unity, and the many Cautions against Divifions, that are extant in the New Teftament. The like Methods of Infinuation and Queries are still used by the Diffenters and Sectaries of our days, together with the like Cabals and Contrivances for the countenancing and propagating their Divifions. And as Chrift and his Apoftles fought then by the extraordinary Methods of Miracles and Doctrine to op

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pofe thofe Gainfayers, fo are we still to endeavour to put them to filence, by the ordinary ways of Argument or Au thority.

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2. If the loving of God be the first and great Commandment, then this ought to be firft minded and endeavour'd by. us, that we may be rooted and grounded in the Love of him and that growing and increafing in us, will lead us to all the other parts of our Duty to him. To which end, we are to think often of his infinite and adorable Perfections, together with his unspeakable Love and Kindness to us, which are great enough to engage and inflame our Affec tions: adding hereunto our daily Prayers, that he would fhed abroad his Love into our Hearts, that we may no longer refift his powerful Charms, and that we may at last obtain that Crown of Life, which he hath promis'd and prepar'd for them that love him.

3. If the Love of our Neighbour be the fecond Commandment, and like unto the first, then ought this in the next place to be minded and labour'd for: and let us not think (as too many do) that their Duty to God will excufe them from their Duty to their Neighbour. We may not make the two Tables of the Law to clafh or interfere with one another, nor think that the keeping of the one will atone for the breaking of the other; but being both alike in their Authority and Obligation, they are to be equally kept and obferv'd by us, loving God for his own, and our Neighbour for his fake. And,

Laftly, If on thefe two Commandments hang all the Lam and the Prophets, then all our Hopes and Expectations_muft depend upon the Obfervation of them. The Will of God must not be perforni'd by halves, nor may we hope to enter into Life without keeping both thefe Commandments. And as God hath in both confulted our Good, as well as his own Glory, fo let us make both the ftanding Rule of our Lives and Actions,

Vol. IV. Part 2:

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