Also it is right that man should love God with all his heart, soul, and mind, i. e. with his greatest energy and intensity: for God is worthy of highest admiration, and is his greatest benefactor. Accordingly this intensity of love is a portion of the command given.

Our inquirer having weighed the foregoing considerations, may find that they are strengthened by all the natural associations, of which he has experience in the ordinary affairs of life: his mind has been trained by examples of gratitude between man and man, by admiration of high qualities and endowments, by intercourse of relationship and friendship, and by benevolent feelings entertained generally to his fellow-creatures. We will therefore suppose him freely to acknowledge and cherish the principle of loving God with all his heart and all his soul and all his mind.

Now, according to Scripture, love is shewn by obedience. "This is the love of God, that we keep His commandments."* Again, “faith working by love"† is delivered as a great principle of human action. "He that cometh to God must (of course) believe that He is:"‡ else how can he come unto Him? We believe however, not

* 1 John v. 3.

†↑ Gal. v.

6.

+ Heb. xi. 6.

only that God is, but also that He hath done for us those things which He is said to have done, and that He is willing to do "more than eye hath seen, or ear heard, or than it hath entered into the heart of man to conceive."* Accordingly, being disposed in return to render the love which is due to our great Benefactor, we shall exhibit our feeling by obedience, by a hearty and persevering endeavour to do the will of Him to whom so much is owed. This is a natural vent and ebullition of love, felt by the inferior and dependent to the superior and protecting Being. We see it continually exemplified in various relations of human life. A loving child does the will of its parent, is obedient. A loving wife does those things which she knows will be approved by her husband. To obey is part of her marriage-vow.

Love to God then being admitted, we perceive that, both according to the law of nature and to Scripture, and agreeably to our own observation and experience, obedience does thence flow.

Thus then we understand the strength of those foundations on which rests our principle of obedience.

* 1 Cor. ii. 9.

CHAPTER VIII.

THREEFOLD DUTY OF MAN.

MORALISTS are accustomed to divide the duty of man into three parts: (1) his duty to God; (2) his duty to his neighbour; (3) his duty to himself. This is agreeable to what St. Paul writes to Titus: "For the grace of God, that bringeth salvation, hath appeared to all men ; teaching us, that denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present world."*

But if we take obedience to God as a primary principle of human conduct, we shall see that man's duties to his neighbour and to himself will in reality be only parts of the duty to God, being discharged with reference to the Deity, and in obedience to His commands.

Only in what is called the duty to God, an exclusive reference to Him seems contemplated, and He is the immediate object to whom the duty is applicable.

*Tit. ii. 11, 12.

The first four commandments in the decalogue are particularly connected with our duty to God. Also Scripture teaches us that our devotions and services, as religious beings, are to be paid to God in the name of Jesus Christ.

With respect to our duty to our neighbour, we find that after Christ had delivered what He termed the first and great commandment, i.e. love to God, He added, "The second is like unto it: thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself."* It is also elsewhere said, "Owe no man anything but to love one another."† "All things, whatsoever ye would that men should do unto you, do ye even so to them." Which is explained to mean, that we should do to others whatsoever we could reasonably expect them to do to us, if, circumstances being reversed, they were in our position and we in their position.

Again, particular injunctions, founded upon and carrying out this idea of love to our neighbour, abound in Scripture.

The love of our neighbour, like that of God, will of course shew itself by action.

For further confirmation of the principle of love to our neighbour, evincing itself in our conduct, we may observe how much God has

* Matt. xxii. 39. † Rom. xiii. 8.

Matt. vii. 12.

done for all men, even for the unthankful and the evil. To act kindly therefore to our neighbour, would be exactly in accordance with what we perceive Him to have done, a carrying out of His evident purposes and intentions.

The idea that the Creator should thus benefit His creatures, and expect them to interchange mutual good offices, is illustrated and typified by the consideration of a father, both himself benefiting his children, and rejoicing when they behave kindly to each other.

Again, let us consider that man is placed in such circumstances as naturally to require this exchange of kindnesses: and God having so placed him must have foreseen the effect and the necessity which would follow; and therefore virtually imposed such necessity. Hence we shall be obliged to allow that God designed the principle to be carried out, i.e. He gave a law to men, that they should benefit each other.

Agreeably to these maxims, or rather in proof of them, we find that men naturally admit and cherish sentiments of benevolence and love to their fellow-creatures.* Especially we remark

* "Should any one mar, tear, or deface our picture, or shew any kind of disrespect thereto, we should be