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VII.

Chrift reconciling the World unto Himself: SERMON And therefore with great Propriety does the Gospel fignify Glad Tidings.

And as in the Procefs of our Redemption by Jefus Chrift we behold one great continued Mystery of Love, fo, as was the Work fuch alfo was the End of it, viz. to bring back Man to the Love of God; for as in his Departure from this confifted his Sin and Ruin, fo in his Return to it lay the only poffible Means of his Recovery. To this End Chrift lived a perfect Pattern of Divine Love, teaching us thereby to follow his Steps: To this end He both preached and practised Poverty of Spirit and Self Denial, by fuch inftructive Leffons, to caution us against placing a fancied Happiness in those Poffeffions and Gratifications which only ferve to alienate our Affections from Him who is the fole Fountain of true Felicity: And to the end that He might bring about a twofold Reconciliation between an offended God and finful Man, He laid down his Life, flaying, by the atoning Blood of his Cross, the Enmity betwixt them; and now continues, under the perfecting Difpenfation of his Spirit, to shed abroad the Love of God in our Hearts, and to give us Power to be

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SERMON come the Sons of God, by a Participation of

VII.

the Divine Nature.

Where is the Wife, where is the Difputer of this World, who go about to rob the Chriftian of his best Hope, this Hope full of Immortality, and to fap the fureft Foundation of our Love to God, by labouring to undermine our Faith in his best Love to us? But know, Unbeliever, that however Christ crucified may be to the carnal Heart a Stumbling-block, and to the conceited. Wifdom of the proud Difputer Foolishness, yet to us who believe He is the Power of God, and the Wisdom of God. Look up, O Chriftián, and meditate on the Sufferings of thy bleeding, dying Saviour, think on thy Sins which pierced his facred Side, on the Death of the Crofs he endured to deliver thee from eternal Death, and on the Shame He defpised to advance thee to Glory; and when thou thinkeft thereon, refrain, if thou canft, from owning, that as no Sorrow was ever like his Sorrow, fo no Love ever equalled his Love. How comes it in general that we are fo little affected with thefe Views of his Redeeming Love? Is it not because our Hearts are more immoveable than the Earth which quaked, more impenetrable than the

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VII.

Rocks which rent at his Paffion? Why SERMON burn they not within us? Why kindle they not into Flames of holy Gratitude and devout Affection whilft we open the Scriptures and preach unto you Jesus? Is it not a fad Confideration! because we have given fo much of them to the World, to the Creatures, and to our Lufts, and therefore the Luke xvi. Love of the Father and of the Son has no Place in of us. Let us then caft out John ii. many our Idols, and put away the curfed Thing that separates betwixt our Saviour and our Souls, and then we fhall know what the Love of God meaneth.-Give me thy Heart Prov. is the Voice of the Lord to every Son and Daughter of Adam; and if we will but confent to the Conveyance, He will replenish them with his Love and the Graces of his Spirit, and they fhall become Tem- 1 Cor. iii. ples of the living God; In his Light shall we fee Light; and in his Love fhall we feel 16. Love: For this excellent Grace of CHARITY is not the genuine Offspring of an apoftate Spirit, but a pure Emanation of the Divinity in our Souls reflected back upon its

Source.

xxiii. 26.

16. &

2 Cor. vi.

But let us pafs from the first to the fecond Table; for this Commandment have we, John iv.

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SERMON that he, who loveth God, love his Brother

VII.

Matth.

xxii. 39.

John

xiii. 34.

& XV. 12.

xiii. 35.

1 Joh. iv.

21.

Gal. v. 6.

alfo.

Now this Branch of Charity is high in Rank and Eminence among the Duties of the Chriftian Life, and like unto the first. It was our Lord's Command to his Difciples more than once, that they fhould love one another; nay, He makes it a Badge of their Discipleship: It is laid down as a neceffary Appendage of our Love to God; a Mark of his dwelling in us; a Test of true Ib. iv. 12. Faith. To which we may add, that it is the very Spirit that animates all the relative Duties, giving them Life, Direction and Uniformity: It is the Spring of Truth in all our Words, and the Bafis of Justice in all our Dealings: It regulates our Obedience, fanctifies our Alms, and ennobles every Social Virtue: It is fo neceffary to the Comfort and Well-being of Society, that, where the Principle is wanting, to practise the very Appearance of it is confidered as a valuable Part of Education, and Politeness is made the Subftitute of Benevolence; fo eftimable is that Virtue, whofe very Counterfeit the World holds refpectable. But, if we mean to be Chriftians indeed, our Love

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VII.

Love must be without Diffimulation: The SERMON bare Profeffion of it will neither profit our felves nor others; for a feigned Virtue, as it is without Power and Solidity, fo it muft want Effect and Confiftency.

Let us now, my Brethren, bring ourselves to this Teft; let us measure ourselves by this Standard: The one true Church of Christ is the Communion of Saints, and Charity is the Life and Soul of it: Is then the Love of God fhed abroad in our Hearts, and have we fervent Charity among ourfelves? For, be it known of a Truth, that as much as we poffefs of this Heavenly Treasure, fo much have we of Chriftianity, and no more; and that without it all Zeal for Religion is but Contention, all Modes of Worship but Formality, and all Orthodoxy but vain Opinion.

1

:. Charity, or Love to our Neighbour, may objectively be confidered under this threefold Diftinction; the Love of Affection, the Love of Benevolence, and the Love of Beneficence.

By the first I mean not that instinctive Principle of Tenderrefs which we feel in ourfelves towards our Defcendents and near Relatives, for this has its Ground in Naturę,

and

Rom. xii.

19.

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