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in need of it; they do him no fervice, though it be in their power, and his circumftances require it. Such love is all pretence, without substance or reali

ty.

(6.) Lativ, They that do not love the Lord's people, who are their best neighbours, the fubftance and ftrength of a church and nation, who are, as Elijah was, the chariots of Ifrael, and the horsemen theresf. Love is a duty to them above all men, for what they are in themfelves, lovers of God and all good men, and for the relation they ftand in to God as his people, his redeemed and fanctified ones, who, when the time of their warfare here is accomplished, fhall be tranflated to the kingdom of glory, to the house not made with hands, eternal in the heavens. Not to love then is a great fin, inconfiftent with the law and love of God; and to hate them, especially on account of their goodness, is direct rebellion against God, an infült to the Majefty of heaven, whofe fubjects and fervants they are.

5. Let us ftudy to love our neighbour, and to bury all ftrifes, animofities, hatred, and malice. For motives, confider,

(1.) That little neighbour-love is a fad fign of little love to God; 1 John iv. 20. If a man fay, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar; for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath feen, how can he love God whom he hath not feen?

(2.) Confider the bond of one common nature, which fhould cement and knit together all of the fame fpecies. Lions and wolves do not prey on their own kind, but fhew kindnefs to one another, As men are of one common nature derived from Adam, fhould they not love and fhew kindness to one another? for they are ftrictly brethren, and are as ftrictly bound to love one another as fuch,

(3.) Confider the love of God and Christ to men, It was moft free, unmerited, unfought, and unfolicited. They loved not friends, but enemies and rebels,

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who had taken up arms against their Creator and Sovereign Lord. Men had by their fin involved themfelves in utter ruin, and could not help themselves. In fuch deplorable circumftances did God fix his love on them, and fend his Son to redeem them from the curfe of the law, and from the wrath to come, by laying down his life for them. And fhall not fuch a glorious and unspeakable inftance of the love of the great God and his Son Jefus Chrift to the ruined race of fallen man, excite and ftir us up to love our neighbour, and to do him all the fervice we can both as to his temporal and eternal interests?

Laftly, How happy would the world be if men loved others as themfelves! Suppofe ten men; fo love would contract ten into one, and multiply one into ten. How happy would each of thefe ten be, who would have ten hearts to care for him, twenty eyes to fee for him, twenty hands to work for him, and twenty feet to travel for him!

Let the Lord's people especially love one another. They are the fons of God, and the brethren of Chrift. God loved them with an everlasting love, and with loving-kindness he drew them to himself. Chrift redeemed them at no lefs price than that of his most precious blood. The Holy Spirit is their Sanctifier and Comforter, and will abide with them for ever, They are members of one family, fellow-citizens, and of the household of faith. They are members of one body, of which Chrift is the head. They have one Lord, one faith, one baptifm, and one hope of their calling. They have all fled from one city, that of sin and destruction; and they are travelling unto one heavenly country. They are all clothed with one garment, the complete righteousness of their Surety and High Prieft. They are all the fpoufe of Chrift, who is one. They are all brethren, children of the promife. Shall then fuch perfons fall out by the way? Nay, fball they not dearly love one another? Be kindly affectioned one to another; fays the apoftle, with bre

therly love, Rom. xii. 10. Let brotherly love continue, Heb. xiii. 1. Such love is a fure and infallible fign of your being the friends and followers of Chrift. By this, fays our Lord, shall all men know that ye are my difciples, if ye have love one to another. Be at peace then among yourselves, and fhew that ye are fubjects of the Prince of peace, and heirs of the legacy of peace which he has left you.

The Preface to the ten Commandments.

EXODUS XX. 2.

I am the Lord thy God, which have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the house of bondage.

OME take these words (which are the firft of that fpeech spoken immediately by God himself) to be a part of the firft commandment, fhewing who is the true God, that is to be our God. Our catechifm determines them to be a preface to all the commandments; and though they have a particular relation to the first command, Thou shalt have no other gods, before me, viz. the Lord thy God, who have brought thee out of the land of Egypt, out of the houfe of bondage; yet feeing the first commandment has a common relation to all of them, and is interwoven with all the reft, and the words natively enforce obedience to the whole, they are fet here as a preface to all the commands, like a magnificent entry into a palace decorated with the arms of the owner. In the words confider,

1. The Speaker and Giver of thefe commandments. It is the Lord, particularly Jefus Chrift, who gave this law in name of the Trinity. This is plain from the fcripture, Acts vii. 38. Heb. xii. 24. 25. 26. It was he that brought the people out of Egypt, and that appeared in the bush that burnt with fire, and yet

was not confumed, giving commiffion to Mofes for their deliverance, Exod. iii. 2.—8.

2. The speech itself, wherein we have a defcription of the true God, bearing three reafons for the keeping his commands. (1.) From his fovereignty; he is the Lord. (2.) From his covenant-relation to his people, thy God. (3.) From the great benefit of redemp tion and deliverance wrought for them,

Docт. "The preface to the ten commandments "teacheth us, That because God is the Lord, and "our God and Redeemer, therefore we are bound to "keep all his commandments."

But it may be afked, Why does the Lord make use of arguments to induce us to obedience? Anf. Becaufe he loves to work on man as a rational creature, according to the principles of his nature. Hence he fays, Hof. xi. 4. I drew them with cords of a man, with bands of love. And because he delights in no obedience but what is unconftrained and chearful. It is truly matter of wonder, that the infinitely-glorious God fhould be at fo great pains to incline man to pur. fue his own happiness.

Here I fhall confider the feveral reafons of obe dience mentioned in the text and doctrine, and then draw fome inferences for application.

First, As to the firft reafon for obedience to thefe commandments, it is in thefe words, I am the Lord, or JEHOVAH; that is, an eternal, unchangeable one, having his being of himself, and from whom all being is derived, Exod. iii. 14. I AM THAT I AM. This is a very fignificant name, and denotes, (1.) The u nity of the Godhead, that he is one true God, having no partner, equal, or rival. (2.) The reality and certainty of his being. Idols are nothing; all their divinity is only in the fancies and opinions of men: but God is a real and true being. (3.) The neceflity, eternity, and unchangeableness of his being. All other things which have a being were once without

being; they had no exiftence till he gave it them; and if he please, they fhall be no more, but be reduced into their primitive nothing; and all their being was derived from, and wholly depends upon him. But he was from all eternity an independent and felf-exiftent being. (4) The conftancy and perpetuity of his nature and will; I am that I am; i. e. I am the fame that ever I was, and will be the fame, without all mutability in my nature, will, and purpofes. This name includes these four reasons for our obeying his commandments.

1. The infinite excellency and perfection of his nature, whereby he is the natural Lord of all his creatures, Jer. x. 7. He is infinitely above us, and fo glorious in his fupereminent perfections, that the view of them muft natively caufe us poor worms to fall down at his feet, and receive his commands and makes our rebellions monftrous, more than if a glowworm fhould contend with the fun in its meridian brightness.

2. He is Lord Creator to us, that gave us our being, and we are the workmanship of his hands, and are therefore to be at his difpofal, as the pots are at that of the potter, Pfal. c. 2. 3. Whatever we have, tongue, hands, foul, body, &c. all is from him; how can we then decline his government?

3. He is Lord Rector, fupreme Governor and Lawgiver to us, whofe will is our law, Jam. iv. 12. There is one lawgiver. This he is as Jehovah, the fountain of all being, which gives him an abfolute and illimited dominion over us. So that disobedience to his commands is the higheft injuftice we are capable of.

4. He is Lord Confervator of us, the preferver of men,* Rev. iv. 11. Every moment we have a continued creation from him, without which we could no more fubfift than the beams of the fun without the fun itself, but would immediately dwindle into nothing. Being then thus upheld wholly in our being by him, should we not wholly be for him?

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