First, It herein appears that love is essential to peace of con. science and to the favor and enjoyment of God. Love is the great source of all piety and goodness. All the acceptable worship, honor and adoration of God flows from love; all holy obedience is the exercise of love; all evangelical sorrow for sin is impregnated with love. They shall look on him whom they have pierced, and mourn as one mourneth for his only son, and shall be in bitterness as one that is in bitterness for his first born. They shall behold him amiable and desirable whom they have pierced by their sins, as a first born child, tho' dead, is lovely in the eyes of the weeping parents, and they shall mourn for their transgressions and repent in dust and ashes.. All confidence, hope, submission, patience and every grace derive their virtue from love, Hence the grand conclusion follows that divine love is the foundation and essence of all true religion. How often does St. Paul declare, "Without love or charity all is nothing."

Secondly, We infer from this discourse, that the reason why men do not render all duty and respect to God, is because their hearts are destitute of love to him. This is the ground of their disobedience to his law, not walking after his commandments, nor performing the things that please him. Where there. is no love, there is no respect to God; his government is renounced, and his precious gospel is despised. And all the failings, imperfections, and deficiences of the saints on earth, is owing to the imperfection and defectiveness of their love.

Thirdly, It is evident from this doctrine, however humiliating and afflicting the truth, that there is more enmity and hatred towards God in the world than love.. The ground of this conclusion is, there is vastly more disrespect, neglect of, and opposition to God, than there is duty and obedience. There are multitudes walking contrary to God, and a few only walking with him. This, my brethren, is an awful and lamentable fact. O how should it go to our hearts, that there is such a want of love

to God and Jesus Christ, and that the law and gospel are treated with so much contempt in our world. Let us be wise, and hearken to the voice of the compassionate Redeemer. "Enter "ye in at the strait gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the "way that leadeth to destruction, and many there be which go "in thereat; because strait is the gate, and narrow is the way, "which leadeth unto life, and few there be that find it."

Wherefore, now, my dearly beloved brethren, let us be exhorted to stir up our hearts to love the Lord our God. He is surely infinitely worthy of our highest esteem and respect; therefore, let us devote our whole souls to him in the warmest love, in the most sincere, ardent, and exalted affection. O chritians, love the Lord more, and let his commandments, precepts, statutes and ordinances, your precious Saviour, and the glorious gospel, be your delight.

As for those of you, my unhappy fellow mortals, who are still by the profanity and wickedness of your lives, carrying on war against heaven; still maintaining your enmity against the Almighty, how long will it be e'er you cease from your hatred, and the unavailing contest? O that you could be persuaded to lay down the weapons of your rebellion, relinquish your evil practices, and turn unto the Lord, that ye may live and not die." A fire "is kindled in mine anger, saith the Lord, and shall burn unto "the lowest hell, and shall consume the earth with her encrease, " and set on fire the foundations of the mountains. I will heap "mischief upon them. I will render vengeance to mine enemies, " and will reward them that hate me, saith God."

SERMON XXXVI.

LOVE TO OUR NEIGHBOUR EXPLAINED.

GALLATIONS v. 14.

For all the law is fulfilled in one word, even in this; thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself.

THE epistles of Paul have all of them something which exhibits him as a person of a very superior mind. There is a peculiar reach of thought, arrangement of ideas, and force of argument discernable by every attentive reader. One thing is very observable in most of his letters. The first part of them is appropriated to stating, explaining, and establishing some important doctrines of christianity; the latter, in an improvement of these doctrines, by a deduction from them of the practical duties of religion, and an enforcement of the same upon the conscience, by the most powerful exhortations. This shows us the Apostle's method of preaching, and no doubt a very proper model for all ordinary ministers. He inferred the practice of christianity from its doctrines. The one was the foundation; and the other, to wit, the duties of religion, the superstructure.

In this epistle to the Gallatian christians, who by their own itching ears, and the countenance they had given to false teachers, had greatly swerved from the christian faith; he reproves

them for wishing to return to circumcision, and other jewish rites [ and ceremonies, and opens and establishes the great doctrines of the gospel, especially justification by faith, and salvation by free grace without the deeds of the law. Then he proceeds to impress upon their minds, the absolute necessity of the practical parts of religion; among which, he mentions love to our neighbour, as one of the highest importance. Hence, he makes use of the strong language in our text, "For all the law is fulfilled in one "word, even in this: thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself." By the word law, here is intended the moral law, and the term all, is employed as a usual figure, where the whole is expressed for a part; hence our Apostle's meaning is evidently the same with our Lord's, when he comprehends the whole second table of the law in these very words: "Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. Now, by the observation of this precept, we give testimony to the world that we are the followers of Christ. "By this shall all men know that ye are my disciples, if ye have love ❝ one to another.

In an explication of this subject, three enquiries present themeives to our contemplation.

First, Who is meant by our neighbour.

Secondly, What we are to understand by this love to him.

Thirdly, What is intended by the measure or degree of this love, loving him as ourselves.

First, Who is meant by our neighbour ?-It may be here observed, that the jews, like most other people, esteemed only those their neighbours who were of their own nation and religion, and comprehended in their own narrow circle. They had no dealings with the Samaritans. "Yea, they would not so much as keep "company with one of another nation." Our Lord, in the plainest manner, teaches who is intended by our neighbonr, in answer to an inquisitive Pharisee, about the great commandment of the

law. He informs him the second commandment of the law is, to love our neighbour as ourselves. Upon this the Pharisee pertly asks, "Who is my neighbour?" To which he replies in a beautiful and instructive parable. There was, says he, a certain Jew travelled in the great road from Jerusalem to Jericho, and unhappily fell among thieves, who wounded, stripped him and left him half dead. There passed by two unkind persons of his own nation and religion, the one a priest, and the other a levite, but they afforded him no assistance or relief. After some time a person of another nation, which the Jews perfectly hated, a cer tain Samaritan, came where the injured man was and had com passion on him, and afforded him the most benevolent and charit❤ able aid; bound up his wounds, set him on his beast, carried hin to an inn, defrayed his expences, and gave strict orders to the inn-keeper, to take care of him. Our Lord now appeals to the narrow and hardened bosom of the Pharisee, enquiring, "Which of these three, the Priest, Levite or abhorred Samaritan, "thinkest thou was neighbour to him who fell among thieves?" Which of them, according to common sense, and the common feelings of humanity, ought to be stiled neighbour to the wretch in distress? This was such a home application, that all the bigotry of a Jew, and contracted prejudices of a Pharisee, could not Hence this reply, with great prevent the bubblings of reason. reluctance, is extracted from him, "He that shewed mercy on "him." The compassionate Saviour passes over all notice of the unfeeling and obdurate heart, and only says, "Go thou and "do likewise." As if he had breathed forth this wish, "O that "thou couldst be a neighbour, or feel the heart of a neighbour !"

Now this parable proves to us various things respecting the settlement of who is our neighbour. He is not merely one of our own denomination in religion; he is not of our town, village or congregation. All these are granted to be our neighbours, even Christ extends the idea, far in the most selfish sense of the term. beyond nation, tribe or religion; and in the extension, cities and