"of God," fays St. John," that we keep his "commandments*."

And again, in ftilk

stronger terms: "Whofo keepeth God's "word, in him verily is the love of God "perfected +." Had a proper attention been paid to fuch paffages as these, we fhould have heard nothing of those absurd reveries which have fo much disgraced this doctrine. Yet, while we thus guard against the errors of over-ftrained pietifm, let us take care that we fall not into the oppofite extreme of a cold and cautious indifference; that, as others have raised their notions of this excellent quality too high, we, on the other hand, fink them not too low. Because the scriptures fay, that to keep the commandments of God, is to love God, therefore too many are willing to conclude that no degree of inward affection need accompany our outward obedience; and that all appearance of devout ardour is a fufpicious and even dangerous fymptom. But this notion is to the full as groundless and unfcriptural as thofe above-mentioned; and needs no other confutation than the

very

* 1 John v. 3.

+ 1 John ii. 5.

words

B 3

words of the text. We are commanded not merely to love God, but to love him with all our heart, and foul, and mind, and firength. Since then our obedience muft be, as we have seen, the measure of our love, we are plainly bound by this command to obey him alfo with all our heart, and foul, and mind, and ftrength; that is, with zeal, with alacrity, with vigour, with perfeverance, with the united force of all our faculties and powers, with one univerfal bent of the whole man towards God. The love of our Maker, then, is neither a mere unmeaning animal fervour, nor a lifeless formal worship or obedience. It confifts in devoutnefs of heart, as well as purity of life; and, from a comparison of the text with other paffages of fcripture, we may define it to be, "fuch a reverential admiration of God's perfections in general, and fuch a grateful sense of his infinite goodnefs in particular, as render the contemplation and the worship of him delightful to us; and produce in us a conftant defire and endeavour to please him in every part of our moral and religious conduct."

This it is that the scriptures mean by the

love of God; and it is nothing more than what every man may, if he pleases, very eafily acquire. It is not a new perception, of which we never experienced any thing before; it is not an unintelligible, mysterious, or fupernatural impreffion upon the foul: it is only a purer degree of that very fame affection which we frequently entertain for some of the most worthy of our own species. This sentiment religion finds already exifting in our minds, and all that it does is to give it a new direction, and to turn it upon God, as its highest and properest and most adequate object. If then we wish to know still more clearly in what the love of God confifts; and what share of it we ourfelves poffefs; we must confult our own breasts, and confider a little how we feel ourselves affected towards the eminently great and good among our fellow-creatures. Now, when we obferve any one of this character going on steadily and uniformly in one regular even course of upright, noble, disinterested, benevolent conduct, making it the chief study and business of his life to promote the comfort and happiness of every hu

man being within his reach; we can no more help esteeming and loving and reverencing fo excellent a perfon, than we can forbear defiring food when we are hungry; even though we ourselves are not in the leaft benefited by his goodness. But, fhould we be fo fortunate as to live under his influence, and to be interested in his virtues; to have him for our friend, our benefactor, our parent, guardian, governor, or protector; then it is fcarce poffible for language to express the emotions of affection, gratitude, and delight, which we feel in contemplating his goodness, and even in the very mention of his name, In cafes like this (and fuch cases do, God be thanked, fometimes exift) how does our heart burn within us, how restless and impatient are we, till we find some better way than that of words to exprefs the fenfe we have of our benefactor's kindness towards us? With what folicitude do we study every turn of his countenance, and endeavour to prevent his very wishes? We not only do what he defires, but we do it with alacrity and ardour. We love to speak of him, to think of him, to converfe with

him, to imitate him. We never mention him but in terms of reverence and refpect, We are jealous of his reputation; we cannot bear to hear it lightly treated. We enter heartily into his interefts, and adopt his fentiments. We love what he loves, we hate what he hates; we are ready for his fake to do any thing, to relinquish any thing, to fuffer any thing. These are the fentiments we entertain, and this the conduct we obferve, towards those that we love on earth; and in this manner does Christianity expect us to love our Father that is in heaven. If this fincerity and ardour of affection are justly esteemed both natural and laudable in the one cafe, why are they not at least equally fo in the other? Why may they not, without any stretch of our faculties, or any imputation of hypocrify or enthusiasm, be exercifed towards him, who is the very perfection of every thing that is great and good, who is in reality, and in the ftrictest fenfe, our friend and benefactor, our parent, guardian, protector, and governor all in one? It is true, indeed, there is one difference, and that, as fome think, a very material one, be

tween