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VOL. if they could not truft one another. Without mutual confidence, there would be an end of all traffick. But to this human fociety fhews there is a difpofition; and you can eafily find out perfons, in whom you would as fafely repose your truft and confidence, as in your own hearts. You can fay, "I would put my life into fuch a man's "hands, or whatever is moft dear to me." And if that perfon fhould but promise to undertake an affair, faying, "I will do fuch a thing for you, truft me with it, leave it upon me; you would be as quiet, as if you faw the business done and already effected. But how unapt are the hearts of men to truft in GoD! And this it is, that holds off the world from him. He hath fent the gofpel of peace and reconciliation to mankind, and therein declares the good tidings, how willing he is that the controverfies fhould be taken up between men and himself; yet none will believe it, none think him in earnest, till he is pleafed himself to draw them. Who bath believed, faith the Prophet, our report? or, to whom is the arm of the Lord revealed? Plainly intimating, that the arm of God must go forth to make a man believe him, and take his word. A ftrong argument, that he hath but little love among men, when he cannot be trufted; or, at leaft, when fo few will give him credit!

3. A READINESS to be concerned for one another's interest, and reputation, is also a natural evidence of love. And we know how eafily men are drawn in for one another, and take part with

Ifaiah LIII. 1.

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a neighbour, or a friend, when they are traduced, S ER M. and evil spoken of; and efpecially when they fee indignities and affronts put upon them. There is ufually a great fiding among perfons upon fuch occafions. "Such a one has spoken

"ill

ill of my friend, I muft ftand up for him to "the uttermost. Another has injured him, "purloined from him that which was his, and

the like; I muft right him." Should we not reckon him a bafe fellow, who should behold an act of stealing committed upon the estate of another, and not make a discovery of it, or endeavour to have him righted? But how little generally are men concerned for GoD, and his affairs! What robberies are every where committed against him, and yet how few do lay it to heart! How evil is he spoken of many times, and his truth, and his ways! But how few can fay, The reproaches wherewith they have reproached thee, have fallen upon me! It is true, this is the sense of David, when he cries out, As with a fword in my bones mine enemies reproach me, while they say unto me daily, where is thy GODi? It is to me as if one was forcing a fword into my bones, even into my marrow; a moft intolerable torment to be upbraided in respect to my GOD: that he is either impotent, and cannot help me; or that he is falfe to me, and anfwereth not the truft I have repofed in him. But how few are there of David's mind, in this cafe? How many oaths and blafphemies can they hear, wherein the fa

cred

h Pf. LXIX. 9.

i Pl. XLII. 10.

VO L. cred name of GOD is rent and torn, and yet their hearts are not pierced at all! Further,

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4. An earnest study to please men is a natural expreffion of love. Now let the matter be estimated by this, how much lefs GOD is loved in the world than men. It is an ordinary thing with them to study to please one another, to humour one another. "Such and fuch things I do, "and fuch I omit, left I should displease a rela

tion, a friend, or one that I have frequent oc"cafion to converse with." But how few are

the perfons, who can say, "This I do purposely "to please my GOD?" or with Jofeph, How can I do this great wickedness, and fin against GOD! A man will oftentimes crofs his own will, to comply with that of another; and reckon it a great piece of civility to recede from his own inclination in order to gratify another perfon, when he can do it without any great inconvenience. But how rare a thing is this with respect to GOD! To be able to fay, " In such a thing

I displease my self, that I may please Go D ; "I cross my own will, to comply with his." Among men there is especially one fort, that we are more concerned and obliged to please, so far as we can; and that is, fuch as rule over us. We are bound to please our superiors; and to obey them, that we may do fo. And there is no obedience either to GoD or man, that is right in its own kind, but what proceeds from love, and is an evidence as well as an effect of it.

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Gen. xxxix, 9.

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If you love me, faith Chrift, keep my command- SER M. ments'. And this is the love of GOD, faith St. John, that we keep his word". Moreover the duties of the fecond table, which we owe to men, particularly that of obedience to fuperiors, are fummed up all in love. The Apostle having, in the XIII chapter of his Epiftle to the Romans, preffed fubjection to the higher powers, in that they are of Go D, adds in the 10th verfe, that to love one another is the fulfilling of the law. Render, faith he, in the fame difcourfe, to all their dues tribute, to whom tribute is due; cuftom, to whom cuftom; fear, to whom fear; honour, to whom bonour". Yet obferve, all is wrapt up in love; for the command is immediately after, to owe no man any thing, but to love one another: and in fhort there is nothing which love doth not comprehend, or to which it doth not incline us.

BUT however, though fuch obedience be due to our human fuperiors as proceedeth from love; yet how apparent is the cafe, that herein is greater love fhewn to men, than to Go D, though too little to both? There is indeed too little regard to laws both human and divine, in the most important matters; yet furely a great deal lefs to the latter, than to the former. The thing speaks itself as to common obfervation and we daily fee how much more human laws do influence men's practice, than those which are divine; and that perfons are a great deal more prone to

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John XIV. 15. 1 John v. 3. Rom. x111. 7, 8.

be

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VOL. be precifely obfervant of them about matters, which they themselves do otherwise count indifferent, than of the laws of GoD, which are about the most neceffary matters, and which also are acknowledged as fuch. Thus it hath long apparently been in the Chriftian world. A greater account hath been made of this and that arbitrary circumstance, than of the fubftance of religion it felf. More stress hath been put upon the cream, the falt, and the oil, and fuch additional$ of human invention, than on the great obligations of the baptismal covenant. And if it were not fo, it could never have been defired by any, that we should rather be all infidels, than not be Christians after their fashion, and in their way. For that it hath been evidently fo, may be seen in this; that this whole nation it self hath at once fuffered under the interdict of excommunication in former days. All the doors of our churches and chapels have been fhut up, only for fome non-compliance, with this or that human addition; thus they chose we fhould rather be no Christians at all, than not have Christianity with This fhews a greater difpofition in the minds of men to obey human laws, in circumstantial matters; than divine laws, in those points which are most neceffary and impor

thofe additions.

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WHAT then is more apparent, than that GoD is lefs loved in the world than men are; fince perfons are more forward to fhew respect to them, than to him? Not but that we are bound

to

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